Olivia Grace Baker

After looking around the cereal aisle on a recent supermarket trip and seeing the granola I like was priced at a ridiculous £3.50 I decided to try to make my own. I wanted to use ingredients that we already had in our cupboards. Although the recipes on Pinterest of granola always look incredible they often have ingredients in which we simply don't buy when shopping on a budget. This granola recipe that I have made doesn't contain anything fancy, it isn't the healthiest recipe but it's delicious and you know exactly what's gone into it, unlike many cereals which contain ingredients I can't even pronounce.


This recipe takes 7 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking (dependent on how chewy you want your granola)

For this recipe you will need:

• 3 cups of rolled oats
• nuts of choice,  however much you desire (I went with about a cup full)
• dried fruits (optional, I used sultanas)
• 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon (I added a bit more as I love the flavour, can be substituted for other flavourings or left out)
• 3 tbsp of brown sugar (can be made healthier by using other sugars we had brown sugar in the cupboard)
• 1/4 cup of oil of choice (try to opt for flavourless)
• 1/3 cup of syrup of choice (I used golden syrup, can be made healthier using honey, agave nectar etc)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 a medium ripe banana
• pinch of salt
  
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F or Gas mark 4

1. mix dry ingredients into a bowl (see photo below)
2. mash up banana put to one side
3. over a medium, low heat combine wet ingredients (oil, syrup, vanilla) until a runny liquid 
4. take pan off heat leave to cool slightly and then add in mashed banana and stir until combined (see photo below) 
5. add liquid mix to dry mix and stir thoroughly (see photo below)
6. spread mixture onto a lined baking sheet evenly (see photo below)
7. put in oven for 20 minutes, making sure to check that it isn't burning, you want the granola to be golden in colour. If it looks like it's browning to quickly lower temperature and place a sheet of baking paper over the top to stop it scorching
8. I took mine out of the oven when still quite sticky as I wanted it to be this texture, i will solidify more when cooling, if you want it to be crunchier leave in oven for a few more minutes
9. leave on tray until completely cool (see photo below)
10. transfer into air tight container
11. enjoy

Equipment I used, embroidery threads of various colours, scissors, a large needle as embroidery thread is quite thick even when split, a pen to draw on your designs, I recommend black ink on denim and pins if you need to straighten out the material.


Step one draw on your design, I decided to do mine around the pockets. I started out using iron on transfers but these were hopeless on the denim as the transfers are blue so you just can't see them. As you can see above I didn't do anything fancy just drew on an easy designs.


It's then a case of filling in your design, I definitely wouldn't call myself an expert at embroidery my stitching is not the neatest by a long mile but I'm calling it part of the character of the jeans. In order to embroider you need to unwind your embroidery thread which is doubled over and separate it into one thick strand to sew with, this still includes three regular threads but almost woven into one, this is where embroidery thread is different to regular cotton, I am told. You can sew with it even thicker should you desire but I think you would find it difficult to get it through the denim in the shape you desire if it were any thicker. From there I have just sew from left to right creating a 'line' filling in each petal.


The finished article, not the most symmetrical or intricate. I'm not sure whether I'm just very slow at sewing but be warned this small bit of embroidery that I've done on these jeans took me forever and left my fingers quite tender from pushing the needle through the denim.


These are the patches i added in to cover up the rips/ holes in the jeans, I just cut up another pair of old jeans I had lying around to attach over the top of the holes which I had darned. As you can see again, I didn't apply these neatly trying to make it look like the patches were meant to be there by doing big messy stitching in a bright colour to attach the patches.


To make the patches above look more like they were part of the design I also added a patch to the back pocket of the jeans, along with an embroidered 'sun' it is somewhat of an abstract sun I would say, not the most realistic. I just made up the designs as I was going.


I also did more flowers a little bit further down on the other leg and another leaf design. Be careful not to make the rookie error I made the first time round by stitching through both sides of the jeans, make sure to separate the sides by putting your hand through the leg.




I also embroidered the words 'sail away' and a little sail boat on the cuff on the back of the legs inspired by a pair of jeans I had seen in Zara but hadn't been able to get my hands on which said 'love always' on the bottom. Although small I really like this little detail. I am by no means an accomplished crafter and found this reasonably easy to do and fun. I found myself sat in the sun sewing or sat down in front of the TV sewing. I know, I know I am more like a 70 year old than an 18 year old but I'm sure your granny doesn't have cool jeans like these.

I am one of those many women who loves all things Austen.
Although I am of the opinion that you can't have read Pride and Prejudice 'too many times' I have however, found a book very reminiscent of Austen for the interim.

