The Botanist Restaurant Review

While in Birmingham this weekend visiting the new 'Grand Central' part of the station I went with my friend to The Botanist restaurant.

The decor was stunning a mixture of chandeliers, wooden furnitur, lights put together with different coloured glasses and ornate windows.

Even the menu is laid out eloquently and on each table is a book with loads of different ales in. What a cute idea! The restaurant had alot of different drinks lined up behind the bar and had a menu full of cocktails. Had I not been driving I would have most definitely divulged!

Above are some selfies in the restaurant and a few pictures of the decor (I couldn't take too many pictures with my camera for fear of looking rather strange).

Now onto the important part the food! I ordered chicken and chorizo pie which came with chips, mushy peas and gravy. For a drink I got the 'watermelon dew'

Just look at the presentation so beautifully laid out. The chips were seasoned to perfection, there was nothing I could fault with the food and the drink was so refreshing!!

Next time you are in Birmingham whether it be for a night out or for food you should definitely check out The Botanist. I just could not fault it!!

Why Point Horror is a Classic

When I was younger the Point Horror series was all the rage! Horror books aimed at young teenagers about teenagers getting attacked or stalked etc. What young person who enjoys a scary story would not love these!?

Over the years I have managed to collect nearly all the Point Horrors (I got a job lot on eBay for £20 bargain!) and with Halloween approaching I wanted to explain why they remain the ultimate creepy stories.

- Most of the plotlines are believable. What could be more scary than a story that could actually happen?
- They follow the horror genre/make up of most scary films. Look at the majority of horror films out now there will be a point horror book that relates even if its on a basic level.
- They created a massive market in horror books for teenagers.
- They're quick reads not too long.
- They aren't overcomplicated. Most of the horror stories or films being released nowadays try to be too clever almost to the point where the audience is confused or thinking what was the point!?
- There has not been another horror series like this one leaving a massive gap in the market.
- Each story is completely different and there are so many of them to read!
- They're based in settings relevant to the age group e.g. schools, on dates.

The photo at the top shows some of my favourite point horror books and below is my collection:

 

If you want a book to read this Halloween I challenge you to read one of the Point Horror Series! There is so many to choose from that there will be a story for everyone!

Drawing For Beginners- Week 3 - Objects and Perspectives

This week was hard! Even harder than the skeleton which I could not believe was possible!

This week was all about two point perspectives which means drawing objects that are going in different directions or that are at different angles. You had to put your 'vanishing point' on the paper and draw from that.

I decided against that purely because I could not figure out where it went and the perspective of the objects that I wanted to draw was head on.

As you can see I chose to draw a stuffed toy dog sat on a chair (for some reason I thought a chair would be easy to draw!)

Not my best work from the classes but I learnt a lot about shading. For example the fur on the dog is created by shading him in then using a rubber to erase gaps to show light. Then you draw in tiny lines and repeat.

Also using this technique with the shading and erasing  to show the curves of the chair.

Here are my blogs from Week 1 and Week 2 

Anyone got any good drawing tips?

Mug Cake

I'm a big fan of cakes and baking so when I saw that they were selling Mug Cakes I could not wait to try one. I got the chocolate chip one.

What you do is you mix the mixture with 4 tablespoons of milk till smooth and then bake in the microwave for 1 minute 20 seconds.

Then voilà the cake is baked easy and simple. As you can see I used a Mug that was far too big for the cake but overall it was very tasty obviously not the same as oven baked cakes but tasty non the less.

Also a moment of appreciation for my Disney Mug. I love anything Disney! 

Have any of you tried these Mug Cakes ? What did you think?

Drawing for Beginners Week Two - The Skeleton

It was Drawing for Beginners lesson 2 this week! The above skeleton is what we had to draw. This course says for Beginners but both lessons so far I think have been giving us rather difficult things to draw, it's almost like dropping you in at the deep end and seeing if you can swim. 

You can see my blog on week one here.

This was the outcome of my drawing I'm feeling quite proud of it and the art teacher even asked if I had been to art school or done any art before (which I have not) so I took that as a huge compliment!

It's one of those classes where the teacher walks around the room giving you helpful hints. I learnt alot about shading and how to draw ribs (this is incredibly difficult if you can do this with ease I tip my hat to you)

Overall I feel I made much more progress this week and am looking forward to see what the challenge is next lesson!

My Week in Photos 3

Thought I'd do a my week in photo's blog- I know I don't do these every week and just whenever I feel like it I'm still counting these as week 3. It's definitely been a busy one since last wednesday!

Above is my drawing of a skeleton from this weeks 'Drawing For Beginners' class. I will blog about this shortly but in the meantime you can see last weeks blog here.

Halloween Inspired Ghost Cookies

Here it is my Halloween cookie blog. I had planned on shaping the cookies liked ghosts themselves but that didn't go to plan so I've opted to make the ghosts out of Icing.

First off the ingredients you will need are:

- 5oz Plain Flour

- 2oz Caster Sugar

- 4oz Butter

- a few drops of Vanilla Essence

- White Fondant

- Black Fondant

- Icing Sugar

Halloween Themed Cakes

I know it's too early to be talking about Halloween yet I mean it is a few weeks away but I saw the recipe for these witches cauldron cakes and I couldn't wait that long to bake them.

