(no subject)

[pensnest]

My Best Friend (from school) spent a couple of days here - her first visit to this house - and how nice it was to see her again and have long natters and such. Since retiring she's taken up quilting, and has produced some beautiful work, and it is really a delight to have that crafty-creativeness in common. Not that I quilt, or do patchwork, which would require far more precision than I ever give to anything, but we can be excited over colours and shapes and designs together. We spent Friday afternoon doing a little crafters' tour of the city, and she bought fat quarters and we both bought beads and I didn't buy any yarn because nothing leapt at me and said Buy Me! but never mind. I shall buy something fabulous in Bath.

And this morning I had my birthday present from Beast*, a cookery lesson from Macarons & More, as a result of which I have a *huge* tray of salted caramel brownies, some cherry and almond marshmallows, and a diminishing number of chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen (I gave some of the cookies to BF). Plus, an idea of how to use gelatin sheets, an idea how to make browned butter, and why, and considerably diminished fear of sugar syrup. And a sugar thermometer. I see frozen cookie portions in my future, and quite possibly also some experimentation with marshmallow flavourings. I have to try Earl Grey, after all.

We met in town for fish and chips, after which BF went onward to Yorkshire for a day course which involves, to my certain knowledge, a piping foot. So I hope she has fun.

This evening, Beast was involved in a fundraising concert in a local church, and in fact so was I, as Mosaic (mixed chorus) had been invited to perform our two songs. The men's chorus is definitely sounding good, these days, and the mixed quartet was lovely.

Afterwards we sampled the cookies. Beast had two. They are quite large, and rather good.


* A very smart move, I might say.

Comments

[copracat]

Your baking adventures sound like a lot of fun!

[pensnest]

Indeed yes! It's just that there is now a *LOT* of comestible tastiness in the house, and I really don't have the capacity...

[copracat]

In my experience every baker needs a household of teenagers to hoover up the tasty goodness.

[pensnest]

Yes, that'd do iT!

[frausorge]

Those sound like excellent ways to celebrate!

[pensnest]

Yes, indeed!

[chalcopyrite]

Happy post-Birthday! Baking adventures sound like a very nice way to celebrate. (Salted caramel brownies, oh my.)

An inter-disciplinary crafters' tour sounds like a trip! I love that while exact techniques or what have you are separate, there's still an underlying commonality with crafts. (Speaking of, I must get back to knitting, or I shall have no excuse to augment my stash in Bath.)

[pensnest]

It's nice to have my BF interested in the principles of what makes something fun to create - she didn't really do that when we were at school, I was the 'arty one', and now we can squee over these things together and admire one another's work without feeling either superior or inadequat, because what we do is so different.

[turlough]

I feel just like you about patchwork! Knitting is so much more forgiving :-) But yes, even when you don't share the same craft, talking with a fellow crafter is always fun and inspiring. Your crafters' tour sounds like great fun. (And I'm also looking forward to buying fabulous yarn in Bath!)

What a fabulous present! I hope we will get to taste the results of your new knowledge at Camp. They all sounds absolutely delicious!

[pensnest]

We definitely have to get to the extra-fabulous yarn shop.

I'm thinking it would be a lot of fun to experiment with marshmallow flavours - but the recipe makes so much! I have about... fifty, in a tin.

[turps]

What a fabulous gift! And the results sound very tasty.

[brandywine28]

*I was gonna say! An excellent bit of gift giving, for sure: fun and creative, but also just a tiny bit self-serving. Because cookies!