Elemania

Elemania hit London recently and I got the bug bigtime. Basically a herd of over 200 elephants have been sprinkled around the rather grey streets of the City, herded into park corners and shoehorned into shopfronts. There's a serious point of course, to highlight the plight of the Asian elephant which is now seriously endangered. It'd be sad if there were no more Nellie's to pack up their trunks or go trumpety trump so hopefully these guys will make a difference. I think they will because seems like it's a bunch of very nice people behind this little plan. Nice guys get to win sometimes right?

I've probably driven people mad with my ele of the day selections, hopefully though it made them smile when Dandyphant popped up on their screen, marauding through St Pancras or made them feel a little bit like, "ooh pass the chip cone with extra vinegar" as Fish and Chip Ele floated by.


Not to mention feeling a little bit mushy when Mr Stole My Heart or Tree of Love or Kisses on the Trunk rolled across their wall.




Oran (You Stole My Heart)by Adam Bridgland

Anway I had to go, to rush about and get over excited and take lots of pictures of lots of very bright and very silly ele's just because it made me smile. So a lightening tour of the City was undertaken with regular rest breaks of course generally involving Pimms or a nice glass of wine , oh and a quick lunch at the Pieminister - pie, mash , minty mushy peas and gravy - very tasty indeed. There were rosey eles', rainbow ele's, taxi's and policeman ele's. A James Bond ele and some flashy gold and shiny ele's.

Here's a little glimpse into my elemania tour:

My favourite? Well that's tricky, but I do have a soft spot for Cubeelephant by Andre Ritins whose hanging out near Tower Bridge, you can see me dancing with him in the collage pic, yep that's me the mad girl in red, who'd had a Pimm's and a glass of chardonnay and really didn't care if people thought I was silly because I'm not full of myself like some. Anyway I don't think people thought I was silly, I think they thought I was nice and sweet and maybe a bit mad, pretty accurate really.

Cubeelephant is sort of glittery, a party elephant, he needs some blue fairy lights and some colour change love hearts. He's a colourful curly wurly straws and cheese and pineapple on sticks, a cupcake happy garden party sort of elephant. I think he'd look rather nice in my garden, but I expect lots of girlies think that too, much richer girlies who probably have rich oligarchs in tow. Maybe they'd let me visit him though when they move him to their achingly gorgeous mansion in Kensington. I'd make the cupcakes and even bring some Pimms.

I also love Soju Tanaka's elephants The Illustrated Elephant and Whisper, covered in cuddly doodle characters who seem to giggle and dance. Here's his ele's below:





See, cute little guys.

Anyway I could go on and on about ele's as I said it's a real case of elemania for me. There's a link to their website here if you'd like more information and a map in case you also feel the need to pack up some cheese and pickle butties and have a day exploring . http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/

The whole herd will be on display together soon though at the Royal Chelsea Hospital at the end of June. I might go, let me know if you'd like to join me. We can have a Pimms and a Pie perhaps or even Afternoon Tea (now that's a whole entry in itself)

TTFN xx

Raspberry chocolate cupcakes

I've always loved raspberries and chocolate ever since my first Raspberry Ruffle which I think was bought at Woolworths in a pick and mix. Later of course came Raspberry Ruffle bars, which I still sometimes buy basically a raspberry flavoured coconut fondant cream, encased in chocolate. Very pink and girly really for a girl who liked wearing her dungarees and climbing trees and fixing cars with her dad. They cheer me up still, because it's like a Dr Who like Tardis moment when I get one, speeding back through time to Woolworth's to pick out some sweeties and always, always making sure there were ruffles.

I'd been wondering about raspberry and chocolate cupcake possibilities and decided to try some out and I must say they were very lovely indeed, Very sweet and gooey and yummy and somehow rather naughty cheeky little cakes. They're fantastic to make as only really need one saucepan. the icing here was lovely, but equally you could do a raspberry buttercream one which would be very girly indeed and decorate with icing flowers or chocolate stars. You can also pump some chocolate ganache into the raspberry for a cheeky chocolate surprise when the berry bursts in your mouth.

