Frances heart

Hello my lovely reader.
Well I missed yesterday but it was sunday and well posting every day is a little silly.

So the next book i read on my literary discovery, was called "The Little Paris Bookshop" by Nina George. This book was so beautiful. The writing and descriptions transported you to the river Sans and beyond,  it actually made me want to go on a river cruise it was so beautiful. Also there is a map you can follow and see where they are in the story which is excellent.
Mostly all the main characters are men and is centered around a man whose lover was cut violently out of his life with out any explanation from her and he has become an empty shell of his former self full of pain and regret and a quiet bitterness that he clings to as protection.
Anyway, circumstances arise that take you and the main character and a awkward young author on a spontaneous journey through the country side of France meeting all the strange people as you go rediscovering his own heart and love.
Occasionally Nina (the author) takes over and gives you a little more information than the main character has,  but I feel it just adds more atherialness (not sure if that is a word or not)  or magic.
Anyway this was perfect for me as it was about a person slowly rediscovering his heart and dusting off the passion and desire that he had burried for so long. There are a few face plam moments because you cant believe he could be so stubborn/stupid/proud but his humility in that makes you forgive him.
Also the other thing I love about the main character is that at the bookshop that he owns (which is one of those long flat river boats) he "prescribes" novels and authors to his patrons like a Doctor would to a patient. A woman flondering in her career or a man with parental issues. He finds a book that holds the answer to all their existential questions.
I love this and wish I had a Book Apothecary close at hand for my state of mind sometimes (But that is an entirely other post ☺)
So I prescribe this novel to anyone feeling "wanting" in anyway.

Happy reading xoxo

The "Other" reading attempts

Good morning dear reader. How are we feeling this fine day? The last day of 2015.

So before I embark on my next book review I will explain my jouney from literary void to imagery bliss.

After reading "the time keeper"  I was so excited to get my reading MOJO back that i grabbed at any book and I fell right back into the void of blank words and suspend emotion.
This was where I got desperate, I started grabbing at anything.
My desparstion turned into panic as I started reading my girlhood favorite, "Anne of Green Gables". Chapter after chapter I felt nothing, I kept getting distracted by passing thoughts and other duties. The absorption that I desired just never engulfed me like I expected. So I went to my beloved Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, and again I felt absolutely nothing.
That was when the panic set in. I grabbed at anything, I thought my tastes must have changed. So I went from crime and mystery novels, to  biograpghies and non fiction picture books. I even tried those ridiculous 50 shade books uggghh!!!
I had hit rock bottom and was about to give up when 2 dear friends of mine gave me a gift voucher for my birthday to an online bookshop, where I ordered a moutian of books all for me. And with great trepidation I opened my first book and thus my literally flame came back to life.
This journey took about 2 and a half years. It was a long tunnel to walk but the light at the end is just wonderful.
That is what happened to me so if you are still in the void dont panic keep trying and you will get it back I promise.
Happy reading my lovely reader xoxo.

The Time Keeper.

GWell hello my lovely reader

So my favorite book (at the moment) is titled The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom: it's about a man born close to the begining of the world and starts to record and count the quantity of time. He comes into a  conflict with the creator and thus begins the amazing journey you embark.
There are other characters with in this story that grip you and carry you along but the one constant theme is time it's movement and the control or lack of control that all beings have and the delusions or illusions, truth or denial people have about their own situation in life is just fascinating.
It really struck a cord with me as all new parents deal with this very same philosophical question.
It starts with - Routine routine routine. Then the questions:
How long should they sleep?
How long between feeds?
How long should they cry?
When should I go back to work?
Am i working to much,
Am i not spending enough time with them?
When do i do the chores?

I could go on, the list is boring and endless but I am sure you get my drift.

This writing stired and spoke to a reality in me that i did not realise I was in. This is why I say this is my favorite  book as I hadn't felt that for so long as I had been in Baby land for way to long.
You see when in baby land you live completely in the present there is no future maybe the slight glimer of guilt concerning the past ie: i should have brushed my teeth this morning but other wise your brain and time is totally suspended in a bubble that time seems to flow over like a river does to a rock. And there I stayed happy blissfully unaware of my situation.
Until time wore down my bubble and came flooding in with this book.
After I finished the novel i posted my achievement on face book and then Started to calculate how long it had actually been since I had done something completely rewarding for myself like that and not connected with my little one.
The water came rushing in and thus my desire to read came back into life.

