A winter afternoon.........

Hello there, everyone! Jean and I are on coffee duty at church tomorrow morning, so this afternoon was one of the Baking Days which precede coffee duty. I have to say that some of the ladies who cater are amazing bakers, and the cakes.....OH MY SAINTED AUNT!! They go straight to the hips without stopping anywhere along the way. I am ashamed to say I show no restraint when confronted with a carrot cake cupcake topped with cream cheese icing. It is just as well our turns only roll round every few months, is all I can say. 

Where was I...

Oh yes. We baked our cupcakes, and iced them at Jean's house, where there is an oven which actually cooks at the temps selected. A marvel. And there is the added appeal of the warmth, thanks to a wonderful wood burning stove. One of the best ideas ever invented. I need one. It tops the list, even dislodging a tumble drier. 

There was much laughter as we baked, and we have done this so many times that we know how to get things done with the minimum of fuss. Jean made her cheese straws, which are a great favourite....

And I made some rice crispy cakes. Melted chocolate and rice crispies. The end. 

They could not possibly be any simpler and the kids love them. 

I do believe that no-one will starve tomorrow, if you also add in the Christmas cakes, mince pies, stollen, shortbread and chocolates which we fully intend taking too. It is a wonderful way to get Temptation out of our homes asap after Christmas. 

And now we come to the star of the show - the wood burner. Mum sat in the study which opens off the kitchen, in front of the wonderful wood burner, and carried on sewing up her latest blanket for the homeless, and she was beautifully warm and toasty. You can tell by the fact that Jean was not wearing any thick cardigan, that we too, were beautifully warm in the kitchen. Those fires really do warm the whole place. Wonderful. 

I want one. 

There really is nothing better than a beautiful fire to relax and warm you at the same time. One of my great delights is to find a fire, and simply sit in front of it, with just candles or Christmas tree lights, and watch the flickering flames and let my mind wander. One of the best things to do on a cold winter evening. 

Now all I am missing is the real fire, but I do have my DVD. There is that. It will do for now, and I have a wonderfully well developed imagination! 

I was looking at a couple of Jean's new sewing projects, and I started thinking about all the things I have made in my day, and honestly, some of them amaze me now. I looked at some rucksacks/backpacks I made one year, complete with all the buckles, and toggles, and eyelets, and strapping and pockets and I turned them over in my hands and honestly, I could hardly believe I made it. Notebooks. Photo frames. Pictures. Bears. Clothes. So many things over the years. Sewing baskets. There have been some interesting projects, believe me. I have every reason to believe that there will be other interesting projects in the future, but seriously, have you ever looked at something which you made once, and shaken your head a little in amazement that you actually had the skill once to do it? 

I am not talking about blowing trumpets here. I am just wondering if anyone else goes through these funny phases? I forget these things, you know. And then I unearth something and just grin. That was then and this is now and right now we are in the "Simple" phase. Simple=easy=I-don't-have-to-think-too-much=uncluttered=clean=perfect. 

That will be just fine for now. 

And now, it is not many hours before you all get to watch the new season of Downton Abbey. It is good. And after that, no doubt you will be seeing the Christmas Special as well, which the entire nation sat down to watch here on Christmas night. I am not going to say anything to spoil it for you ! 

We, on the other hand, have nothing of great interest to watch at all right now. Sigh. There was a time when all the good shows aired all autumn and winter, when the greatest number of people are at home, indoors, with the TV on. Those days are gone, though. Repeats are the order of the day, unless you have Sky. But there are always DVDs to watch, now that I have mastered the art of working the 12 year old DVD player. Some kinds of technology suit me, and other kinds....hmmm. 

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!