This week I've been busy...

...waiting for the cake to appear.

Or perhaps I should clarify....trying my hand at my first ever Christmas Cake!

Every year, since throwing off my student garb, I have wanted to make our very own Christmas Cake, but have never found the time.

Before children I was too busy (I can't remember what I was busy doing, but I was)....

Then when I had children, I was far too busy that I couldn't find time to make a cake.

However, this year is the year of my inaugural efforts. Having been inspired by our local Nigella and Alasdair (Man about The House) I thought I'd give it a go and went to the supermarket to buy everything I needed. However, despite Alasdair's World's Best Christmas Cake recipe, I thought I'd stick with the real Nigella's, which might just turn out to be the second best Christmas Cake.

Not being one for following recipes or shopping lists, I had to firstly "get over myself". When I paid the bill at the checkout, I then "fell over myself" at the cost! How much! I think I'm going to have to make three to make it cost effective!

Having bought the ingredients on Monday, I arose with great vigour on Tuesday, ready to make the lovely cakey and opened up the recipe book...

hmm...so how did I miss the bit that said "soak dried fruit in alcohol overnight".

Please, I know I am a novice so give me a chance.

Not to be defeated, I decided to soak the fruit during the day, with great optimism that I might be able to get on with making the cake that evening.

But ah..ah..in true 21st C Household fashion... that didn't quite happen. So pray tell, the dried fruit was actually left soaking for three days and three nights until today....

...when I found myself at home for long enough to get on with making the damn thing!

With the dried fruit duly soaked, thrice over. I mixed the butter, the sugar, the eggs then the flour and the spices and folded the intoxicated fruit into the mix, before popping it in the oven.

Oh if it was only that easy.

Those in the know will testify that it is actually very easy...

...except if you live in this 21st C Household and your cake making effort involves a major multi-tasking exercise of doing the washing up, some research on the computer, making fund-raising phone calls for our school's Christmas Fair (and getting very excited about news that we are going to receive a surprise donation from a production company), ordering flight tickets to Inverness for a family reunion, picking up youngest lad from nursery and then trying to temper his enthusiasm to pour whole bottle of Marsala (not recommended by Nigella) over the pre-baked and post-baked cake.

(I should clarify here that Nigella gives no such advice about how to handle pre-schoolers and Marsala....just the Marsala)

So, at last having started soaking on Tuesday and mixing at 10.30 this morning, it is a miracle that at 4.30pm this afternoon I pulled a Christmassy scented and wonderfully appealing cake from our oven.

The image you see is the cake tucked away in its foiled coat, soaking in the Marsala and retaining its moist texture.

So, please, I invite you to crack open a bottle of wine and share a toast with me...

"To.... er...erm......the Christmas Cake..."

and pray that after such efforts, it will actually last until Christmas Day.

Two things...

....I've never done before

1. Drunk Kosovan Wine (yes, you read correctly...wine produced in Kosovo).

2. Making muffins at 6.30 this morning for a Macmillan Coffee Morning, after an evening drinking Kosovan wine.

That was the summary...this is the background...

Last night we played host to one of 21st C Dad's old colleagues who has been in Kosovo for nearly a year on secondment to a United Nations project. As a present, he brought us a bottle of Vranaci, a dry red wine from the Rahovec area. It was a nice tasting wine and quite light.

The evening was interesting with accounts of his experiences, how he's been learning to speak the languages including Albanian and learning how important it is to use the right language in the right circumstances. We also enjoyed the stories of how meetings can take 3 or 4 times as long as equivalent sessions over here, due to the number of languages and the full translation that needs to take place between comments.

When serving dressed crab as a starter, there was the moment of realisation that the crab cost twice as much as a typical three course meal in Kosovo. He eats out every night because at 3 Euros per meal it is very cheap!

21st C Dad was pretty impressed that I'd pulled together a domestic goddess kind of meal at such short notice...especially after my technological indulgences this week.

