seventy-seven

home or away

Half term starts at 3pm today and normally I'm the first one at the school gates, revving my engine, keen to hit the road.   

Today however I'm just a little hesitant.  You see I have been bitten by the gardening bug and am worried about leaving my plants.  I tried to grow lots of things from seeds this year and so there are some plants just out in the garden and some seedlings in pots not yet ready for the next step.  Will Mr W remember to water things, will the slugs stay away from the courgettes plants am i wrong to hope that half-term isn't too sunny?   Fingers crossed all is well when I return.   I hope to post a little while away but we are headed deep into the English countryside so if I'm not here it just means we are beyond the reaches of the internet.

chocolate chip

The weekend here was blissful.  The new trampoline arrived and after Mr W and I assembled it - with the children shouting out instructions - the weekend was spent alternating between the trampoline and the paddling pool.  Somewhere in between it all I did get round to making chocolate chip cookies.   It has to be said though that the recipe is so simple these yummy biscuits are mixed up and out of the oven in no time.   They are a great thing to make with children.

You will need

125g/5oz unsalted butter - melted

100g/4oz caster sugar

75g/3oz soft brown sugar

1  egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

150g/6oz plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

100g/4oz chocolate chips.

Pre-heat the oven to 170 C / 325 F / gas mark 3 and line 2-3 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.  In a bowl whisk together the two sugars and melted butter.  When these are well combined whisk in the egg and vanilla extract.  Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture and add the chocolate chips.  Fold the flour and chocolate chips into the mixture until well combined.  Spoon dollops of the mixture on to the greaseproof paper leaving a generous space between each spoonful.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.   Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling tray.  if there are any left they will keep for 2 or 3 days in an air tight container.

that friday feeling

The sun is out and school is over for another week. Hip hip hooray.  We wandered home slowly stopping for refreshments and making plans for the weekend.  The plan is to do as little as possible save make chocolate chip biscuits, play swing ball and eat good food in good company.  We love the weekend.  Hope you have good one too.

 

lavender blue

I made these lavender bags for a school fundraiser.  They were really simple to make and a great way to use up fabric from my scrap bag.  I've been asked to make more, which is great, but my scrap bag is very depleted so I have to contemplate cutting into new fabric to make them which is a little hard to reconcile with a project originally designed to use up scraps.  I do however like the idea of using a firmer stuffing and turning some of them into pin cushions.  I do love a good pincushion - something beautiful and useful rolled into one. 

mummy what have you done?

We had this large expanse of white wall in the kitchen and  for as long as anyone can remember I've been talking about turning it into a giant chalk board but I never felt like I had the time. Then I read this.  If this woman can prep, paint and clear up a whole room in 24 hours then I can paint a single wall in a morning.  And boy was it worth it the children were so pleased that it made my day.    I had visions of a weekly calender, shopping lists and weekly menus on the board but I think there maybe just lots of drawing - and that's just fine by me.

spring menu

The weather here in London has been anything but spring.  I have retrieved the winter duvet from the top of the wardrobe and it's a wintry staple, beef & guinness stew, for dinner.  

I use a recipe from Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat" entitled Beef Braised in Beef.   I love this recipe for many reasons not least because it appears in the low fat chapter of the book .  Who could not love guilt free comfort eating.  It also improves with age so in the winter I make large potfuls and stash portions in the freezer for culinary emergencies.

It should be noted that Nigella says to use Sam Smith's Imperial Stout but my name would be mud around here if it was anything other than Guinness.  The recipe also calls for prunes which always make me feel very virtuous when I pop them into my shopping trolley.

 

dereliction of duty

I snapped this on my phone as left the polling station last Thursday evening.  Clearly great minds  think alike. Maybe it was something about the number of people in the polling station that made me think it was a moment worth recording.  It has to be said that the  circus drama that followed has had me gripped.  The house, children, friends and family have been neglected in favour of the 24 news feed.  Now it seems although there wasn't a winner there is now a government.   I think the children will be relieved that normal service has resumed - there are only so many evening when pasta or fish fingers will do.

 

a beginning

I love blogs.  When I learn a little more about using typepad I will make a list of my current favorites.  I have often thought about starting a blog but have always hesitated - I felt it had to be as fabulous as those I read to be worthy.   A little while back domesticali kindly replied to a comment I left on her blog and gave me another nudge towards starting.  I wrote to her that I was a wannabe blogger but felt it's a bit like diving into the pool - you know it probably be fine, potentially excellent, but what if you belly flop!    

Then yesterday I came to realise that it's not about executing the perfect dive it just about getting in the water.  So here I am jumping in, holding my nose, hoping for the best.