Two cakes, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene.
Sorry. They are on a balcony though... both orange cakes, one topped with chocolate, one with icing sugar mixed with a little orange juice.
A rose by any other name... is in fact, cherry blossom :)
I made rock buns yesterday after there were complaints about the lack of baked goods in the house. Yes. Seriously. I'm bemused but, oh my, how I love rock buns so no real complaints here. I had a total flashback to childhood making and eating these. (Usual substitutions apply to the recipe...vegan 'butter', vegan milk and don't bother with the egg. It will hold together just fine.)
And here's the conversation we had before the above photo was taken...
Me: you've eaten 4 of them already?!
Him: I'm sure I've only had 3...
Me: you had 3 before I even went upstairs! And I just saw you eat another.
Him: they're just small...like air really. It's the same as eating celery...
(Just to tease you!)
I have a banoffee pie recipe to share, but not until Monday. No reason other than I am a cruel woman. I also have a cinnamon roll recipe that I may or may not wait until the following Monday to share because not only am I cruel but evil.
You see Thursday's are for wittering and waffling and Monday's are for recipes and rambunctiousness. Something like that.
You will be pleased to hear I wont be boring you with my on going organisation, other than it is miraculously continuing, and I won't detail my new home cleaning regime, as that's far too domestic and housewifey. No today it's all about creativity.
I have always felt that I'm not a 'creative' type and that my lot in life is to be a very practical person. You know, that person who is always unflappable and calm in a crisis. Practical. I've always felt that creativity is for other people...artists, graphic designers, sewers, knitters, crafters,sculptors, makers...not for me then. When I was at school, primary and secondary, I was the quintessential average student. There was nothing I excelled at, mostly I was average but some things I failed miserably at. I couldn't draw, I couldn't sew, I couldn't knit...I couldn't create. I couldn't even grasp the basic concepts of how to do these things, they seemed so abstract! I have such strong memories about being baffled about how to even start off sewing and sure enough anything I made would somehow unravel and fall apart and I'd still be left feeling bemused. Worse still to have what you have just sewn ripped apart, literally, by a sadistic sewing teacher. Art was even worse and it got to the point when I stopped doing my homework entirely so that I wouldn't get another D scribbled across it.
Its not until the last 5 or 6 years that I have really started to get over some of my school day hangups and realise that I can do all these things. It's helped that I have realised that 'creativity' has a broader scope and definition than I previously thought. I write regularly on this blog...isnt that creative? I have taught myself to crochet...isn't that creative? I can sew reversible baby trousers when I havent sewn in years...isnt that creative? I can garden, create new recipes and develop unusual herbal recipes. All these things are creative. I'm learning in my own way, at my own pace and am now no longer afraid of making mistakes because this is how I learn.
Right, enough of the baring the soul. I want this year to be the year I really unleash my creativity. Yeah, sure, everything has already been done but not by me. I'm not going to get too hung up about originality. So here is how i plan to approach my creative year.
I think that's everything. Anybody else got any ideas on how to be/stay creative? What do you feel your creative outlet is?
Mince pies did get made :)
Despite my earlier outreach, 'do what you want and only what you want' festive post there has been some mad running around, buying and spending for certain relatives... Others have popped by unannounced when, unfortunately, I had some avocado smeared on my face (it's a great moisturising facepack) and had forgotten about it. Passing a mirror after they had gone, I spied a blob of green in an eyebrow. It is my belief that they rather enjoy thinking I'm mad so, you know, just spreading the joy :D
However, there has also been a lovely visit to the cinema and health food shops, huge delivery of firewood and the following pictorial festive activities:
The Christmas cake was winged recipe-less and is incredibly crumbly but delicious, Charlotte made gorgeous mince pies and that's Cat's white hot chocolate which is lush.
Diving under the Christmas tree has gone on...
There was an early morning walk through the frost to release a mouse from a live capture trap... with an entourage of cats and dogs (see poorly lit photo below)...
*Joyfully embraces perceived insanity*
To Do list: dance around to cheesy Christmas tunes; wear my Santa hat; cook Christmas dinner; make a chocolate log cake, maybe a trifle too; watch rubbishy Christmas films; wear tinsel in my hair; hug and kiss the people I love and generally behave with the lack of decorum now expected of me :)
Sparkly Yuletide Wishes to You too!
Yes, there's been snow, only a small amount, but you're coming on a snowy walk with me :)
aww, that's a little bit festive isn't it? Admittedly it's about all that is round here so far. We have watched two versions of A Christmas Carol though, festive film season is upon us! The animated Jim Carrey one we saw in 3D at the cinema and it tranfers very well to the small screen at home... the artwork of snowy Dickensian London is wonderful.
