One of my favorite activities is to stand in my small kitchen space, listen to the radio or a good podcast (or an author interview on BBC Radio 4), and make or bake something. I find it relaxing and de-stressing. The reward at the end is something delicious that you made yourself.
In view of my trip to Lille tomorrow morning (a city in the north of France, not far from the Belgian border), I decided to make two cinnamon raisin loaves, one for my friend and his kids, the other for another friend who Photoshopped something for me. I wish I knew how to use Photoshop, Inkscape and all the other graphic design software. If I had my career to do over again, maybe I’d be a graphic designer, I don’t know. It’s true that you can teach yourself, but what with my full-time job and my book-writing on the weekend, who has time?? I barely have time to read a book and am actually looking forward to the train trip tomorrow (it’s only an hour) to crack open a new novel I recently bought: Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers.
There are many excellent recipes on the internet for this bread. I prefer whole-grain flour rather than white, as used in The Smitten Kitchen’s recipe (link below).
whole-grain cinnamon swirl bread
Juliet in Paris
Yum. I can smell it from here! There’s never enough time in the day is there? I recently found a basic step by step Photoshop tutorial on YouTube that I’m going to give a crack at once I’m back from my trip. Enjoy your getaway!
Isn’t YouTube great? So much good stuff on it from old movies to TV shows to tutorials, etc. One day I’ll do one of those tutorials. But first I need to buy myself a large screen. Thanks. It’s nice to get away, we all need a change of scenery from time to time.
Miam. Enjoy your weekend up north!
Thanks, Cordy! Talk soon.