Looking back, it seems like lots of nice things have happened this month. My diary records sunny afternoons with friends; discussions about 'what is poetry?' and 'what if Jesus hadn't been raised to life?'; visits to and from parents; a stop-off at Stratford-upon-Avon (nice town, even if you don't do anything Shakespearean); Easter bonnets, Easter biscuits, Easter church; parks, plants, parties; and my first attempt at ten-pin bowling in a long time. (Since you ask: No. I was awful. But we had fun.)
In the interests of keeping it real, this month has also included tantrums, whinging, fights, bleeding from the head, food on the floor, a screw in a car tyre, and me failing to get a job I interviewed for. You didn't really think we had it that easy, did you?
- got his silver award for achieving 600 Dojo [award] points.
- learned to do Sudoku puzzles with Grandpop.
- is practising A and B on the recorder.
- wants us to time how fast he can do everything.
- carefully counts his money. He's saving for more Lego.
- started going to preschool three mornings a week, and goes in without a backward glance.
- rarely needs the pushchair now, except for the 'double dash' where I have to cover the mile between school and preschool in 15 minutes.
- always has to help stir the dinner. Doesn't mean he eats it, mind you!
- finding a beautiful new place to walk: Blithfield Reservoir, near Uttoxeter.
- a new net for our old trampoline (finally fitted after I ordered the wrong size and had to return it...)
I adapted a recipe for marmalade cake, to try and use up a jar of chopped ginger in sugar syrup that has been sitting in my fridge for ages. The result is not too orangey, not too gingery, just a light and delicate mix of both.
6 oz butter, softened
3 oz sugar
2 eggs
2 oz chopped ginger in syrup
5 oz marmalade, plus extra to glaze
10 oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
zest and juice of one orange
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and base line a loaf tin.
Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, adding more orange juice (or milk) if needed to give a soft consistency.
Scoop into the loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until firm. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then put a couple of teaspoons of marmalade on top of the warm cake, and smear it around so that it melts to form a glaze. Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool on a wire rack.
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| Helping with a lock gate on the Stratford Canal |
In the interests of keeping it real, this month has also included tantrums, whinging, fights, bleeding from the head, food on the floor, a screw in a car tyre, and me failing to get a job I interviewed for. You didn't really think we had it that easy, did you?
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| Life goes up and down... |
Toby
- got his silver award for achieving 600 Dojo [award] points.
- learned to do Sudoku puzzles with Grandpop.
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| They liked 'bouncing bubbles' from Grandma & Grandad |
- is practising A and B on the recorder.
- wants us to time how fast he can do everything.
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| "Time me to run across the aqueduct and back!" |
- carefully counts his money. He's saving for more Lego.
Theo
- started going to preschool three mornings a week, and goes in without a backward glance.
- rarely needs the pushchair now, except for the 'double dash' where I have to cover the mile between school and preschool in 15 minutes.
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| Still likes sweets - and barbeques |
- always has to help stir the dinner. Doesn't mean he eats it, mind you!
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| Adding pepper to bean chilli |
Thankful for:
- Graham finding a garage to fit a new tyre half an hour before they shut for Easter weekend - and they gave us free Easter eggs!- finding a beautiful new place to walk: Blithfield Reservoir, near Uttoxeter.
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| photo of a woodpecker from the bird hide at Blithfield |
- a new net for our old trampoline (finally fitted after I ordered the wrong size and had to return it...)
Recipe of the Month: Orange and Ginger Cake with Marmalade Glaze
I adapted a recipe for marmalade cake, to try and use up a jar of chopped ginger in sugar syrup that has been sitting in my fridge for ages. The result is not too orangey, not too gingery, just a light and delicate mix of both.
6 oz butter, softened
3 oz sugar
2 eggs
2 oz chopped ginger in syrup
5 oz marmalade, plus extra to glaze
10 oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
zest and juice of one orange
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and base line a loaf tin.
Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, adding more orange juice (or milk) if needed to give a soft consistency.
Scoop into the loaf tin and bake for about 45 minutes or until firm. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then put a couple of teaspoons of marmalade on top of the warm cake, and smear it around so that it melts to form a glaze. Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool on a wire rack.
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