2paw

I Don't Care If You Are Called The Rare Miss Frigidaire.

'Cause you're sensational. Yesterday I defrosted the freezer. I don't like this job, and I put it off. The freezer was mainly filled with a bag of ice and things in ziplock bags. I don't know what some of them were or how long they had been there. I saved the raspberries for a cake I made today. Other than that everything else went.

Peri and Gilly thought the bag of ice ice-cubes was the best thing since sliced bread. It kept them amused for ages. PicMonkey has added a collage tool. I haven't quite mastered it yet, but I am feeling very happy to have a selection of collage options again.

On Friday MrsValley and I went to the Greek Restaurant further up the river. The day was reasonably OK when we started out. We had Arni Yarni Lamb pot pie, Pumpkin and Feta tart and then semolina custard tart with lemon syrup. We spent almost three hours catching up and having a good chat. The pictures are poor, I think the lens was fogged up. Everything was absolutely delicious.

The weather was not. It started raining as we left and there was a huge downpour that lasted for more than a day. There were roadworks and gravel and it was all a little scary. I drove at 60kph but there were people who wanted to do the 100kph speed limit. The council hasn't cleared the drains of Autumn leaves around our suburb, so there were deep puddles across the roads. There were minor floods: a hospital, roads near MrsDrWho's school and in the south of the city. It stopped raining last night and we have some sunshine today.

MrsValley bought The Labradors a lovely treat. Blackmores have a pet division now and she chose some special kangaroo treats. They are perfect for Peri and Gilly: low in fat, easy to break into small pieces and according to them, the Best Treats Ever!! Picture from the Blackmores' site, and we have the Labrador packet of course!!!

I sewed a goanna bag and I am working on my next felt project. Semi-secretly.

I've also been wearing my beret, trying it out to see if I like it around the house before it debuts in public!!

All my Library book Christmases came at once and I sat on the couch reading while the rain poured down endlessly. I couldn't read all of I am David because of the sad part at the almost end. I read either side of the sad part. Rose Levy's book has some wonderful and unusual cakes and I want to bake quite a few. It's hard to find a new series of books to read. I listened to Radio National when they had their broadcast from the Sydney Writers Festival and jotted down a few names. I always scan the book section of Saturday's paper. I use the 'recently added' button (well, you organise by most recent date) on The Library site and keep an eye on authors I already follow. I long to find authors I haven't read who have a long book list for me to enjoy!!

I have new dog walking shoes. The shop says they were $60, but they were on super sale for $10. I think the khaki and pink colour scheme may have put some people off. I'm deciding which shoe laces work best.

My aqua shoes with a velcro closure stopped staying closed. They weren't cheap shoes and I was a bit cross. The lady at the shop where I bought them told me that the shoe repair man could replace the velcro. He did, it's black not white, but you can't see it and it only cost $18. An excellent price and I have a 'new' pair of Winter shoes now!!

Zoe and her family are on The Mainland now and Zoe will be having her bone marrow transplant tomorrow. There's a long hard road ahead for them all. Lucy has not been well, her health is deteriorating. I keep them in my thoughts.  One of Uncle and Auntie Dutch's dog died last week. Tommy was a lovely boy, a boy's boy, and he could be a bit of a grump too. He was fourteen which is a good age.  Poppy, the other dog, seems to be coping by herself.

Later on this week I am going to The Hospital to participate in a session with the doctors in training. I'm going to talk to them about my illness, let them do some observations and then answer any questions they have. I'm not sure how it will go, but they are sending me taxi vouchers so I don't have to worry about looking for a parking space. I'm very happy about that!!

By George, I Think I've Got It!!!

And by it I mean a dress that pretty much fits and looks nice when I wear it!! I saw Michelle from Buttontree Lane sew the Simplicity Amazing Fit 2247 dress and I thought I might give it a go too: patterns were half price, and the material only cost $14. I like the material because it looks, to me, a little WWII and suits the pattern.

I overestimated my size again, though I think the instructions are misleading. I think you should cut for your high and not full bust size. Still, I did sew the dress up first with the seams on the outside so I could more easily adjust and fit them myself.

There are still a few things I'd like to fix: the puffy sleeves (though MrsDrWho likes them, is she just messing with me??), the front bodice needs to be taken up about 2cm at the shoulders. I always have forward shoulder seams and as I am definitely going to be sewing this dress again I want to add 2 or 3 cm to the front shoulder seam and take it away from the back seam.

