Spring has sprung

Pie eater

It's Sunday morning, hangover central and I wander vacantly into Birmingham city centre in search of instant calorific gratification. The food venue possibilites are endless - do I opt for a pub roast, a greasy spoon breakfast, a quick fast food fix? No. Pie and mash, that is the answer.

I've heard good reviews about Urban Pie and make my way there as quickly as is possible in my delicate state, clutching my orange tango gingerly.

On arrival I am distinctly underwhelmed by the menu and lack of choice. True all of the standard pies (ie cheese & onion, steak & mushroom, chicken etc) are present but there is nothing particularly exciting on offer. I opt for steak & mushroom, and then survey the rest of my options, firstly, mash or garlic mash. There is no cheesey mash, so I play it safe and go for the mash sans garlic. I also have some garden peas and gravy, obligatory accompaniments for any pie combo.



At the till is my first disappointment, as my meal comes to a hefty £7.10. I begrudgingly part with the cash and make my way to sit outside and try my long awaited meal, but not before grappling with the not so handy packaging it's presented in, an oh so chic box which doubles as a plate.

Finally I am in, and the mash is a distinct anti-climax. Neither light nor fluffy, it is not buttery enough and is a dense mess, handmade or not I am disgruntled I paid £1.85 for it, and such a small amount at that. The garden peas do little to redeem the situation, and so I turn to the main event, the pie.

It looks delicious, and even has a charming little edible tag/label, if you will, on top sporting the company logo. Sadly, this is the most exciting thing about it. The pastry is heavy and tedious, the filling ok but not outstanding. I feel robbed.

On their website they claim, “At urban pie our passion is to create gourmet, handmade pies, deep filled with the finest ingredients” but I see little evidence to support this. Perhaps if they spent more time on the quality of their food instead of their aesthetic, they would fare better.

For real pie and mash I would recommend Manze's, cheap, cheerful and most importantly delicious.

Lord of the Flies

I started reading this years ago at school but only got half way through. Now I'm a lady of leisure I finally got chance to re-read it in its entirety.



Most people already know what it's about, if not for the seminal book the two film adaptations. I thought the book was just as good as I'd remembered, except for the end. It is such a cop out, it's nearly as bad as if Golding had decided 'it had all been a dream' - such a disappointment; and so inappropriate compared to the rest of the book. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend it if you too have the luxury of spare time on your hands.

Unemployment

Friday 8th April 2011 was my last day ever at my part time job at Coral Racing Ltd. Working at a bookmaker's the last three years has been interesting to say the least, but it was time for the journey to come to an end.

I am now basking in the glorious leisurely glow of unemployment for the first time in six whole years. Seeing as I'm 21 that is a considerable amount of my life spent employed, and as the rest of my life is going to be spent working I'm going to hang onto this blessed state as long as is financially viable.

Obviously not everyone is in a position where they can run out and quit their poxy jobs, but so many people just stay in the same job that they hate forever because it's a familiar routine, it's so depressing. Looking back I cared way too much about holding on to it, when (in my opinion) really you shouldn't be afraid of losing anything. Deep.

Howl

A good few months after its release, I finally got around to watching Howl. Opting for a matinee showing at The Lighthouse Cinema in Wolverhampton was a good choice, £3.50 for the film AND a free cup of tea!

The story centres around Allen Ginsberg's most famous poem of the same name, the film split into the dramatisation of the trial the book's original publisher faced claiming it was obscene, readings of the poem with accompanying animation and interviews with the poet (Ginsberg played by James Franco).



Although the animation sheds light upon the subject matter and makes the poem more accessible, I thought it was a little simplistic, and could have been a lot more interesting given the subject matter.

Overall the film was very engaging though, and made me want to go home and read the book from cover to cover (I'm ashamed to admit that I have still yet to do this, previous attempts/lack of concentration rendering me short), definitely go see it if you get the chance.

Swimathon Success

In the end I swam the 5km in 1 hour and 48 minutes, and raised over £200 for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Couldn't have done it without all the help of my sponsors, thank you! :)

Life Laundry

Exhibition of contemporary artists which was on at the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey early April 2011, here are some snaps from the private view.

Spring