Wow! For me?? Thank you!

Looky Looky! A subject close to my heart❤❤

knitted hearts❤❤

...........err - try again

Looky looky, two subjects close to my skippity happy heart❤❤

hand-knitted hearts❤❤ made by my by sister in law

...........err, umm

Looky look look - three subjects close to my very happily skippity heart❤❤

hand-knitted hearts❤❤ made by my sister in law for me

Aaaah - they are sooo-oo cute!

And now they are nestling in between flowers

Floating happily with birds

Flying free with butterflies

Thank you dear, dear fave-sis-in-law - did I mention 'wow' and 'for me?' and 'thank you' enough times on Thursday? If I did not - here they are again.......

Wow!

For me??

Thank you!

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Ps - did you hear the article about the Graffiti Grannies of Cornwall? It's all about yarnbombing -  listen to it here - courtesy of Radio 4, you will need to fast forward to 0:40:39. Inspired by their name I wonder if we should be called the Knitting Knijas for our Yarnival ! 

Happy Valentine's Day♥

For every year the card is sent - a new heart♥ is added.

Despite moving on average every 3 years, the card is kept safe. 

Despite moving countries and despite moving between continents 

the card is brought out and a new heart♥ added to mark that year..

Lovely♥ isn't it?

Well done Mum and Dad - recycling to the max - excellent!!!

July - in a montage (or 2 or 3!)

I've been gardening today and apart from feeling absolutely shattered I am happy happy happy (can you tell?!!). 

Years ago, Himself and I were watching some  mindless American sitcom (the name and story line have deservedly faded into history) but we do  remember one sentence the main protagonist said and it was..... 

I am very tired - but it is a good tired! 

Any way, in the spirit being on hols, I shall do a July round up in a trio of montages!!

Firstly - a mix-up of garden and garden festival pictures, the garden - despite my work-induced neglect - looked good but not good enough to win anything, but the boys did well both winning a second place in their catagories. 

Our knit and natter group took over a huge area in the local church and we displayed both flowers and our work and received loads of lovely lovely comments.

We managed to squeeze in a lot of family and friends time in between work and sleep - Youngest finished junior school (a mixture of sadness and glee) and won the Technical Cup which took us all by surprise and delight!!  

Our blondies (young hens) are growing both in size and friendliness - they don't get much choice with the friendliness as they are regularly seen firmly tucked under a boy's armpit (poor chooks). 

A tree house has been built and now is the centre of many a boy-game or just gentle contemplating of life as they lie on their backs and watch the sky. 

My Dad celebrated his birthday (from last year!!) with a helicopter flight and we went along to watch and share, we also took a picnic and spent a lovely day enjoying the sunshine and family. 

Poor old giddy dog has had more than her fair share (as she thinks) of baths recently as the boys have discovered the 'delights' of washing her in the wheelbarrow.....they fill it up with tepid water and she hops in (well she is instructed to jump in and she so well trained she does, despite really really not wanting to!) then she is lathered up until she looks like a meringue, rinsed and dried and then all three of them play up and down the lane until she is dry. 

Youngest has rediscovered his camera (strangely it 'appeared' in the greenhouse....) and has been taking photos of EVERYTHING! 

Our veg garden is doing us proud, we are harvesting a goodly amount for such a small space. Yesterday I lifted all the garlic and they are now drying. 

The black kale and the Chinese mustard have been featuring heavily in our 'garden soups' and the onions are excellent and won't be long before I have to lift those too. 

Our peas, although only a few plants - gamely gave us just enough to have as mange tout initially then peas in salads latterly while the butter beans have been delish raw as well as being chucked in soups. 

The potatoes are still quietly growing and I haven't had an investigation yet but the tomatoes and courgettes in the greenhouse are the best we have had so far. We've picked tomatoes every second day and have them in lunch boxes, in salads and on picnics.  The beetroot have been a bit of an experiment - usually I plant them individually and allow to swell, but this year somebody on television (for the life of me I can't remember if it was a chef who gardened or a gardener who cooked) said to leave them in little bunches and lift a whole bunch at a time and they are sweeter and cook quicker. They do cook quicker, but they are definitely fiddly to deal with - so the jury is still out. 

Leeks are growing nicely and the rhubarb is now resting after providing it's first good crop - it is still a young plant and I didn't want to frighten it too much!

