Seaside break in Cromer, Norfolk

Our camping trip in Norfolk last bank holiday weekend almost did not happen. But we went and we were glad we camped. It has been over a year since we last camped and it was a good feeling putting the tent up again. Don't get me wrong...there were the unavoidable swearing and cursing that one expect when putting up a tent but we managed to keep it to a minimum and were on speaking term when the tent was up. First camping squabble: done!

The plan was to stay for one night but we stayed on for 2 nights and was rewarded with amazing sunshine. So much so Scott came home with lovely patches of (sun burn) red on the back of his neck and legs.

I was super excited about camping this time for very shallow reasons. We are driving to Norfolk instead of taking the train and that means glamping! Airbed + proper pillows + duvet = cosy tent + a good night sleep! All that fresh sea breeze and long coastal walks meant we did sleep well in the tent. We camped in Manor Farm in Cromer. A great campsite, not as busy as other camping sites we passed by and the facilities are well maintained and clean.

Cromer, though not the prettiest seaside town, is easily accessible on costal paths to other seaside villages. We did just that...plenty of coastal walks enjoying the sea breeze and sea view. On Sunday we did a 7 mile coastal walk: Cromer - East Runton - West Runton - Sheringham - Weybourne then took the bus to Cley next the Sea for a well deserved pint!

These seaside towns are famous for their crabs so I went a leeettle crab crazy with crab cakes, crab sandwich and crab mornay! Delicious and cheap. It also turned into a fairly porky weekend. We feasted on sausage rolls that we BBQ-ed using good ol' disposable BBQ every morning and had Saturday dinner at The Pigs pub, serving the scrummiest of the Norfolk pigs. Is it naughty to admit that we also had a tub of pork scratchings as snacks with a can of Vimto during the 7 mile walk? But we totally deserve it no? 7 miles yo!

Random: We spotted a guy who looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger on the beach (complete with the fake California sun tan). But it can't be him. I mean what is he doing in Cromer?!?

Bank Holiday Camping in Norfolk

(Picture source by Brooke Weeber)

It's the bank holiday weekend and we are off camping at Norfolk! This time we are driving to the campsite which means I intent to make it as glamping as possible - think blowup mattress, proper pillows and a duvet! Ahhhhhh.....I cannot wait!
I have grand plans to bake this chocolate and ricotta cake and this peanut butter bites using homemade peanut butter that I have yet to make. It is always nice to bring something homemade on a camping trip no? But yup all this to be done tonight, on top of a dinner date with Scott and packing up for camping. Very ambitious. Let's see how I get on huh!

On a completely random note, I found these funny facts about being a leftie and I just need to share. All true - Leftie unite!

Boat trip in Arran

So the Easter weather in Scotland was a nice surprise. Dry (not a drop of rain!) and (fairly) windless with sun rays coming through between the clouds that on occasions, I can feel the warmth through my winter coat...and dare I say it, I was hot in Scotland - Yea, I wasn't expecting that at all!

We took a week long holiday to spend time with Scott's family. Scott was really looking forward to this break as he hasn't had one since the start of the year. Often if we are up for longer than the weekend, we make a trip to visit his granny in Arran.

The ferry to the island is always a treat involving square sausage and hash brown roll drenched in brown sauce. A rare naughty treat we indulge only on the ferry! In my mind, the calories doesn't count as we are not on land! haha

We stayed on the top deck of the ferry the whole journey to the island this time round, savouring the sun. It was clear blue sky with a scattering of clouds and sunshine. This is what spring weather should be like but the extended winter we experienced made this an unexpected surreal moment. We lapped up all the warmth we can get by shedding our winter coats.

