On Wednesday, I met my friend Barb* for coffee and lunch. Four fantastic hours of none stop catch up. Lunch consisted of chips and cake! We shared a small side portion of chips - I had six, she only had 2! Then she bought a Manchester Tart and I couldn't resist the coffee Renoir - we halved them and chatted over about 8 cups of tea! The other cakes were Malteser traybake and blonde with white chocolate for our menfolks at home but it did look like we meant business!!
The world was put to rights a bit. We never ever run out of stuff to talk about and I really do miss working with her everyday. She still works the afterschool club, which now opens until 6pm so had I not give it up when I had, I definitely purely would have by now.
She dropped me off home before going to visit her lovely Mum in her 90s! Her Mum thinks I am called Barb too.
*The Barb nickname comes from our love of quoting lines from The Royal Family for years at work! It just made us laugh and still does! Anyway her Mum calls me the lovely lady that bakes because I used to sometimes send cakes for her and Barb's dad when he was still here when I'd baked. Anyway, the Hospice cafe, where we go, always gives you a little freebie shortbread biscuit with your hot drink but we had had so much cake we didn't want to eat them so she wrapped them up and took them to her Mum who said
Oh you must thank Barb for me!! I said let her think I made them. But actually next time I bake, I definitely will take one to school for Barb to give her Mum!
Yesterday my other friends H and J came round about 10.30 and stayed all day until 4.30! We talked and I taught them how to k it garter stitch! I also got up and decided to make them a bag for their new knitting hobby.
It was just a simple lined tote with matching pockets. It was a set of fat quarters I'd had for ages plus two others that blended in well. They were delighted when I handed them over with their circular needles and two balls of wool as a start kit.
I also used my new mini iron - Christmas goft from my lovely HG
Ignore my old ironing board cover - it's about 25 years old and it's an old Morphy Richard's Shirtmaster ironing board which is huge but so useful. You cannot get new covers for the exactly the same like for like. If only I knew someone who sewed .....
I had already casted on 15 stitches and done 10 rows each. I showed them the needles and the stitches. I thought it best to get them going and then teach them to cast on. Or they can use one of the billion you tube videos that are out there for the cast on. It's how I learnt to knit. I used to ask my Mum to cast me on some stitches to have a go and she'd cast me on 20 and off I'd go - hokey, added stitches - I was not very good at all. My nanna had more patience with me but she held her needles slightly different to my Mum and my mum used to pop the yarn over with one finger wrapped in wool that I could NEVER do.
It wasn't until a lovely lady called Doris ( it will have been someone's Grandma from church ) came to Brownies and taught me the way I do it now and I was away. I never touched knitting again until I was pregnant with my daughter and it was my friend Betsy who reminded me of the stitches and how to read a pattern and then I was away!
Now over the years I have tried to crochet a lot but my knitting fingers find it awkward! I cannot get a neat magic circle going. I've two awful granny squares somewhere I did and half a fabric bowl I once started. I may have another go because the appeal is that it grows so very quickly. A few regular viewers /readers may remember Suzanne who blogged a Life at number 38 - she was an amazing crocheter who has had to give it up for to wrist pain now but she did do me one of those amazing octopuses that they have to 'have' for new born babies these days, because the tentacles are like the umbilical cord. It was for Oliver. I can do a simple chain. I can do a double and treble. I do struggle with the counting and cannot read a pattern at all.
Yet!
Always stick a yet on the end of a I don't or I can't sentence. Powerful. Also powerful is
Instead of moaning about things add a I'm lucky I at the beginning. Puts things into perspective.
I don't want to go back to work.
I'm lucky I can go back to work.
I can't be bothered to do....
I'm lucky I can do....
I was going to write about recipes. On another blog I read I learnt about bread and butter pudding ( which I've never ever had, made or wanted for some reason ) and bread pudding which when I saw the recipe I thought yes please! Again something I never ever had as a child.
What I'm writing about is 'Bride's Slice' which is something I love and only ever see it at the Farm Shop in Carlisle when we do a half way meet up hand over with My daughter and Son in Law.
It's a thin layer of pastry, jam, a light fruit cake then marzipan and icing.
A deep dive into the Internet found lots of variations. Pastry, then jam. The mincemeat mixed with biscuit crumbs on top then marzipan and icing. Then something else called Honeymoon cake which had biscuits, golden syrup and cornflakes in. And then I stopped looking because I am diabetic and am not eating such deliciousness !!
Today I am going back to the Hospice cafe - it's just around the corner and is so good - all proceeds go towards the Hospice and it's entirely staffed by volunteers. The food is amazing. Anyway, it's fish and chip Friday and booking is essential - so when I was there on Wednesday I booked a table for me, my sister and my Mum. So that's 12.30pm today. Only, I sent my Nespresso machine off for repair and it's coming back today. Betwixt 11.45 and 12.45 by Connor! Now he picked it up on Tuesday and was early so am hoping for the same today. Anyway, I've told my sister to go and I'll meet them there as soon as he has been. But I was going to call round early. Ah well. Another coffee and a bit of pottering it is!
This half term week has gone so very fast. And not that I'm counting down but there are only about 22 Mondays left until we break up for the 6 week holidays. There will be two at Easter and one at half term so that's down to 19 and maybe a bonus Bank Holiday if they are not included so 18 or 19 Monday get ups to go!!
As I write this, the news is full of the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. All I will say is, there's no smoke without fire.
But the endless reels of breaking news with is just a continual repeat of stuff most people always no and what ifs and spectulations does not interest me at all.
I'm going to try and finish my latest audio book which is
Enjoy today if you can, and I hope it's something good for tea!
Rachel
