This 'n that.

A new beginning

2009-09-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

Once again I've picked up my pen so to speak and have committed myself to keeping this very neglected journal to the top of my 'must do' list. I don't know if anyone ever bothers to read it but, as my son and daughter-in-law keep reminding me, it's one way of passing on recipes, hints and various other pieces of information -- trivial or profound; it's all grist to the mill. So, with that in mind, here is a picture of my last big knitting project. A knitted shawl for a great grandson scheduled for arrival mid December. Hopefully it won't be considered too girly. If it is I hope the cuddly softness will make up for it.

Project finished.

2008-01-14T16:23:00.001-08:00

It took a while but I finally put the finishing touches to the toy I was knitting for my grandson in Denver.

As usual I wasn't entirely happy with it; I should have used a heavier weight yarn, but now it's done, parcelled up and, hopefully, on it's way to Colorado. I was quite surprised that when I set it in a shoe box before posting it looked kinda cute and got a few compliments which was nice although all I could see was the flaws. Anyway, here's hoping that it will give pleasure to the one who won my heart from the day he was born.

Now it's on to the next project. Another poncho in the same old cable pattern I've done six times before. Then, believe it or not, I've been asked to knit a blue fluffy bolero for my great-granddaughter who turned 9 on Monday 14th January. An auspicious date as it makes her one of the third set of birthday twins in our family. Maybe not as amazing to others who have birthday twins, but surprising to me who grew up the only pea in the pod and never came across this coincidence before. Anyway, attending the birthday celebration I couldn't but wonder just how quickly time flies. It seemed only yesterday that she was only an armful of charms and, mulling over the passage of time with hubby, we realized that, if we live for another 15 years and G-GD is settled in her early 20's and has a child then, we could be G-G-Grandparents. Now that's scary and certainly makes one really feel their age.

Anyway, in the interim it's back to the grindstone. Another pattern and I'll be halfway on project No.7. Just as well I managed to choose different textures and colours or I would really be pulling out my hair.

My favourite fruit cake.

2007-12-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

Have you, like me, ever had the experience of losing a favourite recipe? It seems that no matter what I do, I frequently have to pore through masses of paper, magazine and books to locate something I've cooked some time ago and want to do again. For years I could rely on my memory and was fortunate that, in most cases, I could envisage the recipe and, more often than not, in which magazine or book where I found it. Or I could recall where I was when I first came across it and who gave it to me. However, ever since I had a nasty case of post-operative bleeding and our last house move, I've been in a real pickle and I've never managed to find myself in my previous lucky position. It seems that every Xmas that has come around I've spent hours, if not days, trying to locate special recipes. My most recent effort being the search for a biscotti style Cherry Bread which I only baked a few weeks back.

However, in the search, I managed to retrieve this lost recipe from an old floppy disc I had hanging around. So, taking my D.I.L's advice, I'm posting it here in the hope that I'll never have to go looking for it again. Also, I'm finally getting around to putting together what I hope will be a personal cookbook which I can give to my sons, daughters and grandchildren. Or indeed anyone who would be interested.

Which reminds me of funny incident that happened a year or so back when one of our teenage granddaughters came to visit.

One day when we were talking about the options for breakfast she asked me if I'd ever tried Sourdough Pancakes for breakfast. She said she and her sisters just loved them and that she made them quite often in winter. Well you can imagine my delight when I realized that she was talking about a recipe I had developed when we were all living in Korea and which I'd passed on to her mother long before she was born.

However, in the meantime -- on to this my favourite fruit cake recipe which I make for special occasions during the year.

BISHOP’S FRUIT CAKE

INGREDIENTS:

250g pitted dates
125g green glace cherries
125g red glace cherries
250g glace pineapple
150g brazil nuts
100g macadamia nuts
125g glace apricots or glace peaches
60g glace ginger, finely minced
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup light brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 tablespoons brandy (or rum if preferred)
90g very soft butter
½ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1-2 tablespoons brandy (extra)
Pinch of salt (Note: if using salted butter, omit salt)

METHOD:

Chop all fruits to approximate size of cherries.

