gifts

This is utterly sublime. That is all.

cordon bleu

Ah man, I love cooking. The best is when I've got the house to myself; I can crunk up Radio 3 and really go for it. 

I love experimenting with new recipes (to which end this little gem has been abundantly helpful). In fact, I love the whole process of cooking. I went food shopping today and somehow it never feels like a chore - in fact, in a bit of a geekish way it makes me feel like a proper grown-up. 

I love the feel of all the different types of food - all the different textures and smells. How they feel in your hands and how occasionally wretchedly awkward things are to chop and peel. I love standing by the hob and stirring as though I'm making some marvellous concoction that no one else has ever made; as though I'm the first person to ever experience that particular flavour.

I love that all the hard work and heat and the not infrequent stress is all for a purpose, and you can see and taste the result. I began to take a real pride in the finished product, it becomes a labour of true love and dedication - a work of art.

How hateful it must be to be afraid or begrudging of food. I think about how blessed I am each time I take a teaspoonful to taste as I go along, or breathe in deeply the formative flavourful smell.

Food is glorious, and I try not to take it for granted.

finished

So, the aforementioned Events Week finished last week and it was bloomin amazing! Here is a video summarising all that went on:



Well, suffice it to say it was all marvellous and I was pooped to the highest degree when it was all over - so so much organisation and so many early mornings and late nights. All wholly worth it though!

So, in a quick sum-up of all that's been happening in the last few weeks, given my blog posts have been scanty to say the least:

• I presented a few ideas for my documentary for my Contemporary Documentary module (which I'm loving). The only fly in the ointment is that my tutor hasn't been over-enamoured with any of my ideas so far. However, I've storyboarded the one I like best and I'm just going to run with it - hopefully I'll be able to prove that I'm not a total non-entity, haha. SO eager to get my hands on the SLRs that we're using to film the documentaries - I've booked one out for this coming Wednesday and also the weekend. Cannee wait!
  
  
• I've seen the following films at the cinema: 
• Hereafter (6/10 could have cut half an hour out of it without breaking a sweat)
• Black Swan (8/10 gripping throughout and beautifully shot)
• The Fighter (8/10 Christian Bale was fantastic - didn't really like him as an actor until this film)
• True Grit (8/10 a little slow at times but beautiful and some clever funny lines)
  
  
• I've read the following books (excluding uni-related): 
• Never Let Me Go (I was determined to read it before seeing the film - which hopefully I'll be seeing tomorrow. It's well worth a read, very compelling)
• The Screwtape Letters (a re-read, still a definite favourite - typical glorious C. S. Lewis eloquence and wit)
• Searching for God Knows What (technically still reading this one, but it's brilliant so far)
  
  
• Got a couple of offers for work experience in a couple of marketing agencies in London (I know right?!) - so so excited about them! Can't imagine little ol' me commuting into the Big Smoke for work!
   
• Started knitted the long-awaited iPod sock. It's my first time using a proper pattern and involved me learning to purl (a tad harder than anticipated...) but lovely Ellie has been on hand with counselling and lightning-fast knitting-reflexes, haha.

Can't think of anything else in particular, but it's seemed like a really busy few weeks - with more social gatherings and cups of coffee than I care to remember. Jolly good stuff.