July Roundup

We’ve had a few weeks of intense heat, so I definitely must mention them in this July Roundup. I’m not too keen on hot weather and tanning, so I’ve used huge amounts of SPF 50 sunscreen these days. The heat made us look for alternative activities and we’ve been kayaking a lot.

Besides this, I’ve done a lot of reading. Amazingly, I managed to read 10 books this month. I haven’t had time to take pictures of all of them, hence only a collage of 6 instead of all 10. For some the reviews are on my book blog, coffeeandbooks, the others will soon follow. I share a review every few days, so I keep steady updates and, of course, not to add too much pressure in taking pictures and writing the reviews. As usual, most of them are non-fiction, with only 2 books of fiction, by Philippa Gregory.

Books finished in July:
Crown and Country by David Starkey. The Kings and Queens of England: A History
Changeling by Philippa Gregory
Elizabeth: the forgotten years by John Guy
Chasing Black Gold by Robert Stone. The Incredible True Story of a Fuel Smuggler in Africa
God is not great by Christopher Hitchens. The case against religion
Hope in a Ballet Shoe by Michaela DePrince, Elaine DePrince. Orphaned by war, saved by ballet: an extraordinary true story.
Walter Rothschild by Miriam Rothschild. The Man, the Museum and the Menagerie
Mary’s household tips & tricks by Mary Berry. Your guide to happiness in the home
Stormbringer by Philippa Gregory
Toxic parents by Susan Forward, Craig Faustus Buck. Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life

Another thing I have to talk about in the July roundup is the amazing way the England team played football at the World Cup. I’ve thought I should prepare a dish or bake some cookies inspired by it. So, I picked the teams England played against and I had no idea I will have to bake so many times. I loved it! It’s a shame they didn’t get to the final, but what an amazing job they did, despite this.

As I said cookies, this is what I’ve made for the World Cup football matches:
Ghraiba – Tunisian chickpeas flour cookies
Kaak warka – Tunisian marzipan filled biscuits
Panamanian Johnnycakes – from Panama
Coconut Rice with Red Beans – from Panama
Rijstevlaai – Belgian rice pie
Ajiaco – Colombian soup
Janssons frestelse – Delicious potato bake with capers
Kiflice – filled biscuits

I’ve made the Tunisian recipes twice, we loved them so much. See all of them on my recipe blog: cookstyle.

This weekend we’ve started working in the kitchen, after a mixup with a not very highly skilled gas engineer. Asking for a second opinion not only made our life easier as we didn’t have to change a perfectly good pipe, but saved us a few hundred pounds in the process. So, we are now doing a bit of painting, as we didn’t refresh the wall and ceiling paint in four years. Also, we are getting rid of the popcorn ceiling, and that is amazing. I should be able to put everything back where it belongs in a couple of days.
In addition, because I looked in all the drawers, I can see what foods I’ve stored for a long time and didn’t use.

I’ve been to a conference about slavery and I found it very interesting. As I signed up to a newsletter, now I receive invites to conferences and seminars and I enjoy them a lot.

In August I have some plans, but it will mostly involve reading, cooking, and less travelling. It is a bit too hot to take the dog on holidays, and, with the school holidays, is also very very busy. This week I’m volunteering at CBBC Summer Social 2018 and I’m so looking forward to it.