tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55467063578446494282024-03-05T15:33:45.836+00:00A Smurph's MusingsPretty pointless posts and pictures :)Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-69138404899459416812020-05-18T09:11:00.002+01:002020-05-18T09:19:21.500+01:00We weren't all in Dublin Castle that day<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="djav2" data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">We weren't all in Dublin Castle that day.</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of us were in small warm rooms watching a projector, others in sitting rooms with only ourselves and the radio. </span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of us were on beaches or in cars down small lanes, or in kitchens with people we loved and disagreed with.</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of us were smelling the Lee, or the Corrib, or the Suir as the news came in.</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of us walked into city and town halls, basketball stadiums or GAA halls and swallowed the lump in our throats as the tallyman winked knowingly at us.</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Some of us walked quiet country lanes, not hard concrete streets, asking the question, having the chats, looking into the eyes of once friendly neighbours. We smiled and debated in marts and markets, stood outside churches offering the hand of peace.</span><br />
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span data-offset-key="8rbts-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">1,201, 607 yesses from North,South, East and West. All hard won, all hard fought. All deserving a thank you and a well done.</span><br />
<br />
We weren't all in Dublin that glorious day, those long months, those painful years. Lots of us were elsewhere. We were in the places where we made history - with the people who made it possible.<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="djav2" data-offset-key="8j3o6-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8j3o6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="djav2" data-offset-key="6plgi-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6plgi-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="djav2" data-offset-key="dkv3k-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="dkv3k-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span data-offset-key="dkv3k-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-19548631578184126272015-04-17T23:10:00.002+01:002015-04-17T23:13:23.016+01:00Mothers and Fathers do matter #marref High profile opponents of the marriage equality referendum often accuse those of us in<br />
favour of a yes vote as undermining or rejecting the importance of a mother or father’s love – that<br />
we spend our time plotting ways to undermine family and love and happy stable homes for children<br />
of all backgrounds.<br />
Far from corrupting family life, many of us, myself included, desire nothing more than to ensure that<br />
generations of children to come enjoy the same loving, stable family life we were lucky to enjoy. It is<br />
insulting to suggest that we believe mother or fathers don’t matter – in fact many of us were blessed<br />
with mothers and fathers who supported us, loved us, cherished us and raised us with the love and<br />
care all children should receive. The difference, it seems, between our appreciation of our parents<br />
and the no campaign’s is that we don’t reduce our parents to nothing but their genitals.<br />
My mother and father matter because they love me.<br />
My mother and father matter because they raised me with kindness and compassion – with<br />
acceptance and understanding.<br />
My mother and father matter because like all loving parents, regardless of gender, their children<br />
matter to them more than anything else on this earth.<br />
When I look back on my childhood with gratitude, it is not because my father is a man and my<br />
mother is a woman – it is because my loving parents, regardless of gender, provided a nurturing,<br />
playful and safe home where I was free to develop freely and happily into the woman I am today.<br />
If only the no side could see people and parents as more than just their biology.<br />
<br />Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-9558535584794491962015-04-12T18:03:00.002+01:002015-04-12T18:03:18.706+01:00Speech at Yes Equality Cork LaunchI delivered this speech today at the Yes Equality Cork launch in 8 North Mall. It's more or less as I delivered, with only minor interruptions from my mother cheering sending me off script ;)<br />
<br />
For more information about the Yes Equality Campaign, please see www.yesequality.ie<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
My name is Rebecca Murphy and I am a Yes Equality Cork
committee member. I’ve been asked to talk to you all this afternoon about
volunteering and more importantly, how vital it is that we all work together to make a yes vote happen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a personal note, I’ll be voting yes on May 22<sup>nd</sup>
because I believe same-sex couples should have the same rights that straight
ones do. On a very personal note, my brother and sister both had the right to
marry the people they love, and I think I should have the same rights – my
parents, who are here today, who loved and raised all 3 of us equally, agree
100%.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love this country, I’ve lived here my whole life, I work
here, I pay my taxes drive, I drive around this country sometimes and I gasp at
the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of its people. I hope this Ireland
that I love votes yes. I know this will only happen if we all work together.
This referendum won’t be won by a committee, nor will it be won on Facebook or
on Twitter. It will be won because those who want a yes vote will find that extra
hour in their week to put up posters, or knock on doors, or answer phones, or
make phonecalls, or write letters, or make badges. It will be won because
groups of ordinary people will stand together and say “yes – we believe in
love, we believe in equality, we believe our LGBT friends and family are full
equal citizens of this country, and we are willing to work to make this yes
vote happen.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We CAN win this. And if we work together, we will win this.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We will win this for ourselves, we will win this for our
families, for our friends, for the person we love. We will win this for the
children of the nation – those who cannot vote yet, and those yet to be born.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We will win this for those who have gone before us. We will