Eldest's wheel barrow entry to the garden festival is providing us with salad and herbs on a daily basis - it has been so so successful that I will encourage him to do it again as it has turned out to be so productive!

Well, that's just a little taster of our July - not a lot was done, but so much happened! 

Tomorrow is the 1st of August - can you believe it?? This year has flown by - it will be Youngest birthday at the end of the month - it doesn't seem so long ago he was just a tot :).

Tomorrow we are celebrating our day by going off to the local tea rooms for the obligatory carrot cake and tea then for a walk to return for the boys to wallow indulgently in the huge paddling pool Himself bought for them today - we may have to crack the ice of the top first and beat back a polar bear or two....!

Right I am off to bed! G'night!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

ooh it's lovely to be back :)

Things that make me smile :)

*The unexpected kindness of friends* the generosity of strangers *  the wonderful encouragement from creative folk * the love and support from my family * the gift of friendship * the laughter of my boys * the love of a good man * the taste of a delicious chocolate brownie* the delights of walking out on the moors before going to work*

These are all things that have made me smile this week - thank you xx

What has made you smile this week?

***********************

PS:- Brownie recipe to follow

***********************

Heart felt sorrow for New Zealand

Before I waffle on about today's heart,
I just want to say my heart has gone out to the people of
Christchurch, New Zealand
- my thoughts are with them
I am sure they are in your thoughts too.

***********************************************

Today's hearts are really sweet

no - really,

they're sweets!

We'd popped down to our local village post office to buy some sugar and flour (yes our post office doubles up as a mini shop too) because the boys have got so into their baking that our supplies had run out.  Whilst queuing to pay we spotted a basket filled with valentine's sweets at half price and I - being ever ready for a bargain AND the sweets being heart shaped - bought a bag. 

The boys eyes lit up - they know I won't eat them.

******************************

I mentioned baking, the boys had invited my Mom and Dad for afternoon tea so they could have a reason to take over the kitchen.  We discussed what we could make with the ingredients we had (which is when I discovered a distinct lack of flour and sugar) and the boys decided on some chocolate biscuits from Gwnïo's Adventures and some flapjacks from Bunny Mummy .

****************************

Baking as seen through the eyes of Youngest.................... be careful, gentle reader, that you are not given palpitations and begin to feel faint at the zeal and flair this little chef exudes.....

1. Carefully weigh the sugar ...twice.... once when the sugar is first placed in the scale, the second time when too much is poured in. Chuck in the margarine and marvel at how the sugar flips out onto the counter.
2. Add the flour and cocoa mix - to be done at a GREAT HEIGHT to add air and drama to the baking session
3. knead gently - with both hands pummeling and kneading with gusto and enthusiasm, don't forget to taste at this point because you can't help it, the yummy mix is all over your fingers.....and your hands....up one arm....down your teeshirt....on the kitchen counter....
4. savagely stab a fork into each biscuit after you have carefully rolled them and splattered them into rounds (rounds? I say this lightly - lets just say - a flattened shape rather than "round")
5. bake on a greased tray and watch in impressed amazement at your biscuits gently melt into one HUGE biscuit that requires a pizza cutter.......... giggle at the crackly edges and marvel at the soft and gooey middle and deny that the oven was probably far too hot! It doesn't matter they still taste good!!

Then feeling justly satisfied with yourself, retire to the lounge with a rather fetching pizza triangle shaped delish biscuit, a cup of tea and your grandparents and spend a happy afternoon telling long and winding shaggy dog stories..........I want to be 10 years old again

*****************************

Biscuit making as seen through the eyes of Eldest.

1. Spoon out syrup, lick spoon...put it to the wash, spoon out butter, check syrup (by tasting it) get told to wash your hands by your mom, measure out sugar and pop all three into the microwave to gently melt, quickly sneak teaspoon into syrup tin before your mom notices and puts the tin away.
2. weigh out oats and stir into the now melted and incredibly tasty (you should know, a finger was used to test) buttery/syrupy/sugar mix.
3. turn biscuit mix into the silicone tray, lick out bowl, first by spoon then by finger, then lick the spoon, have to put that one to the wash too, get another one out, flatten the biscuit mix firmly into the tray, lick that spoon for good measure.
4. bake for suitable length of time and place next to younger brother's HUGE biscuit and feel suitably chuffed with one's 12 year old self as you sample the bits that fall when you break the flapjack mix into bite size pieces, and you know that they are bite sized, coz they just popped into your mouth and what do you know ...they fitted perfectly!!!

