It’s one month into my quest to learn Japanese using Rosetta Stone’s TotalE online solution. Here’s an update on how the system works and how I’ve been getting on with it.   Finding Time I’ve spent 15 to 30 minutes almost every morning working through one or more lessons, as they vary in complexity and [Read More...]

Thanks to a sample of Skrei from the Norwegian Seafood Council, we’ve been enjoying more fish, specifically cod, of late. One portion was stir-fried with mirin and chives, another was battered and deep fried and one smaller portion was stretched into a filling fish, leek and egg pie. Next on the list was miso cod. [Read More...]

Bookmarking Ninja I’m a prolific bookmarker. The hierarchical directory structure I’ve created for my Internet browser bookmark folders is a thing of beauty, even if I say so myself. It’s not visually attractive, of course, but it’s sufficiently well designed that I can quickly find what I’m looking for, whether it’s the link to the [Read More...]

Do you ever envisage a new dish in your head, hoping it will be as delicious as you imagine? And when you make it, it’s even better? I can’t pretend it’s something that happens often – more often there are tweaks to be made… or rarely, the idea is quietly binned and never mentioned again [Read More...]

I’m always cheered by the arrival of spring, no more so than when the trees burst into bloom, their boughs heavy with blossom. I often feel inspired to take quick snaps on my phone camera; the quality of the images doesn’t do justice to the beauty but I wanted to share.     April – Home [Read More...]

As a chocolate lover, I’ve come across single origin chocolate, made with cocoa from a single country or region. And I’ve come across single estate chocolate which, as the name suggests, is produced by one cocoa plantation. But I’ve never before come across “single côte” chocolate such as Hotel Chocolat’s new Rabot Estate Marcial 70% [Read More...]

Not much can beat a sunny day spent wandering from temple to temple in Kyoto’s beautiful Gion and Higashimaya districts. Although we’d recently paused to enjoy freshly made yuba, that didn’t reduce our enthusiasm to find Bunnosuke-jaya, an amazake specialist listed in Diane Durston’s Old Kyoto book. She explains that amazake is a sweet drink [Read More...]

I wanted to visit Japan for as long as I can remember. Every time I juggled the travel wish list, there it was near the top, beckoning me to book a trip. But the appeal of wildlife safaris in Africa, meandering self-drives in France, and cruise expeditions to Antarctica were also strong. Japan’s time never [Read More...]

Curry for Change is a fundraising and awareness campaign by charity Find Your Feet. Find Your Feet is a small organisation currently working in the most remote areas of India, Nepal, Malawi and Zimbabwe. They help poor rural families improve their agricultural practices so they can grow enough food; support them in finding their voice [Read More...]

  Back when I launched #BSFIC I drew the cartoon for the challenge badge, featuring a scoop of green ice cream, drizzled with chocolate and served in a waffle cone. I’ve never been a good artist so I was rather pleased with my efforts! Since then, it’s presided over more than 14 challenges. When I [Read More...]