Tom & Gerry

My beautiful big baby Tom died just over a year ago! Although it was a very sad time, I spent the last few months spoiling and loving him.  He was the king pin and ruled the house, Gerry was always in his shadow and I thought that she was just a quiet little cat!

I crocheted this frame around a hoop and found one of my many photos of Tom. I transferred the image to fabric and this now hangs in pride of place within the little lounge.

Now you know I said Gerry was quiet, she never came upstairs or caused any chaos.  Well, 4am this morning I was rudely awoken! The crying didn't work so Gerry knocked everything off the bedside table!  

Gerry and I spent a lovely summer together in the garden.  I do miss Tom as he was such a naughty but lovely boy but it's been so nice to get to know Gerry!  She even sits on my lap now most days! We are girls doing it for ourselves, me and my queen pin!

Wrinkles

It was more than 5 years ago when I told my mum about a wrinkle I had discovered on my forehead.   I wasn't even 40 and certainly not ready for wrinkles!  My mum bought me some wrinkle cream and attached a note.  Lovely mum!  I decided to copy and embroider mum's note as it is fading.  I am 45 this year and I'm not as bothered about getting older, you can't fight it and as Mark Twain said... "wrinkles merely indicate where smiles have been!"

Craft on!

I have spent a lot of time tidying my little lounge as it became my dumping room, full of....... I will sort that, tidy that and so it continued and every so often I would tidy the little lounge just for it to become cluttered again!  This Christmas, I had another tidy and as we were in lockdown, I was off work and it's too cold for gardening, I thought to myself, "I am going to light a fire, sit in my little lounge and start crafting once again!"

Mother's Day

I was busy today relaxing.  I fed the birds and let Gertie out for a wonder around the garden, until she started eating my wild strawberry plants, she has already thined them out to nothing so I but her back in.  Two fires on and I crafted!  I picked up this gorgeous fabric, £12 a metre from John Lewis.  It wasn't a want, no no it was a must, you know when you know, life wouldn't be the same without it, well this is what I thought when I saw this fabric.  I covered a chair and a lamp.  Oh which I picked up at the end of a carboot sale when I heard the man say 'free all must go'!  The chair was one I had when I was a child, my grandfather was an upholsterer, not that it is in my genes, unless he passed down the gene of, I can't wait to finish so that will do! 

All in all as a first without my mum it wasn't so bad.  Tom, Gerry and Gertie bought me hand cream and some tea bags to help me sleep, I will let you know if they work.  I did have a glass of red and said cheers to the best mum in the world.

My Mum

My mum! Do you think your mum is the best? Well I do, she has been the biggest love of my life, my best friend my sole mate and my confidant. Where ever I go she goes, we love the same thing, think the same and laugh at things only we would find funny.  I would do anything for her.  We go on holiday every year to Lyme Regis and have the best times, good times! That's what we say after a good day.

My mum past away on the 3rd of November.  I have been so strong though her illness and now my heart aches for her, but she wouldn't want me to be forever sad so I get on,  that doesn't mean I don't miss my crochet friend and mum.

So I am back, lets crochet on!  Tom and Gerry are still lovely, no change there.  Tom is still king pin! Gerry has been sat on my lap a few times, regardless what I have to do, I will sit there  loving her sat on my lap.

Do you know Pam the chicken died?  I still have Gertie she is so good, a real character, ha ha I even bought her indoors, Tom and Gerry didn't mind, but from the amount she poohed I think Gertie did!

So here we are, I have missed my blog and all you readers, so let's get the craft on! x

I'm Jamming! I hope you like Jamming too!

I am all schnappsed out! So jam it is.  There is nothing like making a cake and using your own jam for the filling.  I like it because I can make the jam a little tarter, not so sweet.  The recipes normally say, same weight of fruit with sugar but I don't I guess and lick! But hold on don't just go dipping your finger into the mix unless you want a trip to A & E, so you can explain you wanted to make sure your jam was tart! No, no I whip the wooden spoon out wave it a little and stick my finger on it. 

Today I have made pipless raspberry jam as well as with pips. To do pipless ( if that the correct term, which I am sure it's not but I am sure you are with me) you need to sieve the raspberries half way through before you add the sugar.  I use the back of a good old soup spoon to push the fruit through.  

Don't push too hard and put a hole in your sieve! 

 The clearer the jam the less pith, you push through. Ha ha are you still pipping pith me?  You then boil up and add sugar, I use jam sugar with low pectin as the raspberries are high in pectin.  

I have a thermometer but you can tell when its ready as the jam gets darker and the bubbles get more molten, I always think if it looks like a jam tart out of the oven and you think 'oh my I eat that it will stick to the roof of my mouth and hurt like hell', well then its done.  I don't do the plate in the freezer test, I go for hit or miss if it is too runny and doesn't set you can put it in the pan and boil again or you can say,  'Whatever its only for me on my toast'. I can tell you runny jam oozing into a Victoria sponge is nicer than jam you need a plaster float to trowl it on.  

Jam is so easy, if you haven't you should have a try.  

I knew a lovely, lovely lady who showed me how to make jam in a microwave, its really that simple boil until its ready, she would make scones and say,  'would you like a scone'? 'I will just whip up a bit of jam'.

Lemon Drizzle Tray Bake

Thank you Mary Berry for your delicious Lemon Drizzle tray bake recipe. Or as I call her Merry Berry! I got the recipe from her autobiography 'Recipe for Life'. I have had lemon drizzle cake for breakfast and lunch today! I wont tell you what page it was on, as I think you should buy a copy and enjoy the read.

Yum!