27.05.10 - Normal transmission will be resumed shortly.....

Well, not that shortly, we are off for half term. We are soo-oo looking forward to our holiday. 

The usual list of 'things-to-be-done' has been written (and lost).

The pre-holiday washing pile seems almost as large 

as I know the post-holiday wash pile will be.

Camera batteries have been charged.

Cell phone charger has been located (don't worry Mum - I will text!)

The chicken and cat sitters have been booked.

Holiday plans have been made by the boys.

Beach combing

Castles

Lochs

Forests

Freedom

We will turn feral and love every minute of it. 

I promise lots of photos and stories when I get back.................

Until then.

Hello Scotland here we come!!

26.05.10 - a page through life

I  have been inspired by Mon's from Holistic Mama -  Through the Keyhole Series.

I walk by these books every day, 

I often reach and pull one out and flip through the pages. 

They inspire, they encourage, they guide, they spark my imagination.

They are a good indicator of me.

A good indicator of how I would like to be.

But my bookcase doesn't just hold books.

Toys and the boy's art work often play on the shelves. Pebbles, leaves and feathers come and go with the seasons,  candles are lit at night,  incense smoulders from it's wooden holder while ash from the wood-burner settles allowing my artistic nature freedom to doodle in the dust.......  

I have an eclectic taste in authors and books, it is easier for me to say what I don't like rather than specify what I do. But all my books have one thing in common - their ability to absorb and inspire me.

One of my favourite authors is Emma Restall Orr, she steels me away and transports me into the unknown, the unknown that I wish I knew more about.

25.05.10 - time flies like an arrow...fruit flies like a banana............

Sorry - sorry, but the old ones are the good ones.......!

Now, where was I , oh yes, - last week just flew by (hence the school boy joke), so here is a quick resume.

Monday,

Here I am, sitting in the car taking the boys to school and my mind is on my garden

What to plant out

Where to plant it

Mustn't forget to water the greenhouse

Prick out seedling

Pot on seedlings

I am at home, armed to the teeth with hoe, watering can and huge mug of tea - I am ready!

Later - oh drat (actually I think I probably cussed a little more viciously than that) time for work.

Tuesday

Feeling nervous today - butterflies as big as jumbo jets. We have a meeting later at work - the sort of meeting where - 'You-tell-it-like-it-is - only without actually saying anything or accusing anyone.

The type of meeting where most of the items on the agenda are euphemisms for 'lets-get-it-all-off-our-chests-no-bars-held-go-for-the-throat"  

We have been told that to sort out inter-departmental problems, this meeting is the panacea we need -  Apparently.

I arrive, feeling half pumped up and half terrified.

Meeting's cancelled 

Postponed till Friday 

Great

What a waste of a lovely morning at home - I had thrashed around the garden in a frantic disjointed sort of way. Still - a fair bit of gardening was achieved.

Wednesday

I am about to start on the kitchen garden, the cat is helping by lying on the seedlings - just in case they decide to run away apparently. The obligatory cup of tea has the optional extra of a small fly doing a frantic sort of back stroke. But the sun is shining and I am dazzled by the sheer springlike colour and enthusiasm my garden has finally found.

I am in such a happy state that work is eaten up and spat out without too much of it's usual hassle. Why? Well, I am off tomorrow - took a day off to take fav-sis-in-law shopping (I know - how random and spontaneous) and I am really really looking forward to it.

Thursday

I am saying good-bye and have-fun to the boys as I leave them at school in a decidedly indecent un-motherly way today. Youngest is sulking because he can't come shopping with his favourite Aunt. 

We finally arrive in Ilkley - It's miles away from home but we are here coz we'd never been before, coz it has craft and wool shops, coz we fancied something different and coz apparently it has 14 tearooms and cafes!

10 minutes later my cell phone rings, I rummage around the bottom of my bag.

'Hello....hello?'

They try again 

"Hello? Hello?'

They try a third time,  I rush out of the shop for a better signal.

