london1952 | Entries tagged with cake

Yes, since I last managed to log on to LJ properly I have turned (that scary number) 60 !

I had a FABULOUS birthday thanks to the gorgeous

london1967 who planned our (my) wonderful birthday surprise trip.

And a big "thank you" to everyone wished me a happy one on his LJ posts !

I have very mixed feelings about being 60, no doubt I'll be posting about some of them in the near future........ be warned !! LOL

My feet have hardly touched the ground for quite a while, we were busy before going away, then 10 days of loveliness, then the day after we returned my mother was taken into hospital (for a couple of days as it turned out) and I spent the weekend with her just after she returned home, then it was 4 days back at home and then back to mother's for a pre-planned weekend, and now it's my first day back catching up with all sorts. My mother was much improved this weekend, and I managed to get her out and about which seems to have done her the world of good. She had had another "episode", and was particularly down and depressed this time..... "they" seem to think it was a "post stroke epileptic seizure" and she is due an appointment with the (excellent) stroke specialist she has seen previously. Unfortunately, she had a "bit of a do" with one of the doctors in hospital, who treated her like a "worthless" geriatric, but others (younger) were thankfully more helpful. I'm back "up North" in four weeks time again......

So, the day before my holiday trip a neighbour-friend had asked if I would do a repeat bake of my "Dolly Mixture Victoria Sponge" for a charity coffee morning she was hosting, so in between packing for a mystery destination I managed to produce this.......

No, that's not me standing with it, though my body-shape is fast becoming the same !

The birthday trip started off with something of an adrenaline rush ! ......we had to catch the 6.45am train to Victoria on the Saturday morning...not an hour I am familiar with at the weekend, or in fact in the week !! Half-way through the journey, and having just left a station, the train ground to a halt and after some minutes the power was turned off. Eventually the driver made an announcement after a nail-biting 20 minutes or so !! ...we only had two in the whole 35 minutes we were stranded !! I wasn't sure where we were going, I did wonder if we were headed for Eurostar, but a rather rattled Franco said we were en-route to Heathrow and there was an allowance for delays built in to his timing.... we just hoped there were no more, and luckily there wasn't. "Madrid" was displayed on the board at the departure gate, and I just had no idea what to expect ! (we'd had a weekend in the city some years ago) but by early evening we were enjoying a aperitivo in the sun, Martini Rosso for Franco, a "Spanish-style" (as in very large) G&T - just the ticket !! - on the terrace of our first Parador !

and our first view of Avila !

In my first bit of catching up this morning I came across this item............. sadly, only available in the USA !! Grrrr !! Of course we haven't quite caught up fully with the latest at Downton Abbey either..........

DOWNTON ABBEY KEEP CALM AND RING CARSON FOR TEA SHIRTS

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: home
Current Music: washing machine in competition with Gaydar radio

The lovely Ricardo (aka

bazanges) has joined us for a few days of R&R, which very nicely coincided with three days of glorious weather over the weekend. Today the temperature has returned to normal, it's rather gloomy and threatening to rain. We had a rather lazy couple of days after a busy week, so got to enjoy the relaxed feeling good weather brings with it.

Yesterday we ventured as far as our local plant nursery for tea and cake, it's only two streets away, so not too far to stroll......

Franco (aka

london1967) had his halo on and just had tea ! Ricardo had a slice of frosted blueberry cake, and I had coffee & walnut cake.

Earlier in the day, with the sun streaming through the sitting room window and catching the glass drop hanging from the centre catch Franco caught the rainbow (which just goes to prove he definitely is my gold at the end of the rainbow!)

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: home
Current Music: radio

..... it certainly feels a bit like that this morning !! I'm working my way through doing a big pile of laundry and listening to the radio (and reading online) people's thoughts of how the Olympics have gone and their thoughts on the closing ceremony last night. Plus, after a lovely weekend with the gorgeous

london1967, it's always a bit dull on a Monday !

I started the weekend off baking a Dolly Mixture Victoria Sponge for a coffee morning our neighbour-friend Sharon was holding on behalf of local charity being held at our local church....it turned out quite well, and apparently was quite a "hit" !

As the weather forecast was good Franco and I had planned to go and visit Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill House in Twickenham which has been quite recently extensively restored, and F pre-booked the tickets for timed-entry. As he has posted his photographs of our visit I will hold mine back for a few days..... wouldn't want anyone to overdose on the confection that is SHH ! LOL. Our trip included a stop-off at Marble Hill House, which incredibly is only open for guided tours twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays, a rather busy Ham House with an even busier tea-room, and Orleans House Gallery, and a short ferry-boat trip across the Thames in both directions...my second Riparian entertainment of the week !!