This novel is inspiring and the imagery, striking and beautiful. I highly recommend this novel to anyone feeling lost or out of sorts with themselves

I borrowed it from my local library xoxox

My inner book worm

Wow I am doing this. This is my second post in as many days woooowhoooo!!

So Hello my dear reader.... soooooo.... ummmm.... not much to chat about really.

Oh hang on

Ok So after having my wonderful LM I did notice that certain parts of my original self had.. well... kind of vanished. Not a big dramatic hole or anything like that I just  noticed one day that certain parts of my MO weren't there any more.
I am not interly sure if this bothers me or not i certainty do not miss party Allison and the hang overs thats for sure. But one thing i struggled to get back was the passion and concentration of reading wonderful fiction.
I loved reading and analyzing books, charaters, and their philosophy and contemplating the meaning of the words written for me on the pages i held.
I loved to imagine grasp and ponder, situations metaphors and joys of each charater and events, described for me, and revel in the excitment of reading someones words that stir images of bright colours and emotions flooding into my brain.

I lost all of that when LM was born. Every time i started a novel it was like the words written across the page where stale. Just black ink on a flat page. No imagery no passion. To be honest, for the first time in my whole life I found reading boring.
I think This translated to my own writing as well and another reason for my lack of blogging. I mean how can i write if I dont even want to read?

So after awhile of failed reading attempts. It happened!! I found a novel and read it through, start to finish. I can't remember the the title or the author, i just remeber the picture on the cover. It was a gigantic watch. And it was about the father of time. It was a fantastic book. I was so excited that i had found my inner book worm again i instantly grabbed at another book. But alas my inner book worm retreated back to its hiding place and I struggled for another 12 months in a void of empty words and fading memories of beautiful literature off in a deserted imagination with only a perfect mirage of light and colour on the horizon of passion and art.
I was frightened that I had turned into "one of those people whom do not read" arrrrgggg.
But i was rescued this year, by a gift voucher from a couple of my bookie friends who must have seen my struggle.
So I took one last dive into the world of words and volia i found myself. I rediscovered my inner book worm curled up safe and warm in my heart after all this time.
So my lovely reader the next few posts will be reviewing these novels and also talking about some of the failures I read on my journey back to the literary.
This is going to be fun xoxo

A new year resolution.

Well hello there my lovely reader how are you its been nearly 2 years since my last post.
Not sure why and to be completely honest the whole reason is that I have been terribly focused on being unfocused.
This whole mum thing and having a separate passion is actually really really really hard. Then add a job on top of that and Bam!!! Organization out the window.
So now that i have a new whiz bang phone, employment that gives me regular money and the fact that it will be a new year in less than a week. I am starting one of my new year resolutions. So what are my resolutions

1 - starting running again
2- stay in regular contact with my pals more often
3 - start creating again.

So - goals 1 and 2 are long term achievable goals but goal 3 - i cant wait i need to start now. And my choice of creativity is writing. So here i am. Why writing?
Well Words are easier to carry around than a loom or a knitting machine. However i do agree that words can  sometimes be heavier than the physical, but at least they are more compact so my creating starts here with rambling.
There you go so Ill try and post again tomorrow. Wish me luck xoox

My Rich Fruit/ Xmas Cake

Rich Fruit Cake

Hi my lovely reader I was asked by a friend on Face Book if I could give her the recipe to my fruit/ Xmas cake, which I bragged about (well that’s what Face book is for isn’t it? bragging about what types of food you bake and your children which is a sort of baking as well I guess :) ).

Anyway after receiving this request I was quite chuffed; then had a think about how I would write what I do down. Hmmmmm … so here goes I hope its clear enough for you.

This recipe is a mix of a few I have played with over the years and I have stuck with this method which I feel gets me the best results.

Materials you will need

1 Large Bowl

1 medium sized bowl

Cling wrap

Baking paper

Siscors

1 skewer

An electric hand beater

Wooden mixing spoon

And spatula.

(This recipe is designed for a fan forced oven.)

