Cookie Day

Today, I am making cookies - these are some "older" ones that I made - the mitten ones were for Archie to take into his nursery for his little friends as Christmas treats, and the flower and sailing boat ones were for him to take in when it was his birthday at the end of January. They were a real hit with his friends (and their mums!), so I thought I would make some to sell on Friday, for Red Nose Day. I'll show you the results later on. Luckily, it shouldn't be too difficult to just do some red noses!

However - I have managed to get myself into a little competition (just for fun - no prizes involved) on flickr, where I have a page for all my creations. I have joined up to several groups over there - and it is absolutely wonderful. The ladies there are so friendly and supportive - and always willing to share tips and ideas and their wealth of knowledge. Anyway, one of the groups I joined (it's called Flickr Bake-Off) does these "throwdown challenges" where 2 people agree to make something (for instance, just recently there has been a 3D car themed cake, a 3D animal and a baby shower cake) and then, they post photos of their creations, and everyone votes for which one is their favourite. Well, not being that brave (OR that talented!!) to take someone on "one to one", I decided to join in another challenge in a different group. This group is called "Sweet Treats", and the challenge is open to MORE than two people - currently there are 10 of us signed up for it - which I think will be nicer (especially for the likes of me, who probably wouldn't stand a chance of getting ONE vote if I entered the one-to-one competitions!). The idea is to make 6 cookies........3 to be Easter related and 3 to be Spring related. Photographs of these are to be emailed to one lady, who will then publish all of them next week for people to vote on.

So, obviously, I can't show you those cookies until after the competition is over, because I could be accused of cheating and getting friends to vote for the cookies they know are mine. But, as soon as the competition is over, I will post the photos on here........... unless I don't get ONE vote, in which case, I'll destroy the photos and not mention it ever again!

Still, I guess it's not the winning, it's the taking part that's important......and not everyone can win! At school, I was always absolutely hopeless at P.E. - I was that girl who was always the last one to be picked for a team! I thought I'd left all that behind me, until I went to my daughters' Primary School Sports Days.......... and heard some of the mums and how serious they were about the "fun" Mums' Race. I can remember even saying to one lady "well, if there weren't those of us who take part just for FUN, then YOU wouldn't be a winner". I always felt really sorry for her little boy, who was clearly better at academic things than physical activities, as she used to yell at him and get really cross with him when he came stumbling in last! I'll think of little Jamie when I am lagging behind in the voting for the cookies!!

Love is in the air.....

Today, I thought I'd show you some old cake photos - well, not THAT old - from just around Valentine's Day. The big heart shaped cake was made as a raffle prize for a fundraising event went to at the local village primary school. It was a really fun evening - a Mr & Mrs Night.... where couples competed against each other to see how well they knew each other. Some of the questions and challenges were a real test for the couples.....and I am so glad that I was just a member of the audience!

The other cakes were made as part of a gift for my Mum's birthday (which is on February 9th). I made lots of cakes (so I could try out a new cake stand - more photos another time!) and she took lots home with her..........including a little pack I made for her next door neighbour....a delightful lady who has had a bad time of it lately one way and another. I made the little fabric basket that the cakes are in - and she can either use it for little odds and ends.........or send it back to me for a refill of cakes!

It's cold and rainy and horrible here today - just the day to stay in and snuggle up by the fire with a good book, or an old film on the tele, or both .......... with a cuppa and some cake! Of course, I have to make the cake first............so I think I shall go and do that now.

Smiley Sunday

Here is a photo that always makes me smile. This is my dear little Archie when he was less than a year old - he turned 4 in January, so he looks a bit different now. Oh, he was SUCH a cutie when he was a chubby little chap like this. He absolutely hated the bath when he was a tiny baby, and it wasn't really until we got him this little seat that he started to enjoy splashing about in the water. He is such a dear little boy, and has brought us all a lot of joy and happiness.

I haven't time for much of a natter today - it's been kind of hectic. The usual weekend laundry and everything else - plus the drains blocked up today............so that all had to be dealt with. Rob to the rescue again (that wonder - neighbour, who even has his own set of drain rods!).

Oh well, off to get on with dinner now.............and then some ironing! Lucky, lucky me.

Back From London!

We are back from our trip to London! I am SO glad to be back home in our little house in the middle of a field! I was born and grew up in London, so it isn't like I'm not used to the "big city", but isn't it amazing what we get used to? I love my periodic visits to London, but I would just hate to live there again now.

