My Life's Ingredients

 Here is my Final Round up for the Photo Scavenger Hunt 2013: 1. Open air market (Market Stall outside Kew Station, London) 2. Theater for performing arts (not a movie theater) ( Edinburgh Festival Theatre ) 3. City Hall, Capitol or other similar civic building (Dumfries Council Buildings) 4. Airplane (Our Virgin Flight plane to London) 5. A sunset (opted for another picture than posted before, as this sunset is more stunning! It’s taken at Knockbrex House, Dumfries & Galloway, with view of the Bay) 6. Someone or something taking a nap (there’s too much cuteness about, and still so many photos of the Hobbits falling asleep ) 7. A sign that is intentionally or unintentionally funny (Seeing it was Maple Pecan Ice cream, the note  “May contain other nuts” makes you really wonder…) 8. A tower (Watch tower at St. Cuthbert’s graveyard, Edinburgh, defending against grave robbery) 9. A photo with someone or something that is clearly out of place or doesn'...

Waking up at 5:30am ish due to a “nature call” is not nice, but I’m used to that really (either that or the girls waking me up). Realising that I have a thumping headache on the right temple area, not nice either, but something I tried to battle with mint oil on forehead, neck and back of the head (to cool). Still not being asleep at 5:56am and headache getting worse makes me think I should be taking my “whacky tabs” (not so whacky, really, just some stuff from the USA which helps me better than UK over the counter stuff) as we’re driving home from Dumfries & Galloway today and I should be at least a bit in “working order".  Still not able to sleep due to storm outside and the fact that whacky tabs have caffeine in them. Getting up to check the Internet just to find that the storm must have knocked out the WiFi in the house or at least interfere with it… joy! Phone reception for internet very sporadically here, so stuck with SKY (weird how much you can get used to a new TV s...

Or at least I think I can. It’s the Continental style, so MIL couldn’t check if I do it properly, but the stitches look definitely different to the normal knitting ones. However, I always seem to end up with an extra loop, not sure how/why – something to investigate. Doesn’t help that I took a different pattern to the one I actually wanted to do, and the Hobbits getting their little fingers into my craft bag and unravelling some of the (fortunately only 7 rows) stitching.  Will unravel all and then start with the “correct” pattern, maybe even on our way back home.

Today I learned … to chuck out cooking oil that has been around and open for too long… My Lamb’s Lettuce tasted DISGUSTING!!! Update on yesterday’s Lesson learned – Lemon Courgette/Zucchini bread/cake is YUMMIE! So good, in fact, that I only have 1 more loaf left (took the other one with me to Twins Group today after everyone in our household had a piece for breakfast). Have to add that to my recipe list for cakes!

Today I tried a new recipe – Lemon Zucchini Bread/Cake. The result has yet to be tried as we’re on our second “fast” day of the week!   But they’re looking already very nice/yummie! The recipe I used is from Allrecipes.co.uk , just added a bit lemon juice for a more lemony flavour, and I used more courgette/zucchini. Did peel them, but a friend of mine said I don’t need to do that. Hummm… next time! (doubled up the recipe for 2 loaf tins) Ingredients Serves : 12 200g (7 oz) grated courgette 150g (5 oz) caster sugar 1 egg 125ml (4 fl oz) vegetable oil 200g (7 oz) plain flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons lemon zest Directions Prep:15min  ›  Cook:45min  ›  Ready in:1hr Preheat oven to 160 C / Gas mark 3. Grease a loaf tin. In a bowl, beat together the courgette, sugar, egg and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking ...

Ok, not the best in keeping up … think I just haven’t found yet what I learned the last two days but will work on it… Today I learned that I shouldn’t try to go anywhere “new” with the Hobbits while they’re still suffering from colds/teething/nasty bottoms… We went to Bookbug today for the first time in a year, and while the girls had been to the Library for a couple of times during that year, having to sit down and having soooo many kids around (mostly babies) was probably too much for them … Supergirl was crying through half of the session (it’s Rhyme Time effectively), while Miss Martian had a ball doing some actions after warming up and LOVED doing the “Sleeping Bunnies” twice!! However, Miss Martian kicked off on the walk back home from the Library (in Hobbits Walk that’s 15 mins) and was CRYING all the way … and flopping periodically down to the ground so I had to carry her on the back of her reins. Supergirl on the other hand was all happy to walk and was even skipping ab...

Plans today were to bake a Lemon Courgette cake and to start on my Tardis Christmas Ornament (crochet) – alas, best laid plans etc… Our household is riddled with the cold. Supergirl is over the worst I believe, but she has trouble with some nasty molars coming through as well. Miss Martian has a very bad cough and higher temps the last 2 nights. Hubby got the man flu (plus sinusitis), and me… well, I proudly said to my in-laws when they phoned that I’m probably the best out of us 4, as I had already battled with a very nasty sore throat (suspected tonsillitis) and cough. However, today at around 2:30pm when the girls were upstairs sleeping and hubby was at his PC, I felt a little “snag” coming along in my plan … With me having sinusitis about once a year, I can tell in advance (well… couple of hours) when it appears… And yes, I’ve got full blown sinusitis now with all the pain, runny nose etc. JOY!!   So my LSNED for today: BEST LAID PLANS CAN EASILY BE “DESTROYED” … I only ma...