I must say...I am pretty impressed too and am today continuing to celebrate my domesticity and proudly shout...YES I CAN DO IT...I was even up at 6.30 this morning making muffins for the school's Macmillan Coffee Morning.



It's a shame they looked like rock cakes, but they were delicious and were all eaten leaving me with just the plate to bring home.

New term makeover

I am amazed by the surge in energy levels that the new term has given me. It must be the time of year, inspired by the fresh start of a new school year combined with the freshness that the Autum chill brings. I have been busy dusting the cobwebs off our family routines ready for the new term, which has lead to life in our 21st Century home undergoing an incredible makeover. I hadn't planned it, it just fell into place. Nice to know that my haphazard ways still have a role to play.

Makeover no 1.

When I should have been ironing new labels onto school uniform, I suddenly had an immense desire to turn my youngest's bedroom into a fabulous playroom (a job which took all day...on the last day of the school summer holidays). Don't worry, he hasn't moved house or been booted out to a tent in the garden. He's been unofficially sharing with his older brother for the last month and this week we made it official. The boys now have their shared bedroom as well as a shared playroom. The results are amazing. They're having a great time sharing a room and we now have one room in the house, where ALL the toys can be tidied away. We feel as though we live in a bigger house, yet we have the same number of rooms!

Since he'd gatecrashed his brother's room, they seem to have got closer and their play has been better with much more sharing and taking turns. Of course we still have the odd tussle here and there, but that's natural. We are all benefiting from the latest arrangement and it's great!


Makeover no 2.

I've just booked my eldest's birthday party. He's going on a mini-beast hunt at a local nature reserve, where they will also make party hats and clay mini-beasts. Sounds fab...but the real big news is...as most of his friends will be from his class at school, I have suggested to the mums that a joint present might be easier. So far this has gone down a storm. One mum has already offered to co-ordinate, which means less shopping hassles for the others, less money spent and fewer boxes to open. Just imagine if this catches on...less clutter all round and children won't expect so many toys in future. Train them early on I say!


Makeover no 3.

This week I've turned French. Well I haven't quite changed my nationality, passport or even my name (although, Maman du 21eme Siecle has a nice ring to it). No, I have just changed some of my habits, thanks to the influence of a great book that I have just read "French women don't get fat". After a recent trip to France, I thought I ought to find out a few secrets. Apparently, if you eat just a healthy balance of the right things, you can allow a few of what we British would refer to as naughty foods. Coupled with visits to good honest markets for fresh produce and natural exercise through lots of walking, living life the French way is apparently a great way for keeping slender and trim.

Of course this is all obvious, but I thought I'd give it a try. So after a pleasurable wander around our local market, filling a shopping basket with fresh produce and returning home to recreate a few tempting recipes from the book, I am now sure I could disappear to the midst of Provence and settle in beautifully. 21st C Dad has been well looked after with some delicious suppers this week Note: we used to have dinner, but it's taken me so long to organise myself in the evenings hence now it's supper!

...alors.... voila....


Okay...I know it looks just like a tomato salad with goats cheese...and it is but with a delicious home made dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and shallots, It definitely beats a jacket potato!

This has been a major transformation for me because since having my youngest boy my interest in cooking has completely diminished and for the last three years we have lived off plain stuff. Healthy but unadventurous. However, I've now got the taste for culinary delights, so watch this space. The breadmaker has even been recovered from the loft and dusted off, ready to be installed in place of the microwave!

At supper last night, 21st C Dad even suggested making baguettes at the weekend. So watch out for photos of our experiment!


Makeover no 4.

At last I've made a social effort. After hiding away for most of the summer ... doing our own thing on our own in our own space...I've got out there and organised a social gathering with parents from my eldest's class.

You will have gathered that only close friends get invited over the threshold for fear of my cover being blown big style. Call it pride, but I don't want the whole of the local community realising that my abilities are domestically challenged... and the effort to avoid being the talk of the town far outweighs the rewards.

