Coffee is being made whilst I stew the fruit for a chocolate Christmas cake, the smell is intoxicating. The zest from the orange mixed with brandy. Deliberating making the coffee slow in order to stay at the hob longer, to linger, to enjoy this moment and breathe.
The recipe has been on my list since mid November and welcome on this cold, wet and bleak day. The ground is covered in slushy kind of snow that soaks and bleeds you dry of warmth and energy. The sky is dark and full without a thought for the folks who need to get out for a walk in order to the clear the mind.
The recipe turns out to be a winner looks wise and I’m very pleased with the result, no battling with having to cream the butter and the sugar. Proof will be in the tasting a couple of days from now, should be weeks but don’t think we’ll be able to wait!
With full on water proofs I make it out and listen to a new podcast, very much out my comfort zone about London, urban community and rap music. It peaked my interest from one of the top 10 lists I’ve seen this time of year and hoping in some way to help broaden my mind…..I’d recommend the podcast or musical poetry from George the Poet a London-born spoken word performer
The Christmas tree is going up today the first real one in five years or so. I’d forgotten the weight of these things and the pine needles as they follow you round the house. The artificial has gone up the kitchen at the back as a way of lighting up the back. Joining our neighbors in what feels like an unspoken solidarity with regard brightening up our corner of the world….to push back the darkness in more ways than one.
The #WeekendCoffeeShare is an informal weekly link-up hosted by Eclectic Alli that serves as weekly heart beat and sort of of a mind-dump. Helps me reflect on my week, with a list of achievements, thoughts and rambles normally whilst drinking a beverage probably listening to music.
Thank you for the coffee! Your kitchen smell so christmassy! Enjoy the rest of your weekend 🙂
The smell of Christmas cake in the oven is just heavenly
Can’t wait to hear how the cake is! Please let us know. Happy Christmas to you and yours💜
Merry Christmas… and amen to brightening up our little corner of the world. We lit our tree this morning to let our neighbor know we’re praying for him and his wife. Such a bleak time that we need to do all we can to brighten the days. The cake sounds delish…. been a while since I’ve had homemade fruitcake. I love it…and you’re right, it is hard to wait for. I’ve never had a “live” tree. I just can’t get myself to think about cutting down a tree just to decorate it. That, and the smell usually triggers asthma. I’m sure it will be beautiful, though.
It is an odd concept, bringing a tree into the house. There is just something about the smell and warmth it brings.
Wow EC. A fruited chocolate Christmas cake. I can smell this dream cake from, what 8 maybe 9 time zones away.
It’s a goodie!
Well done with your cake and real tree. Happy holidays to you and your family!
Happy holidays to you, not long till the big guy comes!
I enjoyed your festive home. Thanks for the coffee.
Thanks Antoinette
I could smell that cake cooking away and found myself getting quite intoxicated by the smell. I made my cake about a week ago. It’s a recipe my mother was given by a friend she went through teachers’ college with and they’re still friends. I’ve also made my grandmother’s Honey Biscuit recipe. Have you ever made them? They’re an Australian variation on the traditional German biscuits and they’re quite cakey and taste like honey, rather than spice.
We’re hosting my parents for Christmas this year and I’m doing all the cooking. That’s not a big deal for me, and they’re driving up and likely to get caught in traffic. Just easier for them to focus on getting here. Meanwhile, we’ve been getting the house ready and have overcome years of neglect and moved heaven and earth out the front door and we can now actually swing a cat around. So, I’m hoping I’ll still be alive on Christmas Day, and don’t run out of steam beforehand. Golly, Christmas Day would have to be the most insane day of the year, and yet it’s absolutely magnificent and somehow it’s all worthwhile.
I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Best wishes,
Rowena
No hosting for us….the virus, the uk rules and trying to keep the various in-laws safe from whatever might have been picked up at school. Just the safer option. It’s funny how the mad panic of Christmas forces us to get on with the jobs that have been outstanding for years. I hope once you close the door a sense of calm comes over the Rowena clan. Happy Christmas and the best for the new year when it comes.