... bring on tomorrow
the SCOTTISH holiday
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| Nathan Coley, There Will Be No Miracles Here, 2006 |
During our trip to Scotland we stayed at my Uncle Gav's house in Polmont near Falkirk, which proved a good point to travel to and from and a very hospitable home in which to stay.
During our stay we looked at some galleries, such as...
The Modern Art Galleries of Scotland
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| Clockwise left to right: the plinth for Reclining Figure Henry Moore; metal sculpture, artist unknown; Nom outside the Dean Gallery and Work no. 975 EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT Martin Creed. |
We enjoyed a lot of the work, particularly the permanent sculpture pieces in the gallery gardens, August Sander's marathon People of The 20th Century collection (made all the more impressive as the prints were taken directly from the photographer's negatives) and other individual works by the likes of Emin, Creed, Hatoum, Munch and Lucas. Curiously, the grounds of The Dean Gallery contains a small patch of allotments with no obvious connection to the gallery itself (organic veg for the café perhaps...?) Simultaneously secluded, rural, cultured and urban, we both agreed we could think of no place more interesting to grow produce.
This Edinburgh University gallery (which is in their Old College building) was showing a retrospective Rosemarie Trockel exhibition. We were both impressed by the provision of such a large and seemingly well-staffed gallery space within a university, although we were also bemused by the lack of obvious themes in Trockel's work and found it hard to engage with.
Stills
On our meandering route to the Talbot Rice Gallery we came across the small but intense Stills gallery. They were showing the second part of Social Documents: The Ethics Encounter, an unsettling collection of photographs and films around the theme of 'war, sex and political urgency'. The pieces were sometimes uncomfortably close to the exhibition's remit: to include material exploring the 'murkier waters' around the ethical codes imposed on more conventional documentary and investigative photography. Dani Marti's 'post-coital portraits' were particularly near the knuckle. The exhibition also included the very timely My Neck is Thinner than a Hair: Engines by The Atlas Group, 100 pictures collated from Lebanese archives of engines found near the scenes of car bombs during it's civil war of 1975-91. We like the overall operation of the gallery: an experimental and theoretically-minded approach to exhibiting photographs.
We ate and drank in some great places...
Amore Dogs
We'd read about Amore Dogs (and it's sister restaurant The Dogs) online before we went north. It didn't disappoint: tasty, decent portions of simple but well made Italian food for reasonable prices - so reasonable in fact that Uncle Gav didn't quite trust the menu until the bill had been paid.
Henderson's!
Our namesake company sells itself as an established essential food outlet in Edinburgh. Having originally set up an outlet for their excess farm produce, Henderson's now have a shop, deli, bistro and restaurant which serve interesting, ethical, vegetarian food. We had lunch in the bistro: soup of the day with a choice of homemade bread and pâté. We experienced Baba Ganoush (a powerful purée of baked aubergine and raw garlic) for the first time and enjoyed it enough to make it for our first guests when we got home.
eteaket
Another highly anticipated Internet discovery was this glorious establishment with a menu of over 40 teas and a range of cakes. Each tea is served in a china tea pot and infuser, with an hourglass timer for the perfect brewing time. Their mismatched, delicate cups and saucers fit in with the feminine 'boutique' decor. The cliental seem to reflect their design decisions, but gentlemen should not be dissuaded from experiencing this surprisingly rare example of tea connoisseurship. Perhaps eteaket is also a reaction to the macho coffee house aesthetic of dark-stained wood double espressos, wi-fi access and business-while-u-drink. It's not only a place to experience fine tea, but a space to relax and have a natter.
Malc tried a fine Bouteaque Blue Mist and Nom had the Chocolate Abyss (with chocolate, cocoa and coconut pieces) and enjoyed it so much that we purchased two tubs to bring home. It went well with our Tunnocks teacakes (25p!).
We experienced the downside to its deserved popularity on more than one occasion when we were turned away because there were no seats left. Go first thing in the morning or later in the evening (they open until 7) to avoid the disappointment.
We cooked pope's eye steak on an open fire mid way through our adventure on Loch Lomond (of which more later).
Caffe la Ronda
A perfect mother's coffee stop in Linlithgow, Caffe La Ronda isn't glamorous but it was a nice rest stop and shelter from the elements.
