Birthday - and The Cake for 2022
Thank you for all the lovely birthday greetings and e-cards.
My birthday was quieter than originally planned - we should have had a houseful and spent the afternoon watching 'The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'* and playing various games. But D-d contacted me on Tuesday to say she had covid and so they couldn't come. She said she just feels as if she has a bad cold, but better they all stayed away. Then decided it would be sad for me not to get my present and card, so the NYM and NYK2 popped down yesterday morning, stayed for around 2 minutes, and kept their distance just in case.
It is a lovey present - a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser to make wonderful hot chocolate. I got 'Nadiya's Everyday Baking' from S2C - which I really wanted, and also some of my favourite perfume. My niece (Edie's Mum) bought me The National Trust Book of Scones - which is an absolutely lovely book - the writer gives us a page about her visit to 50 NT properties in England and Wales and recipe for a relevant type of scone to go with it, and her descriptions of properties make me smile, and sometimes laugh out loud.
My sister and her husband did come in the afternoon - and we had tea and cakes. They gave me a voucher for a new Spanish style restaurant in Douglas - so a meal out to look forward to.
Like last year, I did not make a rich fruit cake for Christmas, but there was a properly decorated Christmas cake none the less. Like last year it was a chocolate sponge. We were going to cut into it whilst the family were here so it was to be a combined Birthday/Christmas cake.** Here it is;
We have a regular garden robin which is what inspired this year's design. NYK2 loved it as she really enjoys spotting the robin when she is here. I took the knife to it and cut it in half when the NYM called and gave him half of it to take home.
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents - a really excellent adaptation of the Terry Pratchett book. S2C and I watched it in the week before Christmas and were looking forward to watching it again with everyone. There are a few subtle 'call-outs' to Pterry in it if you are a fan, and just a lovely animated film if you aren't one.
**I still feel silly not realising the rather wonderful un-birthday cake earlier in the year came from ylla, after I had said I usually end up with the Christmas cake for my birthday...
My birthday was quieter than originally planned - we should have had a houseful and spent the afternoon watching 'The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents'* and playing various games. But D-d contacted me on Tuesday to say she had covid and so they couldn't come. She said she just feels as if she has a bad cold, but better they all stayed away. Then decided it would be sad for me not to get my present and card, so the NYM and NYK2 popped down yesterday morning, stayed for around 2 minutes, and kept their distance just in case.
It is a lovey present - a Hotel Chocolat Velvetiser to make wonderful hot chocolate. I got 'Nadiya's Everyday Baking' from S2C - which I really wanted, and also some of my favourite perfume. My niece (Edie's Mum) bought me The National Trust Book of Scones - which is an absolutely lovely book - the writer gives us a page about her visit to 50 NT properties in England and Wales and recipe for a relevant type of scone to go with it, and her descriptions of properties make me smile, and sometimes laugh out loud.
My sister and her husband did come in the afternoon - and we had tea and cakes. They gave me a voucher for a new Spanish style restaurant in Douglas - so a meal out to look forward to.
Like last year, I did not make a rich fruit cake for Christmas, but there was a properly decorated Christmas cake none the less. Like last year it was a chocolate sponge. We were going to cut into it whilst the family were here so it was to be a combined Birthday/Christmas cake.** Here it is;
We have a regular garden robin which is what inspired this year's design. NYK2 loved it as she really enjoys spotting the robin when she is here. I took the knife to it and cut it in half when the NYM called and gave him half of it to take home.
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents - a really excellent adaptation of the Terry Pratchett book. S2C and I watched it in the week before Christmas and were looking forward to watching it again with everyone. There are a few subtle 'call-outs' to Pterry in it if you are a fan, and just a lovely animated film if you aren't one.
**I still feel silly not realising the rather wonderful un-birthday cake earlier in the year came from ylla, after I had said I usually end up with the Christmas cake for my birthday...