Edinburgh ~ a beautiful capital city ~ now with shortbread recipe.

what a treat indeed!! lucky you, thanks for posting ,i have been moaning to go scotland,,and i always get the same reply >bad weather! goodness ..i guess not,,lol!

Lovely! I really enjoyed that trip! Very interesting visit, as I said to you before, it is our favourite city, we can either take the car over on the ferry or fly over, but then you can bring infinitely more home in the car!!;0)) Lol!
I must say there isn't a nicer city when the sun's shining, with having Princes Gdns running all the way alongside Princes St, you're never more than a few steps away from a lovely green oasis, an escape from the crowds on the streets above, great place for a picnic, as long as the squirrels don't bounce in and swipe your butties! I'm so glad you had a good time, we just love the place to bits!!
Oh! and please, could you share the shortbread recipe with us? It looks really scrummy and I love collecting good recipes! Thanks! :0)

Lovely photos! You obviously had a great time. We love Edinburgh too, and were lucky enough to be treated to two separate jaunts there some years ago to watch rugby at Murrayfield. We stayed in the Dean Hotel in Dean Street - a magnificent terraced building - and we loved all the shops along Princes Street. We went to a tiny restaurant tucked away in a side street - Mr V's. Did you happen to come across it? I often wonder if it's still there.

What an absolutely gorgeous trip you must have had. I love the photos, you must have a real talent with photos, Sticki! Thank you for sharing :o)

People always think of Scotland as the frozen north! I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. When the weather's lovely it's the best place in the world.
Try a visit to the west coast/isles next time. If the sun is shining you could be forgiven for thinking you were somewhere tropical. There really is nowhere like it.

Glad you had a good time ... haste ye back!!!

what a gorgeous place - I couldn't do the air picture - don't like heights - great picture though - excellent blog :):):):)

Scotland is a very beautiful place. Lovely pictures, you were lucky to get such good weather too! :-)

A stunning set of pics.. Thank Sticki :o)

thank you everyone, i love scotland ~ as you can tell;

carolina we have been to scotland many times and always had good weather!! heat wave on 2 occasions ~ i expect my luck is fast running out but so far its been lovely

i will do the recipe libet ~ funny she came from ireland like you! i love to collect recipes too ~ this one has rice flour in as well as the plain flour

i went to murrayfield a few years ago nariz ~ sorry i didnt go to your restaurant ~ i dont know where it was or i may have paid it a visit!! we stayed in hillside crescent ~ very convenient and the best b and b i have ever stayed in.

in less than a months time i will be going on my holiday donna ~ to the isle of Islay! ~ the west coast is my favourite place of all ~ last year camusdarach, near arisaig, the year before Harris ~ unbelievably beautiful. i will most certainly be hasting back! i dont really want to leave!

its very kind of you to say pip ~ i do like taking photos but if you saw how many i took you would have a fit! i just keep hoping some will come out ok! the cup at the end is the one i was telling you about.

Glad that you enjoyed your visit to Edinburgh, there is so much to see there. And i am very pleased that you included a visit to the Botanics, one of my favourite places.

and its free too! i think i must live in the wrong place ~ we have to pay for everything here. im not surprised its one of your favourites bulbaholic

What wonderful sights you visited in Edinburgh...I have yet to see any of Scotland...on my wish list. The rock garden particularly appealed to me :) The one drawback to spending time in Edinburgh for me would be all the hills and the walking but looking at all your photos I am more eager than ever to visit!

Your cup and saucer was a lovely find. We were watching a tv programme yesterday featuring a B&B and I'm certain they were using the same cups & saucers there! I passed comment to hubby at the time because they were so unusual. And we have the shortbread recipe to look forward to as well....it does look scrummy.

Thanks for sharing your memories of Edinburgh...very enjoyable it was too :)

we had a taxi to get to the botanical gardens ~ they are easy to find Wlass ~ you could always get one of those for the places you really wanted to see ~ the holyrood palace side is flatter! the cup and saucer is made by pip studios ~ i like them too!

A very interesting week end you had :o) It looks a wonderful place to visit. The garden photos were lovely to see

Fantastic blog and photos Sticki. Loved the trip around those beautiful gardens. Thanks very much.

thank you hywel and cinderella

Thanks for the great photos and commentary. My husband and I were in Edinburgh last June and it was indeed a wonderful place to see. We too will get back there again.
Your photo of Calton Hill reminded us of the great hotel we stayed in right next door. The beds were really comfy and the food and service excellent.
Next time we'll be sure to get to the Botannical Gardens.

thanks heather ~ you have the right name for scotland! i must have seen your hotel but there are several round there. welcome to GoY ~ i hope you are able to come back to scotland.

