tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54982478257457359032023-11-16T08:40:34.866-08:00life in the slow laneUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-20218132789150071512014-07-05T02:36:00.000-07:002014-07-05T02:36:34.152-07:00June Roses Gosh, this time of year is just crazy. I feel like I haven't sat down in weeks. There is so much to do at work: reports to write, end-of-year results to collate and endlessly analyse, "graduation" to plan and prepare for and end-of-year trips and treats to organise. And then I get home and Beautiful Girl has got it all happening too, plus we've got holiday plans to organize and work happening in the house while we're away, so our entire downstairs has to be packed up and somehow moved to who-knows-where. Perhaps it's little wonder that my housekeeping has gone to pot and that I'm waking with the birds at 4 a.m. with endless "notes to self" running through my head.<br />
Last week I decided to take a proper day off. To stop and to smell the roses - literally, as it happens. I adore early summer. June, for me, is all about strawberries, Wimbledon (tennis being the only sport I ever choose to watch) and roses. Oh... and Pimms too. And elderflower cordial....<br />
Anyway, on a glorious Sunday last weekend we went to David Austen's rose garden in Shropshire. The roses were <i>incredible</i>. Several times I felt like I was actually swooning; the sight, the <i>smell</i> was intensely happy-making.<br />
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Roses, roses everywhere. Gorgeous. And then, a cream tea on the terrace. </div>
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I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday in June. Could you?</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-26353268084994610872014-06-22T07:13:00.000-07:002014-06-22T07:13:29.100-07:00An apology and May's Cake of the MonthI'm sorry, little blog, for my absence. Please accept these pretty sweet peas in an attempt to make amends.<br />
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And a cake, too. I made this back in May, for Lovely Husband, really. His favourite pudding is Bakewell tart (or pudding? I'm never really sure of the difference, although I understand to some that it is a Matter of Great Importance.)<br />
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Anyway, it was a raspberry and almond cake; a sponge made with ground almonds and almond essence and filled with lashings of raspberry jam. If I was making it this month, when raspberries are cheaper then I'd add some fresh ones too. It wasn't an enormous success, the ground almonds making the sponge a little too dry, although when I served it to friends who had come for Saturday brunch, they were very kind about it. But then, they would be, wouldn't they?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-17775371884886500752014-05-12T13:25:00.001-07:002014-05-12T13:25:05.005-07:00An Easter Catch-up and April's Cake of the Month<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATBBAXXOmFzlt1cgpa41fq6d-nUSga-T4O1ZsgMc1lXhaSsVTp0-nPukg-NgT3YipioLlgPEnxt5o_UL5VwetAVonmH0nj2n-eQtzBr_2Yd8NAhgnc6AC7Nrf7q0Sbi1C9vqwqN4gx2L5/s1600/photo-751089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiATBBAXXOmFzlt1cgpa41fq6d-nUSga-T4O1ZsgMc1lXhaSsVTp0-nPukg-NgT3YipioLlgPEnxt5o_UL5VwetAVonmH0nj2n-eQtzBr_2Yd8NAhgnc6AC7Nrf7q0Sbi1C9vqwqN4gx2L5/s1600/photo-751089.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Easter mantle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Easter tree.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Just a couple of images from a really wonderful family Easter. We had 12 for lunch and the Lovely Husband made THE most delicious slow-roasted leg of lamb, served with dauphinoise potatoes and spring greens. Yum. Dessert was also April's Cake of the Month; a lemon layered cake, filled with a mascarpone cream, homemade lemon card and topped with a lemon fondant icing. Double yum.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-23211854718251407522014-04-09T22:17:00.000-07:002014-04-09T22:17:07.354-07:00March's Cake of the MonthI am so behind on blogging, both reading and writing. Life has just gotten so busy. <i>No</i> - I tell myself reproachfully, whenever I am starting to feel overwhelmed - not busy, <i>full</i>. And we're nearly at the Easter holidays...<br />
Anyhow, back to cake.<br />
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For March's Cake of the Month I wanted to bake something for my mum, to share on Mother's Day with a pot of tea, after our walk with the dog. The occasion seemed to call for something elegant, palely interesting, the Grace Kelly of cakes, if you like. I chose an Earl Grey cake, with lemon buttercream icing. Of course, I couldn't pull off the delicately stylish confection I had in mind (nothing about me is elegant, nor will it ever be) but it <i>was</i> delicious.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-72954113668307018652014-03-09T14:52:00.000-07:002014-03-09T14:52:01.032-07:00This weekend, I have been mostly.... (*)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_cVeh06JpfS1maQ3atBF1gHY9SHss22k38De2zAWBG6kstEHE5-_9FzkP3T3CAIymKVuTjt5F7wazzXnihHzOAv1al4rB0TiwGvwgD3P1A0BsIyB-RMibWhfnDdgya1-1-n7l0rnQwQJ/s1600/photo-765830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY_cVeh06JpfS1maQ3atBF1gHY9SHss22k38De2zAWBG6kstEHE5-_9FzkP3T3CAIymKVuTjt5F7wazzXnihHzOAv1al4rB0TiwGvwgD3P1A0BsIyB-RMibWhfnDdgya1-1-n7l0rnQwQJ/s1600/photo-765830.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cross-stitching. A newly discovered thrill. More on this to come, at a later date.</div>
