Little Sips Of Tea

Sunday Evening Musings

2012-01-29T20:40:00.002Z

Good evening everyone!

I have been lucky enough to enjoy yet another cosy Sunday (breakfast with my lovely husband, a walk home in the cold bringing the newspaper with us, a headscarf on while we did the housework, then pots of tea and Poirot and the papers and now Harry Potter in the audiobook format) but this evening I find myself just a little blue.

You see, I have discovered that the temporary job I started last week is not going to be feasible for me to carry on after the contract ends at the end of March. I won't bore you too much, but at work our pay structure is in bands, and the job I was made redundant from was a band 4, the one I am left with is a 3. And the one I am doing now, that I am enjoying and had hoped to apply for permanently is only a 2. On one hand you could argue that some job is better than no job, but I just can't afford to work for that. It would take me back to the band I joined at, 11 years ago.

And so I have been searching for jobs online again. I still don't know what I want to do. One friend wisely said 'but why do you need to do that? Just see what there is, and choose something!' but there is so much out there. So many jobs that are just dregs.

I feel so much like I have been left at the train platform, and everybody else has moved on. Most of the people who were made redundant along with me have started their own businesses. Carl has been made redundant and found a new job in the same time that I have been trying to work out what to do next. It isn't fair on him, although I know he would support me as long as he needed to without a word of complaint. But ultimately, we want to buy a house, we want children, and every day I drift along I feel like it is drifting further and further out of our grasp.

It isn't as if I am not willing to work, and work hard. It is just that I really and honestly truly cannot see the wood for the trees out there. Another kind friend has put me in touch with a contact she has in a recruitment firm, so I have sent off my cv, but am aware that it is very quiet out there.

I just wish, so much that this was all over. I know that the waiting time is good for us, that we are given things and situations for a reason, but really, I am tired now. I don't want to have to explain to one more person my complicated working situation. I am fed up with working odd jobs and hours here and there and still not taking home a decent wage.

I am utterly sad about it all, and I just don't know what the magic answer is. I wish I knew. Maybe I will feel better tomorrow, but I don't know. Everyone else seems to just know what they want to do. I try and take heart from knowing so many people who have had several diverse careers in their working life. That maybe one day I will be giving an interview in my new career, and people will be surprised to hear that I did 11 years in library 'before'. I know now that all of this, the career that I loved so much and thought was for life is the 'before' but I don't what the after is, or how much longer the wait between the two will be.

I know what not to do...I see so many people making mistakes. In my job I have seen poorly spelled CVs printed out in their dozens to be handed out to anyone who will take one, and many that do not want to take one. I know that you need to tailor your cv to the job, NOT WRITE IT ALL IN CAPITALS and spell check! I know that you need to apply for an actual job rather than trawl round the shops with no discrimination, handing in a cv 'just in case'. I see all the mistakes and my heart goes out to those people putting in so much effort, knowing that it is unlikely they will get much return on it. But knowing what not to do, alas does not mean that you know what TO do.

I don't like posting gloomy posts here. But this is my virtual tea table as it were, and as much as I love to raise a tea-cup in celebration, sometimes you need a soothing cup of tea in consolation too. Ceylon is my choice for this evening. The Twinings box that I have is black with a blue design on it. That is rather how I am feeling, black and blue.

So tea here is my first consolation, and then a shower, rinsing my worries down the plug-hole. Then finally going to bed with clean hair, and clean sheets. And hopefully waking up tomorrow with a cheerier frame of mind.

Some cheery things, before I forget! I am knitting a sparkly polar bear for the Noah's Ark set. I have just spent a Christmas amazon gift voucher on some books about afternoon tea. I have devoured the Dorothy Whipple just reprinted by Persephone, Greenbanks. I have a new dress (all my clothes are literally wearing out and falling apart. I have been sales shopping, and bought several dresses for work at £10 each. Have discovered that curiously, I am happy to spend that on dresses, but remarkably reluctant to spend on tights and similar! Wonder what that says about me?) Also we are having friends in tomorrow evening, to celebrate Chinese New Year belatedly.

Sorry I haven't been about much, I will be catching up a bit more this week, and replying to comments and emails. I hope that wherever you are, peace pours from your teapot and happiness is in your heart

Love
Mimi
xxx

Things I Like, Things I Don't Like

2012-01-20T22:01:00.002Z

I (really, really!) don't like... when people sit on the bus and play music out of their mobile phones without headphones so we all have to listen to it. It is never good!

I like...having my ipod with me for the first time in ages and being able to block out their gangster rap with Hilary Hahn playing a nice Bach violin concerto.

I don't like...when I phone the bank to tell them they are sending someone else's statements to our address, and they won't talk to me or make a note of it because I am not the customer.

I do like...when I manage to track the person in question down via the internet and they drive across town in their lunch time to retrieve their mail, and actually say thank you.

I don't like...when my umbrella blows inside out in the rain and wind.

I do like...splish splash splishing through the puddles, and listening to the rain pattering at the windowpane.

I don't like...when I put down my knitting mid row to answer the phone and it is a recorded marketing message

I do like...a lovely email from my Aunt and Uncle who are in Barbados for a few months

I don't like...having cold feet

I do like (love!)...my electric blanket

I love...burlesque class with friends...kidnapping the window cleaner until he cleans the inside of the windows as well at the out (I lured him inside with tea and biscuits!)...knitting polar bears out of sparkly white yarn...cooking spaghetti bolognese with red wine...finding lovely comments from my dear readers...discovering a fab teacosy pattern generator thanks to one of those readers...text messages from friends...planning a trip to London in March....booking some days off work....lots of library books I ordered arriving...a vague plan for a new crafty endeavour starting to percolate...chamomile tea

Even on gloomy days when the rain tips down, there is much joy to be found, and sometimes you don't even have to look for them, they find you.

I hope you are having a lovely cosy Friday evening! I am just recovering from the shock of sitting up till gone eleven o'clock with my husband, feeling desperately tired and deciding to sneak off to bed...and realising it was only half past nine!

Thank Heavens For Tea

2012-01-19T14:51:00.003Z

Today is my last day off at home on my own before I go back to work (almost) full time. It is a strange kind of day, and all I can say is thank heavens for tea!

The sky is slate grey when I look out of the window, and yet the light is piercingly bright. Every now and again it rains, fine, very wet rain, and then the sky is blue again, but in the blink of an eye it is back to grey again.

I had to go to Brentwood for a meeting this morning, so I took my pink flowery rain coat and polka dot umbrella. I like travelling on the train, but not when you have to change trains half way through, as was the case today. I made it to Brentwood without incident, but the ten minute walk to the library took me half an hour in the pouring rain because the directions I had didn't seem to match the town at all. I ended up stopping kindly looking passers by and found my way like that.

Coming home was a different story though. I have no idea how it happened, but rather than ending up in Chelmsford, I found myself in Harold Wood! Which is, apparently, about the only train station not to sell tea and coffee and sandwiches! So I had to go back to Shenfield, then catch another train....and thankfully this time I got back to Chelmsford.

Somehow I feel really tired and drained by the entire experience. The meeting itself went well, but everything just felt out of kilter after getting the wrong train. I picked up a little shopping on the way home, and found the card machine was broken, so had to abandon my shopping at the till to go and get some cash...the ladies were lovely, but you know that feeling of will it never end?

Thank heavens then, for tea. I got home and made myself a pot. Not a pretty flowery pot today, but the comfortingly chunky blue tea pot, and to go with it my dark blue-and-white-starred cup and saucer, and the little pot bellied jug decorated with the Union Jack. Three strong cups of tea and an egg-and-cress sandwich later and I am starting to feel human again!

Although, also a little alarmed at how quickly the day is slipping away. I want a bath yet, and I have some washing up to do, and a menu plan to write and shop for, and I also want to start knitting the next animals in my Noah's Ark set (I think it will be the polar bears!)

This evening I will be going to bed early, with a candle for light, and Radio 4 in the background. I can't wait!

Slow Sundays

2012-01-15T17:06:00.004Z

I love a little rhythm and routine, watching the changing seasons, feeling the difference between the mornings and evenings. Over the last year or two, our weekends have slipped into a lovely routine, and we have resolved to try and stick to it this year.

Saturday is our day for adventures, if I am not working. Or, if I am working, as I am two Saturdays in four, then it is a smaller afternoon adventure. Last weekend we had a trip to Colchester, had lunch with my lovely sister and her husband, and then looked round the Castle museum and a smaller museum. Yesterday we had tea at the new tea rooms, which I have since discovered are called Small Talk Tea Rooms, and then went for a long walk around Hylands Park. It was frosty, but bracing and really enjoyable.

Sundays are for relaxing, a pause to savour the day and think back on the week that has been and anticipate the week to come. We usually have breakfast out, then bring home the newspapers, sit and read, watch a film on the tv, cook, perhaps a long bath...it is really lovely, and I believe, very good for the soul.

This afternoon we were in the post-breakfast, post-newspaper phase. A pot of tea had been drunk, shortbread biscuits had been consumed. I was catching up on some blogs, when I noticed that a knitting group that meets in the library I used to work in was meeting in five minutes times. I have just started knitting a Noah's Ark set for my godchildren, and seeing as I am going to be working in the same building again, I thought it would be good for me to go back. So with a swift kiss for Carl, I gathered my knitting and hurried down, and I am so glad I went. It is a small group, but a really friendly one, and there was a lot of variety in the knitting. I was the only one knitting an elephant, but there was a nativity set being knitted, two scarves, a tank top for a new baby and one other thing which slips my mind.

I hurried back home in the fading light, and found myself wishing, not for the first time, that there was a way to stretch out Sundays and make them last longer. The evening holds more reading and knitting, possibly catching up with Sherlock on tv, a bath, and maybe the new issue of Country Living magazine. I am somewhat late to the Sherlock party, but everyone was talking about it at the knitting group, so I shall try it. I am recording Call The Midwife, as I am reading the book at the moment. When it is finished, I shall add it to my Great Library Project list.

Slow Sundays in January....they are wonderful for their slowness, and feel like a cosy blanket to be wrapped around.

Wherever you are, I hope your teapot is full, and that you are having a lovely Sunday.

Love,
Mimi
xxx

Red Sky In The Morning

2012-01-13T07:59:00.002Z

Most of the time, I get on very well with just having a camera on my phone, although I do wish I understood how to get the photographs off of my phone and onto the computer, without having to get poor Carl to help me. Next time he shows me, I think I will make an instruction list!

We do have a digital camera, but it was bought back in 2001, so I rather suspect that my phone camera is far better! The times I wish that I understand photography and have a proper camera and know how to do all kinds of clever things with the photos are when I see beautifully illustrated blogs such as Attic 24 and Yarnstorm, but also mornings like yesterday, when I left home for work to find the sky was the most wonderful colour.

It was such a deep pink, with a single rent along it, as though the beauty was too much to be contained and had burst through, shining with a brilliant orange luminosity. I wish I could have captured it to share with you. I have seen wonderful sunsets or moonscapes, and tried to capture them on my camera, but somehow there doesn't seem to be a magic button that captures exactly what you are looking at. My wonderful huge moon turns out to be a little smudge in a sea of inky black. My panoramic sunrise turns out to be a bit of pink atop a picture of rooftops.

But the lucky thing is, is that there are other bloggers out there with wonderful photographing talents and clearly the equipment they need too! This post http://thequincetree65.blogspot.com/2012/01/evening-skies.html jogged my mind about the sunrise yesterday.

Seeing such a pretty morning sky was a lovely start to the day, although I couldn't help but think 'red sky in the morning, shepherd's warning'. It did rain a bit, so perhaps there is truth in the saying! The sunset was beautiful last night as well, and it struck me as funny that a single day could have both a red sky in the morning and evening. The weather reporter on radio 4 had just said that it will be cold for ten days, but settled, and actually, I am rather looking forward to it. There is something right about chilly weather in January. Time to make sure I have got marshmallows for the hot chocolate!

Wherever you are, I hope that last night's red sky brings you a shepherd's delight of a day!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Good News!

2012-01-12T15:10:00.002Z

Fill your favourite teacup to the brim, and get out your special tin of biscuits please ladies! I am happy to share that after a phone interview yesterday, I have another part time job! And it is still within libraries...I am so pleased! We have an enquiry service that you can phone, email, fax, write, live chat to...probably even send a carrier pigeon, should you wish...and they will find the answer for you usually the same day, but always within two days. They tackle everything from crossword clues to case law, and as of Monday week, I will be joining them! (Just in case you were wondering, it is a free service! You don't even have to be a library member to use it!) Alas it is only 15.5 hours a week, and I had been really hoping for 18, and it is only till the end of March...but they may have a permanent part time job going after then!

It is a big, big relief. Working 32.5 hours a week isn't quite full time, but it does leave me 4.5 hours to either try and fill or spend working at home. I feel really lucky indeed. I don't think I had realised how much the stress of not working was getting to me.

Here is for the really lovely news....the enquiry service is attached to the library that I was made redundant from last year! So I will be able to share tea breaks with my old friends, who I have really, really missed.

Thanks so much for all your good thoughts and wishes!

Love
Mimi
xxx

By Request

2012-01-11T07:45:00.004Z

Good morning!

I am just popping by before hopping in the shower and heading off to work (to my little library on top of the hill today). I wanted to share a few little things with you, two by request, one just from me!

Snowdrop walks...Dinah, sorry, I meant to mention this earlier! When the snowdrops bring the very first signs of the beginning of the end of winter, some gardens and National Trust properties arrange days where you can take yourself on a snowdrop walk. They are so beautiful to see it really is worth seeking one out. Luckily there is a wonderful garden near to me, The Gardens of Easton Lodge, which I have posted about before. Sadly they don't have the funds to open as often as they or we would like, but they do still open for two Sundays in February for the snowdrops, as well as a few Summer Sundays too. There is an article about snowdrop walks in the (English Version) of Country Living magazine this month. Country Living is the kind of magazine you need an entire pot of tea with, and perhaps a top up mid way through! It is sigh-makingly lovely!

And Ange, here is my recipe for Lentil and Egg Kedgeree, for Two. It is one of those recipes that is really simple to make, but tastes like it took more time, effort and ingredients! I think it is fairly storecupboardy too....I am rarely without lentils, rice, eggs or onions!

Lentil and Egg Kedgeree For Two

This recipe takes so little effort, you can go without putting on an apron...

Soften one chopped onion in a little oil, and then stir in 1 tsp mild curry powder (you can use a little more if you like it).

Add in 125g rice and 25g split red lentils, a bay leaf and a cinnamon stick (I have been known to use a pinch of cinnamon instead). Stir for about 2 minutes, to combine everything and warm it through.

Pour over 11 fluid ounces of stock (I tend to use chicken but use whatever you have to hand) bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and with the lid on, leave undisturbed for 10-12 minutes.

Meanwhile, boil 2 eggs. Ideally you want the yolks set so they don't run everywhere when you cut them in half to put on the kedgeree, but if you like a runny yolk, just be careful when you cut them!

Serve the kedgeree with the eggs on top and a good grating of cheese. Don't forget to take out the bay leaf and cinnamon stick!

My third thing is a request for you to keep your fingers crossed for me today...I havae a phone interview for a job that would be really nice for me. It is still in the library service, close to home, and would (hopefully!) fit around my existing hours, and bring me up to 2 hours or so shy of being full time. I really hope that it works out. It is a temporary contract but I believe it will be extended, and although it wont be good for forever, it would be good for now!

Wishing you all a lovely Wednesday,

love
Mimi
xxx

Ps another Daisy Dalrymple mystery to add to the Great 2012 Library Project! This time, Styx and Stones, about a poison pen writer and a murder in a churchyard. I was expecting a twist at the end which didn't come....perhaps a sign that I need to give this series a rest just for a little while! Another £6.99/£5.59 saved, depending where you shop!

Keeping House

2012-01-09T15:53:00.002Z

I sometimes wonder if things will ever be the way they were just a few short years ago. I remember when £40 would buy a whole weeks shop, and an extravagant one at that. We were both in full time employment which was secure, and at the end of the month there was always money left in our joint account. Now it is easy to spend £10 just getting bread and milk and eggs and the like on one of those popping-to-the-shop-to-top-up shops. Although Carl is thankfully in full time employment, I seem to be working twice as hard as I used to in part time hours for less money, and there is never money left over at the end of the month. Now I don't want to turn this into one of those moany blogs, I know that with a roof over our heads and not having to choose between eating or paying the bills we are luckier than a lot of people, but really, I can't imagine that there are many households who do not find that there seems to be less money, and it does not go as far.

I see it very much as my role to help make it go just as far as it will, and I know from experience that the food shop is capable of eating up as much money as it can, if you will pardon the pun! I have also found that the best way to keep it down is to make a menu plan, make a list, shop online, and stick to it. It is so easy to run out of milk or bread or whatever and decide to pop to the shop to pick some up, but I am going to really try and avoid doing that as it is so, so easy to spend more whilst you are there.

One of my favourite things to do when I am trying to make my pennies stretch is to turn out the freezer, the fridge and the food cupboards and make a list of exactly what I have got. This helps no end with menu planning, and it is surprising how many packets of pasta with just a little bit in you can accumulate. As well as useful for keeping an eye on how much you have of 'big ticket' items such as meat and fish, I find that keeping an eye on my herbs and spices is really useful. They cost a lot to replenish in one go, but adding a new one here, or topping up an old one there little and often and you hardly notice it at all.

So that is how I spent this morning, and I am pleased that all my cupboards are now well ordered and I know just what I have got. I am going to be making a chicken, sweet potato and spinach curry for dinner tonight, and hope to get an online shop done later on, for delivery tomorrow. I thought I would make the sweet potato and smoked mackerel fishcakes from Attic24 tomorrow, as they are so quick and easy to make, and really delicious too.

Whilst I was refilling the fridge, I noticed my recipe for lentil and egg kedgeree underneath a fridge magnet. That used to be a real favourite- it is cheap, filling, nutritious and tasty- so I will be making that again soon. There is no fish in it, like a traditional kedgeree, but if I have some leftovers from the mackerel fish cakes, I could throw them in I think.

What are your favourite end-of-the-month recipes?

Love
Mimi
xxx

Yule Gifts

2012-01-08T23:05:00.002Z

Whilst browsing some new found blogs and some old friend blogs, I have been reading several posts about Christmas gifts...and realised that I don't remember posting about what I made this year! So here is a very quick run down, because it is late, and I don't want to bore you!

My book group received a vintage floral cup, saucer, and sandwich plate. I made the cup into a teacup candle, and stacked the trio together before wrapping with cellophane and tying with blue ribbon.

My friends at work were given mini hotwater bottles with handmade hot water bottle covers made from soft fleece.

The men got homemade spiced rum this year, and also rum and raisin rocky roads made in those little cardboard loaf tins from Lakeland.

Our Aunts and Uncles got homemade pear and vanilla jam, made using pears from a friends tree.

I also made a variety of individual gifts, including knitted gloves, a knitted snood, a knitted cushion and a crochet cushion. Ooh, and I knitted from a vintage pattern a pixie hood and scarf set. I think that was about it...

I received some really lovely and thoughtful gifts in return, and was very touched indeed. People are so kind, so lovely. I can't wait to do it all again this year!

The Library Project 2012

2012-01-08T21:39:00.004Z

I am so lucky that my Mum joined me to the library before I could even sit up, and I have always had books in my life, even when I was tiny and Mum was on her own with me and my sister, and not a lot of money. Some of my happy memories of summer holidays as a child include the annual Summer Reading Challenge, collecting stickers and getting a certificate for reading over the holidays.

A particular pleasure now that I work in libraries is browsing in a library that I don't work in, as it is very hard to be a customer in a library that you work in. You either end up just tidying the shelf, refilling the display, or answering an enquiry! I have been lucky enough to do that once this week, and I have a few library visits in the offing over the next month which I am looking forward to.

In the meantime, most of my library borrowing comes from ordering books from other branches. Although we rotate the stock amongst branches, and I do fairly often find a book from my own library that I want, it is really convenient to think of a book, order it and have it arrive for me! Kind of like amazon, but without having to pay, or find a home for the book once it has ben read!

I read a wide range of fiction, and quite a lot of non-fiction, but the genre I read from most often tends to be crime. Although I love the twists and turns of Harlan Coben, and the sharp detail of (early) Patricia Cornwell, the particular facet of crime fiction that holds a place in my heart is the cosy murder mystery. The kind of book that I have described before as being like an Enid Blyton for adults. Recently I have discovered a sub-category even of this, and discovered the almost Agatha Christie kind of historical crime novel. An example of this are the great Daisy Dalrymple novels by Carola Dunn. I have read two of these back to back, and these make the first entries on my Library Project 2012 list:

Gunpowder Plot
Carola Dunn

I am not reading these in the order they were written, which would explain why Daisy is suddenly pregnant! In this adventure, she goes to visit an old school friend, to write about their centuries-old Guy Fawke's Night celebrations, but whilst she is there, there is an apparent murder-suicide, but all is not what it seems! I love the period detail in these novels, and this one did not fail to please. They somehow manage to be light, without feeling like they are 'popcorn' novels. I didn't guess who the murderer was which is always nice!

Full price £6.99/Amazon price £4.86

Anthem For Doomed Youth
Carola Dunn

Parts of this murder mystery played out in Epping and Saffron Walden, with one of the policeman coming from Chelmsford, which made this even more fun to read. As well as a good murder mystery, with three bodies being found in the woods, and lots of clues to think about, Carola Dunn also makes some quietly observed and well placed points about the first world war. So something to think about, as well as enjoy!

Full price £6.99/Amazon price £4.86

Although I am really enjoying reading the Daisy Dalrymple series, I am not sure that I would want to buy them, as once you have read them, you know who the murderer is, so I am not sure how well they will bare rereading. They are cosy to read though, so if I see them in a charity shop or booksale at the library, I will pick one or two up for my bookshelf, as it is always good to have something soothing to read on restless evenings.

So, those are the books I have borrowed so far this year, but here is a quick run down on what is on my library ticket, left over from last year. Some I am still using, some will go back over the next few days, but I think I should count them in my Library Project 2012, so here goes:

Christmas Memories
Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt is one of my favourite Christmas songs, and this album has this on it, and also songs by Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Perry Como, Bing Crosby and more...velvet smooth voices to listen to with a hot chocolate in hand!

Full price £5.37/Amazon price £5.37

Delia's Winter Collection
Delia Smith

I borrowed this after a customer returned it to me. I have seen it on the shelf often, but never actually flicked through it before. It now has some sticky post-its in it, marking recipes to try in the coming weeks.

Full price £12.99/Amazon price £6.99

Vegetables
Rosemary Stanton

I have been steering our meals to include more vegetables for some time now, as I think it is good for us, automatically means you are eating with the seasons, and hopefully is a little more economical. I borrowed this book to give me some ideas for how to serve them.

Full price none available/Amazon price £0.01

The New You
Anita Naik

What can I say, it is January, the book is called the New You, and it was pink! Sadly not as good inside as the cover, so this is off back to the library tomorrow.

Full price:£7.99/Amazon price £7.19

Village School
Miss Read

One thing I have resolved to do is to read this series in order. I have read a few out of sequence, but am going back to the beginning. A lovely gentle series, that keeps me going between the Turnham Malpas books from Rebecca Shaw!

Full price:£6.99/Amazon price £5.59

A Spoonful of Sugar
Liz Fraser

I like books about the olden days and grandmothers wisdom etc and this is ok...but not the best of its kind that I have read.

Full price £6.99/Amazon price £0.01

Cross Stitch
Diana Gabaldon

This has been on my to-read list for ages...and has been on my library ticket for a while too...I will get round to it soon, and am rather looking forward to it as it has been recommended to me by several friends.

Full price £8.99/Amazon price £5.66

Staying Young
Charmaine Yabsley

When my hair was going white and falling out and I found my first wrinkle last year, I thought I was just ageing, and decided to do something about it, with this book! However, my hair has stopped going white and falling out, and I have realised that I was probably really, really stressed about being made redundant. Still, a good book with lots of lovely recipes in it.

Full price £12.99/Amazon price £11.69

Easy Slow Cooker

This book was recommended by Lucy over at Attic 24. I have tried a few of the recipes that she has blogged about, and been really pleased with them all, so when she said she uses this book, I borrowed it. Tonight I made the French Onion Soup from it, and was really pleased with it (although my eyes were quite red at the end of it!)

Full price £8.99/Amazon price £6.61

GI High Energy Cookbook
Rachael Anne Hill

I don't want to follow 'a diet' but eating low GI does make sense to me, and the recipes in this book looked really enticing, so I borrowed this book. I have several book marks in it with recipes to try so far!

Full price £12.99/Amazon price £8.25

Christmas At Cold Comfort Farm
Stella Gibbons

I didn't have many days off over Christmas, but I did bring home several novels to read over the festive period, this being one of them. I loved Cold Comfort Farm and Nightingale Wood, and can't understand how so few of Gibbons' novels are widely known.

Full price £7.99/Amazon Price £5.76

Noah's Knits
Fiona Goble

With Christmas over, I suddenly have no knitting projects or crochet projects in progress! I thought this book sounded lovely and was not disappointed. I am toying with the idea of making two animals a month, so I have a Noah's Ark set to give to my godchildren this coming Christmas.

Full price £9.99/Amazon Price £7.17

Baking Made Easy
Lorraine Pascale

It seems that I am rather late to the Lorraine Pascale party...somehow she managed to pass me by! This was a book returned by a customer that I had a quick flick through and saw several recipes that I would like to try. Imagine how surprised I was, although pleasantly surprised it is true, to discover that there is a tv series as well as another book!

Full price £19.99/Amazon price £8.39

By my calculations, just one week into 2012, and I have saved £136.25 by borrowing from the library, instead of buying at full price, and even £88.41 if I bought from amazon! Clearly, working for them, I am going to be pro-libraries, even after my experiences of last year, but I do think that we are so lucky to live in a country with a really good public library system, and I don't think people realise just what we are in danger of losing. Anybody can walk into a library, without any kind of reference or, in our county, proof of address or identity, and walk out with hundreds of pounds worth of books, dvds, or cds, to enjoy at their leisure and return, to borrow more. That's pretty amazing, really. I know I have said it before, but I would not be able to afford my reading habit were it not for the library system. I love that I can order from other branches within my county, but also have books come in from other counties, or even countries. Even more amazing that although a very small part of our taxes pay for it, the library service is basically free. And the best way to ensure it continues? Use it!

I didn't mean to get on my library soapbox...I will climb down now, and take myself off to bed with a cup of tea and a good book!

Wherever you are, sleep well!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Slow Cooked Chicken, Vegetable and Pearl Barley Stoup

2012-01-08T21:21:00.002Z

I must confess, I do love my slow cooker. It is not in itself a thing of beauty, being a rather chunky model from the eighties, (my mother in law kindly passed it on to me) but it really does turn simple ingredients into dishes of beauty, in a way that is quite magical.

A day or two ago I mentioned that I was going to be experimenting with a new dish, and would share the recipe if it turned out well. I am pleased to report that it did indeed work, so here is my recipe for Slow Cooked Chicken, Vegetable and Pearl Barley Stoup. And before you wonder, no that isn't a spelling mistake...but this recipe starts as a stew, and then you turn the leftovers into soup...stew + soup = stoup!

The best time to make this is on an overcast Winter's afternoon, when you have the afternoon to potter at home. Although I know it is perfectly safe, I don't feel comfortable leaving the slow cooker on whilst I am not at home.

In a large frying pan, brown some chicken pieces. I prefer to use thighs, but you use whatever you like. I tend to use bone-in but skin-off, but again, go with what suits you. When they are nicely browned, put them into the slowcooker. Soften a chopped leek in the frying pan, then throw in a selection of vegetables. I used a carrot, cut into pound-coin width rings, broccoli, green beans and peas. Pour over a bottle of cider (round about a pint) and 200ml of chicken stock. When it comes to the boil, pour into the slow cooker, over the chicken. Stir in half a teacup (about 4tbsp) pearl barley, and a good teaspoon of dried tarragon. Pop on the lid, and leave on high for 5 hours or so.

The heavenly scent should start to permeate your home before long, and you will feel very domestic goddessy as your dinner cooks whilst you potter. The lovely thing about this is that it is packed full of vegetables and other healthy ingredients, so as well as tasting good, it does you good.

At the end of the cooking time, I carefully poured of most of the cooking liquid, back into the frying pan, and thickened it with a little cornflour, and then stirred in a tablespoon or so of creme fraiche. The creme fraiche is not essential, but it really lifts the whole dish.

I served it with some really delicious sunflower seed bread to mop up the juices. The leftovers went into the fridge, and made an appearance at dinner a day or so later as soup. I took out the chicken, and shredded the meat. I blitzed the veggies and stewing liquid briefly, then put this into a saucepan along with the chicken to heat up. I was then struck that some dumplings would be lovely in it, so I whipped up a quick batch, simmered for 20 minutes and then served. Leftovers are one thing, and always useful, but what I love even more is when the leftovers let you reinvent them, to make a whole new dish.

Do let me know if you make this, and how you get on! Tarragon and chicken and apple is one of my favourite combination of flavours!

Tea For Two

2012-01-06T16:49:00.003Z

Good afternoon!

I am home again, and just about as jolly as I could possibly be on a Friday afternoon in January! Which is to say, very jolly indeed!

Firstly because I have such lovely friends here on my blog, who offer such good advice and such kind words. Secondly because the interview went really well...I had prepped for everything that came up, which felt really nice. Thirdly, I have just had afternoon tea in a new tea shop which turned out to be super cosy and lovely, with a dear friend. Fourthly, it is my weekend off, and I have three days of bliss ahead of me. Fifthly....I picked up the new issue of Vintage Life Magazine on the way home, and finally, Sixthly.....I didn't get the job!

It feels a little wrong to be so relieved, but I think that it was the right outcome for me, and I think the right outcome is more important than getting the wrong job. Dinah, you were so right when you said to listen to the tongue in my shoe! It would have been lovely to have had a better paid full time job, but it would have meant leaving Danbury for 6 months, lots of money and time on train travel (and there is only one an hour) and...it would have been a lot of stress. A challenge I would have made the most of given the opportunity, but it wasn't to be. And to be honest, the fact that I just thought 'thank heavens' says a lot. I think as well that I feel good because I did a good interview, and my interviewer kindly said that I should apply for other jobs in his area, which is a nice sign and a nice professional compliment. I think if I hadn't got the job because I had made a mess of the interview that would leave me feeling bad, but it was just that there was someone better suited, so I feel really good about that. Plus, I do have another iron in the fire at the moment, more of which I should be able to share sometime over the next week or so...

