Musing on Planning Cake Baking and a Future New Knitting Thing

I am planning to bake tomorrow for the NSPCC Plant Sale.  I decided to do two cakes from one of my new books - The Clandestine Cake Club.  There are plenty that have caught my eye.  I didn't want to do a cake that required a lot of decoration.  I settled on about a dozen possibilities.  I dreaded the thought process of having to decide.  I made a list of all the definite 'I would like to make this cake', cut the list up and folded the pieces, then got mum to draw out two pieces of paper.  I am now going to make Choo Choo Chai Cake and Magic Bean Cake.  I have bought the necessary ingredients, I couldn't get ground cardamom, so had to settle for cardamom pods and hope I can find a pestle and morter tomorrow.  If I get done in good time, I may just make some coconut pyramids.  I do have to bear in mind doing Mary-Jane's meals and our tea.  The Magic Bean cake doesn't have any filling.  The other one does, but that shouldn't be too bothersome.

 

I don't want to be on the go all day, at this rate it will probably be most of it!

 

Mary-Jane is feeling better.  She is more willing to tell us that she is feeling better of okay rather than tell us that she is feeling poorly.  Maybe she doesn't have the words to tell us yet.  She has eaten more and her skin is improving.  The Friday Trip To Tesco seemed to have blown a few of her cobwebs away.  Hopefully she will have another good nights sleep and that will help her.

 

I have finished the body of her Touch of Lace cardi.  Tomorrow I will start on the sleeves, I was too tired to start anything new this evening.  It's looking pretty.  It dawned on me this evening that I may be moving in a direction of trying something outside my usual box.  To do something either that I wouldn't normally do or some technique that I haven't tried before.  Maybe it could be the cabled aran blanket.  Perish the thought that it would be along the lines of finishing one of the three lace projects that I started last year!  I have quite a lot of hours of TV viewing, so one of the main criteria is that I can do it whilst watching TV.  Or maybe I could allocate one evening a week say, to this New Thing.  We shall see, no doubt I shall change my mind many times before then.

Interview Part 2

My interview went very well.  I'll spare the details for now.  I left the place at 3.30.  At 5.00 I had a phone call offering me a substantive (full time permanent) post.  The interview was for a bank nurse, but apparantly the advert was mis-worded and they actually were advertising a full time post.  How do I feel about that?  Jolly Good said I.  It seems really weird that I'm going back to work, pending references and clearances etc.  I can't see them being problematic.  In fact today, here and now, it seems rather fanciful, just something I have made up.  This will bring so many changes.  the vast majority of them will be positive.  I will be working four days on and four days off.  The hours are 7.30 - 5.30 Monday to Friday and a few hours less on Saturday and Sunday.  No nights, no late evenings.  It's the nearest I have ever got to office hours, apart from when I was based on the juvenile unit, where I did similar hours.  I will be home in time to put Mary-Jane to bed each night, that I shall look forward to as it will be the only time I see her on my working days.

 

I know the band I shall be working but I've yet to hear the point within the grade.  I asked if I could negotiate my point as I am not newly qualified and have lots of experience.  This is at their discretion. I'd be satisfied with at least mid range, further up would be a bonus.  I'll still accept the job, it's a step back in and I'm sure some kind of promotion/vacancy wouldn't take too long.  Plus it won't be too much responsibility to start off with.  I have to remember that my last working day was in May 2010!

 

Hopefully now I can get back on track with myself (in lots of ways) and stop having the inner meltdown from when I decided to re-register and get my nursing pin number back.  The changes to our lives are now going to be many and far reaching.

 

On to other things before I even think about getting philosophical!

 

Mary-Jane has had a heavy cold for a few good few days.  She has been off her food quite badly for nearly three days.  She has eaten much more today, not as much as usual, but much more than the last day or two.  Plus she hasn't been coughing in the night as much.  Her skin has gone to pot - it does when she is off the hooks.  She is now back on her three different creams, which have been working really well - I've noticed a difference already.  She did say late afternoon that she was feeling better.

