Christmas is so nice, I decided to have five of them this year. Three with different bits of my family, one with my university friends, and one with Johnny. So this year I've watched It's A Wonderful Life, A Muppet Christmas Carol and Doctor Who, eaten stuffed mushrooms, roast chestnuts, various cheeses and bread sauce under the mistaken belief it was mashed potatoes, played Monopoly, Scrabble and Articulate, worn santa hats, paper hats and reindeer socks and now I think I'm ready to get back to reality. After a bit more cheese, perhaps.

My resolution for 2010 is about potatoes. I resolve to become extremely good at mashing, frying, boiling, baking, dauphinoise-ing and roasting potatoes, with the help of Delia and The Potato Council. A nice resolution, I feel.

I also have some little things I want to do, which don't quite merit the status of "resolution". I'd like to go swimming more often (I like swimming!), make time to do arty, crafty things, and to keep working hard at my degree.

This time last year I was trying to put myself together again after going through a hard time, trying to recover from depression and find something to do with myself. Well, I managed all of those things. Now I'm healthy, happy, busy and still just as quirky and interested as I've always been.

Depression is a rotten disease, and it's something that most of us have to deal with in ourselves or others at some point. There's no magic trick to getting out of it - it takes time and hard work, with lots of setbacks along the way. Some things that helped me were The Mood Gym, which is free, online cognitive behavioral therapy; this book by Dorothy Rowe, and the support, patience and gentle prompting to shower of my loved ones.

Happy New Year, everyone.

Finally, I've been to my first ever music festival, Party in the Peaks. I took only one photo, but it was a good one.

Incidentally, that zebraman is also a qualified electrician.

It was at this festival that I started accidentally liking Dubstep, which caused my Petebrother to direct me towards the noises of Spoonbill, which I find agreeable.

I have been engaged in cake-baking activities of late after reading too much food porn (Smitten Kitchen, I'm looking at you) and the simple necessity of it being my last day at work on Friday (there was not a dry eye in the house, I tell you). These endeavours would be much improved by the edible glitter I've been drooling over of late. But still. Read on for my completely failsafe vegan chocolate cake recipe... Continue reading Zebracakenews