Category: Cakes

A busy day – 20 August 2024

Posted on by Zogman

Much of my work had been done yesterday. Today was Scamp’s day.

I took the easy way out and drove to Glasgow. I’d a shirt to exchange at Slaters which was easily accomplished and that left me enough time to get my hair cut and my beard trimmed . Much easier getting somebody who knows what he’s doing to do the work than trying to work with cutters and scissors while staring intently in the mirror. I also managed to find time to source some white chocolate for the topping of the cake Scamp was baking. Easy, especially if you’ve planned your route in advance.

Not so easy was getting to Glasgow in the first place and getting home again as the council had decided the roundabout at the bottom of the road needed a sprucing up, complete with 4-way traffic lights. There had been no notice this was happening, so it was a nice surprise!! Ratbags!

When I got home, after another 15 minute delay, stuck in the queue, I realised I’d forgotten to get olives. Rather than face the queue again, I walked down to the shops and got the olives, then got soaked walking home.

After a change of clothes I was given the job of finding, and clearing, the table in the living room where it lay hidden under a pile of magazines, cables, SSDs, a computer and assorted rubbish (all mine). Then finding a place to put said rubbish where I’d find it again when needed.

After that I helped out in the kitchen with the fiddly bits of dressing the Portobello mushrooms for the starter and re-heating the main course I’d made yesterday while Scamp made the pudding. All achieved just in time to welcome John & Marion.

Dinner was:
Starter: Portobello Mushrooms with Cheese, Spinach and Parma Ham
Main: Chicken Tagine
Dessert: Baked Apricot Brioche.

It was a good night. Lots to discuss. The new grandchild for J&M, Erin. John’s new car, (although he says it’s Marion’s), a Renault Clio and a hybrid to boot! Holidays were discussed and days away too. Much later than any of us intended we let them go and we started the clearing up.

Another glass of wine for Scamp and a small whisky for me and it was time for bed.

PoD was a view looking down Buchanan Street from the opposite side of the subway entrance.

Plans for tomorrow will start with whoever is making breakfast, switching on the dish washer. I’m intending meeting Alex for a photowalk in Glasgow.

Tea for Two – 17 October 2023

Posted on by Zogman

We were off to Troon today for afternoon tea.

Thanks to John and Marion we had a voucher for Afternoon Tea at Lochgreen House. We got it for our Golden Wedding and had hoped to use it sooner, but this year has been what Jackie would call a “Bourach”. A mess, a muddle, a shambles. Everything we planned had to be altered or something got in the way and the afternoon tea got pushed further and further back. Eventually we made the decision to have it either last week or this week. Even then it was going to be tight. Our final decision was made yesterday when we brooked it for today.

It was a foggy start to the day and the fog didn’t really lift until we were out through Glasgow, on to the M77 and climbing up into the Fenwick Moors. From there to Troon was clear and we parked down near the beach where there are usually hosts of wind and kite surfers, but wind surfers need wind and there was none of that today. Only the Glasgow folk, “down on the beach with their coats on” as my dad was keen to tell you. We, too, went for a walk along the path between the beach and the grassy foreshore, but eventually we found a path through the dunes that took us down to the beach. Where’s the fun of going to the seaside if you don’t get sand on your shoes?

It was a short walk, because we’d still to drive to the posh Lochgreen House. We arrived right on time and were seated in a booth and had tea, or hot water for Scamp, then we were served the three layer platter with hot food in the bottom, sandwiches in the middle and scones on the top. The scones being served with clotted cream and strawberry jam. I could almost see myself reaching for the Gaviscon when I saw that big quenelle of clotted cream!

Scamp played her vegetarian card and had a Goat’s Cheese Quiche, Vegetable Tempura and a Finger of Fish, not to be confused with a fish finger. I had Haggis Bon-Bons, Ham Quiche and a Sausage Roll that had never been near Greggs! Those were the hot foods.

My sandwiches were Chicken and Tomato, Coronation Chicken and Roast Beef with Mustard and Lettuce. Scamp’s were Egg Mayo, Tuna and Goat’s Cheese.

Two scones each, one fruit, one plain with that clotted cream and strawberry jam finished the platters, but there were six cakes to finish off too. Unfortunately, we were full by that time and asked for them to be boxed to take away.

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon in beautiful surroundings, waited on hand and foot.

