Chitchat thread #24

[Snoop Puss]

What's the cake, LD? Might it work well as a trifle or tiramisu base?

[Nicos]

Trifle!!!!!! Oh yeeees… yummy yum.
At least the thought of that has distracted me from the thought of sausage rolls!

[lottie dolly]

it was supposed to be a chrimbo cake,full of fruit,a wedding cake mix,never had one come out this bad before,it was an 8in circle,was in the oven for several hours as well, it will be cut into small bits for deserts,custard or ice cream on top,or just get some out to eat on its own,it will not waste,trifal ,now your talking,home made tiramisu with madera in,i am tired now,am off to bed night night

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

A dull damp day here, perfect for collecting leaves and doing a bit of gardening. Might even get around to giving the outside of my GH a wash

enjoy your Sunday

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all
Hibou update…..she’s clearly much improved!…yippeee!
Been out for a quick scout around ( forever the huntress) and the loo of course…came in and had a small breakfast and a drink, and then demanded a few treats purring away. Now snuggled up on the bed.
Talk about a total relief!…just had to share it. Thanks for all your kind words yesterday- my stomach was in my throat all day and I was constantly close to tears.
Lets see what up happens on Tuesday…I guess they’ll do full blood tests.

So…a quiet day ahead for me - mostly sewing ( only three weeks until the Xmas Fayre) and just enjoying Hibou’s company infront of the fire.

Lottie…maybe you could also use slices of it with a crumbly cheese on top. Cheshire, Lancashire and Wendslydale the best in my view. So Nooorthern!

I imagine bonfire night started this weekend? I hope everyone’s pets are coping.

Enjoy your day peeps…..anyone up to anything exciting?

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning All Good news about Hibou. Lovely party last night - Himself enjoyed it too. Breakfast on the way. Have a lovely Sunday

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

Great news about Hibou. Fingers crossed for Tuesday. Glad you and Himself had a great night, Flo.

Not raining at the moment. A bit of drizzle due this afternoon. Wouldn't mind a bit of sunshine for the solar set-up, but ten days ago I'd have been begging for any rain. So no complaints. In the end, we had around 45 to 50 cm of rain. Hard to be exact as our usual measures overflowed days ago. I'm going by a big bucket that is full to the brim and has overflowed too. Given that till now we've only had about 15 cm of rain this year so far, it's a huge difference. Reservoirs that were near empty are now 65% full, with rivers still supplying more. Dreadful for the towns and cities that have been flooded, though. Apparently researchers have been saying for some years that the worst hit area would suffer from flooding, especially with the effects of climate change. But of course, no-one pays attention till it actually happens.

Anyway, jobs to be done. The annual changeover of clothing for winter (I have no dry trousers now and it's a bit too chilly to carry on wearing shorts, so needs must!), a bit of work, and friends for lunch.

As for the sink situation, LD, been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, as my brother would say. And I'm not the only one in the household to have done it either...

Have a great day, everyone.

[mothhawk]

Morning all.

So pleased to hear Hibou has perked up and is feeling better.You always imagine the worst and worry so much more when pets get to be old ladies (or boys) because they are in the autumn of their lives and you can only hope for a few more years with them.

Yesterday evening I saw a hedgehog prowling the lawn, surely it's time it was hibernating? I guess maybe it's still too mild to trigger the instinct. I hope it's munching all the slugs and other pests in the garden, and not just feasting on the worms!

No plans today except to practise my fudge making ready for Christmas. Soft fudge first, then maybe tablet, which I've never tried making. Does anyone have a good recipe for it?

[lottie dolly]

Good morning,good news about Hibou Nicos,hope the improvement continues,maybe to warm for things to hibernate,if so will they survive if they not have that rest time,Snoop you only wanted gentle rain,not deluge,FF you managed to get himself out then,ref cake,the smaler 1 i cut up has firmed up this morning,so i will use the larger one to trim up,so that that sorted out,it is what it is,still more than edible,there seems to be more fire works this year,and until late,where do they get the money,am suprised they not been restricted,due to climate change,i read about the polution they make ,i had a good sleep last night feels so much better,washing on,so my day is started,now for some food,have a nice day all

[Nicos]

It’s funny about cakes isn’t it?
My mom always won the WI cakes competitions as they were incredibly light Victoria sponges/ fairy cakes.
I , on the other hand, much prefer a heavier cake be it sponge or fruit. I just love Wet Nellie too

I’m thinking I’d really enjoy your cake lottie …mmmm….

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

So glad to hear that Hibou has improved, Nicos.

It's overcast, chilly and depressing here.😒 Fortunately I don't have to go out today. I can close the curtains, turn the heating up, and hide if I want🫣. Summer seems an awful long time away.

Mothawk, I 've just realised that I haven't seen any hedgehogs for a few weeks. In Summer I saw several of different sizes.

All this talk of fruit cake is making me think about mixing and cooking one this afternoon. I'm pretty sure I've got everything I need. This time of year seems to be the only time my Kenwood mixer seems to earn it's worktop space nowadays but it's too heavy to move around unnecessarily. This means I'll need to buy some mild crumbly cheese when I go shopping, Cheshire, Wensleydale or Lancashire. I'm wondering if it's a Yorkshire thing to eat cheese with fruit cake or if it's universal? I never decorate fruit cakes as I cannot stand either almond paste/marzipan or royal icing and for me it's all about the cake. Over the years I've reduced the amount of dried fruit in mine by a couple of ounces and upped the glacé cherries to compensate. Some years we go through three in the run up to Christmas. I also make some for other people. If I make one today I'm sure the aroma will cheer me up.

[greenishfing]

I've spent ages searching for my Christmas cake recipe. I know I had a piece of paper with the recipe, for one cake, written out. It has disappeared. It should have been in my recipe file. I did find the ancient original recipe, for two cakes, which is more or less illegible.

Eventually I had a brainwave. Yes, at some point I had taken a photo of the newer version with my phone, probably to post online.
It is now safely printed, laminated and filed. I rarely use my little laminator, but it is brilliant to protect recipes. I bought it very cheaply in a sale several years ago and it never gets lost as it is bright fuschia pink.

[Bren In Pots]

GF that could be a page from my recipe folder. I keep meaning to sort them out some are from the 70’s

[Florence Fennel]

My recipes are in a ring binder, wouldn't be without it, though I could do with organising it, it's a bit random

[greenishfing]

The wonderful aroma of fruit cake cooking is now driving me mad. It promises so much.😋😋😋