Mini Trip to London

I LOVE London. I always used to think that I’d like to live there, and I still think I would, but I’d only want to stay for about a year. I think I’m more of a small city kind of person. I also think that going there as a visitor makes me appreciate what a wonderful city it is even more. I am always so excited when I know I've got a day out in London coming up. 

Recently, I was lucky to be able to go to London for a few days and stay in my uncle’s house in Clapham whilst he was on holiday. I went with my granny and I thought I’d tell you about what we got up to during our visit. On our first full day we were up bright and early for a boat trip on the River Thames. There are several companies running boat trips up and down the river which are all fairly similar, but we decided on Thames River Services. 

We jumped on a boat at Westminster which took us all the way up to Greenwich. Luckily it was a lovely sunny autumn day so we had fantastic views of all the sights either side of the Thames including Big Ben, the London Eye, the Shard, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf. The commentary which accompanied the trip was actually really interesting – rather than your bog-standard London facts we were told some lesser known snippets about the city. For example, did you know that the new Charing Cross train station was designed to look like a train coming out of a tunnel?  

The boat journey took about an hour, and once we’d disembarked in Greenwich we had a quick look round the visitor center before pottering around the market, which is well worth a visit because it has some lovely stalls and shops around, but is far quieter than other more well-known markets in London such as Camden Lock. We had lunch in the Waterstones in Greenwich and spent a while browsing round the books as well – I love a good bookshop!

Having wandered around Greenwich, we hopped back on the boat and headed back down the river. On the way back to Westminster we stopped at the Tower of London to go and see the World War 1 centenary art installation, the poppies. I think that the installation is such a good idea and a really fitting way for us to remember those who gave their lives for our futures. The contrast of the red poppies against the green grass and beige bricks which make up the Tower of London was striking and I think gave a real sense of the sheer number of lives lost. I found it really moving. If you can get up to London to see it for yourself before November 11^th then I strongly recommend it.

The next day we were up early once again. We made our way to Piccadilly because I was keen to visit the Cath Kidston flagship store at 180 Piccadilly. Although there were no special events or anything on when I visited, we spent a while browsing round the shop. I struggled to choose one thing to buy (especially on my post-university-recent-graduate budget!), but eventually chose something in the London Bus print which I thought was a fitting souvenir of my trip. We looked round the shops in Piccadilly a little longer before wandering over to Covent Garden to potter round the shops there. I didn’t buy anything too exciting but we did find a Burt’s Bees Pop Up ‘Hive’ so I grabbed some more of their lip balm because it’s my favourite! Then we headed to the West End to go and see Matilda: the Musical.

Roald Dahl is one of my favourite authors and I love the character of Matilda so I couldn’t wait to see the story brought to life in a stage production. The set design was amazing; I think that was what impressed me most. I found the songs a bit bland and it was quite hard to understand what was being said and sung a lot of the time. But I loved the actor playing Miss Trunchbull, and the little girl playing Matilda was very sweet. Although the story was changed a little which I felt made the whole thing a bit complicated, overall I really enjoyed it. It really kept to the tone of the book, and I think that Roald Dahl would have liked it too!  

I thought that this particular London trip was really good because we had one or two big things planned which gave us plenty of time for exploring and pottering around, and that’s what I really like doing best in London. I hope this has given you some ideas of things to do if you are visiting London any time soon.

Emma J

The World’s Best Chocolate Cupcakes

I think now is probably a good time to confess. It’s time I admitted it: I am a chocoholic. I know that plenty of people say they love chocolate, but it’s important that you understand- I REALLY love chocolate. Just typing this, my mouth is watering at the thought of chocolate.

I’m also a devoted fan of cake. I’m not too fussy about the type of cake, but obviously chocolate is my ultimate favourite. It has taken me a long time to find a recipe for chocolate cupcakes which lives up to the perfection I want, but I have found one. It is from ‘The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook’, and I should warn you that they are incredibly rich. But they are also the most delicious chocolate cupcakes you will ever have the pleasure of tasting.

The recipe should make 12 cupcakes. Here’s how to make them.

You will need: 100 g plain flour

          20 g cocoa powder

          140 g caster sugar

          1 ½ tsp baking powder

          A pinch of salt

          40 g unsalted butter (softened)

          120 ml whole milk

          1 egg

          ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Start by preheating the oven to 170°. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.

Put the flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a bowl. Beat until the ingredients are well combined and you have a sandy consistency.

In a jug, whisk the milk, egg and vanilla extract together. Then pour about half into the floury, chocolaty, sandy mixture. Beat this until it is combined.

Pour in the remaining milk mixture, and continue mixing until it is smooth. Use a spatula to scrape in any uncombined ingredients from the side of the bowl.

Spoon the mixture into your cupcake cases, dividing it between the 12 of them.

Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes. You know the cupcakes are done when they bounce back up when they are touched. If you insert a skewer of knife in the center it should come out clean if they are cooked. 

Leave the cupcakes to cool in the tin. When they are cool enough, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool down completely.

When the cupcakes are cold, you are ready for the best bit… the decoration!

For this, you will need: 300 g icing sugar (sifted)

          100 g unsalted butter (softened)

          40 g cocoa powder (sifted)

          40 ml milk 

You might also like to get some sprinkles to go over the icing.

Beat the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder together. I recommend using a spoon to combine the ingredients a little to begin with; if you go straight in with an electric mixer you will find yourself lost in a fog of icing sugar. Once the ingredients are combined and well mixed, add the milk to the mixture a little at a time. Once all of the milk is incorporated, turn the mixer up and keep mixing until the icing is light and fluffy. The longer you mix it for, the lighter the icing will be.

Once ready, you can either use a knife to spread the icing over the cupcakes, or pipe it on with a piping bag. If you do this, swirl the icing onto the cakes in a circular motion.

Add sprinkles or any other decorations you desire. If it’s someone’s birthday, why not stack the cakes up and pop a candle in each one?  

And there you have it, the world’s best chocolate cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Emma J

Exploring Bath: Alexandra Park

For a while, I kept seeing photos on Facebook of my friends at a park with the most incredible views over Bath. Having lived here for three years, I was a bit peeved that I didn't know where exactly this park was, or even what it was called. After a quick Google search, I soon learned that this mysterious park was in fact Alexandra Park. It is on one of the hills surrounding Bath, and it’s most appealing aspect is basically the views of Bath it offers. It is most definitely my favourite place in Bath now.

The first time I went there was on a spontaneous adventure with my friend Saffron. We left the house at about eight o’clock one evening, not entirely sure where we were going, but just wanting to find this park. We walked along to the bus station in Bath, jumped on a bus and headed up the hill. At the top of the bus, we hopped off, and started walking up a long road called Shakespeare Avenue (which, as a literature student, I love). All that I knew of how to get to this park was that we needed to go up Shakespeare Avenue, and luckily we had looked at a house there when we were looking for accommodation for our second year of uni, so we knew where it was. It is a long road, and it is up a big hill. It hurt. But our excitement drove us on. When we reached the top of the road, the park gates were right in front of us, so it was easier to find than we thought. We followed the path in and around, and soon were met with one of the views. 

I don’t know if it would be that exciting if you don’t live in Bath or have any particular connection to the city, but I think the views are stunning and I really really loved being able to look at it all at once, and seek out my favourite places.

Unfortunately, the sun was setting, so we didn't get to see much of it in the light, but it was so pretty in the dark all lit up.

The next time I went back, we left really early (at half past seven in the morning, to be precise). Instead of getting the bus, we walked up the hill to the bottom of Shakespeare Avenue, and then on up to the park. Although it was more tiring, it meant we enjoyed the views even more. It was also lovely to watch the city coming to life in the morning, and see it in daylight.

If you’re visiting Bath, or even if you’re from here and you have never been to Alexandra Park before, I would definitely recommend a trip up there. From the bus station you can get the number 14 bus up the hill to Shakespeare Avenue, and walk from there (the hill isn't too bad, I promise!)   

Emma J   

An Emma Bridgewater Experience

So it’s my mum’s fiftieth birthday next month (sssh, don’t tell her I told you!) and she’s been thinking of fun, exciting things to do to celebrate. And she decided that one of the things she would do was an ‘Emma Bridgewater Experience’. She booked it for her group of friends from college, but unfortunately one of them couldn’t make it on the day. For me, this wasn’t so unfortunate, because I was invited in her place! After a quick dash back from Bath the night before, we were on our way to Stoke-on-Trent the next day.

Ever since I discovered Emma Bridgewater, I have really loved the brand. I adore the quirky, bold patterns, and the fact that they are all so different yet look so beautiful when mixed and matched. I only own a couple of mugs (which I got from the Bicester Village outlet shop) because I’m on a student budget, but they are my favourite. So obviously I was excited about the trip to say the least!

We arrived at the Emma Bridgewater factory by late morning, just in time for a drink and a quick slice of cake. I had a hot chocolate and a piece of red velvet cake (which was delicious). Then it was time for our factory tour to begin! 

A lovely lady called Jan took us round. We saw the molds for all the different products being made, the machines which the clay is mixed in, the clay being placed and smoothed into the molds and the products coming out of the molds and being dried. We saw the ladies who smooth down all the products and get rid of any lines and joins- this is called ‘fettling’. We saw the kiln where all the products are fired ready to be decorated. Then we saw the ladies using soldering irons to hand cut the sponges used to print on the products (they actually use upholstery sponge for this).

