Pages

Thursday 14 August 2014

Birthday bon-bons...

Is it only girls that expect a lot from
birthdays?
As I get older they seem to deliver
less and less, or is it me
expecting more and more?
Got a horrible feeling you, as well as I, know the answer to this...
careful!
So many birthdays,
so many expectations...
exceeded...
so many wishes and dreams
falling wide of the mark.

A particular favourite of the
forgettable kind...
my 40th where I primped and preened
expecting to be taken to some
salubrious sexy
South Yorks hot-spot.
(alright, I know it's a contradiction in terms)

The entire evening I spent bouncing
on the kiddies castle in the pub garden with the daughters of farming friends.
I bounced away the pain along with
the thought of money spent on
facials, fluff and nails.
A night to remember of the
Hammer Horror Motives kind.

My 60th in the Arctic, 
words have no place here to describe
how things had changed in the intervening  twenty years.




A flavour of today...


The brooch...
 the tale of which I cannot tell!
Ted had this, one of my favourite
items of jewellery
repaired for me.  
The pin wasn't very secure and I was
afraid I would lose it.

Beautiful, beautiful
paintings of moths on the pages and
jackets of antique books
by a lovely new friend called


see better photographs on the link above

How can the manic murderer of clothes moths
love these so much?

These were from Ted.

This card I gave to myself
in rememberance of my much loved
and still sorely missed
Lettice


it is so like her 

This morning I searched in the long grass
for the cross we put to mark her favourite spot in the garden.  No matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it.
Getting dressed I saw from the bedroom window Ted doing a finger-tip search in order to find it (old police habits die hard).
This in my book is the mark of true giving, no money can buy that sort of gift.




The trip to Deal has had to wait as Ted
is suffering from a nasty cold/chest infection bug that has swept through the cast
of Oh What a Lovely War.
The price you pay for fame!


I baked my cake...
ingredients... the weight of three eggs.
The mixer was spurned in order for me to beat the eggs in very,
very slowly.  It works: this beat it all together carry-on, doesn't give
the light touch I was looking for.  My only nod at convenience
was to use Lakeland cake liners, hence the ridged sides.

It's four-o-clock...
time for the birthday girl to
sign off.
If you have lasted this long down the blog,
I raise my glass to you.

14 comments:

  1. Lovely brroch and artwork LL. So glad you had a wonderful day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Errr... Carol, I didn't have a wonderful day... it was spoilt lump dreary due to Ted being so poorly.

      LLx

      Delete
  2. Happy birthday. I hope Ted found the cross, how sweet of him.

    Jean x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ted found the cross; all that remains of it, is what you see beside the card.
      What a super-star to look when he was feeling so grotty.

      LLX

      Delete
  3. Happy Birthday. You didn't say, did he find the cross ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup! See above. Thank you for your birthday wishes.

      LLX

      Delete
  4. Happy Birthday, Happy Happy Birthday, you're right, it's things you can't buy now that are the best presents, hope he'll be feeling better soon xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Man flu... say no more! Although he was suffering, so my birthday heart didn't give him the short shrift my usual hard heart would have... poor lad!

      LLX

      Delete
  5. Belated birthday greetings! Such lovely, thoughtful gifts, you lucky gal! It is our village show this weekend, I haven't got the energy to enter anything this year, but I reckon your beautiful cake would be a winner. So, slow and steady with the egg, and beat it by hand - I'll give it a go. I'm raising my coffee mug and wishing you a wonderful year.x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spoilt rotten are the words that come to mind Elaine.

      It just hit me this morning... why didn't I just butter and flour the tins, like I've done for three hundred years.

      The cake was the lightest I've ever made. With hindsight I could have added the egg just as slowly in the mixer, then folded the flour in gently with a wooden spoon.

      A wonderful year to you dear heart. So sorry to hear about your poorly bro, wish him well from me and a big Hi to Ian.

      LLX

      Delete
    2. I've just made a tray bake, using the good old fashioned slow and steady method - I could have read a chapter of a book in the time I took to add the eggs. Boy, oh boy, was it worth it! I so wish I had entered it into the show (instead of cutting it to be sold with teas) it was so very light. Perfection! I'm sure it would have taken first prize...seriously.x

      Delete
    3. Glad you tried it and what a difference. I now know why my Victoria sponge cakes were so heavy and puddeny. Before you know it I'll be doing what my lovely mum did... stand on the back step whipping egg whites on a plate with a knife (bone handled naturally) and testing by turning the plate upside down over her head. Happy Days.

      LLX

      Delete
  6. happy Belated Birthday wishes Linda. You brought a lump to my throat talking about Lettice. The thought of Ted doing a fingertip search touched my heart, you have a good one there Lin. Lovely thoughtful birthday gifts too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Jayne, yes it has taken me a long time to find him... it was worth the wait.

      LLX

      Delete