Saturday 24 December 2011

What happened to the cake

Couldn't let Christmas pass without a cake update.


I drizzled more of the Bells into the top every week, as per instrucions and finally came to make the marzipan last week.  Using Aunty Mike's trusty recipe would have been a great idea, and a wonderful tribute to her amazing simnel cakes, but alas, not only did I forget to use apricot jam to stick the marzipan to the cake (no idea what final consequences this will have, and the annoying thing is that I had a lovely new jar of jam especially for the occasion!) but I also managed to use caster sugar instead of icing sugar!!  Don't ask me how, I'd even got a new packet of icing sugar specially - but there you are!  So I ended up with a batch of very tasty but very crunchy marzipan, sticking to the cake for dear life:


and finally came the big day for the 'royal' icing.  And, with a little help from my friends:


the deed was done . . .



After much discussion we went for the frosty top look



but which little people to put on the top from this aged motley collection?


. . . sorry Santa

Monday 12 December 2011

Thank you for the days

Now there was some speculation about the birthday week theme - Mike proposed 'estuaries' (Mersey, Esk and Thames) but it could also have been 'an L of a time' (Liverpool, Lakes and London) or was it even 'ends of the line' (Lime Street, Ravenglass, St Pancras).  However you look at it - it was nothing short of a perfick birthday week full of amazing surprises and beautiful people and places.

Pretty short on blog writing time just now, so this is a sort of 'listings' of the week as it panned out, surprise by surprise.  And hopefully over the coming weeks I'll flesh out the days with pics in new posts.  Click on the links below to find out more.

Friday 25 November
  • Dinner a la Greno with Jane and Bob to kick off the celebrations
Saturday 26 November
  • Over to Liddypool, packed for any eventuality!
Sunday 27 November
  • Alice in Wonderland exhibiton at the Tate, wind howling round the dock outside
  • Shop in a festive Liverpool
Monday 28 November                                                                                  Click for photos
  • Mum's 91st birthday at the top of the fabulous Panoramic Restaurant in Liverpool, our lives spread out below and little ferries chugging back and forth across the river
Tuesday 29 November
Wednesday 30 November
  • Surprise jaunt to the Lakes via Langdale and the old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.
  • Hair raising drive over the Hard Knott Pass to the wonderful Rosegarth Guest House in Ravenglass
  • Room six overlooking the sea.
  • Fab meal at the Pennington Hotel
Thursday 1 December
  • Bracing walk over the dunes with the Irish Sea pounding alongside
  • Wasdale Head and its ancient Hotel
  • Drive back in the moonlight - glistening on Wastwater
  • Pub meal at the Pennington again
Friday 2 December
  • Last breaky at Rosegarth and final walk down to the beach.  This is my Tripadvisor review
  • Coastal drive down through Grange-over-Sands, Morecombe Bay spread beneath us
  • Quick re-pack back in Sheffield
Saturday 3 December
  • Off to London on the early morning train
  • Dump cases at the Hox - great top floor rooms
  • 'Backbeat' at the Duke of York - brilliant. Review here
  • Brunswick House Cafe with Jamie and Jess - just A-mazing!!
  • Final nightcap at the newly refurbished Gilbert Scott bar in the fabulous St Pancras Hotel 
Sunday 4 December
Monday 5 December
  • The View Tube's fabulous Container Cafe and glimpses of the emerging Olymipic Park
  • Loved Anish Kapoor & Cecil Balmond's ArcelorMittal Orbit - might well be first in the queue to go up this one!
  • Rotor's fastinating exhibition OMA/Progress of Rem Koolhaus's practice, at the Barbican
  • Last train of the night up to dear old Sheffield

and to end with some music!  Listen here Migs, cos it was such a week of endless 'perfect days':





and this from the long haired days . . .





Thank you X X X