Tea Stains and Daisy Chains: October 2014

To read or not to read- Emma

16:10

Happy Sunday! Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. But, as I said in my last post, I don't want this to feel like a chore, so I'm back now because I felt like it!

You may remember the 'BBC Top 100 Books Challenge' I've been doing in preparation for my English Lit degree (which I have now officially applied for, woo!) Well, I've decided that I don't want to restrict what I read to just one list, so I'm pushing the boat out and am just going to read whatever I fancy! I thought it was a bit silly to confine myself, seeing as there are so many books I've always wanted to read. I'm still going to be documenting my really brief thoughts on each book, but it's not going to be under the 'BBC Top 100 Books List' title anymore (see new and exciting graphic above!).

So I've just finished Jane Austen's Emma, which was a really fun read. I'm still not really sure whether or not I liked Emma as a character, something that was evidently foreseen by Austen when she wrote to a friend saying that Emma is "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like". But the truth is, I couldn't really help but like her. While she's a fairly spoilt and self-righteous young woman, she's also just a 21 year-old girl who makes mistakes, falls in love and meddles in other people's business. As well as this, Austen cleverly uses free indirect speech, which means that the narrative is told from Emma's perspective in the third person, while Austen still hold the reigns as the narrator. This is incredibly effective, as we can sympathise and identify with Emma, at the same time as benefiting from Austen's hilarious wit and way with words.

All in all, Emma is one of those classics you just have to read. If you've read Pride and Prejudice, then you'll fine that this is really similar, only funnier, and that Emma is a little more complex and developed than Elizabeth Bennet. (Not to put a downer on P&P though- yet another of Austen's masterpieces!).

I've got a stack of books to choose from next, so not sure what it will be yet. Any suggestions from English Lit students would be very much appreciated!

Harriet x

Autumn

Autumn (non) Essentials- Things to Eat (Part One)

20:27

So, the plan is to do the 'Things to Eat' section in parts, seeing as a post with three recipes on would probably be a bit too long (and boring).

I know I said these were going to be seasonal recipes, but that may be slightly tenuous I'm afraid. The first recipe I'm going to share is for 'Peanut Butter & Jam Pinwheel Cookies', which I'd like to rename 'Catherine Wheel Cookies', in preparation for Bonfire Night (come one now, that's a reasonable link to Autumn, right?).

These are from The Hummingbird Bakery's 'Home Sweet Home' recipe book, which is full of some truly amazing bakes, although some of them do need A LOT of ingredients!

What you will need for the cookies:

2 x pieces of baking parchment (each about 38 x 25cm)
60g smooth raspberry or strawberry jam
1 tsp cornflour (you may have some hidden in a cupboard somewhere as it's often used for thickening gravy)
100g unsalted butter, softened (stick it in the microwave for 10-20 secs)
100g smooth peanut butter (I doubt it would do any harm if it were crunchy, if that's all you've got)
180g caster sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk (preferably full-fat)
340g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt

How to make the cookies:

1. Mix the jam and the cornflour together in a small bowl until the flour has dissolved. This shouldn't take very long at all.

2. Cream the butter, peanut butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy. You can do this by hand if you don't have a freestanding or handheld whisk, but it will be hard work if your butter's not soft enough.

3. Using a sieve, add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and the salt. Then mix slowly (using the whisk if possible) until you have a dough.

4. Now place the dough in the centre of one piece of your prepared baking parchment and spread out slightly with your hands. Put the other piece of paper on top and roll out using a rolling pin, so that the dough is sandwiched between the two sheets. Don't worry if your dough isn't perfectly rectangular, but the better it is, the less wastage you'll get at the ends.

5. Spread the jam evenly over the dough to form a thin layer.

6. The next thing you need to do is roll it up like a swiss roll. To do this, carefully loosen the edge of the dough on one of the long sides and use the paper to push it into a roll. Seal the seam and wrap the whole thing it clingfilm. Place it in the fridge for a few hours to harden up. (I didn't actually do this because I'm really impatient and it was still fine, but I think it made my biscuits less circular).

7. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius and line a couple of baking trays with parchment.

8. Slice your (hopefully) set roll into 2cm thick sections and place on the trays, about 5cm apart.

9. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and allow to cool before serving.

All that's left to do now is light the bonfire/ campfire/ candle and hand these delicious Catherine Wheels round with steaming cups of tea. Alternatively, just scoff a couple yourself in front of a good film.