Loved this blog, Sticki, with your lovely photos. Never been to Scotland, OH used to go for business trips and came back enthralled with most of the places he stayed at. One day, I'll get there! : o ))

i do hope you get there shirley, its such a lovely place ~ i would love everyone to see it. there are sooooo many amazing places there; and ive only seen a fraction of it.

It's on the list of places to visit ... just need to fit it in sometime. : o )

I have only just seen this Sticki..after reading your last blog..we were away the week after you,and so much to catch up on.So glad you enjoyed this lovely city..and the Gardens are stunning..so glad you took some beautiful pics of it..as we have never been there..a must,if we go again sometime..hopefully..Thanks for a lovely tour..:o)

Yes I did recognise the cup from that website! Looks even prettier with biscuits, lol.

Hi Sticki - just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed your photos of Edinburgh. I lived there for 2 years (just next door to the Bot Gardens can you believe in Inverleith Row!!). I moved from the west coast of Scotland which is stunning too when the sun shines !! but I fell in love with Ediinnburgh all those years ago, nearly 40 years! You brought back so many memories for me, thank you, as I have not been back since I got married sad to say. We spent many happy hours walking in the gardens, both Princes Street and the Botanical. I have to say they appear to have a great gardening team (and money) as I think they have added a great deal to it from my recollection. The autumn colours are not to be missed either if anyone is up there in September/October. Thanks again for sharing the trip with us, so enjoyed it.

thanks bloomer, pip and rose ~ glad you enjoyed it
rose ~ the west coast of scotland is my favourite place of all ~ its where i would love to be. i see you live in hampshire now ~ do you miss the west coast?

Hi again Stickitoffee - just popped back in to see if you got the little note. Longish story how I ended up in Hampshire but I am very happy here - its where I raised my family and I can see them every day. The main bonus to me believe it or not is the gorgeous weather we have, at moment a bit too hot for my liking, but generally it is lovely. Do I miss the West Highlands? well that is really where my heart is and always will be I guess, its either in you or not, and the minute I get back over the border I'm "Oching and Eyeing" like the rest of them! I have always lived by the sea and I am still close to it in Hampshire so I'm very lucky. I totally miss the mountains - went to Glencoe last year (real tourist in my own country now!) and gosh that was spectacular, well worth the visit just to get a perspective on life and to realise how old these beautiful mountains are. Loved driving through the glens at sunrise, and amazing sunsets in the evening on the West. Forced(!!!) to go back every year to visit relatives and will be back there probably August this year. Anyway, won't bore you anymore with my ramblings, I just loved your tour of Edinburgh. Thanks again.

PS Have you got a name for the beautiful lilac flowering shrub(?) that you said you loved? It's gorgeous! Loved the picture of the tumbling water, so refreshing running water. I am hoping to plant out some iris next to my pond soon but nowhere near as natural looking as they have achieved in the BG.

they were trilliums ~ all of them were amazing.

Many thanks

Thank you Stickitoffee for this lovely advert for our beautiful Capital city. It certainly put on its best face for your visit. I wonder if it it knew of the historic decisions taken by the Scottish people on Thursday. Next time you come we will need to see if we cannot arrange a GOY visit to the Botanics to welcome you.

that would be lovely scotsgran! will i need my passport next time i cross the border?
you're welcome to the advert! ~ it doesnt really need one ~ it speaks for itself i think.

I think you can leave the passport at home unless you are flying in, then yes they will not allow you to get on even internal flights without it nowadays. We are not leaving the UK yet awhile that is not what the people voted for,we were just electing the MSPs to serve for the next 4 years. We have a devolved parliament but Alex Salmond who led the minority government for the last 4 years could not command a majority to enable him to hold a referendum on the issue of Independence. Now that he has an overall majority he is putting the need to get the country out of the doldrums, from which we all suffer, at the top of his list of things to do. He has said he hopes to use his majority to hold an independence referendum later on. The history was made because the 'First past the post' and 'AV' systems used in Scotland was designed to ensure no party got an overall majority. The leaders of the Labour, Liberal and Conservative parties have all handed in their resignations as leaders. It has been the most amazing week.

ah, i didnt realise about the last bit. from the bits we hear down here [i dont listen to all the news] it sounds as if its much better to be living in scotland than here ~ altho i know im biased!
so how will you vote in scotland now? will you have a different system from us?
i was teasing about the passport ~ i knew independence was a future option!! i dont think many scots want to be ruled by england do they?