As for the teashop, I find that, quite ridiculously, I have no idea what it is called! If you know Chelmsford, then it is opposite Argos, where Formative Fun used to be. The outside has been painted a slightly muted green, and inside it is lovely. All higgledy piggledy sofas and chairs, little tables, dressers filled with mismatched china. There were tables dressed with hand crocheted tablecloths, under a sheet of glass for protection. there were little tables with books about tea stacked on them for browsing, and lots of little paintings on the wall. It was like having tea in an old lady's living room, and I mean that as a high compliment! There is also a small partition wall, dressed to look like outside brick, with a window, so it also feels a bit like being in a dolls house, again in a good way!

I was disappointed that the cakes in the glass cabinet did not look spectacular, and it was hard to decide if they were home made or not, but lovely Wendy had some St Clement's cake that she said was divine, and my scone was delicious. I was also really impressed with the tea menu. Wendy had Russian Caravan, and I had a tea with three names, a kind of Ceylon, but alas, I cannot remember the full name. It was so delicious though. What was really pleasing, was that each tea pot came with its own tea cosy, which looked distinctly handmade. Nearly every time I take tea in a teashop, I wish I had remembered to bring a cosy with me! So I will definitely be visiting again!

Now I am home again, and reflecting on the day. I feel good. I have had so much support and love from family and friends. I am so, so blessed. I just hope that I can be in full time employment soon, as there are so many things we want to do, and I don't want to hold us back. We hope to buy our own house one day soon, and we rarely take holidays. It would be nice to do both! And just not worry....

I have the kettle boiling, ready for another cup of tea. My lovely sister bought us a pair of blue tea cups with white stars on them for Christmas, along with tea infusing balls. They are slightly chunky, which feels good on a blustery evening.

Wherever you are, I hope your kettle is boiling, and your tea pot is full!

Love
Mimi
xxx

The Last Lights Of The Christmas Tree

2012-01-05T17:45:00.002Z

Twelfth Night seems to have come round very quickly this year. I have spent a happy afternoon in the glow of the tree lights for what will be the last time. I have kept the curtain open so I can watch the blustery afternoon light fade first into twilight and now into the soft blanket of evening darkness. The room is lit only by the tree, a pillar candle, and my writing lamp. The corners of the room are dark, and it has been really peaceful and calming to sit in here.

There is something really lovely about being at home in the afternoon. Recently, it qualifies as one of my favourite things. I worked this morning, and it is one of the rare half days when I don't have to stay once the library has closed, to do admin and so on. Being on the first floor, we have a nice view out across town. From my kitchen, I could see the trees whipping around in the wind. It brought to mind a favourite poem by Christina Rossetti, which I once embroidered in cross stitch, along with the silhouette of two figures flying kites in the wind. It was all in black and white, except for the three bows on the kite string.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing through

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.

It has been so blustery the last few days, that I have left the house with my hair tied up, to stop it being whipped into medusa tangles! I don't mind the wind, as long as it is not causing danger, as it has in Scotland. When it is just 'normal' but blustery, I always feel really invigorated for walking in it.

I am trying to feel invigorated this afternoon, because I have an interview tomorrow. I can't ever remember feeling so calm and unbothered about an interview, but I have been doing my prep, as much as I can, so I am prepared as possible. I am in a bit of conflict though. You see, there are two jobs that I am in the running for. Both are temporary, so aren't a long term solution to my situation, but both will offer me respite from my present working situation, and put money in the bank while I find something long term and permanent. The job I am being interviewed for tomorrow is more money, but means travel on the train (at £136.40 a month!!) so may end up meaning I have less at the end of the month than the other lower paid job. It is also a lot more responsibility than the other job, and it would mean having to leave my darling little library on top of the hill, although only temporarily, as I could go back to it. There are two other really strong candidates.

The other job is a five minute walk from home, less money, but no travel costs, less responsibility, I would not have to give up my little library on the hill, and I get the feeling that there are enough posts for the number of candidates, although I could be wrong about that. There may be a little wrangling about late nights and weekends, but that is a bridge to cross later.

So, what to do? My heart tells me that option b is the easier choice, that would be gentler on me. But I also know that option a is something I could really get my teeth into, and would probably be better for my career and cv long term. Easy isn't always the best thing, is it? Or is my utter sense of calm a sense of knowing that it isn't really right for me? Who knows! I think the thing to do is to go in tomorrow and try and acquit myself gracefully and intelligently, give a good account of myself, and see where the chips fall. I do not expect to be offered the job by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be lovely to be offered one of them. So do keep your fingers crossed for me!

There is a Sainsburys nearby the library in Braintree, so I will be dropping in before or after my interview to buy a copy of their magazine...Cherry Menlove, whose blog I really enjoy has a column in there, starting from the current issue. She also writes a column for Making Magazine, which is worth checking out.

Other plans for tomorrow include trying out a new teashop in town with my lovely friend Wendy.

This evening, it is all about gentle, soft and warm. I have in the slow cooker a recipe of my own invention, which is currently perfuming the flat. If it turns out well, I will share it with you. It is basically chicken and lots of vegetables with some pearl barley cooked in a tarragon cider stock, which I plan to enrich with a little creme fraiche at the end. I have a sunflower plait to serve with it, for mopping up the sauce.

Of course, there is the tree to take down too...but I quite like that. The laying away of Christmas ready for next year. The sweeping away of all ready for a new start. I am really ready for a new start. Wherever you are, Happy Twelfth Night!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Happy New Year, Part Two!

2012-01-01T19:57:00.002Z

Ahhh, January. Just a stroke of midnight, a single second separates you from December, and yet you feel so different, so very far apart. Last night was as lovely as I hoped it would be, seeing in the New Year surrounded by friends old and new, taking part in our little rituals of predictions and sharing songs of the year and things we learnt, champagne, smiles, love and laughter. That seems a pretty good way of seeing out the old year, as well as seeing in the new.

So many messages to say Happy New Year, which make me feel so lucky. Perhaps next year (next year! I mean this year, really!) will be the year I make and send out Happy New Year postcards. I have always thought that would be a nice thing to do, an extra little something in the post, just as you think it is all over.

And yet, a comment by a friend on Facebook made me frown. Most people's status updates had been sending good wishes to family and friends, but this one suggested that it was New Year's Eve, not New Year's Day, so it was incorrect to say Happy New Year. I can see her point from a technical point of view, but from a heartfelt point of view, when is it ever wrong to send good wishes out into the world?

I have been reading some of my favourite blogs, so many of whom have written lovely posts reviewing 2011. Well, while I have been really enjoying reading those, I am not tempted to write one of my own. After all, so many of you have been here with me all the way, and know that there are some parts of the year that I really would not like to revisit. And much as there have been good things that have happened this year, such as discovering and moving into our new little flat, I feel a pressing need to look forwards, not backwards.

I have been looking forward to posting today, to be able to write Sunday January 1st, 2012, to see a new year added to my blog archive. To think of all the things I want to do this year. If you don't already have it, do get hold of The Wonderful Weekend Book by Elspeth Thompson, which has so many great ideas for lovely things to do. Thinking about the early part of the year, I want to go on a Snowdrop Walk, make marmalade, organize a bridal shower for my sister-in-law, watch The Artist at the cinema, and make some heart bedecked Valentines celebrations.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year,

love
Mimi
xxx

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-31T18:32:00.002Z

I was really surprised to read in the Daily Telegraph that only 4 in 10 of us make New Year's Resolutions. I can't imagine a year without a resolution or target, but then I like that kind of little ritual.

It is always so tempting though, to take on far too much. In the run up to the stroke of midnight, it can be tempting to decide to change the world, or at least our own little corner of it. But I think it is wise not to take on too much, so you can really enjoy your resolutions or targets.

So this year, I am going to revive something I did a year or so ago, which was to keep a list of all the books that I read over the year, making particular note of those that I borrow from the library, and a running total of how much those books would have cost were I to have bought them.

I may make others, for the evening is as of yet still young. Perhaps another should be to continue to blog often, as I have really enjoyed blogging more this year. Whatever you are resolving, good luck!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T18:24:00.002Z

I love New Year's Eve, and even more, New Year's Day. I suspect it appeals to the same thing inside me that loves a new notebook or pen, the feeling of a fresh start, and so much potential. So many plans as yet unmade, so many days unlived, full of joy to come.

Later this evening we are off to spend the evening in the company of some dear friends. I know I have blogged before about our New Year's Eve dinner, but for anyone who is new since last year, we arrive for 9:00pm and sit down to dinner, and most of us bring a dish or two in contribution, although to be honest, our hosts cater so deliciously and comprehensively, they contributions are brought in the spirit of the evening rather than of necessity!

As it gets towards midnight, we each play our song of the year. This year, my song is going to be 'Good Girl' from the film Burlesque, as it is the first song we learned a routine to in my dance class, and the opening bars make me think of froth, frills, feathers, sparkles and happiness!

Then we each go round the table and talk about the one thing we have learnt this year, and it can be as serious or light hearted as you choose. I am torn this year, whether to speak from the heart about how I have learnt how much I need my friends and family, or whether to go for something a little more in keeping with the festivities.

We compose our predictions for the coming year, and seal them in an envelope that we all sign. Then we open last years, and see how many come true. Finally, at midnight, we all drink a glass of champagne and sing Auld Lang Syne.

The morning brings our traditional walk to town to fill our lungs with the New Years air, and to bring home the morning papers. By the afternoon, we will be with other friends, sharing lunch.

Sharing with friends and family, that is what New Year is all about for me. I consider myself very fortunate indeed to have this place full of friends, too. So I want to share with you all my sincerest wishes that you may have a very happy new year.

Thank you for being here for me,

Love
Mimi
xxx

A Call From The Bank

2011-12-27T21:35:00.002Z

We collected our tickets for the new Sherlock Holmes film this morning, and queued up to buy a coffee to take in with us. When I put my pincode into the machine, it came up declined. We tried again, and it was declined again. I was really stressed as I really didnt want to sit through a film wondering why my card wouldn't work. It was only thirty seconds or so, but so many thoughts went through my mind, none of which were good.

That moment, my phone rang, and it was an automatic call from my bank to say that they were putting me through to the fraud department. I sent Carl into the film while I talked to the bank, and was nearly in tears as they told me that there were around £2000 of suspicious transactions on my account. They could easily see what they were - they were all in different geographical locations to me, all in shops I don't usually use, and all transactions had been completed by swiping and signing rather than chipping and pinning.

The good news is that the bank will refund me the money, the bad news is that I have had to cancel the card and am without it until they can send me a new one. Happily our joint account is ok and so is Carl's, but it is still an inconvenience. What the bank can't do is sort out how violated it has made me feel. They said that there were some purchases that they tried to make that had been declined, and some that were still going to come out of my account before they would be refunded. I realised that even as I had stood there confused asking the Costa Coffee lady why my card had been refused, so probably had the person who had cloned my card. And worse, one of the people to whom I had handed my card to pay for something had purposefully stolen my details.

I really don't understand how someone could get their hair cut and pay for it with a stolen card. Surely every time someone complemented you on your hair, you would just feel guilty for knowing it was paid for with stolen money?

But as my Mum said to me, those are just a different kind of person who would not think twice about it. Sad but true. Just be so glad that we are not that kind of person.

I would say keep your card safe, check the atm for suspicious devices, be careful when you shop online....but I do that all the time, and they still got me. So just keep an eye on your bank balance, and try not to feel too awful if it happens to you.

Despite this sounding like a bit of a gloomy post, I am trying to look on the bright side...at least the bank noticed and contacted me. At least I will get my money back. At least I have an overdraft limit. And after I mentioned what happened on my facebook page, a lot of my friends sent really lovely supportive messages.

I am sitting drinking tea now, thinking about the Christmas we have enjoyed, the Christmas to come, and the New Year. I hope you are all safe and well, and looking forward to the same!

Love
Mimi
xxx

By The Light of the Christmas Tree

2011-12-27T10:13:00.002Z

I always wake up on Boxing day snug and warm at my in-laws. When I wake up, I sleepily register that I am not at home, and then usually smell fresh coffee creeping in under the door. As I sit up, I always feel a tiny bit sad that we are at the farthest point we can ever be from Christmas, while at the same time really happy that Christmas has been so lovely, and there is still Boxing Day to come.

This year, Christmas has been wonderful. By rights, with me still only working part time, and really only just getting over the redundancy, and Carl having had 2 months out of work (but happily and thankfully in work again now) it shouldn't have been such a worry free and happy Christmas, yet it really, really was. We woke up at home together on Christmas morning, and I made us tea in our Father Christmas mugs, and we opened our stockings. I had some wonderful treasures in mine, including a kitten calendar, as I had really wanted a kitten for Christmas, but being in a flat it isn't really possible or fair on a kitten, and also a little glass vial of pink sparkly fairy dust! Then we opened our gifts from each other, and then our family and friends. To say that I have been spoiled is an understatement, but more than the gifts themselves was the overwhelming thought and love that had been put into everything.

I had a graphic novel version of Pride and Prejudice which I love, and a notebook with a handmade decoupage fabric cover, a pestle and mortar, an afternoon tea book, oh, so very many things. Oh, and there was also a photograph in a frame of Carl and I taken at an event in the summer with friends. I could go on and on, but the point is really not the things, but that so many people took the time to think of me. And really think, not just buy the nearest gift set in Boots. (I don't mean to sound dismissive of Boot's gift sets, or that I would look down on a gift...but more to try and explain how special it feels when someone has put thought and effort in!)

Dear Carl made me cry a bit with his gift...I had seen a Tiffany necklace when I was in London, and didnt ask for it or in a hundred years dream of actually having it....but he bought it for me without me knowing! It is a silver key on a silver chain, and the chain is so light and delicate it is like a fairy whisper. When I opened the paper I thought I saw Tiffany Blue, but didnt want to say anything because I thought it just looked like Tiffany Blue, and thought it would be awful to be all excited and then find out it wasnt! I feel so very, very lucky.

Better than the gifts though, was the time spent with family, and the messages from friends. We had dinner with my family in the afternoon (which was utterly delicious and featured my Mums amazing sage and onion stuffing and bread sauce, which are legendary, and made only once a year) and then the late afternoon and evening with his family, where we stayed up late into the night playing card and board games. Yesterday we spent with my sister and her husband, enjoying a walk in Castle Park, a wonderful buffet, and more games.

It really is that time with family, the silly crackers (we had musical ones, where each person won a whistle, and there was a sheet of music and a baton to conduct with!) that make this time of year so magical.

I have just booked us tickets to go and see the new Sherlock Holmes film, and then we intend to spend a quiet afternoon together, just enjoying the Christmas tree lights and each other's company, before it is back to work tomorrow.

I hope that each and every one of you had a merry, merry Christmas!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Merry and Bright

2011-12-24T17:04:00.002Z

Our sitting room is lit only by the lights from our Christmas tree, my lamp, and our advent candle. I have one of the Kirstie Allsopp Christmas specials on tv, and am listening to this most beautiful piece of music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QsR-D1HYnk (copy and paste into your browser).

The presents are all wrapped, the cards are up, everything is ready, calm, merry and bright.

My tummy feels slightly butterflyish though. I can't decide if it is low level nerves about having forgotten something, just plain Christmas excitement, or tiredness. I am trying to quell them with a cup of tea, and spent some quiet puttering time rearranging my tea-cup cupboard earlier. Later on I am going to have a warm bath with a Daisy Dalrymple mystery.

The only minor Christmas catastrophe to have befallen us has been that we are quite unable to find our stockings! I think they may have gone to live in our in-laws loft when we moved, but wherever they may be, they are nowhere we can find! We did try a last minute dash into town, and although I came home with the new issue of The Chap magazine, and a box of dates, there was not a stocking to be had! Not to worry though, we shall hang up a pillowcase instead, and all will be well!

Yesterday was Carl's 30th birthday and we spent a wonderful day in London. I think it needs its own post to be honest, but highlights included cocktails looking out over London from 600ft up, ice skating at the Tower of London and a trip on the Thames. Busy and lovely, but tiring!

The advent candle flame is now ever so tall and thin and steady, giving off just a tiny bit of smoke and it is dark outside. The day feels soft and gentle somehow, like tissue paper that has been wrapped round a favourite bauble a hundred times, and is soft like fabric to the touch after years of folding and unfolding.

May you all wake up tomorrow with people you love and have a wonderful day.

Merry, Merry Christmas

love
Mimi
xxx

Technical Hitches

2011-12-16T09:15:00.003Z

Hello and happy December everyone!

Sorry I have been away for so long...to begin with I was just busy, but since then I have been having more than a few technical problems. Since publishing my email address on my blog I seem to have picked up some kind of virus. Every time I logged into my emails, I would find emails sent to myself and friends, supposedly from my email address with all sorts of nonsense in them, or failed delivery reports for emails I have not sent. Then my account has been blocked entirely, and I have had to go through a lengthy process to get it back again. On top of that, emails I have sent have not arrived, and I have not received emails I know I have been sent. So it looks very much like I am going to have to close my email account altogether, which is a real shame. Partly because it was lovely to have a way to contact my lovely readers beyond the comments function, but also because it was my first email address in my married name...the '07' part was for the fact I got married in 2007 and the rest was my married name.

I have been also having problems with blogger, I suspect because it is linked to that email address. So overall, things have, alas, been somewhat fraught here for me. I have had an awful lot of spam comments to trawl through and delete too. They nearly always seem to be in response to my post on marzipan acorns, which is odd. Ho hum.

So I am left with a parcel for the lovely Moey, which I cannot post because I cannot get into the email with her address...any ideas Moey? Perhaps you could leave it for me in a comment, which I will not publish! And I know that there are others of you who have emailed me, but alas, I am quite unable to read or respond.

I feel like I have a little dark cloud over my head, as far as technology goes.

But it is not all doom and gloom, and I hope to be back posting regularly soon, with some tales of my December adventures.

Love to you all,

Mimi xxx

Making on a Monday

2011-11-14T17:51:00.002Z

The sky was strange, this morning. It was the first morning in days and days that has not been damp and misty. Yet the sky was a curious heavy grey, and if it had been colder, it looked just like it was full of snow.

What better to do on a chilly November Monday morning than make another batch of Pear and Vanilla jam?! This batch came out ever so slightly pinker, which was pretty. I now have twelve jars ready to be decorated and wrapped ready for Christmas gifts. I am thinking of calling it Partridge In A Pear Tree Jam, although of course, it is partridge free!

After that, I decided that although the sky was still leaden and grey, it was time to get out in the fresh air. So we set off an a walk around the park. We are so lucky to live so close to such a large park. I have loved to notice the subtle changes from walk to walk. There are now more leaves on the ground than there are on the trees, and it was beautiful to see each tree seeming to float in a pool of their own leaves.

Back home, and after lunch, I knitted another row or two on the motoring hood, and then decided it was time to press on with my Christmas card making. I am so close to being finished! I need another sheet of silver card, and then I am done. Although I keep thinking of extra things I could do to embellish them, it is nice to know that I am nearly finished if I choose to be....although I know I probably will go the extra mile with the finishing touches!

I have also made a bottle of spiced rum which we will be giving to my father in law as part of his gift. I was really amazed at the instant effect the spices had on the flavour, and I can't wait to see what it turns out like after it has steeped for a month. To make Spiced Rum take a 750ml bottle of dark rum and add to it 2tbsp sugar (I used vanilla caster sugar), a cinnamon stick, a vanilla pod slit in half lengthways, half a nutmeg (not grated, just bashed a bit to break off half) and three cloves. It should all just about fit in there, where they don't fill the bottle quite to the top. Screw the lid on nice and tight and gently shake it to help the sugar dissolve.

I feel like I have got a lot done today, but perhaps it is because the light fades so early, it feels like the day has slipped away very quickly. I am going to cook dinner soon, as we have a friend joining us this evening. It is for her that I am making the motoring hood, so I must make sure it is hidden away at the bottom of my work basket before she arrives!

Right, off to tidy up and then get in the kitchen! I hope that wherever you are, you are having a lovely Monday.

Love

Mimi

xxx

Thoughts Upon Advent

2011-11-13T19:32:00.002Z

The cosy relaxed Sunday I have been enjoying today has made me think about the sometimes frantic fraught feelings that can accompany the run up to Christmas. I know that we are all really busy and can have too much to do and not enough to do it in, so I understand why we do feel like that sometimes....but I really hate that feeling! I hate when you have to rush round the shops in a lunch hour, getting pushed about by other shoppers, you get hot, you can't find what you want, you have to carry heavy bags, and then you have to rush back to work. Ugh!

This song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QsR-D1HYnk is one of the best antidotes to those feelings. I really love how peaceful and simple it is. Actually, I have been thinking a lot about simplicity and Christmas and advent the last few days. I am sure I must have mentioned that I have been reading the Miss Read novels, many of which are set in the countryside in 1950s England. I have just finished A Village Christmas which is a selection of short stories, and I was struck by how every day life was simple, so the preparations for Christmas were special by contrast. In particular, the food that was eaten every day was so very different to today. On one hand it is wonderful to be able to get harissa paste and couscous and chorizo and arborio rice in a normal supermarket shop, but sometimes so much variety can be a little dizzying. There is a lovely little paragraph in which Miss Read feels she needs a drink of brandy to mitigate the rising price of butter when she receives her groceries and bill. A lot of the meals are meat or fish served with seasonal vegetables and potatoes. Good coffee follows cheese or fruit for dessert. By contrast, when you read about them making their mincemeat and puddings and cakes in readiness for Christmas, you understand more why they were special.

So, whilst I am not resolving to eat nothing but bread and butter for the next few weeks, it does strike me that it might be nice to try and simplify things during the season of advent this year. Not to go into denial, but just to pare things back a bit. I don't want to never have a coffee out, but for it to be a treat instead of routine. Lots of seasonal vegetables and satsumas, lovely and treats in themselves, and a little less rich food. I like the idea of there being more of a contrast between my daily round and Christmas. I will let you know how it goes!

Love

Mimi

xxx

Today I Am Reading, Making, Watching...

2011-11-13T18:07:00.003Z

There is something really special about Sundays in November. We are close enough to Christmas to be working on festive projects such as cards and gifts, and to feel that is not too early to indulge in the seasonal drinks on offer at Starbucks and Costa and the like, but also it is far enough away that there is no worry or panic about there being not enough time left.

The weather continues to be hazy with just a suggestion of mist. The afternoon light starts to dim at about half past three, so there is suddenly a beautifully long afternoon at home just beckoning to be lit with candles and enjoyed. It is a quiet, reflective time of year, and I love it.

Today was more special than usual because it was Armistice Day. I observed the 2 minutes silence on the actual day, 11.11.11. all alone in my little library on top of the hill, and again today. I know there will always be some people who do not join in, but it is an amazing thing, to me, to just comprehend the whole nation falling silent at the same time, and just thinking. My older brother served in Afghanistan not so long ago, and it was shockingly scary how quickly he went from playing soldiers to being sent away to fight. Having got him back, it is almost too easy to forget that he may not have come back at all. I take myself back in time, to imagine what it must have been like to be a wife in the second world war. Aside from all the practical considerations of trying to feed your family, I just can't imagine what it would have been like to not ever know from one day to the next if my husband were alive or dead. To go back further, to the war before, to think about the mother of Wilfred Owen receiving the news that her son was dead as the bells rang out to celebrate the Armistice. We have so much to remember and be sorrowful about, but also so much to be thankful for.

These thoughts have left me gently reflective, and to be in a world wrapped in mist, bare branches, scattered leaves and chilly breezes is the idea time to feel thus. I have spent my hours gently today, somehow, it seems fitting.

When I woke, I read most of As The Pig Turns, the latest Agatha Raisin novel. I can't say I enjoyed it as much as I usually do the novels in this series. In places it felt a little contrived, and for a series that belongs firmly in the cosy genre, the murder really was a little grusome this time. However, I have plenty more to be reading, so I shall soon put it out of my thoughts. I hope that the next in the Hamish Macbeth series, by the same author does not follow the same lines!

I have made Pear and Vanilla Jam today, to give as Christmas gifts. I love making jams as gifts, as I like giving something that is consumable and useful, that doesn't have to be found a home for, that isn't more stuff. I like that it is simple, and yet not many people find the time to make their own any more, so the simple becomes special. I chose some dear little pots in Lakeland..actually, I couldn't decide between the hexagonal and a shape called 'orcio' (http://www.lakeland.co.uk/15589/6-Orcio-Presentation-Jars) so I chose a box of each. I have used this recipe http://www.recipebinder.co.uk/recipe.aspx?rid=7594 and am really pleased with the results. The jam is softly set, quite sweet but really delicious, and when held up to the light, is a delightful pale pink colour, like sunrise bleeding into the edges of the clouds.

I have the new issue of Country Living Magazine ready to read later, after a long hot bath. I am never disappointed by this magazine, and if I had to choose only one Christmas magazine, this would be it!

We watched an episode of Miss Marple this afternoon, and once again I found myself sighing over the clothes and makeup. Oh, how I would love to be able to slip back in time just now and again! Rather fittingly, I accompanied the episode with some knitting. Last week I cast on a Christmas gift for a friend, but it is in 4ply yarn on 3.75mm needles, so is taking forever. This is what I am making: http://justcallmeruby.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-every-girl-needs-is-motoring-hood.html although mine is in holly berry red.

I have a few Christmas gifts on the needles at the moment, actually. There are gloves from The Gentle Art of Knitting for Mum, and a crochet ripple stitch cushion in blues for Dad. I am making this http://ttwcreative.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-free-cowl-pattern.html for my little brother, only in a dark charcoal yarn. I need more yarn for the cushion and the cowl, so at the moment car journeys and tv programmes are accompanied by the click-click of my needles as I add another row or so to the hood and scarf set.

There is a candle flickering in the corner right now, casting dancing shadows against a beautiful vase of white chrysanthemums, which smell almost spicy. They were an unexpected but very welcome gift from my Mum. She dropped them into work for me on Thursday. When I thanked her and asked her why she had bought them for me, she replied 'because they are beautiful and I knew you would like them'. Isn't that a lovely reason to buy anyone a gift...I must remember that sweet thing to say if ever similarly asked about an impulse gift.

So here is another Sunday in November. It is any wonder that Sunday is my favourite day of the week?

Misty-fied

2011-11-11T12:49:00.002Z

For the second day running, it has been cool and damp at home, the morning light smudged somehow. As the bus climbs the hill to my little library at the top of the hill, it has got mistier and mistier. I can see it hanging over the fields, and wrapped around everything. When the light dims as the afternoon nears 3, the street lights start to flicker on, and illuminate a haze that could be misty rain or just mist. It has a surreal other-worldly quality to it that is really beautiful. It makes me think of wrapping the autumn in cotton wool, putting it away safely ready for next year, making way for winter.

Just the weather for candlelight, hot ribena, knitting, reading, dreaming.

Happy November, everyone!

love
Mimi
xxx

November Days

2011-11-07T14:14:00.000Z

The fireworks were really pretty, which was just as well, as there was no bonfire! It was lovely to be able to walk to the fireworks, and walk home again clutching cups of tea, but I think next year we will drive to a display that has a bonfire! There is something about the heat and scent and aliveness of a fire that serves as such a good focal point until the fireworks begin. While I browsing about on the internet, I discovered this scrap from a letter from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra:

We did not go till nine and then were in very good time for the Fire-Works which were really beautiful and surpassing my expectations- the illuminations too were very pretty.

(See Letter to Cassandra Austen dated 19^th June, 1799)

My favourite were some that Carl described as 'like champagne bubbles'...they were golden, fairly quiet and very sparkly and pretty. When we got home, I made another caramel pumpkin cake to take with us on Sunday, as we were going to visit first my Godson and his brother, and then their grandparents, my Aunt and Uncle. Mum was meant to be coming with us, but had a cold so sadly had to stay at home.

I love visiting with family. There is always a gentle friendly rivalry between Carl and my sister's husband as to who will arrive first. We knew we had no chance this time, as we stopped for a cup of coffee on the way down.

After lunch at my Godson's home, we took the short drive across town to my Aunt and Uncle's house, and it wasn't long before we were embarking on a walk through the woods. It is really breathtakingly beautiful at the moment, and it makes me feel very earthed and grounded to be surrounded by so much nature and such evidence of the seasons in full bloom. The sky started to dim and darken in mid-afternoon, and by half past four it was almost dark. More cups of tea and chatter ensued. There really is nothing like visiting with family.

This morning we decided to take a walk in the park. I have taken lots of photographs, I must ask Carl to help me get them onto the computer so I can share them with you. There were plenty of leaves on the ground to scuffle through, but equally there were many trees still with a good covering of leaves. They really are the most astonishing colours at the moment. Being a work day, the park was quieter than usual which was rather nice, and we spotted so much wildlife. My favourite was a squirrel, busily burying nuts for winter.

Now we settled at home again, and although it is not yet three in the afternoon, the light is not strong enough on its own and you really need a lamp or a candle. We are thinking of designating one evening a week as candles-only-after-dark just for the fun and atmosphere of it all.

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely November day,

Love

Mimi

xxx

The Art of Feminine Beauty

2011-11-05T17:36:00.001Z

I love to read vintage magazines from the 40s and 50s, but even more, I do love a good vintage diet or beauty book from the same period. Imagine how pleased I was when my library procured for me 'The Art of Feminine Beauty' by Helena Rubinstein....and how delighted I was to realise that the copy they got for me was from 1930!

As I have been reading Helena's words of wisdom, I can't help but wonder about the ladies who have read it before me...were they young ladies, impatient to start putting their hair up and wearing gloves? Engaged ladies tending to their loveliness in preparation for their wedding day? Ladies who felt the bloom of youth starting to fade? Perfect beauties who wished to make themselves even more beautiful? Or girls pretty to everyone else, but desperate to cure some imagined ill? It feels special to hold a book like that in my hands, and think about the others who have read it before me, to imagine their lives. To think about which handbags it may have been carried in, which dressing tables it has sat on while the reader has diligently followed the advice within.

I have also been reading a volume of Agatha Christie short stories, many from the 30s and 40s, and a lot of the women featured in them I can imagine sitting and reading this beauty book. It takes me back in my mind to a world of chaps who smoked pipes and said 'dash it all!' and ladies who wore clothes I can only dream about.

This is a post I have discovered in my drafts folder, written some time ago, but shared with you now!

A lot of the advice is definitely dated (passing electric currents through the face to clear pores, anyone?) but equally much of it could still be used today, and indeed I shall be trying some of her tips out. More than that though, her general attitude to health and beauty is inspirational. It is such a contrast to so many of our magazines and adverts today. I have commented on this before, but now it seems we must be terrified into buying a product (crows feet? wrinkles? buy this cream!) whereas then you were romanced into it (for lovely skin that he will adore, buy this cream!). I know which I prefer!

