Eggs Benedict

Today I've mastered yet another skill, reached yet another step on the way to chefdom. Sort of. For Linus' birthday breakfast I made Eggs Benedict (Linus has expressed a wish to try this dish earlier on). It wasn't extremely difficult but included to cooking skills I've never before attempted: poaching ggs and making hollandaise sauce from scratch. American muffins and ham were easier to handle. But I do think I did it, although I don't know what a proper chef would have thought. Eggs to scattered, sauce to viscous. But alright for a first time. FYI: 4 egg yolks and 200 butter were needed for the sauce alone. Linus was happy for his breakfast aswell as his new fondue set - our next culinary frontiere.

Market fun

I've been wanting to check out the markets around Brick Lane and Spittafields for som time now. Today was that day. Petticoat Lane wasn't the one for me, but the one in Spittafield and by Brick Lane. Loads of great clothes and accessories. I'm going back in the future with money. It was also kind of inspirational and my finger are itching to get creative myself. Am missing my newly aquired sowing machine and painting gear back home. For dinner we hade beef fillet marinated i coca-cola and spices. Perhaps as tender as Gaucho meat, but not quite as tasty though close enough.

We also passed a crowd on or way from Brick Lane thar seemed quite aggitated and were being photgrafed by what might me journalists. We though maybe it had to do with the filming of the book "Brick Lane" and so it was.

Flickr frenzy

Today I discovered flickr and I have both become enthusiastic and disapointed (didn't realise the limitations of free memership at first) but am now contemplating to go full out. I spent most of today (not really, but a lot of time) uploading photos and organising them. Now my summerphotos and those from Easter (Paris!) are available for viewing.

Today I also discovered Greenwich Picture House which seems great. I liked the wibe - from their internet site. Hoping to go there some Wednesday and see a movie then hang out at the bar. All in all Greenwich appeals to me. It's got character and something homely about it despite the tourists. Read a bit in London for Londoners and realised I must go there more and look around. My kind of place.

Whilst I'm mentioning Greenwich Picture House I must also tell you about another cinematic venue that's come to my attention on the net - Prince Charles Cinema - whic with low prices, memberships and a mix of less commercial flicks and quality blockbusters seems to be a good place to go. I'm planning on joining when I move here some day.

It sucks

Today I managed to buy Linus' gift but had a baaaad shopping experience. I hadn't realised how things work at Argos though. I checked that they had what I wanted in stock and off to Lewisham I went. Arriving at the store I realised I had to find the item I wanted in the catalogue. I sought it here, I sought it there and I couldn't find it despite eventually going as far as looking through the whole catalogue page by page. I tried to get help from the cashiers but they just handed me another catalogue. I ended up phoning my parents who looked the item up on the internet and voilà. Of course then there was the small matter of my visa not working (I havn't got a chip on my card). Then the item was twice as expensive as advertised on the net (but I couldn't be bothered by then). Then on the way home, eating a nectarine, I got fruit juice all over my clothes and even the window of the DLR. Not my day. (How about that - a riveting story.)

Pool party

Yesterday we celebrated Linus' birthday by going to a bar in Clarkenwell, playing pooI, drinking and eatin excellent burgers with some of his friends and collegues. We played dubbles since we were so and I ended the evening better than I started. It was great fun, both playing poola and meeting up with everybody. Of course drinks do their part to spice up an evening - and there were quite a few of those. We finished the evening in a bar beind the meat market in Smithfield located in some kind of indusrial/abbatoir building. Whilst sitting there we experienced the first delivery for the next day. I didn't see anything but apparently at least6 one of the trucks was full of pigs - dead ones. We shared a cab back to Mudchte with James. I slept late the next morning - since I'm able to.

I was exiled from home during the day due to the inspection of the flat so I had lunch with Linus. We lunched at a sushi restaurant (Little Tokyo) sitting on the floor, but with legs in a practical hole carved out under the table. Japanese dining for dummies. We shared a assorted plate of loads of nigiri, rolls and sashimi. Hip hip hurrah! I got to taste fish I haven't tried earlier, unfortunately I don't know what it was.Afterwards I wandered around the City (Smithfield included) looking for Linus' birthday present. Very frustratimng since I know what I want to give him, I have a list of options to choose from, but I haven't got a clue of WHERE to find any of them. Very frustating. A city can be to large at times. But during the pool party I got a tip of where to go - so I should be ok now. Before returning to the flat to fetch the camera (which I had forgotten earlier on) and to cool of (boy, is it hot) I spent some time on a tiny square by a small church close to Bank reading. Except fora couple of eager and disgusting pigeons I had a very nice time in the shade. I learn to appriciate Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" more and more every day.

Why?

By popular demad - not even - I've decided to have my Blog in both Swedish and English. It's as simple as this: I have far to much time on my hands. I will also try to motiate this narcissistic attack (can it be called an attack if it's a constant state of behaviour?) by claiming to feel sorry for James having to try to find intelliable stuff amongst Swedish-Muppet-chef-mundane- madness. So here we go.