Scrape brazil nuts to remove most of the brown coating. Re-weigh and if necessary top up with 1 or 2 nuts. Cut large nuts into halves or three pieces. Leave small nuts whole.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons brandy (or rum) over top of fruit/nut mixture and toss lightly. Set aside while you make up the rest of the recipe.

Line a suitable loaf tin with baking parchment and have a smaller tin ready in case you have some mixture left over. (A small bar tin or a couple of individual loaf tins are usually sufficient).

Sift flour and baking powder into a small bowl. Beat eggs, vanilla and brown sugar until mixture is pale, light and mousse-like. Beat in the butter until well incorporated. Mixture will collapse but still retain sufficient air. Add to fruit and nuts mixture with the sifted flour. Mix well. Spoon into prepared tins and bake in a slow oven 150-160 degrees for 1 and ½ hours or until cake is firm to the touch and a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean; cake may have a surface layer of melted butter but this will settle on cooling and moisten cake. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle the extra brandy or rum over the top.

Cool in tin standing on a wire rack. When cold. Remove cake from tin. Strip off the lining paper and rewrap in greaseproof paper and then in aluminium foil if keeping for any length of time.
****************************************

And now for something not so new.

2007-12-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Old habit die hard and I guess that's true for many older people. At least it is with me, especially when I go visiting. I absolutely loathe to go empty handed: a custom that seems to have fallen by the wayside as the years have passed. So, being of the old school I generally find that something fresh from the oven is usually very welcome.

Yesterday when we went to see my husband's brother and to catch up with our niece daughter who was visiting from Sydney I decided to throw together one of my quick little tasties - a batch of Lemon Madelaines. This is a recipe which has saved me on more than one occasion when the cookie and cake tins have been bare and is delightfully quick and simple to do. So for anyone who wants to add a tried and true recipe to their collection, here is my version of these little French delicacies.

LEMON MADELAINES

1 egg

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup plain flour

2 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to hot. Grease a madelaine pan or a 12 hole tart tray.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a small bowl until mixture is thick and creamy. Beat in the essence. Fold in the rind. Sieve flour over the top and carefully fold in taking care not to lose too much volume. Finally fold in the cool melted butter.

Drop tablespoons of mixture into each pan hole and bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Stand for 5 minutes before turning onto wire racks to cool.

Dust with sifted icing sugar and serve.

In the archives.

2007-12-21T17:59:00.000-08:00

Looking through My Pictures I came across this bolero which I finished yonks ago and sent off to my grandaughter in Denver. From what M-F reported, it was a great hit when C. wore it to school. Hopefully she is getting some use out of it now that the weather has turned snowy over there. Quite unlike Oz where the weather is warming up and we are moving into a more normal summer pattern with a wet summer predicted after our long period of drought. However, for me, finding this snap has been a reminder that I have another bolero to make up, but for the life of me, I can't remember who it was for. No doubt I'll remember in due course but it seems that the older I get the more my memory lets me down. Oh well. Just as long as I can keep active and productive I guess I haven't got much to complain about.

Unfinished projects.

2007-12-21T17:37:00.001-08:00

If, like me you have masses of unfinished projects, you'll no doubt have experienced the same feelings when I'm rapidly approaching the end of the project. The perfectionist in the back of your brain will tell you that what you've done is not really up to scratch and you should abandon, or start again on the whole project. Somehow, my daughter-in-law in Denver realized by my chat comments that I was rapidly approaching that point and asked to see a photo of what I was working on, hence the above photo. Now, having announced it to the world I guess I'd better get to work and finish the job.

