The Lakes

I went to the Lake District for the first time at the weekend and what a glorious weekend it was. The sun was looking down on me all weekend which was lovely. I ventured to Patterdale  which is a small village north of Lake Windermere. Patterdale lies on the southern tip of Ullswater and is absolutely breathe taking. The lake is less touristy than Windermere but no less beautiful and tranquil. I stayed on a campsite situated at the back of Side Farm which is just off the main road as you drive through Patterdale. I don't think I've been to a more well placed campsite. Where you camp is right on the edge of Ullswater and there are plenty of little pebbly beaches surrounding the site so you can jump straight in the water for a swim or take a boat in and start paddling. At only £8 a night per adult I think it's an absolute steal and I would definitely go back for another visit. Patterdale is at the foot of the mountains so there are pathways a plenty to start walking along for experienced walkers and for those who just want a gentle stroll.

I think the biggest think that struck me about being in the Lake District is who lucky I am to live in such and amazing country with this kind of colourful scenery. I climbed a near by hill and looked out over the surrounding countryside and couldn't have felt more relaxed and calm about the world around me. It all seems like a bit of a dream now.  I also learnt that shops in the Lake District can't sell take away hot drinks because of the littering it may cause. There may be a few disgruntled people who can't get their caffeine fix, but it is a necessity in this throw away day and age that such rules apply. The countryside is unspoilt and should remain that way. I can't believe it's taken me so long to make a proper trip to the Lakes. Now I have, I can't wait to start planning my next Lake adventure.

Herman the Cake

My sister came to visit the other week and presented me with a jar which inside had some weird beige substance. I was then told it was the beginnings of a cake. Many people have heard of the German Friendship Cake but for me this was my first meeting with the man in the jar called 'Herman'. Yes the cake does have a name.

Even though this cake takes a little bit of work, it tastes lovely at the end of it. I took it into work and it  was all consumed very quickly. Don't worry if you get to step 9 and you don't have anyone else to give some of the mixture to, just keep following the steps you will just end up with enough mixture for two cakes. If you do this make sure you add lots of flavouring otherwise you'll still have that doughy taste left. I added about 8 teaspoons of cinnamon and I still think it could have done with some more. Also, because it is a very moist cake, after 40minutes in the oven, I turned it off but left the cakes inside. This allowed it to be cooked through properly without burning. When my mum baked this cake hers came out soggy in the middle so I think it's best left inside the oven to avoid this.

What's great about 'Herman' is that you can add any ingredients to him at the end to transform him into any cake you want. Apple and Cinnamon, Pear and Ginger, Choc and Nut-anything. I give the recipe 7.5/10. Have a go and see what you think...


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello, my name is Herman.

I am a sourdough cake. I'm supposed to sit on your worktop for 10 days without a lid on.

You CANNOT put me in the fridge or I will die. If I stop bubbling, I am dead.

Day

1. You get Herman and put him in a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with a tea towel.
2. Stir well
3. Stir well
4. Herman is hungry. Add 1 cup each of plain flour, sugar and milk. Stir well.
5. Stir well
6. Stir well
7. Stir well
8. Stir well
9. Hungry again. Add the same as day 4 and stir well. Divide into 4 equal portions and give away to friends with a copy of these instructions. Keep the 4th one.
10. Herman is very hungry. Stir well and add the following:

• 
  1 cup sugar
• half tsp (teaspoon) salt
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2/3 (two thirds) cup of cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 cooking apples cut into chunks
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 2 heaped tsp baking powder

Mix everything together and put into a large greased baking tin. Sprinkle with a quarter of a cup of brown sugar and a quarter of a cup of melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes at 170-180C. When cold cut into finger pieces. Cake freezes well and is also delicious warm with cream or ice-cream.

Go Jeff!- Ellen and the Escapades in the North

Ellen and the Escapades  hit the North over the weekend. When I say the North I mean Newcastle at The Cluny and Manchester at The Castle Hotel . The Cluny is a great venue just outside Newcastle city centre. You have to go down a few flights of stairs to get to the gig setting but it's spacious, cool and dark; all the things you want for a night of music! Ellen and the Escapades were as good as ever. The haunting, hypnotic voice of Ellen Smith backed by a tight set of guitars, drums and keyboard. They played a mixture of songs from their current album keeping some of the older tunes in to keep the die hard fans happy. Their more current songs show how the band have matured and become more confident about their own sound. I must say, I do like a dance so I'm always happy when 'Without You' comes on. You can tap your feet and pretend you're surrounded by hay bales-amazing! But then on another song you can be swaying by the beach with a bottle of beer. Enough of my imagination...

At The Cluny in Manchester it was a slightly different vibe. Mostly due to the hot sweaty back room of the pub everyone was crammed into and the £4.50 pints of Peroni. But niggles aside another cracking set by the band. In my hast I tried to record their closing number 'Cast'. Nothing can quite capture the essence of being at a gig but I wanted to try and share a little bit of it.