The Cake !

Photo-crazy at Strawberry Hill House, and even the juice had strawberry in it !

At least we took the boat !! LOL

a busy tea-room meant a cream tea had to be fought for !! LOL - but we managed (just!)

and a lovely pot of marigolds with the sweetest flower of all !

Then Sunday evening arrived, and it was time for the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics..... The Queen decided, very wisely I'm sure (as she'd already had to sit through a long "music" concert for her Diamond Jubilee), to send Prince Harry as her representative for the evening. Of course, it would be very difficult to "follow" the great opening ceremony, and the idea was for it to be a big street party, but really, they do manage to dig up some "blast-from-the-past"s !! ....and just to show how out of touch I am, some "who-the-hell-are-they"s !! LOL Personally I think there should have been a much wider range of music rather then just "pop"... but the Spice Girls were fun, Annie Lennox's entrance was fantastic, and a few of the "performances" were good.... and I did watch the whole three hours without leaving the room ;-) I have to say that the choreography of the whole event was spectacular, particular considering the thousands involved !

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: home

........after the last couple of very busy weeks I was hoping to catch up with everything, particularly as I "home alone" on account of

london1967 being away in Italy visiting family. LJ was one of the main things on my list, but guess what, it's still "to do", I don't know where the time has gone, and I never seemed to have stopped ! I've also got a bit of a hey-fever/chill thing going on that seems to have mainly been a throat thing, barking and clogging up have caused some very disturbed night's sleep, so I've been up quite early (for me!) each morning to start on stuff, apart from today.

Friday evening I caught up with a very old friend who, it seems, I haven't met up with for at least 18 months ! ....at least FB keeps us in touch but I'm amazed it's that long.... he only lives in north London ! Then Saturday, after food shopping, as it was the only day forecast to be dry, I spent all afternoon tidying the front and side gardens, planting out some summer-bedding plants and generally trying to deal with mess left by cats, snails, slugs and aphids..... and laundry was happening too. Yesterday was very dull weather-wise and I caught up with, at least some, of my outstanding chores for the residents' association etc, but not nearly enough. The rain arrived and was very heavy, I don't think it stopped at all in the night and is pretty much non-stop today....at least we've escaped flooding so far.....there's plenty of it around the country, particularly Wales.

I "gave up" on Desperate Housewives quite a while ago, at least a season and a half I think, though Franco has been watching it, but succumbed to watching the very last episode last night....it was sweet, and really quite touching and very different from the weirdly fascinating programme I ended watching the hour before. Reviewed today in the Guardian:-

TV review: Nina Conti – A Ventriloquist's Story

‘Putting a new hand into a dead artform’ … Nina Conti and her puppets.

"That's an awkward title, isn't it? Nina Conti – A Ventriloquist's Story: Her Master's Voice (BBC4, Sunday). Too long, too many parts to it, very hard to include in any sentence. In some ways it's an awkward film, too. And self-indulgent, luvvie-duvvie, rambling, a bit weird. It's also – also weirdly – touching, brave, honest, imaginative, self-aware, hilarious.

Conti became a ventriloquist after her mentor and lover, Ken Campbell, the maverick theatre person and "truffle pig for other people's talents", snorted out this old-fashioned and unfashionable stagecraft for her. It could have been worse, I suppose; she could have got juggling. When Campbell died, he left Conti his collection of dolls (including one of him). She's been doing it for 10 years, and is now having doubts about whether to continue or not.

Thing is, even though it may be unfashionable (she's right, you do groan when you find out someone is a ventriloquist), she is brilliant at it. Not technically, perhaps – most of her characters seem to have the same voice, the voice of a person with a rictus grin. But she pours herself into them, especially her monkey, and lays herself bare. She messes about with roles – she's the monkey, we're the monkey; she's talking to him, to us, to Campbell, to (mainly) herself. The books and the teach-yourself-ventriloquism kit Campbell gave Conti to get her started have been torn up. She's put a new hand into a dead artform, given it a new voice, made it much less groansome, and much funnier.

But now she's going on a journey, possibly a final one, with her odd little collection of friends in her suitcase, ready to have a hand – and an alter ego – stuffed up them. Except Campbell, who remains silent. They're off to the World Ventriloquism Convention in Kentucky, at an eerie place called Vent Haven, where puppets are laid to rest.

