Jamming

Finally made it up to the allotment last weekend. With help from the gorgeous T, I've almost tamed the pesky weeds, staked the tomatoes, strimmed and generally tided up.

Getting to spend even just a couple of hours up on the allotment was a real treat. I really miss this space when I'm away.

We rewarded ourselves with some wine and by harvesting our first decent crop of raspberries.

Needless to say many of the raspberries didn't make the short walk home, ending up in our mouths instead, but I had enough to rustle up a few jars of raspberry jam.

I didn't even have to label the jars I'd recycled. Bonus!

Exhausted...

But in a good way.
Went to the Malverns (a ridge of hills in the UK).
Climbed some peaks.
Earnt a couple of these...

These boots are made for walking...

After a couple of impatient weeks waiting for them to arrive I finally got to collect my new walking boots today. They're Meindl leather-lined Borneos.

I'm a very lucky girl as these beauties were a birthday pressie. Early so that I have time to break them in before the big adventure (temporary loss of sanity!) That happens next month.

THANK YOU XXX

So what's happening next month?!? Well, saving that titbit for another post as the trip is still being planned. All I'll say is that it's not in the UK and we have a date with a big mountain.

Bristol Balloon Fiesta

The Balloon Fiesta kicked off this morning and I was treated to this view while en route to work this morning.

Shame the sun wasn't around to give them a good send off.

Ps. The gorgeous Mr T was driving!

Coffee cake

I promised to post the recipe so here goes. Please note, this recipe isn't mine - it's from my well-used and dogeared copy of Regional & Traditional Cakes by Julie Duff.

Apologies, but here in the UK we don't really use cup measurements for baking. This conversion site might help?

For the cake
225 g butter
225 g caster sugar
225 g self-raising flour
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
50 ml dissolved coffee granules/water

For the butter cream filling and topping
225 g icing sugar
115 g butter
2 teaspoons dissolved coffee granules/water

Decoration
Walnuts!

To make...

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in flour and eggs a little at a time. Finally add the coffee and mix well.
• Divide the mixture between two greased/lined 18cm/7 inch sandwich cake tins. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25-30 mins. The top should feel firm when pressed, but I always use the skewer test.
• Carefully remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack.
• For the topping/filling, cream the icing sugar, butter, and coffee together until light and creamy. When the cakes are cold, sandwich them together with the butter cream and spread what is left on the top of the cake.
• Decorate with walnuts. Then leave to set.
• Eat!

It's oh so quiet

Working in London today... I was was in the centre and it's a huge city so no one here but us tourists.

I stole a brief photo opportunity while en route to Waterloo train station.

Bossington to Selworthy

Back in July the Intrepid Explorer and I took a trip over to Exmoor to stretch the legs. Been meaning to write a quick post so that I don't forget the route: Bossington to Selworthy. It had stunning moorland views, sea cliffs, chocolate box villages and quiet sylvan glades all in one compact 5 mile (8 km) walk.

[Source: South West Coastal Path.]

Every now and again I remembered to take some photos!

 Looking down to Bossington Beach from Hurlstone Point.

The old Coastguard Station at Hurlstone Point.

Selworthy Beacon, the highest point on this walk at 308m (1000 feet).


The trig point on the Selworthy Beacon marker.

Views across the valley to Dunkery Beacon and the High Willies. A recently discovered piece of trivia is that Dunkery and Selworthy are both Marilyns. There's also a whole host of Marilyns across England patiently waiting to be bagged by those of us with nothing better to do than climb hills. (It's a great displacement activity for all those DIY jobs that need doing, but you'd far rather be out enjoying the lush weather.)

Dropping down into Selworthy Woods.

No idea!

The remains of World War II pill boxes on Bossington Beach.

We reached the beach and decided to carry on to Porlock. Essentially tacking another short (4 miles /6 km) walk on the end.

[Source: South West Coastal Path.]

This final circuit took us along the Porlock Marshes, through the village (where we unsuccessfully scouted for beer), back to Bossington, the car and ultimately chips in Minehead while en route to our respective homes.