In almost a week, Tim and I will set out on the Coast to Coast walk, a 190-mile walk across northern England. We bought some gear (slash toys) this afternoon in the life-suck (but shop rich) neighborhood of Covent Garden. We were fairly successful, walking away with plenty of necessary items… woolen socks, rain-proof trousers, camping cutlery (justifiably titanium), topographic GPS maps (that cost almost as much as the GPS itself), Wainwright’s Coast to Coast book, paper maps, woolen underwear, sexy hiking shorts…
Oh, and a business suit.
You know, to impress the elite hills, valleys, lakes and escarpments I meet along the Lake District and the North York Moors. Gotta look sharp for the Moors.
I’ve been meaning to buy a new interview suit (the old one’s a bit baggy - go me) and happened upon a shop with some nice stuff and a fabulous sale. Of course, the suit I ended up with wasn’t on sale, and in the end I felt a bit shocked by the whole thing. Granted, a smart suit really does boost the confidence, but damn!, their extravagance is craziness. And what’s crazy annoying is that I probably won’t manage to get the trousers hemmed in time for my next interview this Tuesday. Interview suits can make a monster of even the most down to earth t-shirt-and-jeans kind of girl. I almost wish my future job is one that will require spiffy suits and boots, if only to get my money’s worth out of my new outfit. But hey, can you really put a price on confidence? Sure, that’s why I saved my receipt!
I’ve just been to Granada, Spain … and I have the photos to prove it!
In Granada for the weekend. Be back Monday!
I still don’t have a job. It feels like its been ages, though I’ve only been here four weeks. I have an interview on Thursday, though it’s really more of a screening (a series of numeracy and verbal tests designed to determine whether I’m worthy of a real interview - thanks for the vote of confidence!). It’s all very slow-going and soul-sucking. So what am I doing when I’m not writing cover letters, calling recruiters, and doubting my math degree?
I’ve been cycling everywhere, which saves money and burns off the beer. But the fumes! Still, on those rare lovely blue sky afternoons, I love riding around London. Hell even if it’s cloudy I don’t mind it so much. It’s fast-going freedom, and the thrill of getting lost is always right around the corner (we Americans take our grid system for granted). Last week I tried to ride home from Canary Wharf along the Regent’s Canal bike path, but I ended up on the “Limehouse Cut” instead, taking me an hour out of my way to the quaint borough of “Bow”.
The new flat is coming along, and I admit I’m nesting a bit. We have a “Tower of Power”, a bookshelf housing a receiver, DVD player, Mac Mini, projector, and a few books here and there. We celebrated by watching three films this weekend: Godfather I and II, and V for Vendetta. The kitchen sees a lot of action. We subscribed to an “organic box” scheme which provides a weekly helping of seasonal fruit and veg. It’s fun, especially when we get yummy peaches and apricots and veggies I’ve never tried before like runner beans and chicory. With this week’s eggplant (referred to as aubergine by the English), I made a lovely soup following this recipe minus the cream and cheese. In other news, Tim has cooked two steaks on his new grillpan. A more contented man I’ve never seen. We really like our new place.
Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse (The Gleaners & I) is a French documentary about people who deal in discards of the modern world. From potatoes to pants, steel to strawberries, gleaners take what the rest of the world throws away. The film itself doesn’t awe me. The characters are interesting but the director’s commentary is a bit self-involved (why is she so obsessed with getting old?).
But as I continue life post Les Glaneurs, I find myself acutely aware of all the gleaning going on around me. There’s a homeless person picking food from the trash, I think “gleaning!” And look, a college student snagging a broken bookshelf from a dumpster.
“Gleaning!”
I am also more in tune with opportunities for gleaning. Just the other day, I discovered a stretch of the New River Walk that is completely lined with blackberry bushes. You can literally walk down this stretch, picking and eating berries along the way. And it’s the height of blackberry season! What a treat! This morning I headed back with a tupperware, and filled it with the ripe berries that practically fell off the bush as soon as I touched them. My plans? Aside from cereal? I’m thinking blackberry vinaigrette, and maybe some muffins if I’m feeling really domestic. The remaining berries get thrown in the freezer, ample fodder for a future smoothie.
On a less fun note, the film increased my awareness of waste. It’s appalling how much we throw away. Did you know that Hackney (the borough I live in) doesn’t recycle plastic? And speaking of plastic, London is brimming with plastic bags. You buy gum, you get a a bag. And if there’s even a slight breeze, the window blows the blue plastic across the streets like tumbleweed. It doesn’t stop until it intercepts an empty can of Stella Atois. When I think about it, the least offensive waste on the streets and sidewalks of London may actually be the doggy doo-doo. At least it’s natural.
More photos from the day’s adventures are on Flickr.
A pile of refreshing summer bliss, that’s what this salad is.
Chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh mint, fresh parsley, spring onion, salt and pepper. All piled on fresh field greens. Delicious.
And with a few crumbles of feta cheese - heaven.
I swear I’ll move on to something else soon. In the meantime, check out the rest of our fish adventures on flickr. I thought the baked sea bass turned out especially well. We served it with a simple couscous and a sauce “vierge” (tomato, olives, anchovies, lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley).
None of this would have been possible without Rick Stein’s “Seafood”, a book given to me by Tim back when I first diverged from my lacto-ovo vegetarian-ness (and into a big bowl of squid salad). I now know from experience that the book is an excellent guide to cleaning, filleting, and cooking fish and seafood, with handy pictures to boot. And the recipes are tasty - the sauce vierge rocked our world and we had it again the next day with some more couscous and butter beans. Versatility!
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