Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window ... a true summer's evening is in full swing-warm, balmy air, a light breeze and blue sky. Candy floss clouds here & there, and the tell-tale smell of barbecues all over the estate.

I am thinking... of  this time next year! I *should* have lost my excess weight and be back on the road to fitness by then!

I am thankful... that my little ones are sound asleep-a looong day and tired/grumpy girls=one weary mama!.

In the kitchen...a few dishes from a quick dinner for my tired girls, a plethora of hayfever cures!

I am wearing... my indigo denim capris and a blue & white floral, ruffly blouse. Black flip-flops. 

I am creating...Autumn term lesson plans for my childcare setting, and beginning to collate book ideas.

I am going... to try for an early night tonight, as I am exhausted after a very busy week.

I am wondering... why this darned hay-fever is so bad this year?

I am reading... yet again, a lot of books, both on Kindle and hard copies. "Gone Girl", by Gillian Flynn for our Book Club, "Close to the Bone" by Stuart Macbride (local author),  "Limoncello and Linen Water" by Tessa Kiros.

I am hoping... to eliminate sugar from my diet completely.

I am looking forward to... doing some more genealogy research tomorrow!

I am learning... to adapt my lifestyle to fully benefit from the surgery I had in February.
 
Around the house...hamster has had a wee "swimming pool" installed in his house, as the heat is getting ridiculous, and I worried about him not being cool enough!

I am pondering....how long our fabulous summer weather will last? It is North-East Scotland, after all..
A favorite quote for today..."The cure for everything is salt water, be that the ocean, sweat or tears".-Anon.

One of my favorite things... is seeing my little daughters' sun-blushed cheeks and bare feet in the garden.

A few plans for the rest of the week... car getting repairs beginning of week, I have some days off, so just to enjoy those as much as possible with my family.

A peek into my day... My best friend and her husband came across this afternoon with their 5 week old baby girl. Always so wonderful to see them! And that wee bundle :)

Some More Summer Yummies!

Rhubarb & Blueberry Cobbler
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 sticks of rhubarb — approximately 200g (1 1/4 cup)
200g (1 1/4 cup) fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons of sugar

For the cobbler top:
100g (3/4 cup) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
100g (3/4 cup) Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons of melted, then cooled butter (approx 25g solid weight)
Oats for topping — optional
Brown sugar for sprinkling
Method:
Preheat your oven to gas mark 6 / 200°C / 400°F

Wash and drain your fruit. Arrange your blueberries in a 12 cm wide,  shallow tart pan or pie dish. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar over the blueberries. Chop your rhubarb into 2.5 cm pieces and arrange in a layer over the top of the blueberries. Sprinkle over the rest of sugar. Set aside whilst you make the topping.

Combine your flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl and stir to mix. Make a well in the centre and add in your egg. Mix and then stir in your yoghurt. Mix well before adding in the 2 tablespoons of melted butter. You are aiming for the consistency of a very thick cake batter, not a dough. If it seems too dry or too wet, add more flour or a splash of milk, respectively.

Spoon heaped tablespoons of cobbler batter over your fruit. You want about 4-5 spoonfuls of batter in total. Leave some little gaps as the topping will expand, and you also want the fruit to bubble up nicely over the sides. Sprinkle with oats if you'd like and a little more brown sugar. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the topping is cooked through and the rhubarb is nicely tender.

Cobbler is lovely served topped with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/uk-edition-rhubarb-and-blueberry-cobbler-9923/?ref=fp_article_title

A Touch of Summer...

Give me the joys of summer,

of summer queen so fair,

with wealth of lovely flowers

and fruits and sun-kissed air!

Talk not to me of winter

with ice and frost and snow,

nor changing spring and autumn

when howling winds will blow.

No, I will take the joys

of summer every time,

so to this queen of seasons

I dedicate my rhyme.

~ by Winifred Sackville Stoner