BAKE A REAL FRESH LOAF TODAY

NOW HEAR THIS



1 .Bread making is not the strange mysterious business we have in the past been lead to believe.


2 .Baking bread with fast acting yeast will make a loaf every bit as good as a loaf baked with fresh yeast, so ignore the bread snobs!

3 .Bread making does not take hours to do.

Once you believe the above statements beautiful bread is within your grasp, try it once and you will be hooked. Now throw out your bread making recipes and have faith.

You will need a large bowl for mixing the dough, a 2 lb loaf tin and a baking sheet.

To make a white loaf.

1 and a half pounds of strong bread flour

2 teaspoons of dried yeast

1 or 2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar

half to three quarters of a pint of water.

2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

Grease the tins . Put the dry ingredients in to a large bowl and mix well,add the oil and mix again. Now add the water gradually as you do not need the dough to wet. All this rubbish about the wetter the better only means that you will have to add more flour during the kneading process to prevent the dough from sticking pt the work top. This will upset the flour to dough ratio and spoil the bread.

Turn the dough out on to a floured work top and begin to knead gently,do not pull and tear the dough treat it with a little love. Add small amounts f flour if required and knead for ten minutes then divide in to two.

For the tin loaf

Take half of the dough and knead for 1 minute then shape in to a round. Flatten with your palms into the size of a small p[pizza then fold sides to middle, tuck in the ends and put in to the loaf tin smooth side up. Do not worry if it looks small it will fill the tin later. Ache a sharp knife and cut through the middle of the loaf to form a split,cover with greased cling film and leave until doubled in size.

Take the second piece of dough and knead for 1 minute them shape in to a round as before tucking the edges underneath. Now roll with your hands to form a fat sausage shape and lift on to a tray. With a sharp knife score 6 slits at an angle across the to[of the loaf to form a bloomer. Cover with greased cling film and leave until doubled in size. In a warm kitchen this does not take long so turn your oven tempature to 230oC.

When the dough has risen brush the top with a little milk or sprinkle with flour then place in the hot oven for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes reduce the temperature to 200oC and bake for a further fifteen minutes. Remove from the oven then remove form the tins and cool on a wire rack,cover with a clean cloth while cooling as this will ensure a crust which is not too hard.

If granary of barley bread is your pleasure use 2 thirds granary flour to one third white bread flour and proceed as usual this ensures a lighter loaf,rather than the rocky artisan loaves you buy in the shops.

Remember that it is as easy to make five loaves as it is to make one so it is worth making your bread rolls, baguettes etc all at once and freezing then for later use.
I bake bread three times a week and the whole process usual takes about an hour from start to finisincluding the washing up.

Think of the gorgeous toast,the home make garlic bread,the sandwiches and the fresh bread rolls with some tasty home made soup,it really is worth the effort so have a go.

One more thing, making your own bread does wonders for your kitchen cred!

THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR

Since out neighbours moved out several months ago the house next door has stood empty. Our cottage is a mirror image of the other both inside and out,they are very old and very picturesque and their charm is added to by the pretty cottage gardens and the leafy lane in which they are situated .


With all this in their favour you might suppose that there would be a queue of prospective tenants lined up in the lane waiting to view....not so. There is a down side to living in these properties not the least of which is the poor state of repair in which they are kept. Then there is the lack of any parking space and the fact that the nearest bus stop is half a mile away The proximity of the river could be said to detract in some ways although speaking for myself I love being able to walk a few steps and have the pleasure of the Thames in all its moods.

Inside our cottage has been left as it was with a large kitchen downstairs and a decent sized sitting room, upstairs a large bathroom and two bedrooms, a small double and a single complete the interior. Next door the inside has been much altered, all the lovely old fireplaces have been removed(our cottage has an open fire place in every room). The kitchen is tiny having been made smaller to give a separate dinning area,the alteration has not benefited the house at all.

Upstairs the bathroom is basic..I am being kind here,Spartan would be the best way to describe its facilities and the bedrooms are much smaller that the estate agent claims.
The house is described as having two double bedrooms and this is a joke,if you were foolish enough to try to squeeze a double bed in to the small if the two rooms-the foot of the bed would be under the window and the head at the bedroom door so that the only way to get in to bed would be to climb over the foot of the bed and then of course you would not be able to close the door.

The final nail in the coffin is the price a massive £1,800per calendar month which is outrageous. In this area you can lease a five bedroomed detached house for 2,000 a month with car paring ,fully fitted kitchen with appliances,

Recently the price was slashed to £1,500 which is still far too much and most people who have viewed have express their shock at the price ,the smallness of the bedrooms and have been angry at having their time wasted in the viewing of an obviously unsuitable property.


Of course it does have the benefit of very nice neighbours......us....and a steady stream of home made jams and crusty bread which has flowed between the two cottages for years.


The owner and the estate agents are foolish to try to aggrandise these charming little cottages,they are what they are,that is their charm and even with many of its original fittings removed the house next door is lovely.


We would love to have neighbours again,preferably some one with a cat,rather than a dog ,it would if the price was right make a lovely little home for a couple with child and there are some wonderful schools in the area and a huge green park across the road for playing in.

If anyone fitting this description is out there and would like too know more please do drop me a line.

ROBINS IN THE KITCHEN

Summer has certainly been rather a washout so far and gardeners everywhere are groan8ng dismally at the sight of slug ravages crops, none existent strawberry crops and sulky tomatoes and yet for some it has ,seemingly been a bumper year.




This summer wet as it has been has also been a remarkably successful year for robins,all the pairs known to me have raised three broods each ans the garden is heaving with their progeny.

Spring born youngsters are already beginning to acquire their red breasts while the mid summer young still sport their spots. Younger still ,the recently hatched brood still have the wide yellow edges to their beaks and seem pathetically unsure of themselves in a world full of other ,more experienced birds. This ans the presence of a large nest of ants by the back door has lead to a minor invasion so that whenever the door is open I have young robins for company.

Pa and I breakfasted this morning with two of the newest fledglings searching the kitchen floor for crumbs and begging very prettily for more. While I am cooking one of these youngsters sits quietly on the top of the door just waiting for some small morsel to be accidentally dropped to the floor and of course it often does.
Before the kitchen door was opened this morning one stalwart little fellow came tapping boldly on the widow to attract my attention as I filled the kettle for our breakfast pot of tea.

