Vicarious Romance

Who says there are no more heroes?

Trilby, Jarvis and myself were out on the South Bank the other day, getting merrily drunk on cocktails and beer (for t'was payday). I dragged them along to see 'Appearing Rooms', which is a rather wonderful installation outside the Royal Festival Hall.

To quote the RFH's website, "this spectacular water sculpture by Danish artist Jeppe Hein (is a) playful work of art. Walls of water in the aquatic pavilion rise and fally randomly to divide the space into a series of smaller 'rooms', changing every ten seconds... As viewers walk through the 'rooms' they must interact with the patterns of rising and falling water if they are to leave the space without getting wet."

Or, to paraphrase, it's a load of splashy fun. Check it:

Looks good, huh? So Trilby, Jarvis and I wobble over to said art installation. We huddle together in one of the 'rooms', the bottoms of our trousers getting slightly wet.

Then Jarvis utters the immortal words, "I'll give you a tenner if you run through that wall of water."

And so...

Trilby, a (sopping wet) prince among men. He's my hero and I love him.
30.8.06 10:22


Two years

It's our anniversary today. Two happy years since Trilby drunkenly asked me for my telephone number, and I (equally drunkenly) gave it to him before dragging him back to my flat. He was holding a samovar and a welding mask, as I recall. It was one of those parties.

And now we're living together, and working together, and about to set off to Cyprus to do a show together. He has become the centre of my world.

So I'm off to buy a big bottle of champagne. To celebrate, like.

In the meantime, here's a picture of him in his costume:

You can see why I love him, can't you?
11.7.06 12:53


Doppelganger

The Futureheads gig, last night.

YAAGers: See! The guy on the right, the guitarist. It's you.

Trilby: Dear God, you're right. Now I know what I'd be like if I'd taken up the guitar aged 13.

The universe goes "fwip".
13.6.06 14:22


Separated at birth

Okay, so I've chilled the heck out vis a vis the Great Blog Shift.

Now, onto more pressing matters - to whit, my current dizzy infatuation with this young fellow:

His name is Ross Millard, and he is the guitar player for the popular beat combo The Futureheads.

Now I have already noted Mr Millard's striking resemblance to a certain trilby-wearing Irishman (see blogs passim). So maybe this is why I find myself glued to the telly every time The Futureheads' new video comes on MTV2 - which is approximately every 45 minutes.

It's okay to fancy someone because they remind you of your boyfriend, isn't it?

Oh.
5.6.06 15:39


Last night a website saved my life

Thank the good Lord for iammoving.com - my life just got that little bit easier.


There are still boxes everywhere, though...
19.5.06 10:05


Moved

Well, I am now officially co-habiting. But the move was so stressful that it makes me do a little sick every time I think about it.


There are boxes everywhere. Why do we both have so much stuff?

We're both working this week and going out tonight and tomorrow night, so the house is going to stay looking like an explosion in a cardboard box factory.


Oop. I just did another little sick.
15.5.06 12:39


Something fishy this way comes

Due to an organisational snafoo, I found myself at a loose end last night so I decided to cook dinner for him indoors. And, being in a bit of a daring mood, I decided to try out one of Matthew Fort's recipes that I'd torn out of last Saturday's Guardian magazine.


It took a lot longer to make than I'd anticipated, and the house reeked of fish and frying pans all evening. But dear Jeebus and all his little pixies, it was bleedin' gorgeous.


matthew_fort.jpg  Matthew Fort - A God To Me


Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Matthew Fort's granny's Fish Pie. If you make this, your tongue will love you for ever more. I've got leftovers for my lunch and I can't bloody wait.


(N.B. We added mussels to the recipe as well, because Trilby is slightly obsessed with fish. In a good way).


Fish pie

Granny's touch of genius was to sprinkle bits of crispy bacon over the surface of her pie before serving. It adds a wonderful, savoury crunch to this supper dish.

4 eggs
225g smoked haddock
300ml full-cream milk
2 bayleaves
225g fresh haddock, skinned
150g shell-on Atlantic prawns, peeled
25g butter
25g plain flour
Salt and pepper


For the topping

550g potatoes
150ml full-cream milk
1 bunch spring onions
200g thin-cut bacon (or pancetta)
Salt and pepper

Hard-boil the eggs, cool in cold water, peel and set aside. Poach the smoked haddock gently in the milk with the bayleaves for five to six minutes. Lift out the fish, sieve the milk into a bowl and set aside. Skin the smoked haddock and break up the flesh. Cut the fresh haddock into chunks. Put all the fish into a buttered baking dish and add the prawns. Cut up the egg and scatter on top. Heat the butter in a pan. When it is foaming, add the flour and cook for a minute. Add the reserved milk and cook over a high heat until the sauce thickens. Season, then pour over the fish.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Peel, boil and mash the potatoes. Bring the milk to boiling point, then beat into the potatoes. Finely chop the spring onions, including the green bits, and stir in. Dollop the potato over the fish and spread out evenly (which is not the same as smoothly - a touch of unevenness is essential in a fish pie). Bake for 20 minutes. Just before it's ready, fry the bacon until crisp, drain on kitchen towel, break into bits and scatter over the pie before serving.


 
4.5.06 12:30


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