Conversation Pieces

So… I have so much to blog about right now
that I’m managing not to blog about anything!

(Yup, that’s Zoë logic for you!)

So to get me back in the swing of things,
how about some baking?

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When we were in Japan, I got lots
of nice baking and ‘cooking’ stuff.

One of those things was a wordy biscuit kit.
(I’m sure that the exact translation!)

Since we got home, I’ve been waiting
for an excuse to actually use it…

(Does anyone else ever do that?
Buy themselves something nice
and then not allow themselves to use it?)

So on Sunday I thought wouldn’t it be nice
to bake some biscuits… for us. For no reason at all.

The biscuit on the front of the pack reminded me
of Nice biscuits.. which reminded me of
my recently re-found ‘It’s Nice To Be Nice’
print by Hazel Nicholls…

And so I made ‘It’s Nice To Be Nice’ biscuits!

(See all those letters… they had to be individually
taken apart. My thumbs were really raw afterwards!)

By the time I finished, I kept reading
this as “It’s nice to be mice”!

(Also it’s much harder to put letters backwards
into a holder to stamp on dough than I realised…
there were a few outtakes where the words
are round the wrong way!)

If you fancy making NICE biscuits,
the recipe we went with was:

100gm flour
40gm butter
1/4 tsp baking powder
50gm powder sugar
40gm desiccated coconut
8 teaspoons of water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 almond extract
sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix everything together to make a dough.
Roll out dough onto baking paper.
Put in the fridge for a few hours to firm up.
Then use a cutter to make biscuit shapes.
Bake until golden brown. Then add sugar on top.
Wait patiently to cool a bit before eating!

*******

So I said we also bought ‘cooking’ stuff?
That means sushi kits and some other random things…

Remember the perfect little pocket sandwiches
we ate in Japan? (They were number ’10 in my
10 things I love about Tokyo’!)
Well, we got a kit to make those too.

My other half has been making peanut butter and jam ones so far.
I may need to conduct some more ‘research’ into other
combinations soon… chocolate and banana maybe?

Oh and perhaps the craziest kitchen item we bought?

A bunny mould for boiled eggs!

I can never quite decide if these are cute
or just completely freaky… they’re
good fun to make though!

*******

Until next time… which hopefully won’t be
as long this time! (If you follow me on twitter
or instagram, you probably already know
there’s a future Barcelona post brewing!)

1. Doe a deer, a Japanese deer…

After 5 days in Tokyo, we took the shinkansen (super fast train)
to Hiroshima, then got the ferry to Miyajima.

It’s somewhere we’d planned to go on our first trip
but we ran out of time (and money).

Miyajima is a Spirited Away-style little island
with a huge floating tori (gate) and a whole
lot of wild, tame deer… everywhere.

They’re just there crossing the road,
hanging outside your window,
sneaking up behind you while
you’re chatting or snapping pics…

After a stay in Miyajima (at an amazing ryokan (Japanese inn)
where an old Granny made my husband eat fish eyes!)
we went on to Nara… which is not far from Kyoto.

They have the world’s largest wooden building…
and oh yes a whole lot of tame, wild deer too!

We loved this warning sign about how the deer
might attack you… knock down being my favourite!

There’s something so strange about wandering
through beautiful shrines and temples…
pursued by nibbly little animals!

(I’m somewhat protectively hanging
on to my green tea here!)

2. Temples, shrines, tori… oh my!

If you have time on a Japan trip, go to both
Miyajima and Nara… they’re both quite compact
in size so you can happily walk around, taking
in the sights in a relaxed manner.
(Followed by deer of course!)

Oh and see that glowy statue?
He’s the Dragon Warrior!
If you’ve watched Kung Fu Panda,
you’ll know what I mean!

As we’d been to Kyoto before, we wanted to see
some ‘new’ things… so we went to flea markets
held at temples, handmade markets at shrines,
tried our hand at Japanese printmaking,
a tea ceremony, and even went to some
temples with singing ‘nightingale’ floors.

