Bank Holiday Monday in Greenwich
Yesterday I spent the day in London with two good friends. Luke, Hannah and I spent the afternoon walking round Greenwich.
Instagram Story Archive: Saturday 6 January 2018
An Instagram Story, with original soundtrack from Saturday's breakfast drink with my good friend Pip, followed by a walk through Mayflower Park.
Instagram Story Archive: Friday 5 January 2018
This is an archive of the Instagram Story I took walking around Ocean Village, after work on Friday, with an original soundtrack inspired by the fading light on a cold January evening.
Instagram Story Archive: Wednesday 3 January 2018
My Instagram story from Wednesday 3 January 2018, with a new soundtrack written during my walk along Southampton Waterfront.
Through the Stars
Through the Stars is a multimedia art piece, made using astronomy photographic plates kindly donated University of Southampton.
Through the Stars is in three parts:
- Photographs: by aligning each plate with the location they map in the sky, the photographs overlay the stars on to the landscape behind
- Soundscape: having algorithmically generated melodies from each photograph, these are manipulated and arranged to create a musical soundscape of the images
- Documentation: a video blog and b-roll images that document the process of creating the piece
Film Photo Blog: Ocean Village
Back in June, I took my old SLR out around Ocean Village. These are the photographs that came from the expired film that was in the camera.
Film Photo Blog: A Sunny Day in Winchester
During the May half term holiday, I spent the day in Winchester with Alice. I took my point-and-shoot film camera, and, after a little delay, I got the photos processed last week. Here's the results:
A Day in Brighton
On the last day of half term, Pip and I took a trip down to Brighton.
After a journey of sing-along songs, we grabbed a light lunch at Plateau, followed by ice creams at Boho Gelato (totally worthy of the hype). After wondering around the lanes we found ourselves on the beach, totally chilled out, and, before heading home, we had dinner at Jamie's Italian.
Vintage Camera
When my parents got engaged, 40 years ago, they bought a cheap ring, so they could afford a good camera. This week I loaded it up with film and took it around Ocean Village.
First February Weekend
It's been a busy first weekend in February....
Auxy Remix:
Auxy is an app I use all the time. Recently, the company that make the app have been running a “Beat the Clock” competition, which I've had a lot of fun entering, and even had one of my pieces shortlisted. This weeks challenge was to remix a previous winner's short track, in to a full length piece. I spent most of my Saturday lazily working through ideas, and piecing together my remix:
Sunday Walk:
Keyhaven is one of my favourite places to visit for a walk: the view across the Solent to the Isle of Wight and the Needles is stunning, and despite the bitterly cold wind, it was a beautiful day to take some photos across the water too. I took lots of pictures with my new Canon 80D, and a few with my faithful old Nikon D5100. It was nice to get some more use out of my new wide-angle lens.
Sunday Lunch:
Even when I'm cooking for just myself, I do love a good Sunday Lunch. Today's lunch included pan friend pork chop, rainbow carrots and baby parsnips all served with a side of roasted cauliflower and broccoli cheese.
Honestly, my only regret, was not going full veggie: the roasted broccoli and cauliflower cheese was hearty, and tasty enough to be the main dish — there was no need for meat at all frankly. The trick to keeping this recipe big on flavour, but cutting down the calories is to roast the broccoli and cauliflower before stirring through the sauce and baking again. The big flavours of the roasted vegetables mean you need less cheese and less sauce, which is great for keeping the calories low.
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese — Recipe:
- Half a head of cauliflower
- Half a head of broccoli
- 12g butter
- 12g flour
- 225ml whole milk
- 25g parmesan
- 25g extra mature chedder
- 1 bay leaf
- a few pepper corns
- a fine grating of nutmeg
- a dash of mustard (english ideally, but any will do)
- 1 shallot, skin removed and cut in half
- Salt, pepper
- Split the cauliflower and broccoli in to florets, season with a little salt and pepper and roast until golden and a little crispy around the edges, around 10–15 minutes
- Meanwhile, make the sauce, buy first warming the milk with the bay leaf, peppercorns, nutmeg and shallot. Melt the butter in another pan, adding the flour and stirring to make a roux. Let this cook out for a few minutes before adding a dash of mustard. Slowly add the warm milk, straining through a seive to remove the flavourful extras you added earlier. Stir until you have a silky smooth sauce, and let it gently simmer for a few minutes. Finally, strain through a sieve to remove any lumps.
- Melt the most of the cheese in to the sauce, saving back a little for the top.
- Stir the roasted broccoli and cauliflower in to the sauce, and tumble in to an oven proof dish.
- Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 10–15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden
This recipe serves two as a side, or one as a main dish.
Putting this in to MyFitnessPal, it works it out to to be about 260 calories as a side, or 520 as a main. Your milage may vary.
Engagement:
My brother and his girlfriend — now fiancee — are engaged! I couldn't be happier for them both, but also, very happy for myself, to be gaining a new sister-in-law too. After two Christmases shared with Helen and her family, she felt like part of the Brombley's already, so it feels even more special that it will finally be official.
The Great Vacation 2017: First Steps
One of my big plans for 2017 is a trip to America: The Great Vacation.
Preparations for The Great Vacation are in three parts this January:
- Healthier and Happier: I'm working on eating healthier, exercising more and feeling happier with myself and my body. To help the health and fitness part, I've been following lots of advice from The Body Coach, and Joe Wicks' January Bootcamp workouts have been particularly useful. To help the happiness part, I've been using the Headspace app, and the guided sleep exercises have been a surprising success too.
- Motivation Maps: I bought two map prints from Mujumaps and put them in two frames from Ikea to sit on my living room walls, above the dining table and overlooking my exercise space, to act as a motivation for eating healthier and being more active.
- New Passport: The last time I had to get a passport I was going to the Ukraine with work, and left it so late I had to drive to London to order a rushed one. It was crazily expensive, and I refuse to make that mistake again, so I'm ordering my renewed passport in plenty of time this year!
Black Bean Brownies
When these vegan, gluten free, low carb brownies popped up on Facebook today, I knew I had to try them.
The recipe comes from So Vegan and it's basically fool proof: you blend everything in a food processor and bake. The only thing I would do differently next time, is to smooth the mix down a little better before baking: the mix doesn't flatten out in the oven like a regular brownie mix does, so mine turned out a little gnarly, although still quite pretty thanks to the whole walnuts I put on top.
Honestly though — and it's not just the mid-January diet desperation talking — these tasted incredible. Gluten free needed or not, vegan or not, these were packed full of deep, rich flavour and a bunch of healthy ingredients... plus some less healthy ones... but a treat is a treat.
Links:
2016
If my 2016 has a theme, it is probably this: finding comfort amidst the confusion.
An Unsure Start
Finishing university in 2015 meant I was back in my old job — the reason I had gone to uni in the first place — and wondering what my plan was going to be. In September 2015, I gave myself a year to find the next new challenge, and so had set about writing a funding bid to Youth Music for a new project at work. That application went off in January, and kick started so much of this years big moments.
M-Tech
By May, we found out that our funding bid was successful and my new role as M-Tech project manager had begun. It's meant incredibly long hours, and so much extra work, but it was the challenge I needed when I decided it was make or break last September. It's been an incredible start, and one of my first jobs when I'm back in January is to wrap up what we've learnt from the Autumn term, which I can't wait to share.
Pyra
Over the year, I've been recording with Pyra, continuing to work on new music together. This year, we both feel like we're creating our best work yet, and whilst much of it remains hidden until it is finished, 2016 did see two songs we worked on go out in to the world: ‘Ride U Better’ and ‘Bodies’ (embedded above).
Invaleurs
In August, I released an EP under the name Invaleurs:
I have a confession.
For too long, the anxieties I experience around sharing my music online have kept me from creating things I love. But when I set out writing these songs, I made them just for me.
With that freedom, I could explore more freely, able to push beyond the boundaries of my own comfort zone, to create songs I am proud of. And so, I am sharing them with you
If you enjoy them, if you share them too, then I feel honoured to know that these songs have found new connections beyond the ones I hold with them. If you don't, that's fine too. I've already done what I set out to do.
Family Holiday
This year we went on a big family holiday to Cornwall, and it was an unforgettable experience: a wonderful, special time spent with family in such a beautiful location. I video blogged the trip to try and keep the memories captured to remember in years to come.
The family holiday came accompanied by two big announcements:
1. Becoming An Uncle (Again)
My brother and his wife, and their two beautiful children, are adding to their family with another one. And later in the year, I got to help them make a special announcement about it...
2. My Sister's Engagement
And the second big announcement was that my sister got engaged!
Annora Bird
Two of my very best friend's a simply the most adorable little baby in to the world, and every time I see them together, my heart swells with pride and love for them all: I couldn't be happier. I wrote a song for her, on the day of her birth, and Emma writes the most incredibly honest, funny and frank blog about what it's like being an expectant, and then new, mum.
UK Music Award
As a result of the successful M-Tech bid, I was nominated by Solent University for the UK Music ‘Outstanding Contribution to Music’ award. It was an honour to be nominated amongst other high achieving new graduates.