BE WARNED IT"S QUITE LOUD!


Ellen and the Escapades have built up a loyal fan base and it seems electric guitarist Jeffrey Schneider has adopted the anthem "GO JEFF!" which has begun following him from gig to gig (well maybe just the ones I'm at).  One day it will be trending on Twitter. The band carry on touring throughout the year, so if you can catch them, I would.

Paris

I was lucky enough to make a little trip to Paris at the end of March and oh how lovely it was. The winter sun was shining and the red wine was flowing. I do like Paris. You can amble along the river, stop off in as many cafe's as you like and digest the wonderful architecture in the city. But my upmost favourite thing about being in the French capital is just getting baguette, some cheese and a bottle of red wine and laying on the grass in front of the Eiffel tower watching the world go by.

This was my second visit to Paris so this time I ventured to Pere Lachaise Cemetery which is the one thing I didn't get to do last time I was in the city. It's a short walk out of the centre of Paris and many metros and buses can take you there too. It's a big place so be sure to take a picture of the map at the entrance before you set off otherwise you risk getting horrendously lost like I did!

However I did manage to find the graves of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde so I was a happy bunny. Near Morrison's grave there is a tree with lots of chewing gum stuck on it and for some reason I did the same. His actual grave has fencing around it to try and stop you walking on it but it's not too sturdy. Oscar Wilde's has a clear plastic wall all the way around it to stop people kissing his grave. I'm glad I got to spend time walking around admiring the tombstones. I find cemetery's very relaxing and beautiful- a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The Quays

I had a proper walk around Salford Quays at the weekend and decided to have a look round the Imperial War Museum North. The actual physical presence of the museum is striking. It's modern streamlined architecture stands out along the Quay front and you're immediately enticed to go in and have a look inside.

It's free entry which is a thumbs up in my book. I think all museums should be free and if you want you donate something. This gives everyone the opportunity to learn and experience what museums have to offer.

The Imperial Museum North is very different to it's sister in London. In the North it's very open and modern and takes you on a journey through all the wars since WW1. There are lots of 'action stations' which allow a more hands on approach to learning. I think my favourite interactive learning post was trying to 'guess the war smell' and know the difference between mustard gas and smelly soldiers feet.

As the museum has an array old tanks, cars, jet engines and more on display you can't get tired as you walk round. It strikes a good balance of information, artifacts and interaction. One of the most astounding pieces of war history on display is a section from the Twin Towers destroyed in the September 11th attacks. Very surreal. It may be this is most significant to me because I remember it happening. You learn a lot at most museums, but when you visit one which reminds you of the atrocities man, you leave feeling slightly subdued and thoughtful. The Imperial War Museum is definitely worth a visit, even if it's just to remind you that we're actually quite lucky considering what other people in history have been too. I will make another trip to the museum.

Theatre of Dreams

Today I watched my first Premier League game. I saw Manchester United versus West Bromwich at Old Trafford, otherwise known as the Theatre of Dreams. Getting to the match wasn't as troublesome as I thought it would be. I walked from my current residence which took about 30 minutes. There didn't seem to be a lot of people making their way to the match by foot but the crowd there was I followed because I didn't really know where I was going.

As I got closer to the entrance I began to acknowledge just how many people were around- a lot! I think everyone must have left earlier than me as there were so many people buzzing around the stadium waiting to go in. I rapidly drunk my can of pop before entering the stadium and finding my seat in the northern stand. A great view and a great atmosphere.

There were about 75,000 people watching the game which was amazing. The number of people slightly overwhelmed me. But what made the occasion even more surreal was Rooney and Scholes came out onto the pitch! All the times I've seen them on television and know they are here playing in front of me; fantastic.

Te game was a pretty slow match with Man Utd. not making the most of their possession in the first half. Both teams came on more spirited in the second half which lead to a goal by the home team. A dirty foul in near West Brom's goal meant Man Utd.'s second goal was from a Rooney penalty. Once Man Utd. were 2 goals up there was not a lot West Brom could do. The final whistle gave the home crowd what they wanted, a win.

Behind the scenes at the GWH

Last year two 'never' events occurred at the Great Western Hospital in Swindon. They included putting a tube in the wrong kidney and putting the wrong implant in during a cataract operation. The hospital was advised to make sure the World Health Organisations surgical checklist should be done more thoroughly. In a nutshell it's a checklist that should be carried out before surgery to make sure everything is in order for the operation to go ahead. At GWH this wasn't being done on a consistent basis resulting in mistakes.

A Care Quality Commission Report on the GWH came out in January 2012. It showed that whilst things had improved more could be done to make sure the WHO surgical checklist was being done properly. So now, the Great Western Hospital have decided that the surgeon should be ultimately responsible for completing the checklist properly.

I was granted behind the scenes access to the hospital and observed a hip replacement. Everything was in order, the checks were carried out properly and the operation was a success...