 

The weather needs a mention as well - we have been enjoying some sunshine, as well as the usual wind and rain.  It has been very pleasant!  HK has transplanted the tomato and basil outside yesterday.  We looked at what seeds we have - more than what I thought.  The only thing we really need at the moment is seed potatoes.  Nothing has been planted as the weather hasn't been quite there yet.

 

I shall make more of an effort to blog a bit more regularly.

 

I am still making Mary-Jane's Touch of Lace cardi.  It is coming on lovely and I am enjoying doing it.  It is knit all in one from the bottom up.  I am a few rows off finishing the back.  After this is done, I'll do more of the February Lady Cardi for me, whilst I deliberate on what next to do for MJ, she certainly needs more cardi's - and maybe some tank tops!

Interview

I have a work interview on Tuesday.  I won't say too much about it now, I'll wait till after.  I have a brand new outfit to wear and feel confident.  I am a little out of touch with what has been happening in the wonderful world of nursing in the last three years, and I'm panicing about that a little at the moment, mainly because I'm tired and I don't know where to start looking or to think of the right words to google to start looking.  I have only tomorrow now to swat up.  It is for a bank nurse, so I wouldn't expect I should know everything, I do want to come across pretty clued up as it could lead to a permanant post. Job description should help, I'll go and have a quick look.

All else is well here.  Mary-Jane has another cold/cough. HK has an achey back after mowing all the lawns.  Things may be the same or they may actually be starting to change for the better!

Playgroup and A Trip To A Nursery

We had a better nights sleep last night.  MJ did start crying but settled herself down before she woke up properly.  HK bought her into our room around half six (I would have and could have slept for longer!) as she was wide awake.  So far this evening I haven't heard a peek out of her since she initially fell asleep, and that was after she chatted to her bo-bo's toys and sang them a few songs.

 

We went to playgroup this morning.  Mary-Jane always loves playgroup.  There was a couple of older children there.  The singing time was very noisy, I couldn't hear what song was being sung.  Mary-Jane wouldn't sit or participate and screamed a few times then started crying till I picked her up and comforted her, sang to her and she smiled.  At bed time she said, without prompting, when Daddy was asking her about playgroup, that the she didn't sing because it was too noisy and she didn't like it.  Heartbreaking.

 

After playgroup, we walked over the the Nursery, with another Mum and child.  The nursery is across the road.  The manager was very friendly - we had turned up on spec - she spoke with us and will post out registration forms and further information to us.  There is plenty of spaces for September for Mary-Jane, which was my main concern.  I just need to arrange a time for HK and I to go and look around.  Mary-Jane seemed to like what little bit we saw.  She heard the children playing and said that they were her friends and she wanted to play with them.  I am so looking forward to her starting Nursery.  I need to contact one other local nursery to go and have a look there.  As well as to make sure that Mary-Jane will be in the catchment area for both schools that the nurseries feed into.  Then won't life change once MJ is in Nursery!!!

 

This afternoon I managed to get some down time, on HK's insistance.  Cups of tea, feet on the bean bag and knitting!  I must say that I was definitely ready for a bit of daytime downtime and was thankful for it.  I worked on my February Lady Cardi.  The rows are getting quite long now, only about seven before I put the sleeve stitches on holders and start the main body lace pattern.  This evening I have worked on MJ's blue cardi.  I have now turned the hem and am on the third row of fifty of the main body.  I think the next cardi I do, whether for me or Mary-Jane will have to be one that is not knitted all in one.  I am ready for a bit of a break from that technique.  Although I wouldn't say no to a proper yoke, maybe fairisle, but we will have to see about the latter!

 

I made a batch of Jackson Baked Beans yesterday - very tasty.  I put more Buffalo Wing Sauce in it this time.  HK suggested that next time we put in a touch of ghost chilli.  I suggested that that batch of beans would probably be for him and him alone!!

