This Little Blogger Went To The Market

I decided to brave the cold, and the bits of torrential rain, and head to the Wilmslow Artisan Market. This was after trying to pick up a few pancake tips from Saturday Morning Kitchen. Somehow I don’t think I will have the same panache as James Martin and there is a strong, very strong, possibility my pancakes will end up stuck to the ceiling or on top of my head. I know this from previous experience but maybe this year will be different?

The market was bustling and there was the tantalising smell of barbecue in the air. It is, possibly, one of my favourite smells. I think it is even better on a cold day. There is just something about smelling fried onions and cooked meat whilst being enveloped in crisp, cold air. I think people should have many more winter barbeques. However, one huge problem with this brilliant idea became apparent later on as it began to snow. That could, quite possibly, have put a dampener on any barbeques.

The Market was just lovely. There was a vast array of food and I somehow managed to buy the majority of it. My purchases ranged from freshly baked bread, enormous savoury eggs with different flavours, wholesome pies, dim-sum, ginger fudge, dark sumatra flavoured chocolate, vegetarian nutroasts, freshly made pate and colourful jams. See I told you I had brought a lot! In my defence, I had taken my parents with me and they weren’t shy about delving into each stall and buying lots of goodies as well.

Here are just a few pictures of my venture to the market. I could just see something like the meatloaf bakery working well at this market. Now there’s an idea? Although, at points people had to hold down their stalls as it was quite windy. I would need a big ladder just to reach the top!

For a list of all the vendors at the market, and to find out the date of the next one, please go to http://www.theartisanmarket.co.uk/

 

English Weekends

I have managed to do a few of my New Year Resolutions so far and I have also been making an effort to do something different at the weekends. It can sometimes be hard to drag myself away from a cup of coffee and Saturday Morning Kitchen but I struggle through. Luke, on the other hand, is almost impossible as he clings to his Saturday morning lie-in like his own personal lifeline. I fear, for the sake of our relationship, I will have to study the art of compromise more thoroughly…or set the clocks an hour ahead? He’d never know.. surely.

These weekend activities have included exploring Congleton. See, I am working through my New Year resolutions!. After having spent the day walking near some rocky crags. I have completely forgotten the name of where we were but there were lots of rocks, people climbing them (and luckily no-one falling off) and stunning views at the top.

My brother and his partner had invited us to stay with them and although it is only half an hour away. Well, fifty minutes if you include the accidental detour I sent Luke on due to my navigational skills although I blame the sat nav for not moving as quickly as the car!. It really felt like we had gone away for the weekend and it was lovely. Although, I did regret the amount of wine I had drunk when I woke up on Sunday. Well I didn’t have a lot (honest!) it’s just I don’t drink at all any other time. I can’t believe I ever survived student life! What I needed was to make a huge sunday lunch. Completely for medicinal reasons of course.

The following weekend we went to a huge travel fair with the Murrays and got to enter lots of competitions in the vain hope we will win a trip of a lifetime. Now I know I have only just returned from abroad but already I am beginning to have itchy feet and plan where I will holiday next. Oh well, you never know, I may win the five-star adventure holiday or a night glamping. I just hope I don’t win the ‘drive your own safari’. If either Luke or myself are driving there is the distinct possibility we will end up hopelessly lost, way off-road or in a ditch surrounded by ravenous animals at their dinnertime. Alternatively, we will shoot across the plains so rapidly that it will be a case of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’. Now I’m not saying which of us will provide which predicament but, needless to say, I think any safaris we do in the future should always have an independent driver. Preferably one who can protect you from any animals whilst driving.

It was then off to Wilmslow‘s Artisan Market, which was pleasantly surprising with the amount of delicious goodies available. There were huge, sumptuously filled pies; little colourful macaroons whose colours popped out amongst the other stalls so you just had to go and try one; There were many vegetable stalls; There was a fantastic array of smelly cheese; A heavenly smelling bread stall and lots of vibrant, home-made chutney. It was almost as good as Indianapolis Farmers Market. However, the weather was not and it was very much a case of ‘batten down the hatches’ as vendors desperately clung to their mini-marquees to stop them from flying away. I managed to pick up six of the tiniest, cutest cupcakes ever.

