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For those of you who might be interested the TATE are running Uniqlo Tate Lates online  tomorrow. They have lots of talks, music and film plus more planned from 7pm until 9pm. However, being that Karen has asked us to consider our mental health this week I just wanted to draw your attention to one of the events. 20.20, Talk: Anna Farley and Hamja Ahsan: Hear from  Tate Exchange  artists Anna Farley and Hamja Ahsan on making art in isolation. See their makeshift studios, the work they have been producing in quarantine and hear how the current situation has impacted those from the neurodiverse community. Before I joined the Beacon I had the opportunity and privilege to support a young woman through her final year at Wimbledon College of Art on behalf of the National Autistic Society. That woman was Anna Farley.  Having struggled with her mental health before also being diagnosed with Autism in her mid 20's, Anna has used her art practice to make ...

King Prawn and Chickpea tomato Spaghetti Every summer I struggle with what to cook as it is either too hot to go outside and source fresh ingredients or heavy food is just too rich. So salads and fresh pastas become my staple. This recipe is a simple way to fill up on protein and carbs after a long walk or cycle. Portion size is everything when it comes to carbs so  I try to have smaller portions  if carb meals as I am genetically built to store glycogen! (And I am too lazy to burn the calories off!) Serves 4 Ingredients 5 large tomatoes 1 can of chickpeas 1 large red onion 350g fresh uncooked king prawns(They normally come in 175g packs) 500g fresh spaghetti (most supermarkets sell fresh pasta. It has a more flavoursome taste.) 1tsp chilli flakes or one fresh red chilli deseeded and finely chopped Cracked black pepper and coarse salt to season Some fresh basil leaves roughly chopped to garnish Olive oil for drizzling 3-4 tbsp Vegetable oil f...

Jamie (my hubby) loves pie and mash from a pie and mash shop.  He ordered some online the other day and had it for his dinner.  He said it was almost as good as Harrington's which is praise indeed. He had three pies, double mash, and liquor, along with chilli vinegar and a can of coke.  The vinegar came in a glass bottle not a sachet, so he will make good use of that in the future. Author:  Trace Mann

Gluten free lemon drizzle cake Being in lockdown means there is a shortage of flour so for this post I decided to delve into the unknown and try baking a gluten free cake (to be perfectly honest that is the only flour I have left!) If like me you are struggling to fill your time during SARS Cov-2 pandemic then experimenting with bakes might help with wellbeing. Ingredients 200g gluten free flour (I used M n S flour) 200g Stork margarine 175g caster sugar 5 large eggs 2tsp baking powder 4 lemons 1 orange Icing sugar for drizzle Sugar syrup made from 1 part hot water and 4 parts sugar with lemon juice added for taste. Method Heat oven to 180 degrees C and line a 10″ cake tin with baking parchment using butter as an adhesive ( or just brush tin with butter) To a mixing bowl add the eggs, sugar, juice of 1 lemon and butter and whisk till incorporated Fold in the flour and baking powder then whisk on a high setting until mixture appears light and fluffy (if ...

Yesterday was probably the first time in a very long time that I took a moment out to do something I love doing and should do much more often. As teachers we are so busy doing things for the students that we very rarely get to things that we love, for ourselves. In my case that is obviously creating and art making. Unlike Callie and Flin, I never seem to find the time. So yesterday I spent much of the day in the garden on a mini project that I had wanted to do for ages!! I am calling it my 'Mini Lockdown Garden'. It is currently missing the plants and flowers but I have tried to capture the way in which Art and Colour has helped a lot of people through these past few months. I have also signed it 'Lockdown 2020' in the corner, so in the very unlikely event that I ever forget this period in time, I will always be reminded.

I have a baking therapy blog which I would really like to share with you.   When we first went into lockdown basic things like flour were hard to come by.  Things are a lot better now.  More recipes are to come soon. Orange and lemon curd sponge Work pressures in the last year have meant I lost my passion for baking and this summer I am trying to regain the confidence to be as passionate as I was. The past year has taught me not to give up on doing something you love just because you get knocked down by people. It is amazing how hobbies and careers interplay and therefore a difficult time at work affects your hobbies adversely. Learning to maintain a work life balance is key and re- evaluating why you are doing what you do and finding a place of work that appreciates your skills helps with that balance. So here’s to more baking recipes which I love writing and designing and more reading! Orange and Lemon curd sponge A very easy recipe that u...

We had our first BBQ at the weekend.  We normally would have had it for our group of friends, but as dictated by the virus it was just for us 4 and the dogs.  It was so lovely and warm that we stayed outside in the garden until gone 11 chatting to our next door neighbours from the safety of the garden fence.  The citronella burners by the filter housing came in handy too against the mozzys. Author:  Trace Mann

Me and my bruv who you can see asleep behind me, had our hair cut yesterday.  We were really shaggy and now that we have been to the groomers we are half the dogs we used to be.  The groomer said we were really cute and very handsome.  I have also got a new game in the garden.  It's called chase the hose.  If I play it again mummy will video me for the blog. Author:  Trace Mann