"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Miss Obleas: Gardening

Miss Obleas: Gardening:
 Strawberries' Diary

One of my favourite fruits, have to be strawberries, and the best thing is that they are easy to grow.
Home-grown fruit is deliciuos, nutritious and inexpensive to produce.

The bare essentials :

Water young plants in dry weather until they are well stablished.
Feed all plants, canes young trees with an all-purpose, organic fertilizer in early spring.
Apply goods garden compost around all bushes, canes and young trees in early spring.

Prune if essential.
Use a seeweed liquid feed as a foliar spray if a plant looks as if it needs a bit of a boost, or is weakened by pests or disease.

The strawberries can be planted in pots , however they require a good care routine. They will taste their sweetest and most delicious when grown where they can benefit from plenty of sunshine.
Pruning: Tidy plants up in the spring, cut off any dead growth.

Mid March.
My pot of strawberries is already showing green leaves !! ,
at this stage It is important to cut off any dead growth,
and keep the new green leaves.
They were inside the green-house, but because of the weather,
as we are at the last week of March, there is plenty of sunshine,
so I decided to take them outside,
were they can benefit from all the sunshine ;)
which is really important.

Monday 12 March 2012

Lemon and Lime Cheesecake ;)

For the Crum Crust
10 Digestive Biscuits, crushed
50g butter, melted
25g demarara sugar

For the filling:
150ml double cream
397g can condensed milk
175g low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature.
zested rind and juice of 2 large lemons
zested rind and juice of 1 1/2 limes

To decorate:
150ml whipping cream, chilled
1/2 lime, thinly slice.

Jelly toping : juice of 3 limes
50 grams of sugar
2 leaves of gelatine

1.- First make the crust: put the ingredients in a bowl and stir until mixed. Turn out into a 20cm loose-bottomed quiche tin and press firmly and evenly over the bottom and up the sides using the back of a metal spoon. Chill for 30 minutes until set.

2.- Make the filling: place the double cream, condensed milk and cream cheese in a bowl with the lemon and lime rinds. Mix throughly. Using a balloon whisk, gradually whisk in the lemons and lime juices and continue whisking until the mixture thickens.

3.- Pour the lemon and lime filling into the crum crust and spread evenly, Cover and chill overnight.

4.- Optional .- You can also decorate it with a jelly topping, as I've done here, you warm up the juice of 3 limes and 50 grams of sugar. Once hot remove and add 2 leaves of soaked gelatine, and allow to cool slightly. Pour over the top of the cheesecake to create a glaze and allow to set in the fridge.

5.- Whip the cream until it just holds its shape. Decorate the cheesecake with the swirls of whipped cream and slices of lime. Then return to the refrigerator.


Enjoy !!! ;)

Tuesday 6 March 2012

::: Feliz cumpleaños a Jorge Celedón :) :::

El 4 de marzo, estuvo de cumpleaños el cantante Jorge Celedón, quien atreves de su talento y su música se ha convertido en todo un ídolo del vallenato, uno de mis favoritos junto con Jimmy Zambrano, y han llevado éste folclor a muchos países, asi mismo Londres-Inglaterra, abriendo las puertas a éste género musical que cada día se consolida más en el panorama internacional.

En su pasado concierto en Londres, ha dejado tanto a Colombianos, latinoamericanos y europeos, enamorados de su musica, de la musica vallenata, y aqui estan los Top 3 videos mas vistos de su concierto en Londres.

1. Enseñame como te olvido    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KCqEOxVwTY

2. Ayy Hombe                         https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoqY4UxycaA  

3. No podrán separarnos         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGpUvaVONnE

Otros videos del concierto :

4. Lo que tu necesitas         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVsLtcBI0J0
5. Mix de cumbias              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJr3BuI6l_g
6. Parranda en el Cafetal     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kDPAFHMM9c
7. Que bonita es esta vida   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kDPAFHMM9c


Cual es tu cancion favorita de Jorge Celedon y Jimmy Zambrano ??