I inserted a zip by hand again, but really this dress doesn't need one, I can easily get it on and off without one. I enjoy hand picking the zip, and it is much easier than using the zipper foot on my machine, which isn't terribly helpful.

On the whole, I am very pleased: I had my nice beaded sandals to match and my new Short Scene cardigan matched perfectly too. And off I went to Afternoon Tea with my knitting friends!!!

I did have not-a-very-good go at cleaning the mirror, and of course my lovely Labrador assistants assisted me!!!

I've been lucky enough to win two prizes of late. MrsDrWho and I went to a Trivia Night with some of her colleagues and we won!! It's a nice bottle of wine and some Lindt chocolate. I already have several nice bottles of wine I received as Christmas presents that haven't been opened and I can't eat the chocolate so MrsDrWho has two prizes!!!

I didn't know I had entered Cyndi's competition, but I left a comment won a prize!! She sent me some really interesting Kanzashi flower makers. Reading the back of the packet I know it is a traditional Japanese fabric folding art, but I think of them as a kind of flowery Suffolk Puff makers. I am looking forward to be-flowering quite a few things!! She also sent some beautiful fabric, and every piece of the set has green in it, and some cuter than cute tiny 2 1/2 inch charm square packs!!

Noah the dog and Wilson the cat sent Peri and Gilly some dog biscuits. They were so very kind as to send vegetable biscuits so that they can have one almost every day and not worry about F A T.

Peri has been eating her breakfast and dinner at a higher level than Gilly. She's very clever to balance and eat quickly at the same time!!

Lorelai Gilmore has rediscovered an old toy and so there has been a big gumboot clomping about inside, and out!! She is experiencing gumboot bliss!!!

And after giving in and finally fixing the cuff of my mittens, I found the rest of the ball I had carefully put away, and so I unravelled the cuff for a third time and now it is finished. Except the mittens are so grubby after our walk. I can't believe how grubby they are!! It's been dull and rainy today so no chance for washing and drying them before tomorrow. I'll wash them tomorrow and they will have until Thursday to dry.

I am hoping nothing very much happens this week because MrsValley and I are driving of the city a little for lunch on Friday. I want to rest up and prepare. In saying that, I've had series 2 of Sherlock here since before MrsDrWho went away to Singapore. We think we'll rest Due South and watch some Sherlock one night this week. Maybe I'll sew some more cute hexagons for April's Craftsy blocks and maybe we'll sew May's blocks before June!!!

Run, Peri, Run.

The Hydro is laying pipes across the park at the dam where we walk. Peri and Gilly have had to have their leads on so they don't run into the path of the digger. On Saturday it was all quiet and so they could have a lovely run.

Gilly ran:

And Peri ran. Away. For ten minutes we couldn't find her. I knew where she was. She was up the hill near the smelly things. Gilly and I drove to the gate and back and parped the horn. Peri was waiting at the spot where the car was parked and came running to us.

She ran so fast I didn't have time to get out of the car before she arrived!! I didn't worry that she wouldn't come back, but I thought she might have been caught on a branch or some wire by her collar, or have hurt herself. She just had awfully smelly, muddy feet.

It's been reasonably quiet here, although there was a bit of a stir in the neighbourhood when the new people over the road lit a fire in their garden. The smoke was very bad, I couldn't even see over the road. My washing, and the knitting that was blocking, smelled smoky and there was ash all over the car and yard. Luckily it was a bonfire of wet vegetation rather than a dangerous fire.

He did come over later on and apologise, but I think we've all checked the Fire regulations and next time we'll ring the Fire Brigade instead of dithering for half an hour.

That's the roof of our house and the smoke wafting high up into the sky.

Whilst doing nothing very energetic I have managed to finish my Short Scene cardigan, which fits, and find some very good buttons. I think finding buttons is the hardest part of knitting a cardigan.

There's a new hot water bottle cover, and a repaired cuff on my mittens and the Dexter Haven Hat.

The beret is finished, I just need to sew in two ends. I am hoping it looks OK. Hats don't suit me, I don't know why. I finished the Secret Knitting for MrsDrWho as well.

The weather has been both very cold and quite warm: the other morning it was 1*C when we went for a walk, but today it was 18*C and I went out in a Summer skirt and top. Peri and Gilly are enjoying the not too hot Autumn sun. Gilly has been feeling quite well, though I watch her like a hawk and try to discourage mad beserker-bonkers running in the backyard.

