Photo diary: weeks 9 & 10, project 366

I would like to wish you a Happy International Women's Day! Even if the times are very worrying at the moment, what, with the coronavirus on our doorstep (the first case officially acknowledged at the Oxford University), panic-buying and total uncertainty on what to do.

We had a very poor Internet connection the week before, and I haven't done any blogging. Every time I managed to get online, it would freeze, and get disconnected. And while my iphone is with a different provider, I cannot use it for blogging, and all blogs usually reject any comments I try to post, using it.
Hence today, it's a two-weeks-of-photos' batch.

On the last day of the midterm break we went to Oxford to our favourite Asmolean museum.
As has become our custom, we stop by this ancient Roman bust of a young boy, who looks like Eddie's long-lost twin.

On Monday we rehearsed the pancake flipping, and also took a mini-video of Eddie flipping the pancake for the Insta comp run by Fry Light. Sadly, we didn't win.

On Tuesday we went to Banbury to check out one of the possible respite places for Sasha. The house itself is more spacious than the local one, but as it's a place for people aged 18+, they don't have the same facilities as the children's homes. And though our son turns 18 this month, it's not that by some magic he suddenly became grown-up and mature. We might visit one more place, in a different town, but as of the next month, we don't have any respite provision, and who knows when it's going to be sorted out.
This is the famous Banbury cross, which I snapped from a car.

The day before my birthday Sasha was away for his respite night, and we booked a table at The Fleece for dinner. It was already getting dark, when we were leaving home, and saw the Moon crescent above the rooftops.

My friend Jen gave me a gorgeous present for my birthday, a 19C teacup and saucer, which belonged to her late Auntie. It's hand-painted and so pretty. I love antique and vintage china, and this lovely set is a great addition to my mismatched collection.

Eddie is a big fan of Funko Pop toys. We admired this mini-figure of Maximus from Gladiator, but it's too pricey for what it is (ultimately, a plastic tat toy).

We greeted March with apprehension. This month Sasha turns 18, and he will now be with the adult services, both medical and social, and so far it's being frustrating.
He will miss his current respite home, which he loves. I honestly don't know how I'm going to explain to him that he won't be visiting it any longer from April.
And there is so much paperwork to fill in too, it's totally disheartening.

My guys bought me a bottle of Gucci Flora for birthday. Eddie insisted his father and he sniff at all the perfume bottles at Boots until they find the one they like. They did get it right, but I did wince when I saw how much it costs online.

On the way to school I glanced up only to find this funny-shaped cloud, which looked like a profile of a man with a long nose, who was blowing steam from his lips.

A couple of days before the World Book Day I was busy, creating a Percy Jackson's costume for Eddie. I painted a trident on the back with fabric pens, and also wrote "Camp Half-Blood" at the front, with a picture of Pegasus.

I have mentioned our local Waterstones many times. Their window displays are always creative, and at times utterly creepy. The window display for The Doll Factory is assembled with a glass bell containing an eyeless doll's head, that is so macabre. You'd inevitably end up in the shop.

On the World Book Day they ran a couple of events. We missed the morning session, as it was a school day, but after school there was a meeting with Nicki Thornton, author of The Last Chance hotel. We bought a book and asked the author to sign it for Eddie.

Every spring I admire this Japanese quince in town. The flowers are so beautiful. It's a true sign of spring.

Yesterday's shopping at Waitrose showed the darker side of the panic-buying. The aisles of toilet paper are empty, the medicines like nurofen and paracetamol are not available any longer, and don't even start me on the hand sanitisers or any antibacterial wipes.
Just why do the supermarkets not monitor this greedy panic-buying? What will disappear next?

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New York-style cheesecake with blood orange

A few weeks ago my Twitter friend Antonia posted the photos of her latest dessert, which happened to be a luscious-looking cheesecake. I haven't baked a cheesecake in ages, and really fancied a slice. So last week I baked a New York-style cheesecake for my birthday.
Our Internet connection was almost non-existent for over a week (thank you, BT, for the so called upgrade!), and I wasn't able to do any blogging.

