spacekadet blog

Favorite Museum in London: Sir John Soane’s

2008-09-07T05:45:56Z

I went to Sir John Soan’s Museum yesterday with Tim and his dad.

Soane designed this house to live in, but also as a setting for his antiquities and his works of art. After the death of his wife (1815), he lived here alone, constantly adding to and rearranging his collections. Having been deeply disappointed by the conduct of his two sons, one of whom survived him, he determined to establish the house as a museum to which ‘amateurs and students’ should have access.

The description on the website does not do justice to this amazing place, jam-packed with antiques, marble, and weirdly, mirrors. John Soan was an architect, and his eccentric, hodge-podge of a house shows off his obsession with space, light, mirrors and, well, marble.

What MADE the trip was the MP3 audio tour we downloaded before going. Huge props to Tim for hooking us up with this. The museum would have been overwhelming without it (”wow, lots of stuff, and I have no idea what I’m looking at”). The audio tour was ace. And like most museums in London, this one was free. I’ll definitely be going back.

Photo Diaries More Effective Than Food Diaries?

2008-09-07T05:36:57Z

I’ve been taking photos of food for a while now, not so much to lose weight, but simply because I like taking pictures and I love food and it’s a great way to remember what I eat. Now, a new study suggests that this habit may actually be more effective than a written food diary for weight loss.

From the New Scientist:

[Researchers] at the University of Wisconsin-Madison told 43 people to record what they ate for one week in words and as pictures.

When they quizzed the volunteers, photo diaries seemed to be the most effective. Not only did they provide powerful visual documentation of snack binges, they also triggered critical evaluation at just the right time - before the food was eaten. “I had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it,” was a typical response.

In contrast, written diaries are often completed long after the meal and do not create as powerful a reminder of the quantity and quality of the food that was eaten.

At the moment, I only take pictures of my food if it’s really yummy or pretty and I can be bothered. But I love the idea of doing this all the time, for every meal, so I can have a historical account of my eating habits over time. I think it’d be interesting to correlate what I’m eating with my mood, and to see how the types of food I eat changes with the seasons and my ever-changing tastes.

Does anyone else do this? I think I’m going to start!

Snap-happy dieters reap benefits [New Scientist]

Photos:
1. Solution-driven, 2. Cross section of a TVP Meatball, 3. Salad Saturday: Rocket Tabouleh, 4. Bircher Muesli, 5. My magnificent lunch, 6. Corn tortilla porn, 7. Pizza at Story Deli, 8. Dinner is served, 9. Quinoa-amaranth timbales with puy lentils, roasted root vegetables, and sauteed kale, 10. Southern style, 11. Aloo Gobi, Dhal, Roast Cauliflower, & Basmati Rice, 12. 6-Grain Porridge with Soymilk & Nanner, 13. Enchiladas, 14. Besan Cheela “Omelet”, 15. Vegan Cabbage Rolls, 16. Back on the Bircher Muesli wagon, 17. Spaghetti, Tomato-Basil-Garlic Sauce, Tofu Neatballs and Roasted Brussel Sprouts, 18. Salad with french beans and goat’s cheese parcels, 19. Vegetarian food at Cafe Lipp, 20. Puy Lentils, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, and Pumpkin, 21. Tofurkey Dinner

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Quick Tip: Add beans to pasta for a quick protein kick

2008-09-01T20:28:05Z

We all know that protein is important, especially for active folks trying to put on a little muscle. For vegetarians like me, this is a little tricky - many of the foods we eat don’t contain complete proteins. That is, beans and whole grains may contain lots of amino acids, but on their own, they don’t contain enough of the right amino acids to form a complete protein (you can read more about this in Nutrition by The American Dietetic Association). As a result, I usually try to balance my meals with grains and beans so I’m sure to maximize the protein punch!

