March’s Scavenger Hunt

Flowers:

Daffodils. Harbingers of spring and my favourite flowers!

Baking:

My mum’s ginger biscuit recipe. It’s very quick and easy and pretty much foolproof, in that it needs no chilling and seems to produces yummy biscuits every time, so you can merrily go from idea to eating within about half an hour in an emergency!

12oz self raising flour, 8oz castor sugar (or soft brown is a perfectly acceptable substitute!), 3oz golden syrup, 4oz butter, 1tsp ground ginger, 1tsp bicarb, 1 egg.

Mix dry ingredients, rub in butter, add syrup and beaten egg and knead to gather. Roll into small balls (about walnut size are good), press with a fork onto greased baking trays and bake for 10-15 minutes in gas mark 4/180°C.

Reading:

I learned a new word the other day; Tsundoku: the condition of acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one’s home without reading them. It resonated. And here’s an image of my bedside table to prove it. Having said that, it’s not strictly accurate as I am actually reading some of them! Nearly finished the Vikram Seth and really enjoying it. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things was read a few years ago and only recently abandoned a re-read attempt for book group; interesting discussion about it though. And the Kindle holds a part read professional development book by the man behind Disney Pixar.

A. Edward Newton is quoted as saying: “Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstasy that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity … we cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access reassurance.” Thanks Wikipedia.

Comfortable:

She perches precariously on the wedged top of a sofa cushion and indents herself cosily where I presume she stays all day as she’s there when I leave and there when I get back…

Favourite colour:

Oooo, this was a hard one! Wanted to use one of some faded blue/green boards from a tumbledown Malaysian water village but had used that already in another hunt. So, whilst flicking through my phone camera shots, I found this one, which does capture my favourite blues and greens in the flame set against the lovely orangey fire glow. Bit of a cheat version of coloured flames actually; aurora cones on a camp fire.

Candles:

A friend who helped me move felt I had rather a ridiculous quantity of tea lights and candles. When you go through them at the rate I do though, it’s as well to have a good stock!

Hat:

I have tried and tried to recall where this lovely garden was but without success so far. I recall a ruined stately home, sweeping lawns and a lovely orchard. This spectacular ‘scarecrow’ (though that seems too derogatory a word for so splendid a creature) was keeping watch/dancing in a vegetable cottage garden. Love her hat.

Walk:

Grandma and granddaughter enjoying a family walk round Blea Tarn at Christmas.

Mug:

My favourite ever mug with a lovely steaming bag of rooibos tea steeping. It has been repaired once already when it broke, thankfully quite cleanly, and the handle simply came off in my hand as I was washing it. I was glad not to have dropped it on the floor or smashed it as it was fixable with a spot of araldite. Needless to say I don’t hold it by the handle any more though!

Also, incidentally, sitting on my favourite ever coasters!

My own choice:

This was taken on the same festive walk mentioned above. I can’t take credit for the ‘no sky, just reflection’ idea as that came from my sister who had already taken this shot and it looked too good not to copy! The colours and still reflection in the tarn were stunning.