Then retire, with a mug of tea, sit next to your Granddad and chat about flying aeroplanes - a good afternoon's baking!

*************************

Hearts in nature

Today's heart, 

on the 2nd day of February,

 is brought to you by 

my Mom 

and a beautiful heart shaped tulip petal.

Thank you 

Last year's post can be found here.

21 and counting - Happy happy Winter Solstice!

Counting again, and today it is the 21st December.

A special day for us, Winter Solstice when we mark the longest night (ergo the shortest day) by lighting candles and eating some of our favourite foods. We usually tell stories or poems, the boys play the piano and if we can persuade Himself enough, he will sing for us.

This year was a little quieter than usual as Youngest is sporting the meanest and snottiest cold he has had in a very long time - poor thing, but he did try nibbling a thing or two before retiring to the settee with a blanket and pillow.

****************************

After work this cold and frosty evening, I came home to a warm and heavenly scented kitchen. This morning I had prepared tonight's meal leaving it for Himself to finish off. And what a wonderful job he had done.  To celebrate, not only the solstice but also a rare lunar eclipse he had decorated the pastry on the salmon pie (another one for my 52 recipes not tried before) with a wonderful image of a smiling sun, earth and moon.  It was such a shame to eat it, but once we'd cut into it, making a wish as we did so, the wonderful aroma of the salmon and leeks just made us all salivate with anticipation. 

We love the idea that from now on it will gently gently start to get lighter in the mornings and stay lighter for longer in the evenings.  Each day nearer to spring. 

Eldest lights one of the candles next to the sun cake.

Mixed red berries, shortcake and Chantilly cream for desert (another new recipe!)

from a certain pukka chef 

***********************

That's all for now, I am very tired and ready for bed. This week as been very long (and it has only been two days so far.......) Glad to share with you our Solstice evening, I now bid you goodnight and wish you a happy and blessed Solstice xx

Counting down .... 8 (well -8.1°c!!)

Today's number is sponsored by the weather...............

-8.1°c,    

-8.1°c - yes, it really said that this morning, on our little thermometer in the kitchen.

It has a outdoor sensor which tell us how cold it is out there, we know it is cold but this little thing confirms with my feet and my nose that it really is that cold!  

Have.I.made.myself.clear.that I am and it is cold today! ....... Got that little rant out of my system.

*********************************************

I have always credited my chaotic journey through life as partially self-created and partially inherited...... I now have proof that it is all inherited.........courtesy of my mad family. 

I have below a slightly edited*** transcript of my Mom's last email to me, I shall let you decide for yourself.........

*********************************************

All the best laid plans of mice and men get messed up by the weather.

 

1. Outlet pipe of  kitchen sink frozen.(they live on second floor of block of flats with no easy access to side of their building)
2. Fetch hose pipe - hose pipe frozen. (hosepipe lives in the shed, was last seen in active duty during the height of summer)
3. Thaw out hose pipe in bath.  Connect to bath tap and Dad spends about 10 minutes spraying pipe bend outside under kitchen window while in freezing cold.
4. Finally clear.
5. Problem caused by ice forming on  an old satellite dish (not ours) then dripping down again onto the pipe.  Ice originally forms because the gutters are neither cleaned nor repaired in spite of reporting to the landlord -   again and again.
6. Brother comes over for a completely different reason and offers to lean out of the window and cut off the old satellite dish.
7. Which he does, successfully, and lets it crash down into the ditch. (a good thirty feet below)
8. Before my eyes, the inside waste pipe under the sink, (disconnected from outlet pipe) swings from the upright position to about ten past!!
9. The falling satellite dish has hit the pipe and cut it clean in two!
10. Now have outlet pipe hanging down outside, so water just pours down wall...............
11. Phone Landlord's wife and report the above numbers 1 to 5 (leaving out numbers 6 - 9!!!..........) then No. 10.!!!

 Ahem, clearing throat noises.  The truth, the almost whole truth and nothing, well almost nothing but the truth!!

