Scones For Luneray

Luneray is a friend of mine who lives in America.  We have been pen-pals and friends for a few years now.  Following talk of scones a couple of posts ago, I decided to dedicate a post to scones, as I know them.  Scones here are generally savoury, but they can be sweet.  They can be different flavours - plain, sweet, fruit, cherry, cheese, herb, bacon and onion, wholemeal etc.  The plain and fruity ones can be had with jam and cream.  The more savoury ones are nice with soup or stew - this is quite a local thing, more northern than southern, as far as I know.

These two beauties are wholemeal scones.  I think there are some particular standards as to how high and wide proper scones should be.  And whether they should be cut with a plain or fluted cutter.

A scone mixture can be used as a cobbler topping, a fruit or savoury/meaty cobbler.

They taste good, but I don't think they are Show Winning Scones!

The basic recipe for scones is 8oz self raising flour, a pinch of salt, 2oz butter, 1oz caster sugar (optional), 5 fl oz milk and 1 egg, beaten.  I tend to use buttermilk instead of milk.  Some recipes call for just 6oz flour.  I use either plain or self raising flour.  I do add extra raising agent - cream of tartar -  even when using sr flour.  For cheese scones I add 4 oz cheese, 1/4 tsp dry mustard and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

If I double these quantities I can get 15 decent sized scones.  I don't think I could mistake this type of scone for a muffin.  Saying that though, I do have recipes (which I'm not going to dig out at the moment, it's too close to my bed time to go rummaging) that are savoury muffins which bear some resemblance to scones. 

I won't even go into the debate of what your put on your cream scones first - the jam or the cream.  I'm definitely a jam first gal.  But then again I like the scone to be buttered first!

Scone - is it said 'scon' or 'sc-own'.  I'm with the former.  Scones can generate a lot of debate and strongly held beliefs!

Operation Tire Mary-Jane

Mary-Jane awoke around half eight.  This gave me chance to have a much needed sleep and a quick cuppa before she got up.  By quarter to ten, we were on the way to the Co-op to get HK some tobacco.  He ran out yesterday afternoon, so you can imagine how he was like, not having any baccy and the horrendous night we had.  HK carried her across the car park and she walked around the shop.  When we got back, HK went into the garden to mow some of the grass and the orchard.  Whilst I was making Mary-Jane her lunch, she had a walk in the garden with Granma.  They went to see the cows across the road and at the field at the back, but both lots were over the far ends of the field so MJ couldn't get close to them.

After lunch, I wanted to get out.  I did think of taking Mary-Jane somewhere in the car, then going for a walk or finding somewhere where she could have a run around.  As the clouds were starting to come in a bit, HK suggested that we stay in the garden, so if it rains suddenly, then we can go straight in.  A good idea.  Use what we have got under our noses.  The garden is big.  So we sat out and let Mary-Jane have a run around and burn her energy off.

We went to Gosforth Stores around three-ish to get sweetie supplies.  I have been enjoying hard boiled sweets in the evenings lately.  I haven't had any for a couple of nights, so a short trip out to get some was a nice suggestion.  Plus Gosforth Stores have loose sweets in jars behind the counter, just like a proper old sweet shop.  It's nice to pick them like that instead of pre-packed sweets.  I got some sherbet lemons, chocolate limes and mini pear drops.

I can hear Mary-Jane mooching about on her bed, it's about the same time she awoke last night, my tummy is going into knots in case we have a repeat of last night.

We stayed out in the garden until it was time to prepare Mary-Jane's tea.  That was when it started spitting with rain, good timing really!  We were joined outside by Rhinog and Bandit.

So fingers and toes crossed that we have a good night!  And if the weather is anywhere near the same tomorrow, we shall be out enjoying the fresh air again.  If it's wet and we have to stay in, I might just bake a banana and fudge cake.

Playing In The Sunshine In Beckermet

After the usual Friday trip to Tesco, I was itching to get out again, not too far afield mind, just out to enjoy the sunshine.  We went to Beckermet, to the play ground. It's only about half a mile, but we took the car as HK cannot walk that far at the moment.  Mary-Jane had lots of fun and we had much pleasure from watching her.  She had a few goes on the swings and seemed to like this.

Her favourite is still the  weeeeee slide.  She has sussed that once she get to the bottom of the slide, she can turn round and try to walk up as far up the slide as she can, turn herself around again and slide back down.  She ain't daft.

