18th Birthday

January was a busy month for us, there was packing away of Christmas decorations, which I like to do over a few days. I love decorations up and for me the putting of them away makes the home look so bare. By putting a little bit away each day, I get use to my ornaments missing.

The cutting out of dress patterns and then the full sized linings, add in a bit of figure fittings and alterations.

The process of getting back to work and all that in tales; getting up early, squeezing in jobs before and after work. The catching up of paperwork and the Christmas stories from my work colleagues and workshop visitors.

But we also had two very important dates in January, first being the 18th.

It was Poppy’s 18th birthday on the 18th January.

We had a cake to make .... we had a cake to make because I forgot to order a cake, so I decided I would try my hand at decorating a cake:

Firstly I tracked down a cake tin from Sugar Celebrations in Swindon; to hire this cake tin cost just £2.00 for two days. A lady called Shelley was incredible helpful. I had no idea how much mixture to even make. So for those of you like me who have no idea and a record for me:

Weigh 6 eggs in their shells = EW
EW = Margarine i.e. Utterly Butterly or Spreadable Stock (not packet),

reason so I am told, butter has salt in and can damage the tin.
EW = Castor Sugar
EW = Sieved flour
A bit of vanilla flavouring

Mix in normal way, (happy to help if you need to know more).

Prepare the tin by giving a covering of margarine over the inside of the tin and then shake a tablespoon of floor over the butter, for easy removal.

Do not overfill, the above picture there is too much mixture in.

Please ignore the not so clean oven ...

Cook at about 180 degrees for 50-80 minutes; check at the 50 minute mark.

Shelley helped me with the ‘rolley’ icing and how much to buy and what to do with it.

I didn’t like the pink colours, so asked if I could mix them and she told me how.

I also put a call for help on the forum and Lobbyj, came to my help and gave me all this advice:

These were my questions (more for my information, than yours);

I do know there are some cake people out there i.e. Loobyj, I need tips for laying 'rolly' icing on top of sponge please.

I am going to chop off the bows, who has bows on their ballet shoes

Do I place it straight onto the sponge?

Also can I cut this difficult shape in half so that I can still put jam and butter icing in the middle?

Loobyj’s answers, for all of us;

Okey doke. Nice tin - but from the measurements it doesn't look that deep, and given the complicated shape of it I think you'd need to be quite brave to cut it in half I don't think I would.

You need to make sure the icing can stick to the cake surface. To do that melt some jam in a bowl and then sieve it to get rid of the bits. It's traditional to use apricot, for the pale colour, but you can use a red jam if you'd prefer. Brush it generously all over the cake - this will help with the moistness too if there's no filling.

Knead the icing so it's a bit pliable, then roll it out on a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour until it's a circle a good five inches bigger all round than the cake.

Lift it over the cake ( I find it easier to use the rolling pin to support it) and lay it down gently. Lift and ease it into all the crevices - I'd start with the insides of the shoes. Try not to push out and down as you do it - rather push in and up using the excess to ease it. - smoothing as you go, smooth from the top rather than the bottom. You'll see the shape of the cake start to appear. When you're happy that the shape of the shoes shows well trim the excess icing off from the base of the cake.

Some useful tips:

- if you see an air bubble after you've done your smoothing, prick it with a pin and rub gently to get the air out
- cornflour on your hands will stop you and the icing sticking together, and does a good job of polishing
- any cracks that appear can be gently smoothed until they disappear
- you'll be the only person who notices any imperfections when the cake's complete - everyone else will be wowed by the complicated shape and the bling, bask in the reflected glory

I know you probably don't need any advice on styling - but raising the cake up on a tin or stand always makes it stand out - cover the raiser with some gauzy fabric and scatter sparkly bits over that, it lifts (groan) it out of the ordinary!

Phew - mammoth answer, hope it helps

Toby and Louise came down for the weekend to help with the celebrations, just as well because Poppy’s babysitting job got cancelled which meant she didn’t go out for the evening for me to bake the cake, putting the whole schedule behind. So on the Saturday afternoon with the bribery of a new dress (this cake is beginning to cost a lot of money now). Louise and Poppy went into town, which left Noel, Toby and I.

