MMmm CAKE.

 

I just wanted to share with you a little story of cake, quiet possibly one of my favourite things pf all time. This is a special sour dough cake mix, passed on by Nicola a lovely potter in our village. Herman is a friendship cake that is alive and continues to grow over ten days.

This is Herman the cake mix on day one, we had to keep him on the side stirring him on each day, adding ingredients on day four and nine. Watch hoe he grows, it is really amazing!

On day nine we split Herman into five equal parts, in theory you keep one and give away the other four in friendship. Because we are greedy we gave away two, leaving us with two cakes to make up and one to start all over again.

The mix is quiet dense and you can add what you like, we had one with a fruit cake mix and the other choc and choc chips! I was really surprised at the size and the flavour is great. A real interesting taste that is thick but not over sweet.Looks like everyone else like it to as there isn't much left!

Just as well I kept a batch to do it all over again, I think it was a real success. I wish I could tell you how to start the sour dough but I I don't know. What I really like is the fact that it can keep growing and growing!

Creative Friday falls into autumn!

I am joining in Creative Friday with the lovely Natural Suburbia http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.com/2011/10/creative-friday_14.html . I feel we have really embraced the autumn feeling, two days ago we collected fallen leaves from our local park. We have dried them in a book in the airing cupboard and now today we have been creating autumn pictures. Very simple, paint mixed with PVA glue enabled painting and sticking at the same time!

This was so lovely, more so as we had just walked the dog and collected blackberries.

Happy weekend

x x x

Yarn Along

Well here I am with Ginny http://www.gsheller.com/2011/10/yarn-along_12.html for my second week in a row. I have completed the leg warmers that I started last week, I am pleased with them and my confidence is growing.

This week I have started a little sleeveless top for Arthur (who is 2). I feel this is a good move as it is another creation with only squares. I am using Sidar Escape wool that is really yummy with gentle changing colours.

I am really hoping that I will get over my knitting pattern fear, I have been looking for very very simple patterns that I might give a go. I am up for any advice just remember my only skill until now is a square. I have come across drops and I like this although it is still a little scary! http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=117&d_id=42&lang=en

 The books I'm reading this week are The genius of play, I am on chapter 1, ans supposed to have read it for my Steiner course on Sat. I don't think I will get it all read in time as I do like to take my time. Also having a good fiction on the go means there is never enough time for it all. The second book is distant hours by Kate Morton. I have read here other two books which I loved ! Lucky me got this for my birthday last week.

My First Yarn Along.

Firstly I need to say sorry to Ginny for putting my first link to Yarn along all wrong! Now I'm making amends and getting it right. please look at the site and see what everyone else is up to http://www.gsheller.com/2011/10/yarn-along.html

My efforts are so so simple (I'm not really a knitter you know). My second pair of leg warmers, the first pair went off to Kent to my sister. I felt I should have a pair too.

And the book, well its obvious. I would like to say it is brilliant, I am a fan of Hugh but not having a TV means I was unaware if a new series. I feel this really has inspired me to try some new meals, and I feel I have reconnected with one of my hero's.

Rosehip Syrup and Leg Warmers

Each year I seem to have a passion that I follow, lets say strongly. In the past wild food or foraging has been one of them, and to my delight I have some amazing recipes that I will seek out year after year, one of those is Rosehip Syrup. I used a recipe from the most fantastic book, Wild Food by Roger Phillips, it is a must in the world of food for free, the photography is stunning and creative.

After completing a lovely Autumn walk this weekend I had enough rosehips to make my syrup. Knowing that this syrup is so utterly amazing I have cut my rosehips by hand for the last few years, but this year I had a new gadget to help. MrPB bought me a little present from the recycling centre which at the time didn't go down to well! But now all is forgiven as this wonderful creation made my job so so much easier.

