Seven

24 March 2012

Any parents of babies who are reading this; here's a word of warning. They grow up quick, really quick. Yes, on one hand I can barely remember my life before Lily; life before children is just a distance hazy memory that seems so far removed from life now with two young children. Yet on the other hand ... seven years? Where did they go?

It's really special that Lily's birthday is on a Saturday. Surely that is the best day to become seven on! It's also the first year she has decided not to have a party (much to my relief) and requested to have fun day with Arthur, David and myself.

So what's a fun day to a seven year old? Well it's simply a morning at the bowling complex followed by lunch at Carluccio's who according to Lily do the BEST pesto pasta. Easy. In fact, I've even been looking forward to it.

She's never been bowling before, so was excited: she was pretty good at it too. Unbeknown to her we invited her Uncle Tim and Aunty Lesley to come along too, which thrilled her no end. Having had our fill of pesto pasta, we back home for a cup of tea and some birthday cake. Happy Days.

Happy Birthday Lily Biba. xxxx

I Wish This Was My Proper Job

22 March 2012


Have you seen this yet? I'm actually quite excited about it. The lovely people at the online magazine Heart Home invited me to come up with a recipe for their new spring issue. After much consideration, I opted for an Orange and Pistachio Cake which is just perfect for Easter. Baking the cake was more than enjoyable, but what I really loved was the planning; from deciding on the recipe  and writing the copy too sourcing and selecting the props for the photos. The real moment of magic however was the morning that photographer Emma Lucy came over and took these beautiful pictures. Aren't they just lovely?
If you fancy having a go at making the cake, the recipe is on page 107 in the latest issue of Heart Home.

40

10 March 2012


What a month! I know we're only just over a week into it, but it has been eventful. I think everyone in the house has been ill with a bug, cold and / or cough plus I had to have a small op at the hospital (unconnected to the illnesses) and then, if that wasn't enough to manage into everyday life, I became 40.

So now does it feel to be 40? Well it's an odd one, becoming forty. I wasn't comfortable about it at all. It still sounds silly, quite ridiculous in fact, but I'm kind of pushing to the back of my mind telling myself I'm not actually that bothered by it anymore. 

My birthday itself was lovely. I was completely blown away (and still am) by the beautiful present my family bought me. David organised a collective of my very favourite people; my parents, my brother, his wife and my niece and my brother-in-law and together with David they all chipped in to buy me a Kitchen Aid. It's a gift that couldn't be more me. I absolutely love it. As a non-driver and a (albeit amateur) baker, the Kitchen Aid is my Porsche.

On Saturday evening, despite feeling not too well, I went out for some birthday drinks with a crowd of much loved friends. It was a lovely evening and the good company certainly took the edge off being 40. In true 'Louise' style, I made some little parting gifts for the evening: Lemon & Thyme Shortbread packaged in some bags that I made using some greaseproof paper and my sewing machine. It was whilst sewing these bags that David looked on hopelessly and declared that he believed me to have a disorder. But hey, everyone loved them and they all enjoyed the very first recipe made with my beautiful sexy Kitchen Aid. Lucky people.