New blog name and site.....

I have started a different blog, same posts, just different name. As I am moving away from cakes a bit I thought I'd change it.

I am now 'A Robin & A Sixpence' at http://robinandsixpence.blogspot.com/

Tourist!

I went into town today, town being Cambridge. Me and my littlest walked and walked around for a long long time - I was hoping she would fall asleep but she didn't. When you have grown up somewhere and are so used to it, you really dont appreciate it's beauty. There are so many Japanese tourists in Cambridge, and I always chuckle to myself at how excited they get about Kings College, because I just dont see Cambridge like that. So today I tried to see Cambridge from a tourists point of view, studying the beautiful detail in the architecture, the beautiful green spaces and the picturesque River Cam. I took loads of photos but my camera decided to play silly buggers and half of them are no good at all. But Cambridge really is so beautiful, I should appreciate it more.

 

I do love a nice red phone box. Or 4.

 

The beautiful Kings College, I will be taking a nice walk around all of the colleges another day I think.

 

St Johns College....look at the detail! Stunning!!

Every head around the edge of this college was different. 

There are even details in the pavement!

 

The River Cam

(This is where the camera started to go waffy - I had some lovely river shots aswell - this is adding to my reasons for wanting a new fancy DLSR camera!!)

 

Some of the houses in Central Cambridge are so beautiful, I thought this little street looked very quaint!

The Porters Lodge of Jesus College - love that beautiful blossom.

I then wandered around the market and a few shops, and then met up with the lovely ladies I spoke of yesterday. So off to Yo Sushi we went.... cue Justine retching about raw eels!! My littlest was very excited at all the dishes whizzing past, and I lost count of the times she said "Wow Mummy look at this one!" 

 

She didn't eat her 'spaghetti' (noodles!) though, still a bit squiffy from her tummy bug I think. So she played on her big sister's DS, with a chopstick, as we couldn't find the stylus.....

I actually really enjoyed my food (I didn't master the chopsticks though - I used the cheating chopsticks - but then had to resort to a spoon on the end) and the dessert I had - Lemon Shortbread Cake was yummy!! 

So my blanket is coming along, I will be adding some more tonight while snuggling on the sofa. I'm not the most patient person in the world so it's taking all my willpower not to put it down and do something else!! 

Leanne

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Proud Mummy Wednesday

So today was my biggest girl's class assembly, they have been doing a project on dinosaurs. Every class in the school does an assembly through the year and the whole of the primary school and all the parents from that class come and watch. They all had to make a dinosaur mask and wear dinosaur colours! My daughter read a story to the whole school that she had made up herself, and yes I did have a little cry. I was so so proud of her. So I thought I would buy her a little treat. (Funny story - we had a leaflet through the door to say a new kebab van would be opening on the high street around the corner from us - after her assembly she came bounding over, I told her I was so proud of her, she then said "As you're so proud of me, can we go to Sam's Kebab?!" Haha!!!)

Every time we have been in HomeSense and seen their lovely easter display she has wanted one of these bunnies, so I nipped in after doing my food shop to get one. I also bought her a pretty little hair band, she's such a girly girl.

 My littlest girl is still recovering from her sicky bug, she seems fine now though as she is now arguing with her sister - back to normal!! Oh and eating biscuits!! 

Tomorrow I am off on a little jolly into town to meet the lovely Justine from Emma Bear Forever, and another friend, Julie. I think we are having lunch at Yo Sushi.... I have never been there before so am looking forward to it - think I'll steer clear of the raw fish though!

Leanne

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Tired and poorly Tuesday!

Afternoon!! Hope you all had a good weekend, mine was spent working my weekend job as usual, but this weekend I have the whole weekend off!! I am so excited about this I cant even tell you, we are going to spend some quality time together as a family and take ourselves off to the coast. Cant wait to share the photos with you! 

So this week I ordered a couple of crochet books, now that I'm a bit of an addict. I am loving the patterns in the Cute and Easy Crochet book, the pictures are so lovely, it's just hard deciding which one to attempt first! My biggest girl would like a case to keep her DS safe, so I think I will try a little purse for it to fit in to.

My littlest girl has been a bit poorly the last couple of days - she's currently laid on the sofa watching Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom while I potter about doing washing and the like. She had a nap earlier and I went out in to the garden and did a bit of tidying, raked some leaves and planted the rose bush we got in remembrance of my late Nan and Gramps. I wont share a photo yet as it's pretty boring at the moment. I also planted some peonys that I bought last month, and moved some daffodil bulbs (which are now looking a bit sorry for themselves - I'm sure I've tried to move some before and had the same outcome, which resulted in no daffodils in that part of the garden!) I tried to take apart the plastic playhouse which has seen better days but was unsuccessful, managing to break the roof and a swiss army knife in the process. It's currently laying on its side in the garden. Oops. We've not lived in this house for that long and so much work needs doing to it still, we made a start on the garden last year but we hope to get it finished this summer. 

