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Anglomania S/S 2011 Preview

Vivienne Westwood’s Anglomania Spring/Summer 2011 collection

 Viv’s S/S 2011 collection for Anglomania referenced signature Westwood pieces of yesteryear and now I’ve come over all nostalgic for some classic rebel-chic!

Anglomania S/S 2011 was revealed at the Palais Brogniar, Place de la Bourse on 4^th July 2010 for Paris Fashion Days. The vibrant and edgy collection made more than a few references to the ubiquitous iconography of Vivienne Westwood’s collections circa 1970’s/ 1980’s. 

The legendary spirit and energy of Westwood’s original work was echoed within this celebratory collection. Me-thinks it will be received with much reverence and jubilation –another chance to scoop up a piece of timeless fashion-gold at half the price! Whoop whoop, be the first in line!

Anglomania revisited all of Viv’s best bits; from the ‘Pirate’ collection – reworked into draped stripe dresses and slouchy, strappy pirate boots. The corset was also revived once again in the seductively feminine tailoring -leather-bound at the waist- and similarly echoed in flirty Lolita-esque gingham dresses –equally sexualised with a leather bodice. 

Punk, bondage and mini crinis also made their appearances, as did voluminous shaped frocks, fluro-acid prints and elegantly tailored pieces.

Anglomania S/S 2011 takes stock of the classic iconic pieces that Westwood was renowned for and amalgamates those oh-so-desirable pieces into a collection that is not only timeless and effusive but that is also extremely wearable and versatile. No worries girls, these individual pieces can be worked for all seasons into your existing wardrobe to enhance your style and make that bold nod towards classic retro Westwood.

We especially love the heightened glamour of the collection, credit due to the ever-so-cutsie mini berets and hoe-down-chick- straw hats! Why wait for the collection to hit the shops, echo those dishevelled-frizz bouffants and have a go at those fierce fluro-eye shadows for maximum oooomph!

French Sole

Quality Reduction

Whether it is selling Primark or Prada, the iniquitous sample sale can somehow seem to equate the two exemplified –ordinarily very dissimilar- brands. So you might feel pleasantly smug about paying high street prices for big designer names but all in all the experience tends to be rather lowbrow.

Now, without sounding like a complete toff, I honestly do relish a good bargain just as much as the next style-obsessed young woman. And if you can get in and out of said sale with what you were after in under thirty minutes then more power to you –and for the record, the only thing I may ever hold against Primark is the questionable ethics of their clothing production, which may or may not be improving, who knows?

Today, I attended the French Sole sample sale –no not Prada, but nice all the same- in the Berkshire hills and bagged myself just one pair of simple and classic ballet flats –thank you very much. What I was sure of before I set off was what I wanted to find; now in a sample sale scenario, if you do not plan what you want to find, therein lies the danger.

Faced with rows of tables end to end, crammed with mounds of elastic-bound shoes and signs indicating the various sizes, you can start to feel a little deflated –and prematurely exhausted. I never seem to learn from experience, but when I consider visiting a sample sale, I am always seduced by my imaginations construction of a gloriously glamorous emporium of organised, beautiful shoes. Never imagine this! Your hopes and dreams will be shattered.

It is what it is; usually in a warehouse. Expect it to be dirty, disorganised, noisy and crammed with eager bargain hunters with bundles of shoes hugged tightly to their bosoms –more shoes than even a millipede could wear.

Don’t go this way; pick what you need for the current season, what you can realistically and comfortably wear, what would compliment your wardrobe and what you like. I found a couple of pairs that worked for me, but most of them were certainly not my style and I would recommend that you stick resolutely to your classic preferences–take heed or find yourself with a bagful of items that you can’t wear or return.

Be smart and decide what you want to find. And be honest, if you really can’t find what you want, don’t pretend that you can make do and learn to like something. If you don’t like it here –of all places – you certainly won’t change your mind, once you get it home.