Because we had some time to spare, we drove down to the big car park we usually go to and walked over the Ballast Bank to let our lunch slide down. It’s usual for us to walk over the top of the Ballast and down the other side, then take the narrow low path along the edge of the water if the tide isn’t in. That takes us back to the car park. We found a seat half way along the low path and stopped to look out to the sea. I took a few photos and then recognised a couple of folk walking towards us. They materialised into Ronnie and Millie from Brookfield. They had been dancing at the ballroom in Troon and, like us were stretching their legs with a walk in the fresh air. I think we might be going to that ballroom soon too, some Tuesday afternoon.

Drove home through the usual 4.30 rush. Thankfully we didn’t attempt the Kingston Bridge, but stuck to the M74/M73. Longer journey but much less stressful. Back home we had two cakes each. That leaves two to share tomorrow.

PoD was the view when we were climbing up through the dunes to get to the beach.

Today’s prompt was “Demon”. The demon here is The Demon Drink. As fearful a monster as any, and just like a genie, as long as he’s kept trapped in the bottle you are safe. However once you twist that cap and release him you are opening a Pandora’s box or am I just getting carried away now? Anyway, it let me splash on lots of red paint!

That was a lovely day. Good weather, good food, good company and great fun. Must do it again sometime. Now, where’s that Gaviscon?

No plans for tomorrow.

 

Lunch at the Bothy – 24 July 2023

Posted on by Zogman

After Wordle and Spelling Bee were done, the day was our own.

But first, even before Wordle, there was a big cardboard box to open, and inside as … another big cardboard box. Inside that was the usual amount of bumf you get when you buy something fairly expensive. “READ ME FIRST” was on the first page, so that was put to the side to read later. Next the inevitable expanded polystyrene to unpack and crumble into the carpet, then more bumf to read at a later date and finally the food processor was revealed in all its shiny plastic glory. Oh yes, and we got a recipe book, not an app to download and install on our phone, but an honest to goodness recipe book and a hard back one to boot! We might read that later, mainly because it didn’t scream at us “READ ME FIRST”!

While Scamp went into the kitchen to wash all the bowls and the lethal looking cutters and slicers, I read through some of the paperwork and some of the recipes. It’s amazing the variety of breads, cakes and soups you can make in one of these clever devices. I may even attempt some of them sometime.

Satisfied that all the washable bits had been washed and dried and after reading the recipe book and completing Wordle and Spelling Bee, Scamp suggested we go out to lunch as we’d planned at The Bothy just outside Stirling. As usual these days we were handed a buzzer and told to browse round the shop. Not long afterwards our buzzer buzzed. I did quite fancy the Mushroom and Bacon Carbonara on the ‘specials’ board, but inevitably I ordered the Sri Lankan Lamb Curry and Scamp had Mac ’n’ Cheese as I suspected. Two coffees to wash it down and two ginormous Cream Donuts to take home in a box.

Scamp was looking for another rose, but not for us this time and she wanted a pot to replant “Harley” the Harlequin Berberis we thought we’d lost in the June heatwave. It’s not quite recovered its variegation yet, but maybe once it’s repotted it will regain its colour. We drove round the outskirts of Stirling to Dobbies, but they had none of the rose variety she was looking for. We did get a heather plant to replace one that had died in June, a pop-up bin for the garden and a packet of basil seeds for me to plant.

I thought there was just a chance that we’d find the rose in Calders in Cumbersheugh, so we went there on our way home. Scamp knows one of the gardeners and she asked him if he had any and thankfully he had. A bit of local knowledge goes a long way, and it’s a true saying “It’s now what you know, but who you know. A quick visit to Tesco on the way home and we were done, or nearly.

I hadn’t a photo of the day so far, so back home I got my boots out and took the A6500 out with the big clumsy 105mm macro lens and in about an hour I took 130 photos. Most were rubbish, but I did capture a male Common Darter dragonfly. I’ve been keeping a careful eye on the battery performance of the new camera and it’s actually almost within the parameters that are advertised for it, so not such a big problem as I initially thought.

That was a good day. Weather wasn’t all that good, but it stayed dry all day. Scamp’s off to get her nails done again. I’m hoping to do an Auld Guys coffee morning tomorrow with Val and Fred.

