Stanage Edge Ramble

From our place in Sheffield we can hike out into the Peak District and I have discovered a 4 hour circuit that takes us over Stanage Edge. Here are some shots of the colours of autumn. Click on the panoramas for bigger images. It was so cold that I couldn't feel my chin or hands by the time Maria and I returned.

Dumpster Diving

Look at the great stuff people throw away... Dumpster diving is one of my all time favourite passions. Each city I have lived in has its own unique methods. In Toronto (Canada) the garbage was put on the front streets and it didn't wasn't in the culture to call charities shops to come get the good stuff. You could find antique furniture and all sorts. I heard of several people who filled antique stores by driving around in a truck on garbage day. Calgary (Canada) was best on the first of every month. This is when rental contracts began and ended and everyone moved. As a result you could find things that people just couldn't take with them to their new place; furniture, clothes, etc. In Florence (Italy) there were pink slips posted on doors in different neighbourhoods. They notified that a charity pickup would be coming around the next day. If you went back the following day you could find bags of great clothes. I once found a whole heap of army clothes and went to get all of my 6 starving artist roommates. In the UK it seems people do give their things to charity shops at a higher rate than other places. You can usually find at least one charity shop on every block. Some are high end and others are real bargain bins, but all are pretty cheap. My current favourite is one where a punk works part-time and has an eye for things that I would like for only a couple of pounds.

Look Alikes: A New Chapter

I love look-alikes and I am going to take it a step further. In my travels is it common for me to see people that look like other people I know from a different country. I also am always fascinated when people tell me that I remind them of someone or look just like their friend in Iceland. I am always noticing a Malawian look-alike of a cousin, or an English look-alike of a friend. The similarities cross ethnic boundaries as well. I have met the South African look-alike of a Canadian Chinese friend, and so on. It becomes a bit more awkward to try to photograph strangers, but I will do my best.

My cousin's wife, Carol, and my friend's partner, Cher. (I saw my friend had baby pictures on Facebook and having never met his partner, I found pictures of her on-line and was shocked at the resemblance to my cousin. Both Carol and Cher are from Eastern Canada, but do not have the same last name or each other as friend on Facebook. Wouldn't that be a small world?)

Grandma's Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies

I have been studying closely food stylists and food photography. On that note, here is my attempt to tempt with an image and a recipe that I made from my grandma's recipe. Grandma's Oatmeal and Raisin Cookies (half a recipe because it still makes a lot) 1/2 cup shortening 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1.5 cups oats 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup coconut (optional, but included in photo above) dates, chocolate chips, nuts (optional) Cream shortening. Add sugar, then eggs. Beat well. Stir in dry ingredients. Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Press with a fork. Bake 350 degrees until light brown (aprox 8-10 minutes).

