Travel – Page 2 – Friendly Nettle Studio

July 29, 2016March 2, 2024 Rasa Pelham Travel

Photography challenge: learning new things on holiday in France

Last week we went on our second holiday to France which was much more relaxing than the first one! While we were there I decided to take up another photography challenge. Except I could not think of what I should learn this time in specific, so I thought lets just go with the flow and see what happens. The result? I did learn something that will tell you later later (I am quite excited about it!). For now I would like to talk how I kept my photography challenge as relaxed as possible. We were on holiday after all!
The pictures bellow have been taken around the place where we stayed close to Buais.

Use any photography tool available, whats wrong with taking pictures on the phone? On our first few trips in France I actually forgot to either charge my camera or left it in the house by accident. My phone was a saviour, I was still able to capture all the moments and the quality does not seem too bad to compare with my DSLR. Ok, you have more freedom with the photo camera but I did survive taking pictures with the my IPhone for quite few years before I got a “real”camera. Can you spot the pictures here that I took with the phone?

On the first day we have visited Port de Cancale. Local caught mussels in wine and chips were fab (even Lukas loved it)!

Rennes was our next stop. Although we went there only for an attic clear out sale (similar to boot sale here in UK) I really loved the city and its architecture.

It’s ok to use an Auto mode! I have been using this setting for years and only now started looking at other settings. To be honest, its good to know the other tricks with lighting and focus, but when you taking pictures of quick moments I think there is not enough time to fiddle with the settings. After all often good pics happen with good composition!

St Milo was Joni’s place (maybe because of all the forts and castles).

Fort National, accessed when the tide is low!

So what did I learn from my holiday challenge? Is how to take photos in Golden Hour! I read about it somewhere long time ago and it sunk into my brain I guess. So when I woke one morning very early and saw a golden glow of the sun everywhere I could not resist but take pics all around me. No wonder its also called magic hour! You just need to catch the right time either in the morning or evening (found good timeline here) and take the shots outside ;-). What I also liked is including sun glare in my composition, it made my photos extra magical!

Hope you are inspired!
Rasa xoxo

July 25, 2015December 17, 2024 Rasa Pelham Recipes, Travel

Happy marriage cake

Happy marriage cake it is not a made up name for a cake, it’s a traditional Icelandic name for rhubarb jam tart. I first tried this cake on an airplane (a location not generally associated with fine patisserie, but I was craving something sweet) and I wasn’t impressed. But I saw potential in this cake and I knew that I could make it taste moist and wholesome. After all this cake needed to live up to it’s wonderful name!

For the filling I have made a strawberry and rhubarb jam because I wanted it in pink colour and I was never able to get that colour just from rhubarb (I don’t know how other bakers do it?!). I added oatmeal to the crust as that seemed traditional for this cake.

HAPPY MARRIAGE CAKE
(for the filling)

220g rhubarb, chopped
120g strawberries
150g sugar

(for the crust)

200g butter, softened
130g sugar
2 egg yolks
85g oats
170g flour
1tsp cinnamon

1. Make the jam filling first. Place the chopped rhubarb, strawberries and sugar into a small pan and bring to the boil (splash some water to begin with so it does burn). Cook for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture is thick and jammy. You then can puree the mixture with the hand processor if you prefer smooth texture.
2. Make a crust dough by creaming butter with sugar till it is light and fluffy. Gradually add egg yolks, oats, flour and cinnamon and mix everything to combine.
3. Spread the crust dough at the bottom and sides of lined baking tin reserving small amount for later.

4. Pour the jam filling into the dough. Dot the remaining crust over the top. Bake the cake in the preheated 180C for 25-35 minutes.

Happy weekend everyone!
Rasa xoxo

July 20, 2015December 19, 2024 Rasa Pelham Travel

Iceland!

This is probably going to be the loooongest post I have ever posted, but there is so much to see! Our holidays in Iceland turned out to be breathtaking (at least for me) even if it was only for four days. I can honestly confirm that Icelandic scenery is completely out of this world. No wonder there were so many movies filmed here! I hope the pics below speak for themselves (especially the pic of never ending lupin field).

Waterfalls were definitely one of the signature Icelandic features.

Thyme that grows in Iceland!

After seeing fields of lava, moss, lupin and greenery we were wondering where Icelandic people grow their veg? We got our answer after visiting one of the green house farms. Due to short summers, green houses are the way to go and because of cheap electricity due to volcanic nature here in Iceland the lighting and heating does not cost very much. Plus they have these very friendly bumble bees to pollinate the plants :-).

