Cake for MrM

I know, I know,
I spoil him...

But he has worked so hard this week
and I think that he deserved it.

He also humoured me
and contributed to the Advent List
of Good Things To Do in December.

Otherwise known as
"The Freeze-Yer-Nuts-Off List"
due to the number of outdoor activities.

Obsessive Bench Disorder

MrM and MrsM visit Osterley Park
and admire the impressive Neo-Classical mansion
and the Robert Adam interior.

They stroll beside the ornamental lake
and wander in the walled garden.

It is a beautiful day
and the sunshine makes the leaves glow
and the water shimmer.

When MrsM gets home she looks at her photos.

There are a selection of garden benches.

Metal, wood,
with and without arms,
decorative, plain,
with and without backs.

But just benches.

No house, no garden, no lake
No trees, no flowers, no happy children.

What was all that about?

MrsM contemplates a lifetime of therapy.

Thanksgiving

Still Life with Cheeses
Floris van Dijck (1575-1651)

~ for all my American friends ~

wishing you a peaceful Holiday weekend

Dust of Snow

The way a crow*
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

*****

*today, in my case, a blackbird

image courtesy of The Wyoming Almanac
which I enjoy reading
but I think that the Home supplement
is better in The Ozark Gazette.

An Evening in a Restaurant

Eating out with MasterM
has advantages and disadvantages.

EXAMPLE OF DISADVANTAGES

MasterM
I will have Mangoes with Strawberry Sorbet

Young Waitress
I am afraid that there are no more mangoes

MasterM
Heartbreak!!
That is the only reason I came here
(Young Waitress looks distressed)
But wait!!
We have mangoes at home...
I could go and get them...
(MrsM purses her lips)

Young Waitress
I am afraid that there is no more
Strawberry Sorbet either

MasterM
This
Is
Terrible.
(Young Waitress looks more distressed)
What do you recommend instead?

Young Waitress
(anxiously)
You could have Strawberries with Mango Sorbet.

MasterM
I could...
but...
strawberries aren't in season...
(MrsM narrows her eyes)
but...
it sounds delicious so I will have that.
Thank you!
(Young Waitress smiles a HUGE smile)

EXAMPLE OF ADVANTAGES

Young Waitress gives 30% discount off bill.

Making dreams happen

At the end of June
I said that MasterM
would not need his passport
to go to university.

I spoke too soon.

Two weeks later he decided to go to university
in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
It has been a challenging time
but he has now been accepted for the course
and starts in January.
There is still the not-insignificant hurdle
of the residency visa
but each complex task is broken into small pieces
and that is how you make dreams happen.

The really difficult thing is
finding the courage
to believe that a dream
can become reality.

For the next four years
MasterM will be among vineyards
and Cape Dutch architecture
on the edge of the ocean.

I think he will have the time of his life.

*****

(In case you are wondering,
Edinburgh was the back up plan.)

Venice in Winter

The academic who has just turned 40
went to Venice for a special birthday weekend.

The Doges Palace
Edward Seago

I recommended our little hotel
near the Accademia Bridge

The Grand Canal from Accademia Bridge
Edward Seago

and told him to ask for the room at the front
which overlooks the canal.

The Doorway, Venice
Edward Seago

We arrived by watertaxi at night
when Venice was shrouded in fog
and nothing could have been
more magical or romantic.

Venice at night
Edward Seago

The academic told me of a tiny restaurant
hidden among back streets
and I longed to return.

Maybe in the Spring.

*****

Edward Seago (1910 - 1974)
started his artistic career in a travelling circus
but went on to develop a Impressionistic style
which he used to explore the effect of light and shade
in various locations from the Antarctic to the Norfolk Broads.
His paintings were much sought after and he enjoyed
the enthusiastic patronage of the Queen Mother.
I look forward to the Centenary exhibition
at the Portland Gallery in February 2010.

New Windows Open

Thirtythree, 30 sycamore keys and 3 red berries
Eileen Postlethwaite


These pictures were a gift from Milly
as an unexpected consolation prize
in a giveaway post.
Thank you, Milly.

I am grateful to Lucille
who introduced herself in the summer
and pointed me towards Milly
and her beautiful drawings.

Lucille writes Useful or Beautiful
full of lovely images and perceptive insights.

I am always delighted
when a new reader introduces themselves,
opening yet another window
onto that sunny courtyard
where the community of blogging friends
generously share their lives
and support each other's creative endeavours.

5 oak leaves and 6 acorns found by Coniston Water
Eileen Postlethwaite

better late than never...

A nest of mixing bowls
given by as part of
a generous wedding present
by MrM's Granny.

You might be surprised to know
how many Coffee and Walnut cakes
have started their lives in these bowls.
A number significantly greater
than the rather pitiful comment yesterday
might have led you to imagine.

A belated contribution to Kitchen Poetry
which was hosted by FancyElastic.

'just a chocolate cake'

When MasterM and MissM were little
I would conscientiously make a birthday cake
to match the party theme.

Pirate Island,
Fairytale Castle,
Treasure Chest,
Teddy Bears Picnic,
Creepy Crawly Paradise.

It was something I never reconciled myself to
especially when I realised that the hours of creation
were reduced to a muddy heap
at the bottom of a party bag.

After the Pirate Island experience
I developed an overpowering dislike
for strongly coloured icing
which remains to this day.

Then came the liberating moment
when I was asked for
'just a chocolate cake'
and that is what I have made ever since
using a recipe from wonderful family friends
who live in Little Eversden.

It is now a real pleasure
to make the cake for the special day
and our birthday photos
feature a succession of identical chocolate cakes
each of them with that special fudgy icing
that I can remember from my own childhood.