EATING: BRGR.CO SOHO

BRGR.CO SOHO

Was treated to a lovely brunch date by one of my favourite people today.

I haven't been to BRGR.CO before. It's quite a new addition to the streets of Soho, originating in Beirut and and joins the Burger Revolution that seems to be taking over and forcing us all into beef pattie comas.

I opted for the Full Monty Brunch Burger - minus the bacon (I don't like it) and minus the egg (I have egg issues, some days I like it and some days I don't. It's very random. Today was an anti-egg day).

The burger came stacked with a hash brown, mushrooms, and tomato all in a Brioche bun (best thing to happen to burgers in my honest opinion, those Ciabatta buns are awful). Even without the bacon and eggs it was definitely still the Full Monty. Is juicy an appropriate term to describe a burger? Well that's exactly what it was. Juicy, soft, tasty, mouth wateringly delicious. Hands down the best burger i've had this year.  

No more Byron, GBK or Honest Burger for me, although they are a bit more local then Soho. Hopefully BRGR.CO will be setting up shop South of the river in the near future.

Let's not forgot about my FIRST EVER Bloody Mary! Not really sure what I was expecting. I think I imagined it to be Gazpacho in a glass... Cold seasoned tomato soup... Sounds totally unappealing, but I was willing to give it a try.

It was divine! Totally forgot Tabasco was one of the ingredients, which took me by suprise initially, especially as i'm usually a Nando's Lemon and herb kinda girl. Chilli is not my friend. Spicy, but refreshing and weirdly moreish. Delish! Obviously accompanied by a jug of ice water ;-)

If you like burgers you need to try BRGR.CO!

PR xx

BAKING: Lemon & Blueberry Layer Cake

*whispers* I've never made a layer cake before. I know.. I know... Absolutely ridiculous considering the extent of the Dessert Fetish. I've obviously eaten them, but I think i've been a little bit scared if i'm honest. Not really sure why... But there is something about a layer cake that has me a little bit dubious. 

Well I woke up this morning with layer cake on the brain after watching reruns of Great British Bake Off of course. Always spurs me into, first drooling and then the uncontrollable urge to bake.

So into the tiny kitchen (it really was made for Pixies) to create the kind of havoc that I hoped would emerge into a master piece. And that it did!!

So pleased with how this turned out. Lemon sponge and Blueberry Coulis marbled through whipped cream. Hello!! 

I really should have taken a pic of the disaster scene that is now the kitchen, but instead i'm off to find a spoon and take this bad boy to bed.

Calories... Schmalories!

READING: Innocent Traitor - Alison Weir

When did I become so old?!! 

Last weekend I was RAMBLING in Hastings and this week i've been unable to put what is essentially a History book down. It'll be Gin and Tonics with my slippers on in front of the fire before I know it. I often wondered when people 'got old'. You know that time when they stop wearing trainers and heels and instead buy shoes from the back of the Sunday paper and all their clothes, miraculously turn various shades of brown. Well I can see it happening to me.. WTH?! Next weekend i'm out on the razz come hell or high water. I will not go down without a fight.

Anyway back to the subject in hand (I also lose my chain of thought really easily, another sure sign pf age). Innocent Traitor is the true story of the Great niece of Henry VIII. Since reading this I have set my Virgin Tivo box to record the TV series The Tudors, testament to not only how old i'm getting and how quickly it's happening, but also to how bladdy great the book was! I hated History at school and remember absolutely nothing from it. But am now fully immersing myself in it. Deary me... *flicks to back of sunday paper* May as well embrace it.

Lady Jane Grey was dealt the most unfortunate hand and suffered greatly at the hands of her social climbing parents. 

A historically factual work of fiction. I wasn't even aware that was possible until now, but i've learnt and i've enjoyed so 2 birds with one stone :-). Highly recommend it. Was reading another book at the same time and it doesn't even warrant a mention as this was hands down the better of the two. Even if you aren't that interested in history I think you'll enjoy it.

PR xx

1066 Ramblers... BATTLE!!

So a random suggestion made at the end of last year finally led us to Hastings. On a "Ramble". Am I 60?! What the hell has my life become? I consciously left the comfort, shops, pavements, street lights and bars of London at 9am on A Sunday morning to drive 2 hours to Hastings to go for a WALK!! Honestly, I no longer recognise myself. 

Other ramblers, looked at us as if we were lost and had wandered a little too far East of Soho. This could be due to the fact that one of us was wearing a white sheepskin/fur jacket, one of us had bright red Nike's on (it was my way of proving I was trendy and not a 60 year old who liked walking on cliff sides), one of us was wrapped in a picnic blanket with a staff, clearly channeling Moses or Gandalf and one of us had a quiff and a leather jacket. All in all we were ill equipped for the trip (although we did have a stash of Brandy for emergencies). The side glances we got from seasoned Ramblers in hiking boots, rucksacks and hi-vis jackets was testament to this fact.

Did we have blast? Errrmmmm Yah! The most amazingly unexpected time was had. Who knew a cliff side in sleepy Hastings could bring so much joy?! The company obviously had a lot to do with it, but the views were AMAZING! The challenges some of the cliffs presented often had me wanting to turn back, especially as it meant getting my Nike's dirty. But we persevered, through slips and cliffs and nudists and were rewarded with the most exhilirating experience. Who knew walking could be so much fun?! Well, obviously those people who have been rambling for years knew.

Confessions of a shopaholic...