Monday 5 March 2012

Miss Obleas: Photography

Miss Obleas: Photography: " Not just a Picture "

I always like photography , it amazes me how you can almost tell a whole story by one picture.

Its diverse, and you can create almost a very unique and different picture every single time, its unique, and that's what I like. When taking pictures of family, friends, etc, you are capturing perhaps memorable, or even funny memories, that you can look back at and say, "ohhh yeah I remember that day"

I always like ability to be creative and create something unique and different. I could say that perhaps the pictures I take, are based in what I would call CD covers theme, well I remember doing a project for my art-graphics course, based in trying to capture the things that I like, things that can perhaps describe me, etc. Well I chose to capture a picture with a fusion of the things I like, and yes I love music, therefore I wanted to create a CD cover.

Now for me the pictures that perhaps are the "good-ones" are the ones that are taken naturally and in the moment, almost without even thinking too much about it. I stayed focused with this Cd covers theme simply because I like the fact that the one single picture of CD tells a lot about the artist, the music, the whole CD and its the first thing that catches your eyes when you see it, it has to be different it has to perhaps stand out, and it has to be able to attract people, it can also become like a memorabilia, for collection, etc. and it has to attract that important selling point.

That's why I like to get involved in the process of taking pictures, for example,

The stripy theme picture.

I like designing and making stuff, from cards to clothes etc.
So I decided to make a t-shirt, a unique stripy t-shirt. OK I design it, I made it, and then if I wanted to show my own designed t-shirt in a way that attracts people, and perhaps capture attention, but most importantly in a creative and unique way, I had to do something different. something like this --->

I had some of the material left, which I used for the background, and I knew exactly how I wanted the picture to look like, the angle from where it had to be taken, and of course which pose etc, I had to do.
so I ask someone, to hold the camera form where I told them, and ask to take the pics.

After a selection of pictures taken I chose this one, I like the way the stripes from the t-shirt combines with the material from the background. and it makes it something different and unique, with no much alteration in the computer appart from just turning the colour into black and white.

And I reckon this picture could well be a  nice Cd cover ;

http://missobleas.blogspot.com/p/photography.html

Gig Review : Lokandes @ The Finsbury Pub

Lokandes @ the Finsbury pub

On Saturday 3rd of March 2012 I had the pleasure to go to the gig at the Finsbury pub and listen to such talent ; Lokandes.

I first saw them perform at a Bolivian group' concert; Los Kjarkas, couple of years ago. And now I finally had the time to go and see them play almost for the first time.

For me, coming from Bolivia, its really nice to listen to the instruments such as: charango, quena, zampona. It really brings me back some memories and reminds me, where I come from and also to be proud of my country. It makes me more proud to know that one of the members, the only woman of the group, is from Bolivia. Lokandes has a variety of members from Peru, Bolivia,Gran Canarias, Beijing,Paris. A diverse group with very much their own diverse music.

The crowd at the venue near the manor house station, in London, really enjoyed their performance, It was a mixed crowd, people sitting beside me, asked me questions, about where were they from, they were impressed by all of them, paying also compliments to the only woman in the group, playing the zampona and quena. Also by the charismatic and entertaining performance by Kanti, the signer and musician, from Peru. They appreciated, enjoyed and very much liked the performance and talent of all of the members that brings together: Lokandes.  

To listen to such a diverse and well interpreted fusion of music, between Afro-Andean-Latin-funk, something different, their own music, with popularity and appreciation among a mixed crowd from different backgrounds, its absolutely great, something that perhaps only Lokandes has managed to achieve in London. 

Truly great talent, and also had the pleasure to chat with them, get to know them more, they are truly friendly, humble and talented people. And I wish them all the best in their future.

I'll be looking very much forward to see them play again sometime soon.

And don't miss the the chance to go to their gigs, for more information about the group and up-coming performances, visit their facebook page :http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=611736961&ref=tn_tnmn#!/LokandesMusic?sk=info