we had friends over from church and had a nice night with them. Chicken in orange & whisky and then the prune and brandy cake (see previous blog post) and a couple of bottles of wine.
Saturday we did coffee morning at church with our friend Rhoda then we did different things in the afternooon. Mike helped some friends with felling a tree and I went to the Cotswolds. Unfortunately The Marshmallow cafe in Moreton in Marsh was closed for a few weeks :( Very sad as it is lovely there.
Yesterday we went to dinner at a couple's house (D&A) and it was gorgeous, so nice to be cooked for - what a treat!
Monday, January 22, 2007
Generous Living
www.generous.org.uk
I found this site (linked to the Greenbelt website I think) and I think it's great. Really makes you think....like should we buy cheap clothes from Asda? Does this mean we are supporting unfair and unethical labour?Or if we stop purchasing does it mean we make it worse for these communities? We can't expect change overnight so how do we know where to shop ethically? And at times buying organic cotten etc can be expensive. When is the right time to stop giving support to areas where there are sweat shops and make sure that there are enough alternative working options for these people?
M& S say they want to be the trailblazers in retail for reducing their carbon footprint. It will be interesting to watch this and see what others do in response.
I found this site (linked to the Greenbelt website I think) and I think it's great. Really makes you think....like should we buy cheap clothes from Asda? Does this mean we are supporting unfair and unethical labour?Or if we stop purchasing does it mean we make it worse for these communities? We can't expect change overnight so how do we know where to shop ethically? And at times buying organic cotten etc can be expensive. When is the right time to stop giving support to areas where there are sweat shops and make sure that there are enough alternative working options for these people?
M& S say they want to be the trailblazers in retail for reducing their carbon footprint. It will be interesting to watch this and see what others do in response.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Auntie Rosie's Potato Wedges
I made these again - mentioned earlier, but just in case, here's the easy recipe again.
Cut as many potatoes as you need into wedges.
Dip them into a bowl of cold water. Dry roughly.
Place olive oil and any seasoning you choose (salt, pepper, paprika etc) into a bowl and mix the wedges in the mixture.
Place on a tray for around 30 mins at 190C.
Enjoy! Great with sour cream and salsa.
Thanks Auntie Rosie!
Cut as many potatoes as you need into wedges.
Dip them into a bowl of cold water. Dry roughly.
Place olive oil and any seasoning you choose (salt, pepper, paprika etc) into a bowl and mix the wedges in the mixture.
Place on a tray for around 30 mins at 190C.
Enjoy! Great with sour cream and salsa.
Thanks Auntie Rosie!
It's Monday again...
Actually now that I work for myself I am happy with Mondays really. I didn't enjoy Sundays when I was working full time in "corporate life" as I was always dreading the next day.
I think on Friday afternoon/evening we did housey things but on Saturday we went to a Praise Day which was quite nice. I met an old friend there that I hadn't seen in years so that was great. We sang loads of lively songs and listened to 2 very upbeat talks. Unfortunately we didn't know many people there so it wasn't as sociable as we would have liked, everyone was busy catching up with each other and it was hard to have a conversation with anyone other than a "hello".
Yesterday was church and then we spent the afternoon with some friends and their wee boy who came to lunch. Mike then went to take another friend's dog for a walk and I watched a movie - Wedding Date which was pretty good, easy to watch. After tea I watched another movie - The Beat My Heart Skipped, more tricky to watch as it was French so I had to read the subtitles as my French is very rusty and they always speak faster than I learnt!
Today I'm back to sorting out bills and doing tax work - yawn! Also I'm sending out more of my catalogues, that's quite nice and easy plus the pink envelopes are very jolly!
I think on Friday afternoon/evening we did housey things but on Saturday we went to a Praise Day which was quite nice. I met an old friend there that I hadn't seen in years so that was great. We sang loads of lively songs and listened to 2 very upbeat talks. Unfortunately we didn't know many people there so it wasn't as sociable as we would have liked, everyone was busy catching up with each other and it was hard to have a conversation with anyone other than a "hello".
Yesterday was church and then we spent the afternoon with some friends and their wee boy who came to lunch. Mike then went to take another friend's dog for a walk and I watched a movie - Wedding Date which was pretty good, easy to watch. After tea I watched another movie - The Beat My Heart Skipped, more tricky to watch as it was French so I had to read the subtitles as my French is very rusty and they always speak faster than I learnt!
Today I'm back to sorting out bills and doing tax work - yawn! Also I'm sending out more of my catalogues, that's quite nice and easy plus the pink envelopes are very jolly!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Last weekend...
On Friday it was our niece's 1st birthday party. We had tea and a pink cake - very tasty! We watched her open lots of pressies and she really enjoyed herself.
Thursday 11th January - so rainy & windy
I'm going to hole up inside and eat cake!! Well, I'd like to but there's no cake here :o(
Took a friend to the hospital this morning so we had a nice chat and she told me about her "flower money" She saves up money every week so that she can buy good flowers when it's her turn to do them for church and any leftover money she has from the savings goes in our charity box which we use to save up for projects - eg buying a cow for a family etc. I was really impressed that she had thought through this action and making a regular contribution plus she is ill and can't work so she's on a low income.