I love these cakes and would be happy to make the for anyone who'd like some. Just let me know and you can come and talk bobbins with the crazy cake girl and her creatures.

xxx

INGREDIENTS


FOR THE CUPCAKES:
125g soft unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
300g raspberry jam
150g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs, beaten
150g self-raising flour
12-bun muffin tin and papers

FOR THE ICING:
100g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
Raspberries
Makes 12

METHOD

1.Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

2.Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on the heat to melt. When nearly completely melted, stir in the chocolate. Leave for a moment to begin softening, then take the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are smooth and melted. Now add the raspberry jam, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon and when all is pretty well amalgamated stir in the flour.

3.Scrape and pour into the muffin papers in their tin and bake for 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out.

4.When the cupcakes are cool, break the chocolate for the icing into little pieces and add them to the cream in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and then whisk – by hand or electrically – till thick and smooth. Ice the cupcakes, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon, and stand a raspberry in the centre of each.

Cupcakes ready to eat in the garden:

Bring back Geoffrey!

Mr Galaxy I love you, really, seriously, I do. Bringing back Counters had made my year. I am happily munching some right now as I type. Counters you see were the stuff of happy childhood memories. I was you see an only child, which meant well possibly more annoying than one that can be distracted by having brothers or sisters to torture. So there were times when mum would need some downtime, which meant dad had to take me somewhere, anywhere, preferably out of earshot for the poor woman to have some peace. Quite often I'd get taken for a walk. Down through Butt Lane, past the canal and up the hill to a little shop. I loved this little shop, not because it was extraordinary in any way but because that was where Dad would buy me a bag of Counters. Counters made me very, very happy. For those of you who don't know what they are they are basically little discs of chocolatey gorgeousness. Naturist Minstrels essentially. Look, there they are below, yum, gorgeous, you know you want to go out and buy some right now. Go on, forget the diet, you'll burn off the calories with all the smiling anyway.



Have them with a cup of tea, like I'm doing now. All melty and lovely and just plain gorgeous.

I remember one day they disappeared, just stopped being there, that was a very dark day. I pouted a lot. I may even have had a little cry. I found that they were still there in Revels, but there were never enough of them and there were some well dodgy flavours in a Revels back which I wouldn't eat and then I'd get told off. I think i wrote in to you Mr Galaxy as a rather irate (but very polite enraged kiddy) appealing for their return. I didn't get a reply, I felt rather annoyed, but hey lets face it the letter was probably addressed to the boss at the place that makes my favourite sweets, so chances are Royal Mail are still processing it. Unless you received it and that's why you brought them back?

In the end I sought solace with Chocolate Buttons, which many of you will know have previously been hailed as my most favourite of chocolate treats. But Counters are back now and Counters henceforth it will be. I will be stockpiling then ready for next week.

There is just one thing though and this is an appeal really, to you Mr Galaxy. it's the packaging you see. It's very nice of course, very grown up. Which I imagine is what you think we want as we are all grown up now. But we don't, not really. I even canvassed opinion of some of my friends and we'd all quite like the old packets back. Big ones of course as we can eat lots more counters now we got all grown up but like they were, white with the pictures on.


So please,please,please, bring back Geoffrey Giraffe and make me a very happy girl.

Daffodil Days

Well seems that Spring has finally arrived and suddenly the hills are filled with lovely yellow daffodils. Daffodils always make me smile, they seem like someone simply sprinkled the fields with sunshine. I have them in the garden of course planted by me. One of my best presents ever forget diamonds or designer watches boxes of bulbs make me very happy especially one Christmas when someone bought me simply loads, snowdrops, daffodils, lovely scented hyacinths, spring in a box and every year when I look out of the window it makes me happy. The ones in the picture are from my garden and then actually have a lovely sunny smell which brightens up breakfast.

So here's to sitting in the kitchen in the sun, with scrambled eggs,potato farls, baked beans,fried cherry tomatoes that pop all over the plate, lovely buttery toast and freshly squeezed orange juice. Here's to sitting with the Sunday papers as Scruffbag snores in her corner and the coffee bubbles. And always, always to daffodil days where somehow life just seems smilier and brighter.

bring back Bagpuss

just a quick entry. Was recently looking for art work for my very white kitchen wall and stumbled on this, a bright orange poster poem which pretty much captures my childhood. Made me smile. I think it would look good on the kitchen wall and will make me smile as I eat my purple porridge (just add blueberries). Yes I know I'm still a big kid, don't care. Life's to short to pretend your someone you aren't don't you agree?