Once you do find something you like –and you’ve checked they fit comfortably- make a beeline for the door and don’t look back. In your wardrobe and on your person, you will find that your treasure will have reacquired its original worth, no matter how dirty or smelly the sample sale may have been. Just take a shower when you get home.

http://www.foodepedia.co.uk/restaurant-reviews/2010/aug/Rick_Steins_Seafood_Restaurant.htm

Rick Stein's The Seafood Restaurant, Padstow

• Emily Farley
• Sunday August 15, 2010 10:54 am

Riverside, Padstow, Cornwall www.rickstein.com

What kind of a person drives two hours for dinner? Mostly, I’m just too damn hungry for that! Since when is even the best supper worthy of hours in a stuffy, snore inducing car? Evidently, this is what some folk –i.e. me and my partner -will resort to for Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.
Being lovers of food –seafood in particular- we are partial to trying out new places here and there. However, of late we’ve grown increasingly impatient with frilly restaurants and their stiffly starched pretentions.
You know the sort of place I mean; inevitably they will have a swaggeringly overpriced tasting menu with terms such as jus, gel and foam. These are ‘Designer’ restaurants that serve measly portions of fussed-with-food that you can’t see on your plate with the naked eye. Who wants to eat a lone freshly-shelled pea mounted atop creamed hazelnut foam? The food that Britons love is comforting, honest, most likely to be found in Mum’s kitchen and above all, simple.
So, you may be justified in thinking that with an apparent intolerance for posh designer nosh, celebrity chef Rick Stein’s restaurant was perhaps not the ideal eatery for us; were we just setting ourselves up for disappointment?
Upon arrival, we were swiftly drawn into the dining room by a luminous clustered shoal -a beacon of swirling alabaster fish- and the light, breezy ambience put us at ease almost instantly. Staff swept past us disinterested in snippets of private conversation between two lovers or the joke shared between a jolly group in the corner booth.
Amidst pale woodwork and neutral walls an eclectic collection of fine art weaved around the circular dining room. Each piece distinctive and telling; a melancholic oil-on-canvas alongside a raucous composition bursting with colourful celebration, placed next to a romantically wistful watercolour. Shelves of fine wines covered the walls and the room spoke volumes about Rick Stein’s passion for food, companionship and humour. Far from finding it stuffy or pretentious, we appreciated this enigmatic environment of laissez-faire.
We started with butterflied fillets of sardine, fried in parmesan breadcrumbs and served with a garlic-spiked sauce béarnaise. Each little fingered morsel of sardine was hot, crunchy and delightfully saline.
Next, I sampled my way through my partner’s starter of hot shellfish doused with parsley, chilli, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. Every moreish mouthful of tender mollusc was distinct and unique yet each subtle with seaside sweetness.
Those briny little beasts were so good that I suppose my sashimi of hand-dived scallop, sea bass, salmon and Albacore tuna may have been slightly eclipsed. Not that it wasn’t beautiful in its delicate simplicity, with that spiky jade Japanese wasabi, sweet pickled ginger and soy sauce. I was expecting it to be slightly more creative than it was, perhaps with a spicy dipping sauce or something to distinguish it from traditional sashimi.
There was no doubt about the freshness of the produce; each piece of flesh was distinctive and fine. Particularly memorable were the scallop which was soft, opalescent and surprisingly creamy and the coral-hued Albacore tuna, smooth, sweet with a gloriously brackish bite.
A mild Indonesian seafood curry with monkfish, squid and tiger prawns came next speckled with little shards of fiery crimson chilli and accompanied by an Asian inspired green bean and coconut salad.
And finally, my favourite; a yummy Padstow lobster steamed to blushing rouge with fines herbes and served with a green salad, freshly shelled broad beans, peas and green beans. With gusto I cracked through mighty claws, exposing pink morsels of flesh and gouged out sweet pieces of white meat from the cavity of this impressive creature.
Trust me; there could never be a more agreeable dining experience – amazing food, friendly staff and above all no gratuitous fluff.
A meal here will set you back around £140 for two people, including wine. Still, even with the expense and that extra-long car journey, The Seafood Restaurant is certainly worth its salt.

