The Gala, Kingston

Posted on March 18, 2013 by admin

 

The Gala Kingston, Art Deco detail

The Gala, is a huge box like Art Deco building dating from the early 1930’s, a factory to entertainment from the pre telly era. Designed by Robert Cromie one of the foremost cinema architects of the time it’s an incredibly bold statement that rears up shadowing the surrounding terraces of 19thcentury shops and houses.

The Gala has few windows

There is great affection for this monumental building, industrial sized, built from house bricks, the extreme mix of scale, adds to the heavy, brutal look. The few openings in the unrelenting brick structure are punctuated with superficial decoration, made up of horizontal and vertical bands and floral clusters. This simplicity of style creates high drama, which is used effectively, visually enlarging the building as well as signposting the entrance while increasing the visitors anticipation.

The Gala, Kingston

There is congruity of design, the exterior features repeated in greater detail on the interior. The design scheme of the more highly embellished interior space retains the feel that it is superficial decoration. There was a wealth of original detail, read the fascinating report on the original palatial decor here. And of course no cinema was complete without a mightly Whurlitzer organ, oh I’d love to have seen that!

Over the past couple of years the future of building has been in the centre of intense, heated debate. To see this monolith being destroyed piecemeal by the previous owner, carried all the distress of witnessing a great hapless beast being taken to it’s knees.

A couple of weeks ago the new owners CNM Estates invited interested local residents to have the rare treat of taking a look inside the boarded up building. On a cold, dark winter evening a long queue formed outside the derelict building as we waited to go in. Then it was our turn to put on hard hats and high viz jackets, before we went through the tiny side door to be plunged into the darkness of the rubble strewn hall, a vast, sloping, overwhelming space, like being in the belly of a whale. Afterwards there was a busy meeting for local residents to view development possibilities and to workshop ideas for the space. The suggested plans are here, take a look and send in your ideas.

The Gala, interior

In a town known primarily for its wealth of high street chain stores, it’s exciting that this gateway building presents the opportunity to create a destination attraction. Of course I’d like to think there was going to be a great little boutique hotel, a roof garden and a space for visiting exhibitions and conferences. Let’s see what happens.

The Gala interior

 

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Finishing Touches

Posted on March 13, 2013 by admin

Pearly snow flakes

Finishing details, can make or break a creation, I have always had a passion for mother of pearl buttons, a Pearly Queen at heart. As I grew through childhood my mother moved the buttons from one dress to the next, they were like a constant familiar friend. I loved their natural imperfections with their iridescent shell colours, each a slightly different hue.

Different size shape color and designs

Some buttons very simple, others with their design detail talk of the variety of tools that were used to carve them to make them dance with gem like brilliance in the light.

Stars, snowflakes, flowers, all individual

In their tumbling sparkling jumble they are like stars and snowflakes.

Miniature detail

And in their detail we see the imperfections of the human hand.

They all have a story

They all have their story to tell, from hidden shellfish deep in murky brine to singing in the sunlight with their pale iridescent colours, they will travel with me for a short while.

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I Win The Golden Ticket, A Master Class at Rococo Chocolates

Posted on March 8, 2013 by admin

Rococo Chocolates

My prize for winning the Rococo Chocolates competition for bloggers, Let’s Make Christmas with my bay and coriander truffles was the chance of having a chocolate master class with resident ‘Prof du Choc’ Barry Johnson. I felt like I’d won the Golden Ticket.

Barry Johnson at Rococo Chocolates

Though I’ve been busy chocolate making for several years the excitement of a chocolate master class with the best is a dream come true. I want to run and trip and skip, so much to learn, I want to know it all. I am happy creating flavours to make a picture in my head, there’s lots more to master to make my chocolates better, to make moments that explode in your mouth to unfold an adventure. Winning the chance to learn with the best, I upgraded my half day prize to a full day, so I could learn the skills of making luxurious smooth ganache and the tempered crack of chocolate to make incredible, edible magic.

Chocolate tasting

Rococo’s, Barry, calmly took control and showed us a window into another world. As we sampled truffles he taught us about different chocolates, the importance of terroir, choosing the right chocolate to balance with flavours, the aromas and textures of the world of truffles. Tempering, like making mayonnaise, follow the strict rules, it works. Temperature and humidity sensitive, chocolate is about patient alchemy, it’s instinctive.

