Lilou's Endeavours

I enjoy knitting, especially in the winter. It has this cosy and nostalgic feel, conjuring up memories of my childhood. A lot of knitters in my family now that I think of it. I remember my aunt knitting in front of the evening film; to this day I don't know how she could watch TV and knit. When I knit, I need quiet and pen and paper to keep track of what I am doing. My mom knitted as well, mostly sweaters for my dolls. She once knitted a sweater for me and got very frustrated as she had to start over a few times because I was going through a growth spurt and the sleeves were always too short! And I always remember my dad coming home from work and putting on his cardigan knitted by his aunt. Loungewear long before it became a thing!   Last year I had decided to try knitting a hat using yarn leftover from a scarf (scarves are easy and straightforward, at worst you have some sewing to do if you want to make a snood). Normally I buy a kit where the instructions, correct yarn, and needl...

...The John Lewis ad is out!         When I first moved to London I discovered a lot about British culture and traditions. But once I got past the fact that Yorkshire puddings aren’t actually a dessert and are delicious with a roast, I thought I had it all under control. And then, as we got closer to Christmas, came the John Lewis ad. We didn’t have a TV in our flat at the time, so I don’t think I ever saw it, but boy was I aware of it. Everyone was talking about it. Of course, Christmas has long become the most commercialised holiday between the gifts, the food and decorations, the jumpers and party frocks. But still, I was amazed that an ad for a department store could be so intrinsically linked to a holiday. (No, at the time I didn’t understand the John Lewis / Waitrose place in the English psyche)       Naturally, all major retailers have since followed suit. They are all spending an unfathomable amount of their marketing budgets outdoing...

Photography is one of those things that I enjoy doing, always say I should do more of and never "get around to".  I've always loved photography, but it tends to be more holiday snaps than anything else. Honestly; I probably peaked at uni when one of my pics was selected for this big annual competition in a photography magazine (didn't get my picture published though, not that good). Last year in a fit of ensuring a better work/life balance ahead of what I knew was going to be a particularly busy and potentially stressful time, I booked myself on a photography workshop, among other things.  The workshop was in the woods, on Hampstead Heath. I loved it! I really got into the spirit of it all, climbing trees and laying down in the leaves to get that new perspective. I even came home with a nice print - which a year later is finally framed and hanging on my wall. I was so excited after that workshop that I told myself I would go out every season and take some great pictur...

 Last year I had a massive craving for an Opéra. Unfortunately, I could not find any here and wasn’t able to get any on my last two trips to France either. I’ll admit it’s no longer a craving but rather an obsession.  With the second lockdown coming and the prospect of going to Paris any time soon looking very unlikely, I have concluded that my only option is to bake my own! The only issue is that this is a rather time-consuming and difficult cake. Sure there is the baking of the ultra-thin and light sponge, but also the ganache and buttercream. And then of course you have to assemble it! (and I’m not a very neat or decorative baker – very much flavour above looks) I really want one of these, but I’m also worried about spending all that time and not getting right. So, rather unlike me, I have decided not to just jump in and have a go. But rather I am going to bake a few other cakes that have some of the elements required. For practice and hopefully to give me more of a chance ...