Today we went to Covent Garden - part of the way on the tube..........and it was misery. I don't know how I used to travel to work on the tube every single day - either I remember it differently, or else it has got a whole lot worse since those days when I was a regular commuter. Today was hell - soooo busy, boiling hot, smelly, queues for everything from the tickets to the lifts/escalators - the platforms were just mobbed with people, it was just horrible. AND, for the pleasure of all that - and travelling a matter of a few stops, we were charged almost £6 each!!!!!

Fortunately, the reason for our trip was a lot more pleasurable than the travelling to and from. Dear old Mark had booked a special deal Theatre and Dinner package (from www.lastminute.com). First, we had lunch at a lovely English restaurant (and we commented that you don't often find "English" restaurants - unless they are a carvery or a Harvester!) called Porters. It was excellent - LOVELY food (I had Salmon and Prawn Fishcakes with a Green Salad, and Mark had Faggots with Mash and then we both had the Syrup Steamed Sponge Pudding - with cream!), great service and such friendly staff. We then ambled across to the theatre to see the fab play The Woman in Black. We got all that for just £20 each - what a bargain eh? The play was really good - very spooky, but with some quite light-hearted comedy moments - and only TWO actors in it (apart from the "ghost" of the Woman in Black!).

After the play, we fought our way back through the crowds onto the tube and back to the car, and eventually home again. It was lovely to see the kids....yes, I KNOW I was only gone for 8 hours, but I do miss them so much when I'm not with them! Archie was full of the new toy my Mum had bought him today - a new Mr Men figurine AND an "endagered animal" panda bear from McDonalds (he DOES love their fish fingers!).

My feet are sore, my back is aching, and I am sooo happy to be home - BUT, I had a great day too.

On another note - I delivered the 65 cake this morning before we left, and the lady LOVED it. I was so relieved.

I am headed off to bed now - hoping that I won't have bad dreams of a Woman in Black!!!

Finished.... at last!!

At last....... it's finished. The photos are absolute rubbish, but I wanted to get a few snaps and put them on here this evening, before I crash out for the night! Because it was dark and I was basically just "snapping" away. the blue looks a lot lighter than it really is, and there are loads of shadows on the cake, making it look like there are marks on it............but there aren't. I will try to get some more photos tomorrow, but I have to deliver this at 10.30 in the morning, and it's going to be a real rush in the morning, so I just wanted to make sure I had some record of it - before it goes off and gets itself chopped up!!

It was a nightmare .......... it just seemed to be one problem after another with the making of this one. I'm glad it's finished, I just now hope and pray the customer is pleased with it.

I'm turning in for the night now, and will be back with more about this cake and some others tomorrow...... at some time.

I am being treated to an afternoon and evening in London tomorrow - we are going to the theatre and for a meal, so it might well be late evening before I get to post tomorrow.

I daresay that I'll also have a "review" of the play too!

Almost Done!

I am still doing the 65 cake...............and I am thinking that I am going to have to re-make the 6. I'm not happy with the way it is at the moment. I shall wait until I collect the girls from school, and ask their opinion. I think I already know what they will say......................."make it again, Mum" (just because they want to eat the old one - they don't care what a cake looks like!!).

I also want to have a go at the giant cupcake using the tin I hired this week. I just don't know if I will get the time though. If not, there's always another day!

Well, I'd better get back to it. More news, and hopefully some photos, later.

Here are a couple of 60th Birthday cakes I did recently. Both for the same customer (but a month or two apart!) - one for her Dad, one for her father-in-law. She had told me what she wanted for the first one (the one with Poppy on), and then when she ordered the next one, she said she wanted a 60, in blue & white, for "Bill" (ALL the same as before), but she said "but can you make it a bit different to the last one please?"!!! Hhhmmmmm - well, I tried!

The reason I'm putting these on today is because I have another "number" cake to do today..... this time a 65 cake......and guess what - it's blue and white again, but at least this man isn't called Bill!

It's cold out again today - the car was completely frosted up this morning when we went out. Glad that heating got mended yesterday. It's quite amazing to me that my daughters will go to such lengths to avoid helping me de-ice the car. Normally they try to hide in the house until it's done - but this morning they made the mistake of getting out there before me............. but they STILL managed to get the better of me by saying they had spotted a pheasant on the woodshed and the sun was shining on it just right - so they had to take photos!! It's a hard life being a teenager, isn't it?