Vanoce/ Christmas

Cas pred Vanoci u nas byl letos velmi plny a tak nebyl cas na blog. Doufam, ze jste si uzili klidne a pohodove Vanoce a preji vsem ctenarkam a ctenarum stastny novy rok :-)

The weeks before Christmas have been very busy this year so I didn't have time for the blog. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I wish you all a Happy New Year :-)

Pokorila jsem strach/ I conquered my fear..

Mela jsem strasny strach z rizeni auta. Jenze zivot na vesnici s detmi uz neni skoro mozny bez auta. Autobusy drahe a nespolehlive (nekolikrat uz jsem prisla k doktorovi o pul hodiny a dele pozde...) a nejezdi kam potrebujeme. To, ze budu muset na vesnici ridit jsem vedela, nez jsme se stehovali. Uz nekolik let jsem to odkladala a v Londyne jsem na to proste nemela odvahu. Hned par dni po prestehovani jsem sla na mistni charitativni veceri a sedla jsem si vedle istruktorky :-) A po trech mesicich mam DOKONCE uz i svoje auto a kamaradku :-)
Mame ted pred sebou velmi perny mesic, kalendar je zaplnen detskymi predstavenimi a zpivanim koled. Zitra je ve skole vanocni bazar a deti maji donest buchty a dorty na prodej. Musela jsem se hodne vybicovat, konkurence je velika. Bohuzel minule moje mufinky nikdo nechtel neb byly bez ozdob :-DDDD

..Of driving and I am now even driving my own car :-)
A very busy time of the year has started. Our diary is full of nativity performances, carol singing and visits. There is going to be a Christmas fair at Eliska's school tomorrow and we were asked to make cakes for sale. Competition is VERY stiff so I had to try harder this time (only because last time I made very plain cup cakes and nobody wanted to buy them) :-)

Leg warmers & other stuff/ navleky a jeste neco navic :-)

These are very simple to make - I cast on 46 stitches (I used thick wool and needles size 6)and use the knit and purl stitches on double pointed needles. Finished in 2 evenings :-)
I also made Christmas decorations and a photo album (I couldn't find what I was looking for - very typical for me) :-D
Velmi jednoduche - nahodime 46 ok (zalezi na vlne - ja jsem pouzila silnou na jehlice c. 6) a stridame hladce a obrace. Za 2 vecery bylo hotovo :-)
Jeste jsem usila par vanocnich ozdob a album na fotky (nemohla jsem najit, co jsem hledala - pro mne velmi typicke) :-D

Remember, remember...

... the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

5. listopadu se tu slavi Guy Fawkes night (roku 1605 se katolik Guy Fawkes pokusil vyhodit Parlament v Londyne do povetri. Nastesti byl zavcas odhalen a parlament prezil.
Svatek se slavi velkymi ohnostroji a zapalovanimm hranic). Eliscina skautska skupina poradala ohnostroj a ohen v nedaleke vesnici, tak jsme se take vypravili :-) A poprve jsem ridila ja!!!!

Priprava na Vanoce/ Getting ready for Christmas

Predelavame kuchyn a tak ted casto jezdime do Ikey. Objevila jsem tam nove vanocni latky - IDGRAN TOMTE a uz jsem se nemohla dockat, az dodelam narozeninove darky a muzu zacit ty vanocni :-)

On our many trips to Ikea to buy various heavy kitchen unit parts I found their new Christmas fabric range. I couldn't wait to finish making birthday presents to start on the Christmas ones :-)

Halloween

.. se dostal uz i k nam na vesnici :-D
.. even got to our village now :-D

9

Citronova buchta atd..../ Lemon cake etc...

