Week 7 of the 100 Word Challenge
The prompt this week was words which have been removed from the Oxford dictionary. They all had a very old fashioned feel, and reminded me of a cross between Dickens and Louisa May Alcott books.
"Mrs Kittytwizzle!"
The shout came from deep within the growlery.
"Oh but the master is having a brabble with himself tonight" the cook remarked to the scullery maid as she prepared the syllabub for dinner. Nelly nodded sympathetically, glad she wasn't the one on the end of that stern voice.
"Mrs Kittytwizzle!"
The shout came again louder this time.
"Oh and now I have foozled the recipe" and dusting the flour from her hands, Mrs Kittytwizzle went off to the growlery to see what her master wanted, the purple ribbons in her mob cap bustling with her in her indignation.
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Thursday 18 August 2011
Baking!
Well, it's official - my budget's about to be completely blown on baking ingredients!
The Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens, and as ever I am following contestants on twitter, and through their blogs and avidly V+'ing all episodes!
The reason for this mad fanaticism is I love baking, I find it really therapeutic to disappear into the kitchen, my iPod on a really dodgy playlist that no-one else likes (just to ensure no other interruptions) and bake away to my hearts content, or my ingredient cupboard is empty, usually whichever comes first. But here is my startling confession....... I only follow recipes, I could no more start to make my own cakes than I could fly to the moon!
I love recipe books; one of the contestants of the GBBO on her blog describes recipe books as "food porn" and I know exactly what she means. I could read a recipe book from cover to cover, and frequently do so tucked in a comfy chair with a cup of tea whilst the other half is watching match of the day highlights with 2 random football teams that I have never heard of (but that is a rant for another day!)
My mum has always said, if you can read, you can cook/bake and I know what she means, if you can read the recipe, then you can follow it. I do think though that a certain amount of common sense and baking acumen has to be involved too - otherwise I am talking myself down. Anyway, I do follow the recipes, and then stick little post-it notes inside the pages with little notes of my own (even though the books belong to me, I couldn't go so far as to actually mar them with my own writing). But I long to be able to just carelessly throw things together with an "I don't care if it works or not" attitude. Randomly selecting ingredients from my cupboard and throwing them over my shoulder like a deranged Mary Poppins where they land effortlessly in my Kenwood bowl and then come out of my oven beautifully cooked (and sometimes in my wildest imaginings iced and decorated too) so I can whirl them to the table to gasps of admiration from my waiting family and friends. Yeah right!
Anyway, I now have even more recipes to follow and try and I am determined that I am going to create my own signature dish whilst I am off work. It may take a while, and once I create it, I will be making it until my friends and family are completely sick of eating it, but until that happy day, I remain all the gear, no idea!
The Great British Bake Off has returned to our screens, and as ever I am following contestants on twitter, and through their blogs and avidly V+'ing all episodes!
The reason for this mad fanaticism is I love baking, I find it really therapeutic to disappear into the kitchen, my iPod on a really dodgy playlist that no-one else likes (just to ensure no other interruptions) and bake away to my hearts content, or my ingredient cupboard is empty, usually whichever comes first. But here is my startling confession....... I only follow recipes, I could no more start to make my own cakes than I could fly to the moon!
I love recipe books; one of the contestants of the GBBO on her blog describes recipe books as "food porn" and I know exactly what she means. I could read a recipe book from cover to cover, and frequently do so tucked in a comfy chair with a cup of tea whilst the other half is watching match of the day highlights with 2 random football teams that I have never heard of (but that is a rant for another day!)
My mum has always said, if you can read, you can cook/bake and I know what she means, if you can read the recipe, then you can follow it. I do think though that a certain amount of common sense and baking acumen has to be involved too - otherwise I am talking myself down. Anyway, I do follow the recipes, and then stick little post-it notes inside the pages with little notes of my own (even though the books belong to me, I couldn't go so far as to actually mar them with my own writing). But I long to be able to just carelessly throw things together with an "I don't care if it works or not" attitude. Randomly selecting ingredients from my cupboard and throwing them over my shoulder like a deranged Mary Poppins where they land effortlessly in my Kenwood bowl and then come out of my oven beautifully cooked (and sometimes in my wildest imaginings iced and decorated too) so I can whirl them to the table to gasps of admiration from my waiting family and friends. Yeah right!
