This is what I love about Haruki Murakami

"The meat and vegetables were ready and waiting, so that I could cook them the minute she same in. Not that I had a great feast in mind: I would be stir-frying thin slices of beef, onions, green peppers and bean sprouts with a little salt, pepper, soy sauce and a splash of beer - a recipe from my bachelor days. The rice was done, the miso soup was warm, and the vegetables were all sliced and arranged in separate piles in a large dish, ready for the wok. Only Kumiko was missing. I was hungry enough to think about cooking my own portion and eating alone, but I was not ready to make this move. It just didn't seem right."
Haruki Murakami - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Friday Friday

Second day of my no dairy products in my stomach for at least a week! Breakfast soya milk and granola, lunch soba noodle soup with an egg - so comforting! This morning saw a solo drawing trip to the National History Museum, I tried to get some sketches of the amazing animals (particularly the elephant for my current project) but was defeated by the masses of schoolchildren. Cheered myself up with Frankie magazine (although Brixton tube station kiosk only had the November/December issue) which I enjoyed with a chocolate Moomin and a soya latte (!) I did a bit of sewing and watched a lot of Gilmore Girls, sadly very little self directed work got done. Let's hope tomorrow looks better! Oh and I also took a picture of my bike (my dad's old Bianchi from 1973!), which I also need to work on this weekend before I throw myself out on those oh so scary London streets. The Times has launched a campaign to make London a safer place to cycle (after one of their journalists was hit by a lorry right outside their offices and has been left in critical state), good to see such a large newspaper put this on their front page - back them up!

Schoko Moomins

What a sad and neglected blog. My head is filled with things to share but at the moment, through college, I am expected to share those thoughts through other means (not that successfully). I do wish to keep this my dear blog alive so perhaps I shall post my latest cooking and baking adventures.

First of all, today is the very first Wednesday, in what seem an age, that I have had off. Now I don't really have it off, I should be working on my college stuff non stop but I have been dying to use my Moomin biscuit cutters since accidentally coming across the new Moomin shop in Covent Garden (I originally only wanted to by Moomin but the lady at the till was having issues with the till so I had to spend at leat £5 so I happily grabbed Moomin Papa to keep Moomin company.). Being an avid admirer of Quaint Living's baking and craft skills I was delighted to see this recipe for brownie roll out cookies which she got through Smitten Kitchen. A chocolate brownie cum biscuit - oh yea. Sadly, our oven is very hard to predict and has a tendency to burn everything in some form. So Moomin father and son got a little bit crispy on the edges. Still they taste amazing!  I did have some issues with the incredibly thick dough, mixing it almost caused my electric hand mixer to smoke (I found kneading it a little with my hands helped in the end). Although I'm quite happy with the way they turned out I think I could have let them be a bit thicker but as I am positive I will be making these again I shall try that thicker ones next time.

So oven and mixer blimps aside - I very much recommend these chocolately beauts.

Goonies Never Say Die

Something to keep us smiling at half way through term. 

Slowly I am putting up a website.... see it in it's early stages www.sabineokami.com

via Nerd Boyfriend

Foundations

Having now moved from Germany back to England and after a lovely two week adventure in Vietnam I am now an art and design student in none other than that London town. Just need to move into the new flat and I think I shall be settled. 

Since being in London I've had the chance to visit lots of lovely places including the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, the Tate Britain in Chelsea, Jerwood Drawing Prize at the Jerwood Space in Southwark, Bold Tendencies in the Peckham multi-storey car park and the Power of Making at the V&A part of London Design Week. 

We've also been enjoying all the local shops and markets stocking up on some lovely local produce at Brixton market and from Peckham. Can't wait to have my own kitchen so I can really  stock up. 

Also look forward to going home to finally get my camera chargers, til then I'll be relying on my iPhone.

Rainbow over Camberwell

London skyline from Bold Tendencies

Only Fools and Horses at Frank's

A fellow students tape art whilst at Bold Tendencies

More tape art

Our cup and sponge art

Buoys will be Boils

Rainy day sketches, boys on the brain.

Local God

The Man

Heathcliff Huxtable