The lead up....

It seems like such a long time ago that I posted on Like it or Lump it. The room is finished! ( well nearly, just a few minor bigots to do now). It was all a bit skin of the teeth as the painter put Dow his brush on Wednesday.
D, K and I rushed off to get a tree and what a brilliant one we found. Y was not really so impressed as it is huge. So far it has managed to fall over once, luckily no casualties found underneath but given the size of the tree it was probably a near miss.
As it was so late before we could put up said giant tree we decided to go for a smaller option in what has been christened the Mocha room. ( dining cum family lay about room). This one is a simple twiggy branch from the garden with a few blue lights and then only edible decs. Some cookies, a sprinkling of chocolate cones and of course the candy canes that K in particular loves. I suspect that small cousins may also like them a lot.
Back to the room. Thank you for all of your suggestions as to the colour scheme. In the end the colour kind of chose itself as we toned in with the new chair which arrived earlier in the week. The lower walls are an attractively named putty but above the picture rail and the radiators are (I think the word is) accented?
Anyway it all looks great and a million times better than the previous and very tired Magnolia woodchip.
I have sneaked down very early to write this and so will have to add the photos later. ( I'm on peeling duty for the sprouts and potatoes). D is determined to cook the Christmas dinner and so we have compromised a bit and said he can as long as he accepts some help as we have 9 people and a beautiful piece of venison courtisey of my dad and mum. Mmmmmmmm
Will be back soon as the chaos has subsided a bit.
Wishing each and every one of you a very happy Christmas xxxx

That Was The Week That Was

You know how some weeks seem a bit slow and others pack in soooo much that you really don't know how it actually all fitted? Well this has been one of those weeks...
I have baked (nothing new there I hear you shout)...
 140 shortbread foxes.
 1 Very large chocolate cake.
 1 Coconut cake that had better get out of here before I eat it. It smells too good.
 120 mini cup cakes in silver and purple (Birthday cake).

 6 Christmas Puddings wrapped and ready to go.
 6 small Christmas cakes also ready for dispatch.

I have shopped and bought 1 suit and 1 pair of trousers that not only fit D. (not easy when he's got a 28 inch waist and 34 inch legs and is VERY fussy).

I have been thrilled and excited about the same D getting an interview at Cambridge and about me passing my first practical exam, only 3 left to go now.

The painter has arrived.
The rug is chosen and ordered.
The chair is sitting in the shop ready for delivery.

The fire guard and companion set are sitting beside me as I write and the basket is on it's way.

Took this picture and just couldn't resist... choices choices....

have a good week..xx

A Few random Thoughts

Well... what a week this has been! My first bake for the local cafe bar. Now just keeping my fingers crossed that it was all ok... No complaints so far though so things looking up. Hummingbird Cupcakes like the one on the right (further down the bloggy bit) and a Brooklyn Blackout cake Very Chocolatey but with a few tweaks of the recipe very yummy as well. Thank you to Rachel for letting me know about books and mistakes.

A brilliant bonfire, fireworks and food with friends last weekend. I suppose it seems like a long time ago but here are one or two of the pictures taken during the evening......

The colours inside the fire were glorious...

The evening was a bit misty but I was determined to get a picture of the moon. So with LOTS of help from a professional this is what I came up with....

Of course having crossed the border there was a dram or two to be had (unluckily for me I was driving so had to miss this bit) and so some of the pictures became a little ... well ... different... How about "Fire through Fire Water"....

No bonfire night would be complete without a few toffee apples... The sticks are a bit odd because I had one of those I'm sure I have sticks somewhere moments... and didn't so improvised with clothes pegs of all things...

And lastly a huge sigh of relief as I found out today that I had passed at least one part of the dreaded physics exam... Yippee!
Hope all is well with you... back soon

Like it or Lump it Goes Live!

This has been in the pipeline for a wee while now. Lots of slithering, thinking and backtracking. BUT today has been take the plunge day, see how it goes and bite the bullet!

