Wordless Wednesday - Liverpool

I'm linking up this week at Wordless Wednesday's blog.

Ruby Tuesday

I'm posting over here today.


Whirling dervish - taken on a Nile cruise, Egypt.

Annoying Commercials

Am I the only one who would cheerfully strangle this kid??

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila at  Book Journey. For this meme, bloggers post what they finished last week, what they're currently reading, and what they plan to start this week.   


Finished this week: 

Synopsis here.
WOW is all I can say. I first heard of this book while reading a Darker Domain and immediately downloaded it. It is a long read but so definitely worth it.
Each chapter alternates between the heart-breaking diaries of two miners, Martin and Peter, and the politics of the strike. 
This is not for the feint of heart, it is disturbing, violent and dark.
Peace covers the strike from most angles - the miners, the police, the government, the union, the secret services. Nobody but the miners come out of this looking good but at what cost to them and their families? Peace highlights how the government was prepared to stop at nothing in order to win, and how the media (including the BBC and press) assisted with this travesty.


Started last week and still in my reading pile:

Synopsis here.

Also started this week:


From the book jacket:
The tomb of China’s First Emperor, guarded by an underground army of terra-cotta warriors, has remained sealed for more than 2,000 years. Though it’s regarded as one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, the Chinese government won’t allow anyone to open it. Why?
 
That question is at the heart of a dilemma faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone, whose life is shattered when he receives an anonymous note carrying an unfamiliar Web address. Logging on, he sees Cassiopeia Vitt, a woman who’s saved his life more than once, being tortured at the hands of a mysterious man who has a single demand: Bring me the artifact she’s asked you to keep safe. The only problem is, Malone doesn’t have a clue what the man is talking about, since Cassiopeia has left nothing with him. So begins Malone’s most harrowing adventure to date—one that offers up astounding historical revelations, pits him against a ruthless ancient brotherhood, and sends him from Denmark to Belgium to Vietnam then on to China, a vast and mysterious land where danger lurks at every turn.




2012 books read:
The Coast Road - John Brady
Still Midnight - Denise Mina
The Bulgari Connection - Fay Weldon
Good Bait - John Harvey
The Heretic's Treasure - Scott Mariani 
Dead I Well May Be - Adrian McKinty
The Devil's Elixir - Raymond Khoury 
A Darker Domain - Val McDermid
The Impossible Dead - Ian Rankin
GB84 - David Peace

Macro Monday

Macro Monday is hosted by Lisa at  Lisa's Chaos.
Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back to Lisa's blog and sign MckLinky. 


My thirsty cat!

Blue Monday

I'm linking up over at Blue Monday today.





Taken in Dingle Ireland.

Mellow Yellow Monday

I'm posting over at Mellow Yellow Monday and here are her rules:
I chose yellow for this photo meme because it's my favourite colour and I think the world is always better with a splash of yellow ... whether it's in your home or in nature.

The rules are pretty simple:
1. Every Monday post a photo with a little or a lot of yellow.
2. Please only post photos you have authority to use.
3. Include a Mellow Yellow Badge or a link to this blog in your post.
4. Leave the link to your Mellow Yellow post below on Mr. Linky.
5. Visit other blogs listed ... comment & enjoy!

When to Post:
Mister Linky will be available every Sunday at 10:00 pm EST and will remain open until Wednesday.

Taken in Catarina, Nicaragua.

London - Southbank Walk

Southbank walk, Waterloo

Area Highlights

1. Hayward Gallery
2. The Old Vic
3. Royal Festival Hall
4. Queen Elizabeth Hall
5. The Young Vic
6. National Theatre
7. BFI Imax
8. BFI Southbank
9. Florence Nightingale Museum

10. London Eye
11. SEA LIFE London Aquarium
12. Oxo Tower Restaurant
13. Ping Pong
14. Konditor and Cook
15. Southbank Centre Book Market
16. Funki Fresh

London at its best. Tip: If ever you have a friend coming to London who wants to see the sights, take them on this route. Start off at the London Eye and walk east along the river bank to Oxo Tower – quick drink and a view, on to Tate Modern, then Globe Theatre. Head over the Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s or, if your legs are in good shape by the time you arrive, keep going past HMS Belfast onto Tower Bridge.

Saturday Snapshot

Saturday Snapshots is hoted by Alyce at At Home With Books.
To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.


Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on last week's post about Egypt.