This is not an authentic New York cheesecake, but more of a variation. It's quite a rich cake, and probably not for people on a diet, but it's very-very tasty.

New York-style cheesecake
Ingredients:
For the crust:
140g digestive biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
90g butter, melted
For the cheesecake layer:
2 x 340g tubs of Philadelphia cheese (I used a mix of Original and Light)
1 x 250g tub of mascarpone
180g caster sugar
140ml soured cream
3tbsp cornflour
zest of 1 blood orange
 juice of 1/2 blood orange
3 medium eggs
For the soured cream layer:
120ml soured cream
3tbsp caster sugar
1tsp lemon juice

First crush the digestive biscuits in a plastic bag with a rolling pin (or use a blender) to make fine crumbs. Melt the butter, and mix the crumbs with butter.
Line the base of a springform cake tin with a parchment circle, and oil the sides and the paper (I use an oil spray).
Spread the buttered crumbs in the tin, and press them evenly. I do not pre-bake the crust at this stage, but some cook books suggest doing that for 10 minutes.
Prepare the cheesecake layer by mixing the cream cheese with mascarpone, caster sugar and soured cream in a deep mixing bowl. Add the cornflour, and zest and juice of the blood orange, and beat in the eggs, one at a time.
You might want to use a blender for the cheesecake layer to be smooth and well mixed.
Pour the contents of the mixing bowl over the crumb layer.
Place the cake tin in the oven preheated to 200C.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 110C, and bake for another 50 minutes. In the last 10 minutes of baking pour the soured cream mixed with lemon juice and caster sugar on top of the cake.
Please keep in mind, that the cheesecake will be very wobbly at this stage.
Switch off the heat, and leave the cake in the oven to cool.
Later take the cake tin out of the oven and let the cake cool completely before covering the tin with a foil and putting in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.
It's totally worth waiting, trust me.
The next day, run a thin knife around the sides of the cake and carefully remove it out of the tin.
Enjoy!

The blood orange gives a gentle blush to the overall colour. If you prefer a sharper taste, swap the blood orange for lemon.

You might still find blood oranges at the fruit markets (I bought a bag of 10 just yesterday). Ocado sells them too, not sure about Waitrose, our local one doesn't sell them this year.

Percy Jackson's costume for World Book Day

We don't go for elaborate creations for World Book Day, it's typically a t-shirt with our favourite book characters.
Two years ago, I made a Wimpy Kid costume for Eddie, using fabric pens on a plain white t-shirt. Last year Eddie's outfit was inspired by the wonderful series called The Raven Mysteries by Marcus Sedgwick. And again, I used fabric pens to draw Edgar the Raven.

Until a few days ago we were quite unsure what to choose as this year's theme. Luckily, on my weekly trip to one of the local charity shops I spotted an American edition of Percy Jackson & The Olympians The Ultimate Guide, with colourful illustrations, maps and cards. All children's books in that shop are sold at 10p per book.
We looked at Percy Jackson's image, and I thought: I could easily copy that outfit.

We found an orange t-shirt in M&Co (annoyingly, in a pack of 3, not on its own), and I ordered a pack of Tulip Slick 3-dimensional fabric paints online.
In the old days of my papercrafting blog I used a lot of Tulip paints. In fact, one of my cards even won me a major prize of a big stash of fabric paints, which lasted me a few years, and which I worked with extensively. Tulip 3-d paints come in a huge variety of colours, including glitter and metallic ones which look great on fabrics.

The illustration above was our basis for the outfit. I have copied an image of a running horse from a book Draw 50 horses (another bargain from the same charity shop) on a piece of paper and cut it out.
Using a plain pencil, I have drawn the outline of the horse, and added wings, to create an image of Pegasus.

