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Photography: Sylvia Freda

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If you're a regular reader of my blog then you probably expected a book or TV show review but I really wanted to free the emotions that I've been bottling up inside and talk about the tragic event that took place.

I'm sure wherever you are in the world, you have probably heard about the awful terrorist attack in Manchester. A suspected suicide bomber killed 22 people and left 69 injured (at the time of writing) at Manchester Arena, moments after Ariana Grande's concert ended.

Ever since I saw the news of the attack, I've felt heartbroken and numb. For the last two days I have found it impossible to focus on my work and have spent most of the day after the attack glued to the screen. I cried and hoped it was all just a bad dream and that the people will get their lives back. Sadly, parents have lost their children and children have lost their parents. The world has lost innocent people that had their whole lives ahead of them. I'm angry and upset about this just as others are around me. I feel deeply for the victims and their families; my heart goes out to them.

It warmed my heart to see people helping the hurt and traumatised concertgoers after the tragic attack, proving that love will always conquer all. The hospital staff, the police and citizens of Manchester were brave to do such a good job in a scary situation. I wish there was a way for me to do something physically but I just feel helpless. I would like to encourage you to donate to the fundraising pages that have been set up to help the victims, even a small amount can make a big difference (link). 

Something I also want to mention is that it makes me sad that people are blaming Muslims for this attack, it's not right at all to stereotype that all Muslims are terrorists. They are just as scared as everyone else. I've seen some appalling comments on Facebook from narrow minded people and it just makes me frustrated that they're making out Muslims to be monsters and are excluding them from society. It makes me angry that people can't seem to separate ISIS who are a terrorist group from the followers of Islam, a religion of peace. 

The news have been very upsetting and hard to deal with; if you are struggling then feel free to email me at silvxr@yahoo.com or DM on Twitter to get your feelings off your chest.

I took my sister to school yesterday and there were three police officers patrolling the area. Police presence should make us feel safe and reassured but it just makes me more worried and scared. The terror threat level being raised to 'critical' in the UK has made us face reality. More people are being arrested and more places are being raided. Another attack is imminent and the questions everyone is asking themselves are where will it be, when and most importantly why? Why do innocent people have to die?

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Photography: Sylwia Freda

Photography: Sylwia Freda

On Sunday afternoon, my dad and I joined forces and made a very tasty traditional Polish apple cake! (I have to admit, most of the credit goes to my dad as he did all the work, it was my first time making this cake and I was worried it wouldn't come out well). It's a fairly easy recipe and the cake is perfect for afternoon tea.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of sugar
- 250g margarine (I recommend Stork)
- 3 eggs
- 15g vanilla sugar (so this may be hard to find in shops as it's not a common product in the UK, I recommend finding a Polish shop near you or looking in the Polish section in Tesco for it; however, if you want to make your own vanilla sugar then here is a very simple recipe)
- 30g baking powder

For the filling:

- 2kg apples
- ground cinammon (my dad can't remember how much he put in so just add a little bit to the apples and taste it, just add however much suits you, everyone likes different amounts)

STEP 1: Preparation (Dough)

Firstly, put all the ingredients for the dough in a big bowl. I recommend cutting up the margarine into smaller pieces as then it's a lot easier to mix it together. Now, my least favourite part, you have to knead the ingredients together with your hands until the dough is able to hold its shape.

Secondly, divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll out the first part so it's the size of the baking tray you're using (I recommend rolling it out on baking paper because otherwise when you try to put it in the tray the dough will break). Roll out the second part in the same way you did with the first part.

STEP 2: Preparation (Filling)

Grate the apples and mix together with cinammon.

STEP 3: Baking

Line the tray with baking paper.

Put the first part of the dough in the baking tray, then put the filling on top of it, making sure it's evenly distributed. On top of the filling, you then have to put the second part of dough you rolled out.

Put the tray in the oven and bake it for 50-55 minutes at 200ºC until golden.

TIP: If the top of the cake seems seems to be getting too brown (nearly burning) then cover it with aluminium foil.

STEP 4: Serving

When the cake has cooled down, decorate it with a dusting of icing sugar. Cut into equal pieces of any size you desire.

Finally, make yourself a nice cup of tea and tuck in ;)

Photo: Source Edit: Sylwia Freda

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