I've made about five batches of Lemon Meringue Cupcakes recently. These were for the doctors and nurses at The Animal Medical Centre. They look after Peri and Miss Lorelai Gilmore so well!!

So basically, we're having a lazy time here: resting, lying on the couch with a hot water bottle and a quilt, taking a book and a cup of tea outside in the afternoon to enjoy the sun.  I'm saving up my energy for an outing to Afternoon Tea on Sunday. There may, or may not, be a new dress. Only time will tell!!!

1 2 3 4: my5

Flybuys is a card with a points system that used to be for saving up your frequent flyer points. Now it has been relaunched by Coles, with Dawn French, and they implore people to choose their 5 favourite items and get 10% off.  But in some ads, and only on half their promotional material, you find that you must spend $50. It does say you save 10% on the products of your choice, but then the tiny, tiny print says you choose from their special 800 product list. The things I would like buy are not on their list. What a surprise.

I think I shall not really be 1 2 3 4 my5-ing thank you very much.

The new Knitty Surprises have been released and lots of lovely people pointed me to something very appropriate.  I am knitting it for MrsDrWho's birthday and although she doesn't read my blog all the time, I am making a clicky link so you can see what I am knitting and look at my project. I am almost at the border. It is something I could knit again, I am really enjoying it.

The Short Scene sleeve Mark III has been very successful and I think I might just knit another. Two sleeves in a cardigan are better than one. Just one last sleeve to go, sewing the sleeves into the body and grafting the back of the neck and it is done. Hurray.

Lorelai Gilmore has been well. She has appreciated all the lovely comments and well wishes. The drugs are excellent and she has been as good as new. We finished the drugs today and so now it is a waiting game to see how she goes. My poor baby. She has loved being able to go for a walk again. She's most obedient and hops in the car when she is called. Peri doesn't always come straight away though:

But when she does, she zooms!!! (Courtesy of PicMonkey, a good Picnik replacement and they will soon have collages. Thank goodness)

And then they both stand there, good as gold, ready for a treat.

Mohairmama  set up the Fingers and Toes display at The Craft and Quilt Fair. I went along to give some moral, and a little bit of actual, support. We had to leave A4 size spaces fr a piece of paper with a torso, arms and legs, but when MrsDrWho and I went along on Saturday, the paper wasn't there.  That's why the spacing is a little weird. People were voting for their favourite items.

We loved looking at all the quilts. I have decided I like the actual patchwork part and not so much the painted on fabric or just quilting on a plain-ish background. I bought a silicone thimble, some Labrador fabric and some 2ply Fern coloured mohair for a scarf (Dairing) Mr 'Dairing' was glad to talk to someone who knew about 'fibre'!! I was quite amused, I think a lot of scrapbooking people were asking him a lot of unanswerable questions. The Labrador fabric had a happy panting Peri, a little Gilly and I think a lovely Harki as well. MrsDrWho and I bought a Christmas embroidery pattern and she also acquired a rainbow jelly roll!! We had a cup of tea half way through our two hours, but I had to sleep for three hours when I came home and I had a tired-and-I-can't-sleep headache later on.I think I still need a little more recovery time.....

MrsDrWho lent me her second best iPad when she went away and I was not very good at anything apart for the Find the Hidden Object game and the Rise of Atlantis, which is like a big game of Connect 4 really. It eats up time. I would play a whole level and an hour or more would just disappear. The iPad has gone back home and I am sure it will have a much more varied and happy life!!

MrsDrWho and her sister chose some tea for me and she brought it back from her holiday. I have tea from Raffles and tea from the special tea company TWG. I have tried the peppermint, ginger and chamomile and tomorrow at morning tea we will try a new one. I also have the whole tea menu, with an authentic tea smudge, but it it too dark to take another photo now. There are at least twelve kinds of Earl Grey teas!!!

Everything is so beautifully presented. I have some more presents to show next time. I am so lucky!!!

Today Me-Made-May begins. I have really enjoyed all the Me-Made Marches and Self-Stitched Septembers, but May is just long sleeved t-shirt tops, a cardigan and jean month. Not very exciting really and nothing I can sew or knit in time. So, I recall a comment suggesting I should sew something this month instead. Maybe I will even finish my cardigan? So I shall try to under promise and over deliver!!!