Here are a few passages that I have enjoyed so far:

...beauty, how to attain it, how to enhance and preserve it, has been from time immemorial one of the permanent preoccupations of womankind.

...Beauty is neither wholly the gift of God nor the gift of the cosmetician. An important part is always played by the desire to be lovely and the willingness to make small daily sacrifices to achieve it. If you follow the rules for your particular type or age you will keep your loveliness to the end of your days.

...There are women not considered beautiful in their younger days who have in later life developed into recognised beauties. Such women, by intelligent cultivation of their persons, make for themselves a second and even a third youth more lovely and impressive than that of the springtime of life.

...A woman's beauty will be a gracious curve from early youth to, shall we say, later youth; for the weight of years seems to be resting ever more lightly on women's shoulders.

...every intelligent woman who really cares can become at least good-looking. How much farther she goes will depend upon herself.

Although her writing style is perhaps a little dated, she does make the clever point that if you see your body only as a machine, then it makes sense to keep it in top working order, and if you see it as more, then the extra work you put in will just add zest to life. I have been following a vintage inspired skin routine for a few weeks now (for details, click on the title of this post!) and it does make me feel lovely, to take the time, to think about all the other women who have used cold cream and witch hazel. To be using simple ingredients and have a routine that has been repeated over the years, it makes me feel connected to the bright young things of the yesterday, reading my vintage magazines and books when they were first published, and who are now perhaps in their 70s and 80s.

I think that perhaps this weekend, I will spend a few hours writing down some new tips from Helena Rubinstein to try out, and look for a new red lipstick to celebrate the Indian summer that has accompanied the start of September. I hope that you are having a lovely week!

Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November...

2011-11-05T17:33:00.001Z

Just as I love it when a new month starts on a Monday (and even better when it is the first day of a new year on a Monday!) I also love it when November 5th falls on a Friday, Saturday, or at a pinch Sunday, so that bonfires and fireworks can be had on the night itself. Most public firework displays and bonfires seem to be arranged for the Saturday nearest the 5th, but it never feels quite the same if it is actually the 3rd, 4th, or even 6th or 7th!

For those of you across the pond, in the UK November 5th is commonly known as Bonfire Night, but it is more correctly Guy Fawke's Night. Guy Fawke's is the reason for the bonfire and fireworks, but as they are the event, they seem to be what stay in peoples minds more!

In 1605, Guy Fawkes and a band of conspirators plotted to murder King James I by blowing up the House of Lords. Guy Fawkes was caught guarding the barrels of gunpowder, and was arrested and then tortured until he gave up the names of his co-conspirators and details of the plot, eventually being executed in January the following year. An Act of Parliament was passed decreeing the date of the failed plot a public holiday, and bonfires were lit in celebration of the King surviving the attempt on his life.

In the first half of this century, it was common for effigies (called Guys) to be burnt on top of the bonfire, and children used to have great fun stuffing old clothes with newspapers and straw, and then taking their Guy around the streets asking for 'a penny for the guy'. Nowadays this doesn't really happen, and although I knew what a Guy was when I was a little girl, I don't ever remember making one or seeing one.

Further back in time, around the last full moon in October, bonfires would be lit to celebrate what was in the Celtic tradition the New Year. With the curious half-light of November, and the long nights, I can imagine that a lot of comfort was found in the lighting of bonfires, and I imagine that this much older tradition has been somehow absorbed into Guy Fawke's Night in modern times.

So now you know a bit about this centuries old tradition, I will tell you some of my memories of this day. When I was little, the 'special' days in the year were birthdays, of course, Mother's Day and Easter. At Easter there would be chocolate eggs, and roast lamb for lunch, and family. I remember my gran used to knit us little chicks with ribbon bonnets, which held a Cadbury Creme Egg. For Mother's Day, we would bring home from sunday school little Polyanthus plants, and today their scent takes me right back to choosing the prettiest colour. One year, it was my birthday, my sisters birthday, my Granddad's birthday, Easter, Mother's Day, and mine and my baby brother's Christening all in the same fortnight...and Mum made a cake for each of them! Then came Halloween, for which we dressed up (but never went out trick or treating, it just wasn't really done back then) Bonfire Night, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day. I seem to remember wanting to stay up till midnight on New Year's Eve but always falling asleep! And a pleasant sort of first-day-of-the-new-year feeling too.

But back to Bonfire Night. We lived a ten minute walk away from school, and the school would organize a bonfire evening each year. I remember how quickly it seemed to get dark in the evenings, eating baked potatoes and sausages for tea, and having to bundle up really warm in hat and scarf and gloves. Walking to school in the dark and cold, feeling so very late (although it probably wasn't more than 7:00!) and holding tightly onto Mum's hand. When we got there, the heat of the fire on our cold faces and the crackle and snap of the fire. I have always had trouble with my ears, and I remember my poor Mum having to clamp her gloved hands over my ears for me so I could enjoy the fireworks without the bangs hurting. I never liked the big bang fireworks, but much preferred the pretty ones. I didn't mind the rockets that went bang too much as they would shower out beautiful sparkles everywhere. When we got home and took off our coats and warm woolies, everything smelt slightly of fireworks night...more than just smoke, a special smell all of its own.

At school, in the days running up to Bonfire Night, we would make firework safety posters, and giant models of fireworks. We used to make pictures by crayoning different coloured stripes across card, then crayoning black over the top of the entire thing. Then when you carefully scratched away the top layer, you could see all the pretty colours from underneath showing through. We used to do that to make firework pictures.

Carl and I have always made an effort to keep traditions going, and to celebrate high days and holidays, so we usually go to the firework display in either our town or the village with my library-on-top-of-a-hill. Their fireworks do tend to be better, and set to music, but now we live so close to town it is nice to be able to walk to the bonfire rather than drive. We have bought our tickets and will be wrapping up warm, although somehow, it never seems to get cold enough any more. I am not sure if I remember it being colder and darker than it was, or if it is just that it has got a bit warmer at this time of year. I remember our breath coming out in clouds, and us calling it Dragon's Breath, and it entertaining us all the way to the bonfire!

So we will be off in a little while to stand by the bonfire, eat toffee, and drink tea, although I may be tempted by hot chocolate! There is something about being in the deep dark and the cold, the brightness of the flames, and the explosions of sparkles. Later we will get home and I will have a hot bath, then we will listen to Harry Potter on cd, and I will be crocheting on a cushion cover for a Christmas gift. While I am in the bath, I will be reading the first chapters of The Lord of The Rings, as there is a wonderful description of fireworks in there.

Wherever you are, happy Bonfire Night!

Love, Mimi xxx

Drumroll Please....Blog Milestone Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-05T16:38:00.000Z

Good afternoon! Firstly a big thank you to all of you who kindly left a comment in my 'Blog Milestone' post. I used a random number generator website to choose a number between 1 and 9, assigning 1 to the first comment and 9 to the most recent comment. The number generator chose 1 so Moey you are the winner! If you will email me an address that I can post a package to you at, I will pop down to the post office next week.

And as for everybody else...I have some little consolation prizes to post out! So do be in touch, and I will pop yours in the post too. Thank you to everybody to reading and sharing my little sips of tea with me!

Love
Mimi
xxx

ps Thank you to everybody who emailed me following me putting my contact details up! Replies to all in the works!

A Pumpkin is For Life, Not Just For Halloween....and Happy November!

2011-11-01T21:31:00.002Z

Reading over my last few posts, you really cannot miss my fondness for the culinary uses for pumpkins! Yesterday being Halloween itself, I had a small gathering of friends round for dinner, and of course, the theme was Pumpkins!

I made a Thai Green Pumpkin Soup which I served in teacups with crispy croutons as a starter. It was simplicity itself, just roasted pumpkin blended with a tin of coconut milk, some thai green curry paste and a pinch of dried chillies, then heated through to serve.

Next I trotted out my old faithful Pumpkin and Sage Risotto recipe. My secret to a great risotto is to take some of whatever vegetable risotto you are making, blend it with a little cream cheese, stock, cheddar and seasoning, then beat into the risotto at the end. It makes it really creamy and flavourful.

For dessert I was going to make Chocolate Pumpkin Creme Brulees with Salted Caramel, but I watched a snippet of This Morning, and Phil Vickery demonstrated a really easy but heavenly looking pumpkin loaf cake, so I made that instead, and I am really glad I did. As long as you have pumpkin, everything else is store cupboard, and the results are really stunning. I served mine with cream whipped with vanilla and a little sugar, and a pinch of edible glitter!

The recipe can be found here: http://www.itv.com/thismorning/food/pumpkin-cake/

I still have lots of pumpkin recipes I want to try though! In particular, Hugh has a recipe for Pumpkin Fold Overs in his new River Cottage Veg Everyday book....they look like an easy but delicious lunch. Then I found this post http://thequincetree65.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-recipes.html which has given me more food for thought! Although there is something extra nice about cooking with Pumpkins at Halloween, they really are too good and too versatile not to use throughout the autumn months. While I don't like to think of carving pumpkins going to waste, I do think it is worth buying culinary pumpkins where you can. They are smaller and more flavourful, and also they are really quite cheap. One medium pumpkin made all the dishes for my Halloween Dinner, which served 5 with leftovers of everything except the soup!

When I left home for a training course this morning, it was very lightly drizzly and grey. I had my big white shawl with me to wrap up and snuggle in, which was nice, but what was really lovely was spotting here and there the carved pumpkins smiling (or frowning, in some cases!) out from windowsills, doorsteps and gardens. I know that a lot of people don't like trick-or-treating or Halloween in general, but I think that if the former is well supervised it can be really nice, and the latter is what you choose to make it. Sadly we don't get trick or treaters, but I really wish we did. Mum gets quite a lot, and really enjoys planning her treats. She buys a big tin of Quality Street or similar when they are on offer, perhaps a big bag of marshmallows or other Halloween sweets too, and makes up little crepe or tissue paper bundles to hand out. She gets lovely little children knock on the door, and I think she gets as much pleasure out of it as they do.

I still have not got round to one Halloween craft that I have always wanted to do...somehow, every year, time slips away! I want to take a small pumpkin, remove the seeds and put in a vase filled with bronze and orange and red chrysanthemums, so it looks like the pumpkin is the vase. Maybe next year will finally be the year!

One thing I did do this year which I have not done before is to buy a small selection of Halloween chocolates (including the Cadbury 'Screme' Egg which has green goo instead of a yolk in it!) and hide them about the flat for Carl to find, Easter Egg hunt style. That was lots of fun for both of us, so I will be doing that again next year.

So, Halloween is over, but happily Pumpkin season is not. I cannot believe that today is November. Suddenly the year seems nearly over, and Christmas is just around the corner (I do believe I read that it is 54 days!). Autumn is suddenly glorious, the trees are blazing with colour, and the air has that brittle hazy November quality to it.

Wherever you are, I hope you had a spookily perfect Halloween, and enjoy the many delights that November has to bring.

Pumpkin Truffles and Autumn Comforts

2011-10-27T15:13:00.004+01:00

This morning we took a walk through the park. It is so beautiful there at the moment, because at last, at last, the leaves are changing colour and starting to fall. It was cooler and damp from where it had rained yesterday and in the night, so instead of being crisp, the leaves were stuck flat to the pavements as though they had been decoupaged. Although nothing beats the joy of scuffing through a big pile of crisp leaves, these were beautiful in their own way.

I can't help but think that nature gives us a helping hand as often as she can. The trees in the park look like flaming torches as their leaves turn every shade of red, orange, yellow and amber you can imagine. They burn like flames, reminding us to make our homes as cosy as we can, to lay in a stock of candles so we can light up the darkening evenings. The blanket of leaves on the ground remind us to layer our homes with the snuggliest of soft blankets we have, to ward off the winter cold. There is something about seeing the suggestion of the skeleton branches on the trees, and knowing they will soon be stark and bare that reminds us how very soon winter will be here, to enjoy this fleeting season while we can, and to lay in our stores for winter.

Laying in your stores makes you feel cosy and prepared. This time of year I like to make sure that I have an extra box of teabags in the cupboard, a few extra portions of home made stew or soup in the freezer, and a little store of tinned tomatoes and so on, all laid by ready for a snowy day. Although it is unlikely (fingers crossed!) that we would get snowed in for days on end, there is something really comforting about knowing that you don't have to go out and brave the icy weather, that you will always have something to tide you over another day or so. Don't forget, of course, to have a pint of milk in the freezer to go with your tea bags!

It isn't just food and drink that I like to lay by, but a knitting project or so, a little pile of black and white films to watch, a variety of candles, and a little pile of books (Miss Read is a favourite at the moment, very gentle and undemanding) all waiting for a dark evening.

But to turn away from the future for a moment, back to today. This morning the new issue of Mollie Makes arrived. I don't normally like orange and yellow as colours, but perhaps becuase of the time of year, I just love the cover. It follows the usual theme of a pair of hands holding something, which I think is so simple but effective, and this time it is someone wearing a yellow jumper holding a mug which is covered with an orange mug cosy. It is another gorgeous issue, full of ideas for things to make as Christmas gifts that aren't too Christmassy in themselves. After watching Kirstie's Handmade Britain, I read the magazine, and then crocheted a mug cosy for Carl. Alas I don't have any orange or yellow yarn, so I used an oddment of really soft purple yarn. I am going to buy some blue yarns tomorrow for my Dad's Christmas gift, so I might pick up a little ball of orange then.

We are going to visit a friend this evening to see her new flat, and are eating dinner there, so I thought it would be nice to take something with us. What better than some after dinner chocolates, and as it is autumn, with a twist?

Autumn Spiced Pumpkin Truffles

On a blustery autumn afternoon, light a candle, flick on some Peggy Lee, and tie on a pretty apron. Break up 8oz of milk chocolate into fairly small pieces, and set aside in a bowl. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree and 1/2 cup double cream in a small saucepan. (Thats just over 4 floz and 2 floz respectively) Stir in 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, and then a big grating of freshly grated nutmeg. Set over a low heat and stir gently, then take off the heat just before it reaches boiling point.

Pour the hot spiced pumpkin cream over the chocolate, and stir until it is melted. Then stir in an ounce of butter until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Now you need to leave it to cool. You can hasten this by pouring it into a shallow dish, putting it in the fridge, or both. When the mixture is cool, take teaspoons of it and roll into balls. It is a bit easier and less messy if you coat your hands lightly in cocoa powder first.

From here you have the option of finishing the truffles by either rolling them in cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate. I am going to do half and half. I haven't got any at the moment, but I think they would be pretty with a dusting of orange edible food glitter on top.

When I take them, I am not going to say they are pumpkin truffles, but ask people to see if they can guess what the mystery ingredient is. The pumpkin definitely serves a purpose by being there, both in terms of texture and flavour, but I don't think you would immediately realise that is what it is.

Oh, before I go and roll those truffles in cocoa powder, for those of you who have asked, Bonfire Night is November 5th. And a big thank you to everybody who has entered so far!

Love

Mimi

xxx

The A To Z Of Me Meme

2011-10-24T20:42:00.002+01:00

I don't often 'do' memes, but I read this one on a blog and really enjoyed it, so here it is, the A To Z of Mimi!

ANORAK…Do you have a sad side?

It depends on what you think of as sad! But working in a library for over a decade does mean I can think in Dewey numbers! Oh and when I put my shopping away, all the labels have to face the front, and if I have a stack of things, such as tuna cans, then all the labels have to line up at the edge. Oh, and toilet paper has to hang down the back, not over the front of the roll. I don't know why that last one bothers me, but it does...I will change it in other peoples houses!

BODY…What physical attribute would you most like to change?

I don't suppose there are many ladies who wouldn't like to be a little thinner! But at the moment, it would be my hair. I know it is vain to say it, but I really love my hair colour! I am mainly brunette, but have quite a lot of auburn in it, which my Mum tells me is exactly the colour of my great grandmothers hair. Alas, I am starting to find grey in it! I don't like that, so would like to colour it, but I don't want to lose my natural hair colour! So right now, I would lose my grey hair.

CELEBRITY…Which one would you most like to date and why?

Well, as a married lady, I would have to turn him down if he did try to sweep me off my feet, but really, it would be hard to say no to the wonderful Alan Rickman!

DEBUT …Tell us about your first ever blog post. What made you start blogging?

I started blogging on livejournal as Sheofthescepteredisle years and years ago, having discovered blogs for the first time when I found ljcfyi.com. I visited getcrafty.com a lot too, so having somewhere to document my crafting and cooking adventures really appealed. It didn't last long though, in the same way as I never manage to keep a diary or journal for long. This blog was an attempt to finally keep a diary going, and to record my cooking and crafting, and just write, really. I had discovered blogs like notmartha and yarnstorm, and while I have no pretensions to being in their league, this was an attempt to capture a little bit of that!

ERROR …What’s been your biggest regret?

I try as hard as I can not to have too many regrets, and I am a firm believer that some things that you cry about at the time, had you understood the situation better, you would have delighted in your good luck instead. That often comes with hindsight though! So the broken engagement at 19 to a terribly unsuitable man felt like the end of the world at the time, but oh, thank heavens it happened! I couldn't imagine being without my wonderful husband, and having been in a relationship with a real rotter really makes you appreciate a good man when you are lucky enough to find one! (Thinking about it, the broken engagement isn't the regret so much as the engagement itself!)

FUNNY – who’s making you laugh?

One of my favourite sounds in the whole world is my husband laughing, so I really like things that make us both laugh. Ask Rhod Gilbert makes us laugh, as well as topical news quizzes such as Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and so on. The first classic novel that really made me laugh was Cranford, a real revelation to me, which really got me 'in' to reading from the classic shelves in the library.

GRAND…If we gave you one right now what would you spend it on?

A new wardrobe of clothes! It feels like mine are all wearing out at the same time! I would hope to get enough clothes for a small capsule wardrobe, perhaps with one or two pieces from Boden. Or buy the entire Persephone book collection, and a new shelf to house them!

HOLIDAY… What’s your favourite destination?

I adored the holiday we had in Bath last year. I would love to go back. Oh, but then I loved Dorset and Lyme Regis too....so perhaps a fortnights holiday, with a week in each!

IRRITATE… What’s your most annoying habit?

I don't think we are best placed to answer such questions about ourselves, as we probably wouldn't do them! So Mr C has come up with, after rather too little thought if you ask me, not putting things away when I am finished with them, and not being ready on time!

JOKER…Whats your favourite joke {the one that makes you laugh everytime you hear it}?

Graham, my oldest friend, told a joke for years and years, that was about prisoners in jail having been in so long, rather than tell the same jokes over and over, would give each joke a number, and just call out the numbers, then start laughing. Honestly, after about five years of telling this 'joke' that really wasn't that funny, he realised he had never told us the punch line! A new prisoner tries to join in and shouts out numbers, but nobody laughs. He asks another prisoner why, and he tells him 'its the way you tell them!'. So the whole joke isn't funny at all, but the fact he forgot the punch line for so long and we just thought it was a pointless joke makes me laugh!
KENNEL… Do you have any pets?

I would love a kitten, but as we live in a little flat, I must wait until we have a house and a garden. Carl has two goldfish and a corn snake. Sometimes in a fit of melancholy, I dramatically proclaim that I just want something to love and feed and cuddle and look after and love, and Carl says 'well you've got me!'

LOVE…Are you single, married, engaged, living with a long term partner?

Happily married, and living with my lovely husband!

MEAL… Whats your ultimate starter, main and dessert?

I couldn't possibly choose just one menu! One of my favourite ways to spend time in a queue or on a bus is to plan my ultimate Come Dine With Me menu, and it changes all the time! I think in general you can't go wrong with a good steak cooked rare, and a chocolatey dessert. Can I cheat and say afternoon tea?!

NOW…If you could be anywhere right now where would you be and who with?

Right here, where I am. Tucked up on the sofa under a blanket with a mug of tea to one side and my husband to the other. Home, where is more perfect than that?

OFF DUTY…What do you do in your spare time?

Spare time?! What is that?! I like to read and knit and crochet and sew and cook and read blogs and find new places to have afternoon tea! This time of year often sees me extra busy, as I like to make my own Christmas cards, and as many of my gifts as I can.

PROUD MOMENTS …What are you most proud of?

On the work front, managing the second busiest library in the country in my mid twenties. In my personal life, seeing our wedding come together having spent a long time planning and making a lot of it ourselves. My marriage, because after four years of marriage and ten years of being together, we are still very kind to each other and enjoy spending time together! Oh, and I am proud of keeping my blog going for so long, especially given how little success I had keeping diaries!

QUEASY …What turns your stomach?

Violence. I just can't watch violent films at all, and I often have to turn the news over.

RELAX…How do you relax?

I love a hot bath and a cup of tea. And a book. Oh, and I adore a magazine. There is nothing more soothing than a row or two of knitting. And baking bread or making jam is a wonderful relaxer too!

SONG…Whats your favourite song of all time?

I'm not sure I have just one favourite, but The Spirit Carries On by Dream Theater is top of my list most of the time. Come Christmas though, it will be Joy To The World by Sufjan Stevens. I really like Fever by Peggy Lee too! It seems I am not very good at having just one Favourite!

TIME …If you could go back in time and relive it again, when would you choose?

My wedding day, as it really does go too quickly! That or my early childhood, when my grandparents were alive. I have so many happy memories of simple but special things, such as having a little stool as a picnic table, or the blanket cosy from the pushchair, the time I was allowed to go down the slide even though it had been raining, because I had been promised....

UNKNOWN…Tell us something about yourself that no one else knows?

Oooh....I am not sure really what there is that nobody else knows. There are lots of people who don't know I have a tattoo, very few people who I know outside of my blog know I am taking burlesque lessons. Probably the main thing that nobody really knows is just how shy I really am! When you wear red lipstick, people tend to assume you are confident!

VOCAL…. Who is your favourite artist?

Bruce Dickinson! He has an amazing voice, and I have been lucky enough to see him live a few times. I particularly like Chemical Wedding (both the song and the album) and Tears of the Dragon (the song) and Born In 58.

WORK….. What is your dream job, and are you doing it now?

That is a really difficult one for me! I do love working in libraries, but I still think that following the events of this year, that is not where my future lays. I don't know where it does lay though, and the big thing that has kept me stop-gap working rather than hunting for a new career is that I don't know what to do. My dream job would be writing novels, and also to be offered a book deal for a book-of-the-blog as happened to Yarnstorm and Cherry Menlove. Basically, I think I want to be Kirstie Allsopp! Or work in a tea shop! Or sell my crafts!

XRAY…Any broken bones?

I chipped a bone in my elbow when I was 10, but happily nothing since then, unless you count the odd dental xray here and there.

YIKES…What’s been your most embarrassing moment?

At the moment I would still say walking in somebody airing their thoughts about me last week! Perhaps it is they who should be embarassed, but to hear someones uncensored thoughts was pretty mortifying. Otherwise, at about 16, visiting Dad in hospital and wondering aloud when the really handsome blond Dutch doctor would be on the wards again....just as the ward fell silent and the handsome doctor walked in!

ZOO…. If you were an animal, which one would you be?

A penguin! I have always loved the way they waddle about on land but are so graceful in the water, and also we have been doing a lot of 'penguin hands' in dance class!

So, there you go, the A to Z of me!

Blog Milestone!

2011-10-24T20:34:00.002+01:00

I have just noticed that 'Cupcake Conversation Starter' was my 126th post of the year! Back in 2006 I posted 125 times, so this has been my most-blogged-about year so far! I think this calls for some kind of celebration, what do you think?

I have never done this before, but I have seen it done on other blogs and really liked it, so I am going to give it a go! A giveaway! A little package with a few of my favourite things in it, mainly a surprise, I think, but there will definitely be tea!

To enter, just leave a comment, and I will use one of those random number generators to choose the winner. How about Bonfire Night as the last date for entering? That should give everybody who would like to play a chance to enter!

Really, just as a little thank you to those of you who come here to read, and also to those of you who leave me comments. It is always so special and lovely when you share your thoughts with me, so thank you! And a big thank you to all of you who have emailed me, I will be sending replies very soon!

Cupcake Conversation Starter

2011-10-24T20:06:00.002+01:00

A few months ago, Mum mentioned that she had seen a notice for a new cupcake bakery, opening in Maldon, the little town I am from. I contacted the lovely Emma whose bakery it is, to discuss doing some work for her. We have talked a few times on the phone, but with one thing and another, today was the first time I could actually go and meet her, and look around her shop.

I thought that the easiest way of showing the kind of things I could do would be to take some examples with me! So yesterday evening I sat and decorated some chocolate muffins with icing ghosts, and some cupcakes with bonfires made out of icing and chocolate-orange matchmaker sweets! There are lots of photographs to follow, just as soon as my lovely husband has helped me get them off of my phone and onto the computer!

The ghosts are super easy, but look really effective. For each ghost, you start by spiking a lolly into the middle of the cupcake or muffin. You need quite a sturdy deep cake, as the ghosts are quite top heavy. The lolly needs to be globe shaped. Then you roll out some white fondant icing, and cut out a circle, slightly larger than you think you will need. You drape this over the lolly to make the ghost shape. To finish, you take two dark chocolate chips, dip them in water, then press them into the icing to make the eyes. Ideally you need to leave them overnight so the fondant can set slightly.

I thought the bonfires looked better this morning than they did last night, but I have thought of a way of reworking them already, so they are something of a work in progress! Last night I peeled the cupcake out of the case, and turned it upside down. Then I coated it with red buttercream icing, swirling it on with a knife, trying to create a pyramid-ish shape. I then took chocolate-orange flavoured matchmaker sweets and piled them around in a teepee shape, to make the kindling on the fire. I finished with a little yellow icing around the top to look like the fire was burning.

All well and good, but an awful lot of icing! So when I make these again, I will keep the cupcake the right way up, and top with a large marsmallow, which I will then cover with icing and use as the fire base, and chop the matchmakers in half. I think I will get a bit more creative with my icing on the fire too, and swirl in red-orange-yellow colours. Emma suggested a little orange edible glitter too, and as you know by now, it takes no persuading to get me to open the edible glitter!

This morning I decided I wanted to do more, so I decided to make monster cupcakes. Not monster as in size, but as in decoration! I piped a pretty buttercream swirl in ivory icing, just as you would for any pretty cupcake. But rather than topping with a butterfly or heart or flower, these cupcakes have been taken over by fondant icing monsters! I rolled a ball of green a bit smaller than a brussel sprout, and then placed on it a smaller circle of white icing, then on that a smaller circle of yellow, and then in the middle of that a black icing oval, to make a giant one eyed monster head. That I sat right in the middle of the icing swirl. Then I took more green fondant icing, rolled it into a long thin sausage, then cut into lengths to make tentacles, which I had coming out of the icing swirl. I had some long ones, and some little ones pointing upwards too, so it looks like the rest of the monster is hidden in the cake. Overall, the effect is one of a green one eyed octopus!

So, I now had a dozen decorated cupcakes, but had to get them all the way to Maldon in one piece! Happily, I still had the Lakeland gift voucher my lovely work friends had given me, so I treated myself to a cupcake carrier! I am really impressed with it. It takes 12 normal cupcakes, 24 mini cupcakes, or one big cupcake, and they didn't move around at all, and I took them on the bus!

It must be said though, that if you go out with a filled cupcake carrier, you will get stopped to chat by almost everyone you meet! The lady's who sell me my bus ticket in the travel office, the bus driver, the lady who sold me a latte, the checkout lady in the supermarket, even random people in the street. Which is nice really, as so often I am intimidated by people, or scared of them (alas there are a lot of drunks and aggressive people about!) so it was really nice to find that a lot of people were pleased and intrigued to see a lady carrying a caddy full of cupcakes!

The cupcake shop was absolutely beautiful, and Emma who runs it is really nice. I sampled a really delicious ginger cake with lemon icing while I was there, which was really scrumptious! As well as selling cupcakes, they make cakes to order for parties, sell cupcake supplies, and also beautiful party accessories and gift boxes for homemade cake.

I have come away with lots of ideas for future cupcake designs! My next challenge is to try and bring to life the idea I have in my head for a filigree bauble, worked in 3d rather than flat....I plan to buy those clear plastic baubles that snap together in two halves (you can get them in craft shops, to fill with tiny gifts, or to decorate with fabric, or to use as a bath bomb mould) and spray with cake-release, then to pipe each half with royal icing, stud with silver balls and the like, then leave to set, and gently prize away the plastic. I can't decide if they would look best with two halves joined together, to sit on top of a cloud of buttercream, or only use one half, and lay it down on a flat-iced cupcake, so it looks as though the other half of the bauble is in the cake, if that makes sense.

All of a sudden, I have a lot of icing on my mind!

Getting The Vintage Look

2011-10-24T19:48:00.002+01:00

A month or so ago, I booked myself onto a burlesque dance course, and also a vintage hair and makeup workshop afternoon, as well as a few other day trips and so on. I am really glad I did, as so far I have enjoyed everything I have done, and it is lovely to see looked-forward-to dates come closer and closer!

On Saturday afternoon, I took myself off to Make Do And Mend in Chelmsford http://makedomend.com/ for a vintage hair and makeup workshop. We had been given a list of things to bring with us - rat tail comb, hair spray, hair putty, hair pins, black eyeliner and red lipstick- so I did a little shopping before I went. There were an amazing array of hair pins on sale, so I hedged my bets and took the slight v-shape slightly open kind, and the tight-together kind. I was joined by the lovely Carla, and her equally lovely friend Lou.

When we arrived, several tables had been pushed together to make one large table, and there were seats all around the edge. At each setting was a mirror on a stand, and a pretty vintage cup and saucer. In the middle of the table there was a stack of books about vintage fashion and beauty, and several tea pots. There were ladies of all ages around the table, and as the afternoon unfolded, I couldn't help but thinking that it is a real shame that this kind of afternoon isn't commonplace. Wouldn't it be lovely if as a young teenager you had sat around with friends, favourite auntys and your Mum and learned how to take care of your skin and whip up a face mask? And then how to fix your hair and makeup?

I know that this isn't how ladies learnt in the 40s and 50s, but the communal nature and sharing of tea felt very nostalgic somehow. Although experimenting in your bedroom can be lots of fun, it was lovely to have one person sharing their tips and techniques with us. It was extra nice that we got to use our own things so we could recreate the ideas at home, and there was nothing to buy so there was no retail pressure.