As well as chutney and jams from a lovely lady who had made them all herself. She had an array of wonderful flavours and these chutneys were just perfect for cheese. I also brought Luke a jam of raspberry jam as he fell in love with it. I shall definitely be buying more at the next market!

We then found a ‘baked taco/crisps’ stall run by an American (so it was almost like being back there!). We brought two bags of these to bake for dinner and a ‘fiery salsa’ . Now that name was no understatement as I found out later when I nearly burnt my throat and stomach on the dip. My dad was prohibited from even lifting the lid as he find the mild sweet chili dipping sauce too hot. I think this sauce, quite possibly, could have killed him. Or he would have killed me if he had tried it. Either way, this sauce can be lethal and should be used with caution although Luke loved it. To prevent any deaths, I sent it to Derby with him in order to protect my family. How good am I?

Once my taste buds had come back to life, after a long time, I have spent the rest of my time going to the cinema. I am definitely getting the most for my money by using my unlimited card! I even went twice in one weekend. I have also been sporadically baking various assortments of bread and scones. As well as this, inspired by the market, I have just attempted my first try at making sweet potato and lentil pate. It actually looks ok, if not a bit gloopy, and the taste is very unusual. I shall unleash it on my family later and see how they react. You would think that they would be used to my wacky cooking by now!

This weekend I resisted the urge to change the clocks and I managed to implement my new attempts at compromise and I let Luke have a lie in whilst I went for a run. I had misjudged how icy it was and at one point my vibrams and me went skating across a frozen puddle. It was all done very ungraciously and I must have looked more like a wobbly chicken sliding along rather than a more elegant creature. I did let out a bit of a cheer as I arrived at the other side of this mini iced lake still standing. However, there was then country walk left to contend with over the weekend. Due to the prospect of snow we played it safe and went to Tatton Park. Well, we thought we had played it safe untill we pulled up into the park and were greeted with a huge sign announcing that there was a wedding fayre on. Ummm. We were unceremoniously parked amidst the wedding shoppers. These were predominantly glamorous looking ladies trying not to get incredibly high shoes stuck in the mud.  They often had a bewildered, and a slightly scared, looking man in tow. Oh dear. Seeing as we have no plans for anything wedding related for at least the next decade we did a huge swoop around the enormous wedding marquee, got lost in a gated off area of the park

and made our way into the safer company of the deer.

I was just pleased that we hadn’t brought my parents dog as I believe that this incident below would have been nothing compared to the chaos that would have ensued.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU)

After a near brush with the wedding goers we found a lovely pub to retreat too for a ‘posh pb’ sandwich and an afternoon drink. However, afternoon goblets of wine meant that I had to go for a nap. Oh dear…

 

Why Hello There 2012

What a fantastic, traditional christmas I have had. It began with joining in with Stir-Up Sunday and continued all the way untill the Christmas tree was removed into the garden. Although it seems to have sprouted legs of its own and has ended up on the other side of the garden. Now either my dad is playing a practical joke on me or I did actually choose a magical tree. I am keeping an eye on my dad’s whereabouts, and the trees, and if it pops up in any other random bits of the garden I will know the answer. I am hoping it is the latter.

We all had a fantastic boxing day without a television in sight. Instead, we had a few hours of singing around the piano due to my extremely talented brother. However, it got a bit complicated when he decided to play a musical game where you omitted words from a song or went round the group letting everyone sing one word of a verse. It sounds a lot easier than it actually was as I found out when I accidentally ended up doing an impromptu solo. This got everyone from the other room in as they wondered why I was doing a solo and why I had chosen that particular song. Maybe I should work on my musical taste if everyone thought it was perfectly normal for me to have chosen to sing ‘The grand old duke of york’ for my Christmas solo. Not good.

Then we had a black tie Italian Come Dine With Me extravaganza on New Years Eve where all my siblings and their partners cooked a course each for my parents to judge. It got to be very competitive with people guarding their courses for fear of sabotage and checking the icing sugar had not been replaced by salt. However, no sabotage was undertaken, or a least it was unsuccessful, and it was an incredibly enjoyable night with lots of food (in fact their was so much food I had to change outfits halfway through to enable me to finish dessert!), dancing, alcohol, games and music and finally the amazing firework display in London. Magical. There was also the added bonus of no sore head for the first day of 2012! Although I fear my siblings are a bit bitter as the LuLu’s were presented with the winning certificate for the main course. Even our domestic over the washing up did not hamper our chances. I managed to convince everyone that it was part of our entertainment but honestly, put a man anywhere near any washing up and more often than not they flap so much you end up wishing you had done it yourself! However, the presentation of our dish was all down to Luke so I forgave him. Just about. It may have been different if we had lost…

Then it was goodbye 2011! What a year it has been. I have lived in ‘proper’ America, travelled all over the place and returned back home again. In between this I have learnt to sew, bicycled across LA, seen a lot of amazing things, tried lots of new food and baked my way through the year. I am almost sad to see the end of 2011 but 2012 is already looking promising with a new car, tidy bedroom (for the moment anyway), new job and already lots of weekends booked up with gallivanting across various parts of the UK. I can’t wait, I have even made myself a 2012 buckets list;

• Always drink good coffee, life is too short for just a regular cup of instant.
• Begin volunteering more.
• Always go to charity shops first as the majority of my outfits other people liked over Christmas were brought in charity shops, I had forgotten just how much I enjoy shopping in them and it is a worthwhile shop because it is helping to give money to charity. I already have a bag of 2011 clothes to take to the charity shop as well.
• Read more books instead of watching mindless television. Although I will see how this goes when various series return to the screen.
• Buy a cinema pass so that I will make time to see films and not just wait untill they are out on DVD and then never watch them.
• Explore more parts of the UK with my first stop being Congleton (Yes really, no laughing please!), an overnight train ride to Edinburgh and then onto the capital.
• Go to the hairdressers more so that the poor hairdresser does not have to contend with taming my tangled frizzball every half a year. Every hair cut I start by apologising first and I am hoping to change this.
• Book a trip to Mount Everest Base Camp. I am not one for relaxing holidays and I figure that this is the perfect polar opposite.
• Make time to see friends more, starting with a date with a friend over cheese sandwiches.
• Buy a sewing machine so my thumbs will begin to heal over this new year! It will also mean when I make my parents a quilt they will get it before next year and it will, hopefully, be less painful!
• Make it to Singapore for 2012/2013 NYE.

It is not an adventurous bucket list but I already have a very good feeling about 2012 and no doubt this list will expand rapidly.

 

Home-made Christmas Gifts

So, after the fairies survived the annual family Christmas party that involved lots of head bopping, singing, food, cakes and alcohol!, I managed to get cracking with some other Christmas presents. This included lots of cushions,

hampers

and a DIYgingerbread man making kit.

It was then off to John Lewis a few times to get some last-minute bits for other people to give to members of my family. I really should have been one of Santa’s Elves! Maybe next lifetime? However, I don’t think one of the Elves first point of call would have been the cafe for a much-needed cup of coffee!

I then had to rescue my Christmas cake mainly from myself as I keep going past the reduced ‘Delia Smiths Christmas cake in a box’ and have to resist doing anything drastic! I just go speedily away from them mumbling to myself. Christmas, it makes everyone turn a little bit odd!

However, now I have frosted my cake I am rather pleased with myself. I even embarked on a chocolate truffle making session as well!

All that is left to do is to put it to the taste-test with my family and friends. Fingers crossed and Merry Christmas everyone!

 

It’s BeginningTo Feel A Bit Like…

Well, I think preparations for Christmas are officially underway now. My thoughts on this were solidified as I watched a car pulling a trailer along followed by an assortment of people in Santa hats playing carols. This wasn’t just any trailer. This contained Santa himself waving to everyone as he passed. This was swiftly followed by an evening watching Kirstie Alsop do lots of Christmassy things, including making candy canes and various decorations. I thought to myself if she can do all that it is about time I rolled up my elf sleeves and got to work transforming my parents house into a Christmas wonderland much to my parent’s amusement, or it could have been despair, I am never exactly sure which of these emotions they display when I begin to start another project.

