Showing posts with label Blognix. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blognix. Show all posts

Thursday, 2 January 2014

That Was The Year Duck...

Most people posted a summary like this on New Year's Eve but I thought I'd do my own thing and post it a couple of days into January!


So 2013 was the year Duck...
 
 
March
...started a blog
 

April
...spent a week with family in North Wales
...went on a day trip to the Emerald Isle
...revisited the town where she gained a degree
...had a fun-filled holiday in Blackpool
...laughed her socks off at Blackpool Pleasure Beach

Blackpool Tower Ballroom

 
 
May
...started her own weekly musical feature
..completed Rosalilium's Blog Every Day in May challenge
...spent a day at Carters Steam Fair
...investigated a new heritage cycle path in Bath
...dressed as a steampunk girlie at Frome's Steampunk Extravaganza
 
Carters Steam Fair at Pinkneys Green

 
  
June
...completed the Bonjour Blogger Comments Challenge
...complied a 32 Before 32 list
...enjoyed a fab gig by Eddie Izzard at the Eden Project
...met lots of other lovely bloggers at Rosalilium's Blognix event
...saw lots and lots of bands with her free ticket into Glastonbury Festival

Rolling Stones at Glastonbury Festival
 

 
 July
...made her friends fall in love with Kneehigh Theatre Company
...redesigned her blog header with the help of some friendly ducks
...had a sun-filled day out in Weymouth
...felt very grown-up attending Library Camp South West
...put together a little present for a newborn baby

Female Duck

 
 
August
 ...bought a sweet little necklace from Claireabellemakes
...stumbled upon a gorgeous pair of Poetic Licence shoes in a charity shop
...ate baked potatoes cooked in a steam engine
...watched far too many shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
...studied the artwork of the fairground

Carters Steam Fair at Bath Victoria Park
 


September
...took a bear on holiday to Great Dorset Steam Fair
 ...completed the Gromit Unleashed trail around Bristol and the South West
...won a Liebster Award
...went back to University for the second study school of her postgrad degree
...took part in her first Photo an Hour challenge

A Bear at Great Dorset Steam Fair

 
 
October
 ...educated everyone about the very Somerset reason why she loves Autumn
...went to her very first ever swishing event
...was referred to the chief consultant to start IVF treatment
...ate far too many samples at Wells Food Festival
...enjoyed a fabulous vintage day out at the Pretty Nostalgic Vintage Gathering

2012 Somerset Carnival

 
 
November
 ...completed Rosalilium's Blog Every Day in November challenge
...wondered when she'd got so old
...took a little bear to see some big fireworks and Carnival floats
...took part in her second Photo an Hour challenge
...saw the amazing production of The Little Mermaid at the Bristol Old Vic

Bridgwater Fireworks


 
December
 ...almost bought far too many things at Frome's Christmas Super Market
 ...raised over £200 for Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day
...sent and received some wonderful gifts for Hannah Bee's Secret Santa and Janet's Thrifty Christmas Gift Swap
...took part in the Share Advent challenge
...and turned 31!

Reindeer in the window of Deadly is the Female Frome



Here's to an equally great 2014!
 

Sunday, 30 June 2013

June Happiness

Five things which have made me smile this month...
 
 
 
1. My free ticket into Glastonbury Festival!

Glastonbury Festival Staff Ticket
 

 
2. Meeting lots of lovely fellow bloggers at Rosalilium's Blognix event.

Birmingham Blognix Speakers



 
3. A lovely picnic with Andrew high on the Mendip Hills.

Ebbor Gorge
 

 
4. Finding lots of wonderful little blogs as part of the June Comments Challenge.
 Bonjour Blogger Comments Challenge


 
5. A farewell BBQ for our outgoing students at work - which meant an afternoon eating burgers and scoffing ice cream, and getting paid for it!

Ice Cream Van at Bath University
 



 
What little things have made you happy this month?
 
 


Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Sweet Treats - Sticky Toffee Date Cake

Part of Rosalilium's fabulous Blognix day was a cake competition. Now I knew I wouldn't have any chance of winning but I thought I'd take along one anyway to add to the indoor picnic.
 
I chose to make a Sticky Toffee Date Cake, a cake I've made several times before and although it doesn't look very pretty, it does taste good.
 
 
Sticky Toffee Date Cake
 
For the cake
8 oz dates, de-stoned and chopped
10 fl oz boiling water 
4 oz butter, softened
6 oz caster sugar 
3 eggs, at room temperature and beaten
8 oz plain flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
3 drops vanilla essence
 
For the topping
3 oz soft brown sugar
2 oz butter
9 teaspoons double cream
 
Sticky Toffee Date Cake
Although there's two packets of dates in the photo, you actually only need one!
 
 
Switch the oven on to 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4. Then the first job is to de-stone and chop the dates, pop them in a dish and cover with the boiling water.

Sticky Toffee Date Cake


Whilst they're soaking, cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs, and fold in the flour and cinnamon.

Add the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla essence to the date and water mixture then pour the whole lot onto the creamed butter, sugar, eggs and flour mixture.

Mix it up and pour it into a greased and lined cake tin about 9 inches across and you have a not-very inspiring creamy goo!

Sticky Toffee Date Cake
 

Pop it in the oven for about an hour until risen and firm.

While the cake is cooling, take the topping ingredients and put in a saucepan to all heat gently together. When everything has dissolved, bring to the boil and then simmer for 3 minutes.

Sticky Toffee Date Cake
 
 
Leaving the cake in it's tin, pour the topping mixture over the cake and place under the grill until it's golden and bubbling (this won't take very long).
 
Sticky Toffee Date Cake
 

Leave to cool (I left mine overnight) then carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the tin.

