Five on Friday!

It has been a funny week here in The Glade.

We seem to have been even busier than normal and I am still trying to catch up from my time away at the end of last month.

Couple that with having the kitchen decorated and as a consequence the whole house is a tip, well lets just say, I need the weekend!

Once more I am joining with Amy for Five on Friday!

Here are my five happy things from this week –

One

The Weeping Window poppies that were at the Tower of London last year have come to Liverpool.

I took this picture on Saturday evening. It was so very moving.

The lovely Karen at Crimson Kettle wrote about poppies last week for her Five on Friday, it was lovely! This picture is for you Karen x

Two

The Liverpool Pals are very closely associated with the association where I work.

The statue of The Unknown Soldier is looked after by the association and is located just outside.

My lovely colleague Tom organised the most beautiful service to commemorate Armistice Day on Wednesday.

It was very moving and exceptionally well attended.

Everyone who took part was delighted with Tom’s efforts, he did the Pals proud.

Three

On Tuesday, myself and the rest of my colleagues went to a beautiful venue in the city next to the marina, for a food tasting session.

The chef was bidding to cater for an event that is planned for next year and invited us all along.

Instead of giving us little samples, he cooked the most beautiful three course lunch, it was epic and such an unexpected treat!

The picture is of the dessert, Oh My Chocolate Tart!

It was gorgeous!

I did actually do some work this week ha!

Four – A Chapel update!

Having lamented about the lack of progress on our Chapel in a recent post, it seems that work has begun.

A safety fence was erected around it while I was in San Francisco and workmen have been spotted in the vicinity this week.

Furthermore, Bovis Homes have sent an email pledging to hand it over to the residents by the 9th December 2015.

We are a little sceptical about this because all our houses were late.

However, this is huge progress, they have been silent on the matter for so long.

They have refused a meeting with the residents to discuss the details, nevertheless it’s exciting to see anything happening over there.

 I will keep you in the loop!

Five

It is Children In Need day today here in England.

I took a cake to work to raffle yesterday and was overwhelmed by the generosity of most of my colleagues.

I was hoping to bake more cakes for a cake sale, however the kitchen still resembles a building site, so will have to postpone it until Monday.

That’s my five for this week.

I have plans to sort the kitchen this weekend and, Gabriella is promising to pop home on Sunday!

Thank you Amy for hosting.

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

 

Dinner and a Liqueur!

Change of plans on Saturday, so insignificant that I can’t remember what they were,  meant that we were able to invite some of our lovely neighbours for dinner.

They are the sort of easy-going couple that make for a wonderfully relaxed evening.

I prepared my foolproof, slow cooker beef stroganoff for the meat eaters and mushroom  for myself.

I will have to share the recipe for it because,  it is so simple but full of flavour.

Dessert came in the form of Pavlova that is also very simple to make and is one if my favourites.

I especially like that it has to be eaten on the same day 😉 the Scottish Strawberries that topped it were at their very best!

As you can see the menu was stress free but implied that some effort had been made.

However, the highlight of evening came in the form of this beauty, brought by our lovely neighbours.

It is called Amarula and is made from a fruit that grows in South Africa. It’s mixed with sugar and cream, it is utterly delicious!!

It is a bit like Bailey’s, which I love, but it doesn’t have the sharp kick that you get from the whiskey in Bailey’s.

Instead it is very soft and sweet without being sickly – if you know what I mean.

Apparently, elephants walk miles to feast on the fruit and I am not surprised, if the liqueur is anything to go by, it must be sumptuous too.

Have you tried it?

So This Week I have Loved – having some lovely neighbours for a simple dinner and the gorgeous liqueur that they brought.

Thank you to Ali for hosting!

Have a lovely day!

 

 

My Captured Moment #15

 

As I walked behind the girls this weekend in The Glade, I just had to capture this moment.

If I had asked them to dress the same they both would have vehemently objected.

However look at them, dressed virtually the same and walking in tandem.

The eldest at 19, is adamant that the 12 year old is not almost as tall as her – but she is!

The youngest misses the eldest so much when she is at university and yes, they are linking arms as they walk.

I captured this moment when my two lovely girls both suddenly seemed very grown up.

I felt I was having a glimpse into the future and, hopefully of the friends they will always be to each other.

As always I am joining with Heledd from Running in Lavender for her lovely My Captured Moment!

Have a lovely day!