Heston's roast potatoes?? Absolutely delicious: crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the centre. I made these again the next night. The new Family Circle Winter magazine is out and I am swooning over the recipes. I can't wait to make something for Friday Food this week!!

The Seven Ear Itch

Thank you for all the kind comments about Lorelai Gilmore. She has been taking her medicine every day and walking on a lead when we go to the dam. Peri ranged far and wide and Gilly yearned to run after her.

She hasn't cried at all and we have been trying really hard to be quiet and calm. Today she was allowed to run off the lead and she has a wonderful time, running with Peri. There were so many smells she had to have a bit of a rest!!

Peri was happy to have her running, and rolling in something smelly, mate back.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... I had my ears pierced an extra time and a half. Ergo I have five holes in my ears all up. Sadly, probably more than seven years ago, I stopped using the extra piercings. They closed up at the back. MrsDrWho gave me nine pairs of cute earrings perfect for the three extra piercings and so for the last three days I have been making my piercings work again. I concentrated on one at a time and every time I walked into the bathroom I'd poke the earring in to see if it would go through. Eventually the back of the hole gave up the ghost and I poked it through. Strangely, I seem to have no real feeling at the back of my ear lobe. And today: success. I am all earringed up!! Here's the three earring ear:

I can see more gray in my hair. It's bite the bullet time. I don't think I could keep up with a colouring regime, so apart from some wodges of colour in late Winter, I am apparently going to just not care!!

That's one job out of the way.

Job Two was pyjamas. I wanted to sew some, but of course The BSODL (tm) only had fluoro green or pale, pale green with white bunny flannelette.  There was a sale at Target, and though there wasn't a matching pair, these will do nicely at 50% off the original price. The top is a bit racy with the back being all lace. It is lovely, soft and stretchy!! The pants have sheep that say, "I only have eyes for ewe".

And a new striped green top. It is not emerald, it is not bluey green. It has dark blue stripes. It is hard to photograph and it was on sale at Rockmans.

There has been, wait for it, knitting!! I found my cardigan carefully put away in a tub of knitting and sewed the fronts to the back. It fits. This is good. So I decided to tackle the sleeves, bearing in mind the pattern is written for 10ply and I am using 8, and I want straight sleeves instead of bell shaped.  The first attempt at a hem was a failure.

Then I tried a band like the one on the other pieces with a potential placket and button. This was more successful but I over-estimated my arm size and it was way too big. I want the lace pattern to show up nicely.

The third time seems to be the charm thus far.

I am not a huge Heston Blumenthal fan. I know his food can be considered 'art', but I liked it best when he helped the children's hospital or the submariners. SBS is showing How To Cook LIke Heston. I am never going to serve my chilli con carne on a bed of flaming wood-chips or waft about the house trailing liquid nitrogen vapours,  but I might just be tempted by the chicken pie, the rich chocolate truffle cake (without the exploding space lollies in the base) or today: the roast potatoes. They are cooling in the colander waiting for the next process.

I am rather more excited about Sally Wise's self saucing banana pudding. I'm making that tomorrow and served with custard it should be delicious. It's from her new book. I made the Ginger Coconut slice for morning tea and it was so quick to make, cooked in twenty minutes and topped with lemon icing it was delicious. I like A Lot of ginger so I think I will add some finely diced glace ginger next time.

We have been having record April temperatures during the day and overnight so it was lovely to have some proper rain. Not much, but enough to make things green again and to make Peri and Gilly smell like my woollen school blazer did when it was in the rain.

The Labradors like the rain too, here's hoping we have more, but in moderation.

A Tail Of A Fateful Trip

Lorelia Gilmore was back at the vet yesterday with the same symptoms as before, and we saw Dr Marion. She decided there should be x-rays today and so there were. 

Peri sat in the car and Gilly went not-very-happily round the corner into the corridor, and we drove away.

Peri and I went for a walk,

cooked some lemon and blueberry syrup cakes, watched some TV, did some washing, ate some carrots

and an apple and then I went to the vet to collect Gilly.

I saw Dr Rob and he showed me her x-rays. She has some small deformations of the ball joint of her hip and slightly bowed tibia, but what she mainly has is the first tail bone almost at right angles with her spine. It should be level with her spine. She has a very mild case of Lumbosacral disease. On a scale of 1 to 10, she's most likely a 1.