Lol that last bit made me lol.I thought the English wanted us out of the union because we keep going to Westminster and making a mess.
Joking aside we get 2 ballot papers and have one vote on each ballot paper. The first ballot is for a named candidate for your local area MSP. That is decided on the first past the post system. The 2nd is for what are called "List" MSP's. In each of the list areas which would cover the same area as that of several "local" areas you vote for a party, or if their are independants standing you could vote for them. Each List area is allocated a certain number of seats which are taken by the candidates or parties with the highest votes, then next highest , then next until all the list seats are taken. The Parties on that second ballot paper have their own list of preferred candidates and you do not know who you might get. When deciding on how we should be allowed to vote for the devolved Parliament it was calculated that it would be impossible for any party to get an overall majority. This is why it is so surprising that a party, some of whose more extreme members were blowing up post boxes with ER11 on them and stealing the Stone of Destiny, not so very long ago, should be the first party to achieve this kind of success.

i can see now why it was such an event!! and not expected it seems by anyone!

There has been a lot of controversy about the setting up of the devolved parliament not only about the voting system but also about the debacle which surrounded the building of what to us is a second rate building to house it. It looks like it is here to stay and the Westminster Parliament has decided to bow to pressure to let the Scottish people decide on our future when we feel it is the right time. Time will tell.

i dont know about all the economics of it but if scotland can afford it i wouldnt blame them at all, in an ideal world i would definitely live in scotland ~ if they would have me!!

i would vote for you Sticki.

thanks scotsgran. i always dream of living on one of those remote islands. not sure if i would really like it but its where i dream about.

I always think people who up sticks and move to somewhere they really do not know when they retire are a bit mad. It could be very difficult and if you did not fit in you could be very unhappy. My husband could have had a job on one of those remote islands but he turned it down because he felt when he went up to relieve some who lived there permanently the people were friendly enough but they all had their families and own circles and he could not see himself being content. As you get older too you do not want to have to contend with long journeys to visit if a partner falls ill and is hospitalised on the mainland. Visiting on holiday will be enough for me.

all that is true and i wouldnt want to be so far from my sons ~ they are in suffolk and south london.

its just a dream, i dont see many people these days, apart from being at work, maybe thats why the remoteness appeals.

Its nice to have dreams. By the way those bluebells are English or Spanish imports. Scottish bluebells are far more delicate and dance in the wind. Have a look on this linkit has photographsof the Harebell (scottish Bluebell) as well as folklore surrounding it. http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/1615/
You did well to get that photo of the wren. It is an elusive little bird and is not keen on having its photo taken.

just lucky with the wren photo i think. the bluebells are not native english either ~ ours are more delicate than that ~ i think those are the spanish ones,
i had forgotten the little harebell ~ its a lovely flower.

More fantastic pics Sticki and that stream photo is outstanding, how do you do it? :-)

you are too kind Ba ~ dont know how i do it ~ apart from taking hundreds of photos ~ and clogging up my computer in the process ~ i never seem to get round to taking off all the bad photos.

I'm the same, always intend to edit, but can't. In fact 'Norton' has started telling me I've a problem with too many pics...no idea what to do about it. Started feeling a bit paranoid...maybe Norton will start deleting them lol (the lol is probably of the demented kind):-)

I had the same problem and started down loading the contents of the SD card then going through the photos and deleting any which are so out of focus as to be worthless, any duplicates and any I deem to be not quite what I would like. I get rid of a lot that way. Mind you I am a rubbish photographer. You will need to buy an external hard drive and load all your photos on there. It would probably be more secure any way.

ive got the external hard drive already and the computer is still slow ~ just old like me i think.
one day i will go through and delete a few ~ i have started!! also useful to empty the recycle bin ~ that really gets rid of the pictures you have deleted.
how is ediburgh after the wind and the ash?

A lot of Princes Street gardens were closed because of the danger from damaged trees etc. Trees down all over the Lothians. It has been a rough 48 hours now.

just hope the worst is now over.

We are waiting for it to come back in the opposite direction and expect our quite reasonable weather today is just the lull before it comes tearing back up the Forth Valley. Lots of people are still without electricity today in even more rural areas.

it doesnt make life any easier does it?

Oh Sticki, how did I manage to miss this?! Obviously being on here 12 hours a day every day isn't enough, lol. I can't believe it, but anyway now I've had the chance to enjoy your lovely Edinburgh blog (and I was looking for the baby pheasant at the time - see what I mean about being a technoprat?!). Loved the Botanic Gardens with that beautiful rushing stream . . . so glad you had a lovely time there, with SUNSHINE too.

Btw, looking forward to the recipe - that shortbread looks gorgeous. :)

hi sheila! i agree - 12 hours a day doesnt seem to be enough! now watching springwatch at the same time ~ its not as good as it used to be cos i find the presenters a bit annoying sometimes. they have got a beautiful cabin tho ~ wish i had one ~ i would love to live in a cabin.
oh yes, the shortbread, i will have to find the recipe ~ im not sure where i put it. but i must find it.

