Over the last few days I have succumbed to the hideous cold virus. I dosed myself up with vitamins for months before starting work and then on Thursday it hit with avengance. Viruses always go for the jugular or my case the larynx so I sound like a dalek. I had a terrible headache and a temperature. I dragged myself into work on Friday and managed until lunchtime by which time I was flaking out. Over the weekend I flet worse but by today I thought I could go to my Child Protection study day. I managed until after lunch and then had to go home again so tomorrow I'm staying in bed!!!!! The study day was really good despite me coughing and sneezing over my colleagues. Did you know that approxiamately 20% of suspected paedophiles in Britain are women and that despite popular belief some sexual predators are young people themselves? It was a very thought provoking and disturbing day at times. To anyone with children on the Internet just make sure they are aware of the dangers and you protect your comoputers as much as possible. It was scarey some of the ways perpetrators groom children on the net.
In news Elle's studio are holding a journalling course in August which is free. As someone who is often unsure on how or what on occasion to journal, I think this will be a g8 course to follow.
Shimelle's course on taking better photographs is going well, although my stinking cold has limited the pictures I have taken today and over the weekend. Also I only have a point and shoot digi camera not a DSLR so have limited choices on the things I can alter. However I will give it my best shot.................ooh cool pun.
On a lighter note, well if you're not watching your weight, I found this site today, yummy cakes and beautiful designs by a lady called Peggy Porschen.
Check out the other cakes on her website, they are truly amazing.
..........so todays blogpost is all the fault of Amy. If it hadn't been for her, then you might have been saved the nostalgia of children's television about to assault your senses. So yesterday Amy blogged about her daughter's joy of watching a specific children's programme called Playschool. Playschool I hear you shout, yep Playschool is still alive and kicking (see what I did there) in Oz. Ok so the toys are different, but the underlying themes and ideas are the same, even down to the windows. So it got me thinking and researching into UK Playschool because I loved it as a child. Unfortunately it has led to the pure nostaliga of my fave childhood programmes, so be prepared for a magical ride into my younger days, as some of you are alot younger than me don't feel embarrassed for me if you have no memories of said programmes but sit back, make youreslves comfortable and enjoy the ride. Firstly, the said Playschool was a fave in our house for me and lil sis and I think especially for my mum who would have at least 15 minutes of peace and quiet whilst we watched. Playschool was all about a house, with a door and windows and had 2 presenters who did amazing things like dancing, making and reading stories. They had toys, Hamble, Humpty, Big ted and Little ted and Jemima.
They had 3 windows square, round and arched and everyday you would go through one of them to a mystery world.........they were the precursor to Tubbyvision............There were animals as well called Kokkattoo, Bit and Bot the goldfish..........I loved it. But eventually it ended....can you believe it. However it is still running in Oz so yeah for that. The programme on next was usually Jackanory and I REALLY loved that. Stories read over a week by a famous actor/celebrity and doing all the voices and actions. I remember Bernard Cribbins and Kenneth Williams, they had g8 voices for stories. Then I found Youtube. Ah Youtube, there you can find anything. So I delved furhter into my childhood and found Fingerbobs......a mouse with an owner who had a g8 song and made things. Theme of creativity coming through. Of course you have to include Blue Peter......more making. I made my own Pippa house for my dolls. I also found the Woodentops, The Pogles, Andy Pandy, and By the River Bank..........the amazing antics of a hamster called hammy, a rat called Roderick and a guinea pig called GP. Lizzie's GP's could have there own programme!!!! Then it all got rather silly. I found the theme music for The Banana Splits so I have been Lala lalalaing around the flat singing the theme.
A whole load of black and white French dubbed programmes we saw as children like White Horses and Belle and Sebastien. The really sad thing was how gentle the majority of these programmes were. The programmes my friend's children watch are all spies, evil men taking over the world, and generally not as subtle as I remember. Is it just me or are children subjected to much more scarey stuff these days? OK I'm not going to get on a soapbox, just wondered. Ok so I had Dr Who but even he wasn't that scarey really. That was our Saturday night family special. About 5pm we would all sit down in the family room, yes we had a family room, and Dad would watch the football results. Mum would bring in a trolley, yep a hostess trolley was owned in our house, and laden with crumpets, toast, Fondant fancies, homemade cakes and jamtarts. My fave FF was the chocolate one yummy. Once we had eaten and watched Final score it was children's time. Basil Brush was on. Here he is, isn't he smart?