win this for our country and our society, and for the men and women who fought
and died for what they believed was a true Republic – a Republic of Equals
where regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, of age, race, class
or ability, cherishes its children equally and affords all it members human
rights, respect and dignity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So sign that volunteer form, find that extra hour – wake up
on May 23<sup>rd</sup> knowing you did absolutely everything you could have.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have an opportunity to make Ireland a fairer, more equal
place – let’s grab it with both hands.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s win this referendum together.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-54654250053819350682015-02-10T13:33:00.001+00:002015-02-10T13:37:23.589+00:00Squeeze - A very short story<br />
Originally published in "100 Words, 100 Books" published by O' Brien Press for the RTE Bookshow short fiction competition.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Squeeze </div>
<br />
<br />
Susan had always found humans difficult. Their off-whites and dim blacks never sat well with her, the daily commute an unwelcome reminder of how poorly her jigsaw pieced with the rest of the world - eyes heavy, mind tarry and faltering. The radio whispered the misery of the day as the grey wetness of the rain seemed to seep in through the windshield, pedestrians peering in at her from the concrete footpaths. Other drivers floated by, oblivious to her sharp eyes. She watched the milky pallor of her hands as it ebbed to and from her fingertips, draining to the rhythm of her steering wheel squeezes. She concentrated on dulling herself, zipping up the human suit she squeezed her blackness into each day, hiding her alien eyes, her short fuse and her knowledge that everything she saw was just simply wrong. She parked exactly, the muddy ivory lines framing her vehicle with the symmetry she needed. She sighed, eyes ahead, and prepared to enter the blur of other people's reality. A colleague waved, smiling brightly, and Susan flashed back a pearly response. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Another day had begun.<br />
<br />
<br />
Rebecca Murphy<br />
<br />
<br />Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-75637164558359960152013-04-13T21:21:00.000+01:002013-04-13T21:21:32.270+01:00LGBT young people and marriage equality I was 13 years old when I began to realise that I was gay. It began gradually, a slow creeping of an idea that felt more and more right - it was a frame that suddenly my life, even that young as yet unformed one, began to fit itself into - suddenly who I was, how I was, started making sense - it suddenly found structure.<br />
<br />
What was very hard at that point, and what tortured me most, was the idea that being gay hadn't been part of my "plan". The plan, as theoretical as it was, was that I would fall in love with a very handsome man (possibly Dean Cain or Angel from Buffy), we would get married and have lovely little babies, and those children would grow up and follow that life path also. Falling in love with a woman, being in love with a woman, living, in love, with a woman - it just wasn't part of that. I couldn't see any future as a gay woman with the level of happiness I had expected as a "straight" one. The sands had shifted under my feet, and suddenly I was adrift and I felt very, very alone. <br />
<br />
I work with teachers and youth workers, and I tell them a story about how I didn't believe I could be a lesbian when I was a young teenager because I genuinely didn't believe they existed outside of America. I didn't know a single gay or lesbian person in my life, as far as I was aware, and being gay existed in a reality that was far beyond mine. As for being gay and being happy, in a committed relationship with someone that loved you? That didn't exist in any reality I was aware of. <br />
<br />
Then something, seemingly innocuous and perhaps ridiculous happened. Anna Nolan went on Big Brother - and it changed my life. This seemingly happy, NORMAL, lovely lesbian was from DUBLIN - it blew my mind. I watched the show every night with my parents, I saw her describe her life and her coming out and her realisations and this spark of hope was lit within me - it's the spark that still stays alight. The notion that this world can be brighter, can be loving and welcoming and that the reality I grew up with - a world of silence and despair - is one that can change. Big Brother ended, and I told my best friend that I thought I was gay - the first time I had said the words aloud to anyone except my cat (my faith in cats still hasn't wavered). It may seem silly - but that one indication that life went on beyond the despair - that after the struggle could come a life that, while maybe it didn't fit "the plan", it was an alternative that was just as enjoyable, just as valid- just as cherished as the original path I had envisioned myself skipping along. <br />
<br />
Which brings me to our current debate on marriage equality. <br />
<br />
Young people are realising they're L, G, B or T everyday. Every single day from the age of roughly 12 years old* there are young girls and boys questioning assumptions they have made about themselves since an adult first joked with them about having a crush on a boy or a girl or since they first read a storybook where a prince and princess fell in love. We all grow up with assumptions - most people never have to question them, most people's plans don't have to be reworked and changed to fit around huge new pieces of information about themselves during puberty. <br />
<br />
These young people are watching the decisions that are made about their future - they are looking for signs that everything will be alright. They need it - and we owe it to them.<br />
<br />
I don't want another young person thinking their life or their relationships, their love and the families they will form are worth less than their heterosexual friends' and families' lives and loves. We have come such a long way in Ireland, even in the time since I was a teenager. Let's go all the way, let's take this next step towards a place where we can say to our young people with all honesty - you are a child of this nation, you are cherished equally, you are loved, you are welcomed, you are embraced and you are free to live life as happily as anyone else and to make any plan that you wish.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*Mayock, P.; Bryan, A.; Carr, N. & Kitching, K. (2009) "Supporting LGBT Lives: A Study of the Mental Health and Well-Being of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People" Dublin: BeLonG To Youth Services <a href="http://belongto.org/attachments/233_Parental_Attitudes.pdf"></a>Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-70488040282756659222013-01-05T20:54:00.000+00:002013-01-05T20:54:06.962+00:00Christmas Cooking and BakingI have a number of allergies, so I decided this Christmas would be the season I finally bake delicious things for myself. I can't eat gluten or eggs, so baking can be bit of a nightmare (and has been utterly heartbreaking most of the time.)<br />