Then using Tulip 3-d paints, I wrote the name of the camp and drew the winged horse.
Paints take up to 4 hours to dry, and after 72 hours you can even wash the fabric.

My son also asked me to draw a Poseidon's trident on the back.

Tomorrow my son will wear this Percy Jackson's t-shirt with jeans and trainers. He will take a sword and a pen with him too. If you know the books, you will understand the importance of the pen.

What costume will you child be wearing tomorrow?

Photo diary: week 8, project 366

The British weather is notoriously unpredictable. This morning looked dry and relatively sunny, then as we were getting ready to go to Oxford, there was a violent burst of rain, which rapidly disappeared to be followed by a sunny spell. We were sitting on the double-decker bus, sweltering in the heat. Honestly, weather, just make up your mind!
Midterm break was rather stressful, as most holiday breaks in our household. I feel tired and generally lacking in any mojo.

Last Sunday we had a quick coffee/bite stop in between grocery shopping. Eddie was taking my photos, and that for someone reason set him off, he kept giggling.

Eddie is good at drawing Marvel characters, but I want him to move onto something else. This was a quick lesson on how to draw an owl. I used a black ink pen and a grey one.

Our county is on the flood alert in many locations. With the amount of rain we had in the last few weeks, it's no surprise to see the Windrush river levels rising up. It's always a worry.

We spent most of our break indoors, as the weather was pretty abysmal, only doing short forays into town for food shopping and to visit the library. Here is Eddie looking wistful at the rain.

We've been watching Agents of Shield season 1 all week, and just finished the last episode yesterday. This was our treat, as we're big fans of Marvel. It's not bad, if you are having withdrawal symptoms, waiting for the next Marvel feature film.

Yay, we thought, a spot of sunshine... but it did start raining later in the day. This was a rather strange triangular-shaped cloud.

We happened to go out quite late on Friday, and it was growing dark when we were returning home. The alley going to the Captain's Mill looked like a setting of some creepy movie.
It used to be part of the famous Witney Blanket production, a handloom weaving establishment. After the Witney Blanket brand ceased to exist, the building was converted into flats.

Yesterday I baked cookies with chocolate chips and walnuts for my guys.

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Roses of Marrakech by Rachel Clare #BlogTour

"She no longer wanted to live a safe life stifled by the fear of what may or may not happen. Instead she would try and grasp every opportunity that came her way with both hands, relishing the joyful immediacy of it and cherishing the satisfying memory of it afterwards. She had been too cautious for too long. She must begin to take chances as they presented themselves; to truly live".

Roses of Marrakech -a debut novel by Rachel Clare - is a seductive and sensuous book, with a dual timeline, set in 1944 and 2016.

Ivy Fielding is 36 years old, and works as a primary school teacher. She loves her job, but something is lacking in her life. She suffers from a low self-esteem due to a facial birthmark.
When she was little and wanted to know if her birthmark would disappear when she grew up, her great aunt Rose said: "I realise it hurts now and it seems like you feel this way forever but I promise you will grow up to be a beautiful young lady, you'll see".

And now Rose, a wise and caring woman, who was Ivy's kindred spirit, is gone, leaving her pretty little Lavenham cottage, crammed with books, and a lovingly tended garden, to Ivy and her mother.
Ivy had big dreams of travelling to exotic places where she could converse in French and other languages, but they remained unfulfilled.

And when the summer holidays approach, on the spur of the moment Ivy decides to book a five and a half week-holiday in Marrakech, a place she always wanted to visit: "A holiday. I've wanted to come for as long I can remember... When I was a little girl, my great aunt told me stories of snake charmers, the desert and the Atlas Mountains topped with snow. It's a place that has always intrigued me".

