Cooking Fever

Some people eat, some others play sports, or drink, or take Yoga lessons...
When I´m under stress, I cook, bake, etc...

I´m very stressed about finishing the Residency and looking for a new job..., but when I cook, I don´t know, I relax, I forget about everything, even it´s only for a while.

(My flatmate is worried about me and all this cooking)

Dinner with friends

After a few useless attemps, finally we got together. We´ve just missed  Angela and Clara. But maybe next time we´ll be all together.
It´s nice to meet your friends after so long, specially when we´re all so busy to meet!

With Marta

My favorite team!

Cooking for friends: Strawberry Summer Cake

The other day I cooked the perfect Strawberry summer cake (from Smitten Kitchen). The best recipe ever! So simple, but so tasty!
I tried it with strawberry, cherry, peach, banana and caramel...the possibilities are endless. the trick of it it´s to bake it for an hour in a 150º C oven. And the fruit turns to marmalade!
It´s always a great hit. Thanks Smitten Kitchen! (http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/05/strawberry-summer-cake/)

Amelie

Everybody was surprised when I told them I´d never wached Amelie.  And now, I understand!
Thanks again Maria for this present!

It´s so inspiring. I always liked to think I watched the world from another point of view, enjoying the small details I found  on my way like the walk Amelie gave to the blind man or ljust ooking for different figures in the clouds. And lately, I think just being kind to others can change this world.

These days aren´t good. I´m really overwhelmed by finishing the Residency program and sad because I´m alone. So if someone asked me today  if I believe in miracles my answer would be: not today. But it´s true, like the old man says to Amelie, my bones aren´t made of glass, and I can take the hits of life and stand up for myself and think:
-fresh air is healthy
-I have to prepare myself for a surprise
-I have to take a risk

And even if I looked disconnected from the world like the girl in the painting right now, I know everything will be fine in the end. It´s difficult nowadays for a dreamer to find another dreamer. But perhaps soon I´ll find a good man that knows all his proverbs properly.

For now, I enjoy noticing details no one else does and dreaming of travelling as much as the gnome in the garden of Amelie´s father.

Video from YouTube.

Romantic Friday

On Easter I´ve watched the whole 6 episodes of BBC´s Pride and Prejudice.

So beatiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I came to a very important conclusion:

I want a Mr. Darcy for myself!!!

Farewell Dinner

I had dinner with Maria, Nadia and Angela at The Freemasons Arm Pub. It´s such a beatiful place, and the dinner and desserts were really good. We had a very nice time speaking Spanish. Iá very sorry I forgot to take any pictures!

Maria gave a farewell present: Amelie and BBC´s Pride and Prejudice!
Best present ever! Thanks a lot, María!

Italian dinner

I had dinner with Maria and Rita at Jamie´s. I love Jamie Oliver. I watch all his programs when I was in Argentina, and cook some of his recipes as well.

Food was really tasty. We shared some Italian bread and Polenta chips (my favorites!). I had the pumkin culurzone, and the Italian ice-cream bombe.

Very nice place, food and company.

DAY 77: Friday night out

I had so many plans for tonight!
But then, I finished really late, and left the hospital after 6!

I was at home, struggling with myself to take nap or leave for David hockney exhibition.And Nadia called me to see what plans I had. Finally I conviced her to go to the exhibition.

When we got there, my fast-track tickets were sold our, and we had to queu for 2 hours to go in. We decided hunger was more important than Art, and went to have dinner at the Soho, at Leon. Nice place, and nice food. I liked the old pictures on the walls. And so we had time to catch up. Then we had a beer with some friends of Nadia, very nice people.

DAY 73: by the river

Today I had a day off, and we went for a walk by the river (From the Big ben to St, Katherine´s docks). And then came back to Hampstead to have lunch at Giraffe (hummus with pita bread and a Deli hamburguer). We had some strawberry-lime cider (remembering Stockholm), but we missed Karem.

Then, it was really late even to have dessert, and we had to literally run to Victoria Station. It was so late!
But finally Isa made it to flight.

It was a great weekend!

And going back next week to Madrid.
I will miss so much this city!

As we started to sing (The Ryan O´Reilly Band)

Ryan O´Reilly Band played tonight at The Toucan (Soho Sq).

Their music is great, the lyrics are so sweet, and listening to them is one of the better things to do!

I had ones of their EPs, Emily. But I bought Live in the studio, and their new CD (The blighted apple). A great band. They play almost every weekend in London, you can have a look in the web page to follow their gigs and buy the new CD. (http://www.theryanoreillyband.com/)

I coming back to Madrid next week, but I hope someday they go there to play.

Happy St. Patrick´s Day (SanPatriciocañas)

We´re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz

I had bever been to a musical. And I never thought I would like it.
But, apart from the fact I love this story, the actors, the music and the staging were fantastic!

I´ve already decided, every morning from now on, I´ll get up with its music!

DAY 55: This March, switch on Happiness!

I found these on the near the Borough Market, but you can see many more and even a map of Happiness in http://www.happinessswitch.com/.

