Colourful clothes for gloomy days as the news is in that the temperature will drop drastically in the UK early next week, while back in my homeland Australia it is over 43 degrees for the third day in a row.
I will console myself with Frieda Kahlo’s dresses, and remind myself that I hope to make it to Mexico City this year to see Alice.
From the book Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress: Frida’s Wardrobe
Liz Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance is one hot lady. And gap-toothed as it happens.
Photos by Akahiro Imamura from Myspace.
Gang Gang Dance led the east coast Boadrum 88 concert of 88 drummers, which took place on 8 August 2008, starting at 8.08pm. The concerts were conceived (and hosted in LA) by The Boredoms. The New York concert took place on the Williamsburg waterfront, of course.
Reminds me of when Cindy and I camped in the mountains in Ibiza and met the German family who were techno Djs in Berlin, wore leather “garments” and now got their kicks from all night trance drumming. Boadrum 88 was sponsored by Nike, wheras our German couple were brought to us by years and years of acid.
My birthday this year will be 09/09/09. I think it’s too late for my Saturn’s Return, but if anyone has a drum kit I’ll hit it nine times for luck.
Photos from Terence Conran’s The House Book
The Achille Castiglionni light in the final image is amazing, but is cropped. You will just have to buy your own copy…
I’m not sure if it’s the financial climate or the weather, but this winter we have been going wild for seventies-style casserole dishes. Popping the pot in the oven, rubbing down that olive wood salad bowl with a clove of garlic and eating from pottery plates. While they’re in the oven I often flick through one of my favorite interiors inspirations: Terence Conran’s House Book - the version published in 1974.
Two of my favorites were probably last fashionable then, or when The Good Life was on the telly.
Smokey sausage casserole
OK so sausages aren’t my favorite food and they’re not exactly a slimmer’s first choice. But if you can make this and leave overnight, slowly reheating the following day, they take on so much of the flavour they’re delicious.
You need a good big heavy casserole dish with a lid!
Preheat the oven. Fry 12 good sausages on a medium heat for a few minutes until browned all over. Pop in the dish. Chop up into large chunks and fry six thick slices of bacon and pop these in on top of the sausages. Slice two medium red onions and fry on a low heat until softened, add two chopped garlic cloves, and stir, then add two teaspoons of paprika, stir in over the heat and then tip over the sausages and bacon.
Now add to the pot two 400g tins of tomatoes, a 400g tin of cannellini beans (drained obv, and lentils are a Good Life alternative), 400g chopped pumpkin, 300 ml of chicken or vegetable stock, two bay leaves, three to four sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper and then bring to a simmer on the stove top.
Once it’s simmering stir gently but well and transfer to the oven. Depending on when you’re eating you can cook for 40 mins at top blast and have a just cooked and slightly soupy version, or you can cook on a lower heat for a few hours. Or you can cook and leave overnight to really develop.
I like to serve with crusty brown bread, crème fraîche and some fresh spinach leaves.
Tuna casserole
This dish always reminds me of childhood in Australia when it was a winter favorite. A big dish is required for this too as the recipe feeds six. Unlike the sausage casserole this is awful the following day so either have pals over, or get yourself a Jack Russell.
Preheat the oven and grease a large dish. Cook 250 grams of dried short pasta the usual way and drain. (That “fresh” pasta in the supermarkets is one of my real bugbears - I like fusilli bucati myself.)
Melt 40g butter in a heavy based saucepan and add three tablespoons or so of wholemeal flour. Stir until it takes on that nutty smell. Whisk in slowly one and a half cups of milk (dairy, soy, rice, whatever) and then about 300g of light crème fraîche. At this point you can remove from the heat and whisk in one or two raw eggs. I put one in, but never two. Just seems a bit much? Season and quickly stir through a finely chopped small onion and a cup of cheese (tasty or Gruyère), the pasta, one well drained and rinsed 425 gram tin of tuna in springwater, and then add some chopped parsley, a good squeeze of lemon juice and about half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg. I also add whatever I fancy that is handy - usually chestnut mushrooms chopped in half or some spinach.
Stir well and pour into the greased dish. sprinkle over lts of breadcrumbs and then a little melted butter and pop in the oven for about half an hour. The top will be golden brown. Stand a few minutes before serving with freshly steamed broccoli.
Today I’m painting the kitchen in preparation for our new cupboards going up. I was supposed to do it at any point since last October but have left it until the day before. Of course.
Not that I don’t enjoy painting - I love it in fact. It gives me a chance to wrap up my long hair in a scarf a la Rosie the Riveter and wear paint spattered ancient Levis. Always makes me think of Bananarama in the Cruel Summer clip.
All duds from Etsy.
Woke up this morning to how I’d like to dress today: colour, stripes, sunlight, heels, sporran.
And the denim and battered leather I’ll end up in. Always the man outfit…
I’m so bored with Facebook right now I can’t tell you. I barely check it. But when Mr G joined a group called The Dirt Box and mentioned there were photos scanned in from clubbers I thought I’d take a look.
The Dirt Box was a club run by Phil Dirtbox and Rob Milton in the eighties, lots of Hard Times looks, fifties syling, cute girls.
These posted by Rob Milton from a weekender in Bournemouth capture the spirit so well, and now take their place among my favorite looks of the whole decade.
Respect. You guys look amazing.
All photographs (c) Rob Milton.
for the most wanted list.