While staying at the riad and exploring the city, Ivy also reads her great aunt's diary, going back in time to Rose's childhood and young years. The diary proves to be a poignant reading, as Ivy discovers the tragic past of Rose's family. Her two elder sisters Violet and Eleanor died of TB, and the family never fully recovers from this double  tragedy. The pages of the diary, telling the last days of both sisters, are utterly heart-breaking.
The diary tells the story of hardship, love and loss. During the war, Rose falls in love with an American GI, Ryan. Devastating circumstances force her to take decisions which will affect her and those she loves.

Ivy meets a handsome Canadian French artist Jacques, who stays in the same riad. He came to Morocco to find inspiration: "I realised that I found my spiritual nexus in Marrakech. Maybe I hadn't been running away from my previous life but in pursuit of this one all along?"

Together they wander around the city, exploring the markets, museums, looking at the architecture and sampling the local cuisine, and quickly they "become connected on a much more intimate level than just two travellers who had ended up in the same riad".

Jacques is a complex and complicated person, with deep secrets of his own. He is an emotional and passionate man. Ivy who's attuned to his inner vulnerability, senses that something in his past life has damaged him.

Since Ivy has problems of her own, does she have strength enough to help Jacques? Does their love affair have a future, or will it turn into a beautiful memory of a holiday romance?
In her final letter to Ivy, as a postscript to her diary, Rose tells Ivy to "follow her own heart and hold onto those you love and never let them go..." Will Ivy follow her great aunt's advice?


The author's enthusiasm about Morocco is palpable. Her knowledge of the country is impressive, but I often felt like I was reading a guide book. There is just too much textbook information.
Detailed descriptions at times overwhelm the story. While I enjoy reading about food and meals in novels, I don't want to read about every single morsel the characters have consumed. For example, when Ivy and her best friend Mei go out with Mei's kids, do I really want to know what everyone has ordered?
The same with the interior or clothes descriptions - there are too many details, which distract from the story.
And the main story is captivating. Ivy and Jacques' romance makes a compelling reading, while Rose's diary tells another story, full of heartbreak and desolation.


Roses of Marrakech is a beautiful story, filled with romance, secrets and regrets, second chances and redemption.
Clare captures the poetic beauty of Marrakech, with its vibrant souks, delicious food and complex people, exploring the history and cuisine with passion.

Many thanks to Rachel Clare, The Book Guild Ltd and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.

This post if part of the blog tour for Roses of Marrakech, you can follow the tour via the following blogs:

Purchase links:


Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roses-Marrakech-Rachel-Clare/dp/1912362716/

I've never visited Morocco, but reading Roses of Marrakech made me feel like I was exploring the exotic locations with Ivy. The pages when Ivy and friends visit the women's co-op which is run by widowed and divorced women, producing argan oil, reminded me that I have read about that place - Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews wrote about it on her blog back in 2013. Check out her post Discovering argan oil and goat trees.
With Cheryl's permission, here is one of the photos from her trip.

Image credits: Cheryl Pasquier, Madhouse Family Reviews

Author Bio:
Rachel Clare gained a BA (Hons) in French/English at Liverpool Hope University and an MA in Modern Languages Research at Lancaster University before training to be a journalist. She now lives in Lancaster and teaches French in a primary school. She has enjoyed writing stories since she was a child and coming runner up in a Sunday Express story competition gave her the confidence to write her first novel, Roses of Marrakech.
"Whenever I go on holiday, I always take y notebook with me. Visiting Morocco and Lavenham a few years ago, I made notes of my impressions of the places I visited and began writing the book when I returned", comments Rachel. "In the book, Ivy's struggles with coming to terms with her birthmark are based on my own experiences with cerebral palsy, whilst the characters, Violet and Eleanor are based on my great-aunts who both died of TB in the late 1920s".

Easter is Coming Degustabox (February 2020)

Veganuary has gone, but the Degustabox team clearly wants to keep the momentum going. The latest Degustabox has a selection of vegan products.
This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which might have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.
Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Each time the monthly food box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.
If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.
What did we receive in February / Easter is Coming box?