I haven't seen Springwatch because the presenters were incredibly annoying (well, last time we saw it!) - but I do like the sound of the cabin . . . wonder if I can Google it? There's something about wooden huts - ideal for hiding away!

they always look cosy to me ~ im sad that the presenters are spoiling springwatch, its such a shame ~ i used to love the program ~ no mention of simon king who i think is fantastic. i have got it on silent so i can listen when it looks interesting ~ preferably with different presenters!!

We liked Simon King too - didn't turn the sound down when he was on - and OH can't stand Kate Humble. I agree it's a shame, as it would be lovely to see the wildlife. :(

no you didnt need to turn it down for simon king's reverent whisper ~ is that the right word?
i have the shetland diary book that he wrote ~ its lovely.

Hello again Sticki,
Feel like Sheila - don't know how I missed this lovely blog, what a treat. I've enjoyed reading through all the comments you got too...botanical... political....!
It's great how other people's blogs bring back happy memories, and they do for me too. When we lived in Aberdeen for 2 years and husb worked at the university there, our rented house was in very easy walking distance of the lovely botanical gardens. Not as grand as Edinburgh of course but fantastic to have them on the doorstep. And the daffs out in Seaton Park which was also just around the corner. We really were very very lucky living where we did. Shame it was so short.
Thanks for these gorgeous pictures.

you're very welcome weeding! glad you enjoyed it! ~ how lovely to live in aberdeen ~ the granite city??
it would be a dream for me to live in scotland but it would be a long way away for my sons ~ i dont see them much now cos they live 2 and a half hours away ~ so there wouldnt be much hope if i was up there.

i was watching julia bradbury doing one of her walks last night ~ across scotland ~ the great glen ~ caladonian canal ~ looked as though it was mostly by the water ~ so it shouldnt involve too much climbing [other than lock steps] ~ looked rather nice.

Oh, I wish I'd watched that now! Maybe I'll find it on iplayer. Just read through this lovely blog again, Sticki, and added it to my favourites . . . really a marvellous collection of photos. I think you could be a Travel Writer, cos they have to make people want to visit the places they write about, and that's just what you do! (and being a photographer too is such an asset) . . . there you are, just the job for you. :))

you are much too kind sheila; would be very nice job ~ but only in certain places, im not an explorer ~ not keen on travelling, but for places i love i can forget the travelling bit.

But you don't HAVE to go far afield! I did a short weekend course once on Travel Writing, at West Dean College, and we were sent off for a few hours in the locality to observe and write what we saw. I wrote about boats in Chichester Harbour, but the best piece was a witty one about the locals in a nearby village.

It was just a thought. :)

Yes, we always enjoy Julia Bradbury's walking programmes. The German ones were good too - tho we missed bits. Hard to watch a whole uninterrupted prog sometimes with all the family distractions!

Yes Aberdeen, ah, the granite city. Very proud that my son was born there and at home too - unplanned! He counts himself as an honorary Scot. From my kitchen sink between the university quarter and Tillydrone I could hear the "Pittodrie roar" from the footie stadium if the Don boys scored. (Consequently, that is the only footie team on earth I'm ever interested in.) My eldest daughter went to the local nursery for a year or so, and her firm-but-fair teacher said she had "a tongue that would clip cloots". Spot on, she still has. Bennachie, a natural park to the north of the city on the Inverurie road I think, gave me some of my happiest memories. I used to borrow the nextdoor neighbour's dog and escape.
And the pies, the pies!
And the shop where we could buy tartan wool cloth. I made my son a jacket for his christening in St Machar's cathedral.
As a young mum really wanting peace and stability I hated moving so many times, it didn't come naturally and when we left Scotland it was the hardest thing I've ever done. We then spent a further 7 years in N. Germany. Lovely place, but only for half the year. But isn't life colourful all the same?
Don't know where all that sprouted from, just came tumbling out at the mention of Aberdeen. Wasn't planning to write quite so much!

oh but im so glad you did ~ it was not only interesting but also entertaining! i think you should do the travel writing weeding ~ dont you agree sheila? [that course sounds very interesting, when i thought about travel writing i decided that i could only write about places i liked ~ the rest would not do so well!!

i thought you were going to say that your son was born in or near the kitchen sink weeding!! Please can you translate 'cloots'?

if aberdeen makes good pies im going on the next train!! that tartan jacket sounds very sweet ~ i made a waistcoat/top to match my kilt for my going away outfit!!! [sadly neither i or OH is scottish but he has a clan name]

Oh Weeding, that was so lovely to read - I now want to visit Aberdeen!! My gran was born there, and lived there till she was widowed - her father was a gardener at Ballater (spelling?). I'm a quarter Scots, and a quarter Swiss, so obviously I'm bilingual, lol.