Poppy had decided to do a sleep over at Kaan’s the night before so at 10pm the cake was baked, which left us, the cake trio, the afternoon to decorate. We had so much fun; we worked well together, all putting ideas into the cake, from how to layer the pink shoes onto the white base (grease proof paper and doing like the magicians table cloth trick)or to attach the bling bling diamond ribbon round the base (lots of pins).

I forgot to sieve the apricot jam and had to pick out the lumps and the rolling of the icing needed a bit of practise on Toby’s part (it kept sticking to the measuring mat). The kitchen and the three of us was covered and I mean head to toe covered in icing sugar and cornflower. So much so that Toby’s black jeans were pale grey and he had to ring Louise to buy him some new one in town as he didn’t have any clean jeans for the evening and we just didn’t have time to wash and dry them in time.

I used pink edible pink glitter on the pink ballet shoes and peach edible powder paint for the insides of the ballet shoes.

Told you it was an expensive cake LOL

The ribbons and ballet figurines were bought as a keepsake.

The cake was delivered to the pub before the girls got home – just – phew.

Then for 19:30 we all went to The Crown Inn at Broad Hinton, run by our neighbours Dave and Alla. They decorated the ‘library’ beautifully for the birthday girl.

Poppy being given a very special gift by her Godmother Linda, she is sat in her new coat, one of her chosen presents from Toby and Louise.

Inside the pretty package

and inside the box, with Linda looking on.

An opal and ruby ring; Linda decided to give this ring, that had been given to her in the 70’s, when Poppy was about 7 or 8. Neither of us could believe that the time had come and she was celebrating her 18th birthday. Beforehand I was given the task of finding out Poppy's ring size, without giving anything away and then Linda’s husband took the ring to a jewellers in Southampton to be resized and cleaned.

The birthday group and then below is David, Linda’s son and Toby’s close friend since the age of 5. David took his own picture, (so no complaining that you look silly)!

The firework candle lit, Poppy just loved this

Poppy had a lovely birthday, even though the poor thing had tonsillitis and really wasn’t too well.

And the cake, she never wanted to cut it and to date it is still sat on the side of the kitchen, I think we can call that a success.

Within 12 hours, Noel and I was sat here ...

Starting Gun

And another one .... I bet I won’t be able to keep this up :o)

A big day today:

Firstly; I start this

This picture also includes my nice new shiny ‘pink’ Parker fountain pen.

On Saturday Noel took me shopping to Staples and bought me, lots of new stationery for starting my course. A new writing pad, a pink ring binder with dividers, a pink plastic envelope file for the booklets from Open University (OU), a pink insert folder for all the OU letters, a pink canvas case to put my course books and CD-Rom’s in and lastly a new fountain pen. I do like fountain pens and I couldn’t find the last one I had bought a couple of years ago, but good old Murphy’s law; now even though I have searched and searched on Saturday afternoon I had a brain wave to where I had last put it and guess what, of course that is where it was, so I now have 2 nice fountain pens.

My degree is going to take approximately 4 years to complete, however if I never start I will definitely never finish/gain a degree.

Secondly; I start this

Yarn: From; The Yarn Yard a 4ply sock yarn, called Bloke (discontinued).
Pattern: Little Arrow Socks by Sheepish Hand Knits

I have decided I want to earn a star on the Crafty Threads ‘n’ Yarns Forum; you earn a star by starting and completing a project in a month. So I have postponed my January socks to start a new February pair. I sat and searched Ravelry yesterday evening and opted for the above pattern, it took a while to choose but I got there before going to bed too late! The yarn was just sitting on my rocking chair, waiting to be used. I bought it, unused, still in its skein, second hand from a friend on the above forum a couple of months ago. Because the yarn is called Bloke, I am assuming that it was dyed with a bloke in mind; however I like the colours and to me it looks a good winter sock colour to go with my work boots.

This project should and must be, to qualify, finished by the 28 February 2011.

I am more likely to finish the degree LOL.

January 2011

Happy New Year, if not a bit belated but still in the month of January, just!

A lot of changes for me happened in the last quarter of 2010. I was trying to lose weight, I am very over weight and I still can’t get use to seeing ‘me’ in the mirror.

If I explain that I except everybody as an equal, I have no issues with age, colour, culture, religion, sexuality, gender, poor, rich, posh voices, local dialect you name I don’t have an issue; as long as people treat me honestly, I like people... however there is an exception, I do not really cope with fat people, I have always called myself a ‘fattest’, it is embarrassing and I know I showed little patience. This category included my sister is very very over weight.