Since my arthritis has kicked in this year, knitting has become more than a pastime. It has become a necessity to keep the old digits up to scratch because, as my G.P. is so fond of telling me, "use it or lose it". Regretably this is easier said than done, especially with my spinal column which is why I've started going to hydro-therapy classes three times a week. Despite my bitching and moaning about the waste of time, I must admit that going to exercise classes conducted in the heated pool has certainly helped my condition. As has the tablets the doctor has prescribed. Whatever will I do over the Christmas break. I guess I'll just have to goad myself into being more active. However, if anyone has come up with something that helps arthritis I'd certainly be interested in knowing what it is but I'm not banking on it but will continue to up my stretching exercises, walking and keep on knitting.

Another new beginning.

2007-12-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

The title says it all. A few friends commented that while they found my recipes of interest, they would really like to see a picture of the finished product. So, with trusty camera in hand I guess I'll be doing a bit more snapping. There must be something anti-tech about me because I have great difficulty adjusting to something new. I still haven't figured out how to use my mobile phone and really only keep it going as a backup when P. and I go travelling around the countryside.

Anyway, for those who accumulate masses of egg-whites and are heartily sick of meringues and pavlova, whip up a batch of these beauties. For those not keen on chocolate -- and yes, there actually are some -- I'll post a delish cherry nut bread once I've baked a batch and given it its moment of glory. So for those who love chocolate, here is one of my really favourite recipes.

CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA BREAD

3 egg-whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup raw macadamia nuts
3/4 cup plain flour
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste.

Grease a long shallow loaf pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.

Beat egg-whites in asmall bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until dissolved between additions. Beat in essence.

Gently stir in the nuts combined with sifted flour, cocoa.

Spoon into prepared tin and flatten surface with a spatula.

Cook in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes, or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Stand bread for 5 minutes in pan before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

When cold, wrap in foil and stand overnight, or longer. I've kept this for three days before finishing.

When ready, turn out loaf and slice into 1/4 inch slices with a sharp serrated knife or use an electric knife.

Place slices side by side on an oven try and finish off in a slow oven for about 15 minutes, or until dry and crisp. Cool slices on a wire rack.

These make a very nice gift packaged in cellophane bags.

A Project Finished.

2007-09-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

Isn't it wonderful to actually finish something? For far too long I've had a mass of unfinished projects, but lately I've actually managed to complete some of them. Like many people interested in crafts and handwork, I seem to spend an awful lot of time planning, collecting and eventually starting only to give up some way down the track. Thinking about it, it's just the same when I read books. Sometimes I've had as many as eight on the go at the one time. How I've managed to keep hold of the various plots I don't know but I know it comes about because, at times, I'm not in a particular frame of mind and with crafts etc, it's usually because I (a) run out of thread or what have you, or (b) something else of interest catches my eye and I'm eager to give that a try. However, since I've been up here in Currumbin, I'm actually managing to finish many of the things I've already started, as well as bring a number of new projects to completion.

This picture is of a prayer shawl I decided to knit for my wonderful D-I-L's mother. I was inspired to do it after reading Debbie Macomber's book -- BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET. The pattern is in the book but I took liberties with the edge as I found that my chosen yard had a tendency to curl. Since finishing the shawl I've been a bit hesitant about packaging it up sending it on. It's not that I feel I want to hang on to it but the fear that it might not be suitable. One would think that at my age I'd be over such emotions but I find that selecting things for others is terribly difficult because we are all so very different in our tastes and I'd hate to give someone a gift in a colour that they'd absolutely hate.
Anyway, I sent an email to my D-I-L and she assures me that the choice of colour is good. Just the sort of colours her mother likes so I have my better half to thank for that as I wanted to buy some brighter yarn. Maybe I'll knit another one in brighter colours, but who to give it to. Some thought needed there. The last time I used an angora type yarn was over 20 years ago when angora sweaters were all the rage and I remember very well spending days brushing fluffy bits off my clothes. This time the yarn was much better behaved, probably because it was a mixture of pure wool, angora and synthetic. Ahh! The wonders of modern science.

