Welcome Home

It is nice to be back home, but OH! so cold, and this morning -4 and everywhere is covered in white frost.  My amaryllis was in bud when we left for Spain and what a wonderful welcome sight on our return, thanks to Martin for looking after it.

Four deep red flowers on a very short stalk.

The girls are on half term and came for a visit yesterday. It was too wet and cold to do anything outside, so a dinner plan was arranged.
They made menus on the computer and organised timings for cooking a chicken, pigs in blankets, cheesy mash and carrots, followed by pancakes [it is Shrove Tuesday], with many different fillings, and a final course of cheese and biscuits.

Abigail age 14 making the first batch of pancakes

Eleanor age 10  just preparing to turn her pancake over.
They made about six each

Enjoying the pancakes, which left no room for the cheese and biscuits!

They did so well preparing and cooking the meal, the only thing I helped with was carving the chicken, and Grandad was on clear up duty.

While finding the recipe for pancakes in my old notebook, we needed the precise amounts as they used the Tupperware shaker to mix the batter, they found a recipe for a Diana Cake.
When their father was living in the Nurses home training to be a nurse, he regularly came home and I would make a Diana Cake for him to take back. I decided it was time for him to learn how to cook it, so bought a cake tin and all the ingredients and presented it to him on his next visit. The girls loved the story and as soon as dinner was over wanted to make one for their Dad.
Back in the kitchen I managed to find all the ingredients for this fruit cake and they made two, one to take home and one for us. Richard was delighted when he came to collect them.