Yeps…I posted in there again! This time I gave an update about the research meetings we do in our department.

Ahh! The beauty of the rail replacement service!

The Jubilee line, which is the tube line we are on, is closed most weekends for works on the line. The end of these closures has been moved so many times that I have given up keeping track of it. This might sound all doom and gloom. However…there is one good thing that comes out from this…there are free buses that run between stations on a ‘tube replacement service’. We have used this quite a bit to get from home to the centre. However, today was the first time we actually used it for its own sake.

Typical Replacement Bus Notice

After finishing cleaning this morning, and resting for a bit, Michael announced that he wanted to get the tube replacement buses away from central London and go for a walk in one of the parks next to a station. Did I want to join? Not exactly the first plan I would have had for a grey day like today…but sure! why not? We/he settled or Fryent Country Park as like this we could stop at Kingsbury station and walk to Wembley park station. During the ‘Autumn Ambles‘ walk we had walked in approximately a West to East direction, while this time we walked approximately North to South.

First off was getting the rail replacement service. Hmm…it ended up taking much longer than we expected, and we passed through some pretty downcast-looking areas. However, we finally got to Kingsbury! From there we made our way to the park. The park was as I remembered it…just much MUCH muddier underfoot. Getting there we admitted that it maybe wasn’t the best decision to take to walk on the muddy paths available, but we were there, and so off we went. Luckily my shoes are waterproof (though Michael’s weren’t ).

Fryent Country Park

Soon however we were out of the park. I was quite surprised as I had thought that it would take longer. Out of the park we just had to walk towards the Wembley stadium arch.On the way we came across an ASDA supermarket, so we decided to stop by and get some shopping done, before getting on the bus back home.

Wembley Stadium Arch as seen from the Park (taken during the Autumn Ambles Walk)

Before getting home we had decided to stop for a wrap from the Lebanese restaurant/take-away close by. We had eaten there once and really liked it. However, today I came out a bit less satisfied. We asked for a wrap and got the ingredients rather than in a wrap with the wrap/pitta bread split into two and prepared similar to a sandwich – NOT easy to eat…it was a mess and I couldn’t enjoy eating it. To add insult to injury then we were told that as we had a sandwich (when we asked for a wrap…) it cost more!!! GRRRR. Oh well, we paid and were on our way. Last time I said I definitely would return. However, after today I am not as sure. Will see how I feel after I calm down I guess .

Another weekend and another visit. This time round however it was quite a short one – Thursday night to Saturday afternoon – by Adrian. Adrian started a PhD at UCL last year at the same time as I did. We met in Malta through a group of people who were all coming up to London to study at the same time. Being at the same university and Maltese we sort of kept in touch, particularly when he started going out with a friend in common.

Adrian and I in front of UCL

Although Adrian is doing a PhD in London, he is based in Malta this year and is coming up to London every few weeks (he should be starting a blog here, but not much progress yet ). He normally stays in a hotel every time he comes up. Michael and I have been telling him he should stay at our place  a number of times but for some reason or other it never happened – until now!

Adrian arrived in Willesden Green at midnight on the night between Thursday and Friday. I was expecting him much later so it was a nice surprise to have a full night at least! Friday was full of meetings for him with his supervisor – the beauty of having someone here who knows the place!…you don’t need to entertain them or help them plan stuff as they have their own stuff to do! Well, we didn’t spend much time together during the day on Friday besides breakfast, but then came the evening

We had decided to have take-away pizza and beer for our dinner. So Adrian brought the pizza and beer + cider, while we provided the dessert (and more beer! Michael wasn’t convinced that a 6 pack of beer would be enough for three….pffff! In the end it was – as Adrian and I shared a beer and a cider, while Michael drank 4 beers ). It was a nice relaxed evening of eating (and overstuffing ourselves ), Masterchef Australia (weeee…I didn’t have to miss the episode ) and drinking (not much for me…I don’t need too much to start feeling sleepy ). We also introduced Adrian to Carcassone…weeee! – and luckily he was OK with it unlike my friends, who consider a punishment for staying with me!

Saturday morning dawned. As Adrian was leaving in the afternoon we still had quite some time together. So first off we went for a walk to the nearby Gladstone park. Unfortunately it was quite misty so we couldn’t really appreciate the park, and the Wembley Park arch was not even visible! From the park we went to the supermarket, where we picked up the few missing ingredients for fajitas for lunch. Back home Adrian packed while we cooked. A few minutes later, food was on the table – mmmm! We ate and unfortunately it was then time for Adrian to be off…Goodbyes said – I’m sure we’ll see him soon (especially as he should be moving to London with his girlfriend for this last year of PhD studies…weeee!)

Wembley Park as seen from Gladstone Park at Sunset

Ahh – but that wasn’t the only visit we had this weekend! A friend of Michael’s from Prague was in town visiting some family. So Saturday evening saw us making our way into town for a drink. It was nice to be out on the town and just talk with someone…and not the same people …and it’s nice that she talks more than me .