V posledni dobe to tu flakam. Teda ne, ze by nebylo o cem psat, ale neni cas. Predelavame kuchyn (co jsme se prestehovali, tak varim na plynu, co si vozime na kempovani) a k tomu dodelavame vse ostatni (vse dokumentuji a az to bude CELE hotove, tak se pochlubim). Zacala nam narozeninova sezona, tak hodne siju (zatim se nemuzu pochlubit ani tim, aby to dotycne osoby nevypatraly :-)))). Take jsem jeste likvidovala zbytek jablicek. Co jsem nezavarila to jsem ususila a jablicka putovala do pytliku - nechala jsem se inspirovat u Helenky, ale musim rict, ze uz to skoro vsechno deti snedly :-).
Tak zatim jeden recept z moji oblibene knizecky receptu a par fotek z naseho tvoreni...

Troubu si pripravime na 180C/ plyn c. 4/vymazeme formu (objem 500g) a vylozime ji pecicim papirem.

- 225g mekkeho masla
- 225g mekkeho hnedeho cukru
- 4 vajicka
- 225g mouky
- 1 prasek do peciva
- 2 lzicky mleteho kardamomu
- 1 lzicka mleteho zazvoru
- 1 lzice bileho jogurtu
- 2 citrony
- 3 lzice piskoveho cukru
Smichame maslo a cukr a utreme. Mouku smichame s korenim zvlast a dame stranou. Postupne pridavame vejce a lzici mouky do cukru s maslem. Pridame zbytek mouky a jogurt. Dale pridame kuru z jednoho citronu a vse prendame do pripravene formy. Peceme asi 45-55 minut. Buchtu nechame vychladnout ve forme a propichame ji vydlickou. Mezi tim si vymackame stavu z obou citronu a privedeme ji k varu spolu s piskovym cukrem. Neustale michame. Az se cukr rozpusti prelejeme tim buchtu a nechame vychladnout ve forme.

I have been neglecting it here recently. Not that there is nothing to write about, but we have been too busy. As well as trying to finish the living room we have also started the kitchen. I have been cooking on camping gas since we moved in and the gas man is due in a couple of weeks to connect the new hob (hooray)!! I have also been trying to get rid of all those apples. What hasn't been made into chutney, apple butter or cakes has been dried. I made really nice and cheap bags for the dried apples - I found the inspiration here. But the children have eaten nearly all of it now :-)
So here is a recipe and a few photos...

Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas no:4 and grease and line a 500g tin
- 225g/ 8oz butter softened
- 225g/ 8oz soft brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 225g/ 8oz self raising flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cardamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Sift the flour and spices together. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar beating each one in with a spoonful of the flour mixture. Add the rest of the flour and the yogurt. Grate the zest of one of the lemons and fold into the mixture. Spoon into the tin and bake for about 45-55 minutes. When the cake is cooked leave in the tin. Using a zester remove the peel from the second lemon and sprinkle over the top of the cake.
Juice the 2 lemons and put in a small saucepan with granulated sugar, bring to the boil and simmer, stirring all the time. Once the sugar has dissolved, pour over the cake (prick the cake with a fork first) and leave to cool in the tin.

Sewing/ siti

Jeste, nez mi zacne v sobotu skola dodelavam par restu. Halenka je jeste z minuleho roku. Lezela nastrihana rok v krabici. Puvodne jsem planovala mit ji hotovou aspon na dovolenou, ale nestihla jsem to. No a pak mi zbylo kousek latky z nudnych bilych zavesu do obyvaku (tema se pochlubim pozdeji, az bude mistnost hotova cela). Taska je darek pro rodinnou prislusnici a polstar do obyvaku k zavesum. Planuju usit jeste aspon dva podobne - da-li cas :-)

I'm trying to finish a couple of projects before my next module starts on Saturday. The 'Summer blouse' (from Weekend sewing by Heather Ross) has been waiting to be finished in a box for a year... I was planning to at least finish it for the holidays, but run out of time. The bag and cushion are made from a white fabric from Ikea I used for our new living room curtains (boring ones ;-) - will put a picture here once the whole room is finished). I would like to make a couple more of the cushions, fingers crossed. I wish the day had about 70 hours sometimes... :-)

4

Baking challenge

I have been intending to take part in the Baking challenge on Home Baked website for a while and finally managed to come up with something this time.
I have been given 2 BIG bags of apples and managed to get rid of 4!! in this recipe (from my favourite book):

