Monthly Archives: April 2012

A Cake

30th April 2012

Everything I learnt about baking came from my Nan; one of my earliest memories is making rock cakes with her whilst my Grandad cleared up the mess, and as the years progressed the things we made got more adventurous and I became more independent. Actually, I never used to bake at home, I always went to my Grandparents to do so (maybe because I have a natural flair for making a mess) and thus, when it came to providing refreshment after her funeral today, it seemed only right that I baked my contribution.

I opted for a Sticky Toffee Date Cake, found on this delicious blog

Ingredients:

200g of dried dates
275ml of boiling water
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g soft light brown sugar
150g  butter, room temperature
3 eggs, beaten
175g self raising flour

Method:

  1. Pour the boiling water over three-quarters of the dates
  2. Leave to soak for 30 minutes
  3. Preheat the oven to 175degC
  4. Blending together the butter , sugar and the soaked dates (including the soaking water)
  5. Add the eggs and finally stir in the self raising flour and bicarbonate of soda
  6. Finally stir in the remaining unsoaked dates
  7. Pour into a 30cm square lined cake tin
  8. Bake for 40 minutes until firm to the touch
  9. Allow to cool , cut into squares and serve

What was the first thing you learnt to bake?

Thank you for the continued support, maybe now things will find some semblance of normalcy…

xxx

Posted in baking, recipes

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Sarenza A-Z: P is for Pieces

29th April 2012

After an absence last week, this week I am a day early with my A-Z of Sarenza, and the sharp witted among you may notice I’ve skipped over the letter “O” (it was impossible). Here I am a day early giving you my favourite picks from the brand Pieces; a rising Danish brand that is both on trend and affordable.



Shoe wise, Pieces don’t do an awful lot, but what they do create, they create well. With Summer supposedly looming I’m drawn to these staple black sandals; Sevilla (top) costs £50 and Sandra costs a very reasonable £40. I always think black sandals are worth investing a little in as they are a classic that goes with everything.


 
Another reason I love Sarenza so much is they stock a wide range of bags to compliment the shoes, and this is where Pieces really comes in to it’s own…full of sorbert shades and all styles for Summer I have my eye on (from top to bottom) Florine, £33.99; Noella Net, £22.90 and Narella leather clutch, £29.70. At those prices it’s tempting to get all three!

Have you heard of, or shopped Pieces yet? What do you think?

xxx

Posted in sarenza

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grateful

28th April 2012

My Birthday was never going to be an easy day to accept this year; to celebrate doesn’t feel quite right (although I will, in time) and neither did ignoring it completley. Thank you to my family and friends who have made me realise it’s ok to mark the occassion, that it’s ok to laugh as well as cry and who have respected my wishes around presents and cards…there is time for all that and none of it really matters. What matters is spending the day with the people closest to me.

Thank you to all of you, again, who have left words of support on here, on facebook and on twitter. I’ve said it before and I have said it again…the internet and social networking can be a truly wonderful thing and I’d like you all to know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

xxx

Posted in life

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in time

27th April 2012

They (whoever they are) say time is a great healer, and I guess that’s true, but for now the days are both far too long and far too short and I barely know what day of the week it is. I’m just about managing to keep on track thanks to this Sekonda Pink Ladies Party Time watch sent c/o Find Watches, a website specialising in, well…watches  at great prices and with free postage.
My Nan would have loved this watch and may well have tried to steal it off of me, and again, she seems to be my driving force behind posting right now.

The outfit also consists of my favourite Matalan skirt and a jewelled collar tee from H&M that cost something silly like £12.99. I figured it was time to stop moping in jeans and baggy jumpers, that wasn’t going to achieve anything and I can just hear my Nan shouting “don’t be so bloody stupid” all the time. The same goes for wanting to cancel my Birthday, which happens to be tomorrow. I turn 25 and would, quite frankly, like to ignore it completley. But again her voice rings true, and although it’s going to be very different this year, I will mark it some how.

Thank you again to everyone for the love and support. Both myself and my entire family truly appreciate it. I promise to try and pull myself together a bit more soon…
Starting to notice Mae sneaking in to every post I do, which rings true to how life is at the moment, it’s like me and my shadow. Pets are great. Really great.

xxx

Posted in accessories, life, outfits

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fly away home

25th April 2012

I would like to start this post with a thank you; to everyone who commented on my last post, sent an e-mail, tweeted, texted…it sometimes takes a tragic event to realise what people mean to you and how much comfort strangers can bring, and trust me, you bought comfort.

It feels strange to be blogging, so soon (although I’ve kind of lost track of days) but my Nan loved my blog, and her and my Grandad often sat reading it. One thing that always intrigued her was how I ended up with so many gorgeous things from it (and the friendships I’ve made are included) and so it seemed fitting to write this post, so she can still see the dress I was sent c/o Ella Tino, a site I only discovered due to the world of blogging.

To be honest, I can’t really do the dress, or the website justice other than to say there is a lot on there I love; especially the shoes,
I’d urge you to take a look for yourselves, and like their facebook page too. I really am making a bit of a hash of this post, perhaps it is too soon, but regardless…a big thank you to Ella Tino for the dress (so perfect for the Spring/Summer weather we are yet to have) and for the discount code they have created to enable readers of my blog to indulge themselves when they enter the word “daisychain” at the checkout.

Thank you for sticking with me…the funeral will be on Monday. My Nan was such a self-less and loving woman, she only ever thought of others and dedicated her life to her children and grandchildren. Perhaps this explains why I am so distraught, why we all are as a family and why nothing seems real. In the cruelest twist of fate, she was getting better and was excited by her progress and coming home.
I will endeavour to get some blog posts up though, it’s a moment of escapism for me, and for her, something to look down upon.

xxx

P.S. If none of this makes sense, I’m sorry. If you think I’m an emotional idiot I’m sorry.

Posted in family, life, outfits

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