Reading books from the 1930's

This looked fun and easy so here goes... :0)

Work in Progress

It's still snowy ...we've got colds AGAIN so we've been doing crafty things...

Older d "Blogger Kate" has the knitting bug




And I succumbed to temptation and a discount 50% off voucher from JOANN'S store and bought myself a needle felting pen. I watched a tutorial from

HERE

the puppy instructions start at 2 mins 50 seconds and shes very clear and good!

Gathered together..sponge, felting tool, tops and a pipe cleaner and I was off.
My first attempt was a miniature cat or was it a dog? anyway it wasn't perfect but worked well enough to be promising. Then we tried using mini cookie cutters as moulds.



The sponge base is 1/2 a car-wash sponge wrapped in a scrap of sheet, this makes a base to work on. The wool scraps are merino tops (combed wool)




Younger d "Cute Kitten" spotted me trying my new toy and had to have a go..she was very careful and decided to make sheep ..then decided they looked more like sheepdogs and gave them some balls to play with.. making the balls big enough caused the loss of a couple of the felting needles ..they don't like jabbing at an angle oops..(Why I didn't think to buy spares I don't know..)





still much fun was had by all...and it's still snowing...heavily fiddle dee dee

Weather

Thought I could put these into storage... ha no such luck



woke up to a white World ...and it'd been melting so nicely...the roads were clear and you could walk down the road (well not the sidewalks yet)in trainers..

So it's this today



With this to come




But it's heavy wet snow so it shouldn't stay too long (I hope)

Maids of Honour

Quick recipe ...

3 cups all purpose flour sifted with 1 rounded tsp baking powder
2 sticks of butter or marg (chopped into small cubes)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (personal taste)
water to bind

rub fat into flour, add sugar and enough cold water to make a soft pastry you can roll out.

Roll out and Cut out circles and use to line greased shallow patty tins (this recipe makes 2 dozen tarts) (you could try muffin tins but they are deeper so watch for oven temperature and baking time changes)

spoon a 1/2 teaspoon of jam onto each circle (don't go mad or it'll bubble out)
red jam like Raspberry is traditonal... I used Strawberry ..because it was what we had!

beat 1/2 cup sugar with 1 stick butter till soft, add 1 egg beat well, fold in 1/2 cup ground almonds and enough flour to make a stiffish cake mixture (1/2 to 1 cup of all purpose flour plus 1/2 tsp baking powder)
I added a small teaspoon of Almond syrup to the sponge mix.I only had whole almonds so whizzed them in the food processor 'till ground.(blenders work at this too but it's noisy)

add a spoonful of this mix onto each jam tart base

bake for about 12 - 15 minutes ..my oven was at 375 degrees but it runs a bit warm.

cool on a tray (the jam stays hot so be patient)


There are lots of variations of this recipe, the earliest dating from the time of Henry the VIII.... So they are interesting and rather Yummy!

Carola Dunn - Manna from Hades

"Manna from Hades by Carola Dunn" published in 2009

this photo is from the net. I actually read the Thorndike Press large print version because it's easier on tired eyes.

I have never read any of this author's work before and picked this up by chance while browsing the library's new books section.
The cover attracted me and the book looked fat and new so I tried a few pages and popped it into my basket for a further read.
Books haven't been working for me lately..I used to be able to get lost in a book and would gobble them up..even.
During my single days, (whilst living in a quiet hamlet in the countryside) I would read two a night, some Classics took more chewing..so to speak... but I only remember getting bogged down by one...Mansfield park! not least because the heroine annoyed me and I found myself sympathizing with all the wrong characters..still I even managed to complete that book (probably because I read it in several sessions while soaking in the bath after work...some sessions got a bit long as the house was retro fitted with antique brass door handles and catches that really didn't work well when they got steamy..so when locked in the bathroom what do you do ?) anyway I digress.
Two kids and interesting health issues seemed to scupper my ability to pay attention to or even get a chance to read a whole book. But things are improving and recently a Dick Francis made it and an Agatha Christie or two ..familiar known quantities that stand interruptions. A lot failed and were returned to the library or were given away.
I began to wonder if I was only destined to read Childrens books to the last page ... A demanding audience ensure that some books are read to the end...just not necessarily fast enough for their taste.

Anyway back to 'Manna from Hades' ...we found our Saturday spot in the library and curled up with our books and after having to reread the first page three times to sort out the characters...I'm still not sure if this was my brain's or the first pages fault..? either way it was worth the effort... I was off enjoying Eleanor Trewynn's adventures in Cornwall.

It was a gentle puzzle ..we do have a body and a mystery but it was interesting not gory. Mrs Trewynn is the well traveled but rather unassuming Widow (of an influential chap) who now lives quietly in Port Mabyn, In a little flat above the charity shop she started. She drives a Morris Minor and lives with her charming Westie terrier called Teazle. She has a niece Megan Pencarrow who is a Detective Sergeant, a neighbour who is a rather handsome Artist called Nicholas Gresham. Other characters include Jocelyn the almost frighteningly competent Vicar's wife. It's a very quietly engrossing ,very 'normal' book, a nice mix of interesting Characters, no complex psychological depth or hidden meanings. Just pleasant people living normal lives trying to solve a puzzle, a comfortable yet quite compelling read...I kept diving back to it and finished it on Sunday..nowadays two days is a miraculous speed read and completing a book at all with out even considering looking to the last chapters first to see if it was worth the bother was a surprise for me.

The ending fell a little abruptly but left scope for a follow up and on Googling the author I found that if I wait until June there is a second in the series being released.
After Googling Carola Dunn I see she has written a series set in the 20's that I've completely missed ..so I think I'll try the first of that series whilst I'm waiting and find out if I enjoy that too.

Now it's off to catch up with all the things I should've been doing when I was reading it!

Family Knitting projects & a beautiful dog!

We've been knitting....

Older d. " blogger Kate" tried a Bunny



and then a snake for her Sister (who likes snakes I hasten to add)



Younger daughter "the cute kitten" (yes I know..but she chose it herself) tried knitting for the first time and achieved these



I had a go at knitting Mini bunnies using a great pattern!
see HERE



I think the snake was being used to keep him warm ...I don't think he was meant to be dinner


And we all had fun even the beautiful dog who at 14 contented herself with keeping us company and helping us avoid food poisoning by eating up any food left unattended for more than 20 seconds.