Has Spring Sprung...?

Dare we say that spring has finally sprung...?

While The Professor went to town with Our Boy to an appointment with the optician, I opted for a walk with my camera around my favourite spot - Wimpole Hall.



Wanna come with me...?

We had snow flurries in the air a couple of days ago. In APRIL!? Unheard of in these parts, but this year has not been like any other year. But today's walk was the first without gloves! Surely that must be a sign of spring?

You wouldn't believe how many people were there, but the area is so big that it is only in the car park you notice how many are actually there. But yes, also loads of sheep about. I saw some lambs in other parts of the estate, but on route to my destination (you see it in the distance), there were no lambs among these sheep.

I have written about Wimpole Hall several times before here on the blog - it is such a firm favourite of mine.

The day was a bit hazy, but the sun came out and with the quietness of the area it was so refreshing.

The swans were paired up, but I couldn't see any cygnets around. Perhaps too early, although I did see some other ducklings.

So gracious... but don't go too close!

So, the Easter holidays are coming to an end for me.

The days have been spent partially in Edinburgh where we cleaned the flat we were selling. The sale was completed on Thursday and the new owner has moved in. It is a little nostalgic to have sold the flat, but onwards and upwards and hopefully we find something nice for The Professor in Durham. For now we have rented him a house and we also spent some time there so Our Boy could see the place, too.

Well, back to 'normal' for me. Our Boy still has over a week left of holidays and is being studious and diligent and preparing for his upcoming exams. Another sign of spring is him going off on bike rides with a mate.

So, I think we can conclude - YES!

Spring has sprung!

♥

Easter Visit to Anglesey-Abbey

As Our Boy was revising for upcoming exams, the Professor and I spent Good Friday exploring the National Trust property Anglesey-Abbey.

We are frequent visitors to some of the other National Trust properties in the region, but this was our first trip to Anglesey-Abbey.

It won't be the last.

The place was brimming with little children on their Easter Egghunt, but since we no longer have small children we steered away from the excited crowd and followed the path through the winter garden, to the Mill and then to the manor house itself.

Anglesey-Abbey started out as a priory, but was bought in the 1920s by Lord Fairhaven who transformed the place to a country estate. He had a passion for tradition and impressing guests and this inspired him to transform a run-down country house and desolate landscape.Life revolved around horse racing and shooting, and guests enjoyed 1930s luxury.The estate was given to the National Trust in the late 1960s.

The gardens are truly spectacular with planting for all seasons The path twists and turns and you don't know what is around the corner. We were completely struck with surprise when we found this little area with naked birch trees. The atmosphere was almost a bit eerie among these trees, but I can hardly wait to see it in full bloom in the summer!

The property also contains a working mill where we chatted with the miller and bought some of his freshly milled flour. At £2.25 for 1.5kg there was nothing to complain about!

A lovely walk, great company and a visit to a beautiful house rounded off with tea and scones in the visitor's centre.What more can you want on a chilly spring day?

Tried and Tested: Gluten-free Irish Cream Coffee Cake



Poor light gives poor picture quality, so I have borrowed this picture from the web and it is what the cake looks like!



Easter is just around the corner and I had been given permission by Our Boy to bake a cake

♥

I am always looking to try something new, and decided after seeing I had some gluten-free flour in my larder that needed using up to make Lorraine Pascal's Gluten-free Irish Cream Coffee Cake.

I can report that the cake was approved by Our Boy!

♥

My only comment is that this recipe gives you perhaps more buttercream than necessary unless you want to spread it both between and over the cake. That makes it a bit too much in my opinion, but others may beg to differ.

This is what you need:

200g light brown sugar

pinch of salt

200g cold butter

200g gluten-free flour

1 tsp baking powder

4 beaten eggs

2 drops vanilla extract

80ml strong coffee

In a mixer, mix together the sugar, salt, butter, flour and baking powder. I poured it all in and let it run till it was like breadcrumbs.

Beat in the egg, one at a time, then add the vanilla and coffee.

Beat for 2-3 mins

The recipe said to divide the mixture into two 8 inch tins, but I put it all in one and then cut through them.