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Enjoying tea and cake (a Coventry God cake, in honour of the city I grew up in) in the glorious sunshine.</div>
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Admiring tulip-y wonderfulness, for the princely sum of £2.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdqPOkjseHNZUdoX4yZISm6J31FXZNUju40_Tv0oc12upXknPM0AQga9b98DWR10WuH4sdBP8JrcNN-b8C3qwoDX-dzdQlL1vLJIfokBuJqf8XW-QReKD4QedK7wM4bcBCHW5we8JMcc-/s1600/photo-733653.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdqPOkjseHNZUdoX4yZISm6J31FXZNUju40_Tv0oc12upXknPM0AQga9b98DWR10WuH4sdBP8JrcNN-b8C3qwoDX-dzdQlL1vLJIfokBuJqf8XW-QReKD4QedK7wM4bcBCHW5we8JMcc-/s1600/photo-733653.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Immersing myself in a stack of new books, after a trip to my<a href="http://www.astleybookfarm.com/" target="_blank"> favourite bookshop</a> AND all my reservations landing at once, at the library.<br />
It's been a quiet, but a wonderful weekend.<br />
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(* Do you remember Mark Thomas on "The Fast Show"? Each episode he would emerge from his shed, wellies and all, to announce what he had been doing/eating/saying etc. that week. My favourite, which still makes me chortle to this day was, "This week, I have been mostly wearing.... Issey Miyake.")<br />
(Incidentally, we saw Mark Thomas browsing in a second-hand bookshop in Chipping Campden last summer. Despite our intention to leave him alone, he made the effort to smile and say hello to a clearly starstruck ("It's Arthur Weasley!") Beautiful Girl. Which I thought was very sweet of him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-56934638001934541732014-03-02T06:22:00.000-08:002014-03-02T06:22:02.713-08:00February's Cake of the MonthThis month I baked a classic chocolate cake. This is my fail-safe, go-to cake for birthdays, afternoon teas and visitors. I use the method whereby I weigh 4 eggs in their shells, then use an equal amount of butter, sugar and flour (replacing 25-30g of flour with cocoa powder). I think I got the idea from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, although I'm sure it's a pretty standard way of doing things. As I made the cake around St. Valentine's Day I prettied it up with some sugar hearts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1C8_Wcv-DW8I0m2va-GmBM7uwu2DvV7yhSnbp0_BVIaj8fwnbl0HtkeDCgTIPmmXjpQBrBBFCvoPk-R9m4kC2OxtsFlcdGYFtqdtRBATgFIA4Abwc8gBbmY2dObpVxolwZ-BVKuEOVHo/s1600/photo-744424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD1C8_Wcv-DW8I0m2va-GmBM7uwu2DvV7yhSnbp0_BVIaj8fwnbl0HtkeDCgTIPmmXjpQBrBBFCvoPk-R9m4kC2OxtsFlcdGYFtqdtRBATgFIA4Abwc8gBbmY2dObpVxolwZ-BVKuEOVHo/s1600/photo-744424.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Speaking of Valentine's Day, here is my Valentine's mantle. The Beautiful Girl made us a message out of Lego. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlAUtuiLPHQUftPXghrR6waQ66aiw5h9cyNjPM_iYHTuA3NF3gF-MxwzLl6qFKXqA0j1tod9jgaOEaLNqLbiZcFoOHST-Z-ii1pcdyJC1u_85mBGL1OTe_EAgP8tm3LFutm2FBgHLnPK7/s1600/photo-767668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlAUtuiLPHQUftPXghrR6waQ66aiw5h9cyNjPM_iYHTuA3NF3gF-MxwzLl6qFKXqA0j1tod9jgaOEaLNqLbiZcFoOHST-Z-ii1pcdyJC1u_85mBGL1OTe_EAgP8tm3LFutm2FBgHLnPK7/s1600/photo-767668.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And, finally, my Valentine roses, looking slightly past their best here. Of course, it shouldn't matter at all that they were delivered to work. But it secretly does.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR7j3HUFiy2MD862oL1osNK3LZVBTDitRg8hSrOBkAHMRzTEZq5VUIVt45knhzDzERgmWcz8__cfPa89hvt4RMQx-L5Rkq8iJ3jxdiyIOxfJNZawLIR-V0pU2RRQYwo6KWRYGTPCYdj4W/s1600/photo-794654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuR7j3HUFiy2MD862oL1osNK3LZVBTDitRg8hSrOBkAHMRzTEZq5VUIVt45knhzDzERgmWcz8__cfPa89hvt4RMQx-L5Rkq8iJ3jxdiyIOxfJNZawLIR-V0pU2RRQYwo6KWRYGTPCYdj4W/s1600/photo-794654.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I seem to have lost my blogging voice this month. I am hoping that Spring will bring a renewed sense of energy and purpose. But while I am waiting for it I will retreat to my fireside, with my teapot at my side for some quiet stitching time. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-37799428785885117222014-01-30T12:36:00.000-08:002014-01-30T12:36:25.554-08:00January's Cake of the MonthI once - several years ago now - bought a cake from <a href="http://www.megrivers.co.uk/">Meg Rivers</a>. Ever since, they have periodically sent me catalogues, which I enjoy browsing but then self-satisfyingly decide that there isn't much in there that I couldn't make myself. One thing, though, that always catches my eye is the Cake Club. The idea is that you pay a flat fee and the nice people send you a cake, seasonally appropriate naturally, each month of the year. A lovely idea but the £175 price tag makes me flinch every time. (£175?!? For 12 cakes?!?) So I had what I considered, somewhat immodestly, to be a brainwave. <i>I'll have a homemade version! </i><br />
Presenting January's Cake of the Month...<br />
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Whole Orange Spice Cake<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Whole orange spice cake" src="http://www.maryberry.co.uk/files/recipes/2013/02/05/46_inlineImage.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image borrowed from Mary Berry's website</td></tr>