But this 21st C mum actually likes being sociable and I have made the effort to invite everyone to a coffee morning...but not at mine...instead to the Art Lounge at the Bury St Edmunds Art Gallery, where many haven't entered since their own schooldays. However, the benefits are immense...a wonderful space with fabulous toys and drawing space for the children and tea and coffee readily available. The downside is that the exhibition won't be open that day, but eh that's a great excuse to go again!

Cool

After hitting the weekend with bated breath, we've had a cool time chilling in Cambridge.

Bree had to cancel. However it was still a busy weekend as we made last minute arrangements to meet up with friends Margot & Jerry. Margot is also in the Domestic Goddess category (you'd think the influence of my domesticated friends would have rubbed off, but to no avail). We haven't seen M & J and family for about 18 months and we'd been meaning to catch up through the Summer holidays so it was fortunate that we had most of Sunday free, especially as this was the last weekend before the start of school.

Again, M & J suggested coming here, which could have instilled similar levels of panic as Bree's intended descent had we not already made plans to go to Cambridge to buy a new Fridge/Freezer. So we thought that it would be a great place to meet up - kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

Our old one has been on its last legs for some time and it was well overdue for a replacement. We have been reluctant to replace it for a number of reasons and a repair would also have been expensive. However, it was coming home from holiday to moldy cheese that finally made us take the plunge.

It's never nice having to fork out several hundred pounds on an unexpected purchase of an unexciting product ........until........you find yourself in the middle of a John Lewis department store full of top quality appliances, with a range of delectable choices before you.

...Suddenly, I turned from a disinterested domestic dysfunctional into queen of high-tech gadgetry, balancing the desire for an all-singing and dancing chilling system with the need for an eco-friendly cool dude. I never knew I had such excitement within...but...having selected a Siemens model with an A+ energy rating, in a "stainless steel look" finish AND a £90 discount, I am now getting very excited about its impending arrival.

21st C Dad is not quite as excited about the "frost free system", "humidity controlled salad drawers", "ice cube maker with twist release" functionality or indeed the "berry tray in freezer drawer". However, I think I might have got him with the "full width chrome bottle rack" and the "in-door touch control electronic controls". I'd better stop there as I expect the building anticipation is now becoming too intense for you all.

So, all-in-all a great day was had. Oh...and Margot & Jerry...in case you are reading, don't worry I give all my friends silly names...to protect your identity more so than mine. Thanks for being good sports over our domestic duties...and finally a message to Bree..... thanks for the let-off. Come at Christmas, where I am up there with Martha Stewart (well, in my dreams)!

Gone Nuts!

I love cobnuts and how brilliant to find them growing just down the lane from our house. Today's the first time we've managed to pick them since moving here four years ago. Maybe the squirrels always get there first, but when I saw the potential harvest this week I was determined to beat those cute looking rats to it!

So I took my eldest along the lane today. He used his "height advantage" to forage amongst the lower branches, while I jumped like a madwoman trying to grab at the crop on the higher ones - this fantastic teamwork led to us filling the basket within about 20 minutes (and from only four small trees). It reminded me of my childhood days in Wales when my grandfather used to take us for a walk up the hills. We used to climb the huge old trees and throw the nuts down, while he used to bash them off with his walking stick.

It is really important to me to pass these traditions down to my children, not just for building up memories, but also to build an understanding that food doesn't miraculously appear at the market or supermarket. They are now used to us growing potatoes and tomatoes in our garden, albeit in tubs and pots and they are always interested in helping us harvest the small crop.

On this note our blackberry bramble is providing an excellent harvest of berries this year. We managed to pick another bowlful this morning, which contributed to the apple\blackberry pastries that I made this afternoon....steady on...am I turning into one of the dreaded Stepford Wives after all? Quick, quick someone rescue me....

