#6 PAVLOVA

I've recently had a huge craving for pavlova. I haven't had it in ages and I love the mixture of textures that you can taste with each mouthful. As part of my summer bucket list I thought I'd give it a try. I've heard that making meringue is quite difficult but it was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Anyway, here's how I made it in case anyone wants to try it.

Ingredients for the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 250g of caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cornflour
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

- Start with whisking the egg whites using an electric whisk until you get a foam-like appearance.

- Slowly start putting in the sugar little by little. The mixture should now thicken and have a glossy appearance. Once you've finished adding all of the sugar, add the vanilla essence, cornflour and lemon juice.

- Once you're happy, pour the mixture out onto a baking tray. You're supposed to use baking paper rather than foil but I forgot to buy it so I had to make do with aluminium foil!

- Put the tray into the oven (which is at 150 C) and bake for an hour.

Ingredients for the topping:

• Double cream as required + caster sugar as required
• Strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and redcurrants
• 5 tablespoons of sugar

- Whisk the double cream along with the sugar until the mixture is as thick as whipped cream

- Mix the fruits along with the sugar on the hob until the sauce has been reduced.

- Once the meringue is done, put the whipped cream on top of it along with the fruit mixture

And voila! 

#4 INFERNO

"The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis."

Dan Brown has always been one of my top favourite authors, and rightly so for a number of reasons. The way he combines science, art, literature and religion to create a fictional story combined with facts boggles my mind each time I read his book. The descriptive language used in all of his books sets the scene in each chapter perfectly. To be completely honest, there isn't one way in which I can fault this man's work. 

It comes as no surprise that the Robert Langdon series have been made into films. As usual, the films are a bit disappointing especially if you've read the books. But I guess that's the case with all films that originate from literature. Nevertheless, it's exciting to see a work of art unfold on the big screen. I believe Columbia pictures are due to release The Lost Symbol soon; the third in the series following the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.

Inferno is a brilliant book! It certainly isn't a disappointment from its predecessor, The Lost Symbol. Set in Florence, the story takes you on a journey with Robert Langdon through various museums and cathedrals in search of clues to unlock the secret to a potential global disaster. 

I hate summarising books so I'm afraid you're going to have to take my word for it and read this piece of genius work.

#3 HARRY POTTER MARATHON

At the tender age of 7, I watched a film which spurred me on to read like a maniac for the next few years. 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

I still remember the moment I opened up the book and the words of J.K. Rowling flew from the pages and toyed with my imagination. From that moment on, I awaited the release of every other sequential book and film like many other 7/8 year old children.

It's amazing, sad even, that the finale of this amazing series was also the end of the childhood of a generation. The harsh reality of growing up hit me as I watched Harry Potter's son board the train in the Deathly Hallows Part 2...

It's only when you watch all the films in one go that you realise how quick you've grown up as a person. I don't know, maybe I'm looking into it too much. But I can't help but think how different I was when I was 7 to when I turned 17. Time really does fly doesn't it?

Having a Harry Potter marathon was on my summer bucket list and I'm happy to say that I've finally finished it. Currently I am extremely tired and will be hibernating for the next week or so!

http://bewitchthemind.tumblr.com/post/755702757

I'm still very upset that I didn't get my letter to go to Hogwarts when I was 11, but whatever I'm not holding any grudges.

#2 QUICK SKETCH

I've ticked off the first thing on my summer bucket list!

Not having drawn anything for nearly 2 years has definitely made me a bit rusty. I've always enjoyed Art; it was one of my favourite subjects throughout high school and sixth form. Regardless of how good/bad I was at it, there was something so very peaceful about listening to music and drawing how you felt or how you perceived the object in front of you.

 

        

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

I know that it's already August and I have less than a month until I'm back at university. But I thought I'd make a little list of things that I aim to complete by the end of my very short summer.

#1 - Make a scrap book for year 1 (I'm not sure whether to make a book or a folder on my laptop but we'll see!)

#2 - Create a painting/drawing (I haven't done any form of artwork since AS and I really REALLY miss it. Unless you count anatomy illustrations as art...)

#3 - Harry potter marathon (I haven't seen any of the films in a long time and whenever I want to, I can never decide which one to watch. So I might as well start from the beginning)

#4 - Read inferno by Dan Brown (I started reading this book during SSM but never got round to finishing it and as a die hard fan of Mr. Brown's work, I feel obliged to complete reading his masterpiece)

#5 - Make up a dance for the first session back (Due to the final month of university being extremely torturous, I had to cancel a few classes. So it would be good if I could get back into dancing again)

#6 - Bake a cake (I am absolutely terrible at baking cakes. So this summer, I am going to try perfect my skills)

I'll keep you all updated on how I get along with each of the things on my list. Why not make one of your own, I'd love to see what you've put on it!