<br />
However I've had some success.<br />
<br />
The most exciting piece of news pre-Christmas was the delegation of the Xmas ham to my capable hands. Ham is a big deal to me, and the Christmas ham is basically the Academy Awards of ham-making in our house, and this is how it went:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHZ5uZkMZjKEIYaD09EvIyIBRoZzsd7B8D55p6Exrzy7MXUND_mcozGKi3qN50OO4N9_JJ5GXCHvI95ngeedao_qBLCCr1VMGJUwniKQeCrB-Kg_25L-_5slbfEzmvBd0QKWj3erlHOY/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHZ5uZkMZjKEIYaD09EvIyIBRoZzsd7B8D55p6Exrzy7MXUND_mcozGKi3qN50OO4N9_JJ5GXCHvI95ngeedao_qBLCCr1VMGJUwniKQeCrB-Kg_25L-_5slbfEzmvBd0QKWj3erlHOY/s320/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Dance to the beat of my HAYUM.<br />
<br />
It was GOOD.<br />
<br />
<br />
I followed this with a nutella cheesecake made with gluten free digestive biscuits. It was absolutely delicious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yzlw3FOmEgjCi6RrIX2UFGoew9DCUb15CoSXWIOLBtaZAj_MQFH_-ZkDH7Wj4T_AckJP8OpGxa3yAz5jaxmqb1dwpxxAH8c23NU31yeTD-VkZ-jw6bDpJYT60sw6tPz50z0itN-sCwI/s1600/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yzlw3FOmEgjCi6RrIX2UFGoew9DCUb15CoSXWIOLBtaZAj_MQFH_-ZkDH7Wj4T_AckJP8OpGxa3yAz5jaxmqb1dwpxxAH8c23NU31yeTD-VkZ-jw6bDpJYT60sw6tPz50z0itN-sCwI/s320/photo+%252812%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Unfortunately the cheesecake met with a disastrous end after being knocked off its stand by my aunt in law. I won't show you that picture...it's too hard.<br />
<br />
<br />
I decided then to turn my hand to some pastry - puff pastry. This was gas craic, pummelling a pound of butter into the dough, turning it 4,5,6 times and then dividing it into two batches, one of which I froze. With this, so far, I have made sausage rolls:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtot-VriJ0Dbwf3fxWbJQ7SHwm_bb5QEPVuJ3EyzrdBtKqsO1I_9nOgv7_pvAuOEu4t5aESG6VI839ct3KPOxl6w9snJMrWD6f7fpzd3i2D-rKQpSWKjdO055i-rsdvOshK9P_0orTzPw/s1600/photo+%25287%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtot-VriJ0Dbwf3fxWbJQ7SHwm_bb5QEPVuJ3EyzrdBtKqsO1I_9nOgv7_pvAuOEu4t5aESG6VI839ct3KPOxl6w9snJMrWD6f7fpzd3i2D-rKQpSWKjdO055i-rsdvOshK9P_0orTzPw/s320/photo+%25287%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Stephen's Day Pie (turkey, ham, mushroom and onion pie):<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1XAHE_wPWhHuUIe5W78Rk5K-ogCNfPNIrIFU2N9YjwroirG1Yilh5OaDM0_epVc_YabL4_DP2vEZROGNtl6N3pVON0pYOJ8uxVxcyfdnAlmOFlAyZTlEXLRmkkcc-kzSY_s5oCbXp3s/s1600/photo+%252810%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG1XAHE_wPWhHuUIe5W78Rk5K-ogCNfPNIrIFU2N9YjwroirG1Yilh5OaDM0_epVc_YabL4_DP2vEZROGNtl6N3pVON0pYOJ8uxVxcyfdnAlmOFlAyZTlEXLRmkkcc-kzSY_s5oCbXp3s/s320/photo+%252810%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
and Vol Au Vents:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MsPO5NVELnChFmH_w4M51iedrjP8hqgJ4_wOAwKbBmD_rIj0XRt3CjKqhw1SnWYRfy7F5p9Hk4tDvmua8DgIfZD98uNB48CVD-vy-lKk5Lki1nhfo_Z3bJJkiKP7RxPilSFu2Nb6T3Y/s1600/photo+%25288%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_MsPO5NVELnChFmH_w4M51iedrjP8hqgJ4_wOAwKbBmD_rIj0XRt3CjKqhw1SnWYRfy7F5p9Hk4tDvmua8DgIfZD98uNB48CVD-vy-lKk5Lki1nhfo_Z3bJJkiKP7RxPilSFu2Nb6T3Y/s320/photo+%25288%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
I have a load still left in the freezer.<br />
<br />
I also had a mad urge for something I haven't had in a long time - sponge cake. This is NOT an easy thing to make when you can't use eggs or gluten but with a little experimentation with liquids etc I threw this one together. You'll notice it's not very big - the rise with non-gluten and non-egg based recipes is not as good but the texture of this cake was perfect. Wonderfully spongey and soft.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90SHCh5lYoThg5H9OwNhf9bz3bahR96p5UTGgdXkxWNTE17GjobRbFOMvDWKSQQT_cvSyt_71ksEScaHydPMHerueSmsDg1jRa_YGsObBEODgX2UIZstgRpGdL7bVZHqtl5vZinJSAu4/s1600/photo+%252811%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90SHCh5lYoThg5H9OwNhf9bz3bahR96p5UTGgdXkxWNTE17GjobRbFOMvDWKSQQT_cvSyt_71ksEScaHydPMHerueSmsDg1jRa_YGsObBEODgX2UIZstgRpGdL7bVZHqtl5vZinJSAu4/s320/photo+%252811%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
Today I had a mad urge for a scone so I threw some of them together, they are very very good:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVDcOgyot8LPOWfiYkoAnN4t8ItlhadmriJ9QsV8eKkw6WmaAfDY4OqYB3JFbOwi8WyXPdGHqH4ivFMuqMja84tHn8afcLE1eAEWXARf1htzc0mXKbz1rYdqfEGSjzUn_TCsnXNqeA44/s1600/photo+%25289%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVDcOgyot8LPOWfiYkoAnN4t8ItlhadmriJ9QsV8eKkw6WmaAfDY4OqYB3JFbOwi8WyXPdGHqH4ivFMuqMja84tHn8afcLE1eAEWXARf1htzc0mXKbz1rYdqfEGSjzUn_TCsnXNqeA44/s320/photo+%25289%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And using the same recipe for the sponge cake above, I've made these beauties and have iced them using a very basic glace icing. Nom nom. Beauties is an unusual word to describe them alas, as they are incredibly ugly. I even left the really ugly ones (if you can pinpoint them) in this picture as I felt bad. I'm no good with presentation at all - and as long as they're delicious and they're only for me, why should I be? ;) <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOPLqPEqvT9oYs_ucChm0gYxsDzZpxaeyDtstQXOgBevJqQyF6b-NRCTPH_WM_f1TkWE6qc_eUkpQdGGQTefdUygZe174WFdfBZfKDL7PWImj8laUYk9S3i1caTj3ury0cOHfZbBa6YU/s1600/photo+%252813%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOPLqPEqvT9oYs_ucChm0gYxsDzZpxaeyDtstQXOgBevJqQyF6b-NRCTPH_WM_f1TkWE6qc_eUkpQdGGQTefdUygZe174WFdfBZfKDL7PWImj8laUYk9S3i1caTj3ury0cOHfZbBa6YU/s320/photo+%252813%2529.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
I've had a very delicious Christmas this year, and I'm really dreading stepping on to the scales once the party officially stops (I'm not back in the office until Tuesday, Christmas holidays until then! :D)<br />
<br />
<br />
The cakes above come from a number of different sources, a lot of which are adapted, including:<br />
<br />
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/nutella-cheesecake<br />
<br />
www.glutenfreeonashoestring.com<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/eggless_sponge_cake_70634<br />
<br />
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/23618/simple-homemade-scones.aspx<br />
<br />
Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-28885714187330579472012-08-08T22:16:00.002+01:002012-08-09T12:33:43.371+01:00Dear Miss Smarty PantsI read Stephen Fry's letter to his 16 year old self and felt inspired. His is here, and absolutely wonderful.<br />