It's a pilgrimage of sorts. And a requiem – to Campbell, to the other puppets perhaps, to an aborted child (oh yes, it's dark, too). It's an adventure, a journey of discovery. The discovery of a bunch of weirdos who say things to and through their dolls that they probably wouldn't say otherwise (ventriloquism really seems to be a kind of therapy). It's a journey of self-discovery too, of course, for Conti. And it's lovely, easily the TV highlight of the weekend."

---o0o---

And just to finish off this post, a couple of Victoria sponge cakes that I made very recently, one lemon, the other raspberry and vanilla, and a couple of roses in the garden.....I'm not sure why I keep feeling compelled to photograph them all the time......... I should get out more !! LOL

~~Guns~~ Cakes & Roses !

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: home
Current Music: radio

A few days ago I was up in Leeds for one of my regular weekends visiting my mother, it was rather well timed as the previous weekend she'd had a mini-stroke and I was hoping we might be able to get out and about in the car and let her have a change of scenery. As luck would have it, she was almost back to "normal"(!), so barring a couple of Little "episodes" we carried on as usual. Sadly I'd not checked my camera, and the battery was as dead as a dodo, so I got no photos of our little outings.

We went to visit the new cafe that my sister as manageress has just opened, we went for our "pensioners specials" at the fish and chip restaurant we frequent, we had runs out in the car, lunches out, and bedding plants for summer bought including a bit of additional retail therapy.

SO, it had struck mother that I am in fact 60 years old this year (she's 86 in August)...... and found it difficult to believe, which she told me on more than one occasion ! And of course each conversation included "did I get more tired these days?", "do I find I can't do as much as I used to ?" "am I slowing down ? ", etc. Well, in fact, I had pondered over these questions in my mind in recent months, but never said anything out loud.....about from "oh, I'm getting old!" every so often. I have to say it brought me up short to admit that I am now getting on, and can't do as much as I used to, and that what I've been telling myself is laziness is actually ageing......I'm certain there's a bit of laziness in there though ! And the Big 6-0 is looming..........nooooooooooo!!!

So I've decided to try and accept it, and not feel guilty when I've worn myself out doing something. Worrying about not doing enough only gives the old blood-pressure the opportunity to do a work-out, which isn't the best option...... Chillax can be my Mantra.....not that I need much persuading.

Well I guess that's why I haven't got round to keeping up with LJ, in spite of meaning to over the last few weeks, as there seems to be so much going on at the moment, and I always seem to run out of time. I've added a few hours volunteering at our new local garden nursery on a Wednesday, and then it's the Garden Museum on a Thursday. It's my last Italian lesson of the current course on Wednesday evening, and I can't tell you how much my head spins for those two hours a week !! LOL plus all the other stuff....

The weather has been absolutely glorious for the last 7 days.... a mini-Summer, though I understand it's about to fizzle out just in time for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend (typical!), so it's fingers crossed for nothing too awful weather-wise for our residents' association Street Party next Tuesday afternoon, I've tried to keep the organisation to a minimum, but it does have a way of running away with itself ! LOL

My friend Stephen came down at the weekend for a couple of days, we didn't roam far and took it fairly easy.....though we did make him watch Eurovision on Saturday evening !! (I think secretly he didn't mind it too much - his top vote went to Estonia, but it wasn't for the song !! LOL)

Franco (

london1967) "hard-at-it!", some lovely honeysuckle at the end of our road, and my lemon Victoria sponge that turned out rather well, if I do say so myself !

Stephen's "favourite" Eurovision entrant ! - Ott Lepland

Estonia: Ott Lepland Ott Lepland (Photo: Toomas Volkmann)

And my favourite song and performance, Pastora Soler for Spain
(the best vocalist by far)

Current Mood: calm
Current Location: home

Our weekend started early as it was Franco's (london1967) Birthday on Friday, commencing with me meeting him on Piccadilly for Afternoon Tea at The Wolseley. Having used his camera to take a couple of photographs outside, the camera decided, once we were shown to our table, to somersault out of his pocket and disappear ! We heard a "clunk" so it definitely landed somewhere, but where ? A great scene of moving tables and chairs, crawling around on the (tut-tut) dusty floor, and general mayhem with waiters joining in and bemused diners either side of us, and all to no avail....... In bewilderment, we had a last look down the very narrow gap behind the banquette Franco was sitting on, and spied the dratted thing there, beyond reach as the seating was solidly fixed. Luckily a waiter with "thin" arms managed to retrieve it and we could all settle down and have a much-needed glass of champagne to recover....... what a palaver !

From there we travelled to Waterloo to the Old Vic theatre for a performance of "Noises Off", which turned out to be hilarious and great fun throughout, and we laughed so much we were exhausted by the end !

The "Birthday Boy" pre-performance........ with the theatre behind.