OOps picture gone a bit funny, sorry! This is the recipe :

1kg of rosehips

4 and half pints of water

450g sugar

. Mince up the rosehips and put in pan

. add 3 pints of boiling water, wait for it all to reboil

. infuse for 15mins

.strain through jelly strainer

. put rosehips back in pan

. add another 1 and half pints of water, bring to boil again

. infuse for another 10 mins

. strain again

. now reduce the rosehip water to a litre

.add your sugar and dissolve

.bottle

eat on everything, but our favourite is with stewed apples, cream and syrup poured over the top.

I have also been busy knitting my first pair of leg warmers. I am not really a knitter although I am keen to improve. I really enjoyed making them, this pair will be off to Kent for my sisters birthday, but I am making myself a pair now.

Changing of seasons

I don't know about you but I personally find that with a change of a season comes a time for some reflection and a time for planning. In my reflection time recently I have found that I am dealing with really big issues like who am I and where do I fit within my communities, also what do I stand for in the way I parent?? A bit scary hey, do you dare read on??................

To put it into a blogging sense I have been asking myself why do I do this? I'm not always sure I have anything of worth to pass on, but I know I enjoy this time to communicate and express myself. So although I may not be tackling huge global issues or putting down a heavy political footprint I think it's ok just to share our day to day. Really what I love most is just that, those of you that read my blog and all those other blogs that I read are massively inspirational just on the way you live your day to day. And of course I'm aware of the wider picture but I am now understanding that I am living in a more conscious or awakened state.
Well that leads me nicely to the more personal me......................

I have been pondering on the differences of my parenting, what I mean is my choices and skills are now very different from how I parented Luke 17 years ago to how I now parent Arthur who is 2. I am the same person and I wanted the same things for my children but how I live now has changed. Yes I'm alot older, wise, confidant, I know how to make things happen. I think that there has been an awakening of my conscious mind, I feel slightly mournful about this as I would like to provide my older children with the connected ness that I now feel. Yet again I would like to celebrate my forever changing journey, my older children have had a lovely upbringing with a spiritual essence but being more awaken I feel this has a real sense of purpose now, so watch this space.....................

What that really means is I'm ready to accept and move on to the new chapter, and at the moment the new chapter is autumn. I have been planning lots of lovely thing to do  but it started with enjoying some local sences in the park today!

Wonderful hey? Well thank you for baring with me, when I have moments of rambling. One last thing I would like to share that I am very excited about is that tomorrow I start my Joy de Berke mother and baby Steiner course, and that in time I will share more of.

Thank you, have a lovely weekend!

My Growing Family

Lets make this clear from the beginning, no I am not expecting another baby!! I think four boys is enough for me.
What I do mean by growing family is that I have noticed during the summer that my lovely boys are moving on. You all know the scene, you catch up with friends through the summer and start to list the changes of the year and plans that each of your children will be partaking in. Well it was at this moment that I realised that as a family we are growing, that we are always changing, and as much as I want to celebrate this I do feel a little sad too.
The run down goes a bit like this:
Luke having just turned 17, yes 17!!! Luke will be starting his second year at college this week in Music technology. He has spend summers at festivals and DJing at friends party's. Wow he is so independent and has a love of music that just keeps him enthused and working hard. I am also really happy for him as he has just got himself a job after looking for many months.
Liam just never stops growing, now 15 he is at least a head taller than me and I'm not that short, and he takes a size 10 shoes, canoes!!! Liam is now heading into his last year of school, I feel for him in this pressured year. I want him to to still enjoy his friends and not to feel bogged down with making life decisions. Although in 6 months time we will have to think if he wants to go to college or stay on at 6th form?
Callum is now 12 and very much staring his journey in to teenager land. He is so very quick witted and makes us all laugh so much. I am still proud to see that he has amazing empathy. He is now settled into secondary school and has a lovely group of friends.
Arthur, no longer the tiny baby but a bouncing boy! I love his long arms and legs and the energy that just makes him want to walk the dog morning, noon and night. Arthur is such a cuddly little boy and can be so gentle when the mood takes but he certainly has a glint in his eye, and who wouldn't having three older brother to copy!
I am so very proud of my children and I do enjoy watching them grow, and grow they have. I can not believe how fast it seems to happen!