"Hello mum? it's me, I've left my topic at home....I need it to hand in for 11am...............sorry......"

I am driving back home, rapidly  - picking up the blasted topic, I have to get it to Eldest's school before the dreaded 11th hour. I make it - with one minute to spare.

We finally make it back to Ilkley where we browse and shop and meet up with Angela for lunch. Whilst we are eating, Angela passes me a small hank of earthy greens and browns. I stroke it (an affliction I picked up when I developed the 'wool-obsession' ) I am practically inhaling it's woolly essence and planning what I shall be making with it. 

Fav-sister-in-law passes over a small packet

'For me?'

A wooden crochet hook falls out and I hold my breath and try to squeak thankyou at the same time.

A match made in woolly heaven 

Now to make something

can't wait!

Later - feeling nervous, the postponed meeting from Tuesday is looming over me again. Took my mind off it by going to 'knit and knatter'

Friday

'Now we don't want any tit-for-tat' type meeting" says the practice manager

"We mustn't have a mud slinging match, I want no negative thoughts or arguments, now - has any one got anything good to report?'

A pin dropped as the tumble weed drifted across the room - err nope.

Sigh.

Still, tomorrow we are off to see a part of the countryside I've never been to - Galloway and Dumfries in Scotland, and we are so-o looking forward to it!

17.05.10 - This was our weekend - how was yours?

A picture is said to say a thousand words - and although I am not usually the silent type - I though these would say a lot more than just me waffling - enjoy................

An aged hedge tree reclining at the field's edge

Eldest lost in thought whilst the breeze ruffles his hair

Ancient bridleway, deep and worn but still used and loved

The delicate scent of the bluebell filled woods wafting through our senses

The infectious giggle as a delighted Youngest hurls the ball for giddy dog

A feeling of slight sadness for my lost youth 

but untold pleasure at being able to share the boys' childhood

The inbuilt comic genius that certain sheep are blessed with.....

The sun on my face as I stare down to the village

These were just some brief moments in my weekend, 

hope your weekend was as laughter filled and sunshine warmed as mine.

13.05.10 - Apricot and Orange Cake or how NOT to bake a cake

Casting a quick eye over the recipe I hastily agreed with myself that I had all the ingredients and that this cake would be perfect for Wednesday evening's Knit n Knatter and as I didn't really have much time before I was to set off for work - I'd better get on with baking.

So, reading the instructions rather than READING the ingredients I started.

......................Line the loaf tin with silver foil..............

(erm, sod that, I'll just oil it very well), so I dug in the baking tins until I unearthed my 1 lb loaf tin, glugged in oil, flipped and flapped the oil brush around in all the corners and put it aside.

.....................cream butter and sugar until yadda yadda yadda 


(I grabbed said butter and sugar and started weigh them) 


.................8oz sugar (oof - this going to be a sweet cake)
.................8oz butter (oops - this is going to be a BIG cake) 


I started to cream them together, well I tried to. The butter was too hard. A light sheen of sweat began to grace my brow.

................add the eggs one at a time (eggs, eggs, how many, a quick look at the ingredients again)

FOUR eggs? FOUR?  oh, hmm - I looked at the 1lb loaf tin and wondered if it was big enough. (I know, I will just look at the instructions again - damn - its a TWO pound loaf tin)


A slight pause as I stared at my weakling 1lb loaf tin. Hmmmm. The loaf tin visibly shrunk in shame. I grabbed it and tossed it into the washing up water in disgust. I then had what I can only describe as 'A light-bulb moment' when an idea fell into my head. So I charged off next door to borrow their 2lb loaf tin.

Home again, with booty, eyes glittering with success, I oiled the TWO pound tin ready for the ever increasing cake.

Taking deep breaths to re-concentrate my baking mojo, I cast a watchful eye on the kitchen clock, knowing full well that I had have this cake baked and out of the oven cooling before I went to work.

I went back to the recipe.
.................Sift flour and (I reached for the flour - damn, where was it?) My mad scrabbling in the baking cupboard began to indicate signs of strain.

.................and baking powder (I am not of the fainting persuasion, but I am sure if I was, it would be at this point that I should slap the back of my hand to my forehead in an Emily Bronte sort of way, roll my eyes upwards and sink gracefully to the floor with a barely audible moan - but, I didn't - I just swore like a navvy and slammed the cupboard)

 NO-B****Y-BAKING-POWDER either..!

My eyes darted around the kitchen in a futile attempt to will both flour and baking powder to appear sheepishly - but even that didn't work. Panting in a slightly manic way I turned my wallet upside down - empty - reached for Eldest's pocket money and flush faced I raced down the road to our local post office to purchase anything - ANYTHING that vaguely resembled either flour or baking powder.

A rather started postmistress pointed out the small (and consequently expensive) packets of flour and even offered baking powder out of her own kitchen in order to calm the whirling dervish I was becoming.

Galloping back up the hill home, glassy eyed whilst triumphantly clutching two priceless packets of flour to my heaving bosom, I was sure to complete the cake and still have it cooked before leaving the house for work.

.............sift the flour and baking powder and fold in the orange rind and juice and the chopped apricots... 
(who'd mentioned orange ****** rind) and APRICOTS - CHOPPED? CHOPPED?! - what did this recipe want - BLOOD??!

Frantic chopping, juicing, rinding quickly ensured. I ran my eyes over the ingredients and saw that dried fruit and nuts were there. No nuts but hey! can substitute with sunflower seeds.

I stopped. There was no way - NO WAY - that this cake was going to fit in the 2lb loaf tin. I stared at the 2lb weakling of a tin, strangely it too seemed to shrink away in fear. Strangely it too was hurled into the washing up water.

I reached for my round tin - the one with a hole in the centre - the one the size of a wheelbarrow wheel. I was going to bake this cake and n-o-t-h-i-n-g was going to stop me.

I hurled all the nuts sunflower seeds, dried fruit and extra apricots into the base and then added the cake mix. Put it in the oven - and stepped back.
 Then, and only then, did I read the recipe - properly. Trembling at the near disaster it could have been, I quietly contemplated baking and mental stress levels whilst washing up various sizes of tins, knives, oil brushes, mixing bowls, the wall, the kitchen counter, the floor and anything else that seemed to have been unexpected included in the baking frenzy.

So - if you do make this recipe - please read ALL the instructions including how NOT to bake a cake.

226gm (80z) butter
226gm (8oz) sugar
4 eggs
283 gm (10oz) plain flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
Juice and rind of 1 orange
56gm (2oz) chopped dried apricots
Optional chopped nuts, dried fruit - for sprinkling into the the tin before adding the cake mix.

1. Line a TWO POUND loaf tin with silver foil (alternatively splat on oil)
2. preheat oven to 150deg C/300deg F/Gas mark 2)
3. Cream butter and sugar together
4. add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition
5. Sift the flour AND the baking powder
6. Fold into the creamed mixture the orange rind, juice and chopped apricots.
7. Mix lightly till smooth
8. sprinkle a layer of chopped apricots, dried fruit or nuts sunflower seeds in the base of the tin
9. Pour in cake mix
10. Place in the centre of a moderate oven for 1 hour and 15 mins
11. Remove from tin and allow to cool.
12. Hide from Husband
13. Run to work and barely make it in time.

PS - The cake went down very well - I will make it again, it has made my 52 recipes and was very  worth the effort (I think.....)!!

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

**Added Later - What I forgot to mention were the following extra incidents related to the making of this cake

1. Not having enough icing sugar - so having to borrow some from another benevolent neighbour, who didn't have enough either so lent me some caster sugar that had to be ground down first to be made fine enough to use
2. Having Himself and boys hanging around hopefully to have first taste only to be told it wasn't for them - not just yet any way
3. The glorious apricotty scent and taste of the cake when we finally got to eat it at Knit and Knatter 
4. The reason for the cake? Well to celebrate my Mom's birthday - so it had to be good!

10.05.10 - lists and 18 days to go

My head is filled with lists. Sometimes these lists spill over and either get lost or if I am lucky land on paper and continue to remind me that I still haven't done them yet......

lists like

1. Boys:-

• sort out Eldest's shoes (bit difficult as they are on his feet and he is at school)
• find missing socks (might actually let the boys look for their socks for a change)
• sort out the 'school shelf' before it cascades off and lands in an untidy heap on the floor (oops too late)

2. Mom :-

• sort out birthday plans (in progress but can't say too much shhhhhhhhhhhh) blogs have readers - is this a updated version of walls have ears?

3. College :-

• Start next module (and stop blogging)
• find enthusiasm to start next module (and stop crocheting)
• find enthusiasm to find the enthusiasm to start the next module (and stop gardening)
• stop groaning at the thought of the next module....... (and generally stop procrastinating)

4.Greenhouse/garden

• continue sowing seeds (2nd and 3rd sowings of some of the vegetables to give continuous cropping)
• prick out veg seedlings (running out of compost - need to get some more)
• pot up larger seedlings (running out of space)
• sift compost (see above)
• weed 
• mow
• re-seed some bare patches on the lawn (think I might enter the village garden festival)
• there is a lot more to this list, but sadly this is part didn't reach  paper and has got lost in the ether...

5. WIP

• finish 1 x cave man (needs arms and face detail)
• start 1 x cave girl (has head but nothing else)
• finish 1 x Rolf Harris (No - don't know why this one was ordered - and I haven't asked either!)
• Put faces on the 4 of the 5 guinea pigs I have made for a school fayre
• start another guinea pig for a separate order (I am getting heartily sick of guinea pigs)

A tanglement of guinea pigs, cavemen, cones of wool and a celebratory 

6. Holiday planning

• try not to get too excited (too late!)
• need to arrange pet care/cover (phew for cat and chicken sitters - my Mom and Dad)
• find/fix/replace any holiday gear for the boys (which in itself is a HUGE list)
• get caravan and tent ready (that's on Himself's list but I like to have it on mine too :) )
• plan where and what we will do! (know where were are going but it's nice to have a goodly list of places to see, beaches to comb, hills to climb, valleys to walk - getting extremely excited now!!)

It's been a while since we've been away - our last holiday was in August in the Orkneys, since then we have had commitments or unable to get leave off from work and made do with walks and bike rides on weekends.

I am sure there are more lists lingering in my head, but they have evaporated with thoughts of going away - only 18 days to go :)

08.05.10 - just a Saturday

I awoke very early today, and for a while,  lay listening to the breathy silence of a still sleeping house.

When I re-awoke at a more decent hour, Himself had already got up, sorted out the dog and chickens and was bringing back a steaming mug of coffee - wonderful.

Now, as I write this, it is late, the noisy boys are fast asleep, the dog is softly snoring in the kitchen and Himself is finishing off the tiling in the bathroom. The house is once again settling down for the night.

Our house has a comforting protective feeling about her, she holds us and keeps us.
To us our house is not just 'a house' it is part of us and we a part of her. As far as houses go, she's not that old, but at over 150 years of age she has seen a fair few families come and go in her lifetime.  Did they all feel as secure and safe it as we do?

Every now and then we get the urge to pack up and move - to the coast or to the hills or off north or back south but then our blusterings just dwindle and we settle down in the encompassing gentle hold these bricks have over us.

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

Salmon puff pastry pie (Recipe no. 23)

Top row L-R: Sliced mushrooms / red onions/ onion rings/ ready roll puff pasty with layer of onion and mushroom

Bottom row L-R: Halved cherry tomatoes, sliced courgette, black pepper, pesto/ adding sliced salmon/final layer of feta cheese/ the finished salmon puff pastry pie and garden salad

All gone now... :)

Think it must be time to join the house it her gentle slumber, only problem, the cat has found my lap and firmly placed herself there...... Who am I to turf off this furry purring lump?