A day of unexpected sunshine and surprise guests. It's been a grey, damp week which isn't in itself uncomfortable but it's perfect weather for the damn midges so I can't do anything outside that doesn't involve walking. Today, finally, the clouds started showing blue glimpses this morning. John and Jill Horsman turned up in their shiny, new landrover to walk to Dorlin which provided the perfect excuse to make Joanne's chocolate cake (I'd been thinking about it anyway). While they went for their walk I put up a trapeze and started wrapping bandage round the bar and when they came back we had tea and cake looking out over the loch after they\d been to have a look at Joanne's memorial. I forgot to force them to have a look at the Cuban-Missile-Crisis themed bathroom but that can wait 'til another time.
The hordes of friends I imagined this fortnight have failed to materialise, in fact I'm the only person within 10 miles and feeling slightly guilty about making my dad go back to Glasgow: only slightly guilty mind. He has been better behaved recently but that wouldn't be difficult since his bad behaviour includes random violence. The BMJ's recent report into dementia seemed like common sense but I wonder how obvious it would be if dad wasn't teetering on the edge of madness.
The chocolate cake recipe from the much-splattered copy of Syllabub: melt together 4oz each of sugar, golden syrup and butter; sieve 6oz flour, 2 heaped tblsp chocolate powder and 1 level tblsp cocoa; add the melted mix then one beaten egg and 1 level tsp baking powder dissolved in 1/4 gill warm milk; bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. For the icing mix 2oz soft butter, 4oz icing sugar, 1 tblsp cocoa, dash vanilla, squeeze of lemon juice and the smallest quantity of hot water.
I used some old(ish) greek yoghurt with honey instead of the hot milk and baked it for 40 minutes at a rather unreliable gas 6.
No comments:
Post a Comment