<br />
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/apr/30/stephen-fry-letter-gay-rights<br />
<br />
I started this a few weeks ago but have been editing it now and then. <br />
<br />
It was a really interesting thing to do - I wasn't sure whether or not to publish it. But sure, why not?<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear Rebecca,<br />
<br />
I'm writing to you, 10 years from the day you're reading this. I'm 26, you're 16. I'm about to go back to college to do a masters degree, you're just going into fifth year. You're young and stupid. I'm slightly older, but still young and still quite a bit stupid. That's ok, everyone has their own kind of stupidity - ours has been serving us quite well so we'll struggle on with it.<br />
<br />
You've had a tough few years, and I'm sorry, but the next few years are tough also. You get through it, you survive, you don't cope very well at first, but you learn techniques and soon you start to thrive and enjoy your life. You fall in love and you have many many friends. Lots of them are gay - I swear, you're not the only one on the planet!- most of them are wonderful, some of them are awful fuckers but you'll be able to filter them out yourself in time. Helpful tip: just because someone does something awful, it doesn't negate anything wonderful they've done or the good memories you have with that person.<br />
<br />
I like a lot of things about you. You do your own thing, you try your best. You're smart, but not overly precocious. You will learn very quickly that there are people more book smart than you once you leave school - but you're clever and resourceful enough to get by. You can make people laugh and you work your butt off. None of these things leave you (most of the time) - cherish them. You will achieve a lot through grit and determination. <br />
<br />
I can't correct your mistakes - and we both know there's been a few already - or the things I don't like about you(you will retain your love of whinging). I can't make your life perfect back then anymore than I can make mine perfect now - I wish I could. I wish I could tell you what I know now - that the world isn't as hateful towards you as you might think, I wish I could tell you to talk to someone, to admit that you're lonely for something you can't even describe yet. That you yearn for a place that's yours - something I know you still haven't quite found. It's a kind of loneliness that you have got used to, that you get comfortable with, so much so that anything that shakes you out of that makes you unsure and uncomfortable.<br />
<br />
There are big challenges ahead - I wish I could tell you to ready yourself for them, prepare yourself to be challenged in terms of who you are, what makes you Rebecca, what gives you strength. <br />
<br />
You know who you are, and that's something I envy from my position of mid-twenties drift. The certainty and clarity you have about everything, right and wrong, friends and enemies, black and white. That leaves you to a degree, as it does everyone. It never abandons you entirely, and we never lose that streak of pompous self-righteousness - you will learn to not be as annoying about it though (or so I hope!). <br />
<br />
Happiness in every life comes and goes, the trick is to enjoy it while it's here but not wait for it to end - I still haven't learned. The rug can get pulled out from under your feet, and it will be. This happens to everyone. We get over it. <br />
<br />
<br />
I'm sorry that I underestimate you so much - I'm sorry I called you a brat the other day after I read my diaries. Seriously though, you need to stop judging people so much. They may not judge you as much if you do - when you presume everyone is an arsehole then they may see no reason to show you any different.<br />
<br />
I know you believe you have all the answers, I wouldn't deny you that experience for anything - but be more open minded. You can listen to people's points of view without accepting them, it's a sign of an enlightened mind, which you can have if you just listen. And keep reading - what was the last book you read? Turn off the computer and go out into the real world. <br />
<br />
<br />
Keep writing. Please just keep writing and writing even when you think it's crap and no one else will like it.<br />
<br />
Please be kind to yourself and to others. Give them a chance.<br />
<br />
<br />
ps eat lots and lots of eggs and gluten now while you can. <br />
<br />
pps The Leaving Cert is actually grand. Noone else will say that to you - but c'mon, who are you going to trust??<br />
<br />
pps Even if you are bit of a brat, you're wonderful and worthy of every respect and love.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf6eefcQ3AWlOsOMtktasD5JYR8amFuUIfALrEPxSVpp9XZV8gFGjcIOUTGLHNXICrHQ6yM6uMmdZCmp0YD4e2aSnmOPZxZ0BWSbnwks0H9jXnaqVFiirIAT2Dj94MiEaKcor2wcNziw/s1600/Germany.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" width="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZf6eefcQ3AWlOsOMtktasD5JYR8amFuUIfALrEPxSVpp9XZV8gFGjcIOUTGLHNXICrHQ6yM6uMmdZCmp0YD4e2aSnmOPZxZ0BWSbnwks0H9jXnaqVFiirIAT2Dj94MiEaKcor2wcNziw/s320/Germany.jpg" /></a></div><br />Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-83103200300914092642012-04-07T22:39:00.005+01:002012-04-07T22:54:50.875+01:00So I went to the WeshtThe wesht of Ireland called myself and Lady R for a weekend post-exams and post-illness, so off we went to Galway city for one night, where we went for a delicious meal in Kumar's Taste of Asia (nom nom) and for a trad session in The Crane Bar. Wonderful stuff. I also saw the smallest Claddagh ring in the world in the Claddagh Ring museum as well as getting the overwhelming urge to ram raid the cutest toy shop in the world and steal everything there. Bring me a child upon whom I can lavish these ridiculous gifts.<br /><br />The best part of the trip was of course the Aran Islands, and our stay in The Pier House on Inis Mor. We cycled around the island - I couldn't walk for 2 days afterward - and the highlight of the trip was Dún Aonghasa.<br /><br />Lady R stood about 6 feet behind me almost getting sick as I took the photo below:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7a2ZGfUvWh546vIxX2hkZoWRDCWeYsb-E_mILBr3JyJlOyGiLUn33Nt3mwZfxWqS4xRHVZcHc3aFJz2VTrYNct48zTL0_sGVrgQByEa9869KtUOZyzy1PYnP_M9b3oaKvxQm3T66JzM/s1600/photo.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA7a2ZGfUvWh546vIxX2hkZoWRDCWeYsb-E_mILBr3JyJlOyGiLUn33Nt3mwZfxWqS4xRHVZcHc3aFJz2VTrYNct48zTL0_sGVrgQByEa9869KtUOZyzy1PYnP_M9b3oaKvxQm3T66JzM/s320/photo.