cream tea anyone ?

Hello

If you have landed here looking for my giveaway
you can find it here
It's open until Friday...Good luck!

I have been asked for my scone recipe
(I am so chuffed :o)

this is the recipe that my mum used when we were little
and I have used countless times
I've never had a failure with it (oh I've done it now!)

it is from 'the dairy book of home cookery'

my mum used to buy it from the milkman man I was little

So here it is

( I had to make a batch for photography reasons you understand ;o)

Sultana Scones

225g (8 oz) self raising flour

1/2 tsp salt

25g (1 oz) caster sugar

50g (2 oz) butter

50g (2 oz) sultanas

 150ml (1/4pint) fresh milk

clotted cream and raspberry jam to serve ~ this bit is VERY important!

♥  Pre~heat your oven to 220 C (450 F) gas mark 8
♥  Sift flour and salt into a bowl and add sugar

♥  Rub butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
♥  Stir in sultanas
♥  Add nearly all of the milk all at once

 (sometimes you won't need all of it)
♥  Mix to a soft, but not sticky, dough with a knife
♥  Turn on to a lightly floured work surface and knead quickly until smooth
♥  Roll out to about 1cm (1/2") thick
♥  Cut into 7 or 8 rounds with a 6.5cm (2 1/2") cutter
♥  Transfer to a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with milk
♥  Bake for 7-10 mins or until well risen and golden
♥  Cool on a wire rack

♥  Smack any hands that try to pinch one before they have cooled a little

Once cooled slather them with clotted cream and jam and scoff!

 Please don't blame me if you can't do your jeans up the next day!

YUM  :o)

I googled 'scone rhyme' and this came up


"I asked the maid, in a dulcet tone
 To order me a buttered scone
 The silly girl has been and gone
 And ordered me a buttered scon"

What do you call them?
I call them scons but write them as scones (i think?)

calling them "scones" always makes then sound terribly posh
don't you think?!

P.S
  Guess what??
 I went swimming last night!
It wasn't nearly as rubbish as I'd remembered
I might even stretch to say that I actually quite enjoyed the swimming bit
dressing is still an issue though
and standing on the wet, cold floor is just gross
 I had forgotten about that bit
 My back is MUCH happier today though
(big smile)
so I WILL be keeping it up



lots of love
j x

It's a giveaway day!

Hello my lovelies
 ♥

My apologies for being a little absent of late

life got 'weird' for a while

 plans were changed and things felt 'up in the air'

we were supposed to be holidaying in Cornwall at the weekend

but my naughty back had other ideas

 we were all disappointed
 and although my guys were very sweet about it

I did feel SO guilty

we made the best of it though

and had a lovely family weekend

I even made a cream tea

(it did ease my guilt a little :o)

I have decided that I am going to start swimming each week

not that I am a big fan of it to be honest
The worst bit for me is after swimming
when you get dry and try to put your clothes back on
and your body feels like it has been spread with glue
and your clothes Just. Will. Not. Pull. On
or is that just me???
Anyway I am hoping that I will grow to LOVE it

  I want to do everything that I can to make it better

I already do pilates
and I have been given specific exercises that I do daily

but, I am now getter very frustrated and cross
that it is not getting 'properly' better

I won't let it control my life

so the fight starts here!

 So to cheer myself up I have a lovely little giveaway for you

want to know more???

A while ago I had an email from a lovely man called Al

 from All tea towels

asking me if I'd like to review some tea towels from his website

"YES   PLEASE"!

I couldn't have been more excited

I LOVE tea towels....really love them

I had a hard job choosing, there are so many gorgeous designs

I could have gone for ....

a lady after my own heart

or this....

look it's Percy Pecker :o)

or this ....

cute huh?

But in the end I chose these gorgeous designs....

and 

a) because I love chocolate cakey things
&
b) because I am REALLY excited about the queen's jubilee

They are just lovely and are really good quality

all of the tea towels are made from linen, cotton or linen union

there is even free UK P&P

I suggested to Al that I could have a little giveaway on my blog

and he kindly agreed

So if you'd like your own gorgeous Diamond Jubilee tea towel
(as pictured above and below!)
all you need to do is....

♥  leave me a comment on this post

and thats it...simple as that!

 The giveaway will close on Friday 2nd March
and is open to everyone, I will post anywhere in the whole wide world

good luck

more soon

j x

EDITED  TO SAY : This giveaway is now closed

thank you for all of your entries

x

happiness is.....

. . . . Rainbow buttons 

ready and waiting for a new project

❤

and look three more jars waiting to be filled

:o)

Enjoy your pancakes!

lemon and sugar for me...

...yum

I have a lovely little giveaway planned soon 

so stay tuned!

love

j x

makings...