I decided to have a little look through some old magazines today with my tea and toast - there's something about the crusts of a loaf of bread that I love, they are so chewy. I never cut my toast either, not sure if that makes me lazy, un-ladylike, or both, but I just like to eat round the edge saving the middle for last, and you cant really do that if you have triangles!! I was looking to find some new recipes for dinner - are you ever at that stage where you feel like you're eating the same things for dinner every single week?! So I was armed with a notebook to write down a few recipes I am going to try. 

'Til next time

Leanne

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Some of my favourite cakey pictures!

                      Iggle Piggle with his boat

A suitcase cake for a lady who was relocating to Wales

                   An owl lovers cake!

             

                 A cupcake tower for a wedding

        Love heart inspired engagement cake

                      Cottage garden cake

           My Mummy's 50th birthday cake

                   Garden cupcakes

          Shabby chic style birthday cupcakes

                    

                          Floral tiered celebration cake

     Early in the morning, when the day is dawning....

                     
                          Orange rose wedding cake

   
                   Elephant lovers cake!

         
             Twin boys birthday and christening cake

   For a guy who had just returned from Egypt!

                          Fairy castle for twin girls

    Giant cupcake with a white chocolate shell

These are some of my favourite cakes I have made in the past year! Hope you like them :) 

Leanne

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Absence makes the heart grow fonder - or does it?

Well I have been neglecting my measly little blog for a good few months now, but M&S kept me on and I now work every single weekend!! Feels odd to speak about Christmas but I hope everyone had a good one, I have to say it's the best Christmas I had for a long time. Lots of laughter and happiness in our little house.

So this ramblings title - I have had some time off from cakes and I hate to say I haven't really missed it! I enjoy it again once I start a cake but getting covered in icing sugar with stained red and blue hands is not as exciting for me as it once was. This makes me a little sad but I know I'm still going to enjoy making cakes for people that I love :) 

I met up with a new friend a couple of weeks ago, Justine from Emma Bear Forever and she taught me how to crochet, and I am actually addicted. I got some nice yarn (because Poundland wool will just not do!) and am happily making my first ever blanket. My hand starts to hurt after a while, dont think I have the holding part quite right but hey ho. 

So Spring seems to be springing, I have bought some 

lovely fabric (with little chicks on!) to make some Easter bunting, myself and my girlies will be doing salt dough decorations in the shape of eggs soon too. My daffodils have grown lovely in my kitchen and I have spied quite a few clusters of snowdrops about. It's also getting to 'washing on the line' weather, cant wait for a nice line dried bed!!

 

I'm hoping to get the garden sorted properly this year, we have just got a nice David Austin rose bush to plant in remembrance of my late Grandparents, just trying to work out the best spot for it!

'Til next time,

Leanne 

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Sewing machine broken - AGAIN!

Well after only having my machine back for a couple of weeks it is not working again - dropping stitches, getting stuck and all sorts. Would love to get myself a nice new digital one!! My local repair man is having a look at it today so hopefully it will be back with me by the end of the week, so I can finish the million and one projects I start and then get bored.... they include a duvet cover for my youngest using an old duvet cover that belonged to my late Grandparents, some bunting for twin girls (these are unfinished due to the machine packing up) and a big eclectic mish mash patchwork quilt.

I started a new job this week, at M&S - just over Christmas. I am hoping that they will give me something permanent after my contract ends and then I dont have to take as many cake orders - dont get me wrong I love making cakes for people but it just got a bit too successful a bit too quick (I should be grateful I know, but everyone and everything seems to get neglected - children, housework etc) and I am only just learning to say 'no' to people, so this month I have exactly what I didn't want - every weekend in December is booked for at least 3 cakes, plus a wedding, which is extremely stressful stuff. So I have decided to cut down on them a bit, make some more stuff that is non edible (and experiment with edible stuff too!) and enjoy my children and writing my blog. Life is too short for too much stress! 

So since I last wrote it has been my birthday - we took a trip to the wonderful Emma Bridgewater factory in Stoke on Trent where we went on a factory tour, decorated our own pottery, had a lovely lunch and spent far too much money (and a little wander round Ikea on the way back with some meatballs thrown in for good measure. And yes I did buy tealights. It's the law, right?!) I treated myself to a lovely Joy bowl to display at Christmas and some dinner plates. My lovely Tom made me a cake for my birthday - bless him! It matched my favourite Emma Bridgewater mug too - so thoughtful.

My amazing cake made by my amazing hubby to be!!

I got some great books for my birthday - Lorraine Pascales new book, and Kirstie Allsopp's new craft book - cant wait to try some stuff out, the Lorraine Pascale book has some lovely looking stuff in it, I will let you know how I get on! Hoping to do a bit of a 'Come Dine With Me' evening for some friends at some point so that seems the perfect time to use the book!

 

My Birthday Haul!!

I will be doing some Christmas shopping this week (hopefully) - I'm one of those people that always says "I'm going to get it all done by November" and then never does it... Well take care folks, til next time.

Leanne

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