9 August 2010 Last updated at 10:24

The unstoppable rise of work experience
By Jon Kelly BBC News Magazine
Workers in an office

Barely heard of in the UK three decades ago, internships have become must-haves on the CV of any young jobseeker. Why?

They are the bright-eyed, smartly-dressed young faces in your office, full of nerves and energy.

If they're lucky, they will get a valuable insight into the world of employment. If they're not, they can look forward to hours spent making tea and photocopying.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
Emily Farley

Internships have replaced entry-level jobs”

End Quote Emily Farley Intern

The work experience placement has become almost a guaranteed rite of passage in an increasingly competitive job market.

To many employers this is a welcome development, allowing them to screen potential new recruits and ensure that new workers have a basic grasp of workplace dynamics before they clock on for the first time.

But to critics, interns are nothing more than a vast army of unpaid labour - and the expectation in many industries that they will be prepared to work for free means it is largely those from privileged backgrounds who benefit.

Whatever your take, there is little doubt that work experience has an increasingly large impact on what will be the job prospects for many young people.

Some 21.7% of summer 2009 graduates who were in employment six months later had been taken on by an employer with whom they had previously had some kind of work experience, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). For the first time they represented the largest group of university leavers.

As a result, this summer will see many young people taking time out from their studies by making their first excursions into office life - if they calculate the traditional bar, shop or fruit-picking job will not now look impressive enough as they forge their future careers.

'Hidden economy'

But it's not only undergraduates who feel compelled to volunteer their services. Emily Farley, 24, has undertaken six internships at magazines since leaving university with a first-class degree in her bid to break into journalism - and has lined up two more.
Continue reading the main story
In today's Magazine

* The rise of work experience
* All that glisters
* The price of being single
* 7 days 7 questions

All have been unpaid and only a handful have made a contribution towards her £400-a-month travel expenses into London from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire. Although Emily has supported herself by working between each placement, she has grown increasingly frustrated that work experience is the only route to proper work.

"It seems as though internships have replaced entry-level jobs," she says. "It's all about being in the right place at the right time.

"My family have been very supportive, but sometimes they say, 'do you feel you're getting any closer?' This just seems to be how it works nowadays."

How did work experience come to assume this role, almost analogous to the mediaeval apprentices who would have to shadow a craftsman before being allowed to join a guild?

American author Ross Perlin, who is writing a book on the rise of internships, says the word "intern" was first used in the US to describe junior doctors in the 19th Century. Its name - if not its salary - was adopted in the 1930s by a scheme to provide volunteer work experience with politicians in Washington DC.

"In the 1960s and 70s, when you mentioned an intern people would have thought you meant a medical intern," he says.

'Elitist'

"By the 1980s and 1990s many companies saw it as a way of saving on labour costs. Likewise, the not-for-profit sector has been substantially powered in the last couple of decades by the fact that it's able to use intern labour."

Across the Atlantic, the explosion in access to higher education meant that British bosses began looking at similar schemes to distinguish the growing phalanx of undergraduates seeking entry-level positions each year, according to Heather Collier of the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE).
Workers in an office Some interns do nothing but filing

She dates the boom in British internships from 1997, when Lord Dearing's report into higher education called for some form of work experience to be undertaken by each undergraduate.

"A lot of employers were complaining that the graduates they were taking on weren't work-ready," she says. "It was very much seen as a business tool that could help both companies and their future recruits.

"Some people say it's elitist, but it's in the interests of companies to pay their interns They want to take on the best and don't care where they come from. And there are a lot of fantastic internship vacancies every year that go begging."

However, many remain cynical about the motives underlying employers' preference for work experience.

Warwick University's Professor Kate Purcell, an expert in the graduate labour market, says there has been a decline in the number of sandwich courses, in which students, traditionally on vocational courses, get to spend a year in a relevant workplace.

She says with more competition among graduates than ever, employers in all sectors have looked for inspiration to traditionally over-subscribed industries like publishing, politics and the media, which have long expected new entrants to toil for little reward before they break into paid work.

