It's Monday morning...........

...................and I am wondering:

1  -  Why did I volunteer to knit and bake and help set up and run the school Christmas Fayre this Friday?
2  -  How is it possible that I have forgotten that the last posting date for overseas is quickly approaching and I am thoroughly NOT organized.
3  -  Why when you clean something or somewhere it needs done again the instant (it feels) you finish?
4  -  Why other people can see my To Do List is unachievable but I can't?
5   -  Why am I on the computer blogging away when I have such a To Do List?
6  -  Why I have to write lists in the first place? 

Can you sense the mania???

I need to get some perspective!!!

The joys of porridge.......

I thought I'd join in with the lovely Mrs B in sharing the love for tummy warming porridge.  I took these photos last week on the official change over day from Weetabix, to celebrate the feeling of winter being here.  I admit first thing in the morning whilst preparing play pieces and lunches I cannot cope with anything more than gloop, something which slides down the throat and definitely no boak inducing chewing.  Every year I remember how I love porridge so.  It is a solitary (I'm the only one in our household who likes it) winter ritual...............

..........it has to be Scott's, no substitute allowed, the flavour takes me back to my childhood..........

........Piglet and me have precise quantities at the ready........

........I love to stir yet only the weekend brings a soothing turn of a wooden spoon, week day mornings are a little rushed..........

.......and always in the same bowl, only brought out for porridge.  If I see anything else in this bowl I just get confused it's not milky gloop and it has to be milky with a (quite large, I admit) sprinkling of sugar.......

...........my tummy is a happy, warm snuggley place.  I'm ready to brace the Scottish weather!!!

X

Forgive me Dean!

The weather outside is frightful

and I don't feel delightful

I wish the wind and rain could hear me say

Go Away! Go Away! Go Away!

I want to feel nice and cosey

and not have a bunged up nosey

I wish my cold could hear me say

Go Away! Go Away! Go Away!

Go Away! Go Away! Go Away! 

I am having THAT kind of a day!!

"I'm home!" he declared........

You may know that in Scotland this year it's all about 'homecoming' or in typically tourist terms a way to encourage visitors by making them feel connected to the country; it's in their blood!  Now I can be as cynical as I like about such blatant attempts for drumming up finances but I partook in this notion for all of five minutes for Padawan, I 'freed' him from the US and brought him home.  It was the tartan ( I can't bring myself to say plaid, it feels thoroughly un-Scottish to do so!) I found at him at SeaPinks and I knew what I had to do.............

He arrived and as I unwrapped the postal packaging I could hear a faint muttering; a tiny trilling coming from inside the box.  I put my ear close, "Hello" I said.  Carefully I lifted off the lid and....

 

look who was inside.  My little Padawan wren. "I'm home!" he declared and he was.  He shall be my little Scottish apprentice, my little Padawan learner.  I shall teach him the ways of the (Scottish) Force and we shall be happy together forever.......

X

Ode to Tea, the Beatles and my new cup and saucer!

All you need is Tea

ba ba da ra ra

All you need is Tea

ba ba da ra ra

All you need is Tea, Tea

Tea is all you need

Tea is all you need

(Tea is all you need)

Tea is all you need 

(Tea is all you need)

Tea is all you need 

(Tea is all you need)

And a custard cream 
(Tea is all you need)

Tea is all you need
(Tea is all you need)

In your favourite cup

(Tea is all you need)

Tea is all you need

(Tea is all you need)

..........repeat and fade

X

It's oh so peaceful until.................

You can hear a pin drop. You can smell the concentration and you can probably guess what an unusual occurrence this is!  My boys silently, diligently getting on with their homework.  No chatting, no silliness and no mischief-making until.............................

 

.................Evie really does weave a web of mischief! 

X

A Christmas Tradition..........

I lurve Christmas! 

You will hear me say this so very often in this blog. There is no 'Ba Humbug' in this household; it's simply not permitted.  No matter how busy or stressed I get I will not stop loving Christmas, in particular the traditions.  Here are a few of ours.........

Only bought once a year along with the Radio Times in which I still circle, with a biro, all the programmes and films I am excited about.

Nigella -the bringer of such goodies.  I use other books and recipes but for Christmas baking Nigella is Queen.   I always make and bake....

 cookies for the tree -  my boys enjoy this tradition even now at eight and six when other baking endeavours have lost their appeal.  I figure the pestle and mortar bashing of the boiled sweeties is key to this.

Christmas Cupcakes - mine look more like puddings and I wish I had a real photo to show you. ( partly the reason I decided to start a blog - up till very recently I never took photos of anything and really wish I had of many, many things I have made) I always cut out sugarpaste holly leaves and frost them with edible lustre and roll little berry balls for the top.  It's such fun!! I could eat these all year round but force myself to only bake them once a year.  I do usually make at least 48, sometimes more.  My friends and family would hunt me down if there wasn't a batch for each of them and also these....

mini apple pies (mince pies- yuck!!!) and...

Rocky Road - I combine the 'Christmas' and 'Express' recipes.  Heaven!! and each year on the Eve when my friends come round.....

a ham - in particular Nigella's Ginger Glazed Ham which I will be making again this year as it was so good last Christmas Eve. If you want the know-how check out Nigella.com for books and recipes.  

I also bake Christmas tree shortbread with my boys for their teachers. I know they would be disappointed if I made something else (a delia recipe). It is an essential part of the festivities that my kitchen ends up with a layer of icing sugar over everything in it because I have been baking so much.

Another tradition that I HAVE to partake in every year is Harry Potter.  I read the first four books my eldest's first Christmas and since then the build up to the big day HAS to involve re-reading (now) all seven.  I hear sleigh bells, I smell cinnamon and log fires, I taste buttery pastry and turkey and stuffing sandwiches on white bread.  Each year I lose myself in the magic of Harry Potter and in turn Christmas and all it's glory.....fairy lights, carrots for the reindeer, tins of colourfully wrapped chocolates, bulging stockings, friends and family and my boys' faces when they see Santa has been and they have been good all year!

 

X 

p.s the Doctor went a bit mental.  The Ood, Wilfred, Donna, Lucy Saxon and THE MASTER in the Christmas trailer! OMG Christmas is gonna be sooooo cool!!!!! and I'm sure I'll cry!!!!

Meet the furry, four-legged family on Friday!!

There are three furry felines in our household.  Want to meet them?

'Thamas!  Thamas!  There's a mouse in the house!'

This is our youngest, Thomasina (oringinally Thomas as we thought she was a boy at first, I know you'd think we could tell the difference), she's the baby at two.  All three cats have their 'Show'/'Horse-racing' names you can see under the photos.  It's just a thing we do!

 

'Eva weava web of mischief!'

This is Evie or Miss Evie, she deserves the Miss because she is such a lady and she is ten.

Last is the man of the (cat) house......

'The 'Hay' with the 'Mish'

This is Hamish.  There's two pictures of him to try and show how HUGE he is but he's my first baby as he's thirteen now.  He is also affectionately known as 'beau-beau', I was very into Tennessee Williams (a cat on a hot tin roof, the glass menagerie, streetcar named desire) at the time and loved the whole Southern 'beau' thing and ladies drinking mint juleps.  My eldest is thrilled he came after Hamish as it meant the name was taken already.

Have a great weekend everybody and remember DOCTOR WHO!  Yippee!!!!

X

p.s I just realized my cats look dressed for Christmas with all those bells on, they are in fact to prevent bird murder and they work, I'm very pleased to say!