The symptoms described fit perfectly:

"Symptoms include progressive sharp lower back pain, hind leg weakness, difficulty urinating or defecating, a shuffling gait, and vocal expressions of pain ranging from whimpers to cries and howls. A dog suffering from this disease may be reluctant to rise and jump. In an attempt to alleviate the pain, the dog sometimes chews at his tail or back legs." (1)

As she gets older the disease will need to be managed closely with pain relief and anti-inflammatory drugs, however she has lots of positives on her side: she is very fit, thin, very healthy in every other respect, thin, athletic, thin and brave. She is quite stoic and is able to deal with quite a lot of pain before it affects her, which is typical of the Labradors at our house. They'd given her some pain relief after the general anaesthetic, and Dr Rob said she should have been drowsy and slow, but she was jumping about and happy and full of joy to see me.

He said she should go for walks on her lead as she really should exercise and use up some energy. Although I had a little cry at the vet yesterday and I was worried today, I think I am coping well under the circumstances: there hasn't been any sign of a Georgette Heyer or a Florence Nightingale decline.

I asked if I had done anything , or if Peri jumping on Gilly could have caused it and Dr Rob emphatically said no, that it was something she was born with. It isn't hereditary either, so I can still have a new puppy from the same breeder. It is just bad luck. Poor Gilly, Poor Harki, Poor Tori:  lots of Labrador bad luck. Peri's pancreatitis is held at bay by her awfully strict diet and lots of exercise!!

I think that I am lucky to have such wonderful Labradors and I am glad to look after them in any way necessary, because they are so lovely, and now I am having a little cry because I feel lucky to share their lives.

I'll stop now.

I'm really glad I know what's wrong and that it can be managed successfully. And Gilly won't need to be in pain or sad. She's having a nice sleep now after dinner.

Ages ago I won a fabric softie panel from Saffron Craig. Here, at last, is the cute pink puppy which I have had for ages and finally gave to Toddler Lucy on Saturday: sooooo cute!!

(1) Canine-lumbosacral-disease

How Sick Is That Doggy In The Window???

Poor Lorelai Gilmore was very sick yesterday. Just after lunch I noticed she was sitting strangely and then she wouldn't, and couldn't, walk up the steps. I didn't panic, and tried to entice her with a biscuit, but to no avail. So then I did have a little panic and we went straight to the Vet, even if it was their lunch time: Dr Tim saw us immediately. Luckily all her vital signs were good and there was no back or joint pain but she did yelp when she hopped out of the car. Dr Tom said he thought she might have an upset stomach or very bad wind(!!!) or tummy spasms. He gave her two injections, an anti-inflammatory and an opiate and said to ring back later if she wasn't well. We all had a sleep, me with the help of some Rescue Remedy, for three hours and then she woke up and started to whimper and cry all the time and that was it.

Back to the Vet we went, Peri in the car too because she was not being left behind. We saw Dr Liz and she checked Gilly again and concurred with Dr Tim. We went home with some Tramal and in half an hour or so Gilly stopped crying. She ate a little chicken and rice for her dinner and then we all went to bed. Peri was full of jumping and leaping because she had to sit in the car outside at the Vet and was still feeling left out.

This morning Gilly ran up the steps outside and we went for a walk and she ran with Peri and Sandy and seems pretty much back to normal. Not 100%, maybe 90-91%. I am so relieved and need a Bex and a good lie down.

I heard on the radio this afternoon that Bob Brown has resigned as leader of The Greens and will retire from The Senate in June. My earliest memories of politics are of Gough and Bob. Bob Brown changed the world and he formed Australia's first Green Party. I think he has made a difference, and though he can polarise people, I agree with the general philosophy of The Greens: looking after the Earth, her people and fauna and flora. Happy Retirement Bob!!

I have a new cook book by Sally Wise. It has lots of cakes and slices, biscuits and desserts. Some are very old fashioned and some brand new. I shall cook something from it very soon.

And I bought some nice Easter biscuit cutters on sale. They make nice 3D impressions on top of the biscuits when you cut them out.

So once again it will be Friday Food on Saturday. I'm making Maggie Beer's Apple Cake with verjuice. The woman is obsessed with verjuice and I found some in the supermarket, so it's Kismet!!!

I Name This Day, Fiona!!

