Cake and a very special birthday.

So it's mum's 80th birthday looming. Since we lost Dad last year, we have hung on to mum even more tightly and we have some special plans for her octogenerian birthday. We already had a Murder Mystery night at a VERY posh hotel, where mum looked like the Queen, resplendent in turquoise and pearls. We enjoyed  the evening very much with the exception of  the company of a bunch of rowdy women who had obviously mistaken the title of the evening and were intent upon murdering everyone's enjoyment by shouting and screaming all night. Nontheless, it was a great night, and the hotel have offered compensation for our displeasure at having the evening interrupted as we did, so all is well.

So in between the job and the new plans for my books, I have been organising secret plans for mums birthday. Not letting on here obviously as I don't want the cat out of the bag, but we have a number of surprises over 4 days, culminating in a theatre trip to see Little Shop of Horrors (which she knows about, btw!)  I have also spent several hours making party decorations, shopping for "bits" as you do when a party is looming, and have set about baking the cake and made 60 something sugar cookies. It all kicks off next Friday so we have a busy weekend ahead.

We have also been away again this week, and enjoyed a few days in beautiful Cambridge, which surprised us with the culture, shopping and general attractiveness. We stayed in a beautiful farmhouse and as I was well in need of a rest, we just pottered around and enjoyed some quality time together. Still as barking mad as ever, as we tried to push through doors that you should pull, wondered (and drove) around completely lost and generally echoed the silly behaviour that we seem to display every time we go anywhere. But I very much appreciated the break.

Sadly, we attended the funeral of a long time family friend recently and mum was telling a member of the other family that I write, bake, make rag dolls, craft, and get a real kick out of planning and organising (I think I drove everyone mad over the charity night we had in April!) There was a question over where on earth I find the time! To be honest, I often don't. But I know this. When I am working, whether it is in my day job, writing, baking or what ever, I am VERY productive. I like to think that I have made up for the time I have spent procrastinating, or doing it and getting it wrong. I don't give up easily, know my limitations but I am a bloody hard worker. I keep getting asked to do cakes for people but my time is valuable and people sincerely do not understand the time and cost involved in baking. Factor in shopping for ingredients, preparing everything, measuring, baking, frosting and covering, making the decorations, then include the price of cake boards, fondant, gas and electricity as well as the basic ingredients for cake, well I'm sure anyone might understand why I am not going to make a cake for £20 and pop it out in an hour. So I will stick with mainly family and friends cakes, but have a page dedicated to helping people to have a go for themselves. (I'm kind like that......)

So that's been the last few weeks, anyway. My next challenge (day job apart) is to get some photos onto the Apple Mac that I now have, and try to get some uploaded on to the blog. Even after the years I have been blogging, this is still proving to be a bit of a challenge, so that's something else to fit into my day!

Off I go to the next lot!
xx