No prizes for guessing that the first products to be gobbled up from the box were KitKat Milk Chocolate Easter Bunnies (£0.65 for 29g chocolate). The all new KitKat Bunnies have a smooth milk chocolate shell with a rich chocolatey centre with crispy wafer pieces.
According to my testers, they were delicious.
No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, gluten free.
You should receive two items in your box.
Available in all major supermarkets.

There were more chocolate treats in the box - including Galaxy Vegan bars (£3). You should receive one of 3 bars in the box (while bloggers get 3 flavours).
Galaxy has recently launched a vegan line of chocolate bars, available in 3 different flavours - Smooth Orange, Caramel and Sea Salt, as well as Caramelised Hazelnut.
The vegan recipe uses a hazelnut paste to create the same smooth and creamy signature characteristics.
And while I applaud the vegan initiative, I'm less enthusiastic about the end result. The chocolate has a strange grainy/powdery texture, which I have encountered in many vegan chocolate bars, not just Galaxy, and a not altogether nice aftertaste. So, we think there is still scope for improvement.

My Sweet Chickpea (£1.25) is an interesting concept of a healthier chocolate snack. Who would have thought of combining roasted chickpeas with dark chocolate? Somehow, this combination works. The first bite tasted slightly strange, but then it grew on me. Definitely worth giving it a try.
My Sweet Chickpea has a higher protein and fibre content, and less fat than chocolate or nuts. The brand's been promoting its product as "chocolate with benefits".
Nutritional information: 129kcal and 9g of sugar per 25g serving.
Available in Asda Free-From aisles and on Amazon.

Livia's Salted Caramel Million Squares (£1.50) is a gooey date caramel between a layer of raw dark chocolate and an oaty base. There are 3 squares in a small pack.
Nutritional information: 212kcal and 27g of sugar per 60g pack.
All Livia's treats are vegan, gluten and dairy free.
Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Boots, Ocado, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett and many more.

Trek Protein Flapjack Cocoa Oat (£2.50) are a British classic, revolutionised. Made with gluten free oats, containing 9g of plant based protein, they are vegan.
Cocoa Oat is their no.1 selling flavour - golden oats topped with melted dark chocolate.
Available in all major supermarkets, either in Free From or Cereal Bar aisle.

Jacked Foods Jackfruit Chunks (£1.89) are snacks of dried jackfruit. They are chewy and soft, and have a naturally sweet flavour, which resembles mango.

Packed with vitamins and minerals, a 30g bag comes at only 94kcal.

It's 100% natural, high in fibre, gluten free, contains no preservatives and no refined sugar.

Ndizi Chunks are 100% natural dried ndizi banana pieces, rich in potassium and iron.

Jacked Foods is a proud partner of Trees for the Future, helping to reverse the devastating effects of deforestation in Uganda one tree at a time. With over 10,000 trees already planted, by choosing this brand, you support their mission.

Heinz Paw Patrol & Disney Frozen No Added Sugar Pasta Shapes (£0.55) are pasta shapes in tomato sauce for children.
Nutritional information: No added sugar, no artificial colours or flavours,
with Iron and Vitamin D with sweetener,
96kcal and 3g of sugar per can.
It features children's favourite characters.
Shapes include Olaf, Anna, Elsa, Sven, Snowflake, Snowy tree and Tiara.
You should receive 2 items in your box. Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose & Ocado.

Mug Shot High Protein Roast Chicken Pasta (£1.29) is super convenient for office lunches. Just top up the pasta pot with hot boiling water, wait for several minutes, and the meal is ready.
Containing less than 2% fat, under 260kcal and 13g protein per pot, they are ready in 5 minutes.
Available at Tesco & Asda.
As with many pasta and noodle pots, some of the vegetable and protein pieces are rather rubbery in texture. If you're hungry, you'll eat it, but it is rather underwhelming taste-wise.

Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard (£1.50) is made in the traditional Frencg way, and has been since 1777.
A white wine base helps bring a smooth and delicious flavour.
Grey Poupon is a premium brand of French Dijon and WholeGrain Mustard.
Available at Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, M&S and Booths.

Very Lazy Slow Cooker Pastes (£1.99) will work perfectly well without a slow cooker. I don't have one, and used one of the pastes to cook an aubergine, okra and red kidney bean casserole, and another one to make a harissa-flavoured cauliflower cheese.
Each box has two recipes included - one for the meat eaters, another - a vegetarian recipe.
You will receive 1 of 2 items in the box.
Available at Tesco.

Lost Coast Fruit Spritzer + ACV (£2.49) is a refreshing revitalising drink which blends sparkling water, unique botanicals and Apple Cider Vinegar. It's an interesting concept.

Vinegar is good for the gut, and is known for health-giving properties.

Low in sugar and calories, these fruit spritzers come in 3 flavours.

You will receive 1 of 3 flavours.

Available in Ocado, Revital Health Stores, As Nature Intended and lostcoastdrinks.com.

  Finally there is a fully redeemable voucher for Shaken Udder Milkshake (£1.40). Made with real fruit or Belgian chocolate and fresh British milk, these bottles contain no artificial colours or flavours.

They are also gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and contain less than 5% added sugar.

Disclosure: we receive a monthly subscription for the purposes of testing and reviewing.

Photo diary: week 7, project 366

I'm so fed up with the incessant rain. Last weekend we had the Storm Ciara, this weekend we're being kicked by the storm Dennis. We're wondering what's the next storm going to be called? Edgar perhaps?
And the rain has hardly stopped all week. Our old house needs to be heated daily, or it will be damp and cold.

Last Sunday we were running home, and I had to stop for a second to snap this beautiful window of the lighting shop in the rain.

We were supposed to visit one of the possible places for Sasha's respite once he turns 18, but they cancelled on us at the last minute. Rather aggravating, as we have to re-arrange the trip. The place is in a different town, and with my husband's work commitments, we have to wait now for another couple of weeks until we could visit the place together.

The spring is definitely not far away. The snowdrops are carpeting our garden. What a glorious sight. No wonder their nickname is the flower of hope. I read that there are over 1000 different varieties of snowdrops. I think we have about four varieties that I can find in our garden, or maybe I should go down on my knees and examine them closely.

We used to have an interior design shop in town, which was a family business for over 100 years. We have bought a few pieces of furniture and fabrics there through the years, and I was sad when the business collapsed, thanks to an incompetent new owner.
The building stood empty for over a year, but last month the shop has been re-opened under a new name - Derwent House. It is another interior design shop, with an emphasis on the local artists' work.
There are some beautiful pieces. I love this ornamental tree, though we certainly don't have room for it. I imagine that would work in a big hall of a mansion, or in some fancy spacious office.

A quick coffee at UE Roasters, with only a snap of the beautiful sticky toffee cake, as I am not keen on having a slice of cake in the morning. Their banana bread is delicious, served with a thick Greek yogurt and honey. And if you're in Witney, they also make the best coffee in town as well.

Hurrying home from school, Eddie commented that it was sunny and rainy at the same time, and maybe we could even see a rainbow. He was spot on. I had a quick look out of our garden, and there it was, a double rainbow.

Friday was a Valentine's day. It's true we never really celebrate it. I guess we're too old for that, but a card would have been nice. Nope, according to my darling husband, it's an American import, and so we shouldn't celebrate it. Check your facts, Professor! It's not an American import.
As I was walking home, I saw these doves kissing each other, oblivious to anything around them.

The rain was driving me nuts yesterday. Eddie and I often play Wizards Unite on my iPhone, when we're in town at the weekends. I couldn't get the iPhone out to play, as it was bucketing.
We went to the library, and saw Sasha and his father sitting by the window in Café Nero.

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