This week's photos are from my favourite country in the world, Ireland.
If you love visiting castles as I do, then Trim in County Meath is just the place to visit. It is only a half hour drive from Dublin. It has an ol-fashioned town centre and many medieval ruins.  The huge Trim Castle is the largest and most famous.

 Our hotel

Town of Trim - love the name of the barbershop!

 Soon after proclaiming Christianity in Ireland, St. Patrick built a church here on land granted to him by the son of the High King.

After the Anglo-Norman invasion, towards the end of the 12th century, Henry II granted the whole of Meath to Hugh de Lacy. De Lacy decided to make Trim his headquarters and built a magnificent castle on the outskirts of the town.

 The Yellow Steeple is the most prominent of the many ruins in Trim. It overlooks the town from a ridge directly opposite Trim Castle. Originally part of the 13th century St. Mary's Augustinian Abbey, the steeple dates from 1368. Geoffrey de Geneville, Lord of Meath, founded the black Friary of the Dominicans in 1263.

Thank you all so 

Skywatch Friday

I'm hopping over here today to link up.

Beliche Fortress in Lagos Portugal
The Beliche Fort, consecrated to Saint Anthony, was built before the year 1587 (the construction dates are unknown, but by this year there are already some records referring to the presence of this fortification). 

Friday Finds - Recipes To Try

Please link up to a post containing your list of recipes to try -- do not link up individual recipes please, save those for other linkys.  Be sure to leave a link back here to Finding Joy in my Kitchen.

Shrimp dumplings from Appetite For China



Creamy cauliflower soup from simply Cooked.



Mexican skillet cornbread for my DH as he loves it so I found a recipe at One Perfect Bite.


Easy pan fried pork with mustard sauce from Kalyn's Kitchen.


Smoky Manhattan style clam chowder from Food and Thrift. I am always promising myself to make clam chowder.


Lamb curry from The English Kitchen. I love lamb, I love curry and when in England I especially love curry!!

My Recipe Box - Apple Cheddar Quick Bread

I had bookmarked this recipe to try  a while ago. I made it last week and served it with a pot roast and it was delicious so it is definitely going into my recipe box!!

Recipe and photo source.

apple & cheddar quick bread

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour gluten free

2 1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t saltglut

3/4 c milk + 2 T

1/3 c canola oil

1 egg

2 T brown sugar

1 c finely diced apples

1 c strong cheddar cheese, grated

3 T cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400F. Prep your 8×4 loaf pan* by lightly greasing it with butter and then use a mixture of cornmeal and flour to dust the insides with – about a spoonful of each should do. Shake out any excess and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk everything together. Set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, oil, egg and brown sugar until well blended. Pour in the diced apples and stir in the flour mixture. Add in the cheese in 3 handfuls – stirring between each addition. Dump the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top of the bread and cook for 10 minutes longer until the cheese melts and the bread is cooked all the way through – use a wooden skewer in the middle of the loaf to test doneness.

*if your loaf pan is larger, reduce the baking time by 10-15 minutes.

Wordless Wednesday - Bath England

I'm linking up this week at Wordless Wednesday's blog.

Wondrous Words Wednesday

Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading and is hosted by Bermuda Onion.

1. glaikit - "I'm not completely glaikit." An adjective (Scottish and N. English) that means stupid, foolish or thoughtless.
2. caitiff - "Cads. Caitiffs. Chickens. Cowards. Craven -"  Noun archaic - a contemptible or cowardly person.

My Recipe Box - Sour Cream Maple Banana Cake

Recipe Source

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Serves: approx. 8

Ingredients: 

• 100g butter + extra for form, softened
• 10 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4 ripe bananas
• 200g muscovado sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 vanilla pods, seeds scrapped
• 200g all-purpose flour gluten free
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 100g almonds, ground
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 200g sour cream

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C and butter a square (20cm x 20cm) form and line the base with baking paper.


2. Pour 5 tablespoons maple syrup and swirl the form to coat the bottom. Cut 3 bananas in half lengthways and lay them, cut-side down, in the form.


3. In a mixing bowl beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla seeds, and the last banana with an electric whisk. Fold in the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and bicarbonate soda with a spatula, then stir in the sour cream.


4. Carefully spoon into the form without displacing the bananas. Bake for approx. 45 – 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.


5. Take cake out and poke the top all over with a skewer, about halfway into the cake. Pour the remaining maple syrup over the top and allow to soak for a few minutes.


6. Carefully turn out of the form upside-down, drizzling the banana-studded top with more syrup. Slice cake and serve warm.