Most recently, I’ve been doing this with pasta. There’s no meal like a pasta meal that cries CARB FEST. But you can easily turn pasta into a more well-rounded meal by simply adding a few beans. Pasta is actually high in the amino acids methionine and cysteine, but low in lysine. Legumes such as kidney beans, however, are low in methionine and cysteine, but high in lysine. Put the two together and you get a complete protein. Science!

Adding beans to pasta is as easy as, well, simply adding beans to pasta. Beans compliment most sauces just as well as pasta, but some combinations work better than others. Here are my preferences:

Chickpeas or kidney beans with tomato sauce
White beans or chickpeas with pesto sauce
White beans or broad beans with garlic and olive oil

I’m not even going to touch alfredo (some foods you just shouldn’t mess with).

Here’s the recipe for the meal I had this evening (pictured above - it inspired me to write this post). Pesto linguine with chickpeas and arugula. YUM! I served this with a tomato, cucumber and red onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Bliss, I tell you. Pure comfort.

Pesto Linguine With Chickpeas and Arugula

Serves one 5ft tall shortcake

50 grams dry linguine
100 grams cooked chickpeas
2 Tbsp pesto
1 Tbsp parmesan
1 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 large handful arugula (aka rocket)

Cook the pasta and heat up the beans. Toss together with the pesto. Pile on a plate and top with arugula, pine nuts and parmesan. Serve with a nice glass of red wine.

Per serving: 455 Calories; 19g Protein; 12g fat; 67g Carbohydrate

Seasonal Recipes: Blackberry Slump

2008-08-31T13:00:43Z

I don’t usually make desserts, so this season’s blackberry glut has been a challenge for me. I’m not a fan of sugary-sweet “treats”, and blackberries require a fair bit of sugar to bring out their flavor. I’m also suspicious of most dessert recipes, which often taste too sweet for my liking. Is this an American thing? Has our reliance on corn syrup acted as a kind of “sugar heroine”, forcing us to use even more sugar in our recipes to obtain the intended effect? Case in point: I recently made a rhubarb pie from a recipe at allrecipes.com. The recipe came with 4.5 stars and loads of great reviews, but my friends and I in London all agreed with the result: it was so sugary that we couldn’t even taste the rhubarb. Such a shame! I definitely don’t want my blackberries to share the same fate.

That’s when I came across this recipe for Blackberry Slump, what BBC Food calls “an American version of a blackberry cobbler”. I’m not exactly sure what makes this an “American version”, because it isn’t made with the usual flour-based cobbler top. Instead, the pastry is made with polenta, a very coarse corn meal, and toasted hazelnuts, both of which give the cobbler a wonderful texture. Think cornbread soaked up with sweet delicious berry juice.

And what about those berries? Guess what - not too sweet! This recipe uses mainly peaches and their juice to sweeten the blackberries. The fruits compliment each other well without turning into one contiguous mass of fruit mush - both the peaches and the blackberries retained their unique delicious flavors. I cooked these as individual portions in my new little ramekins. They freeze well this way and can be easily reheated in the oven.

The only thing I change from the original recipe is the ratio of cobbler to fruit. The BBC Recipe results in a one-to-one cobbler to fruit ratio. I prefer more fruit, so am providing the recipe here with only half the cobbler topping. Of course, you could always double the fruit instead and have plenty of leftovers for later. =)

The ultimate way to eat this dessert is with vanilla ice cream. Mmm. Vegans in the audience, I’d be curious to know how a vegan cobbler top would work, replacing the butter with oil and the milk with soy milk. Any takers?

Blackberry Slump

The original recipe on BBC Food uses twice as much cobbler topping. I thought this was too much so halved the amount here. Feel free to adjust the proportions of both to suit your tastes!