I'm sorry you'll read that again, and wonder whatever I am talking about. This afternoon I went to Petrarch's Bookshop and the lovely Fiona McIntosh:

signed her new book, The Lavender Keeper, for me. It begins in Vichy France WW2 and tells the story of Luc, a lavender farmer, adopted into a Jewish family. I have only read three chapters, but it has already drawn me in.

Set in France, it is no spoiler to say that the sequel will be partially set in Tasmania. Fiona was inspired by The Bridestowe Lavender Farm and if only I could transmit scent through the internet, you could smell the fragrant French Lavender Perfume she spritzed over the page after she signed. I keep opening the book and smelling the perfume. Scent is a powerful trigger for memories, and I think I will always associate lavender with Fiona now!! I have read all of her books: fantasy, children's and crime, apart from Fields of Gold. I missed that somehow.

She is a lovely person, and listened attentively as I chatted away to her about how much I loved her books, and had read them all. She graciously signed the first three of her books I had brought along and then gave me a hug. It was so exciting to meet her. And after I have finished posting I am off to bed for a little R&R, that's rest and reading!!

Peri and Gilly had an Easter Carrot Hunt. Peri was quite happy to sit for an Easter Carrot picture, but Lorelai Gilmore thought I wanted to take her carrot away and she was off. But off slowly, as she didn't want to be too disobedient and I think she was conflicted!!

The weather has been very Autumnal: long, loud and bright electrical storms and then 1*C icy cold mornings. I knew the weather would be windy and rainy because my white Camellia is in bud, and you can guarantee as soon as it blooms the wind blows and the rain falls to make the delicate flowers brown and bedraggled.

Peri and Gilly love the cold weather and they are extremely happy and full of joy.

The NextDoor Neighbours have a party every Easter and Peri spends the whole day at the fence, joining in vicariously. This year Gilly spent quite a lot of time there too. Sadly for them, the guests know that there are no treats for The Labradors, but they live in hope.

This week is the week when I catch up with all my friends, except MrsDrWho who is still away overseas. I have been dining out with my Knitting friends where we waxed lyrically about the wonders of turning a heel, something we still find miraculous after all these years:

I had some yummy veal last week and some Trevalla with a tangy crunch salad yesterday. Tomorrow I am off for Grand Afternoon tea with friends I used to teach with and then again on Friday I am off to The Gorge for lunch with two friends I met when I first moved here to teach. Even though we don't see each other as often as we would like, when we do catch up it is as if we last met yesterday. I don't have a Facebook full of friends, but my friends are the loveliest I could hope for!!

We have been going to bed early as it makes me very fatigued to be social so many days of the week. On Saturday I am going to visit Toddler Lucy and Baby Zoe for afternoon tea to wish them well as they leave soon for The Mainland.

Next week I am planning on sleeping every day I think!!  At long last it's cold enough to knit, so I might spend a couple of hours sorting out the patterns for my two Half Finished Cardigans: You Only Rib Twice and Short Scene. I have two new emerald coloured tops for Winter and I must have a new emerald cardigan to wear with them. I shall have to knit like the wind!!

The Internet is conspiring against me. I wouldn't let me comment on Wordpress blogs, though I have changed my email address to one I never use and I seem to have out manoeuvred it, and now Typepad won't let some people leave a comment. Ha!! I have turned off the new Word Verification and now comments are moderated. By me. So your comment won't appear immediately.

I am sure it is not just me who finds the new Word Verification thingies terribly hard to interpret. I hope that this has ameliorated the problem. Happy commenting. I am slowly, but surely, answering my comments so I may email you soon.

Now I am tired so please excuse any errors I haven't caught......

A Bunny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

I saw some Bunnies and the kind blogger at JustAnotherhangUp emailed me the pattern, she will if you ask her too!! I made the Bunnies for Lucy and Zoe. In some rather good news, a bone marrow match has been found so Zoe and her family will be off to The Mainland later in the month for a transplant. We cannot thank the people who donate blood, bone marrow or their organs, enough. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Peri Naughty and Lorelai Gilmore have still not quite come to terms with the demise of Daylight Saving this year. Round about 6pm they have now decided to play rough and rowdy rebel games, play biting each others ears and legs and then jumping on the bed!! I had to shut the hall door and be cross. Well, I cannot be too cross because they are so cute when they play.

