Today I've been mainly.......Volume 4

Thank you all for the lovely wishes .

Pizza and beer was just what we needed last night to set us up for a day of furniture re-arranging - that's what happens when you hang a picture - the whole room takes on a different dimension! at the grub behind everything....

Butternut - a belated Happy Anniversary to you! xx

jeni Okay, make that an early happy birthday greeting

Thanks all. But what I meant was we share the same birthday in december!
We share the same names taste in clothes, sense of honour and she is married to my financial adviser. We meet a few times a year to have lunch.

Thanks for many lovely messages.

Jeni sending belated birthday greetings to you. Wee Man celebrated his second birthday yesterday. Today, I'm told, he'll be driving a "puffa train" on the Bluebell line. Hope to get a photo later.

Butter do hope that you enjoyed your anniversary with Mr Butter Congratulations.

bagitha go easy on the lumberjacking...rhodies are tough work. Not that I've any experience, mind.

It is a marvellous day in Kintyre. The wind is a little chilly. We've walked for almost half an hour. Along the lane, the bluebells are in flower. Wild garlic soon to follow. Huge buttery yellow marsh marigolds [in our garden] make me smile. I can feel the muscles beginning to perk up. Now that the chronic dragging pain of the old hip no longer troubles me, I feel rejuvenated! That nice Mr Drummond Mansbridge described the hip as being 'total rubbish...only fit for the incinerator!'

gracesmum Inspector Montalbano is my treat for later

Happy birthday Jeni. Was that Friday 13th? That was DHs birthday too. He was born on Friday 13th as well.

Belated Happy Birthday, jeni hope the lunch was good!
I'm playing hookey today. I have left DH his lunch - home made broccoli and stilton soup, a slice of veal, ham and egg pie, tomato salad, potato salad, green salad, Waitbury's full cream rhubarb yogurt.....(lucky man) and I am going to lunch with my Book Club. Don't expect to surface for several hours and as I am getting a lift, might be taken.
I hope to be back to watch Inspector Montalbano as it is the last episode tonight, and with my record I will probably fall asleep 5 minutes into the episode.

Lovely day here again, cool but sunny, with a south-easterly breeze. Too cool for DH to varnish the boat deck as the varnish needs a temp of above 12°C to harden properly and it's struggling to get above 8 at the moment. Still, it's perfect weather for shifting wood, which is what we've been doing. Mainly three- and four-metre long branches of rhododendron that I cut down two or three years ago. It has been seasoning in all weathers and now it's time to pile it in shorter lengths and cover it to keep it dry so we can use it in the stove next winter. They say firewood warms you three times: once when you cut it down, again when you chop it up and pile it, and the third time when you burn it. There are still a few huge rhodies to go so I've got my work cut out for a while yet. The advantage of Dh's "primal blueprint" fad interest is that he's more willing to come out and help because this is exactly the sort of exercise that is recommended .

Morning, I remember barmbrack, it was yummy. Save some for me jeni

We called plain teacakes (bread rolls) barm cakes in Lancashire. The barm refers to yeast or yeasted dough.

Well I'll let you know tomorrow!goodnight!

Jeni - My first husband's granny used to make it. She was from Staffordshire but I think she was Irish. Trawling my memory now - it was in the 60s! You call it barnbrack but she called it barmbrack. It was a sort of tea bread. Truly scrumptious.

speckwhere did you meet it? I've never heard of any one else who has?

Ooh yes, I remember barmbrack but don't know how to make it - if it works let us have recipe Jeni!

I've been playing bridge and it was my turn to do lunch for our bridge buddies. We ate smoked haddock chowder, followed by cheese then apple tart and strawberries. Then we all went off to a 60th birthday drinkies do. Its a tough life but someone's gotta do it.

Goodnight!

jeni

Well done all!
I've been out to lunch with my friend who shares my name and birthday!
I've just put the ingredients for an Irish tea bread in to soak.
When I was at boarding school, we had something we called' barnbrack' to eat on special occasions.
I think at long last I've found the recipe!
Will let you know if it is the right one if anybody wants to know?
We all used to love it!

(just don't let glass know! Shh)

Happy Anniversary Butternut and Mr B
Looking good SOOP so happy to see you out and about

Must feel so good to be up and about with the benefit of being pain free too soop, I'm really happy for you

Happy anniversary, butty! well, [beer mug] anyway!

Glad to see you're managing the crutches, soop, and looking happy on your walkabout.

Happy Anniversary Butter and Mr Butter , congratulations on 38 years

Congrats Butty

SOOP You are looking marvellous! xx

Many congradulations for to-day enjoy the pizza that is usually our Saturday night treat

Enjoying my 38th wedding anniversary. We collected a picture which we'd had framed as a present to ourselves. Now busy trying to decide where to hand it.
Pizza and beer tonight!