INGREDIENTS

550g blackberries
411g can peach slices in fruit juice drained and 5 tbsp juice reserved
2 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp lemon juice

FOR THE TOPPING

75g polenta
88g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
13g butter plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp caster sugar
25g hazelnuts skinned, toasted and chopped
100ml milk

Heat oven to 375F/190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly butter a 1.7 litre ovenproof shallow dish. Spread blackberries and drained peach slices in the bottom of the dish. Mix together the caster sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle over the top and pour over the lemon juice and the reserved juice from the peaches. Bake, uncovered, for 10 mins until the juices begin to run. Remove the dish from the oven and set aside.
To make the topping, sift the polenta, flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and toasted nuts and mix well, then stir in the milk to make a soft, sticky dough.
Increase oven temperature to 430F/220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Drop spoonfuls of the dough over the top of the berries, then return to the oven for 15 mins until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot with cream, custard or ice cream.

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Seasonal Food: Blackberries

2008-08-28T21:13:16Z

I always thought that the old cemetery across the road was just another neglected London landmark. That it may be, but amongst its overgrown shrubs and creepy crawly vines are blackberry bushes galore. Say what you will about foraging for food in a cemetery, but I feel pretty darn lucky. Their luscious fruits are just beginning to ripen and I suddenly find myself with more blackberries than I know what to do with.

The skinny on blackberries

The blackberry season is from late July to early October
Blackberries get kind of gross after a day or two, so eat them straight away or freeze them
Blackberries are rich in antioxidants, including vitamin C and ellagic acid, and their seeds contain high levels of omega-3 and -6 fats, protein, and dietary fiber
Superstition in the UK holds that blackberries should not be picked after Michaelmas (29 September) as the devil has claimed them, having left a mark on the leaves by urinating on them

I have a few months before season’s end, and I’m all about a.) hoarding blackberries in my freezer and b.) experimenting with as many blackberry recipes as possible while there are still fresh blackberries to be picked. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, so I like the idea of a blackberry vinaigrette for salads. Even so, I really want to try my hand at jam, and I can’t resist a good cobbler. Here are some other recipes I look forward to experimenting with:

Blackberry recipes

Blackberry Slump - An American version of a fruit cobbler - just dripping in hot fruit sauce
Apple and Blackberry Pie - a simple pie with simple ingredients from delia
Spicy Blackberry Chutney - I can see this going well with cheese, or deep-fried Indian samosas!
Vegan Apple and Blackberry Pie - a pie without butter? The author almost has me convinced: “The apples and pear were all warm and cinnamon-y, while the blackberries just exploded in your mouth with their tart sweetness. mmmm.”
Quick Bramble Jelly - I somehow doubt this would be quick, but I bet the results would be worth it
Blackberry-Lime Tartlets - these just look cute
Blackberry Tart - a decadent tart made with mascarpone, cream, and mint!
Blackberry Sorbet - It sounds so refreshing!
Blackberry Vinaigrette - It’s an Emeril recipe. Bam!

Readers, I need your help! Do you have any blackberry recipes you can recommend? Send em’ over! I’m dying to try them!

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Vegan Oat-Nut Pie Crust

2008-08-26T19:57:55Z

I’m not 100% vegan, though the more I learn, the more I think that it may be the life for me. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with vegan desserts. I want to make yummy animal-free desserts made of whole food that’s as good to eat as it is to think. No funny stuff like food coloring or margarine or additives (to me this defeats part of the purpose of going vegan). No, I want to understand all of the ingredients I put in my desserts.

My first attempt at a vegan pumpkin pie was a bit of a failure, and my most recent attempt at a lemon-blackberry tart received mixed reviews. Despite all this, one recipe has been loved by all: the oat-nut crust from the Whole Food Bible.

This crust is like an oatmeal cookie in crust form. It smells delicious and tastes good by itself (this is a good thing, especially if what you put in the crust doesn’t turn out as yummy as you had hoped!).