I had started Friday baking a chocolate and cherry marbled Victoria sponge cake, with vanilla buttercream and cherry jam filling, topped with a cherry chocolate ganache and (shop-bought, tut-tut!) rice-paper flowers and of course candles, for a surprise Birthday cake when we eventually got home around midnight.

Saturday, I had planned to do a couple of hours gardening, but it started to rain and I decided to stay put indoors and do very little !!...... The garden is awakening now in spite of the cool weather and frosts we've been having recently.

On Sunday we were invited to a Birthday Breakfast at a neighbour friend's house for his friend's (who we also know) 40th.... so that was a fun start to the day. Franco then went for his swimming lesson, and I then met him in town to go for something to eat at "My Old Dutch" - pancake based menu - followed by a special preview of the new film "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" with great performances from a host of the UK's best loved older actors....... it was great, and the audience burst into applause at the end, but then again we were in Chelsea, darling !!

My Valentine Flowers have been a wonderful show all week..................

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: home

Time to clear up after the excesses of Christmas, New Year and Panto Season. I made a great effort to clear all the Christmas decorations away and get the guest bedroom "straight" for the lovely David coming to stay last weekend to play his cameo part of Inspector Knowall. Our house is packed at the best of times, but there is a small mountain of gifts, food and "stuff" still to find a place for........though one particularly "odd" gift we got found itself amongst the raffle prizes last Saturday, so I'm sure it's gone to a more appreciative home! The guest bedroom is once again a heap of things waiting to be sorted out, I'm hoping inspiration comes over the weekend ! LOL

Apparently the "Mount Olympus Tarts" made by "Hera" inspired our friend (& neighbour) Sim to do some baking on Sunday, and we got a door-step drop-off of delicious Battenberg Cake (even the marzipan was made from scratch) and a quantity of Baklava (which was eaten before it could be photographed LOL)

A tired Franco (

london1967) in the middle of posting Panto photographs..............

....and that Amaryllis again (with it's green cast) together with an orchid that has been flowering for a couple of months

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: home

Cakes have featured high on the agenda this week ! .......On Monday, Lynne had organised a small surprise "cake & bubbly" get-together for our friend and neighbour "Prosecco Sue", I made a Lemon & Raspberry Victoria Sponge.........

On Friday, our neighbour friend Sharon held a Macmillan Global Coffee Morning to raise money for their cancer care and support charity, so with limited time available I decide to make a second one first thing in the morning (good job I wasn't taking part in the Great British Bake-Off as I was racing against the clock and lost by half an hour !!!) .......

And on Friday evening it was I who was "caught out" by a surprise (ie: shock !!) birthday party that Lynne had organised for me !! ... I had absolutely no idea anything was going on.... we were supposed to be going to a local fish & chip restaurant !! The lovely Miranda made me a spectacular pyramid of lavender infused cupcakes !!

CAKETASTIC !!!!!

Current Mood: cheerful

There is plenty of tea in the cupboard, but sadly no cake ! ...... and it's too wet outside to go shopping for butter !

this i the one I made for our Royal Wedding tea party

as was this touch of Anglo-Americanism.....

Red Velvet Cupcakes in Union Jack cases... later turned into "Butterfly Buns" with buttery cream-cheese frosting.

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: home
Current Music: gaydar radio

Wishing you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!

Big Hugs from Adrian & Franco !

Current Mood: cheerful

I just made my third Queen Elizabeth Cake, in the hopes that this time I get a nice big piece ! Not very photogenic, but apparently it's delicious ! Thanks to

bobalone for sending me the recipe, though it did need a touch of translation into "the english" !!

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: home

As everyone knows, afternoon tea is one of my favourite things, and it just so happens that one of my most favourite operas is La Traviata, so imagine my joy and suprise when I found this !!

It's been sunny today, though very chilly (around 6 - 7C at best), so I managed to get some more bulb-planting and pottering done in the garden and some errands......... so not ALL day was spent on YouTube !! LOL

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: home
Current Music: kylie !!

When we were in Copenhagen we decided to visit A.C.Perch's Tea Shop, the oldest of it's type in Europe (apparently). It looked almost Dickensian and small. There was a notice for the Tea Room, which turned out to be quite secluded, bu wonderful. Through a side door in an archway between buildings and on the floor above the shop we found it. The entrance looked almost like going into someone's apartment !

As it was my actual birthday, it seemed silly not to celebrate with afternoon tea and a glass of bubbly, even though it was really lunch time !! But, you know us and sweet treats !!