Well, maybe we should collaborate on a book. Sheila, Toffee and I have just discovered that we live quite near each other, so we'll regale you with tales and snippets of interest from our corner of Worcestershire if you like. All the highs and lows....
I love to write, but get a bit over-wordy usually.
Many's the time I've tried to prune my GOY profile but end up adding more bits of sense and nonsense.

Toffee - cloots (also in other regions called "clouts") are cloth/cloths. As in the funny old saying "ne'er cast a clout till May is out" - ie "leave your jumper on you muppet, it's not quite summer yet"

x

Mmmm, sounds good. And I did live in Worcester for 3 years - both lads were born there - lovely place, we could see the Malvern Hills from the front garden (gosh, yes, my first garden, mostly mud)!

were you somewhere in St John's?

I think the area might have been called Evendine?? We were in a cul-de-sac, Evendine Close. Long time ago, but still in touch with one of the neighbours, who now live in Colwall. I also love to write, Weeding, and - like you - find it REALLY DIFFICULT to "prune" my prose!!

i like to write but having never grown up ~ i like to write for children ~ correction ~ i would like to write for children ~ im still trying!!! how strange and writers in worcestershire connection!!

thanks for the translation weeding.

i didnt realise you were bilingual sheila ~ you clever thing!!

:))

sorry this has taken so long ~ i have finally found the recipe for the shortbread:

Shortbread

9 oz butter [not too soft]
3½ oz unrefined caster sugar

Cream these for 3 minutes

Add 9 oz plain flour and
4½ oz rice flour
Pinch salt

Combine just enough to form dough, knead briefly.

Divide into 2
Roll each half into a sausage shape and coat in demara sugar

Chill for 30 minutes.

Bake in a low oven ~ appx 140 for 25 – 25 minutes.

From the Edinburgh Bed and Breakfast.

Thank you Sticki . . . just need to buy the rice flour (never used that before) and will be trying this out. x

Sticki forgot the line which says slice the rolls in to biscuits Sheila but I guess you would know that anyway. Here is my prize winning recipe. I was making shortbread for our local flower show when my cousinand her husband arrived. I had used the recipe above. He turned up his nose and said that was not shortbread so he gave me his recipe and next day and for the following 2 years I walked off with first prize for my shortbread fingers.
8oz Flour, 4oz cornflour, 4oz each Butter, Marg and sugar. I used to use Echo marg but I have resorted to all butter more recently. 4oz caster sugar. Sift the flours together. Add the butter and rub it in, add the sugar and by this time it will be sticking together. Push it and prod it in to a sandwich tray and bake in a moderate oven until just starting to colour, about 30 minutes. It will still be fairly soft when you take it out of the oven . While it is hot and soft cut it in to fingers in the tray. Sprinkle with a little caster sugar if you prefer it like that. Leave to cool then turn out. The pieces are easily separated.

oh, sorry for the missing information ~ i just copied out what i had been given, and wasnt really thinking. the landlady of the bed and breakfast gave me that recipe ~ it was delicious ~ but she was irish!!

many thanks for your recipe scotsgran ~ i shall certainly be giving that a go ~ its lovely to have a real scottish recipe and i love shortbread ~ have tried so many times to get it just as i like it. have you got any more good recipes?

I try not to bake now because I put on weight looking at the recipe. I always liked easy stuff like an egg sponge which could be used in lots of ways. Will look it out as it uses so little but the quantities need to be just right. It was a Fanny Craddock recipe.

Is it her fatless sponge Sg? I bought folders of Fanny's recipes years ago at an auction . They must have been sold in magazines or something. I don't have them now, but I often made fatless sponge. Anyhow...how can you both be so cruel...what with my high cholesterol.....mind you, I don't suppose a finger or two would hurt:-)

Now Now Bornagain we are on here to discuss gardening. We will concentrate on giving encouragement to grow good plants and forget what is not good for us. Just think of having a plant to look at as it emerges from the earth and goes through its cycle of life for less than all those other temptations we find around. LOL.