Vegan Oat-Nut Pie Crust

Makes one 9-inch pie crust

1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup whole walnuts or pecans
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.
Bake the almonds and walnuts or pecans on separate baking sheets until they are fragrant and toasted: about 8 minutes for pecans or walnuts, 10 minutes for almonds. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Raise the oven temperature to 375 F / 190 C.
Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until they become coarse meal. Empty into a large mixing bowl.
Grind the almonds and walnuts or pecans into a coarse meal and add to the oats, along with the flour and salt.
In a small bowl, whip together the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add to the oat-nut mixture and mix well. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
With cold, wet hands, press the crust mixture into a well-oiled tart or pie pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Bank Holiday Weekend: Battersea and a BBQ

2008-08-26T19:41:44Z

Last Monday was our Summer Bank Holiday here in London, so we did what we usually do on long weekends: avoid the major tourist attractions at all cost and eat lots of yummy food with loved ones.

Last Saturday, Tim and I took a tour of the now defunct Battersea Power Station. Here are some interesting facts about the power station (thanks, Wikipedia!):

It was the first in a series of large coal-fired electrical generating facilities set up in England as part of the introduction of the National Grid power distribution system.
The first part of the structure was built in 1939, and the station ceased electricity generation in 1983
The building is the largest brick building in Europe and is notable for its original, lavish Art Deco interior fittings and decor.
The station famously appears in The Beatles’ 1965 movie Help! and on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 album Animals (shown right).

Saturday was a beautiful, rare sunny day in London and the power station was crawling with camera nerds and their associated tripods, massive telephoto lenses and multiple camera bodies. I felt like such an amateur!

Battersea Photo Set

Bank Holiday Monday was a bbq at Tim’s fam’s place in Aylesbury. BBQ’s have been woefully rare this summer, and I relished this opportunity to get my kebab on (if if I did have to share the grill with a few sausages.

Bank Holiday BBQ Photo Set

Homemade Chapatis

2008-08-23T20:31:11Z

Chapatis are an Indian flatbread, much like a flour tortilla, and are typically eaten with dal and curries. As these are two of my favorite foods, I’ve been pretty keen to learn how to make chapatis on my own. Plus, they’re a pretty good substitute for flour tortillas. Tacos here I come!

So far, my experiments with home-cooked chapatis have been average at best. I don’t have a gas stove OR a cast iron skillet - two kitchen tools that are pretty darn helpful in firing up a surface HOT enough to cook the chapatis on. Instead, I’ve been using an electric stove and a non-stick pan. The chapatis are certainly edible enough, but I can never get them to puff up to the pillow-like proportions that the recipes describe.

Today I learned a trick from Mark Bittman: use the grill! Mark Bittman has a recipe and video that demonstrates how to cook chapatis on an outdoor grill. For lack of an outdoor grill, I decided to try it for myself using the stove’s grill setting (equivalent to a broiler), and turning the heat up as high as it goes. It worked marvelously! It was so exciting watching them puff up in the oven. They looked just like Mark’s and tasted fab with my lentil dal.

Grilled Chapatis Recipe
Grilled Chapatis Viedo

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Four Days Without Caffeine

2008-08-20T21:04:12Z

As I mentioned yesterday, I gave up caffeine last Saturday and have been entirely caffeine free for all of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (today!). Why? I’ve been feeling fatigued lately and my sleep’s been rubbish. I wake up lots during the night. It’s annoying. So when Tim put me up to the caffeine-free challenge on Saturday afternoon (after my third cup of tea), I couldn’t resist.

So far, the experiment has been interesting. I can’t say it’s been terribly hard the way quitting smoking is. But I was surprised that I was enough of a caffeine addict to experience withdrawal symptoms: headaches, tightness in the neck and head, and noticeable irritability (sorry, Tim).

Today was different though. Despite another restless night’s sleep, today I felt fairly energetic. My morning swim was one of the best (and longest) I’ve had in months. And this evening I did 54 push-ups which burned like hell but mentally, I was up for the challenge (rather than being too tired to care). I’ve had no headaches and just a little muscle tension in my neck (but that could have been the swim kicking in). I probably can’t speak for my irritability but I think I’ve been pretty ace!

One of the coolest things I noticed is that I didn’t suffer the usual 3-p.m. “ack I need a caffeine break” crash that I’d become accustomed too. Bonus!

