Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Weddingy things

I have been really enjoying planning the flowers for the wedding. We've found a lovely Southampton florist called Jackie who has been really helpful.

I have also been drooling over flowers on the Flower Design St Annes's Blog. Their stuff is amazing. I didn't realise how much I enjoy greenery and foliage in flower arrangements, so we're going to be including lots of green and structural textures.

The red bouquet is my inspiration at the moment on shape and style. The lovely Ruth leant me her wedding planning scrapbook and this bouquet caught my eye.

Jess came down to stay last weekend and we had a fantastic time. We went to dinner at Dock O the Bay, one of our possible reception venues. The food there was awesome, and we had a great evening with Louisa chatting away and sounding like food critics. Jess is making our wedding cake and she had brought us 7 different cakes to try. It is such a hardship this getting married malarky. We had:
Maderia Cake
Lemon Maderia Cake
Chocolate Maderia Cake
Rich Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Celebration Cake
Light Fruit Cake
Dark Fruit Cake.

Tom was surprised as he liked the light fruitcake, normally being a fruitcake hater. So we're having a large light fruit cake tier, a maderia cake tier, a chocolate tier of some kind and a rich fruitcake tier. Tom wants to do the thing where you keep the top tier for your first born's christening. This from a chap who doesn't want children for 7 years or something! The top tier will be a very alcoholic rich fruit cake then....

I have also been experimenting with wedding hair. I'm not sure if I want it up or down, but I liked this chignon I created.

Posted via email from Alex E Jones

Weddingy things

I have been really enjoying planning the flowers for the wedding. We've found a lovely Southampton florist called Jackie who has been really helpful.

I have also been drooling over flowers on the Flower Design St Annes's Blog. Their stuff is amazing. I didn't realise how much I enjoy greenery and foliage in flower arrangements, so we're going to be including lots of green and structural textures.

The red bouquet is my inspiration at the moment on shape and style. The lovely Ruth leant me her wedding planning scrapbook and this bouquet caught my eye.

Jess came down to stay last weekend and we had a fantastic time. We went to dinner at Dock O the Bay, one of our possible reception venues. The food there was awesome, and we had a great evening with Louisa chatting away and sounding like food critics. Jess is making our wedding cake and she had brought us 7 different cakes to try. It is such a hardship this getting married malarky. We had:
Maderia Cake
Lemon Maderia Cake
Chocolate Maderia Cake
Rich Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Celebration Cake
Light Fruit Cake
Dark Fruit Cake.

Tom was surprised as he liked the light fruitcake, normally being a fruitcake hater. So we're having a large light fruit cake tier, a maderia cake tier, a chocolate tier of some kind and a rich fruitcake tier. Tom wants to do the thing where you keep the top tier for your first born's christening. This from a chap who doesn't want children for 7 years or something! The top tier will be a very alcoholic rich fruit cake then....

I have also been experimenting with wedding hair. I'm not sure if I want it up or down, but I liked this chignon I created.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

You look where they look | UsableWorld by @jamesbreeze

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So if I point a face at my key text, people will read it? Awesome!

You look where they look | UsableWorld by @jamesbreeze

So if I point a face at my key text, people will read it? Awesome!

Posted via web from Alex E Jones

Autumn Veg Bake

I invented this at last night to use up what we had in the fridge. Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 slice stale bread
1/4 large marrow
1 ear of fresh corn or one can of sweetcorn
2 large carrots
2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
2 chicken legs
Milk
Cheese
Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Equipment:

Saucepan
Oven Proof Dish
Bowl
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Oven

Method:

Pre heat oven to 150 degrees C

Peel the carrots and boil, remove from water with slotted spoon and
put in oven proof dish with corn.

If using fresh corn, cut the corn off the cob.

Place chicken in water from carrots and boil until cooked. This can be
done in the microwave. Shred and add to oven proof dish.

Peel marrow, remove seeds, and then use vegetable peeler to peel
strips of marrow like taglietelle. Add to oven proof dish. Season
contents of dish with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Toast bread and then crumble in a bowl.

Make cheese sauce by melting butter and adding flour to form a roux.
When golden, add milk slowly and stir over a low heat until all milk
has been absorbed and a thick sauce is created. Take off heat

Add 2 tsps mustard to sauce and grate cheese into sauce. Stir and
taste, if not cheesey enough grate more cheese in.

Pour sauce over content of dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top add more
salt and pepper, then grate more cheese on top.

Bake in oven for 45 min - 1hr or until crust is golden and contents is bubbling

Autumn Veg Bake

I invented this at last night to use up what we had in the fridge. Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 slice stale bread
1/4 large marrow
1 ear of fresh corn or one can of sweetcorn
2 large carrots
2 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
2 chicken legs
Milk
Cheese
Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Equipment:

Saucepan
Oven Proof Dish
Bowl
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon
Oven

Method:

Pre heat oven to 150 degrees C

Peel the carrots and boil, remove from water with slotted spoon and
put in oven proof dish with corn.

If using fresh corn, cut the corn off the cob.

Place chicken in water from carrots and boil until cooked. This can be
done in the microwave. Shred and add to oven proof dish.

Peel marrow, remove seeds, and then use vegetable peeler to peel
strips of marrow like taglietelle. Add to oven proof dish. Season
contents of dish with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Toast bread and then crumble in a bowl.

