Four in A Bed!!!!

I have been approached by Channel 4 to apply for their programme "Four in A Bed"!!!  

I do not have a deathwish!!! 

I do not want people checking on camera to see whether the lampshade has been dusted!!! 

Quite funny though, to think we could be on the telly!

The problem with these types of programmes, in my humble opinion, is the editing - they need to make interesting programmes, they want fuss, tears, things going wrong, people crying, laughing, all sorts. 

Rhian's Salad/It is still Summer!

Everyone loves an Indian Summer.  We are determined to enjoy every last lovely day of this warm, glorious weather. 

It was very satisfying being able to harvest the last of the lettuce down in the White Lodge vegetable garden yesterday.  It reminded me of our wonderful holiday in Wales when our dear friend Rhian produced the most delicious salad of homegrown lettuce topped with pot marigolds.  To make it even more colourful and fun for the children, she added some borage. 

I must make a note to grow some pot marigolds next year! 

Simple, fun, tasty: Rhian's Salad

Birthday Breakfast!

It was Charlie's Birthday last week, so a birthday breakfast was a must.  Scotch Pancakes were requested, these we like to serve with crispy bacon and lashings of Aunt Jemima's maple syrup from Sparks Yard, Arundel (http://www.sparksyard.com/).  The recipe belonged to my late mother in law and has been handed down.  She was the most marvelous cook and all her recipes were collated and typed up by my sister-in-law and handed to us in a special book, which has become, more or less, our cookery bible. The ingredients are as follows:

4 oz Plain Flour
1 Egg
1/4 pt Milk
1/2 Biccarbonate of Soda
1 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 oz Caster Sugar

There are "No instructions"!!!  It is pretty foolproof but the bicarb and cream of tartar are necessary!

It is highly recommended and a firm family favourite. 

 and you can see why....Hope you will enjoy it too!

A Pot of Rosie Lee!

The end of May/early June is such a lovely time for roses in the garden.  There is nothing nicer than being able to snip off some scented blooms for the breakfast table. This variety, Gertrude Jekyll, is my current favourite. 

Good News

He rang me, all is well at White Lodge.  Two of them are arriving between 12 and 2am (I shan't be waiting up!) and they are all departing after their toast at 6.15 am!  Ouch! 

This weekend

I am looking forward to seeing the townies again this weekend!  There are eight young men coming to stay!  They came last year to charter a boat out of Littlehampton at the crack of dawn.  We cooked them a vast breakfast with absolutely everything including black pudding and fried bread.  They might well have been a little worse for wear having had drinks and supper at the local pub - The Spotted Cow!!

Apparently, some of them will never set foot on a boat again!  So this year they do not want a cooked breakfast!  Cereal and toast will suffice!  But I will stock up on some nice bread, muffins, croissant and yummy jams.

As usual it's nothing going on and then all at once - our eldest is to be confirmed on Sunday and we have dear friends coming to stay for the big day but there is a bed (and a bedroom) for everyone (the sailors are sharing 4x4!) and the children can squish up together (have not told them that little detail yet!).

I did promise the townies that they might be able to have an evening meal (I do hate that expression!) this is quite unusual here but perhaps some lasagne, garlic bread and a crisp green salad, but it might be prudent to book the a table at the Cow as my husband thinks they will be quite jolly (rowdy) and we do have our friends to consider.  I just hope the main man rings soon because I have lost his number!  It was in my bag which was stolen from the car whilst walking the dog in Slindon Woods - really it was!!  Must make a note to have a back up plan.