If I’m going to make Christmas puddings I always make them in November. Sometimes, (look away Delia) I buy a ready made shop version, it really does depend on my mood and inclination.

Mostly I’ve made more than I’ve bought. Some years when the boys and hubby have taken a shine to them, I’ve made seven or eight, as they’ve been eaten nearly as soon as they have been made.

I follow Delia’s recipe for Christmas puds, Delia was my guiding light on how to cook when I first got married, her recipes always seem to work out and she doesn’t seem to have any odd taste buds that match up slightly weird items. Just plain, simple, tasty cooking. And the other reason that I continue to use Delia’s recipe, is that it is simply gorgeous, so why mess around trying other chefs recipes when you have the most perfect recipe to hand.

I use my preserving pan to mix the ingredients in. Personally I think making Christmas puddings is far easier work than making the Christmas cake. My muscles really get a work out mixing the cake up, its far easier to assemble the ingredients for the pud and give it a mix.

Two 2lb pudding basins filled to the brim.

Ready for eight hours of steaming.

I would just like to say, thank you for not leaving too many rude comments whilst I underwent the marathon of NaNoBloMo. Today, is the last day. (thank goodness!) Will I be doing this again? I very much doubt it, although I might. I enjoyed Having to fill my day with something that I could blog about. So in that respect it was good. But then spending as much time as I have in front of the computer, that’s not so good. Overall it was enjoyable in a ‘eating one chocolate bar is enjoyable’, but nearly side tracked into the ‘but not if you continue to eat the family pack!’.

I’m still suffering from a miserable headache, although I am going to venture out in a little while to see if that will clear things. I will be well wrapped up, especially my head.

I thought you would like to see all of these together. My Christmas knitting, 9 pairs! All of the wool came from Web of Wool, Anna has such a lovely choice, you can literally get lost for days in her shop.

I have just photographed hubby’s scarf so he can wear it. I made this from Toft Alpaca in a Grey DK, it took 2 balls and it is lovely and soft. Kerry has some gorgeous items in her shop, its certainly worth a trip out if only to see the Alpaca’s. The stitch comprises of casting on a multiple of 3 stitches and then knit 2 purl 1. What happens is that you get nice columns which slightly pleat and look Very smart and its completely reversible.

Sweetie Day. This was a wonderful treat. (and there were real sweets included.)

Hubby is at the plot, digging and Mandycharlie has been curled around a Golden Retriever suffering from a dreadful headache, all day! Unfortunately I have been remiss in his training as the Golden Retriever has not yet learnt how to use a kettle.

Hubby and I ventured out in the pouring rain to Warwick’s Victorian Evening. Fortunately it stopped raining and the evening dried out. So many of the shop keepers and stall holders really get into the spirit of the occasion and dress up in full Victorian regalia.

We bought cake and books and hot chocolate, what could be more perfect.

Morris Dancers.

A beautiful Carousel.

I just had to take a picture of this particular nag!

you make cake.

‘We’ were meant to be spending some quality time together, the office had other ideas. ‘nough said.

So bitterly disappointed and quite upset really I needed something filled with carbohydrate, sugar, fat and chocolate and I could not be bothered to stomp up to the town.

So I threw (have you noticed the expressive words I am currently using…) butter, sugar, self raising flour (without sifting!) eggs and coco powder into a bowl and mixed. Decided that the globules of butter that hadn’t incorporated wouldn’t be that important. Added 100g of chopped up chocolate, decided that wouldn’t be enough, threw in the rest of the bar. Then added 100 g of glace cherries, decided I might as well finish the tub.

By this time the oven had heated up nicely and I threw them in the oven. Well actually I tried to carefully place them in the oven but I have photographic evidence that even though my mind was saying, ‘carefully does it’, my sub conscious was obviously still in F… it mode.

What amuses me is that it didn’t leak!

Cake before cooking, there was a moments hesitation as to whether I should cook or just eat the mix raw.

The finished product. I’ve eaten three, (well four if you count the two stuck together!)

I feel sick.

This is why I have barely spoken to my family for the last three days.

This is why I am still in my jim jams and dressing gown at 4.30 p.m.

This is why my children are getting oven chips again! (for the 3rd Tuesday running)

and that is why your getting a quick snap and not some glamorous photograph as I put the oven on to warm up and run to the shower..

What was this thing I’m doing called, Oh I remember NaNoBloMo (or something like that).

Please direct me to the person responsible for the original thought. I’d like to thank them personally, no I don’t have any sharp implements about my person, honest gov’ner.

No piccies, not today. I’m in the middle of a cardigan that was put to one side for the Christmas knitting which I have finished. (if I stop at socks, but I’m sure Mum would like a hot water bottle cover) Photo’s will follow.

So I need to concentrate, and…. it takes me about twenty minutes or so to knit one row. Which I suppose is better than when the pattern changes it takes me 30 minutes to understand what the pattern wants me to do!

As the temperature has already dropped to just below zero degrees Celsius this evening. I am very glad I have just finished my snugly hot water bottle.

This is the best photo I can get in the dark, the colour is about right, but as the shutter speed was one second, without getting the tripod out this is the best I can do. This involved perching on the floor and using the arm of the sofa as a solid wall to balance the camera on, except its not really solid is it, its stuffed and just that little bit of movement threw things out a little.

The yarn is Lamb’s Pride worsted by Brown Sheep Company in Mulberry which is 85% wool and 15% mohair and I used 5 mm needles. The pattern is BAWK (Bottleneck Avenger Who’s Knit) which is also known as Rachael’s Hot Water Bottle Cozy which I found on Ravelry.

Oh, and I love it.

I live in a very quiet town in Warwickshire which I love, but there are times in the year that I love to try new things. Sometimes new things come to you in mysterious ways, one of which was reading Knitted Bears blog last year when she told us about the German Market in Birmingham, which from her photo’s looked wonderful and on further investigation I loved. The atmosphere, the lights, the stalls selling pretty things, and the smell of buttercake, lets not forget the mugs of hot cherry brandy. I have been without gluten for a year so at that time could not partake of the butter cake but the memory never left me. (The smell of different foods can instantly transport me to time and place).

Hubby has been a rather busy bee at work, I’ve hardly seen him for months apart from to direct him to where his wrinkled up supper is before he drifts off to bed, (a fifteen minute conversation between the two of us, per day is not unusual) so when he came home early yesterday just to take me out, I was quite surprised.

We parked at the Bullring and walked along New Street until we came to this. We knew we had arrived at the right place.

We quickly found a stall selling buttercake and had a very large slice each… Oh it was devine..

Then I found a stall selling slipppers, hubby carried on walking whilst I gawped at the sheepskin slippers. Anything to do with the comfort of feet grabs my attention, hubby came wandering back and must have been feeling in a rather generous mood, (I put that down to the buttercake!)

and bought me a pair.