- 200g/ 7oz butter
- 100g/ 3 1/2 oz caster sugar
- 100g/ 3 1/2 oz Demerara sugar (plus a bit for sprinkling)
- 3 large eggs
- 200g/ 7oz self raising flour
- 1 spoonful of maple syrup (I used Golden syrup as I have no Maple)(plus another one for glazing)
- 4 apples
- Oven: 180C/ gas 4

First grease and line a cake tin (23cm). Then peel 3 of the apples and grate them finely and put to the side. Cream the butter and sugars and add the eggs, maple syrup and then a spoonful of the flour at a time. When all mixed together well add the grated apples. Spoon into the tin and decorate with the fourth apple (peeled and sliced)and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool. Meanwhile, warm the other spoonful of syrup in a pan and brush with a pastry brush over the top of the cake.
ENJOY! Happy autumn!!!

Uz delsi dobu jsem se chtela zucastnit Baking challenge na tomto blogu. Konecne se mi to povedlo :-) Od zname z vesnice jsem dostale 2 OBROVSKE tasky jablek a podarilo se mi zbavit se 4!!! :-D
Tady je recept:

- 200g masla
- 100g piskoveho cukru
- 100g Demerara cukru (nerafinovaneho) (plus trosku na posypani)
- 3 vejce
- 200g hladke mouky
- 1 prasek do peciva
- 1 lzice javoroveho sirupu (ja jsem doma nemela, tak jsem pouzila melasovy)(plus dalsi lzice na polevu)
- 4 jablka
- troubu ohrejeme na 180C/ plyn c.4

Nejprve si vymazeme formu na dort a vylozime ji pecicim papirem (prumer cca. 23cm). Najemno nastrouhame 3 oloupana a vypeckovana jablka a dame stranou. Cukr (oba) utreme s maslem a pridame vejce a sirup. Po lzicich pridame mouku a pak prasek do peciva. Nakonec postupne pridame nastrouhana jablka. Nakonec oloupeme a nakrajime ctvrte jablko a ozdobime jim buchtu, posypeme troskou cukru.
Peceme asi 25-30 minut. Po upeceni nechame vystydnout ve forme a mezi tim si rozehrejeme lzici sirupu a potreme jim buchtu.
Dobrou chut a krasny podzim!!!!

Hazel - border collie girl

Dlouho jsme hledali a konecne nasli :-)
Have been looking for a while and finally found one :-)

Prvni cesta do nove skolky/ First bike ride to a new pre-school

Probehla celkem dobre, jen mame po ceste tahly kopec :-) Takze doufam, ze za par tydnu budu vic fit a vyjedu ho :-D Alfie uz je celkem tezky ;-) A v pondeli zacina autoskola!

Was fine, apart from a looong hill in the next village. I'm hoping to get fitter in the next couple of weeks to be able to make it up that hill. Alfie is quite heavy now :-)I'm starting my driving lessons on Monday!

Tip na vylet a nejlepsi recepty/ Trip Idea and the best recipe book

Vzdycky, kdyz jsme v Norfolku na vikend, zajedeme se podivat do pekarny ve vetrnem mlynu - Bircham Windmill. Je to jedno z mych nejoblibenejsich mist v UK. Delaji tam ty nejlepsi buchty a chleba na svete. Dovolim si napsat, ze jejich mrkvove mufinky nemaji konkurenci!! Na jare jsem si tam koupila knizecku s jejich recepty a musim rict, ze je to knizka, kterou pouzivam skoro kazdy den. Tak pokud nekdy zavitate do Norfolku, nezapomente se tam podivat :-)

When we go up to Norfolk for a weekend we always visit Bircham Windmill. It is one of my favourite places in the UK. They make the best cakes and bread. You can also buy very good quality flour there. I thing that their carrot cake is the best in the world! I bought a recipe book there in the Spring and it is now my most used recipe book - I use it nearly every day. So, if you are ever in that part of the world, do not forget to visit :-)