A New Career Direction...

Well it's been quite a while since I've posted, I've been rather busy of late!

I have recently moved in a new career direction in the form of audiobook narration. I love reading and have recorded readings for YouTube but didn't think it would go any further than that...

...Until my partner discovered ACX and began narrating audiobooks himself. He suggested I give it a go so I set up my profile, uploaded a sample from my YouTube channel and started to audition.

It was such a simple process I just fell headfirst into it.

In August I recorded my first audiobook 'Collection Of 8 Wonderful Bedtime Stories for Young Children' by Renee Sandy.

It was a wonderful experience. I loved working with the author, dicussing accents and vocal style and thoroughly enjoyed producing the final audiobook!

Since then it has snowballed quite a bit, I currently have two further solo audiobooks in production, one collaboration with audiobook narrator Ian Gordon and have auditioned for several others.

I'm really loving it and hope it continues to grow.
 
Check out my profile and listen to my samples!

I'm also giving away 25 free downloads to my audiobook 'Collection Of 8 Wonderful Bedtime Stories for Young Children' on my Facebook page, pop on over to win a free download.

My Tour of America Revisited and My Journey 'Home'

Back in the UK now after 12 months working and travelling in Australia. 

I had a fantastic time and learned a lot about myself but I'm glad to be back in the UK (for now) settled and working on a multitude of new projects including music and writing.

 

Once I'd made the decision to head back to the UK I knew there was only one way I could go - through the USA. After my tour of the west coast in 2013 I was hooked.

This time my partner and I decided we weren't going to do things by halves: we would fly into San Francisco, drive across the states and fly out of New York. A little ambitious but it was so worth it! Simply put, this was the most amazing experience of my life so far!

I've decided to revisit the My Tour of America posts and write about my extended trip across the 27 States I managed to pop into on my way back 'home'.

To get a general idea of the grandeur of the trip, here's a rough map of the route my partner and I took:

Jaffa Cake Cupcakes

I'm rapidly approaching my 30th birthday and, as a celebration, am hosting a small tea party. It's a 'bring your own' where everybody contributes to the food or drink (mainly to keeps costs down).

Among my contribution will be these delicious Jaffa Cake style cupcakes. For me they are the perfect desert, the cake is light and fluffy, the chocolate is crisp and the orange center is sweet and tangy. Yum!

Ingredients:


Margarine or softened butter (I prefer Stork or Flora)
Self raising flour (sifted)
Caster sugar
2 Eggs
Zest of 1 orange (plus 1 tablespoon of the juice if you like)
Thick shred marmalade
Your preferred choice of chocolate


Pre-heat your oven to 200°C fan/180°C/gas mark 6

Recipe:

The first part of this recipe is a basic fairy cake/cupcake recipe. Simple yet delicious, so light and fluffy. My grandma taught me this recipe and I've used it for the past 20 years.

Beat the sugar and margarine (or butter) in a bowl until creamy, you can use an electric whisk (which is much easier) but i prefer to beat by hand. Whisk the eggs into the mixture.

Little by little gently fold in the flour using a metal spoon, its important to fold the flour as it keeps the mixture light and airy.

Add the orange zest and a tablespoon of the juice if you like, don't add too much or the mixture will be too wet.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases (I like mine bigger so I use muffin cases).

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cakes have risen and are golden brown.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

Now for the fun part...

Once cool cut a small circle out of the top, add a teaspoon of thick shred marmalade (you can use thin shred or shredless if preferred) then replace the top.

Melt the chocolate either in the microwave (in short bursts being very careful not to burn it) or using a Bain-Marie.
Spoon the chocolate onto the top of the cakes until they are completely covered. Then place them in the fridge to cool and harden.

As an alternative you can cut the top and add the marmalade while the cakes are still warm and serve with warm melted chocolate, I did this and they were delicious!

If you like this recipe, why not visit my 'Sweet Treats' page for more yummy treats!

One Vivid Night in Sydney

It's been a while since I've talked about my time in Australia and I think I'm almost ready to discuss my next adventure.

But before I do...

Sydney has so much to offer, there's always something happening. Writers festivals, food and drink festivals, fashion shows, fireworks displays just for the fun of it. You really get caught up in the magic of this vibrant city.

The current offering is a spectacular display of light, music and ideas all put together to form Vivid Sydney, a plethora of light shows and installations throughout the city.

Highlights of Vivid Sydney 2014 are Martin Place, Customs House, Darling Harbour's fabulous light show (every hour on the hour) and of course the world famous Sydney Opera House which displays a stunning timeline of the development of architecture, civilisation and technology.

My partner and I spent a whole evening wandering around this amazing event; taking photos, shooting footage. We've then edited the whole thing into a nice little video with one of our Chasing Ourselves songs over the top.

Here's the link to our experience of Vivid Sydney 2014...

And here are just a few of the shots I took using my Nikon D5100 with an 18-200mm lens.

For more information on this years Vivid Sydney visit their website here or follow them on twitter @VividSydney for highlights and traffic updates.