And then my favourite part – the decoration. There were a team of ladies working on decorating a variety of different products. They get new ones every day to decorate, so they have something different to work on each day. I loved seeing how each design and pattern in built up, bit by bit, and how no two Emma Bridgewater products are every exactly the same. Seeing all the different prints and patterns on such a variety of products was a real treat, and so beautiful and impressive. We then saw the products being dipped in glaze – every single product is hand dipped – before they are fired and then inspected for quality control before being sent out to shops!

I found the factory tour so interesting. I have always felt that even without the student budget that I am on, Emma Bridgewater products are a little on the pricey side. However, having seen all of the work which goes into making them, and how much time and how many people work on just one product, I have changed my mind. I now think they are actually very good value for money!

I loved that all the components used to make the pottery are locally sourced. All of the clay comes from around the UK; even the upholstery sponge used to decorate the products is locally sourced near Stoke-on-Trent. I was also impressed by how much recycling goes on in the factory- even the excess heat from the kiln is directed to the greenhouses where produce is grown to use for the food in the café! Something else I learned is that every year, there is a new picture on the base of an Emma Bridgewater product, and you can date a product by looking at this picture. For instance, 2014 is a chicken!

Once we’d looked round the factory, we popped into the seconds shop for a quick look (still a bit pricey for me, even with the reductions!) It was then our turn in the decorating studio. After a quick demonstration of how to paint our chosen items, we began. We all went for the standard Emma Bridgewater classic mug. To decorate, you could use the paint brushes provided and go free style. Or, there was a huge range of different sponge stamps you could use to create your design, including spots, stars, hearts, flowers, animals, letters, numbers, vehicles – I even saw a Dalek in there! I thought this was a fantastic idea, because I have been to pottery painting places before, and if you are not the best artist or are just not feeling especially creative at the time, it can be hard to come up with a design you are happy with in the time limit. Having the different sponges there meant that you could easily choose a design and produce something lovely.

There was also a massive selection of paint colours, and everyone was provided with a rubber which you could use to rub off the paint if you made a mistake or changed your mind about something. I wanted to use the sponges, but I also wanted to get creative and do something different. I eventually decided to use one of my favourite flowers, the sunflower, as inspiration. I used a sponge to stamp brown spots over my mug, and then used a paintbrush and yellow paint to paint in petals around the edge of the spots. I was very pleased with the final effect, but I also wanted to try the union flag stamp they had. So I put a little union flag on the base of the mug.

As it was a fiftieth birthday celebration, my mum and her friends each stamped a ‘50’ on theirs, in amongst their other decoration. I think we all left feeling that it hadn’t been too hard to make something that we were all really proud of. It was also a lot of fun too! Finally, we had lunch before we left. I had a delicious chicken club sandwich, a glass of lovely lemonade, and another piece of red velvet cake for pudding (yes, it really was THAT good).

Overall, it was a brilliant day out. We had booked an ‘Experience Day’ which I thought that it was excellent value for money, and it was very interesting, fun and exciting, so I would highly recommend it. I already want to go again, so I’m planning my next visit (and coming up with some design ideas for my next mug too!)     

Emma J

Uni Room Tour

I LOVE watching room tour videos on Youtube. They are one of my top kinds of videos. I think it’s because a) I’m nosey and b) I love interior design and homes so I love seeing how people have theirs. I wasn’t sure how well a room tour would work in the format of a blog post, but I wanted to try and capture how I have arranged my living space at university. I will be leaving Bath soon because I have now graduated, and as much as I would love to stay here, there is no way I can afford to.

This is the third place I have lived whilst at uni in Bath. For my first year I was in halls, and I loved my room. It’s actually the biggest room I’ve had whilst at uni. I think I loved that room for the memories it held and the fun I had that year with all my friends, rather than for the actual room itself. In my second year I agreed to take the box room so I could pay less rent. It was a decision I soon regretted, because not only was the room tiny, it was also damp and mouldy too. Yuck. I still think I managed to make it look quite homey though.

My room this year, in comparison, is much bigger. I love that I have a big wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a desk that I can actually sit and work at! If you’re off to uni in September or you’re just looking for some tips on how to jazz up your room cheaply, maybe this will help you out.

The first picture is of the room when you are standing in the doorway looking in. It’s quite a bright room, especially in the evening (like when I took these photos) because the sun sets on that side of the house so it brightens up my whole room in the afternoon and evening. The lampshade you can see at the top was a bargain from Primark for about £2, and I love it because it is so pretty and hides the boring light bulb. You can also see my map of Middle Earth on the wall above my radiator.