The Domestic Goddess (Not)

Haa haa haa (ROFL). I have just watched The Stepford Wives (2004 production). And to think that I had once harboured ambitions of transforming into a stereotypical 1950s housewife. I even have a pretty blue & pink tea-dress in the wardrobe that would fit into this photo perfectly. (Must admit, I was actually scared by the original 1975 production).

Clear your clutter

I bought this book about 4 months ago, enjoyed reading the first few chapters about the benefits of decluttering, then couldn't find it again. Ironically it had disappeared amongst the many things in my bedroom, which has become the clutter magnet capital of Moreton Hall...

...until today, when desperate to get our lives in order ready for the summer holidays, I embarked on a one-woman mission to outlaw all things unnecessary from the storeroom which used to be our bedroom and return it to its rightful position as a place of sanctuary.

It started with picking up everything that needed to be put in its rightful place and placing it on the bed, then I sorted out the top of the chest-of-drawers, which has become the usual dapping-down place for pieces of jewellery and odd receipts etc...

...piled the magazines away for recycling (and found the Clear Your Clutter book)
...moved the car boot stuff away from the wardrobe
...relocated some workthings away from the cupboard
...put all the laundered clothes away in the wardrobe and cupboard
...moved around a couple of pieces of furniture so that it looked more pleasing.
...hoovered and dusted

...and voila...4 hours later, the sanctuary had returned!

After today's efforts I now feel that I can wake up tomorrow with a clear head and the required energy to tackle the children's rooms, especially clearing out the older unwanted / incomplete toys.

I know I am not as bad as some at keeping on top of our "stuff", but I really want to get better at this and it has been a priority for me for a while not to accumulate so much clutter. It makes life quite draining and I am convinced it's the reason why I am not as effective as I would like to be. So I am on a mission to bring order to the chaos. I've already made a lot of effort in forming pacts with friends that we don't buy presents for each other's children, which will make life easier in years to come.

Since finishing off the bedroom today, I've been looking forward to 21st C Dad coming home so he could be amazed at the results.

He's just got back and was pretty impressed (or should I say astonished) when he opened the bedroom door.

Problem was...the impact was less effective when he tried to get into the ensuite....only to find that it was the official holding bay for the junk that I'd moved from the bedroom!

Ooops, hadn't quite managed to get it all over to the garage in time. One step at a time eh?

My favourite composer in a cook book

This week I found a very appropriate book for an up-and-coming domestic goddess or god in the 21st Century. Entitled 21st Century Cook, it claims to be THE bible of ingredients, terms, tools & techniques.

Rather than being a traditional recipe book, it is purely a guide on how to use raw ingredients and would be great for students or newly-weds or indeed anyone wanting to learn how to cook from scratch.

It even covers smetana, which originates from Russia and Eastern Europe. "A soured cream with a tangy flavour, runny texture and fairly low fat content (around 10%). It can be used as a low-fat alternative to soured cream, or in place of natural yoghurt. Use it as a spooning or pouring cream, or for adding to sauces and stews at the end of cooking. It will curdle if overheated, and will not whip thick. If a recipe calls for smetana and you can't get hold of any, use whipping or single cream mixed half and half with soured cream or yoghurt".

Prompted by the name of this ingredient, I couldn't help opening Napster and writing this post along to Vltava, one of my favourite pieces of music composed by Bedrich Smetana.

Now I know the work follows the flow of the river Moldau through to the city of Prague and amongst others celebrates a folk wedding and water nymphs, but equally it could be used as a soundtrack to my dramatic cooking episodes in the kitchen, from the chopping of the ingredients to the celebration of the creative outcomes.

Coming back to food...apparently...smetana's good with blinis

Downshifting the 21st CM Way

A few days ago, I gave a little nod towards the subject of downshifting and regular readers will have already seen a few related links appearing in the side-bar.