If I tried to show you everything we did,
this would end up the hugest blog post ever!

3. Foxes! (At Fushimi Inari!)

There was one Kyoto shrine we revisited though…
the amazing Fushimi Inari shrine.

This was our favourite place in Kyoto last time.
(And that was before I noticed the fox thing!)

We originally went just as the sun was rising
(amazing!) but we didn’t want to spoil that memory
so we decided we’d go at dusk to make
sure it was as different as possible…

Turns out shrines are pretty scary
when the sun is going down!

All the pictures came out rather spooky too…
especially the one below of me
holding a fox prayer plaque.

Quite cool though, right?

4. Going geisha

If you follow me on Instagram/Twitter,
you might have spotted one of the pics
below already… yes, instead of going
geisha spotting this time…

I had a maiko makeover!
(A maiko is a geisha’s apprentice)

This was something we’d considered doing last time
but again didn’t have the time and budget for it…

I thought it sounded like something fun to do.

Actually, it’s a very serious process.
You’re not allowed to bring a camera
while they do the transformation.
But here’s what happened:

First, you have to change into a robe undergarment
and remove all make-up you’re wearing.
Then go get painted up – this was surprisingly cold!
Then someone does your make-up. There were no mirrors
so I had absolutely no idea how I looked.

Then you go to the wig room… yes that’s a wig I’m wearing.
And it’s super, super heavy. And uncomfortable.
All the adornments are then added to the wig.
The girl who did mine spent a lot of time
getting them just right.

Next comes the outfit.

Well, almost.

Turns out that geishas are meant to be sort
of ‘flat’ and I’m not. I’m hourglass-y.
So they padded me out with towels
and strapped everything else down!

Then the layers of pretty robes, belts
and sashes went on…

Walking down the narrow stairs afterwards was an experience.
I felt huge and cumbersome… not an elegant geisha!

According to my husband, I also looked rather freaked out.

This was also the moment I saw myself!

I had no idea what I thought I would look like
but I was surprised that I didn’t look like ‘me’.

(Look how tanned my arms look!)

And after all the deer, temples, foxes, geisha-ness and
a whole lot more… it was time to go back to Tokyo!
For cat cafes, shopping, and a Lost in Translation experience!

P.S. Thanks for your lovely response to the last Japan post!
Even if all the Tokyo chat makes me want to go back now!

So 10 things huh?

Um, well, I’ll be honest and say I could do
a post called 1000 things I love about Tokyo.

And that’s before I get into Kyoto, Nara and Miyajima.

(Of course, I’d be here from now until next year
putting it together… and it would be a very long post!)

So here’s 10 random things from our first 5 days
that I fricking adore the hell out of Tokyo for…
you crazy, serene, neon, crowded, uber cute city!

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1. Saying hello (and kawaii a lot)
Last time we were in Japan, we were bewildered,
awed and sort of just overcome with the whole place.
And I was quite shy about trying out my Japanese.

This time, I got brave and when we went into
little shops, cafes, nice places… well
I found myself chatting away.

Of course I was mainly saying yes, hello,
kawaii and goodbye… but turns out
that’s almost all I needed!

2. The buses…

Yes there’s not many places
you can say that you love their buses
but the Tokyo buses are so kawaii!

3. Vending machines

Beer, hot green tea, espressos…
you can get all these things from
a Japanese vending machine.

Then we discovered that there were
banana vending machines too
and it somehow became a bit of
an epic quest that we had to find one!

Honestly we were so impressed with ourselves
when we finally found one… all for a banana!

4. The parks…

All the guide books tell you to go to Yoyogi Park
to see the Harajuku girls doing their thing…
but once inside the park, things get more interesting.

There’s people painting, busking, weaving
and oh yes have a rockabilly dance-off!

Head to Inokashira Park and you’ll find
blossom trees and uber cute swan boats!