She had a good run round these stumps and tried to sit on each one

Life is one big adventure when you're nearly 20 months old

She ran between the slide, the swings and the wooden stumps over and again, I think she was just so excited and thrilled that she didn't know what to go on next.

She did have an investigate of the bench and a look in the beck beyond.  This is the same bench that I would come to with Mary-Jane when she was in her pushchair, and would be asleep by the time we were less than half way there.  I would sit on the bench in beautiful spring sunshine and knit some of my troubles away.

Mary-Jane also had a few goes on the bouncer.  She also klonked her facew and back of head on the bars of it, when she was stood investigating it, I don't think she expected it to bounce as much as it did!  In the background is St Johns Church.  This is one that I went to doing The Viking Trail (which I do have to finish).  It's the one where Mr Snuggles went AWOL.  The bridge in the mid-ground has a sign on it which says it was widened in 1900.

I thought Mary-Jane would have a good nights sleep after her adventurous day.  She went down well at her usual time.  She awoke about twenty to eleven and didn't settle back down until gone 3am.  Unheard of for her.  She didn't seem tired, although she was yawning. In the end we tried to settle her with us in our bed, something we have never done before and don't want to encourage.  All the usual things didn't encourage her to go on her bed and not scream and cry.  Both HK and I were shattered, beyond shattered.  I managed to get a few hours decent sleep after but HK didn't.  We have got everything crossed that MJ has a good night tonight, and in turn we do too.  Today I have been on Operation Tire Mary-Jane.

Busy Thursday

Another busy day is drawing to a close for me.  This morning was the Country Market.  It was a bit slow, but it does get like this.  I came away with two packets of scones and a packet of mince pies.  Each packet only had two items in, so that wasn't bad!  I ate the two cheese scones when I got in, and HK and Mary-Jane made light work of the mince pies. 

This afternoon was our Craft & Natter Beckermet group.  I enjoyed this once I had settled down and not jumping up every five minutes or so to do something or take pictures etc.  I finished my Cloth for a swap - that can be in the post tomorrow.

Me working on my Lydia Crescent Shawl

This evening was a WI Workshop at Bigrigg.  It was informative and it was good to speak with ladies from other WI's.  I'm starting to get to know a few other ladies now.  I'm also sharing thoughts of getting a teaching pack from CCFWI and putting on a crafting day/event.  From this I could see what they put together in a pack and see if I could put one together for myself (which I'm sure I could).  It would be a knitting one of course!

And now I'm fit to drop.  I was fit to drop at lunchtime, if the truth is known! 

Mary-Jane seems no worse for wear for her mis-adventures last night.  She has a tiny bruise on her face, the size of one of her finger tips,  and very slight red-ness on her cheek, other than that, no bruising or marks.  I have missed her today.  I don't like it when so many things happen all at once.

Cold Fell Again

I charged my camera up this morning and took it with me when I took HK to sign on at Cleator Moor this afternoon.  After we did the recycling, I said to HK that I would like to go the scenic route back.  I think he was kinda expecting me to say this.  Again I will have to apologise for not knowing the names of all the fells you can see.  There is so much for me to find out and discover.  The first two pictures overlap slightly.

This is further along, but not by too much.

Blakely Rise (Kinniside) Stone Circle.  Not one of the most impressive, granted, but a (reformed)stone circle nonetheless.  I couldn't stay too long as Mary-Jane was getting upset that Momma had stopped the car and had gone walking off.

The stones facing the opposite direction, towards the coast

The view from the other side of the road.  The stones are behind me

I did want to get some panoramic pictures of the coast and Sellafield, but couldn't find a decent spot to pull over, plus there was a car behind me, so I couldn't make any sudden stop, and I didn't want to pull over in a passing place.  I will go back and try again.

I have been busy baking for the Market tomorrow.  I have done my 'new' usual of 15 cheese scones, 15 fruit scones, 8 wholemeal and 12 mince pies.  I also made two 1lb lemon drizzle cakes.  I made them from a recipe for a 2lb cake (well to be baked in a 2lb tin) and divided that inot the two tins.  The result was that the cakes weren't as deep as I would've liked them to be, so I am not taking them with me.  I have tasted them, and they do taste good.  The lemon is sharp.

