While I was in Los Angeles, I reveled in the breakfast buffet the restaurant, Breeze, served every morning. I especially reveled in the steel cut oats. Mmmm... with a little cinnamon, and a healthy dollop of plain yogurt alongside, they were delicious.
I've found a source of organic steel cut oats here, and this morning is my first attempt at cooking them. (My doctor has given me until Christmas to show him I can lower my cholesterol through diet and exercise. This seems like a very good place to start.)
I searched the web for recipes for steel cut oats. The first few sites I found weren't quite what I was looking for. Their recipes added this, that, and the other thing to the oats. Not what I want. I then searched the words proportions water steel cut oats. This gave me much more useful hits. When I clicked on the one that seemed most promising, to my surprise (and delight) I found myself in the Apartment Therapy Kitchn!
Now if I just had the porridge plate that my aunt gave me when I lived in Saskatoon, but that I gave back when I moved, not being totally sure that she really meant for me to keep it...
If you'd like to enjoy some steel cut oats a la the AT Kitchn, here's the link.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Across a... well, an uncrowded room...
As seen on min/min's blog. I couldn't resist. I MadMen'd myself. (I'm sure that if I remembered I had a TV at the correct time, I would enjoy the show.) (And if I'd known I was going to end up in the setting I chose, I would have dressed my character differently. My character needs Wardrobe Therapy.)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
City of the Angels
Late Friday night (about midnight, August 12) I got home from a trip to Los Angeles. I had left two and a half days after getting home from England. After not traveling for years, the fact that I've made these two trips is amazing to me.
Amazing, but true.
I went down to LA to attend the 40th annual Summer Conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). It was an inspiring, intense three days of keynote speeches, workshops, socializing, networking among 1,342 writers, illustrators, agents, publishers, editors, followed by a day of "intensive" workshops -- a 3 hour workshop in the morning and another 3 hour one in the afternoon.
Highlights were keynotes by fantasy author Bruce Coville, illustrator David Small, YA (young adult novel) author Libba Bray, a workshop by Libba, and an intensive on writing fantasy novels by Bruce. Richard Peck was also incredibly inspiring in his speech at the Golden Kite awards luncheon. I could go on and on.
The networking was also fantastic. I met members of the Children's Book Hub to which I belong, and also met other writers and illustrators from many places (there were attendees from 49 states and 20 different countries). Every year there's a poolside party on the Saturday of the conference, with a different theme for costumes. This year, since it was the 40th anniversary, the theme was "A 40 winks PJ Party." Seeing hundreds of writers, illustrators and others in the children's book world dancing around the lawn by the pool at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in PAJAMAS has to be seen to be believed. Okay, here's a sample. Me, in my Very Fairy Princess "Let Your Sparkle Out" PJs, with my copy of The Very Fairy Princess. I'd never danced with a book before. I can recommend it.
I'd also never seen so many people taking photos of their dessert -- but when the dessert was served at the awards luncheon, cameras were flashing all over the place. It was an incredible dessert -- I could only eat the berries and a tiny bit of the cream inside the chocolate book, but oh my, it was good.
Do I look happy, or what? Honestly, I was amazed at how happy and relaxed I was in LA. It was my first trip there, and except for a couple of people I knew from online contact, I was in the midst of strangers, yet I felt completely comfortable. I have changed and grown so much in recent months. Sometimes I can hardly believe how much. It's such a good feeling.
After the conference was over, I stayed in LA for a few days, did a bit of research for my adult novel project (although not as much as I'd hoped, as some of my plans didn't pan out). I went on a five hour "deluxe" tour of Warner Brothers Studios, which was fascinating -- but left me wanting more. I visited an area of LA where some of the characters in my novel live, and imagined myself as one or the other of them as I went about the day. That gave me some insights into the characters and their experiences that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
In past years, any time I was away, there was always at least one time during the vacation that I just wanted to be home. That wasn't the case either in England or in LA, and I didn't want to leave Los Angeles when Friday came. I know I'll be back.
Amazing, but true.
I went down to LA to attend the 40th annual Summer Conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). It was an inspiring, intense three days of keynote speeches, workshops, socializing, networking among 1,342 writers, illustrators, agents, publishers, editors, followed by a day of "intensive" workshops -- a 3 hour workshop in the morning and another 3 hour one in the afternoon.
Highlights were keynotes by fantasy author Bruce Coville, illustrator David Small, YA (young adult novel) author Libba Bray, a workshop by Libba, and an intensive on writing fantasy novels by Bruce. Richard Peck was also incredibly inspiring in his speech at the Golden Kite awards luncheon. I could go on and on.
The networking was also fantastic. I met members of the Children's Book Hub to which I belong, and also met other writers and illustrators from many places (there were attendees from 49 states and 20 different countries). Every year there's a poolside party on the Saturday of the conference, with a different theme for costumes. This year, since it was the 40th anniversary, the theme was "A 40 winks PJ Party." Seeing hundreds of writers, illustrators and others in the children's book world dancing around the lawn by the pool at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in PAJAMAS has to be seen to be believed. Okay, here's a sample. Me, in my Very Fairy Princess "Let Your Sparkle Out" PJs, with my copy of The Very Fairy Princess. I'd never danced with a book before. I can recommend it.
I'd also never seen so many people taking photos of their dessert -- but when the dessert was served at the awards luncheon, cameras were flashing all over the place. It was an incredible dessert -- I could only eat the berries and a tiny bit of the cream inside the chocolate book, but oh my, it was good.
Do I look happy, or what? Honestly, I was amazed at how happy and relaxed I was in LA. It was my first trip there, and except for a couple of people I knew from online contact, I was in the midst of strangers, yet I felt completely comfortable. I have changed and grown so much in recent months. Sometimes I can hardly believe how much. It's such a good feeling.
