Trip to Glasgow and all things Mackintosh

A working trip to Glasgow last Thursday was a good excuse for a couple of days exploring. Now I've been past Glasgow many times heading north but I've never been in the city centre which quite surprises me even as I'm a big fan of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Here's the first thing I didn't know about Glasgow, it has an underground subway train system. I don't like the tubes in London, infact I don't have much desire to ever go down there again as big cities have started to freak me out so it was quite something for me to 'brave' Glasgow. 
My first look at the subway and how cool is this Mackintosh-esque illustration.

I found the trains ok, it's not complicated as it's just an inner or outer circle around the city so you can't get lost and it wasn't that busy during the day so I quite liked it. It allowed much toing and froing from one part to another in the quest for artisan coffee shops.

However, first Mackintosh pilgrimage of the day was breakfast at the Willow Tea Rooms on Sauchiehall Street.

French toast with maple syrup and earl grey to wash it down.

Possibly not as large as I was expecting and not many waitresses in lacy aprons but it's something ticked off my bucket list.

Onwards to see the Glasgow School of Art following the fire in summer.

And some souvenirs from the school art shop.

There are some interesting steep streets in Glasgow.

The one below is quite untypical, doesn't it look like a Manhattan back alley in the 1970's.

The art tour was interspersed with a list of coffee shops to seek out, think we ticked 3 off the list, all different, all interesting. In no partic order Laboratorio Espresso, Artisan Roast, Avenue G.

Back to art and the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). A fabulous exhibition with cardboard buildings and churches as far as the eye could see.

Interesting art on the corridor walls too, most poignant the top one with the referendum tomorrow.

Hardly went in any shops as there was so much else to see but this one intrigued me with the window display. It was very hard to photograph but on every glass window it was floor to ceiling with vintage sewing machines. Looked a very expensive shop.

Some street art near to a bridge in the city centre and it was weird and like being in the countryside, a bubbling river running through, lots of trees, a park too.

A fabric shop on my to do list, Mandors, oh my it was packed with fabric, haberdashery, wool etc. I had to control myself and was very restrained with this one metre of atlas fabric.

That was Glasgow in a nutshell, I liked it, there was a good vibe and it felt very Scottish if you get my drift.

There was time for a quick visit to a coffee friends cafe in Dundee on the way back, Espress Oh! which was a very lovely place.

And we tried to visit The Kelpies but that was chaos on the parking side, or very little of it. The pictures were from the car, we couldn't get parked and had to queue in an unorganised state (even though there were car park workers who were next to useless) just to get out without even stopping.

If you go, plan to go early as it's next to a childrens theme playground with little parking.

Some making, baking, shopping, coffee & packaging

I had the Aga serviced the other day so that it's as good as can be for my Christmas cooking, and for some warmth downstairs! Before that happened and earlier in the week, whilst it was at a low temperature, I made a couple of mini Christmas cakes. It's a recipe I tried and enjoyed last year, from the Boutique Baking book. Here we have before and after baking.

I have slowed down with crafty things as it's too cold in the house but I'm doing some crochet and I made a few of these little stocking tree decorations, one of which is winging its way to my giveaway winner Helen.

Also managed a couple of days off last week and went to Scarborough to the wonderful Eat Me Cafe for a plate of their legendary creamed mushrooms on toast.

Whilst walking through the woods and gardens in Scarborough I met this little chap, I know he's not native and I'm a huge fan of supporting the reds but he was very cute and came right up to me on the edge of this wall, he actually looked like he was going to jump on my arm for the promise of a bit of food!

I spotted this fairly traditional Nutcracker in a shop in Scarborough.

On a trip to York I spotted this rather unusual Nutcracker.

Also in York I did a bit of festive shopping and it is lovely when some shops get it so right. The atmosphere in the shop, pleasant staff, the interesting items and the lovely packaging, the shop I went in was The Imaginary and it seems to be part of the Yorkshire Soap Co, look at the pretty pink bag.

All my items were beautifully wrapped by a charming young chap with a waistcoat and cravat. Inside the bag I had bought some pretty glass candle holders, they looked very festive and traditional when lit in the shop.

Another little treat for me, a pretty silk scarf with birds on. Did I buy anything for anyone else I hear you ask..... 

I did buy a few bits, I don't have a huge circle of people to buy for which is handy as I don't enjoy shopping much. Plus, this year, I've decided with a couple of friends that we have reached the point and age were we all have enough stuff and maybe we should cut back on the gift buying for cost and practical reasons. Fortunately these friends were quite difficult to buy for so that has taken some pressure off.

I really like to make a handmade gift but I haven't had time recently and I know that puts some pressure on other friends to make me one back and I don't want to do that as we all have enough festive stress, but it is still nice to find pressies for people you understand well and know what they like.

The thing I'm least liking spending money on this Christmas is cards, or rather stamps for the cards, they are so expensive. I do like to send cards because a card and a letter is one way, once a year when I get to catch up with friends who live far and wide. I think I will probably aim for sending more digital greetings in the future if stamps continue to go up, the stamp is becoming as costly as the card!

Something I have gone a bit mad with is coffee, I had a delivery of these bags of beans this week and I think I have another 3 bags to arrive before Christmas, part of these are my subscription coffees and some others are ones to experiment with over the holidays.

That reminds me, time for coffee!...

SCAE Barista training

Firstly thank you all so much for the kind words regarding the ongoing peculiar situation of living here! 

Well I've had an interesting week thanks to taking 2 days out for barista training with the Northern Academy of Coffee.

It happened here in York at The Attic above Harlequin.

You get a good view down into the works currently going on in Kings Square where there has been a bit of an archeological dig.

Back to coffee and I'll try not to be a coffee bore. 
I was keen to further my knowledge and skill in preparing speciality coffees, maybe for my own coffee shop one day. The obvious next step was barista training proper, with a recognised accreditation through the SCAE (Speciality Coffee Association of Europe). 

There were 4 of us and we worked in The Attic on their equipment.

This is Jon our trainer, a legend in the coffee and tea world!

We did theory, history and plenty of practical hands on coffee making and preparing espresso based drinks and the milk to go with them.
A rare shot of me pulling my espresso shots.

We experimented texturising different milks including goats and soya, to say I'm a soya milk drinker I wasn't that impressed with it in the drinks, however I was pleasantly surprised by the goats milk which was palatable.

Here is someone practising latte art. I think my own technique has improved since having more milk training.

We sat our written test at the end of each day which is a points gathering exercise and I'm pleased to say at the end of day 2 I had enough points and had passed as a certified level 2 barista. 
This is great news for me and I will get a little certificate to hang on my coffee shop wall one day!

Thanks to our excellent trainers Jon, and Gordon from The Attic, lunch was wonderful too (courtesy of Harlequin).

Hope this wasn't too painful for any non coffee drinkers!!

A belated hello October!

The month has got off to a peculiar start for me, lots of bad with a bit of good (Facebook friends may have seen my rantings on the subject of landlords!).

As October arrived so did my first bad cold for a couple of years and it knocked me for six for a couple of days last week (I wouldn't use a word as strong as flu but I did spend a day in bed), I seemed to be over the worst when I relapsed yesterday, but it's the least of my worries what with everything else which kicked off last week.

Out of the blue we had a written warning from the landlords to the effect that the gardens were not being upkept with due care and attention. What a load of rubbish, I challenge anyone to look at our garden and say it's a typical garden going into autumn, nearing the end of the grass cutting season and so it was needing a quick trim but it was too wet, all the shrubs are pruned hard back and bar a few weeds I can't see anything wrong. This is a letter from someone who just wants to have a go now and again out of badness to exert their authority.
If the landlords, who live next door, wanted to appear a slight bit friendly and communicate with their tenants, they would find out that grass cutting and weeding have been challenging this last year as one of us has had a foot injury and the other is still nursing a hand injury.

Even spookier, a second letter arrived the next day, this time they had decided to put the rent up. What a coincidence, call me a cynic but I wonder if they are trying to claw the money back for the roof we've just had replaced!!! It's a joke really as they do nothing to maintain this heap. 
Anyway dear readers, I will rant no more about this, change is afoot, the straw has broken the camels back and I will be making this my last winter here. By hook or by crook, I can't say too much yet, but next year I'm getting the hell out of here and never looking back.

Let's talk conkers, there are some wonderful specimens dropping out of the trees here, it must be a good year for them.

I took lots of pics so I must do something with them or design a conker fabric.

Did anything good happen last week I hear you ask, yes something brilliant but it was all such a rush I've worked all weekend finishing it.
Another thing I can't reveal just yet, but I have done some work for one of our favourite craft magazines and all will be revealed in the Christmas issue, very exciting.

I hope it comes out ok, the pressure was really on with a tight deadline.

And something good to look forward to this week, I'm going on a 2 day coffee training course at the Northern Academy of Coffee, I can't wait. I hope this will take whatever coffee skills I have to the next level.

Have a good week all!