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A Mary Berry recipe, where you boil a whole orange, then process it and add it to the cake batter alongside mixed spice and cinnamon. 'Twas delicious. So much so, that the piece I had set aside to photograph disappeared from the tin faster than I expected. Perhaps that's just as well because it certainly wasn't as pretty...<div>
Oh, and as for my brainwave. It was days later that it dawned on me. <i>Of course</i>, <a href="http://thequincetree65.blogspot.co.uk/p/cake-of-month.html">Sue did it first</a>...<br /><br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-1625682009439433972014-01-03T01:19:00.000-08:002014-01-03T01:30:34.008-08:00Reading List - December 2013 and an end-of-year review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7NH0sUFHIvqWivLrmy24NOAbBKqhsUVmOzSxVx9szoo8MITfcwm5rgeHFHOb3jL3cnRdygp-j3RB4smkmRNC5G8Ka94SzkoJ3z8bVtFNjH4TzxRaAeo-z2jBss1Y5Muz0Hd12claQp2o/s1600/photo-739220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY7NH0sUFHIvqWivLrmy24NOAbBKqhsUVmOzSxVx9szoo8MITfcwm5rgeHFHOb3jL3cnRdygp-j3RB4smkmRNC5G8Ka94SzkoJ3z8bVtFNjH4TzxRaAeo-z2jBss1Y5Muz0Hd12claQp2o/s320/photo-739220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">"Sweet Tooth" by Ian McEwan.</span><br />
"Christmas Delivery" by Susan Willis.<br />
"The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks.<br />
"December" by Elizabeth H. Winthrop.<br />
"A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.<br />
"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt.<br />
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It's been an interesting project, this recording of my reading habits. I've read 71 books in 2013, which works out at almost one and a half a week. Of course, it doesn't happen as steadily as that, some weeks I'm plodding on with something I'm not really enjoying, getting distracted by magazines, or articles on the Internet and at other times (usually school holidays) I'll devour 3 or 4 books in a week.<br />
I have always considered myself a fiction-only reader and it was a surprise to note that I've actually read 13 non-fiction books. Most of those are related to housekeeping or parenting, so not exactly weighty intellectual tomes but that's not what I look for in a book nowadays.<br />
I did try and choose a "Book of the Year" but found it too hard. I've loved every Persephone-published book I've read this year, all 8 of them and my favourite books by contemporary writers have been "The Betrayal" by Helen Dunsmore, "Casual Vacancy" by J.K. Rowling and "Sweet Tooth" by Ian McEwan. Other books I've read - usually those which I've picked up somewhat randomly from the library - have proved to be absolutely forgettable. This seems a shame when there are so many wonderful books out there waiting to be read but I still feel it is always worth taking a chance on unknown authors.<br />
I've really enjoyed this small project, so much so that I think I'll continue to record the books of 2014. It's exciting to think of all those books waiting for me. I hope this new year brings you some wonderful reading too....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-8670860729921145352013-12-31T01:25:00.001-08:002013-12-31T01:30:16.782-08:00Christmas 2013<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjcmr3nC0Ewl60mt_MS2JiCZLliY9bder4MU4vv1ofNOvMZR9joGG0XxJhAO4YjtFUxXWKRLvP4fhjzSzsaP5xWdzjKLphMXTzw7liYdg2MalcHqiIHX9v8NtLje_VXeKPvdYFlS2-7SH/s1600/photo-707906.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5960860164773793778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqjcmr3nC0Ewl60mt_MS2JiCZLliY9bder4MU4vv1ofNOvMZR9joGG0XxJhAO4YjtFUxXWKRLvP4fhjzSzsaP5xWdzjKLphMXTzw7liYdg2MalcHqiIHX9v8NtLje_VXeKPvdYFlS2-7SH/s320/photo-707906.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Christmas mantle.</td></tr>
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It has been the <i>loveliest </i>of Christmases.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh2mDHDUuRIFArQcfqAiMkUYWlehS0UKchWh-hNRyluJWeGbbrP7CUUMGWwtwRJ0CDdHd87iX7SkzqrVwum-bgSw2KHOinN4nN7-6y-4uAT86Ld2hyo1_IO42u9n8dOgq9rYgrSVRTxmv/s1600/photo-736514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh2mDHDUuRIFArQcfqAiMkUYWlehS0UKchWh-hNRyluJWeGbbrP7CUUMGWwtwRJ0CDdHd87iX7SkzqrVwum-bgSw2KHOinN4nN7-6y-4uAT86Ld2hyo1_IO42u9n8dOgq9rYgrSVRTxmv/s320/photo-736514.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This time last year I was horribly ill, with full-blown 'flu. I missed out on so much in 2012 that I was determined to make the most of the festive wonderfulness of 2013. And I did. Just a few highlights (I love<i> </i>a list....)</div>
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<li>A North Pole Breakfast. Delivered while we slept, by one of Father Christmas' elves. We came down to festive tableware, Christmas tree-shaped crumpets, gingerbread cookies and gold-star topped chocolate cupcakes. Plus hot chocolate with cream <i>and </i>marshmallows. Beautiful Girls' eyes nearly popped out of her head.</li>
<li>Lovely days out. To see <i>"The Nutcracker"</i>, to visit Father Christmas and his reindeer, to Christmas markets, to National Trust properties which had been beautifully decorated for Christmas.</li>
<li>Friends. Long, lazy, boozy lunches, while the children play around us. Quick catch-ups over a cup of tea. A special night out with my Best Friend, to a Christmas storytelling cafe. Baileys hot chocolate at the Christmas Market with Jen. Long, handwritten letters enclosed in Christmas cards. It must be one of the best things about this time of year, having the chance to catch up with those we don't see nearly enough of.</li>