So here's to orange things and Bagpuss and pretending to be Batman with your coat hood over your head, just like we did when we were six.

Orange Blossom Girl

I have a slight obsession with smell. Not in a weird way (well I don't think so anyway). I remember at school having to write a piece about favourite smells and while most of my friends moaned and groaned about it I was secretly happy as anything. I could have gone on for pages and I can still remember what I wrote 9i won't bore you).

Recently an invite popped up on Facebook for 5 favourite smells and I of course faithfully filled it in. I thought later that perhaps my friends wouldn't be quite as rivetted by this information as I am but it was too late (apologies everyone).

Smells to me you see, are memories.They conjour back times past, sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Someone queried my choice of tomatoes as a favourite smell on my FB list and I duly explained why it had been selected.

The smell reminds me of my Uncle Arthur (not an Uncle by blood and before the Peter Kay fans amongst you ask, no he didn't once lend my dad an orbital sander). Uncle Arthur taught me how to plant tomatoes and tomato plants smell lovely.

Every year I plant tomato plants and I think of Uncle Arthur and sunshine and greenhouses and Uncle Charles (his brother, they lived together, sadly never married so sort of liked having me about).

After tomato planting we would always have tea in proper china cups (a big deal for a very little girl) being trusted with proper china cups with pink flowers and gold leaf on the handles and saucers and everything. Then of course there was shortbread, because that was Uncle Charles' favourite biscuit in the whole world.

So that's why I always have and always will love the smell of tomatoes, it's not an affectation, it's a memory. A lovely warm and cuddly one. Don't worry I won't go through them all but you can look them up if you really want to and if you want the backstory, well just ask.

Somebody asked me once what my signature scent was, every woman should have one apparently , a fact which had escaped me for most of my life.

Just one? , oh dear I will admit to being a perfume junkie with a rather vast array of fragrances (it was sort of approaching 50 when I did a recent consolidation - oops).Ranging from Chanel (No5, Crystal and Coco, oh yes and Chance) to the cheap and cheerful Lime , Vetiver and Mandarin (from Sainsburys actually and delicious).

But an actual signature scent?, er no. But perhaps she was right so the quest began, a while ago, (I'm not an especially decisive person- unless I'm being paid to be of course).

Then I remembered, the perfect place discovered a few years ago the world of Jo Malone, in the sparkly new Harvey Nichols (yes I know it's an utter betrayal of my roots etc) but it sort of amused me, being scruffy little me, wandering about amongst the footballers wife types.

Oh yes Jo Malone, truly lovely, a haven of wafty gorgeousness. Over the years I have experimented with sprays of every fragrance stocked. Heaven.

Two main fragrances always grabbed me. Orange Blossom being the first, Vintage Gardenia the second. There was an unexpected late entry Grapefruit which against all the odds I love. (I actually hate the taste of grapefruit passionately, its horrid and bitter and it stings your tongue, yuck.

Not in the running for a scent for me, not the real me, perfect for the world of work though to which it will be consigned).

Recently I was forced to make a final decision, with birthday and Christmas looming. So I did.

Orange Blossom. I guess the title of the post is kind of a giveaway.

The reason I loved orange blossom? Again its the memories it holds.

I love oranges, they're very happy fruits don't you think? They're round of course , a very pleasing shape I find and a bit squidgy and juicy. The colour orange always makes me smile too its a so what I'm loud and proud and no one is going to get me down sort of colour.

I recall orange lollies, all juicy and drip down your chinny, sundresses and daisychains and sticking out orange tongues. Then later came Sun lollies, the curiously pyramid shaped ones with no stick, revolutionary in their time a little bit daring and therefore very me.

I'll always remember eating oranges with my friend Sue, she always had oranges. She liked them lots and shared them with me, sitting on the window sill at school, long navy blue socked legs dangling over the radiators.

Sometimes we'd sit in the cloakrooms and eat oranges, those were the hiding away from the nasty girls days.Sometimes we'd sit on the grass outside under the tree at the edge of the playing field in the sun or sometimes even in the rain.

