Inspired in Edinburgh

As luck would have it, the day of my first visit to Edinburgh coincided with a meet-up of literary ladies in The Edinburgh Bookshop. Jen, Leena, Lauren and Jean took over a corner of the shop, discussing the Man Booker Long-list, along with a whole stream of novels they were passionate about.

I couldn’t very well be in the city and miss out on meeting these women whose videos have energised my passion for reading and, in the case of Leena, reassured me that reading English was definitely what I want to do. So, off I traipsed in my broken boots to the other side of Edinburgh.

The afternoon was a beautiful conglomeration of book lovers chatting excitedly about their favourite texts and what the others really ought to shift to the top of their reading list. I not only got to meet the ladies mentioned above but also a group of like-minded readers who were a joy to get on with.

I left with my arms weighed down with recommendations and my head buzzing with productivity. Spending the afternoon talking with others who wrote blogs or ran YouTube channels inspired me to get back to my keyboard after what has been a summer of silence. Gatherings like the one on Saturday are great for re-igniting what may have become a rather pathetic flame. I was reminded of how much I love reading, writing and sharing what I love with others.

Jean made a 'Sharing the Love' video from the day with links to the blogs and channels of everyone who turned up which can be seen here.

The Books

Naturally this post couldn’t go up without a nod to the books I bought on the day. In Daydreams of Angels, O’Neill transforms fairy tales and bible stories to twisted and obscure tales set during the Paris Occupation or in the depth of Soviet Russia. How could I resist? The next recommendation I received from Jen was for Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things. I still don’t know much more about this novel than what’s stated in the blurb - it focuses on Peter, who goes on a humanitarian mission into deep space, leaving his wife behind on earth. From the way Jen spoke of it, it sounds quite astonishing so I’m looking forward to reading it. Finally, I picked up my first Jackie Kay, Trumpet. A death of a famous musician exposes an extraordinary secret known only to his wife, that he was a woman living as a man. I have no doubt that it’s going to be an incredible insight into human relationships and what we value, how people come to terms with the discovery that something they thought was solid fact was in fact a lie.

There were, of course, plenty more books that I wanted to buy but the money-conscious side of my brain took over. After all, one can only fit in so many non-set texts the week before one starts university.

I just want to say an extra thank you to the girls for setting up the day, it was fantastic to have the chance to meet you all.

A Thursday in June

When it comes to taking time off, I'm renowned for being useless; I have this strange notion that the world will collapse around me if I'm not busy. Last summer, post nationals, I gave myself a total of three days between returning home and leaving for Norfolk. This month, being a little kinder to myself, I have ten days between completing my placement and going to America. My mum was adamant that I spend at least some of this time being kind to myself and relaxing. This post is for her. What follows is an account of my first day at home after nine months of volunteering away. Long walks, long baths, long naps - indulgent, yes, but needed.

Thursday 11th June, 2015

08:05 Door opens, it’s the brother letting the dog into my room as he and mum head off to school. Vaguely aware of what’s happening, doze off again joined by furry friend asleep at my feet.

08:31 Awake, blurry-eyed. Run into dad heading off to work as I go in search for coffee. To my delight there is some still hot in the pot. Assemble breakfast from all the goodies in the cupboard, rather glad that I don't have to think about budgeting for next weeks food shop, not for a while anyway. Breakfast = Greek yoghurt with honey, a handful of frozen berries, 50% fruit muesli, a linseed/flaxseed/almond/Brazil nut mix and a squeeze of golden syrup.

08:45 Back to bed. Book, dog, coffee. Feeling happy.

09:25 Slowly extract self from bed, taking care to not disturb adorable sleeping dog. Get ready today’s Yoga with Adrienne. As I pull on my leggings, I am reminded that none of them currently fit, and that baggy knees are not a particularly attractive look. Luckily I'm in the comfort of my own home and not flaunting my horrific leggings in public.

09:53 Finish yoga. Only having to pause once in order to extract a mischievous cat from mat.