<li>Carols. Despite the fact that I have a truly terrible voice (and I'm not being modest here; it's a running joke in our family how tone-deaf I am) I still love singing and Christmas carols send a shiver down by spine. We went to Beautiful Girl's school's candlelit service at the nearby church and the sight and sound of the children singing <i>"Silent Night</i>" in English, French and British Sign Language....gulp... am sure I wasn't the only embarrassing Mummy with the tissues out. And listening to my Beautiful Girl (who sings in a strong, sweet, clear voice definitely not inherited from me) singing "Away in a Manger" during Christmas Eve Mass did it again.</li>
<li>Home. Our home has felt like such a cosy, warm, twinkly place to be this holiday. I spent an entire 8 hours cleaning on the day before Advent began and then, when all was clean and sparkling we slowly dressed our home for Christmas. Halls were decked with boughs of holly, and also with mistletoe and ivy. Our tree is <i>beautiful</i>. Every year we say, "This is the best tree yet," but this year it really is. I can't take a photograph which does it justice, so just imagine... A tree which is over 6 foot tall, bushy, verdant and green, large enough to fill the bay window. Now decorate it with simple white lights and lovingly collected traditional decorations, none of which match, but which somehow work together... <i>There. </i>I told you. Gorgeous, isn't it?</li>
<li>Food. My God, we've eaten well this holiday. <i>Two </i>hams, one of which was cooked in ginger beer and glazed with ginger preserve and shared with friends, the other of which was cooked in cranberry and apple juice, studded with cloves and glazed with cranberry sauce and eaten in sandwiches, with pickles, with cheese and the last of which ended up in a turkey, ham and leek pie last night. <i>Two</i> cakes, one of which was <a href="http://thequincetree65.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/cake-of-month-mincemeat-cake.html">Sue's recipe</a> for an almondy sponge covered in homemade mincemeat, then topped with a spiced crumble and eaten with orange spiced cream and the other of which, a traditional Christmas fruit cake, hasn't even been touched yet. As well as lots of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, Prosecco, caviar, cheese and crackers, mince pies, satsumas, trifle, industrial amounts of chocolate, homemade gingerbread cookies and homemade cranberry, white chocolate and macadamia cookies. Plus, of course, Christmas lunch, cooked by by Mum this year and declared a triumph by all. Phew.</li>
<li>Books. On the first day of Advent the Christmas books came down from the attic and were kept in a basket next to the fire. Although my Beautiful Girl seems to have grown out of many of them, neither of us could contemplate Christmas Eve without "'Twas the Night Before Christmas". And, although, like everyone, I knew the story of "A Christmas Carol" I actually read it for the first time this year and utterly loved it. I've resolved to make it a personal tradition to read it every December from now on. Finally, these lazy days between Christmas and New Year have been filled with a jaunt to a favourite bookshop and the (enormous, brilliant, but somewhat-in-need-of-editing) new Donna Tartt novel.</li>
<li>Gifts. I know it seems shallow to say it but the modest number of gifts I received this year (we had a "no-gifts" deal with almost all of the adults in our lives) were thoughtfully chosen and it did<i> </i>make me happy to receive the new Nigel Slater book, a Cary Grant film (<i>"The Bishop's Wife"</i>) and some gorgeous Orla Kiely notecards. My Beautiful Girl bought me a wooden necklace that she had seen at a craft fair in the weeks before Christmas and had saved her pocket money to buy. Bless her sweet heart, she was <i>so </i>excited to give it to me and gleefully presented it before opening her stocking or any of her other presents on Christmas Day.</li>
<li>Family. I have, of course, saved the best until last. How I love having two whole weeks to spend with my favourite people in the whole world. How nice it is to play daft games with my aunty and uncle, to kiss the soft, downy head of my brand-new nephew, to eat a slice of cake lovingly baked by my Mum. This, of course, is what is really best about this, and every, Christmas.</li>
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And now, the New Year is almost upon us. Tonight, midnight will probably pass us by as we will go to bed early, in order to get up early and watch the sunrise on 2014, as we did <a href="http://www.jo-lifeintheslowlane.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/welcome-2013.html">last year</a>. Later in the day, family will come for lunch ( a luxurious fish pie and lots of green vegetables followed by an orange and mincemeat trifle) and then on 2nd January, the decorations and tree will come down and the house will seem empty and clean and bare. The grocery shopping will arrive and vegetables, fruit and pulses will feature heavily as I try to compensate for the gluttony of the last few weeks. Although I will be sad to see the end of Christmas I do like the fresh, clean feel of a brand-new year. I like the blank pages of my new diary (and my new toothbrush, pants and socks - a personal tradition) and the feeling that this <i>will </i>be the year that I lose weight, exercise more, save some more money and be an all-round better person. We'll see. But in the mean time, a very, very, Happy New Year.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-16625083655454309762013-12-02T14:07:00.001-08:002013-12-02T14:07:22.037-08:00Reading List - November 2013"An Unsuitable Attachment" by Barbara Pym.<br />
