As darkness falls over Asakusa in Tokyo, loads of locals who have just finished work head to their favourite local restaurant for some amazing and succulent ramen. A lady brandishes a treat in the air and makes her Chiba Inu jump and twirl for the entertainment of passers-by. Salarymen and tourists on their third or…
Continue reading ➞ Every picture tells a story: Kanpai in Asakusa, Tokyo
Only got a weekend in Melbourne, but want to experience the best of an Aussie summer? The Mornington Peninsula is where to go. This is where the locals flock for the best beaches and laid back holiday vibe. Located in the south east of Melbourne, it's my original stomping ground and so I know it…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: Lazy summer weekend ideas on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula
This is one for all the history nerds out and anybody who likes cooking and eating, which probably means you. When you try to recreate an ancient recipe, you may end up with a stinking cesspool of inedible muck or a culinary wonder. Two very famous US universities Harvard and Yale collaborated together to cook…
Continue reading ➞ Cooking 4,000 year old Babylonian recipes, how do they taste?
Cycling alongside calming bodies of water is one thing in life that I adore. In the past I've cycled along the Odra in Wroclaw, Poland, Tamaki Drive in Auckland and along the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, along with many other places. However the Kamo River in Kyoto tops them all. The Kamo river has a flat…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: Cycling adventures along the Kamo river, Kyoto
With its rather dramatic title 'How Not To Die' is a timeless guide to a lifetime of good health. Although there's a lot of these dietary and nutrition books around, none are as stuffed full of scientific references and scientific evidence as this one. In fact a whole third of the book is dedicated to…
Continue reading ➞ Book Review: How Not to Die by Dr Michael Greger MD
Here's a short media consumption list, from the worst and least nutritious to the most nurturing. Rule of thumb don't eat anything that will give you cancer. Vice - The exhaust fan of a Chinese restaurant. Buzzfeed - A soggy bagel brandished by a drunk guy who wants to fight you. Instagram - A litre…
This is very personal. I've found that by using these five channels on YouTube I have really gained a lot from life and these channels have helped me with my personal growth in fitness, health, wellness and happiness. I hope you will check them out and enjoy them as much as I do. By the…
Continue reading ➞ Five YouTube Channels to Help Women Change Their Lives
In our front yard we have a burgeoning, blooming mini forest that encroaches on our house. Part of this wildness is a feijoa tree that drops a bounty of hundreds of oval-shaped bright green feijoa fruit onto the forest floor. I then need to scramble to grab all of these treasures before they are subsumed…
It was broiling and steaming at about 38 degrees in Madrid that day. Looking out over the vista of Madrid during the peak of the siesta period it seemed that all the traffic had stopped and all of the sensible people in the city had retreated inside, except for the tourists like me of course.…
The Polish Bear and I went on a lot of adventures together while living in Edinburgh. One of our favourite walking trails was the devastatingly beautiful Water of Leith. This natural body of water crosses over the Forth and Clyde Canal, which I've written about extensively before. The Water of Leith snakes its way through…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: Walks along the Water of Leith, Edinburgh
Satisfy your inner control freak with this delectable selection of painstakingly colour coded and intricately arranged foods by Adam Hillman on Instagram. Hillman is now at the helm of one of the most popular Instagram accounts in the world due to his amazing collection of art which is funny, obsessive and quirky. Here is a…
Continue reading ➞ Design: Adam Hillman’s symmetrical foods are oddly satisfying
At least 7 years ago now, I WWOOFED in Andalucia, helping out with cleaning and cooking at an Andalucian B&B villa just outside of Vejer De La Frontera.The work was far from easy although I did happen to live in a mountainside cabin (cheap fibro, but yet still my own for a wee while). I…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: The ancient moorish town of Conil De La Frontera, Andalucia
On a recent trip to the beautiful Lake Taupo with all of its athletic pursuits such as MTB there is nothing better than chowing down on some superb and hearty food. Taupo has some great options which we tried and loved. For a quick and reasonably priced brunch, try Cafe Baku which has a relaxed…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: The best places to eat in Lake Taupo, New Zealand
Edinburgh is bewitching at all times of year but arguably the most captivating time is before and during Christmas. From early December the area in Princes Gardens is turned into an enchanted frozen amphitheatre. The faerie wonderland buzzing with a German Christmas market and overflowing with handmade, wooden and delicate trinkets, along with carnival rides…
Continue reading ➞ Travel: Luminous Edinburgh during Christmas time lights the way through winter
All of the cycling routes here generally take place on paved and separated cycling paths that are away from the road. In all cases I have endeavoured to only include the safest routes possible with minimal direct contact with the traffic. Mainly this is because Auckland drivers are pretty bad and it's not a good…
As you probably have realised from previous posts about the automated paper town called Paperholme, I'm obsessed with paper art. And here is yet another fragile and whimsical creation that I've fallen in love with. Paper is a medium that can trump rocks but not scissors, and in these stop motion animations you will discover…
Continue reading ➞ Phantasmagorical Paper Recipes to Fuel your Belly and Brain
From writing for several years for the Edinburgh Food and Drink Guide I have gathered together some personal favourites of the Athens of the North. Here are a selection of Edinburgh restaurants that require some pounding of pavement often through beautiful scenery to get there. These eateries are worthy of recommendation because of their beautiful ambience,…
Continue reading ➞ Five Brilliant Off the Beaten Track Restaurants Around Edinburgh
Orakei Bay Village is a boutique block of specialty shops, fancy eateries, breweries and wine cellars (because Kiwi's do like a drink or two). A Kiwi tradition or perhaps Auckland tradition (which I think is amazing) seems to be that each suburb has a burrowed away and hidden block of shops, where local businesses and…
Continue reading ➞ Auckland’s Hidden Culinary Heaven: Bowl & Arrow and Farro (Orakei Bay Village)
Salvador Dalí isn't generally remembered for his culinary prowess. Although he was a secret admirer of gastronomy for all of its transformative and monstrous properties. In his rare and 1973 cookbook Les Diners de Gala, just reissued by Taschen. the late iconic artist celebrates dream-like and surreal flavour combinations. Chapter titles include Prime Lilliputian malaises’ (meat)…
Living in tropical South East Asia definitely has its benefits. One of them is being able to tan all year round. Another, is the abundance of juicy, vibrantly coloured and weird-looking fruit. This tastes like nothing you have ever tried before! Also, Asian fruit is cheap to buy here, so it's easy to conjure up…
Continue reading ➞ Wild and Wonderful Asian Fruit Smoothies to enjoy this summer