Fredericks coffee house
Another Edinburgh winner, we ended up in Fredrick's having been turned away from eteaket, and only noticed it because the pot plants outside had been blown over, but we'd go back. We had a white chocolate mocha (yummy!) and a cappuccino (a little heavy on the steamed milk, but good). We enjoyed the view of the street below and well chosen decor. Looked and felt great, tasted great and was quiet too.
The Kenilworth
Is a beautiful restored pub with a fine whiskey list. Mentioned in Uncle Bob's Pub Audio Tour (New Town). On the pricey side, but enjoyable high seating with cosy vibe and thoroughly tiled walls.
Oliphants
If Oliphants in Linlithgow doesn't already qualify for legendary status, it should. We had heard rumour that they had closed down, a tragedy especially because Bob the dog had eaten the last of our frozen reserve of imported Oliphant's meat pies. So, great joy when we found both the shops still open.
We ate the goods sitting beside Linlithgow Loch and were amused by the advice of a passing scot "they're bad for you they are".
Good, solid, old Linlithgow pub with eight ales always on, including their own personal brew.
Other things we got up to
- Checked out the highland coos, deer and fish farm at Beecraig's.
- Walked along the canal from Polmont to Linlithgow (shooting stills for an animation along the way) and caught the train back again. In between the two journeys we took in several eateries, the Palace and several shops.
- We loaded Gav's car up with a canoe and he took us to Inchcailloch, an island on Loch Lomond, for a BBQed steak sandwich. We had a walk around the island taking in its highest viewpoint and this pile of moss that looked remarkably like a dog.
And finally...
- a laptop, a series of House and some headphone splitters* go a very long way.
- painting can be a mobile activity
- two extra plastic cups make a picnic shareable
- old scottish ladies with trashy magazines and sandwiches make good travel companions
- avoid Birmingham New Street during Friday's rush hour at all costs (particularly during strikes)
* This is our 5 way headphone splitter- share music with five people, or mix music from two mp3 into unto four pairs of ears.
Sam & Louise
Becca & Lee
Pink and Blue
On Valentine's day we got some brand new, tiny cousins and this weekend we got to meet them. Here are Charlie and Ella (and Corinne and I).
Naomi & Daniel
Mimi, Abi and Pete gave me some of the best hot chocolate in the world for a hen party present. Supplied in powder form it is transformed into a sort of thick chocolate custard when it is cooked. If you can get your hands on some you shouldn't let go. The deli in Aber sells lots of great stuff, this included.
We're going on holiday
Today is some one special's birthday, so we've been busy making some parcels. The first is this surprise ball. Below are some pictures of how we did it. Firstly, we collected up a lot of pretty bits and pieces: a variety of things to write on and with, little treats (sweets and treasures), ribbon, embroidery thread, tissue paper and a stick on bow to fix it all shut.
Next, we cut the tissue paper into ribbons by folding each sheet into a thin column and chopping it up (this ball only took two sheets of tissue paper). Then scribbled LOTS of messages of love in a variety of shapes and sizes, and scattered them through the contents we'd collected.
Then all that remained was to pick up the central gift of the ball and start wrapping the tissue paper, adding notes and things until they were all gone. Occasionally we wrapped the ball in something other than tissue paper, sometimes we threw in some glitter to make a happy mess on opening. The centre of our ball was pink, with the outer layers being white. When we got to the end I kept it shut with the stick on bow. Simple.
Connoisseur
a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art, particularly one of the fine arts, or in matters of taste: a connoisseur of modern art.
Increasingly I'm realising that Malc is a connoisseur-type. He is one of those people who likes to do things thoroughly, rather than quickly. He likes to learn about the processes he enjoys and become expert in them. For the most part this an enjoyable quality to live with- he has perfected Moroccan mint tea (very occasionally it can be frustrating, like when you're waiting for an after dinner coffee).
Its interesting that the word connoisseur is grounded in the arts,
Perhaps that's where Malc picked it up from. But also takes on the art of eating and drinking,
Internationally the term connoisseur is also used in the context of gastronomy, i.e. in connection with fine food, beer, wine, tea and many other products whose consumption can be pleasing to the senses.
Will you allow me to extend the term to shaving? Perhaps Malcolm will explain a bit more.
Much good food
We've had a good spell of food, starting with a happy accidental caramelised apple sauce. To replicate that particular mistake, simply over-brown the apples in sugar and butter in the pan, then add a little water and cook until soft. We had its delightful sweet flavour with honey roast pork and veg (and tasty oxo boiled cabbage). And used left over pork pieces and a re-run apple sauce to make a tasty salad to serve with left over sweet potato pie.