Five on Friday!

This week has been a strange one for me, not least because it was my birthday on Tuesday.

So, I guess this is my birthday edition. As always I will be linking up with Amy from Love Made My Home for Five on Friday!

One

A selection of the beautiful Orchids and flowers that I received as gifts.

All so beautiful!

Two

Cadburys came to visit on the morning of my birthday and gave out chocolate biscuits – it was fab!

Three

Cupcakes that I made to share with my colleagues at work. They went down very well.

Four

I came home to this lovely cake off my girls! Shoes and handbags featured heavily on birthday cards too. They all know me so well!

Five

I got some beautiful cards and some very funny ones too!

I don’t usually celebrate my birthday so I was overwhelmed this year with kindness and thoughtfulness!

I have been wined, dined and totally spoilt all week!

Thank you everyone – you know who you are!

However, the very best present of all came in a 6Ib 9oz pink bundle – our very first Glade Baby! So exciting!

Have a lovely day xx

Five on Friday!

This week I am joining with Amy from Love Made My Home for  Five on Friday time and Maria who is Suburban Mum for Our Favorite Five.

One

This dinner. I am really busy at the moment in my new job.

I came home quite late on Tuesday to find that Himself had cooked this gorgeous dinner.

Walking through the door I could have cried with gratitude.

The littlest was back from her travels, so we were all able to just down and eat – bliss!!

It is so much better when you haven’t cooked it yourself.

However, he has also shown his hand and revealed skills that I didn’t realise he had ha!

Two

I have spent weeks trying to get a picture of this little blighter!

Jack doesn’t fit the profile of a normal Labrador in that he sometimes leaves food in his bowl.

As soon as he comes back indoors, this Magpie scoots down and makes short work of his dinner.

At first the magpie was really nervous, but now he strolls across the garden with a swagger and lingers for a while!

Jack, the gun dog, doesn’t appear to notice ha!

Three

These flowers were to me by our lovely neighbours, watching them bloom has definitely been a highlight of this week.

They really did not need to gift them , but what a beautiful treat they are!

Such fabulous neighbours! But they are not the only ones, we are so fortunate to be surrounded by them!!

Four

This month has been about getting outdoors as much as possible.

In the North West we have had a chilly start to June with plenty of rain, however it has started to warm up, I have even taken my black tights off!!

I know, I am so radical!

Five

 

I have a very pale complexion naturally and super white skin, probably a throw back to my Celtic heritage.

In the name of research I have been using both of these products this month at different time to compare.

 I will post my findings soon for those who may be interested.

The upside is that I am ready for when the sun decides to really put his hat on!!

 

Have a lovely day!

 

 

The House that Jack built!

I should have really started the new HomeEtc linky last week with this post.

Our house is a new build, we have lived here for almost a year now. I won’t dwell on the details but suffice to say, it hasn’t been an easy year and the house is still not finished.

The Jack in the title is not our dog but Jack from the nursery rhyme – I will leave it there!

As everyone with a new house will know, there are lots of things interior design wise, that you cannot do for the first two years – snagging aside. Therefore, this link is going to be a great way for me to record the changes because,  although we do have mostly brand new fixtures and fittings, we still have builder’s magnolia on every wall.

Here are a few pictures that compare the construction stage with now:

The picture at the top was taken on the 1st March 2014. This was a concern because we were due to move in May, of course we didn’t, it was the first of our set backs.

This top picture was taken in June 2014, we couldn’t get near to the site for a long time because it was surrounded with fences that were mostly covered up. A cynic might think this was because the builders didn’t want us to see the lack of progress mmm…….

The top picture was taken just 10 days before we moved in. Everything was a terrible rush at the end, the builders crammed everything in to ensure we were moved in by their half-year end. The house wasn’t ready!

The house stands on the site of an old college building that was found unsuitable by Ofstead some years ago. The site is located in a green belt area and as I understand it, the land was sold on the understanding that the footprint for all the houses was not to exceed those of the original college building.

This picture of The Chapel shows the college building on the right which is where our house is now as seen.

Eventually The Chapel is going to be our Community Centre – we are waiting for the builders!

Issues aside, we love living here, the area is beautiful, most of the neighbours are fab and it is really handy for the school bus. I love the symmetry of the house and feel it’s quite well balanced, there is lots of natural sunlight with all of the windows. Nevertheless,  we still do have many outstanding issues with the builders and their “customer service” is shocking!