One little chap,bolder still has taken to visiting my bedroom via the newly opened side window having discovered that I am often brought tea and toast by my son on his return from night shift.

Helping himself to crumbs from the plate has become a regular event and he has also become used to the television I my room,he is such a dear. Our cat Twiggy behaves impeccably whenever the robins are indoors,she treats them as family as she used to behave towards our budgie Charlie Bird.

Having pen mast of my life watching birds I can say with conviction that I have never know such a year ,not just for hatchlings but also for survivors as most young robins last less that a week once they are fledged, falling prey to cats,kestrels and other predators.

What it truly odd it the fact that in our gardens robins appear to have suspended the territorial behaviour for which they are notorious and it is not unusual to seen six adult birds feeding in our comparatively small yard.

Even the number of nests in our gardens is unusual there being enough territory for one breeding pair,we have three.

This behaviour has been developing over a period of around ten years and I confess self baffled by it as no where can I find any record of this type of behaviour.

Last year their was one quite fierce robin fight when a new comer arriver in early spring but within a week both pairs were nesting within twenty feet of each other....it is very odd.

I have always adored robins, for me they are special and over the years I have had man robin friends,this however is exceptional and we all feel very honoured by the trust placed in us by these cheeky little birds. If thins continue as they have done we shall not need to place our robin decorations on our Christmas tree this year...we shall have the real thing.

THE P.P.I.PESTS

What an infernal pain in the behind are the companies that importune us around the clock to use their services to claim back ,( presuming that we had any in the first place) our miss sold P.P.I.


During the past week we have received an average of four calls a day on our land line and collectively on our various mobiles well over a dozen. Over a period of four days I have been woke six times by these parasitic pests,they really are worse than midges and a darn sight more noisy!

The fact the no one living at this address has taken out P.P.I seems to be beside the point, they claim to know that I have a claim worth over £3,000......rubbish. I can only assume that the have one of those extremely expensive lines which charge any one rash enough to call a small fortune per minute. Unless of course in a moment of madness which I have now totally forgotten I took out P.P.I. On the credit card I do not have or the bank loan I never took out.

What aggrieves me more than all is the fact that there is no way to take revenge upon these menaces since the calls are automated,it's a bummer! Many years ago when I lived in the Midlands there was a dreadful commercial which kept exhorting one to call”Cradely Heath 65100 NOW, we are waiting to take your call!!! This number was screamed at lest ten times on every ad and the ad was aired every fifteen minutes and soon became unbearable.

Everyone hate this commercial and soon began to take revenge upon the company. Having been ordered to make the call people did so in their thousands,not to enquire about the product but to yell obscenities at the poor sap on the other end of the line. Soon enough the add was with drawn and I believe the company went on to publish a lexicon of foul and blasphemous language.

Another company claims to know that I could, if I used their services claim a cheque for £6,500 for an accident which took happened at my place of work.

NEWSFLASH...........I have not had any accidents that were not my own stupid fault since I was knocked off my motor bike by a drunk back in 1972, and as it happens I have not had an employer for twelve years.

This type of call comes through so often that I begin to wonder if perhaps I am leading a double life of perhaps I slip occasionally into another dimension and have endless accidents at work.....who can say?

Seriously though I do think that it is time the cold calling racket was stopped. People like myself have to answer their telephones,my mother is almost a hundred,I worry about her. Perhaps Pa needs me,perhaps it is the hospital....so I rushed to answer the telephone today and took a very nasty fall.

Hmmmmm. I wonder if the company who caused this accident would sue themselves on my behalf for the injury I received when trying to get to the bloody telephone to take one of their bloody calls? What do you think?

THE OLYMPIC GAMES,HERE AT LAST.

THE OLYMPICS, HERE AT LAST.

It seems only a few months since we heard that the Olympic Games were coming to the United Kingdom and suddenly here it is. With excitement so intense it can almost be tasted everyone is holding their breath,hoping that our opening ceremony will be something to be proud of ,that the weather will be kind and praying that our athletes do well.

What ever happens tonight we will have provided a wonderful venue for the Great Games a warm welcome for all who come either to take part , to watch or just to feel the atmosphere of being in the host city. I would like to congratulate all who helped to get us this far and wish good fortune the all the athletes who have honoured us by being here.

Pa and I were invited to a barbecue tonight to watch the opening ceremony on a big screen, Unfortunately I have been unwell today and am ordered to rest. I did however manage to escape captivity this morning for long enough to capture some photographs of the Royal Barge Gloriana as she passed our stretch of the Thames on her way from Hampton Court to the Tower.

Enjoy the games,the sunshine and the excitement and above all have a good weekend.

TAKE THAT MURPHY !

Some days you just can't take a trick but today we showed Murphy a clean pair of heels and came out on top for a change.


It was always going to be a busy day as we had a grocery delivery arriving at noon,the plumber was calling to finish a minor detail in the bathroom and we were expecting a washer dryer to be delivered too.

Ten O clock arrived but not the plumber,we were not unduly concerned about this as they are usually so very reliable that we realised at once that they would soon let is know if there was any difficulty. Pa began to assemble the flat pack shelves which he should have dealt with yesterday and I prepared the kitchen for the onslaught.

The plumbers arrived bless them and had almost finished when to chaps who looked,and it turned out acted like Laurel and Hardy!

They took the old machine to their van and having disconnected the washing machine declared flatly that they could not connect the new machine as it was a cold feed

I need not tell you they there had been no mention of our needing a plumber to fit the machine when it was ordered and I was distinctly dischuffed by their off hand attitude. Before I had a chance to voice my annoyance our darling plumbers came to the rescue and within a few minutes all was well, and it was they who sent the delivery men off with a flea in their ears.

There is apparently a scam going on where by the delivery drivers say that they cannot do the job and then remember that they know a plumber who could help. Before you know where you are you have a huge plumbers bill which the three split between teem. We were so very lucky that our honest plumbers came a little late and were kind enough to help us out.

I offered to pay them but they stoutly refused. Amazing isn't it?

