Lucy's Favourite Things

Artists, literature and music that inspires me. Oh, and probably a few pictures of cats, cake recipes, ukulele chords and lush product reviews.

[ahippogriffnameddesire]

The Shins are in my top 5 but I can’t figure out where.

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n

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Summer 2012 hasn't been too bad.

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If everyone was the same, the world would be a very boring place.

My mum

[machine-extraordinary2]

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I like cats.

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Photograph I took on holiday in Germany, I'll try and find out the name of that lake!

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My Head Is an Animal is the debut studio album by the Icelandic indie folk band Of Monsters and Men, released in Iceland in September 2011. After their success, topping the Icelandic charts with their debut single, "Little Talks", the band signed with Universal Music Group and the album was released in North America on April 3, 2012. The title of the album comes from the second line in "Dirty Paws".

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When Harry Met Sally… is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally. The story follows the title characters from the time they meet just before sharing a cross-country drive, through twelve years or so of chance encounters in New York City. The film raises the question "Can men and women ever just be friends?" and advances many ideas about relationships that became household concepts, such as those of the "high-maintenance" girlfriend and the "transitional person".

It's also my FAVOURITE film of all time and you should all go and watch it immediately. 

[boringshitilike]

'Kentucky Pill' is single released by folk band Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit in 2010. It is also the fifth track on their album 'A Larum'. 

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Roasted Berry and Honey Yogurt Pops

Author: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

12 ounces (two small containers) small berries, like blueberries and raspberries

2 teaspoons sugar (preferably turbinado sugar)

dash of sea salt

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup honey (to taste)

2 cups whole Greek yogurt (I used Fage)

1/2 small lemon, juiced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, gently toss berries with the sugar, a dash of sea salt and 2 tablespoons honey. Pour the berries onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange the berries in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway, or long enough for the berry juices to thicken but not burn (watch the edges in particular).

While the fruit is roasting, blend together the Greek yogurt and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Mix in honey to taste, until it is barely sweet enough for your liking (keep in mind that the berries will be very sweet). Add more lemon juice if you want tart popsicles.

Let the berries cool for at least ten minutes, then scrape the berries and all of their juices into the bowl of yogurt. Use a big spoon to gently fold the mixture together (for a marbled effect, do not mix thoroughly).

Use the spoon to transfer the yogurt blend into the popsicle mould and freeze for at least four hours. When you’re ready to pop out the popsicles, run warm water around the outsides of the moulds for about ten seconds and gently remove the popsicles. Enjoy immediately.

(For my information; http://cookieandkate.com/2012/roasted-berry-and-honey-yogurt-popsicles/)

[boringshitilike]

Being ossum At Tramlines.

[boringshitilike]

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him, I say, stay in there, I'm not going to let anybody see you. there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whores and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that he's in there. there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him, I say, stay down, do you want to mess me up? you want to screw up the works? you want to blow my book sales in Europe? there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too clever, I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep. I say, I know that you're there, so don't be sad. then I put him back, but he's singing a little in there, I haven't quite let him die and we sleep together like that with our secret pact and it's nice enough to make a man weep, but I don't weep, do you?

Bluebird by Charles Bukowski from 'The Last Night of the Earth Poems'.

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MY CAT MOSSY. Sometimes I think somehow, the fact that she exists is the reason I exist and I worry when she dies I will cease to exist.  But I won't really be too bothered because I won't exist. So it's fine, problem solved!

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"Simple Song" is a song by American indie rock band The Shins from their fourth studio album Port of Morrow. Written by the group's frontman James Mercer, the song was released as the first single from the album.

In an interview with Q, the band's frontman, James Mercer, has stated that the song stated that the song was "about my wife, our relationship and this whole new life we [had] ahead of us." Additionally, Mercer stated that the song was also, in part, about the departures of drummer Jesse Sandoval and keyboardist Martin Crandall from The Shins.