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728779064933028018" /></a><br /><br />The scenery at Dun Aonghasa (an old fort, parts of which are over 1000 years old) is incredible. It's perched at the edge of a 300 foot cliff making it one of the most inpenetrable defensive structures that can be seen around Europe, if not the world.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ3oPBd7DPfJaItGLOfCzEaXbT8_Z6VWlmWX2vVhiEBy-BgORTUrphDm9vH73qXI_T6_fyR7ee1d70w0vPE7TDIdbaJG5IvI1pzc0m35lQ26hsCkx2CJMaoAAffUYTsjOzUxx8p4yf8Y/s1600/photo+%25282%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ3oPBd7DPfJaItGLOfCzEaXbT8_Z6VWlmWX2vVhiEBy-BgORTUrphDm9vH73qXI_T6_fyR7ee1d70w0vPE7TDIdbaJG5IvI1pzc0m35lQ26hsCkx2CJMaoAAffUYTsjOzUxx8p4yf8Y/s320/photo+%25282%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728779749763688738" /></a><br /><br /><br />We went in search of the Wormhole, but we didn't find anything particularly awe-inspiring. We're pretty sure we went to the wrong place, but we're not too bothered as we'd had a long lovely day at that point, and we saw barren landscape like this. So rugged, beautiful and oddly haunting. <br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7hraXaS41wZREKsdutuJi2gDR_DicbMemh-LrUU8U83hfMe_gpEwHeQd3ddaZ3OynLG4-lbHQUli1eMYR-clgzWwEhpEJO7KjET4bxx9d_aB9vrSsS232s3pMedqxWU67D3ZooZJOms/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb7hraXaS41wZREKsdutuJi2gDR_DicbMemh-LrUU8U83hfMe_gpEwHeQd3ddaZ3OynLG4-lbHQUli1eMYR-clgzWwEhpEJO7KjET4bxx9d_aB9vrSsS232s3pMedqxWU67D3ZooZJOms/s320/photo+%25283%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728780170133449474" /></a><br /><br />What a wonderful holiday, would highly recommend a trip for anyone - The Pier House is great also, and Joe Watty's has lovely food and tasty hot ports!<br /><br />Oh and did I mention there were donkeys??<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSQnjxddP-3443f1sbRIf-wa43UblhmB-8rMeaIf6UK_tQ9LNaIT0jJEFCpPpGWeGJNHPesQE9V7m_CO6tQmJ8Qx0XEZhktkbGv6IuWsNZGssrYNYdL5cEiZ2SwpBk7ODKEsO4i7gPec/s1600/photo+%25284%2529.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 238px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFSQnjxddP-3443f1sbRIf-wa43UblhmB-8rMeaIf6UK_tQ9LNaIT0jJEFCpPpGWeGJNHPesQE9V7m_CO6tQmJ8Qx0XEZhktkbGv6IuWsNZGssrYNYdL5cEiZ2SwpBk7ODKEsO4i7gPec/s320/photo+%25284%2529.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728780572489756754" /></a>Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-46321250242848682202012-03-02T10:33:00.004+00:002012-03-02T11:07:50.787+00:00Stand Up! For your LGBT Friends<a href="http://standup.ie "><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0F7lAxtGBnjQYisz35InoU3jH5Tsd_Fa3Qz5iYHLc5slz0RkDHdAAGym7ygsfCQAlHlYjblb1jPkOhxI8S6JPTP3k_Gksa4gE-v4q5wNVOGl3_azp6zTPfmpJwtrscfdbb2pfkJ7O8mA/s1600/b2+utube.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0F7lAxtGBnjQYisz35InoU3jH5Tsd_Fa3Qz5iYHLc5slz0RkDHdAAGym7ygsfCQAlHlYjblb1jPkOhxI8S6JPTP3k_Gksa4gE-v4q5wNVOGl3_azp6zTPfmpJwtrscfdbb2pfkJ7O8mA/s400/b2+utube.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715247009481739586" /></a></a><br /><br /><br />www.standup.ie <br /><br />BeLonG To Youth Services have released a new ad for their Stand Up! LGBT Awareness Week.<br /><br />It's really great and interactive - it links with your facebook and mobile (but doesn't cost you anything unless you choose to donate afterward!). Check it out and stand up for your LGBT friends! :)Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-9258979685827727882012-01-11T23:11:00.001+00:002012-01-11T23:13:50.052+00:00A poem for herselfOne of my favourite poems:<br /><br />You by Carol Ann Duffy<br /><br /><br /> Uninvited, the thought of you stayed too late in my head,<br /> so I went to bed, dreaming you hard, hard, woke with your name,<br /> like tears, soft, salt, on my lips, the sound of its bright syllables<br /> like a charm, like a spell.<br /><br /> Falling in love<br /> is glamorous hell; the crouched, parched heart<br /> like a tiger ready to kill; a flame's fierce licks under the skin.<br /> Into my life, larger than life, beautiful, you strolled in.<br /> I hid in my ordinary days, in the long grass of routine,<br /> in my camouflage rooms. You sprawled in my gaze,<br /> staring back from anyone's face, from the shape of a cloud,<br /> from the pining, earth-struck moon which gapes at me<br /><br /> and I open the bedroom door. The curtains stir. There you are<br /> on the bed, like a gift, like a touchable dream.Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-25028187388730250362011-12-03T13:16:00.001+00:002011-12-03T13:18:00.019+00:00This is probably a terrible ideaSee below for terrible ukelele playing (i'm taking lessons) and odd faces <br /><br /><iframe width="459" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pU-LqisTor0?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowFullScreen=""></iframe>Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-40313180444626027062011-11-01T16:33:00.000+00:002011-11-01T16:34:28.529+00:00re: The Sindo and its gay-baitingThis was in response to this article: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/loud-and-proud-gays-want-to-take-over-rest-of-society-2920975.html<br /><br /> <br /><br />Dear Editor,<br /><br />As well as undermining the dignity and respect to which all couples, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity are entitled, Eamon Delaney in his article “Loud and Proud Gays want to take over society” managed to make some sweeping, hurtful statements about a community that resists generalisation. The basis for his opinions appears to be the gay nightlife of New York in which he immersed himself as a younger man and the magazines he has somehow managed to peruse in his research on “the gays”. If one was to form their opinion of the heterosexual community based solely on a jaunt to Copperface Jacks and a reading of Playboy, followed by a morning-after tea in the Shelbourne and a glance at “Irish Brides” magazine one could infer a similarly skewed and contradictory impression of the straight community.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people comprise approximately 10% of the population – in a city the size of Dublin alone that means over 50,000 openly claim or quietly struggle with LGBT identity. I challenge Mr. Delaney to take a random sample of this size of the non-LGBT community and find a consistency of sexual norms, preferences, political ideologies, economic circumstances, family values and background. I would be very interested in his findings.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Is mise le meas,<br /><br />Rebecca Murphy <br />etcRebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-27466347687287086352011-10-01T00:05:00.001+01:002011-10-01T22:27:42.209+01:00Why I'm voting for David NorrisI posted this elsewhere and people liked it, while not necessarily agreeing with it so I said I'd put it up here.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I can't tell people why they should vote for David Norris, but I can tell you why I'm voting for him.