Fruit Cake

I tried a new fruit cake recipe yesterday - seen on an instagram account of a blogger I have just started to follow.  'Remembering the Old Ways'   Thank  you for sharing the recipe Michelle.

It was my Mum's 75th birthday yesterday and I remember her always making a fruit cake for my Dad, so it seemed fitting to make a fruit cake on her birthday. I couldn't find Mum's fruit cake recipe yesterday, but this looked so similar to what I remembered I thought I would give it a try.

I liked the look of this recipe as it didn't use too much sugar compared to some recipes I have for fruit cakes

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Ingredients:

8 oz Self Raising Flour
1/4 tsp salt
4 oz margarine
2 oz sugar
1 tbsp warmed Golden Syrup
2 eggs
4 oz currants
4 oz sultanas
2 oz chopped peel
1/4 pint milk.

Grease a 6 " cake tin  and dust with flour (I only had a 7" tin, but figured that would be okay)

My trusty mixer (too much mixing by hand is painful)

Beat margarine until soft, add sugar and cream together.

Beat syrup into the  mixture

Add eggs one at a time with a tbsp of sifted flour and beat between each addition.

Add milk and remainder flour and fruit.  Stir thoroughly and add to tin.

Bake in a moderately hot oven on the middle shelf for 1 1/2 hours.  Gas Mark 4

Lovely looking fruit cake.

A slice with a cup of tea 

Two slices gone - very tasty indeed!

Terrific Tuesday

Well the day dawned with an amazing blue sky - it really was glorious.

The roses looked fabulous with the sun shining on them.

Just love the contrast between the red and the blue.

I spent another blissful half hour in here first thing in the morning.

I went in twice yesterday - morning and evening

I can see myself going in again this evening regardless of the weather....yes by 4.30pm this afternoon the weather had changed again, the sky became black and it is now pouring with rain.

Fortunately I managed to spend some time in the garden...

I was delighted to spot a ladybird...I don't often see them very often now.

I believe it is a seven spot ladybird, although not as bright red as you would expect.

Unfortunately I don't know enough about them to know what the different colours etc...mean or indicate.

Pretty purples.

Another bloom from this very pretty rose.

Loving this new rose of mine - it smells divine.

Sunshine yellow - always brings a smile

Another gorgeous rose.

A little something different - I detest flies, but wanted to practice my macro shots.

Our buddleia is starting to flower - will hopefully attract some butterfles.

My little spot - secluded and private but from here I can look at the roses and simply enjoy the garden.   The seat needs repainting - a job for July.

Cornwall Holiday 2016 - The Cottage

We arrived mid-afternoon to our holiday cottage in Cornwall on 10th June. We had a good run down and had a couple of stops along the way to stretch our legs and give Percy a walk.

We stayed in this delightful cottage 'Keepers Cottage' in Mawnan Smith

Back view.

The cottage is set in extensive gardens, well out of the way on a very narrow windy road - typical Cornish road really....there were a few 'hairy' moments on our trips in and out, but all good fun - although not for the driver who got a little shall we say 'stressed' at times.

It was a little two bed cottage next to the owners house - but nothing else in close vicinity which is just how we like it.

The main bedroom

The second bedroom (this photo and the next were actually taken the day we left).

Kitchen

Lounge

Bathroom

Toilet (or otherwise known as 'his office')

Dining room.

There were fresh flowers in each of the rooms from the gardens, a jar of homemade jam, a lovely card and a bottle of wine to welcome us (not that I drink wine!)

The pond in the front garden.

The owners open their gardens every now and again to visitors - I would suspect earlier on in the season when the trees are all in their splendour.

A lot of rhododendrons still looked fabulous though and we enjoyed quite a few walks round their gardens and in the surrounding woods.

They even had a lovely rose garden.

The boys with their gadgets - making sure all is working!

Amazing how they 'can't leave home without them'.

Late afternoon we ventured into Falmouth

It was damp, grey and wet!

Quite atmospheric though.

We had dinner in a Rick Stein Fish Shop - not impressed - not worth all the hype they are given - have been to a lot better!

Another view of the cottage.

This photo was taken on Wednesday evening - the day we had all the wet weather in Wadebridge and Boscastle - the sky had cleared up and it was a really beautiful evening.

A couple of times we sat out soaking up the sunshine - although it had clouded over again this particular day.

It was a really lovely place to base our holiday and we would have loved to have had time to have done more walks in the area which was full of them.  A week is just not long enough.