It has been so nice to be back at my sewing machine this week

I have missed it lately

my back is much better now

thank you for your kindness

So...want to see what I've been up to???

Birdie pocket organiser

countdown to Easter pockets

Two personalised buntings 

for two little baby girls

a cute owl for Martha

a little butterfly for Eve

and a sweetpea bunting perfect for a new baby

Up-cycled violet bunting

made from thrifted pretties

I have even made my gift this month

I know....even I am shocked!

(you can read about my plans here)

I am very excited about it too

but I will save that for another post

sorry to tease 

x

!!!! My big brother is home !!!!

* Y-I-P-I-D-Y-D-O-O-D-A-A *

It's his birthday today too

♥ HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG BROTHER ♥

we have decided to celebrate properly in a few weeks time

when he is feeling a little better

he is doing well but has a nasty chest infection

"GO AWAY CHEST INFECTION"

He is so happy to be back in his own home though

♥

Thank you so much as always for your gorgeous comments

I just love reading them all

you never fail to make me smile

and a BIG "Hello" to all of my new followers

*waves*

Happy weekending

♥

love 

j x

Today is one special day ♥ ...

.....It's my bestie's birthday

* * * HAPPY BIRTHDAY * * *

SWEET ANGIE

♥ 

 Oh how I wish I could send you a yummy cake

but Australia is quite far!

 so here is your 'virtual' cake

rose garden lemon cake 

hope you like it

don't eat it all at once though!

and go easy on the limoncello, you  ;o)

 have a

*m*a*g*i*c*a*l*

day my lovely

♥ 

I hope you liked your gift...

love you 

Truly Madly Deeply

♥ 

j x

Love, flowers, cake, chocolate and a declaration ♥

Happy 'love day'

that's what it is known as in our house

♥ 

I am feeling all loved up today

and I'm giving out virtual love hugs

free of charge

want one??

♥ 

From he to me

♥ 

so very true!

a big bunch of locally grown tulips

Thank you Mr Sweet

x

from me to he

♥ 

chocolate cinnamon cake

my declaration

Isn't this little block so cute?
I ordered it from the ever-so-talented Fee
from chippernelly
I love her too
her blog always makes me happy
♥

I have been taken out for coffee and cake this morning too

treacle and almond tart for me (it was divine)

and Mr sweet had

flourless chocolate brownie

from here

It is our favourite place of the moment

Before I go

I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU 

for your love and tips and sweet comments lately

it has been a tricky few weeks

but things are on the up

my big brother will be discharged from hospital in the next couple of days

and my back is SO much better

it is amazing to be back making things for my shop again

Happy love day!

more soon 

j x

Friday Flowers ♥

I love these little bottle style vases

you only need a few little flowers to make a really lovely display

I was lucky enough to pick this basket of bottles up in the sales

I have been told that I "have quite enough now"

really??

I don't think so!

Thank you once again for all the love that has been sent this way
it is truly appreciated

my big brother is slowly improving day by day

♥

I am feeling very 'out of sorts' at the moment

on top of everything that is going on here

my back has had a re-lapse and I have been in quite a bit of pain

It's possibly partly stress related

anyway, I have been having treatment

so hopefully I will be mended very soon
Sadly though, I shall be missing 'craft guild' tonight
have fun ladies, I will miss you
x

I have been working hard on positive thinking

trying to manifest good things

have a wonderful weekend

stay warm 

love 

j x

Bravery

 Thank you 

thank you

thank you

♥

Thank you so very much for all of your sweet comments

and loving wishes for my big brother

they mean so much to me 
more than you could ever imagine

made me cry and warmed my heart

all at the same time

YOU are incredible

♥

brave little snowdrops

My brother has been the bravest of the brave

and is much better, still on the high dependency ward

but I think he may be shipped out to a normal ward any day now

before he becomes too much of a "nuisance" to the nurses!

see, told you he is getting better 
:o)

I can't tell you the relief we all feel

we are going to see him tonight

with a little gift

I think he will love it

can't wait to see him

I hope you are all managing to stay warm and cosy

It really is cold here in the UK at the moment

thank you again lovely ladies

you're the best

♥

more soon

love
j x

Life is stressful here at the moment

my big brother is very poorly

he had major surgery on Monday and is now out of intensive care

and on a high dependency ward

he is in terrible pain and they are struggling to get it under control

I feel so anxious for him, we all do

my poor mum and his two beautiful children especially

He is a brave and strong man with a gigantic heart

he's been through such a lot in his life

he was a royal marine

the things he saw and did changed him...forever

and put him where he is today

it breaks my heart

I hope with every part of my being that he will get better
properly better

and have happy times again

take care

love jooles x