DAY 33: The Floating Palace

"...the Floating Palace will warm your hearts..." announced Robyn Hichcock when the recital began.

Kt Tunstall, Eliza and Martin Carthy, Krystle Warren and Howe Gelb completed the group.

To be sincere, I went this night to the Barbican Centre to see KT, one of my favorite artist ever, I also knew Eliza Carthy. So this was a surprise to me. They sounded so great, Eliza´s fiddle made me enter into, I don´t know, it´s a sound that warms your heart, and makes you enter into other dimension. I really don´t know how to describe it.

I love Folk music. And this night was wonderful.

I felt great, like this was a gig among friends.

KT sang Shanty Of the Whale "a capella" with Eliza and Martin, it was a privilege to listen to them.

Loved the show!

And thanks to you all for the lovely night!

I reccomend it to everybody that wants to listen to great music, played by great artists.

DAY 22: Shopping Day (from Covent Garden to Bond Street)

Enjoying Covent Garden

I started my day in Covent Garden. What a great place to shop!

Full of cool people and little original shops.

Next to the Seven Dials, I bought some beatiful brouches in Magma (8 Earlham St), though I could have bought everything in that store. And in Orion (17 Monmouth St) I found a perfect dress on sale.

Magma (7 Earlham Street, Covent Garden)

Orion (17 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden)

Continued walking to Neal´s Yard, the most cheery "patio" full of little restaurants and funny shops.

A couple of newlyweds being photograph for their wedding album was wondering around.

Neal´s Yard, Covent Garden

Message on Neal´s Yard´s wall

Thomas Neal´s

Then Thomas Neal´s, a little shopping centre, with some interesting boutiques. I really enjoyed the lamps and the building itself, very original.

I continued walking and seeing different stores. And when I reached Urban Outfitters (one of my favourite shops in this entire world), I found a great band, just playing in the street: the Ryan O´Reilly Band". Great sound, cool tunes. I just got to buy their latest EP "Emily". By the time I got home, I regreted not buying the other CD. They´re just great!One of my favourite new bands now. (http://www.myspace.com/ryanoreilly)

The Ryan O´Reilly Band busking in Covent Garden

James Street was so crowded! But somehow, it´s this crow what makes this place so curious. Walking along James St, I reached the Piazza and Central Market. One side of the Piazza was on restoration work (Big surprise!). The Royal Opera House building was watching over the Market.
I love this spot of the city. I like to stand up in the arcade and imaging the piazza as if I were Eliza Doolittle, selling flowers.
And in the market (with a great restored building) you can get from special Teas, to souvenirs.

James Street, Covent Garden

Vintage store

Central Market

Love is in the air 1

Restoring work

Floral Hall, Royal Opera House

Love is in the air 2

I continued my trip to Chinatown and Leicester Sq. walking down streets full of theaters, and restaurants.
Great atmosphere!

Down to Chinatown

Its a very well-known fact that Chinese people is present in every spot of this world, but specially in big cities. It´s not as famous as NY´s Chinatown, but I found it adorned with hundreds of Chinese lamps, due to the Chinese New year´s celebration, and it looked beatiful. I´m not a big fan of Chinese food, but if you like it, you´ll love its restaurants and grocery shops.

Leicester Square

Imagine I want to see Jude Law in  one of his movie premiers, how could I see him if the hole square is on construction works? Imposible!

The M&M´s store full of tourists shopping like there was no tomorrow. By this time, I was already very tired, and a little overwhelmed by the crow, that I had to leave the store inmediately.

Picadilly Circus

Picadilly Circus is never dissapointing. Always full of people, cars and buses. The perfect tourist´s spot.

Continued on Picadilly St to see the posh Burlington Arcade (very expensive and posh clothes, hats, shoes, jewelry and more) with smart doormen watching the entrance.

Fortum and Mason´s..., oh my God!, I mean, I loved it!
OK, it could be a little to chic for me, but specially the Grounf floor where you can buy different kinds of Tea, coffee, cookies and other delicatessen is great. And the store windows are so well-done, that I could stare at them for hours discovering new details.

Picadilly Circus

Fortum and Mason´s

Burlington Arcade

Store window at Fortum and Mason

St Valentine´s by Fortum and Mason

Let´s go to Carnaby Street

On my way to Carnaby St, I bumped into Kingly Court, a fancy little shopping centre full of vintage boutiques. And then Carnaby St, I have to say, I prefer the shops at Covent Garden.

Vintage Hairdresser at Kingly Court

Shops at Kingly Court

Continued to Liberty´s, again, great store windows, really original!


I also visited Oxford St and Selfridges. And then,  Bond Street.

It was a wonderful day.

Window shopping in Oxford  and Bond Street

One of the reasons I enjoy travelling, it´s the window shopping. And London offers a big oportunity to walk and visit shops without the need of shopping to have fun. In general, every Departamental Store has great decorated windows. But, if you walk the streets you´ll find some little shops with a wonderful "window art" to enjoy.
Here, some examples.

Liberty´s

Selfridges

Selfridges

Selfridges

Selfridges

Selfridges

This is not a window, only a street stencil I liked, but, what was the question?

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton