Something Fishy on the Barbie

Last week, Jonty & I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather, so we decided to have ourselves a little barbeque. We bought some fresh haddock fillets, put them on parchment paper then aluminum foil, drizzled them with olive oil and lemon juice, and topped them with lemon slices and rosemary.

 Then we wrapped them up and stuck them straight on top of the coals in the barbeque, and then covered them with more hot coals. They cooked for about 15 minutes.

We took the coals off, unwrapped our package, and BAM! we had delicious, firm, juicy fish. We served it with a green salad and homemade potato salad. (Someday I may share our amazing potato salad recipe if you're extra nice.)

Next step: Enjoy! Try this recipe out yourself; it's fantastic!

[Thanks to a Sainsbury's fish counter handout for some of the tips.]

Coming up this week: a giveaway, another Kenya post, & more!

<3

Simple Happiness Tip #5

Spend time with yourself. As important as it is to have support in friends & family, you should be your own foundation. Take some time away from other people & the TV, & enjoy your own company. Life is never lonely when you're your own best friend.

<3

Dance Proposal

How much fun is this guy's proposal? She seemed to enjoy it. I guess you can't go wrong marrying a guy that willing to entertain, eh?

[via]

<3

Quite a Quote: Wonder

Do you know that, in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom? 

-- Death, The Hogfather (2006)

Travel Thursday: Kenya {Day One}

Hi lovely readers! Guess what! Today is the day that I start sharing my Kenya photos and stories. I'm sorry for holding off for so long--but I hope it was worth the wait!

Today I'll give a little bit of info about the flight & my friend Syano's house and family.

Since we flew with Swiss Air, we had a stopover in Zurich. Going from one terminal to the next, we had to go through security (damn overly safe Switzerland... no, I take that back--I actually love Switzerland), and security took my fresh squeezed orange juice and newly purchased water bottle. Lame.

Anyway, the flight from Zurich to Nairobi in the daylight was amazing.

Just after taking off, we flew over the beautiful Alps.

This is our first look at Africa!!! It was such a cool feeling to see the Mediterranean edge up against a continent we were about to experience for the first time.

After hours of boring desert, we finally saw fertile land. We new we were getting close.

After wandering the airport for a while (Syano & his sister Mueni were stuck in traffic), we jumped in the car and drove through town at night (so we didn't get to see much yet). We arrived at his house, met his parents, and ate some fabulous food.

His mom is an attorney who runs her own law firm that works especially with child-related cases (e.g. adoption) and that is run without the huge competitive pressures usually put on lawyers in their first years. His dad is a Member of Parliament who used to be the country's church leader and spoke out against the way the country's politics were run. As an MP, he is now slowly making progress in making changes. He has a wonderful family that we were lucky to have as our hosts.

Their staff member Chalo was also a very nice guy. He sliced us fresh pineapple in the mornings and made some of the best dinners I've ever eaten. And he was good company in the mornings when Syano's family was at work and the boys were still asleep.

Their house and neighborhood were incredible, too.

There was even a pool in their complex.

We tried to take advantage of the warm weather & pool as much as possible.

Well, darlings, that's all for now. I'll be back next (Travel) Thursday with more about Kenya.

<3

Sweet Summer

Jonty & I had a lovely, summery day today. I turned in my last essay (woop woop!), so we decided to head into town and celebrate.

We sat by the river for a while, sipping on Starbucks, reading, & listening to music.

I really love Bristol, especially in the summer.

We also did a bit of shopping.

Maybe you guys can settle a dispute: Is this dress nice enough for a wedding? (It's cotton.)

I didn't buy this bag, but how cute is it??

New 'fit from H&M.

My new favorite dress/top! <3

It was such a nice day on the town. When the sun is out in Bristol, it has such a good vibe. I can't wait to lay around on the grass, eat bread & hummus, drink iced tea, & read this sunny (knock on wood) weekend. Especially since I'm giving myself the rest of the week/weekend off before I begin my dissertation.

By the way, I don't usually photograph myself in the dressing room... Jonty was still looking around & I wanted him to see what I tried on. Plus, I was feeling particularly bloggy today.

<3

Random Tuesday: chainsaws, blog excitement, & garbage disposals

Random Tuesday it is!

First a letter:
Dear Chainsaw Man,
What reason could you possibly have had to start up your chainsaw before 8:00 this morning? It was chilly and rainy today, so there's no "gotta get to it before it gets hot" excuse. Actually, considering your job only took you about half an hour, it's not like you can claim that you wanted to get the job started early 'cause it would take you a while. Okay, it's fine if you think the hedges in that corner of the parking lot that nobody cares about could use a trim. Maybe it's even okay at the buttcrack of dawn. But you do realize that there are apartment buildings in the area as well as an office building? Maybe next time you could alert us to your work plan so we don't LEAVE OUR WINDOWS OPEN to be awoken by the grating sound of a motor and metal on metal?
Thanks, Breenuh

Stressful day today. I was trying to finish my final essay by 5:00, but it didn't happen. It's ready to hand in first thing in the morning, though. Finally!

There's so much blog excitement coming up! I can't wait! June is going to be a month of change on my blog. We've got Travel Thursdays starting this week (yes, Kenya photos finally!), and I'll be doing some blogger interviews soon, too. There may be some other changes, but I think I'll keep you guys guessing!

Jonty and I started The Wire last night. I think we'll give it a few more episodes before we decide how we feel.

Garbage disposals are like water: You don't miss it till it's gone. Cleaning out our drain is so freaking gross. Ick! If only everyone would just clean it out every time they wash up... but I guess I have very little to complain about here in Flat 11, so I'll just suck it up and scoop out the mushy food particles.

Jonty calls garbage disposals "in-sink-erators" because that's the brand of the one my family has at home (one of the only ones he's ever seen... 'cause England is a weird place).

It's been a long day, so that's enough randomicity for now. Good night!

<3