Voted best cake

27th March 

Crazy busy in life but wonderfully happy, I seem to be on a rollercoaster dashing from one thing to another mostly enjoying myself but at other times totally befuddled and unsure of what I am about.  This week however has been a crystal clear week with many many positives.  Grab a coffee and spend a little time with me...

Monday

Woke up full of energy and to a glorious spring morning.  Took one look at the fence panels in the garden and realised they needed some TLC, an unexpected four to five hours later and I had painted the fences back to green.  Very satisfied.  Just look at the colour springing up around, happy days.
 

Newly painted fences

Spring has sprung

Painted fences make a good backdrop

Tuesday

Various crochet edges for class

Remembering that I was only two days away from teaching crochet edges, I began to set to in earnest with making up some samples.  I love a good excuse to make the world stop around me and crochet away.  Along with the edges I had to put my attention to Eric.  Who is Eric, you may well ask, he is my first crocheted commissioned piece and he is coming along VERY slowly as I am having to make the pattern and design him as I go along.  I am not a natural designer and this is a painful process for me, but I think he is beginning to shape up...

The best thing of all about Tuesday was that I finally managed to make it to an evening knitting group that takes place in a pub!  What fun, being surrounded by like minded people in an English pub.  We took over the corner and out came all our yarn in various colours and in various states of progress.  Bare with me here and let me explain the hour before arrival at said knitting pub.  Note the word knitting... I am still knitting my Arne and Carlos baubles and enjoying them, so felt that as I can now knit them almost with my eyes shut that this would be a good thing to take along,  I could knit and natter and hopefully do both coherently.  PROBLEM, two of my dpn were missing, I searched everywhere for them and realised time was running out, shouting at the family to help me look, (they can never find their own things so why I thought they might be able to help me, is still a mystery,) but I was flying around the house to no avail.  So, no knitting for knitting club meant that I had to resort to crochet.  Didn't want to take

Tapestry crochet is reversible

Eric or the edges as they required thinking, my other projects are too large to cart into a pub, I would have been refused entry, so thinking cap on, decided to take my harlequin cotton washcloth, genius.  Could do that and natter no problem.  Its been a while since I tapestry crocheted but it's like riding a bike right?  Pulled it out of its bag and remembered why I had not touched it for so long.  I had been lazy and was crocheting from skeins and had not caked the yarn.  Feeling I couldn't take all the skeins needed for this multi-coloured washcloth I decided I needed to cake them and fast.  Have you ever tried caking yarn in a hurry?  Well don't.  I ended up with knots every where and a tangles of multi-coloured mess.  I flew out of the house almost like a witch on a broomstick, dishelleved almost in a menopausal hot flush, screeching goodnight to the kids forgetting to kiss them good bye and off I flew...leaving the kitchen in a yarn bombed not in a good way mess.  And would you believe it, this night my first at the knitters meeting, not one knitter was knitting!  It was crochet heaven, he he he.

The beginnings of Eric

Wednesday

Work took over most of the day but it was highly successful and I felt I made some headway, always a good thing.  I came home to find my daughter in bed, asleep recovering from her operation being kept company by her cat.  Wherever Ella is, Pip is not far behind. My heart melted.  Precious moments. 

Love is...having your cat with you when you are ill

Thursday

Today the crochet ladies voted this Simnel cake the best of all the weeks... Its a fruit cake but really moist and inside there is a very thin layer of marzipan and a thin layer on the top too, with 11 marzipan balls representing the disciples.  11 as Judas was not to be included. To see a full and really interesting history of simnel cake just follow the link  here

Really moist fruit cake

Simnel cake in the sun

Easter cake with crocheted Easter bunnies

I used this recipe but adapted it. here Instead of soaking the fruit for 2 nights, I did not leave enough time for this I soaked my fruit overnight.  Again, I did not have the liquid required and used mango juice instead.  I also ensure that my marzipan layers are thin, so that actually those that do not like marzipan have been converted and will eat my simnel cake!  In my oven the cake only takes 1 hour and 50 minutes.



Friday

I have woken up to another glorious spring day here in the South of the UK and the world is my oyster and I have decided to spring clean my wardrobe.  If you do not hear from me for a while I am buried under the mess but will resurface perhaps sometime after Easter.  Have a wonderful break and hope the sun is shining for you wherever you are.

I am joining in with  Amy  and sharing my five days of the week with you with her

Five on Friday post.

 

♥  Have a great Easter  ♥