Naughty Dog!

She ate my cake!  

It was a sponge cake - two sponges sitting on a wire rake cooling down and waiting to become a Victoria Sponge - one sponge cake never made it..........  I turned my back for a nano second,  well actually I went out of the kitchen without shutting the door.  I heard Mr Milly shout at the dog and there is was,  one sponge cake with a dog size bite!  How annoying,  I wasn't happy!!!   So out with the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, mixer, pans etc and another sponge made.   The chickens enjoyed the ruined cake though!

Star on pidgeon patrol.   She will chase them away if they land in the garden!

Star is a weimaraner and she is tall,  so it's very easy for her to reach the kitchen worktops.   This is not the first time she has eaten a cake.  Last year I was making a giant cupcake birthday cake for my Sisiter-in-Law,  it was disatrous - the first cake was overcooked and went in the bin and in the chickens,  the second cake the dog ate,  the third cake was OK,  but these cakes take an age to cool down and with all the messing about it was iced when very slightly warm - this doesn't work well with butter icing.  It tasted OK - but the look wasn't upto standard!

It was hot yesterday - too hot to be digging,  so a quick visit to the Lottie a little foraging around the site, some picking on my Lottie plot and a little more clearing.  And look at all the goodies;-

The apples from behind my Lottie,  the pears and plums from a neighbour, runner beans, french beans and courgettes from the lottie,  eggs from my chicks, tomatoes from home and my latest loaf of bread.  It kept me busy for a while, all nicely arranged for a photo moment and then the eggs for the cake  -eaten by the dog,  all the beans blanched and frozen,  apples, pears and plums are now mixed fruit jam.  The rest in the fridge until needed. 

I had fun trying to photograph the jam on a rolling boiling - the camera kept steaming up everytime it was over the pan,  I think I took about 10 pictures before I had one decent one!  That's blogging for you - everything has to be photographed!

Rolling boil

Steamed up camera!

Rolling boil after the magic knob of butter had been added.  
The jam becomes clear  and the fruit scum on the top vanishes!

All done!

Rainy Sunday

I know rain is good for the Lottie - but I am sure this much rain is too much!  It has rained almost solidly for 3 days - how very annoying over a bank holiday weekend.  

My Girl managed to call home yesterday and again today,  which is a relief and good to hear from her.  She is enjoying the farm animals dotted around and the views from the site are stunning.  The mobile reception is very poor where she is, so contact with her is going to be a bit hit and miss for a while.   Maybe the old fashioned way of snail mail might be rekindled - a bit of a novelty nowadays but I think it could be fun!  Her first letter from home will have some stamps in it - you never know she might get the hint and send a letter back!

I have told My Girl she can't bring one home!

Beautiful Welsh Countryside

As we knew we were going to be away for most of the weekend, we hadn't made any plans for the Lottie this weekend,  we popped there this morning and came home with;-

A harvest perfect for two!

A Cabbage - probably a bit early to be picked but it was a perfect size for 2 of us
Green Beans
Runner Beans
Apples

We bought a couple of  Pork chops  and some potatoes and the rest of this evening's meal came from the Lottie!  

The chicks don't seem to be put off by the rain and lots of lovely eggs are still being laid.  Some were put to good use today for an apple cake.  The recipe can be found  here Apple Cake and on my recipe page here Favourite Recipes

Yummy Apple Cake!

I am really hoping for a dry day tomorrow as the chicken run needs   re-arranging with new bark to be laid - I can hear my Welly boots calling!!  With a bit of luck I will be able to squeeze in a little time at the Lottie - its time to tackle the weeds again!