I can now be found at www.whimsicalwife.co.uk – do come over and have a look
Allotment Day 1
It’s March 18th and Day 1 of my allotment year… I had intended to get here a little sooner, but to be fair the ground has only actually been defrosted for about a week and so 3 months after FINALLY getting my allotment here I am digging!
It’s actually a really big space and already had lots of blackcurrant or blackberry bushes (not sure which and ‘old allotment hands’ opinion on species differ). I’m happy with either – I see jam, pie, crumble… custard…. cream…
It also has a large rhubarb patch – which I’m trying to resist digging up (due to possible child eating toxic leaves scenario) I shall ponder it…
And lots of scraggy strawberry plants make up strawberry corner. The rest a big blank canvas which I cannot wait to get planted up!
Allotment Day 2 commences tomorrow with weeding, garden centre visiting and of course seeking advice from Alan Titchmarsh in the form of The Kitchen Gardener.
Ahhh the pregnant woman & the cackle of witches
This is the little tale of what becomes of perfectly normal non-witch cackling ladies when in the presence of a heavily pregnant woman…
They are scattered far and wide across the playground…. and on spying the heavily pregnant one, begin their innocent converge upon her, sidling across the playground, flitting from conversation to conversation in effort to gain proximity, until a casual group has established… the ladies then morph into a cackle of witches… dispensing their wisdom
Talk turns to comments on how low she is carrying, the relative size of her bottom and the mental conversion to produce a guess at the chances of a boy or a girl. It progresses to ‘handed down’ remedies on how to induce labour, ranging from the raspberry leaf tea, to a special recipe curry, over consumption of pineapple, walking for miles, taking bumpy journeys, indulging in the bedroom and the old favourite castor oil… I half expect a fire to be lit and the baby to be smoked out – such is the intent to ‘help’.
And as the whistle blows for school to commence, the witches, their job complete, drift off and continue their day and the pregnant one returns home to continue her wait.
Just what is it that turns us from ladies to a cackle of witches* ?
* the term used is to express group of women coming together to pass on their knowledge not to indicate they brew potions from tongue of frog… although… I do have my suspicions about one or two of them 
Filed under Pregnancy
The nicest peanut butter cookies ever I think…
Perfect little afternoon biscuit with a cup of tea or big glass of milk if you’re a littlie or if you just prefer milk to tea!
What you need….
- 100g soft unsalted butter (I use Yeo-Valley Organic)
- 150g golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp natural vanilla flavouring
- 2 tblsp (heaped) peanut butter (I use Skippy)
- 200g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg (organic)
What to do….
- Preheat oven to 200C
- Cream together butter & sugar in a bowl
- Whisk egg & vanilla together in separate bowl
- Add egg to the butter & sugar and mix well
- Stir in the peanut butter until mixture all nice and smooth
- Add the flour and baking powder & mix really well until cookie dough has no lumps
- Flour your hands and then pick up cookie dough & roll into ping pong ball sized shapes
- Place on greased baking tray
- Gently squash the ball shapes down flat using back of fork to make criss cross patterns
- Cook for approx. 10 – 12 minutes until just turning golden brown
And next….
Boil kettle and brew nice pot of tea, arrange self in comfortable chair preferably with elevated feet, tea in a nice cup just to hand and your plate of cookies – enjoy!
Bottom lip quivering
Today my lovely boy threw a lovely big fat tantrum for about an hour prior to going to school… he clearly didn’t want to go and gave a whole host of reasons
- “I have a poorly”
- “I really want to watch Fireman Sam”
- “I can’t go you will miss me too much”
- He lost his shoes accidentally on purpose
- He lost ability to get dressed
- He couldn’t walk
- “I have a big headache”
- “I want to take my car” me “you are not allowed to take toys in” him “I’m not going then”
He dragged and sulked all the way to school and as expected I did end up picking him up under my arm (until the gate…) In the playground he stood by my side his bottom lip quivering and bending down I asked him if he wanted to tell me why he didn’t want to go into school (as he actually quite likes school now…) and his little eyes had tears… “a big boy keeps pushing me” :-(
So safely deposited in school with his teacher fully briefed on his sadness, he gave me a little wave from the window as I went past on the way home…
And yet again I can’t help thinking that 4 is just a little bit young to be starting school! What’s wrong with playing and staying home? Why do they have to go to school when they are so little and when in other countries they don’t begin their academic lives until much later – 6 or 7!
Would children who started school at age 6 or 7 not be more ready to learn, more able and competent to look after themselves? But it does then pose the ‘who would look after them until then question’ with such a lot of mother having or choosing to work I don’t suppose this would ever be practical. In fact I think a major overhaul of all children’s childcare, parental leave options, schooling and the like wouldn’t be a bad idea (another post I think).
But for now – I shall make jam tarts & chicken roast dinner – that always cheers up sad little boys
Childhood Photo Meme
I’ve been tagged by Kathryn at Crystal Jigsaw and having some clicking I think this meme began with mum at the Madhouse
Anyway I must tell you about this photograph….
It was taken at my home on the day of my third birthday, this was my most favourite present and I still remember all my birthday cards being posted through the little flappy letter box.
I have to say I spent many many hours playing in that wendy house and can still even remember the strange plasticy smell! And I can still remember that horrid kilt style skirt I had many of them and they all came attached to a nylon vest top bit… which was worn usually under a hand-knitted jumper.
And so I pass on the tag to this little madam…
she grew up to like lots and lots of lovely things and tell you about them on her blog… she also scores quite highly on Just Dance…. Katy Perry.
You can visit her blog here
Secret Post – March
This afternoon I got my lovely secret post and it was such a lovely gift, so well thought about and well just lovely. The gift was sent by Emma from Em’s Shabby Shack and you really must pop over to her blog it’s lovely! She re-vamps old furniture and makes it fabulous!
And the secret post contained oven gloves, apron, a kitchen timer, a little tea-bag holder and a mug filled with chocolate eggs! How lovely is that?!
And they thing I’m finding the most bizzare about this secret post club is that people who don’t know me are sending me such well thought out lovely gifts and yet people who are close to me struggle hugely!
If you want to find out more about secret post you can visit the lovely Heather from Notes From Lapland
Filed under Me, Secret Post Club
