Baking for the school fair

As usual I put my name down to man the cake stall, so I thought I'd best have something to contribute!

I saw these ont t'internet yonks ago ( I know, I said yonks ) and wanted to have a go!

First I took some flat bottomed ice cream cones. I wrapped them in foil, like the recipe said. A fiddly unnecessary task. Batch two I didn't bother and they didn't burn.

I filled them almost to the top with a basic vanilla sponge and baked them at about 170C fan for 18 ish minutes.  A word of caution, don't overcrowd the tray if you have a go because the middle ones took a bit longer to be fully cooked.

Once cold, I removed a disc and added a little strawberry jam, replaced the disc and using a wide nozzle attempted to pipe a Mr Whippy effect!

I used ordinary buttercream - but I bought some icing whitener off t'internet and it worked!! Added a few drops and it turned ice cream white! Sprinkles and a flake at a jaunty angle and voila! I was quite pleased with my first attempt! Waddya think bloggy chums?

I also made some plain vanilla fairy buns

and some whopper chocolate fudge monster butterfly cakes! Not very elegant but 'bloody good' apparently!

The weather was it's usual freezing self but it was a good fun evening event with lots of money being raised for school.

It's nearly 7.30am and I'm getting my wriggle into gear shortly as I've decided to rearrange my kitchen cupboards. I've that much baking paraphanalia, a good sort out is in order. I've a mountain of clean laundry to sort too. Socialising with friends on the cards and tea is already sorted! Cottage pie I made for yesterday's tea, but school fair BBQ burgers were scoffed instead! I'm going to bake tonight and tomorrow too. I have to take cake in for the staffroom - it's the law. I'm going to make ice cream cakes but will maybe change the flavours. I want to make some Ninjabread men and some Gingerdead men to use the new melts I got from, yes you guessed it, online.

Having a budget month next month, methinks the t'internet has taken enough of my wages!!

Bye for now.
Love
Rachel *cake-face* Radiostar xx

Quite the marvellous day

Soooo. I *may* have heavily hinted about my birthday yesterday!

 It was a top banana day all round!

Loads of Facebook and Twitsville messages left me feeling thoroughly adored. First wonderful moment was arriving at work to discover the Head had given us TAs an afternoon off in recognition of all our hard work lately. Unprecedented joy !  Plus it's the teacher I work with's birthday the day before mine, as it's tradition, the birthday person provides the staffroom goodies - we had scones with clotted cream, jam and strawberries. YUM. I will be baking and blogging my staffroom birthday goodies later tonight.

I saw my sister midday and got a darling little pair of silver earrings, but no Harry hugs as he was at Nursery. Something she was glad of as she reported he'd been an absolute awkward little so en so in the morning, objecting to everything. Of course, I don't believe her! He's too angelic! Then I was only at work work for the morning as I was on a course in the afternoon, so I was able to have a good old chin wag and catch up with my friend who I work with but never see properly on the way to Burnley. We got lost! The Whispering Sat Nav lady ( we didn't know how to increase the volume ) took us on a most scenic route through Townley Park. When we arrived, there was delicious coffee and biscuits on offer. The course was a tad 'we know all this actually' but it's always good to consolidate practise and network with other practitioners.

The best thing about Birthdays is presents right?!

Gifts from chums at work were some Great British Bake off utensils and cake tins and some sweet little tartlet tins with removable bottoms! I also got, the entire box set of the Flowers in the Attic books!!! I am SOOOO excited about this! I also got a plastic bag holder with pictures of Barry on it from Kath Kidson. No, she didn't give me a present. I don't know the lady. But I have a friend who shops there! A chocolate orange - I can eat seven segments before feeling sick! I am quite proud of that. I got lots of flat paper presents in my cards - which I have no idea what to use them for yet. Perfume and Gorjuss things off my two offspring. The HG's present will be revealed shortly - alas they did not arrive in time. I also got a cute little cloth owl door stopper. But it's too cute to be on the floor!

To top off my day, I got this>>>>

Isn't he just brilliant!!

