Friday's Thread

[yola]

Blowy and wet here. Its OH's birthday so I have to venture out into town to get him some presents. I've also lost my voice almost completely which makes yelling at Sebi today an impossibility Thankfully he's being very well behaved

Balie peed on the bed last night but because he was sleeping on the towel which was on the throw it only soaked into the duvet cover and not the duvet itself. Washing machine is busy today

[angieh]

We are fine here but I do send sincere commiserations to those who have flood disasters where they live. I am thinking especially of the people in Cockermouth and Workington in Cumbria.

It is very wet here - thick cloud and low light. Our bungalow is on a rise and although our bridle path does run like a river and the village roads do get flooded, our houses are safe - for now. The weather really is all upset - I have irises coming into bud!!! Mankind has proved himself the worst sort of custodians for the Earth and really for all the wonderful things that have been done, the things that matter most have been plundered for greed and making things easier. I'm afraid I have very little regard for mankind as a whole at the moment.

Anyway, enough of the gloom .............. Kizzy and Pip are fine and rushing around playing with the squeaky mouse, that's enough to raise your spirits.

Have a good, safe day peeps.

[angieh]

Sorry Yola - we both started the daily thread!

Could a Mod amalgamate, please?

[MrsH]

I've just been watching the news about the floods in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway. Quite a big bridge washed away and a police officer missing. How awful it must be there and more rain forecast! My thoughts with everyone in those areas.

Here, it's just grey and a bit damp, cats are spending the absolute minimum time outside.

The weekend is coming and I'll be feeding a bit more rum into my Christmas cake later on .

[angieh]

We're using brandy this year MrsH! Do you decorate your cake in due course? I don't actually like icing - think something nutty might be nicer - any ideas/recipes would be most gratefully received.

[MrsH]

Yes Angie, I put the almond paste on about 1 week before Christmas and then Royal Icing about 4/5 days later.

To be honest, I'm not that fond of the icing, it's too sweet but I tend to go for a traditional look. I'm not terribly good at decorating the cake, I've tried to get a flat finish and do a bit of piping in the past but it's never quite worked out very well I usually just end up with a rough "snowy" finish these days, but I always make my own almond paste - none of that shop-bought stuff!

[angieh]

Yes, I've just been Googling and found a nice sounding recipe for orange marzipan. I think I shall try that and just have a flat sheet of marzipan on the top and then decorate with pecans, cinnamon sticks, cranberries and a few other bits and bobs. The comments on the orange marzipan recipe say that even people who don't generally like the shop bought stuff really liked this. It's a Good Food recipe. The decoration was for a different sort of cake but looked seasonal!

[Tink]

Oh my goodness, I am very much craving rum cake now!!

[MrsH]

Originally Posted by angieh

Yes, I've just been Googling and found a nice sounding recipe for orange marzipan. I think I shall try that and just have a flat sheet of marzipan on the top and then decorate with pecans, cinnamon sticks, cranberries and a few other bits and bobs. The comments on the orange marzipan recipe say that even people who don't generally like the shop bought stuff really liked this. It's a Good Food recipe. The decoration was for a different sort of cake but looked seasonal!

Sounds yummy!

[angieh]

Fingers crossed!