But the surprise treat this holiday was going on Uncle Peter's boat. It was a last minute decision to take the boat out for a spin as the sun is out. We set up the boat, got into waterproof gears (oh yes...without a doubt we looked hot in those waterproof gears!) and circled Holy Isle, spotted a big big boat with a red helicopter at the back, saw a lighthouse, squinted really hard to have a good look at the Buddhist retreat on the island (no one is allowed into the retreat area of the island) then Hazel and I left the boat and the boys took it out for a 'proper man spin'. They almost fell off the boat crashing straight into a wave but that's what boys do. They survived and lived to tell the tale.

February...according to Instagram

©       Made pineapple jam for pineapple tarts for Chinese New Year

©       Yee Sang on Chinese New Year Eve at Aunty Janice House. It was also the day I gave out my first ang pows

©       Dumpling party with El and Jen at home

©       Dinner with food bloggers (and their big cameras!)

©       Pink © pancakes for Pancake day

©       Spicy Orange Buffalo wings on the coldest day with Federica. Frozen fingers + numb tongue, we must be mad!

©       Valentine’s day flowers from Scott

©       Homemade doughnuts for dessert, made by hubs

©       Home alone so I got crafting for Scott’s Big 30 birthday

©       Alternative cinema under the train arches with El and Lucy, watching Pretty Woman. (young) Richard Gere stole my heart again

©       Revisiting Brixton Market after 4 years and had a lovely meal at Salon

©       Rhubarb in the garden = Signs of spring

©       Scott bought a bike, I named it Randeee

©       Very strong cocktails at St Pancras Hotel

©       Surprised birthday dinner at Dinner by Heston for Scott’s Big 30 birthday (more Big 30 birthday stuff here)

©       A rare Monday morning coffee break with Scott after his Big 30 birthday party

Love day

He says: She sings like a duck
She says: He farts under the duvet

This is how we roll...

Happy Valentine's day!

Accidentally deleted this post so am posting it again - duh!

January...according to Instagram

©       a Moroccan lunch date on a cold Saturday

©       finally done with our wedding Thank You cards

©       bike shopping on a very early Saturday morning

©       the snow came

©       made pork dumplings

©       had a takeaway Indian with Ross and Nat in Cambridge

©       baked chocolate and marshmallow brownies

©       spoiled for choice of Chobani yogurts in the office

©       got creative with Scott's 30th birthday presents

©       a day trip to Long Melford

5 minutes of wedding fame

Couple of months ago I received a surprised (possibly awkward, on her part) email from Marianne, our wedding photographer in London. She wanted to informed us that a couple of our wedding pictures have been picked to be included in a wedding how-to book in France! Awkward because we have never been informed or gave consent to use our pictures and at that point in time, the book is in the process of being printed (i.e. too late to pull out).

The back story was the publisher commissioned Marianne to photograph her wedding and she later approached Marianne to use some of her pictures for this wedding how-do book she is creating. Marianne provided the pictures and was waiting to see what was selected so that she can inform and seek consent from her customers to publish these pictures. But typical French way of working, she heard nothing and when she did, it was to be told that the book is going to print!

We saw the funny side to it, told Marianne we are fine with them using our pictures and had a good laugh when our complimentary book arrived in the post. We are on the contents page which gave us the biggest giggles. They also used one of our favourite picture which we are pleased about. Overall is it a lovely book though we have no idea what is being said in it as everything is in French! If you fancy a copy, you can buy it here

We will also be featured in Singapore's Peranakan magazine in the coming months, an article about our Scottish-Peranakan wedding. These 2 pieces would be the extend of our '5-minute wedding fame'. We declined other magazine offers and an interesting proposal by a Travel Channel - the idea of an interview and an additional 2 camera crews following us around on our wedding day is a little too OK magazine for me...which really, it not OK.

NB: This post was meant to be written at NuffnangX #Blogbash held at The Luxe restaurant. But I got too busy chatting to the bloggers instead...don't forget to check out their blogs!

