Sunday 5th March - Things are growing!

This was World Book Week. That meant taking a picture of me reading a book to post on the "Extreme Reading" display, and dressing up as a character from a book.

I opted for a picture of me sitting under the apple tree at the bottom of the garden, sheltering from the rain under a huge umbrella. Alright for me - I was under the brolly. Not so lucky for the photographer. As for dressing up; I briefly toyed with the idea of wearing my old grey wool cloak with the red lining inside-out and going as "Red Riding Hood and the Three Bears", (we don't seem to have any wolves in the extensive stuffed toy collection) but, d'ya know what? I 'ates dressing up.

So I picked up a notebook and pencil and went as a famous author, and wrote down everything anyone said that was remotely interesting. When I was teaching the top class their songs for the forthcoming music festival, I showed them a page labelled "Naughty" and a page labelled "Nice", issued dark threats of dire consequences for any child who got their name written onto the "Naughty" page. Fortunately no-one called my bluff.

As for the "growing" things; it was with great excitement that I spotted the first shoots of the radishes earlier in the week - "7-10 days" it said on the packet, and here they were after only four. I've been taking pictures this evening;

RADISHES

LETTUCES

The little bits of leaf I took from the Christmas Cactus back in December are doing well; proper little plants now, with tender pale pink shoots at the tip of all the new leaves;

BRUSSELS SPROUTS (not due to surface for another week, according to the packet)

 No sign yet of the broad beans, although there might just be a suggestive suspicion of a tiny shoot in one of the pots. I'm going to have to start getting the garden ready for proper vegetable growing soon.


I've also sewn up most of the greeny-blue jumper that I started in February. The right side (looking at the picture) is done, but there's still a side seam and a sleeve seam to go. It's a job that has to wait for daylight and brain-power to stand any chance of success. The flash makes it look Very Bright; I'll take a picture in daylight once it is complete.

The last real success story of the week concerns Cake; this recipe for Boiled Fruit Cake popped up on www.recipesfromacornishkitchen.blogspot.co.uk last week, and, having all the ingredients more or less to hand, I made it. I usually make an "Economical Boiled Fruit Cake" which I posted several years ago. The "Uneconomical" cake I made this time is in another category altogether. This may be because I used a packet of fruit which had been pre-soaked in brandy, left over from Waitrose's Christmas baking section. This one is a real contender for The Christmas Cake when the time comes. I'd show a picture of it, but we've finished our up, so you will just have to click the link.

Have a good week, everyone.