Scotsgran...your shortbread recipe is the same as the one I brought with me from Canada. It is usually printed on the side of the cornflour (cornstarch we call it) boxes and is very popular. The only thing I do differently is make tiny balls and place on a cookie tray, flatten with a fork and add a little slice of red cherry in the middle of each cookie. Your idea of flattening in a tray and sprinkling with the sugar sounds very nice too....must try that next time...just usually make shortbread at Christmas as it's a family favourite and I use it for gifts too :)

I used to just pat and mould mine into a circle and mark out into slices...and sprinkle with sugar, but just normal flour:-)

Thanks for the recipe, Scotsgran, looks good. I used to make shortbread about a hundred years ago, and only bake very rarely these days. Does it matter which flour is used e.g. plain or self-raising? OK, you're all laughing at me now, but I can take it!

hmmmm 100 years ago sheila? please will you put a photo of that on ~ or didnt you have a camera then? perhaps you have a photo of your card from the queen??

i shall look forward to the fatless sponge recipe please scotsgran ~ i shall make it to eat in the garden ~ so that i can discuss gardening at the same time as eating a small slither of it [as well as a finger of shortbread] ~ it is of course medicinal if i put oats in or round it somewhere as i believe they are very good for you, also i need some energy to weed the garden.

I may be being a flour snob but I use the Bero Plain not SR flour. I use cheap supermarket brands for cakes because I find they work well. A baker told me that you need a stronger flour for bread and biscuits but a softer flour for cakes. Fanny Craddock swore by SR Flour. She said it made no difference and not to be stuck if you did not hav what the recipe was advising.
Ah! Whistonlass these Scots get around, probably took the recipe with him or her when they emigrated. The cherry idea sounds nice and for children rolling pieces in to a ball and flattening with a fork would be a great innovation.
Bornagain I have large and small shortbread moulds for shaping it and it gets turned out for baking but as I say I rarely bake nowadays.

i love those flan tins/moulds with the thistle in them but i havent got one cos i always imagine they will stick and my shortbread wont come out.
i tend to use supermarket brand flour, but the lady who gave me the shortbread recipe had found the labelled brands better she said.
i didnt know about the stronger flour for biscuits SG ~ will try that out.
i always make pastry with plain flour ~ dont like it so much with self raising.

I haven't got any 'proper' tins and things except springform cake tins Scotsgran, but I do love looking at kitchen stuff...I almost feel owning it would be almost as good as using it lol:-)

I have cupboards full of tins of all shapes and sizes. The last cake I made was for my daughters wedding. I was very stresed so bought in the fruit cake and just decorated it. She had seen a church shaped cake in York and wanted that but the baker could not deliver to Scotland so Mum and Dad got to do it instead. I still buy tins and cutters if I see something I fancy but I rarely bake.

You got any photos of the cake SG? My Sonia having cup cakes cos they don't like fruit cake, my other son had several whole cheeses instead,they were very tasty.

I'm sure I have somewhere. I tidied before I went away and can't find anything at the moment. The cup cakes are very popular at the moment because a lot of people do not want fruit cake. I love the idea of cheeses. I'm sure they would have loved that as would all the guests. That is very original.

They had great fun tasting them when they chose them. They served it later in the evening - alongside bacon rolls, it was delicious!

Sonia? your sons name is Sonia?
I have a beautiful mold, I've had it over 25 years...never used it...but it is lovely and I'm sure if I made something in it it would look fantastic!:-)

Sticki you need to flour the mould before pressing the shortbreab dough in to it. I inherited my mother in laws handed down big wooden mould and a brown plastic one that was given away free with a magazine. The wooden one works best but the plastic one has a thistle on it. I prefer the fingers because they are easier to store and neater looking on the plate.

PS PS PS
I forgot to say you need to stab the shortbread all over with a fork before baking.

stupid me Ba ~ meant to say son is!!! must have been tired?? im sure if you tried out the mould it would taste fantastic Ba ~ im willing to try it out for you!!

perhaps i should be happy with the fingers SG ~ i shall keep practising with the shortbread recipe in the meantime!!

i hope you can forgive me for being a proud mum today but i just wanted to tell you that my youngest is 28 today and will be live on bbc radio cambridge playing the drums for a folk band tonight!!

Wow! what are they called? I, or one of mine might know them. My oldest is a fiddler and singer, the other two are singers and guitarists..they didn't get their voices from me unfortunately, but I did start them off on guitar playing although I was never very good at it:-))

Oh, Ba - another talent you have - guitar music in the garden would be lovely.
They are called The Willows, based in cambridge and bury st Edmonds area.

Scotsgran I made your shortbread - it was truly delicious, thank you.

Good I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm listening to BBC Cambridge as I write. Did you know you can hear him again on iPlayer. They are being interviewed by Sue Chambers. I like their music. It is very easy listening. I love acoustic guitars and violins. Happy birthday a day late and have a lovely wedding day Steve.

Oh, thank you scotsgran, that's such a kind thing to do - taking the trouble to listen. Many appreciative thanks.