Talking of which, well modern times anyway, isn't it wonderful that Australia has been blessed with hosting the APEC get together. I wonder just how many people really appreciate the significance of bringing together the leaders of Russia, China, the United States and a host of other nations. One can only imagine the derisive scorn one would have met with if one had promoted that 20 or 30 years ago. Which just goes to show how much the world has changed in my lifetime. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. As someone once said, "there's a time shooting and there's a time for talking. Just remember not to start shooting before you've finished talking." Wise words I think. So anything that gets people talking must be a good thing, and while a lot of folk might not be impressed about the climate change inititives that are on the agenda because no specific percentage has been agreed upon, getting these important folk to acknowledge and talk about climate change can only be a good thing. Better to proceed slowly and surely than not at all.

Sad news.

2007-09-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

Although today, 4th of September, started out okay, I was dismayed to hear that my stepbrother had passed away over in Western Australia. Although we were never particularly close, we had become friends over the last 10 or so years. Especially when his beloved wife was hospitalized with Alzheimers, a really cruel complaint; not for the patient but for the loved ones who become carers and have to bear the burden. Despite not knowing Eric very well as we were not brought up together, my admiration for him knew no bounds when he had to battle the burden of his beloved wife by himself. It was obvious the last time I saw him - some 15 months or so ago - that he had really given up on life after Nancy had passed away. Now, at last, he is hopefully at peace and, if what some claim to be true is correct, I'm sure he and Nancy are together again. At the moment my thoughts are with his youngest stepdaughter who tried her best to care for him and who reluctantly had to put him into a Nursing Home when the task became too much for her. When I look back at Eric's life which, while it had moments of great joy; especially after he met and married Nancy, I can only thank my lucky stars that my own life has been so devoid of tragedy. Of course, like everyone else my family has had its ups and downs, but luckily, they have never been as bad as some people have had and, in comparison, we've had a remarkably lucky life. So, to all my family, or indeed to anyone who reads this, all I can say is don't dwell on what you haven't got, instead count up your blessings and try to do better in, hopefully, the many days yet to come. End of lecture. But seriously, I love you all. Take care and do harm to no one.

A try out.

2007-09-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Once again I'm on the computer after a hefty workout at my hydro-therapy. This morning it was a real doozy - deep water running - which, while it might not do much for flexibility, the main reason I go, it certainly is good for the cardiovascula system. Until lately I didn't realize that one can really work up a sweat in the pool. But hwoo, hee! By the time it came to cooling down my face was absolutely dripping. Hence a quiet time on the computer. Anyway, to take it easy and keep the mind active I'm going to try and post a photograph of my granddaughter Katie in a purple furry bolero I knitted for her on to this blog. So here goes...

And,

Eureka! Apart from it not being where I wanted it, in the middle of the blog, it looks like I've managed to do it. Now, of course, the hard part is to remember how. Nevertheless, I'm so pleased with myself, I think I'll have a cup of tea on the strength of it and look around for something else to post. Hopefully I'll soon have the hot pink bolero for my granddaughter in Denver finished so I can put that up to show the world what gorgeous grandchildren I have. As my ole Da' would say, "she ain't 'arf proud of them!" In the meantime it's on to other mundane things like laundry.

A belated acknowledgement.

2007-09-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Grasping my courage firmly in both hands I finally got around to investigating things in the world of blogging, and realized that I have received 4 comments which, in turn, need an acknowledgement.

To my wonderful D-I-L, M-F, many thanks for sending your friends over to view my amateurish attempts at blogging. To Connie and Iouanne, your welcome to the world of blogging is very much appreciated; and to Helen, many, many thanks for the advice that one CAN go back and fix up glitches and grammar even long after the entries have been posted. Seems that everyday I play around with the computer I learn something new, so imagine a great big smiley face here! Maybe in time I'll find out that they are hidden away somewhere. Anyway, here's hoping as I trundle along on my merry way.

In the meantime, I must share with you one of my most recent discoveries. Impossible Pie. No doubt this is a bit of carrying coals to Newcastle as far as some folk in America who may read this is concerned, but to me -- as a shortcut when I want a pie and (a) haven't homemade pastry on hand, or more likely (b), too pushed for time to make some this really fills the bill.

