Jamie in MY home

Santa Cooke has been really kind this year - I must have been a very good girl. I have an iTunes card so I can purchase some more audio books to put on my iPod (I have my eye on an autobiography by Julie Walters and one from Clive James), and two Magnolia rubber stamps, which as you can see from the sample pictures can be made up to look very appealing. They are called Baking Tilda and Cupcake Tilda. Why the little girl character is called Tilda I know not, but I'm sure you will agree when coloured and made into cards they are very pleasing to the eye. I will make good use of them when I make my chutneys and jams later on in 2010. I can decorate the packaging with them.

Santa Cooke also brought the biggest smile to my face with complete series one and two of Jamie at Home. I am a huge fan of the way Jamie presents this particular series with such passion. Not only is it split into programmes based on ways of cooking different 'grow your own' produce (ideal for us allotmenteers) but it gives basic planting information and tips that are not rocket science.

Before I go I just wanted to share the magnificence of my home-made mincey pies and my cranberry and apple chutney. Its the first time I have made the pies with a sweet pastry (thank you Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall) and from a £2 bag of cranberries I got 3 small jars of chutney. The chutney was used on Christmas dinner with gammon and the pies have passed the 'mother-in-law' test. It was a real honour to get a lovely compliment of Colin's mum about my pies. Her's are pretty hard to beat.

Blink and you'll miss it!

Where has December gone? Come to think of it where has the year gone? It came in a flash of light yesterday that it is only 4 months now until I become Mrs Cooke. At first I smiled to myself, then I got butterflies. They might even be nervous knots, though why I should be nervous I dont know.

I haven't blogged for a while. There is no excuse really - working full time, cooking, cleaning, crafting !! We did, however, find time to have a day away from the miserable weather in Stoke on Trent and go to sunny York. It was so beautiful, although there were signs that a few days before, the city's river (the Ouse) had flooded. There were tide marks along the buildings and large branches strewn across the pathways.

This being our second time in Eboracum we said we wouldn't do the normal touristy things and go to the Minster and the Jorvik centre. We went to the National Railway Museum instead - and I am so glad we did. Unusual for a woman I know, but I am a huge fan of our engineering history. The industrial revolution, that period between the 18th and 19th century, saw major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and transport in this country, and British engineers were the masters. Something we should be very proud of.

Anyway - enough of the anorak stuff ! The museum was fantastic. There are over 100 locomotives including the Mallard, famous for recording the speed of 126mph in 1938. Apparently only for one second, but it did hit that speed. And if you have tiddly peeps there is plenty for them to do. I had a 33 year old tiddly peep who wowed at just seeing the Mallard. It's free entry, so if you do make a visit make sure you donate generously.

I'm going to be busy today making shortbread and oatmeal biscuits to give to friends and colleagues for Christmas. Lakeland do some fantastic bags to present them in (50 for £2.79), so tied up with ribbon, a bell and a candy cane they should look the bee's knee's. The recipe for the shortbread is the one previously posted on my blog. I haven't tried the recipe for the oatmeal ones yet, so if they are successful I will post that recipe too - if not then you wont hear another thing about them. I'll be using my Christmas cutters, and in tribute to the late Keith Floyd, I may have a bottle of something on the go. It would be rude not to!