...to popular belief - I am still alive and well - and just a little lazy on the blogging front.
So what is new??? Ummmmmmmmmmmm..... not a great deal to be honest! I have had an incredibly lazy weekend (some 12 hours of solid loafing on the sofa on Saturday watching movies, with the occasional trip to the garden for more logs for the fire - absolutely unheard of for me!), and Sunday was not much more productive. I simply relocated the loafing to Robert and Emma's sofa, and got a much better deal by way of 'sofa service' - a delicious roast chicken dinner and more cups of tea than a human can possibly hold. Ahhhhh.....
The holiday is looming fast (yyyyeeehhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa) - although Mark and I have been supremely crap, even by our very poor standards, at getting anything sorted for it. I have only just managed to pull my finger out and book The Luxor for our first night in Las Vegas. The holiday currency situation is 'on the cards', and Mark hasn't even been to the docs to check that his jabs are all in order for the Cambodia leg of his particular journey. CRAP! I am sure the plans will all come together beautifully just in time for the off... heh. Jen - I may well be relying on clothes loans for my first week - pregnancy trousers will be just fine, as I will need an expanding 'tummy panel' (for want of a better phrase), since I intend to eat my way through Australia and Vegas, as I am still not drinking and am sadly mistaken in thinking that saving 600 calories a day in booze means that I can eat 600 calories a day extra in food. For some reason those 'food calories' are proving a little 'sticker' than the drink ones... how does that work?!
Anyway.... ummmm.... what else is going on? Errr.... nothing much! I am just extremely excited re: the holiday (especially seeing my Jen and her much-grown clan!), and am finding it difficult to sleep as a consequence!!! BRING IT ON!!! Viva Bris-Vegas....
.... oh yes - Histon are playing tonight in the FA Cup vs Durham City. Think of me in my thermal underclothes and ear muffs tonight. It is absolutely bloody freezing here - and even talk of 'wintery showers' this week. Brrrrr....... (I am in much need of sunshine!). If we manage to win tonight, we play Swindon in the next round. C'mon you mighty Stutes!
Love, Peace and all manner of wiping... as they say in East Dulwich (sorry guys - a private joke)
Hayls
xxxxxx
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Autumn Spell
I love autumn... its my favourite season. We normally get the log fire going at this time of the year, and the huge trees at the back of the house 'drop their load' on our garden - leaving lots of nice crunchy piles, which are just perfect for chasing the cat into ;-)
For some reason, at this time of year I go all 'homely'. Tomorrow I am planning to make a spelt flour loaf, inspired by a fellow blogger of mine (www.cottagesmallholder.com). I have included the recipe in its entirety at the bottom of this post, as I would like to similarly inspire my friends.... nothing beats the smell of fresh bread cooking in the house.
We have a lovely weekend planned. Tomorrow, Mark wants to go and see the Histon Reserves play (there is no way I am going down that particular route), so I may just laze around the house - very unusual for me, and possibly think up some different things to bake. To be honest, I will probably end up gazing at my pottery books - which seem to send my head into a flat spin at the moment - I am brimming over with ideas, and the lessons just go too darn fast!
Saturday evening, we are planning to visit my parents (my Dad is still recovering from his op), and on Sunday we are meeting Jane and Jamie for lunch in Norwich - in a beautiful pub just by the river (The Wood's End in Bramerton). It is Jane's birthday tomorrow (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!), and I am looking forward to giving her her present, and getting a cuddle with the gorgeous Benjamin, pictured above in his little bodywarmer.... bless. (I am still considering reporting them to Social Services for child abuse - making him grow those long curls, which block up his little ears... hehehe).
Love, Peace and 'pass the butter'... as they say in Dingly Dell.
Hayls
xxxx
Spelt flour recipe
I tried this spelt flour recipe and it was really easy. OK, so it did take me slightly longer than 3 minutes, but not by that much. I didn't have any linseeds and only about half the stated quantity of sesame seeds, but it was still yummy. I recommend it. Since I should acknowledge my sources, I have to confess it's from the Telegraph magazine, but it was given to me!
Three minute spelt bread
With spelt there is no need to leave the dough to rise. This really takes three minutes to prepare.
- 500g spelt flour
- 10g fast-acting dried yeast
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 50g sunflower seeds
- 50g sesame seeds
- 50g linseeds
- 500ml warm water
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark6. Combine all the ingredients, adding the water last. Mix well and turn the dough into a greased loaf tin. Put straight into the oven and bake for an hour. Remove the loaf, turn it out of the tin and then return it to the oven without the tin for a further 5-10 minutes.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
24 Hour Party People...
PW had his mid-life crisis party on Saturday, and it all seemed to go very very well. We had a really nice turn out - around 25-30 for the football match in the afternoon (Histon FC vs Salisbury) - where we saw a rather nice 2-0 win for Histon. In the evening, around 80 people or so turned out for a disco and some food. Very nice! My Mum and Sister came over with the boys - Henry, although bored at first, got into the swing of the football match when he realised that you were allowed to shout as loudly as possible, provided you said the right thing. Really so sweet... as anytime anyone else in the crowd shouted something, he shouted it twice as loud afterwards. I sensed that some of the crowd started to censor their language a little when they realised this... although when he shouted "C'mon you red and black buggers" purely off his own back, I had to smile.