All in all a good weekend so far.  Today was set aside for cleaning…so now we have a quite clean house at least! All that’s left is that the clothes are all washed, dried, and folded, and we can then relax for the rest of the day…weeee!

Another blog post…no not this one…on my research blog. This time it is about computer courses and certification I have obtained through the graduate school. Check it out!

I seem to have started blogging a bit more regularly this last week or so…not sure why or how, so enjoy it while it lasts!

I wrote up about a course I attended yesterday in my research blog. Check it out!

Last week I received an e-mail from UCL:

Invisible Children is a non-profit organisation which—based on the
documentary shot in 2003—has turned into a worldwide campaign to
highlight the plight of children in Uganda’s long-running civil war. The
film and campaign is much more than just about Uganda, though. It
provides a wonderful example of highlighting neglected and unknown
distant problems, the responsibilities that we might have to act, and
the possibilities of social change. Invisible Children is the remarkable
story of how 3 young college students made a film about the plight of
child soldiers in Uganda.

The original documentary is an amazing and moving film highlighting the
untold story of how the violence impacts on children in Northern Uganda.
The film was originally made for and shown to the filmmakers’ friends
and family; but they passed it on to their friends and so on until it
was eventually picked up by the likes of CNN. This film came to be
watched by over 5 million people and inspired an awareness, educational,
fundraising, and sponsorship campaigns to help rebuild the war-torn
communities in Uganda. Invisible Children is now running as a permanent
campaign. It is the way in which the campaign has been organised through
society’s grassroots, through the word of mouth, and the high uptake
among young people that makes it so interesting and powerful.

Some of the themes which will be addressed in the evening will include:

* Do we have global responsibilities and obligations to distant others?
* What does being an active and informed global citizen mean?
* How does globalisation affect our knowledge of distant others?
* Can young people directly engage with and take action on
international conflicts and humanitarian issues?
* How does an effective global campaign work?

In addition to a representative of Invisible Children, three speakers
will reflect on the work of the NGO and the film before taking part in a
Q&A discussion with the audience after the film:

* Dr Alex Braithwaite
<http://www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/people/alex-braithwaite>– expert on
human security and conflict
* Dr Avia Pasternak
<http://www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/people/avia-pasternak>– expert on global
citizenship and justice
* Dr Jennifer Hudson
<http://www.ucl.ac.uk/spp/people/jennifer-van-heerde>– expert on
public opinion and attitudes

I had a vague idea of what is going on in Central Africa, but not much. Also, although UCL is big on the idea of global citizenship I am not particularly knowledgeable about the subject. I asked Michael if he was interested, and he said…sure!

For some reason I didn’t read the e-mail properly so I just thought that we would be watching the original film. However, of course, this was not so. After the introduction by Dr David Hudson from the Department of Political Science at UCL, it was the turn of the Invisible Children representatives to present to us their organisation. Being a media-based NGO they didn’t just talk, but also showed us a podcast made about Invisible Children by NBC (cannot find it online). Following this it was on to a new video made by Invisible Children in preparation for a rally held last April. I found a video about invisible Children which you may check out here:

After the presentation by Invisible Children the event moved on to the academics, and a broader discussion. The three academics presented 5 mins each on different aspects of global conflicts and global citizenship and what does this mean. This was then followed by a general Q&A with people from the audience.

It was an interesting set of questions that was asked. This is as could be expected from a mixed audience, included at least one Ugandan who intervened. It was a very enlightening event about a global issue that i have not thought much about: although I have heard about the conflicts in central Africa, I never knew the cause, and the media doesn’t do much to put it into the people’s thoughts. Definitely glad I did not miss it!

BTW…what do you think of the blog’s new look? I know I have just changed it, but I still was not totally sure about it…So I decided to look again at the options. I saw this and it caught my eye. What about you? What do you think? Do you prefer any of the looks I had before?

PS: Also…what do you think of the image in the header? I ‘stole‘ it from Michael’s photos which he took during a walk in the Maltese countryside over the Christmas holidays. Wanted to give credit where credit is due

It seems like I’m on a roll for making bread!

On Saturday I made carrot bread. I was surprised at how easy it is to make, and it really doesn’t take a long time! In around 30-45mins I had the mixture ready to go into the oven! Unfortunately I think the bread, which tasted more like cake, also tasted a bit oily. However, this did not put me off one teeny weeny bit!

So today as I was eating the piece of carrot bread I took with me to uni, I started thinking of all the surplus bread ingredients we had at home. Then I decided to look at bread recipes on Domestic Sluttery…weeeee. Hmm…any inspiration?

I came across a recipe for banana bread! Hmm…we have those three blackening bananas…maybe I should do something with them? Definitely! So I looked for ‘Healthy Banana Bread Recipes’

So when I came home I went directly to start making the banana bread…weeee! I mixed the dry ingredients, I mashed the bananas, and added the other wet ingredients, then I mixed all together. All that was left was to wait for Michael to come with an orange and vanilla essence from the shops (I met him going to the shop on my way in, so decided to add to his errands ), and voila! The banana bread is in the oven…weeeee!

