Oh, go on then ... (original) (raw)
December 31st, 2010
09:54 pm
Wishing everybody a healthy, happy and peaceful 2011!
Current Mood: 
content
(3 comments | Leave a comment)
October 15th, 2010
09:19 pm
I was just logging on to LJ when I saw that it's blog action day.
Purely by coincidence, last Sunday I ran the Great Eastern Run ). I originally entered it as a personal challenge but realised that I could use it as an opportunity to raise some money for WaterAid, which has long been a cause dear to my heart.
I'm proud to report that I completed the route in 2hrs 16min 31sec, while at the same time raising over £100 for WaterAid. If you'd like to add to that total, you can donate here.
December 23rd, 2008
08:39 pm - Mincemeat sultana muffins
Recipe requested by 
katie1980
From Muffins by Susan Reimer (I think! It was given to me by a friend)
10 oz (280 g) plain flour *
2 tsp (10 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) bicarbonate
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
3 oz (85 g) fine white granulated sugar
1 egg
8 fl oz (240 ml) milk
8 fl oz (240 ml) mincemeat (about 12 oz/350 g)
3 fl oz (90 ml) vegetable oil or 3 oz (85 g) butter, melted
3 oz (85 g) sultanas
Icing sugar for dusting (optional)
1. Prepare muffin tins. Preheat oven to 375-400°F, 190-200°C, gas mark 5-6.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking pwder, bicarbonate, salt and sugar.
3. In a separate bowl, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk, mincemeat and oil/butter.
4. Pour all of liquid ingredients into dry mixture. Stir just until combined, adding sultanas during final strokes. The batter will be lumpy, but no dry flour should be visible. Do not over-stir.
5. Fill muffin cases. Bake 20-25 minutes until tops are lightly browned and spring back when lightly pressed. Sieve icing sugar over tops.
* With self-raising flour, omit baking pwder; do not adjust bicarbonate.
October 22nd, 2008
08:52 am - Woo!
Max slept through the night for the first time last night. \0/ I'm so proud of him!
(No, I didn't get a full night's sleep, of course! I woke at 1, and 4, and was properly awake from 5ish onwards. And I'm not so naive as to think that we'll get another full night out of him tonight ... but still! What a landmark!)
Current Mood: happy
(4 comments | Leave a comment)
August 11th, 2008
05:31 pm - Landmarks
1. Max is six weeks old tomorrow. Hopefully I will get the chance to upload some photos soon.
2. I fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans. I tried them on yesterday not expecting to be able to do them up, but I can. Yay!
ncot - thank you so much for the present, which arrived this morning. Cute! :)
August 5th, 2008
June 27th, 2008
05:21 pm - We're not very good ...
... at spontaneous.
N and I decided to go out for lunch today. No fixed plans as to where, we just thought we'd head out into the countryside, find a nice pub, and stop there for an hour or two (for which read: while we still can, without having to plan around babysitters or jr's feeding/sleeping/crying times or any of the million other things we'll have to consider soon). Not exactly difficult? Yeah, right. Could we find anywhere that we liked the look of or wanted to stop? After an hour of driving, we ended up full circle at the pub a mile and a bit down the road from our house.
Ah well. I had curry, and we drove along some pretty bumpy country lanes. *g*
(2 comments | Leave a comment)
June 21st, 2008
02:45 pm - Bits and bobs
Well. The weather certainly isn't midsummery here. It's grey and drizzly and generally blah, so we're watching the European Cup athletics from Annecy and vicariously getting a bit of sunshine that way.
* * * * *
The house that we saw for sale last summer is still on the market and its price has dropped by a crazy £75,000 (depending on the estate agent). N has spent the last couple of hours doing sums and trying to work out what rental income we could get from the annexe. I'm just indulging him ... we so *aren't* going to move house any time soon!
* * * * *
Over the last few days, the woodpeckers have been visiting our birdfeeder again. My camera zoom isn't good enough to get a decent picture - it's a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
June 20th, 2008
10:57 am - Look at this!
I met lindyb28 for coffee and a wander round the charity shop bookshelves yesterday. And look what she brought for me (well, dodo jr!)
Isn't it gorgeous? The colours are beautiful, and I'm so touched that she went to the effort of knitting a present. Thanks Linda!
She's already posted pics of her purchases here. I bought 7 books, which should keep me occupied if dodo jr is late ... or keep me going until about 2015 if s/he is early!!
(2 comments | Leave a comment)
June 12th, 2008
09:02 am - Look what I made!
I followed this pattern. It's the first thing that I've made that isn't a scarf or a blanket and I'm really proud of it. OK, so my sewing together leaves *a lot* to be desired but baby dodo won't mind, I'm sure! :)
Current Mood: 
accomplished