 

***********************************

So, you see your honour, my apparent lack of any intelligent behaviour 

is not of my making, 

it is, I put to you - 

as a result of my family

I rest my case

*** edited so to remove any names of parties involved to help some way in preventing total shame!

*8things

I was inspired by Magpie Girl's *8things where she 'practice's gratitude' and is thankful for things in her life. As I read it, I realised that I am too very lucky and have a lot to be thankful for. So, here goes:

*1thing- I have a wonderful husband who is my best friend, my confident, my strength, a brilliant Dad to our children, expert sawyer of wood and lighter of fires, teller of corny jokes, leader of expedition length walks, instigator of 'naughtiness',  my love and my life.


*2things - my two boys -  my angels, my beasties, my monkeys, my delight and my despair, my mess-monsters, givers of hugs and kisses and sticky fingers.

*3things - our home - shared with thing one and things two! A warm and loving home filled with clutter and affection.

*4things - my family - both near and far. A text or phone call away. A hug or word shared. A grumble or groan too, but that is the reality of life and family. Without them I would be lost.

*5things - my friends - close or occasional, laughter and gossip, some not seen for ages but when together the length of time just melts away. Support and advice, debate or disagree, days out or days in, friends are precious and I am grateful.

*6things - my job - despite days where I find I have ground my teeth flat, I still bounce back and see something positive in it. The people I work with can make me laugh, give me support, make me mad, irritate the hell out of me, cheer me up and put up with me being - well - being me - that's just got to be good.


*7things - my life - the life I live, where I live. The hills, the village life, the characters and eccentrics that surround me. The access to the countryside so close to where I live. The ability to breathe and hug the sky.

*8things -  today - just to be here, right now, to live, to be alive. 'Life is for living' and each day is a new beginning to enjoy, to share and to love, to craft and create, to laugh and to live - to make it count.

This and that and - oh yes - a bit of the other

Good grief it's cold today. But, not going to dwell on the coolness of my toes and the numbness of my fingers.
Excuse me, going to toss another log on the fire...........

........Back. Now where was I? yes, good grief it's cold today. And that is the last you will hear me mention that.

Now in no particular order - this weekend's round up.

Sunday - Remembrance Sunday. Youngest proudly carried the flag down to the cenetaph and stood with the rest of the flag bearers whilst the service stopped the traffic in the streets. It was a bright cold day and the pavement's icy fingers crept through our boots and into our bones. Youngest stood there in his cub uniform - it will be his last call of duty as a cub - he's growing up. I watched as he felt the chill of the air wrap around him and make him shiver. He had refused to wear a coat as it would cover his uniform, one he is so proud of.

In the back of my mind was the fact I had left a cake quietly cooking in the oven.....alone......at home...by itself..... as we stood for the two minutes silence.

I silently berated myself for thinking of the potentially charcoaled baking rather than collective emotion for the moment of hushed remembrance.
As soon as it was politely possible, having snatched the flag from youngest's frozen fingers, shoved him into his coat, passed the flag to a startled senior assistant leader, grabbed shivering youngest and a rapidly-turning-blue eldest who was hanging onto a tooth-chattering giddy dog - we ran up the hill home. Leaving behind a bemused Himself.

Frantically smiling apologetic excuses as we ran gasping through the returning church goers.

...Sorry....excuse me....cake in oven....excuse me.... oops sorry....cake....oven...burning.....  

All the time dragging in breath and dragging children, coat flapping and camera bouncing we returned home, my legs like rubber - the only thing that kept me going was the thought of rescuing my poor cake.

We burst into the kitchen and I flung open the oven door - and there......sitting all demurely and ready to be taken out was a polite little lemon drizzle cake minus it's drizzled lemon - phew!

Little while later, we all sat, my Mom and Dad, gently defrosting boys and Himself, as we hoovered up the last crumbs of the lemon drizzle cake. Yummmm.

******************************

Friday was fun - Friday was like visiting France. We spent a lovely evening with our French friends and their many other French speaking friends and despite a distinct lack of speaking anything remotely French sounding, we really enjoyed ourselves. It was in the early hours of Saturday morning we finally flopped into bed.

******************************

Saturday was wet wet wet and nothing as enjoyable as the band of the same name.

A bit of bad tempered mooching around seemed to be the order of the day until we bought some paint, found 3 paintbrushes and a paint roller and spent a very good day (despite the rain hammering down outside constantly) and we painted our hall.

Talk about a complete boost to ourselves and the house! It used to be a hideous yellow - yes, I don't know how we lived with it for so long either....... It always felt dingy and dark, but now, sporting ivory white new coat it feels bright and huge!!

