Daffodils, Pancakes and A Patron Saint

Hello Friends!

DAFFODILS FOR SAINT DAVID'S DAY

It's been quite a busy few days in the village as it is March 1st, and that means it is Saint David's Day, the day we celebrate the Patron Saint of Wales.  You can read all about it here and here  where I have previously shared several of our events and a little of the history of David himself.

I was unable to attend in person at any of the events this year, however, I did manage to take a few photographs of some of the many windows that have been so beautifully decorated in celebration of Saint David. Here are a few of them, a bit shaky as it was like standing in a wind tunnel out there today in 50 mph winds ~~~

I love these quirky pottery Welsh ladies

Here are some of my personal things, some table linen, a Welsh lady doll that is dressed in traditional costume that someone lovingly knit by hand, and a few towels and oven gloves with Welsh patterns ~~~

and a plate of delicious Welsh Cakes, a yummy treat to have with tea on St David's Day ~~~

We also have dear friends living Across the Pond who celebrate Wales and they share their lovely pictures and celebrations with us ~~~

Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday, which you can read about here, however, many of you celebrate this day yourself in one of its many forms as it is celebrated across the world and I'd love if you'd share your stories in the comment ~~~

I don't like calling it Pancake Day as I observe it as Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent, although, as a child, we sang the following little ditty all day long in school, in eager anticipation of delicious pancakes, fresh from the frying pan, for our tea when we got in from the cold, and often wet, walk home from school ~~~

Pancake Day! Pancake Day!

Mother's Busy Baking 

Toss the Pancakes! Toss the Pancakes!

Turn the Pancakes Over!

I always remember my mother, slaving over the hot stove which stood in the corner of the tiny room where we cooked, ate, and sat around the fire of the evenings, making the pancakes one by one so each of us got a fresh, hot pancake slathered in melted butter, sprinkled liberally with sugar, and drizzled with lemon juice. She would serve everyone first before sitting down to her own, then start again giving each one of us a fresh pancake in turn, ending with her own, until all the batter was gone! My goodness, they were tasty treats with all the sugar and butter!

We sat, in eager anticipation, not only of the delicious pancakes, but waiting for The Toss! No meal of pancakes is proper without the successful toss of at least one pancake!  I pride myself on my expertise in this field!

Here is my recipe for crêpes which I learned in school, many decades ago ~~~

4 oz plain flour, sifted with a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and into this crack two large eggs. Gradually incorporate the eggs into the flour, slowly drawing the flour into the eggs. When all the flour is absorbed by the eggs, slowly pour in 1/2 pint of full cream milk beating constantly using a hand held electric whisk. You may, of course, whisk by hand using a balloon whisk should you require to burn off calories before eating your treat!  Set batter aside for a minimum of 1 hour before using. Immediately before using, pour 1 oz melted butter into the batter and whisk well.
To cook the pancakes, heat a heavy flat based pan and lightly grease with butter. When the butter begins to give off a blue smokey haze the pan is ready. Pour about 1/6 of the batter into the pan and swirl around until it reaches the edges. When the top is dry and the pancake slides freely in the pan, flip using a spatula, or toss if you are brave enough and cook the other side until golden brown.
Transfer the cooked pancake to a warm plate and flavour or fill with your choice of toppings before serving immediately. Repeat with remaining batter, which makes approximately 6 pancakes of 10 inches diameter. Bon Appetit!

Our traditional Shrove Tuesday pancakes are globally called crêpes, those heavenly, paper thin French confections of pure, soft, melt in the mouth delight which I love dearly. Today, pancakes will be made in many shapes, sizes, and filled with all manner of treats.  These are mine ~~~

I don't mind savoury or filled sweet pancakes at any time of year, and love them filled with garlic mushrooms; roasted Mediterranean vegetables; broccoli in a cheese sauce; ice cream and chocolate sauce; fresh fruit and a brandy sauce; you get the idea ~ but on Shrove Tuesday they are simple fare served in remembrance of the day.

Did you have pancakes yesterday, or do you have other ways of celebrating Shrove Tuesday?

Until next time ~~~
~~~ Deborah

David Winter Cottages Part One

Hello Friends!

Once upon a long, long time ago I collected a few, not many, David Winter cottages.  I am not an authority on them, I only have a dozen or so, and I bought them for their aesthetic charm as much as anything, for I find them most delightful and pleasing to look at. One thing I can say is that the attention to detail is truly amazing for something so small ~~~ each tiny doorway, every window, nook and cranny is finished to an incredibly high standard of detail which you might not expect to find in something so small. Just take one in your hands and peek at the detail on a recessed doorway, or under the roof eaves, or through the arch running through the property as in the old coaching days and you will see the detail of brickwork, doors and windows continues inside the recesses as if built by faeries ~~~ truly amazing attention to detail.

In mid December 2016 I could not believe my luck on a chance visit to a local charity shop to find four tiny cottages sitting on the shelves and at a bargain price of just £2.50 for all four. My heart skipped a beat as I quickly and carefully scooped them up and scurried to the counter before someone realised they'd made a mistake with the pricing!  I later found out they had been there for over a week!  I did write a little about them during the Christmas Countdown that I did through Advent {and have imported those photos here} but many of you asked me if I will share the rest of my small collection.

As I am recording the cottages from several angles, I don't want to swamp you with dozens of images of cottages, so I'll start today with the four charity shop purchases, then soon I'll share the rest ~~~

I've taken photographs from all angles because there is always something to look at 'in the round' with David Winter cottages, which I find adds greatly to the charm, so much detail!

Here's a helpful hint, if you have any David Winter cottages you will know that, no matter how carefully you handle them, they are prone to tiny chips and then the white underneath shows through. Not any more! I just used my Spectrum Noir alcohol ink pens and was able to touch up any areas with slight damage ~~~ good as new and only I know {okay, and now you know too, but shhhh! we're not telling, right?}

The following photos show how I used my entire collection along my mantel shelf and used rolls of cotton wool as fake snow to give a more festive feel. I also added a couple strands of tiny led lights to bring a little glow in the evenings as I could not put candles near to the cotton wool ~~~

The rest of the collection will follow in a future piece.  I hope you have enjoyed the first four cottages ~~~

Until next time
Deborah xoxo