Over the past 10 years I have watched my weight get worse and my body get fatter, I have showed myself little patience or tolerance.

So last summer, I got off my ever-larger bottom and signed up at Rosemary Conley class, I was duly put on the 1200 calories a day and I also started to exercise. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning I got up at 5:55 am put my jogging kit on and met my neighbour; Nicola, outside. At first we just walked. Nicola is fit and slim and she was acting as my ‘personal trainer and motivator’, in payment for me teaching her knitting, crochet and dress making.

We started slowly, just walking around our playing field 4 times and then upping it to half walk, half jog and then jogging all four rounds and extending the route by putting in an extra mile including a steep hill. I was just getting to the point where Nicola was bullying me up the hill. The next training session my stomach hurt, in the end I was doubled up, we had to go home early, I struggled to get home.

On getting home I made it to the sofa and then slept for the next 4 hours. I woke up very poorly and covered in enormous hives all over my body; I had a bowel infection, I was poorly for 2 weeks and to date, really my stomach is still not better now, reacting to all sorts of food stuffs.

I stopped the diet and the exercise, I needed all my energy to get better, but what I was really sad about, we even though I stuck to the diet like glue and with all the extra exercise over several weeks, I lost just 5lbs. I was so upset, really upset.

Over the last few months, just trying to find food that I can eat has been difficult but I am beginning to learn what does and doesn’t hurt or react, so much so that this week I have started to diet again. I have not signed up with anyone, I am just cutting down a little and very slightly upping my exercise and I will see if this has any impact on my weight.

The other big thing that happened is all concerned with work.

I have two jobs; Work1 and Work2, the very short explanation is I now do more hours but I have had an extremely good pay rise. There was a lot of negations and even tears of frustration on my part, but let’s just say I didn’t buckle which would have meant I would have technically got a pay cut. Instead I stuck to my guns and was given the correct remuneration for the amount of responsibility I hold at work1. I have also been asked to stay on at Work2, which was a huge compliment. This is possible as both my jobs are within a mile and half radius of home, therefore I have such a little commute, I am able to do both jobs and still be home at the same time as Noel. But now Work2 wage is a very much added bonus and I have decided to use it to pay to do my Business Studies / Accounting Degree with Open University.

To do a degree has been a very long standing ambition; I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably do the degree when I had retired! But I am a fully paid up student and tomorrow I start my first module; Bookkeeping and Accounting Level 1; 10 Credits. I am so excited, so very excited.

I am also very busy sewing wedding attire, again another lovely neighbour; Tris is getting married on 26 February, I am making her wedding gown, 1 x adult bridesmaid dress, 1 x 5 year old bridesmaid dress and 5 men’s waistcoats, as I said very busy, finished photos in a month.

But to help me relax at the end of the day I am also doing a little knitting, the challenge was for a pair of socks in a month, I have failed, I knitted this sock in 14 days but only 3 inches of sock number 2, which is a shame but it is a lovely sock.

Happy Birthday - Blog

I was flabbergasted to see that my blog is 3 years old, I haven't been quite as successful at keeping a record of my life, as I would have liked, I would only hope I can get better ...

Other things that happened 3 years ago:

A group of friends from the Crafty Threads n Yarns Forum meeting up at Get Knitted in Bristol and then enjoying lunch together at the pub.

Windows being put into the building where I work, we had done without windows for 2 years. The pleasure of natural day light and fresh air. Vistors still comment today about the fantastic view we have and how horrible it was before 'windows'!

A cardigan started, but yet to be finished, a little bit like this blog, perhaps?

Wishing everybody a Happy Birthday, who also may be celebrating today, especially to my dear friend Linda xx

Foto Friday

A hint of an evening to tell ...

Flowers by Micheal Bowyer.

£15,000

I visited Hillier’s Arboretum, Braishfield, Hampshire last Saturday, with my very dear friend Linda.

We have been members for quite a few years. For us this is a great place to meet. Linda and I are not shoppers, we only shop for a purpose.

We love to chat. We enjoy our 21 year friendship, having met when our boys were just 5 years old.

Linda loves to drink coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon.

Visiting Hillier’s allows us to do all the things we enjoy ... we start by having coffee (Linda) and a glass of milk (me). I so wished they would put toasted tea cakes on the menu, so that I could also have breakfast at the cafe.

