A New Month

I always forget how quickly February seems to pass. Do you still get that little flicker of excitement that you'd get at school, when you write the date and it's a new number for the month? I do a bit. The third month of the year has started well, yesterday was a beautiful day. I walked to the shops at about half four, and the sun was very much still up and shining, and it was warm enough not to need a coat. Quite a big contrast to Berlin. It was that lovely sort of temperature that makes you want to swing your arms back and forth whilst you walk, although not on a crowded pavement i hasten to add. I don't want to jump the gun here, but spring seems to be tentatively poking it's head round the corner. I saw shoots of unopened daffodils and crocuses on the grassy boarders, and it brightened my already fairly good day. 

Roll on spring!

Seasonal Smells

I was informed on Friday that this weekend was going to be the Christmas Pudding making weekend, a task highly regarded in my family. One that in recent years has fallen out of practice a bit, but it used to be upheld rigorously. I have played the important role of 'dried fruit weighing' from an early age (and have come on in leaps and bounds i might add). So yesterday father and daughter set about weighing and soaking the fruit in orange zest and cointreau. The pudding of choice this year was to be Fig, Orange and Cranberry, a lighter choice of stodge to follow a hearty Xmas dinner. The best bit about it was the way the kitchen smelt all afternoon, the rich fruit mixed with the zesty orange made it smell wonderful, and very christmassy. For the rest of the day i mused over all my favourite winter recipes and the ones i want to make this Christmas.