"Confessions of an Organized Homemaker" by Deniece Schofield.<br />
"Housebound" by Winifred Peck.<br />
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A paltry 3 books only this month. This is partly due to the fact that I have several others "on-the-go", but only put them on my list when I've completed them and partly due to the fact that the stinking cold I've had has left me with little energy to read. (Little energy to read? You know, it <i>must've </i>been bad.)<br />
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The Barbara Pym was fantastic, of course and it was particularly nice to read it before I attended a dramatised reading, at the Library of Birmingham. It was organised by the Barbara Pym Society who are, as could only be expected, a jolly nice bunch of ladies. And it was followed by a rather good tea - how could it not be?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm6jbP5wlH7i5iWXIsIk3pa_Dq9IOSQFUE89kJDbYs_CTUOpgVEFZcZN8Hf1_JRdtk-ZMQWy2OUh6pVZ9j3mUTVdp2GaWxMCao9hplJ2awuAlWArY3ViQa619HmvtwlXWLGMkrZJezmAg/s1600/photo-748300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihm6jbP5wlH7i5iWXIsIk3pa_Dq9IOSQFUE89kJDbYs_CTUOpgVEFZcZN8Hf1_JRdtk-ZMQWy2OUh6pVZ9j3mUTVdp2GaWxMCao9hplJ2awuAlWArY3ViQa619HmvtwlXWLGMkrZJezmAg/s320/photo-748300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also wonderful was "Housebound". A perfect companion to last month's "How to Run Your Home Without Help", I'd definitely recommend reading them together. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-11524714134938146242013-11-27T13:03:00.001-08:002013-11-27T13:03:53.129-08:00Farewell Autumn...<div class="mobile-photo">
My favourite season is definitely drawing to a close now. Before it is completely over I thought I'd share my Autumn mantlepiece with you. It will soon be time for it to get all twinkly and festive.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYKplAivwl4kj6UtI1uhMPvWEJPjn9YK9GGNyXmN3A5VAY6fFgMvbc9ZgHhiAVsRqN7btF_siXk9GSkQ9oCSrXLdHpnLFMNBoHiZGPQt2py_kp1WVn2lYIsN6UYOIa97A9absagpWMnuS/s1600/photo-732912.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941664344811192226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYKplAivwl4kj6UtI1uhMPvWEJPjn9YK9GGNyXmN3A5VAY6fFgMvbc9ZgHhiAVsRqN7btF_siXk9GSkQ9oCSrXLdHpnLFMNBoHiZGPQt2py_kp1WVn2lYIsN6UYOIa97A9absagpWMnuS/s320/photo-732912.JPG" /></a></div>
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Just need to shake this horrid cold and then I'll be immersing myself in Christmas loveliness...</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-50580825575320716312013-11-10T14:37:00.000-08:002013-11-10T14:37:01.735-08:00Reading List - October 2013"The Donor" by Helen Fitzgerald.<br />
"Untold Story" by Monica Ali.<br />
"How to do Everything" by Dawna Walter.<br />
"Confessions of a Bad Mother" by Stephanie Calman.<br />
"How to Run Your Home without Help" by Kay Smallshaw.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-24114548630465999892013-11-02T09:57:00.001-07:002013-11-02T10:00:00.781-07:00Half-term fun<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI7w-7wENFTAwT09uIDGim_tnSc5uMSnbNDa7GLJXLcTAkO6SX7OOfANX1wOSNVN8m6t6Vsu6NFVkLR-tidYIJwRZUgxM1uWGqk48IEid5ccBc8FgtamK7VVTvE_4-QrQCBPvr7jHzIVb/s1600/photo-712517.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5941044921833578098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPI7w-7wENFTAwT09uIDGim_tnSc5uMSnbNDa7GLJXLcTAkO6SX7OOfANX1wOSNVN8m6t6Vsu6NFVkLR-tidYIJwRZUgxM1uWGqk48IEid5ccBc8FgtamK7VVTvE_4-QrQCBPvr7jHzIVb/s320/photo-712517.JPG" /></a><br /><br />It's been such a nice week. I love October half-term. A holiday during my favourite season and early enough in the school year that I can actually enjoy it, rather than spending most of it in an exhausted heap. The Beautiful Girl and I have spent time with friends and with family. We've been on some great days out - the pictures are from our trip to Kenilworth Castle, on Hallowe'en - but spent plenty of time on the sofa too. Cosy, comfy days, just how we like them. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLNg5uj9S8KYOUubDWFkV47mrxNAV2lYrimdwCqsX46zuRkCBINKU1Cd_Bpz5q8Mbh2yEPa6KpKsz4DmnwrkOjqDck2ozmzfZmk6Edu2NF2quGlrvYZTZdYexSjOV8cFg4KGDAEgtKL7G/s1600/photo-737192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSLNg5uj9S8KYOUubDWFkV47mrxNAV2lYrimdwCqsX46zuRkCBINKU1Cd_Bpz5q8Mbh2yEPa6KpKsz4DmnwrkOjqDck2ozmzfZmk6Edu2NF2quGlrvYZTZdYexSjOV8cFg4KGDAEgtKL7G/s320/photo-737192.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-88752010080887994582013-10-20T14:00:00.000-07:002013-10-20T14:00:51.951-07:00Simple pleasures<div class="mobile-photo">
