The King's Speech

 (image from here)

One of my wishes for 2011 is to visit the cinema more often.  My first trip of the year was to a matinee of The King's Speech.  I was surrounded by elderly ladies and gentlemen so I was surprised by the burst of applause at the end as a rousing chorus of the National Anthem seemed far more appropriate!

04 / 2011

Spurred on by watching Lorraine Pascale's Baking Made Easy on the BBC, I made a big dish of apple crumble.  The topping is made from equal parts plain flour, caster sugar (can be adjusted to taste), butter and porridge oats, which give it a delightful, chewy crunch.  I threw some raisins in to the apple base for extra bulk.

 

Apart from the divine Bill Granger, I find celebrity chefs very irritating but Lorraine Pascale, at least for now, seems a breath of fresh air.  I was bewitched by her lovely manner and everything she was making looked simple and delicious.

Her definition of baking is simply something which cooks in the oven.  Well this crumble was quick, easy, in the oven in no time - and yummy!

03 / 2011

Look at these little shoots poking through the ground! 

Soon the days will get longer, the central heating will be turned off and the long boots will be packed away.

Oh I cannot wait for Spring!   

(With apologies to my Australian friends for wishing away their Summer......)

02 / 2011

A blissful trip into London, late morning on New Year's Day.

Practically had the tube carriage to myself.

No jostling Saturday shoppers on Regent Street.

Even the fabric department in Liberty was deserted!

But the peace ended abruptly when I stumbled upon this!

01 / 2011

New year, new blog! 

I'm looking forward to 2011 as it should include lots of new experiences with my 3 year old, more weight loss, an increase in cinema visits, a couple of overseas trips, major decluttering, major belt-tightening (in more ways than one!) and a home move.

Let's get on with it!