 

I have plans to do more baking, I'm still wanting to do two banana bakes to use up some bananas.  And I want to do sweet potato pie, as well as a quiche.  And some courgette and dolcelatte soup.  Busy, busy, busy!

Make Do And Mend

I am sick of myself bemoaning the fact that we are on a tight budget.  We are, there is no two ways about that, but that isn't the be-all-and-end-all of life.  As the song words go -

 

So when the pressures on

And there's nowhere left to go

You're gonna have to come to terms

To terms with what you know through

 

The challenge is to look for what I can use, what I can do, to create opportunities, rather than focusing on the negative - what I can't use or can't do or how bad things are.  It's not a new concept by all means, even to me.  It's just the practical application of it.  And finding the positive in any situation.  I've been spurred on a little in this line of thinking by the sheer practical-ness and resourcefulness of people - women - during the Second World War and the Post Year Wars.  Things were scarce or just not available, but they still made do.  It might not have been the most pleasant or endearing thing, but it was done, it was practical, it was creative and it worked.  I am not yet wholly fired up to go out tomorrow morning and seek out new to me fabrics and clothes that can be altered.  It is a thing that knowing me will probably happen quietly and creep up on me.  This sort of thing can take time, but also goes in leaps and bounds.

 

I am already making this philosophy happen within my cooking and baking.  And with my knitting, especially my recent knitting for Mary-Jane.  And most of all, I am enjoying it.  Hurrah for recognising self development.

The song is 'What you know' by The Levellers. 

Sewing Bee

I have watched The Great British Sewing Bee tonight for the first time.  Okay so it was the second part, the first clashed with other things I was recording.  However I am quitely inspired - again - to get out my sewing machine and sew.  I know I have been part way down this road before and got all fired up.  Dressmaking is something I know how to do.  A big fly in the ointment is that I have not properly done dressmaking for more moons than I can remember, so I am very rusty.  I have a philosophy that it will be like riding a bike - you never really forget once you're there.  There are other flies in the ointment along side, lack of space and time - fabric is a major one.  Even if I could source good fabric locally, at the moment, it is not a thing that is within my tighter than A Gnats Cod budget.  I have been told of a pretty smart fabric shop in Ulverston.  I'd like to go and look.

I joked with HK that he better watch the bed linen - the cotton sheets and duvet covers may be re-cycled.  He was not at all impressed.  Must go now, Mary-Jane has woken up and is crying x

Early Nights

I've been having some early nights, this one included.  I do feel a bit better for them.  The nights haven't been all peaceful, and MJ has spent some nights in with us when she hasn't been able to settle.  I have been busier during the days, and have much to tell you about.  Nothing startling or life changing though, so don't get too excited!  However I do need to get back into the swing of blogging again and not feeling guilty about not blogging.

I have been busy knitting (as usual) and have finished Mary-Jane's Sweet Violet Cardi.  I have frogged my Tulip cardi that I started in February and started another last night, very similar to the tulip one.  I have nearly used the same meterage of yarn, so am doing well.  I have been continuing to enjoy baking bread and am showing improvement.  I have done some other dribs and drabs of baking.

We have spent a little time in the garden, spring is arriving at last.  I have found a new place for us to walk, just by Gosforth, at Ponsonby Tarn.  Although I must say that access will be a bit dodgy when it has been raining.

My Tea Bread won second place at our WI competition, yes I was chuffed!

Mary-Jane is doing really well.  She still has her cough.  I've yet to get her a place at Nursery for September.

HK has dug over the veg patch, so we should be planting soon-ish.  He has also started weeding and pruning the soft fruit bed.  He is also turning his attention to a second veg patch, that needs a fair bit of work on before we even think about planting.  The chooks are doing well egg laying what with the arrival of spring.  We have nine chooks now.

I'm off to bed now, I am tired - the last two nights have given HK and I little sleep.  We had MJ in with us from around 3am, and she chattered on and off until morning. Grrrr.  Happy days really!