My banishment

So, we've been spending a lot of time at our school at the moment... Teaching, planning, painting... Yep, we volunteered to repaint the school to make some extra shopping money for LA... Which brings me to my current banishment. Apparently paint and I do not get along. Or rather, we get along a little too well... As I am currently resembling some kind of crazy paint monster. It's not so much that I got a little paint on me, but that it at some point it looks like I rolled around and swam in the paint. Which has led to me sitting on a table, updating my blog while Michael paints. Oops!

The Perfect Day

First, I woke up (very very early), to presents and although you can't see them in this picture, loads of pink and silver balloons!

Then several awesome presents later, (including a gorgeous bag, perfume and books), we caught the coach to Seville...

And it was HOT there!

We wandered around for a bit, exploring and reacquainting ourselves with one of our favourite cities...

Before taking refuge from the heat and ducking into a Starbucks (which I have severely missed), and indulging in grande mocha frappuccinos....

Then we went shopping, and I bought another handful of books and some Starbucks mugs for our apartment... Then we took the train home and watched movies, played games, drank Mojitos and ate nachos and birthday cake, of course!

All in all, it was the best birthday ever! 

Birthday Countdown!

Oooh it's nearly my birthday! Under a week to go... Does anyone else get this excited about their birthdays still? I'm hoping to spend mine here:

We were originally planning to go to Grenada, but the fact that it's a lot further away, coupled with the fact that we've never been there before, makes me want to return to an old favourite: Seville. I'm not going to lie: I'm also more than a little excited to devour mocha frappuccinos again. Mmm Starbucks, I missed you....

Siestas and Thunderstorms

We're all moved in to our new apartment now! And besides the fact that it doesn't have a bath (I am heartbroken over this), the rest of the place actually far exceeds our expectations. Like, it has bar stools! I've always wanted an apartment with a breakfast bar and barstools! And I am working on creating my very own writing room... More on this later.

I have also re-experienced two things that I missed last year:

1) Spanish Siestas. Or, more specifically, siestas that last for hours, during which the streets are empty, the parks are empty, and it is the most fun to go shopping in the supermarket.

2) Thunderstorms. Yes, I know technically there are thunderstorms in the UK, but not like this. These are really dramatic storms that appear out of nowhere, flooding the cobbled streets and crash directly above you. So lovely and atmospheric when you're inside watching out the window.



image from here. Yes it's not my thunderstorm, but I like this picture.

Adios England!

So this may be my last post for a while as we're finally ready and packed to fly to Spain! Our shiny new apartment awaits us and I'm looking forward to getting unpacked and settled in. I love the idea of making it home as soon as possible and getting to know and love it. I'm a little nervous about the teaching, but I always am at first when I'm finding my feet.

In other news, I am soon to be featured on the lovely blog anonymous was a woman, in the "my favourite photo" weekly feature. So keep a look out for me!

I hope to get back into the swing of blogging and commenting again soon, but for now, adios!

Blackboard Walls

So I recently watched the movie (500) days of Summer, (which was really good), but the thing that struck me the most? The blackboard wall in his bedroom. Such a cool idea! Even better if you're good at drawing:



image

So now I am going to Spain armed with some blackboard paint of my very own.... I can't wait to see what we can come up with!

Travelling Fridays

Seville, Spain, 2010

A guilty secret? Okay then... Sometimes I like to watch Knight and Day simply for the shots of Seville, then I get to say "I've been there!" 

Decorating Fever

I have decorating fever. Yes, I am planning a few months ahead. But I am very excited to decorate our new place. I keep thinking of new, cute ideas.

So I have been searching for inspiration. I love this picture:



And it would fit better in a smaller place. But is it too girly? I must not forget it's Michael's bedroom too...






This was a cool craft to make your own headboard. You cut the shape you want out of cardboard, to make a template. Then choose some pretty wallpaper. Use the template to cut it. Then stick it on your wall! Hmm I wonder if our landlord would notice a new addition to our wall... Maybe if it looks really nice, he wouldn't mind?





This was also wallpaper on the wall. I love the mismatched hooks for displaying your jewellery.




I love this wall sticker.

It reminds me of this:






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Creativity in the Kitchen

When it looks like this outside:



It tends to make me want to do something like this...




...Make a big plate of something warm and comforting!


I love being creative in all manner of ways, and one of those is cooking and baking, and generally experimenting in the kitchen. Since Michael and I are both vegetarian, and Puente Genil is not very vegetarian friendly, living in Spain requires more experimentation for us.