HK and I were dishing up tea, when we heard Mary-Jane crying on the monitor.  She was crying out for 'Mommy'.  I put my tea in the oven to keep warm and went to see what the matter was.  I walked into our roomfirst, as I always do, and found the adjoining door open.  I always close it.  I felt a tiny bit like I was stepping into a horror film.  I stepped around the door, and saw her cot was empty.  Her bedroom door to the landing was now open, and there was Mary-Jane heading towards the landing door, very distressed.  I scooped her up.  She had blood coming out of her mouth (only a small amount).  All I can guess was that she either was bouncing on her bed holding onto the rail, over balanced and fell out, or she climbed out and banged her mouth and side of her face.  We'll never know.  HK lowered the base of her bed to the lowest level.  Mary-Jane was so upset.  It took her a while to settle (nearly two hours).  I think she was a little frightened to be on her bed.  When she did go back on her bed, she did settle to sleep, thankfully.

Starting to Explore Cold Fell

It has been another nearly sunny day with what seems like icy cold winds.  I think HK is getting restless. We have been out twice today.  He also says he is itching to get out fishing again (hurray!).  This morning we went to the Co-op in Egremont for the usual bread and milk.  After lunch, HK suggested a trip to the tat shop in Cleator Moor.  On the way out of the house, Dad suggested going to Ehen Beck, just past Wath Brow.  We went to have a look, it was too cold to be playing out, more is the pity, we will be going back there.  I didn't take my camera for two reasons, one it needs charging and the other, I didn't think there was need to.  Wrong.

Ehen Beck is a place where I could go paddling, all places that I could go paddling warrant investigation.  I decided (being the driver) that we should continue on the road and see where it led to rather than turning around and going back the usual tried and trusted way.  It transpires that the road we took, known locally as The Cold Fell Calder Bridge Road, is used heavily by Sellafield workers coming from Cockermouth.  It is also mentioned in Alfred Wainwrights 'Outlying Fells' book.

When on top of Cold Fell, you can see a great deal of coast line and Sellafield Nuclear Plant.  We also drove past a stone cirle on top of Scarney Brow near Blakely Rise.  The circle is small, but impressive and can be seen a few yards from the road.  The circle is re-constructed, as can be seen that the feet of thte stones are set in concrete.  The circle has eleven stones set in a perfect circle with a diameter of 18 metres.  The tallest stone is 1.15 m.  The circle is known as Blakely Rise (Kinniside) Stone Circle.

We came to a junction, straight on was Calder Bridge and Gosforth, to the right was Haile and Egremont.  We went straight ahead.  If we had parked at the junction, and walked half a mile, we would have come to Monks Bridge.  It is the oldest packhorse bridge in Cumbria.  It crosses Friars Gill, where it passes a narrow deep chasm.  It was built and well used by the Monks of Calder Abbey.  The bridge is also known as Matty Benn's Bridge.  Apparantly Matty Benn was blind and her husband built the bridge.  Matty would sit on the edge of it, often knitting, awaiting his return from hunting, regularly with John Peel.  The monks built up the side of the bridge for Matty's comfort with the stone left from the monastry. It was named Matty Benn's bridge, with her name being Martha, but known as Matty.  I want to sit on this bridge, knitting, in the memory of Matty - and have my photo taken!

We can see Cold Fell from our front room window.  Indeed if it were light outside now, I could say I can see it as I write.  Another visit soon, with Camera!!!  Yes I am kicking myself.

Shizuku And Winter Apple

I had a few hours out this afternoon and went to Woodlands Cafe for the Knitting group.  We are doing well on numbers - ten today.  I gave M her belated birthday present, she liked it.  In the end I did not block it.  My thoughts were that M could block it to how long she wants it, plus I think it may stretch a bit with wearing.  Next time I will do it on a bigger needle.  The pattern is called 'Shizuku', it is designed by Angela Tong, and can be found for free on Ravelry.  I used Noro Kureyon, nearly two balls, out of my stash - another Stash Busting Project completed.

 The edging is called shape is called teardrops.  In all it is a quick, simple and fun project to do.  And like so many patterns that I like, it can be adapted to different yarns in principle, with a bit of jiggery pokery.

This is Winter Apple Shawl.  It is designed by Erica Jackofsky.  I did want to get a picture of me wearing it outside but time didn't permit today, so her it is, over-lit, on the back of the sofa.  I used James C Brett Marble Chunky.  My first non-stash busting project of the year.

Work continues on Lydia Crescent Shawl.  I got my mitts on the new Knit mag today, I've had a quick look through and am inspired by a couple of things in there, they are not my usual inspirations though!