Yummy cake

I have been very good with my diet and am trying a low GL way of eating to keep me feeling fuller and therefore not tempted to pick in between meals.

So as I have a sweet tooth I have developed a low GL cake which is great.

12 ozs mixed fruit
5 desertspoons low sugar sweetner
4fl ozs orange juice
3fl ozs water
1 Egg
4ozs SR flour
4ozs ground almonds

Gas Mark 6, 200c, 400f

METHOD

Put the fruit in a bowl, add the water and orange juice and sugar sweetner, and leave as long as possible. Over night is good.

Preheat the oven and line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

Add the egg, flour and almonds to the fruit and mix well.

Bake for 1 hour

Yum Yum

Books I Am Reading

Although I love reading I tend to go through stages, one minute loving to read the next spending time doing other things. Well I have discovered Candace Robb who writes medievil crime novels set in York in the 1400's. Robbs' main charactures are Owen Archer who was the captain of archers for an old Duke. The duke died and instead of working for the Duke of Lancaster, he becomes employed by John Thorpe the Archbishop of York and Edward 11 Chancellor.

Owen is married to Lucie Wilton who is a Master Apathicarer, the widow of Nicholas Wilton. Owen, in the first book the Apothicary Rose, believes Lucie may be a murder. After proving her inocence he eventually marries her after the death of her husband, who is a killer, who is killed himself.

The books are a really good read and I am enjoying them, although I don't have access to them all at the moment.

New Blog

I took the inspiration and decided to start a new blog about my family history. I started my family tree 10 years ago, after the birth of my first grandaughter, and it has become a monster. I have over 2000 people on my tree which is really interesting and it has been good fun if obsessive.

However, I have met new family members and likeminded people along the way........

Guess What...............

Another moan. Guess what, more snow.......

My life, at the moment, seems to be concerned with SNOW!!!!!! what a sad life I must have.

I have lots to look forward to. In Feb I will be going to my friends cottage again and when the white stuff goes, I shall be visiting my family in Hyde. Not just yet because the roads are bad due to the weather. I am looking forward to both visits.

I love the cottage because it offers an oasis of calm for me away from the rat race. Time goes so slowly there and it gives me the chance to commune with nature, figuatively speaking.

At my family in Hyde, I get the chance to meet up with May, who is the wife of my grandmothers' cousin. It's great meeting up with her because she can tell me lots about the family. See my Family Tree Blog.....

Had enough now...........

You know what it's like, the snow falls and we all go ahhhhh and while it's virginal and untouched we put up with it, even when it's cold. Then the time comes when we are truelly fed up with it. It's either slushy, or in our case, icy and it's no fun any longer.

You go out dressed as if you're going to the arctic, wearing your oldest and scruffiest boots, or dare I say it, wellies, because you don't want to ruin your best pair with the tide marks snow leaves. Or even worse......you end up on your rear and you look around to make sure that no one is watching and sniggering and hopefully nothing is hurt but your pride......

Well I'm at that point. It's still cold but the white stuff is just about to thaw which leaves dirty slush and water everywhere. I really don't mean to compain....much, but I will be glad to see the back end of it. It's lost it's novalty factor now.

SO......It continues!!!!!!!!!!!

Another day from snowy hell. Had problems all week with the snow. When it started on Tuesday (was it only Tuesday, it feels like weeks ago), I should have gone to work in Runcorn but due to bad weather was told to stay at home. Wednesday was the same but, on Thursday we managed to get into work. What a story..... I couldn't get the car started so I got the RAC out and they managed to start the engine but he couldn't pull me out (elf & safety). My lovely neighbour across the road dragged me out with his minibus.. bless him.... However, the car needed a new battery (more expence) so off to the garage, and they got me on the road once again. I normally get the bus if working in town but, as I live on a hill, and the road is narrow, the bus couldn't negotiate it, so I had to use the car which is not a common occurrence in town.

