Baking

I just love to bake. I find it very relaxing and if ever I am stressed or need to think something through I am often to be found in the kitchen, mixing bowl and wooden spoon in hand. There is something very satisfying in beating together butter and sugar (I make all of my cakes by hand) then gently adding eggs and flour, baking it in the oven and then 30 minutes later, as the delicious smells of baking waft through the house, a warm golden cake comes out of the oven. I learnt to bake from watching my mother and grandmother and they have taught me all that I know.

I have developed a reputation at work for my baking so when the creative director spotted this blog she had to show me. I casually said that it looked easy enough to produce and the challenge was set, I had to make a rainbow cake!

The cake itself was straight forward enough to make, but the best bit was taking it in to the office and everyone trying to guess what was so special about this cake...




I hadn't told anyone what I had done, so it was brilliant to hear the gasp and "oohs" from people as I cut into the cake and all was revealed.



I photographed each stage of the baking process as I think this is as interesting as the final results.

Vintage

I am something of a nostalgic person, not for my own childhood but for times past. If I have a choice between something that is brand new or something second hand or "vintage" it is usually the latter that I will go for.

I love reading second hand books, especially old penguin classics. I saw this link on The Persephone Post, the blog written by the Persephone Books team. Persephone books are pretty much the only books I buy new, and a trip to the shop to buy one is a whole outing in itself. The blog is rather lovely as it posts one image per day which offers a 5 minute pick-me-up where I can switch off from work with a cup of coffee in the morning.

I am trying not to look at my own Penguin Classics to see what numbers I have. I do have a couple of early editions but most of mine date from the 1950s. I think as soon as I look I will become obsessed with finding and collectin old editions...