Cook for 25-30mins at 180°C

For the buttercream you need (you can probably halve this):

125g butter

250 g icing sugar

2 drops of vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp of Irish Cream liqueur (Bailleys)

I put it all in the mixer and let it beat together till it was all light and fluffy.

Once the sponge(s) is cooled, spread the icing over one and sandwich the other on top.

Dust some icing sugar over for decoration.

A cake best served with strong coffee or a nice cup of tea!

Happy Easter!

Partial Truths and Confessions

I heard on the radio today that Barbra Streisand will be giving one of her rare concerts (apparently, she suffers from terrible stage fright so she doesn't give many concerts) in London this summer (1 June, if I am not wrong). The DJ on the radio said tickets cost £475(!) a piece, which is partially true, as they actually start from about £150.

Still a lot of money, I think and I don't think we will be going (actually I already know I am busy that day!). I am not a huge fan of Barbra, but I must say she sure can belt out a tune and this link above is to one of her more lovely songs: "The way we were..." And while we are on the topic of confessions, yes, I did once 'in my youth' own her album with Barry Gibbs from the BeeGees...

Still, you can buy an awful lot of CDs (or downloads) for the same amount of money as the cost of a concert ticket. Or have I become too sensible and grown up?

Would you have paid £150 for a concert ticket?

Have a great weekend!

♥

Shout Out For A Friend!

Be patient - it won't be long before we can enjoy this again...

This is a shout out for an "old" friend of mine - Cathrine Rød Gundersen - who just published a book called "Boat Friends" (Båtvenner).The book came about when she was looking for a gift for a friend. The sea is obviously a big part of this sea faring nation and many Norwegians spend their spare time roaming the coast and exploring the many little islands scattered around. As the cover picture of the book shows, these long summer evenings are really quite magical.

♥

Cathrine wanted a book depicting life in the boats, but she couldn't find anything except navigation books. So, this energetic lady wrote her own! This 200 page book (in Norwegian) is full of lovely pictures of various boats, the families enjoying them, recipes and loads of tips and suggestions.
A super idea for a gift!

 

Gratulerer med boka, Cathrine!  

Happiness is...

Old and new friends visiting from Norway.

Despite bitterly cold weather we enjoyed the company of visiting friends. Some of us had not met for YEARS. Some even met for the very first time!

☺

We did pretty much the usual things, ate well, drank well, walked a lot and talked a lot

♥

plus planned a lot for upcoming events...

☺

So, although our neighbour mowed the grass last week I would like to know when spring is deciding to come??? We had snow again some days ago and it is incredibly bitterly out there.

Should have known - The Cat refuses to go out. A sure sign that it is cold...

Don't need to look at the temperature - just check out The Cat curled up on the bed!

Recommended Reading: Wildflower Hill

 

I just finished reading "Wildflower Hill" by Kimberley Freeman. An easy read along the same line as Kate Morton's books.  Wildflower Hill is a compelling, atmospheric, and romantic novel about taking risks, starting again, knowing what you want and believing in yourself.

A good holiday read, I would say.

 

The story spans over three generations and half the world. It is a romantic and compelling story of two women who share a legacy of secrets, heartbreak, courage and love.

 

Emma, a prima ballerina in London, is at a crossroads in her career. She is forced to take stock of her life and finds that she’s mistaken fame and achievement for love and fulfillment. Returning home to Australia, she learns of her grandmother Beattie’s death and a strange inheritance: a sheep station in Tasmania.

 

Beattie also found herself at a crossroads as a young woman. She followed an unconventional path that was often dangerous and heartbreaking. Beattie knew the lessons she learned in life would be important to Emma one day, and she wanted to make sure Emma’s heart remained open to love, no matter what life brought. She knew the magic of the Australian wilderness would show Emma the way.

 

 

Deception...

I went up to Durham on Saturday to help The Professor settle in to the rental house we have got him while we wait for the sale in Edinburgh to go through and while we look for something new to buy. I really enjoy these train rides. A bit of luxery to have 3.5 hrs to myself, just sitting reading or crocheting!

This is apparently the oldest University building in the world still in use, from 1027. Nope, it is neither the house we are renting nor the house we went to view... :-)

Glorious weather and lovely with some alone time with The Professor

♥

The house is fine and within walking distance to town and office. But it is a rental, so it takes a little effort to make it more 'home'.