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I think that our last two presidents have shown how inclusive, welcoming and nurturing the role of president can be. Both those women reached out to marginalised communities from all corners of Ireland when no one else did and recognised them as full and equal citizens of Ireland.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I really believe that in an Ireland that is threatening to regress to a place where everyone is scrabbling to look after themselves, we need a leader who is committed to celebrating Ireland as a people, who has shown a history of speaking for the most excluded, a track record of passion, equality and inclusion.<br /><br /> <br /><br />That leaves me with Michael D. and David Norris. Both men are magnificent, passionate speakers that use their words to promote human rights and a notion that society is more than the individual. Both men would do me proud on a national and international stage. I've met both in person, in a professional and personal capacity. They are warm, friendly. They look you in the eye and shake your hand like they want to be in your company. They're interested in your life. They treat you as an equal.<br /><br /> <br /><br />David pips Michael D because only for him I would not be able to live or love as freely and openly as I do. The letter was silly, and handled badly. But when I heard him say on Pat Kenny that Nawi was the "love of my life", my heart ached for him and I knew why he wrote it, as abhorrent and disgusting as child abuse of any kind is. It was a stupid thing, but ultimately incredibly human - which probably is his major weakness. I can live with a president whose weakness is that his heart occasionally rules his head.<br /><br /> <br /><br />So that's why I'm voting for Norris. I can't ask you to do the same, for the same reasons - he's my hero, I don't expect him to be everyone's.Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-89077464856865907112011-02-14T21:22:00.002+00:002011-02-14T21:25:32.053+00:00At a time when I need them...there are puppies. :)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkLYSORgzsltdgvPLU-4uWAfvFytqUHRDr2hR3BWEH3WaidlGYmlCDmJClesHD7R4y_Bi8s2rLB-WiZXiJpnLzAEEIkE9s8BA-buQ1EjUrXAIwU84UzhZPWexlowvUJsduSIc769kwj8/s1600/IMG_0760.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkLYSORgzsltdgvPLU-4uWAfvFytqUHRDr2hR3BWEH3WaidlGYmlCDmJClesHD7R4y_Bi8s2rLB-WiZXiJpnLzAEEIkE9s8BA-buQ1EjUrXAIwU84UzhZPWexlowvUJsduSIc769kwj8/s320/IMG_0760.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573659387433282402" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_g4yTr-5RcUSWKaEcXTqCyRHwvimOFzeX2wSW2LJqSzCCZtrXe9PgxjuioTNb64McxEXBIgDa6V3jmZvhtWpcpvqHvBLfH2YM1x_Y354SuZKCbmWn5YuH8xj4Zl0ejV5qvmRaTlGi8o/s1600/IMG_0803.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_g4yTr-5RcUSWKaEcXTqCyRHwvimOFzeX2wSW2LJqSzCCZtrXe9PgxjuioTNb64McxEXBIgDa6V3jmZvhtWpcpvqHvBLfH2YM1x_Y354SuZKCbmWn5YuH8xj4Zl0ejV5qvmRaTlGi8o/s320/IMG_0803.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573658909613194978" /></a><br /><br />I don't think anything in the world makes me happier than puppies.Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-57877565317639995882011-01-26T00:17:00.002+00:002011-01-26T00:20:58.687+00:00Puppies!It's been over 7 months since I posted here, but I thought I'd share these beauties with the world:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqBLMskoIIJPxutzfkqpnbI6x2RIge9RZiphUX2rVV-Is3bbV6ksVsikZBOfvj7rlYxXuvHKkH47RlN8OrQ0Qcg-a6xqClNzoDN93_vgbid_3DGVTjNmOgON9iuoexzUJ1CtZ8nqDY5o/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBqBLMskoIIJPxutzfkqpnbI6x2RIge9RZiphUX2rVV-Is3bbV6ksVsikZBOfvj7rlYxXuvHKkH47RlN8OrQ0Qcg-a6xqClNzoDN93_vgbid_3DGVTjNmOgON9iuoexzUJ1CtZ8nqDY5o/s320/IMG_0706.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566282467076218274" /></a><br /><br />They're 3 week old purebred Shih Tzus and I love them!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-2827791252267296122010-06-06T17:11:00.008+01:002011-12-03T15:58:27.602+00:00Snoring Doggies, Pride and BBQs!First of all, this is my dog Roxy snoring like an old man:<br /><br />(video after the jump)<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwqp9oMyUal12CAztPYV975Y6tXG0Z7O8C282l3B0Z8f-XB_SaiSVv0JwxUalcJZvt65XywMDOoQQ9wZ1-B' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br />Isn't she best?<br /><br /><br />Oh and for anyone in Cork this weekend, Happy Pride! I hope you enjoyed the march yesterday, I was gaying it up big style with my friends!<br /><br />Happy Pride Everyone! :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywvq70cQBx8bq4A4x3N7E9MMb8BRjyD_e0-vROwSj0QcbS2cNfIweVls3n9QoE39VJoxDdX8BF2hkmYB9hAxTUBdBZIOerDLh7nwdQmW8WpkDoStzJhHeDmIbO4N9CLRJ2EBWlly4YmY/s1600/photo(4).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywvq70cQBx8bq4A4x3N7E9MMb8BRjyD_e0-vROwSj0QcbS2cNfIweVls3n9QoE39VJoxDdX8BF2hkmYB9hAxTUBdBZIOerDLh7nwdQmW8WpkDoStzJhHeDmIbO4N9CLRJ2EBWlly4YmY/s320/photo(4).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479695820724677298" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm off to enjoy some BBQ'd chicken! Om nom nom! Maybe I'll post the recipe up in my next post. :) x<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-455265954145028632010-05-24T17:25:00.002+01:002010-05-24T17:29:08.668+01:00Tulips in the window!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaFPYcNjUWH2bV0x4Ytxs09d01WnOeqlr9AASi1cbILBXqruMLHWqEwXApWXAWjaLQsr1k-yoRZGJ_flXmseLmbT3Yq64MYv9kegOKNJwxkr4QcOKAFz4FyC8QXIluzKDOz4THdi4b7A/s1600/Tulips.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaFPYcNjUWH2bV0x4Ytxs09d01WnOeqlr9AASi1cbILBXqruMLHWqEwXApWXAWjaLQsr1k-yoRZGJ_flXmseLmbT3Yq64MYv9kegOKNJwxkr4QcOKAFz4FyC8QXIluzKDOz4THdi4b7A/s320/Tulips.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474874401651374914" border="0" /></a><br />€3.99 in Tesco, sure where else would you be going with these beauties? I put them on the windowsill yesterday, the buds were closed but within an hour of being in the sun they opened out fully to greet the day. Simple, uplifting and gorgeous.Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-39235480379746445262010-05-20T17:19:00.011+01:002010-05-20T17:47:39.016+01:00Cooking Adventures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxCR0vPjAitTYP79iKRnuhy0Um8-JXQH7NXMIYnyMNKHNEtC8lawfnNVcfwE-v3PUlNqexdBqgjnz83PY7GwnfwuVWoljpa2rMSx-p96iNyxFaX3c4jzPDvLCgs2Lu7higAhLWH9Q2mQ/s1600/IMG_0120.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxCR0vPjAitTYP79iKRnuhy0Um8-JXQH7NXMIYnyMNKHNEtC8lawfnNVcfwE-v3PUlNqexdBqgjnz83PY7GwnfwuVWoljpa2rMSx-p96iNyxFaX3c4jzPDvLCgs2Lu7higAhLWH9Q2mQ/s320/IMG_0120.