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Monday 20 December 2010

Mixed bag

Just so that you know I am not totally against Christmas - Kate was surprised that I even had a Christmas tree - here are some of my other decorations:

My kitchen shelf is decorated as you can see - more memories on there too along with some of the cards!

I have even put a couple of golden sprays in the cloakroom as decoration - pity I didn't clean the mirror too though!
You are right to expect that I don't have reams of paper chains and dangling balls nor fairylights all over the place indoors and out but I DO make some effort towards celebrating the season it's not all Bah Humbug here!!a

For a change from Christmas recipes I thought I'd share this one with you - I made it yesterday. This is for a lemon layer pudding which is a light lemony dessert which might make a pleasant change from the rich stuff we normally have at this time of year and comes from an old Good Housekeeping recipe book of my mother's.

It goes in the oven in a bain marie - I usually add the water using a can with a spout once it is in the oven as I find I tend to slop the water otherwise - old age making my hands a little shaky perhaps?


And comes out like this a light fluffy sponge which has separated to have a lemony sauce beneath, delicious served straight from the oven and also good cold too or can be reheated in the microwave if you have any leftovers..

Recipe here:
Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
2 oz butter
4 oz sugar
2 eggs separated
Half pint of milk
2 oz self raising flour
Add lemon rind to butter and sugar and cream till soft and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat well. Stir in milk,lemon juice and flour. Whisk egg whites stiffly and fold in to mixture. Pour into greased dish about 2 1/4 pints in size. Stand dish in a shallow tin of water and cookd near top of oven for about 45 mins till top is set and firm to touch
Oven temperature 350 deg F Gas Mark 4
Sorry it is in ounces and not metric it is an old book!



These last 2 photos are of some bits of needle felt I was playing about with the other day - one advantage of all this snow is there is more time for indoor games and as we are not expecting any visitors I don't have much else to do this week (memo to self - clean the cloakroom mirror though!). I think I need to needle them more as they are not completely felted and the holes still show don't I? Not sure what to do with them when I have finished but it was fun playing!

The other morning 3 young men rang the bell - I should be so lucky - they were neighbours and asked if we were OK and did we want them to spread any grit on our driveway. I thanked them and accepted their offer and they cleared the steps down to our front door and sprinkled it all with grit which they said they had got from one of the bins of the stuff provided by the council. I was grateful for their kind thought of course but it also brought home to me that we are obviously considered by the younger generation to be the elderly who need to be checked up on! Not a pleasant thought as there was me thinking I was young and fit!! Later that afternoon I went out with a strong carrier bag to see if I could get some more to put on the steps at the back of the house too and managed to find enough - it was all I could carry anyway. We now have non slip steps front and back.
Whilst in London recently on the Tube a young woman offered me her seat - again I was appreciative but hadn't realised I obviously looked elderly! I think I am still about 25 ish (not sure how that works as then I'd be younger than my daughter but I don't go there!)



Then last Sunday we were in Salisbury and had a cup of tea in a little chocolate shop there which was very pleasant. A couple with a little boy came in and began chatting to the man who was obviously the owner of the shop and the little boy was allowed to take some chocolate balls from a bucket on the counter labelled Merry Christmas. I must have been watching too closely or maybe I had a look of envy or perhaps again I was a poor old lady but the owner took a felt stocking and filled it with the balls and presented it to me as a gift! I was dumbstruck - the spirit of Christmas is not yet dead even if you have to be an old aged pensioner to find this out. My Mum used to tell me there were advantages to being older and she - as always - was right!!

22 comments:

  1. How lovely that there are people out there who will actually help others...must be quite rare now I would have thought. No chance of gritting our footpaths and steps, now a salt container to be seen anywhere!

    I like you decorations, nice and subtle. I'm sure when we don't have the boys here all the time that we won't have as much. But then again, maybe we will as hubby likes them!

    Looking forward to our meet up.

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  2. I like your decorations - I haven't even got mine out of the loft yet, but I have just been and done some food shopping so if it snows again we can still eat on Christmas day! Have a good end to the year

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  3. I used to make that lemon sponge cake! I think I will be making it again! With regards to my post at Linden Grove Kitchen, I have duly added the recipe to my Italian Fruit Cake post. I didn't include it before as I was a bit worried about copyright issues. How lovely to be given a stocking full of chocolates! Your have certainly found the Christmas spirit! x

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  4. I like the sound of your pudding, just right for me as I'm not that keen on rich puddings as you say.
    I think we hear so much about how 'bad' the youth is today and we forget how 'good' the vast majority are.