 

On Sunday we went to view a house for sale. It was a big disappointment, to be honest. It is really annoying to see how the estate agents use wide angle lenses to make rooms look bigger...

Makes me really annoyed, actually!

 

But we should be patient.

This was the first house we viewed so I guess we should listen to the quote saying

patience is bitter, but it's fruit is sweet...



A Real Treat on A Normal Working Day...

The Women's Staff Network within the university I work for hosted a lunch time seminar today with comedian Deborah Frances-White as part of the 2013 International Women's Day's.

Deborah is not only a comedian, but also an author, screen-writer, corporate speaker and executive coach.

It short - it was an excellent event.

Funny, insightful and thought provoking.

Her talk focused on what women need to do to become 21st century leaders

- without the power suits, Dynasty hair and shoulder pads!

Most people fear public speaking - almost more than death. It was very effective to see her simple demonstration of how most would behave and how to change it to so you can 'own' a room.

☺

Above is a You Tube clip I found of her.

Food for thought on a Friday.

Have a great weekend!

When You Least Expect It...

not the best picture taken with my IPhone... but at least some natural light!

I have for a long time been looking for a sideboard to go with our dining room furniture, but never found the right size. I wanted one with only two doors, a couple of drawers, not too big and not expensive.

I had more or less given up, but when I went to browse at Homesense on the weekend, there it was! Good sturdy, solid oak. Homsense (or TKMax is another one of these stores) is a great place to browse for unusual items. I believe they buy up leftovers from other stores and sell at heavily reduced prices. Some times I find a lot I could like and some times nothing. But, as it is here today and gone tomorrow and often just a few items of each, you have to buy it when you see it most likely won't be there next time you go.

 

There was a minuscule scratch on the top, so I took courage and haggled and got 10% off! Of course, that scratch is not visible now that I have buffed it up. I am very pleased with all the 'stuff' that now finds it's home inside it!

I have also bought some material with the plan to reupholster the dining room chairs. Think that will wait till it gets a bit warmer and I can work outside in the garden.

 

 Another of my finds, is the metal tray on top of the sideboard, now filled with cones, some cinnamon bark and a candlestick. I bought the tray at a car boot sale once for a 'song', not knowing what metal it was and hoping it would become more silvery when cleaned. It didn't and I still don't know what metal it is, but it works well with the little display on the sideboard.



Tried and Tested: Sticky Toffee Pudding



A Sunday treat?

It was most confusing when we moved to the UK all those years ago and people were talking about 'what they were having for pudding'. Well, we quickly understood that they meant dessert. But to add to the confusion, pudding can also be a savoury dish like Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, or steak and kidney pudding, to mention a few. The word pudding is believed to come from the French boudin, originally from the Latin botellus, meaning "small sausage", referring to encased meats used in Medieval European puddings. As I said, all too confusing and I won't bore you with more historical pudding facts.

I am in this post referring to a dessert (and the pudding is in fact a cake!)

Illustration borrowed from Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861

A friend of mine loves Sticky Toffee Pudding and will have it anytime he goes out for a meal. I happened to think of him yesterday and decided to see if I could find a good recipe to learn to make this traditional British dessert (I still prefer to call this part of the meal for dessert). It was incredibly yummy, moist, and more-ish. The recipe suggested it being served with warm sauce and a scoop of ice cream. I think there can be too much of a good thing and don't see why you need ice cream, but hey! whatever takes your fancy

☺

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food website, and I made some minor amendments to it as I didn't have the exact ingredients to hand. The recipe calls for a bit unusual ingredient - tea!, but trust me - it was delicious!

200 gram dried dates (I used prunes and figs)

250 ml black (not too strong) tea (I used a tea bag of Lady Grey)

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

85 gram butter

175 gram self-raising flour

1 tsp mixed spice

175 golden caster sugar

2 eggs

For the toffee sauce:

100 gram light muscovado sugar

100 gram butter

142 ml double cream (I used whipping cream)

This is how you do it:

Chop the dates (prunes/figs) into small pieces and add to the tea and let it boil for a few minutes until soft. Add the bicarbonate of soda.

