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remember me ...

With the warmer weather and longer days, you will find me more out than in, as I love my garden and outside space with a passion.

Only a handful of you come over to visit me here. I shall be joining in with Simone's Tuesday Garden Rake over this side of the fence. Just pop your head over, so I know you're behind it!

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Below is a token of mutual respect, admiration and friendship taken from an old journal, August 4th, 1853. It's from an inspirational book I bought from a carboot a few years back, called On Women & Friendship by Starr Ockenga.

To my teacher, Elthelda Coggan, from your pupil.

'Remember me when gone away, and I the same will do,
and when you're with your friends at home, then I'll remember you.

Forget me ah forget me not, when evenings shades descend,
For then my thoughts will turn to thee, my fondly cherished friend.'

o

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easter and sugar overload ...

Inbetween shifts at work this week, I managed to fit in making a Simnel cake. I've always wanted to make one, and for my first attempt I was a bit chuffed at how it turned out.

I took the recipe from Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book, one of the first ever books I bought when J and I set up home together in the eighties from the Lakeland Plastics catalogue. No internet ordering in those days!

I didn't really have the time to be too fussy with its appearance, ending up using a more rustic approach.

I wanted to put the eleven balls of almond paste (marzipan) on the top, each representing the eleven apostles (excluding Judas) present at The Last Supper.





I have every other Thursday off work, and must admit to feeling a bit jammy today. After the foul weather of yesterday, in complete contrast out came the sun.

Perfect for taking photos.

Talking of feeling jammy, a few week's back I was lucky enough to win one of Simone's lovely giveaway crochet jam-jar covers. They are made to fit a Bonne Maman jam-jar, but not having one mine is just slipped over a glass, perfect for these eleven tiny narcissi I picked from my garden.

Simone sent me the one in Cornishware colours!




I made my own almond paste (marzipan), and a recipe is in the book too. It's so much nicer than the shop bought stuff, very easy to make, and you can store it in the fridge wrapped in cling until you need it.

All you need to make about 1.5lb is 8oz ground almonds, 8oz caster sugar, 8oz icing sugar, two whole eggs and 6 drops of almond essence. Once mixed, knead lightly.

A layer of almond paste is placed inbetween the cake mix, and once baked gives the cake a moist pudding-like texture.

For the complete Mary Berry golden look, brush the top with egg and finish off for a few seconds under a hot grill.



I had my family over this afternoon for a cup of tea and slice of cake (Worzel Gummidge), and for those not keen on dried fruit and marzipan, there was Coffee Sponge.

Made in the style of a Mary Berry traybake, but in a round tin not rectangle, as I couldn't wait to try out the round cake tin liners I bought the other day from Julian Graves.

If you love baking, check out Simone's Friday Cake Bake. I haven't been able to join in the fun 'cos I work that day, but lots of others have.

Happy Easter weekend everyone!

o

peter and jane, or janet and john ...

Remember when our summers used to be like this, being able to spend endless hours down on the beach. Take another look at the picture, what do you think of Dad's trunks!

Peter and Jane, the brother and sister from the Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme, have helped millions of children round the world to learn to read. I remember in Class 1 of St Wilfrids RC Primary School in Angmering, starting off with book 1a (short sentences of large bold print) and whizzing through the series finishing at book 12c (paragraphs of small print), a novel in comparison.

In the 1950s, educationalists William Murray and J McNally established that 12 words make up a quarter of all those we read and write. A mere 300 form three-quarters of the total number of words found in juvenile reading. The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme, written by William Murray, is based on those commonly used words, with 36 graded books plus supplementary readers.

It is the bestselling Ladybird series of all time. Which books did you start reading with?

Some words from this post are taken from the Ladybird Boys and Girls Calendar 2008, and the photo is from the August page. A present I was happy to be given last Christmas.

happy fathers day ...

I love this picture, it is taken from a vintage Ladybird book.

