Monday, July 21, 2008

Monday and the sun is shining...

The sun didn't co-operate for very long yesterday, so it was just as well I as out there early! Those of you who may have been watching the golf will have an idea of what the weather has been like around the UK in recent days. Somewhat challenging if you happen to be a golfer. Never mind anyone actually wanting to enjoy summer. However, it looks as though we are seeing sun for the next week or so, and we are ready! School holidays start on Wednesday.

One of my friends has had to fly to France to be with her mother who has been admitted to hospital, another is in hospital with a raging infection in his leg, another is leaving for Australia to be with her brother who is in the final stages of cancer - it seems that everyone knows of someone who is battling health issues at the moment. And it is definitely true that at the start of the school holidays, all teachers seem to get sick!

Yesterday, I made dropped scones (or pancakes, or flapjacks, depending where you come from) for my son. I was appalled when he announced that he cannot remember ever having had them before. Then I started thinking about how many times I have made these in the past, and it seems that I stopped before he was born. I am a bad mother. I remember my older 2 lining up at the stove for hot ones off the griddle. I must go in phases I think. I make things for years and then stop.

The recipe I used was my grandmother's one, and it just reads "5 tablepsoons" etc, so I dutifully measured out the flour using a measuring spoon. Bad move. Once I had it all mixed together, it looked very wrong, so I threw in as much flour as I thought necessary, tossed in a little more sugar, and it worked. I must remember NOT to measure things! She just used an ordinary heaped tablespoon, and things like "a small cup of milk" mean "just find a PROPER tea cup and use that". I love the randomness of it all. Moregranny used to have a clean teatowel ready for her dropped scones, and would place them on it and fold it over to cover them as they came off the griddle. I had the tea towel out yesterday, but they got eaten rather rapidly. Isn't it wonderful how we remember associations when we make old family recipes??

And my son LOVED the dropped scones. He will be taking the recipe off to uni with him, because he doesn't need any fancy equipment to make them.

Do you mix up your memories too? I remember so much about my children's childhood, but I get the children mixed up. I remember that we had chicken pox. But who actually had it? Who walked when? Which one of them did what and when? I know SOMEONE did it! Like those dropped scones.... sigh. I think I should get out the recipe book and start from the beginning again.

One of the things I would love to do is to put all the family and collected recipes from friends into a Blurb type book, and have copies made for the children. I think it would be wonderful fun to make. Take all my favourite recipes and organise them. Rocking Chair Recipes. That sounds good. Like an old lady sitting next to the aga handwriting recipes in a beautiful book. Long skirt, apron and grey hair in a bun with pins. Cat on the braided rug on the floor. Hmmm. Not quite what I had in mind. Maybe not. I want to be the Mum in jeans. Young. Energetic. Maybe I will have a photo of me with a laptop and the rocking chair. That sounds more like it. I just need to get the laptop of course.

I am blethering here.

I am off to plot my recipe book. In my head. The son has risen from the pit and is about to evict me from the computer. See why I need a laptop???? There is just so much heavy sighing one can tolerate.

8 comments:

Prixie said...

i went for a walk yesterday after 8pm and the cold wind turned me into a icicle. my house mates were enjoying teh sunin the morning, sun bathing in the morning!

i already get my memories mixed up. my S.O thinks I am like Dory from Finding Nemo. There you go - you are not alone! ;p

Anonymous said...

Dropped scones - new words to me :-)

I made blueberry pancakes at our cabin for breakfast yesterday. Of course there are photos in my blog.

When do you have to go back to school?

Dawn said...

Your blethering just keeps me going! Dropped scones - much more interesting sounding that pancakes! But we have them almost every other week for the evening meal - no time in the mornings, and they have become a suppertime staple. Easy, cheap -- bugt I have to admit I usually use a boxed mix. Just as good as scratch, seriously.

You must get a laptop - best thing I ever got, I do believe. Well, maybe next to my camera. Or my microwave. OR . . .

I absolutely loved Runaway Quilt - awesome writing - I call it quilting a story instead of weaving, as I usually say about a good writer. I wish I knew more about quilting, though - the "quiltese" in all the books would add a lot if I knew what she was talking about!

DC's been watching the British Open and commiserating with the poor soaked golfers.

Vee said...

It's been raining here, too, for several days and we're supposed to have another week of it. Yucky in the middle of summer. Hope that it rolls off south of you when it heads east. Sounds as if you've had more than enough.

I nodded my head when you mentioned that you do something for a long time and then just quit. Me too. Building habits is a tough one for me.

Your project sounds labor intensive, but your children and grands would be so blessed by it. I hope that you'll actually do it!

Edith said...

WE are under a severe thunderstorm warning...I'm waiting on the washer to fill. In the meantime I've been sorting books - trying to decide which of the 15 on teddy bears I need to eliminate! Ha. Next up is the stack of quilting books...Any suggestions for weeding out??

I can so relate to the heavy sighs from the younger ones waiting their turns on the computer.

Have a blessed day.

Crystal said...

The recipe book sounds marvelous! And yes, go for the laptop, jeans and cell phone picture. There are so many options for making books online that you should be able to find one that's not too hard. Check with Shutterfly too. And maybe print a few extras so that your adoring fans can buy them :))

I hope the sun comes back soon. We are sunny and +29 degrees C today. That's a bit hot but hopefully a breeze will come by. I don't want to sound ungrateful!

Barb said...

I mentioned in my Sunday Meanderings post that Rob is the official pancake maker at our house. I truly cannot wait to ask him to make "dropped scones" next time, just to see the bewildered look on his face. LOL

You know, I have old, old family recipes that drive me crazy because they're written like the one you're talking about. And guess what? Apparently I do exactly the same thing because my daughters are now trying to use my recipes and they're constantly calling me and asking, "OK, Mom. What did you really mean when you wrote THIS?" Geez.

I guess when you get right down to it, we're all the same - we repeat the things that drive us nuts, over and over again.

How nice to hear you sounding so cheery, Linds. I'm glad the sun is shining there again. :-)

Sandra said...

Well if you decide to make that cookbook, I hope you'll have it available to us too, because I for sure would want one :)