With the kitchen in a mess I began to mop up the water and put the furniture back in place half way through which the grocery van drew up out side, I stopped and waited,and waited, and waited. After half an hour we went out to see what was happening, perhaps the drive was ill we thought, but not so, He had arrived early he said and would nor bring in the goods until the exact time stated on the order!

Pa advised him to stop buggering about and to bring the groceries in at once OR ELSE!

Or else he could take the lot back to the shop...the driver complied but with a very bad grace t must be said. I asked him why he thought that people paid for home delivery.......no reply.

Then I told him that it was for the sake of convenience that people paid his company for the service and that since I had paid the damned piper I was bloody well going to call the tune, and that if he gave me any more trouble he could take the lot back to the depot forthwith!

That did the trick, yet it bears out what I have often said about the standard of service these days. Be it Government, banks ,Local Authority, Shops, Postal services or even washing machine delivery men, they none of them seem able to grasp that we pay them to be were they are and have a right to get what we have paid for. Service means exactly that and yet time and again we are treated as if they are conferring upon us a great favour in doing what we have paid them to do. Rant over!

Thus was Murphy trounced for once and although I have no doubt that the evil son of a....Will soon take his revenge it was good to come out on top at last.
Thank the Gods for serendipity!



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COLD PASTA SALAD FOR A HOT SUMMER EVENING

With the unaccustomed heat and a very busy day in prospect I took the precaution of making extra pasta yesterday and left it in the refrigerator over night to chill,this with a few additions made a tasty no cook meal for three this evening.


CRAB AND PRAWN PASTA SALAD

8oz pasta shells cooked and cooled

8oz fresh or tinned crab meat

8oz prawns fresh or frozen

4 spring onions finely chopped

half a pint of crème fraich

I small tin of sweet corn

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

1 clove of garlic crushed with salt

9 cherry tomatoes halved

paprika

pepper

1 tablespoon of fish sauce.

Put the pasta in a large bowl, if the chilled pasta has stuck together separate it gently with a fork. Mix in all the ingredients except the paprika making sure that they are spread evenly throughout the dish.
Garnish with a sprinkling of the paprika and serve at once.
CHEESE APPLE AND WALNUT PASTA

If you prefer you may add to the same amount of pasta

8 oz strong cheddar cut in to small cubes

2 large red apples cut into cubes

4 oz walnut pieces

2 heaped tablespoons of mayonnaise

Mix all the ingredients together,top with the paprika of a good grating of black pepper.

Swarming ants by the back door and a nest or newly fledged robins have made for an emtertaining day, Winged ants by the hundred climbed up the wall and many came inat the door four spotty young robins made hay while thesun shon hoping in and out of the kitchen all afternoon.One sat on the back of Pa's chair and pounced on the soft bodied flyng ants,another sat on the top of the door and picked them off as the climbed the wall while the other two hoped about on the door mat where business was brisk.
I can think of no better way to while away an hour than in such charmingand amuing company

CHERRY CAKE..BAKING AS A DISPLACEMENT ACTIVITY.

Wild to return to the garden you may imagine my chagrin when I awoke this morning to discover that my hip was so painful that walking was tricky enough to make gardening out of the question. Sundays exertions are I fear still having an effect on my mobility.


My son returned from work late poor boy, we shared some toast and coffee before he took a shower and went off to bed. Last week he finally bit the bullet and allowed me to cut of his beard and pony tail and gave me a cart blanch to style it as I thought best. I am glad to know that he had no idea how scared I was,trying as I did not to show that my hands were shaking. I made a most unlikely Delilah!

We had purchased a set of electric clippers ,something quite new to me, there was nothing for it but to brazen it out,I took hold of the pony tail and with my scissors chopped it off at a stroke! Now it was irrevocable I felt a little better. With his hair at shoulder length he look like the young Oscar Wilde and for a moment I toyed with the idea of leaving it at that. No, I decided to go for broke and pressed on hacking and slashing like a jungle explorer until at last something resembling a style appeared. Quickly I tidied the new short cut with the electric trimmer and thank the Gods it looked rather good.

Next came the beard,long and covering all of his visage south of the nose under which a moustache had been disporting itself for some years. As I cut a face appeared which I had not seen for fifteen years,the face of my young son as he looked on his first day at college,it was a long time before I managed to stop crying

Once recovered I gave Pa a hair cut, quite short but a young style which suits him I think.

Now here is the rub,I cut most of the family hair both male and female so the whole family look neat and smart...except me. I still have waist length hair which is causing trouble an no one to cut if for me!

Back to today not feeling exact;y full of frolic I decided to bake and cherry cake seemed just right for today

CHERRY CAKE

4 oz butter

6 oz caster sugar

6oz self raising flour

4 tablespoons of milk

2 eggs

4 oz glacé' cherries

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin and set oven to 350 oC.

Beat the butter and sugar together then add the eggs one at a time and beat for 1 minute.

Add the milk and the flour with the cherries and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture in to the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin. This cake slices neatly and keeps well just as long as you hide the cake tin!
N.B. I once used fresh cherries in this recipe and it was very good served as a pudding with single cream. Remember to remove the stones

SUMMER'S HERE ?

Daylight was well established before I fell asleep last night and so I enjoyed the lovely cool night air while watching the young fox cubs,now well grown play fighting togethe up and down the orchard. Pipistrell bats were busy snapping up moths and flying beetles of which there were a great multitude.

Two tom cats arrived at about two thirty and proceeded to perform a discordant duet upon the garden wall,ten minutes later three more had joined them and a full blown choir practice was under-way. Twiggy,to whom I supposed they were singing remained impassive and at last I was obliged to terminate their impromptu concert with the aid of a powerful water pistol kept handy for the purpose! This was not an isolated event.
I made a pot of tea and indulged in my secret vice of munching Oreo biscuits, very naughty indeed. At precisely four in the morning the first plane screamed over head (we live on the Heathrow flight path) and I was resigned to no sleep at all .Even so I switched on the news climbed in to bed and fell fast asleep during the weather forecast.

Rising early to make the bread meant that I had only a couple of hours,but hey,that’s better than none. Down stairs I discovered that Pa had for once slept well,I gave him coffee and got on with the bread.

My son,who begins a week of night shifts tonight should have slept in late but a combination of low flying aircraft,heat and open windows did not permit this and when our local campanologists began to practice their Sunday peel he gave up and joined Pa and I for breakfast.