Luck

"Employers are remarkably good at complaining about highly educated kids who don't know anything about the real world, but less good at actually getting students in to do structured work experience that actually teaches them something," she says.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

It would be tragic to confine these opportunities to those who can afford to do them”

End Quote Becky Heath Internocracy

"In reality, they're treating internships as a first stage of recruitment, but they aren't doing anything to widen access opportunities. As a result, occupations like journalism are becoming increasingly middle-class professions."

Nonetheless, few would dispute that well-run, properly-structured internships are of immense value to those lucky enough to make the most of them.

Becky Heath of the social enterprise Internocracy believes those doing unpaid work experience are being exploited and should get the national minimum wage, but says it would be wrong to do away with them altogether.

"There are so many advantages to internships, so what we want is to make access as wide as possible.

"It would be tragic to confine these opportunities to those who can afford to do them. At the moment, the whole landscape is so new that it's an entire hidden economy."

With age of the intern still in its early days, pressure may be building from groups like Internocracy to refine and, they hope, improve the system.

In the meantime, spare a thought for the student plonked next to the photocopier. Maybe it's time you offered to get the teas in?

Butchering the Art of French Cooking

Butchering the Art of French Cooking:

Aubergine at the Compleat Angler

Fundamentally, when innate instincts kick in the human being is a very simplistic creature; most women will agree that in dire moments of tragedy and heartbreak, we won’t be craving prune parfait with an armagnac ice cream.

Inevitably, the salve of choice would be a milk-choc Hobnob or a massive block of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk –it could be Galaxy, if that’s what you’re into - and a good strong brew; It’s that fabulous British mentality that a cup of tea can solve any problem whatsoever, and that is the difference –apparently- between us and the French.

French cuisine never fails to baffle me –watching Amy Adams ‘confronting the duck’ in order to bone it and finally en Croûte it in Julie & Julia is enough to dissuade me from indulging any natural curiosity that I might have to experiment -or should I say battle- with traditional French cooking at home (Not convinced? See Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child – It’s not for beginners!)

Not that I believe that all French cuisine is completely unattainable, because in essence, provincial French cooking is about simple flavours. A classic example being sole meunière; the success of which relies on a fresh piece of fish, simply pan-fried in butter with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some chopped parsley.

Rick Stein, the man to trust when preparing fish, understands that sole meunière is a reigning favourite for fish lovers and lists it at the very top -and as one of the best-loved dishes- of his menu at the Sea Food restaurant in Padstow.  It just goes to show that the result of the tiniest amount of preparation can be an absolute dream, and the same concept of flavour and simplicity can be easily applied to create delicious home-cooked meals.

But we all know that dining out is very, very different to enjoying those comforting signature masterpieces at home, that we know how to prepare down to specific measurements. In a fine French restaurant for instance - were it a complex menu or not- I would certainly expect the food to be of a superb quality and I would be prepared to pay for it.

But I am not so sure that I want to pay for flamboyant tablecloths, silver service or jerkily-awkward Stepford waiters in their stiffly-starched apparel. I feel that it is not so much the cultural cuisine of France that is questionable for its pomposity, rather, it may be the pervasive big-city trend for fine –might I add, pretentious- dining that is to blame for my lack of enthusiasm.

It is the companion who turns to me and says ‘It’s not that I don’t love this type of food every so often, but given the choice I would still prefer a home-made beef and ale pie at a relaxed country pub’.

That is when it occurs to me how ‘London’ this fine country restaurant actually is – the penny drops as I read that Aubergine is part of the London Fine Dining group, who have a scattering of ostentatious, ‘boutique’ restaurants, mainly within London charging an arm and a leg for a -supposedly designer- rump of steak. And, who’s to be sure that said steak bottom is going to be better there then at a good country pub, sans the extortionate rates and stuffy host.

Go to a local market in Provence for instance, and taste some of the sweetest tomatoes or those miniscule but exquisite sunshine plums that make your taste-buds sing, ask a native how they cook and most often the produce is fresh and local, garlic and parsley is used in abundance and true Provencal cuisine if simply executed and tastes perfect.