Downshifting can mean different things to different people, but the Wikipedia definition describes it as the act of moving from a lifestyle of greater consumption towards a lifestyle based on voluntary simplicity. One of the best sites to find out more is www.downshiftingweek.com which was set up by Tracey Smith. Tracey also has a video on YouTube about Sustainable Living and wraps it up in a nutshell, where she describes herself as a "Contented Downshifter" where the less money she spends the more time she has to spend with the people she loves. Consequently, the less money she has to earn.

If you're new to the concept of downshifting, you might be mistaken that it's not relevant to you and is a bit "new-agey", but that's not true at all and, as an example, Tracey's website has a list of things that an individual can do easily to change their lifestyle, without having to change their character or profile.

I would describe myself as a "downhill-shifter", someone who is on the way but not yet fully there, but who wants to commit more to the principles. I try to be more sustainable and cycle wherever I can in my local area. I belong to a local bartering group. I make jewellery for friends instead of buying presents (which saves a lot of money). When we have a family day out, we tend to enjoy the great outdoors away from commercial temptations. We have a compost bin in our garden as well as a water butt and try to incorporate edible plants into our small suburban garden. Here's a tour of our little patch of land:

Here you can see our potatoes which we planted in a tub. You might even be able to make out the black compost bin behind. Next is the well-disguised non-intrusive water butt (honestly it is there, behind the bay tree). Against the fence is our blackberry plant and further along you'll see the rhubarb.

You don't need a greenhouse to grow tomatoes and here is our seedling tray on our windowsill, followed by tomatoes grown in a pot outdoors. We have a bay-tree hedge as well as herbs in pots.

We even have a grapevine, which only has two bunches of grapes, but it's a start.

On the expenditure front, it has taken me quite a while to try and get used to not shopping so much and I go through bursts of enthusiasm, which is why I am still only a "downhill-shifter". But I am going to try harder. I might even be brave and put an "expenditure meter" on this site.

I am trying my hand at more and more home-made food. My latest achievement is my recipe for a semi-burnt quiche (here are the "before and after" shots):

One thing that is for certain, by having given up traditional work, I get to spend more time with my children and I also have more time to volunteer in community projects. I also earn pocket money from doing fun things instead of serious stuff.

Even though I don't have time for an allotment or space for chickens, I hope that one day in the future we will be able to organise this. In the meantime, I would love to get involved in a chicken co-op (excuse the pun), if there is such a thing, where I could help out in exchange for some fresh eggs.

There is a lot to be said for slowing down in the way that I have and I am a lot more relaxed about things these days. If you are interested in having a go your own way, a great start is the free e-book on Tracey Smith's site. Also, have a look at some of the new links in my sidebar. Make sure that you don't miss Melanie Rimmer's Bean-sprouts site. It is very inspiring.

The book which started me off on this journey was "Downshifting: the bestselling guide to happier and simpler living". I picked it up in Borders in 1998, when I worked just off Oxford Street in London. It planted a huge seed in my mind, that there could be more to life than heavy commuting and the push, push, push of career development. Coupled with later ideas about portfolio working, I was well on the way to laying the foundations for what is now our family life in the 21st Century.

Who would have guessed that we would be in beautiful Suffolk, as a family of four, enjoying a slower pace of life (with me becoming the not-so-perfect housewife). All we need now is for me to spend less and less money, my husband to give up his very responsible job and allow him to indulge in his passions too...so where will we be in ten years time I wonder? Isn't the future unbelievably exciting?!

Sparkling like new

Excuse me while I finish polishing my nails...I don't want to scratch the nail varnish...

Now that must be the image I'll probably portray as a result of this post, but honestly, I don't mind getting my hands dirty really as long as I get the perfect results. However, one thing that just doesn't fall into my "can do" category is cleaning the oven. No matter how much I scrub, it never gets spotless and I cannot do with investing all that time, using horrible chemicals for such crap results.

That's why I called Ovenclean to the rescue, where for a sum of money somebody comes around and cleans your oven for you, with caustic free cleaning products. aaaaaaahhh Paradise.

