Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders

Women are not making it to the top of any industry in the world. This video is cool because it outlines what you can do as an individual (woman) to start being the change that's going to get this changed.




I think women's issues on a world-wide scale also go beyond just getting women into places of business power.


Did you know that  two-thirds of the work in the world is done by women, yet they earn only 10% of the income, and own 1% of the property? 

more reading via The Guardian...

How the new feminism went wrong

UN Women's head Michelle Bachelet: A new superhero?

Strawberry Shortcake

It's strawberry season here in the UK, and while chowing down on strawberries by themselves is pretty delicious...

There's really nothing more summery than strawberry shortcake. I have lots of happy memories of demolishing these as a kid, and have been trying to recreate the recipe. I've been trying out different shortcake recipes, scone recipes, and american biscuit recipes and finally found that baking powder biscuits are the key.

The Visitor's Guide to London: Top Ten Things to Do

Rhys' mum is coming to visit this July, and this got my thinking about all the places in London I'd like to show her... but of course we only have a bit of time in London. So here's my top 10 London destinations:


1. British Museum*: This has to be one of the top museums in the world, and is chocker with archeological finds. It is also modern and up to speed, so the exhibits are well-narrated and interesting. You could easily spend a week here, but an afternoon will also do. My favourite exhibits: Egyptian mummies. Persian statues. The treasure of Sutton Hoo.

Persian collection

2. Hyde Park: Once you are all museum'd out and tired of huge crowds, head over to Hyde Park. There are beautiful english rose gardens, duck ponds, and neatly trimmed hedges.  From here you can wander to Kensington Gardens. Once you are in Kensington Gardens, there is a cafe called Orangerie that is supposed to serve an excellent english cream tea for a nice price.

3. Borough Market: I missed out on this market for entirely too long. It's open on the weekends and perfect for a gourmet lunch, a jaw-dropping-mouth-watering walk, or to pick up some fresh veggies and fruits for the week. It's located right by London Bridge, so it's a perfect place to stop while touristing around the city centre- plus lunch can be bought for under £5 which is pretty cheap for London!

4. Walk on the Thames: this is a scenic route that takes you to Tower Bridge, past Big Ben, past St Paul's cathedral, Southbank, the London Eye, to Millenium Bridge and the Tate Modern. Very scenic and probably a bit blustery, but the river walk lets you see all the big London sites in one pleasant, uncrowded walk.

5. Tower of London: This is probably the only London attraction that I think is worth paying for (or that I have paid for). It has a hefty £17 ticket cost which is a bit agony inducing.  However, this is one of London's premiere locations for a reason. The walls offer a great view of Tower Bridge, the most famous and beautiful bridge in London. The price of the ticket includes a guided tour with a "beefeater" that's about 40 minutes long. After that you are free to wander at will through the entire castle complex, and it's museum inside the keep. Oh yes, and all the crown jewels are here so if you love diamonds as big as your head, it's the place to be.

A Weekend in Paris

Things learned in Paris this weekend:

1. Cecilia's Guesthouse is a lovely place to stay, and I would highly recommend it to anyone on a medium-budget going to Paris. A lovely host, delicious breakfast, and a nice outdoors area. Although   Personal Experience now says it is about an hour's walk to get to the main city - with a few gas stations, busy roads, and tiny winding lanes and beautiful markets along the way.

2. True to stereotype, french waiters are Very Important People with Lots to Do (but not so rude- just Very Busy).

3. The Eiffel Tower is much much bigger than it looks from far away. While it doesn't dominate the skyline, as you walk up to it, it rapidly becomes imposing.

The Eiffel Tower up close

4. The size of the Eiffel Tower is nothing compared to the size of the line to go up to the Eiffel Tower. If possible book in advance. We didn't book in advance, and couldn't stomach upwards of 2 hours in line. Just walking around the base was very impressive -though walking up to the 2nd level was relatively cheap.

Rules of Summer -ten things to do this summer

I was reading one of my other blogs today, and came across this sweet idea: make a list of ten things to do this summer. They shouldn't be too crazy, just you know, summery and celebrating the (supposed) warmest days of the year.

1. Rent a Boris Bike and go cycling in Hyde Park - the first 30 minutes are free!
2. Have a picnic and see the deer in Richmond Park (ideally while sitting on 'Spankers' Hill - who could resist?!)
3. Eat the first vegetables from my mini garden- peas and zucchini are on their way!
4. Learn to make Pimm's the proper British way
5. Go camping - in Wales? Scotland? but most likely Kent
6. Learn to make proper salads/Eat huge amounts of seasonal fruit and vegetables
7. Visit the beach (maybe even combine this with the camping)
8. Visit Paris
9.  Go for an evening walk in the park at least twice a week
10.  Take a Spanish class


I'm off to tick number 9 this weekend- a weekend getaway in Paris!

What are your top ten? Top two? Top five?

How to make the perfect Italian pizza

70% of what we ate while in Italy was pizza (we never managed to have delicious pasta, shucks, I guess that means we'll have to go back), so after much discussion, sampling, and more sampling, Rhys and I have nearly mastered the pizza. Here are a few things we learned while eating our way through Rome and Naples:

1. Naples pizza is the cheapest and best you will ever eat. It comes on a huge plate and is as thin and soft as a crepe where the toppings are. Since it's fired in a super-heated oven, the crust becomes crispy, while the middle is soft. With a knife and fork, you are away burning-your-mouth but falling in love with every bite of delicious-ness. 
2. Roman pizza is sold on every street corner, by weight. You ask for, say 200 grams, and then pay for it based on the price per 100g. The crust is thick and cracker-like, with a huge variety of toppings. Even the cheapest end of the street pizza is fantastic
3. If in Rome, I would recommend going to potato pizza at least once. It has crispy thick crust, then creamy tiny cubes or thin layered slices of potato. These are then bound together with crispy golden cheese across the top - a bit like this but with more cheese.
4. A margherita pizza is the best way to quickly tell if a pizzeria or restaurant is any good. Look for homemade sauce, mozzarella de bufala (made from waterbuffalo milk), and a few leaves of fresh basil sprinkled on top. If it's a good pizzeria, it will taste phenomenal and you will never desire pizza toppings ever again. If it isn't well...you will probably know

OK, so what if you want to make your own pizza at home? After lots of eating, these are the tips I would recommend: