He's on track!!!

I'm feeling rather a proud mum at the moment.  Jack's report this year is soooooo good, all on track and exceeding expectations and grades in all subjects. Not too sure where Jack is getting the brains from as I did not do too well at school (easily led astray) but all his achievements are down to his own hard work.

Way to go Jack.  Keep up the good work and you will get to be the accountant you so want to be.

Xx

Sunny afternoon sewing

Having a little time to spare at the weekend I decided to get the sewing machine out to try and use some of the material I purchased back last year (remember).  I've had things on my list to make and do for quite sometime and wanted to cross at least one off this weekend.  My friend Sarah purchased a dust cover for her Kenwood Chef and so I decided to loan the cover and made a template out of cotton to use as a pattern to make the real thing.

I'm rather pleased with how it turned out and it looks fitting in my craft room (I have to keep it in the craft room as my kitchen is tiny and we do not have enough cupboard space for such a large piece of kit).  I used every little piece of the denim I owend but still have alot of the patterned cotton remaining!  I think I may just hoard that somewhere for a while as I've exhausted it's appeal for the time being but then again I could think of one more thing to make from it! 

Looking at the picture too I think it needs one more embelishment on there somewhere but cannot decide on what it needs to be....you see I'm thinking all the time :-) and talking about looking at pictures I think I need to really start using a moisturiser on my hands at a regular basis, as they say you can always tell a womens age by their hands and I'll be clocking up a milestone birthday next year!  yikes.......

Speak soon

Lynetta Xx

Pom Poms

Since going to Peggy Porschen's Parlour the other week I have been wanting to make myself some pom poms.  Finding an easy tutorial on the web urged me to go and buy some tissue paper and I made these beauties to hang with my bunting Nut sent me in my little craft room.  I know some people will think I'm a little loopy hanging pom poms at my age but I really don't care as I know I'm a little loopy anyway :-).

Love to all

Lynetta Xx

Week 23 - Old Harry Rock Cakes

Quote from a book -  An extra spicy, fruity variety of rock cake.

Faff Factor = 8

Bake = 8

Keeping Up Appearances = 9

Total score = 25/30

Can you see that little book in the picture?  I'm sure many of you will recognise this brand of book as they are everywhere in shops all along the south coast and are regional to the area you are in - not having travelled all around this fair isle I am sure they are in and around other areas too.  I've always called them those 'Little Tourist Cook Books' :-)  and have been meaning to pick one up for a few years so when we were in Christchurch the other week I bought for the pricely sum of £1.99 the Favourite Dorset Recipes book. (I think I may start a little collection now, I like collecting things).  It is such a lovely little cook book with delightful paintings included of the area the book relates too.  It's even inspired me to have a go at water colour painting, something I've been wanting to learn to do since school days when I painted a sky and sea picture, but I digress.

This week I decided I needed something small and tea time size.  I considered scones but they can keep for an afternoon tea session when the weather gets a little better, so flicking through the book I settled on some rock cakes.

Now having only baked rock cakes twice before, the first time they really resembled their name and could of been used for missiles at a riot somewhere and the second time I was more successful as I was given a fool proof recipe by a work collegue but this recipe is slightly different. 

As the description states they are extra spicy (mine were double extra spicy as I added a full 1/2 teaspoon more of cinnamon - I've got to spice up my life you now).  It was tough going as I needed to rub in the butter to the flour to make a breadcrumb consistency and even mentioned to Ian about having a food processor but then I think it would take alot of enjoyment out of baking by hand don't you think?  I was a little concerned too about how wet the dough was and considered adding more flour but I am so glad I stuck to the recipe as the result was a success.

With not too much faff, just a little time consuming rubbing the butter in but after that, bish bash bosh all done and baked within 30 minutes and on my plate with a delightful cup of tea.

Yes they are more spicey than my other recipe and maybe a little heavier as you use brown sugar so would consider these more of a winter rock cake however I now have a nice tin full of these little gems for our lunch boxes and no-one is going to grumble about  that :-)

Wishing you all a happy day

Lynetta Xx

 

Week 22 - Traditional Trifle

Quote from a book (Hairy Biker's Mum Know's Best) -

This fresh fruit trifle may take a little time to make, but it's worth the effort.

Faff Factor = 7

Bake = 7

Keeping Up Appearances = 9

Total score = 23/30

I know , I know I've been a little behind with my baking but I have good reason for this which I'll explain a little later but back to this week's bake.  As it was Father's Day on Sunday I had no idea what to get my dad (at the age of 72 it becomes more difficult year after year to know what to buy not only for birthday's and Christmas but also Dad's day) and knowing he has a very sweet tooth I decided I would make him a good old fashioned Trifle (he always makes the Birds instant one).  As I wanted to bake from the numerous books I am slowly, or should I say quickly, aquiring I searched through them all and decided to give The Hairy Bikers Mums Know Best book a try.  I followed the recipe to the letter and was mighty impressed with how it turned out.