It shows a bright new modern suburban home from I would imagine the 1960s? A perfectly manicured garden, well you can't have the neighbours complaining can you! A perfect child who plays quietly while Mum and Dad are reading the Sunday papers! Mum on one of those camping chairs that if you weren't careful would take your finger off! And Dad relaxing with pipe in hand, all the rage you know! How spending Sunday morning has changed over the years?

I hope all Dads out there are having a great day, including mine!

Thanks Funky Monkey and Country Cottage Chic for reliably informing me you can buy Ladybird prints ready to frame. I had discovered it, but for anyone out there who hasn't, click on the link!

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cheese 'n pickle anyone ...

This is what I am going to suggest we do over the extended Bank Holiday, that's if we don't get the rain that's forecast for the weekend.

The picture is taken out of Lucie Attwell's Rhymetime book, thought I'd share it as it is so cute. The car reminds me of a yellow MG my mum had.

Whatever the weather I hope everyone enjoys their weekend.

Louise x

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for my brother ...

Remember Tricycle Tim? Awarded to you for 'progress and conduct'. Well with you in mind, I have adapted the text a little.



S was always good at art, but fed up with more homework and being pestered by Rupert the farm cat ...



he decides to take that short trip along the bumpy road ...



to meet up with his friend 'R' who lives a couple of minutes away at No 3, with a bike ride in mind.



Only minutes into the journey, S is stopped by a policeman for riding on the pavement, this isn't the first time!



Feeling quite guilty after his ticking off, he races back home with his tail between his legs ...



where he says nothing while Mum washes behind his ears with a big bar of Imperial Leather ...



and forever in the wars, patches him up with a plaster, after he hits that big stone which flings him over the handlebars!



Exhausted after way too much adventure for one day!

This is a great short story of Tim's adventures tricycling, first published in 1957 by Hamish Hamilton Ltd with lovely pencil drawings by Prudence Seward.

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travel journal ...

This colourful travel journey was given to us as a gift by family, before we set off on our whistlestop tour of a small part of the Antipedes and the Far East, back in late January, early February of this year. I believe it came from Paperchase? It has great sections for writing, sketching (if you can!), snippets and photographs, and a nice little pocket at the back for storing all those little things that you just can't throw away.

From our travels I brought home, which fills up a large shoebox, memories from our trip, which will eventually be put down in words, and bits 'n bobs stuck in the journal. Don't forget I have my Postcards from Oz travel blog on the go too, which with very limited time, I am trying to keep updated, before I forget all these terrific memories I have.

If the posts on my other blogs become few and far between, or I forget to visit and leave comments, this is where I am likely to be for a while.

a girl with many attributes ...

These are my entries for Sal of Sal's Snippets competition.



... you didn't know I was Lionel Blair's sister did you? I bet your all jealous!

... and don't I look so much like the Foo Fighters drummer!



... and I belong to the ministry of funny walks!



... and I can bend it like Beckham!

It really couldn't get any better!

bargain books and a book tag ...

I picked up this book for a £1 the other day, in unused condition. Likely another present someone has been given and hasn't read before giving away?

Has anyone else had any bargain book finds lately?

Do you know all there is to know about Jane Austen? Such questions as -

Who was the Irishman who stole her heart?
Why was their affair doomed?
Which Austen heroine most resembled Jane?
Who were the real Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy?
Why did Jane never marry?

About a month ago! Sal from Sal's Snippets chose me to do a book tag.

The rules are -

Pick up a book of at least 123 pages
Open the book to page 123
Find the fifth sentence
Post the next three sentences
Tag five people

So I've picked up 101 Things you Didn't Know About Jane Austen, opened at page 123, found the fifth sentence down, and this is what I read from the chapter entitled 'Drawing' -

But this is one of the rare instances when the Tilneys are themselves being gently satirized, for embracing a trendy theory and its jargon. Catherine's 'ignorance' in this case is equally the common sense that sees that the emperor is not wearing clothes: 'It seemed as if a good view were no longer to be taken from the top of a high hill, and that a clear blue sky was no longer a proof of a fine day.' After Henry's lecture to Catherine on the picturesque, however 'she voluntarily rejected the whole city of Bath, as unworthy to make part of a landscape'.

