Martha's Marvellous Munchies

One highlight of the month was our trip to Dovedale, in the Peak District, which deserves a post to itself, really.  We went with my parents on an icy sunny day, and our intended stroll along a fairly flat river path turned into an epic adventure!  We hauled the pushchair across stepping stones, up steps, and over rocks and mud.  Finally we abandoned it altogether for a rocky climb under a natural rock arch and into a cave.  Going up wasn't half as precarious as coming down, but we all made it back to river level, where we celebrated with a sandwich. Looking down at the natural arch from the cave mouth Toby - was a pro at rock climbing and caving, and is already asking if we can go again. - has made a best friend at school. - always wants to be building, making or drawing. - scored highly on his curriculum topic of "Understanding the World", which is hardly surprising considering the questions he asks.   Tonight, after exploring the concept of A.D. an

A travel post!  I haven't got to do one of those in a while.  But we weren't sure we'd make it through the half term holiday week without going somewhere , and Toby was making noises about staying in a hotel again (I know.  He's five.  I don't think I knew what a hotel was when I was five), so we went, what the heck, and found ourselves a nice cheap deal in Lincoln for a night. Lincoln is only about an hour and a quarter from here, and once you've bypassed Nottingham, you're into a slightly surreal world of fields of vegetables interspersed with air force bases.  We drove to Tattershall Castle before heading into the city, and ate lunch with tractors driving by on one side of us, and Eurofighters taking off on the other.  All the male members of the family thought this was fantastic! Tattershall Castle is a mediaeval brick tower, restored and donated to the National Trust by Lord Curzon of Kedleston - bit of a Derby connection there!  It looks ver

Can you believe two years have gone by already?  Our little blondie is still as cute as ever, with an infectious giggle and a gleeful smile.  He'll happily give out hugs, high fives and "hiya"s to everyone he sees (at least after the first five minutes of staring suspiciously).  He likes things in order; he will make sure your cup is on a coaster and that spills are wiped up.  He has a sweet tooth that we struggle not to indulge, and an interest in vehicles which rivals his big brother's.  And he's been singing Happy Birthday for months now, so it's a good thing he finally got to sing it to himself! His birthday was fairly quiet.  He enjoyed unwrapping presents, ably assisted by Toby.  The coach was a big hit, but I think he liked them all!  Graham took him out for breakfast, and I made pizza and birthday cake for dinner. Is it mean to smuggle vegetables into your child's birthday cake?  Not when it tastes this good!  I came across a recipe for c

I can't separate you! I don't usually make meringues.  Once, a long time ago, I made meringues, and I think I tried to wedge far too many of them into the oven at once.  They came out extremely chewy.  Usually I tell this story to people and they say, "oh, but chewy meringues can be quite nice..."  No.  This was the kind of chewy where you bit into it and it immediately glued itself to all your teeth at once, and the roof of your mouth, and your tongue, and you spent the next half hour trying to pick bits out with your fingernails. So, I don't usually make meringues.  But recently I had a hankering for American-style pudding.  This, for the non-Americans in the audience, is a kind of thick flavoured custard, and is the only thing an American will think of if you say the word pudding - it doesn't refer to any other kind of dessert, and particularly not the British style of baked or steamed pudding.  This is useful to remember if you are ever trying to de