Tempering melted, warm chocolate on marble

Filling molds with tempered chocolate

Stirring the ganache

I was not disappointed with my day, it was a wonderful experience learning from a world class team and having the company of the other members of the master class who had a shared passion and incredible knowledge of food. One member of our group had built his own tandoor oven in his garden, hardly everyday stuff, you have to travel far for such a topic of conversation.

Too beautiful to eat!

A chocolate Staffordshire cat, something else I might not be able to bring myself to eat

And after making and eating a heap of chocolate truffles, wafers and fish, when we left there was a goody bag full of chocolate ready to be made into new creations. Thank you team Rococo for making me so welcome, my prize was generous, I feel very lucky to have spent a day with the best, I will treasure it forever.

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Valentine Heart For My Love

Posted on February 15, 2013 by admin

Valentine heart for my love

The idea for these heart patches is to sew one on the inside of a jacket or coat so it lies against the heart, a little piece of secret love to give courage all through the day.
No I’m not an embroidereer, I wont win any embroidery school prizes and I never was the type to frame up some thing I’d sewn. My inspiration for these hearts comes from Sailor Jerry tattoos and the sailors wool pictures that surround me, I love the their bold can do style.
Embellishment of this kind is simple, embroidery thread at about 30p a pop, a scrap of calico and an embroidery hoop, a bargainacious present straight from the heart.

Heart design transferred onto calico

Draw out your design and transfer onto your calico. Stretch calico over the embroidery hoop and start filling in the colours with embroidery thread, make sure the fabric is well covered and there are no gaps in the embroidery.

Colouring in with embroidery silks

When you’re finished filling in the design, give it a firm border by first sewing round the edge with chain stitch, then cover those stitches with a close blanket stitch.

Chain stitch border

Blanket stitch to finish

When you are finished cut out the patch, leaving a 1 cm border of calico that can be turned under when the patch is sewn into the jacket.

For a very special person

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Flowers Even in the Depths of Winter

Posted on February 7, 2013 by admin

Bursts of flowers on stick bare branches

A cold winter day, bare branches, monochrome landscape, the world is dead. As I walked along the blanket of grey was pierced by an intense floral fragrance. Where was it coming from? I looked around, nothing,  then up,  there,  bare stick branches studded with bursts of soft pinkness.

Wonderful fragrance from these pink posies

My urge was to gather these sticks in greedy armfuls and take them back to my friends house, ill, stuck inside, I wanted to brighten his day with wonderful fragrance, a breath of new hope.

So blousy, so generous with their perfume

But that would be unfair, others passing the same spot would be deprived of this wonderful experience. What better than a potted gaggle of hyacinths, their intoxicating perfume generously fills the room.

A cluster of fragrant stars

The fat buds colour up as they get ready to burst open into fragrant stars. Not coy flowers, they are exuberant. Climbing higher up the stem, as the flowers open, the plants raucously throw themselves out over the edge of the pot in a dizzy haze of perfume.

Beautiful

 

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Juniper and Rose Kitchen Garden School

Posted on January 29, 2013 by admin

Sourdough bread making with Vanessa Kimbell at Juniper Rose Kichen Garden School

We were at an antiques fair admiring a collection of very beautiful carved wooden breadboards when my friend mused, this would look beautiful with freshly baked bread on it, apparently it’s quite easy to make your own sourdough bread. My murmured reply went, yes it is just takes preparation, starting wild yeast in advance, she continued, I really must get on and get round to making some.

Vanessae teaches bread making at her Juniper Rose Kitchen Garden School

Living in the middle of nowhere with an AGA pumping out the heat I was determined to use it productively bread making. In those days bread making was an esoteric lost skill and workshops hardly existed, so I taught myself from books without pictures, Elizabeth David was inspirational. Luckily for me, my mother in law, a brilliant baker was generous with lots of handy hints. And yes my bread was delicious, as my confidence increased it was incredibly satisfying making and selling bread raising funds for playgroup. Later with an adventurous friend we shared the drama of cultivating our own wild yeast culture. Though I cracked bread making, how much would I have given to share the learning experience with like minded novices.