I found some highly desirable recipes online and as soon as we'd picked up a serious chunk of fresh ginger go busy boiling up some crystallised ginger and a bottle of home made chocolate syrup. Both of which proved fairly straight forward to make, but the end results weren't exactly what we were expecting (very tasty though).
Then we had a 3 night run of evening meals with guests.
Monday: Curry with Ben ( a homemade prawn dish, turkey bhuna, onion bhajis, rice and home made naan breads, served with mango pickle and Pilsner) followed up with Malc's jam sponge.
Tuesday: Italian with the In-laws (spaghetti Bolognese and cheese and herb grilled garlic bread served with nibbles of olives, bread sticks and peanuts and plenty of lemon ice water), with apple crumble with custard for pudding and some perfectionist coffees.
Wednesday: Soup Swap! We had a few guests pop by to exchange and sample each others soup. It was a lovely relaxed time, with a spiced italian vegetable soup, a take on this roast veg soup (with a variety of roast vegetables added), some potato and parsnip and this gorgeous spicy parsnip soup all on offer. We made some fresh bread rolls and herby croutons, and Jeffers brought some beer.
We also had an experiment in minestrone, which we haven't put to the test yet. I'm hoping it will work out as an instant, home made, fresh version of a cup-a-soup. I made some intense cooked, herbed and seasoned veg, and froze it in individual portions (in a rubber cupcake tray) with individual portions of spaghetti. The plan is to put one portion of each into a mug or bowl and pour on boiled water... I have no idea if it will work.
Sweet potato pie (with this pastry), with Morrocan carrot & orange salad and spinach. (Preceded by roast tomato soup and herb croutons).
Garlands
Before I Met My Wife...
Before I met my wife I used to skate. Not that I stopped after that point, but what had been an almost daily ritual naturally reduced over time until it became an sporadic session here and there, made all the more sporadic by the decreasing quality of my deck. These sessions have, however, remained consistent in that they've always been instigated by my long-time friend Elliot Gibbins. Ell currently lives in China and was consequently unable to attend our recent wedding. However, his present of a new deck and bearings ensured he was never far from our minds on the day. It was pretty obvious what lay beneath the wrapping paper and I opened it excitedly as soon as we got home from the reception. Now that I've bought a new set of wheels too, I have no excuse not to get rolling again.
All of this kit (including the used bits) came from Ideal Skateshop at one time or another. The folk at Ideal have served the Birmingham skateboarding community for something in the region of twenty years, proving a dedication to skating that has outlasted the faddy shops that popped up in the early and mid 00s. If you're a new starter (or a restarter) living in the area, Ideal are worth your attention and ultimately your money.
Assembling my new set up was a more complicated process than I expected. It had been so long since the nuts were last removed from the trucks that they had partially rusted together. This meant that I ruined the end of the threads by taking the nuts off and, rather than paying £45 for a new pair of trucks, I had to delicately shave fine pieces of thread off with a hacksaw.
Frankly, I can't wait to start! I've probably never told Nom this but I think about skating most days! Some guys fantasize about scoring for Man U, some wish they were the frontman of a band, I dream about being a half-decent skater.
Wholemeal Love
[Menu Thoughts]
That's a tiny home-grown pile of salad leaves, pita bread fingers with a yoghurt and turmeric dip, refried beans with bacon (based loosely on this hairy bikers recipe, crackers and oatcakes with a soft brie-like cheese, called coeur de neufchatel from Ultracomida (in Aberystwyth). Accompanied by a mugful of flattish coke, followed up with a latte (with vanilla syrup) and splendid chocolate brownies (made by our dear friends Pete and Abi).
And for our evening meal: home-made sag aloo, turkey korma, freshly made Sharwood's naan, basmati rice and mango pickle.
P.S There are often additional photos from those shown on our blog on our flickr stream.
Just a quicky...
A brief blog post following an all too brief trip.
We headed over to Aberystwyth on Friday afternoon and stayed for only 24 hours. Malcolm had the pleasurable business of choir rehearsing and Nom the tough task of social gathering. It was a lovely time and though few photos were captured they merit online publication.
B+L!