Through out the course of today I have struggled to remain awake and have accomplished very little, every time I stopped moving around I dozed off and as I was very sore from yesterdays exertions that was the one thing I did not wish to do much of. How the hell my son will manage at work tonight I dare not think.

The sun has now shone for two whole days and the meteorologists are assuring us that summer has arrived at last. I give it no credence and shall continue to pack a raincoat in the buggy pack when ever I venture forth. Wouldn't it be lovely if it were true?

SUNDAY IN THE ORCHARD

At last, not just a dry sunny day but a dry sunny day when I had no baking of any other household chores to do. Five minutes after breakfast I was out in the sunshine with my tools ,Twiggy and Robin,a large bottle of squash and a very happy heart .

My poor kitchen garden had never looked so neglected ,after weeks of rain the pathways were overgrown and my first task was to strim them.

Strimming is becoming increasingly difficult for me and although my machine is a small one it still feels very heavy to me ,next year I mean to buy a harness for it so that the weigh will be spread more evenly. Quite apart from my infirmities strimming is a slow business for me as I always try to check for frogs ,toads and other small creatures which might be roosting at the edges of the pathways

I was very relieved and very tired by the time the job was done as the wet weather had encouraged the grass to grow long and lush,it was damned hard work,but satisfying as it gives an instant look of tidiness.

Tying in the rampant new growth of the Japanese Wine berry I observed that unlike most of this years fruit bush this year should be a bumper harvest,the small bright red fruits are sweet and make excellent decorations for cakes and puddings.

Blackberries are also forming in good quantities and my hopes are high although without apples making jelly will be difficult. Weeds had taken liberties in my absence and I set about them with a will pulling them up and carting them to the compost heap ready to be chopped up and mixed in.

Bindweed is a menace and we have more than our fair share of the obnoxious plant which will,if allowed strangle the life out of other plants,however its flower is so pretty that I always put a few canes in at the end of the garden up which they can climb and produce their remarkable white trumpet shaped flowers without causing any damage. Of course there are always those who unnoticed begin to twist around my roses and runner beans and I am ruthless in the destruction of these marauders.

Finally I harvested some courgettes and peas and a bowl of Tay berries before a short rest on the wooden swing seat at the bottom of the garden the better to admire  my handiworK.
Finding myself once again having to contemplate the loss of this lovely old garden is almost unbearable but we neat them once and we can beat them again,in the meantime the gardening goes on as if nothing was wrong.

All too soon it was time to tidy away my tools and have a shower before dinner,I knew I was grubby but until I saw the look on Pa's face I had no idea just how grubby I was.......I headed for the shower as a matter of urgency.

Dinner, a simple stir fry of vegetables and noodles with prawns took very little time to make and I was happy that this was so as by that time I was feeling very tired and sore.

My bedroom has a window with looks across the orchard,tonight that window is open and in a little while I shall take my bed time drink and sit he window seat watching the foxes the badgers,the hedgehogs and the bats take possession for the dark hours.

If sleep does not come I shall wrap myself in a rug,make a coffee and spend the night among my garden friends whose doings are fascinating and whose presence in our garden is its crown.

SATURDAY NIGHT FERVOUR

Years ago in my misspent youth and believe me it was Saturday night was the big occasion,the one you saved your best dress for. Most of my friends spent hours doing their hair,each others hair, make up,the works. Suitably attired and you hoped irresistible you made your way to the venue of your choice.


Seriously rural areas such as my village boasted no attractions for those bent upon merriment and so we would head for the nearest village pub some three miles away. If you were fortunate and your boy friend owned a car,or have borrowed his fathers transport you would arrive at this salubrious venue without a hair our of place. Those not so fortunate would pray for a dry evening with no wind, it was surprising how often it rained.

On your arrival if unaccompanied by the much sought after boy friend you would hang around with the girls giggling in corners and trying to look aloof and encouraging at the same time. If it had been raining your first hour would be spent in the ladies loo repairing the damage which in the days of pan cake make up and before run proof mascara could be considerable......not to mention the hair!

I was of an independent nature and was not inclined to waste my time prinking and preening in order to attract one of the spotty farmers sons who frequented the pub,it was only the fact that there were far more girls than boys which made them seem attractive at all.

I preferred to put on a pair of old jeans and a t shirt to go drinking, then if it rained I did not have to worry about my clothes, my hair ,waist length defied any attempts at an up-do ,it had a mind of its own and curled wildly in damp weather so why worry?

I played darts with the boys and snooker,pub skittles and I drank pints which in those days was not the custom for young ladies, I had a great evening every time. Most of the girls who arrived unattended left the same way, I on the other hand always went home with the boys,more often than not in a car too.

Of course I was unpopular with the village girls and they vented their spite by convincing themselves that I was a scarlet woman in the making and perhaps by their standard they were right. I did feel at the time that it was odd that they should think so when it was they after all who spent hours painting their faces,finger and toenails in order to vamp every boy in sight,,but then every one has there own morality after all.

Last Saturday three young girls came tottering down the lane at around midnight,they were,as we would have said paralytic and occasionally one or other fell over and was dragged up by the other two. I have no idea if they enjoyed their Saturday night out but one thing I do know. I am vastly relieved not to have any daughters. Saturday night certainly is not what it was.

As for me ,I had a steady boy friend by the time I was sixteen,married him at nineteen and forty years later we are still together. Until recently I still did Saturday nights, a few drinks,a game of darts or snooker and even karaoke, now of course my health forbids, so hey, if your are going out tonight have one for me.

WEEKEND GOODIES

I usually bake at some time during the weekend as by Friday the cookie jars and the cake tins are all empty. One of our very favourite cakes at this time of the year is orange lavender cake. Everyone who tries it expects it to taste like scented soap and ends up asking for the recipe which is very simple.

ORANGE LAVENDER CAKE

1 orange rind and juice

a good tablespoon of lavender flowers

6 oz caster sugar

4 oz softened butter

6 oz self raising flour

2 large eggs

4 tablespoons of milk
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and light .Add the eggs orange rind and flour and beat again adding the milk as you beat.

Pour the mixture in to a 2lb loaf tin greased and lined and bake a 150oC for 35-40 minutes.
While the cake is baking put three ounces of granulated sugar in to a bowl and add the juice of the orange and the lavender flowers ,stir well.

