The Sneaky Magpie

This weekend was not the hot summer weekend I was expecting, the fact that my house doesn’t get much sun and is bit cold in general, didn’t make me think that the weather was ok to go out. On top of it my tube station was closed for maintenance so I got kind of stuck in Clapham. I could of course cycle but if going to East End markets I prefer to take the public transport. And I don’t have patience for buses, they make me nauseous when I try to read. So it was a weekend at home, well, almost.

I got a bit of reading done. My boss gave me On Chesil Beach (we shot in Weymouth some time ago just next to Chesil Beach hence the gift) by Ian McEwan and I actually enjoyed it. I never liked McEwan but this strange story of two people who despite loving each other very much are not able to stay together managed to suck me in.

I am also reading Séance and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer. This collection of bizarre folky Jewish stories is taking up all my free time. Singer is so engaging with his writing it’s hard to put the book down. I have a couple of his novels waiting for me too.

Speaking of books waiting to be read, somewhere between car boot sales, charity shops and gifts I have managed to accumulate quite a sizable new pile so I really should not buy anything for a while.

On Friday evening hubby was working late and I happily settled to watch An Education. From the start I knew I will enjoy it, the imagery was pleasing, the acting very good especially Alfred Molina and Carey Mulligan, the dialog was clever and natural and the storyline in general simple yet engaging. It wasn’t a massively thought provoking film but it definitely had a lot of good values and messages.

I am really really looking forward to Sophia Coppola’s new film Somewhere. It looks good!

I continued to watch Sopranos and I even channeled my inner Carmela when I whipped up a very good tasting lasagne and salad for dinner (I skipped all the 5 other dishes she would usually make keeping her fake nails intact).

I did some baking of course, this time it was chocolate and nut banana bread, a kind of left over ingredients cake. I had some odd amounts of various nuts, flours and sugars to use and it all married together well.

The recipe is dead easy:

150g of sugar (cane, caster, brown)

2 eggs

80ml of olive oil

1 tspn vanilla extract

3 -4 ripe bananas

260g flour (rice, wheat, tapioca, almond)

1/2 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn baking powder

1/2 tspn sea salt

100g chocolate

100g nuts (hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, macademia)

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, prepare 2 small loaf tins.

Cream eggs and sugar until smooth, add vanilla, oil and combine. Add mashed bananas and mix until smooth leaving few chunks. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the egg mixture. Add chopped chocolate and nuts and mix well. Split between the tins and bake for 40-50 minutes or until the knife comes out clean.

A great afternoon snack.

I did manage to drag myself out on Sunday, wrapped in a scarf and a jacket I soon discovered that it was in fact a very nice day outside! My flat is so misleading. Hubby and I wandered down to Wandsworth Common which is much nicer than Clapham Common with its bits of wild. We gathered some wild flowers and had a cup of tea in the park café. Then it was back home for more Sopranos and reading.

I’ve been neglecting this blog, I know. But I have been so busy the past week I don’t even know where did it go!

I am working this weekend preparing for a shoot so here are few things I have been up to in between phone calls and meetings:

Admired cakes in China Town

Finished Nancy Mitford’s Wigs on the Green which made me hoot with laughter.

Started Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell and I am absolutely loving it, trying to get some reading done when I can. This novel is brilliant and I have never seen the TV adaptation so it’s a total surprise too.

Started to watch Sopranos, I know I am few years late but I have been saving it for later. And I think later came at last. I have to ration myself to one episode at a time otherwise it would turn in a marathon.

Had my first ice cream of the season, salted caramel and hazelnut from Amorino in Old Compton Street which was a disappointment. The ice cream was milky not creamy and they make a silly rose instead of a scoop that melts from every imaginable side and is hard to handle. I am a gelato traditionalist I’m afraid.

Had a lunch at Kaffeine in Great Titchfield Street, one of my favourite places in Noho. They make amazing paninis and cakes, the atmosphere is very laid back and the staff are lovely. They also have a bench outside, perfect for soaking up the sun.

Tea and cakes at Maison Bertaux, a total sugar overload!

Dinner at Barrafina, I can’t get over their razor clams, a simple green salad with the best dressing ever and some runny egg tortillas. This place is excellent.

I have been up and down London including Kentish Town City Farm begging for some props, probably visited 8 charity shops today, got harassed in a pound shop first thing this morning and fought my way through grannies with trolleys on various south London high streets.

Oh, it’s great to be back here. Off to enjoy the weather and a pint in Hoxton. Have a lovely weekend!