The Week of the Cake

As most of you know by now cake in this house isn't unusual. However this week there has been a surge in birthdays and other celebrations ending in a 0. This of course calls for cake. (Not one of which I hasten to add is for us just in case you were concerned for our health or indeed weight).....

First there is the Chanel Handbag Cake for a friend's daughter........

Then there is the mud and creatures for small (ish) boys going to camp....

Another friend celebrates the BIG ...0 (mustn't let on how old a lady actually is (don't look too closely at the writing just in case you get a glimpse...

Kind of last but not least we have the elegant Cherry Almond birthday cake for yet another friend. (Note the careful exclusion of any numbers on this one)..

And there we have it not including the meringues for the junior medical staff who finish with us tomorrow and the white chocolate and raspberry muffins that were made on the spur of the moment yesterday morning at 1/2 past 6. ( I think I might have actually lost the plot but don't worry the wine is now poured... no more cake until next week....). have a good weekend. x

The Tour de Force

Now I don't know if any of you are inspired by the Tour de France, but there is something about the whole event that makes me want to get on my bike. Maybe it's all that pitting man ( never woman you notice!) against the elements or the fact that the underdog always has a chance however small, that gets me hooked year after year. That and the fact that at 7pm every evening the telly is switched on to watch the highlights programme.
Anyway I might have mentioned this in a round about way to Y (other 1/2), how silly can one woman get?
It was decided that we would go out on our respective bikes and take a bit of a ride at my pace. I should have known better. (for lots of reasons big and small I  haven't been on the bike for about a year). This is a man who regularly goes for 60 miles just for the sheer pleasure of it.
Things were going well until about 15 miles in when I mentioned lunch. Well... If you need a stop I suppose we could get a bite to eat. Did I ever...

This picture was taken not long after our stop. The pose looks relaxed... I think I may be holding myself up by the way marker so as to not look too wussy. I even felt quite relieved a few miles on when Y got a puncture and we had to stop to let him mend it. My rear end certainly needed the break. After that I could feel myself starting to whinge a bit, ok more than a bit...
In the end we got back (remember this was at my pace so it took quite a while). We had covered 26 miles, fitted in some lunch in somewhere around 3 hours including puncture time. BUT the best thing of all... His Garmin thingy worked out that we had used around 1003 calories. No guilt in that biscuit with my tea!
And I can walk today, just don't want to think what I'll be like tomorrow. X
Remember the give away ( last post ) is being drawn on the 1st of August

The Give-Away

The Summer Give-Away is upon us! I know it was supposed to be for 100 posts, but somehow they slipped past taking me unawares and so I opted for this instead....

The prize will go to the first name pulled out of the hat  on 1st August. (Just in case interested folks are away on holiday). All you have to do is leave a comment on today's post.

Included in the box are some special French soaps, Sparkly gift tags and a rather nice tea towel. Can you spot the whisk at the bottom of the box? Wishing you all luck and awaiting your comments... Even a word or two will get your name in the draw.

Thought you might  like to see the picture from the wedding that i was roneying on about last month... (Aberdeen word for going on about endlessly).

It doesn't show the cakes in great detail but you get the drift...
Just to keep blowing my own trumpet .. the very first things I have ever grown in the garden...

Good luck and hoping to hear from you all soon. x

Take a Deep Breath...

Thank you for all of your comments and support. D is fine, a little shaken but well enough to head off for Italy with the school band on Friday evening. A quick shopping trip and a few phone calls have stopped cards, replaced phones and the biggest casualty (from his point of view) was the fact that his Nando's loyalty card with nearly a whole chicken on it was taken.
My Mother-in-law may well take a little more time to shake off any guilt and worry, both about D (for which there is no need) and herself.  Apparently it has happened to her too although we were unaware of this. Seems to be what the local youth get up to for kicks.
On returning north I questioned last sightings of the hamster which I was assured had been alive and well that morning. Sadly no more. He was pretty old for a hamster and looked very peaceful if very dead.
To top it all my right arm has been cut off! (Metaphorically only I hasten to add!). L has decided that she can no longer fit us in to her admittedly very busy schedule! She was part friend, Part cleaner, part domestic do it all and will be very missed especially by yours truly. I'm not too sure how long it will take the rest of them to notice! I am going to admit to all things put in the bin, all things "lost" and all things tidied away. Oh well I suppose it couldn't last forever no matter how much I wanted it to. 10 years is a long time and I really have been very lucky to have had her here.
Things can only get better. The weather is obliging so far and we are heading out for dinner tonight as an early birthday treat.
I must apologise too as I haven't noticed until now that I have now posted over 100 blogs. I feel quite proud of myself but also a bit remiss in that I had planned to do a give-away as seems to be the custom. Instead I will do my give away at the start of the school holidays as a kind of summer treat.  Watch this space....

Now where next? Oh yes a couple of pictures from the very wet walk that K and I took the other day.....

I think we might have emptied wellies three or four times! Whose you may well ask? Well mine of course you wouldn't want to be getting your own boots wet now would you?...

As you can see things were a bit drippy......

See  you soon with give-away details....

Days like these

I'm on the train. I hadn't planned to be on the train, in fact I should be at work tomorrow but I won't be.
I'm off to collect D from London. He was going into his grandmothers secure, shared hallway when he was followed and mugged. As far as I know at the moment he is ok just very shaken but has lost all his money and phone etc.
He is supposed to be going on a school trip tomorrow to Italy with the band.


I will bend over backwards to get this sorted out for him. Why do people think they have the right to attack others for property that they have worked hard to get? It is beyond me it really is.
Rant over! Will let you all know soon how we get on. Hope this doesn't put him off going to uni.