Twenty Four Eggs

What happens when your other half goes out and does the supermarket run?


He comes back with twenty four free range eggs of course! So this week I have had a baking frenzy much to the older two children's pleasure.


First there was chocolate brownies from 'The River Cottage Family Cookbook'...


...then cheese scones from 'Afternoon Tea'



Tuesday night it was plain old English pancakes for pudding - sorry no pictures because as soon as I flipped them the children were queuing, arms outstretched waiting for the next one!...


...and last night 'burnt butter cupcakes' from Nigella's 'Domestic Goddess' cookbook, these went in a flash as all members of the family - apart from 'moi' dived in before I could even ice them! I have to say when I did get a look in (they left me two!) they were absolutely scrummie! (would that be classified as one of my made up words? spell check thinks so, for me that is cool!) I'm thinking out with the plain old cupcakes and in with 'burnt butter' ones from now on and maybe with a toffee topping if I get chance to ice them next time!.



Tonight, well I might make a 'May Day' chocolate cake, that's after more pancakes for breakfast, omelette's for lunch and then ham, egg and chips for dinner! Maybe, just maybe all the eggs will be used up come this weekend and if not it's a pavlova! Teach me to send the hubby shopping - I'm all egged out!


Have a lovely Thursday we're off to the allotment, my first visit this year!

Rag Doll

She's finished - finally!



I did get a teeny bit side tracked since she was first delivered, what with Easter and those walks and then there was the picture quilt, but she is finally finished - ta da!


And as I had hoped Tabi loves her, who wouldn't?


I sat up late on Monday night snuggled under a blanket and in front of the fire to surprise her in the morning.


I'm so glad I did. I left her peeking out from behind a cushion and the squeals of delight and hugs when she found her was more reward, more heart warming, more memory making smiles than the actual thought of buying and then making her that went behind it.


I do have to confess I did find her a little bit tricky to put together as the instructions are from the 70's so all is assumed that you know what your doing. Okay, as if I would of known back then even at my age now what I was suppose to do! Plus my stitching doesn't seem very tight even though I know it is strong, it just doesn't look very aesthetically pleasing, to me anyway - Tabitha doesn't care she's got a new dollie that she loves and that's all that counts.


The feelings I had though making this doll were such strong ones of being five years old again and my first year at infant school - that's when there use to be two intakes of little ones a year. None of this get them all in, in the one go even if they are only four on the 30th August it doesn't matter that they are still so little! I know some children seem more than ready for school and possibly even need it, but the ones whose birthdays fall at Easter or after always seem far to young - to me anyhow.


The infant school I went to was the most idyllic school I could of wished for. Such a lovely old fashioned little school in a gorgeous village called Headley in Hampshire sat on the village green where the teachers weren't afraid to give you a hug or scoop you up if you had grazed your knee. The headmistress was lovely and always had time for a chat with treats of raisins to put a smile back on your face - none of this make an appointment with my secretary! This is the place where I found my love for all things creative from sewing and drawing to helping out with costumes and sets for the school play and my total fascination of nature. Last time I looked the school had become an antiques shop - of sorts - and the infant and junior school are now amalgamated into one, that's the real shame of little villages these days though if I could move back there I would do so in a shot, but I doubt that we could ever afford to.


Anyway, where was I 'oh yes' - sorry! When I was five at my first year in infant school I won, yes little old me, won the school raffle, I couldn't believe my named had been called out, I remember just sitting in the assembly awestruck until a teacher had to actually come and tap me on the shoulder and coax me to go and collect my prize. I was presented with the most gorgeous rag doll that I'm guessing a parent had made, she was so beautiful I absolutely adored her. Though I haven't a clue what happened to my doll, but whilst I was sat sewing little Tabi's I did wonder if it was a Clothkits doll just like the reproduction of their first doll I was now making for my daughter - in my head I'd like to think 'yes'.



Tabi loves her rag doll and that's the best compliment I could receive. One more to go a matching Clothkits reproduction for her sister - maybe next month, well it is only a couple of days away!


Have a lovely day - I don't want to jinx it, but the sun is smiling!

Cold, cold, cold!

What's happened to the weather? The weekend was glorious and my face is still tingling from catching the sun! But this week has been a complete change around - again! It's cold, cold and more cold or is it just me?


I must be getting old and my bones just freeze to the slightest breeze, you wait come the middle of June I'll be one of those ladies still wrapped in their thick winter coat and booties! I look on in disbelief at the young of today walking around in a skimpy little thing that I wouldn't even consider wearing as underwear for shame of being too revealing - did I really use to be like that 'oh' I feel old! Is thirty 'something' really that old? And I still have it all to come with my girls - the battles I can forsee.