So what was your best birthday present, not ever, but last birthday?

Love from Rachel *adored* Radiostar xx

It's my Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me and to some singing bloke called George Michael and RIP Michael Jackson who died on my birthday!!
Today I am at work as usual, I got up and made the lunches as usual and I'm running late as usual!

I just had a heart stopping moment as I had an email off the lotto. If you've ever had one you'll know the little bubble of excitement it creates!! Congratulations, it read, we have exciting news about your ticket!! I logged in all a tremble.



£2.90


Two whole pounds and ninety pence! Well it's better than a slap round the chops with a wet kipper!!

I'll be making cakes for the staffroom later on, will be blogging them too because it's something I've wanted to do but haven't yet! Ooooh mystery and intrigue!

Till then, ciao for now my lovelies xx

Rachel *eternally 28 birthday girl* Radiostar xxxxx

Sweet Sunshine

Hello folks who pop by here to catch up,

Saturday saw us in Manchester looking round the Uni for my second born. He wants to be an accountant so we were in the MBS for most of the morning. For those of you ( like I was ) not in the know, MBS stands for Manchester School of Business. The talks were enlightening and the students who showed us round were marvellous. The afternoon was ours so shopping in the  (grotty) city centre was on the agenda. It was PACKED. Didn't buy much at all, but we had a jolly good look! It was just so filthy.  It's been a few years since we ventured there. Even though the Uni is a good one, I was secretly pleased to hear it's way down on the list now. Tomorrow ( Tues ) is Aston Uni in Birmingham and we have Nottingham and Sheffield booked too. But the boy really wants the London School of Finance. Eep, I can't let my baby live there can I???  He is also going to be applying for apprenticeships to start the long years of training as a school leaver.

Yesterday was very hot and sunny, so me and my bum got firmly acquainted with my garden chair. I cut all my nails off. They were too long and I couldn't do much with them. Picking my nose was awesome though!!

They don't look as long here! I've my favourite colour changing nail varnish on. They go black when I'm cold! Pink when I'm hot! I treated myself to a UV light box last year and the gel nails last so long. But I've had them on for weeks now and it's not great for your nails so  I have chopped em all back and am going au naturel for a while.

 Related problems are, I can't pick my nose or have a right good scratch at the moment!!

I also spent much time tweeting .... and I had contact again with my obviously close personal friend Mr Nigel Slater! I do go all ' I carried a water melon' when he tweets me back mind!!! I just big pink fluffy heart wuv him!

I took a few shots of the birds who frequent my garden. This year, I have no goldfinches :-( but I have some really cheeky sparrows and some doves and some pigeons. I have one couple, affectionately named by me , Jack and Vera - it's a Corrie reference- who come to clear up after the messy sparrows.

Here is my ' Northern Chicken in a basket' !

Four more weeks of school left til we break up. It's going to be long and arduous. Super busy. If you hear a cat being strangled today don't worry - it's just me singing my way through Joseph and his technicolour dream coat for the end of term production. Oh and weather wise - it's going to chuck it down on Thursday. How do I know this? Simplez, it's Sport's Day!!

Right, best get my wriggle into gear...

Love from
Rachel * on the Summer countdown * Radiostar xx

20 years ago today

It is my first born's birthday and I thought it would be fun ( the Earthquake one is NOT fun but very very sad ) to see what was occurring twenty years ago today as I painfully laboured on for 24hours before an emergency C Section.

So here are twenty facts, in no particular order. Some happened on the day itself, some are more general.

1. Friday, June 17, 2014.  Twenty years ago today, an earthquake struck in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles.  It killed 57 people and injured nearly 9000.  

2. 95 million people watched the low speed chase of OJ Simpson and the infamous White Bronco through Southern California. The beginning of the modern TV reality genre happened right before our eyes. Plus figuring in the day in sports this was. The New York Rangers had won the Stanley Cup, the World Cup in the US had just started, the US Open golf tournament with Arnold Palmer just had started and the NBA Finals game 5 was on. ALONG with the OJ chase. If the internet would have been around then, it would have crashed. Possibly forever.