Starting a Blog
Finally, in 2016 I started this blog. As I wrote about in October, I started this blog as a way of creating and releasing music that was better for my mental health. And I'm so happy with what I've started to build. As this blog grows, and develops, it's been fun to explore what shape music can take when you remove the constraints of the old methods of production and consumption. I don't feel like I have any answers yet, but asking the questions has been reason enough on its own.
It started with Summer Shorts...
Moving on to Autumn Pieces...
And finishing the year with Vlogmas.
So, to finish, I come back to the theme of 2016: finding comfort amidst the confusion. With all that has happened this year, I have tried to learn to bring myself more fully in to each moment, to enjoy and take comfort in friends and family, and to be a little kinder to myself. What did you learn in 2016?
Vlogmas (Part 2): Finishing the Ultimate Christmas Cake
After weeks of patient waiting, feeding my ultimate Christmas cake with rum, the time has come to enjoy the rewards of my hard work.
After much debate, I decided that I would ice my Christmas cake this year. Although, breaking with my usual shortcut of buying ready-rolled sheets to throw over the cake, I decided to just ice the top of the cake. Where too much icing can be too rich — yes, such a thing is possible, yes, even at Christmas — I could not resist the marzipan sweetness and bright white shell of an iced cake, and so icing the top seemed like a good compromise. I was going to leave the icing plain, but with lots of spare icing, I couldn't resist a little decoration: a few flat white shapes to create a simple winter scene.
Taking the first cut from the cake is always a nervous moment — even more so when a camera is pointing straight at it — so many mistakes can stay hidden until that first slice is taken — undercooked, overcooked, fruit all fallen to the bottom — but I'm pretty happy with how this year's cake turned out! And the taste, is, well, frankly, incredible!
The Ultimate Christmas Cake
Mid-November is the time of year to bake the annual christmas cake: leaving just enough time over advent for it to be fed and mature. With a mix of alternative Christmas songs playing, it is time to bake.
I must confess, despite the title of this post, I don't subscribe to the idea that there is any one ultimate version of a food. As someone who love to cook and bake, I do have countless personal preferences on ingredients and techniques, but I also love to try new things.
If you're looking for a tried and tested fail-safe christmas cake bake, then I suggest you use the Delia Smith recipe that forms the basis of my own and read no further. However, if you're interested in some of my own personal and opinionated takes on a classic, then read on at your own risk.
1. Say No To Currents
Currents — and candy peel whilst we're at it — are evil and wrong and have no place in a cake, let alone one of the most important cakes of the year. Currents, or "dead flies" as I prefer to call them, are a far lesser dried fruit than so many other great options. My personal preference is for raisins, dried cranberries and dried apricots. I also prefer a dried cherry (preferably sour) over a glacé cherry too. And totally avoid the deplorable ingredient that is candy peel.
But honestly, you do you: stick to 900g in total and you'll be fine. I've never once used the same combination of fruits, and I've not had a disaster yet.
2. Rum Not Brandy
It might seem like sacrilege, but honestly, swapping dark rum in place of brandy is one of the best ideas I've ever had. Sailor Jerry's works — the old recipe even more so — and Bacardi Oakheart is this years choice, and I've every faith it will be just as good. Delia says to soak the fruit in 100ml over night. I find that to be far to stingy. I soak my fruit in lots of rum and that works for me.
3. No Nuts
No nuts.
4. Maple Syrup Not Treacle
Honestly, I just go fed up of having a sticky red tin sat in the cupboard that only gets on tablespoon taken out once a year. So I've given up on treacle and, in danger of becoming someone who puts avocado in a cake and calls it "healthy", replaced it with maple syrup.
5. To Ice Or Not To Ice?
Whenever I do Ice, it is always ready rolled. I have no time for rolling my own icing, let alone making it. I've not decided on whether to ice or not this year, as sometimes even the minimal effort of unrolling single sheets of marzipan and icing seems like too large a barrier to place between the choice to take the cake's first slice and actually being allowed to cut it open. However, I always appreciate the seasonal joy that comes from the look — and additional sugar — of an iced cake, so I expect I will endeavour to do so again this year.
With the cooled cake fed with rum, wrapped in baking parchment and foil, and stored away in an airtight container, it will come out every two weeks to again be splashed in rum up until Christmas arrives.
So, what makes your ultimate christmas cake? What you would put in or leave out?
Autumn Pieces 09: Lepe Beach, Southampton
Returning to Lepe this week, where the Summer Shorts series began, I was rewarded with beautiful Autumnal light and an early sunset.