IMPOSSIBLE PIE

2 cups milk
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup caster sugar
4 oz butter, melted
4 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Icing sugar for dusting and whipped cream, to serve.

Preheat oven to moderate. Lightly grease a round pie plate (around 9-10").

In a large bowl using a wooden spoon, mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture into prepared pie plate and bake for 55-60 minutes until set.

As they say, easy peasy.

The last time I made this I cut the vanilla down to 1/2 teaspoon and used 1 1/2 teaspoons of microplaned lemon zest. But then I'm sucker for citrus.

Anyway, if you haven't tried it, give it a whirl.

Time marches on.

2007-08-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

September 1st and I still haven't figured out how to put pictures up on this blog. Nor have I had very much of interest to write about. The only truly exciting news is that we on the Gold Coast finally had a good shower of rain. Enough to put off No. 6. water restrictions for another month. Of all the states in Australia, Queensland is faring the worst. Still, despite all the dire predictions and comments about climate change this isn't the worst drought Australia has ever had. Back in the beginning of the last century, the country experienced one which was far, far worse. Amazing how folk forget the past and only focus on the here and now, or at the most, the recent past. However, there's no denying that all of us have to become much more water conscious and stop pouring it on the garden and, literally, down the drain.

At the moment I've switched from reading popular crime novels to something more cerebral. Yesterday I finished THE DISNEY WARS, which I thoroughly enjoyed, as well as THE RESTLESS SLEEP -- an inside look at the workings of the detectives in New York Cold Case division of the police force -- a book I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in crime fiction. Now I've gone back to reading Bettany Hughes historical narrative HELEN OF TROY.

In between reading, I've almost finished the prayer shawl which was featured in Debbie Macomber's BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET. It probably sounds like tooting my own horn but I think it's coming along nicely despite one or two glitches which I've had to go back and correct. Once this is off my plate and on its way to the recipient I plan to start on another one of my famous/infamous(?) ponchos. as well as a hot pink furry bolero for my granddaughter in Denver so exercising my fingers is going along nicely despite one or two patches when I've had to put the knitting aside.

Talking of exercising. The hydro-therapy classes I started on are going well and I'm reaping the rewards. My arthritic joints are now much more flexible so I'll definitely keep up the good work although I find taking an hour out of my day three times a week definitely cuts down on my productiveness. Still, I manage to keep the house reasonably clean, the fridge and pantry filled and the laundry up to date although the ironing regularly falls behind. Must do something about that in the not too distant.

The other day when I was speaking to my wonderful daughter-in-law in Denver I remarked how tedious I was finding putting my collection of recipes in some sort of order so that I could find what I want without too much hassle, and she suggested that I put them into my blog so that's what I plan to do. So, if anyone ever reads this thing and wants to try them out, be assured that these will be recipes that I've used time and time again over the last 45 years. Some of them will be old ones which almost every cook uses but, hopefully, some will something new, different and exciting; as will the kitchen tips which I'll post from time to time.

In the meantime, here's my favourite recipe for Madeleines. Ever since I came across Proust's reminiscences about Madeleines I've been determined to bake the perfect Madeleine and this recipe is the best I've managed to come up with and has stood the test of time. I great little something to finish off a family meal when one hasn't had time to make a proper dessert.

LEMON MADELEINES

1 egg
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup plain flour
2 oz butter, melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Preheat oven to hot. Grease and flour a 12-hole madeleine pan or tart tray.

Add essence to melted butter and mix well.

Beat egg and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. Add rind; fold in sifted four, the butter/essence mix.

Drop about 1 tablespoon of mixture into the prepared pan and bake until lightly browned ( about 8 minutes). Stand for 3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

Serve with sifted icing sugar over the top or, if desired, make up a glace icing -

1 cup sifted icing sugar mix
1 teaspoon soft butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice.

