A guilty secret

I give talks to local WI groups occasionally. These ladies are well known for their wonderful cake making. Recently we were chatting after a talk and the topic of cakes came into the conversation...quilt makers are well known for their cake eating.... The lady asked if I knew about the Infamous Cake In a Mug recipe..... made famous by London West End Women's Institute? you can read about them here. Well, I looked it up as soon as I got home and yes, there it is, complete comfort in a mug for those of us love cake and it only takes 3 minutes to cook! So here is the recipe, you know you want it.....

5 minute Chocolate Mug Cake
4 tablespoons self raising flour
4tbsp sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp choc chips
splash of vanilla

Method:  Add all dry ingredients to the mug and mix well. Add egg and beat well. Pour in milk and oil and mix well. Add choc chips and vanilla and mix. put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 mins at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, don't worry. Cool slightly, then eat from the mug with cream, ice cream or squirty stuff.... feel the comfort rising!

Warm beds

On these chilly, snowy mornings, the temptation to stay in bed is great. Staying under the warm bedclothes, snuggled up with a quilt seems an excellent idea. Hibernation until the spring could be an option which needs thinking about carefully... some of us even wear a hat in bed, so important to keep the ears cosy too. But many parents find the children have climbed in to cuddle up together with them in the mornings and Louise, who has three little girls, kindly sent me this. There is just room for five in this bed under a big quilt and at the bottom is written Green Star Quilts! Thank you Louise, such a kind present.... 

This the quilt I have made for Louise's daughter Charlotte

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of you who read my ramblings and my New Year resolution is to pay more attention to the blog. Things Have Slipped..... but before Christmas I made 150 star blocks for 3 quilts and that's my excuse.... Now we have a new start and on Monday we went for a walk along the riverside route to Bardney. It was the best sort of Lincolnshire day, huge blue skies and pale winter sun. Just enough to warm us whilst walking and give the promise of spring to come. This photo is of one of the sculptures on the route. It seemed to me that we stood in the old year, could walk through the arch and the new one would stretch ahead with lots of possibilities. For some 2012 has been a bumpy journey so lets hope 2013 will be a gentle stroll.

Happy Christmas everyone

Having just finished ironing on the yak to Peggy Rose's alphabet quilt, I am  closing the door of the sewing room until the New Year. 

detail of Peggy Rose's quilt

 This year very special stockings have been hung up, but the owner won't be here until the end of January.  In fact they are little sheepskin boots and they belong to my gorgeous baby grandaughter. 

And the best Christmas present for me is that our Singaporean family are moving back to the UK. And even better, they are going to live with us until they are settled.... excited, me?? So I just wanted to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas. Thank you for all your custom, encouragement, enthusiasm for my quilts and the lovely comments on the blog and in the guest book throughout the year,

Happy New Year everyone

A new dog

Denise has a new dog. He is rather young and has a lot to learn. But she is enjoying being on the dog walking circuit again and the tug of the lead makes her very happy. Here we also have  new dog. My boy is completely house trained and very quiet. A St Bernard puppy, but he eats very little and needs only short walks. He is a great companion for a very small girl and never bites or growls. We haven't started to take him for walks yet, but husband says I should try taking him to the post box soon, you can never start to early with dog training, he says. It's lovely to have a dog around again!

And here is the quilt I have made for the youngest member of our family 

Quilt detail

A day at Rosie's allotment

At the allotments they have had an open day. The day was sunny and hot and the allotment holders arrived early to lay out the cakes and put up the tent.

















 Lots of gardeners entered the prize classes, the competition was fierce but friendly. Rosie was in charge of showing the judge around, whilst we manned the bric-a-brac stall, selling plants and old garden tools. The judge explained how to choose a prize carrot, how to present a champion onion and the things to look for in runner beans. The competition tables were presented with such care, each onion with it's top tied with coloured string, the tomatoes on perfect vines and even the ugliest vegetable scrubbed to look good.


















 Rosie was the only entrant for the garden wines section, but the judge, in order to be fair, sampled her cherry wine thoroughly. Afterwards we had a barbecue. It was a lovely day and showed what enormous pleasure we can get from growing things and what fun it is to have an allotment too.

Birds and bees

This year many gardeners have found the growing season has not gone well. In my garden potatoes have vanished and sweetpeas are covered in greenfly. But there have been some successes and they make me very happy. I grow many plants to encourage bees and now the borage (a bit of a thug) and  the nasturtiums (which have covered the onions), are visited by lots of bees and yesterday, the first peacock butterfly. Best of all are the sunflowers which I have grown to show our grand daughter. Tall and sturdy the wonderful big heads have a visiting bee most of the day. The hedgehog babies have been seen near the compost heap and beside the swing seat so they are getting adventurous. Everyday I walk beneath the willow tree and look up. Almost always there will be two big eyes looking down at me and sometimes four, as our baby owls snooze in the sun and wait for take away food to be delivered at dusk by mum. So some things are a big success!

Quilt made for Joss