So now I’m past the headaches. And the cravings. I’m hoping my sleep will catch up with the trend and start showing similar improvement.

Addendum: I also just noticed that I’ve been more productive these past few evenings. Maybe this is purely the spirit of “change” shining through, but I’ve had a lot more mental energy to get on with writing and other “useful” things post-dinner. For a while there I was getting sucked into DVDs and books and dessert. Yummy, yes. Productive, not so much.

Crossposted to SmarterFitter.com

Camping in Devon and Cornwall

2008-07-13T21:12:21Z

Tim and I have just returned from a weeklong camping holiday in England’s great southwest, taking in Cornwall, Devon and Dartmoor National Park. The plan was to do a whole bunch of walking through England’s luscious countryside, but the thing about England’s countryside, and in fact, one of the reasons why it’s so luscious in the first place, is that it rains in the country. It rains a lot.

The word of the trip was “preposterous”. Indeed, the sheer amount of rain we experienced was contrary to reason, utterly absurd, and thoroughly ridiculous. It rained every day, often forcing us into the vestibule of my tiny tent for awkward but delicious campsite meals, and later, into the warmth of our sleeping bags (fortunately we both brought along good books). The situation also drove us to drink, which allowed us to sample many of the regions’ fine ales. Favorites included Red Rock Traditional English Bitter, Black Sheep Ale and Wychwood Brewery’s Hobgoblin “Legendary” Ruby Beer.

Eventually, we hardened up. Tim bought some Gortex trousers, I put on a few extra extra layers of wool, and we headed out into the wet and wooly weather for some great walking. My new book of Dartmoor walks suffered the worst of the rain, but we came away dry and smiling. It makes such a difference having the right gear: good waterproof boots, waterproof outerwear, warm under-layers, plus a reliable tent and hot tea to come home to. As wet as it was, I can’t wait to go back to Dartmoor and explore the rest of its wilderness, preferably on foot rather than by car. We spied plenty of great spots for wild camping, and Dartmoor is certainly wet enough that water wouldn’t be a problem.

Yes, I have camping fever, and the only prescription is more Dartmoor.

Read on for a rough itinerary of our trip. Or check out the Flickr photo set and the interactive Google Map!

Friday, July 4

Our first day was spent mostly on the road.

We departed London in the A.M. for Devon. Spent £40 on 33 liters of gas (about $9 per gallon).

Discovered a fairly decent mix CD left in the rental car which included such gems as “Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads, “Pulling Mussels From A Shell” by Squeeze, and “Float On” by Modest Mouse.

Drove by Stonehenge.

Lunch: Tomato, avocado and cucumber sandwich (in the car).

We bought groceries somewhere near Devon and arrived at Dartmoor National Park in the evening, just in time for the rain. Set up tent and wondered why we always manage to time our holidays for the worst weather ever.

Dinner: “The Italian Meal”, prepared with love by Tim.

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Saturday, July 5

Woke up and realized the Earl Grey tea we bought was decaf. Shucks. But at least the weather kept the milk cold.

Breakfast: Quinoa with cinnamon, apricot and nectarine slices for Monica. Tim had oatmeal.

We decided to head west to Cornwall where the weather was supposedly better. Drove through Dartmoor and stopped at the tourist office to pick up Dartmoor Walks (Pathfinder Guides) in hopes of future sunshine and walking opportunities later in the week.
Drove through Penzance which did not have any pirates (or much worth stopping for at all). We did find a coffee at “The Green Bean”, a decent coffee shop which was the unfortunate target of a stink bomb during our cappucchinos. Silly kids.
With little to do, we decided to head south to The Lizard Peninsula and found a quiet campsite in Helston. The nearby beach did not tempt us; we were wet enough from the rain.

Dinner: Veggie Chili with Kidney Beans, TVP and a bunch of veggies

Camp: Silver Sands Holiday Park, Helston, Cornwall

Sunday, July 6

Woke up in the rain and sought comfort in many cups of tea and a hot breakfast.

