I’ve been working on a small 10×10 inch canvas (acrylic) of a favourite subject of mine…a feline. This one is a champagne coloured cat and reminds me very much of ‘Milo’, a cat I had some years ago. He is sadly no longer with me. He followed me everywhere and that was how he met his untimely demised when he was just over a year old. He was hit by a car and I found him the next day in the gutter. I managed to pick the dear up and gave him a decent burial. He was like a polar bear, big and cuddly. We’ve planted potatoes in plastic buckets (as this little cottage garden hasn’t enough room for a veggie patch of any real size) and they seem to be coming on well. Because it is mid winter and low temperatures they have been put under cover in a polythene greenhouse so they don’t get frosted. Ahhh love those new potatoes freshly boiled with mint and a knob of butter. My partner put in some spring bulbs…100 freesias!!! Queen of the Night black/deep purple tulips and some anemones. I can’t wait for springtime when all those fresh green shoots start zooming up out of the ground. There is heaps of bluebell bulbs in the garden too, such a heavenly colour. I heard a possum acrobating on the roof above the bedroom a few days ago. He must climb up the cabbage tree and took a leap of faith on to the tin roof…always landing with the massive thud! I think he is looking for a way into the attic space, as several possums have nested there before new insulation was put in the roof space. The ducks are regular visitors and their numbers are increasing. I had a wee band of three drakes and their Mrs round today. One of them (a female) has a special insistant quack…and it is her way of saying “hey time for food please”. They land on the roof of the kitchen and stomp around with their webbed feet looking through the skylight at me painting…and othertimes stare through the cat door. They are my friends. I think we all under estimate the intelligence of animals and birds…all living things in general. In October they will nest under the bushes and parade their numerous ducklings. In the kitchen this week I made a great big moist fruit boiled fruit cake…all of which has now been consumed. I used some of the walnuts from the garden in this. Here is the recipe: This makes a good sized cake. It contains no eggs. This cake is lovely and moist. Just remember to cover it with foil if browning too much and don’t overcook. I find that the cooking time is considerable less than stated here…check after 45 mins, I find it takes just under an hour. I also add some chopped crystallized ginger and walnuts to it…use strongly brewed tea and juice of a lemon instead of plain old water. I used Self Raising flour instead of plain and bicarb. I put a square of silver foil to line tin and my cooking spray for the sides of tin…this means an easy ‘release’ when I turn it out. Wait for it to cool before turning out ~ Anni Mum’s Boiled Fruit Cake ( and original instructions! ) 1 Tin Condensed Milk (395 gram) 1 Tin Cold Water (stewed tea is best) (395gm) juice of 1 lemon 500g Mixed Fruit 75g walnuts roughly chopped 75g crystallised ginger, roughled chopped 225g Butter 250g Flour 1 tsp Baking Soda (Conversion guide metric to Imperial can be found at: www.jsward.com/cooking/conversion.shtml ). Boil 1st four ingredients for 3 minutes. Cool. Add sifted dry ingredients. Bake in a tin the size of a lunch plate at 160deg for 1 1/2 hours Well I’ll finish off here have a great weekend, whichever corner of the globe you reside in. Fond regards Anni ;)