The Days are Just Packed

I don't know where the week has gone.

It must be down to this renewed burst of energy and motivation to get stuff done.
I've started going to Japanese classes at SOAS again, and have been much luckier with the teacher this time. She's super-chatty, has a sense of humour, and really wants to engage the class and get us talking. There are no exams but we have to turn out at least one project to 'pass' the year and be allowed into the Higher Advanced class, so she's got us practicing by writing short essays on different subjects. For my first one I've decided to tell my multicultural class about Mrs. Beeton in Japanese! Handily, it's a good reason to dip back into the book on the history of cookery writing that my dad gave me for Christmas last year, 'Culinary Pleasures' which kicks off with the mother of modern cookery writing herself. When I finally finish reading it I will treat the blog to a review...

Another beneficiary of this new-found lust for life is my writing. I have a small stack of DVDs waiting to be reviewed for Eyeforfilm, and I've got myself onto a list to contribute to an online lifestyle & travel magazine, so if that get's off the ground you'll be hearing about it...
And of course The Floating Kitchen will be getting its fair share of creative juice. Today's homework was reaquainting myself with the world of html and - and trying to transpose what I'd learnt before to a Mac OS - so hopefully the results will begin to show themselves soon.

Unfortunately, this flurry of activity is conducive to eating badly and not enough, and not having time for exciting culinary experiments :( Tonight's dinner was a compromise - cooking something tasty with maximum efficiency and minimum fuss. The result: roast chicken with lemon, with corn cobs bunged in the tray with it, which all basically cooked itself.


Speedy chilli and avocado salsa on the side and some steamed potatoes which only needed a bit of olive oil and salt. It was a bit summery for a late October day when the day clouds over early and the wind is beginning to nip, but perhaps I'm just in seasonal denial.