Sue liked oranges and in the start I liked oranges because she liked oranges. In the end though I liked oranges too. Very much.

I miss her, I've missed her for nearly twenty years now. I still think about her when I eat an orange and remember her smiling in the sun.

In Mallorca one of my most favourite Islands in the world unexpectedly I went to Soller on the rickety train which sort of just about clings to the side of the mountains. I remember the orange groves because Soller is the home of the loveliest of spanish oranges and the smell of them everywhere, drinking the freshest juice in the world sitting in the square. One day I want to live there, me and my scruffy dog (though she's not much on sun and she gets smellier when sweaty) with a garden full of orange trees (maybe a few lemons too , oh yes and some olives). What can I say , got to have a dream. I think Sue would have liked Soller too. I wish she'd been there to.

For me then oranges hold fond memories of special people and sunny days, so in the end the decision was easy. So Orange Blossom it was. It was still a surprise though, that it arrived on my birthday , nestling in its lovely creamy box with its big black bow, orangey loveliness from the second you open the bag (they spray that too).

So, here I am, in my happy orange blossom haze, dreaming of sunshine and smiles, the perfect signature scent for me I think.

So long Mika

Well its month end which means just one thing for Country girl, weigh in and measurement time. I have been on a diet you see, over the last six months and every month I report in my results to my weight loss group. This month I feel happy to report the results are most pleasing and I thought I'd share them with you too.

"Big Girls you are Beautiful" was the tune that inspired my weight loss the most annoying song in pop history ever (yes even more so that Timmy Mallett and his Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Hammer or whatever. Normally I like camp but in Mika's case I am happy to make an exception, him and his patronising pap warblings. For those of you who aren't aware (though I believe his annoying fluffiness has been spread worldwide) this is him below:



Well it was partly him anyway, the other factors were my mother with her constant "I'm not saying your fat" comments and the realisation that blonde Tracey wasn't actually being nice when she said "it must be so nice to be someone who doesn't care what they look like" She was in fact being a total cow but was too spineless to use the f word (as in fat) to my face.

Yes quite. Anyway back to me and my phemonenal weight loss which has made me very pleased inded. Scores on the doors as below people.

Total weight loss: 31 lbs (14 kilos) or as I see it 6 hulking great bags of potatoes!! Which begs the question where was I hiding it all, I know I wear cuddly jumpers but please!

Total inch loss as follows:

Chest 4 inches

Waist 7.5 inches

Hips 4.75 inches

Total inch loss 30.5 inches

I didn't feel that people were quite deserving of pics of my semi naked form (could induce nightmares) So have included my virtual weight loss model below to give you some idea of the body shape change:



It actually hasn't been as hard as I thought, just basically giving up alcohol, my three bags of crisps and chocolate habit and no more scoffing bloke sized portions of food (working with engineers should carry a health warning I swear!). Suppose it is as simple as Eat less, Exercise more.

For the first time in a long time I feel I look OK thanks very much. Long may it last!

Here's a link to Mika's song for anyone feeling brave (Country girl did warn you though remember!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdbBSnRxOmE

Flower Power

well just had my day well and truly made with one little knock at the door. Greeted by a slightly miserable looking delivery lady who seemed to think that the barking scruffbag (who had beaten me to the door) was some sort of rabied beastie who would chew off her leg.

Once reassured and a signature later she handed over the lovely big black box (which she had previously been cowering behind) - did think of telling her that perhaps if the scruffbag was a dangerous creature then the box would offer little protection!

Ooh and then it was time to open the box and nestling inside were the loveliest flowers I've ever seen, not for me predictable red roses but a profusion of daisies and pink and cream roses and lovely summer gorgeousness.

A day well and truly made xx

Hula hoops and lemony loveliness

attempted a new gym class today - hulacise! Basically hulahooping to music for 45 minutes. Today was hoop familiarisation ! feel very much at home with my hoop now and magically transported back to being 7 where I'd happily hula all day!

After huka had a swim and spa plus sauna which someone had added lemon scent too - lovely like being transported to some lovely lemon grove in the sun.

All round a pretty good morning x