Anyway, I now have even more recipes to follow and try and I am determined that I am going to create my own signature dish whilst I am off work. It may take a while, and once I create it, I will be making it until my friends and family are completely sick of eating it, but until that happy day, I remain all the gear, no idea!
Monday 15 August 2011
Just one more...
Week 5 of the 100 Word Callenge for Grown-ups!
Inspired by a picture, don't know how I got swimming from it, but it just reminded me of utter exhaustion. I actually do love swimming, but haven't been for so long, I would be the one flopped down like this!
As she pushed the water away from her, she kept repeating "one more lap, just one more!" Like a mantra, it kept her going. She didn't enjoy swimming, but she had that little black dress she was desperate to get back into, and that day of reckoning was getting closer!
Her limbs were stiffening up, and she felt like she was ready any moment to lay in "dead man's float" but no, the image of her in the dress, and the smile of appreciation on his face just kept her going.
"One more lap, just one more!"
She swam on!
Inspired by a picture, don't know how I got swimming from it, but it just reminded me of utter exhaustion. I actually do love swimming, but haven't been for so long, I would be the one flopped down like this!
As she pushed the water away from her, she kept repeating "one more lap, just one more!" Like a mantra, it kept her going. She didn't enjoy swimming, but she had that little black dress she was desperate to get back into, and that day of reckoning was getting closer!
Her limbs were stiffening up, and she felt like she was ready any moment to lay in "dead man's float" but no, the image of her in the dress, and the smile of appreciation on his face just kept her going.
"One more lap, just one more!"
She swam on!
Enjoying the holidays!
Well despite the weather, the summer holidays are great.
We have been having loads of fun. The other half took a week off work to celebrate little man's first birthday, and we have all had a week of days out. You know the kind where you could probably have gone abroad for the same amount!
Following an excellent but expensive trip to the Design-a-Cake outlet at Washington, I bought the stuff to do little man's first cake. I had done the same for my eldest on his first birthday so wanted them both to be the same, and I still had my number 1 cake tin. I got the cake baked, and my friend Kate was coming over on the Saturday morning to help me decorate it. (we were winging it together!) Despite a couple of false starts, we got the cake cut, filled and iced. Looked fab, if I do say so myself. A big light blue number 1 with dark blue stars all over it, and his name down the middle in fancy letters.
On the Sunday, we had friends over for the first couple of hours, where despite the rain they still managed to get outside for a little while on the bouncy castle and trampoline, and gorgeous boy no. 1's "hide me Scooby Doo" came in very handy. After cutting the cake, and singing happy birthday, they left, while we had a very quick turnaround before the family came for a BBQ on the afternoon. I have been with Col for nearly 8 years now, and apart from our engagement party in a function room, I think that was the first time we had both our entire families, including aunts, uncles and cousins in the same room at the same time. Good job we have a bigger house now! Cramped wasn't the word! Was nice though.
Monday was the actual birthday so we went to Whitby for the day, just the four of us, and got the best weather as it rained all day at home, and we had blue skies and ice-cream! A gorgeous day. Then followed a week of days out and lazy times in, playing in the garden. We finished off with a day at Lightwater Valley on Saturday.
Top Tip: Check in on Facebook to Lightwater Valley on your phone, and if you can show the cashier the link, you get a discounted entry fee!
Last year we went there, and I was 2 weeks post-section, having just had little man! Going round there this year and seeing what I did, I must have been mad! Still I did manage to get on some rides this year with my sister-in-law.
So there you go, back up to date again. We had a christening on Sunday but other than that it's back to quiet times again. col went back to work this morning, chuntering and bumping his gums about being the breadwinner! Got quite a lot of cakes to bake now, as my mother-in-law is doing a little party for my eldest on Tuesday as she will be away for his birthday and asked me to do some little petite four cakes, as they are just the right size for little mouths. And then my niece gets christened on Sunday, and I am godmother. I have promised my brother and his wife I will do some pink cupcakes for them, with little teddy bears and butterflies on the top. Pink and sparkly will make a nice change, as most of my cakes for my two are blue, or at the very least Lightening McQueen red!
Still can't quite believe I won't be going back to work in September!
We have been having loads of fun. The other half took a week off work to celebrate little man's first birthday, and we have all had a week of days out. You know the kind where you could probably have gone abroad for the same amount!