(But that is probably due more to the fact we had to take every thing out for painting and have not put it back yet....might not, like it like this)

Monday - oh drat - that is today, back to normal. So excuse me, waffle ending, work about to begin...and I'm cold! And that is definitely the last I'm going to say on the matter (for now.....)

Jai-ho!

Last night Bollywood came to town. We painted the night red and cerise and fuchsia and turquoise. We sparkled in golds and silvers and shimmied in saris and salwar kameez, we were even graced by a visitation from Ganesh. The house was filled with exotic sounds and fragrant aromas. And we had a lovely evening.

**********************

Earlier in the same day we had been out sorting a few last minute things when we stopped at little cash and carry store on the way home. One we had never used before where the assistants were incredibly helpful and went out of their way to oblige, offering to do the henna for my hands which I most gratefully and happily accepted. A very pretty young girl in a sparkling green and black sari painted my hands explaining how to look after the henna and how to extend and preserve these beautiful temporary tattoos.

The darkened henna, as dried, began to crumble off exposing the more delicate turmeric shades beneath

Later on during the evening, Youngest took a photograph of my decorated hands.

I will be wearing these badges of our wonderful celebration of Samhain for up to three weeks 

before they gently fade away

**********************

More about our celebrations tomorrow, it's late and I've spent a happy (long) evening sorting out the pictures and now it's bedtime and I am rather tired, seeing we had a rather late night - g'night.

Weekend round up - a potato harvest, a birthday bash, a woodland walk and knackered knees

Wottaweekend!
We seem to have crammed in quite a bit in the last two days and now it's Monday - I am suitably tired - just right for starting the new week (erhem...)

Any way, Saturday was my Dad's 70th birthday - 70!
wow, he looks good on it I have to say.

We were to all converge on the family home that evening to celebrate. So, first thing in the morning we all texted (sms) suitably congratulatory/rude/celebratory type messages before getting on with the pre-party chores making of deserts and the vegetarian option, wrapping of pressies, writing of cards and the general jollity of enjoying a day off work and school.

Youngest and I harvested our potato 'crop'. A small but very successful one. In years gone by we have struggled with different varieties that gave a poor yield on our heavy clay. But a combination of trial and error, adding home-grown compost year on year, we have finally found that the salad potato - 'Pink Fir Apple'  does well. And they are so YUM!

One of my Dad's favourite deserts is a Banoffi Pie - a truly calorifically sinful pudd that I make for him on special occasions and seeing today was his day, this would be the perfect time to put all diets and morals aside. The boys (all three I hasten to add) all agreed with me  about making it as this means lots of licking out of caramelled-condensed milk bowls, whipped cream covered spoons and generally hanging around the kitchen hopefully. The was so much smacking of lips and licking of sticky fingers that I am surprised that we had enough ingredients to take a completed desert! 

The boys were put to pressie-wrapping detail and this took a lot of planning and cutting up of boxes and paper. My Dad's smallest gift was wrapped layer on layer to make it the largest box and despite it weighing very little, on presenting it to my Dad, the boys pretended to struggle under the weight of it as they carried in it triumphantly in and landed it on his lap.

He is not the easiest person to buy the perfect gift for, but I think we did it this year, as when he opened his multi-layered present he seemed lost for words when on discovering what was hidden inside - it was worth all the planning and secret whispering between all the family members to agree on what to give him.

We sat down to a lovely meal and my Dad regaled us with stories of Africa and we all swapped tales of wild game viewing in the Kruger National Park. Laughing over the animal antics and the dangers of cars breaking down or running out of fuel in the middle of the wildness where there was the potential of a ravenous lion hiding behind every bush!

A chocolate cake resplendent with candles and the Banoffi pie were duly brought out and very quickly consumed - then we quietly spread out, some staying at the table chatting at length, others moving across to the lounge to knit and crochet (guess which group I was in!) while my boys persuaded their favourite aunt and uncle to play cards where the level of cheating was of Olympian proportions!

Saturday went well. Very Well.

************************

Sunday - was a reach-for-the-walking-boots day. 

We picked up a young friend and headed off to Grass Wood - a deeply deeply loved place. The boys (our two and friend) and giddy dog must have picked up every stick along the way, tested it or tasted it in the case of the dog... and by the magic of imagination the sticks became swords, guns, they became staffs of power, bolts of lightening, they turned into snakes or dragons. The games ranged for 5 hours of walking. They played tig or rugby tackle, they played roving hide and seek, they ran with the dog, climbed rocks, climbed trees, hid and pounced - they never stopped. Not surprisingly, by the end of the day they were knackered!