A literary classic much like Austen's novels, A room with a view by E.M Forster has the same witty social commentary that I love in Austen's novels. Forster's novel also centres around Edwardian life however, he does so in both England and in Italy. The novel explores the tales of a young Lucy Honeychurch discontented with the 'prim and proper' lifestyle she is accustomed to. Forster like Austen also uses an older female figure to convey these societal values at the time making for some laughs for the readers. Miss Honeychurch story like Austen's heroin's tells of falling in love.
Forster implores the wit that I love in Austen's novels by exploring the contrasts between medieval and Renaissance figures and even the theme of women's suffrage. This coming of age tale much like Austen's work is definitely worth reading.



The 1985 film Version of this book, a Merchant Ivory production is also very good. The films cast include a very young Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Daniel Day Lewis. I recommend reading the book before hand but if you're someone who loves to see the story in both forms this is great.

It's difficult to put into words the hurt the world is feeling. 

I implore you to think about the fact that the events of recent particularly in Nice are barbaric acts, act not of religion but of the disenfranchised. There is a quote in The West Wing Tv Series in the episode Isaac and Ishmael which particularly resonates.

"Islamic extremism is to Islam as 'blank' is to Christianity." 
"Islamic extremism is to Islam as the KKK is to Christianity." - this can be amended to any other extremists of any type
     
This quote is then followed up by:
"You want to get these people? I mean, you really want to reach in and kill them where they live? Keep accepting more than one idea. It makes them absolutely crazy." 

Citizens of the United Kingdom today can say they have a female Prime Minister. Surely this should be a huge step for women? And yet, last night in the brief 5 minutes I spent watching the 'mild-mannered' BBC coverage of the event the remarks made about our now PM were related to her husband and how he has 'stuck by her' and how 'fashion forward' she is - Of course these are our main concerns as citizens how well she dresses and how much we know about her husband.

It seems insane to me that stereotypes and traditional tropes are still so heavily ingrained into us even today. So much so that instead of talking about her qualities as a politician, her past, her achievements we focus on how well she can wear a suit and how well her husband looks standing next to her. I can't be the only person to be questioning this. I can't deny that I love to read trashy stories about which celebrity wore what. However, even I am question the time and the place for it. The likes of Cameron, Johnson, Corbyn aren't constantly discussed with regards to their suit choices or with reference to how much their wives love them. Yet women are. Are gender norms so heavily ingrained?

O Roma, Roma, at thy feet
I lay this barren gift of song!
For, ah! the way is steep and long
That leads unto thy sacred street.  Rome Unvisited: Oscar Wilde

Anxiety as a concept is talked about a lot today as a concept, I don't class myself as having anxiety. But I have found that in many situations I become very anxious be it rational or irrational it is often in anticipation of things that often actually turn out okay. I am definitely not suggesting I have this under control because I don't if somebody does don't hesitate to tell me how. However, from experiences I have not overcome it but just learnt to cope. 

I am an 18 year old student and as such find myself in a lot of social situations. My issue is getting myself to go, I always want to go but that doesn't stop me from thinking every negative thought about what could happen to me if I leave my bedroom. This is including when I go to places that I  know with people that I know, I still feel this overwhelming nervousness. What happens if nobody talks to me, what happens if I'm not like them etc etc. Yet, every time bar one I would say I have had a great time and questioned why I say no when I could be having fun. Similarly, the one time I can recall not enjoying myself I simply left, is it not much easier to try and if you don't like it walk away, than have never tried? 

Naturally most people become stressed in high pressure situations such as exams. I am told I take this to another level. I am definitely not someone who can just see how it goes, if I haven't spent all of my days revising for an exam the week before it I will be in complete melt down. Even if I know, I know the information if I'm not doing it I'm stressing. This applies particularly for the morning of an exam my dad has told me in the past that Paul McKenna a noted hypnotist did a talk about the routines people have to psych themselves up before an exam, interview, match etc. Sort of like your pre-changing room Al Pacino Any Given Sunday bit. After, hearing this I began to notice this before exams, some people would click their fingers or step away from everyone discussing last minute tips or like me you go in the exam room and perfectly line up your pens, tie your hair up, it's as simple as that a trigger something to get you in the mind frame, which says yes, I can do this. 

In these situations I have also found that wearing something that you can physically mess with as a re-assurance or a memory jogger in the case of exams is helpful. For me that's a ring or a necklace, it really is something as small as that, that makes the difference for me. In the past I took herbal tablets, to help me with nerves, placebo or not they worked for me, pre-exam. I am of the opinion that the ritual of taking one and telling myself it worked was the answer, not the actual tablet but even if that is true either way it worked.

The most important thing to remember is that, EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY. YOU WILL BE OKAY.