Mothering Sunday

It was lovely to be remembered on Mothering Sunday by Nerea and Andy with a wonderful hanging basket of spring flowers, including cowslips, which are some of my favourite wild plants. Nerea is such a blessing for even though she’s miles away, she still remembered to give Andy his instructions!  Although I don't appreciate the commercialism of the modern "Mother's Day", I do enjoy the history and tradition behind Mothering Sunday. But in actual fact, many of us have other women in our lives who “mother” us when we need it and that’s something to be thankful for, every day.

Keeping up with the kindling

I enjoy chopping logs or splitting wood for kindling. Yesterday we were running low on sticks so I took the axe and some old planks that had once formed a badly warped box and chopped a basket full. It was immensely satisfying to chop the sticks into relatively even sizes and to extract the well rusted nails without sustaining any injuries! There's a saying that chopping wood warms you twice; once when you chop it and again when you burn it and yesterday, that was definitely the case as although it was sunny, the wind had a bite to it. 

Rydal Cave

We’d not visited Rydal Cave for many years so we jumped at the chance to join a walk there yesterday. With the sun shining on a glorious spring afternoon, there was little opportunity for solitude as it seemed as if the whole of the Cumbrian populace was walking round the lake, but no matter, it was still wonderful to be out in the spectacular scenery, an icing sugar dusting of snow glistening on the higher peaks. The cave was splendid and with a geocache nearby, a doubly satisfying experience. A perfect day to celebrate our good fortune in living locally!

Memories of my youth

30 odd years ago I attended an international Guide camp on a Swedish island in the Baltic!  I hadn’t thought of it for years, but seeing the wind-blown trees in Keilder forest yesterday suddenly brought it to mind.  Although initially I felt a momentary sadness for my gauche, 17 year old self, with a dire hairstyle and frumpy clothes, I soon remembered the joy of making bivouac shelters from the fallen trees around us and cooking our food on open fires. For a clumsy, unconfident girl like me, it was blissful and proved to be a window on the future

Weekend Guest!

Grandma came for an unscheduled weekend break on Friday!.  When she drove longer distances, she would make an occasional day trip or stay when we were on the “Christmas Rota” or had an early start for a holiday but never visited overnight otherwise. As she hadn’t been over to Carlisle for some months, this weekend was determined as a good time for her first “mini-break” with no specific purpose.  And what an agreeable time we had.  We enjoyed an outing to the Garden Centre, bought new bed linen, and shared a delicious meal with friends. She’s agreed to come again!

Salve Regina, Santa Evita!!

Cumbrian’s aren’t easily pleased.  So it was thrilling to witness “the people” deliver a standing ovation following the recent production of Evita at the Carlisle Sands Centre. With a superb musical score, there’s a sound base on which to build a great live performance but at the end, it’s down to the principal characters to deliver the story. And deliver it they did. Marti Pellow showed his musical theatre experience as a convincing Che with American, Mark Heenehan filling Peron’s boots with aplomb.  But it was Madalena Alberto who stole the show with her moving and compelling performance as Evita.

Spring social

I enjoyed another delightful evening of poetry, laughter and food earlier this week with my West Cumbrian literary friends.  The foggy evening in no way detracted from the evening’s theme of spring, as earlier, the day had been a beautiful gift of warm sunshine and gentle winds, a jewel in the golden crown heralding the new season

Our readings were varied with several of us choosing pieces from the talented and popular American poet Billy Collins. There were old favourites from Gerard Manley Hopkins and Wordsworth (no, not THAT one) and even an account of lambs racing from The Countrychild

A Blustery Day

We had such fun yesterday, tramping across the moors close to Barnard Castle on a geocaching adventure, despite the fact that we weren’t able to retrieve the final cache because of its very public location.  We visited the derelict remains of an old tank that had been formerly used for target practice and also took in, somewhat inevitably, a TRIG point. The adventure was really well put together starting with solving a code through to the final tree climb hide.  I’d actually like to return to finish the job even though “it’s the journey rather than the destination” that counts!