This is my bookshelf. It didn’t come with the room, I bought it with me when I moved in because I need space for all my books! I think it was about £10 from Argos. On top is my mirror, which I got in a charity shop. When I bought it the frame was painted orange, which is not my most favourite colour. So I bought a tester pot of white paint and repainted it. I think it looks much better with the décor in my room now. Also on top of the shelves are some toiletries, my perfume, and a milkshake cup and little red lantern (both from Ikea). I know that lots of people think that pink and red clash, but I think they look lovely together! I then have a small selection of my books and DVDs – my favourites which I chose to bring from home. Also scattered around the shelves are little knick-knacks such as mugs, a little duck and a pretty tin where I keep my hair bobbles and stuff. I think not just filling a shelf with books makes it look less crammed and more interesting.   

The next photo is of my bed area. My duvet cover is from the Rosali range at Ikea (I think they are still stocking it). I actually have a double duvet even though I only have a single bed – it just makes it more cosy when I’m snuggled up at night. I also have some cushions to make it more comfy and to brighten up my bed. On the wall are my many photos. This is one of my favourite parts of my room. I love waking up and looking up to see lots of happy memories and friends on my wall. If you create an account either with Snapfish or Photobox, you can get your first photos for free, so it’s a really cheap easy way to give your room some personality.  

Here is my desk. Last year, I didn’t have a desk in my room so it was luxurious to have one this year! I keep my uni folders underneath it because I don’t have a tall enough shelf to put them on. On the little shelf built in to the desk I have more books and some sewing bits and bobs. To the right of it is some wrapping paper, because I think it looks quite pretty stored in that way. On top of my desk, I know that it looks a little cluttered but I like always having a pen to hand! On the left I have a print which my boyfriend got me for Christmas. It is one by Chris (Simpsonsartist) inspired by the Doctor Who 50^th anniversary special. It is a quite strange, quite quirky print but I love it so much. In the house which I have lived in this year, we’re not allowed to pin pictures to the walls so I just popped the print on my desk and leaned it against the wall, which I think works just as well! I also have a few little tea light holders, which are from Ikea and some are some jars I washed when I had finished with them. I have a magnetic whiteboard on my desk as well which I have covered in tickets, leaflets, little notes, cards, and of course magnets!

Here’s a close up of my desk. I’ve got a little polka dot cup and a tin mug which my grandma painted for me, and I put my pens and pencils in these so I always have one when needed. I’ve also got my film camera (an Olympus OM10 if you’re interested), and a little snow globe photo frame my housemate gave me for my birthday. There are also two little monkeys; a cuddly toy and a tiny rubber, which were also given to me by my housemates. I don’t know if it’s obvious, but I am a big fan of monkeys!      

 

This is a close up of the posters above my desk. I got the Harry Potter when the first film came out and they were giving them out for free in the cinema. I am so glad that I have held on to it for all this time because I still love Harry Potter and I think it’s a lovely poster. I’ve then got some Pokémon cards (Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur and Pikachu – no, I’m not ashamed). There are some postcards I got when I went to London, and also a couple of Blur posters which came from NME magazine. I think little things like postcards and pages from magazines are great ways to add some personality to your room.

Here’s my wardrobe, not that interesting, but I thought I would include a picture anyway! You can see my laundry bag and old Urban Outfitters bags and gubbins down to the right, I keep those bits there because it’s out the way but still handy if I need something in a hurry. On that note, I also have space under my bed where I have some boxes with bits and bobs in tucked away. Hanging on the handle is my ‘William and Kate’ union flag heart from the Royal Wedding (I’m a bit of a fan of the royal family. Again, I’m not ashamed). I’ve got postcards on my wardrobe doors just to cheer them up a bit. I think most of them were from Paperchase, but the Platform 9 ¾ one on the left is from Kings Cross station.

This is my chest of drawers, and I’ve hung a little mushroom decoration I got from Wilkinson’s at Christmas on one of the handles. I have a bit of a mushroom obsession. On top of my chest of drawers I keep all of my hair bits and pieces (bobbles, hairbands, grips) on a little red polka dot tray I got from Dunelm Mill. I keep my cleanser and moisturizer there. The cotton wool pads I use to cleanse my face are stored in an old Bonne Mamam jar. I also have a little tea light holder from Waitrose, and a photo frame from Ikea to add a personal touch. I think I have managed to make this space look quite pretty but not too cluttered.

Here is a close up of the noticeboard above my chest of drawers. I pinned my beautiful fairy lights from Urban Outfitters around the edge. I popped my cat ear headband up there, a Studio Ghilbi postcard, a picture of the Arctic Monkeys, more Pokémon cards, and the wristband I wore for my uni summer ball. Finally, I used my noticeboard as a place to store and display my cinema tickets from the year at uni. As you can see, I have made good use of the Odeon in Bath. I love going to the cinema!     

And that’s my room. Although it’s not perfect, I will miss it because I think I did quite a good job of making it homey and cosy. I hope I’ve given you some tips for giving your room a personal touch and making it your own special space without spending loads! 

Emma J