Happy Easter All....

 Enjoy the day!

 Image by Nina Kemives @ http://life-pixels.tumblr.com/

Good Friday fun...

What better way to start the Easter weekend than with a soul boosting wander across the South Downs.

Its was a beautifully sunny morning, if a little chilly round the edges, and it certainly cleared those cobwebs away.

Today we discovered the beauty of the hills behind North Lancing. 

Great views, sheltered sun traps nestled between hay bales, fields of yellow, and lots of birdsong....

View down to Shoreham Airport

Looking over Lancing and on to Worthing

 Field of Yellow

Sunny yellows and bright blues

Happy Good Friday All!

Folksy finds.......Sunny Yellows

Happy Mothers Day to my mum, and to all the mums out there. Hope you are all enjoying a lovely relaxing day.

Unfortunately the sun seems to be hiding. In a bid to encourage him out from his hiding place, here's a little collection of beautiful sunny yellow finds from Folksy.

Enjoy...

Hair Clips - Little Bird Blue

Felt Flower Brooch - Sew Perfectly You

Button Brooch - Girl With Beads

Scandi Flower Cushion - Bread and Jam

Crochet Flower - Myfanwy's Appliques

Linocut Heart Card - We Are Mountain

Pear Print Cushion - Thirtyfive Flowers

Ceramic Star Pendant - SillyRice

 

Cake Days....

So i've managed to find time to do a little baking recently.

I do like to bake.

I like starting with basic ingredients, and creating something beautiful and delicious. Although I do find it slightly stressful at times. I constantly check to see if its looking ok, I worry that its not cooking properly, and when it finally comes out I worry that its overcooked and dry!

Which is why i rarely deviate from my trusty Hummingbird Baking book. And the 'never fails' chocolate or vanilla sponge.

I decided this time round to try something different. 

Firstly I made a lovely Strawberry and Lemon Yoghurt cake. A little bit time consuming to prepare (and the purchase of a Bundt tin), but goodness was it worth it. 

I found the recipe here... www.aspicyperspective.com
(image above also from there)

Its a very moist cake thanks to the yoghurt and strawberries, but more than that, its absolutely delicious. So much so that I have made another since. 

Definitely not the healthiest of cake, but for a treat or special occasion then go ahead!

My next bakey moment was an Amaretto cake. A relatively 'easy to make' sponge cake and also quite tasty, kind of like a bakewell.

And with a little boozy icing to top it off I think its a winner.

See recipe here from website chow.com

This is mine.....

As you can see I used my newly purchased Bundt pan again, although this recipe produces a loaf. A loaf tin would be better as mine had a funny shaped bottom!

We had some of this cake leftover a few days later. So I heated up a couple of slices in the microwave, added a few glugs of Ameretto to the warm sponge, and topped with hot custard....I would highly recommend! 

I now aim to bake something from my new 'Love, Bake, Nourish' book by Amber Rose. Its packed with cake recipes for 'healthier' fruit based cakes......pics to follow!

Happy weekend all, and happy baking...xx

Week in pic's

Ok, so it's slightly more than a week, but whose counting?

Its been busy, which explains my absence.....along with much germ fighting. But I guess its that time of year.

So its two weeks of.....beautiful Hastings old Town and all its charm.....

 

 

......a bit of garden pruning....

 

 

.......yummy Kinder chocs for me.......  

 

........gorgeous Lilys......

 

.....beach walking...

  

 

......white wine spritzers......

 

 

......SUN!!......  

 

.....and sangria...

  

 

.....lush!

And what a beautiful weekend it is. Hope everyone is enjoying the sun......Happy Weekending All...xx 

Blue skies.....

A break in the weather (and welcome return of the camera phone) must mean its time for the obligatory blue sky shots.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lost Without My Phone!......

My mobile phone packed up last week, and to say im lost without it is an understatement! Its actually quite SAD!! Admittedly I have a replacement, but I can't do everything on it that im used to. 

Ok, so I can make calls and send texts, but I miss the ease of being able to check Facebook, or to be able to quickly search for something on the internet, or to see what new photos are on Instagram.....yes quite SAD!!!

Its this last one that pains me the most! Im on Instagram religiously. I love seeing the new pic's that have been added by those I follow - people all around the globe! Its a nice little insight into the worlds and lives of others, and I find it fascinating. I love taking photos of my own too, and this gives me an outlet to show my creative-ness.

I say creative-ness, I mean I take a lot of shots down at the beach and of sunsets, sunrises, landscapes etc. but Im also one of those that like to showcase 'special food' and (in particular) CAKE!! But lets face it, sometimes it just has to be done!

Its only been one week without said phone, but im already having withdrawal symptoms. This weekend I actually dug out the (old) digital camera. You know, one of those devises that is designed to take pictures and nothing else.  It felt a little weird, taking this kind of bulky thing out with me, but my need for snapping was very strong!

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So as we had a small break in the weather it seemed fitting to take a wander along the beach. 

The tide was high, infact higher than ive ever seen it, and the remnants of the bad weather were evident with a large part of the beach having been washed up on the path and around the beach huts.

But it was good to get some fresh air.

 It was BRACING!