Place ingredients into a small heat proof bowl and stand bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water. Stir until icing is of a pouring consistency.

Place a biscuit sheet under the wire rack and brush the icing over the top of the madeleines. Allow the icing to set.

And as they say, Bon appetit!

Frustration and other things.

2007-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

It would appear that I haven't got the art of blogging under my belt yet. Last time I tried I spent ages discussing deep and meaningful as well as typing up some of my favourite biscuit recipes (cookies), only to find, that, somehow or other, I'd botched it. I guess one could be excused for failing once, but after trying to recapture my thoughts etc, I then botched my second attempt. Now, having - would you believe - a third go where I tried to be smart and attach a picture of a cardigan I knitted for my granddaughter Cheyenne and which has proven to be her favourite, I feel like the dumbest blogger in the Universe. However, I was determined not to be thwarted and to give up in disgust and found to my amazement that somehow most of what I wrote was hidden away as a draft, which just goes to show, wonders will never cease. I'm sure my very patient and wonderful D-I-L will be pleased. Especially as I won't have to bother her for enlightenment. I must admit that I'm not very courageous when it comes to investigating sites. Speaking of which, is there is a spell checker hidden away somewhere? Generally my spelling isn't too bad but when I'm at the keyboard it seems to go to pot. Actually I don't think its the spelling that's at fault but rather the typing. And come to think of it, a grammar checker would be a great help but I'm not hopeful that there is one of those lurking about. I think one of those would be a great way to pick up some of the horrible glitches one, or at least moi, is inclined to come up with. One thing I'd really like to know is, why is it that when one types letters etc. on a typewriter one rarely makes mistakes, but use a computer and ones spelling and grammar goes out the window and the worst part of it is that one doesn't catch up with the errors or whatever, until the email, post etc. is actually sent and it's far to late to correct it?

Pondering.

2007-07-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

Why is it that just as one decides to embark on something new and different on the computer, something else crops up to throw a spanner in the works? Yesterday I went looking through my files for pictures I'd taken of various knitting projects as well as my file of recipes only to find that, because of the last meltdown I have lost a lot of the stuff I thought was safely backed up and archived, so I guess it's back to the old drawing board.

Since learning how to take pictures on my digital camera and getting pretty good results thanks to my wonderful D-I-L, Mary-Frances, who hunted down a great little gadget that enables me to see what I'm shooting when I'm outdoors, I've had the fun of Cork snapping and emailing things. As they say, one picture is worth a thousand words so, no doubt, something will appear in time.

In the meantime, if anyone is reading this nonsense, I must share a great biscuit (cookie) recipe. I made up half the recipe and froze the other half. From the way it went off I should have made up the whole batch. At the moment I have a batch of Walnut, Cherry slice (like biscotti) cooling. But in the meantime, a really fab. recipe.

CRISP CHERRY BISCUITS

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
1 cup caster sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind (or orange rind if preferred)
1/2 lb butter
1 egg
7-8 oz mixed cherries (red, green and yellow glace cherries)

Line base and sides of a 3 x 10" bar cake pan (or slightly larger) with baking paper.

Blend or process flours, sugar, rind and butter until just crumbly. Add egg and process until combined. Transfer to a large bowl or tip out onto a lightly floured bench top and add cherries, pressing them into the dough. Knead gently until smooth. Press into pan and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.

When chilled, remove from pan and cut in half lengthways. If mixture is cut on the diagonal one gets nice triangular shape biscuits. At this stage half the mixture can be frozen if desired.

Cut each half into 1/4" slices and place on oven trays lined with baking paper. Bake in a moderately slow oven (325 F) for 12 minutes. Cool on trays then loosen with a spatula. Return biscuits to the oven and bake again for 10 minutes or until lightly brown and crist. Cool on trays.

These biscuits have good keeping quality. The hard part is keeping fingers, and I don't mean little fingers, out of the biscuit barrel.

2007-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

The best laid plans of mice and men etc.