I'm writing this while sitting on the floor in my very cluttered bedroom, while bidding frantically on a Topshop jacket on eBay... I have come to the realisation that I have issues... Or even ‘ish-shoes’... In regard to shopping... They have come to a head this week, well right now to be honest... As I sit looking at the laundry that is waiting to be put away, the shoes wondering why they have been discarded, millimetres away from their boxes - but not quite inside, emails that are waiting to be opened, toiletries looking for lids and projects waiting for completion... I realise that something must be done... By me... The past few evenings have been a whirlwind of neglected duties... Other then putting mini-me to sleep and eating (which has been done in front of the computer) I have done nothing but sit on my beautiful MacBook and trawl through website, after website of clothes shoes and bags.... HELP!!

Twitter has been unable to distract me, phone calls have gone unanswered, TV programmes unwatched, Haagen Dazs uneaten (this is what worries me the most), fingernails unpainted and hair un-brushed, as I sit in front of my laptop in a clothing, bag and shoe induced coma. I fall into bed weary and blurry eyed in the early hours of the morning. With the satisfying glow of accomplishment… A job well done. This is not normal... It can't be normal; do I have no self-control? Errrr...

Asos, Topshop, Warehouse, Office, Mango, Irregular Choice, All Saints, Zara and others that were found along the way, but none so addictive or all consuming as eBay... None so treacherous, perilous or hazardous as eBay... The high I get from bidding and winning on eBay must come a close second to gambling. I'm sure the ridiculously, excessive excitement I endure is similar to that of a hyperactive child. I am currently bidding on a jacket and I am tense, anxious, and slightly panicky as if performing naked on stage in front of thousands, with full knowledge that I can't sing or dance or even speak for that matter... HELP! This week I promised myself I would have early nights Mon-Weds as i'm out the rest of the week. To the best of my knowledge shopping online from the comfort of your bed (or in my case floor in corner beside bed) does not constitute an early night. Nor is it a normal way to spend 3 evenings. So I am making a call of action. An intervention if you like. For myself... They say admitting you have a problem is the first step right? Well i'm admitting it. To you. Hi. Yes, you. "I am PurpleRamblings and I have a problem". There I did it. I'll be back in a sec, just have to check the progress of my jacket... So, back to the intervention. If you've read my blog before you'll be aware of my challenges, if not check them out. I failed the 5 fruit a day one miserably by the way. But I digress. I challenge myself starting the 1st of May 2013 to no shopping… (Until the end of each month and then a budget will be set) Except food and toiletries.

No buying of shoes, bags, clothes, hairbands, earrings, cd's, iphone or blackberry cases, make-up, socks, dvd’s, anything... Nothing. Nada. Naught. Zilch. It shall be hard. I shall be tempted. I shall have withdrawal. I shall cry for ASOS and eBay. I shall talk myself into buying that thing that I must have and for some reason or other doesn't count and then I shall talk myself out of it. I shall give my debit/credit cards to a trusted third party. I shall avoid window-shopping. I shall be depressed. I shall once again find time to eat Haagen Dazs. I shall mourn the weekly parcels I will no longer receive. And I shall wait excitedly for the postman to deliver all the delicious parcels I have ordered the past three days and will be ordering until 30th April ☺

The sea is a cruel and unpredictable mistress...

Here's something I wrote a little while ago whilst on holiday in Portugal and just never got round to posting.

The sea is a cruel and unpredictable mistress.

You know when the day starts off well and you're having fun until you find yourself in the middle of the ocean, in what can only be likened to a rubber dinghy....  

And you realise your fate, your life, your every movement from this point forward is in the hands of a guy who's name you don't know and who speaks very bad broken English as a 3rd language.... 

Other then you being in Portugal no-one knows exactly where you are. You gave them no resort name. No hotel name. And definitely no day to day itinerary. 

Shite!! The water's are pretty choppy, perfect for surfers, not so perfect for a barely 10metre swimmer with a very confident non-swimming 5 yr old. When, scratch that. If, you make it home swimming lessons are definitely on the agenda. The water is so choppy that your sprayed every time the stupid under equipped dinghy moves. 

You can feel the salt water drying and crusting on your skin. This was NOT a good idea. You did NOT think this through!! 

There comes a point when calm takes over, a resigned to your fate, (that fate being death) type calm. It settles easily. Calmly even. 

The ocean is beautiful. The colour like nothing you've ever seen. There could be worse ways to go then being claimed by the cool, salty, raging teal of the med. 

And then there is a rainbow. With every lift, splash, spray and additional salt crust a rainbow appears. Just as you are able to see again through the stinging of salt water in your eyes a rainbow lays just on the rift of the tide. Is it like an oasis in the desert? A mirage? Sent here to distract you from the imminent death? 

Sunglasses removed to double check? It is there.. Actually really there... With every rip curl (that's what surfers say right?) forcing you to hang on for dear life a rainbow appears. 

A sign? 

Rainbows promise gold... A happy ending... Life!!!

I put my life in the hands of the rainbow. 

Despite everything we made it back in one piece, Portugal is beautiful and I recommend it highly :-)

PR xx

CREATIVE WRITING: I Thought I Saw...

Assignment 3b: Prompts 

We were given a snippet of text. A prompt. And had to write a piece starting with it.

I thought I saw a Unicorn. From where I sat, legs swinging in the breeze it was perfectly reasonable to imagine. It was the kind of place where you could believe. Where anything was possible. It smelt of summer. Of sunshine and flowers. Where Bees, crazy with the intoxicating smell of pollen didn't know where to land first. It smelt green. Of greens made with oil paints from tubes, smeared on brushes and applied thickly. Flowers all the colours of the rainbow dotted with small fingers until the paint ran out. It felt magical. A place where Unicorns could roam free, dusty white like icing sugar. Candy cane horns twinkling in the sunlight. Flowers smiled up at the sun, basking in its canary yellow glow. The cloudless expanse it sat in, like a blank canvas. Stretching as far as the eye could see. Like a lid. Blue joining green at the edges. Containing. Keeping this enchanted place secluded. Keeping the Unicorns safe.

This is where I belong :-)

PR xx