A foxy character of Sherlock Holmes style with a human called Mister ROy. They told silly stories and jokes and Basil boom boomed alot. After that it was Dr Who.........my sister always hid behind the sofa...........the first one I can actually remember was The Green death where you literally turned green. I also remember The Pyramids of Mars which featured some rather entertaining mummies whose method of murder involved squashing you to death between their manyl chests!!! It turns out my godmother's husband played the baddie in it...........gonna have to watch it again! Then it was time for all little girls to have bathtime and go to bed, hopefully with a story made by daddy about Drogg the dragon. Those were the days. Happy memories everyone.
Monday, 4 January 2010
So one of my fave pressies this birthday was this cake book which have been hearting since my neighbour Jenny moved in and made some!!!!!
Now I have spied this book on a fellow bloggers site and how cool do these dog cupcakes look.
Now in order that my Wellness journey begins in ernest I have to take some exercise.............such a yucky word. I have found some yoga and Pilates classes at the local leisure centre so I hope they have concessionary rates. The other thing I have begun to sort is my list of books for the 451 list. So far I have chosen 6 which I chiose because I a, had the book therefore no cost!!! and b, because I haven't it or in the case of Narnia not ALL the books as yet. I have read alot of the list and some I really don't recognise so I may end up re-reading some books again but they all ones I have loved and still cherish. Below is my 6 chosen books to date..........
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
For this stage you will need these last ingredients:- 2 beaten eggs 125g/40z plain flour 125g/40z self-raising flour Pinch of salt.
You will also need either a 7 inch square tin or 8 inch round baking tin, which you have greased and lined with baking paper and greased again. If you don't have this then use margarine to grease your tin and then flour line the tin by tipping a spoonful of flour into your greased tin and tapping the flour around until the whole inside is covered.
Now for the final stage. Sift the flour and pinch of salt into your cooled fruit mix and gradually add the beaten egg. Stir the mixture regularly, you don't have to beat it as this cake doesn't rise in the same way as a sponge does. Now because this is Christmas you have to make a wish while you stir. If you have your family with you then they take it turns to stir in a wish.
Once all the ingredients are merged well pour the mix into the prepared tin.
Now the yummy licking the bowl part. Now this has always been a famiyl tradition and I don't care about eating raw egg, but obviously if you do then don't do this part.
Finally place your cake into the oven for approximatewly 1 1/4 hours. Now if you have a fan assisted oven this will be much less so it is vital you don't g out and leave your cake all alone. It might burn! If the cake is getting browned then put some extra greased paper over the top. Some people traditionally wrap brown paper and string around the outside of the tin. I know my oven takes alot less than this time time to cook the cake so regualrly check yours. Once a clean knife or stake comes out clean from the middle of the cake it is cooked.
Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool until you can handle it. Then remove the cake from the tin and remove the greasedproof paper. Place the cake on a wire cake stand to cool completely and put into a caketin to store.
If you don't have a cake stand use the grill pan insert instead. And voila one cake ready for decoration.
So today is dark and dismal and to be honest incredibly cold here in Somerset. No-one in our house wants to go out so we, me and the 2 moggies, are snuggled inside watching some rubbish TV and checking out blogs on the blog train. So far so good. However it's not actually achieving anythinbg on my list of things to do. For starters there is the shopping which came via Asda van this am which needs a home, mainly because I brought a load of stuff I don't normally buy for Xmas. Why I hear you ask? Well because I am planning on making lots of tasty presents this year. So far the list includes aChristmas cake for a colleague's charity cake stall, fudge for friends, nougat for my lil sis's bfriend, chocolate truffles for the chocaholics, gingerbread houses and shapes for the kids old and young. Then we have the digital calendars to make for family and maybe frineds if I've got enough appropriate pictures and possibly the odd scrapbooking page or minibook.
Luckily, we have a great Oxfam bookshop in Wells so I got a couple of g8 books for a couple of pounds full of crafting and yummy goodness. My mum also gave me Good Housekeeping for similar reasons.
So I've been loookin g for ideas for cake decorating and I came across this lady via one of our blogger colleagues, her name is Nicky and she makes the most amazing cakes. This is her blog and these are just 2 pictures of her amazing creations...............
...............these are called march of the penguins and are too cute to eat!
but she also has the most amazing flickr pictures as well which I found via this blog by scrapchick So now I'm getting abit more Xmas inspired.
So far I've got the raffia in red and natural, pursuaded a frined to make me a wooden ring to make my own wreath for the door, rediscovered where I'd hidden the wrapping paper from last year, and the Christmas cards. Got several pressies organised from my present box. So I feel I'm not doing too badly.
Anyway I'm off to check out my shopping and see what needs to go where and then decide on which yummy thing to make first. Oh yes and see if my dad will give me some rum or brandy to soak the cake over time. Anyone suggest which would be best??? All ideas accepted with gratitude!
