If you are celebrating the lunar New Year, I hope you enjoy your holiday and time off work.

This monkey is part of the (16thC?) plasterwork in the old court (as in court-room) area of Chirk Castle in Wales;  I visited the castle (and took the photo) last year on one of my Northerly trips. The 蟠桃 long life peach does not appear in the original; I ( Read more... )

I'm not one to waste a public holiday so happily joined in the party mood with friends.  I made a pudding with a wonky crown decoration of ginger biscuit crumbs and a red, white and blue jelly bean border (but the blue colouring was very aggressive and quickly attacked the poor pink pudding!):


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