It is a little faff having to wait between making the jelly and letting it set then making the custard and letting that set before topping with the cream but if you plan your day right you can get alot of things done inbetween the setting process.  I started making the jelly at 8am and finished the trifle by 8pm so quite achievable if ever you wanted to make one for a dinner party (as if I get invited or host a dinner party).

I must say I've never made custard before and found the whole process really easy and the taste is so different to tinned or fresh custard you can buy in the supermarkets I think I will make the effort to make my own in futre.

My only ciritism for this bake (or should I say set) is the finished trifle was rather large and perhaps next time I would half the ingredients to make a more modest one, but then I should of known considering it was a Hairy Biker recipe, just love watching those guys cook though).

The another thing I Iearned this week was the quick method of making a jelly, empty the packet contents in a heatproof jug, add a little water and zap in microwave which dissolves the jelly cubes then top up with cold water to make a pint.  Easy and just the right consistency to make a wibbly wobbly jelly :-)

I would recommend anyone to make a fresh trifle at some point in their baking life as it was very very delicious and very very traditional.

Toot toot

Lynetta Xx

 

 

Weekend Jolly part 2

A postcard from Christchurch :-)

So where was I, Oh yes my little jolly to Dorset.  On the sunday morning after a pleasant breakfast at the hotel (which was the only good thing about it may I add) we went into the nearby town of Christchurch.  What a lovely little town it is too. The weather once again was really cold and it started to rain, you now the one - a light drizzle that makes you wet - so we quickly walked around the Quayside and through the Priory walk, past a lovely cricket green which finally had some flowers planted to make it jolly, down a little lane where we found a ducking stool.  It was a little eery and strange to know these stools were used amongst other things as punishment for women of ill repute and witch craft.  Neil being Neil, decided to have a little sit in the stool, shame it was tethered with a chain otherwise we all would of had great pleasure in giving him a duck :-)

From here we meandered into the town centre as the shops were finally open for a little nosey around.  Shame they didn't have any good tat shops though but found a lovely shop called Kiki's where I treated myself to a little momento.  Sweet little thing it is too and will go nicely with some other pieces I bought last year from Poole which by the way I've mislaid in the house somewhere!  Must be my age :-)

See you all soon

Lynetta Xx

Weekend Jolly

Hello peeps...I'm back.  Last weekend both myself and Ian along with Sarah and Neil went to Bournemouth for the weekend.  It was a real shame the weather was pants, just look at the beach, look at the choppy sea and look how high we were!.  We made good time travelling and decided to go for a little walk along the cliff and blow some cobwebs away.  Must admit it was good to be by the sea :-)

It was good to see the boys getting back in catalogue pose mode (I will have to tell you about that another time)

and it was good to see so many old buildings in the town centre, this one reminded me of Burlington Arcade in Piccadilly.  I've not been to Bournemouth before and to be honest I was a little sad,  it seems a little tired and needs rejuvenating and some areas were very run down.  It was also evident Bournemouth Council have made huge cut backs as the parks flower bed, pots and hanging baskets were all empty, we couldn't find one annual planted :-(  how sad it will not be in bloom.

Found an old fashioned sweet shop (why oh why don't they have one in Reading I don't know).  We bought ourselves a quarter pound of this and that ready for the show - ooh have I not told you why we were in Bournemouth?  I'll come to that in a minute.

We found ourselves in The Slug and Lettuce for a pre-show meal, and very nice it was too:-)

and pre-show drinks (this was for tasting purposes only as I've never tasted Pear Cider)

and then onto The Show - Oh Yes, the one and only Brendan O'Carroll in Mrs Brown's Boys. I have not laughed so much in ages and can see why the show has won 2 Bafta Awards.  I've watched the series on TV but to see him perform on stage with the ad libs was fantastic, and that scene with Winny and the waxing was hilarious (go and watch it, it'll make you cry).  Loved the way at the end of the show he invited people to take photo's of him and the cast, you don't get that very often.  I hope the next series is just as funny and cannot wait until it starts again.

And on a final note, never ever book into The Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth, it's dire with many a Stag and Hen party going on and it's not well maintained with curtains coming off the rails and rubbish not being collected in the hall way - You have been warned :-)

Be back soon with day 2 of the trip (don't want you to get bored reading another long post)

TTFN

Lynetta Xx