This project saw me up to my ears de-tangling various Christmas tree decorations, fairy lights and re-stringing an assortment of baubles. I almost wished I hadn’t begun this Christmas mission as I got myself in a muddle and almost strangled myself with a particularly tenacious knotted string of beads. However, I battled on and managed to come through the other end with all of the beads untangled and still breathing. A few days later I was able to use them to decorate a not-so-straight Christmas tree which I just had to have. My dad guessed straight away that I had chosen this one and not Luke. He will never know if I did this on purpose to then sit back and watch ,somewhat bemused, as he and Luke had to work out how to make it straighter with a saw. I did suggest they use a chainsaw but , as dad pointed out, he is not a lumberjack and does not own one. Maybe I was in America too long? I then set about making the stairway and front door look invitingly Chirstmassy. It is not quite Santa’s grotto but I am getting there. It is just a shame I can find any reindeer or sleighs for the garden. Maybe next year?

v

 

Instead, I consoled myself over the lack of said sleigh and reindeer by arranging bowls of clementines and cinnamon sticks, writing Christmas cards and filling a present sack with presents. Most importantly, I have managed to get my hands on a sacred Poinsettia, which is a key item in our house that symbolises the beginning of the ‘holidays’. In between these bursts of Christmas spirit I almost permanently damaged all muscles in my legs during a particularly tough gym class led by a ruthlessly smiley fitness instructor. I can never understand how they can just smile their way through the class while all the members begin to drop like flies as their body begins to protest after the millionth squat. I never want to do another lunge or squat ever again, well untill the next class. Oh well, it is all in the name of Christmas as it means I can tuck into more Mince Pies in my own mini rebellion.

I started off this mini rebellion with gusto by cooking a Mascarpone and Jam Victoria Sponge Cake for my wonderful granddad’s birthday. I have to say even I was rather surprised with how well it turned out.

It appears that the days of making a Victoria Sponge Cake that comes out resembling an oversized squashed cookie, even when split in half and filled, are long gone. Although maybe I am tempting fate with this presumption. However, I was able to revel a little bit in this cake triumph and I just hope the birthday boy enjoyed it as well. It was then back to training to be one of Santa’s elves with some strategically placed decorations. Yet I fear the angels won’t last all of Christmas as they will have to outlast a dog that likes to chew things and a mini army of festive goers as they try to navigate the stairs whilst in a merrily drunken state, which is always brought on a few weeks before Christmas.

It seems that it will be a survival of the fittest for these little angels.

Related articles

• Well I sleigh! Reindeer gets a taxi (thesun.co.uk)
• Elfie Dees Christmas Tree (drgeeberspoetry.wordpress.com)

 

Sleepover = Sleepy Head

So, I have been really busy recently as I have found a second job that has seen me submerge myself into a life of being a telephone customer advisor. Interesting, to say the least. I also managed to re-acquaint myself with some English traditions. This included a spot of afternoon tea with mini sandwiches, cakes and scones served on a two tiered rack.

Very posh and it was a complete accidental buy. We were just going for a coffee and the waitress twisted our arms into buying not one, but two of these afternoon teas. It would have been rude to say no! This was followed by an evening watching Children in Need. It was a great show and I was inspired by lots of various activities including one mammoth bike ride by a certain tele personality.

So in between both jobs I was spoilt by my godfather to a gorgeous Persian meal at Pomegranate. He even held all the doors open for me! Maybe I should get him to train Luke? However, my godfather is certainly a gentleman and extremely good company. I had a vegetable casserole with saffron rice after sampling ‘Osh‘, which was an incredible mixture of lentils and herbs in a fantastic soup form. I then returned home and back to working. It does indeed appear that there is no rest for the wicked and I wouldn’t mind but the most wicked thing I have done recently is getting Marmite into the butter during an accident with a piece of toast.

It was then back to my baking roots and an evening of cupcake making for a sleepover the next evening (please see my baking page).