It’s that time of year for plotting learning new skills that will gently ease me out of my cosy comfort zone. After the conversation with my friend maybe the time’s right to go on a bread making adventure with her? The next question is where? Looking around what’s on offer on the internet I am really taken by the ethos at Juniper Rose Kitchen Garden School run by Vanessa Kimbell. This capable, can do lady knows what she’s doing, she’s baked bread in bakeries, been a chef and uses some of her incredible exuberant energy running a pop up bakery and cookery school from home. Seems like a great alternative to a spa day with the girls.

 

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Margaret Howell Supporting British Manufacturing

Posted on January 16, 2013 by admin

Margaret Howell 2013 Calender

How timely to start the new year hanging up the Margaret Howell calendar for 2013. Each month is a meditation on a traditional British clothing manufacturer. Though it highlights clothing that’s been around a while, traditional doesn’t mean stuck in the mud. With the expectation of a lifetime of use, every detail designed with a reason, it’s there for reinvention. Even in our ephemeral world, honest utility design is currently big helped along by the vintage trend.

Harris Tweed out of the land

The beauty of simple functional design

Horn buttons, a wide range of colours

It’s also a celebration of the enduring beauty of natural materials, the color variations found in horn buttons, the warm softness of Harris tweed with it’s incredible natural colours, merino wool for fineness and drape, cool crunchy cotton, leather and mother of pearl buttons.

Enduring design

Soft wool

Magaret Howell gives us a very British celebration.

Be proud of what we’ve got

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Happy New Year to You All, It’s Going to be a Good

Posted on January 2, 2013 by admin

Happy New Year

I’m feeling a little nervous about the New Year there’s a need to make changes, some tough challenges lie ahead. I wrap myself in the warm glowing bubble of Christmas Love and float through that door to the world of new experiences. It’s going to be a good year with lots of fun!

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Making Christmas Traditions

Posted on December 23, 2012 by admin

A bowl for the nuts

Christmas brings a shift in the house, tidying up, putting up the decorations, making ready for the celebrations, an audit of where I am. Time to welcome back old familiar traditions and there’s space for new as well, it’s fun.

Now stained inside it tells a story

Arranging the table, it’s taxing remembering according to my traditions what goes where. The nuts, what shall I put them in? At my parents Christmas they put them in a bowl I made, a mosaic of motifs taken from my lino cuts, snipped and papermached into a paper bowl. With the traditions memories are stirred up, the house high on a windy Yorkshire hillside, I am the same and ready for new.

The house high on the windy Yorkshire hillside

in a field of beautiful flowers

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Green Olives Marinated with Coriander

Posted on December 14, 2012 by admin

Green olives with Coriander

Olives from Spain challenged bloggers to come up with some winning festive olive marinades, to get us into the mood we were sent hampers full of goodies including olives to play with, thank you!

I wanted an olive marinade to sum up Christmas, spicy and fruity without becoming a Terrys chocolate orange. A little clementine zest goes a long way, be cautious with it, to balance it out and give it a bit of a wake up kick I added a few black peppercorns. Warming the oil with the spices speeds up the flavouring process,  so you can eat the olives tonight. They’re great if you need to quickly whizz up a present, put them in a jar add a label, all done!  Include some bread as well for tearing up and dunking in the flavoured oil.  And of course now I have engaged the brain all I can think is olive marinades, so there’ll be more along at some point.

Green Olives Marinated with Coriander

  • 50g stoned green olives in brine
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1cm long strip of Clementine peel
  • 2tsp crushed coriander seeds
  • 0.5tsp crushed black pepper corns
  • 3 bay leaves torn
  • 100ml olive oil
  1. In a pestle and mortar lightly crush the coriander seeds and black peppercorns.
  2. Peel the garlic, cut into large chunks and bruise using the pestle and mortar
  3. Pour oil into a small pan and add the flavourings.
  4. Put the pan on a low heat and warm gently to just above blood temp.
  5. Leave to infuse for about an hour.
  6. Drain the olives from brine, then rinse and drain on kitchen towel.
  7. Tip the drain olives into the flavoured oil and leave to marinate for a couple of hours.
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