Losing Mercy 10

As crazy as it sounds it was hard NOT to gain weight in Liberia. Despite living in a country where food was scarce and unaffordable for the majority of the population, we were well fed on the ship. I suppose the thinking is if you are sick then you can't take care of the sick. On the Mercy Ship we had 3 buffets a day. It was good food and there were always endless options for picky eaters, vegetarians, children, and the taste-bud challenged. After losing 30 pounds 6 years ago, I managed as a single person to pinpoint my weaknesses. I come from a family of snackers and if the food is there, I eat it. My coping mechanism became not having the food there at all. If I craved something I would only get enough for that one moment. So with all the food served on board, plus a snack bar (chips, chocolate, drinks, etc), a ship shop (with all your baking needs, cookies, and ice cream), and a coffee bar (aka Starbucks), I was in serious trouble. I ran like a banshee in the mornings or evenings. But for anyone who has calculated caloric burn, running doesn't burn that much. A half hour of sweating doesn't even burn off your Mars Bar. I did gain 10 pounds although, being tall, it was well hidden. In the end I banned myself from any junk and drinks and I only ate a salad sandwich for lunch, keeping to the minimum of the Canada Food Guide. As Canadians, I realize we are lucky to have the Canada Food Guide (pictured above), taught in schools and available to the public at large. Now that I am back in the UK, back cooking my own food and analyzing the British way of eating, I see instant meals take up a huge portion of the grocery stores. Other than the National Health Service's "5 a day"adverts (5 fruits and veg daily), how are people supposed to know what is best to eat? How best to stay healthy? The other shock for people is portion size. Four tablespoons of peanut butter is all the protein you need for a whole day (plus a whole load of fat and sugar). Three cups of pasta is all the bread/grain product for a whole day. I remember talking to a thin friend of mine who said she hates the feeling of being full. Well, I love the feeling of being full. It is comforting and homey. One of my favourite things is to curl up with a good book under a blanket with a snack. Bliss! When I lost all the weight 6 years back, I had lost my love for food and eating, so it wasn't too difficult. But when I gained that love back, it was a battle. Until Nigel came along and introduced me to a whole new way of eating. Most people think Nigel has great metabolism and can eat anything and stay skinny. Since living with him, I don't think that is the case. I call it the Nigel Diet and it is a lifestyle. He points out to me that I am an "all or nothing" personality. Previously, if I ate too much junk I would start again the next day and live it up for the rest of the current day. I would try to run every day. I would try to eat junk food only one day a week. The Nigel diet is just eating healthy, moderately, and consistently. Yes, I now have dessert every night. No it isn't fruit! I eat a simple breakfast (Wheatabix or porridge with banana, skim milk, and raisins); lunch (for me) is a salad (no sauces) with beans and a fruit; and dinner is a any new vegetarian meal from one of our many cookbooks (sometimes with a side vegetable if the dish doesn't provide enough). We try not to eat a huge second helping. Following dinner we eat a dessert every night...but not big. Half a cup of ice cream with sauce or Onken yogurt and usually several squares of chocolate. Nigel explained that particularly for diabetics, but also the rest of us, sweet desserts are okay in moderation if tagged on at the end of a meal so your blood sugar doesn't shoot up. There is no snacking in between meals (okay, very occasionally). I remember picking up a pamphlet on losing weight by a nurse at a street booth in the UK. It listed the top 10 ways to lose weight. I knew them all except one. That one surprised me and was opposite to what most North Americans are taught. EAT 3 MEALS AT THE SAME TIME EVERY DAY. Nigel confirmed medically that your body is best when you eat at the same time every day. I had always read that eating 5 small meals a day was best and nothing about timing. It isn't as drastic a plan as I was used to. I might not have eaten for a day if I had had a bad day previously. But I was surprised to find that even without exercise I consistently lost weight eating like Nigel. In fact, it is a lot easier than my old method. I even get a really nice non-diet meal every evening.

Good Enough to Eat

Remember when you were little and would smell vanilla flavoured soap and wanted to take a bite? We had strawberry flavoured lip gloss that my mom had to dispense at intervals because as soon as we put it on we licked it off. Well, someone knows me very well. My mother-in-law saw this chocolate cake candle. It has such a strong and luscious flavour of chocolate that when she first gave it to me I just sat there with it under my nose for a good 5 minutes. Whenever I walk by it I give it a little sniff. They say half of taste is smell. Could this be the new diet? The new healthy junk food? Just a sniff and your craving is gone. Five minutes of sniff and you feel like you have eaten chocolate.

Liberia: Little Details

Little details on a ship.

Liberia: Transformation

I thought I would post some of the stories I have done as a writer/photographer/graphic designer in the past several months. This is the finished product used as a marketing tool for Mercy Ships.

This story is about Alimou, a patient that Nigel anaesthetised. Click on each image to get a bigger view.

Liberia: Mercy Fire

After a fire drill on the ship I found the fire hoses hanging out to dry in Liberia.

Liberia: Food for Life

The Food for Life program is in the Tenegar region of Liberia. Click on the story above for the full details.Marcel, an agriculturalist runs the program.The plaintain plantation.

The experimental farm.

Sprouting plants.
A lot of new product are tested in the Liberian climate and soil on the farm.
The watering jugs.
Seed beds.
Cucumber sprouts.
I loved these planters/composters. The compost gets put in the middle and watered. The plants are grown in the planters on either side and feed off the compost nutrients.