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Cook-a-thon

Ho hum, back to work tomorrow. It has been a lovely, pottering kind of weekend, mainly taken up with cooking and little jobs, and I don't want it to end. Andy worked yesterday morning, so I made Jamie Oliver's Lemon Drizzle Cake, samosas and granola while he was out. I have to say that the cake was fine, but I'll be going back to my tried and tested (many times) Good Housekeeping recipe from now on. It's the first Jamie cake I've made, and I'm not sure I'll be doing another as it was a bit heavy and doughy. 

 I've been meaning to make samosas for ages, and they were fiddly but scrummy. My parents live next door to the woman who wrote the Ladybird cookery books, and when we were growing up she would bring round all sorts of yummy stuff that she'd made that her family wouldn't eat (imagine being a cookery writer and having a house of fussy eaters - ironic). We did very well out of her, but the things that stick in my mind were the samosas. They were amazing - mine weren't quite that good, but still not bad.

 The granola is a favourite recipe that I make tons of as we all like it and it is a relatively healthy breakfast, and is fab topped with blueberries. 

 

Granola

1lb Rolled Oats

Half a cup of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, wheatgerm, dried coconut, milk powder, chopped nuts and honey (you can add other bits according to your tastes)

Third of a cup of vegetable oil

Mix ingredients together. Spread on a baking sheet (or 2) and cook for 30 mins on 140C, 300F. Remove from sheet immediately. Cool and store in an airtight container. Enjoy.

We went to one of my favourite gardens yesterday afternoon - Hidcote near Broadway. We joined the National Trust in the Summer and are trying to make the most of it before the season ends. The gardens were as amazing as ever - masses of colour, mainly from dahlias, hydrangeas and tiny cyclamen. Unfortunately all the photos were taken on Andy's new camera and I can't work out how to access them, so here's a pic I pinched from Google Images (http://www.beenthere-donethat.org.uk). 

 Today has been more of the same really. I made a roast chicken and all the trimmings - my first of the season, as we usually have a roasted chicken with salads in the Summer. Whilst it was in the oven I decided to cover my Swan Vesta matches in something a little more tasteful. Don't ask me why. It doesn't make any difference to striking them to light candles, but they look pretty in a jar! (Please ignore the glue splodge on the table - I did wipe it up afterwards!)

 

 
 I also found a spot for this lovely that I recently won on eBay. I haven't updated it yet, although Grace did say we may just as well leave the 'alcool' button on blue! 

 I left the girls alone in the kitchen making jammy buns this afternoon, so we are well and truly laden with baked goods. No bad thing, except for the diet. They are getting very good at cooking unsupervised, but I do have to leave the room and not look back. The mess and chaos is more than I can bear if I'm anywhere in sight, and I feel compelled to step in, much to their annoyance!  

Well, I hope you all have a happy Monday. Not long till the weekend!! XX 

Back to normality

Well, term has started and we are back in the throes of something resembling a routine! The holidays went so quickly and I can't believe that it's over. We did have a lovely time though, and it is nice getting back to our regular lives. 

Camping was a disaster as the weather was awful and I was ill. It is no fun vomiting in a bag in the middle of the night in a tent in a storm. Trust me. I didn't make it to Bridport market as the rain was so torrential, and I'm guessing no one was brave enough to attempt to pitch a stall! However, we were only there for a couple of days as we booked a last minute week away for the 4 of us. We stayed in a log cabin in North Wales, and had the most amazing, relaxing, cosy time, which more than made up for Dorset! The weather still wasn't brill, but it didn't stop us climbing mountains, finding waterfalls, pottering around pretty places and chilling out. This was the view from our verandah. 

 I could sit and look at it for hours. I started a new crochet project while we were there - Attic 24's Granny Stripe blanket, which is very satisfying. It was lovely to sit on the verandah and crochet with a glass of cider to hand while the girls explored the site and made friends.

 

So, after this lovely week we had another lovely almost-week in Pembrokeshire in a cottage with my parents. We were very close to Fishguard which is a really pretty town. We did beaches, pubs, towns, lots and lots of eating, and more beaches. 

Bodie loved Wales too, especially the beaches! 

I came home and started my usual nesting spree which happens every time I've been away. I've been moving things around and generally pottering which is very therapeutic. I am aiming for a calmer year this year, and I've reduced my hours at school slightly. No more Friday afternoons - yay! I'm working every morning which means I have every afternoon to potter some more!!

 

I started to cover this chair and realised that I didn't have quite enough fabric, so I have left the top for now. I actually quite like the contrast between the stripes and flowers, but I may get some more fabric to finish it off. This chair was a present from my Great Aunt Lucy when I was about 5, and it was pretty old then. It has the original lovely green fabric underneath, but it is very threadbare, so I keep it covered to protect it. It has gone into our room, and the chair that Andy used as a wardrobe (he does have a proper wardrobe but seems to prefer a chair) is now in the bathroom. 

 

I finished this tapestry last year when I had a broken leg, and had the frame lurking in a box untouched for ages. It was very dark green, but a coat of paint worked a treat, and it now has pride of place on the kitchen wall. I have another one to finish and this has spurred me on, so hopefully it will join it soon. 

So, new term, and new classes. Grace is in Year 6 now, which is so scary. She started Guides this week too, and is getting very grown up. Ruth is still (and will always be) my baby, despite being in Year 4. She's very happy I'm not working in her class this year - it's the first time ever I haven't been in her class at some point. I hope (if applicable) that your return to school has been painless, too.