A few weeks ago I ordered a Holga style lens for my DSLR and, ever since its arrival in the post, had been waiting for a bight enough free day to go and make best use of it narrow aperture and vintage charms. With all my weekend jobs completed by lunchtime on Sunday, and the Autumn sun still shining bright and low, it seemed like the perfect time to do just that.
With the increased busyness of the past few months, I've really treasured the times I've spent creating these Autumn Pieces films and blogs. As well, with the short winter days rolling in, I've been actively trying to get more sunshine at the times when its available. So to make the most of the sun, I decided to go back to somewhere close: and Lepe seemed like the perfect choice.
The clouds were moving quickly through the sky all afternoon: sometimes revealing the low Autumnal sun, and other times filling the sky. The bright light causing the Holga lens to turn the sun in to aberrations and flares.
With the sun starting to set, it started to turn cold, and so I moved the car to the beach front, put the DSLR on the hood and set up my time-lapse on the car.
A note on iPhone Photography:
The photographs that I took with my iPhone 7 were some of my favourites of the day. They had a totally different character to the Holga lens — you could almost believe they were from different places on different days — but that is possibly why I love them even more. The blue light that helped to create the vintage, washed out feel of the film and photographs from the Holga lens created dark blue clouds and deep, dark contrast in the sea when seen through the iPhone lens.
Autumn (Bits ‘n’) Pieces 08: Holly Hill Woodland, Southampton
An experiment with format — a series of shorter video clips rather than one longer video — accompanies experiments with music and photography for Autumn Pieces 08.
This week I decided to take on some creative experiments. Inspired by a very talented friend of mine — Lulu McArdle — who, a few years ago, took some photographs of me using a prism to create light effects I decided to take a prism with me on my trip this week to play with whilst shooting.
Walking though Holly Hill Woodland and down towards the River Hamble, the changing autumnal colours stood out in the light coming through the trees dropping their leaves for the coming winter. In front of the iPhone camera, and in front of the 35mm lens on my Nikon the prism created unexpected shapes and patterns from the woodland surroundings and the autumnal light.
On the walk, I found little spots in the woodland to pause and shoot, but it wasn't until arriving at the River Hamble that, in the low, late afternoon light, I could sit and make a time-lapse.
Autumn Pieces 03–06: Isle of Wight
Setting off at 8.30 a.m. last weekend, I took a day trip to the Isle of Wight. After some work in the morning, I set out around the Island to create more Autumn Pieces.
Autumn Pieces 03: Isle of Wight Ferry
8.30 a.m. on a Saturday morning is an ungodly time to be at a ferry terminal, but I made it — and on time. Once again with my GoPro, my Nikon and my iPhone, I was ready for a day trip to the Isle of Wight.
The weather was crisp, and the clouds were clearing, and as the ferry set out from Southampton on the journey to Cowes, I found spaces out on deck to sit, film and compose.
Through Southampton water, the ferry journey takes you past Calshot: it was a satisfying moment sailing past the place I was the week before, but this time, seeing it from the other side.
Approaching Cowes, the call comes to go back to the car, and I must go complete a morning's work before I can explore that afternoon.
Autumn Pieces 04: Newport
After working the morning at Medina College, I drove in to Newport to visit Quay Arts, a cafe and art centre on the bank of Medina River.
Quay Arts is an old industrial building, with a bridge over the river leading you from the gift shop through to the cafe and arts space. The out door area over looks the river, and it was the perfect location to grab lunch, and recharge.
Walking along Newport Harbour after lunch — I had the hand-made burger — it was great! — You see a mix of disused and renovated industrial buildings and along the edge of the industrial riverside, flowers grow through the cracks in the concrete over the water's edge.
With lunch finished, batteries charged, and a brief explore of Newport Harbour, it was time to head off to Alum Bay to see The Needles and explore the coastline.
Autumn Pieces 05: The Needles
Arriving at The Needles at 3 p.m. I spent some time walking and sitting along the cliff tops, capturing time-lapses, taking in the expansive views over the water and turning them in to music.
Grey clouds started to fill the sky, the light started to fade, and with only a few hours left before my ferry back, It was clear that I wouldn't have time to walk along the cliff tops as well as down to Alum Bay beach. And so, with the rain starting to fall, I decided to walk down the steep steps to the beach.
Autumn Pieces 06: Alum Bay
Film arriving Friday at 6pm
As the rain started to fall, I was determined to make it down to Alum Bay to see the needles from the beach. I knew my GoPro would be fine in the rain, but I was tempted to leave my DSLR behind. However, I decided to tuck my D5100 under my jacket and chance it.
