I had the pleasure of being invited along to a cookery demonstration with chef Stephen Taylor Winter recently. It was part Bauknecht appliance demo and part One Tray Meals cooking demo, but all parts fun. Stephen is absolutely hilarious. It’s like cooking with an excited puppy (that is actually a compliment). Continue reading
Running Apps to Keep You On Track For Winter
The winter months are the hardest to get yourself motivated when it comes to running. The thought of battling against inclement weather while participating in a challenging run can be a daunting prospect. The choice between the couch and a roaring fire versus tackling the harsh weather outside is a tough one (for some, me included). Continue reading
So the Conosur Blogger Competition is well under way now and I’m thrilled to say that out of 13 Irish entries I have made it to the semi finals. The next step is for renowned Chef Christopher Carpentier to prepare each Semi-Finalist´s dish and select one Finalist from each participating country. We will find out on 2 October, 2015 who will get to travel to France to cook their dish in the final. Continue reading
Inspired by the harrowing true events of a 1996 expedition to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest tells the gripping story of man versus mountain. The movie centers on the attempts of two teams of climbers to reach the top. The first, Adventure Consultants is led by Rob Hall (Jason Clarke), the second Mountain Madness led by Scott Fischer (Jake Gyllenhaal). Continue reading
Sometimes when you live in a city for so long you can forget about some of the things that make it so special. I recently took a trip with Dublin Discovered and rediscovered some of my city, Dublin, along the banks of the River Liffey. Continue reading
The town of Slane has a village square with four almost identical Georgian houses on each corner of it. They stand guard over the two main streets of the town. It’s along these streets that the Slane Street Food Festival recently took place.
Brown Door Georgian House
White Door Georgian House
Blue Door Georgian House
Red Door Georgian House
There were locals as well as those from the surrounding areas out to showcase all they had to offer. While the sun may not have been shining as brightly as it could there was certainly a festive cheer throughout the town. Take a look at some of the highlights of the day, everything from baked goods to beer and cordial to cheese.
With a title that includes the words ‘Dying Girl’ you can fully expect its not going to have a happy ending. Quirky characters, refreshingly humorous dialogue, awkward teens and the tragedy of cancer combine to make Me Earl & The Dying Girl a modern engaging coming of age story. Thomas Mann plays Greg a teenager doing his best to coast through high school life without drawing too much attention to himself. Afraid to form close personal attachments his social life among his peers is confined to short not committal interactions which keeps him at arms length from everyone.
Thomas Mann & RJ Cyler
His one close friend is Earl (RJ Cyler making his movie debut) who he refers to as his ‘co-worker’. Earl is from the wrong side of town and a somewhat broken home while Greg lives in a more wholesome environment with two parents who are more than a little involved in his life. He and Earl share a love of film making and together have produced a string of parody movies based on cinematic classics such as A Clockwork Orange (A Sockwork Orange), Vertigo (Vere’d He Go?) and Death in Venice (Death in Tennis). The parodies themselves are pure genius and the movie references will certainly entertain the serious movie fan.
When Greg’s mum learns that a neighbours daughter has cancer, she insists on Greg taking the chance to do something good and be a friend to her. Intrigued by Greg’s awkward honesty and self deprecating nature the two begin to form a bond as she comes to terms with her illness. Before long she and Greg are spending most days together and as her cancer spreads their friendship deepens to a level neither ever expected. Cooke’s portrayal of the emotional roller-coaster Rachel’s character is facing is unsettlingly real.
While Greg and Rachel’s relationship has grown, so too has Earl and Rachel’s and he shares some their home-made movies with her. This prompts them to work on making a movie for Rachel. As her condition worsens they struggle to finish the movie. Rachel starts to give up her fight which in turn prompts a fight between her and Greg and one between Greg and Earl. Frightened of losing her and afraid for his future without her Greg manages to channel his feelings into finishing the movie before its too late.
Olivia Cooke and Thomas Mann
Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (American Horror Story) and based on the book and screenplay by Jesse Andrews Me Earl & The Dying Girl is interesting, engaging and has enough tragedy to pull on the heart strings. It may not please everyone but it makes a nice change to the typical American teen high school based movies we are all so used to. I’m giving it 3.5 out of 5. Check out the trailer below.
Something very exciting was happening at the Vanilla Pod restaurant in Kells recently. As part of the Boyne Valley Food Series they were hosting a five course Hungry for Heritage dinner and I had the pleasure of taking part. Continue reading