Experimenting in the kitchen.

(Twiggy's first ever attempt at pastry).

Well hello there, long time no see.  

I blame flippin Facebook and the fact I can't blog on my Kindle.  

Anyway I've fired up our ancient laptop and here I am. 

 So how have you been?

Not a lot to report from Twiggy Towers, still here despite new estate agent brochure, I think we are going to change agents soon as they are pretty ineffectual.

Still working at Twiglet's school, he's due to move up to middle school next September, I did sigh a lot while I was completing his transfer form, where on earth has the time gone?

Now here is something very lovely and exciting, my gorgeous niece's baby boy decided to appear 3 weeks early and what a total poppet he his.  

He is a lucky little boy to have such fantastic parents and Grandparents.  I can't believe old Twiggy is now a Great Auntie - blimey.

Here we are, having a snuggle!!

I am desperately searching for my crafting mojo, so if you find it post it back to me will you?

(I bought a baby sampler kit and haven't even started it yet!!)

My pal came over the other day and we got out our cross stitch that we haven't touched for ahem about a year, however, I'm hoping a bit of blog hopping and new interest in Pinterest might give me some inspiration.  Do you think I'll just look at pretty pictures and do nothing :)

With a view to motivating myself, I thought I might start doing more craft projects and blog them, so I have to finish them off !!

I have been playing in the kitchen recently and at my ripe old age made pastry for the first time, I've tweaked the recipe a bit as I used lard and marge initially and all I could taste was lard - urgh!  Today I've made some mince pies and jam tarts and some pastry for Mr Twigs to make a pie, but only used marge, so will let you know how that goes.

What are your tips for good pastry?  Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

I also roused myself enough to make 2 Christmas cakes last week.  They smell lush, I am feeding them with brandy every week as I do like a boozy cake!!

The slow cooker is back in use again, we had this scrummy lamb hotpot the other night, I blimmin love Winter a great excuse to have warming, comfort food.

Coming home from work to this was nearly as good as living at home when my lovely Mum used to always have something tasty waiting for us for dinner. (Notice I said nearly as good, our lovely Mums can never be bettered can they?)

Oooo crikey more baking, carrot cake and home made hob nobs anyone?

I promise this is the last food photo, hand made wholemeal loaf, super yummy!!

We had lovely half term hols at the back end of October, wasn't the weather brilliant?

We didn't manage a bumper crop of pumpkins like last year, but as you can see, we didn't do too badly.

Here are our Halloween efforts, traditional, Minecraft, Psycho (yes that pumpkin really does have a knife sticking out of it's head) , can you guess which of us, made which???

Here's the inevitable vomiting pumpkin :)  It's the first time I can remember sitting in the October sun in t.shirts to carve our pumpkins.

We caught up with our old mates, I love this bench our crazy boys are resting on!!

Took Twiglet and another pal to Kirklees Light Railway, top fun.

In fact we crammed an awful lot of fun into a week, it was great.

We even took Twiglet to Blackpool for the first time ever to see the illuminations, he loved it.

It amazed me that I was last there in 1982 and I swear apart from new lights and some lovely artworks it's just how I remembered it - tee hee !!

Here's a pic of the lovely old north Pier, I really want a Ventian double carousel like the one Twiglet had a ride on there, totally gorgeous.

Righto, that's me for now, I have a poorly boy full of cold on the sofa :( so off to tend to him and get ready for Strictly. 

I won't leave it so long next time, so my post won't be soooooo long :)

 I do like dark Winters evenings, any excuse to have our jimjams on, we managed it by 4.40pm lst night ;)

Take care

Twiggy x