It was worth listening to or I would have put it off. They have a lovely melodic sound which is very easy to listen to. Coming from a generation which had to make a lot of our own entertainment I love a wide range of musical styles from mouth music, singing with no accompaniment and if more than one singer lots of harmonising through to jazz and classical opera. I don't like everything in every genre but I know what I like and I do not listen to what I feel is rubbish. I am lucky enough to come from a very musical family although it passed me by to some extent except that I can sing, mostly in tune if i pay attention. Having been brought up in the church with great music makes me feel I have had a very good life because i have so many happy memories of sing songs in all aspects of my life. From the cradle to the grave as they say. Lullabies which were passed from one generation to the next, then school playground games, choirs in school and church and Toc H concerts in the village hall. Playing violin in orchestras run by my music teacher and highland dance classes. Then on to Scottish Country Dancing at the weekly hops again in village halls and then the big band sound in the smart Edinburgh dance halls. Music runs deep in your soul. It can entertain you, uplift your spirits and comfort you at times of stress. I am not good enough to perform but I enjoy listening and singing along. Our 5 year old grand daughter has just been signed up to learn to sing at school. When she was a baby only months old she sat in her swinging seat listening to the music provided and she loved and listened to all except one piece and she just hated it. As soon as it started she screamed the place down. I think you have every reason to be a proud mum.

I can't seem to listen in on iPlayer....is there a link I could follow to hear the programme with The Willows & Sue?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00hckby I have just put it on again Whiston its Sue Marchant not Chambers. I got it by going in to BBC Cambridgeshire. It was on 24.6.2011 at 8pm. Hope this helps.

Thanks....I have it playing in the background as I browse blogs/photos here on GoY :)

I'm listening to David Lowe and Swingers and Singers on Radio Wiltshire now. I listened to last weeks The Big Brass Sound before dinner and I will listen to tonights later. I like the iplayer facility.

You are both very kind, I just want to say thank you for listening, I didn't have anyone else to tell.

I like the iplayer too SG, I'm still listening to desert island disks from way back when!

I like music, but I can't seem to settle or find the type I want to listen to all day, I like hearing birds sing too! Music seems to have some sort of power that connects with us? I was also brought up with plenty of hymn singing, school choirs and dad listening to radio 3. I like enya, Vaughan Williams, and some other classics as well as some of the sing along older pop songs from 50s 60s which is odd cos I didn't have a radio till the 70s!

But did you have an HMV. We had a very ancient model with a big horn and a dog logo.Who said branding was a modern phenomenon. I still have some of the very old black records and so does my younger brother. I saw a turntable in Aldi recently and was tempted to buy it so I can play some of these oldies and put them on disc for the future. To think we used to melt them in boiling water to reshape them and make bulb pots. Juke boxes were just coming in to vogue when I was a teenager and when there was a particular favourite the cafe owner would allow you to have it when he was finished with it. He always kept the central core so that it could be sellotaped back on to continue playing it on a domestic player. One highlight of my life was going to Blackpool Tower about 10 years ago to listen to the wonderful organ playing for the dancers gliding around the ballroom. We were in Blackpool for a radio rally and while OH did that I was free to see the town. I dragged him along to the Tower in the hope of being allowed to take the floor but when I asked "Are you dancing" he declined. Men!!!!

No we didn't have an HMV we didn't have anything in the house till I was 8 and dad bought a radio, I only remember listening to story time, with David Davis ~ he read so well! Dad listened to the cricket and we had news and a hundred best tunes, nothing else allowed. We had an organ at one time but i couldnt play it, i also had piano lessons for 4 years, had to go to my grandmas house to practise. Very strict church type up bringing. I do remember people moulding the records into other shapes tho - you could change the shape of yoghurt pots too!

I'm useless at dancing too - I think not being allowed to do such things had an impact!

Btw scotsgran I still have no flowers on my potatoes - is this normal for kestrel?

I dk to be truthful. I do not grow them now. As long as you have healthy top growth I do not think the absence of flowers will be relevant. I might be wrong might be better to put it in as a Question. They are 2nd earlies if i remember correctly so depending on when you planted them you could expect to see flowers. My pots of potatoes are going mad. Some are flowering far too early and some, once they were covered over have failed to grow any more. Whether they will or not I will need to wait and see. I was looking forward to a bumber crop but now I'm not so sure. I can't remember a year which has been so cold for such a long period after we had such a great 2 weeks in Spring. It has also been very wet.

Yes, I feel very sad for Scotland every time I watch the forecast, you are not having a good time and it is such a beautiful place.

My sister is digging and giving away her potatoes, as well as spinach, lettuce, raspberries and josta berries.