Dining out in Aix en Provence, you can often find that a traditional dining room bistro will often only serve one main meal -and as a matter of course- deliver a carafe of wine to the table with the bread basket as soon as the party arrives. It’s a simple as that, no flounce involved!

At  Aubergine however, there is something in the food, the atmosphere and in the air of the wait persons that incites indescribable inertia in both the companion and myself. We are not reserved or insecure by nature, we are accustomed to eating out in lovely restaurants and I certainly have no qualms about requesting what I want and how I want it in any dining establishment -my mentality being, if I’m going to pay through the nose for it, then I want to enjoy it when I eat it! – But there is almost a tangible awkwardness that centres around an artificial contrivance; it’s as displaced as a snowball in hell and truth be told it makes for a rather disagreeable experience.

Having said that, the food itself is mostly very agreeable; we are pleasantly surprised by a squint-to-see –it  amuse-gueule of arancini with arrabiata sauce, a Barbie doll’s fillet of lamb with horseradish cream, a goat’s cheese stuffed cherry tomato in pesto sauce and a cooling Gazpachio with horseradish foam and sesame bread; they are all fine, but none particularly astound either of us.

I am however in raptures about my Lyme Bay hand-dived seared scallops with pea puree and pea shoots; the scallops are juicy and tender and the savoury note of the peas compliment the sweetness of the scallops beautifully.

Tasting the fillet of beef is a tense moment though, as we both are keen to assess its worthiness to demand mega funds for the privilege of consuming it’s delicacy. It is nicely pink in a red wine and shallot sauce with a dollop of horseradish cream – note the horseradish-y theme- though the meat itself is void of much flavour but the texture is buttery and tender. I can say – hand on heart- my father has made me considerable amounts of superior roast beef and Yorkshire pud over the years.

‘Essentially, that’s what this is,’ the companion chimes in again, ‘it’s glorified roast with bells on top. It’s fine, but that’s all!’ Needless to say, the Devonshire lad knows what he likes! Though, come dessert we both eagerly plunge into mounds of creamy strawberry fromage-frais sorbet with a summer-berry coulis, it’s cooling, light and satisfying. There’s a smile on his face now!

It is fair to say that the food was mostly quite enjoyable and I would recommend it, however certainly do expect to pay considerably – and for months to come- for it! And do expect the ‘designer’ up-tight flourishes of a stiffly whipped and beribboned meringue. 

But is that what you truly want? I believe that all the fuss of the ‘boutique’ restaurant takes something away from the rustic charm and romantic abandon of traditional French food. At Aubergine, you should get posh French nosh, but if you want authenticity and traditional French fare then ignore the dressed-up British version and hop the channel for a real experience.

iLazy-abs iLove the iJoy Ride

‘Excuse me, what in God’s name is that monstrosity?’

That is what first crosses my mind when I see the iJoy Ride by Human Touch – ‘…perhaps it facilitates some kind of sensory stimulation…stimulation that should occur in private? Ummm…I believe I should keep my mouth shut not draw attention to this to right now! Maybe I should look away, or down, anywhere but there!’

‘Oh doesn’t it look just like a sex toy or something’ giggles my beau’s mummy cheekily as she elbows me in the ribs. I practically burst into tears of laughter and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful boyfriend whose parents are equally fabulous –not to mention a laugh a minute!

‘Actually, its great exercise and its so easy’ Di explains to us between giggles. Apparently, you’re supposed to drop a dress size in a month – if your overweight – just use it for just 15 minutes a day. The iJoy Ride tones up the abs, the obliques, the lumbar and the hips, giving you the ultimate core torso. Wow, it does sound easy, I’m almost taken in.

The beau looks sceptical, though. Still, the iLazy-abs in him knows that jogging and even swimming at the gym just to get his cardio in is chore-and-a-half – especially everyday for the beach-body rush – and so he visibly lights up when Di says we can borrow the ‘sex-machine’ for a few weeks to try it out.

‘Oh God’ I think ‘I do not want that thing in my living room…Oh God, and there’s the carrying it in to the apartment, people might that think we have weird fetishes or medical problems! Already strange enough, do we need to draw anymore attention to ourselves?’