Breakfast: Quinoa with cinnamon, apricot and nectarine slices for Monica. Tim had oatmeal.

The sky cleared a bit so we packed up and set out to explore the Lizard Peninsula.
Visited the city of “Lizard” at the most southerly point of mainland Britain, then drove up to Kyanance Cove and had a nice walk along the Southwest Coast Path. We even enjoyed a bit of sun while taking a traditional “Cornish cream tea” at a seaside cafe. From our hot tea and snacks we watched body-boarders catch waves while avoiding the granite rock cliffs surrounding the cove. It was was blissful.

(FYI: Cream tea is tea taken with scones, clotted cream, and jam.)

After the Lizard, we set up camp at Mena Caravan and Camping Park in Bodmin near the Eden Project, our destination for Monday. The campsite was set on a high open hill that was totally empty except for a couple camper vans. It was strange but kind of cool. They also had a microwave which made tea lots easier. (Hot tea, the elixer of life on cold wet days and nights.)

Dinner: Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice and loads of vegetables (kale, carrots, and cauliflower)

Camp: Mena Caravan and Camping Park, Bodmin, Cornwall

Monday, July 7

Had a quick breakfast at camp then packed up and headed to The Eden Project, a large environmental extravaganza comprised of gardens and faux-biomes housed in giant domes. It was cool but it didn’t really blow my mind. Most of the gardens are recreations of gardens from other parts of the world, complete with fake houses and decorations that emulate the garden’s “natural” environment. I can see how this is cool from an educational standpoint (and that’s really what The Eden Project is all about) but think I prefer the plants on their own.

After the synthetic wilds of The Eden Project, we were ready for some natural wilderness, rain or shine. So we returned to Dartmoor and found camp at the Langstone Manor, a totally sweet campsite set on the grounds of an old farm. We chose it for the onsite bar/restaurant which we thought we might need if the lousy weather continued, but the bar turned out to be the least of its selling points. The grounds had all kinds of nooks and crannies that provided a good amount of privacy. The owners were really nice and helpful with walking advice and even lent us an OS map to help us during our travels. The place even had chickens!

Dinner: Round two of Veggie Chili

Camp: Langstone Manor, Tavistock, Devon

Tuesday, July 8

Screw the rain. We’re walking anyway!

Breakfast: More oatmeal and fruit and tea

Packed lunch food and wet weather gear and headed out for the Walkham Valley and Merrival Walk (Dartmoor Walks, Pathfinder Guides). With the help of our wonderful hosts and their handy OS map, we were able to walk from the campsite to the start of the walk, a bonus journey that took us over some beautiful countryside and awesome views of the valley and Dartmoor’s most impressive Vixen Tor (a “tor” is a rocky granite peak, one of Dartmoor’s main features). This walk had everything: ponies, wildflowers, tors, a disused railway, Bronze Age stone rows, burial chambers, and stone circles (Stonehenge, eat your heart out).

After about 10 miles of walking in the country, we were pooped, so we had dinner and beers in the Langstone Manor’s bar/restaurant. The beer was good, the food was fine. Note to self: in the future, research restaurants before going to them. England is notoriously bad for food, especially for vegetarians, especially in the country. But at the same time, I was too tired to care that my “Vegetable Tikka Masala” came with frozen vegetables. It was pretty good not to be crouched inside the vestibule huddled over a campstove.

Camp: Langstone Manor, Tavistock

Wednesday, July 9

Breakfast: More oatmeal and fruit and tea

The crap weather was back in full swing, and it didn’t seem to be going anywhere. This time we even had fog to threaten our visibility. But now that Tim was all Gortexed up, we were determined to get a walk in. I talked to the helpful lady at reception about walking in this weather and she recommended the circuit around the Burrator reservoir as described in our trusty book. So we packed up and got psyched for some very wet walking.