Following an excellent but expensive trip to the Design-a-Cake outlet at Washington, I bought the stuff to do little man's first cake. I had done the same for my eldest on his first birthday so wanted them both to be the same, and I still had my number 1 cake tin. I got the cake baked, and my friend Kate was coming over on the Saturday morning to help me decorate it. (we were winging it together!) Despite a couple of false starts, we got the cake cut, filled and iced. Looked fab, if I do say so myself. A big light blue number 1 with dark blue stars all over it, and his name down the middle in fancy letters.
On the Sunday, we had friends over for the first couple of hours, where despite the rain they still managed to get outside for a little while on the bouncy castle and trampoline, and gorgeous boy no. 1's "hide me Scooby Doo" came in very handy. After cutting the cake, and singing happy birthday, they left, while we had a very quick turnaround before the family came for a BBQ on the afternoon. I have been with Col for nearly 8 years now, and apart from our engagement party in a function room, I think that was the first time we had both our entire families, including aunts, uncles and cousins in the same room at the same time. Good job we have a bigger house now! Cramped wasn't the word! Was nice though.
Monday was the actual birthday so we went to Whitby for the day, just the four of us, and got the best weather as it rained all day at home, and we had blue skies and ice-cream! A gorgeous day. Then followed a week of days out and lazy times in, playing in the garden. We finished off with a day at Lightwater Valley on Saturday.
Top Tip: Check in on Facebook to Lightwater Valley on your phone, and if you can show the cashier the link, you get a discounted entry fee!
Last year we went there, and I was 2 weeks post-section, having just had little man! Going round there this year and seeing what I did, I must have been mad! Still I did manage to get on some rides this year with my sister-in-law.
So there you go, back up to date again. We had a christening on Sunday but other than that it's back to quiet times again. col went back to work this morning, chuntering and bumping his gums about being the breadwinner! Got quite a lot of cakes to bake now, as my mother-in-law is doing a little party for my eldest on Tuesday as she will be away for his birthday and asked me to do some little petite four cakes, as they are just the right size for little mouths. And then my niece gets christened on Sunday, and I am godmother. I have promised my brother and his wife I will do some pink cupcakes for them, with little teddy bears and butterflies on the top. Pink and sparkly will make a nice change, as most of my cakes for my two are blue, or at the very least Lightening McQueen red!
Still can't quite believe I won't be going back to work in September!
Friday 29 July 2011
Their cries were heard!
The new 100 word challenge from www.theheadsoffice.co.uk
This weeks prompt was " their cries were heard..."
The noise went on, a constant ringing - the kind that gets behind your eyes and throbs in your temples. Suddenly there were people everywhere, chaos, a plethora of feet stampeding towards the nearest exit. This was the signal they had been waiting for, a chance to make a run for it. Could they be seen? They didn't care. it was now or never!
A pair of eyes gazed down at them through the tinted glass of the window, spectacles halfway down the nose, and as they ran, their cries were heard.....
"it's finally the end of school, happy holidays everyone!"
This weeks prompt was " their cries were heard..."
The noise went on, a constant ringing - the kind that gets behind your eyes and throbs in your temples. Suddenly there were people everywhere, chaos, a plethora of feet stampeding towards the nearest exit. This was the signal they had been waiting for, a chance to make a run for it. Could they be seen? They didn't care. it was now or never!
A pair of eyes gazed down at them through the tinted glass of the window, spectacles halfway down the nose, and as they ran, their cries were heard.....
"it's finally the end of school, happy holidays everyone!"
An unofficial lady of leisure!
Well the Sumer holidays have started in earnest. I have worked the last two days that I was meant to, and although I am still technically employed till the 31st August, I have finished work for the summer.
All the housework that I have been putting off to do when I finish work is still mounting up, and me and the boys are having lazy days.
It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, leaving work. Everyone moans about going to work don't they.... I mean the alarm goes off on a morning, and nearly everyone sticks one hand out from under the duvet and hits snooze, with a murmured "5 more minutes" and I was no different. And let's face it, what would we all do if those winning numbers came in on a Saturday night! But when it came to actually saying goodbye to my friends and colleagues, I cried like a baby! Everyone was so kind, and I got some lovely cards and gifts, a voucher which I am going to use to buy a nice photo frame to capture memories of the next three years, and a huge card in which all the children had written their names and some lovely messages like "goodbye computer jenius" (sic).
Anyway that was the Thursday, I had Friday off, and then was back in on Monday and Tuesday to finish off. I cleared a load of rubbish, backed up my laptop documents and handed in my door fob and came away.
