Sunday 13th October 2024 - Late Blog, Cakes and Billy's Bench

No particular reason for not writing a blog for nearly a week!  It wasn’t until this afternoon, that I thought I had better check when my next blog is due (I aim to write every four days) that I realised I should have put fingers to keyboard a couple of days ago.

Years ago, I used to make malt loaves and now I am back baking again I have been revisiting recipes but could I get malt extract from supermarkets, no.  I eventually ordered a jar online and the afternoon after it was delivered, I turned on the oven, gathered the ingredients together and made a loaf.  I used, as in the past, Mrs Beeton’s recipe which doesn’t require yeast.  Sliced and buttered we have eaten half over three days, with our afternoon cuppa, while the other half is in the freezer.  Another revisit was Dorset apple cake which contains a lot of apples.  As a result, it’s very moist and requires pastry forks.  I have yet to try making scones again, although I do have the ingredients, in my head, for another experiment towards my attempts to achieve the perfect scone.

Still on the subject of cake, our ExWI group met on Wednesday afternoon at the Belfry Centre’s café.  I abstained as I knew, at home I had the malt loaf to try but I did succumb to a slice of orange cake at the Thursday coffee morning in the Sports Pavilion.    Here you can have a tea or coffee plus cake for just £2.   Last season these mornings raised £2,340 which has been distributed between four charities.  At our ExWI meeting we talked about lunch in December instead of meeting of an afternoon.  We hope to be able to make a booking at the Sea Marge.

The garden has received attention with Peter taking down the runner beans, chopping up the squash plant and, now the cabbage white butterflies are no longer regularly visiting the garden, taking the insect netting of one row of brassicas.  I have been mainly clearing leaves but I have also planted some winter bedding plants I’ve grown from seed. 

Finally, Billy’s Bench on the cliff top which when it was removed, attracted numerous comments on Facebook, has been reinstated.  Not in exactly the same place, just a bit further back.  When we passed on Friday it was not quite ready to be sat on as the cement had yet to dry fully.  I posted on Facebook with the photo below, resulting in comments of appreciation and thanks.  That’s it from me, I must try to remember to write a blog on Thursday 17th – this is going to be a busy day; I will be distributing the Poppy Appeal collecting tins, trays of poppies and a kids pack to the Belfry School.