Adeline, http://love2feed.wordpress.com/

Anastasia, http://www.anastasiabakes.com/

Ben & Jules, http://www.londontheinside.com/

Ceri, http://cucinaceri.com/

Chris, http://www.tikichris.com

Claire, http://www.countrymouseclaire.com/

Eleanor, http://cakeovertheworld.wordpress.com/

Fleur, http://www.diaryofavintagegirl.com/

Jaime, http://jaimskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

Jean-Luc, http://allthingsalpine.com/

May, http://www.slowfoodkitchen.com/

Natasha, http://girlinthelens.com/

Prad, http://uncoveringmylens.com

Rebecca, http://www.biteablebeauty.com/

Sara, http://loblerdelaney.co.uk/

Sam, http://globetrotterpostcards.blogspot.co.uk/

Serena, http://thefworld.org/

Shu Han, http://mummyicancook.blogspot.co.uk/

Christmas Tree 2012

We bought our Christmas tree last weekend! The initial agreement was to not get a tree at all as we are spending Christmas in Scotland and we have no plans for a get-together in our London flat this year. That agreement was scrapped the minute we find ourselves in Columbia Flower Market and being surrounded by Christmas trees. Not sure any tree but gorgeous huge trees that smell of pine a mile away! We got straight into the Christmas spirit, desperately yearning for a tree (and a bigger house to fit those massive trees!) and agreed to get a small-ish tree as a compromise.

Instead of lugging home a tree from the market we decided to get one at our local area where unsurprisingly none of the smaller trees are to Scott's liking and he is adamant we should get a 5-feet tree instead. So the plan for a small-ish tree was scrapped once again and the boy went home happy.

He took charge of it all, sawed a good inch off the bottom, soak the tree in water, put up the lights and decorated it - all by himself. He was in his element! I have to be honest though - I think the tree needs a few more bells and whistles to make it stand out. I was going to get more baubles but in a rare role reversal moment, he told me not to as we might not be in London for the next Christmas (storage issue-boo!). 

So I kept myself busy and made a wreath for our front door instead.

Whisky tasting in Islay, Scotland

A couple of days before we flew to Glasgow for our holidays, Scott woke up one morning and told me he had a bad dream. He dreamt that we had our holiday in Islay and he didn't visit any of the whisky distilleries! Oh the boy was upset! The primary aim of visiting Islay is to do a 'whisky crawl' and be merry.

Every day was planned with military precision. The boys wanted to visit as many whisky distilleries as possible while for us girls, it is also about getting some good chow to line the stomach. We (ok, not so much me) would pore over the island map and plan our route making sure we have potential lunch places en-route to these distilleries. On the first day, we drove by a house with a 'home-made tablet' sign outside, we made the boys stop the car, ran to the house under the rain dodging peacocks in the garden (random but true!) and grab some for the car ride. A little sugar fix is always good for the soul!

There are 8 distilleries on the island and we visited 6 - Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich and Kilchoman. Each distillery offers whisky tasting and we had most of ours for free with Bruichladdich being the most generous! Scott was extra smug about this as he gets double measure of this 'liquid gold' since I am not a whisky person and my tasting dram gets passed on pretty swiftly to him!

We did 2 tours of the distilleries - Bowmore and Laphroaig. As the brewing process is similar I did not have a preference for one over the other though we did get to see how the malting of the barley is done in Laphroaig but not in Bowmore. The malting process is an interesting one for me as it is fairly labour intensive compared to the rest of the processes involved. The soaked barley are evenly spread out on the ground and it has to be turned every 4 hours to encourage germination. This is now done by a machine though some distilleries try to maintain tradition (e.g. Bowmore and Laphroaig) and malt 20% of their barley using the traditional way whereby a man has to turn over the barley with a shovel every 4 hours!