Just as I was gearing up for a nice big writing session a nasty bug decided 'not tonight Josephine'. Anyway, life goes on and I'm more or less back on deck again. Seems I started to get better just as I was getting stuck into a book I picked up the other day. As one who hasn't had much interest in women's fiction until lately, I'm greatly enjoying Debbie Macomber and he Blossom Street series. I can blame my wonderful daughter-in-law for the change in reading material. Mostly I read crime novel interspersed with the classics but when I go to Denver I catch up with a number of other genres. Although I've become a fan of books about quilt clubs I haven't succumbed to quilting. At the moment Blossom Street ties in nicely with my renewed interest in knitting which I started doing when the arthritis kicked in. As therapy it's been great and I've managed to produce a couple of nice garments for the grandchildren. At the moment I'm finishing off a mauve fluffy bolero style top for one of them. I plan to do three so all the under 10's have one. Katie just sneaks in as I started hers before she turned 10 last month. Which brings me to another subject.

Why is it that I seem to always be the designated birthday cake maker? Last year when I thought I was to provide the salads Joanne, my oldest daughter, rang to say that she was expecting me to bake the cake. This year the same thing happened and we found that both Rebecca (Joanne's oldest daughter) and I were vying for whose cake would be the party cake. If anyone can sold the problem, let me know because I'm sure Becky must feel a bit hurt that her efforts don't seem to get the appreciation they deserve. Also, I don't think the consumers really need hearty dose of cholesterol they get when I make my special chocolate cake. It's very high in good quality cooking chocolate. Ditto the brownies which I whipped up a week or so back.

Anyway, to get back to knitting, I'm just dying to finally complete the current project so I can (hopefully) photograph it and put it on this blog. So, until next time, back to the knitting needles.

Oops!

2007-06-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

Just when one thinks they've got the hang of reading stuff on the monitor one seems to have a brain collapse and do something really stupid, like typing 'wain' for 'wane' and heath instead of health. Still, hope people got what I meant.

Maybe it's the sign of an untidy mind but more and more these days I find myself doing really stupid things, like stacking the dishwasher and forgetting to turn it on. No wonder my hubby has taken over that chore most days, and another thing I'm guilty of is forgetting to hang out the laundry. My excuse for that one is that because we moved over to a front loading machine which takes ages to go through its cycle I more often than not get caught up with other things. Still, apart from that I do manage to get things done.

One of these days I'd like someone explain to me why it is one can lie in bed not quite asleep and work out great scenes in ones head, but sit down at the computer all creative thought just disappears.

At the moment we are anxiously awaiting the results for our two students who have just completed the first semester for this year. Both youngest daughter and oldest son are going through a sea change and changing careers in mid-life so their attitude to their courses is quite different from the younger ones going through the hoops with them. In my family, the old saying that 'education is wasted on the young' is certainly true. Only one of the four finished highschool and that pass was a pretty poor one at that. However, when they returned to academia their results have been - dare I say it? - brilliant. Hopefully this will continue but in the meantime I'll be watching, fretting and cheering them on.

Maybe making a fool of myself.

2007-06-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

Not sure how this is going to work out. However, if I end up making a fool of myself, so what. I've often put my foot in it before and no doubt will continue to do so as Life goes on.

One reason for starting this blog is the hope that having something to write to each day will get me back into the swing of regular writing. It seems ages since I really did something creative, and it seems that settling into 'retirement' has more or less taken away all my zip and drive. However, the yen is still there so hopefully this will prompt me back into writing, if not daily, at least regularly.

For those interested I do have a wide range of interests. I like dressmaking, needlework, crochet, knitting, painting, writing screenplays, attending the theatre -- drama and musicals --acting (although the voice is letting me down) and have had a life-long passion for cooking which nowadays waxes and wains as heath permits.

In the days ahead I hope to add to this column but I guess a lot will depend on me remembering how to do it. Not being computer savvy it is all just a big adventure. So, until later.