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  5. As we know, being mums ourselves, mums are always right! The pudding sounds delicious. Debby Mc

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  6. Your pudding looks delicious - thank you for the recipe. I also love your felt work! I am sure it is just the Christmas spirit that is making people be so considerate! Your door wreath is a great colour!
    We finished school on Friday!
    Lucy xxxxx

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  7. I don't think that your neighbours were being neighbourly just because they thought you were old aged, I think it was just a kindly thing for them to do.
    It's lovely to see some of your Xmas decorations and thank you for sharing your Lemony Pudding - it sounds delicious.

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  8. That pud looks good!
    Nice to hear the Christmas spirit is alive and well!
    Dan
    -x-

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  9. Thanks for the recipe - I love lemon puddings!!!
    Its wonderful to see and receive a little Xmas spirit

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  10. The lemon pudding looks lovely! It always puts a smile on my face when someone is unexpectedly kind to someone, gives me some faith in the world! Apparently I still don't look my age, I still get ID'd for alchohol even though I'm 26, but as everyone tells me I'll appreciate looking younger when I'm older (if that makes sense?)! :) x

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  11. How wonderful re the gritting of your path and steps. The lemon pudding looks tasty. Just right when all the rich stuff is about.

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  12. Mmmmm Lemon Pudding. Looks like the pudding we call Lemon Delicious and I've been searching for a good recipe for it so thanks Jane. I'm not a Christmas pudding girl - well not in the heat of Summer anyway. I always make Trifle - one of my favourites and sometimes we have Pavlova too on Christmas day.
    On the topic of being "elderly", it seems there are some advantages and recently I was offered a seat on a bus by a 20ish girl. I was very appreciative but a little stunned. Nice to see there are still people with nice manners out there. Another advantage is cheaper entry into the movies now I'm over 60 !!! It's nice to have good neighbours who check up on you in this day and age.
    Cheers
    Helen

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  13. Ah, so pleased to hear that there are festivities occurring in the Marigold Jam household after all.

    I love that pudding, it's a winner and I know it as Lemon Delicious too. I think it originates from Australia.

    Very nice felting you have there Jane, I do hope you made it from your cats' hairs!!

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  14. Love your wreath, and will have to try that lemon pud, its my hubbies favourite desssert! My father in law used to have a shirt that said "im not old im just a recycled teenager!"
    Merry Christmas Jane, hohoho!!

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  15. Jane,
    That pudding looks great, thanks for the recipe, mind you I STILL have not made the one from last year! I only said to Roy last night how sad it was that neighbours didn't clear the pavements and paths as they used to but my faith in human nature is restored thanks to your tale. As for that needlefelt.... that lovely little landscape would look great on a card. I love it. Lesley xx

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  16. It was lovely to see your Christmassy things and to hear about your thoughtful neighbours too. I think the snowfall and its difficulties does bring out the best spirit in people and make them more caring. Your lemon pudding is a delicious idea - I love anything lemony! Have a happy, festive day. Helen x

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  17. That lemony pud looks good, and uses every day ingrediants too. Even I have them in my cupboard. Love your decorations - less in definitely best when it comes to decorations in my house too.
    Like the felting - have you got a thick needle? I found that was the problem when mine looked holey. When I switched to a fine one the finish was much better.

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  18. Your decorations look perfect, not overdone, but natural. We're not bothering as the house is too filthy from 10 days of plastering, but I do have a door garland. Your felted items are lovely!

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  19. I love your felting Jane!
    Thanks for sharing the recipe, it does sound delicious. I have to say your little egg box is beautiful. :)
    Vivienne x

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  20. Love your felting, Jane.
    I think you have more Christmas decorations up than I do. They all look very pretty.
    Isn't it wonderful that there are still people that think of others, and I agree I think they were just being neighbourly, not thinking you are "old".
    I know the pudding as Lemon Delicious too, I remember having it as a child.
    Hugs,
    Marg xx

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  21. Hello Jane, had to laugh about the age thing. I find myself thinking I am still 'young' also. A glance in the mirror (horrors!) reveals otherwise! My husband had a sobering expierence awhile back; a young man he works with commented about another man that my husband and this young man know. The young man said, "He's a nice old man..." My husband told me, the man he was speaking of was the same age as him (my husband). That gave him quite a shock!

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  22. hello,

    you blog is very nice.
    I like your produkts greatings Conny

    ReplyDelete

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