When I share my reservations with the beau he strikes a pose and jokingly chides ‘you’ll see when I have the sexiest, buffest abs!’

Of course, I let it happen, it was inevitable!

Sunday evening, the bucking-bronco-esque saddle awaits; on jumps the beau and off he goes - seductive it is not! But it is so hilarious that I fall off the sofa – I think when laughing turns painful it must be doing a heck of good to the abs anyway, so perhaps I will refrain from riding the stallion tonight!

On Monday evening I am a little restless and decide that fifteen minutes of relax-ercise could be beneficial! I am in fits of giggles in no time at all, iJoy seems to stimulate more than just your abs – and in some warped way I can certainly imagine the impact it could have if one were to accessorise the iJoy with a rampant rabbit!

By Thursday, the hilarity has far from subsided and so mid-way through the beau’s ride, I throw myself into the front of the saddle to join him. Our sides are splitting but somehow we coherently agree that the iJoy could revolutionise any couple’s sex life at the touch of a button. Lets please not go down that road though!

After a week of –partially- taking turns on the iJoy in front of Gavin & Stacey and laughing till I fear I may pee, I don’t think I see a difference, yet! But I certainly feel the ab-burn after fifteen minutes of iJoy riding in a giggling fit.

Bringing Home the Cheese

Christmas cheer from Norseland Cheese’s press event was not exactly seasonal in June, but boy did I score big points for my Christmas wishlist when I brought home the cheese to my beloved. My bag of goodies included Jarslberg, Mexicana and Applewood cheeses, along with a fine cheese knife and a huge cheese cookbook to boot.

Not wanting to suggest a seemingly clichéd cheese on toast for supper, I set about raiding the kitchen to prepare a gorgeous cheese fest for us.

 And what did I find? A favourite frozen fallback – my homemade vegetali marinara (posh-sounding tomato pasta sauce), bacon, chilli, garlic, organic spaghetti and basil from the garden…pot on the balcony. The result was easy peasy-a-la-voila; Spaghetti Al’ Arrabiata; translated directly from Italian, I made ‘angry spaghetti’ for dinner, and very nice it was indeed.

Of course, we really needed to pile on the grated cheese to incorporate it satisfactorily into the meal. But just as I clutched at Norseland’s Jarslberg –my cheese of choice- the beloved reached back into the fridge and pulled out a wedge of archaic cheese with ‘it-really-must-be-time-to-polish-me-off’ written all over it. He shrugged apologetically and Norseland’s fresh cheeses took place of last week’s cheese in our fridge.
‘Uh…cheese fondue with cubed cheese tomorrow darling?’
Sigh, maybe we will get around to the cheese next week!

Our beautiful supper and the sum of its parts:

Vegetali Marinara
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick of celery, washed and finely chopped
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
230ml (roughly one US cup) of white wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tbsp black olives, pitted, rinsed and finely chopped
1 or 2 cans of Italian peeled plum tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 courgettes, washed and diced
2 anchovies, salted, rinsed and chopped

A splash of red wine

Salt & pepper, to taste


Add the olive oil to a large pan on a medium heat. Throw in the finely chopped onion, celery and season to taste. Allow the vegetables to sweat for a few minutes. Add the herbs and the wine and turn up the heat slightly to allow the wine to reduce. When the onions are nicely golden brown, reduce the heat and add the chopped olives and the crushed garlic. As soon as the pungent garlicy fragrance hits your nose turn in one or two cans of Italian tomatoes (depending upon how much time you have to allow your sauce to reduce and your personal preference). Give the ingredients a quick little stir and add in the tomato paste, anchovies, chopped courgettes and finely the red wine. Taste for seasoning and if required add a little more salt and pepper.

