West Bridgford

There were rumours flying around that this Saturday was going to be the last great day of summer in England. A little wary of the Poms' liberal notions of good weather, I headed out in jeans and sneakers with a jumpy & jacket in tow. The plan was to walk to West Bridgford, 2 hours' walk from the Uni (maybe less if you're remotely map- or compass-savvy), to pick up some supplies for a picnic in the Wollaton Park (which is actually right next to the uni) to get the max out of this rumoured sunshine. A ridiculous task to begin with, but hey, it's not like I had more pressing matters to attend to ;)

At any rate, took me 2hrs to walk to West Bridgford, probably more given the industrial parks I detoured through...but it was SO well worth it.

Part of the walk went along Riverside Way and the Victoria Embankment which, as you might imagine, follow the river. Serene, green and filled with ducks, it was a hit.

West Bridgford is a gorgeous town that gets the necessary blend of wholesome, fresh air, young family vibeyness and all the essential elements of real life (namely good cafes, good pubs and a plethora of good sports venues). I arrived to find a farmers market next to a lush park and decided it trumped going back to Nottingham, with or without a Wollaton Park.

No. 8 Delicatessen is a kick-ass establishment the likes of which Nottingham's city centre could only dream. A huge array of sambo choices, a cute courtyard out back, plus all those choice bits and bobs only a deli would have (original lemonade, cheese rounds x 10000, jams & curries, and let's not forget the self-evident amazingness of a nut brownie).

Regretted not trusting the rumours within about 2min of setting off, having missed out on my only opp to wear the skirt I brought in favour of looking like a gimp with rolled-up jeans and emo-playin-gangsta sneakers (which apparently even the natives noted). It was a SCORCHER, perfect for enjoying my prize in the picturesque Bridgford Park, with its soft, soft grass and my topical literature.

Ended up staying in the park so long they had a concert in my honour. jk. but in that whole healthy living community atmos vein, they had a concert band and choir etc etc. Kicked back with some brie & crackers and cider (not game enough to try actual beer or ale cos I know what the answer's going to be, but felt i shoudl get into the Brit spirit right proper-like). SO chilling, and one of the best ways to make the best of the whole 10pm sunset thing.

All-in-all, a great many unexpected joys :)

University of Nottingham

Quite possibly the lushest university ever known to man...

Here be the rolling meadows...

And every university has to have a forest path...

Not to mention a zen retreat.

I'm not lying when I say there's squirrels bounding across the lawns. And I swear I saw a fox (ish looking thing...?) the other night too.

And just for LD....

WILLOW!!!!

Seoul

Wikitravel tells me Seoul is frenetic and polluted...I beg to differ. I was surprised at how chilled it was! Granted, I was in the main tourist/shopping area, but strolling along the boulevards & alleys was relaxing, with a pleasant summer temp to boot.

First Destination

Treasure map! The treasure being (most importantly) a bed at the end of my
schlep to Nottingham (followed by the real drawcard, a
hella good time!)

In my head...

Major Lazer (Diplo v Switch, ft Mr Lexx & Santigold) Hold the Line
MIA Paper Planes
Baloji Tout Ceci ne Vous Rendra pas le Congo & Entre les Lignes (or the whole Hotel Impala album generally)

Bouillabaisse

Below is a new recipe I just tried. A tasty fish stew that's a great winter wonder, especially when teamed with a nice sourdough and some white wine. (Although let's leave its name as bouillabaisse or zuppa di pesce, which sound far more exotic and attractive.) As with most things, the more seafood that goes into it, the better!

BOUILLABAISSE
Serves 6

Prep 20 min, Cook 15 min

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, quartered
400g tinned diced tomatoes
1 large pinch saffron threads
¾ cup fish stock
¾ cup white wine
2 large white fish fillets, cut in large chunks
8 mussels, well-scrubbed & cleaned
8 green prawns, shelled & de-veined
Tabasco sauce to taste
Parsley, chopped to garnish
Sourdough cob

Method
1. Heat oil in a large pan and cook onion and fennel until softened.
2. Add garlic and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add tinned tomatoes, saffron, stock and white wine and bring to the boil.
4. Add seafood and turn heat down to simmer for 5-10min until cooked.
5. Add Tabasco sauce to taste and parsley to garnish.
6. Serve hot with sourdough and a big smile :)

Notes

Apologies for ripping the above pic from the net - ours did look equally as scrumptious as that but my camera's broken so we didn't take any photos of our own. And when I say "we", I really mean WF, who proposed, designed and executed Operation Bouillabaisse (thanks!).

Also, we did use a little more seafood than the recipe calls for - we had about 2 prawns per person and a 1kg bag of mussels (which ends up more like 6 mussels per person). Nobody complained of too much seafood...