Yes, I’m nearly twenty-four and I am going to a sleepover with some old school friends. It’s almost like we are all still teenagers! However, this time there will be wine involved. Plenty I’m sure. I just had one more day to get through of work and then I was free. Well, for a few hours at least. I packed my dad off to Ireland with a bag of cupcakes and dog biscuits

Under strict instructions to try to not to get the two mixed up. Then it was off to the sleepover.

There was indeed wine involved and I was rather excited when my friend appeared displaying a plate of bruschetta and smoked salmon pasta.

What was even better was being cooked for as I appear to have added ‘private cook for parents’ to my resume. It was delectable and not exactly quite like the school sleepovers of wraps and minstrels, it was far nicer. However, I had trundled in with a mammoth bag of DVD’s for us to watch when my friend informed me she did not have a DVD player. I have now made a mental note to always ask that question before going round to somebody’s house with an armful of DVDs as a DVD player appears to be a very crucial element. Yet, who needs DVDs when you have great company and we stayed up chatting for most of the evening and catching up on everyone’s dramas.They even liked my cupcakes so it was a success all round.  I did pay a smidgen for the wine the next day as I had to get up early to go to work but that was a sacrifice I was willing to have made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I quietly nursed a small hangover at work. I suppose that is the downside of grown-up sleepovers. I don’t ever remember hot chocolates and soft drinks from my school sleepovers giving me an aching head the next day.

 

Bootcamp, Time To Grow Up and Christmas Baking

I have finally recovered after making my first christmas cake, on  Stir-up Sunday, which actually looks rather good. It’s all very surprising. I shall just have to wait for the feedback from the taste-testers on Christmas day and then I will know if I have been triumphant or defeated by a mountain of dried fruit and a flurry of flour. For now I shall just have to ’feed’ my lovely little Christmas cake every week on a diet of sweet almondy amaretto. What a diet!. This will be a mission in itself as it will require me to remove the cake, extremely carefully, from its secret red box.  I just hope I don’t drop it or completely drench it in liqueur. I fear that before Christmas it will end up either being a pile of crumbs on the floor or a major fire hazard that will threaten to ignite into a ball of fire at anytime.

I have been having an interesting week so far filled with walks and work. I have decided to delve deeply into the murky world of graduate schemes, yet again, in the vain hope I shall secure myself a ‘grown-up’ job. I think it is time as I am almost twenty-four now. It is about time that I bravely branch out into the corporate world, if I can ever pass the endless amounts of online tests and assessment questions. As I haven’t done maths since GCSE I think I may have to re-aquaint myself with my hidden numerate side. For now I am really enjoying exploring how a small business works. However, I don’t think I can say the same for my boss as I continually mind-boggle him with my endless questions and ideas which I think are ‘original’ but have almost always been thought of before. Therefore, I usually leave my boss sitting agog or rolling his eyes. Me thinks I will have to tone down my endless wittering for the sake of their sanity! (and for my job!). However, I think I managed to placate him with some home-made scones during my lunch break. Just about.

I have also been going to the gym in the evenings and last night was no exception although, in hindsight, maybe it should have been. I was disappointed last week that I didn’t find the class as challenging as I wanted to, apart from the penguin antics. Well bring back the penguin antics I say as I realised I was in trouble when the instructor informed us today was bootcamp day. The aim of the class? make us work out untill we feel sick. Alarm bells rang in my head and I was panicked to see that there was no emergency dustbin in the room. Yet the class was rather enjoyable and there was only one minor collision with another lady as we bolted across the room repeatedly. Co-ordination has never been my stong point.

I enjoyed this class because it reminded me a bit of bootcamp in  Indianapolis, minus Todd shouting orders at us. I still think that the Indy bootcamp was the best thing I have done as the classes were challenging and interesting and all of the people were so lovely. I did think about incorporating some of their spirit into the class but as no-one else was whooping or cheering when it got difficult I restrained myself. I had to really bite my tongue when a lady next to me paused for a break as I didn’t think a cheer of  ’You’ve almost made it’ or ‘keep going girl’ would have gone down so well in this decidedly British exercise class. When the class did get hard I had a quick word of encouragement with myself as no-one else was  going to do this. I told myself I am the girl who ran up memorials numerous times, jumped up boulders, did judo press-ups in a military park and crawled up a steep river bank backwards. Therefore, I could cope with this class. Sounds quite something doesn’t it? and my pep talk did work for a few minutes. Then we were instructed to do the inevitably evil Burpees and I almost fell over.  