I am not a high-maintenance kind of girl. Designer shoes and expensive jewellery mean little to me. However, I do love life's little luxuries and shopping for small treats - a new paperback, a box of macaroons, a bunch of flowers, brings me <a href="http://www.jo-lifeintheslowlane.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/loot.html">much joy</a>.This week though I am unable to indulge. A "perfect storm" of financial demands leaves us with too much month at the end of the money. When I go to the bakers to buy the weekend loaf I manage to forgo the delicious - and expensive - little plum and ricotta cakes. I don't stop at the newsagents on the way home for the latest edition of "Country Living" magazine. Proud of my self-restraint I go home and bake a <a href="http://www.jo-lifeintheslowlane.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/continuing-theme.html">favourite autumnal cake</a>, thriftily using up the last of the rather soft apples and pears. And when I take Beautiful Girl to the library I find a beautiful book to bring home and swoon over. Add a frothy coffee and my afternoon of frugal pleasures is complete.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_Rbuu9AdFb8hCivSM_jZlfbv9CmvweI_yY7G_uibbLRJlBpI083WY0-Gqx0Jh8X62Pa3uyei_GBZAYydC2LpCfyyz47ara9MJGmX05KEhyphenhyphenLI6lzBuTWzMqNpHffUEGDysFSbLqXISFtU/s1600/photo-790346.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5936782074204621538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_Rbuu9AdFb8hCivSM_jZlfbv9CmvweI_yY7G_uibbLRJlBpI083WY0-Gqx0Jh8X62Pa3uyei_GBZAYydC2LpCfyyz47ara9MJGmX05KEhyphenhyphenLI6lzBuTWzMqNpHffUEGDysFSbLqXISFtU/s320/photo-790346.JPG" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-82320385154326981422013-10-13T10:06:00.000-07:002013-10-13T10:06:11.950-07:00An autumn weekend<div class="mobile-photo" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdJCyhCXjC_VoVQ8vL5QHAy2JqzUa7GpqlceHp2Kn55lELFBznwl-6NcCY_crfPCCrzmC-iZ6V8hk2osQfBRkqHE7A5kKHndlGo6MhvPHubUPo_5Mo4Y0TsOkxDkSsaE-uT4bXOs5K5qz/s1600/photo-772983.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5933919831970107842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdJCyhCXjC_VoVQ8vL5QHAy2JqzUa7GpqlceHp2Kn55lELFBznwl-6NcCY_crfPCCrzmC-iZ6V8hk2osQfBRkqHE7A5kKHndlGo6MhvPHubUPo_5Mo4Y0TsOkxDkSsaE-uT4bXOs5K5qz/s320/photo-772983.JPG" /></a></div>
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Saturday morning and the farmers' market is teeming with autumnal bounty. I buy a quince, for the way it will perfume the kitchen first, then for stewing with sugar and lemon juice, to be eaten at breakfast. I also buy a crisp baguette, stinky cheese and slices of fancy cake. Mine will be saved until Downtown Abbey, although the rest of my family will devour theirs as soon as they walk through the front door. Best of all, I also bring home these beauties...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-NsXDPweYc-Dc5yoOeWiaoDistRwXYtIEFWJ0I7p69tK2Fe_fuFYh40GrG1J0wNYXFuv3qDlvvAKCnaKyB8JKUm1JVXq-PkJJUy8lowhJ5AHFhSJEEEP4FqR_uhPi9IJekeD8rg9tWH1/s1600/photo-741448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_923088="null" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3-NsXDPweYc-Dc5yoOeWiaoDistRwXYtIEFWJ0I7p69tK2Fe_fuFYh40GrG1J0wNYXFuv3qDlvvAKCnaKyB8JKUm1JVXq-PkJJUy8lowhJ5AHFhSJEEEP4FqR_uhPi9IJekeD8rg9tWH1/s320/photo-741448.JPG" width="240" xsa="true" /></a></div>
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Sunday afternoon and, tummies full of roast beef and Yorkshire pud, the temptation to put the TV on and snooze the afternoon away is great. We decide instead to brave the drizzly afternoon and go for a walk in a favourite spot.</div>
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Home later, to tea and crumpets in front of the fire. A little crochet time too. What a lovely weekend.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-49463735781092267672013-10-06T00:05:00.001-07:002013-10-06T00:05:25.672-07:00Reading List - September 2013"The Red House" by Mark Haddon.<br />
"Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class" by Owen Jones.<br />
"Trying" by Mark Cossey.<br />
"The Spare Room" by Helen Garner.<br />
"The Fortnight in September" by R. C. Sherriff.<br />
"Red Joan" by Jennie Rooney.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-87698780112133911802013-09-10T13:36:00.001-07:002013-09-10T13:36:21.686-07:00Reading List - August 2013"The Homemaker" by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.<br />
"Dare Me" by Megan Abbott.<br />
"Breaking the Silence" by Diane Chamberlain.<br />
"Italian Shoes" by Henning Mankell.<br />
"Casual Vacancy" by J. K. Rowling.<br />
"Kitchen Essays" by Agnes Jekyll.<br />
"The New House" by Lettice Cooper.<br />
"Summer Things" by Joseph Connolly.<br />
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Some really great reads this month. The three Persephones were wonderful, of course and I loved "Casual Vacancy". Looking forward to reading her <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cuckoos-Calling-Cormoran-Strike/dp/1408703998/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378845306&sr=1-1&keywords=the+cuckoo%27s+calling">next</a>, now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-65565539373903345942013-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:002013-08-15T13:14:06.456-07:00A Quietly Productive DayToday I have.....<br />
* weeded the front garden,<br />
* pruned the jasmine that was threatening to keep us captive, Sleeping Beauty-style,<br />
* cleaned all the spent pots, ready for autumn bulb planting,<br />
* helped the Beautiful Girl build a frog habitat,<br />
* weeded and scrubbed the patio,<br />
* cleaned the airing cupboard, "rationalising" the towels and lining the shelf with scented, rose-sprigged liners,<br />
* made salted caramel popcorn (and munched my way through it watching Toy Story 3),<br />
* baked a batch of fork biscuits with the Beautiful Girl,<br />
* made dahl, topped with crispy spiced onions,<br />