Remove from the oven and prick full of holes with a tooth pick then spoon the orange mixture evenly over the cake . Leave to cool in the tin.

This cake is wonderful served with vanilla iced cream,it truly is the taste of summer. The addition of a little orange liqueur does this cake no harm what so ever.


SPECIAL CHEESES SCONES

10 oz plain flour

3 0z strong cheddar cheese coarsely grated

3 oz sun dried tomatoes, the ones preserved in oil, chopped finely

2 oz butter

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

salt and pepper

2 oz Gruyère finely grated

Heat oven to 400oC . Rub the butter in to the flour then add the dry ingredients and mix,add the tomatoes add the milk and mix to form a firm ball of dough.
Roll out to 1” thick and place on a greased baking sheet, gather up any oddments of dough and roll out again until all the mix is used up. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle of some of the Gruyère cheese, bake for 10-12 minutes. Eat warm. Should you have any left over re heat by sprinkling a little water over the scones ,wrap them in a cloth and place in a hot oven for about five minutes.
These scones are equally good if olives are substituted for the tomatoes,you can even be really indulgent and use both at the same time.
A very simple way to make sausage rolls a little more interesting,especially to children is to use shortcrust pastry instead of puff and spread a little tomato purree on the pastry before making the sausage rolls, a light sprinkling of fresh chives or rosemary finely chopped can also be used particularly if mini sausage rolls are required for a buffet.
With the shopping and the cleaning done the weekend is before me and although my son will be gaming all weekend and a steady stream of visitors will call I am looking forward to Sunday when the Postman will not! Cantering down stairs at he crack of dawn to collect parcels is the bane of my life!
Twiggy,dear little soul that she is sat in the garden yesterday afternoon amongst a bevy of newly fledged robins,she watched as they flitted about her and at length fell asleep with one of the birds perched cheekily on the roof of her cat house. I call that conduct above and beyond the call of duty and yo boo to Bill Oddie..cat hater!

WELSH CAKE WHEELS AND A LIKELY STORY

Having enjoyed our cawl so much I decided to make a few more Welsh teats remembered from my child hood. One of the very best were the delicious Welsh cakes which my Aunt Cissy always had ready for us when we arrived for our holiday,they can be eaten at any time and are best served cold.


WELSH CAKES

I must say that an iron griddle is much the best means of cooking Welsh cakes but with care a heavy bottomed frying pan should do the trick.

8oz self raising flour

1 egg

4oz salted butter

a handful of sultanas

3 oz caster sugar

extra butter for greasing, clarified if possible

Rub the fat in to the flour to make breadcrumbs then add the dried fruit and et sugar followed by the egg. Mix well and form in to a dough ball.

Roll out to a quarter of an inch thick and cut in to rounds with a 3” pastry cutter.

Grease the griddle,bake stone or frying pan with the clarified butter, then heat. Place the Welsh cakes on the griddle turning only once,they need about 2 minutes each side and each side need to be well browned before turning,remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while warm.


When cool split and butter them,some put on jam but \I think they are much nicer buttered.

Five weeks have elapsed since my mobility scooter broke down and it has taken until today for the insurance company to decide if they will pay for the repairs.

The scooter needed some major work on the gears and the electrics and this work ,according to the insurance policy was definitely covered. One day was all it took to get the quote from the insurance companies registered repair man....so why the wait?
A mobility scooter is not something one rides around on for fun,it is a necessity and since the insurance company we use specialises in insurance cover for these useful little vehicles you would think that a: they would have all the details readily to hand and b: they would realise how dependant the use is on his machine and damned well pull their fingers out!

We are very fortunate in tat we each have a scooter,however it was not satisfactory as quite often we both have appointments at the same hospital at similar times and of course if Pa needs to be out then I must of necessity be stuck at home. Not so, they have havered and blethered over every detail and finally today have agreed most magnanimously to cover the cost of the repairs. Now we have to wait for the repairs to be done...he ho!
Adding insult to injury that have told us that one of the scooters is now to old to be insured for any repair work......in other words just when the scooter is old enough to need worn out parts to be replaced they refuse to insure the contraption,how tiresome and how typical. Our new scooter which is still under warranty they are happy to insure...what a surprise!

SEND IN THE PRO'S?

Since our kind neighbours moved out of the cottage next door I have kept the grass mowed and edged; unfortunately I have not enough time to keep the weeds under control and during the course of the past few weeks the garden has begun to look a trifle overgrown. Initially the Estate's answer to this was to remove all the plants from both mine and the neighbouring garden and replace the flowers with turf!

Mightily annoyed on hearing this I wrote a shirty letter to the Estate Manager, here-in-after to be referred to as The Numpty and gave him the benefit of my thoughts on the matter! I asked him why, when the Estate boasted so many gardeners, did he not send a couple of them down to maintain the garden at the empty house until a tenant could be found? Much to my amazement The Numpty did exactly that and at nine this morning three 'Gardeners', including the Head Gardener arrived with strimmers. Mowers, electric saws and a plethora of other tools suitable in size and number for taming a jungle or maintaining Hyde Park!

I shall not bore you with the gory details. Suffice it to tell you that it took the three of them two and a half hours to ruin the lawn by cutting it below turf level, ripping out most of the plants, strimming the weeds from a brick yard and nicely pollarding a couple of young willow saplings which will of course make a lovely coppice in a very short time.

They were not so much Ground Force as Ground Farce, had they been working on a private garden the owner would have been heartbroken at the mess they made and would most certainly have refused to pay. The destruction of such lovely plants as  pennstemmens, lilies and fuchsias while managing to retain a large bed of ground elder and a mass of bind weed defies logic.

If the Numpty expects the house to be let any faster for the attentions of these alleged gardeners I fear he will be disappointed.

Some gardeners are what we call Paper Gardeners, who are usually stuffed up with certificates and other paper qualifications. They are not true gardeners - avoid them!

Then there are the Latin snobs...they know the Latin name for everything but could not grow a tomato or a geranium to save their lives.

Next come the gadget gardeners, the sort that hires a small digger to remove a tiny shrub and knocks down the neighbours fence while doing so instead of spending an hour or two with a spade. You will have meet the type.