I retreated back home and began exploring the endless possibilities of what cupcakes to make for Christmas and I am glad I have started looking now as there are far too many I want to make. Unless Santa is feeling particularly hungry on the 24th then I need to get baking now otherwise we will end up with a mountain of cupcakes and I don’t think my family will appreciate me force feeding them these after a Christmas dinner. Although that all depends on who is making the Christmas dinner. I am not saying which parent is better but one definitely is so maybe I will make some extra cakes just in case! On the other hand, now I have written this I may have to eat the cakes myself as I think I have just drastically reduced my chances of being given any Christmas dinner!

 

Stir-Up Sunday = The Six Week Countdown

So, as we hit the six-week countdown marker until Christmas I thought I would begin a new tradition, which I hope to continue you with every year. Depending on how well it turns out and I wasn’t filled with too much confidence as my mum pulled a face during my cooking and commented that she hopes that my first Christmas cake does not turn out like her first one. In the bin!

I swiftly bypassed that comment and continued on my project to join in with hundreds of other people cooking their cakes all over the world as today is Stir-up Sunday . I followed the Good Housekeeping Magazine‘s advice and popped on a pinny (Christmas themed of course) and followed their recipe for a Boil and Bake Christmas Cake.

My first task was to get the ingredients. I walked around the supermarket with a copy of Good Housekeeping firmly under my nose and grabbed all the necessary goodies off the shelves. However, I would strongly recommend not following this particular method of shopping as this approach did cause me to nearly have several head on collisions with fellow shopper’s trolleys. Yet, I did mange to procure all the items I needed. I then felt like Santa as I lugged my huge shopping bag back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, there was one casualty of my move back to the UK and this was my Smart Cart so now I am back to carrying my bags.

I then got all my ingredients ready, rolled up my sleeves and began my new tradition with gusto, I even donned my Reindeer socks but I stopped short of playing any Christmas related songs just yet.

The ingredients I used (taken from the Good Housekeeping Magazine) are:-

• 175g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease.
• 500g each of raisins and sultanas.
• 100g each ready-to eat prunes, natural glace cherries and stem ginger (roughly chopped).
• Finely grated zest of one 1 lemon.
• 150ml almond liqueur ( they recommend Amaretto so I was reunited with Disarano), plus extra to feed (If I can resist it!).
• 175g dark brown muscovado sugar.
• 100g blanched almonds, very roughly chopped.
• 200g self-raising flour.
• 1tsp each mixed spice and ground cinnamon.
• 1/2 tsp each ground cloves and ground allspice.
• 3 medium (I always use free range and organic) eggs.

With my ingredients fully prepared and my pinny in place I set about following the instructions.

• Preheat the oven to 150 Celsius ( 130 Celsius if it is fan) mark 2. Grease, then line the base and sides of a 20.5 cm deep round cake tin with baking parchment. (Here is where I discovered one item I forgot at the shops!)

• Put all the dried fruit and stem ginger into a very large pan with the lemon zest and almond liqueur. Bring the mixture to the boil, then cook on medium heat for five minutes. Add butter and sugar and heat to gently melt, stirring occasionally to help dissolve the sugar.

• Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for five minutes. Stir in the almonds, flour, spices and beaten eggs and mix well.Iimmediately pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface (there’s no need to make a dip in the mixture). (I was not quite sure what a dip was so this was a relief)

• Bake the cake for one hour and forty-five minute – two hours or untill a skewer inserted into the centre comes our clean. Cover the cake with foil if it is browning too quickly.

• Leave the cake to cool completely in the tin. When cool, remove from the tin ( leaving on the parchment paper – Oh dear). Wrap a few layers of cling-film around the cake in its paper (ummm) then cover with foil. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. After two weeks of maturing, prick the top of the cake all over with a skewer and sprinkle over one tablespoon of almond liqueur. Re-wrap and store as before.

