Sorry to have been away for so long. I was away with K in Aberdeen visiting, getting spoilt, shopping and catching up with friends. We came back yesterday through torrential rain, to find a BBQ already in the making. A lovely surprise and just the thing after a long journey.

Stops were made of course, this time at the Scottish Antique Centre between Perth and Dundee. It is a fantastic place for a snoop, with lots of new things as well as the antiques. The restaurant is pretty good too with yummy cake as well

as meals and snacks. Well worth a trip if near enough or if passing on a longer jaunt. http://www.scottish-antiques.com/

Today has been all catching up and getting ready for school trips. This of course means shopping. BUT it also meant a trip to Waterstones. You have to stop for coffee sometime you know. And yes I did make a purchase. Sarah Raven's new book: Food for Friends and Family, begged me to buy it and take it home. The pictures are so clear and colourful with recipes that sound as if the family will eat the food. I have already started to make the crystallised ginger which looks great. Hopefully mine will turn out to look similar, just the thing for the ginger shortbread that I have been making recently.

I don't know about you but I have literally hundreds of cookery books.Some have been used time and time again whilst others are really more like picture books. Fabulous to look at but otherwise useless, either too complicated or things that just won't get eaten. Sooooo I've decided to mark off all the recipes as I actually use them. D also suggested that I should write in the changes that I make so that we (mostly he) will know about them in the future. Think I'll give it a go.