My life right now.....

So..... here's the list -
work - busy, stressful, hectic
home - busy, stressful, hectic
family - busy, stressful, hectic....
Hhhhmmmm - I am sensing a theme.......

We seem to thrive on madness in this household. Here's the picture at the moment......

So you can see its all a bit hectic. Spent a week throwing things out of the loft, then filled the loft back up with stuff out of the garage, as you do. Then spread the rest of the stuff out of the garage around the rest of the house. Its not pretty. Knocked 1 wall out for a doorway. Put a wall up in previous doorway. Husband built a wall at the front, then took it down again. Waited  a week for the building inspector, then wall went up again. As I write the floor is going down. Hopefully window in later today. Stuff everywhere, dust, tools...yadda yadda - you get the picture. Its going to be a couple of months before its all done....will sanity prevail????

Meanwhile long hours at work, coupled with being so far out of my comfort zone its not true, trying to write the third book and the fact that people keep asking for cakes!! I'm very flattered to be asked, don't get me wrong, and don't worry, it's all very hygienic in the kitchen, but sometimes my head is spinning. Got 2 cakes this week, 1 the week after and another shortly after that. Great to have a hobby that people pay me for though, and at least I don't have the results of my efforts cluttering up the already very cluttered and untidy house, so its all good.

Eldest son is looking for a house, and in our "spare time" (said with straight face....no really)  we are going to look at properties. He wants one that we can "do up". In the rest of our "spare time". (Straight face is slipping now......) Oh did I mention we also have his dog. The one that has now become ours. To walk and such.... (no that's it, I've gone now!!!)

So run out of time now, back to the cake / dog / building mess/ house hunting / lesson planning / cleaning and shopping (who has time for that???)

Love family life. Pass the straightjacket........

More and more cake......(warning...saucy cake pics!)

It has never been my intention to be a professional cake maker, and to be honest, right now I don't have the skills or equipment. But I do regurlarly get asked to make cakes and cupcakes for friends and family. I wouldn't make cakes for a living, as it can be a bit stressful and in any case, it doesn't really pay. But I do enjoy it, and I'm flattered to be asked. I love cupcakes the most, much less stressful and great fun. I was asked to do some for a hen party recently and had a great giggle doing them! So here's a few photos of recent efforts. I have 3 more in the pipeline in the next couple of weeks. But its half term now, although plans are afoot for work on the house, somewhere in between I will write and bake. My daughter took me for a spa weekend recenly so that was a chance to recharge....very much appreciated it was too!

A very funny family.

Have you seen that game, where you put a bit of plastic in your mouth then try to speak? It was the must have game this Christmas, and I have seen several film clips and photos of families engaged in the hilarity. And so it was with my family this year. We were away in a log cabin (annual post Christmas treat) when we first played and I have never laughed so hard, which was VERY therapeutic!  Try saying "I'm a fig plucker" without letting your lips meet, especially after a couple of merry glasses of..... And you will see what I mean!  Laughter is most certainly the best medicine....we buy a new game every year and have things that involve playing Charades whilst waving a rubber chicken about (the dog likes that one too....), playing pictionary whilst wearing enourmous goggles, and a whole bunch of games that involve us all shouting at each other and trying to cheat. (I am particularly good at cheating at Monopoly...ask my kids....not that its been a life lesson to them to cheat, but in games enjoy it and don't take the whole thing too seriously 😀.

Does my chin look big in this photo?

My mum and sisters at a Murder Mystery event

We had some silly fun with Elf this year

Elf caught the Norovirus like the rest of us

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

A Neopolitan adventure

We've travelled quite a lot this year. Largely making up for last year really. After a busy week in Wales with the offspring and the dog, the hubby and I scuttled off to Naples for a 5 day break.  So. Here is my impression of Naples and the surrounding areas we visited. It might come in handy if you are thinking of visiting.
Day 1
Early flight from Birmingham airport. Handy tip 1- go in plenty of time. We thought we had, and were dipping about in duty free, as you do, when I heard the final call for our flight. We dashed off only to see a queue of several hundred people waiting to board buses to their flights. If it hadn't been for an enterprising assistant looking for stragglers, we would have missed the flight! He rushed us straight to the front of the queue (sincere apologies to those who had waited forever in that queue, it wasn't intentional, honest…). Uneventful flight, picked up be private transfer, who promptly delivered us to the hotel. The wrong hotel. (Similar name. I checked, he insisted, we believed him). Handy tip 2- don't let the taxi driver go until you have checked that you are in the right place. We paid for a taxi to go to the right hotel (claiming that back!). This hotel has a “problem with our room” and promptly shuttled us to another on the outskirts of the city. Handy tip 3- have all phone numbers ready to contact travel company. We were tired, hot and bemused and so just went with it. We explored the area but weren't very happy, decided to try to sort it the next day but sent an email to the travel company.