09:56 Boil kettle. Make tea. Run bath. As it was recently mum’s birthday, there is a bounty of wonderful smellies to choose from. I'm in Soap & Glory heaven. Tried to locate matches/lighter in order to light candle and achieve full blogger-aesthetic but with no luck.

11:10 Climb out of bath.

11:41 Gather things to walk dog. Ensure that phone is well-stocked on the podcast front. Catch up with Reginald D Hunter on Saturday Live, sublime.

12:18 Realise, halfway through walk, that despite remembering perfume this morning I somehow forgot deodorant. I do wonder how my brain works.

12:59 Arrive at Instow. Dump dog with dad as I run to the shop to buy much-needed deodorant.

12:08 Rejoin dad and dog for a coffee. Am given a copy of Sailing Today featuring an article on the Norfolk Broads. Though beautiful, I'm happy to be back in my waters.

13:48 Leave Instow. Plug into my second episode of Saturday Live, wonder if I’ll ever listen to the programme as intended. Rather absurdly, if you think about it, this concept seems alien to me.

14:25 Realise state of hunger. Fervently try to ignore as I march on for the last half hour until home.

15:41 Lunch at last. A bowlful of wonder reaped from raiding the cupboards and freezer. Brown rice, lightly fried with some onion and garlic, served with broccoli and spinach, doused in soy sauce.

15:54 Brother appears.

18:26 Arise, drowsy, from nap. Not quite sure when I fell asleep. Family have all arrived home and have been getting on with life around me. Nothing’s changed.

18:37 Intend to have light snack of fruit; brother scuppers this plan by placing leftover pizza in front of me. What's a girl to do?

19:17 Give up any pretension I had about cooking dinner. Run bath instead. I have so missed having a bath.

19:53 Clamber out of second bath of the day. Hear the rain pattering against the window, it appears that the world has given up on today too. Grab bagel and grapes from the kitchen. Join parents in the sitting room for the evening.

23:08 Not quite sure where time has gone or what I’ve done in the past three hours, I climb into bed. Attempt to read for a brief amount of time before falling asleep with book on face. It’s good to be home.

Peanut Butter Hummus

At the moment, my general philosophy with food is that the addition of peanut butter improves most things. Be that fruit, porridge, granola, toast, even certain vegetables, it has a 95% success rate. So, naturally, as I was snacking on peanut butter whilst making hummus the other day, I thought it a great idea to combine the two. And, oh boy, is it good.

I was ever so impressed with myself for coming up with this genius combination but a quick Google brought me back to reality, revealing that Nigella got there first. Damn. Nevertheless, here is my take on peanut butter hummus. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

My recipe evolved from this one featured on the Jamie Oliver website. It makes enough for 6-8 people or, alternatively, it will last a few days in the fridge of one greedy person (me).

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas (keep a few back for decoration)
• 12 tbsp reserved liquid from the tinned chickpeas (or water if, like me, you forgot this step)
• 5 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (or smooth, whichever suits your preference)
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Pinch of salt
• The juice of half a lemon (roughly 3 tbsp if using a bottle)
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

Optional:

• Peanuts (think of the instagram!)
• Cinnamon

The method:

Essentially, bung it in a bowl and blend. You can, of course, use a food processor but I find that my trusty little hand blender does the trick just fine.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas before throwing them in a bowl along with the reserved liquid/water, peanut butter, tahini, garlic and salt. Blend away, adding in the olive oil at intervals. Once mixed, pop in a bowl, scatter with a few chickpeas and peanuts along with a drizzle of oil. Sprinkle with cinnamon to finish.

Et voilà! Peanut butter hummus complete. It’s unconventional, granted, but I'm obsessed.

My favourite way to eat this is with a chopped up apple as a snack. It also tastes great on toast, in pitta bread, on ryvita, with a banana or on its own, with a spoon, please don’t judge me.

If you try out this recipe for yourself, I’d love to see! Let me know on Twitter (@PoppySherlock) or Instagram (@poppyflaxman).