The past couple of days have been grey, soggy and dull and has rained 'cats and dogs' all day! According to the weather man it's much of the same for the rest of the week, lets hope those May flowers are positively radiant with all this rain. I cannot believe we lit a fire last night as we couldn't stop shivering - in April almost May! At least the garden got a good watering - 'oh no' now I sound like my nan!



I guess the one benefit of snuggling up in front of the fire was I managed to complete the finishing touches to a certain little something I've been working on for a certain little girl!



Here's a sneak preview - you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the finished article and fingers crossed a happy smiling little Tabi, which I'm sure as she is always, will be!


Have a lovely 'cats and dogs' day though I do hope the sun is shining where you are.

Weekend Walk

Wasn't the weather glorious at the weekend? Well for a change it was here. We are always torn at the weekends with the desire to relax, have a lie in and just generally potter around, but then guilt kicks in and we feel like we must go do something and this normally hits us right around lunch time!! After grabbing something to eat or even packing a picnic we head out the door in the direction of the coast! So Saturday lunch time we did the reverse of our walk at Easter from Dumpton Gap to Broadstairs.


This time the sun shone though it was still very breezy, a deceptive wind that makes you catch the sun and leaves your nose all pink and face all tingly! What with the reflection from both sides, white cliffs and sea I know we are all going to catch the sun.


We started at the bandstand, well strictly speaking we started from home and walked the 10 minutes it takes to get down the hill! Well fifteen minutes if you take into account little legs - that would be mine included!



Weaving our way down to the seafront, clouds scudded across the sky and you could hear the crash of the waves from the cliff top.



As the tide was high we walked along the sea wall with the sea to our left and the white cliffs stretching up to our right - above is a picture looking back towards Broadstairs.


I love this walk, it was one of the first we discovered when we moved to Broadstairs. With no children back then we would arm ourselves with croissants and a flask of coffee and just head for a bay when the tide was low. When you get round the corner the beaches are fairly deserted apart from the old walker or two, though you do have to be careful and watch the tide to make sure your near a set of steps as it is easy to get cut off!


Now we head down there with the children mainly at low tide for rock pooling and building forts to try and stop the incoming tide from getting any further! Of course we never win and aways end up on an island with the sea splashing all around us until our nerves give in and we race back to the safety of the steps.


The chalk cliffs are so soft there are faces and artwork to be seen along this whole stretch of wall walk plus people and couples have carved there names over the years, though this also means because they are soft the cliffs are eroding like much of our coast land.


Some evidence of a cliff slide.


These flowers are growing all over the chalk, they shine a brilliant yellow against the white of the cliffs.



This sideways shot looked like noses sticking out of the cliff to me - though what are they smelling? The sea or the breeze, maybe both!



'Magic Eye' - how many faces can you see in the picture below? I see three - click on the image for a closer look.



My two naughty children taking a rest 'what are they conspiring?'




A Skelly face - cool for Halloween.



The Lifeboat races past us on it's way to Ramsgate. I hope it's just a practice run.




I think this gnome face has to be my favourite - now if he was sat on a mushroom that would be perfect!


We're back up at the top of the cliff now, we've reached Dumpton Gap and climbed up the steep path. Our next port of call on the way home, some friends with an invite of spritzers and cold beers with nibbles and to just sit in the seclusion of their back garden for an afternoon of banter while the children run off and play.



My face is tingling today with all that sea breeze and the sunshine. Have a lovely Monday I'm off to find some aloe vera!

Good Luck

Just a little post today to wish our very good friend 'Harvey' good luck in the London Marathon!


He's running for WhizzKidz it helps and supports families with children that have disabilities so 'GOOD LUCK HARVEY' we are watching the TV, eating pancakes and drinking coffee, cheering you on from the comfort of our front room!


Unfortunately our 'mate Harv' is an elusive chappy so illustrated are some obscure, but 'lovely' pictures I've taken since blogging!


It's nice to see that no matter how fit or toned you are your bottom still wobbles when you run!


ps. Harv, we have just seen a man with a sign saying 'Beware Humps' - sorry it made us snigger like a couple of teenagers!!


Have a lovely day and Good Luck to all that are in the marathon our cheers are with you as well. xox

{Edited at 17:35pm - we have just found out Harvey has crossed the finish line, his time was 4hrs and 45mins - WELL DONE HARVEY! Apparently he has now gone for a pint or two!!}