As a result, I now have one spotless, beautiful oven. So thank you to Mark, our local franchise holder. Just look at the results:

So what did I do while my oven was being cleaned? Of course, I didn't just put my feet up! No, I did my usual grocery shop online and sorted out the arrangements for my eldest's French Club.

Before I begin to sound like I really belong to the "ladies who lunch" circle, I must confess that I also managed to clean the downstairs loo. So with a good morning's work out of the way, it's time for a lie down (only joking ;-) )

Minty memories from Wales

Despite the very hot weather today I decided to cook the lamb roast that I bought during yesterday's visit to Wyken. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt compelled to make some mint sauce (this is not a habit which is why I am still a bit shocked).

I found our patch of fresh mint in the garden, which is still pretty small for a renowned invasive plant that has been growing there for three years, and took some leaves back into the kitchen for chopping.

Immediately I was taken back to my memories as a little girl chopping mint in my nan's kitchen in Wales. I can't remember how old I was, but I remember often helping her in the kitchen, shelling peas and slicing carrots that had just been picked from the garden, chopping sage for stuffing, or mixing the dough for Welsh cakes. However, my favourite job was always chopping the mint and helping her make the mint sauce. I still remember the worn out wooden chopping board and old fashioned knife to this very day.

So the recipe (all from memory, so it's fairly vague)...consisted of:

1 tablespoon of freshly chopped mint leaves
3 tablespoons of freshly boiled water
2 or 3 teaspoons of caster sugar
1 or 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to taste

and hey presto lovely mint sauce. Even my husband fell off his chair, not just by the fact that I'd made it, but also by the fact that it was "edible"!

Happy birthday to you

Well, check this out! A birthday cake baked by "moi" to celebrate my husband's (shhh) 38th birthday.

So what does a 21st Century mummy buy her old man, to celebrate such a wonderful age? A useful gadget of course. He woke up to a family-friendly set of 4 Walkie Talkies. We tested them out when I went off to see my hair stylist this morning. The reception was great considering I was over a mile away. It was useful, because apparently we had run out of bread and I was issued with a request to get some more. I know there is always the mobile phone and SMS, but the walkie talkie is a lot more fun (and free to use)!

I returned home to a 20th century slideshow, full of photographs from my husband's childhood, which haven't been seen in decades. He had found them in the loft this morning. Here's a photo of him as a baby, which I took from the slideshow. It's now time to light the candles on the cake, so I'd better stop blogging...over and out!

One Month Old Today!

Yippee - My blog is a month old already. I've made it! Now, I know it's not much to get excited about BUT I have never ever been able to keep a diary for longer than two weeks. So this is a bit of a milestone. Not quite the same as when you stop in wonder at how you've been able to nourish a new-born baby for a whole month, but almost there!

So a month on...who is this 21st Century Mummy? As my blog has evolved, I've had plenty of time to think about how I too have evolved over the last decade. There's no time like the present to share my musings and I will begin with the birth of my own motherhood and my evolvement into a 21st century housewife!

I only became a mother at the beginning of the 21st Century, when I was in my early thirties. Not that we were waiting for the dawn of a new era, but waiting until we had earned enough money so we could support a family. As the years went by, we realised that we'd never have enough money, so thought, "blow it everyone else seems to cope". So we went forth and conquered, in a manner of speaking, and six years on we are now blessed with two 21st century boys.

But what a shock! Despite having loads of information available to prepare you for your first baby, there is nothing to prepare you mentally for the reality. I don't just mean how you look after a little one but the effect that it has on your whole sense of self.

Imagine your mind as your inner world, where you think that you've already discovered every emotion and understand how your inner world works and how you think. Before having a baby, I thought I had myself pretty well mapped out! However, from the day a baby arrives, you discover uncharted lands in the map of your mind, feelings that might never have been there before and thoughts that knock you off your feet. Never mind the dilemmas that constantly trickle into the seas of decision, with the waves flowing forward and drawing back as you consider the best way forward for family life.