First we learnt how to pincurl our hair, and pretended that we were just going to bed. We took out a section of hair at the front to save for our victory roll, and the rest of our hair we sprayed first with water to damp, and then setting lotion. Then we took strands of hair, wrapped them around our fingers until the curl was flat against our head, and then pinned in place with two hair pins in an 'x' shape. We used up all our hair doing that, and then tied on a silk or chiffon head scarf while it dried. Just tying on that scarf made me feel like a vintage lady! I believe it was about now that the afternoon was punctuated by the first of many cups of tea! We made up our faces (foundation, red lipstick, black eyeliner and mascara) with the focus being on how to apply the liquid eyeliner for the perfect forties flick. The lovely Hannah who was running the class had the foresight to have lots of cotton wool and eye makeup remover to hand so when we did not succeed at first we could try again!

The hair we had reserved for our victory roll was dry by then, so we learnt how to prepare the hair by working a little putty through it and then rolled it up, pinned it and sprayed it a lot to keep it in place. We had to make sure our pin curls were dry before we undid them, as if they were damp they would just fall out straight. Having brushed out our hair, it was ready to play with and put up. Alas, my hair just would not behave at all. Every victory roll I tried to put in fell out, and it just got frizzier and wilder by the moment. I think it was a combination of a headache that had crept on, and not being familiar with how to work with my hair like this, and I just need a lot more practise. I was a bit worried though, as we were due to leave almost immediately after class finished to have dinner with my sister-in-laws, and it became apparent that I would really need to wash it before we left!

I think there were about 12 of us in all, and everyone did look so stunning with the black eyeliner, red lipstick and vintage hair. So many different interpretations of what to do with the pin curled canvas of hair, it was really inspiring.

The class is being run again, so if any of you live close enough to be able to attend, do book up. I would love to do this kind of thing more often! As well as having a really fun afternoon, you learn some great new skills! It has made me really want to sit down at my mirror to do my hair and makeup from now on, although that could be a bit tricky, as I use the top of a tall chest of drawers as my dressing table!

An Apple A Day

2011-10-24T19:29:00.004+01:00

This past weekend was Apple Weekend, which is a relatively new custom (it started 22 years ago) but one that I hope will be a firm fixture on the calendar for many years to come. For more information about it all, I have added a link to the title of this post, but basically, across England there are scores of orchards open to visitors, competitions for the longest apple peel, apple tastings and so on.

I have mentioned before the wonderful farm shop that is just a short drive from us, and as it happens, although it sells a wide variety of produce, apples are their speciality, and they grow many unusual varieties.

We parked between trees in one of the orchards, and as we got out of the car the air was scented with cooking sausages. The day was bright, with a cool breeze, but not chilly which was just perfect. The light had that early-autumn haze to it which makes everything look so beautiful. In one barn there were many of the producers of food sold in the farm shop offering tastings of their wares and a chance to meet the people behind the products. The nice thing was that they were not selling anything right there, so there was no pressure to buy, but everything was available in the farm shop, so you could go home with anything that you fell in love with. One stall had teeny ice cream cone cups, about the size of those dosing cups that come with cough mixture. The flavours on offer were toffee apple which was very sweet but delicious, and the intriguingly named Christmas. Christmas really did taste of Christmas! It had the idea of mincemeat but also a citrus mixed spice flavour mingling through too. I will be serving some of that this year during the festive season!

There were lots of things on offer for children, including peddle-powered mini tractors to race around a track and donkey rides! We got to stroke some pygmy goats, but we couldn't spot the resident guinea pigs, as they had rather sensibly curled up in their little house. In the rent-a-tree orchard there were archery taster sessions running, so Carl and I both had a go. It was so much fun! I found it really hard to draw the string on the bow back far enough as it felt like it was going to snap and ping me in the face at any moment! I didn't manage to pop any of the balloons that were up for target practise, but all my arrows did land on the thing we were aiming at, which was a pleasant surprise!

After that we wandered to the apple tasting barn. There was a great long trestle table laid out in an 'L' shape with basket after basket of different varieties of apple, and staff to cut you pieces and talk to you about the different kinds. It was a bit frustrating, because you queued at the short end of the L and worked your way along, but people behind us kept 'just going over to have a look' at the long side of the L and queue jumped! And queueing is supposed to be practically a national sport! The wait was worth it though, and we sampled Topaz and D'Arcy Spice and Jupiter before taking ourselves off to the farm shop to purchase some apples to take home. We chose several varieties, taking 2 of each so we can both try them.

I can't wait for next year, when I will definitely be having a go at the longest apple peel competition!

Satisfaction on a Wednesday Evening

2011-10-19T21:44:00.003+01:00

Yesterday evening was an evening for strong Yorkshire tea in a chunky mug decorated with a floral union jack...comforting tea. I had a bit of a grim day yesterday, the whole thing coloured by an incident in the morning. I was working at my adopted library and walked in on someone making some incredibly rude, personal and hurtful comments about me. You know when the whole room goes still and quiet? It was one of those moments. Happily I kept my self possession and walked away, but while I kept my head high, my insides were sinking.

This evening, however, is rose scented tea from a thin, delicate mug patterned with butterflies. The ladies who witnessed the event of yesterday morning have been overwhelmingly lovely and kind, I have just come back from my burlesque dance class (which is going really, really well...I love it!) and Kirstie Allsopp's new series started tonight (I recorded it). Oh, and the Puppini Sisters have a new album out soon. Here is a link to a free taster! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF112UfSG5w&feature=share

Tonight's dinner was a real success, too. I had some pumpkin risotto left over from Sunday, so I turned it into arancini. Before work this morning, I took tablepsoons of the cold risotto, and rolled them into balls. Then I poked a finger in to form a miniature bowl made from risotto. I filled the bowl with cheddar cheese, then sealed it closed with a little more risotto. Each ball got rolled first in beaten egg and then in breadcrumbs, before being set aside for this evening. When I got home all I had to do was fry the arancini while the sauce cooked. The sauce was an onion, fried slowly until soft and melting, with some chopped tomatoes, a pinch each of sugar and dried chillis and a sprinkling of dried mixed herbs. After that had bubbled away, I wilted in handfuls of spinach and rocket. I served it with a scattering of pine nuts and sunflower seeds. Considering it was mainly leftovers and storecupboard staples, it made an impressive dinner. Actually, I think I enjoyed the left overs more than the original dish! I think next time I make them, I will try goats cheese or feta as a filling.

And then of course, there are the comments left for me here, as well. It touches me very much that not only do you find the time to read my scribblings, but that you find time to comment too, and that your comments are so thoughtful. I love when you share your thoughts with me. It is like having a steaming pot of tea at a big wooden kitchen table, and catching up. Now I must warn you that I am terrible at remembering to check my emails, but if any of you would like to email me ever, then I have added my email address in the 'about me' section to the top right corner of my blog. (In case you are wondering, I am not mrsclaxton07 because Carl has got through 7 wives, it is because I became Mrs Claxton in 2007!)

Actually, today has been such a lovely day that I think as well as my butterfly mug of rose scented tea, I will be having half a Marks and Spencer Iced Spiced Bun as well. (Why half? Mr C will want the other half, of course!)

I really hope that you are all having a lovely Wednesday too. I am off to bed now...it has turned so chilly here it is bedsocks and hot water bottle weather! Just as well, because secretly, that is my favourite time!

Love

Mimi

xxx

Book Talk

2011-10-16T20:19:00.002+01:00

Serendipity...a word that fills me with both that blissful feeling of anticipation, and yet also a small stirring of fear. Some of my favourite books and authors have been discovered quite by accident, and I wonder, what would have happened if I hadn't stumbled over them. The blog that has had the biggest influence on my life, Brocante Home, I discovered whilst searching for instructions for homemade Christmas crackers. Oh serendipity, you are both a blessing and a curse.

You see, the only way it really works is by letting go and just going with it. And yet when it happens, it is so good, that you want more, and it is hard to just let go and let things unfold.

For example, I may have mentioned, I have been working in a library I don't normally work in, and a week or so ago, they asked me to weed their modern fiction. (You take out books that have either not issued for a long time, or have got grubby, literally weeding out the books that won't issue any more). One book that jumped out at me was The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. It jumped out because the cover was just beautiful - blue, with a silver charm bracelet. Go here http://tinyurl.com/3otw5k6 to see it and to read the beautiful 'blurb' on the back cover. How could I resist such a book? I took it home and devoured it, and then The Sugar Queen and I have just started Garden Spells. The books are whimsical and quirky, very much like fairy tales for grown ups.

The other book that jumped off the shelf when I was weeding was The Monday Night Cooking School, this time because it appeared that someone had spilt most of a cup of tea over the book, and all the poor pages were crinkled and brown. The cover illustration was pretty, but I nearly didn't take it home. When I flicked through the pages to see how bad the tea damage was, I noticed that at the start of every chapter there was an illustration of a different kind of vegetable, all in soft greys. So home it came, and I started reading it last night, and finished it in the bath earlier. I was a little afraid that it would be yet another in the line of 'something night something club' books that have come out recently. From knitting clubs to chocolate lovers clubs to Jane Austen book clubs to book clubs in general, name the club, and there seems to be a book about it! The first few I read were interesting, but they all seem to follow the same pattern, a chapter about each member of the club, their story and the overarching story unfolding together. This book was such a surprise though, it was a little whimsical, the writing and the language were beautiful, the stories sophisticated, and it left me wanting more. The descriptions of cooking and food are inspiring and beautiful. After I finished reading it, I closed the book with a sigh of pleasure, and looked at the cover. I was thinking that I was so glad that I had seen past the tea stains, and brought it home to read. Then, on the cover, a quote caught my eye...and it was by Sarah Addison Allen! There are copies selling for just 1p on amazon....so do order yourself a copy here http://preview.tinyurl.com/3fmefxz or of course you could see if your local library has a copy that isn't stained with tea!

So although I am mainly very happy to have discovered two wonderful new authors, and four books that have made my soul sigh with happiness as I read them, I do wonder, would I have found them, if I had not been weeding that day, or was I always destined to find them, or them to find me? What do you think, are there books out there that are meant for us? If we don't find them at a certain time, will we find them later? Or will we only find them later if we still need them? (In The Sugar Queen there are books that magically appear to one of the characters...I had been thinking about the idea before reading it, and I have been thinking about it more since then...)

Happy reading!

Pumpkin Carving Brunch Club

2011-10-16T19:49:00.003+01:00

Today we held our annual Pumpkin Carving Brunch Club. I always look forward to it, and was so pleased that everybody had a good time. As people arrived we had hot mulled pear cider to drink out of tea cups, and then we had a cider tasting in tiny espresso cups. We had bought several bottles of flavoured cider, and invited our guests to taste them blind and guess what they were drinking. Then we served the food, for our guests to help themselves to. Naturally, pumpkin is the main ingredient! I made a pumpkin risotto, into which I beat a vegan-cream-cheese-and-roasted-pumpkin puree at the end, a spiced pumpkin and spinach stew, jacket potatoes, and sausages. There were little dishes of sage, pumpkin seeds and grated cheese to sprinkle over the food.

The tradition is that everybody brings a dessert, and there were some delicious offerings. There were miniature cupcakes, iced with orange, and topped with star sprinkles or chunks of chocolate flake; zucchini autumn trifle; and our own offering, do-it-yourself-toffee-ice-cream-sundaes.

After we had eaten, we had another round of cider tasting, then everbody carved a pumpkin. It was lovely to see everybody absorbed, and of course, everybody gets to take their pumpkin home, which makes a marvellous party bag!

If you have not had a pumpkin carving party, then I would say do give it a go. You can make it more autumnal than halloweeny if you like, as we do, or you can go all out and make it spooky. I enjoyed serving all the drinks in tea cups, as it put a little-sips-of-tea twist on things. Here are some recipes to get you started:

Hot Pear Spiced Cider

Into a slow cooker, pour 1 litre of pear cider (I used Kopparberg) and stir in a slosh of dark rum (Mount Gay is my favourite). You can make it as strong or weak as you like! I then stirred in some of Whittard's Mulled Wine Instant Tea powder to taste, but in the past I have also used little bags of mulling spice. Finally, float in some sliced orange, leave to get steamingly hot, and ladle into pretty teacups to serve.

Earl Grey Spiced Apple Tea

This makes a lovely offering for those who choose not to drink, are pregnant, or are driving. It is so simple, but tastes so much more than the sum of its parts. Into a saucepan, pour a carton of apple juice, about a litre in all. There is no need to buy anything more than the most basic kind for this. Into the juice place three Earl Grey teabags (after the recent controversy, you may wish to avoid Twinnings!) and place on a low heat. Once it is steamingly hot, take the tea bags out, and pour the tea into a pre-warmed teapot to serve. Keep it warm with a tea cosy. My top tip for prewarming a teapot is to take the lid off, and hold it upside down over a steaming kettle so the steam warms it.

Spiced Pumpkin Stew

This is another very simple recipe, and does not require much attention, but does require plenty of time for long slow cooking, so the flavours can meld together. The list of spices is long, but they marry together so well, it is worth buying any that you don't already have in your storecupboard.

You will need:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp fenugreek

1/2 tsp tumeric

pinch dried chillies

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

2 large onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed, or a squeeze of Lazy Garlic

500g pumpkin, peeled and cubed*

I tin plum tomatoes

3 dried apricots

150ml water

250g spinach

*you should have 500g pumpkin after you have peeled and deseeded it. Make the cubes fairly chunky, so they are substantial, but not so large that they aren't bitesized. Also, do make sure that you get a 'culinary pumpkin' not a carving one!

1) Heat the oil, then add the mustard seeds, and wait for them to 'pop'.

2) Stir in the other spices, and let them cook for a minute or so, until they are really fragrant.

3) Stir in first the garlic, and then the onion.

4) Cook on a very low heat long and slow, until the onions are meltingly tender.

5) Add the pumpkin, then stir in. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

6) Blitz the canned tomatoes in a blender, then stir in. Cook for another 5 minutes.

7) Blend the apricots into the water, then add to the pan.

8) Boil and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. This iwll probably take about 20-30 minutes.

9) Stir in the spinach, which should wilt down very quickly.

10) Your stew is ready to serve, and will freeze nicely. Serve with rice or jacket potatoes, and garnish with pumpkin seeds, perhaps a little grated cheese, and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Enjoy!

Catching Up

2011-10-16T19:34:00.003+01:00

Good evening,

well, since I was here last, a lot of cups of chamomile tea have been partaken of! I cannot tell you how much coming here and reading your kind and thoughtful comments has helped me. I have good news to share, that Dad is at home again now, although that in itself was filled with tribulations. He seems to be stable at the moment, but I cannot help but think that it is going to be something of a winding road. Understandably, my little brother is finding it hard to deal with things, and Dad is sad and a bit bewildered that he isn't really talking to him....not in a 'I'm not talking to you' way, but just in a 'I have had too much to cope with and I don't know what to say' kind of way. Mum says that he is trying which is good, but she is finding that it isn't enough to make everything else go away. I think it is one of those things, that old but true saying, that everyone needs time.

We have not got care packages sorted out yet, but they are in the works, so hopefully that will help ease the pressure on everybody. I know I don't live with him day in and out and so am removed from some of the wearing-down, but I do feel sad for him. Ok, so he hasn't done a lot to help himself in the past, but a lot of this he can't help, and it doesn't seem fair to be cross with him over it. Although I do see that it isn't as simple as people being 'cross' with him, but just being worn down.

I feel so sad that he has not had a better life. He was born just before the first war, one of three brothers to parents who were not well off at all, and had married without their parents approval. They lived in a cottage in a village, the woods were their back garden, and there were greengage trees in the garden. But his Mum had schizophrenia, which little was known about back then. I seem to remember a half whispered story overheard when I was little, that she had once been in trouble for taking someone's coat, which was likely a mistake or a result of her illness. Again, I half remember Dad saying that other children in the playground would chant 'Your Mum's a lunatic' at them. He was dyslexic, left handed, and not good at school. He did his national service on Cyprus, and came top in a course about cleanliness and hygiene...I think that was the first time he has been good at something, but sadly, it led to a lifetime obsession with cleanliness, and phobias about germs.

He married a Filipino nurse when he was in thirties, and with her had my step brother. She was not a particularly nice person, and after they married it emerged that she had children from previous relationships. She ran up debts and left him. After bringing up their son alone, he met my Mother, and she, me and my sister moved in. Some years later, my step brother chose to go and live with his Mother, which I think nearly broke Dad's heart. Then Nana's schizophrenia started to get worse and worse, and it emerged that Grandad had developed alzheimers, and was forgetting to give Nana her medication. They both went into care, declined slowly, and died. Happily my little brother was too little to remember much of this.

He has never enjoyed good health, and while many of his complaints and problems have been genuine, such as when he had heart surgery, he has also been guilty of being a little bit of a hypochondriac, but then I wonder if the only way he got attention as a smaller child was when he was ill.

So that is it, really. I did not mean to share quite so much, but it is quiet here, the lights are low, and sometimes, when you start to explain things, the words flow from your fingers, and suddenly, you are making sense of things for yourself as well.

So thank you for listening. Thank you.

Tomorrow Will Be A Better Day

2011-10-05T22:32:00.003+01:00

Before I do go and make that cup of tea, I want to share this link with you http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roundup/10-makeahead-breakfasts-to-start-your-day-off-right-recipe-roundup-155762 as I do firmly believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day! It helps to have a good breakfast inside you, as you never know quite what the day is going to bring....enjoy! x

Time For A Cup Of Chamomile Tea

2011-10-05T22:16:00.003+01:00

Chamomile tea for me is comfort in a cup. I love that I can drink it before bed time and it won't keep me awake. I love how it tastes like the idea of honey on your tongue. The best chamomile tea I ever had was in a tea shop, and when I took the lid off to stir the pot, it was filled with tiny chamomile flowers! In just a moment I will be going to the kitchen to brew a pot of chamomile tea, for it has been quite a day.

Those of you who have been visiting me here for a little while will know that my Dad has had some mental health issues in the past. Sadly last night he had another one of his episodes. We have never had a proper diagnosis, but it does seem to be linked to his sodium levels, but nobody seems to be able to tell us why his sodium levels crash sometimes. Well, last night he was very agitated and was pacing the house touching every power socket and turning the lights on and off. Mum tried to give him the mild sleeping tablet that his doctor had prescribed (he hasn't been sleeping well lately) but he refused to take it and became very glazed and unresponsive. My brother couldn't get him to either swallow or spit out the tablet and in the end called 999 and a paramedic came out. It took him a long time to get through to Dad, and he had him admitted to hospital to the crisis ward.

This morning the hospital phoned to say that the psychiatrist was going to assess Dad, but needed Mum there too. So we picked her up and took her to the hospital, and my Sister came with us too. On one hand it was good that Dad was almost recovered, but on the other it meant that the psychiatrist didn't really see what the problem was. Yet however lucid he seemed, he is also terribly muddled. He hadn't eaten his breakfast because he didn't know it was his. He got locked into the toilet because he got in but couldn't work out how to get out again. I had to get a nurse to break in from the outside to free him. Mum broke down and said she couldn't have him home, that she just can't cope with it any more. He is just too muddled to leave alone, yet she has to work. When he has the episodes, they are terrifying.

Unfortunately I had to leave while the meeting continued as I had to get to work (I am the only keyholder about at the moment) but happily they have kept him in for today. Tomorrow the social care team are going to be involved. It is heartbreaking. I was sitting with Dad at one point, and he kept saying he was sorry for upsetting everybody and he just wants to go home. Mum and I are meant to be going to Knit and Stitch at Alexandra Palace on Saturday, and he is really worried that Mum might not go because of him. He can't understand why she doesn't want him home.

I just find it heartbreakingly sad. I can see why she is at breaking point, but I can also see that it isn't him who is there when he has the turns. There is nothing that can be done or said to help, and it feels hopeless. When he was very bad, just after I was married, he was hospitalised for months, and he would sit with tears running down his face if the nurse asked if he wanted a drink, because he didn't know the answer. It is all too hard, too hard.

When I got home, Mum and my Sister came back to ours, we gave them tea, then took Mum home. I went out to my first burlesque dance class (clothes stay firmly on) which was great exercise and a good chance to get lost in something else, to be absorbed in concentrating. I think I really needed that. I wasn't sure I was going to go, but I am glad that I did.

I am sorry this is not a cheery post...I did think long and hard about sharing this with you. It's just that I think for me, this little space is about the truth of things, not just the pretty bits of my life. To not share would be like telling a lie. Also though, there is still such a stigma around mental health still, so I hope by talking about it a bit it helps make it seem as normal as it would be to talk about having a broken leg. Oh how I wish this was as easy to fix as that though!

I will leave you with a goodnight, and if you haven't tried chamomile tea before, do. I find it so soothing. Chamomile tea sipped from a china cup and saucer, perhaps even taken in a warm bubble bath, before going to sleep in a room scented with lavender....a sure recipe to soothe the soul.

Love

Mimi

xxx

Snippets From A Day At My Adopted Library

2011-10-04T19:14:00.004+01:00

Did I mention that I have been asked to work on Tuesdays at a library? It isn't going to be forever, but probably until Christmas, and today was my third time working there. I could catch the bus, but it takes over an hour, whereas the train is only ten minutes....although it should be fast as it costs nearly £7 to get there and back!

When I set out this morning I could tell right away that the unseasonable weather was on its way out. The morning was not crisp, but certainly cooler than it has been. Along the little alley-walk that takes me between the back gardens, there was a black kitten sitting up perfectly straight and looking at me. When I got off of the train the other end, there was a great clump of Old Man's Beard shivering in the breeze. Little things, but they make me smile.

When I got to work, I was a few minutes early, and I spent the time looking out of the window. The building the library is in is three stories tall, and the staff room is on the top, so you look out across the rooftops, which is really rather lovely. Down in the library was a poster saying that the library was going to be featured on Flog It! today, at 4:00pm. If you have missed it, it is available on iplayer. The programme is mainly set in Colchester (where there is also a library, and a lovely one too) but there is a section about Dorothy L Sayers, and that was filmed in Witham Library, my adopted library for now. The Dorothy L Sayers Centre is a room in the library, and it was there that I had my interview for my Danbury job, so I always hold it in a special place. Opposite the library is a statue of the lady herself, with a cat, and the house where she lived is just a few doors down from the library.

When I left to walk back to the station, the air was cooler still. The sunshine was welcome, but I can sink thankfully into autumn now. There is a long avenue to walk along, and it is lined with trees. I could tell which kind of tree I was walking under from the sounds beneath my feet. There were scrunchy sycamore keys, and little nubbly prickly seed cases that crunched crisply underfoot, and then swathes of scrunchy leaves to scuff through.

Home again, and thankfully so. Although I work with some very lovely ladies, I am finding it tiring (you are on your feet the whole day). I have whipped up a chicken and rice bake, and then Carl and I together cooked Fiery Hungarian Paprika, Sausage and Cabbage soup ready for tomorrow evening. I am going a dance class tomorrow evening, so I didn't want to come home and cook.

So now it is sips of tea and the scent of dinner cooking, the prospect of a long and very hot bath, and the final of The Great British Bake Off....have a lovely evening!

Oh, but before I go, how lovely....I have been wanting Sophie Dahl's new book ever since it was published, and today it arrived at the library! I hadn't even ordered it, it was just in the new books, so I am going to read that in bed later!

Love

Mimi

xxx

A Scattering of Free Things

2011-10-03T14:05:00.004+01:00

Who doesn't love Cath Kidston? Who doesn't love free things? And free Cath Kidston things...well they are high on my list of favourite free things, and this weekend you too can partake of them. The Daily Telegraph is giving away two free booklets, one on Saturday, the other on Sunday. One is 'Gifts' and the other is 'Home' and features patterns for things to make from Cath Kidston.

I have all of her books so far, and am eagerly awaiting the publication of Patch later this month. I rather suspect that Gifts and Home will be compilations of her previous books, but no matter! Always nice to have a little freebie! Each booklet has 52 pages and are called 'make and sew' so no need to be put off if you are not handy with needle and thread.

The other lovely thing is that about 4 times a year, Cath Kidston produces a little magazine. Now obviously there is a lot to buy in it, and it reads partly like a catalogue, but there are lots and lots of extras...sometimes you get a recipe, sometimes there is a book group, sometimes a free idea for a craft project. It is really lovely, and best of all, free! The only thing is that you can't, as far as I can see, register to get one automatically each time it is released, instead, you have to remember to go to the website and order one. But that is really very little work! Just visit www.cathkidston.co.uk and click on the 'request magazine' button.

The wonderful people at Persephone produce a similar magazine twice a year, and they send it to people who have bought books from them previously within the last year or so. Worth buying a book for just for this, really. I have yet to buy a Persephone book that I have not loved!

Oh, and on my walk to a meeting this morning, I came across a garden that had bags of windfall cooking apples and a sign asking people to please help themselves. Isn't that lovely? I am glad I picked up a bag then, as when I walked home earlier, they had all gone.

Now I am off into the kitchen to turn some old bananas into Caribbean Banana Muffins, and then it is back to work! I hope you are having a lovely sunny Monday,

Love

Mimi

xxx

What We Need, What We Want

2011-10-02T20:26:00.002+01:00

Anyone who has read any of the beautiful books by Sarah Ban Breathnach, particularly Simple Abundance will know that she is a firm believer that what we have is what we need. sometimes we just need to look a bit harder to see it. The past few days have been gloriously sunny and warm, very un-autumnal altogether, and much more summery than our actual summer was. It actually reached twenty eight degrees here today!

Even before this beautiful Indian summer, I had heard whisperings from people that we are going to have a hard winter. The weather forecasters' predictions are being backed up by abundant berries on bush and tree...which made me wonder, is nature giving us what we need (the sunny weather) instead of what we want (it to be autumnally crisp!) ahead of the cold winter that is coming? One of my favourite poems is Autumn Day by Rilke:

Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.

Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,

and on the meadows let the wind go free.
 
Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;

grant them a few more warm transparent days,

urge them on to fulfillment then, and press

the final sweetness into the heavy wine.

Whoever has no house now, will never have one.

Whoever is alone will stay alone,

will sit, read, write long letters through the

evening,

and wander the boulevards, up and down,

restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.

There are many translations, but this is my favourite. The lines 'grant them a few more warm transparent days....press the final sweetness into the wine' seem so appropriate for these first days of October. October is one of my favourite months. As the days pass, autumn seems to creep in silently at first and then take command. Leaves fall, mists wreathe the fields and at the end of the month the clocks go back. It is near enough to Christmas to start making little preparations in earnest, but not so close it feels frantic. We always hold our annual pumpkin carving brunch club, and it is the weather for hot apple cider and any number of pumpkin recipes.

So while I am more than ready for the weather to turn a little crisper and cooler and more typical of autumn, it has also been lovely to make the most of the sunshine. I have been trying to look at it as what I need rather than what I want. A lot of other families had the same idea, and the park was full. Luckily it is so huge that there is more than room for everybody. We spent the afternoon breathing in the air and sitting in the shade reading. I took a book and a magazine, and Carl took his new Kindle! His friends at work had a collection for him, and that is what they bought him. On one hand I am so pleased that they got him something and clearly had a lot in the collection, but the other hand...a Kindle?! Eek! I am trying to ignore it! We sat and read and people watched which was really rather a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Really, it could have been August! In the background, we could hear the odd whinny from a horse, as there were carriage rides around the park grounds. This evening back at home we have heard the Cathedral bells ringing out at practise. As I washed up earlier, the sky once again turned the most fabulous shade of bright blue, with a bright sliver of silver moon glimmering brightly in the middle. The silver of the moon makes me think of the silver frosts to come, and if it is going to be a hard winter, then I will need to make some preparations. I don't have a lot of cupboard space, but I think some extra tins, packets of tea bags, bread mix and so on would be a good idea, and I will be buying some milk for the freezer too. Did I mention that our landlord won't let us put up curtains? We just have wooden slatted blinds, so I need to think of some ways of keeping the flat nice and toasty too, although happily I do have some tricks in mind!

Wherever you are, I hope the sun is shining on you, and you have all you need, and all you want.

Love

Mimi

xxx

September Evening Pear Tart

2011-09-26T18:49:00.002+01:00

Tonight we are off to visit my lovely friend Lisa. We used to see each other every Monday evening, but lately life has got busy for both of us, so we decided to make it every other Monday evening instead. Then along came a bank holiday, a family birthday and a holiday (the latter hers, not mine, alas!) and it has been a while since we saw each other. So tonight will be an evening of much chattering, crafting and dining. We both love to cook and create, and happily her and Carl know each other from school, so he always feels part of things, which of course, he is.

Lisa is roasting a chicken for dinner, and I have been trying to decide what to take for dessert. Something transportable, autumnal, delicious. Well I had a potter and a play, and this is what I have come up with...I will let you know if it is delicious after we have tried it!

September Evening Pear Tart

Early on a September evening, when the sky is already fading as though it has been swept over with a muslin curtain, set the oven to hot, 200 oC or so. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry onto a baking tray, and trace a border with a sharp knife about 2cm from the edge, taking care not to cut right the way through.

Rummage in your cupboard and find the leftover marzipan from the Ruby Anniversary cake you made earlier in the year. Grate it over the pastry base, avoiding the boarder as best you can. Take two Green William pears, halve and core them. Then slice them so that each half fans out prettily. Nestle them amongst the sea of marzipan.

Scatter over the top a good sprinkling of brown sugar, then grate over some nutmeg and shake over some cinnamon.

Gild the frame of the tart with a splash of milk.

Post the tart into the oven for about 20 minutes whilst you wash up, and boil the kettle for a cup of tea, whilst looking out of the kitchen window and marvelling that already the view has turned to a silhouette.

When the tart is cooked, take it out, then drizzle with some melted bitter chocolate. Spatter about as though recreating a Jackson Pollock painting. Smile and decide that it needs just a hint of gold edible glitter....realise you have run out so give it a dusting of 'disco hologram white' instead.

Enjoy warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or some creme fraiche. Idly wonder what it would be like with roasted figs and mixed spice instead....

Apples and Autumn Leaves

2011-09-26T09:07:00.003+01:00

Good morning...how was your weekend? I hope it was lovely! Mine was blissful...one of the best things to come from losing one of my 2 library jobs is that I am no longer working 3 Saturdays out of every 4, which gives me more time to spend with my lovely husband. This Saturday, we made the short walk into town. Sometimes we go 'the pretty way' which is a tiny path that runs along the back gardens of one street of houses on one side, and the back gardens of another row of houses on the other. Although there are fences, there are also garden gates, so you can peek in as you walk. There is one garden in particular that is just so beautiful it always makes me smile. We spotted 3 cats, including one laying in a tree just like a panther! Last week, autumn came to that little path. Overnight, many leaves fell from the trees. The curious thing was that the leaves hadn't really been turning colour along there, yet there were drifts of them in every rusty hue you can imagine. Alas, that night, the rain came, and the next day it seemed that all the colour had washed away, yet happily there was left the beautiful scent of wet leaves, that along with woodsmoke and cinnamon, is autumn to me. The leaves have dried out now, but they are all muted and no longer as scrunchy...I am hoping for another drift of leaves soon!