Day 2 – reply from travel company said we can go back to original hotel now. But investigations showed  us that this has been a regular event for a few years. Handy tip 4- do your research and if in doubt go elsewhere. We had lost faith in the original hotel now. We were off to Pompeii and would be gone all day so wouldn't be around to pack. Discussed the are with reception. Felt a bit happier, decided to stay.
Pompeii: following the advice of friends we packed lots of water and a brolly for shade. Handy tip 4- go on the train. It's about half an hour and €5 return from Naples, so stuff the expensive trips. It was €13 entry so we saved loads of money. HT 5- go early…the 10 am train was packed and there was a HUGE QUEUE to get into Pompeii!!! It went down pretty quickly but it was still a surprise. You can pay more for a guided tour and get in straight away but we decided to wait. HT 6- be prepared. It's hilly and rough underfoot, fascinating and HUGE! Prams and high heels are a no no. There is a café and toilets in the grounds but these got very busy. Lots of stalls outside for food, drink and souvenirs. Caught the train back  but again very busy with a very packed and hot train.

Day 3- Sorento.
We caught the 8.20 am train which was much better and we even got seats. Again we abandoned the more expensive organised trips in favour of the train, at €3.60 each, each way.It's about an hour and a quarter on the train straight into Sorento and it's the same line as the one to Pompeii. Sorento is picturesque and was calm and quiet in the morning but soon got busy.  It is built on the top of the cliffs and you have to embark upon an epic set of steps and walkways to go down to the beaches and port, or catch the lift, which costs € 1 each. We didn't like the beach arrangements as these were  small and “owned” by assorted businesses who charged entry, including sunbeds and parasols. Lots of jetties and piers had been built for the same purposes. One tiny, puny public beach was filled with locals and one emptier one where you weren't allowed to swim in the sea.In the end we didn't bother. Walked back up to the top, caught the sightseeing tour train(€6 each). Returned to Naples on the train as before although we had to ask which platform as its not clear. HT -7 keep your feet off the seats, one woman got told off by the driver! (No, it wasn't me..)


Day 4- Capri.
Caught a taxi to the harbour and paid €20 for a one way trip to Capri. There are slow ferries but we opted for the fast travel, not much difference in price. I had taken motion sickness tablets before after reading horror stories online but the hubby didn't and he was fine. We disembarked upon arrival and went to explore the little harbour. The main town is way above sea level and you can catch the bus or a taxi. Or you can walk. Which we did. Up a very steep hill and lots of steps. For half an hour. It was baking hot. HT 8 - wear your comfy shoes again and take plenty of water. Capri town is delightful but heaving with tourists. Make sure y explore every nook and cranny, as we were delighted to come across what looked like Millionaire’s Row filled with the likes of Gucci,  Prada and D &G. Didn't go in, but felt very posh even walking past! Eventually it became too hot and busy for us, even after a quiet lunch in a side street restaurant, but the walk back down was quicker. HT 9- look for the Ticket offices and find the right one. We wanted to return to Sorento but got in the Naples queue by accident. C’est la vie. Jumped round to the right queue, caught the ferry and listened to a man chatting up some Americans, very loudly, all the way there. In Sorento we paid €1 to go in the lift back to the town, and later caught the train again back to Naples.

Day 5- Naples on foot
Our flight was late in the evening and we had all day to explore. Luggage left in reception, we set off to walk to the harbour. Watched the cruise ships for a while, then set off in search of the Via Toledo, the main shopping area. Found the Galleria Umberto, which is worth a look, then strolled the shops. HT 10- use your brolly again, and go window shopping in the stores as you go. Air conditioning is a wonderful invention! Keep walking and go u and down the little side streets, where  you  will find a plethora of cottage industry shops with amazing displays of beautiful hand made goods. Scrumptious. Have I mentioned how hot it was? See above advice!

My honest opinion of Naples the city: huge municipal area, lots of traffic with seemingly absolutely no rules. Horns beeping constantly. Closely packed buildings on many streets, as is the Italian way, with all the cliches of shutters, verandas and the obligatory washing lines. Apart from in the main shopping areas and ports, we were shocked by the amount of graffiti, even on some of the beautiful churches an monuments. On the outskirts, the bin men obviously hadn't been for a while and a great deal of rubbish was piled up in the streets. Lots of shopping everywhere,  although on the outskirts it was smaller independent shops, markets and street sellers, and a new looking, vibrant, modern and easy to navigate train station about 20 minutes from the centre. It was hot, noisy and mad. And extremely interesting.

What's it all about...

This is my new page.
You didn't need to be a genius to work that out, but I have found myself rambling on about all sorts on the main blog. So the idea is to try to keep that a bit more book related, and do my rambling on here. You can select then.
So a "warning" if that's the appropriate term as I have found this to be such a therapeutic exercise, and a wonderful way of keeping a diary, you could find all sorts on here. I'll be starting with our recent trip to Italy, with the close calls and near misses that could only happen to me (well I'm sure they don't but it feels like it sometimes!!!). There will be family anecdotes, cake stories (I'll explain a bit more later) and travel tales. My pets may appear from time to time, my friends(anonymously of course) and I might have the odd rant. No politics, no judgements, just a mother /housewife/ teacher/ apprentice writer/cake maker /buddy and whatever else I am on any given day.

A couple more things.
I am still a bit dozy at all things technical. Uploading photos using my iPad is proving to be a challenge.
I am quite good at lots of things. But don't consider myself to excel at anything. It's not an issue. Just to let you know.

So let's get started!