How much can we change things by just doing a little? A little less electricity used, turn off the water when brushing teeth, save some petrol and carbon by walking to the shops, put a little money away for a good cause, buy local and regularly rather than big stores, invite people over for a coffee rather than waiting til you have a weekend free to do a whole dinner party. Cups of cold water....
Took a friend to the hospital this morning so we had a nice chat and she told me about her "flower money" She saves up money every week so that she can buy good flowers when it's her turn to do them for church and any leftover money she has from the savings goes in our charity box which we use to save up for projects - eg buying a cow for a family etc. I was really impressed that she had thought through this action and making a regular contribution plus she is ill and can't work so she's on a low income.
How much can we change things by just doing a little? A little less electricity used, turn off the water when brushing teeth, save some petrol and carbon by walking to the shops, put a little money away for a good cause, buy local and regularly rather than big stores, invite people over for a coffee rather than waiting til you have a weekend free to do a whole dinner party. Cups of cold water....
Monday, January 08, 2007
January 8th - Monday & Raining
Well, I had a busy weekend away (but not far) It was my annual conference with the company I work for/with. I work from home which is great and once a year they treat us to a weekend away to motivate us, get to know us and answer questions. Oh yes, along with a champagne reception and a gala dinner (we are spoilt!) Great new things are planned for this year so it's all very exciting!
Can't wait to get started so I've been doing some prep work this morning in between making stilton, onion and potato soup and emailing a few people who I am due to contact. All this along with listening to a new Matt Redman CD. I just love being able to work from home doing something I love that never feels stressy or horrible. What a difference to my previous corporate life!!! I am so thankful ******
My biggest achievement today - sourcing fuschia pink A4 envelopes!! Way to go!
Can't wait to get started so I've been doing some prep work this morning in between making stilton, onion and potato soup and emailing a few people who I am due to contact. All this along with listening to a new Matt Redman CD. I just love being able to work from home doing something I love that never feels stressy or horrible. What a difference to my previous corporate life!!! I am so thankful ******
My biggest achievement today - sourcing fuschia pink A4 envelopes!! Way to go!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Prune, Apple & Brandy cake - so gorgeous!!!
12-15 large pitted prunes
5 tbsps brandy
150g butter
2 large eggs beaten
200g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
125g ground almonds
125mil/4 fl oz milk
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 cooking apples
generous pinch cinnamon
2 tbsps demerara sugar
Soak prunes in brandy overnight
Grease & line an 8 inch tin. Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Mix together the butter, caster sugar, beaten eggs, SR flour, ground almonds, milk & baking powder for a few minutes. Scrape the sides & blend well to get an even mix.
Spoon into prepared tin.
Peel & cut the apples into chunky slices, drain prunes & add with the apples to the cake. Don't be too artistic, it's meant to look rustic!
Pour over any remaining brandy from the prunes. Sprinkle with cinnamon & demerara sugar. Bake 40-50 mins (I baked a little longer)
Leave to cool and serve on a plate.
It was really nice just warm and served with creme fraiche!
5 tbsps brandy
150g butter
2 large eggs beaten
200g caster sugar
100g self raising flour
125g ground almonds
125mil/4 fl oz milk
1 tsp baking powder
2-3 cooking apples
generous pinch cinnamon
2 tbsps demerara sugar
Soak prunes in brandy overnight
Grease & line an 8 inch tin. Preheat oven to 180C/350F
Mix together the butter, caster sugar, beaten eggs, SR flour, ground almonds, milk & baking powder for a few minutes. Scrape the sides & blend well to get an even mix.
Spoon into prepared tin.
Peel & cut the apples into chunky slices, drain prunes & add with the apples to the cake. Don't be too artistic, it's meant to look rustic!
Pour over any remaining brandy from the prunes. Sprinkle with cinnamon & demerara sugar. Bake 40-50 mins (I baked a little longer)
Leave to cool and serve on a plate.
It was really nice just warm and served with creme fraiche!
Our Christmas pics...
Here we are having Christmas Eve dinner in Yorkshire, then Christmas Day in Scotland. My mum decorated her wooden duck!
3rd January - a new year!
Well, our first Christmas together was fun. We had stockings which we will use now every year to start our own tradition. One of my stocking presents was a chocolate santas, all red and gold and shiny with a little bell attached - too nice to eat (so far...!)
Christmas Day we started in Yorkshire where we had been for 4 days and we headed to Scotland on Christmas morning, listening to carols all the way, where we had dinner and way too many presents - lovely though.
Boxing Day we walked to the newly opened Kibble Palace at the Botanic Gardens - lovely plants & Biblical sculptures. Then we had a drink at Oran Mor (yummy hot choc) and then a wander down Byres Rd.
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