Tag five people? This is just for fun, so only take part if you have some free time -

Charli and Me
Mille Fiori Favoriti
Posted from Home
Red Dirt Ramblings
Rose Colored Glasses

more enid blyton ...

Carol from Katherine's Dream reminded me of Mr Twiddle! I do remember reading of his adventures?



Carol needs reminding of Mr Pinkwhistle. Here he is above in all his finery!



And remember Mr Meddle! He looks a bit scary to me?

Many of you have happy memories of reading Enid Blyton. I have discovered The Enid Blyton Society website, so click on the link for a trip back in time to your childhood.

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books from my childhood ...

Who else had a copy of The Wind On The Moon by Eric Linklater? You may well have done as it was first published way back in 1944. My mum had loved this story as a child, so an obvious choice to buy for me in 1972, when I was eight. This copy cost 30p!

A branch of the apple-tree struck the window of the room where Major Palfrey was packing his trunk for a long absence, with the help of his daughters Dinah and Dorinda. There is a wind on the moon, he said. It was pale and wild and round it clung a collar of shining mist. I don't like the look of it at all. If it is an ill wind, and you behave badly, it will blow straight into your heart, and then you will behave badly for a long time to come. So I hope you are going to be good tonight, because I shall be away for at least a year and I don't want you to be a nuisance to your mother.

Famous last words. I shall leave you to decide what happens next, or to maybe even get a copy of the book. I am definitely going to read my copy again. As you can see by the condition, it was very well read as a child, I have even written my name inside the cover, just incase anyone dared to steal it!



Again bought for me in 1972 for 20p and first published in 1948, Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson.

A Moomintroll is small and shy and fat, and has a Moominpappa and a Moominmamma. Moomins live in the forest of Finland. They like sunshine, and sleep right through the winter. The snow falls and falls where they live, until their houses look like great snowballs. But when spring comes, up they jump and - well, that was the moment when this story began, and Moomintroll found the Hobgoblin Hat.




This copy of Little Women by Louisa M Alcott was awarded to me at primary school in 1974. Inside is written 'prize awarded for very good work - class 3'. You see, I was a good girl even back then!

Unfortunately these are the only books that have survived over the years, but I remember reading a lot as a child, and owning lots of prized books. I loved Enid Blyton, the series of books based around the Magic Faraway Tree, Mr Pinkwhistle and Amelia Jane, remember these? And when I was a little older, the Mallory Towers and St Clares series.

Visit Jayne over at Country Cottage Chic, she too has been talking about her favourite childhood books.

book tag ...

My friends are joining in with this book tag, so why not join in too. Go to Amazon and in the search line type in your name and see what comes up.

The book I have chosen is Letter to Louise by Pauline Collins, a very emotive story which thankfully has a happy ending.

In 1964, in a bare room in Waterloo, a young actress gave her baby for adoption. They were to be parted for more than 20 years. The actress was Pauline Collins and the baby was her daughter Louise. This is a memoir of the months leading up to that day in Waterloo. In it, Pauline Collins recalls the idyllic time spent in rep in Killarney, playing in a different play every night, seven days a week, living in digs and falling in love. After the season had finished, she found she was pregnant. Frightened and alone now, she decided to have the baby, hiding the fact from family, agents and friends. Going to ground, she waited for the baby to be born in a home for unmarried mothers, buoyed up by the kindness and humour of the other residents, and the nuns who cared for them. Yet soon she came to realise that she had no choice but to give her daughter away. Reluctantly she got on with life, finally achieving success and personal happiness. But she never forgot Louise and their story has the ultimate happy ending, the day they were reunited 22 years later.

Am I allowed this one too, as I love the cover!

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the teddy bear book ...

I love this book, it was a great find from a table sale for 50p. Full of lovely photos and information on English, German and American bears; there is also a chapter called bear care on how to repair and clean, also how to store with this great picture of a little bear wrapped up very securely in a brown paper papoose, as you can see looking very snug indeed!