So prep time for the different stages

24 hours for soaking the fruit (some times I go longer it just depends on how strong a flavour the Sherry or Brandy you have).

30 mins for mixing ingredients

Another 30 mins for preparing the tin (it can be shorter but I think 30 mins is about right. The first time I did it I think it took me about an hour so factor that into your timing)

N.B Prepping the tin is very important for the bake, as you want to protect the fruit from burning

Then 3.5 to 4 hours bake time depending on your oven.

Ingredients

1 cup of brandy, sherry or Rum

(I have just tried rum for the first time this year so fingers crossed, but I find Sherry lovely)

500g Sultanas

375g raisins chopped

250g glace Cherries cut into quarters or halves

(I do half and half mainly because I get sick of cutting them, but it is also fun to get a big bit of cherry in the cake).

250g unsalted butter, softened

(Just bung it in the microwave if you are short on time and have forgotten to take it out, 1 min should do it.)

230g soft dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons of apricot jam

(Or any jam, I have also used raspberry, which was great. Jam is also awesome in chocolate cake too just pop it in after you beat the eggs )

2 tablespoons of Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon of grated lemon or orange rind.

(This year I have mixed them both up so hopefully that worked, I will let you know.)

4 eggs

350g of plain flour

(Which roughly turns out to be 2 and ¼ cups)

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

(I use the powdered stuff, which is a little stronger in taste so if you don’t like ginger just be a little conservative with that)

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

(This has the same warning as the ginger).

Wrapping the tin

OK this is important I get this ready before I mix any ingredients

Get a 22cm spring formed tin and grease it generously with butter.

With your baking paper cut out a circle for the bottom of the tin (I usually trace around the tin to get an accurate fit)

Next pull out a long length of paper enough to wrap the inside circumference of the tin and to over lap the ends just a little bit.

Now fold the paper in half

Now cut on a diagonal along the bottom of the paper, (about 2cm width apart and 2cms in length.) Make sure you don’t cut the folded side; below is a little example of what I mean.

N.B – the paper needs to be thicker than a regular cake needs and also a couple of inches higher, above the tin. This protects the top of the cake and the fruit from burning.

Now place the paper inside the tin starting with the side of the tin first. The cuts should be placed on the floor of the tin; this is to make it easier for the paper fit in a circle, and to fit inside the tin nicely.

Next place the circle shaped paper on the bottom of the tin, which should cover over the cut part of the paper which you have pressed down on the bottom of the tin.

N.B this is why you need to generously grease up the tin it needs to hold a bit of paper.

(AFTER THE INGREDIENTS IS MIXED)

NOW THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT once the cake mix is in the tin you wrap the outside of the tin with more paper I use news paper  (the Age) because it’s easy to get and the length is perfect. But if you are worried about the ink in the oven, don’t, it doesn’t affect the flavour at all, but if you are worried try and find some butchers paper or something simular.

Whatever you use it needs to be about 3 pages thick and folded over (I find that’s the best). It just needs to be the same height as your baking paper inside the tin.

All this wrapping sounds a bit OTT, but it needs to be insulated as it is in the oven 4 hours.

This is not my cake of course, its a nice pretentious image. Yours and my cake paper will look a lot messier and darker after being in the oven for 4 hours. But technically this is what it should look like going into the oven, minus the almonds of course. The cake mix should reach the top of the tin but don't worry about that because it wont rise. 

Method for mixing the cake

Put all the fruit in the smaller bowl and pour the Alcohol over the fruit, cover the bowl with cling wrap and let it soak for at least over night or 24 hours.

After the fruit is soaked you are ready to mix the ingredients

Pre heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius

In the bigger bowl

Beat the butter and sugar together so it is just combined, (with the electric beater)

Next beat in the Jam, Syrup, and rind so it is just combined also.

Now add the eggs one at a time beating really well after each addition.

(Stop using the electric beaters now and pick up your trusty ol’ spoon)

Mix in the fruit and its juices (the booze :) ) with a wooden spoon (mix this really well.)

Combine the flour and the spices together and sift them in to the fruit mix.

