"Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."- Russell Baker

*Gasps for air*

It's so damn hot!!

Seriously, it's boiling over by 'yer. We're on our fifth day of 35ºC + weather (that's 95ºF + for all you fahrenheiters), and while you might be thinking: "I don't know what you're moaning about! That sounds swell!" consider that there is no beach, a VERY strong sun, very little wind, and that we try not to turn on our air conditioning for fear of the astronomic electricity bill.

In all this heat, there's very little one feels like doing. The heat coming from the computer adds to the discomfort, it's too hot to shop, it's too hot to eat, and it's certainly too hot to do any work for uni! ;) In all this heat, all I want to do is take a siesta, listen to a ridiculously assembled summer playlist and drink gazpacho.

Gazpacho (recipe to follow).

Hope that wherever you are, you're keeping cool.

"If music be the food love, play on." William Shakespeare

The above clip is from one of my most favourite films, Paris, je t'aime. Of all the vignettes, this makes my top five list (along with short films from the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne, Wes Craven, and Sylvain Chomet... this film is AMAZING).  There are so many things about this part of the film that I love; the story in itself is such a beautiful one, but I think what really gets me is all the little habits and characteristics of his wife that he thinks annoy him but he realises– just in time– that they are in fact some of the things he loves most about her.

When watching this film for the billionth time recently, there was something that stood out to me. If you watch the clip, you'll see that one of the things she does is sing the same song while she makes quenelles (a dumpling of lyonnaise origin, oh so French). I've been told I sing too much generally, but I think in the kitchen is where I do it most. And, like Miranda Richardson's character in Paris, je t'aime, it is normally one or two songs on repeat. And, if they're really good songs, I may even start dancing. Most recently, I've had a combination of Vampire Weekend's album Contra, Regina Spektor's album Far, and Chicago artist Mark Minelli as the soundtrack for my cooking adventures, although the soundtrack to Cabaret is a firm favourite for dancing around the kitchen with a spatula in your hand. What about you? Who would make your kitchen playlist?