Christmas Bakes

Took a couple of days off before Christmas - to brave Morrisons for the food 'shop', and get ahead with the cooking.

Today was a baking day - made some frangipane mince pies . . .

. . . and decorated the keeper from last year's cake bake - very much in the same style too.






Not pushing the boat out too much on the baking front this year, as it's just the four of us on Christmas Day and we don't have any family staying over. 

That said, there'll be the now traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding to go in the oven, Christmas Pud (again held over from last year), and I can feel a post-Christmas chocolate brownie baking session coming on!

Firewood

Having been less than industrious on the wood gathering / chopping front this year (too busy with the hedges!), we decided to buy in some firewood, and on Tuesday evening (just as it started to rain) this lot duly arrived:

Fortunately they were able to back up to the garage and drop the wood inside (Martin was most impressed with their trailer reversing skills!).


So an hour or so this morning (while it was, briefly, not raining)  was spent moving just over one bag full from the garage into more permanent storage in the woodshed.  Will move the rest on another day (if it ever stops raining again!).

Snowy Sunday

In common with most of the rest of the country, today we had snow - perhaps not as much other places - but, actual snow . . .

In fact it snowed for most of the day - even quite heavily at times - although we only ended up with a light covering, and the roads remained pretty clear.





By the evening, when it had stopped, it did all look very festive . . . 



Unfortunately (or fortunately - depending on your viewpoint), it had mostly gone by the morning, although I did have to spend a good twenty minutes or more removing the impacted snow and ice from the car!

Treadmill Torture or Treat?

I had been asking Sarah for many months if we could convert the downstairs bedroom to a gym with a treadmill and exercise bike; currently the room is a magnet for clutter, only getting cleared out just before we have visitors.

I countered all her objections with helpful and practical suggestions such as we could put a sofa bed in the lounge or move the equipment out when visitors arrive and put the bed back.  When even the tried and tested "Gaylord Persuasion Technique" of crying like a girl (as employed by my Ex-Old Drinking Buddy) had failed and I had given up all hope, Sarah came up with the suggestion of putting a treadmill in the Porch.

Not the home gym I had wanted, but then you have to take what you can get! 

After what seemed like weeks of research I finally decided on a model, however Argos then ended their treadmill discounts and so, being a Cardi, I had to wait until they were back on offer.  

Finally, today, a VERY large and heavy box was delivered into the narrow porch.  

Building the machine was not easy in the space available; neither was manoeuvring out the empty box that is large enough to be the put-you-up bed that I suggested could be put in the front room for our visitors!

But here we go - up and running (literally).  

The narrow walls of the porch can feel a bit daunting when running at speed but on the whole I think it will work well as the windows and door provide ample ventilation.

Update (21 December)
The treadmill has now been in place for nearly a month now and is getting regular use by both myself and Sarah. I feel that I have got fitter since it has arrived and my running stamina has certainly improved - and maybe we will make an athlete out of Sarah yet!

Explore Your Archive 2017

Various things have been happening across Wales for the annual Explore Your Archive extravaganza - and this year our 'local' Ceredigion Archives asked people to respond to their collections by 'Making History'.

A special evening celebration then exhibited our responses - with performances, artwork, knitting, music, flowers, poetry, 'shrub', a tattooed knee, and authentically reproduced old recipes (although I couldn't quite bring myself to try the mince pies made with bullock's heart!).

My own 'artistic' effort comprised a piece of doggerel verse:

There once was an Archive by the Sea,

Holding 500 years of County History.

Prints and photos, maps and plans,

Letters and diaries in old-fashioned hands,

Adverts and guides to the County of Old,

Showing how we once lived, what we once sold.

All kept safe and sound for people to see,

To search and discover how Things Used To Be.

After forty-odd years the Archive is still

Collecting these records with zeal and good-will.

Of Clubs and Societies, Council and All,

Stored (away from the sea) at the Old Town Hall.

Generations to come will be able to say:

“So that’s how they did things, back in their day.”

There’s so much in our Archives, from now and before,

Your history is here, come along and Explore!

. . . for which I was duly awarded a medal (along with everyone else - although Martin is now insisting on calling me Muttley!).

It was a great evening - lots of new people got introduced to archives along the way - and a good time was had by all!

'Diff Film Friday

Friday saw me working in Cardiff, and Martin working in Swansea, so we took the opportunity to meet up for a night out in the capital - primarily to see Thor: Ragnarok on the big screen (very good!), but also for a few beers and a curry down Cardiff Bay.

After the film we had a wander around the Bay to admire the Christmas decorations and Snowdogs, before going for a drink (or three) in the Mount Stuart Wetherspoons.

We never quite worked out what we wanted to eat for dinner, so cinema popcorn (well Tesco popcorn) ended up as the culinary highlight of the evening!


It had been some time since we had been down the Bay, so it was great to see that Ianto’s Shrine is still going strong (it actually features on Google Maps!) - and there's a semi-official plaque to his memory now (suggesting that the Shrine has been officially adopted by Mermaid Quay):

The following day we had another wander around the Bay, having breakfast in Wetherspoons with an old friend before heading into town to look around the Christmas Fayre and the city centre shops.

Unfortunately we'd managed to coincide with another International, and it was all far too busy to be enjoyable - so we returned to the Bay for a cuppa in the Norwegian Church, before making our way home.

Rainbow

Walking the prom today and there was the most fantastic rainbow - 'nuff said!