* <i>finally </i>written a blog post, albeit a boring one,<br />
* addressed all the invitations for Beautiful Girl's birthday party,<br />
* supervised bath time and read a chapter of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" aloud.<br />
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No wonder I'm tired. Bath, book and bed await....Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-79314139680107132632013-08-15T01:54:00.002-07:002013-08-15T01:54:57.673-07:00Reading List - July 2013"Instructions for a Heatwave" by Maggie O'Farrell.<br />
"An Academic Question" by Barbara Pym.<br />
"Moral Hazard" by Kate Jennings.<br />
"The Gargoyle" by Andrew Davidson.<br />
"The Twelve" by Justin Cronin.<br />
"All the Beggars Riding" by Lucy Caldwell.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-75422220253653275452013-07-18T03:54:00.000-07:002013-07-18T03:54:08.949-07:00Reading List - June 2013"Wonder" by R. J. Palacio.<br />
"House of Elliot" by Jean Marsh.<br />
"Dark Places" by Gillian Flynn.<br />
"The Newlyweds" by Nell Freudenberger.<br />
"Life, Love & Vintage Housekeeping" by Alison May.<br />
"Everything and Nothing" by Araminta Hall.<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-64082939128516483212013-06-22T10:41:00.000-07:002013-06-22T10:41:38.991-07:00Whoops...<div class="mobile-photo">
So, I thought I'd ordered 2 red peppers when I did the online grocery shop. When I unpacked the bags earlier I discovered that 2 <em>kilos </em>is a <em>lot</em> of peppers. 11, to be exact.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV-I8XsgbApbvw-8F1s8bSzsIEN8dhPPRnSUQC9SYb474KjgLMuV3If_prPSmjG-dJLMQOyLT0ZwBD31Zt4ODf3S7-zkahEm7ekaOzCiQ-mn3EI934K2D5fuoIRMiqxdXxdRHKcTWj2ak/s1600/photo-714482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV-I8XsgbApbvw-8F1s8bSzsIEN8dhPPRnSUQC9SYb474KjgLMuV3If_prPSmjG-dJLMQOyLT0ZwBD31Zt4ODf3S7-zkahEm7ekaOzCiQ-mn3EI934K2D5fuoIRMiqxdXxdRHKcTWj2ak/s320/photo-714482.JPG" width="320" wya="true" /></a></div>
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Want to know how much I spent on red peppers at Waitrose this week?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8Z2lf_Pn6Xjflw4JHhGiRIYO4DB_GVMHrGoGEae5fUxb0MyK1zvDLDEaS7GQK4gmKgu2j8Uybvrm_40Ke5SLFe7037o36HNCc3-tXMg0CAs-awZbR-VN9AZL_DMX33QmXxJucICw1DpR/s1600/photo-788051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8Z2lf_Pn6Xjflw4JHhGiRIYO4DB_GVMHrGoGEae5fUxb0MyK1zvDLDEaS7GQK4gmKgu2j8Uybvrm_40Ke5SLFe7037o36HNCc3-tXMg0CAs-awZbR-VN9AZL_DMX33QmXxJucICw1DpR/s320/photo-788051.JPG" width="320" wya="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can't look at that without wincing.</td></tr>
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Meal plan for this week...</div>
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Monday - stuffed peppers.</div>
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Tuesday - roasted red pepper soup.</div>
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Wednesday - erm....pepper risotto.<br />
Thursday - ..... nope, all out of ideas now!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-45366526468212738272013-06-17T13:04:00.000-07:002013-06-17T13:04:20.900-07:00Three Beautiful Things again...... because sometimes you need to look for the beauty on a grey Monday...<br />
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1. A new recipe for a veggie shepherd's pie, with a rich lentil, tomatoey sauce and a topping of sweet potato mash, cheese and fresh thyme is a roaring success.<br />
2. I discover an album I bought years ago and never really listened to properly (Ani DiFranco's "reprieve") and it's just want I want to listen to tonight.<br />
3. A fig-scented candle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-14486643943357260892013-06-16T07:21:00.001-07:002013-06-16T07:25:01.223-07:00Not CampingI am <a href="http://thequincetree65.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/not%20camping">Not Camping</a>. Well, technically speaking, the rest of my family are Not Camping too. This needs explaining, I realise...<br />
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The Beautiful Girl and I have only ever spent one night apart and that was six years ago, when she was two. My Best Friend was celebrating her upcoming wedding in the traditional way by gathering her closest friends around her in a lovely hotel with a spa to enjoy massages, swims, saunas and facials before cocktails, dinner, wine, more wine, ribald conversation and the sort of humiliating "games" which pass for fun on these occasions. I couldn't not go. I didn't want to not go. And so I went. Beautiful Girl was still nursing every night at this point but the Lovely Husband was adamant - all would be fine. I returned home the next day, with aching breasts to cuddle up with a tired and emotional toddler who had whimpered for Mummy all night long.<br />
Fast forward six years. Beautiful Girl is excited to hear that her cubs troop are going camping and decides she wants to go. Hmm... this is the girl that won't even stop at Nanny's house, or with her beloved cousins overnight without Mummy and Daddy. I didn't want to stop her if she thought she was ready, nor did I want her to miss out on what would undoubtedly be a lot of fun. But camping? Where it gets very dark, very cold, where you can hear all sorts of strange sounds around you? On her own? (She is the only girl in her troop and wouldn't be allowed to sleep with the boys.) I did what any mother would do. I made her Daddy go too. OK, so she wouldn't be with me for two nights, but I thought she'd be fine with the Lovely Husband. <br />
