Catchup
Just have an hour to spare this Monday early mid-afternoon so thought I'd sit down and have a 'chat'.
For some reason the scones I made this weekend for the sailing club were 'the best ever' (as told me by their organiser). Even I thought they were lighter than usual. Might have been because I used a slightly larger scone cutter (didn't realise it at the time), and maybe because I made the scone mix a bet wetter, or even because I'd used a new tub of baking powder (old baking powder loses its power).
The Saturday (larger) scones were not a very good shape, they rose well enough but also spread and had domed tops. For the Sunday scones the proper (size smaller) cutter, and also pricked the tops of the scones (because I'd seen Paul Hollywood do this recently on TV), and these rose up with flatter tops but not quite flat. The same mixture was used, but they were slightly dryer than the previous batch, and maybe - because slightly smaller - they could have done with half a minute less cooking. I probably will never know, but the larger scones (despite their shape) were the favourites.
A thanks to Carol for her suggestions as how to use Chard. I will try these next time we get a delivery. .
A welcome to Julee Gray (or is it welcome back?), thanks to her and also all other readers who have sent their best wishes/congrats on our 60th wedding anniversary this coming week.
Hope the weather stayed fair for the Open Garden weekend buttercup. It's been lovely weather here, esp. Sunday (and today), although it is raining at Wimbledon as I write. Thankfully they now have a roof over the Centre Court so Andy Murray can still play his match later this afternoon.
How lovely to be able to plan a small cottage garden. It's one of the things I fantasise about when trying to go to sleep (also cleaning and deaorating the dilapidated cottage as well).
My choice of cottage garden plants would be: roses round the door (of course), hollyhocks, Canterbury bells, lavender, Sweet Williams, marigolds, lupins, sweet peas, delphiniums/larkspur, iris, phlox and Michaelmas daisies, because these were some of the flowers I remember my dad growing in our garden when I was a teenager (he grew a lot of others as well, but these were my favourites).
Hope your dog outfit went down well at the Bury show Kathryn. Would you have been accompanied by Dolly? Am enjoying hearing about your allotment. Did you say you had rasperries growing? If not, worth planting some as they spread quite rapidly and within a couple of years or so you will be picking loads. I prefer the summer raspberries to the autumn ones.
Believe the original arrangement was that we would be using the social club for our anniversary 'do' and I'd be doing the catering, but very soon this was changed (thank goodness) and now we will be eating at a restaurant, so I'll be able to enjoy every minute of it.
Am not sure if I'll be blogging again until next Monday (possibly late Sunday evening) as am not sure what I'll be doing in the run-up to Thursday (the big day). Gill will be staying with me from mid-week onwards, returning Sunday, and I want to prepare as much advance food as possible for the meals when she is here. So - as I suggested - please keep sending comments, for it would be lovely for all regular readers to 'chat' amongst yourselves while I'm busy doing other things.
But I will return, maybe sooner than later, but am sure you will forgive me taking more time off than usual as this is a very special occasion. Thanks. xxxx See you soon.
For some reason the scones I made this weekend for the sailing club were 'the best ever' (as told me by their organiser). Even I thought they were lighter than usual. Might have been because I used a slightly larger scone cutter (didn't realise it at the time), and maybe because I made the scone mix a bet wetter, or even because I'd used a new tub of baking powder (old baking powder loses its power).
The Saturday (larger) scones were not a very good shape, they rose well enough but also spread and had domed tops. For the Sunday scones the proper (size smaller) cutter, and also pricked the tops of the scones (because I'd seen Paul Hollywood do this recently on TV), and these rose up with flatter tops but not quite flat. The same mixture was used, but they were slightly dryer than the previous batch, and maybe - because slightly smaller - they could have done with half a minute less cooking. I probably will never know, but the larger scones (despite their shape) were the favourites.
A thanks to Carol for her suggestions as how to use Chard. I will try these next time we get a delivery. .
A welcome to Julee Gray (or is it welcome back?), thanks to her and also all other readers who have sent their best wishes/congrats on our 60th wedding anniversary this coming week.
Hope the weather stayed fair for the Open Garden weekend buttercup. It's been lovely weather here, esp. Sunday (and today), although it is raining at Wimbledon as I write. Thankfully they now have a roof over the Centre Court so Andy Murray can still play his match later this afternoon.
How lovely to be able to plan a small cottage garden. It's one of the things I fantasise about when trying to go to sleep (also cleaning and deaorating the dilapidated cottage as well).
My choice of cottage garden plants would be: roses round the door (of course), hollyhocks, Canterbury bells, lavender, Sweet Williams, marigolds, lupins, sweet peas, delphiniums/larkspur, iris, phlox and Michaelmas daisies, because these were some of the flowers I remember my dad growing in our garden when I was a teenager (he grew a lot of others as well, but these were my favourites).
Hope your dog outfit went down well at the Bury show Kathryn. Would you have been accompanied by Dolly? Am enjoying hearing about your allotment. Did you say you had rasperries growing? If not, worth planting some as they spread quite rapidly and within a couple of years or so you will be picking loads. I prefer the summer raspberries to the autumn ones.
Believe the original arrangement was that we would be using the social club for our anniversary 'do' and I'd be doing the catering, but very soon this was changed (thank goodness) and now we will be eating at a restaurant, so I'll be able to enjoy every minute of it.
Am not sure if I'll be blogging again until next Monday (possibly late Sunday evening) as am not sure what I'll be doing in the run-up to Thursday (the big day). Gill will be staying with me from mid-week onwards, returning Sunday, and I want to prepare as much advance food as possible for the meals when she is here. So - as I suggested - please keep sending comments, for it would be lovely for all regular readers to 'chat' amongst yourselves while I'm busy doing other things.
But I will return, maybe sooner than later, but am sure you will forgive me taking more time off than usual as this is a very special occasion. Thanks. xxxx See you soon.
posted by Shirley at 2:05 pm
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