one downfall...

....of living alone is that when your stressed or worried about an exam, say for arguements sake a WSET exam, theres no one there to give you an auld hug and tell you it'll be ok. but so far thats the only downfall i've encountered!

Poetry Ireland Introductions Series 2010

You never really know what to expect when you walk into one. Of course it doesn’t help when you’re the late one; all rushed and sweaty trying to balance bag, coffee, phone, inappropriate number of photocopies and dignity.

After doing a year of intense workshops in St Andrews I kind of wondered what it was all about. What was the point? Who was I doing it for? When I got home though I desperately scrambled to find another group with a similar dynamic and energy. Eager to define what I was doing through other people that were doing it. I found myself in groups in places like Cabra Public library with middle agers who gasped if you suggested there was homo-erotic undertones in someone’s writing. At that point I knew that the St Andrews experience could never and probably should never be replicated. It was amazing and special and astounding in its very own unique way. So I sadly gave up my search and reasoned that if I couldn’t do it by myself I couldn’t and shouldn’t do it at all.

Lucky for me the Introductions Series 2010 group is good! In a jest to my lateness I dove right in with a joke, and I felt as though I was right back there, by the sea and the castle with other people who were serious about putting one little word after the next and the eagerness of placing a comma exactly where it should be. Strange, weird, mental but true. We’re a rare breed and in this case we communed around our oasis in the vicinity of St Stephen’s Green. Led by the poet James J. McAuley, the role call went something like this: Andrew Caldicott, Jessica Colley, Martin Dyer, Peter Goulding, Connie Roberts, Andrew Jamison, Simon Leyland, David Mohan, Cliona O’Connell, Edward O’Dwyer, Pauline Hall and Rosie Sheppard.

But in all the seriousness, sometimes even madness, of a workshop nothing finishes it off better than healing a slightly bruised ego at the other oasis of choice- the pub. The numbers dwindled as the pint glasses were stacked up. It was just me and the adorable Jamison (fellow St Andrews Graduate) flying the long haul flag for the class into the wee hours. We reminisced about lattes, beaches and the amazing Don Paterson and we were pretty pleased with ourselves in our alcohol fuelled nostalgia. We even compared notes, grades and gossip. Ever the competitive girl……

Now for the best (read: most pain in the ass) part: finishing the bloody poem. Here’s to May and more pints!

ah ha!

the aforementioned study session

my new hobby

For the past few weeks I’ve been doing a WSET Intermediate Wine course in Sweeneys Wine Shop in Glasnevin. The exam is starting to loom ever closer. As close as two weeks to be precise. And in my usual fashion I forgot the reason I started the course in the first place while the more competitive version of myself steps forward. I want the best-why not?! Of course this means that sometimes my goals aren’t reasonable to begin with and I am bitterly disappointed when I don’t get that elusive, in this case, distinction. My friend, upon listening to my mini freak out, said ‘But Niamh it’s just a hobby.’ That’s exactly what it is. So what is my problem? Am I really that competitive? I didn’t think I was that bad. Maybe it’s my middle child syndrome. In an effort now to never admit a flaw I will say that I believe competitiveness is a good thing. In fairness I don’t think you can call in competitiveness when it’s with yourself. No one else I know has done this course before and I’m sure there are more people on the course with a better ability to learn things off by heart and spit them out on the exam paper. It’s just my ‘passion’ or my ‘eagerness’. Hmm I don’t think I’m even convincing myself here. All I know is that I can now plan an evening like this and call it homework:

1 bottle Sauternes
1 block Roquefort
1 packet crackers.

All in the name of tasting and food matching studies. What an amazing hobby?! Screw the exam and bring on the homework.

The Saturday Project Week 1 Artichoke Salad

Artichoke Salad

We made this for 2 people

3 artichokes
1 lemon
1 head radicchio
6 slices pancetta
4 tomatoes
Basil to taste
Salt and pepper.

Step one prepare artichokes:

De-steam and peel. Chop in half just above ridge and discard top.




Put bottoms into pot of water with juice of half lemon. You can use all of the artichoke if you like. Bring water to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. They’re done when a sharp knife passes easily into the stem. Turn off water and let the artichokes cool in the water.

Step two prepare salad:

Chop tomatoes and tear basil.



Step three charring and grilling:

We used a fancy restaurant style char grill (well he is a chef after all) but a small at home char pan or barbeque will work. If you have neither of those just leave them raw and they’ll be just as tasty.

Before char grilling season and with salt and pepper and a glug of olive oil



Lightly char. Turning to char evenly on all sides. We cut the radicchio into quarters and charred them too.

Meanwhile grill the pancetta. You want it crispy but not burnt!

Step four combine:

Add charred vegetables to salad, combine with seasoning and another glug of olive oil and a squeeze of the remaining lemon. We also put in whatever left over salad leaves were in the fridge.


Serve and enjoy!!

We had ours with a glass of Chilean Chardonnay : Las Condes 2007. The medium body, creamy fruits complimented the salad really well.

simple and true

read this the other day-so simple and so true!

What you resist persists.

aahhh

So I guess shit happens. This weeks cookery lesson got bumped off the timetable. Can’t say I’m not disappointed! But such is life….here’s hoping for next week ….

So instead of being creative in the kitchen I got creative with a sewing machine. I went into Topshop the other week to have a look around for a full length black skirt. I found one but I was a bit dismayed at the price. This is the problem when you’re able to make stuff; you pick something up in a shop gawp at the price and instantly state with defiance ‘for gods sake I could make that myself.’ Your caught in a bind. In the first instance one goes without things due to reluctance to pay stupid money for something ‘I could make myself’. In the second instance one is too lazy to make things that one could make for oneselves. And so in an effort to end this cycle I trawled through the eh… three good fabric shops that are open in Dublin on a Saturday. Murphy Sheehys was stop number one, Blarney Woolen Mills stop two and as always Hickey’s came up trumps for stop number three. Third time lucky etc.

So the sewing machine is in my mother’s house. So I had to drive out to Swords to complete my mission. I don’t want to hear from anyone calculations of time wasted looking for fabric x petrol money to Swords x time spent making the item = skirt was cheaper in Topshop. Where is the rewarding activity in that?!

So moving on. The skirt was very easy to make. I vaguely measured by hips and chopped the fabric into two pieces: width of hips x length. Sewed up the two sides and attached a piece of elastic to the top. Really could not have been simpler. I didn’t even have to put a hem on it.

It has yet to make its debut in the world. Tried to wear it the other night but the rain scuppered my plans pretty quickly. Anybody who wants to try it for themselves and wants more techy details of my method just ask. Here’s a not very good picture for your perusal.