There are the ones who frequent Chelsea, Tatton and Hampton Court flower show, dropping names like Gertrude Jekyl, Alan Titchmarch or waffle on about sustainability without the last idea what it means. These are boring avoid them like the plague.

A true gardener spends his whole life learning, all the time, knowing that his ignorance is still staggering. A true gardener gardens out of love, he gardens because he must, because without the joy of growing things and the closeness to the soil his life is unbearable. A true gardener nurtures,he cares and above all he understands how little of what he accomplishes could be achieved without a lot of help from nature.

I have been privileged to know men and women like these and have learned from them enough to get by, one day I hope to possess such knowledge. For now, I have the love.

A TASTE OF WALES

Another chilly day caused me to trawl through my soup and stew recipes for inspiration,after much rummaging I came across a recipe for Cawl, pronounce caul. Welsh in origin it is a hearty top cooked stew just right for a day of changeable weather


having spent a good deal of time in Wales both north and south I found that the meat used varies from place e to place, the best cawl I ever ate was at a modest road side restaurant at Wolfs Castle in Pembrokeshire where both lamb and gammon were used. My recipe contains only gammon but any stewing cut can be substituted for this.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Welsh dinner and I even had the correct cutlery in the form of wooden Cawl spoons, not very easy to eat with but picturesque and great fun.
CAWL

2lb Gammon hock,neck of lamb or a combination of both

1 small swede

2 carrots

1lb potatoes

2 leeks

1oz fresh parsley

A good handful of chopped greens

salt and pepper
Place the meat in a large saucepan and cover with water,add salt and pepper. Bring slowly to the boil and skim carefully. Add the chopped carrot,swede and the whites of the leeks and simmer for 2 hours. Add chopped potatoes and simmer for a further half hour. Thicken with flour and water than add the chopped greens the leek greens and the parsley. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Serve hot.

Cawl is even more tasty if it is made the day before you need it and then re heated.
I harvested some of our own potatoes for the cawl, they were small but healthy and very tasty indeed

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WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WEATHER?

Years of gardening both in the north and the south of England ought to have inured me to the vagaries of the weather and indeed over the years I have become philosophical about snow in May ,heat waves in February and even the odd hurricane I have taken in my stride!

That was then. Today on may way through the village in yet another downpour and with such poor light the headlamps were required that I noticed something odd.

Along the road side several full grown lime trees were showing the unmistakable signs of Autumn! Some years ago when we were suffering from a real drought I recollect that many trees shed their leaves early as a defence against the killingly dry conditions,in fact many did not recover.

Dry conditions can hardly be the cause today's observations,or indeed some others noticed recently by myself and others.
Many garden vegetables are behaving as if Autumn has arrived pumpkins and squashes look as they usually do in early October,sunflowers are dying back having not yet flowered, in fact all around the signs of early decay can be seen. Yesterday while talking to some gardening friends I was told of tomatoes dying on the vine,mildew, potatoes rotting in the ground and it seems that having lost many early crops to wet weather,slugs and cold snaps we are not to expect much of a harvest later.
This years strawberry harvest has been a washout nationally but never before have I seen Logan and Tay berries rotten and mouldy even before the are ripe. Poor pollination due to wet weather has has a devastating effect on the fruit crop but what about the effect that it must be having upon the bee colonies which rely on the pollen from these trees .

Torrential rain day after day means that bees cannot leave they cannot leave the hive to collect the stuff indeed days can go by without seeing a single bee about its vital business.

Worse than all for me is the dreadful and continuous low light level which makes it both look and feels like late Autumn, I traded in my sun tan lotion for a can of W.D 40 weeks ago! Summer dresses remain unworn as do white trousers and sandals,wellies and fleeces have been in continuous use since last October ,I refuse to wear a scarf of gloves but watch this space.

Speaking as a gardener I have had enough,speaking as a lover of wild life I am worried that a lack of fruit and seeds form trees and shrubs could have a catastrophic effect upon our animals and birds.

Last year our ash trees were heavy with seed, this years there is nothing to be seen but the dead husks of unpollinated flowers,it is certainly cause for concern.
Watching the birds it seems that there may be a shortage of bugs and beasties as our feeding stations are unusually active for the time of year. Everything is in decline...including me!
When the weather conditions are discussed we are told that the problem is that the jet stream is in a very unusual position,much further north than usual..USUAL.. correct me if I am wrong but were we not given exactly the same excuse for prolonged bouts of snow over the past three years or so, perhaps the unusual has become usual...what do you think?

He bee population already in steep decline a summer

One thing is certain global warming this ain’t! Climate change sounds more like it and that is what worries me. With the bee population already in steep decline a summer such as this could be catastrophic and without bees we are doomed.

Sorry to be such an old Jonah but there really is more at stake here than an overstock of summer togs at Tesco or a few washed out music festivals.

It is time that the media began to report the real issues instead of trivialising what could be the beginning of the end for many species on this planet....including ours.

THE FATE OF THE CHURCH FETE'

Watching the weather this year has been dull to say the least,so many events have been rained off including our own fund raiser that it does not seem sensible to look forward to these occasions,but a miracle happened and the rain held off for the whole afternoon.
This is a record in this area and all concerned were reeling from the shock of a sunny afternoon, in spite of this it was a huge success..Lots of lovely stalls to browse through packed with sweet cuddly toys,pretty vases and baskets and would you believe a beautiful old screen for just a fiver which of course I could not resist.

Cakes,jams ,pickles and home made sweeties,books ,pictures and scented soaps all for bargain prices. Pa and I brought loads from our favourite stalls and them purchased some ground coffee,chocolate and coca powder from the fair trade stall after which we felt that we deserved a beer.
One small detail did mar the occasion and that was a very noisy and extremely amateur jazz band ,who like most amateurs attempted to compensate for their lack of skill by turning up the volume to a level which cause physical pain to anyone within half a mile.

Unfortunately for my poor son the churchyard is but a few feet from his bedroom window and as the band began to play at one he got less than half his normal sleep and came down stairs for dinner looking very seedy indeed!

Shortly before we ate a knock at the door proved to be one of the church wardens who had come to deliver a beautiful Shwarofsky crystal, a very large one in a box,I had a winning raffle ticket. I was so pleased to have won such a lovely thing and I have put it in the widow where it will catch the light and shower the room with rainbow sparkles.