You can freeze the sauce and use it in lasagne, as a pasta sauce or as an accompaniment to a fillet of beef, a pork chop, a beautifully coral piece of salmon or a loin of haddock with a spritz of lemon and some finely chopped basil and parsley.
Alternatively, make like a Nordic-cheese-goddess and try our supper de-jour…

Spaghetti Al’ Arrabiata con Pancetta
(Please note: I am far from being Italian so expect linguistic blunders!)
4 pieces of bacon, Prosciutto or pancetta, diced
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded & finely chopped (Alternatively use red pepper flakes)
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
A splash of good white wine
Black pepper

Depending upon the amount of fat on the meat, you may not require oil in the frying pan. However, if you are unsure a little oil will just get the bacon going and the fat from the meat will soon begin to heat up in the pan. Add the red chilli and gently brown the meat with the chilli over a medium heat. When the meat is almost ready, toss in the garlic and stir it all together as the garlic softens in the bacon juices. Add a splash of good white wine and season with black pepper.

Finally spoon as much or as little of the Vegetali Marinara as you wish from the pan and stir it into the bacon mixture in the hot frying pan, allow the sauce to gently reheat and for the flavours to amalgamate and come together. Sprinkle over some freshly chopped parsley and basil. Serve with a big plate of spaghetti and a huge smattering of grated cheese. Preferably; Norseland’s cheese!

Enjoy xxx

Spring Awakening

I suspect I may be a little late for spring 2010 - but frankly who in dreary London would even know it was supposed to be summer; please do put your hat back on Mr Sun! Finally I have sprung forth from my cocoon of networking-naivety.

Yes, I am charging full-steam ahead –or rather doggedly chugging away, determined to keep up - with twitter, linkedin and my ancient, retired blog that never really got the love and devotion it deserved from the get-go. With a little helpful tutelage I have blossomed as a beautifully fearless socially-blogging-butterfly.

 Fearless, perhaps and wouldn’t I just love to say that I can confidently navigate the mind-boggling-maze that is blogging - to post links from facebook and twitter to my blog and back again – but I am going to have to take this slowly – step by step, day by day. Whatever it takes this strange defective blogger will morph into a blogging aficionado before your very eyes. And to prove it, as of today I can also announce myself as fully html-literate (whatever that might mean – I was instructed to write ‘html authoring’ on my CV, hopefully this will mean something to someone, somewhere!)

Fingers-crossed, here goes as I take the plunge…

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=200900805&ref=ts
 
http://twitter.com/EmilyJCFarley

Invitation to connect on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Emily, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Emily Emily Farley Publishing Professional Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom Confirm that you know Emily © 2010, LinkedIn Corporation Thursday, August 31, 2006 I took the ""if you were an artist" quiz on gURL.com I would be a... Realist Are you down-to-earth? Straightforward? No nonsense? If so, it seems like you could be a realist artist. Realism was an art movement that evolved during the mid-1800s, in which the artists depicted their subjects as accurately as possible. Read more... what kind of artist would you be? Thursday, June 22, 2006 You've got a Mixed 'n' Modern style What's Your Style? Brought to you by Tickle You're a Siren! What's Your Goddess Identity? Brought to you by Tickle Wednesday, June 21, 2006 I took the "The Color Personality" quiz on gURL.com My personality is... yellow You're a sunny yellow... According to color psychology, you share many of the sun's qualities, making you warm-hearted and full of life. You're spontaneous and sometimes even impulsive and there is never a dull moment when you're around because your energy is so infectious! Read more... What color is your personality? Saturday, March 18, 2006 Lazy Dressing... ...is sooooooo cool!!! I love having different coloured strappy tops and t-shirts, some with patterns, some with logos, some that are plain... Loose relaxing jeans or fitted straight legged jeans...a hoodie or cardie over the top and the look is complete...apart from little touches of course... Jessica Alba's got a very feminine and flirty style, that's timeless and classic... I like the way her hair casually frames her face and shows off the earrings. The bow belt defines the waist and adds movie star glamour. Easy to wear clothes go with everything and can be dressed down or up. Easy Peasy and most importantly - Comfortable!!! Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Followers About Me Emily J C Farley A bubbly and unique myriad of strangeness... View my complete profile Blog Archive October (1) October (1) September (14) August (2) July (1) June (4) August (1) June (3) March (6) Watermark theme. Powered by Blogger.