I have been asked to bake for one of the local coffee shops. It is a big step. So far all I have done is potter about and bake for friends and family but this is a whole new ball game.

Environmental health
Hygiene courses.... yes I know.. I'm a nurse and know when to wash my hands and that it's better to keep the cat out of the baking. I am supposed to know not to sneeze into the food and not to just scrape off the mould but now it has to be all official!

The tax man ... keeping the books will all be a challenge in itself. No more .... well it'll be about £20... no no I have to work it all out and look at profit margins and still being friends with people I do business with and having a good time as well....

I am very excited! And my first proper order isn't even due until next week. Now what kind of cupcakes will it be this time? ...

... And as for Cake of the Week well that is a whole world waiting to be explored....

Thought you might like to see the sea coming over the harbour wall at Wick in Caithness last week when I was up visiting with my mum. a stark contrast to the wind turbine picture (above) that was taken the very next day... The croft cottage in the last picture was  the house that was lived in by the crofter and family as well as the animals in many cases at the beginning of the last century..

I will be back soon to let you know about my first proper baking advent. (hopefully I will remember the pictures too).

Back on Line.

The madness has calmed down at last!

The exam is done. Ok I might have to do it all again but at the moment I am trying to think positive.

The University applications are in for no. 1 son. Not that I did any of this you have to understand it was just that it seemed to add to everything else that needed done.

No cake orders are imminent. More about this in the next post but I have to keep you in suspense for a wee while longer.

The school is just about to break up for 1/2 term  and we can all take a breather.

I am heading off up north to the very tip of Scotland with my mim to visit a friend whilst the rest head off to various destinations alone or in various combinations. It seems like the family holiday might be a thing of the past but perhaps an exciting destination over the summer may change all that again.
Last weekend Y and I headed off to the lakes. He wanted to go and see the cycle cross. I was much more drawn by a visit to Lakeland but joined him in the afternoon to see what it was all about......

The Lakeland scenery was, as usual spectacular.....

But.. a bit noisier than usual with lots of people of all ages out enjoying the sunshine as well as the racing....

The main race of the day was very competitive and that was just the photographers out to capture that special image. I narrowly missed being mown down getting this one...

It was  beautiful, warm autumn day with lots of crisp leaves to kick about.......

The thing that really pleased me most though was the fact that I didn't have to do any of the washing....

Enjoy the good weather while it lasts...

It's been a Long Time.

I'm sorry that I haven't posted for ages. I did try the other night but couldn't get my pictures to upload and so gave up. So now to try again...
I was in hospital again... nothing serious, only a change of prosthesis but I was a bit fed up and then have been incredibly busy at work and at home....
So what does all this busy entail?
We'll.. there was the visit to the rare breeds sale with my parents.... We saw lots of rare and special animals but I was really taken with the display of horns... How do these grab you?

Curly Ones....

Neat, ready to be made into a crook ones...

When only more is better....

Don't mess with me ones...

Perhaps you're more of a cuddly wooly type...

Loose flowing locks or...

Tight just been permed ones. 

Anyway enough of that... At the weekend I was back on the cake trail and thought you might like to see the effort for Saturday night...

120 tiny cakes. Do you fancy Coconut, Red Velvet, vanilla and Rose or perhaps Lavender?

As always there were a few extras (and rejects) but this lot soon put paid to them...

15 Bikers and not so hairy either all on a stormy trip off to Scotland after calling in for tea and cake.

Hope you are all ok. I will try to pop over to visit but am supposed to be writing an essay and studying for my physics exam and it is very easy to get distracted by all your interesting posts. x

Exploring a new area, or revisiting somewhere you haven't been for a while definitely allows you to see things in a new way.. We visited this shop, really by accident and the following of one of those touristy brown signs. The promise of lunch led us to this Aladdin's cave of crafty goodness...