Next, we go for a walk round the winter garden and beyond.

Returning to the cafe for lunch, we normally have a baked potato each and then in the afternoon we walk the other half of the arboretum, which takes us through the bog garden, the Ghurkha’s memorial and up to centenary walk.

This Saturday there was a wedding.

The swanky wedding car parked in front of Jermyn's House.

During the summer months, there is always a display of Art.

Every summer we pick up the price list and as we walk around the garden we try to guess the price of each of the pieces of art.

Normally we are way off, however Linda did extremely well, but we didn’t guess this one; a pregnant lady made of Portland stone.

She was smooth and warm to touch, her arms carved into the back of the stone.

Price: £15,000 for the garden

Swaps

I have been in two swaps recently and both surprises arrived this week. The first swap was a Tea Towel swap organised on Creative Living Forum. I needed to find a tea towel to depict the area I lived in. I came up with a tea towel from Steam Museum, showing pictures of steam trains and Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

However I could not find a picture of the tea towel I sent but while searching on the internet, I found this tea towel (third picture down) and I wish I had known about it before, because it would have summed up my area!

The Magic Roundabout is a very well known roundabout, for a roundabout it is exciting, scary and gives you that naughty feeling, due to being able to drive the wrong way round!

While looking for a photo of the magic roundabout, I found this blog, I have no idea what he is writing however I think it gives a good 'feeling' of the roundabout! I hope he doesn’t mind me linking, "just let me know if you do and I will apologise".

The first time and for several times afterwards, I am told I held my breath, while driving through / round it! I hated to drive near it on a rainy dark night as the white lines disappear. Everybody else seemed to know what they were doing. However having now lived in the Swindon area for over 7 years, I have learnt that Swindonian’s actually have very little roundabout skills, surprising as the town is littered with roundabouts, lots of them everywhere. The local residents hesitate; I can be the last of three drivers at a roundabout and still be the first to move! Even worse these people when they do go will then tail gate. Therefore my first impressions of the Magic Roundabout were wrong; very few people know what they are doing, I no longer hold my breath!

I received a lovely Tea Towel from Gilly, Co. Mayo.

My FIL is from County Lough, however my in-laws now live in Florida – lovely. I have only visited Ireland once, as a family we visited about 6 years ago. We all had a very relaxing enjoyable short stay. Which included Hannah our then 6 month old puppy and our African Grey Parrot called Halo! We want to return, such a shame that a return ferry crossing is £350.00, I wonder if the ferry company remember the 'Smith family' for the entertainment they gave to a whole car park full of waiting cars with families, due to a force 10 gale that had been blowing for over 24 hours and give us discount *smiles*.

My second parcel was from Auntie Noo:

I have had the pleasure of meeting Noo a few times, she is a Moderator on another forum I frequent called Crafty Threads ‘n’ Yarns. This is very friendly, honest forum, no ‘funny business’ what-so-ever.

Noo and I have similarities in our job, we both deal with accounts and pay wages, which can be stressful at times. An HMRC Employers bulletin was my clue.

She sent me a heart felt box of goodies:

The presents wrapped in lovely paper with a little shower cream, apricot scrub, antibacterial hand gel and hand therapy popping up through the gaps.

The presents unwrapped; 5 x lovely stitch markers, a 150g ball of Kauni 8/2 EY, just the most beautiful purple and pinks AND a nearly knitted pair of socks for me all I have to do is knit 10 rows of 2x2 and they are finished, the yarn is Rico Superba Mexico, in pinks and blues - fantastic

This is Noo's comments about that unfinished sock in the picture: "The 9/10 knitted socks were a bit of a joke as I have been known to take the mickey out of GS* for taking so long to knit a pair, and I believe her fastest record is 5 months....... so I thought with just a bit on the ribbing to go, she would have a bit of a head start! *winks*"

The perfectly fitting finsihed sock - oh just brilliant and I haven't stopped smiling.

I was at a County Exec. meeting (Guides) last night, so no socking knitting done!

However just the thought of all the hard work and thought that went into my swap and socks, I found it to be ... well, quite simply over whelming, I just can not convey how much this parcel has meant to me especially the letter that Noo wrote to me, thank you so much xx

GS = GrannySmith - my forum name.