Beat the butter and caster sugar until creamy.

Add the eggs, flour and mixed spice.

Add the tea/date mixture and poor into a buttered ovenproof dish.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is firm to touch.

Make the sauce by simmering the sugar, butter and cream over low heat till the sugar has dissolved. Cook till the sauce is thick and has a toffee colour. 

Cut the cake into squares and pour some warm sauce (and a dollop of ice cream, if you want) over.

Mmmmm...

☺ 

Some Small Projects

Simple in white.

Those of you that follow me on Instagram might have seen that I have found time for some small crocheting projects. Our Boy and I went to Edinburgh for a few days last week as it was half term, The Professor's birthday and Valentine's Day. Talk about having a lot to celebrate! It was probably the last time we visit before we sell the flat. I must admit it was a little nostalgic, but a new chapter opens and we will hopefully soon be househunting again.

 

On the way up to Edinburgh on the train I crocheted this bib which will be making it's way to Switzerland once I have put some decorations on it. I found the pattern via Fru Tunheim who had found it via some other blog, but here is the link to the original blog (in Norwegian). I am also working on a special item for a friend of mine (almost a secret so no pictures yet), but I like having more than one thing on the go, so last night I started this super easy scarf pictured below.

Purple - my all-time favourite colour!

It is the simplest pattern ever and can be done 'in your sleep' or at least while watching TV. I am pleased to have found a way to use up some silk mohair yarn that was just 'hanging about'. I must admit I have forgotten where I found the pattern, but I will get back with the link once I have had a look at the IPad where I stored it...

Recommended Reading: "Child Wonder"

I just finished the Norwegian author Roy Jacobsen's book "Child Wonder" (or "Vidunderbarn", in Norwegian).

 

The book is set in a suburb of Oslo in the early 1960s -  a time when 'men became boys and housewives women'. It is the year the Berlin Wall was erected and Gagarin became the first man to travel into space. The book is about childhood, intensely social-democratic life in Norway in the 60s, and the effect of painful memories. The book is a gripping and unsentimental portrait of childhood and a very uplifting novel. And the story stops at the right place. There is a form of closure and you sense the potential for a new story.

In another book.

♥

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Waiting for Spring - at Chippenham Park

As you can see, the snow has disappeared. It is one week between the pictures in this post as to the previous one.

Not that it feels much different. It is still pretty cold...

On Sunday I went with some friends to Chippenham Park to see the snowdrops in bloom. I had never heard of Chippenham Park before - always a delight to learn of new exciting places after all these years.

Chippenham Park is a large country house dating back to the 17th century with vast gardens, lakes and a beautiful park with lots of statues of different animals surprising us as we walked along. The owners open the gardens to the public only certain times of the year, but the property is also used for weddings and special events. I can see this is a special place, although bitterly cold as we walked around. I will definitely come back. Perhaps on a warmer and sunnier day around the beginning of April when the daffodils should be out?

Oh! I can't wait for spring!!!

On the River

We have started shaking off the winter here. These pictures were taken last Sunday - a week ago. I am pleased to say that all the ice is now gone! And I am not missing it!

☺ 

Last weekend I went off for the first time to see Our Boy and his team racing on the river (he is the third from the back).

It was cold, crisp, but lovely clear day. Here some of the teams are getting ready to start - it was a busy day on the river! Our Boy was well pleased as they came second in their category.

Knitting Baby Socks...

Our little friend in Zurich needs some warm woolen socks/babyboots

These are super easy and fast to knit - a few nights in front of the TV and they are done!

I hope these will help keep him warm

I found the pattern in a blog, but I can't remember the blog to refer to (sorry!). I used the Norwegian yarn Dalegarn Falk and knitting needles 2.5. I got the yarn from Dragonyarns who sell Dale yarn here in the UK. Another place for various Norwegian yarns is Scandinavian Knitting Design.

Here is how I did it (size 3-6 months):

Cast on and knit 36 stiches back and forth for 9 cm

Then only knit the middle 12 till it all measures 14 cm

Pick up 11 stiches on either side of the middle knitted bit

Knit 12 rounds with all the stiches

Now for the bottom of the sock:

Knit only the 12 middle stitches but at the end of each round you knit the last stitch together with the side stitch

Continue like this till you only have 4 stiches left on either side plus the 12 in the middle.