I took photos - a celebration of autumn.

This morning, when I awoke, I could feel that we had been a goodly length walk the day before as my knees creek like old wooden farm doors with rusty hinges - quick pass me some lubricating oil!!

Well, that was our weekend, how was yours?

24.08.10 - Of groaning tables and weekend plans

I am happy to report that yesterday's birthday went very well! 

After falling out of bed as a ruffled sleepy-eyed TEN year old, Youngest happily unwrapped his presents and seemed delighted, wanting to play/wear/use/watch them all at the same time!

But we had a very special date to keep - so with boys dressed and Youngest blindfolded to add suspense to the mystery tour we jumped into the car. We had a table booked with special guests and had to get going!

Despite being blindfolded he knew the road, so to flummox him I added a few twists and turns in our journey and Eldest  cheerfully joined in by giving a false running commentary of where were going. Youngest was quite disorientated and getting very excited.

When we arrived at our destination I pretended not to be able to find parking. Then when a space was 'found' I helped Youngest out and to add to the confusion, we turned him around again several times.

Where were going?

Where was our table booked?

Who were the special guests?

On the count of three, the blindfold was removed and we sang happy birthday to him.

Granny and fav sis-in-law had laid out such a birthday spread that the table was groaning under it's yuumy load. Bumpa and Unka D and enthusiastic dog joined with with the birthday singing and Youngest was well and truly delighted!

How good is that!?!?

There was such smacking of lips and licking of fingers and guzzling of tea. 

Ooh yum.......

Thank you!

*******************************

And, and, and ...........the plans for the weekend? 

Well, that will have to wait but I am so very excited it is making my heart skip 

and I can hardly wait for the weekend, 

but before that, 

we have birthday parties, sleep overs and shopping to do ....... 

so better get on! 

16.04.10 - busy hands and a request

Busy hands

Sunshine and smiles.

All of us,

busy.

Eldest designing a kite for his art homework

Youngest too was painting - slapping it on good and thick (and on himself...)

Himself putting the finishing touches to the recently decorated bathroom

- a masterpiece in the making

(Only had to wait five years for it - but it has definitly been worth the wait!)

And freshly made scones for the workers, so warm that the butter had soaked in

and the jam began to gracefully slide off as Eldest took the photo.

*********************************

Orange Muesli Muffins

For Earthenwitch coz she makes me laugh, coz she inspires me to try new and (occasionally kooky) recipes, coz I love how she see the world and she writes about it and coz she asked me so nicely!

4 floz orange juice

2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

4oz wholemeal flour (or similarly brown and wholesome type flour)

2oz plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder (omit if you have already used self raising flours)

2oz brown sugar (I used soft brown sugar)

6 oz muesli

8 floz milk

2 oz butter

Extra muesli (4oz), brown sugar (2oz) and half a teaspoon of cinnamon to sprinkle on top  (sugar to taste, if the muesli is already sweetened you might not want extra sugar, but if you have a sweet tooth - go for it!)

• Pre heat oven to 210 deg c (190 deg c - gas)
• Grease a muffin tin (the recipe called for a 6 hole large muffin tin, but I found I made 12 - so may be my tin wasn't as deep or big)
• sift the flours and baking powder into a bowl, add sugar and muesli and stir
• make a well in the centre
• gently melt the butter
• add combined milk, melted butter and orange juice all at once
•  mix quickly until ingredients are only just mixed - ideally the batter should be very lumpy
• spoon mix into the muffin tin
• sprinkle muesli and sugar mix on top

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown and smelling heavenly every time you open the oven.

A sure way to draw my men in from where ever they are..... they linger around hopefully, waiting for when I can loosen the muffins and turn them onto the cooling rack.

It is usually at this point I use the back of the spatula to slap the back of their hands as they try to sneak an early taste....

19.02.10

Today's Heart is.............

...a small Chinese silk keepsake box

For as long as either my Mom or I can remember, this little heart shaped trinket box used to sit on my Gran's dressing table. All we know about it's history is it was given to my Gran from a life long friend whilst she was living in Hong Kong.

If it could tell a tale - I would love to listen.