One of the major dilemmas has been whether to be a working mother or a stay-at-home mother aka housewife. For me the choice I wanted was to stay at home to care for my children. However, what came with that were the domestic chores for which we once had employed a cleaner to manage. That has been the shock to the system, from which I found it difficult to recover. Not to mention my desire to be my old-self.

Sometimes I wish I was a 1950s housewife, where the role of a mother in a family was ring-fenced. Social history has illustrated that in such times a mother knew where she stood. She was the one who held the family together through the routine of domestic chores, household rules that supported the growth of the family and the husband as the bread-winner.

By the time we had reached the 21st century, the emancipation of women in the workplace had created a life of choice and it's a choice from which I too have been able to benefit. In reality, I could never be a 1950s housewife in the 21st century, because the alternative choices offer a more interesting lifestyle.

I may be a stay-at-home mum, but the distractions of my "dibbling and dabbling" and my desire to prove that part of me can live up to my old self distracts me from the 1950s style house-keeping routine, which I feel as a housewife I should follow. There is always the voice of guilt, that nags nags nags....should cook more, clean more, darn socks.

I know that I am not on my own and I am one of thousands of women who create this conflict between being at home for the family and wanting to go and do something for yourself. There is an article by the New Statesman that takes this whole thing deeper.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy in my role and feel lucky to have today's choices. I probably just need my mother to move in, make me play by the rules and keep me in check! Now I am joking!

The Morning after the Night Before

I was met by a beautiful sunset this morning, which was a great reward for getting up at at 5.00am. Not that I had anything urgent to do this morning before the school run. It's just my usual body clock kicking in, following a night out with a bottle of wine!

Last night was fab. I followed Ruby's recommendation about Kate Smurthwaite's gig at Benson Blake's. The line-up really lived up to Ruby's review. Lots of hilarity followed the wide-ranging gags. I loved the breakdown of personality types based on where people shop. The Waitrose shoppers' character analysis came home to roost. I certainly fit into the category of those who shop at Waitrose don't know the price of anything ~ which prompted my husband and I to discuss the price of a loaf of bread. I reckoned on £1.07... he confirmed it was £1.37 (yes I know it all depends on what loaf you use, he was cheating as he'd just been to the shops earlier). Anyway, not only am I in the category of not knowing the price of anything (which is shameful), but I have also upgraded my Waitrose shopping experience to buying online and having it delivered (which should be any minute now)!

Having had a fun night out last night, I'm spending the day trying to be a domestic goddess. This will be hard if not impossible (and not just because of the hangover ~ I am just not a natural). My mission is to descale! To help me on the way I've got myself lined up with a tea in my favourite mug. Next to it is the best ever limescale remover - it's non-toxic, it works and it is easy! Bought yesterday from Tickety-Boo (It looks like posh shampoo, but it is really for bathrooms). Now I do remember the price of that - £4.95 and worth every penny.

Wow Cookies

In the words of Victor Meldrew...I don't believe it!!! I made cookies today! This is a big result as I am not really much of a cook, preferring to buy the luxury biscuits from the supermarket, but I am now a convert!

It was a brave move, as the last batch of chocolate cookies that I made was about 20 years ago as a student and they were disgusting. I think it had something to do with the fact that the recipe said to use 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda instead of 1 teaspoon. Yes I was scarred for life!

Anyway, here's the proof and they are delicious (I've already had four of them). I am sure I will be very popular when I pick my eldest up from after-school club (that's if there are any cookies left). The only thing to work on is the portion control. The recipe (from Tana Ramsey's book) says that you can make 40 of the lovely things. I've just managed 32...because mine have come out huge!

I can't believe it was so easy and no special equipment needed - not even a cookie cutter. However, I doubt if I will ever become a domestic goddess, not when I can see myself turning into a cookie monster!