Day 22.

I ate most of the raspberry cheesecake myself yesterday *grins sheepishly*.  It was very especially delicious indeed on its second day.  That cheesecake will never make it to a third day.  I am going to get ingredients for another tomorrow - I need to have one more little taste of it, you see.  Wha-at??  It's very healthy really, all fresh ingredients (apart from the biscuits and the butter, and the mascarpone from a pot, and the icing sugar, and the lemon juice out of a bottle because we didn't have any fresh).

This is Thomas, very proudly holding up his finished reading book.  It's the first one he's finished from school.  It took him rather a long time (mostly my fault for forgetting to get it done - he actually could have finished it about three weeks ago!)  He's very excited about choosing a new book tomorrow.  This weekend I think I would like to take the kids into town and get them library memberships.  I can't believe we haven't done that before now.  Terrible.  They love books, and they're always saying that they're bored of the ones we have.  Anyway - well done Thomas!  I'm very proud of you, and your reading is coming on a treat :)  I'll be buying you your very own copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in no time!

Happy Christmas :)  I went to Barton Grange garden centre today, my first bit of Christmas 'shopping'.  I couldn't really afford anything in there, but I did find the snow globe that I've been looking for for a few years.  I don't really know why I've been wanting one, but none of the globes I've seen over the past few years have been right.  It was usually the snow that fell too quickly, and it was also that the little model was a daft looking snowman with a cheesy coal grin.  This one is lovely.  My picture doesn't do it justice - it's actually much nicer than this.  It'll probably be broken within minutes of me putting it out in December, but the child that breaks it will have their pocket money nicked, and I will buy a new one (globe that is, not child).

Off to bed now.  Night.

Day 20.

We were supposed to go out for a walk today.  But we just didn't, lol.  We didn't have an unproductive day though.  Kev and I found a burst of energy from somewhere, and we cleaned the kitchen a bit!  Yes.  Astounding.  Then Kev's mum and dad popped in for a little visit and stayed for a few hours.  It was very nice to have their company :)  We spent most of the visit eating and drinking much tea.  Kev made lovely omelettes for us all, and then we ate chocolate.  And then we did some 'baking'.  Kev baked a carrot and walnut cake (which is just waiting for its frosting - I'll show you a picture tomorrow), and me and Thomas made a raspberry cheesecake (with the help of Nana Jackie).

Cheesecake couldn't really be any easier; it consists of these ingredients: some crushed up biscuits (we used digestives and gingers mixed together in melted butter), some raspberries, some mascarpone, some lemon juice and some icing sugar.  This is all.  Don't ask me about quantities, because I don't know.  We just guessed and tasted and added more until it all looked right.  If you crush the raspberries with a fork before you add the cheese it's better: if you whizz them in the blender they end up as liquid and the whole thing is too runny.  Once it's assembled we put more crushed biscuits on top, and some half raspberries.  It doesn't take anything like a shop bought cheesecake, it just tastes completely homemade, and very fresh.  Lovely indeed.

Here it is:

Next week I'm going to try to find time to make banoffee 'pie'.  It's not really a pie, because it doesn't have a pastry base, it just has more crushed biscuits.  It's fabulous though.  And very easy.

I don't do tricky food, I only do simple hearty stuff.  I suppose I'm a bit like Nigella in that respect.  Although, I tend to do more real cooking - none of that Marmite on spaghetti in our house!  (Sorry Nigella :) - you're fabulous, and I love you, honest.)

I tell you what - I'm looking forward to the Jane Austen Festival in Bath next year, if it's anything like Pride and Prejudice, which I'm watching right now.  Because the food looks incredible.  I want to pop into the telly and eat everything.  I can't really work out why I'm so hungry all the time at the moment - it's perhaps still a reaction to all the fresh fruit and vegetables I ate in Barbados, I may still be malnourished.

I'm going now, to investigate the noises that keep coming from the stairs!  I think we have a ghost, or an intruder.  Err, might see you later.  Unless I'm frightened out of my wits when a towel falls off the banister and lands on my head!