What has happened to tomatoes?

The past few weeks have proved disastrous for buying tomatoes.  Is it just my choice of shop and variety or is it a bad time of year to find anything with a bit of flavour, a decent texture and that will last a couple of days.

My last purchase from Tesco, five bold red tomatoes on the vine, have all ended up in the bin..  The first was rejected for the cotton wool like taste, then all the rest grew whiskers and began to 'weep'.

My annoyance on seeing the white furry mold growing on the final one in the cupboard, soon changed when I saw the comical side to my last tomato in the basket!

I just couldn't resist ripping up a little piece of avocado skin and giving him a character - any ideas for a name?!!

Is there any better feeling?

Is there any better feeling than cooking up a feast to welcome home your little Darlings.  

Major Darling flies in early tomorrow morning after a magical holiday and the only way I can curb my excitement of seeing her again and hearing all the news, is to cook up something tasty to serve up on their arrival.

The wind is howling, sleet is doing its best to chill this dark February afternoon, but the radio is blasting out some great old sing-along tunes, the cats sense anticipation and I have the English breakfast quiche, big bowl of fruit and yummy chocolate cake to greet the weary travellers after a long flight through the night!

Only a Flake will do

Some days only a Cadbury's Flake will do.

There is no way to just eat half of the crumbliest, flakiest chocolate bar in the world. The guilty pleasure must be enjoyed alone to ensure every last crumb can be licked up, then the wrapper needs to be discreetly concealed and any crumbs of the divine experience removed.

Suddenly the grey skies switch to bright and the day just keeps on getting better.

A winter wedding

How exciting I thought when the unexpected invitation first flew through the letterbox, a winter wedding sounds so romantic.

The daughter of one of the Chief’s old flatmates was to be married and a chance to catch up with some people we haven’t seen since her christening, so this was an occasion to glam up a bit!

I decided to set off on a shopping trip to buy a dress with plenty of time to spare as I always have a problem in finding just the right thing when there is a specific occasion in mind, then end up at the sewing machine for hours making an outfit.  It usually feels fine, but this time I really wanted to just come home with something ready made, and for once I was successful.  

The brand ‘Damsel in a Dress’ in John Lewis had the perfect turquoise dress with interesting folds and gathers, just the right length and most of all it felt comfortable and could be a useful addition to the wardrobe.   I couldn’t believe my luck!  Then there was the perfect Chanel style jacket hanging in my cupboard from a few seasons ago with just a hint of a metallic fleck and even better, one of my vintage handbags had a tinge of turquoise in  the embroidery to bring the whole look together.  Shoes, no problem with about a dozen pairs of smart black gathered over the years to choose from!

Now, I do love a hat.  Sadly there are very few occasions to wear one, so I was eager to hear from the Bride’s mother that it would be a hat wedding.  I don’t like to be the only one!

That was when my luck in outfit planning ran out.  A word of warning, if you have any notion of an occasion requiring a hat during the winter months, buy or start your search as early as possible.  I scoured the department stores, local shops, exclusive boutiques and online, there was nothing.  The shops simply had their supply of bobble woolly hats and felt pull-ons, maybe the odd fascinator and some still had a few tired old dusty pastel straw hats left over from the summer.  Where is the imagination of the buyers and designers, it’s no use saying they are going out of fashion, if they are not available we can’t buy them.

So what did I do?  Not one to take no for an answer I came home with a stack of ‘ingredients’ and assembled the flowers and feathers and netting on a piece of sinamay, which I had shaped and covered in antique lace. Job done!

It was a magical wedding, the bride was stunning and her groom beamed with pride, the winter wonderland theme was glorious and gave us a warm glow on a freezing day.

Salads can wait

Time to wear something brightly coloured to counteract the dreary gloomy days we have been enduring.

New year's day, with the bright sun and blue sky gave us reason to look forward to the new beginnings of 2013 and become enthusiastic about plans and dreams for the year ahead.  But the dark mornings, which only briefly give way to a glimmer of brightness before fading into darkness in the early afternoon, have pushed the optimism to a high shelf and motivation is a distant dream.