Nutrition (but do not worry as it is Christmas!) :-

PER SLICE- 458 calories/ 14g far (6g saturates), 79g carbohydrates (69g sugars)

Good Housekeeping Tips :-

• The Christmas cake will keep for up to three months stored in this way (and if I can hide it from my dad). It can be fed with more almond liqueur every week if you like, although if you prefer a less sweet cake, every few weeks is fine.
• Chill the dried fruit in the fridge first before you make the cake you’ll find it much easier to chop. Alternatively, pulse the fruit in a food processor.
• If you’d like to make a square cake, use a deep eighteen centimetres square tin and follow the recipe. Bake for two hours and fifteen minutes or until the skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean, covering the cake with foil if it browns too quickly.

Then you can sit down and relax! And a premature Merry X-mas from Lucy’s Little World!

Related articles

• ‘Tis the season to start baking (independent.co.uk)
• Christmas Pudding Time Again (whatsforteatonightdear.wordpress.com)
• Jamaican Christmas Cake (marvaseaton.wordpress.com)
• Farmhouse Fruit Cake (notecook.com)
• Christmas Cake – yummy! (pattersmatters.wordpress.com)
• What’s New (sweetsomethings.wordpress.com)
• Happy Day for this poorly Gluten Free girl (rubellesandmoon.wordpress.com)
• AKB48 and ’7-Eleven’ release their Christmas cake CM!!! (oneasiaa.com)

 

Teeth, Biscuits and Throwing A Few Penguin-esque Moves

I am still getting used to being back in the UK. It is odd not having people ‘welcome’ me everywhere I go or telling me to ‘have a nice day’. Maybe I should start wearing a badge requesting this? Although this could, quite possibly, appear a tad bit pompous. Yet, I did get a warm welcome from my local post office owner as I went in to purchase an armful of all sorts of english biccies to fill up my make shift biscuit tin.

Don’t worry, my job search hasn’t led to me nibbling biscuits all day. Although I am having far too much coffee with a splash of the Hazelnut syrup that I brought back from America. No. This assortment of  sugary delights are for my new role as an administrator. My eclectic biscuit tin now contains oaty hobnobs, crunchy digestives, squashed fly biscuits and of course the english classic – rich tea.

I have to say, english biscuits are so much better than American biscuits (Sorry America!). However, it did cause me to spend a good few minutes trying to spoon out the soggy remains of biscuit halves from my cup of coffee after a spot of overenthusiastic dunking.

This biscuity indulgence led me straight through the doors of my local gym. I then spent an hour replicating the penguins I had seen the previous evening on Frozen Plant but a less cute and fluffy version. A happy footed penguin I was not. (please watch). This is because I had signed up for a ‘Tone and Trim’ class which meant trying our legs together with resistance bands before being instructed to do steps, lunges, grapevines, curls and knee lifts. All of this was achieved whilst still having our feet tied together. It would be an understatment to say this was easy but I managed to waddle my way through the class without breaking any bones or the resistance band. It was then a test of my intelligence to regain my freedom from the band. Finally free, I retreated back to my secret sewing missions, surrounded by autumn treats from America.

I even surprised myself after completing a bit of my project with my thumbs still in tact. Maybe I am improving?

An area where I am not improving in is my trips to the dentist so I decided it was about time to have my teeth checked and I have to go back. Therefore, I will be starting my Advent not with the usual chocolates from an Advent calender but some fillings.

Maybe the biscuits weren’t such a good idea.

My day only proceeded to get worse when I arrived home to a parcel. I was very excited as I knew it was the plug that I needed to be able to work my mums new American coffee machine. I brought for her but have a secret wish to covet it as this is the one big thing, apart from Luke, that I have missed from America. Much to my dismay and bewilderment the plug I was sent was an English plug to convert it into an English plug socket. What on earth is the point of this! I am a bit ashamed at how long it took me to work out why the american plug was not fitting into the adapter and then it was time to contact the suppliers and try to solve the problem. Now I shall begin my hunt for a plug once more and I will just have to be content using the kettle for now. I also have another dilemma to solve. Somewhere in my boxed up items is a ticking clock. I do not want to open these boxes until I get my own house so is there a way of stopping the clock without opening them? or will I have to continue to feel like Captain Hook until the batteries run out. I fear my sanity might disappear before that point.

