ROSE COOKIES

Reading my sons latest novel has been something of a revelation . His writing style ,always good has matured immeasurably in just the few weeks since his last novel was published. Had I not know that my son was the authour I would never have guessed in a hundred years.
Add to this the fact that this is exploring a completely new genre his grasp of which seems faultless and it is easy to understand why his proof readers are so impressed.

I was surprised that I was not given a copy at once, especially as crime fiction is my field of expertise but by the time the lesbian lover of the first victim showed up and then turned out to be AC/DC I began to understand his reticence. Why is it that our children feel that we need to be sheltered from such things I can not imagine. Well before I was twenty I had been forced to deliver a swift kick in the groin to one of my lecturers who I knew to be gay and who turned out to be a double agent as it were!

His work is accomplished,mature,humorous and imaginative and have not enjoyed a book so much for a long time. We have a bet running that I will not be able to guess who done it by the middle of the book. If I fail it will be the first time for ages as I usually work it out within the first few pages unless of course the author cheats and does not introduce the killer until almost the end of the book, a common and very cheap trick which is played by some surprisingly famous authors....they know who they are!

With a little Christmas gift money to spend I set off for the garden centre where there is a sale on at present. I was lucky enough to purchase a huge sheet of fleece for £4 , a wrought iron out door clock for £5, a pair of secateurs in a holster for £4 and a brilliant bubble gun for 50p. Pleased with my bargains I returned to the kitchen much refreshed after the mornings bread making and set about baking a batch of cookies.

ROSIE SHORTIES

4oz butter
4oz plain flour
2oz caster sugar
1 teaspoon of rose syrup or rose water
2oz pistachio nuts chopped
4 oz dried cranberries

Beat the sugar and butter together and add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Roll in to small balls and place on a greased baking sheet then using a fork dipped in hot water press down gently
Bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes then cool on a wire rack. The flavour of rose is faint but overall they have a good flavour.

The boys treated me to a night with no cooking and we had fish and chips, which made a lovely change for me and of course it meant that there was next to no washing up.................bliss!

The weekend is almost here again, how quickly it has come around again and it is well for us all that it has, my sons working weeks become more fraught for us all as each month passes and I for one will breath a huge sigh of relief when he finally tells them to “Take their job and shove it” as the song says It will be their loss believe me!