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473394833420114578" border="0" /></a><br />I've decided to give you some pictures of the stuff I make at home sometimes for myself - I'm out sick from work at the moment so I have to entertain myself somehow, so rambling on this blog seems the best way to remedy my boredom.<br /><br />So I made some springs rolls last week. I'm a coeliac, and I'm allergic to eggs, so a lot of the time I have to improvise and be creative about making things that are traditionally packed full of both, eg springs rolls, pastries, cakes, various pasta creations. Also really bold things like onion rings etc. It requires some creativity and a willingness to eat creations that turn out kinda gross now and then - but I love that, and there's nothing more fun for me than being up in the middle of the night experimenting with batters and cakes that I can eat!<br /><br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />So, the spring rolls. There are two problems with the traditional spring rolls in Chinese restaurants - the roll part and the soya sauce. Both contain wheat, which contains public enemy number 1 - Gluten. :)<br /><br />To get around this at home I use rice paper for the roll part. See picture below:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD51Z3t0fkATVaJ_lX91WNXj74e5Z-L778b9NSwdL7Loqdp6lUg1PRnhX0x5QX5v1_ADHP62nsTofBTMlNnS8wChZnrCAgMkZmbaRvncp6Oe4eTeZL6ei3gHi1fjWeIrjueC6ld2pfJ0/s1600/IMG_0114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOD51Z3t0fkATVaJ_lX91WNXj74e5Z-L778b9NSwdL7Loqdp6lUg1PRnhX0x5QX5v1_ADHP62nsTofBTMlNnS8wChZnrCAgMkZmbaRvncp6Oe4eTeZL6ei3gHi1fjWeIrjueC6ld2pfJ0/s320/IMG_0114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473389379854066994" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These can be purchased from any Asian store (check to make sure there's no gluten ingredients) and some health stores (these are more likely to be marked gluten free).<br /><br />The rice paper has to be soaked in water, I use a plate and I put dissolve some sugar in the warm water to improve the texture of the paper when it's rolled. I soak it in the water until it's soft, then put it on a clean tea towel and dry the excess, then move it to a cutting board (or a big smooth plate) to receive the yummy ingredients.<br /><br />What I like to put in mine are things like beansprouts, carrots, sweetcorn, some spring onions etc, but little pieces of chicken or prawn or pork or anything else you can think of really would be fairly delicious!<br /><br />Here's a picture of my chopped up ingredients, because I like photos:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzD5xkW5Y9d36shCapZ6o2J5ZNGg9VHOcnlFpNY1267hsHyc7ugJftBm7EjWIF4dpP9NG7gfx4ncV6yVL49rLq3S-Cb6UHrQo4WVMhkV5U0z4Ewqd7xFmFzLo5pM92GOt_7rVbSQ7BX8/s1600/IMG_0110.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxzD5xkW5Y9d36shCapZ6o2J5ZNGg9VHOcnlFpNY1267hsHyc7ugJftBm7EjWIF4dpP9NG7gfx4ncV6yVL49rLq3S-Cb6UHrQo4WVMhkV5U0z4Ewqd7xFmFzLo5pM92GOt_7rVbSQ7BX8/s320/IMG_0110.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473390656681083250" border="0" /></a><br />To tackle the soya sauce issue I use Tamari soya sauce - available in health stores and some supermarkets and also Asian stores. It's Gluten free and just as yummy as regular stuff. You can even get lo-salt variants of it if you're feeling health conscious (although if you ask me, if you're eating deep fried spring rolls then using lo-salt is a bit like drinking diet coke with your 4 Big Macs).<br /><br />I stir fry all the veg together and then spoon the mix in the the centre of the rolled out rice paper. If you use too much the spring roll is guaranteed to explode when you deep fry them, so just make sure to only use a small to medium amount - you can make more spring rolls that are smaller and less likely to go boom in the pan.<br /><br />Fold the paper over the filling, roll once, turn the sides in top of it and then roll up fully.<br /><br />Try and make sure that the least amount of air is allowed into the roll. This minimises the explosion risk. They look something like this once they're rolled (mine are not the neatest, the first one is always dodgy but then I get into the swing of things!)<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62iN21eFPInAFjH1xqBwQI6LYMSvdOauJzLylrzdGfFmq-1SuJ1NlCtc8-RmWpmSYo6c2DEsN3b4L2JgXMH6Tw9tqd_XNvOnOByozk4vSohXSdn_2IqONI0mQbYGU3sc1hlgq7NX7khg/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi62iN21eFPInAFjH1xqBwQI6LYMSvdOauJzLylrzdGfFmq-1SuJ1NlCtc8-RmWpmSYo6c2DEsN3b4L2JgXMH6Tw9tqd_XNvOnOByozk4vSohXSdn_2IqONI0mQbYGU3sc1hlgq7NX7khg/s320/IMG_0119.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473392053182482818" border="0" /></a><br />As I don't have a deep fat fryer I fried up the spring rolls in a wok using A LOT of oil, basically creating a fake deep fat fryer really! I don't think it would be good for me to own a deep fat fryer, I'd probably need a prying stick and a forklift to leave the house after a few months.<br /><br />I usually fry them for 2 minutes on each side - they don't turn as brown as regular spring rolls, and not as hard but they do get deliciously crispy.<br /><br />Drain them, rub them with some kitchen towel (very greasy otherwise) and then serve with some soya sauce and sweet chilli on the side.<br /><br />I'm afraid the springs rolls were one of the meals I forgot to take "after" photos of - after photos will come soon when I make them again!<br /><br />As the Cookie Monster says - Om nom nom nom nom!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-75753405101813646722010-05-19T11:29:00.003+01:002010-05-20T17:19:34.493+01:00Baby Animals being cuteNot to be too fluffy bunny or anything...but these photos and videos make me happy.<br /><br />I remember reading the Run Swift, Run Free book series as a kid about a family of foxes and far from making me want to make sure foxes were kept safe, I really wanted to find an injured one and make it mine.<br /><br />But here are pictures of baby animals:<br /><br /><a href="http://thedesigninspiration.com/articles/70-cutie-baby-animals-bring-your-a-good-mood/">Baby Animals Being Cute</a><br /><br />and here's a video of some baby sloths in an orphanage - they're bizarre looking creatures aren't they? They don't look real, they remind me of something from Labyrinth.<br /><br /><a href="http://vimeo.com/11712103">Sloth Babies!</a><br /><br />Sometimes I feel guilty I'm a meateater - then a big tasty lamb chop lands on my plate and the guilt disappears. Om nom nom.Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-81467780385345023082010-05-17T01:32:00.003+01:002010-05-17T01:37:50.557+01:00Ack!I have been a terrible blogger lately - the truth is I had these great intentions of posting up pictures of my cooking adventures. Unfortunately I kept forgetting to take photos of the finished products because the second thy were out of the oven or the wok I started eating them.