 

Walks, Fireworks and Crafts

Since I have been back I have spent the majority of time in John Lewis for various reasons but mainly catching up with people. I did spend most of my time trying to find my way around as the store has completely changed since I have last been home. However, I was pleased to see that it is confusing other regular shoppers as the same people were looping me while we were both looking for the same section. It turned into a bit of a comical, impromptu treasure hunt to see where the christmas section had been moved too. For once I was pleased that I was not the odd one out because I didn’t know where I was going! I have then spent the rest of the time taking the dog for her walks, which she eagerly prepares for by running around in continuous circles at the front door untill you take her out. These walks also included a jaunt through Wilmslow Park, where Poppy either went perilously close to muddy puddles or ran behind our legs if another dog dared to approach her. I’m afraid ‘guard dog‘ is not a phrase that can be readily applied to this dog. Ferocious she is definitely not. This became even more apparent when fireworks were going off all weekend which led to Poppy hiding underneath people’s legs and eventually underneath one of my jumpers. Even Catherine Wheels made her jump. I’m just glad she hadn’t been in Indy during the 4th July! She would have probably leapt from the balcony!

I have also had a chance to cook a bit and this included making an anniversary meal for my parents who have been together for rather a long time now which is an amazement achievement. I’m not quite sure if Luke will be able to put up with me for over thirty years! or if he does it will be because of some strategically placed ear plugs. However, if we do I may replicate the meal I made (please see my ‘making..’ page). It did turn out much better than I thought. I was a bit experimental with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a dash of cumin here and there but it came together nicely. I think my parents will think they have a live in slave temporarily now! So I have made my room a little untidy just so they know I am not. Although at the moment the only person that it is affecting is me so it appears to be a ‘cut your nose off to spite your face’ dilemma.

I then continued my endless job hunt with endless job websites. I did find a very enticing job of becoming a lead explorer taking a group of children across a desert. There was just one snag with this fantastic job. You needed previous desert experience. Now I don’t think my time making a  few misshapen sandcastle would count and  I wont get any relevant experience in Cheshire unless I go to the local playground. I could try very hard to use my imagination to turn the sand box into a version of  the Sahara Desert. I believe I could achieve this but I suspect my potential employers would not agree that this was sufficient or quite the experience they had in mind.  By the end of one day I needed a break away from the computer and curled up to watch Kirsty Alsop’s new programme about crafts. Coincidently the episode was about sewing cushions and there were some cushion-makers who were doing things I had never thought could be done, like making cushions out of lama hair and strategically placing rabbits onto the cushions. That will have to be my next projects. I was quite contented for an hour sewing my own cushions whilst being inspired by the programme. That was untill I stabbed myself with the needle and had to give in.

I then discovered that one of the joys of being back in the UK is definitely being able to watch some decent tele without the ridiculous adverts every five minutes, usually informing you of a fantastic new medicine before then letting you know it could potentially kill you.  I was able to peacefully watch the English Strictly Come Dancing and Downton Abbey. As well as watching some very cute penguins on the amazing Frozen Planet. They were all so lovely. I especially like the fact that it is the males who make the nests and look over the eggs whilst the females get to go into the sea and find the food. I think we should try to implement this into our society? Although I am not very good at fishing, let alone fishing without a net, and avoiding huge whales which made me want to  shout at the tele to instruct the penguins on how they could escape. It was more tense than Jaws!  Maybe we could modify it to a quick stop off at the shops every so often instead.

Meanwhile Luke remains in Indianapolis and if this wasn’t bad enough he spent the weekend going for runs in Eagle Creek Park, drinks in Broad Ripple, and nipping into Yogulatte! Although I may get my own back and try out the new frozen yogurt place near where I live now. Yet just to rub salt into my small cut after leaving the states Luke has gone and retrieved a new car which just happens to be a Mustang. I’m a tad disappointed, if I have to be honest. My only consolation is that it is white and will need cleaning. All the time. Constantly.