Having wandered through our little path, we visited the Shire Hall, where a tiny vintage fair was being held. I do love to look round it, although as I say it is small, and it does seem to be the same stalls with the same things each month. But still, nice to look round, and my lovely husband bought me a present! One of the stalls was selling mainly crocheted lovelies (bedsocks and phone covers!) and had garnished their wares with a few vintage books, amongst which was a white tome with a silver spine titled 'For The Bride'. I picked it up, and it was a household guide for the new bride from the 50s! Carl asked me if I would like it, which of course I said yes to, and he bought it for me. Very unexpected and so lovely of him, I gave him a kiss....only I forgot I was wearing my red lipstick, so then I had to wipe him off...which made the lady running the stall giggle!

We then went through to the tea room, which is a pop-up affair run by the Plum Fairy. They have tables laid with embroidered tablecloths and pretty mismatched floral crockery. We took a seat at one laid with a cloth with yellow flowers, and ordered a pot of tea, and a slice of Victoria Sponge each. It was just heavenly to be sitting there on a Saturday morning, sipping tea and nibbling cake. What really made me smile though was that the Shire Hall is also home to our Court, so there were posters up advising you that if you were going to plead guilty, you had to ask a clerk for a particular form!

This morning we had breakfast at our kitchen table, by candlelight. Such little tiny things as lighting a candle make a real difference to the feel of the day, I find. We had a recipe that I have adapted from a book that I got from the library, and it was delicious...it will definitely be appearing on the menu again!

Autumn Apple Breakfast Bowls

For each person, take an apple, core and slice it into wedges (I have one of those lovely cutters that you just press down from the top of the apple, and it does it in one go!). Tumble the wedges into a small ovenproof bowl, and sprinkle over 1-2tsp of brown sugar, and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the apple is soft. (Don't use a cooking apple, you don't want apple sauce here! Any eating apple you have is fine!)

While it is baking, take a small tub of greek yoghurt and stir into it a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, to your own personal taste.

Take the bowl of cooked apple out of the oven, and generously top with the yoghurt. Then sprinkle over some kind of oaty cereal....granola, or even some oats you have toasted in the pan.

Serve by candlelight for a happy start to the week.

This recipe was inspired by one I found in Vintage Tea Parties by Angel Adoree which arrived from the library on Friday, and I have already devoured. I haven't felt so tingly and excited about a book for a long time, and I am trying to justify the £10 it would cost me to buy on amazon. It is less floral and Cath-Kidston-y than my usual taste but is just wonderful. As well as recipes and menus, there are sections on putting up your hair, making Union Jack flags and other tea-party-ish crafts. The recipes themselves are split into Brunch Tea Parties, Afternoon Tea Parties and Evening Dinner Parties. I don't believe I read a single recipe that I am not desperate to try! There was also a nice selection of tea-based cocktails. The book is beautifully styled as well, and has given me lots of ideas for presenting my cookery at home. If you have pennies to spare, or a friendly local library, I can't recommend this quirky book enough!

I have a very long to-do list today, and I am working the rest of the week, so I must away...but I do hope you are having a beautiful Monday, and if you do try the breakfast recipe, do let me know what you think!

Love,

Mimi

xxx

Savouring An Autumn Afternoon

2011-09-15T17:24:00.003+01:00

Two Thursdays in every four, I have to be out and about earlier than normal in order to get the early bus to my library-on-a-hill. This morning I decided to wear a jersey dress in deep green, patterned with abstract roses. When I opened the door I gave a little gasp of pleasure as this has been the first morning with that proper autumnal freshness in the air. Not cold enough to be a nip or a chill, just enough to give a little shiver and a moments thought as to whether it would be wise to pop back upstairs for a shawl. I decided to brave it out however, and I am glad I did. It has been a beautiful day, and as I walked from bus stop to library, I really noticed drifts of leaves on the ground...autumn really is coming!

I find myself with a quiet afternoon and evening to myself. Sometimes it is nice just to potter and think alone. When I have finished here, I am going to bake a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies (recipe via Attic24) and then an aubergine and cherry tomato tart, adapted from a recipe in this month's Vegetarian Living magazine. I plan to stud the mixture with little slivers of salty-sharp feta cheese, and probably introduce some red onion too. That will be dinner ready for tomorrow evening, and perhaps lunch on Saturday too. I have All About Eve to watch on dvd, and I am going to paint my nails while I watch it. I had been planning to change from my current inky purple to bright red, but now I am toying with hot chocolate instead. Then I am going to have an early night with the October issue of Country Living magazine.

What do you have planned for this evening? Looking at the time, perhaps I had better start, or that early night won't be quite so early after all! Oh, but before I go, did you see, I have added to my list of 'scrumptious places and people on the internet'. I hope you enjoy visiting some of my favourite blogs...and I hope you might share some of your favourite places to visit too!

Early Morning

2011-09-14T11:58:00.003+01:00

Good morning!

And thank you for your kind comments about the new look of my blog! Autumn is all about fresh new starts for me, so it is nice to have a new start here as well.

This morning dawned cool and very windy but bright and beautiful and crisp. It is cool enough to wear my cashmere jumper but warm enough not to shiver at the bus stop, a perfect combination! I was awake early this morning...my eyes opened at 5:00am and it was hard to get back to sleep. Although more sleep would have been welcome, it was lovely to lay there and listen to the wind blowing and watch the room get lighter. I think the reason for my wakefulness was that I had a grocery delivery scheduled to arrive between 6:30 and 7:30am so I knew I had to be up and about on time.

As it happens the doorbell rang at 7:30am but getting up early was really productive. I made a pot of tea using the loose tea we bought at Sally Lunn's in Bath last October, and had time to savour it properly. I made us pear and cinnamon porridge for breakfast, had a shower, made our lunches, and got out in time to catch the 8:30am bus. Now I am at work on my lunch break, and I feel in a very productive frame of mind. I am not sure I want to be up and about so early every day, but it does feel nice to be full of energy.

Anyway, this was just a quick peep to say hello and thank you and to wish you all a very happy Wednesday

love
Mimi
xxx

Pretty Pretty Pretty!

2011-09-13T18:46:00.002+01:00

Oh if only you knew how often I have had blog envy! Other People's Blogs (OPB) look just so beautiful to me, with hand designed banners and pretty layouts and fabulous photography. But you see, I took up blogging because I love to write, and sadly I do not have technological talent. (I use the terms 'ipodpadtouchpokething' and 'mp3podmusicthing' which gives you an idea what you are dealing with!)

So it is little surprise that this is the first time I have changed the layout of my blog since I began blogging back in 2005! I wish I could claim ownership of the prettiness, but it is all down to someone else. I don't even know who to say thank you to, as it is a predesigned template from blogger! But to whoever you are out there, with far more talent than me, there is a cup of tea and a dark chocolate covered ginger biscuit waiting for you any time you choose to claim them!

I have wanted to pretty things up a bit for a long time, and it is still my long term plan to share more photographs with you. What prompted the change today though, was boredom! I have been stuck at home all day long when I would rather be outside. I had an electrician here 'mending' the shower from 9:00 this morning until about 3:00 this afternoon. Since then I have been waiting for the plumber to come and finish mending it...he only arrived ten minutes ago, so you can imagine it has been a day of waiting about. I was lucky enough to have a visit from a dear friend and later on her children, my godchildren, but much of the day has been spent in waiting, and not being able to settle to anything.

Although that in itself was rather frustrating, it has meant that I have brightened up my blog, which perhaps I would not have got around to otherwise (well, no change in the last six years rather suggests I wouldn't!).

I do have a slight headache from rather too much internet time today. I couldn't settle to my novel...I am trying to read Jane Eyre as I would like to see the film at some point, but I found it very dispiriting. I know that it is not a happy novel, but it just put me on edge somehow. I think I need something a little more soothing this evening.

So, back to work tomorrow. I plan to clean out my handbag later, something I always get a great deal of satisfaction from. There is something about having new little package of tissues, some mints and a lipstick and everything just so which is very pleasing. I was hoping to colour my hair this evening, but since I did not get a chance to go to the shops for some colour, and the shower still is not working (after a day of attention from two different men, it will work only if you hold the rest of the shower in when you press the button. It then may or may not work at all. And we can't use it at all tonight as the sealant needs time to seal!) so that puts paid to that. I think perhaps I shall paint my nails instead, and plan my outfit for my first day back at work tomorrow.

I have a meeting with my new line manager tomorrow. I am finding the situation slightly tricky. I really do need a full time job, so I know my days there are numbered. Whilst I am giving it 100% while I am there and will be very sad to go, I am finding it hard to be planning paperwork for reviews next year, when I will probably not be there any more. Did I mention, although I still do not know what it is that I want to do, I do feel ready to put myself back out there and look for full time gainful employment again? I know in one way my situation hasn't altered, but I do feel better about things!

Let me leave you with one last discovery from today....free internet radio! Who would have thought? And even better, free internet radio which plays fabulous bombshell music. Visit here http://www.live365.com/index.live&action=new1 and hopefully that will take you to the right station. You need to sign up with an email address to listen, but it is free, and worth it. I have had my toes tapping away for an hour or two now!

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely evening.

Love,

Mimi

xxx

Crafting Changed My Life

2011-09-12T20:56:00.002+01:00

Well isn't that a dramatic title for a blog post? But I read this lovely post http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2011/09/routine.html over at Attic 24, and towards the end she talks about her blankets that she has made, and how she taught herself to crochet after being inspired by two other blogs (both of which are long time favourites of mine). It made me pause and think yes, yes, crafting has changed my life too. Not in any dramatic way, but it is as though part of the pieces of the puzzle that is me fell into place as I learnt to craft.

I remember teaching myself to knit. It was ten or so years ago now, and I wanted to make my sister a scarf for Christmas. I had had a minor operation on a toe, so I knew that I would be stuck in a chair for a few days. I had been reading Martha Stewart Living magazine, and there was an article on how to knit in there. It all came together at the right time for me really. I remember buying some fabulous yarn, not expensive by todays standards, but at over £4 a ball back then, it was dear. It was soft and luxurious and fuzzy and purple. Perhaps an odd choice for a beginner, but by choosing a yarn I could fall in love with it made me feel better about learning to knit and it made it a pleasurable experience.

A few years later I taught myself to crochet. I don't remember really how or why or the project, but I vaguely think it was a magazine article, but I do know that I was pleasantly surprised to find how easy it was.

When I learnt to cross stitch, it was earlier still, I was probably just in my teens. I learnt that from a book, a Jo Verso if I remember correctly.

The thing I have found with all the crafts I have ever learnt is to start at the beginning, let yourself be a beginner and enjoy getting to grips with the basics. Take everything just one little step at a time, and have confidence in yourself. I have gone from knitting scarves and anything square to socks on four needles, all manner of things with increases and decreases or lace patterns I would have taken one look at the pattern for and turned away from. But the secret is, take that long complicated pattern and break it down, take it one little bit at a time and it is surprisingly easy.

I don't know who I would be if I did not create, did not craft, did not make, did not blog, did not write. I don't think that we necessarily ever find every single piece to the puzzles that are ourselves, but I do know that I am on the right road, and I hope you are too. Whatever it is that you wish you could learn or have a go at, do. You never know, it may just become part of who you are.

Make, Do, And Mend

2011-09-11T20:09:00.001+01:00

One of my favourite magazines is Handmade Living. I like it because it has a nice mix of crafts and cooking, and usually has several projects or pages that make my heart beat a little faster. My heart did the little skip when I read about Make, Do, And Mend; a place that has opened that runs craft workshops and also sit-and-knit nights. My heart did a double skip when I realised that it is located in the very town where I live! So I made a date with a lovely lady I used to work with to go to their sit-and-knit night on Friday.

But before I got there, I spent the day with another dear friend. We met in history class at sixth form and have been friends ever since. We both love everything vintage, and like me, she can identify Ruby Woo red lipstick at 100 paces. Whenever we see each other we just fall to chatting like we had seen each other only the day before, even if it has been a few months, and we are usually still chatting when we say goodbye. We met in a village between mine and hers to visit a vintage shop I discovered but was new to her called A Little Bazaar. It is a glorious shop, not at all trendy or modern or styled. Down the centre of the shop are rails and rails of clothes, and round the outside are shelves filled with knickknacks and trinkets, tea pots to pearl necklaces. You really need to go round twice, once to look and the second to decide what you want to take home with you. I got the most utterly fabulous bargain! A cashemere wrap-over jumper in soft pink for £4! And when I looked up the label at home on the internet, the very same thing was retailing for £140! So I consider myself very lucky and look forward to some crisp days ahead so I can enjoy wearing it!

From there we went into town for some lunch, and worked our way through several charity shops and also a beauty wholesalers. I got some velcro rollers and setting lotion for under £3 so it was a very thrifty day! Now my hair is longer I really feel that it needs attention to look its best. It looks good freshly washed and dried, but I really do feel that it needs to be 'done'. In October I am going to be doing a workshop on Victory Rolls and the like at the aforementioned Make Do And Mend, but until then I plan to experiment with my rollers. I have set my hair with hotsticks several times (using the tutorial on Fleur de Guerre's Diary of a Vintage Girl blog) but want some variety. My look is definitely taking a more vintage direction, and vintage hair is just the thing I need, I think. I will report back with progress!

After that, she dropped me the other side of town so I could explore Farm Foods and Lidl. As you all know, I am now working to a stricter budget, so I thought these could be good options for stretching my housekeeping. Lidl I did not get on so well with. I don't think you can really go in with a list, it is more a case of get what you can see that you need. Not everything was cheaper than in the 'normal' shops, and some things were actually dearer. I did get some things in there, such as rye bread and red onions, and a few other bits and bobs as well, but on the whole I did not really enjoy it. I wasn't expecting luxury but I did find that many of the customers left a bit to be desired, and while there were some good bargains to be had, there are some things that I just can't bring myself to buy. Now I know that I am lucky to have enough in my budget to have that kind of principle, and I don't judge people who are not in the same situation, but really, if they are selling a lasagne for two people for £1 what does that tell you about the quality of life the cow led? But anyway...I am glad I went, but I don't think it will be part of my regular shopping life. Farm Foods though, I had more success with. Lots of frozen veg, and some big packs of frozen fish to stash in the freezer. It seemed better value for money to me, and a nicer shopping experience too. To be honest though, I think with the menu planning and shopping online, using leftovers etc I am stretching the budget well.

So, after all of that, home for a quick dinner with Carl, then off to Make, Do, And Mend. What a lovely place, and what a wonderful evening! I had a quick wander around the shop, as they sell work by local artists and craftspeople, as well as a few things like jars of buttons, jumbles of ribbon and balls of wool. There was a lovely choice of chairs to settle in, including a pair of rocking chairs. Tea came out of a pot into lovely cups and saucers, and we sat and crocheted and sipped the night away. Hannah who owns the shop, and her husband Joe were just lovely. We talked crafts, weddings, all sorts of things, and even planned a companion club to sit-and-knit for our lovely husbands. I don't know where the time went, but before I knew it, it was time to go home.

I am pleased to report that on that evening I was crocheting flowers to go on the tea cosy I am making for a birthday gift, and hurrah, it is finally finished! It has been only a week and three days in the making, but 31 little flowers are a bit repetitive to crochet! I am really pleased with how it looks though, and as soon as I persuade my lovely husband to download the photos from his phone I will share with you what it looks like!

Time to go now. I can't believe another week has gone already and a new one beckons. It is my Mum's birthday tomorrow, so I am spending the day with her. On Tuesday a man is coming to finally fix our shower. Tuesday evening I am going back to Make Do And Mend for a vintage paper doll workshop. Can't wait!

Hope you have a lovely week

Love

Mimi

xxx

Ps if you want to look at the lovely workshops on offer, just visit http://makedomend.com/

Blowing Away The Cobwebs

2011-09-06T12:09:00.002+01:00

I woke up this morning with a slightly fuzzy head. I have an ear infection which has layed me a little bit low. Often I can get on with things and just have a sore ear, but yesterday I had a bad headache and felt very under the weather and sorry for myself, and spent much of the evening curled up crocheting, with a hot wheaty bag on my sore ear.

A peek between the blind slats revealed that it was a damp blowy morning, but I actually find that kind of weather invigorating at times. I decided to take an early-ish walk to get some wool for the tea cosy I am making as a gift for a friend. It is cream, and the top is to be covered with flowers, so I needed some pinky-purpley colours. As soon as I stepped outside, my hair was whipped about my head, my shawl caught in the wind, and I felt invigorated.

Until I got a text message from a nearby library asking if I was on my way. I texted back to say no, I was having a week off, and why would I be going there at all? Numerous text messages back and forth revealed that on the strength of a 'would you be interested in some work sometime in September' had transformed to me being timetabled...but not told...and for the rest of the year! Now I am not turning my nose up at work, but I found the entire episode very stressful, the thought of being expected but not knowing about it, committing to the end of the year when I have just got used to being at home and using that day for looking for work...I got home with my wool but felt very antagonized, and I haven't really settled since.

Still, I have another chance to fill my lungs with air in a bit. I am going to visit the friend for whom I am making the tea cosy, having lunch and some afternoon with her, then my lovely husband is collecting me and we are going to a beer festival in Chappel with my in-laws for father-in-law's birthday. We are going to stay at their house which will be lovely. Tomorrow we plan to go for a nice long walk around the village where they live, and perhaps forage for blackberries or rosehips as we go. Oh, and I may be coming into some pears this afternoon as well, which are destined for pear and vanilla jam.

I do wish I could shake the snarls out of my mind though. Perhaps a nice long walk is just the thing I need!

Wherever you are, I hope the breeze is blowing away your cobwebs!

Love

Mimi

xxx

A Sunday In September

2011-09-04T17:40:00.002+01:00

This morning started as so many of my mornings do, with a cup of tea in bed. There is not a better way to start the day, to my mind! Then a walk into town in glorious September sunshine so that Carl could keep his appointment with the barber. A walk in the fresh air home, bumping into a friend at the bus stop, and settling down at home with Poirot and the Sunday papers.

The window open, then suddenly, a cool breeze bringing with it first the scent of rain, and then as soon as that had registered, the soft hiss of rain teeming down from the skies. The light faded and smudged with rain, so the lamp on so I could see to knit on the glove I am making as a gift for my Mum. The soft purple yarn from baby alpacas whisper soft in my hands.

A bunch of dahlias looking like glorious autumn fireworks against the cream of the wall. Bell ringing practise at the Cathedral being carried to our ears on the breeze. Skies that are suddenly blue again. Carl reading whilst I am reading thequincetree65.blogspot.com and www.attic24.typepad.com

Pondering when to go and take my bath. Wishing I had remembered to buy more bubble bath but pleased to remember a small stash of bath crystals from Christmas. The C word! The Christmas craft magazine that I could not resist buying whilst we were out and about earlier. Wondering if this evening would be a good evening to make some of the cards with the free kit that came with the magazine.

Wondering how it can be September already, but feeling pleased as I am ready for it. Dark chocolate with orange, spices and figs. More tea, always, more tea! Thoughts of menu plans to write and order the wherewithall for later. Butternut squash, aubergine, ginger, feta, pumpkin, spice...all those will be featuring on it.

Feeling very connected to other bloggers out there, and friends I have never met. Smiling at kind comments left by lovely readers, wondering how I get so much spam. Wishing I could find out who keeps sending me odd spam comments, and deciding if I could find out, I would send them a giftwrapped tin of spam, with a polite note saying please stop!

Excitement at seeing Kirstie Allsopp has a new craft book coming out soon! Remembering I am meant to be finishing a tea cosy for a birthday gift which needs to be given soon. The body of the cosy is crocheted, it just needs stitching up. Oh, and 30 or so flowers to be crocheted to be sewn on top (pattern from Cute and Easy Crochet by Nicki Trench, via the library).

Off to sip more tea, and crochet flowers using oddments of wool. Oh, and take that bath. Mmmm, and read that first Christmas magazine too!

The bells are still chiming and ringing. September Sundays are just perfect.

Tea Cups and Scone Rings

2011-08-28T19:39:00.002+01:00

It has been a scrumptious weekend so far, I am happy to report, even though the weather is still decidedly unseasonal for August! A dear friend got married yesterday, and it was a beautiful day...the bride was elegant and very Kate Middelton, the bridesmaids carried sunflowers, and we had hog roast and Pimms in a marquee at the ancestral home of the Petre family, Ingatestone Hall. As well as being a very happy occasion, and seeing lots of friends from school, and suddenly realising we have been friends for half our lifetimes, it was also memorable for the weather. We arrived early for the service as the trains do not often run to that village, and emerged into pouring rain. As we got to the church, the sun shone, and happily stayed out for the bride and groom to emerge into a flutter of confetti...of which there would have been more, but the breeze had blown up, and scattered most of it back at the confetti throwers! As we got to Ingatestone Hall, we had hail! Hail in August! I felt so sorry for the waiting staff, who were standing out in the courtyard to meet us with glasses of Pimms. Needless to say one and all hurried inside!

There were more beautiful touches...a jazz band playing throughout the evening, and after dinner, an old fashioned ice cream cart which also served candy floss and popcorn! It was also a memorable day because the sister of the groom, who had been going to be a bridesmaid, gave birth to her first child, and their parents very first grandchild! A little girl arrived while we were in church singing the final hymn of the service! The father of the bride gave a funny and touching speech, and some time round midnight, a little band of us walked through the dark country lanes back to the railway station, and from there home to bed for a welcome cup of tea.

We woke up a little sleepy-eyed today to a grey day which has been full of showers. We did get out for a little walk in a brief respite, and when we got back I was seized by the urge to bake. I think it was partly that I have been reading another in the Laura Childs Tea Shop Mystery series, and partly because of seeing my latest craft project all finished (little tea cups that I have turned into candles. The cups and saucers are pale cream with a spray of roses on them, and I have filled them with pale pink wax to turn them into candles). Where it is so Autumny I wanted to scent the flat with baking and had some locally grown Bramley Apples, so I have made an Apple Scone Ring. This is a recipe that I first made at school, in cookery lessons (which had the uninspiring name of Food Technology!). I have tinkered with it a little over the years, and it is now like this:

Apple Scone Ring

On an autumn-feeling rain speckled Sunday, preheat the oven to 160 oC. Don't even stop to put on a pinny, but weigh out 8oz of self raising flour, and sift it into a bowl with 1tsp baking powder. Rub in 2oz of butter or margarine, and stir in a tsp of cinnamon and 2oz caster sugar. Grate in a medium cooking apple, skin and all, but avoid the core and pips as much as you can. Stir in enough milk to make a soft dough, and add a tiny bit more flour if it is too sticky. About 1/4 pint of milk should do it. Lightly pat out to a round about 1/4 inch thick on a baking tray. Brush the surface with milk and scatter with a little more sugar, either caster or soft brown. Perhaps add a little more cinnamon. Score into 6-8 wedges, and bake for 20-5 minutes. Err on the side of caution as it goes from golden to burnt in the blink of an eye.

When they are cooked, you should be able to smell apple and cinnamon wafting through the rooms. You can cut the scone almost as soon as it comes out of the oven, although it is a more comfortable eating temperature after 5 minutes or so. These are not delicate afternoon tea scones, more rustic high tea scones. I never split them or add cream and jam, but if I was going to, a cream flavoured with a little ginger would probably go very nicely indeed.

Enjoy!

The Joy of Cooking

2011-08-25T20:45:00.002+01:00

I hardly dare say it, lest I should jinx it, but I am pleased to say...I have my cooking mojo back! At last! I have posted so many times over the past few months about how I wished I could get back into menu planning, and felt the zest had gone out of me a little...well, as you can probably tell from the number of cookery posts lately, it is back!

Yesterday afternoon at work I was stamping books whilst pondering dinner. It was a rainy morning so comfort food was in order. I had a cooked chicken at my disposal, and Carl had expressed an interest in a stew or similar. So whilst I stamped I toyed with ideas in my head. Sketched out possible dinners and mused some more. In the end, I decided to soften an onion in a little butter, then simmer some carrots and green beans in chicken stock, then add in some chunks of chicken towards the end. Then I added a little milk to the veggie-chicken-stock mixture to make it creamy, and a little cornflour to thicken. Then I threw together a cobbler topping scented with rosemary and baked in the oven.

Although the dinner was lovely, what was lovelier was deciding what to make and getting excited about how to make it!

Tonight dinner was extra special, because we finally ate at a table like grown ups, thanks to our local second hand shop! I made 'Tuesday Tarts' although it is of course a Thursday, courtesy of Attic24. I tweaked the recipe a little, using a red onion instead of white, drizzling with basil oil, and adding a sliced tomato to the top of each tart before baking. The best bit is that there are 2 tarts left over for tomorrows lunch.

Now we are sitting in the nearly-dark living room, soft lamp light giving a gentle glow. Coffee scents the air, and a bowl of ripe plums sits between us to be shared.

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely evening

Love

Mimi

xxx

Tonight I Am...

2011-08-24T22:32:00.003+01:00

...watching The Great British Bake Off (recorded last night!)

...crocheting white edging to red stripes for my Union Jack Cushion (destined to be a Christmas gift)

...sipping tea (of course!)

...eating homemade chicken cobbler

...snuggling in my soft red dressing gown (usually reserved for winter!)

...taking my Tea Shop Murder Mystery to bed to read until my eyes close (will I find out the murderer before that happens?!)

...looking forward to collecting my new glasses tomorrow!

Penny For My Thoughts

2011-08-24T08:32:00.002+01:00

I was flicking through the Sunday papers, when a fashion shoot caught my eye. Now usually fashion shoots only catch my eye to make me gasp in horror or shock, but this time my attention was caught for a good reason! The feature was about autumn fashions, and one of the models had the most beautiful nail polish on, a really rich chocolate brown.

When I looked up at the bottom of the page, I found that despite her wearing a £500 jumper in the photo, she was wearing £5 nail polish by Andrea Fullerton in a shade called 'Penelope'. I had a £5 gift voucher stashed in my handbag, so it seemed to be the fates of Autumn telling me to try it!

So here are my thoughts on Penelope by Andrea Fullerton...

...firstly, the display in the shop was nice, rather than a static counter, it was a spinner display which made it nice and easy to see the different colours on offer. I know it makes no earthly difference to the product, but I do like it when makeup has nice names for their shades rather than just numbers. 'Penelope' is described as chocoletta brown, but I was also tempted by the similar looking 'Naomi' which was a little more red, and the natural creme 'Nigella'. I walked away with just what I cam for though.

...now considering that the press release which I found on the Andrea Fullerton website suggests that the colours are perfect for one coat application, I have to wonder if they have actually used their own product. While I was pleased that the colour came out the same as in the bottle, it felt very thin and streaky. Almost like it had been diluted too much. A second coat was essential, which did make the coverage more even, but also made the colour just a little bit darker, perhaps a bit too dark for my liking. Perhaps it is my pale skin, but the colour loses some of its rich chocolate colour and becomes more like black coffee. So I preferred the colour of one coat but you really could not wear it with one coat because of the coverage.

...the lasting power I have not really tested fairly because OPIs Start To Finish has become a standard part of my manicure. I have said it before but it will keep polish on for at least a week without a hint of a chip, even if like me, you tend to wash up without using gloves!

So overall...I liked the display and the concept of giving the polishes girls names, but at £5 a bottle I would expect a better quality of product, to go on in one coat without the streaking, or to retain the correct colour after 2 coats. For my money, I think Rimmel offers better products at better prices, so I won't be buying from Andrea Fullerton again.

I must remember to change my polish before Saturday...we are going to a wedding, to which I am going to wear a jade green dress, and I want to have bright red nails to go with it. I wore the outfit last weekend, and with black heels, a black belt, red lipstick and nails and fluttery false lashes, and really liked the jewel green and red against the black.

A Nice Cup of Tea and a Murder!

2011-08-24T08:25:00.003+01:00

Yesterday, whilst I was in Waterstones, waiting while a friend made her purchases, I suddenly spotted a display of books...aimed at people who like Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth - 'cosy' murder mysteries. I actually gave a little shriek as I rushed over, because for the first time ever, I saw Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries for sale in this country.

I had read a few that were in the library and really loved them. Theodosia Browning is the main character, and she owns a Tea Shop where the menus sound heavenly and are often themed, and some of the recipes are included at the back of the book. She often gets embroiled in a murder mystery, and plays a kind of Jessica Fletcher character. The titles all have some kind of tea in them, such as 'Shades of Earl Grey' 'Dragonwell Dead' 'The English Breakfast Murder' and so on. They are gentle stories, yes there are murders, but they are very much in the Agatha Christie vein, and they won't leave you jumpy or with nightmares.

I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed reading them, and when I checked, more have been written since I read them last, so I have placed some orders at the library so I can start reading the series again. If you are looking for a gentle read that will keep you guessing, and leave you hurrying to the kitchen to start baking and brew a fresh pot of tea, then do give them a go!

See-Saw

2011-08-23T08:57:00.003+01:00

I know it is a terribly English thing, to talk about the weather, but really, it is like living on a meteorological see-saw at the moment! A week or so ago the mornings were cool and crisp, and it was positively autumnal. Days later the sun was blisteringly hot, real ice-cream weather, and autumn seemed months and months away. Now it is showering with rain and the trees are shivering again!

Last night, I was washing up at about half past eight, when I noticed that it was almost dark. Almost imperceptibley, the nights have started drawing in. I am fighting the urge to get out the slow cooker and start cooking stews and baked apples, and light cinnamon scented candles. As you know, autumn is one of my favourite times of year, but as much as I love it, it is August! The proper place for autumn is mid-late September!

All the seasons seem to be coming early this year...we had an early spring, an early summer, and now it looks like Autumn is coming before it really should. I wonder what comes next? If Winter is here early too, will we start next year before the calendar runs out? Or if we are lucky, perhaps we will have an Indian Summer, and then a gloriously long and crisp Autumn that will mellow gently into a toe-tingling winter.

I know too, that I say this every year, but it does seem to me that Christmas comes to the shops earlier and earlier. Yesterday, I needed to buy a wedding anniversary card for my sister, and a wedding card for this Saturday, and as soon as I walked into the card shop I was confronted by a huge display of Christmas cards! The first Christmassy-ness that I have seen in the shops so far. I don't know if I should be relieved that it was not even earlier, or a little sad that it is a third of the year too early!

