📷 A picture is worth a thousand words…

It’s not quite clear who coined the phrase A picture is worth a thousand words. Fred Barnard wrote One Look Is Worth A Thousand Words in a journal called Printers Ink back in 1921. An advertisement for a newspaper The San Antonio Light published in 1918, the exact phrase was used and it is widely accepted as a journalistic and advertisement design principle.

Some images are so powerful, they make us stop to think. The art of good composition can be learned and it takes practice to take a good photo. Sometimes of course the shot is just right with subject, light and mood. This photo of a polar bear asleep on some drifting ice is this years winner in The Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest. Nima Sarikhani took the photo in the Far North, off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.

© Nima Sarikhani

Please let me know what thoughts this image provokes in you?

There is much more information about the People’s Choice: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 Here

You might also find our article Finding Vivien Maier interesting > Here

📖 Bog Standard Business – The millionaire plumber…

196 pages > Hardback in good condition £10

An interesting memoir and one of the best books on how to succeed in business. No highfalutin marketing strategies or bullshit, Charlie Mullins has a simple philosophy of treating customers and personnel properly.

The way I run my business isn’t rocket science, it’s common sense. The only problem is that common sense ain’t that common.

Charlie Mullins

🥘 Carole’s mushroom and leek spaghetti with bacon…

🥘  2 pans  🍽 Serves 4 ⏱ 20 mins 🛒 11 ingredients   €4

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 350g leeks
  • 1 pack lardons
  • 380g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 50g (2 slices) of crusty white bloomer, blitzed into breadcrumbs
  • 300g spaghetti
  • 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 50g parmesan, grated
  • A handful of fresh basil

Step by step:

  1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the leeks and bacon, fry for 5-6 minutes until softened and just starting to brown.
  2. Add the mushrooms, increase the heat to medium-high and fry for another 8-10 minutes until golden and tender. Stir in the garlic and oregano, season and fry for another minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan and fry the breadcrumbs over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until they are crunchy and golden. Season to taste and transfer to a plate and set aside. When cool, stir in the grated parmesan. 
  4. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti to the pack instructions and drain well. Stir it into the mushrooms and leeks and toss well. Stir in the lemon zest and juice and scatter the basil and crispy parmesan breadcrumbs over to serve.

Tips:

  • Use panko breadcrumbs if you prefer.
  • Leave out the lardons for vegetarian option.
  • A sprinkle of chilli flakes is good if you like
  • Instead of stirring in the lemon juice and zest, serve with lemon wedges if you prefer