Early morning Strelitzia

:)

A window, s'all.

Just a window...

Two Years

Two years...

Zoo lake (again)

I have posted this photo here before, in a brownish sepia tone; here it is in the original colours. It is one of my favourite photos and almost my only wallpaper since I captured this...

Lunar eclipse

once it got dark my ability to focus was a matter of luck only, and by the end I wasn't even sure the camera was still pointing at the moon...

shooting with my new Canon 600D + 250mm Canon lens

New Camera

After saving up for ages, I finally have my own SLR... my preciousss.

Pictured: My new Canon EOS 600D. It came with a cushy bag and two lenses (18-55mm and 55 - 250mm). I have to resist the temptation to lose myself to its charms and settings until after exams end in July...

I fear I may blow what little money I have left on accessories if I'm not careful. The filters, the tripods.

Yoda

awesome.

ASDF Movie

I AM PUNCHING YOUR SALAD!!!

A friend introduced me to the wonder of ASDF movie. I think 3 is the best, but they're all good...

A dusty morning

Red Velvet Cake

I decided to surprise mum with this cake for her birthday. A brief encouter with a Red Velvet Cake a few months ago stuck in my mind and this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand it it. The recipe is from joyofbaking; no particular reason, it just simply happened to be the first result when I googled for a recipe. Apparently, the vinegar brings out the red in cocoa, which when combined with the red food colouring gives this chocolate cake its rich red colour. The entire thrilling history of the cake prefaces the recipe on the site. A few people I know have tried to replicate this cake to little success, but I believe that this recipe is flawless. All I did was follow it to the T (whatever that actually means).

I foolishly served up standard sized slices on her birthday, and I experienced a literal sugar rush. Light headedness, a roaring in my ears, and the desire to bounce from place to place. It was divine.
The Red Velvet Cake now ties for first place with the Sachertorte.

And now some pictures...

Red Velvet Cake

Heaven...

Silver Lining

getting back into the photography groove...

Lightning: Jackpot

Score!

Gallery Forest

Hidden deep in the gallery forest at Mapungubwe.

Joburg mini-planet

my first attempt at one of these, still working out the kinks...

Kingfisher

A Woodland Kingfisher
Maloutswa hide, Mapungubwe.

Megamind

Brilliant movie, definitely a new favourite...

"it's unfathomable... it... it means... without fathom."

Look closely

Look closely-
There have always been
ghosts in the machine...

just me goofing around with long exposures in the dark... oh the excitement.

Three Fruit Tart

My long lost cousins visited tonight. I hadn't planned to bake for a while yet, but in honour of the occasion, I dusted off my recipe books, pulled out Jane Price's 'Kitchen Classics: Pastries and Breads', found that old favourite and set to work. I am irrevocably in love with baking with chocolate, but I must admit this one has its charms, namely the undeniably colourful beauty of the three fruits, the chance to create the dreamiest custard from scratch, and finally the sweet and clear taste that is both gentle and subtly amazing.

Three Fruit Tart

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

• 150g of Flour
• 2 tablespoons of Castor Sugar
• 90g of Unsalted Butter (chopped)
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 1 tablespoon of Iced Water

Custard Filling

• 250ml of Milk
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 55g Castor Sugar
• 2 tablespoons of Flour
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
• Strawberries, Kiwi and Blueberries, to decorate
• Apricot jam, to glaze

The arrangement of fruit was supposed to be random, like on the Summer Berry Tart,
but something inside of me just wouldn't let it happen...

Sift the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and iced water. Mix to a dough with a flat bladed knife and a cutting action, and then gather it together in a ball. Press the dough evenly into a circular 23cm tart dish (a 10 × 34cm rectangular dish can be used). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Line the pastry-lined tin with baking paper and spread a layer of uncooked rice evenly over it. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and rice, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until cooked on the base and golden brown around the edge. Set aside to cool completely.

blue blueberries :)

Custard Filling

To make the filling, put the milk in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside while quickly whisking the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl, until light and creamy. Whisk in the flour. Pour the hot milk slowly onto the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Wash out the pan, return the milk mixture to the pan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring with a wire whisk. Boil for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the vanilla essence, and leave to cool, stirring frequently to avoid a skin forming. When cooled to room temperature, cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. 

Cut the strawberries in half across what would be their equators and slice the kiwi. Spoon the cold custard into the cold pastry shell, then arrange all the fruit over the custard, pressing in slightly. Heat the jam in the microwave or in a small saucepan until liquid and sieve to remove any lumps. Using a pastry brush, glaze the fruit with the jam. Serve the tart on the same day, at room temperature.

New Shoes

So I got some cool white shoes.

The Urban Aurora

I don't usually name my pictures (although it is occasionally tempting) because I prefer to leave them as an image only. If you see stark hard shadows where I imagine the intricate delicacy of light, then the magic is working.

As I said, however, I do go out on a whim sometimes, like now. The name for this picture came unbidden at around 8ish this evening as I focused on an ethereal glow on the horizon. At first, all I could see was a few inexplicable white wisps, but then I blinked a few times, got used to the cool  (and mostly) dark night sky and then dashed downstairs to grab my camera. Luckily it was still there when I got back up, and I was able to capture this -

The Urban Aurora