5. Cats in baskets…

Look closely at the picture below
there are actually two cats in that basket!

Um, yeah, so you can take your cats for a stroll here…
in a basket… and then give them to
random, bemused strangers to hold.

The owner of the cats also gave us a free calendar
showing the cats in a supermarket,
at the beach, going for a stroll…

6. Naps… on the train

Everyone seems to work such long hours in Japan
that they catch up on their sleep on while commuting.

For the first week in Japan I found myself
awake during the night (I think I was being
a dweeb and being too excited about the next day)
so napping on the train seemed like the thing to do!

6. The Studio Ghibli Museum

I love Studio Ghibli movies so this was a must-visit.
The tickets have to be bought from a specific convenience
store from a machine that’s only in Japanese… a challenge!

Oh but it was so worth it. The adult catbus was so furry
and snuggly inside that I could have stayed for a snooze.

7. Crafty fun

So normal department stores I’m not really fussed about…
Japanese ones however are entirely different matter.
Especially ones that have a whole section devoted to
Japanese washi tape… and check out that floor!
(Isn’t that the most beautiful painted floor ever?)

We went to lots of crafty,vintage and just damn cute places…
I’m writing a feature on them for a magazine at the moment
so I’ll tell you about all of them later. (Or buy the mag of course!)

While doing a little Japan research, I realised that
Hello Sandwich had a crafty class on when we were there.

So I dropped Ebony a line to ask if we could come along…

It was so much fun… creating photo collages of our
digital pictures. Every 2 minutes someone in the class
would say kawaii at what someone else was doing.

It was also the first time I sat still for 2 hours
in the time we’d in Tokyo. Was a good rest too!

8. Lost in Translation advertising

So Richard Gere is the face of Orangina,
Tommy Lee Jones is the ‘Coffee Boss’
and Jean Reno is the star of an ad
that sees him put on a little helicopter hat
and fly away… no idea what the product is.

But most of all, I adore the Japanese logos…

The cat carring a kitten is for a delivery firm.
The Hello Kitty is warning you not to trap
your finger in the bus door.
The egg… well, he’s advertising eggs.

And the drunk chick (possibly my favourite thing ever)
is to tell you can buy vending machine drinks
with your travel card. (I think!)

10. Snacks

Cheetos, popcorn and mini Doritos? Hell yeah.
Pressed peanut butter sandwiches… with a peanut on them? Yup.

The food in Japan is amazing (more on that later)
but their snacks are pretty supreme too
and of course the packaging helps!

Ok, that’s my 10 random things…
I’ve actually missed out so much here
that it makes my head spin.

If you’re thinking of going to Japan,
just go… you won’t be sorry!

Next Japan post: wild tame deer,
temples and shrines… and eh, me
dressed as a Geisha! Yes really!

November 2008.
I’m standing in Tokyo
as a huge parade comes up
a street in Asakusa.

I can barely breathe with excitement.
(I am in Japan! I am in Japan!)

I stand at the back of a crowd and try to peer
over people’s heads to see the parade…

Someone glances round, smiles at me,
says something I don’t understand,
then gestures for me to move forward,
then another person does the same,
and another, and another…

Until I’m right at the front,
with people smiling at me,
nodding, being so lovely
that it almost distracts me
from taking pictures.

******

It’s now 2012. And I can barely breathe with
excitement… because we’re going back to
the land that invented washi tape!
And I can’t wait! Here’s why:

If you’ve ever seen Lost in Translation,
you’ll have an idea just how magical,
mysterious, zany, crazy and cute Tokyo is.
Except in real life, it’s even better.
It’s overwhelming but in a brilliant way.

There’s just so much colour everywhere in Japan…
from old shrine gates in Kyoto to paper
cranes in Hiroshima to this little girl in Tokyo.

Even the signs are cute…
yes, those are helpful raccoons
telling you not to get your hand stuck!

And the randomness… a calendar based on brushing your teeth?
Well, of course! Diet tights? Yup, you can get those too.
And an arcade game based on zombies… and eh typing?