Now mix this really well, I stir for about 3 or 5 mins just to make sure all the flour has gone through. Make like a digging action just to make sure the bottom is all clear (it will be smelling awesome right now)

N.B don’t use a cake mixer for mixing these ingredients, for a few reasons, first I am pretty sure you wont have a bowl big enough and the mixture is so stiff your engine on the machine will burn out. Use your elbow grease its fun and you get to lick your fingers after (if this is the first time you are doing this you will get messy I guarantee it :) )

Now once the flour is all mixed in, Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and start wrapping as described in the above text.

Once the tin is wrapped and the oven is heated to 150, Place more paper on the rack inside the oven and place the bottom of tin on top of the paper just to give it more insulation. Close the oven and wait 3.5 to 4 hours.

N.B you can check your cake with a skewer, if it comes out clean it is ready if it doesn’t put it in for some more baking.

After the cake is done. It needs to completely cool in the tin, but it needs to cool slowly. So wrap the WHOLE cake in more paper then wrap it some more in a few tea towels. The cooling process should take about 12 to 24 hours. N.B if you put it on a cooling rack, all wrapped up, it will cool faster.

Once the cake is cool you can take it out of the tin. Brush some more alcohol over the top of the cake  (about 1 table spoon) and then wrap it in cling wrap and put it in an airtight container and put it in a cool dark cupboard (I use my linen cupboard).

Then once a week for about 4 weeks take the cake out and brush it with 1 tablespoon of alcohol. This is the make sure the fruit and cake is fully preserved as you are able to keep this cake in these conditions for several months and if you freeze it, it can be kept for 12 months even longer I have heard.

So now your cake is made I usually start making this for Xmas at the start of November just to give me plenty of time.

So this is the cake hope you have fun making it. Its even better eating it I promise :)

Let me know how you all went

Love Allison 

Cezsan Vs Barrack who can Choose?

Hello my lovely reader 

Well its been awhile since my last entry but lets face it life is just a little to unpredictable and hectic to be a regular blogger like I have done in the passed. I also find my time stretched between my arty crafty and my writing, of which i tend to favour my arty crafty more as that is my career choice and the blogging is - well - a hobby. 

So as it is i have actually found some time. Between LM sleeps, jet lag, my in laws and the fact that I am half way around the world and 30 hours away from my arty crafty equipment. I feel quite happy to go on a walk with you :) 

( just bear in mind jet lag is a killer so if i say anything strange id like you to just give me some leeway there cheers) 

So where are we walking today? Well how about Cananda ? Prince Edward island (PEI) to be exzact and well we all know how amazing the literary is here so i feel it only right that i do some writing in respect to this amazing place.

PEI is just beautiful the country side is everything Lucy Montgomery describes and more, minus the red dirt roads ( well there are still a few but there are alot of high ways now) and the train line has been pulled out. But other than that the beauty that the country side holds pulls on the very fibre of your heart and janks it straight up to your throat, naturally causing you to gasp ( a bit of Anne embellishment there, possibly a little more graphic than the great Lucy would have liked but you get the drift. :) ) 

So wherehave i been walking; well to be honest the only walking LM and I have done is to and from the car visiting relatives and friends of relatives and friends of Daddy's etc etc etc its actually starting to feel and bit like work having to be this polite and quite frankly I think poor LM has had enough and being a baby she holds no qualms about letting everyone know what she doesnt like. Which is refreshing to say the least.

Anyway what have we seen? well all the houses in the country side are just spectacular every where you look you feel like you have entered an oil painting from the 1800's. The difference between here and my normal route is phenomenal and can not be expressed in words i will just have to post you some images. 

Margate PEI Canada

French River PEI Canada

Philip Island Victoria Australia

Wheelers Hill Victoria Australia

But in terms of paintings I feel PEI is a Cezsan and Melbourne is a John Barrack what do you think?. Both spectacular and interesting in their own right, but also incomparable in beauty. How do you compare the urban to the country? I guess this was the same dilemma that most impressionists faced when confronted with what the industrial revolution and war brought to the cities towns and villages; moving them to look for the beauty in light within their surroundings instead of just raw beauty. 

Machines dirt and stone - wood earth and water 

Interesting?

Well that's our little wander around the universe for today I hope you enjoyed 

Looking forward to next time 

xoxo Allison xoxo