Dinner tonight was a pasta dish and the sauce was made with tomatoes and home grown courgettes,pasta spirals and lots of fresh mozzarella cheese finished the dish which is one of our seasonal specials and a great favourite with my son.

Something very special happened this evening. I managed to catch on a photograph a large family of herons roosting in a dead tree in the shelter belt,I hope it turned out I have not yet had time to check,

Throughout the day people have been commenting on how tired I look,even Pa said I looked exhausted this evening. OK so I don't look too good but I am sure that hearing how ill I look from all my acquaintance has not helped a bit!

I think that perhaps I might take these less than subtle hints and have an early night, and perhaps a lie in tomorrow........but first a shower. Night night.x

OFF TO A PARTY

Today I attended the seventieth birthday party of a close friend and I had a lovely time.


To begin with it was wonderful to be asked,since becoming disabled I find that such invitations are rare. I expect people feel awkward about asking which is understandable.
I managed to dodge the showers so for once I did not arrive looking like a drowned rat. There was lots of lovely food and some very good beer and a small very pretty like dog took an instant liking to me and sat on my knee the whole time I was there.
Every one was kind and attentive and my friend looked wonderful in a new dress made of a soft floaty fabric in sort shades of green. We have been good friends for ages and I would trust her with my life,we rely upon each other and stick together through thick and thin it is the kind of friendship that is rare and special. It was lovely to see her at the centre of her family and with those who love her best,she deserves the best for all of us and today we had the chance to show her how we all feel. There was a great deal of love in that room and it was grand to be a part of things.
Before I left for the party I foolishly decide to assemble a boot cupboard for the hall,there did not seem to be too many parts and although the instructions were vague I thought I should manage....................needless to say that an hour later in a state of dishevelment and in a foul temper I cast the box,the instructions(such as they were) and the parts of which it turned out there were a great multitude into a cupboard slammed the door and went off to dress for the party.
On my return and with the benefit of a couple of pints of very good bitter beer I managed to put the wretched thing together. This was possible only because I threw away the instructions and used common sense instead. Upon completion it turned out that the blasted thing was too large for the space in the hall........history shall not record my remarks at this discovery!
Fortunately the church fête is tomorrow and I am certain that one of the bric a brac stalls will take it off my hands. Our conservation group has a stall at the fête this year so of course it will receive our full support in the shape of some interesting donations. I do love this small village fête and look forward to it very much it is such fun and it is a chance to catch up with old friends. I love rummaging among the junk stalls and often find a treasure or two or a good book,it is one of the highlights of the years in our village
How it has rained this summer,we have been lucky so far in that we have not been flooded,this close to the river it is always a risk. I feel sorry for all the garden centres who filled their premises with water butts as the hose pipe ban came into force. It began to rain that day and has not stopped since. Water butts are as cheap as chips here abouts as are hose pipes and watering cans,

last nigh was so chilly I resorted to an extra blanket on the bed.......July.......heaven help us and roll on August!

THE WORLD IS JUST A CLICK AWAY

Hoorah, I now have a reliable internet provider and I hope to return to my normal practice of blogging every day,so for anyone who breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped publishing.....TOUGH!

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I hardly know where to begin,I know let's do the good things first.

We now have a fantastic new wet room where our old bathroom used to be,the shower is amazing and there are hand rails in just the right places,in spite of the fact that it was designed with disabled users in mind it is light, bright and very pretty...we love it.

Down stairs there is a new lavatory which means far fewer journeys up an down the stairs and of course the stair lift now installed means that no longer have to worry about either Pa or I falling down the stairs,it's wonderful.

Miss twiggy survived the builders time with us and loves her new cat house which my son takes out in to the garden for her each morning. I have extended my little bedroom by opening up the walk in wardrobe and using it as a meditation room,it has a lovely old window and the view over the fruit trees in the orchard is beautiful. Through this window my tame robin now visits me early in the morning for his share of my short bread,as soon as it is light he appears on the sill to collect the largess left over from my supper, this morning he came right in to the room and sat on the back of my easy chair regarding might with his bright eyes before flitting off with a chirrup.

Now for the not so good. The estate are ,once again attempting to gain planning permission to build on my garden and this time it seems that they also wish to tear up our flower garden so that they can lay a lawn to match these landscaping of the new houses. OVER MY DEAD BODY!

The line is drawn battle has commenced and this time we shall not have to fight alone. I had hoped for a little quiet time after the rigours of the past months but it was not to be, In the mean time the orchard has produced a prodigious gooseberry harvest,plenty of salad,new potatoes, peas, logan berries and summer raspberries, The strawberries were a disaster and there will be no apples this year as the rain prevented our bees from pollinating. However the damsons which flowered earlier are weighed down with fruit so it will just have to be damson chutney this year.

Our kitchen is still very busy and I hope to publish some new recipes as I have been experimenting and trying out new things.

I hope you have had and enjoyable summer so far,I know that the weather is dreadful but at least now the hosepipe ban has been lifted!!!!

And now I have loads of emails to answer,the world is just a click away again,goodnight,

Hoorah, I now have a reliable internet provider and I hope to return to my normal practice of blogging every day,so for anyone who breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped publishing.....TOUGH!

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I hardly know where to begin,I know let's do the good things first.

We now have a fantastic new wet room where our old bathroom used to be,the shower is amazing and there are hand rails in just the right places,in spite of the fact that it was designed with disabled users in mind it is light, bright and very pretty...we love it.

Down stairs there is a new lavatory which means far fewer journeys up an down the stairs and of course the stair lift now installed means that no longer have to worry about either Pa or I falling down the stairs,it's wonderful.

Miss twiggy survived the builders time with us and loves her new cat house which my son takes out in to the garden for her each morning. I have extended my little bedroom by opening up the walk in wardrobe and using it as a meditation room,it has a lovely old window and the view over the fruit trees in the orchard is beautiful. Through this window my tame robin now visits me early in the morning for his share of my short bread,as soon as it is light he appears on the sill to collect the largess left over from my supper, this morning he came right in to the room and sat on the back of my easy chair regarding might with his bright eyes before flitting off with a chirrup.