Sometimes I feel a little hypocritical, talking about not liking Christmas in the shops when I craft throughout the year, and buy gifts to squirrel away. But, and here is the big but, the things I make are not overtly Christmassy. I am currently crocheting a Union Jack cushion, and the only thing Christmassy about it is when it is going to be given. I will be making pots of pear and vanilla jam later in the month, and again, nothing Christmassy about that, in fact, you couldn't really get more seasonal...it is just what they are destined for. And after all, my getting ready for Christmas does not affect anybody else, whereas cramming the shops so early affects everybody who walks through their doors.

But enough of this, I realise I am sounding quite grumpy, when really, I am not at all. Time for another pot of tea, I think! So just a little roundup of the past few days...Saturday was glorious and will get a post all of its own. We went to a sumptuous hotel to celebrate my Aunt and Uncle's Ruby Wedding Anniversary, had a divine meal and then spent time with the family which was just blissful. Sunday was a gentle drifting day, and yesterday I cooked Watercress Soup with Smoked Salmon Toasts for tea which worked well. I watched an episode of Countrywise Kitchen set in Essex, and saw the very place Carl and I met - Mersea Island, also the wonderful Springstep Goat Farm where we have enjoyed several afternoon teas, and admired tiny wobbly-legged newborn goat kids. It was lovely to see these places through a lens, somehow the colours of the salt marshes and wide expanses of sky seemed even more beautiful.

I am spending the afternoon with a friend...we have a small trip to Hobbycraft planned, and then I am cooking dinner for us and another friend and her friend, before an evening trip to the cinema (hurrah for cinema loyalty cards, and enough points for a free ticket!) Somehow it is nearly half past nine, so it is time I set to the kitchen to work out what to cook for tea tonight for us all. One can't eat wheat, one can't eat dairy, and another only likes peas and sweetcorn. Time to get creative!

Wherever you are, I hope you have more sunshine than showers today

love

Mimi

xxx

Aubergine and Tomato Bake

2011-08-21T19:43:00.002+01:00

Having spent years and years believing that I hated aubergines, you can imagine how pleased I was to discover, one day, that actually I rather liked them! One of the ladies I used to work with was famous for her spiced potatoes that she would bring to any buffet, and as they were so delicious I was easily persuaded to try her aubergine bake. Since then I have had Aubergine Parmigiana at Zizi, and really enjoyed that, but now we are being a little more frugal, I thought it would be the perfect time to recreate it at home.

So, for a relaxing Sunday evening, Carl and I cooked together. I preheated the oven to 180 oC whilst he sliced an aubergine in half, then into half-moons about 1cm thick. Whilst he griddled them, I made a tomato sauce. Into a little pan went some oil, a chopped onion and some lazy garlic. Then a tin of plum tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree and a sprinkling of mixed herbs. A good stir with a wooden spoon broke up the tomatoes, and by the time the aubergine were all griddled, the sauce was lovely and thick.

Into each of two rectangular individual baking dishes, I spooned some of the sauce, then topped with a layer of aubergine. I then sprinkled over a little grating of cheddar, then the rest of the tomato sauce. After topping with some breadcrumbs and grated parmesan I baked it in the oven for 20 minutes, and served with some steamed broccoli.

The result was not an exact replica of the Zizi dish, but then I was not expecting it to be because I had made some deviations, but it was really tasty and I will definitely be making it again.

You could make it more filling with some red lentils in the tomato sauce, or some thinly sliced potatoes amongst the aubergine. Perhaps some roasted peppers or courgette would be nice too. You could also sprinkle some pine nuts over the top, or instead, make a white sauce for the topping.

Enjoy!

Gifts From The Heart

2011-08-18T18:49:00.004+01:00

Saturday is day that I have been looking forward to for some time. I have a wonderful Aunt, who is the kind of person who just makes you feel better from talking with her. As long as I have known her, she has worn her hair up in a twist of some kind or another, is ever so properly mannered yet has the naughtiest laugh and a delightful sense of humour. When I was a little girl, we would never know when she and my Uncle were coming to visit. Instead, we would get home from school, and they would either just be there, or were on their way. They visited rarely enough for it to be a wonderful surprise, and often enough that I was never shy with them. My Uncle was an airline pilot, and as well as teaching me the phonetic alphabet almost as soon as I knew the real one, he used to give me little gifts that meant so much - such as a rubber with a black swan on it, from Australia.

When I was 8 or so, my sister and I went to have a weeks holiday with them. It was so exciting to be away from home on our own, and I just remember the most exciting time. Then the next year, I went on my own. I have a memory and also a photograph of me in their beautiful garden, wearing the biggest smile, and what I thought then was the prettiest jumper in the world. It had a lady clown on it with sparkly buttons and ribbons and things, and they had bought it for me when I fell in love with it in a shop.

Fast forward a few years, and they lent our family their home in Looe in Cornwall so we could holiday there. Such a lovely time, and the best day of all when they dropped in to visit us. It is the same Aunt and Uncle who kindly lent us their appartment in Barbados for our honeymoon.

Best of all are the days we drive down to visit them. It only happens 3 or 4 times a year, and I really wish it were more. I wish I could capture the loveliness of their home and hospitality for you. She is not houseproud but everything is clean and tidy and just so. She loves pretty things, and there are pretty throws on the sofa, embroidered tablecloths, and always a cup and saucer for tea from the pot, usually accompanied by a plate of homemade sausage rolls warm from the oven.

As you can tell, they have given me a lot of happy memories over the years. And this Saturday, the day I have been looking forward to, is their Ruby Wedding Anniversary. To celebrate they have invited us and the rest of their family to a hotel near their home, where we are having a celebration lunch. It is the South Lodge hotel, and hopefully, if I have done it correctly, the title of this post should link to it. It looks wonderful, and I am really looking forward to seeing the family, celebrating such a wonderful marriage, and in such a setting too!

Now Aunty Dottie has been pressing on us how they don't need presents, how they have everything they want, and how our company is their gift. A lovely thought indeed, but we really want to give them something. What to get though? And then, I had a thought. Rather than 'get' them something, I want to give them something. So I have baked them a cake, a fruit cake with rum-soaked fruit that I will marzipan and ice. I am going to put a red ribbon around it, and have a silver '4' and '0' to put on top, along with a spray of red roses made from icing. I do hope they like it! This is my recipe:

A week or so before you want to make the cake, take 12oz of currants and raisins (the combined weight, not 12oz of each) and steep them in 550ml rum or, if you would rather 350ml rum and the rest port. Be sure to use dark rum, Barbados if you can get it.

On a rainy summer afternoon, preheat your oven to 160 oC then tie on your prettiest apron, and grease and line a 8.5-9.5 inch cake tin (a round one, not a square one).

Beat together 6oz soft butter with 7oz dark muscavado sugar. Then beat in the zest of 1 large orange, 2 large eggs, 1tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp mixed spice, 1/2 tsp nutmeg (again from Barbados if possible, mine came home in my honeymoon suitcase!), and the steeped fruit and the excess rum that hasn't yet soaked into the fruit.

Stir it together, and breathe in the rich scent, making you realise how soon it will be that you will be baking your Christmas cake, and remember when you made your own wedding cake, and smile.

Sift in 13oz plain flour and 2tsp baking powder. As you stir, stir in lots of love.

Turn the mixture out into the baking tin, and bake for 1 hour- 1 hour 15 minutes.

This cake is so delicious and moist that you do not need to ice it, but can eat it plain. However I will be marzipanning and icing this one.

The kitchen is warm from the glow of the oven now, the air is rich with fruit cake cooking, and my heart is warm too, from happy memories. Aren't the best gifts those made or given with love?

Wonderful Waitrose

2011-08-18T17:32:00.002+01:00

I always used to think that my personal measure of richness would be able to do all my grocery shopping in Waitrose or Marks and Spencer, and to always be able to buy the proper wool for a project rather than getting a cheap brand from the market.

Can you imagine my surprise then, that I find myself shopping at Waitrose now, when our budget is tighter than it has ever been? And although it would be very, very easy to spend a month or more of housekeeping in one go in there, if you shop carefully, it is actually surprisingly economical.

I had a £15 off if you spend £75 voucher, so I decided to use that, several months ago. I shopped online, with a list, and got a lot for my money. Also, I was really impressed with the service. The delivery slots are in 1 hour blocks, staggered in half hour intervals so it is really easy to get a time that you want, and not have to wait around too long for it. They send you a text message on the morning of your delivery, to confirm the time, who the driver will be, which van they will be driving (they are all named after fruit or veg!) and if you have any missing items. The bags are colour coded so you know what needs to be unpacked into the fridge first, and they will take old bags back to be recylced. Also, on the receipt, the items are laid out in order of expiry date so you can see what to use first. The delivery people have carried everything up to our first floor flat and been really pleasant too.

All in all, I really couldn't be more impressed. I have been getting even better value for money too, by paying a flat fee each month which entitles to me to as many deliveries as I wish. It works out better than paying a delivery fee each time! Oh, and I had an email today to say that when I have put in my fifth order, I can choose either a box of chocolates or a bottle of champagne as a thank you!

I still was not convinced it was the cheapest option out of those supermarkets who deliver, but was pleased enough with the service and quality of the goods not to worry too much. But out of curiosity, I did my last shop through My Supermarket, which calculates how much your shopping would cost at several different supermarkets, and then transfers your shopping to whichever one you choose. To my surprise, Waitrose came out cheapest! So not only have I been getting great service, it really is great value too.

The only word of advice I would give is to shop online, with a list, and don't get too distracted by lovely things such as pale blue eggs for breakfast, or you can easily break your budget. Having said that, their Waitrose Essentials range can save you some pennies, and also I think it is important to have a treat or two in the trolley!

Happy Shopping!

Love,

Mimi

xxx

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Let Down Your Hair

2011-08-16T22:15:00.003+01:00

Four years after our wedding, I can finally say, with a happy swish of my locks, that I have long hair again. It makes me feel...better. The weight of it just feels right, somehow. Although I will of course get a trim from time to time to keep it in good condition, and may play with layers and fringes here and there, for the forseeable future, the length is here to stay!

We have had an electrician and a plumber out to look at our shower over the past week and a half, so sadly I have been reduced to washing my hair under the bath tap! Not idea when you have longer hair and are trying to take good care of it! I like to change my shampoo and conditioner from time to time as I think hair gets used to it if you use the same one all the time, so I have started to look about for something to use once we have a working shower again.

I have seen lots of adverts for the new range from VO5, and it looks good. It seems to be on offer in lots of places too, which is even better. Alas, the range is perhaps a bit too good, and I found it impossible to choose which I needed. Initially I thought Gloss Me Smoothly was for me, but then saw Plump Me Up, Give Me Moisture and Nourish Me Truly. How to choose? Not in a snap in front of the display, so I decided to take some time to think about it. What I did bring home though, was a tiny bottle of Miracle Concentrate (click on the title of this post to go to the web page). It was on offer, and I used my Boots points, so I decided I had nothing to use!

I have been slightly wary of oil treatments in the past, as they can have an unfortunate effect on the hair, but I am pleased to report that I am really impressed with this one. You use it very sparingly, on either damp hair that you can then dry, or dry hair. I used it on dry hair, massaged it though the lengths, then gave it a gentle brush. Almost immediately my hair seemed to relax a bit, defrizz, shine more, and smell heavenly. Without knowing I was trying out a new product, Carl came home and announced that my hair smells 'good enough to eat'! That has to be a result.

I can't decide how often to use it at the moment. I want to use it often enough that it has a good effect, but I definitely don't want an oily build up on my hair! I think I will start by using it when I wash my hair, and see how I go.

I am really looking forward to choosing and trying the shampoo and conditioner now!

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

2011-08-16T22:07:00.002+01:00

Oh, how I looked forward to this novel, and oh, how much I wanted to like it. It was a promising premise...a girl wakes up one day to find that not only can she taste the flavours in food, but the emotions of the person who made it. Imagine her distress when she discovers her Mother is particularly unhappy. Her brother also has problems, and it is the portion of the story concerning him which I really struggled with. It is impossible to talk about too much without giving away much of the story, and it is constructed in such a way that you are left thinking you won't know the outcome of his story until the very end...so I don't want to spoil it for you, if you are going to read this. But I had to read sections out to my poor husband, to check that I was reading what I thought I was. Perhaps the fault is my literary palate, and I am not sophisticated enough to fully enjoy it.

I did enjoy the slightly dreamy quality to her writing to begin with, but it actually gets quite annoying after a while. A particular quirk is that the authoress does not write speech in the typical manner. Instead of using speech marks she just writes it all into the prose. Ugh.

However....it has left me with a strong desire to perfect a lemon cake recipe (although never ever with chocolate icing, as in the novel!) and a gladness that I borrowed the book from the library and did not buy it! Not a book that is destined to live on my bookshelf, alas. If you have read it, I would love to know what you think!

On Getting My House In Order

2011-08-16T20:56:00.003+01:00

There has been a lot percolating in my mind lately, and a lot has to do with the housekeeping. By which I do not mean the dusting and polishing, but the budget set aside to buy food, cleaning products and other household necessities. As of Monday, we are living more or less on one salary so naturally, it seemed a good time to look at our household expenses. We have put together a budget for our bills and suchforth, and set aside a budget for the housekeeping. Now, for me, the aim is not for us to live or manage on the housekeeping budget, but to live well on it. By necessity it is smaller than I am used to, but I am also aware that it is probably more than some people have to spend. So rather than feeling hard done by, I am actually really enjoying the challenge of living and living well on less.

In the course of some internet dabbling to find ideas on living on a smaller housekeeping budget, I have found some lovely blogs:

www.thriftychick.co.uk (Thanks, Midori, for the tip!)

www.cottagesmallholder.com

www.hummingbirdhomemaking.com

www.groceries101.blogspot.com

www.becomingdomestic.co.uk

www.frugal-cooking.co.uk

Isn't it interesting though, how 'frugal' does not conjure lovely images in the mind. I like 'thrifty' as in my head it sounds quite jolly-hockey sticks and war-time vintage. Thrifty reminds me of the feeling evoked by the book 'Orchids On Your Budget' whilst frugal makes me think of mouldy bread and stale cheese. (The word that is, not the blog!) It is all window dressing really, because whatever word you choose to use, it is about living well on little. Not necessarily as little as possible though, because I think it is important not to trim the fat completely if you can possibly help it, otherwise if there is a tighter pinch, there is nothing left to cut! Also, for me I would have to be very hard up indeed before I started eating battery eggs or chickens. (I realise I am lucky to have the luxury of making that choice, though). I would rather have good tea bags and coffee, and make my little sacrifices elsewhere. Ultimately, it is about what matters to us individually as housekeepers.

Now that Carl is the breadwinner, it is also more important to me than ever that I get value for the money that I am spending, because suddenly it is his money I am spending rather than mine or ours. I know to some it may sound old fashioned, but if he is going to spend a long day at work earning to support us, then I want him to come home to a dinner that is nutritious, delicious, and that he enjoys. That might mean eating vegetarian 5 days of the week then having a really good steak or beautiful piece of fish. Or it might mean taking a cheaper cut of meat and braising it slowly in beer as a stew. Either way, whatever happens, I am going to need to be really organized.

So, first things first, I need a plan. For me that means a budget, a goal, a framework and a menu plan!

The Budget

Having discovered the Grocery Challenge on the money saving expert website, I will spend the first month or two aiming to stay inside my budget (£260/month) and then after that reduce it by £5 or £10 a month. £260 sounds an awful lot for 2, but when you think about it that is £130 each for the month, £29 a week, £4.19 a day, £1.39 a meal! Less than that really, because the money is for all household expenses, not just food! And with the rising costs of food prices, I think it would be rather easy to burst that budget, especially when a quick visit to Marks after work for some dinner and a pint of milk can easily see £15 spent....

The Goal

As I said before, I want to provide nutritious food that is delicious and does not feel frugal. I have seen some terrifying websites where meals are made for 30p a head and include tins of pilchards and value pasta. Fine if your tastes run that way; mine don't. Instead, think a yummy lentil dahl and homemade naan. Automatically this is going to mean eating in season (in season fruit and veg being cheaper and tastier) and lots of home cooking. All this whilst staying in budget!

The Framework

No more 'just buying milk' on the way home for me! Instead, the monthly budget divided by 4, a quarter to be spent each week on a grocery delivery planned in advance. Breakfast is more or less taken care of - in general we are cereal eaters. There is variety of course; we may have porridge or mueseli, and I usually keep a box or two of granola or weetabix to choose from as well, the changes being run with chopped or grated fruit in addition. On Sundays, we used to go out for brunch as our weekly treat; for now I will be making pancakes or bacon sandwiches or similar at home three weeks out of four, and plan to save enough out of the housekeeping for breakfast out on the fourth.

Lunch tends to follow the pattern of sandwich/roll/wrap/pitta/salad, fruit, yoghurt, flapjack style bar, so they won't be too hard to plan either.

Dinner is where the bulk of the money and the inspiration is needed! So here is the pattern I have put together to make things a little easier for me:

Monday~Free Choice

Tuesday~Fish

Wednesday~Soup (Souper Wednesdays!)

Thursday~Pizza or Pasta (homemade of course, and probably vegetarian)

Friday~Curry (I am going to work my way through Indian Every Day by Anjum Anand)

Saturday~Fish

Sunday~Simple Supper eg meat, potatoes, vegetables

By now I am sure you are pouring yourself another cup of tea and thinking that you know more than you want to about the running of my household, but seeing as I have found other blogs and blog posts about this helpful, I am hoping that if there are other ladies out there tightening their belts a little, this may help them. So do stay with me please, or put on another pot of tea whilst I just finish up!

To keep track of it all, I have a spreadsheet! Now usually you know that I adore my notebooks and fountain pens, but I decided to do it online because I can share the spreadsheet with Carl, and also I can access it on my phone when I am out and about! There are several sections to my spreadsheet; an inventory of my storecupboards, fridge and freezer so I know what ingredients I have already; the weeks menu plans; an archive of past menu plans; a running tally of what I have spent and what I have left to spend.

I wish blogger would let me share the actual spreadsheet with you, but alas, it will not! I can add images, videos and links, but not a simple spreadsheet!

The Menu Plan

Using the framework, all I have to do is go through and choose a dish for each day, and then think about breakfasts and lunches, and from that I can make a shopping list. I found it much less daunting today, rather than just sitting down to a blank sheet of paper. This week we are going to be enjoying amongst other things Tuesday Tarts which I found on the lovely blog Attic24, Pea and Goats Cheese Risotto, and Vegetable Curry with Homemade Naan. I have made my grocery order and it should be delivered tomorrow evening.

The only minor issues so far have been that it has been time consuming (but then I have turned out and inventoried all the food cupboards!) but I anticipate the time needed will be drastically reduced next week, and also, it is slightly scary to buy only what you need and not just add things for 'in case'. I know I have money left in my budget, so if the worst comes to the worst and we need more I can get it, and we do live only 5 minutes away from the shops...but it does feel a bit odd!

So, that is what I have been up to the last day or so! We shall see how it goes, but you know, even when we are both in gainful employment again and have a larger budget, I think I will carry on housekeeping like this. I like the idea of knowing exactly where my money is going, and getting the best for it. Ultimately, at the end of each week I will be asking myself 'Is this the best I could do? Can I do better?' and take those thoughts forward for next week.

With that, I will take my apron off, and sip a cup of tea for a while. My mind is a bit of a jumble of recipes and ideas. I have recorded The Great British Bake Off to watch, so I shall sit and sip and enjoy watching the baking. I am still slowly working on my crochet cushion Christmas gift, and enjoying the cool evening air.

I wish housekeeping was taught at school! But perhaps it is...the school of life!

I Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

2011-08-11T22:01:00.002+01:00

Somewhere at the back of my mind is a quote...only I can't remember exactly who said it, or how they said it. Oh yes, wait, I do! It was Raloh Waldo Emerson, who wrote:

"A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognise our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.....tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we will be forced with shame to take our own opinon from another."

Isn't that an eloquent and beautiful way of telling us to have faith in ourselves? The French film I watched the other evening (Love Me If You Dare) had a scene in which the male lead character meets the female lead character again after a number of years. She is working as a waitress, and he asks her something to which she replies (I am paraphrasing here) 'this is not my life, it's just my job'. Now that is an attitude that I need to adopt a bit. I don't mean that I don't want a job that I don't love and care about, or that I would give less than 100% to my job. More that I don't want to define myself by my job anymore. Doing that has not exactly brought me happiness so far, especially in the last months.

Have I mentioned before that my little brother (he is in his mid 20s and probably a foot taller than me, so not really little, but younger!) works at temp jobs? He has been in his last one a while, but he definitely goes for jobs rather than a career. That is because he has a lot of outside interests, and he works to fund them. He has a hobby that takes him all round the country, and occasionally across the pond to America. Whilst I would like to see him happier at work, it did occur to me that he probably has a far healthier attitude to work than me. If you were to meet him, he would tell you about what he does with his life, where he went at the weekend, his last trip abroad, the one he is already planning. I would probably tell you what I do at work. Ok I have lots of outside interests too, but work has always been a big part of my life.

So I suppose really, this post is all about finding oneself. A lot of my character traits and personality quirks are firmly drawn in already. Anyone who knows me will associate tea and red lipstick and never wearing trousers with me. Books and black and white films and sparkles and baking and vintageness. Taking a cup of tea into the cinema. Eating my packed lunch off a china tea-plate. Writing in fountain pen, even just to sign the bill. I would say that I am fairly comfortable with who I am, with not being 'fashionable' but liking my own style. But of course we are always growing and learning and developing. I like to think that there is more, much more of us waiting to be discovered by ourselves, if that does not sound too out-there. I also think that we have two 'selves'...the self that we see and imagine ourselves to be, and the self that everybody else sees. I think it is good from time to time to just check in and make sure that you still enjoy everything you are doing and being, to let go anything that you don't need or isn't working for you anymore, to pursue new avenues or branches of interest. But most of all, whatever and whoever you are or want to be, it is important to embrace your authentic self, to borrow a phrase from Sarah Ban Breathnach. I have been working through the Muse programme written by the wonderful Alison at Brocante Home, which is all about becoming your true self, so this kind of thing has been in my mind lately.

To cut a long post short, Fleur de Guerre, whom I admire very much, wrote the most stunning blog bost today. Do go and read it at www.diaryofavintagegirl.com/2011/08/baring-it-all.html she really says it better than I can myself. I am coming up to 30 myself, and silently shudder when I find a silver hair, so her thoughts on ageing are inspirational. Also, I realised, all of a sudden, that I have not been particularly happy this past year and a bit. I swam a lot when I got my new job (the one I just lost) to swim away the stress that came from it. I think one of the reasons that leaving it has upset me so much is that I never feel I really got to grips with it. I realised, browsing the 'wellbeing' shelves at work, that I probably haven't been particularly well. I don't mean that as a euphamism for anything, more that the stresses of work and then the stress of the restructure and redundancy have become almost commonplace to me, so waking up suddenly and realise that I am not going through it any more, it is a thing that happened to me in the past, is rather relieving.

Of course I do need another job, and quickly too, but I imagine that I will have a few weeks of just working part time (and I pray it is not much longer than that). But I have decided that I really want to take this bit of time and work on my wellness. To drink fresh apple-carrot-and-celery juice, to do yoga stretches in the morning. So when Fleur wrote in her blog post

'it's never too late to take up a new fitness hobby, beauty regime or change in your eating habits to make yourself shine from the inside'

it really resonated with me. It is not that I want to change who I am, more that I want to make the best of who I am, and spend a time on a little self care. My hair really is properly long now, so I want to take time to learn to put it up. I like the idea of one of the 'things' that people associate with me being beautiful vintage up-dos! I want to sign up to a burlesque dancing class in the autumn, and start going on early morning walks. I want to shine from the inside!

My manager recently told me that I really need to start being kind to myself, so I think I will try doing that.

What things do you do to be kind to yourself?

Fruit and Flowers, Tea and Showers

2011-08-11T21:34:00.003+01:00

Today was a day I have both been looking forward to and dreading in equal measures. Looking forward to it because it is our fourth wedding anniversary (how in the world did that happen?! It feels just like yesterday!) but dreading because it is the 11th August, and for the past eleven weeks I have not been able to see past August 9th, my last contracted day of work. To me, August 9th was a big roadblock and there was no August 10th. August 9th was when the world ended! Needless to say I woke up and it was August 10th, and as they say, life goes on...

This morning was a much happier morning to wake up to. After an early oops moment from Carl when he asked if he could work late tonight, not realising it was tonight, I was really looking forward to it. We buy each other low key but thoughtful gifts for our anniversary, and our activites for the day are always built around sharing time together.

4 years is the fruit and flowers anniversary, and we decided we would buy a joint membership to either the RHS or National Trust or similar (on the basis there are flowers in the gardens of those properties!) and get each other a small token gift too. Carl bought me the most heavenly bunch of long stemmed red roses and grape hyacinths which really took my breath away. I bought him a blueberry scented bath bomb from Lush, some grapefruit scented tooth tabs (also from lush) for the 'fruit' part of my gift, and a bottle of organic locally produced beer for the second part (beer is made from hop flowers!).

Originally we planned to sit in a park with a picnic today, but alas the weather forecast was correct and it was a drizzly day. We started off by visiting one of my favourite places, the Secret Garden Tea Rooms (www.secretgardentearooms.co.uk) where we drank coffee and ate bacon rolls with the drizzle tapping against the windows and damp chickens taking shelter! It is so peaceful there. The service is always slow, but in a relaxed way rather than a sloppy way. Just as well as it gave as a chance to decide what to do with the rest of our day! As it was not raining too hard by this time, we drove to Danbury Country Park. It is a place I have always known was there, but is far too far to walk to from my little library on top of the hill, so today seemed the perfect time to explore. My grandparents used to live in the next village, and their garden backed on to some woods, so I used to spend a lot of time playing in the woods as a little girl. These aren't the same woods, but they are very similar, and the scents of damp leaves, and soft mulcy underfoot feel took me right back. We took pictures of mossy tree trunks and wizened tree stumps. There are some beautiful little lakes there too.

It made me smile that the other people we saw walking there were all wearing jeans, trainers and anoraks. I was wearing a maxi dress, shawl, and was carrying a polka dot umbrealla! I felt very Lizzy Bennett-ish, as though I was walking to Netherfield to visit my neighbours! And of course, lucky me, I just so happened to have my own Mr Darcy with me!

After a long walk, we drove back to the village, and found ourselves in another tea shop! This time it was Tea on the Green. I really wish it had a website so I could share with you how lovely it is. Despite winning many Tea Council awards, it does not have one though! It is by the village duckpond and is just...lovely. I really faniced Welsh or Buck Rarebit, but it was not on the menu, and then Carl had the wonderful idea of having afternoon tea (seeing as it is our anniversary, and we had an afternoon tea for our wedding reception). Carl drank the most incredibly fragrant Earl Grey, and I drank English Breakfast tea. We each had a two-tier cake stand (mine was patterned with violets!) with two kinds of sandwiches, a scone with cream and jam, and a slice of cake. Alas, neither of us could manage the cake, so we had to bring it home wrapped in foil! It also put paid to our plans for dinner tonight, because even as I type, we are still full up!

Now as compatible and happily married as Carl and I are, there is one very serious matter upon which we will never agree. You see, Carl is one of those people who puts the cream on his scone first, then the jam, where I am very firmly from the school of jam on first, then cream. And before you even ask, yes it does matter, and it does make a difference! Devon and Cornwall are practically at war over the issue!

But that aside, we have spent the rest of the day very companiably indeed. We returned home and watched a film on Sky Box Office (there was nothing on at the cinema), drank more tea, and then somehow, it was half past ten! Where did the day go? Actually, now I come to think about it, we had that exact same feeling on our wedding day too!

You know, as soon as we were married, standing outside the church, holding hands and smiling as the photographer snapped pictures of us, we squeezed each others hands and whispered at how it felt different already. It still does, and in the best possible way. I know that marriage is not for everyone, but it is most definitely for us. There is a wonderful passage in Mrs Miniver, where she talks about the little but important things in marriage...the having somebody's eye to catch at a dinner party, and saving little stories and anecdotes from your day to take out of your pocket and share with your spouse at the end of the day. She is right, those things are wonderful....and so is having someone to eternally quarrel about the correct way to eat a scone....

Macaroons and Moody Blues

2011-08-07T19:26:00.003+01:00

When I last left you, I was pondering on what to do with my evening of Saturday solitude. In the end I painted my nails red (Affair in Red Square by OPI) whilst watching the French film Love Me If You Dare. Then I took myself into the kitchen to make coffee macaroons. I have made them once before and was astonished at how well they came out, given their reputation for being difficult.

It seems to me that if macaroons were people, they would be a moody french femme fatale, giving you a smile at first, then tossing her hair and walking away. Because this batch of macaroons just refused to behave at all. Despite my blending the almonds, icing sugar and coffee, the mixture was somehow lumpy, and impossible to pipe into neat circles. I cooked them in an oven preheated to the same temperature as last time, for the same length of time, but this batch came out a little underdone, and several collapsed into a sticky mess as I tried to get them off the baking sheet. I hoped that the next morning things would go a little better, but the coffee icing was far too runny and refused to set! I wonder how they will come out next time.....

Actually, the moodiness of my macaroons put me in mind of two things...firstly a novel that I have been waiting to read for a while, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, about a girl who can taste the emotions of the person who has prepared the food. Secondly, this song by Elvis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NQwiGTXoRU which I love!

I am determined to master the art of macaroon baking...perhaps when I make the next batch, I will listen to Moody Blue whilst I bake!

Saturday Solitude

2011-08-06T16:59:00.002+01:00

This morning was incredibly busy and bustly at work...which is lovely. But a quiet afternoon alone is a nice contrast. It feels a bit odd to be alone on a Saturday afternoon though. Usually dear Carl and I spend them together, but he is in London with a friend who gets married in a few weeks time. I have been reading the archives of a blog I discovered last weekend...www.vixenvintage.blogspot.com and just got caught up to date. As well as having a severe case of wardrobe envy, she has made me want to try rag-rolled curls, although I think my hair might be a little on the long side. I want to make some coffee macaroons to take tomorrow when we go to my sister's barbeque. Later I have a friend coming to see me for a little while before going off on a night out a groups of friends, then she is coming back to ours to sleep. I have found out the blow up mattress already which is a good thing!

And now I find myself pondering what to do next. Change my nail polish? (I know I keep singing its praises, but OPI Start to Finish is really fabulous) or watch the film I ordered from the library (Love Me If You Dare) or go into the kitchen and start baking. Maybe its time for a coffee and a custard tart that I bought from the Farmer's Market this morning? Crochet a bit more on the Union Jack cushion I am making? Cross stitch a bit more on my 'Keep Calm and Carry On' embroidery?

Actually, I think what I may do is go and put the kettle on, and make a cup of tea while I decide!

