Friday Happies

Hello! I thought I'd join in with the 'Friday Happies' idea this week. It has been quite an easy week to think of things as E celebrated her birthday on Sunday, so a day trip ice-skating, followed by bowling made for lots of happy memories. L was able to return the baking favour by making E a Pusheen birthday cake - we'll definitely have to think of a new theme this year! Lemon cake with a lemon and passion fruit curd filling - Yum!

Pusheenicorn!

R decided that he didn't want to go on the ice, so sat in the cafe, feeling old, with his Kindle! I was game though and after a very slow circuit or 2 hanging onto the surrounding rail or L's hand, was confident enough to let go. I had a brilliant time and only fell over once! The resultant bruised knee has made pilates a little tricky this week but it was well worth it. Go me!

 Next we went bowling and with my very first shot  I got a Strike - that was my only one though! What R lost on the skating, he gained on the bowling by winning easily. His trick is to use the heaviest ball and bowl it at great speed - even if he isn't central, all the pins get knocked over by the sheer force.

Then it was back home for 'Onesie Film Night'.

As I was lucky enough to receive a Kitchen Aid for my birthday (Minnie the Mix! - if you're not old enough, 'Minnie the Minx' was a character in The Beano) I have decided that 2015 shall be the year of the loaf. We usually make our own bread in a bread maker  but Minnie's dough hook and this new book sound like much more fun! 

I aim to make a different type of bread each week and this week's was a crusty cob. Here it is - not quite as spherical as I think it is supposed to be but quite tasty nonetheless. 

Tea and shortbread on my new tray (a Christmas present from L) made me very happy.

Finishing the main bit of my 'use up all the stash' garden blanket. Now it just needs a border. Surprisingly, the stash doesn't seem to have diminished at all!

Finally, L brought her birthday balloons back from uni and Hamish has been having fun. Initially, he just chewed them with predictable results. Then he dribbled them round the house like a little furry footballer ... it was very cute. Unfortunately, this morning I discovered him trying to mate with one! He sat slumped over it, rocking rhythmically with a rather glazed expression on his face. Ew!!! Not at all cute! Time for the balloons to go me thinks!

That's all for this week's happies - I'm not sure that last one really qualifies as one anyway! Have a fun-filled weekend.
Toodle Pip for now. x

End of Year Review

I've just been spending a while looking back through all the photos I've taken this year. My camera was bought in the January sales last year and I have, much to E's despair, become the sort of person who will take photos of absolutely anything. The cry "why are you taking a photo of that?!" rings out quite regularly round these parts. The reason I do it is because I have a memory like a sieve and it's so lovely to use this space as a sort of online diary. I'm sure I wouldn't remember half the stuff I've done this past year, without this little space of mine. All the simple, homely moments, various trips etc. would just be lost in the ether, never to be thought of again. So, despite the ridicule, I shall continue to record these precious moments, more for myself than anyone else but maybe, one day, they will be nice for my girls to look back on. 

Anyway, here are some of my favourite reminders of 2014 - from GCSE keep calm lavender bags, to various makes, holidays etc. Mostly though, they are things which just make me smile .... and that can't be a bad thing now, can it?

So Happy New Year to you all and best wishes for a wonderful, fun-filled 2015 - I can't wait. x

A Winter Picnic

Well, I've reached my half century ..... aren't I the lucky one! R tends to get a bit maudlin around his birthday, whereas I try to look on the positive side - it's an awful lot better than the alternative! I was really lucky with the weather; the 28th dawned sunny but very cold.

My family had asked what I wanted to do for my birthday; it's always an awkward one being so close to Christmas. We all have our birthdays around this time of year, within 6 weeks of each other, so it tends to feel as if we're all celebrated out. I didn't even want a birthday cake this year! Given the lovely weather, I thought a walk and a picnic would be nice, so we dug out the circular walk book, packed a rucksack with food and flasks of hot chocolate and tea and off we went.

It was a bit crunchy underfoot:

 An early sign of Spring?

Over the stile:

 The oak tree where we enjoyed our lunch:

 Enjoying the view:

 Quiche and salady bits:

 E borrowed the camera and took some photos. I like this one because of the rainbow effect:

 ...... and the reflections in this one: 

 The walk took us back via the towpath which was incredibly muddy. There are no photos of this bit as we were concentrating hard on not falling over!
It wasn't too long a walk as R had managed to catch 'the lurgy' at work and E and I were beginning to come down with it. Back home, I played with some of my presents:

A new veggie cook book - I can heartily recommend the caramelized garlic tart!

Birthday lilies:

A new apron - this photo took me a while. I tried taking a selfie without the aid of a mirror, but there was some horrible crepey neck/double chin thing going on - well, I am 50 you know!

.... and, my new toy - who's a lucky girl then?!

A Thai meal in the evening completed a really lovely day. Sore throats abound at the moment, so I'm just off for some more hot mulled apple juice - it's surprisingly soothing. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.

Cheers!