Geysir springs were breathtaking, although very stinky! It definitely gave me few heart jumps when they exploded all unexpectedly.

Glacier lagoon is another place that I loved, although it was a very cold experience. Turns out the icebergs are white/bluish from the outside because of the sun and all clear under.

I love seasides and this one is exceptionally amazing! Black and white, who would have thought it exist?

Me and Joni celebrated our 1st Wedding anniversary that day as well :-).

Reykjavik from the church tower perspective….

And the last, but not least is the Blue lagoon. This was my main reason why I wanted to visit Iceland!

I hope you are inspired to visit Iceland 🙂
Rasa xx

July 16, 2015December 19, 2024 Rasa Pelham Travel

Holidaying in Lithuania :-)

We just came back from our long long holidays in Lithuania and Iceland (this is why I was so silent for couple of weeks). More holiday pics to follow, but for now here are the pics from our Lithuanian adventure with Nicola (my sister) and Chris :-).

First we have visited my Granny, than the forest in Kuršių Nerija National Park…

…than the seaside with dunes.

Rasa xoxo

June 24, 2015February 7, 2025 Rasa Pelham Travel

Joni's Birthday/Fathers Day weekend in Mudeford + Christ Church

Last weekend we celebrated Joni’s Birthday and Father’s Day in beautiful Mudeford (+ Christ Church town). It was great to spend some time with the amazing Pelham family. I will leave the pics to explain themselves ;-).

Have a great the rest of the week!
Rasa xoxo

March 13, 2015March 10, 2025 Rasa Pelham Travel

Panemunė forest

I just came back from Lithuania and i could not wait until I can share about our forest. Me and my mum went for a walk everyday here because it is just outside my parent’s house. I know it may look dull as it is still an early spring but it is magical in winter or summer. Sadly, one thing I could not transfer into the pics is the smell of pines and oaks :-).

Although there was a storm 4.5 years ago that destroyed 1/3 of forest, the consequences of it are still apparent today.

Even if mini forest is growing to replace the lost one (It’s a looooong process)

And there is a river! (the biggest river in Lithuania called Nemunas)

I hope you liked our mini forest tour 😉
Rasa xoxo

January 17, 2015January 9, 2026 Rasa Pelham Reflections, Travel

The Kennedy Space Centre and Cocoa Beach

I may have never told you how me and Joni actually met. I was always a bit embarrassed to admit it happened on eHarmony (yes… one of “those” stories). But when I think back now, it wasn’t really the website that connected us — it was space.

At the time I was completely obsessed with the magic of it — the majesty, the beauty, the quiet mystery of space itself. Definitely not the rockets! I just wanted to experience the feeling of it, the vastness, the wonder. And then I noticed Joni’s profile said aerospace engineer. So naturally I contacted him, not for dating (that came much later!), but to find out more about space.

Of course, Joni’s reasons for wanting to go to space were totally different. He’s fascinated by the science, the engineering, the rockets — all the technical things I wasn’t even thinking about. But somehow our different versions of the same dream linked us up.

Fast-forward to now, and we recently went to Florida for Joni’s work conference. And on our few days off we did the two things that make the most sense for us as a couple: we visited the beach and the Kennedy Space Center. It sounds completely random, but actually those two dreams of mine — to go to space and to be near the seaside — have always lived side by side.

Cocoa Beach was everything I love: white sand dunes with just a little bit of greenery, like an unfinished canvas where I could imagine something colourful. And then suddenly, a huge rocket somewhere in the distance reminding me of Joni’s world. How random are we?

What surprised me most was how close these two places really are, not just geographically but in history too. Back in the 60s this whole beach town was full of people working on America’s space program. This is literally where astronauts came to rest when they were not in space! I love that.

And I swear, that car tyre print on the sand looked a little bit like the foot steps found on the surface of the moon… don’t you think?

Also loved this Kennedy Space Centre star globe fountain with my reflection in it!

Cocoa Beach in the fog look sort of dreamy…

I hope I got the attention of some of the cosmic dreamers (or seaside lovers) out there 😉
Rasa

January 15, 2015May 3, 2025 Rasa Pelham Recipes, Travel

Biscuits or scones?

We recently have visited States and I finally had a chance to taste a biscuit… for breakfast, with the gravy!!! What? If you come from America than this might not be that surprising to you. But here in England biscuit has a complete different sense and purpose. It even looks different! The biscuit that I had in States reminded me of scone that we have over here. Maybe we don’t eat scones with the gravy, but we certainly have cheesy types as well. I must admit eating the biscuit with gravy inspired me to try and marry the scone with the soup! Not just any soup, but the most British one: broccoli & stilton soup.