Love
Mimi
xxx

It's A New Day

2011-08-05T08:07:00.002+01:00

I am almost certain that there is a word that describes when the weather reflects your mood, but I cannot think of it, and a cursory internet search reveals that there are other people in the same boat. Perhaps we have all imagined it...but we cannot have imagined the feeling of when you are feeling down and lost and blue and the sky seems to be as bruised with clouds as you feel bruised yourself, when the rain that comes pouring down is exactly how you feel....or how, the morning after, when the world seems scrubbed clean by yesterdays rain, full of light and hope, that too reflects how you can feel the morning after a good cry.

Now although the rain certainly came tumbling down yesterday, I did not actually spend it crying, but I did feel like I was crying without the tears, if that makes sense. Today I have all the windows open to let in the fresh air, and the air seems bright somehow, like it has been cleansed by yesterdays rain, and I feel brighter too, and more hopeful than I have. I do hope my blog is not becoming a negative place to visit, but it really is helping me to acknowledge how I am feeling rather than trying to swallow it down and smile the whole time.

I am doing a lot of smiling too, though. I am trying not to dwell on things as it doesn't really help matters at all. So, some things that are either making me smile, or at least feel brighter, from the past few days:

Having a fountaing pen filled with purple ink that I keep in my handbag.
The feeling of using that pen to fill in mundane forms, sign papers etc.
Changing handbags and discovering a red lipstick I had thought I had lost in the process.
Brushing my hair and realising it is getting longer.
Fresh tiger bread for breakfast.
The sun shining through my window.
A day spent with my Mum.
A bunch of perviun lillies from my Mum.
Waking up to a cup of tea brought to my bedside by my lovely husband.
Book club tonight, discussing a lovely book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Crocheting a union jack cushion for a gift for a friend.
Blogging and blog friends old and new.
Knowing my wedding bunting is being used at a friend's daughter's wedding today!

I hope you are having a lovely Friday!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Upon Twitter...

2011-08-02T11:12:00.003+01:00

...I am lucky to have a husband who does not mind the technology confounds me. He thinks it is rather lovely that as he sits there synching his online diary with his mobile phone, I am writing important dates into mine with his fountain pen. Some technology I have embraced perfectly well....after all, I blog, I get my groceries delivered and am good at using amazon! But there are other things that well, just pass me by.

Facebook I just about cope with, but I do dislike that for some people it has replaced proper communication. Rather than sharing what is going on in their lives, they shrug and say 'well it was on facebook' as though we are all meant to be glued to it, just watching for when they have news! I am likely to miss any event I am invited to through facebook because I probably wont realise I have been invited! But I do like it for keeping in touch with friends, so it is definitely not all bad.

Twitter..my work has a twitter page (if a twitter page is in fact something you can have!) and I used to get sent all the twitter stats for how many tweets work had made, and how many retweets there were.....well once I got past the first stat, I had no idea what the rest meant! And although one of the girls did talk about retweets and trends...nope, still none the wiser! Part of me likes the accessibility of being able to hear first hand from people in the public eye (I dont really like to use the term star or celebrity for too many people!) but then again....I cant help but wonder if we had fewer interviews and photographs and so on, if they might be better quality. I like that Marilyn Monroe used to score out the negatives of photographs of herself she did not want used from photoshoots. Now with nearly everyone having a mobile phone camera it is so much harder to have control over your image. When that photo of the lovely Christina Hendricks in her swimsuit made headlines, I thought it was so silly. She was caught in a split second, and had it been a split second earlier or later she would have been in a position so you could see how tiny her waist is, rather than all those ridiculous headlines about her size, just because of a bad camera angle. But then again, it is nice to feel that you will hear these peoples actual views and thoughts rather than just what the press agent has allowed to be released.

So, I am not on twitter.....yet. I don't know if I ever will be. I love blogging, but I don't know if I could distill my thoughts down into the character limit. I suspect it is not meant to replace blogging but be an also...but there are so many methods of communication now, it can be a little exhausting. There is the post, in which you so rarely get a handwritten letter or card, and then the mobile phone and texts, the landline and the answerphone, then there are emails, and blogs...I don't know that I want to add to that at the moment. My phone ran out of battery early in the day yesterday, and it was actually curiously nice to be free of it, even if just for the day.

I do think new technology is amazing. I don't claim to understand even a bit of it, but it is wonderful to be able to use it. But when all is said and done, I am rarely happier than with fountain pen and paper, a book and a cup of tea...and so far, I don't think that technology can improve on these!

Thoughts on Jobs...

2011-08-02T10:21:00.002+01:00

...so this time next week, it is my last day at Chelmsford! I still can't believe it and I am still really unhappy about it, both from the point of view that I am really, really going to miss working there, and also that it is going to make things difficult financially.

The job market here really isn't good at the moment...did I mention that for one job that I applied for, so did 299 other people?! There is a job I really, really want, in London. I hope to find out this week if I got an interview or not. When I first saw the job advert, I had a really good feeling about it, the kind of feeling I got when we viewed our current flat. I felt like it was mine. But now my application has gone in, I feel a lot less sure and a lot more nervous!

If I do get an interview, and please do keep your fingers crossed for me, they are a week Friday. So I will wake up on the monday morning afterwards with no job to go to. I don't want to say 'nothing to do' because there are always things to do at home, but that feeling of I should be at work...but I am not.

I know, I know I should try to enjoy the break, but it isn't a break if you don't have anything to go back too. If I knew it was going to be one, two, three or however many weeks before I got a job I could plan my time accordingly and try to enjoy it, but I am dreading it to be honest.

I don't mean to be gloomy, but I do find it really helps to talk out how I am feeling on here.

I hope so much that none of you will go through this, but sadly in this day and age it is likely that more people will be made redundant. If you do, the best advice I could give you is be kind to yourself. My new boss told me that yesterday, and I suddenly realised that I have been putting myself through things that I wouldn't do to my worst enemy! So if you can, tuck away a little money when you can to cushion you against the fall, and if you do fall, lower your expectations of yourself. Don't go to work when your skin si coming off and your ears are bleeding because you are so stressed. Don't force yourself to go into a workplace that makes you cry in the toilet every day. I know there isn't always an option, but if you need teh time, take teh time. Your logical brain will tell you that you will have all the time off you need once you have worked your notice, but ignore it! This is not about logic, it is about intuition. You will feel numb and sad and useless, but try not to dwell. Dwelling just pulls you down into a spiral of sadness. It sounds superficial, but get up out of bed, put on your red lipstick, drink your tea out of a cup and smile in the mirror. It might not be all better, but it is a start.

Also, look for cheap pleasures where you can. We have a subscription to Sky which we cannot cancel because we are on a contract. So rather than fill my time watching trash which drains me, I record things that I want to see and are 'good quality'. Rather than read trashy gossip magazines (the kind filled with celebrities who I have no idea who they are' save your pennies and buy one really good quality magazine instead. Borrow books you have always wanted to read. Keep an eye on the bargain bin when you are doing the shopping groceries, but don't forget to try buying cheaper cuts of meat full price and cooking them low or slow. A bargain is good, but rummage too often and you start to feel like you are scavenging rather than eating.

There are so many little pleasures that everyone knows about, but because we all know about them, we tend to forget them. Take a bubble bath mid afternoon for true decadence! Walk in the park, fill your lungs with fresh air, and enjoy the view...it is free! Bake a cake or biscuits. Listen to beautiful music, read your favourite blogs.

Whatever else you do, just be kind to yourself, and remember, this too, shall pass.

On Menu Planning

2011-08-02T09:55:00.003+01:00

I am sure I must have mentioned before that when we were first living together, I menu planned religiously. It did not occur to me that there was any other way of doing things. I would sit and plan the menus for a week, then produce the shopping list from that. It was time consuming of course but it was lovely to always know what was going to be for dinner that night, and for all the shopping to be done in one go.

However, as many ladies will surely agree with me, it is draining to be the one in charge of planning the menus all the time. I started to feel really jaded and unenthusiastic for the task and found it harder and harder to make time for it. Eventually one day we went to the supermarket with the idea of buying some fruit, veg, milk, and some fish or meat for each evening. Things didn't fall apart so we carreid on doing that for far too long, and as my working situation took up more and more time and energy and travel, it quite often got the point where I would pop into a shop on the way home to pick up something for tea. The trouble with that is that it is more expensive, and it takes up more time, and when you are tired and hungry you are generally looking for a quick option, which does not make for a happy cooking experience.

More than once, on hearing my complain about the situation, Carl would ask 'why not just start menu planning again?' which is a sensible question, but is rather like telling someone to 'just give up smoking' or 'just lose weight'. There seemed to be a kind of invisible barrier in my way just making it impossible to get back in it.

Another issue is that I feel that there must be an optimum way of eating for good health and enjoyment, but I don't feel we have found it quite yet. I know what we are working towards, but pinning it down on paper and designing a routine with which to bring it about has been a bit elusive so far.

I have previously talked about how we eat less meat and fewer processed foods, but also I like food to be seasonal. With me only working part time as of next week, and other dark clouds on the horizon, budget is a definite factor. Of course, it needs to look good and taste good too! For me meat has to be good quality and free range even if I can't always afford to buy organic. It is important to me that if an animal has died so I can eat it then it needs to have had a good life first. I want to work towards having a kind of menu planning routine, so for example Monday would be fish night, Tuesday would be soup night and so on. I think having that kind of structure will be helpful, and by using books from the library such as 'Women's Institute Book of Soups' I should be able to make sure there is enough variety that it doesn't feel boring.

I have been enjoying getting our shopping delivered again and doing a menu plan to shop from. I do find it is too easy to get fall off the plan though, if for example we arrive home too late to cook or one of us really doesn't fancy what I had planned for that evening. Once I am properly back in the saddle, I would like to find a nice way to display the menu for the week in the kitchen. That way if Carl is back home before me, he could make a start because he would know what we were having (which he has said he would like to do!). I quite like blackboards, but I also saw in a magazine a square artists canvas decorated with silk flowers and ribbon, with a gold peg, and you clip the weekly menu to the clip and just change it next week.

I almost feel like I am writing a book at the moment, to be honest. I have been reading a lot of books about nutrition and cookery, right from the 50s up to today...it is amazing how some ideas which seem newer (juicing) were already being written about 60 years ago! There are elements from different authors that I like and seem to make sense, so I want to try and weave them together to make something that suits us. And then of course we actually need to try using the plan for a few weeks to see how it makes us feel!

At the moment though, a tupical week would start on Sunday with an organic free range roast chicken and lots of vegetables, and perhaps some stuffing. Then on Monday we would use some of the meat in sandwiches for lunch. Monday night would be a vegetable soup (one of my favourites is spinach or watercress with poached egg). Then on Tuesday we might have chicken and vegetable risotto. Wednesday could be a vegetarian dish such as aubergine parmigiana, and then on Thursday I would do something like roasted vegetable pasta. Friday night we may have poached fish, steamed veg and new potatoes, and then on Saturday I might make a pizza (my favourite topping is grated carrot and broccoli). The principle is to have some meat and make it stretch, and then fill in the gaps with vegetable dishes and fish.

There will be more on this at some point in the future...but for now, that is menu planning in our household!

Love
Mimi
xxx

ps Dinah, iced tea is not particularly well known here...the cocktail is probably more widely drunk than actual iced tea. However, I love it! I fear it may not be seen as authentic to you though, for us, iced tea is made by Lipton's and comes in a bottle! I love the original flavour and the peach, and the lemon. We have a chain of tea and coffee selling shops here called Whittards - they have a website - and they sell powdered instant iced tea, so far I have only tried the elderflower flavour and it was heavenly!)

Upon The Making and Drinking of Tea

2011-08-01T20:48:00.002+01:00

Now I don't know if this is completely true, because I have never been there, but I am given to understand that in America, a kettle is not a standard piece of kitchen equipment! I hear rumours of water being heated in microwaves! I really cannot get my mind to quite imagine such a world, but I suppose it must be true!

In my kitchen, a kettle is a necessity. In my first kitchen, we started with an electric kettle, and then switched over to a whistling kettle that you use on top of the gas hob. I loved my whistling kettle. Yes, it took longer to boil, but it was just the most cheery sound in the world. Now we have moved into a flat that does not have gas, so we are back to an electric kettle, and although I miss the look and the whistle of our old kettle (it is in storage!) the speed of electric does make up for it.

When I was growing up, we never made tea in a pot, it was always made in a bag in the mug. Yet Carl's family always made tea in a pot, again with bags. Somehow tea does taste better made in a pot. I have a blue teapot for every day use, and I generally use bags just for ease, but I do have some leaf too that I enjoy using on occasion. I also have a beautiful Royal Doulton tea pot that I use for special occasions....although that might mean that I am just in the mood for pretty tea things, not necessarily that it is a birthday or christmas!

I actually have an entire cupboard of tea things...pretty cups and saucers, tea plates, tiered cake stands, milk jugs, cake forks, sugar bowls....such bliss!

We usually drink decaffeinated tea for everyday, but I also adore Whittard Rose tea. I have to be really, really in the mood for Earl Gray, but am quite partial to Lady Gray. When I last had afternoon tea out, it was at Liberty, and I had the breakfast tea despite it being the afternoon, and it was fragrant and beautiful. I am also quite partial to chamomile tea, particularly in the evening.

So that is my answer to what kind of tea I drink...just the menu plan to go now!

My Impression of a GloWorm

2011-08-01T18:33:00.002+01:00

Oh dear, oh dear. You would think I should know by now that with my fair skin I just cannot go out in the sunshine for long periods of time. But this past Sunday morning, I spent a happy hour or so wandering around a car boot sale with a dear friend who I have not seen for a while, and didnt notice I was catching the sun at all. Until I got home, and poor Carl opened the door to a bright red wife and said 'Wow! You have turned into a gloworm!'

It is so terribly hard to look elegant when you are bright red, and I fear I have done my nose a real damage as it feels all...papery and squishy at the same time! But it was lovely to catch up with the lovely Carla again, and we both found some real treasures. My first buy of the day were 4 teeny tiny cups and saucers and an equally petite sugar bowl, floral of course. I plan to serve chocolate mousse in them next time I have people round for dinner. Carla was on the look out for a vintage typewriter, but was not particularly expecting to find one as she had not spotted one before....we found 5, of which she bought 2! My other purchases were a Hollywood Album for 1960, and a beautiful dressing table set in green and silver. Pictures some point soon!

I will be back later with thoughts on meal planning, and tea making in answer to my other 'enquire within' questions. Off to cook dinner now though...I hope you are enjoying the sunshine, and aren't strawberry red like me!

Sunday Evening Thoughts

2011-07-24T20:00:00.002+01:00

Good evening...

...well firstly thank you for questions, I will start to answer them one by one! I hope to have a little more time and spirit for blogging this week. Carl and I have had some rather bad news, and sadly until he sees a lawyer tomorrow, I cannot share the details. Suffice to say things have been rather gloomy this week.

However we have had a lovely Sunday together. I have been to a vintage fayre where I bought a pair of lovely soup bowls, and then home to Carl, and an afternoon of Sense and Sensibility on dvd, this time the Emma Thompson version. 1995 was a good year for Jane Austen adaptations! Since trying OPIs Start To Finish base coat and top coat, I find that my manicure lasts at least a week, so I have started doing my nails on a Sunday afternoon, and having a film to watch while they drive is just lovely. This week I have very pale natural looking nails, as I am visiting a prospective employer whom I wish to impress! I loved Sense and Sensibility. Recently I have developed a sudden appreciation for Alan Rickman, and his interpretation of Colonel Brandon is wonderful. He is so repressed by his own feelings, knowing they are unwanted, and then when Marianne sees the light it is like a dam bursting forth with happiness!

So, the first question was how did I get into blogging. Well, I was reading blogs before I had heard the word blog. I remember searching for a craft project online, and discovering www.ljcfyi.com and became a regular visitor. Then I discovered www.getcrafty.com and they had a page called 'blogs' and I discovered other people like me who liked to make and write. I started my first blog on livejournal, because a friend from work used it. I called myself 'she of the sceptered isle' and wrote about knitting patterns and recipes, crafts I had made, things I had cooked. I remember in particular teaching myself to knit, and buying expensive yarn for my first project, a purple fuzzy and very long scarf. I would really encourage buying nice yarn to knit with for the first time as it feels heavenly to work with and you end up with something you are really proud of at the end! I think my writing 'voice' was quite a lot more quirky back then, perhaps a little self consciously so. I was very young, in my defence!

I am not sure why I stopped writing on that blog...I have always wanted to keep a diary but have never really kept it up, so perhaps it was just the same kind of lapsing.

Anyway, I also discovered www.brocantehome.net which just spoke to me, and I loved (and still do!) Alison's writing. She once linked to www.vintagepretty.org and I realised that there were other people writing about the kinds of things I love and do, and it was towards the end of the year when I start to think about things I want to do over the next year, and it all just came together. I remember sitting with a pen and paper for ages trying to decide what to call the blog, and what to put in the 'about' part at the top of the blog. I haven't changed it since ten, so I must have got it about right!

To begin with, writing was a bit odd, because it was like sending words out into nothing. Not even an echo to hear back! I was so happily surprised and amazed when I started to get comments and visitors to my blog. I try very hard not to get too het up about numbers and things, but it is amazing to think that there are people out there who come here to read my musings.

I think my writing has changed a little bit on here, at one point I was writing almost essays, and I think that was because I was also writing little bits for Alison at Brocante Home, something I would love to get back into doing. Recently it has evolved a bit more into a kind of journal, with recipes. I would like to try and get a bit more organized, with more recipes and reviews, projects and how-tos as well as little articles and just journally bits.

I do love writing here and find it a wonderful outlet, although it is odd having a conversation and really only knowing your own half. I hope I am not tempting fate, but I am jolly lucky never to have had hateful comments as some bloggers have, such as the lovely www.yarnstorm.blogs.com which was another blog I was reading back in the early days, and still do. I do find myself wandering around sometimes, composing blog posts in my mind. I have one in mind on my new walk to work, talking about the beautiful little row of terraced Victorian cottages that I go past, but that is for another day.

To me, my blog is almost like a patchwork blanket that I work on from time to time. There have been times when I have not posted as often as I would like to, but having a blog never really goes away. I like that it is never finished, that I am always adding a little bit more here or there to it.

A blog that I really enjoy, that I have mentioned recently is www.attic24.typepad.com and I love how Lucy shares so many photographs. I think that is really lacking on this blog, although that is part to my ineptness with modern technology, but also because blogger does not seem particularly well set up for sharing photographs. I would like this blog to be a little more illustrated than it is though!

I realise I have talked a lot, but I am not convinced that I have really got down to the nitty gritty. I suppose I started this blog because I was reading a lot of blogs and thought 'I can do that too' and it was a way of finally keeping a diary. I am surprised to see that it will be 6 years this December! Time has passed by in a flash.

I hope you all are having a lovely Sunday evening, and I will be back to answer more questions soon, and, I hope, with better news.

Love, Mimi xxx

New Blog Discoveries

2011-07-17T20:49:00.002+01:00

I do love discovering a new blog, and I love stumbling across them by accident, although it does always make me worry that there must be so many other lovely blogs out there that I have not yet stumbled across!

Here are some recent discoveries, all on a vintage/retro theme:

www.modernretrowoman.com which has lots of lovely vintage video clips and exerpts from vintage books

www.my50syear.blogspot.com in which a blogger lives as though in the 50s for a year

www.shapelyweightfrom1958.blogspot.com the story of a blogger losing weight using a diet book from 1958

I am enjoying reading through the archives of these. Just the thing with a pot of tea!

Enquire Within

2011-07-17T19:46:00.002+01:00

I read an interesting interview with Audrey Tautou in Marie Claire magazine, in which at one point she mischeviously suggests to the interviewer that he will be in trouble with his superiors back at the magazine because the readers will want to know things like what creams she uses in her beauty routine, but those arent the kind of answers she wants to give. It is true though, isn't it, that with people we admire, particularly in the public eye, that we want to know more about them, in the hope of capturing a little of their magic for ourselves.

I love reading some of my vintage magazines where the stars of their day happily reveal what lotions and potions they use, and some even had shades of lipstick named after them. How wonderful!

I like reading interviews with modern day stars to get to see a hint of their own personality come through. Not 'celebrities' who are famous for being famous, but people who have a talent or a star quality. I love how irascible Alan Rickman appears in his interviews!

Now let me start by saying that I am under no hallucinations that I am a star, but it does seem to me that I have seen on several of the blogs I read posts where readers are invited to 'ask me anything' and then some follow up posts are written answering the questions. So, I thought it might be fun to try that here. I am aware that while the comments function allows a certain amount of interaction, it does not allow for much...so....do enquire within!

Love
Mimi
xxx

The Bride's Book

2011-07-16T15:14:00.003+01:00

A few weeks ago, I was browsing through a copy of The Lady which had been passedon ot me by a friend at work. There was an interesting little article which mentioned a book that had been given to Princess Margaret when she got married, and was found amongst her things when she died. It was simply called 'A Book For Brides' and I really wanted to read it. I have several housekeeping books from that time and love the advice in them. A while ago Carl bought me 'How To Be A Good Wife' which was a facsimilie edition of an advice guide from this era.

A little internet searching revealed that the book had been published by Forbes, and the British Library had a copy in its archives. I filled in an interlending form, and more or less forgot about it. So you can imagine how pleased I was when I unpacked the van delivery at work this morning and found a padded envelope which contained the very copy I had seen on the British Library website.

It is a delightful little hardback in dark green which smells wonderfully of old books. There are numerous essays for the bride inside, covering everything from planning her wardrobe to cooking the meals to decorating the house by authors as diverse as Evelyn Waugh and Marghanita Laski. I am most intrigued to read the essay by the latter, as it is called 'Hard Labour for Life'!!

There are one or two advertisements inside, one for Elizabeth Arden make up. Of course some of the advice is terribly old fashioned an out of date, but I do think there was a lot of sense about and quite a lot of it can be adapted for today. I will let you know any gems as I discover them and put them into practise!

I have also brought home from the library today 'Mr Digwell' which is a book about growing and cooking vegetables. Starting in the 40s, Mr Digwell featured in comic-strip style advice, showing how to grow the veg, and then Patsy starred in a comic-strip style feature showing you how to cook it. This book features an alphabet of fruit and vegetables with the accompanying strips. Visit www.mrdigwell.com for more!

Then lastly I have a book about 'meals for beginners' not that I am a beginner having been cooking for the two of us for the past seven years, but it is always nice to have some new ideas.

It looks like it may have finally have stopped raining now, but to be honest it still feels like a rainy afternoon, so I shall stay curled up on the sofa with my books for now, and perhaps make a pot of tea in a little while.

I hope you are having a lovely Saturday!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Upon Cucumber Sandwiches, for Dinah

2011-07-14T16:07:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I turned 6 loaves of bread into sandwiches- half became cream cheese and walnut, and the other half became cucumber sandwiches. Now a cucumber sandwich is quintessentially English, and very delicious too. I have had cucumber sandwiches at home, at our wedding, at The Ritz, and Claridges. You would never think that such a delicate little morsel could be the cause of shredded nerves, but oh, it can be.

You see, the thing with cucumber sandwiches is that they are best eaten as soon as possible after making, so they don't go soggy. Which in normal circumstances is fine, you can either make them and then eat them, or if you are making a packed lunch to take to work then if they do go a little bit soggy then at least it is only you eating them! Imagine my dilemma yesterday, when I had 30-40 guests arriving at work for a retirement tea party at 12, but at 10.20 I had to be two villages over doing a school assembly, and wouldn't be back till 11.30. Did I make the sandwiches at 8.30am and risk soggy cucumber syndrome, or did I try and make them at 11.30 and risk not having them done in time?

So I asked some friends. The man replied that I should do them in the morning, it would be easier for me, and besides, people expect cucumber sandwiches to be slightly soggy! Amusing, but not convincing. But the lovely Wendy suggested that I make up the sandwiches by buttering the bread, and then slip the cucumber in at the last minute. So that is what I did. Only, to make things even easier, I sliced the cucumber in the morning, so at 11.30 I just had to fill and cut the sandwiches...and it worked like a charm!

For cucumber sandwiches, for me at least, the bread must be white. But brown or white, it must, must be as thinly cut as you can manage. Then a light spread of butter, taken up to the edges please, and a single layer of slightly overlapping slices of cucumber. I like to cut mine on a mandolin as you can get them ever so thin then. Then press down on top the other slice of buttered bread, cut off the crusts, and cut into your choice of fingers, squares or triangles. You should get 4 of whichever shape you have chosen, so they are quite tiny. You will also end up with a bag of crusts to go and feed the ducks with!

There is a variation on this of which I am rather fond. For this one I prefer brown bread, and I leave the crusts on, but you do whatever you like best. Instead of buttering the bread, I use a thin spreading of cream cheese (like Philadelphia), a layer of cucumber, and then some torn mint leaves scattered across before topping with the other slice of bread. Delicious!

I came across our wedding menu on my computer earlier.

Afternoon Tea Menu

In celebration of the marriage of

Carl and Naomi Claxton

Saturday 11th August 2011

***

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches

Egg mayonnaise with cress, ham, grated cheddar, cucumber, cream cheese with chives, smoked salmon, chicken with tarragon

***

Freshly Baked Scones

with cream and jam

***

A Selection of Tea Pastries

***

Selected Teas

Assam

Earl Grey

English Breakfast

***

Wedding Cake

Moist Cranberry and Cointreau Fruit Cake

Madeira Cake Delicately Flavoured with Lemon

***

We served pink champagne for the toasts. I remember there being concerns within our family that people would still be hungry, and there was a campaign to have bottles of wine on the tables too...but I am glad we went our own way. Everybody was full to the brim, and so much tea was drunk that wine really was not needed. The room was beautiful, all the tables laid with mismatched vintage china, and we printed our menus onto card, and I found a craft punch in teh shape of a tea cup that we used to decorate them with. Such happy memories!

You Say Pom Pon, I Say Pom Pom

2011-07-14T15:48:00.004+01:00

In the lovely Mollie Makes, or else Handmade Living, or perhaps even Making Magazine, there was a small debate about whether it is 'pom pon' or 'pom pom'. To me it has always been the latter, and I just can't imagine why you would say it any other way! I know it all depends on what you have been taught when you are little, but it is so odd to hear a familiar word sounding different. Or indeed, to read it. Whilst browsing in a book shop today, I came across a new section in the baking books. There were two particular titles, both of which looked beautiful. One was called 'Macaroons' and the other 'Macarons'. I was almost certain that the latter was some kind of dreadful spelling error, but a little internet research shows it is no such thing! A macaroon is, apparently, a singular item, but a macaron is a pair of them sandwiched together, usually with icing. There is also a coconut macaroon, which is a different beast entirely. Even so, I am sorry, but in my mind, it will always be macaroon whether they have been sandwiched together or not! (The long oooh sound in it is the same sound you make when they come out of the oven and work!)

Now macaroons and I have a nice little history. My mum makes the best macaroons in the world, using the word to describe a singular little bite (they aren't quite biscuit, not quite cake, they are a special thing all of their own, as anybody who had had one will know!) but they are a million miles away from the 'new' fancy macaroons of today. They were little nubbly mounds of ground almonds, egg white and sugar, baked lightly in the oven to give a sweet chewy delection. One year, for Christmas, she gave me a recipe notebook and included her recipe in it, and I have made them to take to work several times, and they have always gone down very well. Best of all, I nearly always have the ingredients in the cupboard!

It used to mystify me though, when I saw in magazines and on websites these beautiful smooth little macaroons in pastel colours. How were they so round, so smooth, so perfect? Well, having started to see them everywhere lately, including the cover of a lovely issue of BBC Homes and Antiques magazine, I have resolved to find out, to master the macaroon, and make it my new signature bake. (My sister started on cupcakes and has now made the melting moment her own, and I do love the idea of having something that people associate with me. I also love the idea of presenting a box of perfect macaroons as a birthday gift. But I digress...)

So this afternoon I tied on my home-made polka dot pinny with the heart-shaped pocket, and set about making my first batch of coffee macaroons. I got the recipe from a book simply named 'Macaroons' in the 'love food' series. The steps are simple, but precise, and each one is designed to give you the perfect smooth, round, flat top macaroon. One of the first things was to blitz the ground almonds, icing sugar, and instant coffee granules to make them super fine. Instantly, the kitchen was filled with a scrumptious scent that made me feel like I was in a french patisserie. I definitely need both more baking sheets, and practise piping, for rather than sploding out spoonfuls as I do with my normal recipe, you pipe gentle rounds. You then leave them to 'set' for half an hour before baking them at a fairly low heat. I was so excited when they came out looking, although far from perfect, like a macaroon from a fancy shop, in that they had the flat top, and the frilly bit round the bottom. I definitely need practise, as they were not all the same size, and look decidedly wonky, and one or two had run together, but for a first go I am pleased. I have resisted trying one yet, as the next step is to whisk up a coffee cream-cheese icing and to sandwich them together.

One of the lovely things about these is that they look so beautiful, and yet take very small quantities of ingredients. So although ground almonds are expensive, you use so little that a small bag will make several batches.

Now I just have to choose which flavour to make next!

PS Ann- thank you for your lovely and kind offer! I am very touched. When I have finished this tube of That Gal I will certainly let you know. Thank you!

Attic24 Fishcakes

2011-07-12T17:18:00.002+01:00

It is all about the kitchen today! I am going to change that in a little while by popping off for an afternoon bath, which is one of my favourite treats, but before I do, I must tell you that I made the most scrumptious fishcakes for tea last night. Well actually, I made them the night before, because I knew I would be exhausted last night, and just fried them last night. They were sweet potato and smoked mackerel and I got the recipe from one of my favourite blogs, Attic24. We had them with a fried egg and some salad, although I think next time we should try some sweet chilli sauce instead of the egg. The recipe made enough for dinner, and the rest I have put in the freezer for lunch another day. I do like a recipe where I get left overs. I think it appeals to the thrifty housewife in me!

The Scent of Scones

2011-07-12T14:39:00.002+01:00

This afternoon I have had a strong reminder of why it is so important to get ready for Christmas early! I had to go to HQ for a meeting, and was given some work to do....a giant ringbinder stuffed full to sort and collate the information from. So I put it in my bag, carried it on my shoulder and went home via the town, where I had to buy some supplies for a retirement lunch at work tomorrow. As time went on I was feeling hot and bothered, weighed down and ready for lunch. By the end, I had my handbag, the bag with the ringbinder in it, 6 loaves of bread, 4 cucumbers, 4 tubs of cream cheese, 2 bags of walnuts, paper bowls, napkins, balloons, cling film, Whittards instant iced elderflower tea, scone ingredients.....looking at that written down it doesn't look so bad, but it was really heavy, and I felt like a little donkey at the end of it!

