San Marco: It's blinging pimptastic

The basilica of San Marco could not be more gold if it tried. Every inch of wall is covered in the stuff. And everywhere that isn't covered in gold is covered in signs saying 'Do NOT take photos, I repeat, DO NOT take photos.' 
Of course, I was taking photos. This caused a lot of controversy within the tourist community joining us on our church jaunt. I was berated by everyone except the Italian guards watching out for tourists taking photos. But, as I repeatedly argued in my head, I didn't use flash so there is no harm. Get over it.
The most memorable confrontation was with a young chap around twelve on a school trip. I was taking a picture of the floor – yes, the inanimate marble floor – and this little kid sneered, ‘You’re not allowed to take pictures’. I replied politely and calmly, ‘I know.’ He looked at me like I was the devil incarnate and snarled, ‘And you don’t CARE???!!!????'
All for taking a photo of the marble floor. Kids these days.

Mosaics outside the church entrance

Wall to wall bling

Kirsten and me

San Marco campanile

An Amble

There is nothing I am enjoying more than putting my incredible and practical waterproof map back in my bag and just wondering around the streets of Venice in the sunshine with my camera bouncing off my gelato rounded pot belly. Every street or piazza has something interesting to see.
Classes are not going very well so far. I find them incredibly dull, I'm not a very good student and my brain is prefering to repeat my pig shit French instead of absorbing Italian - very inconvenient. I'm culturally confused. But very well fed by the gelato shop five seconds from my house. Creme caramel ice cream today, yum yum yum.
These are results of my meander back from class.

Campo Santa Margarita - where I study every day from 9am to 1pm...ooooffff.

Fondamenta Gherardini leading to Campo S. Barnaba

View from Ponte Dell'Accademia 

Wonky campanile!

The view from my room

Wigtastic

Some Carnevale wigs found in the back of a cupboard on Grace's leaving dinner. I think the photos speak for themselves.

Flora rocking C18th fashion

God damn hot stuff

Torcello and Murano

Torcello was a peculiar island. It looks like the remains of a nuclear disaster. There were 20,000 residents once upon a time. Now there are 20. And I think 15 of those residents are sheep. Perhaps Venice's retirement home?
Some photos of Santa Maria Assunta's three extraordinary C12th mosaics:

Note the very bizarre pregnant angel at the top with backwards legs...

Fab blue devil bloke. Skulls with snakes in their eyes.

I said: 'Look at this funny little man with a face for a willy!' I was corrected. He is holding his skin.

Murano was the most disappointing of the three islands. The glass-bowers of Murano were famed for their amazing intricate work and people flocked from distant countries to get their hands on some Murano glass. Now they make things like this....

A little blue man light-shade. Lovely.

Yes, this is a miniature glass Pluto.... 

Just hideous.

Burano: Would you look at that?! Just look at that!

As random events go in my life, the meeting of the Guggenheim Girls is up there probably at the top of my list. Dazed and confused, tired and overwhelmed, and on my way from the airport to my new house, I was approached on the vaporetto (water bus) by Grace and Aurica. The rest is history!
Photos from our day trip to Burano, the most ridiculously colourful island I have ever seen in my life and now one of my all time favourite places in the world! Goodtimes.

The very wonky campanile of San Martino

Burano is famous for it's lace making

Dozing in the sunshine

Venezia: The Beginnings

Having become very bored with the monotony of my life in England, I decided on a whim in January to go and live somewhere - ANYWHERE - else for a few months. Yesterday I left Gatwick airport and arrived safely in Venice! I will be here for three months, learning Italian and generally (hopefully) enjoying myself in the sunshine. 
I am staying in a little flat with a lovely Venetian family next to San Marco, the heart of Venice. Laura, the landlady is quiet but friendly, and speaks barely a word of English. Wonderful. My room is dolls house miniature including the bed which I am almost certain must have once been a cot.....
I have come to the conclusion that, after the disastrous Italian lesson I had today, I will spend the time I have dozing through my classes and wandering aimlessly through the streets drawing and photographing all the beautiful sights, trying my best to look attractive, cool and wistful. This is proving quite difficult so far with the humidity, my fringe has gone mental, it's now a ridiculous ball of ringlets bouncing off my forehead....

Ciao for now! x

Generic Venetian Landscape

Thank You Purple Ronnie

I ♥ Edward Monkton

Red velvet heaven and hell

The time has come for me to depart the monotonous yet comfortable 9 to 5 job I have occupied for the last 6 months. I will definitely be sad to leave my colleagues but ecstatic to leave the bizarre customers DUO seems to attract.
In celebration and commiseration, I decided to make all the girls in the office a single, scrumptious cupcake. Not only a cupcake but my favourite kind of cupcake. Red Velvet with cream cheese icing. Holy Moses, they are like heaven in a mouthful.

HOWEVER. Because nothing that I ever do stays perfect for very long, in true and staggering me fashion, whilst arranging them artfully in a box in order to bring them safely into work.....

I KNOCKED THEM ALL ON THE FLOOR!!!!!! COMPLETED SQUISHED!!!!! BLOODY TYPICAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

An attempt at repairing the damage was tried and I still have all 20 cakes, but the shine has been taken off the experience. I really thought that at 22, clumsiness would no longer be an issue and I would be able to control my various appendages but it seems I am cursed with being entirely uncoordinated for life.

Still, at least they taste nice.

the cupcakes...(about 24)
300g caster sugar
125g unsalted butter
2 eggs
60g cocoa powder
Tsp vanilla essence
300g self-raising flour (or 300g plain flour and 1.5 tsp baking powder)
240ml butter milk (can put one tbsp of cider or white wine vinegar or lemon juice in 240ml milk)
As much red food colouring as you want

the icing...
500g icing sugar
200g unsalted softened butter
75g - 100g soft cream cheese (to taste)
Drop or two of vanilla essence.

1. Fill two 12 holed muffin tins with cupcake cases. Preheat oven at 170℃. 
2. Cream sugar and butter until pale, soft and fluffy. Add eggs slowly. Add cocoa powder, vanilla essence and red food colouring making sure you combined the food colouring really well. Alternately fold in the buttermilk and flour until well combined. Don't mix batter too much as it will loose it's lightness. Fill cases three-quarters to give them room to rise and cook for about 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
3. Beat the icing sugar into the butter until really fluffy then add cream cheese until icing is smooth and stiff. Pipe it onto the cakes or use a spatular.

red and risen - perfect!

piped cream cheese icing with edible glitter and red lips

Be my Valentine?

Super lame title and probably a super lame photo, but I liked it so I don't care!