I of course tried to determine the differences between American biscuit and British scone, but did not found that many. Although the ingredients are practically identical, the scone recipe might call for buttermilk, oatmeal or even barley (especially the most traditional recipes). So I guess the choice is yours how to call this baked delight ;-).

I often bake these basic type of scones, because they are that basic that you can add any flavour you want to them. You want them sweet = add a 1-2tbsp sugar and handful of dried sultanas, you want them cheesy = add any cheese you want! I replaced butter with coconut oil, just because I believe that make the scones feel a little bit less naughty. And it works every time! Oh, I just love the consistency and the benefits of the coconut oil!
BASIC COCONUT OIL SCONES

150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
45g coconut oil
30ml milk (can be substituted with coconut milk)
1 medium egg (or add another 25ml of milk if you want to keep it even more basic)

1. Mix all the ingredients together (mix flour and baking powder separately first) until everything combines well and shapes non-stick dough.
2. Roll the dough 1 cm thick and by using cookie cutter cut the dough into the circles.
3. Bake the scones for about 10-15 in the preheated 180C oven.

Enjoy!
Rasa xoxo

December 29, 2014October 2, 2025 Rasa Pelham Travel

Lithuanian seaside in winter (minus the the snow)

A seagull perched on the railing of a ferry, with a harbor and a cloudy sky in the background.

We are back from Lithuania and I could not wait to share the highlights with you. My favourite place in the world still lies on the Lithuanian seaside, in Kuršių Nerija National Park. However this time I was hoping for snow. Why? Because snow on the seaside looks unusual and I like unusual things! Anyway, maybe I will catch the snow next year?
Getting to any destination begins with a journey and ours started with a ferry. I love how there is no other way to get to the other side than the ferry (unless you travel via a Russian enclave)! You basically get transferred to the other side while sitting in your own car. How amazing is that!

A wooden signpost in a forest with a red arrow, featuring a painted silhouette of a squirrel.

Walking through the forest to get to the sandy beach feels fairytale like. However I found these squirrel trail signs hilarious :-D.

A view of a secluded, abandoned building partially obscured by tall pine trees in a forest setting.

Close-up of textured tree bark with patches of lichen.

A close-up view of lush green foliage in a forest with small plants and grasses.

And who thought we could find ready decorated Christmas tree in the middle of the forest?

A small evergreen tree in a forest decorated with two Christmas ornaments, one blue and one silver.

A person standing on a wooden deck at the seaside, wearing a black coat and grey hat, with waves in the background.

A wooden staircase leads down to a sandy beach with gentle waves crashing on the shore.

Footprints in the sandy beach near Kuršių Nerija National Park, Lithuania.

Trying to make sand angels (I somehow think snow angels are better).

A person lying in the snow on a beach, with arms outstretched, dressed in winter clothing.

Waves gently rolling onto a sandy beach under a cloudy sky at the Lithuanian seaside.

Black and white photograph of a person standing on a beach, wearing a large jacket and a hat, with grass and bushes in the background.

Close-up view of sandy beach with sparse vegetation and dried twigs in the sand.

Person smiling while wearing a knitted hat and a coat, standing on a sandy beach with grass in the background.

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas and getting ready for 2015 😉
Rasa x

November 11, 2014October 14, 2025 Rasa Pelham Travel

Our weekend at Grannies (in Cley-next-the-Sea)

Bright morning sky with a shining sun and handwritten text stating 'Early in the morning'.

Just came back from long and wonderful weekend in Cley-next-the-Sea. I brought back more pics than I could handle from this beautiful countryside.

A bowl of overnight porridge topped with blackberries and almond slices, accompanied by a cup of coffee on a patterned coaster.

Breakfast did not always look like this. I had a hearty fried breakfast Saturday & Sunday but tried this overnight porridge on my last morning there and I absolutely loved it! Granny cooks this porridge in a low temperature oven, which makes the porridge taste heavenly. I will be experimenting with this in my slow cooker as I have bought myself steel cut (pinhead) oats to try this out!

View of tall golden grasses in the foreground with a traditional windmill in the background at Cley-next-the-Sea.

Going for a walk, beyond the Cley Windmill was breathtaking 🙂

A bag of spelt flour and another bag of flour, with some flour spilled on a dark surface.

Although Cley Windmill is no longer used for milling, we also visited Leatheringsett Watermill where I was able to get some flour. How exciting! So looking forward to baking with traditionally milled flour!