I thought I would share with you the technique to bake these Halloween themed cakes.

First off these are the ingredients you will need:

Drawing For Beginners - Week 1

Months ago I signed up for a Drawing for Beginners course at the local college - I had a non-mid-life mid-life crisis that I wasn't doing anything with my time. I felt like I needed to fill my evenings with something enjoyable and that I could gain some skills from. We had the first session the other night where we basically all had our own table and had an A3 sheet of paper and instructed to draw the plant in front of us of the bat.

The teacher then wandered the room as you were drawing giving helpful tips and explaining about shading light and dark. Erasing parts of the picture to create a highlight. 

Being a complete beginner I wasn't 100% sure what he was talking about but as I watched him demonstrate to others it became quite clear.

Below are my attempts at drawing a cactus and a potted plant. I felt like for a first attempt this could have gone worse:

I used to be obsessed with drawing when I was younger and would constantly be colouring or sketching. I'm hoping this course will reignite my love for it and teach me a few skills along the way.

Comment and let me know if you're a fam of drawing or if you have any hobbies that you are passionate about.

Barbecue Pork with Vegetables, Potatoes and Onion Gravy

Another quick and simple meal to make: Barbecue pork, boiled vegetables and potatoes in onion gravy.

Ingredients:

2 Pork Loin Steaks

1 Diced Carrot

4 Diced Baby potatoes

Some Diced Courgette

Onion Gravy

Spices:

Basil

Barbecue Spice

First you pan fry the Pork Steaks for 5 to 10 minutes till cooked fully through. At the same time boil your vegetables and potatoes until softened.

Then add the basil and barbecue spices on top of the Pork then flip over and sear - add spices on the opposite side and repeat for a couple of minutes. 

Then boil your water and stir in the ready made gravy mix (I used onion gravy granules) then pour on top and voilà your meal is done!

A quick and simple meal to make and above all highly tasty!

TV Shows for Autumn

With autumn here and winter fast approaching this means a lot of cosy nights in in front of the TV.

If you're stuck for something to watch or looking for a new show to get into here are my ten recommendations:

10. Desperate Housewives
One for the ladies Desperate Housewives follows the lives of four women living on Wysteria Lane following their friends sudden suicide. It shows the aftermath and continues on with the drama of each of their lives. There's scandal, comedy, baking, a murder of two and some fabulous outfits. What more could a girl need?

9. Grey's Anatomy
Follows the lives of interns at Seattle Grace hospital learning to practice medicine. I know more hospital dramas aren't they all the same? Honestly I was so pleasantly surprised with Grey's Anatomy the witty dialogue, loveable characters and the occasional crazy plot line. But as the acting is so good it makes the show. If you choose this one make sure you stock up on the tissues.

8. The Walking Dead
Follows a group of survivors after a zombie apocalypse. Rick Grimes wakes up in a hospital after a coma during the outbreak and goes out to find his family. If you're not a fan of gore this one is not for you. This show is brutal not even the main characters are safe! Tissues and maybe even a sick bucket may be needed if you have a weak stomach.

7. Awkward
One for the teenagers or early 20 year olds. Awkward follows unpopular Jenna Hamilton and her school life after an attempted 'suicide' bid. Shows the awkwardness of being a teenager in high school and the many awkward situations that the characters end up in. The clever and hilarious dialogue and likeable characters stop this show from being a cliché teenage programme.

6. The 100
One of the most recent ones I've started watching. Earth has become uninhabitable and man kind has had to live in space for the past 100 years. Now they are sending 100 prisoners down to earth to see if it is inhabitable again. Action packed and a different idea for a show. It's got all the typical character clichés but its very addictive.

5. Gossip Girl
Another girly one following the lives of Manhattan's elite and the mysterious Gossip Girl an online blogger who knows all their secrets and every move and posts about them frequently. This is the ultimate show for girls attractive guys, high end clothes and outfits to die for. Scandal and gossip this is one of my favourite shows!!

4. Castle
Follows author Richard Castle as he works on murder cases with the NYPD. It seems there are many shows out there that follow this plotline but what makes this one different is the wit and charm of the wonderful Nathan Fillion. A clever plotline and different stories each episode keep this series interesting.

3. Pretty Little Liars
The hit show that has everyone asking who is A? After the disappearance of their friend Alison. Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hannah are brought back together through messages from the mysterious A who happens to know all their dirty secrets. This show is gripping very cleverly written and keeps you guessing each season.

2. Supernatural
After the loss of their mother brothers Sam and Dean Winchester are raised as hunters saving peoples lives killing demons. While hunting the demon that killed their mother. Definitely on the horror side with an element of humour mixed in. A great show for the lovers of monsters and horror stories.

1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy Summers is a vampire slayer, the chosen one she alone can stop the vampires demons and forces of darkness. While also navigating high school and trying to have a life. This show has always been and still is my favourite TV show while being rather old now I still feel it is a classic it has everything you could want in a TV show!

So those are my top ten shows to watch in the winter which of these are your favourites and what would you choose to watch??