 

So pop around each Wednesday when I join Jess from Mummy to Boy Girl Twins and Caro from The Twinkle Diaries in their new link HomeEtc.  I will show you around and hopefully, you can advise me when I run out of inspiration!

A massive congratulations to Caro, she has won the Principality Building Society competition with this post about what home means to her, it fabulous!

Have a lovely day!

 

 

Glade Matters!

This  post isn’t about Jack. I just like this picture of him at Thurstaton beach. Although, I am reliably informed that this month is National Pet Month, therefore, I feel it’s justified.

There are lots of pets here in The Glade and, there is hardly a house in parts without a dog living it in. However, this being National Pet Month makes me a little bit sad! Let me explain…..

Our really lovely neighbour T, who lives just over the road from us bought a new puppy last October time. He was a gorgeous bundle of fluff called Milo. He was quite the attraction when she walked him because he was so small and cute.

On the Friday that we were enjoying our day out to Anglesey, Milo was run over and killed by another neighbour! I will spare you the details because by all accounts it was brutal.

He had followed his human dad to the car and he had taken his eye off him for a second, but that is all it takes. It seems that a number of the children were playing out and possibly witnessed the whole thing. It has also been reported that the driver of the car was going too fast, this I believe because I have witnessed it myself.

T is devastated, as I am sure you can imagine. What makes it worse for her,  is that she says the driver has shown no remorse, whatsoever! It is such a shocking thing to happen to our lovely community. The loss of Milo is bad enough but the behaviour of the driver disappoints and surprises many of us.

T has gone away this week,  I hope that helps her to come to terms with it. But I have to say, it’s very sad when we walk past her house with Jack and there is no barking to be heard. Everyone seems to be holding onto their dog’s leads a little bit tighter.

Most of us Glade Dwellers remain shocked, a week and a half on!

 

Rest in Peace sweet Milo!

A ‘Welcome to The Glade’ Lemon Drizzle cake

We were the sixth family to move into The Glade. Most families that have moved in since have been welcomed with a Lemon Drizzle cake.

(If you are reading this and you have moved in and didn’t received a cake,  let me know and I will hasten to rectify the situation ASAP).

People are often impressed with this particular cake, however in the spirit of sharing, I am about to take one for the team and, give the game away about how simple this cake really is.

This recipe is so old that I have had to convert it to metric.

Ingredients

Cake

170g self raising flour

110g butter

1 teaspoon of baking powder

170g sugar

2 large eggs

6 tablespoons of milk

Finely grated rind of a lemon or 2 drops of lemon extract

Toothpick

Drizzle

110g sugar

Juice of large lemon

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 160c

2. Add all the cake ingredients together in a bowl and mix, see photo below for proof

3. Pop the mix into a lined cake tin, I use a round one but this will fit into a 2lb  loaf tin too

4. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the centre clean

5.  When the cake is in the oven make the drizzle by adding the freshly squeezed lemon juice to the sugar and mix

6. As soon as it is baked take a toothpick and make lots of holes in the top of the cake

7. Pour the drizzle mixture over the top

Enjoy!

*Tip: Before squeezing lemons put them in the microwave for 30 seconds then you will get more juice!

Squirrels!!!!!

There are grey squirrels in abundance on the Wirral. However, they are a particular feature here on our Glade. We are inundated by them. One even tapped on our front window when we were eating breakfast one Saturday morning.

Mr Glade is particularly unimpressed with grey squirrels. He firmly subscribes to the school of thought that they are vermin – ‘Vegetarian Rats’ he has been known to declare them.

Most days, Jack of the Glade, has his breakfast in the garden. However, unlike the popular reputation of his breed, he isn’t greedy and doesn’t always finish it immediately.

Enter stage left – the squirrel or more accurately, squirrels! They not only run amok over our new patio and turf, but they finish Jack’s breakfast in double quick time.

Nevertheless, things have reached a new low with our invaders this week, they have actually dug a hole in our newly laid turf in the back garden. Right beside my newly planted apple tree!! “What does Jack do?” I hear you ask.

Well our ‘Gun’ dog hides out in the kitchen.

He will chase a squirrel with the best of them but, if there is a chance in hell that he might catch one – he opts to stay indoors and protect his people!  #fearless

Mr Glade could have a point, maybe they are a nuisance after all!!