I adore the ultra expressiveness of Alastair Sim's 1951 Scrooge. He is so infectiously happy at the end. And the way his nephew is hugely delighted when his curmudgeonly old relative turns up unexpectedly for Christmas dinner? Hmm... I'd be more likely to lie down on the floor and pretend to be out... the spirits may be visiting me soon...
Ebenezer was invited though... my Scroogley tendendies spring from years of working and educating at home. Sometimes people who would probably never dream of walking unannounced into someones school or office assume we are just sitting here with nothing better to do than make cups of tea for them. Bah! Humbug! Bring it on spirits! *shakes fist ill naturedly*
Back to the walk... *tranquility reigns again*
Me and this tree have a thing going on. It's a bit special in a hippy tree hugging sort of way.
That hill is a lot steeper than it looks, but the dog and I climbed it to bring you two things:
The tip of slightly snowy Mormond hill on the horizon...
And the sea. Yes, it is there, in the very middle of the picture. That white line is actually stormy waves crashing onto golden sands. The other white expanse is a ploughed field, the only field capable of properly displaying this amount of snow.
Then we are homeward bound:
Note moon above clouds there...
We return to warm fire, hot chocolate and festive mood... who knows, by next week I may have put up the tree, roasted chestnuts, played carols on the piano and baked mince pies! *pigs fly across the moon*
So, this is how we roll around here. Headband to cover unwashed hair (but also functionally keeps my ears warm)? Check. Impractical black to show off food stains? Check. Oversized (maternity) tracksuit bottoms which make me look 2 dress sizes larger? Check. Now repeat every. single. day. It's a good look, non? At least I get dressed.
(The 3 day old laundry pile which sat mocking me yesterday morning)
For a blog entitled Modern Housewife there is a distinct lack of, well, housewifery going on. Really it's because I am poor at it. Very poor. Let's go for extremely poor. Let's be completely honest here. When I get up in the morning my only desire is to make it to the end of the day with the house in a slightly cleaner state than when I woke. I'll admit that as aspirations and goals go it's not my finest but it's also not particularly achievable.
A battle rages here between me and the house on a daily basis. It's not pretty. What I want to know is: how is it that a room can spiral out of control if I walk out of it for a minute? It's like a space time vortex appears from nowhere and sucks debris, toys and organic matter from the past and future and scatters it in the present. It's the only explanation.
Some days it feels like a death match, me versus the house,and on those days I am honour bound to win at any cost but like a zombie the house is back again the next day ( minus the eating of brains bit. Although, now I think on it, my brain has been less responsive of late...)
However, somedays, sometimes the stars align and the house becomes placid and demure and not only do I get it looking magnificent but *gasp* it stays that way...for a couple of days at least. Yesterday was one of those rare days. Rooms got wiped, hoovered and organised. Beds got made, windows thrown open, laundry folded (but not ironed because c'mon!) and toilets meticulously scrubbed. Ridiculous quantities of food got made for freezing such as chili, Lasagne, shortcrust pastry, pasties, pate, pasta sauce, sausages and fresh pasta. On these days I feel like a Goddess in my own home (but without any ardent devotees bringing me gifts, sadly).
(Cornish style pasties from my industrious day)
Don't worry, normality will resume again today but for now, as I stand proudly, legs apart, cape flying (and with some serious backlighting)...Victory is mine!
Halloween approaches, so what better than a trip to an creepy themed pub for lunch?
I had to actually climb up onto these seats and then sit with my little feet dangling as if sent back in time to be a toddler in my parents house or possibly awaiting bone grinding in the Giant's Castle... which was the more frightening prospect? *unsure*
But accompanied as I was by staunch and heroic companions, all was well... menus were browsed.
No quinoa was ordered. Deep fried badness... yum.
A dark and mysterious, caffienated, sugar loaded beverage...
*throws head back and laughs demonically*
*strains neck, sits back up faintly abashed*
Baked potato with bean chilli... wait a minute, that's a bit wholesome... quickly moving on...
Salad - NO! No, no, no... though there in the background are statues of Vlad the Impaler and Dracula (look hard, really hard) so all is not lost...
Toilet door. Note the creepy, blurred special effects of the photo - no effort was spared in the making of this post.
A poor little demon in a cage... we should start a campaign to free it or something...
*sugar rush of mysterious drink wears off*
*stares dismally at pumpkin and considers next post*