Cast off and sow it neetly together.

Fold down the sock

Or in Norwegian:

Legg opp 36 masker og strikk rillestrikk 9 cm.

Str så kun over de midterste 12 maskene til arb måler 14 cm.

Plukk opp 11 masker på hver side av fotlappen og strikk nå alle maskene på pinnen igjen.

Strikk 12 pinner med alle maskene.

Avfelling under foten:

Strikk over de 12 midterste maskene, men på slutten av hver omg strikker du den 12 masken sammen med sidemasken. Fortsett slik med å strikke to masker sammen hver omgang, strikk til det kun gjenstår 4 masker i hver side i tillegg til de 12 midtmaskene.

Fell av og sy pent sammen.

Brett sokken ned. 

A Little Gem of a Secret...

picture borrowed from the web

A while ago a friend of mine told me about Fattoria la Vialla.

 

As it is explained on their website "The La Vialla Farm is a family-run agricultural enterprise, one of the oldest and largest organic-biodynamic farms in this little piece of Chianti".

 

picture borrowed from the web

My friend had purchased their products for years and was so thrilled with them, so on her recommendation I ordered a bottle of wine, some pecorino cheese and some olive oil.

  ☺

The products were all amazing - particularly the wine - the Casa Conforto Chianti Superiore D.O.C.G. 2010.

picture borrowed from the web - I see the label says 2008, I have only tried the 2010

To be honest, I am not a big wine drinker. Most of the time I would rather have water, but this wine is really something else. At £6.50 a bottle - including free delivery - you can't argue with that! (You have to order for minimum £75 to get free delivery, but I teamed up with my friend, so no problem reaching £75 between us.) A new case is now in our house and no other wine will do!

♥

To top it all - A few days later I also received in the post a small sample of their new wine as well as a few pieces of biscotti and a mini-bottle of olive oil. I like service like that.

picture borrowed from the web

I don't know if they ship to other countries (other than the UK) and what the customs implications might be, but they are easy to contact via the email found on their website to find out.

 

Apparently, they also have holiday houses for rent on their property.

Perhaps we do another Italian holiday this summer...?

♥

 

PS: I am (unfortunately) not sponsored by Fattoria La Vialla

☺

Recommended Reading: "Tett Inntil Dagene"

I am reading a book I got for Christmas by an acclaimed Swedish-Kurdish author, Mustafa Can. I am reading it in Norwegian (originally written in Swedish: "Tätt Intill Dagarna") and the English title is "Close To The Day".
 

The book is mesmerising in its sadness and at the same time a tender description of Can's dying mother. The book is about her last months and how her son during this time gets to know his mother in a new way. He rediscovers her culture and background, a world he has fought to get rid of and has felt ashamed of. He gets to know a woman who has lost 7 of her 15 children, who left her country and settled in an unknown culture. He sees the challenges she faced settling in a culture she struggled to understand, but which her children quickly embraced. The story is also an example of the challenges of growing up between different cultures.

 

The book is beautifully written and I am enjoying the lovely use of the language. I read quite a lot, and most of the time the language is fine (sometimes it is not!). But every now and then you come across something that is superbly well written.
 

This is one of those books.

And Then the Snow Came...

After several days of severe warnings and very little action, proper snow finally came this weekend! Ok, I know that some parts of the UK have had loads more than we have, but I can't help thinking there is a slight sense of drama going on... Many schools are closed, trains and flights are cancelled and people are forced to either take holidays to look after their children or try to work from home. At least let's hope the kids go out and play in the snow!

I spent a large part of my childhood in Norway and can't remember that school was ever shut even for a single day because of snow... However, I do remember there was talk of sending the children home once because it was too hot one summer...

☺

But since there are no winter tyres for the cars and many don't have proper winter clothing (amazing to see people walking to work in their wellies! - must be sooooo cold and slippery!) it is no wonder even a small amount of snow take people by surprise. The Cat has not been outside since Thursday evening when he spent the grand total of 2 minutes outside...