I finally got into work and St Helens was covered in a blanket of snow. The roads and paths hadn't been cleared so it was difficult to find anywhere safe to park as I am a disabled driver. The disabled carpark was inches deep in snow and ice.

Then came Friday.... When I arrived in work I was told to go home again as there was no water, toilet etc...you get the gyst. Our water comes through the old building nextdoor which has been empty forever, so the pipes were frozen. Not good news.....

I sit here, awaiting the text or phone call to find out what I am doing tomorrow.....

Isn't life exciting...........

WINTER WONDERLAND URG!!!!!!!!

I must say the snow looks beautiful but it is cold, cold, cold out there. All the buses have stopped, the roads are icy and the kids are off school, so it's shedfull of snowballs. Luckily enough the little darlings must have tired themselves out and are still in bed at the moment.

I have not been to work for 2 days and I am not cheering. I worry about the old people. They are the real sufferers in this, not all admittedly but those who cannot get out or who have no close family if any.

How quickly this country falls to peices when we get a heavy snowfall. I used to live in Germany and they had very heavy falls and they had to clear their paths and fronts by 7.30am. The roads were always cleared by snowploughs and everybody moving. Perhaps we need more snowploughs.

The sun is shinning and hopefully that will ease things. Watch this space!!!!!!!

Snow wow!!!!

Woke up this morning to see nothing but snow and more falling. The boss told me to stay ast home because it's pretty bad. It has been snowing all day and is very thick, perhaps about 6" deep.

I tried to get the car out but I couldn't move it, so I am going to enjoy my unoffical holiday. It looks like it may continue as the snow is forcast to continue tonight, tomorrow and Thursday.

German Christmas Markets Cruise

At the beginning of December 09 we went on a Rhine river Cruise. Our itinery included Cologne, Bonn, Boppard, Koblenz and Rhudisiem. We had a wonderful time among the Christmas markets having a gluevine and another and another!!!!!!!!

It was lovely sailing down the Rhine at 4 miles an hour soaking up the atmosphere and learning about the castles which litter the clifftops. We saw the Lorelie, which is a large cliff, which Lorelie jumped from and she is depicted sitting on a rock. I had always thought that the Lorelie was a mermaid but she isn't. Lorelie has legs and she displays them, the hussy!!!!!!!!!

Exotic Holidays!!

Well, for many years my family and I, consisting of husband and 3 sons and Gemma the dog (now deceased). We spent many years camping with a tent, then caravan and then a trailor tent. We visited many places within the UK but never went abroad, except Southern Ireland in later years where we went upmarket and stayed in a HOTEL. Oh bliss!!!!!

In 2005, when we returned fromone of these many holidays, husband had an email from old army plans, who were holding a reunion in Kluang, which is a very small town in Malaysia.

We emailed and placed ourselves on the list of attendees and planned our holiday. I personally had never gone so far and had not flown for 20+ years. We aimed to fly to Singapore for one night and then to take the train to Kluang, where we would spend 3 nights and then return to Singapore for 4 extra nights.


We loved it so much so that we have been back several times including this year.

Welcome to 2010

Well the new decade has started but I find it so hard to believe that it has come around so fast.
I visited my great friend in her cottage before Christmas and I can understand the thirst for her new lifestyle. It is so contageous!
So taking inspriation from her and her blog, I have decided on a few things for 2010.

1: There is a real need for both of us to loose weight, so we will begin the GL diet soon. Also I intend to start my exercising again. This is very important for my health.

2: I am buying into making my own bread, so the bread maker will be coming out this week and I will start with lovely home made grannery bread.

3: I'm not sure where to put this but here will be fine. I used to do a lot of art work so I intend to get back into the habit. This is important to me but I need to motivate myself. Perhaps that should go at NO 1?????

4: I am going to look at decluttering which will be hard work. I have so much rubbish. However, not to worry, this can go on ebay and some of the funds can go to Age Concern who I work for.
I think that will do for now.