Timeless views

Excessive rain has caused part of the wall along my route to work to collapse, resulting in a detour along Cavendish Terrace.  The primary location for some of the most beautiful houses in Carlisle, it’s also the route taken by Bonnie Prince Charlie as he marched victoriously into Carlisle in 1745 celebrated with “a hundred pipers an ‘a, an ‘a ”

It’s incredible to think that although the view to the East is blighted by the Civic Centre, the view to the West of the Castle and Cathedral standing proudly against the skyline has changed little in the intervening centuries

The skyline with Cathedral and Castle (and Dixon's Chimney)

Towards the Civic Centre

I must bake!

Compelled to bake following from the Borrowdale Teabread conversations of yesterday, I rushed home and soaked my dried fruit in tea ready to bake this evening.  That simple act of preparation, although essential for my longer term plans, didn’t go anywhere near to satisfying my immediate need to bake.  So I looked at the carrots in the fridge with a critical eye and before too Iong, had a carrot cake cooking gently in the oven. I brought some into my meeting in Chorley today and despite not having a topping on it (the healthy option), the reaction was very positive.

 

Carrot Cake Recipe

175g  muscovado sugar

2 eggs, beaten

125ml oil

175g SR flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg

150g grated carrot

100g sultanas or chopped walnuts

 

Light oven to 170degrees/Gas 3

Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin

Beat the egg into a bowl.

Add the oil

Stir in the sugar and mix well.

Sieve  the flour, bicarb and spices and stir in gently. Add the carrots and fruit or nuts and mix well.

Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until springy to the touch

Borrowdale Tea Bread

The power of suggestion was alive and well in the office today.  Waiting for things to reboot following an IT installation, Richard was telling us of the Borrowdale Teabread he’d made at the weekend. After we soundly berated him for failing to bring in tasting samples, he shared the recipe with us.  It’s actually very similar to one I have apart from the addition of some marmalade.  By the time the computers were whirring again, we were all feeling incredibly hungry and I’d made a mental note to soak some dried fruit in tea tonight. So that’s what I’ve done! 

Borrowdale Teabread

200g raisins

200g sultanas

1 mug of strong, hot tea

200g muscovado sugar

400g SR flour

1 egg

2tbsp marmalade

1. Soak the dried fruit in the hot tea overnight 

2. Light the oven at 180C/Gas 4 and grease and line a 1kg/2lb loaf tin

3. Beat the egg and add to the dried fruit

4 Mix the sugar and flour into the fruit mixture.

5. Stir in the marmalade

6. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about an hour 

7. Cool in the tin

8. Serve with butter and/or tangy cheese such as Lancashire or Wensleydale

Home to let - Bird Boxes

Yesterday we decided to have a gardening day and inevitably, it rained.  Not withstanding the weather, we were still able to put our two bird boxes high up on the  wall in the lane.  Sited as they are, they should be safe from predators. It was astonishing to watch, in between the rain showers, several blue-tits inspecting the boxes within minutes of them being installed.  As we can see the boxes from our sitting room window, we are optimistic that we will be able to observe any activity should we be lucky enough to have any birds take up residence

Keep my coffee free from other flavours....

Although I’m not a great coffee drinker, I’ve decided that I really don’t like the current vogue for flavoured coffee,.  We received a tin of “Christmas” coffee beans as a present and we had a vanilla flavoured brew at Grandma’s house on Saturday. We also have a tub of amaretto grounds in the office fridge.  And, having tried them all, I can categorically say that I’d rather have a plain and simple, unadulterated, coffee brew. The wide variety of different coffee beans and the roasting processes that are currently available offer more than enough variety without adding artificial flavours unnecessarily.

Gull Proof Rubbish Sacks

Living in a terraced house means we don’t put rubbish bins out for collection but use plastic bags which are frequently ripped open by birds, cats and vermin (Surprisingly, “vermin” always brings the “Basil the Rat - we can deal with the sackings later” Fawlty Towers episode to mind!)

To prevent this, we’ve now been issued with “gull-proof” collection sacks. Although there’s been a mixed reaction to them, as we’re now required to buy our own plastic bag liners, I’m hugely in favour as I’ll no longer be out there picking up cat-chewed chicken carcasses from the pavement each Tuesday.