That feeling of being hot and weighed down is something that I really, really hate, which is why it is so important for me to avoid that at Christmas when the crush in the shops is even worse than usual!

But this is not one of my Christmas Jingle Belles posts, it is just a post about how lovely it is to be at home with the windows open, with the scent of baking scones wafting through the flat. Bliss!

After I have washed up from teh scone making, I plan to have a warm bath with my new bergamot and lavender bubble bath to recover from my exertions, read a hand-me-down copy of The Lady, and start to think about what is next on the job front. I had not heard from the last job I applied for, so I emailed to ask about it, and they told me that 300 people had applied! How do I compete with 300 people? I am starting to feel a little bit desperate over the whole situation.

To take my mind off of things, I have been reading the archives of some blogs I enjoy. Diary of a Vintage Girl is an old favourite, and my newly discovered www.ahappyhomeisaretrohome.blogspot.com is enjoyable reading too.

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely afternoon

love
Mimi
xxx

Sunday Evening Supper

2011-07-10T19:09:00.003+01:00

This summer reminds me in many ways of the summer that we were married....terribly rainy! We were lucky because we had the one gloriously sunny and dry Saturday in August, and this year the rain seems less torrential, but very frequent. This afternoon was one of those times when the sky was dark and yet the light bright somehow, so you could hardly see the rain at all, just hear the gentle hiss of it, and smell it on the air.

On Sunday evenings I like gentle wind-down cooking, and on rainy Sundays I like something sustaining. I am also rather fond of storecupboard cookery, so this recipe for Tomato and Chilli Risotto ticked every box!

Gently fry an one diced onion in a little oil until soft. Stir in 200g arborio rice. Empty a tin of chopped tomatoes into a pyrex jug and make up to 1 litre with boiling water. Pour a generous splash of this into the rice and onion mixture. Stir until the rice absorbs the liquid, then add some more. Keep doing this until about half of the liquid has been used up. Then stir in 2tsp dried mixed herbs before carrying on with the rest of the tomatoey liquid. Just before you add the last of the liquid, stir in a teacup of frozen peas then add the last of the liquid. All of this stirring and adding should take about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp lazy chillies (or 1 chopped chilli) and some torn basil. Check for seasoning and serve.

You can vary this recipe according to what your storecupboard yields. For example, you can add in chopped celery with the onion at the beginning, you might prefer sweetcorn to frozen peas, and if you have some grated cheese, that is very nice to add in at the end.

This is enough to serve 2, with leftovers to make into fried risotto balls another day. If I was doing that, I might put a small chunk of mozzarella in the middle of each ball, and would serve with a green salad. Be sure to get the rice piping hot throughout if you are reheating to avoid food poisoning!

Right, time to hang up my apron for the evening, and off for a bath in the Lavender and Bergamot bubble bath that I had delivered with my groceries this morning....have a lovely evening!

Thoughts From My Dressing Table

2011-07-10T15:30:00.002+01:00

As you drive to our home, there is a roundabout with a set of flats to the right of it. In the window of one of the flats is a proper dressing table, the kind that you imagine every lady from the 50s had in her boudoir. One day I shall have just such a dressing table, but for now I content myself with a mirror on the top of my chest of drawers in the bedroom. I have a cup and saucer which I use to store jewellery and bottles of perfume (in their boxes of course) lined up across the back. One drawer is devoted to cosmetics and beauty potions...nail polish, bubble bath, makeup, hair flowers, false eyelashes...it does me very nicely for now, and I really enjoy putting my face on for the day.

I have a basic routine, and then sometimes, particularly if we are going out I like to take a bit longer. Last weekend, I curled my hair with hotsticks and brushed it out to give me a kind of 40s set, pinned in a hair flower, painted my lips bright red, and finished with a puff of perfume. I love the ritual of it all. Bliss!

I am always on the lookout for new products or potions to add to my arsenal, and whilst I enjoy having one or two luxury products, I don't think that cost is necessarily an indicator of quality. For example, I have a Chanel lipstick which bleeds everywhere, even if I use a lip primer first, and the best eyeliner I have ever used is Collection 2000! Recently I have tried out a few new products, so here are some thoughts on them...

Benefit's B.Right Skincare Range

Now, I really wanted to like this range, as I do love Benefit, and the aim of this range is to give bright, luminous skin, which is for me the holy grail of skincare. The packaging is really cute, and I particularly like the way the bottle lids are decorated to make them look like corks. I was even lucky enough to get a free sample of the range. It came in a beautiful box which opened to reveal a tube of cleanser, a bottle of moisturiser and a tiny jar of eye cream. Each was a minature version of the full sized product, and it was lovely that they had made the effort to reproduce the range in minature rather than just put the products into sachets. So at this point I was feeling really well disposed to the set...but I just could not get on with it. The cleanser was so-so, it smelt nice but I didn't really feel any big change in my skin. The tube was quite hard to squeeze too...hopefully that isn't the same in the normal sized version. The moisturiser was the most disappointing...it made my hands feel so sticky I had to wash them afterwards, which really isn't what I want in a moisturiser. The eye cream wasn't sticky, but I don't really think it did anything for me. So overall, I was left a bit sticky, and not particularly glowing. I am distinctly underwhelmed, and think alas it is a case of style over substance. However I have at least one friend who has bought the entire range and raves about it, and at one point much of the range was sold out, so clearly it does suit some people's skin, just not mine!

OPI Start to Finish

I am really lucky as I have strong nails that grow quickly, even when they receive little attention from me. I have never been one to wear gloves for washing up or even to remember to use handcream regularly. I usually find myself disappointed with manicures in spas or salons, as I have not yet had one that did not leave me thinking I could have done better myself! Although, when my nails are longer, I do like getting them shaped by someone else, but the price of a manicure isn't really justified for that! My favourite nail colour is red, and I have a great many in my collection, from cheap budget lines to higher end lines. I have scarlet, burgundy, wine, robin, cherry, almost every shade of red you could imagine. One of the things I canot bear is chipped nail polish, and if I do have chipped polish myself, it tends to be because I have been doing some kind of work without protecting my nails, or more likely, have been feeling down and neglecting myself a bit. One of my favourite nail polish ranges is OPI as I love the shades, the quirky names and find that they last for ages before they chip. So you can imagine that I was eager to try out their Start To Finish product, which is a base coat and top coat in one that strengthens. Now this is definitely a product work investing in. It really protects your polish, so the colour lasts for ages without chipping qhich is a definite plus. Also, it gives even cheap polish a really expensive sheen. I am currently wearing 'Double Decker Red' by Rimmel which cost about £2 but have had lots of comments on it, and several friends have asked if it is OPI.

Benefit That Gal

Face primers are one of those things that are easy to dismiss as superfluous, but when you have tried a really good one, you realise they are worth their weight in gold. For me, a good face primer almost acts as 'soft focus' on the skin, smoothing out your complexion and making a great base for your foundation. That Gal goes one better, and gives you a bit of a glow so you could, in a hurry, or on a day when you don't fancy doing full make up, skip the foundation and just wear the primer. The first primer I ever tried was Estee Lauder Idealist, and I have to say it was amazing. It makes your skin feel like velvet, but is really expensive. I bought some for when I got married, but have not been able to justify the price tag since. Avon do something called Magicx which I have tried and found very close to Idealist but at a much better price. However, since we have moved, I have not found a new Avon Lady, so I have been trying out That Gal. It is really different to the other two, both of which are a creamy coloured creamy textured thick liquid. This is pink in colour and far lighter in texture. While I like the glow it gives me, and feel I look better with it on than off, nobody else has commented on my complexion, whereas I had plenty of comments when I was using Idealist or Magicx. To be honest, I would class it more as a skin brightener than a primer. While I am happy using it for now, I don't think it quite justifies the price tag, and I will be looking for a more traditional primer next time. I do have Mac's Prep and Prime for lips which I find to be really good, so I shall either save up for the face primer from that range, or find an Avon lady!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Back To Basics

2011-07-08T10:36:00.002+01:00

While I was painting my nails 'double decker red' last night, I was pondering on the post I mentioned yesterday, Maximum Glamour. Now I don't often comment on blog posts, but I did on this one, to thank Fleur, and also to voice the thought that the things she suggests are things that I know already, but need to be reminded to do. Sometimes things are so basic, I find I think I know them, so kind of slip out of doing them. Does that make sense?

Not just with glamorous things like nail painting and hair flowers either, but with housekeeping and the like. For years and years I used to sit down religiously, every week, and write out a menu plan from scratch, then produce a shopping list and take it to the shops. After a few years I started shopping online, but always with menu plan and list in hand. Then I stopped. I think one week I was getting really stressed about not having enough time to do it in, and dear Carl suggested we just wing it, buy some things, see how it goes. And I did. And still haven't gone back to menu planning. The thing is, what first started to feel like a treat actually now tires me out. I have been fed up with not having a proper routine and plans for a while now, but the ennui has made it hard to get back into the very thing that I know I really need to be doing.

Also, I realise that it is much more expensive in terms of money and time and sheer effort to buy on the day every day. Popping in on a lunch hour to pick up sandwich filling and milk, or popping to the shop on the way home for something for dinner. So knowing that we will need to be watching the pennies, and finally thinking, no more of this, I know better, I sat down the other day and made a menu plan. Time ran away and I didn't quite convert it to a shopping list, but I have just signed up for Ocado deliveries and shopped from that plan. And it feels so, so good! Even better, I signed up for a one off payment each month that means we don't have to pay for deliveries. As I am planning a weekly delivery that worked out pounds cheaper. Then my shopping came in at about £65 (truly terrifying really, when I first started shopping, £40 would have been more than enough!) and I found a voucher for £15 off if you spend £75...so I got some extra freezable staples for less money!

I know that Waitrose and Ocado are seen as luxury and high end, and I have no doubt that you could spend a fortune with them, but their branded products are price matched to Tesco (who we grew to hate) and their essentials range is really good value. Plus, we are only eating meat once or twice a week, so it really isn't so expensive after all. Definitely a habit I wish to continue, although I will report back after our first delivery to see if it matches up to my expectations (what is nice is that their delivery slots are hourly, rather than two hourly, and even shopping today I could choose 8.30 Sunday morning!).

I am definitely going to find time to sit down and really enjoy the menu planning process. I like the idea of having different styles of dish for different days...eg Monday Soup night, Tuesday pasta night... and I am also really looking forward to trying out some new recipes. This week on the menu are sweet potato and smoked mackerel fish cakes from Attic24, and then I am going to use the remainder of the sweet potato to make rolling pin ravioli later in the week.

Thank you so much for your kind words everybody, I am trying not to be too glum on here, but being able to share how I really feel and receive such kindness back really helps. Now the only other favour I need is...if you need a PA, do let me know!

Love
Mimi
xxx

A Thursday in July

2011-07-07T10:53:00.003+01:00

This week is a week of firsts and lasts for me. It is the first week of the new opening hours in our libraries, so suddenly my working week is very different to what it was. I am really sad that I will never have Fridays off unless I take leave, but happily I will be able to see Mum on a Thursday instead, as I now have 2 Thursdays off a month in exchange for working Saturdays. Now my little library on the hill opens earlier though, I will not be able to go to the WI market any more which is a shame.

It is also the first week of the new managers at the big library...and I am finding it really difficult. I am quite sure they are finding it as hard as I am, but if they would talk to me, or just look at me occasionally I would feel a whole lot better. Within a few days, I am going to be in my last month of the big library. That feels strange and so sad. On Friday, when the other managers left, everybody thought it was my last day too, so they threw a beautiful (but, for me, overwhelmingly sad) tea party for us. Alas I spent much of the time in the bathroom in tears becuase I am not ready to say goodbye yet. One of the loveliest things, they made (actually made, from scratch!) a book for each of us with messages from all the staff in it. I haven't been able to look at it yet, but I will. I was also lucky enough to receive a little pile of parcels, but I haven't been able to look at those yet either.

I suppose one of the problems is that whilst I am never going to be happy to leave, at least the situation woudl be eased a little bit if I had something to leave to go to. But nothing, and no hint of anything either. I had a really upbeat careers advice session with a professional, and been given a training grant, but since then I have met with nothing but dead ends and frustration. And I know, I really know, that we are in a downturn and there are many applications for every job. But I could never be so rude as to not at least acknowledge an application. Even if it was an automated outright rejection email, just something....when I do have a job again, I will never treat people as I have been treated.

So you can probably tell I have been finding it difficult to keep my chin up at the moment. I just feel as though there is this gaping black hole in front of me, and I am being inexorably moved towards it. You can see then, how Fleur de Guerre's post (click the title of this post to find it, or go to her blog via my sidebar, it is the post titled 'maximum glamour') just hit the spot for me. I looked down and realised I have chipped nail polish. That will never do! So I am going to spruce myself up a bit and try and keep my chin up. It is so hard though. I think it is the stress and being a bit run down, but I woke up with my ear bleeding again today, so I am waiting for a call from the doctor to tell me when I can go in and see him. Perhaps once I have some ear drops, freshly painted nails and a walk in the fresh air, I will feel better.

It is one of my favourite kinds of weather today - bright dazzling sunshine with terribly overcast skies, the threat of rain, but wonderfully invigorating wind. I find it really helps blow the cobwebs away!

I am babysitting for my godchildren this evening...alone! So I will also be preparing Carl a supper-on-a-plate for when he gets home, and I fancy a little dabble with some crochet too...and of course, I have the rest of my Daisy Dalrymple novel to read!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Pimms and Sunburn

2011-07-05T22:17:00.003+01:00

There are some things that are just Terribly English, and Henley Royal Regatta is one of them. Everything is so lovely, and I am really glad I had a chance to go this year. The sleepy little town of Henley-On-Thames is suddenly awake and awash with ladies in frocks and men in blazers. And oh, what blazers! So many different colours and patterns representing a multitude of rowing clubs.

We were lucky enough to have seats right against the edge of the water, and although it was overcast it was warm...rather too warm towards the end of the afternoon, and I ended up cooling off by sitting on the bank with my feet in the cool water, watching the rowing races whilst sipping Pimms.

We had to be a little bit naughty with our Pimms...you were really only meant to be drinking it in the Pimms tent, but that meant that we would miss races, so we decanted ours into disposable coffee cups!

One funny thing was that in the programme for the day, it gave you the crew list for each race, and the weight of each team member (shudder!). You can imagine how we were intrigued that the ladies in the Ladies Cup were all around the 16 stone mark! We could only imagine that they had big strong shoulders and a lot of muscles...until they rowed past and we realised that whilst it is called The Ladies Cup it is in fact a competition for male rowers!

I an reading a Daisy Dalrymple novel at the moment, set at the Regatta in the 20s. I am only a little way in, but I am looking forward to reading the rest of it having been there and seen it all happening.

In some ways not much has changed...there are no big screens like you will see at some sporting events, so you only got to see what happened in front of you, and there was no commentary in our enclosure, although we could hear snatches from the Stewards' Enclosure next door to us. There were brass bands, and an old man punting up and down for all he was worth. Our tickets were not tickets in the traditional sense, but little colour coded cardboard sheilds that came with a little gold safety pin to attach it to ourselves with.

I love such low-tech technology!

During the break for lunch, we took a walk along the river, and discovered a pop-up Mahiki bar. How could I resist going in to investigate once I had spotted the pina colada cocktails they were serving? They had hollowed out pineapples, blended the flesh with the pina colada to make a kind of smoothie cocktail, then poured it back into the frozen shell, replaced the top and inserted a straw. Icey, heavenly, pineappley bliss! The best bit was that just as I had decided that although I really wanted one they were too expensive, the bartended told me they were on two-for-one, so Carl and I both got to enjoy one.

I was reall pleased as well, becuase I had curled my hair for an evening out on Saturday night, and it was still in good shape for the Regatta, and I pinned a white lily in my hair and felt quite retro and tropical all at the same time. I wore red lipstick of course, and my amazing false eyelashes. I know I have mentioned them before, but they are really worth investing in. My Mac cut-to-measure lashes stay on all day and look incredibly natural but fluttery. I had a long flowery summer dress on and felt really good. There is something to be said for researching a dress code...there were one or two people who were decidedly underdressed, and some who had made and effort which was lovely, but were more suited to Ascot than Henley. I have always thought it is better to be overdressed than under, and to have made the effort than not, but after seeing the mix of people, I conclude that it is best to do your homework and come appropriately attired!

Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday.

Love
Mimi
xxx

Mimi's Jingle Belles

2011-07-05T22:04:00.002+01:00

Well ladies, it is time to pour a cup of tea in your favourite cup, and to savour one of those expensive but delicious biscuits, or whatever other treat you save for best. It is halfway to Christmas, and dare I say it, I do believe that we are at least halfway to being ready!

By now you know just what your Christmas is going to look like this year, have all your lists ready, some projects started, some gifts bought and a little nest egg of money nestled away. Doesn't it feel good?

I love that come December, of course there will be things to do, but the main thing on our list is going to be to enjoy the season, ourselves and our families. Just think, none of those awful Saturday-before-Christmas trips to crowded shops before collapsing exhausted into Starbucks, getting back home and then remembering the one thing you were meant to get...

No, no, this year, we will be having a lovely walk and then enjoying a lingering coffee in Starbucks, before going home to watch a lovely black and white festive film on tv!

And to help us get a bit closer, here is the to-do list for this month!

Firstly, tuck away a little more money in your savings jar. Doesn't it feel nice to have that money stashed away? You can start to think about what you might use it for in December, if you haven't already. At least one thing should be something that you have always wanted to buy but put off as 'too expensive' or 'too frivolous' or the like.

Next, some more work on the Christmas cards please, if you are crafting your own. Otherwise, make sure you managed to finish off the craft projects you started last month.

Next, you need to decide on the recipe you are going to use to make your Christmas cake. I like to try different recipes each year, in my quest to find the perfect one. I usually take it from Good Housekeeping or Good Food magazine's November issue (although not necessarily November of the current year!). Make a list of ingrediants and count them up. Now work out how many 'big' supermarket shops you have left till the point you need to bake your cake. Hopefully the number of weeks will be equal to or smaller than the number of things you need to buy! From now on, each time you do a shop, buy one of the things on your list. Making a rich fruit cake can be quite expensive, especially if you need brandy or rum or similar to soak the fruit in and feed the cake with, so by getting ahead now, you won't be denting your budget later.

Last thing for this month, spend a happy hour planning some Christmas fun. It wouldn't be Christmas for me without a visit to the Bury St Edmund's Christmas Fayre, so I will be looking up the dates and pencilling them into my diary. Do you want to go to a Christmas market? Have a day in London? Go to a carol concert? Try to do a little scheduling now, as it is truly terrifying how soon it wil be before you are putting other appointments for November and December in your diary!

Now have a flick through that book from last month. Smile and pour yourself another cup of tea, you deserve it! Well done!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Sips To Soothe The Soul

2011-06-24T17:19:00.002+01:00

Can you hear my kettle boiling? I often miss the whistling of my old kettle, but am coming to appreciate the soft and rapid bubbling of my new electric kettle. When I have a gas hob again, I will definitely be dusting off the whistling kettle....but for now the electric kettle is suiting us well. It is something of a revelation to have boiling water within a minute or so of wanting it!

And I am afraid to say that this afternoon I was in need of a cup of tea to soothe the soul. Although the interview did not go badly, actually, they said it was good....there was someone better. So no job. On one hand it is nice to know that I did not embarass myself, but I can't help feeling that if you don't have a job it doesn't matter if the interview went terribly, not too badly or rather quite well....you still don't have a job!

I know that in the future months I may well look back at this and think about how silly I was to be feeling so melodramatic, and hopefully I will be looking back from the vantage point of having a fabulous new job that I love, that will make me wonder why I stayed so long in what I am doing now, but it is so hard to see how that day will come about. I am now, frankly, feeling terrified. In a little over a month, I will be employed only 17 hours a week, and that is just not enough for me to get by on. Of course my lovely husband can help out in the short term, but in the long term we both need to be working, and I feel bad, like my failing at work shouldn't cost him money he works so hard to earn. I feel like I am grasping at straws, casting about for any idea of what to do.

I am not proud about what I do. Essentially I need to keep the money coming in, but I also would love to work at something that I believe I make a difference somehow in. That is one of the reasons why I have loved working in libraries so much.

I keep getting told that I have to put on a brave face at work and play the game...but frankly, in this moment I just dont want to. I want to cry and shout and scream, I want to smear my makeup all over my face and cry and show them how bruised and battered I am feeling. I want to not go into work, to lay in bed, to curl in a ball, to burn with anger and just stop being the grownup.

But I won't do that...I can't remember which silver screen star said it, but one of them did...'that just isn't showbizz' and while I know this isnt showbizz...I do believe that we are all stars of our own stages. So I pour a cup of tea, have my quiet cry, despair at ever hearing anything other than 'we are sorry, you weren't successful this time' put on my red lipstick and try again. Its just it feels awfully scary when it appears that the glitter has worn off your sparkle, the diamonds are turning to paste...

But I won't go on. I don't want this to be an unhappy place for me or for anybody who is kind enough to stop by to read my little writings. So, things to cheer:

1) I have a cup of tea and a 'spiced and iced' bun from Marks and Spencer, surely a combination to salve sore souls.

2) I am crocheting with the most amazingly soft dove grey alpaca yarn from a company called Drops. I had not heard of them before, but I will be buying from them again. It is an apple cosie to match the covers of Persephone books!

3) There is a vintage fayre on tomorrow, just five minutes from work, so I shall pop in on my tea break.

4) I have taken up doing 10 minutes of yoga in the morning, which makes me feel....good.

5) I have an audio book to listen to whilst I crochet.

6) Blog friends old and new.

7) I am off to Henley Regatta next week....so adventures to look forward to.

Thank you for listening, and wherever you are, I hope your teapot is always full of good cheer!

Love
Mimi
xxx

Tomato and Lentil Soup (with rather too much dried chilli)

2011-06-22T21:01:00.003+01:00

Lightly fry an onion in a little oil, and when soft, stir in a crushed clove of garlic. When it starts to smell fragrant, stir in a good shaking of dried rosemary, and a handful of red lentils (about 2-3oz) and a chopped red pepper. Stir in a tin of chopped tomatoes, and about 700ml stock. Add a pinch of dried chilli, then bubble away until the lentils are soft, which will take about 15 minutes. Give it a whizz in a food processor (I used my beloved vitamix) then serve with a smile and a sofa to relax into, and a box of tissues to dab at your nose with! Enjoy!

A Day Spent In Bliss

2011-06-22T20:44:00.002+01:00

There are some days that just flow, somehow. Not necessarily special days, not birthdays or anniversaries, but just some days when you wake up, and everything just seems right. I was going to say that it is the kind of day where the sun is shining, but while there has been sunshine, there has also been torrential rain, and even that has been just right.

Firstly, I went to the Clarins Spa which is actually situated within a Debenham's Department Store. Now when I first visited last year I was a little hesitant about the location, but oh my, you soon forget you are in the middle of a shop. To be fair, you are in a room within a shop, and a proper one at that, not just a partition, but still, it is hard to remember there are people shopping just yards away. With the lights down low, tucked up in the cosy bed and soft music playing whilst you are massaged and pampered, it is easy to float off to a place of bliss. This Triactive Facial was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and I had been saving it up. I have had a facial at the Clarins Spa before, but this was my first Triactive one. I have to say that for me it was really effective, the products smell divine, the emphasis is on personalisation to your needs, lots and lots of massage and relaxation. I enjoyed the process very much, from the eye mask at the beginning, and being asked to breathe in deeply the scent of lavender to the scalp massage at the end, but I think my skin was more glowy after the facial I had there previously. After that facial, I had lots of friends at work stop me and ask me what I had done to my skin because it looked so good, which was really lovely. My skin did feel really smooth though, and it was a lovely way to spend an hour.

After that, the train to Witham, with the rain tapping lightly at the windows. Happily it held off while I walked to my destination, which was lunch with the lovely Angela and my goddaughter Lucy. We had a veritable feast - grilled halloumi, lamb koftas, falafel, salad, houmous and toasted pitta bread, washed down of course, with pots of tea!

Then back to Chelmsford where I ordered us Sky tv at last, at last! We have had no tv at all since we moved, and whilst on one hand it has been nice having a break from it, we are ready once again, I think. I ordered the package that gave us TCM as I love that channel and am looking forward to black and white films already! I had a voucher from Grazia magazine for a free trial set of the new skincare range from Benefit. It said that it was worth £10 and to be honest I was a little cynical, so imagine my delight to be given a little box that opened to reveal three samples in minature bottles big enough for at least a weeks use! I have taken a photo, which I will share when I do a review of the products. They are meant to boost radiance which is my main skin care concern at the moment. I will report back!

Then I walked home where I read a back issue of The Lady, painted my nails bright red, then poured a long bath where I soaked reading The Debutante by Kathleen Tessaro which is just delicious. It reminds me vaguely in atmosphere of The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, and I am enjoying it very much.

Next, a little light cooking for supper. One of my standby recipes, for tomato and lentil soup, although I seem to have overdone the dried chilli a little bit, so I am alternating sips of soup with dabbing of my nose!

I cannot remember if I have shared this with you yet...but I have a job interview on Friday morning, for a job within libraries. I am feeling strangely calm....I was before the last one, and that didn't work out so well! I am not sure if it is a good sign or a bad sign. I am in the same room as the last interview which I don't like, although I know it doesn't have anything to do with anything. Oh well, we shall see!

Love, Mimi xxx

This Evening I Am...

2011-06-14T21:08:00.002+01:00

...sitting at home in the twilight alone, as poor Carl is working late...

...boiling the kettle for the third time for the cup of tea I still haven't managed to make...

...breathing in cool air from the open window...

...feeling slightly headachey and feverish...

...yet still listening to The Best Of The Corrs on my laptop...

...crocheting another apple cosy...

...wearing red, which is fast becoming my signature colour...

...looking forward to my day off with Mum on Friday...

...thinking how writing a blog is rather like writing an open letter to the world, and the loveliest of people read it and reply...a special thank you to Dinah for your words which are a real comfort...

...trying to decide if I want a bath before bed or just to wrap myself in the soft covers and drift off to sleep...

...wondering what to buy my father and father-in-law for father's day on Sunday...

...feeling so grateful for friends and family...

Lovely Craft Magazines

2011-06-13T18:28:00.006+01:00

Once upon a time, eleven or so years ago, I came across a single copy of the most amazing magazine on a market stall. It was Martha Stewart Living magazine, and I had never seen anything like it before. It had recipes, home makeing ideas, craft projects, all kinds of things. It was so obviously not English...it just had a style all of its own. I searched the stall for months, but they never had another copy. I begged and begged my newsagent, taking in my precious copy to show him, and eventually he agreed to try and get it for me. It meant he had to get it shipped over from America, and it took so long that each copy was always out of date before I got it, but I didn't care, I loved it so much. Over the last decade, happily, it has become much easier to get, and now you can wander into WHSmiths to buy it. Part of me likes being able to get it easily, and in date, but part of me misses the loveliness of having it shipped over. I only keep special issues of it now, and have Valentines, Easter, Halloween and Christmas issues from every year going right back to 2000.

At that time there just weren't the craft magazines there are now, and most of them came from America. There was a newsagent that used to sell American Cross Stitcher magazine which I loved to read but never wanted to sew anything out of. And then there was Crafts Beautiful. Now it isn't that it wasn't good at the time, but after a year or so of Crafts Beautiful, it seemed to recycle itself and go round on a loop. It didn't really speak to me any more....every project was very so-so, and I wasn't seized with the urge to go and make things right away. Or....ever.

Oh, how things have changed, and particularly in the past year or two. It started with Simply Knitting magazine which I don't buy any more, but did buy for about a year. Modern, lovely projects! Things I wanted to knit! That I could knit! And then Sew Hip which felt more relevant to me. And then, I discovered Selvedge. It was one of those moments when everything changes. Here was this magazine which was really expensive, really specialised...and I understood! I got! I was inspired by! It was like being in a secret club. There were other people out there like me, who like the things I like! But much as I love it, Selvedge is not really a 'how to make' crafts magazine, and is quite grownup. Imagine my pleasure when Making Magazine came out. It was like Selvedge's younger cousin. More friendly and accessible, with lots more projects in. A million miles away from Crafts Beautiful! Not as expensive as Selvedge...and just bliss. The Vintage issue remains my favourite. I could read it 100 times and find something new in it. I have made many of the recipes and projects in this issue, and it even inspired me to get a fringe cut it!

So, being fully content with Making, the odd issue of Selvedge and a regular dose of Martha Stewart, I really couldn't have wanted for more. But it seems that in the world of craft magazines, it is either feast or famine, and we are in a fabulous feast period! Handmade Living is just on the second issue and is utter, utter bliss. I like it even more than Making. Somehow everything is just a little bit more to my taste. Run out and buy a copy now! The first issue had an interview with Jane Brocket, who I love, and the second has a pattern from her new knitting book in it. I am very seriously on the verge of subscribing to this one. If I get the job I have applied for, this may well be my reward!

Also on the second issue, which has only been out for a day or two, is Mollie Makes. Oh, Mollie Makes! What can I say? An utterly blissful magazine. Almost like a blog in paper format, with a mini craft kit free with each issue, there is nothing else out there like this. It has managed to find its own niche, somehow. There are projects in it, but it is not just about the projects. It is inspiration in paper covers. Oddly, when I read the first issue, I decided I liked Handmade Living more. And as a crafting magazine, I probably do. But Mollie Makes has grown and grown on me. It is beautifully styled, and is almost not a crafting magazine, more of an ideas and inspiration magazine about making things, with some projects thrown in. Oh, it is too hard to explain! But I like that I get more out of it after putting it aside for a few weeks then re-reading it. On my first read, I thought 'apple cosies?! pish, posh, who would ever want to make those?!' On re-reading it, I thought 'hmmm...well my apple does get a bit bashed about in my handbag....and they look quick to make....and don't take much yarn....and two days later I have 3 apple cosies! I took one to work today and left it on my desk, and had a constant stream of people asking where I got it and saying what a good idea it is!

If you click on this link http://youtu.be/UqV8WV8Ddos hopefully you will get whisked off to youtube to see the beautiful little film they have made to go with the magazine. I showed it to my lovely husband who commented 'oh look, they have the same kettle as us. Oh, they have the same EVERYTHING as us. Oh....she's you!' which made me smile.

The other magazines I like to keep up with are The Chap, although they really should bring back The Chapette section, and Vintage Living magazine. All to be savoured with a cup of tea, and a notebook to hand to jot down new ideas!

Happy reading!