Harriet x

blog

Blogging tips: What to do...

19:40

You know those days when you just can't be bothered? When you'd much rather be doing something else, like lying down or eating Ben & Jerry's out of the tub? They suck. I should know, because I'm having one of those days today (which makes this a struggle and also fairly hypocritical, but who says you have to actually listen to your own advice anyway?).

It's not that you haven't got any ideas. In fact, what makes things even worse is that you have got lots of ideas, but you just don't feel like it. If you're anything like me, then on those days there's this irritating voice inside your head telling you you must write that blog post/ article/ comment NOW, otherwise bad things will happen. If you don't do it today then that's it, everyone will think you've lost interest in your 'passion' and have given up on this writing lark.

I'm sure there are loads of blog posts out there that would give you (and me) some really useful tips on how to boost the motivation levels. If you really need to get that piece done (maybe there's a deadline or you're a pro blogger or something), then perhaps you do need something inspirational to help you get your head down. But if not, and you just blog or contribute to online magazines for fun, then the 'fun''s kind of gone if you're having to force it.

Even though I only have 2 followers on Blogger and not many more on Bloglovin' (hint hint), I still find myself feeling under pressure to keep my blog regularly updated. But when I start feeling stressed about it, I remind myself that I'm doing this because I enjoy it, so if one day I don't feel like blogging, that's fine. And although it's important to be committed, if I'm not in the mood for writing an article, then it's not the end of the world if I give this one a miss.

So, you've decided to give yourself a day off. What now? Do you sit around feeling guilty and wishing you were as motivated and inspired as so-and-so? Possibly, but don't. Do something else you enjoy. Or, if you still want to keep things blog-related, take photos or plan future posts. But, if you just want to completely forget about it for a while, then go for it; you'll probably find that when you come back to it you feel totally re-energised.

If all else fails, then I suppose you could just write a blog post about what to do when you're not in the mood for writing...

Harriet x

accessories

Autumn (non) Essentials- Accessories

19:49

banana moon

Banana Moon's Study of the Student Species

09:33

The other day I was sent an email from a lovely lady called Jessica, who told me about Banana Moon's recent blog post about different student stereotypes. The idea is that their 'study' is just a bit of fun for new freshers to find out (if they've been living under a rock and don't know already) the types of students they're bound to meet when they arrive at university. While I'm not a massive fan of labeling people, I can't really deny that students at school and at uni do tend to fall into certain categories.

I would say that while I was at school, I was probably most like the Super Perfectionist (with hints of Teacher's Pet).

The description of the Super Perfectionist given on the blog is as follows:

"The neatest of all the student tribes, this well-kept creature is likely to be spotted lurking behind once all his peers have left the learning cave, placing papers into files and specially allocated plastic wallets. During feeding times, the Perfectionist may be spotted moving items of food around his or her plate into a particular formation – a far cry from the more unsophisticated members of the University social structure".

I'm afraid to say that I was often the last one out of the classroom thanks to frantic filing, colour-coding, or note-scribbling. I was the one who got stressed if the teacher moved the powerpoint on before I'd finished copying the slide down word for word. Being asked to take notes from a double-page spread in the textbook was one of my worst nightmares, as I felt the need to have every single piece of information written down, regardless of its relevance. You can never be sure, this obscure Swedish case study may seem pointless now, but it could come up in the exam.

I was also one of those really annoying people who cried actual tears if they got a B. Not cool.

So there we have it, I'm a self-confessed Super Perfectionist.

And as for the hints of Teacher's Pet... lot's of hand-raising, no detentions and never not doing the homework. Yes, I'm one of those.

I want to make something really clear though: I think it's so important that we don't base our identities on these stereotypes. When we label ourselves and other people, it can make us feel restricted and it can also give us something to hide behind.

While it's a bit of fun trying to work out which 'student species' you're most like, you don't want to finish your education and realise that you don't actually know who you are, as you've been trying to live up to a certain stereotype. If you'd like to hear more of my thoughts on identity and labeling at school, take a look at this blog post.

Banana Moon are also running a competition for bloggers, giving them the chance to win a tablet and a Banana Moon T-shirt! All you have to do to get involved is write a post about which student category best suits you. This competition is open to all bloggers. For more information, visit this page.

Harriet x

To read or not to read- Emma

Autumn (non) Essentials- Things to Eat (Part One)

Blogging tips: What to do...

Autumn (non) Essentials- Accessories

Banana Moon's Study of the Student Species

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