Explaining the origins of the song, Mercer revealed that he wrote the song in the living room of his apartment, shortly following his marriage and in the period leading to the birth of his first daughter.

[boringshitilike]

One of the funniest websites EVER, my brother introduced me to this website when I was pffft... about 14 and I'm 20 now and STILL find it fucking hilarious. GO THERE, GO THERE. Click on the link. Nnnnnn....ow. Now. Or now. Go on. NOW.

[boringshitilike]

This cake looks absolutely  delicious, planning on making it for my 21st birthday next year, (except with a few tweaks to make it dairy and wheat free... )

Fruit Tingles Cake (Orange Cake with Fizzy Sherbet Icing) (makes one 3-layered 20cm round cake, cake recipe adapted from Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion) For the cake: 1 1/2 large oranges 3 eggs 165g (about 1.5 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup caster sugar (superfine white sugar) 300g (approx 2 cups) self-raising flour For the icing: 350g butter (I like to use salted butter for this) 750g (about 6 cups) icing sugar, sifted 4 rolls (about 140g) Fruit tingles, or any other fizzy tablet candies like Bottle Caps orSmarties (not the chocolate covered candy with the same name), SweeTarts or Barratt'sRefreshers, plus an extra roll to decorate on top if you wish Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) (if fan-forced use 180°C (350°F)) and grease, line the base and dust with flour three 20cm round baking tins. If you're like me and only own one tin, you can re-use the tin and bake three cakes, one after the other. Zest and juice orange (I ended up with about 1/2 cup of juice). Combine all cake ingredients in a food processor and blend for 2 minutes. If you have extra time and are worried about over-mixing the flour like me, blend the orange juice and zest, butter, sugar and eggs together first for one minute, then add the flour and blend for another minute. If you don't have a food processor, cream butter and sugar together using an electric beater until light and smooth. Add eggs at a time and beat in well. Add the juice, zest and flour and quickly mix until combined, avoid overbeating the flour. Split the batter into three equal portions (I used a scale to measure it exactly), and pour into prepared tin(s) and smooth with a spatula. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 5 minutes and then carefully remove and cool cake on wire rack completely. (Cakes can be made a day ahead and wrapped in cling film in the fridge overnight before icing).

When all 3 cakes are completely cool, start preparing the icing by removing the salted butter from the fridge 30 mins before starting. Place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth and fluffy with an electric mixer on high. Gradually add icing sugar with the mixer on medium, then when it is combined beat on high until light and fluffy. You may need to adjust the amount of icing sugar to obtain the right consistency of icing, you want it to be smooth but not holding its shape, not runny. Crush fruit tingles in a food processor or by smashing it up in a zip lock bag and beat crushed lollies into the icing until even. Sandwich the three cakes with an even layer of icing between them, and then cover the entire cake in the icing, smoothing out with a spatula or palette knife. Top cake with extra fruit tingles and chill for about 20 mins to set the icing. Serve at room temperature, can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for several days.

For more information - http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2011/10/orange-cake-with-fruit-tingle-icing.html

[boringshitilike]

Ultra effective, ultra gentle face cleanser

"A rich, soft, oily cleansing cream that cares gently for all skin types. Softens the skin whilst thoroughly cleaning it – this product is super effective at its job. Based on an ancient beeswax and vegetable oil formula from the times of Galen, the Greek physician and philosopher, this product will lift dirt, grease and make up from the skin, without stripping away your skin's natural defences."

This is some seriously good shit. My skin hasn't been this soft since way before I hit double figures. And it's ridiculously easy to use! I just slap a grape sized amount all over my face to remove make-up and wash it off with a damp cloth. I usually round it all off with some Breath Of Fresh Air toner on a cotton wool pad. But, don't look at the washcloth or cotton wool pad afterwards, no matter how little make-up you have on and how clean you think your face is, it's always disgusting. Wash cloth - washing machine, cotton wool pad - bin, DON'T LOOK.