As well as Tokyo, we spent time into Kyoto…
with its cute trains, Golden Pavilion, and the Geishas.
Wherever we went in Kyoto, I seemed to attract lots
of school children who wanted to take my picture…
We suspected this was because of my 2008
inclination to dress like a children’s TV presenter!
I have never been so excited to go back somewhere…
Honestly I’ve been causing myself near heart failure
while trying to plan this next trip.

My number 1 tip for Japan is to wear slip on shoes,
not Converses. I swear I spent 1/3 of our last trip,
lacing and unlacing my trainers.

Oh and this time, if I can, I’m drawing a fox wishing plaque
at Fushimi Inari (possibly the most magical place ever)
and buying a giga pudding. (It has the craziest video ever
and was everywhere we went in 2008!)

*******

Maybe once I’m back from the trip
I might do a proper guide?
If anyone has any recommendations
of places to go, I’d love them!
Or if you share my love of Japan,
do let me know! *Super excited!*

*******

{P.S.} Ok, not so much of a P.S.
as an extra bit of this blog post…

[...]

Yup, it’s me. How fricking cool is that?

When Mollie Makes asked if I’d like to do
a feature for them, I was like ‘hells’ and ‘yeah’…

Well, I actually said something way more polite
but that’s what I thinking in my head.

So it was set – I was doing a tour of my Edinburgh,
my favourite places and must go-tos.

Now some of you may already know that
I work as writer (a copywriter and freelance writer)
but this one was a biggie… as I love Mollie Makes
AND I’d be taking the pictures for it too.

Eeeek. (But in a good way.)

So me and my trusty SLR hit the streets,
invaded some shops and tried very hard
not to just buy things while I was at it!

(This is not actually me in Edinburgh.
This is me in New York, snapping in the Met
but it’s the only Zoë as photographer shot I have.
So imagine this but colder and with less hat!)

Check it out if you can, let me know
what you think… or if you ever need
any Edinburgh tips, well, I’m your gal!

*off to do a happy little dance now*

On Sunday, this cowgirl and her cowboy headed out West…

Well, sort of…

You see, there’s a little lane in Edinburgh
with an abandoned Wild West set.

Not too many people seem to know about it.
And despite having lived here for years now,
I only heard about it a couple of weeks ago
from a friend of a friend while in a pub.
(It’s where he took his girlfriend on their first date!)

On Sunday we decided we’d go and check it out
before doing a spot of charity shopping (more on that later).

{Check out how happy I am with my Wild West find!}

It’s tiny but rather brilliant… and we spent
the best part of an hour, snapping pics…

I adored all the signs… especially the one below.

There was no-one else about which made
it feel both creepy and rather exciting…

Then we decided to take some ‘cowboy’ shots of each other…

{I adore my ‘jail’ shot of the other half.}

Bang bang…

Turns out the other half is soooo much better at cowboy posing
but I’m guessing as a boy he’s had way more practice!

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So how you all? Is there a secret cool thing near where you live?
Isn’t it strange how you can live somewhere for
so long and still find secret little places? Do share!

********

{Update:} I’ve had loads of people asking for the set’s location,
so I thought it would be easiest to put it here.

It’s off Springvalley Gardens, past the Morningside charity shops.
It looks like an unassuming driveway so keep your eyes peeled!

Do let me know if you go and visit it!

{Update 2:} Recently discovered these
fab pics of the Wild West set.
I’m rather sad to see that the saloon
had a roof and doors once upon a time!

Back in September
I uttered those exact words
(without the asterisks).

We’d just discovered that the other half
had not one but two weeks less holiday
than we’d thought. So any idea of a big
long honeymoon/sunnymoon/whatever
was totally fubarred.

Then I started thinking… where can you go
for a week that will be blooming brilliant?

Simple. New York City.

So we went. We ate, walked, laughed.
We got a little sunburnt. We got blisters.
We had what we called ‘the best holiday ever’.