Snow – 14 March 2023

Posted on by Zogman

We woke to an unusual brightness. The snow that arrived during the night was reflecting the sunshine.

After breakfast, Scamp and Jackie were going to investigate the ‘new’ shops. While they were out I took the A7 and a couple of lenses over to St Mo’s to get some snowy pictures. But there was almost no snow. Whether that was to do with an over energetic sun or maybe the tall trees over there were sheltering it from the worst of the snow, I couldn’t tell. As usual, I worked with what I had and today’s PoD became a strange flower that I haven’t managed to ID. It flowers late into the autumn with fluffy looking pink flower. The stem and leaves look a bit like brambles, but the flowers are very different. Google images thinks it’s a carnation and I can see why. I had to cut my photo wanderings early because the snow came on again while I was out and I headed home.

I was home before the two ladies and made myself some coffee. We all had a light lunch after that and it was almost time for Scamp and I to get dressed for Bobby Flavell’s funeral. It seemed to have been agreed that the cars would leave from the house, so we all waited until the hearse and the family car moved off before we followed on behind. Quite a long service at Daldowie led by a Humanist speaker. He covered a long life well lived. Who knew that that wee quiet man was once a drummer for Linda Ronstadt on an American tour? But it was the wee quiet man who cut folk’s grass for them and who brought the empty bins back that we will miss, not the drummer.

After we returned, we changed into different clothes to go for a belated anniversary dinner arranged by Jackie and June at the Red Deer. Taxi to the restaurant whose boiler wasn’t working, so we had to make do with the wood burning fire and blower heaters. June and Ian were already there and there was a surprise for us. A brilliant anniversary cake with Scamp and I as ballroom dancers. Oh, if only I was as elegant as the man who was dancing on that cake! Having said that, he did look very like me! Both the sisters and Shona had a hand in the creation of this cake. Thank you all for such a clever idea.

For a starter, June had Duo of Pâté and the rest of us shared Stone-Baked Flatbread with garlic butter. For a main, Scamp had Fish & Chips, Jackie and I had Gammon Steak, June and Ian had Beef & Chianti Casserole. We all had a glass or two from a bottle of Prosecco and Ian and I had a beer each while the ladies scoffed a bottle of white wine.

The only fly in the ointment was that the taxi taking us home was almost half an hour late. June and Ian went home with it after we had been dropped off at the house. More drink was taken and we set the world to rights after a long, busy day.

A few plans for tomorrow, but they are all weather-dependent.

Just a normal Sunday – 20 November 2022

Posted on by Zogman

It was raining and it looked like it may keep raining all day.

A lazy Sunday, because almost for all of the rest of the week one of us was going to be busy. The usual start to the day with Wordle completed and then the Pangram found in Spelling Bee. I thought it might be a good idea to make a loaf and got started on that.

After lunch the clouds parted and the sun shone. Scamp was intending to make chicken soup for dinner and she needed some veg for it, so she was off to the shops. I stayed home and messed about with the computer. When she came home, I got dressed and went for a walk in St Mo’s. It seems that my guess about the swan was right, it was dead. Now it’s up to NLC to do something about it.

A walk into the woods gave me today’s PoD. It’s just a few leaves caught between two mossy trees, but a bit of backlighting made the leaves glow. There wasn’t much else to photograph and the temperature was dropping so I walked home. On the way I chanced upon a dozen or so joggers, each one dressed up. It must have been a charity run or maybe the aftermath of a stag do. Anyway, it brightened the day because the sun was sliding towards the horizon.

Scamp was organised today, because as well as making the soup, she also baked a Dutch Apple Sponge. After it came out of the oven it was time for mine to go in, except the second prove wasn’t as successful as I’d hoped and the loaf was a bit floppy. I transferred it into a lined loaf tin and allowed it a quarter of an hour to perk up in the warm oven above the main one. After that, I reckoned it was as risen as it was going to get and put it in the main oven. Like Scamp’s cake, it turned out fine. So we had Chicken Soup with Home Baked Bread for a main and Dutch Apple Sponge with custard for a pudding.

Spoke to Jamie for just over ten minutes tonight. We had no news and he had very little. We are hoping the plumber will fix the kitchen taps tomorrow and they had just had their boiler serviced. Just a usual week.

Tomorrow Scamp is taking Isobel out for coffee and I’m staying in to supervise the plumbing.