☺

I am enjoying this little show of snow. It makes everything look very pretty and clean. And I like the freshness in the air. 

So, put on another layer of clothing and stay warm out there! I can see the daffodils and other spring flowers are already about 5-10cm above the ground so it will be spring soon enough!

♥

4 Blue...and Freestyle Knitting

4 blue degrees this morning and bright sunshine makes the world look pretty

☺

But it was awfully cold biking in to work...

I have been busy lately with the "knitting bug" - knitting socks and other things.
One of the projects was to re-vamp a cushion we were given last year by good friends. Being very creative people, they had in a joint project made a scatter cushion for us. I loved this cushion as they had all contributed with the layout using different textures and materials in the panels. So, I was really upset when one of the panels made with lace got worn and torn!

The new panel in the cushion is made of the same yarn I used when knitting the "Marius-cushion"

To repair it I knitted freestyle two new panels, making up a pattern as I went along alternating knit and purl stiches (rett og vrang) and simply covered the broken lace.

One of my favourite shapes is the heart, so I included a couple of hearts.

 Now we have a unique scatter cushion jointly made with 

love!

I Used To...

Great book with very easy explanations - in Norwegian.

I used to collect cooking books...

I still do. I have a lot... 

No, I have not counted them...

♥

But lately I note that another collection is starting to take shape - knitting and crocheting books. Even if I know how to knit and crochet, it is always good with new inspiration and to learn new techniques! Just like I know how to cook, but it is still good with new inspiration and to learn new techniques...

Do I sound like I am trying to justify myself here...?

☺

Inspiring book and the description of the shawl I am hoping to make is in this book

Here are three of the latest ones that have found their way to my bookshelf the last month

Original book is in Norwegian, but you can now also get it in English (as you see!)

Nope, my hands are not idle in the winter evenings. 

☺

At the moment I am knitting socks to use up some old yarn after making some of the Christmas balls.  I have promised myself NOT to buy any new yarn until some of the old stock has been used up! I have finally cracked how to do the heel nicely! Very satisfying!

So proud of myself!!!

But I have also promised to try to crochet somebody very special a rather intricate shawl. Even if I have got myself a special lamp - with a magnifying mirror which is excellent for doing bead work -  I prefer daylight to do that so it will have to be a weekend project.

So, what is YOUR project these days (or evenings)?

Slow Start to the New Year... (or perhaps not)

Happy New Year!

I went a bit quiet over the holidays, but I am back again!
Here is a quick summary:

 

We enjoyed lovely, peaceful days over Christmas with loads of seasonal food... and it continued when we went to Norway to celebrate the New Year!
The weather was not the best although we were greeted with a lovely white wintry landscape. Well, that soon turned into pure ice and rain... But never mind, the company was great! A couple of days before New Year's Eve we were invited for pinnekjøtt and on New Year's Eve we were 15 around the table enjoying a gourmet meal cooked by the host's nephew who is a professional chef at a great restaurant in Oslo.

We have been so spoiled!

♥

Marius pattern bedsheets!

I didn't manage much shopping whilst 'home', but I managed to run and get new bedsheets for Our Boy. He was lucky enough to be given a super long down duvet (2.20m) and bedsheets when kind and considerate friends came from Norway earlier in December. At 16 he is 1.85m, so the regular duvets (2.00m) are short for him and you can't get any longer ones here (yes, I have asked!). Talk about happy boy!  'Now I don't have to choose whether to have cold feet or cold shoulders', he says. Oh, the little details that make life comfortable

☺

After we came back to England The Professor and I we went straight to Durham to suss out the town and to start looking for accommodation for him. Early days yet, but we plan to rent something for a while whilst waiting to sell the place in Edinburgh and then buy something new in Durham. I am pleased to say I liked the town very much! Reminds me in many ways of where we live now, but still different. For one thing, Durham has hills.... On a positive note - great for exercise!

Oh, and we managed to see "Life of Pi" at the movies! I had not read the book, but I enjoyed the film!

 

 

So, now back to normal routine!

Work wise, that is...

☺

I end today's post with a picture of my friend's new Jack Russel puppy...

Too cute for words!
 

Hope you are having a good start to the new year!