Christmas Cakes

I made the Crimbo cakes today! I say cakes as I always have to make two, in fact I very well may have to make two more. Anyway these are our cake and hubbies birthday cake. The next two will be one for K and one to take up to mums for over Christmas!

The recipe is one I was given in the first year at Secondary School, I have kept it and used it ever since.



I then lined the tins and as you can see its all done very neatly, this is a habit I got into when I used to make and ice cakes for friends and I've just stuck with it, plus it makes icing a bit easier.



I weighed all the fruit and poured on a generous amount of brandy to soak whilst I did everything else.



Using my mixer I beat the butter and sugar



Having added the eggs and flour I then added the fruit.



All mixed up now



then in the cake tin



Now I am doing something I have never done before, I am cooking two at once in the Rayburn!



The bottom oven, the warming oven is holding around 140C according to my thermometer so I have the smaller cake in here and it may take longer to cook but I don't mind. If it works it means I can put one in here over night. The top oven on the other hand is hot and I keep having to open the door, which is how you cool Rayburn ovens. So depending on how they turn out, is whether I add to this post later or do a post tomorrow!!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

Tori has passed her driving test!

Many congratulations Sweetheart, we are so proud of you.

xxx

New Neighbours!

We met our new neighbours yesterday.



They belong to our friends and neighbours with the chickens I look after.



They have yet to be named.



Are both girls



and are rescued 'feral' cats.



apparently there is still one left to be homed



and as you can imagine my girls suggested we went and got it, saying Dad would never notice as its so small!

Meanwhile Jake was catching up on his beauty sleep




in T's bed!!!!!!!!

Purple Chicken!

Having spent hours and hours (yes I really did) doing housework, it had got in a bit of a state and I needed to move stuff (furniture) around, I decided I wanted to 'play'!

So got this



and created this



I have a chicken again lol!

Colours of Autumn

In the UK we have so many different colours of autumn.

Grey days autumn, like today, alot milder than the past few days



Then the change from summer to autumn, this is my tree fern which gets hit by frost and doesn't actually change colour,



so why has the under leaf been frost burnt and not the top one??

I don't have many trees in the garden as its not very wide, but my rocket is the most amazing, this fabulous colour and still with its leaves



in the spring it is covered with blossom.

Then my most favourite days of autumn are bright, sunny and cold!



Whats your favourite part of autumn?

Trick or Treat!

Living where we live my girls have never been trick or treating and have never had any trick or treaters knocking at the door.
T went up to Worcester to K's Halloween party at the weekend, they got back yesterday with a camera full of pictures and some lovely stories of people trick or treating. It appears that the calling trick or treaters and parents where impressed with the girls Halloween outfits!!



We have a Gothic witch, daughter number 2, a cat, daughter number 1 and a suicidal Alice, adopted daughter number 3, the lovely S who shares the house with K!



Striking a pose!



Cough! cough!



A Sassy cat!

T came back having had a marvelous time, I know K enjoyed having her. I am extremely lucky having two daughters who get on so well!!

Stash!

Living in an 180yr old cottage there is very little storage room, (well people didn't own much all those years ago) you have to create your own, build cupboards under stairs, add cupboards etc. etc. Bearing this in mind my lounge which was once two rooms and is now one, measures 13ft wide (at its widest) and 22ft 6inches long. Has a large fireplace in it, a large sofa and two chairs, a old fashioned pine computer desk a filing cabinet and these.....



a large cupboard under the stairs, full to the brim of 'stuff' I made the cupboard doors with assistance from K, you can tell can't you!



this holds all our games and puzzles and was picked up for a bargain at a barn sale!



My mum let me have this, it is mine and my sisters old toy cupboard and now holds all the computer stuff, family bibles, paper etc etc.and a teeny weeny bit of craft stuff!

Then there is this...



from good old IKEA, you get an idea whats in it by the stuff on top! Then you open the already bulging doors to this




the red box at the bottom is full of toys for when my friend pops round with her daughter, the exercising thingy is just there! The boxes are full of magazines and things then when you pull out the bags you get lots and lots of this



now what do you do with all the left over bits of wool? Shall I tell you? You visit this blog and make a scrap scarf!

Cool huh!!!