Here’s part 1 of my favourite snaps.
They make me want to go back
there right now. Oh f*** it.

View from the top of The Rock.
(Much shorter queues and a better
view than going up the Empire State.)

Loved the design of this coffee place.
Can’t imagine it would be good with a hangover though!

One thing I remembered from previous NYC visits
was how good the thrift/junk is… I’d been stalking
Brooklyn Flea on twitter before going. And then Thriftola
said it was a must-visit so it would have been rude not to!

Owl cookie jars, vintage suitcases, retro pots…
all sitting on a wooden door table!

The vintage crates which I was seriously considering
trying to put in my carry-on luggage to take home!

The oh so covetable blue Mason jars…
for only a couple of dollars each. Sob.

Vintage milk bottles… I had to buy something
so I bought one of these. Oh yes, I went all the
way to NYC and bought a milk bottle!

He he… didn’t see any puppies though.

So many letterpress blocks…
so little room in my suitcase.

Was quite taken with this old movie poster…
even though I plan on living until
I’m rather old thank you. 

The best veggie hot dog ever… Honestly.
This one had spicy ketchup, jalapeno mustard
and crushed salt and pepper crisps on it!
We came back for seconds later in the day.

A little hipper than the usual ‘I <3 NY’.
Or a little more hipster?

More graffiti… including a slightly scary fox.
I also so loved these big frogs!

One mighty strange thing about this trip
was that I drank coffee… every day.
Which is more coffee than I’ve ever
drunk in my entire life. Ever.
But how could I not when the logo
is so darn funny?!

I love NYC. Word.

Next time… a bit more of Manhattan.
Plus maybe some Diana shots if they come out!

Happy Weekend everyone xx

*****

First image by junkskull

So this weekend past I was in London.

I was down to see my sister’s play,
do some work and have belated birthday fun.

Here’s this weekend in pictures,
including the most amazing
vegan Ferrero Rocher cupcake.

Yup, with this weekend,
London was really spoiling us!

My belated birthday cupcake from my sis…
bought from the amazing Ms Cupcakes.
(I found this recipe for non Vegan ones
if anyone fancies making me them too!)
 The Turkish Delight cupcake
which was rather delightful too!
A birthday trip to Drink Shop Do for afternoon tea. (This was
after a session of hot yoga so cake was more than deserved!)
We had proper afternoon tea for the girls…
and man’s afternoon tea for the boys:
beer, pies, scotch eggs and pickled onions!

I also slightly fell in love with this camera illustration
by faiiint… I want this camera in real life!

And how I managed to leave without purchasing
this yellow teapot is a bit of a mystery.
I did buy myself a badge though I’m not a total martyr!
We stayed at this amazing little hotel,
very exclusive, not very well-known
filled with old wartime prints…
Otherwise known as my sis’s new flat!
This was my favourite print and it seemed to go
perfectly with one of my birthday presents…
my fake fur fox stole!
(Excuse the pjs, I opened this pressie at 1am)
I wore my stole all Saturday…
It was so cosy – and it did seem to make people smile!

On Sunday, we went to Bread Etcetera for breakfast.
They have little toasters on each table
for you to make your own toast. Yum!

Then we popped into a super cute book shop
and went to see the John Martin exhibit
at Tate Britain which ended with a light and sound show!
Brilliant, bombastic and lightening bolt-tastic!

It was A for Awesome… ok this isn’t John Martin’s work
but Paul Thurlby‘s illustrated alphabet (which I saw in the shop)
but it’s just gorgeous… especially the E!

And then it was home to Home Sweet Home.
(Thankfully not Home Sweet Homicide!)

Of course after a weekend like that,
I could do with another weekend now.
And I may have to lay off the cake for a while!
Happy Monday everyone xx

*******

P.S. If you were the lovely girl who said hello at Drink Shop Do,
thank you for your kind words and sorry if I was a little bashful!