The evening bash went with a real swing. Despite the fact I was on coca cola for the night, *even* I managed a bit of a boogie, along with Lynn, Nikki and Carlos and my cousin Mark. The kids really made the first half of the evening though. Henry and Oscar laid on the floor for what seemed like ages, transfixed by the disco lights shining on the ceiling (ahhh... can anyone remember doing the same? I do... except that I was 17, and had drunk too many Malibu and pineapples.... heh), and Katie was dancing her little legs off. Several other children were also caught up in the mood of it - and Mark's previous insistence on 'cool' music at his party went right out of the window, as he was too drunk to resist the children requesting music from Mama Mia, and Bob The Builder tracks (I actually think he was rather enjoying them himself)... The highlight of the evening though has to be Mark's Dad being literally wrestled to the dance floor by one of Mark's more "enthusiastic" female friends from school - and then promptly thrown up in the air by her in time with the music, in manner of a Turkish Shot Putter doing the jive (at one point I turned to see her actually giving him a piggy back). Cue uncomfortable stares from the family, much snorty laughter from me ( had had WAAAAY too much coke), and Mark's Dad becoming a little, shall we say, "overexcited"... heh. Dear me... unfortunately, my Mum and Sister missed this spectacle, as they had to go back to mine early with the boys. Anyway... a great night. Poor old Nikki and Carlos and Mark had to stay in the garage on inflatable beds, as there was no room chez Moi (my family had first dibs on the bedroom). They said it was quite warm though... so perhaps I might have to start renting it out ;-)
Sunday was a quiet day - particularly for Mark, who had started drinking at about 1:30pm on Saturday. We popped over to Sophie's to help Toby do some bits and bobs on the house that needed doing, and in the afternoon I cooked a roast and we actually sat in front of the TV for once. I had a great time... I managed to watch "Invasion of The Body Snatchers", "Girls Girls Girls" (and Elvis Presley fave of mine), and the most recent Harry Potter movie. I even did some more knitting (a scarf which I have been knitting for the last three winters!), and we had a lovely open fire. Very toasty!
The last couple of days have been quite busy (in fact, I cant believe it's Wednesday already!). Monday night we went to watch a Histon FC match on the TV at the local pub - we won (and I had my first glass of wine for three weeks! yay!). Last night I went to the gym, and tried out the new spinning bikes - which no longer allow me to fake high resistance on my bike... darn! Tonight I have pottery to look forward to... I am making a 'utensil pot' for the kitchen, which may indeed need a JCB to lift into the house. It's awful, but I am hoping I can salvage it tonight... I had a bit of a major disappointment at the weekend - but as is the nature of a blog, I wont go into it (despite the fact it is probably on my mind most of all). Ach well... onwards and upwards.
Anyway.... am getting very excited about our pending trip to all the Vegases next month. Speak soon...
Love, Peace and 'mid life crises'... as they say in certain parts of Histon
Hayls
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The evening bash went with a real swing. Despite the fact I was on coca cola for the night, *even* I managed a bit of a boogie, along with Lynn, Nikki and Carlos and my cousin Mark. The kids really made the first half of the evening though. Henry and Oscar laid on the floor for what seemed like ages, transfixed by the disco lights shining on the ceiling (ahhh... can anyone remember doing the same? I do... except that I was 17, and had drunk too many Malibu and pineapples.... heh), and Katie was dancing her little legs off. Several other children were also caught up in the mood of it - and Mark's previous insistence on 'cool' music at his party went right out of the window, as he was too drunk to resist the children requesting music from Mama Mia, and Bob The Builder tracks (I actually think he was rather enjoying them himself)... The highlight of the evening though has to be Mark's Dad being literally wrestled to the dance floor by one of Mark's more "enthusiastic" female friends from school - and then promptly thrown up in the air by her in time with the music, in manner of a Turkish Shot Putter doing the jive (at one point I turned to see her actually giving him a piggy back). Cue uncomfortable stares from the family, much snorty laughter from me ( had had WAAAAY too much coke), and Mark's Dad becoming a little, shall we say, "overexcited"... heh. Dear me... unfortunately, my Mum and Sister missed this spectacle, as they had to go back to mine early with the boys. Anyway... a great night. Poor old Nikki and Carlos and Mark had to stay in the garage on inflatable beds, as there was no room chez Moi (my family had first dibs on the bedroom). They said it was quite warm though... so perhaps I might have to start renting it out ;-)
Sunday was a quiet day - particularly for Mark, who had started drinking at about 1:30pm on Saturday. We popped over to Sophie's to help Toby do some bits and bobs on the house that needed doing, and in the afternoon I cooked a roast and we actually sat in front of the TV for once. I had a great time... I managed to watch "Invasion of The Body Snatchers", "Girls Girls Girls" (and Elvis Presley fave of mine), and the most recent Harry Potter movie. I even did some more knitting (a scarf which I have been knitting for the last three winters!), and we had a lovely open fire. Very toasty!
The last couple of days have been quite busy (in fact, I cant believe it's Wednesday already!). Monday night we went to watch a Histon FC match on the TV at the local pub - we won (and I had my first glass of wine for three weeks! yay!). Last night I went to the gym, and tried out the new spinning bikes - which no longer allow me to fake high resistance on my bike... darn! Tonight I have pottery to look forward to... I am making a 'utensil pot' for the kitchen, which may indeed need a JCB to lift into the house. It's awful, but I am hoping I can salvage it tonight... I had a bit of a major disappointment at the weekend - but as is the nature of a blog, I wont go into it (despite the fact it is probably on my mind most of all). Ach well... onwards and upwards.
Anyway.... am getting very excited about our pending trip to all the Vegases next month. Speak soon...
Love, Peace and 'mid life crises'... as they say in certain parts of Histon
Hayls
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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