Luckily, I find it a great challenge, and although I had to give away my recipe books (very very heavy!), the last few days I have been cutting out little recipes from my mom's box files of recipe ideas, and stashing them in between the pages of the one, little recipe book I kept. And, yes, it is a chocolate recipe book. It contains my old, trusted recipe for making home made chocolate truffles. I make little batches of these as thank you gifts, xmas gifts, or for a nice gesture. They always go down very well! I tend to make my own little boxes for them out of black card as well. 

So now, I am looking forward to trying out new things. Especially pies. I love how Americans have so many different sweet pies. 

Like sweet potato pie:

Or pecan pie:

And let's not forget, the Mississippi mud pie:

Mmmm...

I have been baking a pumpkin pie every year for the last few years on Halloween, and am looking forward to making this again, this year:

But of course, I am still on a diet (most days), and I still need to fit into my wedding dress! So I am going to be making different main dishes that are lighter and healthier. 

Like a traditional Spanish tortilla:

Other favourite meals, I shall be finding new ways to cook, to replace the quorn, like my invented lasagne. It looks something like this:

And instead of having the two classic layers of minced meat in a tomato sauce, and bechamel sauce, I used red peppers and garlic in a tomato sauce, and red onion and spinach cooked in a mixture of fat free natural yoghurt and cream cheese. It's very yummy! You build the layers up as normal, then top with a light spread of cream cheese and grated cheese. 

Although I have taken these pictures from Google images, I shall be taking my own photos of my creations soon and posting them here! 

Dreaming of Seville

I've just been to the cinema to watch the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, and I have to say, despite what the critics said, I loved it more than I thought I would! Some of that undoubtedly comes from seeing the film set when we lived in London, (I saw Johnny Depp's trailer!), and knowing the buildings in Greenwich well. You know the scene when Captain Jack Sparrow was here:



Yep, been there!


The slight Latin twist to it, with the portrayal of Cadiz, the Spanish Caribbean, the music, and obviously the starring of Penelope Cruz; immediately drew my mind to Spain. In particular, the Spanish culture.

Although obviously I am extremely excited to live in Puente Genil again, and absorb the cultura española, part of me really really wants to experience living here:






I feel like when we travel, certain places just captivate me entirely. These places retain such a hold upon me, that I leave a little piece of my heart in each one, and wish to return to them, perhaps to live in.

Seville is one such place.... perdí mi corazón en sevilla.

Next stop... Spain

It's the end of an era. We've officially moved out of our apartment and London, and aside from a brief stay in Chelmsford, we'll be graduating and looking for work for the summer. But the next big thing ahead of us, is Spain. Yep, the return to Puente Genil.

Only this time, there will be no reason to leave, as we always knew we had to before. We also already have an apartment provisionally reserved over the summer for us, and my thoughts and dreams are full of ideas to make it pretty and home-like. Michael and I have been together for four and a half years, and during that time, we've lived in Aberystwyth, London, Birmingham, Puente Genil, Northampton and London again. So we are extremely happy and excited to live somewhere for more than a year together! We've wanted a more permanent base for a while now, and all the cleaning and packing and leaving our apartment yesterday only cemented this further. So, provided everything goes well with the jobs and we are wanted there, we'd ideally like to stay in Spain for a while now.

Which means that this will be our Pueblo:

With little cobbled, winding streets  

And enigmatic, old buildings peeking around corners

I've already started daydreaming about decorating ideas, and have ordered this to take with us: 

(the following images thanks to Google)

Yes, I know it's French, but I've always wanted a copy of this print! 

And I also would really really love this: 

And since we're talking about dream apartments, none would be complete without one of these:

But I might be getting a bit carried away now... 

Saying Goodbye

I actually handed my dissertation in yesterday... I can't believe it's finally over, after months of working on it! It feels kind of strange, having it out of the way. Now it's just exams to study for (wish me good luck!), and then it'll all be over, and I'll (hopefully), finally have a degree.

It's going to be tough leaving London, it's so ingrained in my heart. The glitter of Canary Wharf, the museums and art galleries dotted everywhere, the cute, fuzzy little ducklings in our lagoon, and the prettiest apartment I've ever lived in! But I'm excited to start our lives in Spain, and that makes saying goodbye to boxes of books a lot less traumatic.

And here's a little Plath, because I'm going to miss her.




Cinderella



The prince leans to the girl in scarlet heels,
Her green eyes slant, hair flaring in a fan
Of silver as the rondo slows; now reels
Begin on tilted violins to span

The whole revolving tall glass palace hall
Where guests slide gliding into light like wine;
Rose candles flicker on the lilac wall
Reflecting in a million flagons' shine,

And glided couples all in whirling trance
Follow holiday revel begun long since,
Until near twelve the strange girl all at once
Guilt-stricken halts, pales, clings to the prince

As amid the hectic music and cocktail talk
She hears the caustic ticking of the clock.