Make cheese sauce by melting butter and adding flour to form a roux.
When golden, add milk slowly and stir over a low heat until all milk
has been absorbed and a thick sauce is created. Take off heat

Add 2 tsps mustard to sauce and grate cheese into sauce. Stir and
taste, if not cheesey enough grate more cheese in.

Pour sauce over content of dish, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top add more
salt and pepper, then grate more cheese on top.

Bake in oven for 45 min - 1hr or until crust is golden and contents is bubbling

Posted via email from Alex E Jones

Friday, October 09, 2009

On a Mission to Make a Tiny Tortoise

I am on a mission to make a tiny tortoise before tomorrow morning.

It's going to be a cross between:

http://www.fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/Spring06/patterns/spring06_seaturtle.shtml

and

http://www.sociallyskilled.com/sps/Free_Patterns_files/Mini_Turtle.pdf

What a fabulous weekend we've had. Tom's nephew, Rich and his lovely
fiancee Clair came to stay, and we had fun with them. We went to the
Eastleigh Lakeside Railway, where Tom and Rich had spent many a happy
hour as children. Then Tom took us on a wild goose chase around Totton
looking for a nature reserve. We eventually found it, and trying to
avoid stray cows and pylons we saw the marshlands, reeds and not very
many birds. Then it was off to Pulchinellas in Carlton Place for a
very reasonably priced and delicious meal.

On the Sunday we had a massive breakfast, dashed off to church, and
returned for a massive lunch. It was the children's service at church
and the curate ran a chaotic but fun Sukkot based service with tent,
fruit and wordsearches for all. It was very fun! I loved our lunch,
laughing at Rich's jokes, and eating yummy roast pork. The sunday
afternoon was joyous too. We sat around chatting, and after waving
goodbye to Rich and Clair, Lula and john stayed until the evening. I
know John wasn't very well, but despite that it felt really homely and
cosy, watching telly and doing work. We even had leftovers and clear
out the fridge tea, just like I used to do when I was little.

On Monday night, Tom and I had Jive, where we learnt the Yoyo, on
Tuesday night, I went to see my friend Fran and had a good girly catch
up and on Wed i hada driving lesson in the morning and went to the gym
in the evening. Getting the bus home in the pouring rain on Wed and
trudging through the dark and twinkling lights reflecting in the
raindrop made me feel 10 again. We used to walk home from town having
been to some club, with a portion of salty vinegery chips shared
between my sisters, myself and my mum. Warm paper in cold hands,
licking salt from your fingers, and rushing, walking towards home.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

On a mission to make a tiny tortoise

I am on a mission to make a tiny tortoise before tomorrow morning.

It's going to be a cross between:

http://www.fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/Spring06/patterns/spring06_seaturtle.s...

and

http://www.sociallyskilled.com/sps/Free_Patterns_files/Mini_Turtle.pdf

What a fabulous weekend we've had. Tom's nephew, Rich and his lovely
fiancee Clair came to stay, and we had fun with them. We went to the
Eastleigh Lakeside Railway, where Tom and Rich had spent many a happy
hour as children. Then Tom took us on a wild goose chase around Totton
looking for a nature reserve. We eventually found it, and trying to
avoid stray cows and pylons we saw the marshlands, reeds and not very
many birds. Then it was off to Pulchinellas in Carlton Place for a
very reasonably priced and delicious meal.

On the Sunday we had a massive breakfast, dashed off to church, and
returned for a massive lunch. It was the children's service at church
and the curate ran a chaotic but fun Sukkot based service with tent,
fruit and wordsearches for all. It was very fun! I loved our lunch,
laughing at Rich's jokes, and eating yummy roast pork. The sunday
afternoon was joyous too. We sat around chatting, and after waving
goodbye to Rich and Clair, Lula and john stayed until the evening. I
know John wasn't very well, but despite that it felt really homely and
cosy, watching telly and doing work. We even had leftovers and clear
out the fridge tea, just like I used to do when I was little.

On Monday night, Tom and I had Jive, where we learnt the Yoyo, on
Tuesday night, I went to see my friend Fran and had a good girly catch
up and on Wed i hada driving lesson in the morning and went to the gym
in the evening. Getting the bus home in the pouring rain on Wed and
trudging through the dark and twinkling lights reflecting in the
raindrop made me feel 10 again. We used to walk home from town having
been to some club, with a portion of salty vinegery chips shared
between my sisters, myself and my mum. Warm paper in cold hands,
licking salt from your fingers, and rushing, walking towards home.

Monday, October 05, 2009

Wedding Shoes

The excellent FH bought me the shoes I've been lusting after as a birthday present!

That's money off the wedding budget for sure.

Here they are: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Irregular-Choice-Cortesan-Floral-Bar/dp/B000UGXZYM/re...

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I am very excited by them - surprisingly comfortable!

Wedding Shoes

The excellent FH bought me the shoes I've been lusting after as a birthday present!

That's money off the wedding budget for sure.

Here they are: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Irregular-Choice-Cortesan-Floral-Bar/dp/B000UGXZYM/ref=pop?ie=UTF8&ssv=color_name%3AGreen

I am very excited by them - surprisingly comfortable!

Posted via email from Alex E Jones