Sticky Toffee Date Cake


So there you go, as I said, it's not the prettiest cake in the world but if you want a cake that tastes just like Sticky Toffee Pudding then this fits the bill!

(Plus I reckon you can claim it's healthy - it's got dates in it and everyone knows they're good for you...)

 
 


Monday, 10 June 2013

Birmingham Blognix = Beautiful Bloggers!

Saturday 8th June saw the arrival of Rosalilium's Birmingham Blognix - my very first ever blogging event!

Birmingham Blognix

It was an early start, leaving the house at 6.30am for a 7.08am train journey involving a change at Bristol. I'd made a Sticky Toffee Date Cake for Blognix's cake competition and suprisingly it made it all the way to Brum in one piece - good job it did, otherwise I would've had to quickly buy some custard and call it Sticky Toffee Pudding...

Birmingham Blognix Bath Train Station

Although my train was a little bit late I was still in good time and strolled my way in the sun to The Custard Factory.

Birmingham Blognix Custard Factory


Birmingham is a place I haven't really visited since being at university up north 10+ years ago - and even then it was only as I was travelling from north to south on the train or coach
(ahh, many happy hours spent in Digbeth Coach Station...)

So it was really interesting to see how the centre has been redeveloped and Blognix venue, The Custard Factory was a perfect example of an old industrial building being transformed into cool revitalised art space.

Birmingham Blognix Custard Factory

Birmingham Blognix Vintage Fair

Birmingham Blognix Vintage Fair

Birmingham Blognix Scooters


 The main event of the day featured fabulous speakers, Jen from A Little Bird Told Me and Emma from The Freelance Lifestyle, a bloggers Q & A session and workshops about monetising your blog, photography for blogging and blog design.

Birmingham Blognix

Birmingham Blognix


I wasn't sure what to expect as I'd never been to a bloggers event before but I wasn't disappointed. Everyone I met was lovely and friendly and I picked up lots and lots of tips from the speakers and all the fab bloggers attending.

Birmingham Blognix

Birmingham Blognix Ice Cream Van


There was also lots of lovely food - Elizabeth had laid on a spread for all of us with tea and coffee all day, crossiants for breakfast, a indoor picnic lunch, sweets and plenty of yummy cakes provided by all of us bloggers at Blognix.

Birmingham Blognix Food

Birmingham Blognix Food

Birmingham Blognix Food and Cakes


I've now got a long long list of notes and things to investigate over the next few weeks - Google+, Flipboard, Hootsuite, Blogstomp, getting more involved with Instagram (I definately need a decent camera phone!), using Twitter to connect with brands and bloggers and plenty more scribbles in my notebook (some of which I've yet to decipher...)

It was also heart-warming to be at an event where everyone there was equally enthusiastic about blogging. Although I'm enjoying blogging I've often wondered if what I'm doing is okay, what I'm writing about is actually interesting or if the photos I've taken are any good.

The main thing I left Blognix with was simply confidence - the courage to know that what I'm doing is perfectly fine, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks and that I do actually have my own voice.




PS. - Elizabeth deserves a huge congratulations for organising such a wonderful event!
{virtual clap and woop woop needed!}

P.P.S - A wave and a hug to all the lovely bloggers I met and spent the day with - Nic's Notebook, Kat Got The Cream, Miss Imogen Smith (and friend), Tales from The Finch's Beak, Caramel Latte Kiss and Animating People

P.P.P.S - Blognix also marked the first item ticked on my '32 Before 32' list!

This Weekend at the Duckpond

We have mostly been...


Gardening - clearing and tidying; planting Salvia, Diascia, Petunia, Begonia, Chives, Rosemary, Osteopermum and Lobelia; sweeping up leaves and fallen bits of trees; replanting plant pots and hanging baskets; and enjoying tea and cake amongst freshly-flowered wisteria and peonies.

Gardening
 
Cake in the garden
 
Gardening
Just one flowerbed - a before and after shot
 
Gardening
 Gardening
 

Learning - from other fabulous bloggers at Rosalilium's Blognix event in Birmingham. It was an amazing and inspirational day - blog post to follow soon!

Birmingham Blognix


What did you get up to at the weekend?






June Comments Challenge - 8th & 9th June

The Bonjour, Blogger June Comments Challenge
Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June - Ten Cool Blog Posts


A Rosie Outlook - A Weekend in Weymouth
A Rosie Outlook
Looks like Rosie had a great weekend in sunny Weymouth, one of my favourite seaside resorts



Being Erica - A Casual Wednesday
Being Erica
Erica went to see (and enjoyed) one of my favourite musicals - Matilda!



Bonjour. Blogger - Saturday Summary
Bonjour. Blogger
A great round up of some fab crafty blog posts



Fat Frocks - Nerth gwlad ei gwybodaeth - Zatchels, Cake and Libraries
Fat Frocks
A library away day outing to a amazing building



Tales From The Finch's Beak - Bonjour Blogger - June Comments Challenge
Tales From The Finch's Beak
I think I inspired the lovely Jodie to take part in the Comments Challenge!



Is That You Darling - The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel
Is That You Darling
A really interesting review of a little know WWII campaign to preserve our cultural heritage



Kat Got The Cream - What Kat Wore: At Blognix
Kat Got The Cream
Great photos from the lovely Kat who I was lucky enough to meet at Blognix - she's also caught a fab picture of Elizabeth from rosalilium!



Tales From The Finch's Beak - Birmingham Blognix
Tales From The Finch's Beak
I think at Blognix every person was wearing a charity shop outfit, drank lots of tea and ate lots of cake - I know I did!



Nic's Notebook - Bonjour Blogger Comments Challenge!
Nic's Notebook
Yay, another lovely blogger doing the challenge!



Slap Snap - Things I Learnt At Birmingham Blognix
Slap Snap
A great summary of the key points of the amazing Blognix day


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