A week ago

A week ago I went for a long walk in the bitter March cold and had to fight against the wind. But I told myself I needed that walk to keep active and to it was a good excuse to get rid of the cobwebs.
A week ago I ordered some spicy food and later in the evening I ate some pineapple, as I had done many times in the last fortnight. You see, I like those old wives' tales and urban legends that talk about how to bring on labour.
A week ago I dried my hair properly and wore make up for the first time in a while. It made me feel good to look a bit better than the casual person I had become because of staying home for so long.
A week ago I had no idea my labour would start that very night, and that by Monday afternoon I would be a mum. Your mum.
There truly aren't enough words to express how overwhelmingly in love I am with my daughter. Everything is new, magic, cute, mesmerising. Love at first sight.

Breakfast

I make pancakes almost every weekend. They're quick, easy and can be accommodated in lots of different ways. Today we had them with honey and raspberries. Yummy!
For my batter, I mix self raising flour, a spoonful of sugar, ground almonds, one egg and some milk. I have never weighed any of my ingredients, so I must apologise for the random recipe. I remember an old episode of Nigella's about morning pancakes- it might be worth looking it up for more precision!

simple lunch

 

Another simple lunch and not much else to report unfortunately. More snow is around the corner and a bitter cold has settled here again, as if winter wanted to show one last time this year just how fierce it can be.  This (and other things) has put me in a bittersweet mood and to pass the time I have listened to some old favourites whilst cosying up in my kitchen and preparing an old classic - semolina cake! The recipe says it should cool for at least two hours before putting it in the fridge but the job was done in ten minutes on my window ledge!

♫ Ben Harper - Glory and consequence

♫ Ray LaMontagne - Trouble

♫ Jeff Buckley - Lilac wine

cooking blog?

With my sewing machine still in limbo and far too much time on my hands (it seems babies do pick and choose when they want to make their appearance!), this space is rapidly going to turn into a cooking blog.

Today I busy myself by making another simple lunch of leek and tomato tartlets. I posted about the tomato ones ages ago here.
Leek tartlets could not be easier- sweat the leek down with a bit of butter, season and put on your pastry with a bit of egg/cream/milk mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan for a nice finish. Enjoy!

Homemade bread

Making bread is slowly but surely becoming a habit. A loaf lasts us nearly a week and keeps fairly well. Today I made this lovely smelling new one with a different kind of flour, and added poppy seeds for a bit of crunch.
I wish you could smell it, it 's intoxicating! I hope I can keep this habit going when my little one arrives. Everyone always says how therapeutic kneading is, and I have to agree.