The steps down to the bay are steep, but reward you with incredible views across the bay and out towards the Needles: the windy stairs providing perfect stoping points for photos and a quick time-lapse.
Once down on the beach, the soggy walk was repaid with beautiful clear views and an empty beach: I guess the rain had put everybody else off. The view across to the needles was uninterrupted, and I was glad for my (now worryingly rain covered) DSLR to capture the clouds over the bay.
With clouds continuing to gather, and the rain continuing to fall, it was soon time to make a run back up the steep steps, back to the car, and back to the ferry home. With the fan heaters set to full, I tried to dry myself (and my gear) out.
GEAR:
MUSIC:
FILM:
Autumn Pieces 02: Calshot Castle
Now that Autumn has arrived, I want to carry on what I loved about the Summer Shorts series: finding a place, composing piece of music and making an accompanying short film.
The past few weeks have been exceptionally busy for me. The start of a new school year is always busy, but in my new role as project manager for the M-Tech project I have had some of the busiest weeks I can remember. It's been rewarding but exhausting.
Making time to go out and create these Autumn Pieces (and the Summer shorts before that) has become almost a ritual for me now. The boost that I get from the creative release is infectious. There is something mindful about heading out in to an unknown space and creating my own space within in: through the camera lens and through channeling my focus from the world around me in to the music I compose.
I took my GoPro again, and whilst most of the time-lapse video footage didn't come out as well as I hoped, some of the pictures I really loved, particularly this one that I took as I sat over the castle moat, staring in to the glassy pool of water below.
The other thing I have noticed over the past two weekend is how much better my iPhone 7 camera is than my iPhone 6 camera, and, even the disposable Instagram story pictures I took became some more of my favourites from the afternoon.
The music for this piece took multiple restarts before finding an idea that I liked enough to develop in to a full piece. Bob Dylan famously said to write ten songs a day and throw nine away. In a world of digital iteration, finishing nine bad songs doesn't seem like the right approach, but the spirit of trying, and trying again, is one worth remembering when finding new ideas seems illusive.
GEAR:
MUSIC:
FILM:
Autumn Pieces 01: Hill Head
Even though Autumn has arrived, I still wanted to carry on what I had loved about the Summer Shorts series: finding a place, composing piece of music and making an accompanying short film.
Heading down to Hill Head, I knew the changeable autumnal weather would likely bring challenges that the clear summer evenings had kept at bay. So, I decided to take my GoPro camera with me, and I'm glad I did: as my DSLR and GoPro sat on the beach, and as I sat composing on my phone, the tide rolled in. I looked up, just in time to see the waves rolling through the legs of my DSLR tripod and saved that, but the footage of the tide rolling in over the go pro is some of my favourite of the day.
With the waterproof GoPro and my new "water resistant" iPhone 7, I decided to make my way down the spit to catch the waves breaking, and got quite wet. So, retreating back to car with the heaters blasting on full, I worked on finishing the music.
GEAR:
MUSIC:
FILM:
Summer Shorts: Compilation
As the year turns to Autumn, it felt right to bring together the short Instagram films from the Summer Shorts series.
Over the summer I set myself a challenge: find a location, compose a piece of music and create an accompanying short film.
These 11 short films and their accompanying compositions represent a body of work created during the summer of 2016.
Music was all composed using the app Auxy (www.auxy.co) and films were shot on a Nikon D5100 with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 FX Lens.
Birthday (Part 2)
This afternoon, the whole family went to the Huntsman of Brockenhurst for a birthday lunch.
The pub was so pretty — full of beautiful details and special touches — and the food was delicious. This is the kind of pub you could go back to every week and find something new to enjoy each time.
It was so special to be in a wonderful place with family and enjoy an afternoon together.
After lunch, it was time to have cake and open presents: plus the opportunity to see the scans of the new niece/nephew for the first time!
Summer Shorts 10: Netley Abbey, Southampton
Continuing the summer shorts series, I set myself a challenge: find a location, compose a piece of music and create an accompanying short film.
Whilst making the summer shorts series in August, I got to Netley Abbey just as it was closing, but promised myself to come back and try again soon. Today, just as the rain started to break after a wet autumnal morning, I drove back over to Netley and to the Abbey.
As the weather started to clear, the Abbey was empty when I arrived. With the sun working hard to break through the fast moving cloud, I was joined by a newly married couple and their wedding photographers.
With the peaceful calm of the empty abbey and the stillness of the ancient structure, it was only the changing light across the old stone that brought movement to the film. The song started as old hymnal chords which, when changed to a major key, let the melodies reveal themselves over the top.