Hit The Road (Flap) Jack

On a blue day there is no pick me up like baking and the smell of spiced flapjack wafting through the house could cheer up Scrooge, who needs a scented candle when you have a cupboard full of ingredients? 

I always feel weird on these in between days when summer can't quite decide whether or not to hand over to autumn, and since the boy is away until Monday on a Greek adventure, today was the day to bake an indulgent treat. Flapjack is the easiest thing to make, my batches are all a little different depending on my mood - years of flapjack practice means I tend to go by eye when it comes to measurements and then add a little of whatever I fancy to bring some extra flavour. In summer I tend to add orange zest or dried fruit, today felt like a ginger, honey and nutmeg day with a twist of black pepper for warmth. Black pepper I hear you say? Yes, really. Don't ask me how I first tried it - I'm fairly sure it was an accident but subtle though it is, I'm convinced it adds something. Once the butter, syrup and sugar were melting away and I had tuned into Jazz FM my mood took a definite turn for the better and - magically - I'm all smiles once again. Miracle food is flapjack, honestly. 

Pretty Nostalgic

Back on the first of July issue two of Pretty Nostalgic landed with a very definite and very welcome thud on my doormat, if you haven't heard of the magazine before I suggest you pop over to their website because chances are if you enjoy reading my blog (which I hope you do!) you'll enjoy reading this beautiful magazine. If you have detected the buzz and are wondering what the fuss is about let me shed some some light; the clue is in the name! Pretty Nostalgic quite literally celebrates the beauty in well-loved things and is as British as strawberries and cream, dry wit, and chatting to strangers about the weather. A lifestyle and home magazine based entirely around vintage, sustainable living and glorying in our Britishness has come as a breath of fresh air to me - salvaged your kitchen table from a skip or love seeing inside welcoming, lived-in homes? You'll be all over this like jam on scones. Leaving interiors aside over the past two issues I have loved reading pieces on the magic of exploring tide pools, kite-flying, natural perfumery, vintage picnics, seashore foraging, street parties, vintage motors and what makes a good Scotch egg. As if the Jubilee year and the London 2012 Olympics haven't done enough to remind us that we do in fact have a national identity and also a healthy dose of patriotism to go along with it, Pretty Nostalgic throws the spotlight onto the very best of being British and I cannot tell you how great it was to make a couple of small contributions to the second issue!

Rose Bud Tea

Call me frilly if you will but I am completely unashamed of my slavish devotion to anything rose flavoured, if you follow me on Twitter you may already have clocked me evangelising over black teas blended with rose, you might even have been the recipient of some 'tea mail' (you know who you are!). I have a thing about sharing the joy! Rose bud tea is an altogether different experience from teas infused with the flavour of rose, to begin with it is caffeine free and very delicate but more than that it is an experience for most of the senses really; light floral aroma, beautiful to look at in a glass teapot and such a unique taste. I'm always amazed by how much flavour the buds themselves yield, it is difficult to find a comparison other than turkish delight in a teacup - depending on whether you add sugar of course! Rumour has it that sipping rose bud tea will also give your skin a helping hand which can never be a bad thing in my book!

Making

It's a very simple thing, playing with paper, but it is amazing how much it can make me smile. Lately I've been setting aside some time to experiment and with the birthday of one of my favourite people yesterday I got chance to make a card personal to her. Sara is a fellow bookworm, snail mail appreciator and a fancier of Scots men, so I cheekily wrapped one of her pressies in part of a Scottish map. On a totally different note I thought up a robot card for T's godson Harry - I figured robots were a relatively safe bet for a little boy - and had plenty of fun doing it. 

I like reusing materials I already have to hand when the mood to make strikes rather than buying pre made kits or papers for a specific project, I blame my Dad for my crafty conscience - he's an avid recycler and I grew up doing the wash and squash. He was quick to notice my bulging bin bags when he and Mum stopped by for a visit on Tuesday 'You don't do much recycling anymore then' he said. True enough, I've fallen out of the habit since we have lived in our present house - need to get on that!

Daisies, Rain and a Small Tortoiseshell

I was curled up on the sofa demolishing a mini packet of Oreos (got to love little treats offered with love by the man-shape) as I flicked through some photos I took in Devon last weekend - daisies and rain seemed to be the theme, whole carpets of daisies everywhere - when something winged fluttered right into my temple. Once the initial wasp-panic subsided I realised it was a butterfly who seemed quite enamoured with my shirt! My usual bug herding technique of guiding to the window with a magazine was an epic fail and for once I was glad of T's small collection of empty glasses and papers carefully curated on the coffee table and by the side of the sofa. When she landed on the bookcase I gently trapped her in a glass, slipped paper underneath and admired her prettiness for a moment before taking her outside to set her free. Turns out she wasn't too eager to leave and landed on me a few more times before making her way over the laurel hedge and into a neighbours garden, presumably in search of a nectary hit. 

My inner nerd took over and I sought out my bug book to identify her as a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. All I can say is that her portrait didn't do her justice and she was so much more magical in real life and had me feeling like Snow White attracting all the woodland animals! Always find myself smiling when simple things make my day.

Rainy Day Play

Today the weather is like this, the view over our little courtyard from the bathroom skylight is decidedly wet so I've been busying myself indoors and remembering childhood rainy days spent cutting and sticking, breaking out the colouring books and making a mess of my room pretending the floor was molten lava.

P.S My very first attempt at a gif, think I'll be needing more practice at this moving picture malarkey!