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Friday evening, I kiss them both goodbye and try to deny the enormous lump in my throat. I keep it together until the car turns the corner and then the tears start to flow. I come back into the quiet house and look around me. I haven't spent a night alone in nine years (I even shared a room with Best Friend on her hen night) and now I am faced with the prospect of <em>two</em>. I vascillate between giddy joy at the freedom stretching before me and despair at the thought of not seeing the loves of my life until Sunday. I can't stop thinking about <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00wrk43/The_Fall_Episode_1/">The Fall</a> and jump at the slightest noise. I decide to do what I always do in situations of crisis - run a bath and fetch my book. By ten thirty I am in bed and jump when the phone rings. I'm surprised to hear Beautiful Girl's voice on the other end - surely she should be in her sleeping bag by now? There is a quaver in her voice which quickly turns into a sob as she talks to me. I try and reassure her - she <em>will </em>be fine, Daddy is there - while trying hard to hide the wobble in my own voice. We hang up. Half an hour later and I am almost ready for sleep when the phone rings again. Her voice: "Mummy, we're coming home...". By midnight she is in my arms and I am calming her into sleep.<br />
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Saturday morning they leave by eight and don't return home until ten thirty at night. The Lovely Husband proclaims camp as being chaotic, poorly organised and full of children running absolutely wild. Beautiful Girl pronounces camp is AWESOME and her day as being THE BEST DAY, EVER. This morning they left at seven thirty, the Lovely Husband driving the twenty-odd miles there and back again without complaint each time. He is patient and encouraging, even when faced with a sobbing eight year old at eleven o'clock at night. What a father. What a man. He hasn't even mentioned the fact that he has had to forgo his traditional Father's Day lie-in and bacon sandwich. I am making him a special dinner tonight, full of his favourite dishes - pulled pork rolls, with crispy crackling, homemade lemony coleslaw and corn-on-the-cob baked with lots of butter, black pepper and dried chilli flakes. And for afters, a key lime pie. I'll even use the fancy coffee maker instead of the cafetiere, despite the fact that it is a faff to clean. He deserves it, my wonderful, <em>wonderful</em> Lovely Husband.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-23548228397879512032013-06-06T13:59:00.000-07:002013-06-06T13:59:29.081-07:00Reading List - May 2013"Waiting for Sunrise" by William Boyd.<br />
"21st Century Girls" by Sue Palmer.<br />
"Diary of a Provincial Lady in Wartime" by E.M.Delafield.<br />
"Some Tame Gazelle" by Barbara Pym.<br />
"Where d'you go Bernadette?" by Maria Semple.<br />
"The Rapture" by Liz Jensen.<br />
"Still Missing" by Beth Gutcheon.<br />
"Mutton" by India Knight.<br />
"Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn.<br />
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9 books in one month - think that's the record for 2013, so far! Some great reads too. I loved the Barbara Pym and the "Provincial Lady" in particular. I had really looked forward to the new India Knight novel but, in all honesty, I found it to be a bit.... well, <i>boring. </i>I'm a huge fan of Ms Knight's, so it pains me to admit it, but it's definitely not her best.<br />
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I did enjoy listening to her speak at the Hay-on-Wye Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend though. We only went for the day, but what a day it was. Each of us saw some wonderful writers speaking about their work (for me, India Knight & Audrey Niffenegger), browsed the book stalls and soaked up the glorious sunshine. Aside from the cost of lunch (£13 for a crab sandwich and an elderflower presse. <i>£13!?!</i>) it was a wonderful day. I'm already looking forward to next year. I'll just remember to take a picnic...<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5498247825745735903.post-6648327939941722142013-05-19T12:54:00.000-07:002013-05-19T12:54:41.638-07:00Afternoon tea with Persephone booksI have a Lovely Husband. One of the forms that his loveliness takes is his willingness to chauffeur me ( I don't drive) around to places he has no possible interest in going to himself. Like yesterday.... for me, an independent bookshop, hosting an afternoon tea on behalf of Persephone books, sounds pretty much a perfect afternoon. For the Lovely Husband... not so much. But as it was in a rural location, well over an hour's drive away the only way I was going was if he was taking me. Which he did, generously and uncomplainingly. And was it worth it? Totally. The <a href="http://www.thebookshopkibworth.com/">bookshop</a> was wonderful, the best of its kind, the tea was served in vintage cups from a teapot covered in a Persephone-grey cosy and there was the best news from Nicola Beauman, who was there from Persephone (there ARE more Dorothy Whipples still to be re-published!).<br />
If I was a Lovely Wife, next weekend we'd be going to a football match, followed by many hours in the pub. But I'm not, so we're going to the Hay Festival instead.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1