Entertaining an active toddler on a rainy day when you're stuck in the house is not an easy thing. Little Miss C loves nothing more than running about the garden so when it starts raining at breakfast and continues in a monsoon fashion all day it's tricky to know how to keep her occupied. At 14 months she's not really old enough to do any drawing herself yet but that didn't stop me getting out some paper and wax crayons earlier today. Whilst she had a few problems coordinating holding the crayon and making contact with the paper she was completely fascinated to see me drawing ... read more
Animals, water and Pooh
Since receiving a copy of Kiddiwalks we've been enjoying some lovely days out at local places that we hadn't even realised existed until now. This week's adventure took us to Aldenham Country Park on the outskirts of Elstree. Aldenham is council owned and run (at present - I hear rumours that may be to change early in 2012) and as well as there being plenty of green space there is also a large lake with sailing and a small farm. One of the big benefits of a council run place like this is that it doesn't have the steep admission costs that many of the ... read more
With No One as Witness – Elizabeth George
I have been so completely captivated by Elizabeth George's With No One as Witness recently that it's hard to remember reading anything else before it. It's a big book, with over 600 pages, but not once did I feel that it was dragging or anything - in fact, it was the complete opposite. I loved this book and didn't want it to end at all. It is one of the most engaging pieces of crime fiction that I've read in a long time. There is a serial killer on the lose in London and Inspector Lynley and his team at the Metropolitan Police are trying to find him without much success. As ... read more
The kindness of knitters
I've started attending a weekly knitting group here in St Albans and I'm really enjoying having company whilst knitting. The group comprises a mix of women of all ages and backgrounds yet there is one strange thing that bonds several of us together - bizarrely five of us are all called Penelope! Not something you'd expect with the name not being all that common. Its been lovely to get to know these women and between them they have some fantastic knitting skills. The speed of some of them is also astounding. Each week more and more finished items are pulled out bags to be passed ... read more
Finally
I don't want to work out how long ago I started sewing this cross-stitch picture for Little Miss C's room. Let's just say that it's when I was still pregnant and leave it at that. Finally though I have got round to framing it. Now the countdown starts for how long before it's actually on her bedroom wall... ... read more
Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins
With a fruitbowl full of ageing bananas and a little girl who refuses to eat them I went about finding a recipe to use them up. Inspired by some yummy banana and chocolate cake that a local cafe sell I knew I wanted to combine the two, but I drew a bit of a blank with all my cookbooks. The internet came up trumps though. I used this recipe for these banana and chocolate chip muffins and it all worked just perfectly. The muffins were light and tasty with an even spread of banana throughout. The chocolate chips were slightly gooey whilst retaining some of their structure so to give nice sweet ... read more
The Quangle Wangle’s Hat – Edward Lear
Coincidence is a funny thing. Only last week I was reading about the Charlotte Strawbridge's new venture Crumpetty Tree and in particular how the name for their business came from Edward Lear's The Quangle Wangle's Hat. I knew of Edward Lear, and in particular Owl and the Pussycat, but not this tale, until Saturday that was when I came across this in a local charity shop. Not only can I now find out about the Quangle Wangle and the Crumpetty Tree, but the story is also accompanied by lovely illustrations by the fantastic Helen Oxenbury. In their own ... read more
London
I sat down ready to blog last night and just couldn't. The TV was on and I was just sat here in shock. London appeared more like a war zone than the city I know and love. Shops were being looted, buildings were on fire and the police seemed to be struggling to gain any sort of control. Journalists were under attack and starting to wear the protective clothing that they normally wear in Iraq or Afghanistan. People were losing their homes and livelihoods and I was just watching in disbelief. No one seems sure what the real cause behind these riots is. Initially it was all blamed on the ... read more
Julie Slater & Son Mini Photo Frame
I'm sure that I'm not the only person out there you likes filling their home with nice things. In my mind it's part of creating a home - surrounding yourself with people and things that you love. I'm always on the look out for lovely things, both new and secondhand, and I'm always particularly thrilled when I find someone new creating lovely things that I like. A few weeks ago I came across Julie Slater & Son - a lovely company selling leather purses, wallets, bags and gifts. I was delighted to be asked to review one of their products and Julie sent me a ... read more
Look back in hunger – Jo Brand
I've been a bit behind with book reviews lately, mainly because I've been enjoyng reading so much lately. Jo Brand is one of those comediennes that people seem to feel very strongly about. Some love her, some can't stand her. Her acting efforts have won awards, but also a lot of criticism. The same goes for her comedy. Strangely, to me at least, she's one of those people who seems to be on TV, or Radio 4, frequently, but yet I don't know much about her. I knew that she used to be a nurse and that some of her comedy and writing work has been based on those experiences, but ... read more