Textiel Museum

Whilst in Tilburg, we also visited the Textiel Museum which is housed in a wonderful old wool mill that dates from the late 1880's.


The building houses a fully restored steam engine that dates from 1906 which was used in a nearby blanket factory and is still in good working order today (although now powered electrically.) Originally the engine would have been used to power the blanket weaving machines in the factory by a network of shafts and cogs. It was so lovely to watch and hear it working and clicking away.


In addition to all the old machines and examples of how fabrics and blankets would have been made in the past, the museum is also working one and is still used for modern textile making. There is a 'Textiel Lab' at the back of the main building where new fabrics and ways of weaving, embroidering, printing, knitting and dyeing are still being discovered. Anyone can book in to use the machines and there are a number of technicians on hand to help. There are also a variety of courses and workshops available from their 'Textiel Academie', specialising in programmes about textiles, design, materials, techniques and history.


Some examples of modern fabrics created in the Textiel Lab...


If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods, I definitely recommend a visit!

La Trappe!

Hello! Now where was I? Oh yes, I was going to tell you about my trips of course! Well I'll start with mid April which found me in the lovely little town of Tilburg, Holland, where the legendary Roadburn Festival is held, which was just truly amazing! Really brilliant fun this year! In between watching some amazing bands such as Pentagram!!! Candlemass!! Shrinebuilder and Voivod! we also made the most of what the town has to offer...

On one of the mornings, we made a pilgrimage to Abdij Koningshoeven which is a monastery of the Trappists where they make La Trappe beer! Excellent! It is the only one of it's kind in Holland (all 6 the other Trappist breweries are in Belgium).


We were shown around the old brewery where we learned all about the brewing process, which was very useful for me! (They have long since grown out of the old brew house due to the sheer demand of produce and now use a much larger, computerised brewery in a warehouse just a bit further along the site.)


The packing factory, where the bottle filling takes place...


and then ended with a short film on the history and present day activities of the monastery where we finally got to sample some of their delicious and wholesome (8%) wares!

Proost!

101 Cookbooks

3 (completely unrelated in any way) people told me to check out this website in the same week! ...

101 Cookbooks

And it is just as good as they all raved it was! Last night we rustled up this tasty recipe...


Hope you enjoy as much as I am!!

Lovely, lovely lovely shoes!

Now before I go on about what an AMAZING trip I've had over the last month (that went SO bloody quickly!!) I just had to post these shoes...

1970s inspired shoes beautifully designed by Chie Mihara.

Uh, just wonderful!

Tara for now chuck!

I've got a couple of really exciting trips planned over the next month in the shape of...

Going here...

For this..!!!

To enjoy some of these...

Made by these guys...

To devour lots of these...


And, if I have time enough, visit this place

And then I'm off to...

To see these little guys...


And maybe a few of these too...?

To travel around on something similar to this...

And for day trips to places like this...


But I'll be back on the blogging front after all this next month (with lots and lots to write about I'm sure) so until then.... happy end of April / beginning of May everyone!! Yay!!

Grand Union Canal

Last Sunday we walked part of the Grand Union Canal. We started in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire and walked North, ending up somewhere just North East of Watford. It really was a perfect day for a waterside stroll. We plan on walking the length of the Grand Union Canal (in stages!) over the next few months, so this was the first step!

HERE is a useful website with information to help you plan your journey.

Some photos of the day...


And this is where we deviated from the canal path and headed off into a wood, came across a couple of nice pubs in a place called Croxley Green and that was that.

The path is to yet be continued......

Brew and Pie

Last weekend our home brew was finally ready for tasting - and it was good!!! It had a lovely golden colour (and very clear) and had a delicious full bitter flavour! I'm very happy with the outcome of our first attempt and can't wait to start on another batch whilst having fun getting through this one!!

We decided to rustle up a mushroom and ale pie using a bottle of our brew and it was so delicious - the flavour of the ale really came through.

You can use any of your favourite ales in a pie - although I'd say ones with stronger flavours are better.

Here's how to make...

You will need...

1 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
Quite a lot of mushrooms (we used 2 boxes - 1 white / 1 chestnut), sliced
2 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
A good dash of dried rosemary / mixed herbs
1 tbsp Vegemite / yeast extract
A few glugs of mushroom ketchup / Worcestershire sauce
300ml of your favourite ale (or stout, for a heavier flavour)
A few sprinklings of plain flour to thicken
Sheet of puff pastry (we used ready made)
Salt/pepper
Milk for brushing on top

Method

Preheat oven to 200. In a large pan, saute onions in oil for about 5 minutes until soft, add garlic and all the herbs and fry for a few more minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until their juices get going, about 10/15 minutes...

Stir in Vegemite / yeast extract and mushroom ketchup. Add ale and simmer for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in enough flour until the mixture starts to thicken.

We kept it going for about 30 minutes after that until it was really think and rich...

Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Transfer the mixture into a pie dish and lay the rolled out puff pastry on top. Brush with milk and cut a few holes in the surface for the air to escape. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden...

Enjoy!

Sarfend

Tomorrow we're off to Southend, uh hum, I mean Sarfend. We've never been to Southend before and we've decided to go because we fancied being by the sea, Piya can run around on the beach, the train ticket is so cheap and it only takes an hour from Liverpool Street Station. I've got in mind to walk along the esplanade to Shoeburyness, where there's a nice looking pub I've spotted! What better way to finish off a long, blustery, sea front walk?!

I found some old postcards from the 1890s... wonder if it still retains any of it's former charm?