The reality of January, after the magical qualities of the weeks before, is always difficult to adjust to but after such a phenomenal year in 2012, it's hard to think another year can match it.  A lack of exciting dates planned, the pages of the smart new diary are still crisp and stuck together, struggling with winter illness all around and the pressure to be optimistic and brimming with resolutions.  All these factors can only lead to one thing... FOOD!

It was a 2012 theme for our madcap cake this year!

There are still a few of my tasty mince pies lurking in the tin, there is half a very boozy Christmas cake offering comforting aromas and then the brandy cream will be out of date in 3 days time.  So perhaps there will have to be a lapse in willpower just to make sure nothing is wasted! 

Salads need to wait until warmer days!

Goodbye Christmas, bring on Spring!

One of the great benefits of taking down the Christmas decorations is that you suddenly feel your home has almost doubled in size!

It's not that I don't like all the busy, brightly coloured adornments, it just reminds me how my taste is edging away from the cottagey look with every surface filled, towards more simple and clean lines, much to the Chief's delight. He would go for the absolute minimalist look if he was given the chance.


Although, I couldn't bear to remove the pretty glow of the warm white fairy lights which I spent hours carefully attaching to an alcove, they have been providing such a welcoming warm light in the horrible gloomy days we have been having and they don't have to be just for Christmas.

The memories of our festive season will obviously not leave for many months, in the shape of the rogue needles from the tree which always manage to find their way inside drawers, carpets, books and everything. Although, I did seriously consider dusting down the old artificial tree which is stashed away in the attic when I saw the price of the trees this year.  However, the thought of a Christmas sitting room without the powerful aroma of a real tree was not an option.

Days of parties, families, far too much food and inability to remember which day of the week we were on, are all a distant memory and now to think about all the family birthdays coming up and spend a few hours searching for the perfect cards.  With so much choice, I can never believe just how much time it takes to find the right card for all the characters. The most difficult to buy for are are teenage boys, all the humorous ones are too smutty to come from a Mum, so when I do come across a good one I have to buy several then remember who I have given them to!

I think I have been hearing a different tone to the birds over the past few days, I'm sure I could hear chirping when the alarm went off in the pitch darkness of 5.45am, it certainly awakens the senses in a very pleasant manner .  Do they actually believe Spring is around the corner?

Sprinting November days

In one respect I am glad to see the end of November, it is a miserable month.  Always damp gloomy weather, the afternoons dissolve into evening with such speed, leaves fall like a snowstorm and memories flood back of the month when we said a final goodbye to my Mother.  At least this year the final day of the month is crisp bright and cheerful.

However, these galloping dates mean that December is getting ever closer and lists are getting longer in preparation for Christmas. The shops are already full of the usual piles of extra stock, in anticipation of the public response to wall to wall advertising of products we would never afford a second glance in any other month.

I need to take a red pen to the Christmas card list, I’m sure some of these people can’t even remember who we are.  On the other hand I look at some names and wish that we had more time to keep up old friendships, maybe that is something for retirement. 

My thoughts back in August of a more minimalist festive season have mellowed and we are on track for the full works again this year.  It seems there is no way of having a break from our usual Christmas Eve party, the Darlings tell me that their friends are already talking about it.  Apparently, it simply would not feel like Christmas if they didn’t join us for our jolly early evening gathering, which manages to grow in numbers as the years pass.  It started as a quick drink back here after the chaotic crib service when the girls were little.  As we outgrew the church service the event changed in character and before we knew it, our guests have planned to attend even before being invited!

No time to linger on a keyboard. I should be folding my packets of currants, apricots, figs and prunes into the warmth of excessive amounts of Grand Marnier and orange juice, so the fruits can soak for a few days and fill the house with wonderful aromas, before being baked into the most delicious Christmas cake. Aah, bliss!