Thursday, 18 June, 2020
This is a mostly pictorial view of today’s Hackney. Things look a little different and everyone seems mostly fine with it. Adjusting to the ‘new normal’ is going well, or so we hope.
Signs of the times
It all goes Pete Tong – Day 41
Sunday, 26 April, 2020
Forty-first day of sheltering in place.
I was doing well for a long time. I was not feeling stir crazy, actually enjoying the pace of my days, like being on holiday and having the luxury of quiet afternoons to read, nap, write, or even make cookies. Then it all shattered. But first things first.
I made the vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I learned to make at Cake or Death. I had enough for four nights of cookies. Each time I got a slightly different result. I think perhaps there was not enough flour or perhaps Krish mixed them too vigorously. But they were still delicious.
There were the usual casual dinners. This was the fish finger tacos we eat quite often. Help yourself to all the toppings!
And old favourites like matzo ball soup. So comforting.
I even had a go at chicken congee. It wasn’t too bad, considering I had the wrong rice and cooked it only ninety minutes. I’d like to try it again with short grain rice and cooking it for much longer.
It was interesting to watch people responding to social distancing. I had a lot of fun looking out of the window to see the spaced-out queues outside the Little Local, and people ‘meeting’ at safe distances in the houses opposite.
Sheltering in Place – Day 10 – Truths
Wednesday, 25 March, 2020
So ‘everyone’ is in the same boat. It would be interesting to find out more about what people are doing differently than I am and learn from it. I’ve read some great Tweets, Instagram posts, articles, stories, and blogs but I’d like to look behind the public face and see the private realities.
I’m apparently ‘vulnerable’ due to age so I have stayed indoors since the afternoon of March 15th.
But my day is getting up, taking the pills that stop my stomach from quaking, standard two cups of tea and the usual breakfast, do some online work or don’t, exercise my knees, a short meditation, one or two hours of cleaning or tidying, prepare a simple meal, watch some TV or streaming, email or chat with friends near and far.
On my list – not yet written on the board propped by the lamp – brush up my French, improve my Italian, start a new doll that symbolises my dreams, attack my worrying backpile of taxes, clear out my clothing drawers, actually read the books I haven’t opened enough, start collecting important things so people (and I) can more easily find them – let me get back to you when I wrap my brain around getting that board written on. This seems a pathetic list, looking at it now. Where’s my great novel? Where’s the bodybuilding, the study of something amazing, the saving of humanity from my upstairs flat? Sigh.
Tell me the ideas will come.
But truth number one – I actually have enough to do. See above.
Truth number two – I don’t care all that much about my hair. I am a curly girl. My hair and how it curls (or doesn’t) consumes a lot of my time. Well, maybe not that much, but more than it does yours…I think. Sitting here, though, in my living room, not even on camera for any reason, I’m paying it no mind. It’s pinned up on my head out of my way, ignored, not for anyone’s eyes. And who cares what I wear? Not me…yet. There are more important things to do with my time.
Vegan baking
Wednesday, 26 February, 2020
I belong a site called Nextdoor. It unites neighbours in areas around the world, sort of like an updated BBS. It’s so useful for finding things like local tradespeople, events, sales and free stuff and so on. (There’ll be one in your area too!) Some time before Christmas I saw this:
Katie Cross,
NEW VEGAN CAKE SHOP OPENING IN DALSTON
Hello everyone, I am a vegan baker and I am opening my bakery CAKE OR DEATH every Saturday until Christmas starting tomorrow 10am – 3pm. It’s in Dalston on the corner of Dalston Lane and Martel Place E8 2FR. I’m a small business – just me baking – and I make delicious cakes, brownies and cookies and everything is vegan. Do pop down if you’re in the area – I’d love the support! Best wishes, Katie www.cakeordeath.net
Now, veganism isn’t for me but I do have two vegan friends and Hackney is pretty much Vegan Central. Every bakery has a good selection of vegan cakes, some are strictly vegan. When I go out with Lisa, I let her choose somewhere that’s vegan because it’s so much easier than her finding something on the menu where I usually go. I didn’t get to Katie’s bakery, Cake or Death, though.
Then Katie started to advertise classes at her bakery. I still didn’t go for those, until she had a sale. I couldn’t resist, even knowing this would mean…cake!
I arrived at the class and there were nine of us- eight women, one man. There were also no baking spaces other than Katie’s kitchen area and a big table.
We watched her make lemon cup cakes. She made the batter, then worked on the icing. She whipped broad bean water from the can until it stood in stiff peaks, then added in icing sugar and lemon. She also made a lemon curd, which is a normal recipe but with Flora ‘buttery’ margarine instead of butter.
We then made our own carrot cake, measuring and mixing and pouring the batter into tins to bake. Again Flora is used and also unsweetened soy milk. And a lot of oil! It smelled good.
Once that was in the oven, we all had a part to play in making sticky ginger cake. I stirred the huge bowl of liquids – Flora, soy milk, treacle, muscovado sugar, and golden syrup, all melted in the microwave and ready for the dry ingredients.
Our last baking effort was at the end of the class. We each made our own peanut butter chocolate chip cookies – seven large ones. They went into the oven when the other things were ready or almost ready to come out.
The whole place smelled great. The participants were friendly and I chatted a bit to the other two locals that were there – a couple. I should have got their details but I didn’t. Maybe I’ll see them around. Even though we didn’t have our own cooking stations, things worked well. Katie’s helper gave us each a huge box and I put in my cakes and cookies and balanced them all the way home.
Then the eating. The only thing we haven’t tried yet is the carrot cake. It’s in the freezer, cut into three pieces. Everything has been delicious. Nothing tastes like it should be labelled vegan. I’m ready to host my vegan afternoon tea party!
Next, the photos! Continue reading “Vegan baking”
Where is all the rain coming from? Walk in Stoke Newington
Monday, 24 February, 2020
It just keeps raining! On Monday, Shanaz asked me if I could accompany her to a home visit for a new Bump Buddy mentee. Off I went, although not smoothly since the bus countdown app announced my bus was going to be 18 minutes late. But, of course, it did come eventually and I switched to another bus to cut the last bit of my journey down. Shanaz met me at my bus stop to tell me that, just ten minutes earlier, the person had cancelled. So instead we had tea.
I was supposed to meet Lisa after our meeting so I called and moved our meeting earlier. Lisa said she’d pick me up from in front of Whole Foods.
I haven’t walked on Stoke Newington Church Street for a little while. The rain was relentless but I just walked slowly, taking photos anyway before arriving at Whole Foods.
Obviously, there’s much to learn on Stoke Newington Church Street so perhaps I need to check if there’s a tour going. It seems with every little area, the history is so dense that it would take several lifetimes to uncover it all.
Meanwhile, here are two lovely old Bethnal Green pubs, seen on another walk.