I have just hung the washing out so fingers crossed it dries. Where does your sister live?

\0/ Hi, if you google The Willows Cambridge you can find their official homepage, too much of a technophobe to know how to give a link, sorry:-( Sticki I love them. Do they write all their own songs?:-) I got lots done yesterday, even dug up a wisteria (amethyst falls) I planted last year....seems ok. Didn't like it where I'd put it:-)

THE WILLOWS
Folk / Acoustic / Indie

http://www.thewillowsband.co.uk

There you are. You can even get a free download and hear little bits of some of their songs.

Oh you are all so very kind, I often think I am meeting up with my friends when I go on GoY - now I know that's true and you are all very good friends.
Yes Ba they write all their own - that's why Steve likes it. They will be at the Cambridge folk festival soon.

I am enjoying the purity and simplicity of The Willows music...lovely :) Thanks Sticki :)

Oh thank you WL - you are all sooooo supportive - thank you.

Discerning is the word you are looking for Sticki.

Oh of course, SG ~ the select!

wow, ladies, just caught up with all this. I will def try the shortbread recipe one day soon. I lurve shortbread!

Non-flowering potatoes - y, we have some too (more the chap's domain, but he doesn't venture onto GOY - he just gets on with gardening instead of wittering about it, lol) and we were wondering just what is going on with these spuds...

Sheila - you are looking very good and blooming for someone who's 121 years old. Gardening is good for body and soul!

Re the music - I don't have speakers on the 'puter so must try tmw to cajole the earphones off a passing child so that I can have a listen!

Today the minor disaster is that I've lost my house and car keys. Fortunately I can cycle to work and it's better for me, until I find them again - here's hoping I'll dodge the rainshowers. I think it's God's way of telling me to tidy the flipping house - does anyone remember Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques by Victoria Wood?

Sleep well all,

Weeding. x

I hope you found your keys Weeding. Mrs Overall can visit us any time she is free. We could do with a ruthless cleaner who throws everything out and next day we can show her why we had to hold on to what she just got rid of.
I can't say I'm a TV fan. I am not keen on the cinema either so sorry never heard of Acorn Antiques or Mrs O.. Everybody has heard of VW but I would not recognise her either.

Hi weeding! It's admirable to cycle. When one of my boys was little he played with the keys in the garden. Years later - literally - I found them! Hope you find them quicker than I did!

I have heard of acorn antiques but never really watched it, sorry.

Rain was only a few drops here - enough to disrupt the washing several times tho!

Philistines! and here's me thinking you women of discernment, not seen Victoria Wood.....I shall say no more. Do you go to their gigs Sticki? :-)

Haven't been to a victoria wood gig! Wouldnt mind going tho.
Yes I have been to one or two of willows gigs, Steve has been with one or two bands - sometimes they split up cos one moves away etc. Think this one is more settled cos the main singer is married to one of the guitar players and his sister plays the violin. Steve knew the brother and sister - was at uni with the brother.

the end of the key drama was funny. Having spent Mon-Thurs quite concerned and sans keys, periodically hunting for them, husband returned Thurs evening and in a v businesslike manner announced we should find them (duh, i thought)
Well, within 20 mins he had. I'd better eat my hat then!
Where would women and men be without each other? lol.

Had he hidden them?

no, that would be toooooo sinister wouldn't it. andI still don't understand what they were doing where they were! Just relieved to have them back.

I would be relieved too!

Start making your next birthday/Christmas list and ask for oneofthose key rings that will bleep so you can find them!?

yes, good one Toffee. I'm "training" myself now to get better at always putting bag and keys in the same place as soon as I come in from anywhere.

I can manage that with keys - so far - but nothing else! I'm just amazed they were lost for so long and then suddenly found!

I admit it looks suspicious, lol.

Gremlins! We have them at our house. I can empty everything out of a container looking for camera battery charger, no small item you will agree. I can do this a few times....few days later its in there where I looked. No-one else would use it, or even know where I keep it. On a happier note, I have been feeling a little left out. Goyers have been receiving amorous messages from unknown people. Today, I too have been 'singled out' by Aminatalove who wants an "in love relationship" with me....whoopy doo!!:-)

I know what you mean about looking for lost things, I think I panic and then I don't look properly.

I'm glad you like your message Ba but I don't want any!

Oh and I was just about to send you one:-(

well I love you all without exception but you will be relieved to hear that i'm not eager for a new relationship in that sense!
Shortbread etc far more fun : 0 ))x

I agree weeding!

Today, Im mad for achilleas, need more. The bees and hoverflies love them:-)

Don't remember seeing them in Edinburgh! Sorry!