Sure enough, the Burrator reservoir was pretty straightforward and fairly pleasant, with a big ol’ dam and some very pregnant cows. Our feet were happy and dry and our spirits were only mildly tarnished by the constant downpour of rain. We enjoyed the walk, but we were definitely ready for the end when it came. We headed back up north to the same place we stayed on our first night, remembering they had decent showers and satisfactory pan au chocolates in the morning. Our neighbors, “Clive” and “Helen”, saw us setting up tent in the rain and invited us into their camper van for hot tea and Waitrose mini eclaires. They were nice folks and it was good to be sitting at a table for a change.

Eventually we had to leave the camper’s sweet soundless shelter and head back into the vestibule for dinner. The picnic blanket was left so I was left to cook sitting on a plastic bag. I didn’t care. Food is good and warming and cheerful even when the weather seems horrible. After dinner, it was back into the tent for another night of reading and listening to heavy drops fall on the rainfly.

Dinner: Round two of Chickpea Curry with Basmati Rice

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Thursday, July 10

Our last full day on holiday and the rain finally stopped. At one point during the night I woke up to pee and looked up and the sky was crystal clear and I could see the milky way. In the morning, the dry weather finally permitted us to have breakfast at the picnic table.

Breakfast: Leftover Chickpea Curry for Monica, Wheatabix for Tim.

After breakfast, we slowly made our way towards the Castle Drogo and River Teign walk, a fairly straightforward loop of 4 miles along the Teign Gorge. We made it longer by walking from the campsite and taking an uphill diversion to some Iron Age ramparts, followed by a well-earned pint at Fingle Bridge (though in retrospect, I wish we had opted for the cream teas, which looked and smelled delicious!). A thoroughly enjoyable (and surprisingly long!) day. Note to self: take more walks via cool pubs.

Lunch: Sandwiches at a bench named “Kristen’s Seat” on Feign River.

After the walk, had a “Legendary” Hobgoblin at camp before taking a much needed shower. Tim cooked a lovely dinner, his signature pasta a la arrabiata with broccoli and red wine. Spectacular!

Dinner: The Italian Meal

Camp: Woodland Spring Touring Park, Drewsteighton, Devon

Friday, July 11

Breakfast: Oatmeal for Monica and Wheatabix for Tim.

Departed Woodland Spring, unsure of what to do for the afternoon. Went to Chagwell on Clive’s recommendation. It was a nice village but we’re not really village people now are we? We did find a very nice place to have coffee and write postcards and reflect on the trip. Here are a few observations and resolutions for next time:

Carry a waterproof map case
Bring pillows
Bring cling wrap for sandwiches - it’s far easier to pre-make sandwiches and pack them for a walk rather than bringing the ingredients and making sandwiches on the fly (pre-made sarnies are especially convenient when it’s raining!)
Thermarest’s camping chairs are the bomb and make spending lots of time in a tent far more enjoyable
Carry a camelback while walking instead of bringing big bottles of water
Use plastic containers to keep groceries and camping gear organized
Get out in the world even when it’s raining
Camp when the weather’s right and postpone if the forecast is really bad
Keep the picnic blanket out of the rainfly’s dripline
Real ales are great for camping because they don’t need to be refridgerated
OS maps kick ass
Find good pubs to take breaks at during long walks
Bring a good book to read during the downtimes
Don’t eat out without researching restaurants first
Sleeping bags that zip together would be nice and doubly warm

The Books That Helped Us Along:

Dartmoor Walks (Pathfinder Guides)
Alan Rogers Britain and Ireland 2008 Camping and Caravanning Parks Guide (hugely useful)
The Rough Guide to England
Lonely Planet’s Walking in Britain
The Bone People: A Novel by Keri Hulme (Tim’s novel of choice)
A Friend of the Earth by T.C. Boyle (Monica’s novel of choice)

More Stuff From the Trip:

Camping in Devon and Cornwall [Flickr photoset]
Interactive Google Map of our Trip

View Larger Map