<br /><br />Here's a photo of some lovely flowers I put up in my house last week when a special someone was visiting me - look how pretty they are! I love the little vase also:<br /><span class="content"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENY0_9J88fj0OuePaEwwDhVx2wfGEPP_sKiz9lvB-M4qEQXwNNqwUMoETdyGBc13urRUk5YmLCEatzMtqUrOJx3IYGqPQcCp_Lbs7CLhj7w7w-it21uYsiAvg6bOFsXU71K-zik-mMGw/s1600/photo(2).jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiENY0_9J88fj0OuePaEwwDhVx2wfGEPP_sKiz9lvB-M4qEQXwNNqwUMoETdyGBc13urRUk5YmLCEatzMtqUrOJx3IYGqPQcCp_Lbs7CLhj7w7w-it21uYsiAvg6bOFsXU71K-zik-mMGw/s320/photo(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472031311972250594" border="0" /></a><br />My next post will have pictures of home-made spring rolls - I also bought some tofu the other day so I'm going to try some experiments with that. If any of the 2 people who might possibly read this within the next 10 years have any tips or tricks or yummy recipes with Tofu let me know. :) I'm looking to expand my veggie repertoire!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-38083675483805609602010-04-24T18:04:00.002+01:002010-04-24T18:07:18.497+01:00Cycling on roundabouts and other such extreme sportsI attended a cycling safety training course this morning and then almost got squashed under a car while cycling home, because I didn't look over my shoulder on a roundabout - how beautifully ironic that would have been! I cycled for about 3 hours in total, with some breaks, which is the longest I have cycled and I didn't keel over at any point so yay me I say! :)<br /><br />I'm also having more fun than I ever imagined possible with the uklele - I'm playing a few songs now already and trying to improve my strumming and that. I'm not very co-ordinated, I'm quite clumsy actually so I tend to lose the rhythm of the strumming very quickly once I start singing along. However, I'm having so much fun while learning it doesn't really matter! :DRebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-79343174298289202212010-04-20T12:03:00.000+01:002010-04-20T12:05:53.509+01:00The uke is here!It arrived yesterday, and I can play (badly) On The Radio, Creep and 5 Years Time. It's such a wonderfully happy instrument, I could strum away on it making no kind of musical sense for hours!<br /><br />In other news, I went to the gym last night and went for a lovely swim, I can feel the difference even the last week of healthiness has made on my body already, more energy and strength and even feeling the need to go to bed at a healthy time now and get a healthy amount of sleep. It's great :)<br /><br />My impoverished status because of iphones (and ukeleles) means I also can't really afford to buy crappy food or go out so it's all water and gym for the next few weeks anyway!<br /><br />Savage. :)Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-33254666720187329852010-04-18T22:05:00.002+01:002010-04-18T22:11:05.332+01:00Weekend of loveliness - fishing, BBQs and fake tan!What an awesome weekend - I grabbed a lovely sushi lunch with a friend in Jervis Square on Friday, attended the Trinity Ball that night and then headed to Cork on Saturday morning (quite unwell it must be said).<br /><br />That day we went fishing off the pier in Ballycotton. All we caught was seaweed (and Chlamydia...as my friend Ash kept saying....) but it was so gorgeous out there, I could have stayed all day optimistically casting off.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs414.snc3/25006_387557492901_500092901_3784810_2299508_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 279px; height: 249px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs414.snc3/25006_387557492901_500092901_3784810_2299508_n.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />We then headed to Ballymona beach which is quite near Ballycotton, lit up our bucket BBQ and roasted sausages, burgers, lamb chops, some chicken, turnip (??) and I ate paté on cucumber (I'm a coeliac and had no crackers with me so I improvised!).<br /><br />It was such a lovely day, with lovely people and lovely food. Factor 50 suncream meant I didn't get a sniff of sunburn or sunrash, but today I made up for my whiteness with some fake tan - my new love. I'm lovely and sunkissed but not orange. It's a bit of a novelty for me!<br /><br />In other news, I got my bike lock replaced. Hurrah!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-79739483963510828802010-04-14T11:18:00.002+01:002010-04-14T11:21:40.144+01:00Pluckety pluckety plinky plonkyI bought a ukelele - isn't it adorable!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/82000022/Images/40/makala-red1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 318px; height: 318px;" src="http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/82000022/Images/40/makala-red1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The red colour and the dolphin just seduced me the moment I saw it. I'd imagine this will end up abandoned in a corner in a few months but for while I'm trying and failing to learn beautiful songs on it it shall keep me entertained!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5546706357844649428.post-88905619378343490982010-04-13T23:07:00.003+01:002010-04-13T23:14:19.818+01:00Beautiful!UCC is beautiful. I was walking up into the campus today from the gym, stepped under the arch and into the quad, and was just blown away by its beauty. I had no camera on me, and the iPhone's one just didn't capture the gorgeousness of it. The evening sun was glinting over the trees in front of the Boole library, there were blackbirds pecking the grass and only a handful of people were walking around its perimeter. So lovely and peaceful, I'll miss it when I have to leave.<br /><br />Back in January when the snow was around, I took the following picture - what an amazing day that was!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurbrS4X8vPU_T7LnUyrx7nQ2Ft61YfG4zhIboAnxXfByKTG7AfKPC9mkkT55rK_EQ_qqCb5XivzNgPRf4-RNsQExHSbHzhktIybz83-nZ-d1U6FVkyO3wXqy0PIXBe25iZIPTLF4v0F0/s1600/IMG_0037.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurbrS4X8vPU_T7LnUyrx7nQ2Ft61YfG4zhIboAnxXfByKTG7AfKPC9mkkT55rK_EQ_qqCb5XivzNgPRf4-RNsQExHSbHzhktIybz83-nZ-d1U6FVkyO3wXqy0PIXBe25iZIPTLF4v0F0/s320/IMG_0037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459748289808517170" border="0" /></a><br />In other news, I had to cut the lock off my bike myself this evening. The fact that I spent 20 minutes clipping off my bike lock in the middle of a busy thoroughfare in UCC with not a single person stopping to ask me why I was, for all intents and purposes, stealing someone's bike does not reassure me about the safety of my bicycle in the future. Halfords shall also be getting an angry e mail re: broken bike lock. It's new, it shouldn't be breaking that easily!Rebecca Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08183719774480889097noreply@blogger.com2