After the conference was over, I stayed in LA for a few days, did a bit of research for my adult novel project (although not as much as I'd hoped, as some of my plans didn't pan out). I went on a five hour "deluxe" tour of Warner Brothers Studios, which was fascinating -- but left me wanting more. I visited an area of LA where some of the characters in my novel live, and imagined myself as one or the other of them as I went about the day. That gave me some insights into the characters and their experiences that I wouldn't have had otherwise.
In past years, any time I was away, there was always at least one time during the vacation that I just wanted to be home. That wasn't the case either in England or in LA, and I didn't want to leave Los Angeles when Friday came. I know I'll be back.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Oh to be in England...
I'm breaking into my blog hiatus briefly, to let you know that I've just come back from a wonderful 9 days in England.
My traveling chum, J, and I didn’t want to leave England on Sunday. We both could have happily stayed forever in the village where we spent most of our time. As it is, we’re already planning our next trip, hoping to go back in two years (for J’s 70th birthday).
For the first three days, a friend from Ireland joined us, and the three of us had a wonderful time together. Up until then, we’d only known S through emails — we got along as if we’d known each other in person for years. Never let anyone tell you that online friendships are not “real” friendships.
S had rented a car, and driving down the motorway, or in the villages, or in London, didn’t seem to phase her one bit. It was so good to have her driving skills on call, as well as her delightful personality.
I’d like to share just a few highlights from our trip — and might I say it’s very difficult to choose highlights, because there were so many during the course of our brief, 8-day stay (the 9th day was the day we left).
On Sunday, we had the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at a pub on the Thames. Although the roast beef and pud weren’t as good as my mother or my grandmother used to make, the veggies were superb, the company delightful, and the setting idyllic.
Monday evening, we attended a performance of Pygmalion, with Rupert Everett as Henry Higgins, at the Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road. We’d been looking forward to seeing Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs. Higgins, but unfortunately she was ill that night, so we saw her understudy instead. It was a very good production — and we felt right in the heart of the action, as S had bought tickets in the 4th row of the stalls! Great vantage point for everything.
For three of our nights in England, we stayed at the most wonderful B&B -- it was my first experience of a B&B, and it may well have spoiled me for any other accommodation, anywhere, anytime. We’re already planning our next visit — the next time we’re in the area, we will stay at that B&B for the entire time. We both hated to leave it (we bracketed our stay there with stays in two historic hotels).
The view from my bedroom window:
On Wednesday, friends of mine from a bit north of London drove down and took us to Runnymede, where we visited the Allied Air Forces memorial (and I saw my uncle’s name in the list of personnel who died in 1942), and of course, the Magna Carta memorial
On Thursday we took a river cruise down the Thames to Kingston and Richmond (and I thought of the Little Grey Men going Down the Bright Stream.) Friday we celebrated J’s 68th birthday with a steak dinner at the river’s edge. We ate there again the next night. We could not get enough of being on or near the Thames.
One final photo — standing on a picturesque bridge, looking down the Thames…
You know the song “I left my heart in San Francisco”? I think I left at least a piece of my heart in that village on the Thames.
The blog hiatus will now resume until mid-August.
My traveling chum, J, and I didn’t want to leave England on Sunday. We both could have happily stayed forever in the village where we spent most of our time. As it is, we’re already planning our next trip, hoping to go back in two years (for J’s 70th birthday).
For the first three days, a friend from Ireland joined us, and the three of us had a wonderful time together. Up until then, we’d only known S through emails — we got along as if we’d known each other in person for years. Never let anyone tell you that online friendships are not “real” friendships.
S had rented a car, and driving down the motorway, or in the villages, or in London, didn’t seem to phase her one bit. It was so good to have her driving skills on call, as well as her delightful personality.
I’d like to share just a few highlights from our trip — and might I say it’s very difficult to choose highlights, because there were so many during the course of our brief, 8-day stay (the 9th day was the day we left).
On Sunday, we had the traditional roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at a pub on the Thames. Although the roast beef and pud weren’t as good as my mother or my grandmother used to make, the veggies were superb, the company delightful, and the setting idyllic.
On Monday, we drove into London and had lunch at the Dorchester Hotel with my friend, Brian Sibley. Brian is a writer, radio broadcaster, C.S. Lewis expert, Tolkien expert, the list goes ever on… He is also a delightful person, and our lunch extended over three hours! (Left to right: J, me, S, Brian)
Monday evening, we attended a performance of Pygmalion, with Rupert Everett as Henry Higgins, at the Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road. We’d been looking forward to seeing Dame Diana Rigg as Mrs. Higgins, but unfortunately she was ill that night, so we saw her understudy instead. It was a very good production — and we felt right in the heart of the action, as S had bought tickets in the 4th row of the stalls! Great vantage point for everything.
For three of our nights in England, we stayed at the most wonderful B&B -- it was my first experience of a B&B, and it may well have spoiled me for any other accommodation, anywhere, anytime. We’re already planning our next visit — the next time we’re in the area, we will stay at that B&B for the entire time. We both hated to leave it (we bracketed our stay there with stays in two historic hotels).
The view from my bedroom window:
On Wednesday, friends of mine from a bit north of London drove down and took us to Runnymede, where we visited the Allied Air Forces memorial (and I saw my uncle’s name in the list of personnel who died in 1942), and of course, the Magna Carta memorial
On Thursday we took a river cruise down the Thames to Kingston and Richmond (and I thought of the Little Grey Men going Down the Bright Stream.) Friday we celebrated J’s 68th birthday with a steak dinner at the river’s edge. We ate there again the next night. We could not get enough of being on or near the Thames.
One final photo — standing on a picturesque bridge, looking down the Thames…
The blog hiatus will now resume until mid-August.
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