Celebrating milestones

October 24, 2015

Birthdays. Something we all have every year. I'm definitely in the celebrate your birthday camp and usually for my birthday in May there's a meal out, presents if I'm very lucky and generally lots of birthday love. And for me that's what birthdays are about. Yes there's the whole year older thing, but heck who's counting?

But while I'm a big advocate of celebrating my own birthday, celebrating my blog birthday or my blog-aversary isn't something I've been so good at. Don't worry you can hold fire on the congratulations - it's not just yet, but in February. Maybe that's a contributing factor, although looking positively February is better than January which I find the bleakest month of the year, and the month that I'm most likely to hibernate both metaphorically and physically.

So when Nuffnang invited me into town for drinks to celebrate their second birthday, I started to wonder why I hadn't celebrated my blog birthday yet, and how very remiss of me that was - but back to the party. The celebrations were at Devonshire Terrace close to Liverpool Street station in The City. And despite working relatively close by for almost thirty years it was somewhere I'd not been to or heard of before.

And it was a bit of a gem really, just look at the surroundings.

Devonshire Terrace is inside Devonshire Square which has a fabulous glass roof over the courtyard allowing views of The Gherkin (you can just about make it out in the photo above) It's a fab space with many bars and restaurants, the landscaping makes you feel like you're outside, but with the roof and the patio heaters you definitely know you're not.

I was quite taken with the furniture there too, as well as a sunken area with comfortable seating for a more relaxed after work drink there were these fab tables and chairs. So much detail and interest and super chic at the same time, they really dazzled under the colourful lights.

A great venue for celebrating and one I can see myself heading back to on future trips to The City. Happy birthday Nuffnang and thanks for inviting me to help you celebrate. Thanks also for prompting me to check when my blog birthday is, it's 17 February - and next year, I'll be celebrating three years of blogging. Looking back to my first few posts, we've come a long way!

Baked Apple mishaps

October 20, 2015

This autumn, thanks to Monty Don I learnt that MOH really rather likes baked apples. You'd think having lived together since 2002 I might have known this, or he might have mentioned it before. But as Monty was wrapping his bakers in foil and placing them on the bonfire MOH said he quite liked a baked apple.

Nothing revolutionary there I know. And I'm not against a baked apple either, it's just I never think to cook one. I prefer my Bramleys as Apple Compote á la Hugh F-W for breakfast with yogurt or as a Kentish Apple Cake like this one from Sarah Raven.

So being the dutiful wife that I am, and thinking how hard can a baked apple be I thought I'd give it a go.

Hmmmnn.

It started so well.

I had some cooking apples from my Dad's recent visit. He and the lady up the road have a marrow for apples swap going on, which seems like a good deal to me. Look how shiny they were.

1. Check. They fit into my enamel pie dishes.

2. The core is removed.

3. The cavity is stuffed with sultanas and some soft brown sugar.

4. Covered with foil and ready for the oven.

And then. Fail.

So we had baked apples tonight. Or rather exploded apples, I forgot to score the circumference, so I'll be trying again then!
Posted by Life at 139a on Wednesday, 7 October 2015

I forgot to score the circumference. So instead of baked apples, we had exploded apples, and I've never been more grateful for foil or else I'd be cleaning the oven... We ate them, but really there wasn't much there. Just as well we had ice cream too.

So as MOH likes Baked Apples I thought I'd try again.

And this time I learnt from my previous mistake. I scored the circumference.

So how did it go?

Well these ones looked more like Baked Apples but still still weren't right.

Again we ate them but I've not achieved a passable Baked Apple. I might just need to resort to a recipe, unless you've got tips for where I'm going wrong - please let me know, because MOH really likes Baked Apples, and it seems I'm unable to cook a decent one!

What I've read lately...

October 5, 2015

I was right to think that my reading "spurt" might be short-lived when I last wrote about what I was reading. I seem to have got stuck on one book right now. Not because it's a dud, but because I'm struggling with reading about how a young cancer patient copes with their treatment. It's beautifully written but as you can imagine, quite emotional.

Instead of reading I've been getting my craft on, so all is not lost - and if you want to see what I've been up to take a peek here.

After a beautiful weekend, the summer seems to have truly gone now - we've heavy rain forecast here for this afternoon, I thought I'd share the last of what I consider my 'summer' reads:

1. A Very Big House in the Country, Claire Sandy

The story is set in a rented holiday home, and a very big one at that as there's three families there sharing a holiday. Between them there's a few kids too, the Teenagers and the Eights as well as a baby. There's drama along the way too - as you'd expect from a family holiday, and the C-word (cancer, nothing ruder!) threatens to raise its head, but doesn't quite make it. It's a busy fortnight, one that starts with a bang and involves you in the trials and tribulations of the families dramas. And there's more than one. Definitely worth a read.

2. Uncluttered Attic Secrets, Jan Christensen

I didn't want this book to end. There is an attic and it is very cluttered, which is out of keeping with the rest of the house which has been inherited by Leslie. With her friend Tina they start to sort through the attic and they make quite a discovery and one I hadn't thought of. As the story unfolds there's more drama too, let me just say this book involves secret rooms and some undercover amateur sleuthing along the way too.

3. #PleaseRetweet, Emily Benet

Another book I couldn't put down. It's a lighthearted read and follows the main character - @sparkymay - as she starts a new job helping celebrities with a tendency to be a bit of a loose cannon look good in the Twittersphere. The job gets too much with unintentional consequences, she starts to think in hashtags, lose a sense of purpose and lose touch with reality. An amusing read and one that I hope none of us ever succumb to.

4. And what now?

Well, I'm going to carry on reading The Boy in the Mirror by Tom Preston, which is the book I mentioned earlier. It is powerfully written and it's one that I need to find time to read as reading it in bed before turning the lights out isn't working for me.

And looking at my current reading pile it seems to be dominated by magazines and a single subject! I'm sure I've got some books along that genre too.

I'm hoping that changing genre will help, but what do you do if you get stuck on a book?