28/08/2008 by Ted.

Hi families, I’m back! 

Many thanks to Lynda in Bridlington for the prompt receipt of the recipe for Mum’s Ginger Biscuits. Lovely to hear from you Lady in Red.

Herewith the recipe - bon apetit!

Mums Ginger Biscuits..

12oz SR Flour
8oz Sugar
5oz Marg
3oz Golden Syrup
1teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
2 or 3 teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 Egg
 
Gas 3, not sure for electric.

Method
Melt marg, sugar, syrup in a pan then add rest of ingredients, roll into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheet, and cook in cool oven until brown, then cool on wire tray.

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28/08/2008 by Ted.

Hi families!

I hope everyone is well and happy and enjoying the summer - especially Bob in Bridlington who I believe is.  Here in the North-west region it is another wet and windy day - what’s new? But I received some literature the other day from a charity called Wateraid (www.wateraid.com) who provide wells and water access and sanitation for the hotter and drier parts of the world where rain is short or virtually non-existent, and the rain here didn’t look so bad after reading that. As little mum used to remind us ”Count your blessings!”

Wet summer or dry summer the time certainly flies along.  The evenings are noticibly drawing in now and the sun is having a lie-in before deciding to stay in bed instead of shining down here for us.  I noticed that the horse chestnut tree leaves are already brown as I drove through Kirkby-in-Furness the other day.  Round here they are the first ones to lose their green and remind us that Autumn is just around the corner - and also the first to grow their new green ones in Springtime. I must have been driving past the same trees for more than forty years.  I clearly remember them being planted as saplings many years ago.  Wow, as I said earlier, time flies along. Now they bear a full harvest of “conkers” every year without fail.

It’s been a busy gardening summer.  I bought several packets of Livingstone Daisy seeds this year and after sowing loads of them read the packet and discovered that there are approximately 1500 seeds in each packet.  Because of the constant sea wind around my house I grow all my flowers in containers so that I can move them into shelter from the wind when necessary.  So - this year most containers were carpeted with Livingstone Daisies - a wonderful sight when the sun is shining and they are fully open.  I posted a photo of a few of them to share with you and put a container of them on mum and dad’s grave where, on sunny days, they enjoyed full exposure to the sunlight and were beautiful. Now however they are well past their wind-blown best and it is time to start again with the winter collection.

Apart from that I have been busy building another radio-controlled boat from scratch.  A steep learning curve. The recipe said I needed a “balsa stripper” which didn’t, like many, many other things to do with  model boat building, mean a thing to me.  Since then I have actually used a balsa stripper (I’m keeping what it is a secret!!!) and drilled and tapped holes and screws and learned to fibre-glass and explored the deep world of balsa sheets and hardwood strips and epoxy resin and cyanoacrylate glues not to mention casting lead keel weights and finally, from it all, has emerged the hull of a new model boat complete with radio control gear, mast and rigging.  I have just the booms and mainsail and jib to master and then we’ll be there - and off to the lake in Barrow Park to try it out.  

Oh, by the way, has anyone out there got little mum’s recipe for her famous ginger biscuits?  I have been hunting for it high and low among the papers and books she left but can’t find it.  If you have it perhaps you could put it on the blog so family members (and others) may enjoy them again. 

Had a couple of nice dreams this week.  In one I was with Jackie, David, Sarah and Richard enjoying their company.  As I awakened I was saying to them how good it was to see them and know that they were all well and happy.

The second was a warm family gathering with (possibly) all the family.  I remember pulling Bob’s GINGER!!!!! beard before turning to a young (seven or eight years old) Susan and saying “All these are YOUR relations” and feeling the pleasure of being able to say that to her.Both dreams left a lovely warm glow on awakening.

I have plenty more to ramble on about but will not do so now so as to keep this reasonably brief. (Ahhhh …. sweet brevity!) But …… I’LL BE BACK!  (Oh, no!)

Till then my love and God’s blessings to you all,

Ted.

PS. Keep the buses coming.  If you have nothing particular to say just chatter - like I do.

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