 3. The US president was Bill Clinto, John Major was the UK Prime Minister

4. Seal, with his self titled Seal album was number one in the UK album charts

5. Wet Wet Wet's Love is all around was firmly at number one in the UK charts

6.  A pint of milk cost 36p

7. A First Class stamp would set you back a mere 25p, second class 19p. I think in those days we used to have a second post too. 

8. According to a tricksy little website I found £100 in 1994 is worth just £173 now

9. Petrol was around 50p per litre

10. 1994 Nobel Peace Prize won by Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin

11. Top selling film was The Lion King

12. Forrest Gump won best film at the Oscars

13. The Chunnel opens for first time

14. The World Cup is held in the USA

15. 1994 is the Chinese year of the dog

16. Nelson Mandela is made President of South Africa

17. Kurtz Cobain died

18. Justin Beiber was born
( I'm just laughing at the site I found those - it was called the worst year ever! )

19. June 17th is also the birthday of Barry Manilow, Jason Patric and Venus Williams

20. I swear by All 4 one was number one in the states on June 17th 1994.

What a great day! I made my first ever carrot cake for her requested birthday cake. I made the Hairy Bikers' Dieters' one from book one. It was simple to make. Not very deep though and I suspect after I gave it a layer and a topping of full fat cream cheese icing, not very diety! Really light and juicily moist it was!

 It's my birthday next Wednesday, I'll be erm 28! I do have a poster somewhere that was given to me by an aunt on my 18th, published by Bisto, all about the day I was born. Maybe I'll dig it out and we can all see what life was like in Britain back int black n white days!!

For now though it's time to sleeeeeeep

Love
Rachel *owner of a 20 year old but doesn't look it* Radiostar xx

It's been a while...

As ever, my blog has been neglected. This is because I've been busy doing nothing! But as my strap line says, it's the none adventures of an eternally 28 year old.
Here are a few none adventures I've been on of late...

Last week, I went to that there London, I didn't buy a heat magazine but I did go to The Tower. I love it there. I went round three times on the jewels conveyor. The gold tableware is out of this world. The rubies, the sapphires, the diamonds all bedazzling gorgeousness. BUT ... Are they the real real ones? Or the real replicas?

I'd bought the tickets online from Richard Branson for £22 return each. This was a mega billy bargain from The North. I'd got 2 for 1 entry into The Tower and the same deal for the River Cruise. I didn't see one single solitary famous person. The Deathscalators were an issue, but I was brave and did it! A wee trip to Euston Marksies for luxury treats for the train home topped off a wonderful day.

School is full on in its race to the end of term. A trip to the Magistrate's Court was fun on Friday. The children role played a mugging.
The girl who played the 'little old lady' gave her evidence. All impromptu complete with doddery little old lady voice.

" I was minding my own business popping to the shops to buy a tin of prunes and a pair of tights....."
I was chuckling away. She carried on in character. " I'm a little old lady," she went on, " I'd only my pension in my purse. £5 to last the week. I'd my grand children's photo in there and my dear old dead husband's war medals"

The 'barrister', who was asking the questions asked this sweet, helpless little old lady her age.

"Young man, I'm fifty two"!!!!!!!

So 52 = little old ladyness!

Apparently there's a piddly little football competition on at the moment. I've drawn South Korea in the work sweep. Methinks that's a pound I'll not be seeing again anytime soon! The twitter was hilarious during last night's England match! Most of you know me well enough to know I'm a rugby girl. 

The Uni one returns tomorrow. She turns 20 on Tuesday. I do not know where the years went. She's requested a Hairy Biker's carrot cake, so will be on with that tomorrow night. I've not baked, despite having a baking cupboard full or knitted despite having enough wool to re clothe a flick of sheep. My ' make it' bone must be broken.

I'm now going to catch up with a lot of what you lot have been up to in Blogland with a nice cup of tea! 

Till next time ... 

Rachel Lazybones Radiostar xx