2015 remembered in 100 ways

Curry, Stramash, Modern Family, ski-ing, flagstones, mist, lime and soda, chutney, midget gems, Carlisle, mountains, Andy, Hebrides, reading, rivers, Nerea, work, weather, Molly, garden, Dolomites, beaches, Alex, walking boots, Kiya, cooking, rain, sparky apprenticeship, Bryn Dowsi, Scotland, cake, Monty, cycling, work, Robin and Cathryn, camping, Lake District, poetry, cheese, Misty, geocaching, Tom Jones, St Kilda, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Wales, flooding, friends, snow, laughter, blogging, roses, family, blue skies, London, wind, baking, Edinburgh, dog training, Grandma, walking, The Angel of the North, Lewis, sadness, oranges, 21 today, Hadrian’s Wall, rugby, joy, heritage, paper bridge, nest box, Ice-cream, trig-points, Christmas, Newcastle, marmalade, The Archers, birthdays, Spectre, Richard and Mavis, iPad, Orkney, Dr Who, wellies, smiles, cricket, crumpets, woodland, Great-niece, train journeys, Birmingham, log burner, wine, Barra, ISS, Strictly, snowdrops, feet-tickling, Kitchenaid, school-friends.

A better balance

Over the last couple of months my drabbling has been haphazard at best. And, considering it’s something I enjoy doing, that’s actually quite sad. And my tardiness isn’t because I’ve been idling my time away on other social media. Far from it. I’ve been spending less time on that too! It’s only when I’ve had a few days off work and I’ve found a few hours to think, that I’ve been able to catch up.  Sometimes real life and work gets in the way but although that’s clearly a priority, I’m determined to get a better work/life balance in 2016

Christmas Stockings

I love Christmas stockings. Finding little gifts throughout the year which are then packed in a homemade stocking along with a Satsuma, chocolate coins, sweeties and nuts on Christmas Eve has long been one of my favourite things about Christmas.  Despite lots of goods being sold as “stocking fillers” they are actually over packaged items that aren’t worthy of inclusion in most people’s stockings so I avoid them, choosing instead to look for something personal or unusual. Randomly spotting something appropriate eventually affords me a rosy glow just before Christmas when I gloat over my eclectic haul ready for wrapping

 

When Eva met Frank

Despite the evidence of my own eyes outside the office window, I really can’t take seriously the names of our two recent storms. Eva is the beautiful, adorable niece of a friend and although I don’t doubt there will be/have been childhood storms,  the face we all see and associate with Eva  is one of delightful, sunny smiles. And as for Frank? He’s an elderly, greying spaniel who loves his tummy being rubbed. So you will appreciate why it’s hard to reconcile those benign images with the fierce winds and driving rain that are once again cloaking our water-logged region

"When I said bring a picnic, I didn't mean the table as well" 

Silence is red!

It’s not often that I’m lost for words but so it came to pass on Christmas morning when we’d settled down for our present opening.  After the other presents were unwrapped, a large box, previously hidden by other parcels, was dragged from under the tree for me to open.  Not being a family given to expensive gifts, I had absolutely no idea what was inside and so the shock I experienced when I ripped the paper to reveal part of the word “….CHENAID” was total.  Who’d have thought that the gift of a Kitchenaid food mixer could render me silent?

Requiescat in pace, Rita.

At the end of November, a dog walking friend was given bad news about her health. Just before Christmas she underwent major surgery which sadly resulted in other complications leading to her sudden and untimely death. It’s been a real shock for our local dog walking community as Rita was a lovely, friendly lady who, despite the sudden death of her partner a couple of years ago, still lived a positive and active life, enriched by the love of her wider family, her two dogs and the friendship of the river bank. Requiescat in pace, Rita. You’ll be missed

Shopping Excesses

Being back at work today, I decided to get a breath of fresh air at lunchtime and find something to eat that wasn’t cold meat or cheese!  To describe the town centre as hectic was an understatement. After the lead up to Christmas, just 4 days ago, I was astonished to see just how many people were scurrying about with bags of shopping, presumably spending their Christmas gift money, taking advantage of the post-Christmas sales. Not being a shopper myself, it was hard to understand why anyone would want to subject themselves to such an experience. It takes all sorts!

Trying to make a Collin Street Bakery Cake!

Although I made my traditional Christmas cake this year, I also embarked on a different culinary journey. Many years ago, a friend who knew that I loved fruit cake gave me her unwanted gift of an American “Collins Street Bakery” Cake. It was so delicious, packed with dates and nuts that I made several attempts to recreate it but sadly, with limited success. And then this year, Google came up trumps…..I discovered a recipe that purported to deliver a cake tasting like the real thing. I’m delighted to say it wasn't far off, (as far as my taste buds remember)!

My version of Collin Street Bakery Fruit Cake

200g shelled pecans

200g candied cherries

200g candied pineapple

200g dates

100g flour

100g butter

100g sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2tsp vanilla extract

2tsp lemon extract  (optional)

1    Grease and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Preheat oven to 130⁰C

2    Save a couple of nuts and cherries for the top of the cake. Chop the rest of the nuts and fruit into medium-size pieces.

3    Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

4    Beat in eggs.

5    Sift together the flour and baking powder fold into butter-egg mixture.

6    Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Blend in fruit and nuts.

7    Pour batter into prepared tin, placing saved fruit and nuts on top.

8     Place in oven and bake approx. 1.5 hours in loaf tin

9.    When done, remove from oven and cool in the tin before turning onto a cake rack.

Happy Christmas

Despite having had 364 days notice, the year really does seem to have accelerated to Christmas with unseemly haste. It seems impossible to think that it’s over five months since we were on St Kilda and that the incomparable Monty has been with us for almost a third of a year! As usual, our little family is having a quiet celebration with just the tree to decorate when I arrive home from work and mince pies to bake later this evening to the accompaniment of Christmas Carols. I do feel very fortunate and blessed at this special time of year

Resilience

Christmas can be a stressful time for many and for those who are suffering from the ravages of flooding, the new year probably can’t come quickly enough. But the response to recent events has been heartwarming (but unsurprising). Nerea has been working in Glenridding, which has been flooded three times in as many weeks. Despite the apocalyptic scenes, she says the local community have rallied round to support one another and help themselves through the unenviable process of clearing up, all the while dreading more heavy rain.  When times are difficult, it is remarkable how those affected show such resilience.

Carlisle in crisis

Once again, Carlisle has seen some apocalyptic flooding of houses and buildings in the City Centre. Other parts of Cumbria have also suffered, with Glenridding, Appleby, Cockermouth, Keswick and Kendal all sharing the misery. Despite £38,000,000 of investment in flood defences, weather conditions conspired at the weekend to breach the defences and create flood levels that were higher than any previously recorded. After a sleepless night, Andy and I went out on Sunday morning to witness an unbelievable scene. For those affected, it must have been a terrifying experience followed by the grim realisation that the clean-up will take months