My top 2 favourite whisky distilleries are Bruichladdich and Laphroaig. Bruichladdich blew me away with its branding and design - it feels fresh and current with a crisp font and color. It wasn't immediately obvious that a Bruichladdich bottle holds whisky in it if you are not familiar with the brand. The aqua colour stood out. There are many speculations on how the color came about but on their blog, they said that it was simply inspired by the colour of the sea outside the distillery (OMG yes they have a blog - how progressive for a whisky company!). I think the branding appeals to the younger whisky drinkers but may have a tendency to alienate its older clienteles. But we 'get' it and and to quote Jenna - we fell for it 'hook, line and sinker'! We left the shop with 6 bottles of whisky, 1 bottle of gin (mine!), a scarf, a cap, and a hipflask....Yup, we 'get' it.

Laphroaig is another favourite but for the exact opposite reasons of why I love Bruichladdich. It has a great museum detailing its history, it feels traditional without being stuffy and it has some clever marketing up its sleeves. They encourage you to be a 'Friends of Laphroaig' - a free membership that comes with a free 1 square foot plot of land around the Laphroaig distillery.  In the museum, you are provided with wellies and waterproof jacket and are encourage to walk the land to find your plot. Once you have found it, you are provided with your country's flag to 'mark your plot'. You can see flags of  various countries sticking out of the empty land surrounding Laphroaig - it inspired you to find your plot and leave your mark too. They also offer the opportunity to choose and bottle your own whisky directly from cask which is such a great idea. I would have bought that experience as a present for Scott if I had known it was on offer. I obviously did not do my extensive whisky research!

I initially thought this holiday would be mainly for Scott but I actually had a great time and would love to visit again. We had a great holiday home, good food, bought 8 bottles of whiskies and I personally came home with a bottle of gin and a tea towel. Not bad...not bad at all.

Islay , Scotland

You know what they say about Scotland...if you are lucky and the weather is fine, Scotland is one of the most gorgeous places in the world. Unfortunately the weather is rarely fine in Scotland (based on personal experience!). 

In our early dating days, Scott tried to change my perception of the weather in Scotland. I clearly recalled him telling me that palm trees grow in Scotland and his granny has them in her garden in Aaran. I wasn't convinced - I am not sure how those palm trees survive (he wasn't lying, there are palm trees) but they are clearly a different type to those I am familiar with in Malaysia! As luck would have it, the first time I visited Scott and his family, Scotland was experiencing a heatwave and I remember going for walks in inappropriate footwear traipsing around Culzean Castle and Loch Lomond.

But they are right – Scotland is truly beautiful when the weather is right. We spend 4 nights in Islay last week and it was bliss. We flew to the island from Glasgow and we were filled with anticipation in the tiny propeller plane whilst overlooking the sunset landscape.

Jenna (sis-in-law) found the amazing house we rented at Port Ellen (the southern tip of the island) – underfloor heating, beach at our doorstep, fireplace, full length window and sliding door with views of the beach and remote enough that there is no mobile signal.

We spend our days walking and whisky tasting and are often back in the house for a cuppa late afternoon and chill on the sofa with a roaring fire before dinner time. On our second night, we ordered lobsters from the local fishmonger and she drove by the house with the 2 lobsters in her hand, still alive and wriggling, no plastic bag! Free range, green and value for money at £15! We initially made the mistake of putting them in the tub with hot water, thus ‘waking them up’ but we got smart quick and shove them in the freezer to ‘put them to sleep’!

We got lucky with the weather on our first day, the wind is still and you can feel warmth from the autumn sun on your back. But often the weather changes during the day and the in-between offers the most breath-taking view of the island. The clouds changing colour, the distant mist, the moody landscape, the sea salt in the wind and if you chance it for a second too long, that ‘wind’ might drench you. We caught sight of a beautiful rainbow after the passing rain on our first day.

I was hoping to see seals on the beach as apparently they are frequent visitors to the island. The last time I saw seals was in Sea World in Gold Coast Australia! Oh my, we got lucky and saw 4 seals playing hide and seek with a dog in a cove! The seals would slowly surface to air and the dog, standing on a rock close to the water would look out for them. When the dog caught sight of the seals, it would bark and the seals would disappear back into the water! The seals will slowly resurface again until the next bark. Those seals was a highlight for me.