So what now..... Well I am going to Washington on Sunday to buy cake supplies with my friend and ex-colleague and then after that we shall see. Time with the boys, playgroups, days out, lazy days in, but most of all, just being a mum. As one of my friends wrote in a card, it may be more stressful than printers and laptops at times but so much more rewarding!
All the housework that I have been putting off to do when I finish work is still mounting up, and me and the boys are having lazy days.
It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, leaving work. Everyone moans about going to work don't they.... I mean the alarm goes off on a morning, and nearly everyone sticks one hand out from under the duvet and hits snooze, with a murmured "5 more minutes" and I was no different. And let's face it, what would we all do if those winning numbers came in on a Saturday night! But when it came to actually saying goodbye to my friends and colleagues, I cried like a baby! Everyone was so kind, and I got some lovely cards and gifts, a voucher which I am going to use to buy a nice photo frame to capture memories of the next three years, and a huge card in which all the children had written their names and some lovely messages like "goodbye computer jenius" (sic).
Anyway that was the Thursday, I had Friday off, and then was back in on Monday and Tuesday to finish off. I cleared a load of rubbish, backed up my laptop documents and handed in my door fob and came away.
So what now..... Well I am going to Washington on Sunday to buy cake supplies with my friend and ex-colleague and then after that we shall see. Time with the boys, playgroups, days out, lazy days in, but most of all, just being a mum. As one of my friends wrote in a card, it may be more stressful than printers and laptops at times but so much more rewarding!
Tuesday 19 July 2011
The 100 word challenge for Grown-ups
100 Word challenge for Grown-ups
I came across this website from a recommended link on Twitter, and thought I would give it a go!
He sat, watching the world go by… men with pushchairs; ladies with briefcases; children clutching sweets in hot sticky fingers – and he thought how much had changed, how much had he seen alter through the years.
It never used to be like that, but were things better nowadays? Do people ever just sit and watch, like he did.
Just those few minutes respite had gave him chance to reflect and evaluate, did he want to re-enter the rat race, join back in with the humdrum ways of a non-stop life?
He sat back and thought about it all some more.
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He sat back and thought about it all some more.
Tuesday 12 July 2011
The big decision!!!
Well, it's official, the letter has gone it to the boss - I have told everyone and there is no going back now..... I am officially a housewife as of July 31st 2011!
Working solely to pay a childminder isn't fun anymore. Besides, I no longer care that the printers at school aren't working - not that me and printers have ever really been best friends, as any of my nearly ex colleagues could tell you. But some things haven't changed... I am still really excited by technological innovations and how they can be embedded into the curriculum, or how children can have fun whilst learning loads of discreet skills playing things like Angry Birds, which was recently demonstrated at the last Northern Grid Conference I attended.
http://www.ictsteps.com/2011/06/angry-birds-in-the-classroom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=angry-birds-in-the-classroom
I suppose really, the aim of this blog is to become a diary of things I do with my time, my children and my own professional development during my time off. (As much as I love Cbeebies, there is only so much Justin an adult can take!) There may be entries relating to things we have done at playgroup, or new recipes I have come across. Hopefully there will be entries regarding new ICT advances, as one thing that does worry me is how fast things are moving, and how will I keep up, when I return to work in a few years time.
I hope people enjoy following and reading it, but even if not, I can look back with my children and say "That is what we did when you were little".
Working solely to pay a childminder isn't fun anymore. Besides, I no longer care that the printers at school aren't working - not that me and printers have ever really been best friends, as any of my nearly ex colleagues could tell you. But some things haven't changed... I am still really excited by technological innovations and how they can be embedded into the curriculum, or how children can have fun whilst learning loads of discreet skills playing things like Angry Birds, which was recently demonstrated at the last Northern Grid Conference I attended.
http://www.ictsteps.com/2011/06/angry-birds-in-the-classroom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=angry-birds-in-the-classroom
I suppose really, the aim of this blog is to become a diary of things I do with my time, my children and my own professional development during my time off. (As much as I love Cbeebies, there is only so much Justin an adult can take!) There may be entries relating to things we have done at playgroup, or new recipes I have come across. Hopefully there will be entries regarding new ICT advances, as one thing that does worry me is how fast things are moving, and how will I keep up, when I return to work in a few years time.
I hope people enjoy following and reading it, but even if not, I can look back with my children and say "That is what we did when you were little".
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