The recipe?

Here it goes! (I got the recipe from here)

Ingredients 

Combine in a large bowl:
2 c whole spelt flour (or whole wheat or barley – or a mix of flours)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
-
Combine separately:
3 lg very ripe bananas (about 1&1/2c) – mashed
2 eggs
*1/2 c brown sugar or sucanat
1/2 c milk or substitute
zest of a lemon or orange (optional)
2 tsp vanilla or 1 Tbsp dark rum
-
Mix wet and dry until just incorporated.
-
Optional: Fold in approximately:
1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans
1/3 – 1/2 c dark chocolate pieces
1/2 c chopped dates

Directions 

Pour into a generously greased and dusted loaf pan – any smallish pan will work.
Bake at 350 for about 50 min – a toothpick inserted in center should come out clean.
Wait 10 minutes before removing from pan and placing on a rack to cool.
Enjoy
* For sugar-free or a lower-sugar banana bread, replace the sugar with 1/3c of unsweetened fruit juice concentrate (apple, orange, white grape), agave syrup, maple syrup or honey.
Originally posted on pattycake

I used honey instead of sugar, and used the zest of an orange…just in case you were wondering

PS: Right now I am so happy I made the banana bread…I have a feeling that that will be my meal for today! Michael is making rice which should be inspired by the Maltese ftira filling! Unfortunately he proceeded to buy all the things I don’t like! AAAA…like chick peas (blehhh!), capers (only good in ftira and the fish sauce my aunts make), tuna in spring water (why why why??? it just tastes of preservatives!). At least the olives are half-way similar to what I like…so I can live with that…Wish me luck!

PSS: Normally I always love whatever Michael cooks…he’s definitely a much better cook than me…much better with his flavours etc. However I have seen that when he tries to make Maltese/Mediterranean inspired food…he’s not the best with the flavour mixing…especially for someone who has such strong opinions on the flavours and the flavour mixtures having grown up with it…I’m waiting for the result with bated breath!

Carrot Bread

For some reason this week I mentioned that we should try to make carrot bread. Unfrotunately most days this week it was Michael who cooked, so Saturday saw me cooking food and making the bread! It was my first time baking anything, so I was a bit apprehensive. Luckily it turned out OK , though I think it is a bit too oily (and fattening! I opted for carrot bread not cake to hopefully make it healthier, but to me it seems just as fattening!). Anyways, I thought I’d share the recipe with you all

I found the basic recipe here but as Michael does not like nuts I left them out:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cups cooking oil
• 1 egg (slightly beaten)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup nuts
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup carrots (grated fine)

Directions:

Cream the sugar and cooking oil in a medium bowl. Mix. Add the egg.

In a smaller bowl, put the flour and soda. Stir the nuts in. This will coat them and keep them from rising up to the top of the bread. Then, add the cinnamon and salt.

Add the vanilla and stir.

Fold (or lightly stir) in the carrots.

Pour the batter into a lightly greased bread loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hour or until lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean

Pour the dry ingredients in with the sugar mixture.

In Autumn we ambled, and now that it’s winter we wandered.

Walk London organises free walks around London three times a year to get people out and about in this great city. We had attended the autumn walk, where we walked from South Kenton to Hendon. That time round the weather was perfect, and luckily this time the weather held as well (though it was quite cold to say the least ). As there were no walks near to us we decided to head in to the city for a guided walk on part of the Jubilee Walkway, from St. Paul’s Cathedral to Lincoln Inn Fields.

We all met at the St. Paul’s tube station. Unlike last time where we were less than ten people on the walk, this time it was much more popular, with I am guessing around 40 people. Luckily the guide we had was a licensed guide with good voice projection so it was easy to hear him speak.

First off was a stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral to learn a bit about the area. After walking around the area to see the London Stock Exchange and Temple Bar, we then walked up Ludgate Hill till we got to St. Bride’s Church. Apparently the spire of this church is the inspiration behind the tiered wedding cake!

Month sundial on the London Stock Exchange in Paternoster Square

The Inspiration for the Wedding Cake

Walking towards Fleet Street we then came across what used to be the print district. Although the offices of some are still there, the printing presses have long moved out as digital printing no longer required the offices and the printing to occur in the same building (and of course London is quite expensive). The guide proceeded to discuss what the different buildings housed and how the era of digital printing impacted the industry.

Turning at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese we then came to the house of Dr. Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first English Dictionary. From there we walked on towards Chancery Lane, were we came across a living wall. The walk then finished at Lincoln Inn Fields, from where we made our way home.

A Living Wall in The City

All in all a short but pleasant walk in central London, walking streets we had never seen and learning things we had not known.

Looking forward to the next set of walks by Walk London!