Some of the time I did, just keeping The Golfer company (at a distance) some reading might have happened during that time as well
and maybe a bit of knitting. Been a while since that’s happened 😊
Plus some cooking!
Christmas Puddings haven’t been made for the last couple of years so Catherine thought she’d return to kitchen and ‘rustle up a few’
The idea has been there for a while – the recipe had come out of hiding…. Yes, Aunty Pam’s well used recipe, actually it’s the one her sister Betty gave her but it’s always referred to as Aunty Pam’s…..
…..ingredients had been gathered together, Stir up Sunday came and went and still no puddings made so as I chose to stay away from the nursing home the first week (me testing neg. didn’t mean I wasn’t infectious) I used that day to get down to business.
Oh and look, I had an accident with my big mixing bowl last year (they don’t bounce) so had to resort to using a big soup saucepan – it’s not quite the same but there’s no chance of breaking that if I drop it. Enough there to make four small and one medium…..
…….a couple will go in the fridge and I’ll ‘open’ the others, cut into quarters and freeze the pieces, we’re then set for ‘comfort treats’ for a while. I’m not too keen on fruit cake but a serve of these (plum pudding) is great warm with custard or cold with cream/ice cream.
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Now there are some who say I’m a sucker for a hard luck story but I’d say I know what ‘lack of’ means and not having the means to do something because of a lack of funds strikes home so when a friend told me about the problems a granddaughter was having I knew there was something I could actually do.
What do you think of this little cabled jacket, the first of several winter garments for her newborn gt grandson. I do like the look of cables, they change a plain knit into something different and even though it doesn’t show on the photos a purl stitch has been added at regular intervals to take the bareness off the stocking stitch.
This is sized for 12 mths but I’ll do a couple of slightly smaller ones for when the weather starts to cool down (sized 6-9 mths)….strange to have to think of that when we’re only just getting summer weather.
Anyway they weren’t requested, not even mentioned, so will be a real surprise when I’ve finished them
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Do you remember that Bill Bryson book I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, well it turned out to be a flop for me, just couldn’t get on with it at all. Book Club this coming Friday will be interesting – word is some thought it hilarious, others like me not. So for something different I picked up the Dickens Christmas Carol – firstly because it’s seasonal, also I’d never actually read it……and because of a special treat we had planned for this past weekend……more about that another time.
And that’s me up to date after a quiet couple of weeks. The Golfer wasn’t too badly affected this time round and (thankfully) tested negative late last week. I seem to have been lucky this time….maybe not having to nurse him as consistently as the last time as well as sleeping in the other room helped. Anyway Monday was a warm one so we stayed close to home which means today was his first day back doing what he enjoys. Reality came calling when the GP said he was of an age that needed to be careful and rest…..not go gallivanting round the golf course too soon!
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When Kat’s featured post Unraveled Wednesday opens up later, I’ll share this over there.
It’s usually full of lots of talk about craft, books and life in general….do pop over and see what others have to say.
(To comment please click on post title and scroll down)
Still Waters 
Those Christmas puddings look so delicious! And what beautiful little packages… all set for steaming… they look so cute!
I like that cabled sweater, very much! I think it will be the perfect thing for a very young man to wear! He will be the best looking wee one around!
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A few choice words went into tying that calico on the bowls 😊
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What are all the checkmarks and crossings-out following the ingredients in the recipe, Cathy?
Gorgeous sweater. Wow.
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This a photo of the actual recipe in my (late) aunt’s book. The ticks and crosses are from when she used it. Tick when she ‘collected’ each ingredient ready to add – then cross when she’d actually added it to the bowl. It made sense to begin with, then became a bit of a mess. Then I used to give her a typed copy to work from each year
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Ah! Makes sense.
I was taught (4-H Homemakers Club when I was 9; Cooking course) to collect all ingredients before starting, then put each one away as it was added to the concoction. I still do this and make a point of it because when once or twice I didn’t, I was half through making something only to discover one ingredient wasn’t in the fridge and I was screwed (living miles from grocery store not open on Sundays anyway), and another time I couldnt remember if I’d already added the salt or not. Lesson driven home decades later!
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I have last year’s Christmas pud in the freezer!
I cannot get along with Bryson….tried a few times as friends like his stuff, but it’s not for me.
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Well, looking on the bright side – that’s one less thing you have to think about for this year
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Love those well used hand written recipes. Our Christmas cake is somewhere between a cake and a pudding. I made it this year but suspect I will not next.
A little bit of Bill Bryson goes a long way with me.
Love your knitted wonders.
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That’s a good effort with the puddings and they look very professional. It must be a pain to have to convert pounds and ounces, but I suppose you are kind of used to it.
The cardigan looks very nice.
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I like the little cabled sweater. It looks great. I don’t know that I’ve ever tasted plum pudding. It does sound like a treat. I’m glad you didn’t catch that darn virus and that your husband is recovering well.
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Nice to see you back, in good spirits and full of productive energy. Festive greetings
I no longer make puddings. Warmed up fruit cake, doused in whisky, with custard or cream is good for anyone wanting a English dessert. But we usually end up with brownies and icecream 😁😁
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It’s a few years since I made christmas puddings..maybe I will next year. What a kind thought to knit that jumper, sure to be loved. I have read the Bill Bryson and recall enjoying it. I did prefer his earlier book though.
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not sure why but I couldn’t add a comment when this first came up in my reading list. I love the cardy. And jealous of the puddings. That is a winter xmas tradition that i will miss down here.
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