Yarns reflecting the tones of the surrounding countryside 

There were also felting classes going on where we saw 3 women making hats. all very different and all wearable .... Well worth a look.

Meanwhile outside we saw lots of these, no surprise there I hear you say considering we were in the very heart of Scotland and all that that brings...

But look here at the thistledown that they make after the purple heads die away...

Whispy soft you could almost imagine it stuffed into a case to make a downy duvet....

Just to finish up .... How about your own Rustic Highland Cottage Up for sale right across from the craft shop. Needs a bit of work though.......

Other Holiday Matters

Surprisingly we didn't spend all week searching for fungi as might have seemed the case from my last post. No, we did other things as well. After a bit of persuasion (ok and some bribery) the three of us spend some time cycling up Glen Lyon. This is supposed to be the prettiest glen in Scotland and it was trying very hard to live unto it's name. The scenery was fabulous....

The whole place is very lush, hardly surprising given the amount of rain.....

When we weren't cycling we tried out a few of the walking routes in the area. Both in the woods and above the tree line. The midges were pretty bad as soon as the rain stopped so it became quite welcome especially in the bracken covered areas.....

On one walk we met this fellow. He was very friendly although between you and me he might have been a bit too keen on getting close...

One evening we went on a Highland safari. It was absolutely brilliant. Out kilted ranger took us 'up the hill" to over 3000 feet in his Landrover. We saw deer, mouton hare and the views really were out of this world.....

My pictures don't do them justice.. I would definitely recommend doing this if you are ever in the area. We would like to go back in the winter as I am sure everything will look very different then.

I still seem to have lots to tell you about but I will keep it for another slow news day. xx

Fun Guys

We have just arrived back after spending a week in The Highlands. Best known for the majestic scenery, amazing wildlife and weather extremes, I thought you might like to see a few pictures from a different perspective. Lets go down and peek through the bracken, the heather and the grasses and see what we managed to find....

Some Morrels

This chap keeping off the persistent rain with his little cap...

These girls spiralling like fairy dancers up the sides of a broken log...

Resplendent spots....

Not so much "under the boardwalk" as firmly attached....

These teeny, tiny fungi pretending to be a corral reef....

Stony living, clinging to the edge....

You won't spot me if I just hide in here...

Frilly petticoats...

Actually I have loads of things to tell you about our week away but leaving a teenage son on his own does have some downsides.  I'd better go and sort out the kitchen before environmental health gets here.... (He has done pretty well really, the house is still staring, doesn't smell of anything too bad and the cat is still here so can't be bad!)

Work and Hobbies

Now, usually I don't say too much about my work. I meet lots of people and as you might imagine some are nice, some are not so nice, some are mad and some are just plain rude. That's life. I am really very lucky in that for the vast majority of time I love my work.
Recently my job has changed a wee bit, BUT I am still the Sister in a busy outpatients department for most of the week. We see lots of people ranging in age from about 11 to 105. Obviously I can't tell you very much about the people who I meet on a day to day basis. I can tell you though that yesterday I had the opportunity to take a step back, away from learning to scan (It's not as easy as those Sonographers make it look let me tell you), away from the hustle and the waiting times, away from upset and angry people.
I  am being given the chance to work as a real midwife for one day a fortnight. (BY real I mean in delivery suite, not that the rest of the time isn't real it's just not what most people think of midwifery).

Yesterday was the first day for QUITE a while. And what a day! A delivery! Yippee (Yes it is still exciting and makes you smile even after years and years. We wouldn't do it otherwise!) Apparently (and this is a secret!) I was much nicer than "those midwives in One Born Every Minute!" Possibly I'm not trying hard enough! Anyway a very special little brother was born. Result. Happy family and Midwife.

When not at work I have once again been on the cake making spree! Hope you are not getting too bored with looking at them all but I like putting them up so that I can remember what I've been up to. (And folks at real work seem to like a peek too).

Summer has arrived in cake form.

Read all about it here.

Hope you are all well. Take Care x