Now for the not so good. The estate are ,once again attempting to gain planning permission to build on my garden and this time it seems that they also wish to tear up our flower garden so that they can lay a lawn to match these landscaping of the new houses. OVER MY DEAD BODY!

The line is drawn battle has commenced and this time we shall not have to fight alone. I had hoped for a little quiet time after the rigours of the past months but it was not to be, In the mean time the orchard has produced a prodigious gooseberry harvest,plenty of salad,new potatoes, peas, logan berries and summer raspberries, The strawberries were a disaster and there will be no apples this year as the rain prevented our bees from pollinating. However the damsons which flowered earlier are weighed down with fruit so it will just have to be damson chutney this year.

Our kitchen is still very busy and I hope to publish some new recipes as I have been experimenting and trying out new things.

I hope you have had and enjoyable summer so far,I know that the weather is dreadful but at least now the hosepipe ban has been lifted!!!!

And now I have loads of emails to answer,the world is just a click away again,goodnight,

Hoorah, I now have a reliable internet provider and I hope to return to my normal practice of blogging every day,so for anyone who breathed a sigh of relief when I stopped publishing.....TOUGH!

So much has happened in the past few weeks that I hardly know where to begin,I know let's do the good things first.

We now have a fantastic new wet room where our old bathroom used to be,the shower is amazing and there are hand rails in just the right places,in spite of the fact that it was designed with disabled users in mind it is light, bright and very pretty...we love it.

Down stairs there is a new lavatory which means far fewer journeys up an down the stairs and of course the stair lift now installed means that no longer have to worry about either Pa or I falling down the stairs,it's wonderful.

Miss twiggy survived the builders time with us and loves her new cat house which my son takes out in to the garden for her each morning. I have extended my little bedroom by opening up the walk in wardrobe and using it as a meditation room,it has a lovely old window and the view over the fruit trees in the orchard is beautiful. Through this window my tame robin now visits me early in the morning for his share of my short bread,as soon as it is light he appears on the sill to collect the largess left over from my supper, this morning he came right in to the room and sat on the back of my easy chair regarding might with his bright eyes before flitting off with a chirrup.

Now for the not so good. The estate are ,once again attempting to gain planning permission to build on my garden and this time it seems that they also wish to tear up our flower garden so that they can lay a lawn to match these landscaping of the new houses. OVER MY DEAD BODY!

The line is drawn battle has commenced and this time we shall not have to fight alone. I had hoped for a little quiet time after the rigours of the past months but it was not to be, In the mean time the orchard has produced a prodigious gooseberry harvest,plenty of salad,new potatoes, peas, logan berries and summer raspberries, The strawberries were a disaster and there will be no apples this year as the rain prevented our bees from pollinating. However the damsons which flowered earlier are weighed down with fruit so it will just have to be damson chutney this year.

Our kitchen is still very busy and I hope to publish some new recipes as I have been experimenting and trying out new things.

I hope you have had and enjoyable summer so far,I know that the weather is dreadful but at least now the hosepipe ban has been lifted!!!!

And now I have loads of emails to answer,the world is just a click away again,goodnight,

THE STAIR LIFT ARRIVES

Excitement  kept me awake last night and the knowledge that it would be a very early start added to my inability to sleep. It is more than three years since I began to importune Social Services for a stair lift and a walk in shower for Pa and although the work is now done I can hardly believe that at last we have these life changing gadgets.

Suddenly after years of worrying every time mounted the stairs or took a bath are over and the change is great indeed as I had no idea how oppressed I was by the weight of worry the accomplishment of these tasks produced. Now all is well, Pa has his independence back and I no longer need to drop everything to help him up and down stairs or stay awake till all hours whenever he took a late night bath. My own infirmities   mean that I too find life much easier with our new gadgets.

My son spent the day resting at the end of his week of nights still very sore form a fall on the stairs a couple of nights ago ,it seems he has a cracked rib and it is slowing him down considerably ,so now there are three of us hobbling about the house….hey ho!

Rain stopped gardening again, nothing new there  , in this instance I blame Wimbledon! After the chaos of the past five weeks we are looking forward very much to a quiet week and now that the stair lift is in place we should be able at last to settle down and enjoy our independence ,not to mention the peace and quiet now that the builders have gone.

I have for some time been the custodian of four Emperor Moths one of which has just pupated, one died and there are two still munching the hell out of my sallows. Next year they will be released into the orchard as a part of our re-population   programme.

Now that both the boys have showered it is my turn before heading off to bed ,to sleep ,I ho

PRAYER FOR AN URCHIN

Spinning and swirling all long the lane the spent leaves, drift into mounds and clog the Undergrowth, thickly crammed among the holly bushes in the hedge. Gone are the nuts which peppered the pavement, chased by squirrels and squirrelled away by Jays. Now the morning air is chilly and soon the frost will come, silvering the dead leaves and Giving them a new beauty in death.

Among the leaves, unnoticed, hopefully, a hedgehog sleeps. Prickly holly protecting her from Intruders, her prickles stuck about with leaves warm as newspaper in a tramps vest. Frost, ice, snow, these she will never see or feel and yet they are her mortal enemies, she sleeps. Barely a breath, nothing to show she lives at all while storms rage and great trees fall. Covered at last by snow, buried alive.

 Long winter, but please not too long. Sun points a finger at the leafy mound a little longer Every day and the air is warmer. First a faint rustle, then a definite heaving from beneath the Mould, she has returned from near death to hungry life, hungry for the sweet smells and Warmth of Spring and for a juicy something or a crunchy morsel found among the new grass. Or in my cold frame, full of small lettuces and large slugs!

Such a dear little urchin, so much in need of luck or friends or both. Winter is not her only Deadly foe. Fast cars, thoughtless men with brush cutters careless of her day time roosting Place. Every time she sleeps she faces death, each time she wakes a miracle is performed. Welcome the warm summer nights crunchy black beetles and the joy of small red wriggly Worms after a summer shower.

Keep her safe,from all the harm that may befall he. Perhaps my garden Gods will Watch over her where they hold sway. We have them so little space to live their lives, and She is a wild thing not subject to our silly laws, she keeps to the dark time and the dark Places. Her kind were here long before our cruel tribe. She needs only little space and a little Understanding, and if you please, some where safe to sleep.