Dainty finger sandwiches followed by buttermilk scones with lemon curd, fruit preserve and clotted cream, and little sponge confections of raspberry and passion fruit................. who could resist !!    Earl Grey tea and a glass of Crement.

Tea-making at it's most elegant !

and the half-way mark !!

Current Mood: giddy
Current Location: home
Current Music: radio

Over the weekend, the lovely london1967 found time to upload photos from my mobile phone, and some from our "small" camera that I used in Copenhagen, and get them on to my flickr photostream. Needless to say, I am totally hopeless with any type of technology.....
So, I now have lots to blog about... it's probably going to take me weeks to catch up ! LOL

Where better to start off, than with Cakes !!

When in Copenhagen, eat Cake !!

Day 1 - warm apple cake with soured cream
Day 2 - pineapple cake, with fresh pineapple and whipped cream
Day 3 - strawberry and almond tart

I cannot help but wonder, is this diet the reason for my expanding waistline ??

Current Mood: hungry
Current Location: home
Current Music: gaydar radio

Well I'm home alone today as Franco (london1967) is attending a workshop. I'm quite used to being at home, but it feels rather strange today for some reason.... I think it could be that it's just quieter in general, less traffic and people noise than weekdays. I'm really looking forward to him being home in a couple of hours.......

I had a slow start this morning as I think I may have had half a glass of wine too much last evening whilst entertaining friends for dinner. I did get most of the washing up done before going to bed, but putting china, glass and cutlery took me a while first thing. Since then, I've made a cottage pie - comfort food - for supper this evening, baked my second chocolate marble cake of the week (this one for Franco to take to his course tomorrow) and I am just waiting for a Madeira cake (Nigella's recipe) to finish bakng........ I suddenly thought the marble cake has ground almonds in it, so I better make something "nut-free" in case any of his fellows have nut-allergies ! We can take some of the Madeira cake with us this evening, as we are going to help Miranda and Lynne with some "work-queries" - my input will be minimal, as it's all technical !! but I'll manage a glass of rose wine no doubt ! lol

I also found a couple of photos I took of Franco a few weeks ago when my sister and youngest nephew came to stay for the weekend........

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: home alone
Current Music: gaydar radio

Hopefully, Franco (london1967) is winging his way back from Turin as I type (Italian thunderstorm permitting). It seems ages since I've seen him, 4 days, and I can't wait to have him home, although as he took his laptop I have been able to keep up with (some of) his activities !!

Here is a picture from last week, having tea and cake(s) in Princi, Soho, with Mike from Atlanta.......

they have a "groovy" window box built out from the front window, displaying different goodies every day

Here he is enjoying a cuppa in the Brighton Pavilion recently

Current Mood: good
Current Location: home
Current Music: gaydar radio.... scissor sisters

......... but it sure tasted good !!

Nigella's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

Current Mood: good
Current Location: waiting for the rain to stop
Current Music: radio....

Well this evening I am baking Nigella's Cherry-Almond Loaf Cake for our residents association "Golden Oldies" get-together tomorrow afternoon. No, I haven't joined quite yet, though an afternoon of tea, cake and whinging does have a certain appeal!!

Next it's dinner watching the first in the new series of Desperate Housewives.......... 5 years on!!

Current Mood: busy
Current Location: home
Current Music: gaydar radio

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london1952

May 2013

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Page Summary

I'm Adrian, and I'm 60 !!!
Cakes, Rainbows and Sunny Weather !
The Party's Over !!
Trying to catch up......
....maybe Mother is right !!
Le Weekend !
Catching Up !
It's been a "Let Them Eat Cake" week !
Where There Is Tea.... There Should Be Victoria Sponge !
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADKNITS !!
Queen Elizabeth the Third !
Tea & Traviata !
Just My Cup of Tea !!
Let them eat Cake ! Yet again !!
Home Alone
(Hopefully) Homeward Bound
Not the prettiest cake on the shelf........
let them eat cake!

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Style: Neutral Good for Practicality by timeasmymeasure

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Dragged out of Retirement

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Entries tagged with cake

I'm Adrian, and I'm 60 !!!

Cakes, Rainbows and Sunny Weather !

The Party's Over !!

Trying to catch up......

....maybe Mother is right !!

Le Weekend !

Catching Up !

It's been a "Let Them Eat Cake" week !

Where There Is Tea.... There Should Be Victoria Sponge !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADKNITS !!

Queen Elizabeth the Third !

Tea & Traviata !

Just My Cup of Tea !!

Let them eat Cake ! Yet again !!

Home Alone

(Hopefully) Homeward Bound

Not the prettiest cake on the shelf........

let them eat cake!