At the dam the hut that was vandalised is being rebuilt and now they have reinforcing struts. They may or may not be reinforcing struts, as I know less than nothing about building, but it sounds reasonable, doesn't it??

A few days go I spied some inordinately cute biscuits on Toni's blog. I was inspired to have a go at making some myself. I used a double batch of Nigella's Cut-Out Biscuit dough and then just tried to bunnify the 43 oval biscuits. The dough needs to rest for an hour or so in the fridge, so I think that anyone pushed for time could use Milk Arrowroot biscuits as they are the perfect shape. I had a go at outlining with icing and then flooding with a runnier mix and I bought a pen that writes edibly on icing. I feel very cake decoratory!!!

 

Bunnified Biscuits  makes about  24

• 90g softened butter
• 100g caster sugar ( I swapped a little for brown sugar)
• 1/2 tspn vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 200g plain flour
• 1/2 tspn baking powder
• pinch of salt

For the decorating:

• 500g ish of icing sugar mixture (it has cornflour added to help it set)
• lemon juice
• water
• pink food colouring
• mini pink marshmallows, halved horizontally
• edible ink writing-on-icing pen

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until it is pale and the sugar is dissolved, add the eggs one at a time, mixing very well.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and then add the creamed mixture. I folded it in at first with a spoon, but then it was just easier to use my hands.

When it comes together as a nice smooth dough, put it into a ziplock bag and refrigerate for about an hour.

When the hour is up, preheat the oven to 180*C and grease and line some trays.

Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper until it is about 5mm thick. Cut out egg shapes, my cutter is about 5cm long and leave space between them as they do spread a little.

Bake for 12 minutes or so, turning the trays and swapping shelves half way through. The biscuits are ready when they are golden brown around the edges. Cool on a rack.

Make a small amount of icing with about 100g of sifted icing sugar mixture and a little lemon juice. I made it reasonably stiff, used a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off and piped an oval outline around the edge of the biscuits.

Then there is the waiting. There is quite a lot of waiting, for the icing to dry hard.

Make some more icing with about 200-250g of sifted icing sugar and lemon juice and pipe it sparingly into the biscuits, the little edge of icing acts as a dam. The spread the icing out to the edges very gently with a flat knife. Pop a tail onto the 'tail' end of the biscuit, I put the cut end of the marshmallow into the icing.

The there is more waiting. If you try to pipe ears on now they will sink into the white icing. Ask me how I know.....

I took the leftover white icing, added more icing sugar and one drop of pink food colouring and not knowing what I was really doing, piped 'ears' onto the bunnies.

Then I waited . At last I could draw on two little eyes.

They are not a patch on the gorgeous tiny bunnies,  but I think they are cute and sweet!!!

Sweets Dreams

Daylight Saving is over and we enjoyed the extra hour of sleep, though now Peri and Gilly follow me closely from 5pm onwards (which was 6pm last week) and try to make me feed them early. They think they are being deliberately starved for an extra hour.

Who can resist those big eyes?? I can.

I make them wait until the proper time for dinner!!!

Gilly loves Peri and sometimes, whether she is ready or not, decides to give her a big licky kiss!! Sometimes Peri is not quick enough to avoid the smooch!!!

I spent today properly sorting out and organising my embroidery threads: a job well done. It makes me very happy to see such order. Pity about the rest of the house!!

Today I made the fudge from the new BH&G magazine It really is as easy as the title suggests. I'm also half way through the Coconut Cherry Eggs from the Nestle site.

 

Easy Chocolate Fudge   makes 36 pieces

• 100g unsalted butter, cubed
• 200g dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup golden syrup
• 395g tin sweetened condensed milk
• 170g good dark or milk chocolate, chopped
• 2 tspn vanilla extract

Grease and line a 17 x 27cm slice tin with baking paper.

Put the butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk in a large glass microwave-proof bowl.

Microwave on Med-Hi or 75% for 7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. I cooked for 4 minutes on 70% and another 4 on 80% as I can't actually do 75%. Be very careful, the bowl and the fudge will be volcanically hot by the end.

Add the chocolate and the vanilla and beat the fudge with a spoon until the chocolate is all melted and the fudge is smooth and glossy. Pour slowly into the tin and level out with a knife. Cool on the bench and then refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cut with a hot, sharp knife and keep in an airtight container. I found this cute material at The BSODL(tm) and I am thinking of using it somehow to decorate the nice crinkly cello bags.