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Showing posts from June, 2013

Cooking For One In A House Of Three

I am not a big foodie, but I do like to cook for the family sometimes, especially when I see a tasty recipe I can take elements from, or adapt to suit my sometimes picky food tastes (I hate onion), but cooking for myself if my parents are out is a different matter. You'd think it would be easier cooking for one than three right? not always the case, and one of the reasons I think is a lack of motivation. When I am cooking for myself, for some reason, I can never think of any ideas, and it takes me a lot longer to make my dinner. I'm not a big ready meal fan either, I just don't like some of the ideas, and a roast in the microwave just isn't going to cut it! Apart from the very rare chicken curry, (one thing that does make the grade), I would rather cook something for myself. So apart from my lack of motivation, and ready meal apathy, what else is wrong? Well, my failure to ever be able to cook a decent egg of any description doesn't help! I'm always a bit

Katy Sue Designs Flowers Silicone Mould Review

Flowers Silicone Mould I celebrated my birthday on June 12th (Happy Birthday to me!), and decided I'd treat myself to something new and crafty to make things with. For the first time I made an order with Create and Craft, and was pretty impressed with the service. The item arrived quicker than expected, so I've already had time to make some things. I chose the Flowers Silicone Mould from Katy Sue designs, which can be used for chocolate, and sugar paste/icing work, though I bought mine to use with Premo, an oven baked clay. The mould arrived and looked very durable and sturdy, so I think it will last me a long time, and I was quite impressed with the detailing on each different flower in the mould as well. There are four different flowers to choose from, so you can have fun making up lots of different arrangements. Why Not Try Using Embossing Powder? It took me a few goes just to get used to the technique of folding the material away from the sides, but this is a to

Guest Post: Giant Cupcake Mould Review

These City Days likes cake, and let's face it, who doesn't?! so as blog host and founder, I decided to bring in a guest blogger to bring you all things baking. So please say hello, comment, and sit back with a cuppa and look out for plenty of cakes and bakes. Hi all, just a few words to introduce myself. I'm Vicky, a 31-year-old mum to be from the sunny Isle of Wight, who is obsessed with all things cake! I have a particular affection for cupcakes and buttercream! I'm very excited to have been asked to contribute some baking loveliness to Lauren's fab new blog and hope to include reviews of baking gadgets, techniques, and a recipe of the week in the coming months.   I start this week with a review of the Big Top Giant Cupcake Mould. I lusted after one of these for what felt like an age, but finally got round to trying it this week courtesy of a generous husband trying to keep his wife occupied on maternity leave! In all honesty, I didn't hold out much ho

Penpalling And Post

How many of you are guilty of sending one word text messages, populating your Facebook feed with pictures, and sending a quick how are you via E-Mail? There has been a lot in the press about the decline in the numbers of letters sent, and how people are turning to mobile phones, social media, and e-cards to communicate instead. The first question I would ask is, if we are all guilty of the above, and more, how much effort are we really putting into communicating with our friends and family, and is it really the same as posting something? I am active on most of the social media channels, and I am an active penpal, which has led me to write this post. I keep in touch with some of my penpals via What's App or Facebook, as some have busy lives and are not as in to letter writing anymore, but for me, the best way to catch up with my penpals is by letter. Whether I can write a reply in an evening, or it takes two weeks, I am writing something private and personal to my penfriends, a

Tennis Themed Ice Cream In Time For Wimbledon

One of the things I love about being a blogger is the power to pick and choose interesting stories to write about, and share with all you blog readers, and this one is definitely caught my eye. I'm counting down the days until the world's best tennis players hit the courts of Wimbledon, and while strawberries and cream is high on my list of tasty treats when I'm watching the matches, I have to say if I was in London in late June or July I'd definitely be checking out the ice cream on offer at Daphne's Restaurant in South Kensington. I'm a bit fussy when it comes to ice cream and sorbet, and while I'm not completely adventurous, I think the flavours available in the shops are pretty boring and lack variety. There's no cookie dough or rocky road in sight with this summer ice cream selection though, and they all have a tennis theme as well, which I think is really novel. Daphne's will be selling ice cream cones via a funky pink ice cream cart ou

Craft Post: Chelmsford Community Pop-Up Art and Craft Shop

One of my items in the pop-up shop If any of you are in or near Chelmsford or paying my city a visit, why not take a trip into High Chelmer Shopping Centre and hunt through the treasures in the pop-up art and craft shop. This pop-up shop first appeared in 2012 and was open several times throughout the year. The success and interest in the shop have meant it is back bigger and better and is packed full of products made or painted by local artists and makers. The concept was the brainchild of Getting Around Chelmsford/ Shop Mobility Chelmsford, a registered charity providing mobility scooters and other support aids to help mums, the disabled, and anyone with mobility problems for other reasons, such as pregnancy or illness. The charity recently celebrated it's 10th Birthday, and had plenty of cake to celebrate all their hard work. But back to the shop, which is typically open Monday-Saturday from 10-4pm, and is staffed by volunteers, many of whom are artists stocking items i

Anttix Tornado Retail Tour, Chelmsford, 30/5/2013

With the occasional exception of singers thrust into the spotlight on reality TV talent shows, most pop singers are used to working their way up in terms of gigs, and may be well used to playing small venues, and little in the way of an audience. When you tour retail outlets though things are a little different, and I got the sense that up and coming singer Anttix was a little bit fazed (at first) by the intimate space in the corner of Chelmsford City’s New Look store. He was there for the start of his retail tour to promote his debut single Tornado (out 28th July) and soon got into his stride for his first set, performing Tornado, and another track called ‘Fame and TV’. Unfortunately the tracks were playing on a loop for quite a while before his performance, punctuated by jingles which included a snippet of his single ‘Tornado’, which I found a bit repetitive, so I wasn’t won over at first. As the songs wore on, I was still hard to please, and just felt ‘Tornado’ particularly ne

Fling Festival Chelmsford: One Month To Go

Last year I was very excited as a big Olympic fan, when London 2012 came along, it was amazing to see the games in the UK. I was happily glued to the TV, blubbing like a baby over some of Team GB’s success stories, and building up a little stash of Olympic souvenirs. That said, I did miss my local festival The Fling, but it’s back for 2013, and there’s just one month to go until it invades Central Park in Chelmsford. Apart from praying that the sunshine stays for the big day, the team behind the event at Chelmsford City Council have also promised this year’s event will be bigger, and better than ever. Hmm, when I hear bold claims like this the sceptic in me wonders if it will all end up as hype, but judging by the latest press releases, it’s not just the Fling crowd that will be swelling (double capacity), it’s the entertainment as well! So what can you expect if you’re over 18 and get your hands on a gig ticket? well old favourites such as the silent disco and wordsmiths tent, a