Animation Inspiration - Castle On The Hill

in ,

Ed Sheeran released two new songs this week and coupled them with lyric videos. This video for Castle On The Hill really captured my imagination. The song is a love letter to teenage years, growing up and the feeling of going back to those brilliant memories. It makes me feel nostalgic for the times when we drank Malibu and Coke out of plastic cups and danced while looking shyly at boys across the dancefloor.

I love the paint strokes that gallop along with the melody and the hand lettered words popping up. Makes me want to learn to animate.

Unfortunately I can't find a credit for who did the animation, if anyone knows please Tweet me at @and_sowebegin!

Earl Grey Prune, Spelt & Oat Scones

in ,

The recipe for these scones is from the beautiful Violet Bakery Cookbook. A friend of mine suggested making these when I was really busy at work last year. She makes them in batches and then freezes them, taking one out of the freezer each morning to cook and enjoy with a coffee. The process of making them is very therapeutic and the butter, natural yogurt and oats in them give a lovely indulgent taste. A bit like sweet porridge in a scone.

There is something so comforting about eating home-baked treats. It's nice knowing what's in what you're eating (!) and along with that there's the love and care you've taken making something to treat yourself. When I'm super-busy with work, making a little time to take care of myself is super important and this recipe is just the thing to make me feel I'm doing that.

Monday Movie - Annie Hall

in

I always feel drawn to watch Woody Allen films as they come out at the cinema. There's something so comfortable and familiar about his scripts. His writing is a study in itself and the humour and awkwardness that he portrays is so watchable. I've watched Annie Hall several times. I really wanted to be Diane Keaton. I liked her honesty and quirkiness and related to her vulnerability and insecurity. The film is quite melancholic in places and the humour kind of sneaks up on you. But it's rather perfect for a rainy Monday night.

A Wonderful Poem for David Bowie

in ,

"... in order to be heard, I must not repeat myself, nor must I depend on anyone listening..."

Today would have been David Bowie's 70th birthday. I have to be honest and say that I only really started opening up to Bowie's music in the past five years or so, encouraged by two friends who are both superfans. I visited the David Bowie Is exhibition with one of these friends and it had a huge impact on me. I love learning about people's stories and their paths to their creative goals. I thought a lot about how Bowie reinvented himself over and over again. How he made it 'ok' to do so. Which is just hugely inspiring for any creative almost in a way I can't even put into words.

This morning Mary Anne Hobbs celebrated Bowie on her breakfast show, including a conversation with Lavinia Greenlaw who wrote a poem for him on the day he passed away. You can listen to the poem by clicking on the link below. The quote at the top of this post is from the poem. It really resonated.

A Wonderful Interview With Patti Smith

in ,

I often listen to podcasts while I travel from A to B and this week brought a real treat from Alec Baldwin's podcast Here's The Thing. His interview with Patti Smith is just wonderful. They talk about her history, from childhood and a pure desire to do something creative, to her extraordinary relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. I loved how she described meeting her future husband, Fred Smith, as being "like a song" and how her passion for art and music runs so deeply in her. So inspiring. You can listen to the podcast here.

Leek & Chickpea Soup

in

After all the sweet indulgence of Christmas I start to crave vegetables and something *clean* to eat. Today I rustled up some leek and chickpea soup. I tend to make recipes up as I go along so you may want to add more or less seasoning or vary the amount of vegetables.

Ingredients
Olive oil to sauté the vegetables
1/2 large white onion
1 large leek
1 carrot
2 large cloves of garlic
750ml water
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 tin chickpeas
A good grind of salt & pepper
1 bay leaf

Method
Saute the finely chopped onion, carrot and leek in a glug of olive oil for about five minutes or until they start to soften. Add the thinly sliced garlic, stir in and continue to sauté for about a minute. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the mix. Add 750ml water and half a vegetable stock cube. (You can use a whole stock cube for a stronger taste but I like to really enjoy the taste of the vegetables.) Add salt and pepper to taste and rest a bay leaf on top of the soup.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for at least 30 minutes or longer if you can. Serve with humous on rice cakes or a big chunk of bread and butter. Enjoy : )