Back in December, just three weeks after our own nuptials, we were fortunate enough to shoot the wedding of our good friends Becca (née Davies) and Lee Dutfield. In brief it was a heart warming family effort with a large amount of purple butterflies, chocolate crispy wedding cake with purple ribbon and...purple in general.
We've known these guys a couple of years from uni and count them amongst our best friends, so it was a major privilege to be involved behind the scenes and share wedding planning with them. Getting to know Becca's family during the hen party and preparations was also a joy.
Becca did a good job of sticking to what she knew she wanted and not letting people persuade her of what she 'should' have, with the exception of a Christmas tree in the chapel - that was Lee's idea, and it worked out well. Most of their day was custom made by Becca's Aunties and other family members, from the dresses (the bride's and the bridesmaids') to the wedding favours (little parcels of hand-wrapped Welsh cakes).
We arrived the evening before the wedding in time to hang out at the rehearsal and work out some shots, after which we divided into men's and women's groups to collect take away food for the separate households. Becca ended up collecting a huge order of chips for her side of the family, much to the amusement of the chip shop staff, whilst Lee and the boys got an order from Domino's. Then it was full steam ahead putting finishing touches to the table plan, favours and dresses, before finally heading to bed pretty late.
The following morning we split forces. Malcolm followed the groom and groomsmen who, after rising early to help putting finishing touches on the hall, headed to a café for Lee's last cooked breakfast as a 'single' man.
Meanwhile, I watched the girls as they had their hair and makeup seen to. Becca had four bridesmaids, two young ones and two her own age, plus aunts and her mammy to help her. But in the end she seemed to be the calmest of the lot. Becca doesn't agree with 'faff'.
This wedding was nothing if not Welsh, which is obviously not a criticism coming from two graduates of Wales' finest higher-education establishment. Of course, while the rest of the UK was coated in a beautiful white blanket of snow, it drizzled greyly in Neath.
The service was taken by the dad of best man Pete, John MacDiarmid, or as we like to call him, The Big Mac! John was especially excited to lead the service because Pete and Lee have been best friends since primary school, and gave a visible happy heart skip as the newly-pronounced man and wife kissed for the first time.
I'm not sure Becca even noticed the rain, and it did provide a lovely opportunity for the couple to greet their guests: they walked down the aisle as man and wife to find they had no desire to head out onto the church steps in the rain, so headed straight back into the church to the applause of all their family and friends.
The bride had apparently considered asking all guests to wear a purple item in line with the theme. She eventually decided not to, although many guests embraced it of their own accord.
A highlight of the day came as Becca decided she would add a few words of gratitude to the end of the men's official speeches. Her words were confident, genuine and spoken in a 'tidy' Welsh accent. She thanked her mum for encouraging her to make a bigger deal out of the reception because - and we all half-believed her - 'we'd all by in McDonald's by now' if she hadn't.
After eating and speeches the guests broke out their moves on the dance floor. The disco, provided as a somewhat last minute rescue, didn't disappoint. This was especially true for the Aber crowd who, through a lack of a serious clubbing environment, have learned to throw shapes to just about anything.
As many we know have commented, Becca and Lee have rarely seemed happier than when they're together. We're confident their marriage will be a loving one.
The Daysaver Guide and the Birthday Playlist
One major detail I omitted from the previous post was my handy pizza base-printed, pocket-sized Daysaver Guide. In this Nom included a spider map of some places we could travel to and the buses that linked them, a satelite map of Birmingham, an 'eye spy' page of cool things to do before the end of the day, and a list of noteworthy events and exhibitions (taken from iCal).
My favourite page, however, contained the birthday playlist. It wasn't strictly a playlist though: the words 'Happy Birthday Malcolm' were written in a vertical line down the page but no track names were revealed. Nom had loaded her MP3 player with a list of tracks where the first letter of the title or artist's name began with the relevant letter - 'H' was for Happier Than the Morning Sun by Stevie Wonder, 'A' for Animal Collective's In the Flowers and so on - and I was left to fill in the blanks.
This was an excellent trivia task for a music nerd like me - 'What could "Y" be? Youthmovies?' etc. - and we had a lovely time simply listening through a lovingly prepared compilation as we watched the world go by from the buses. I'd highly recommend this as a present for someone you're close to, if they'll let you near their iTunes that is. In case you're wondering, the final 'M' is for Miles Davis' version of I Loves You, Porgy and 'I' is blank because Nom couldn't pronounce the name of the Angélique Kidjo track.