Draliman’s First Bake Extravaganza!
Yes, you heard it correctly. I’ve done some baking! If you discount helping my mum as a toddler or cooking stuff in Home Economics at school, my first baking ever!
I am also tentatively linking this post to Maria and Rosema’s Word-High July for yesterday. The Filipino word was “kilig” meaning “butterflies in one’s stomach”, as I had butterflies in my stomach over the outcome of my baking!
I decided to make a Victoria Sponge, so I found a recipe on the BBC website from none other than Mary Berry.
I toddled off down the shops and got the ingredients, cake tins, mixing bowl, a cooling rack and so on. What I didn’t get was an electric mixer so I used a wooden spoon (old school!) and also I didn’t have any way to actually measure ingredients 😦
So “225g of self-raising flour” turned into “that’s about 1/6 of the bag, so that’s about down to the top of the logo on the packet – bung it in!”
Here is the finished creation. After I ate a huge slice.
It’s very tasty! I gave some to my friends and they were very impressed by how light the sponge was.
So, I am classifying my first ever baking attempt as a success! I will be buying kitchen scales and an electric mixer, though 🙂
FF – Rebirth
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. She also supplied this week’s photo which is a redo from many years ago and was suggested by Kent Bonham.
After I wrote this story it occurred to me that, all unplanned, it could be a continuation of my last one, but set two years later.
To read this week’s other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Ice glistened, a delicate filigree tracing intricate patterns across the window. Edward traced his finger over the loops and swirls, a morning ritual. At last he turned away to begin another gruelling day of nuclear winter.
Reaching for the door handle, he noticed a glint of orange flicker across the wall. Turning back, he saw the window glow with light, blazing yellow as the sun, hidden these past two years, illuminated the swirls of frost with the promise of life.
The dust had settled, the long winter ended, the remnants of the human race reborn to a new dawn.
Sharing My World 2016 Week 25
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
How many languages do you you speak?
English. Some American English (courtesy of American TV). I can understand a little French from my school days and speak a tiny bit. I’m better at German but very out of practice.
What are some words that just make you smile?
Bunny. Kitten. Patches (I type it a lot as a substitute for “updates” on the computer and it always makes me think of a cute little doggy).
If you were the original architect of one existing building, which building would you select?
This one.
It’s the Longaberger building in Ohio. Apparently they make baskets. Isn’t it awful? If I designed this I’d be famous and notorious for ever!
Would you rather have telepathy or telekinesis?
Let’s look at the pros and cons.
Telepathy pros:
- I could hear what other people are thinking 🙂
Telepathy cons:
- I could hear what other people are thinking about me 😦
Telekinesis pros
- I would never have to reach for the remote control again 🙂
- I could fling people across the room with but a thought 🙂
Telekinesis cons
- None 🙂
Telekinesis it is.
FF – Sunshine
Here is my post for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This photo was originally posted a few months before I started, and was supplied by Rich Voza.
To read the other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright Rich Voza
“Are we not getting on the plane, Mummy?”
“No, sweetheart, not today.”
“But… the sun is nearly down and you said it would be daytime when we took off.”
Sophie looked to her husband for support, eyes moist.
“That’s not the sun, pumpkin,” he told his little girl. “Let’s go back inside.”
“Are we far enough away, do you think?” asked Sophie quietly as their daughter scampered back to the terminal.
“From the initial blast, yes,” said her husband, “but the wind’s blowing from that direction. Fallout.”
Sophie shuddered, her tears drying in an instant as a second sun burst over the terminal building.
Sharing My World 2016 Week 24
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
What is the most fun thing you did in school?
I most enjoyed school trips. There was a memorable trip to London where we visited the zoo and watched the play “Mousetrap” at the theatre, and I made new friends too. But imagine the bravery of the teachers taking a whole class of 12 year olds so far away for a whole weekend!
We also went on several trips around Cornwall and West Devon, including the highest spot in Cornwall, the amusingly named “Brown Willy” (which was recently voted among the top five rude place names in Britain!).
What is your favourite type of dog? (can be anything from a specific breed, a stuffed animal or character in a movie)
Stuffed doggies!
The Lads.
You are invited to a party that will be attended by many fascinating people you never met. Would you attend this party if you were to go by yourself?
Nooo, A thousand times no! And not if I wasn’t by myself either.
Complete this sentence: Never In My Life Have I…
… chainsawed my own arm off for a drunken dare while singing the Zambian national anthem in a small mud hut in the Amazon rain forest.
FF – Maestro
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. The photo this week was contributed by John Nixon and is another repeat. Before my time, however, so it’s new to me.
It’s a mad-looking picture so I’ve written a mad story. Perhaps next week this crazy writing will end and I’ll manage a more sensible story :-).
For this week’s other entries, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright John Nixon
His fingers flew across the keys, sweat glistening, heart pumping faster and faster, breathing becoming laboured… he lost himself, becoming one with the piano itself, impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
With a flourish, he hit the final triumphant chord, turned, gave a quick bow and collapsed, exhausted, into his seat.
His audience looked on, faces blank. Finally, one of them spoke.
“That’s all very well, Mr Davis, but where were you on the night of the fourteenth between nine and eleven pm?”
Note to self: Interview Room 1 is no place for a piano. Move to canteen.
Limerick Challenge Week 22
Here is my limerick for Mind and Life Matters’ Limerick Poetry Challenge. This week, we have to start our limerick with the words “Once upon a time”.
This posed a challenge for two reasons – firstly, “upon” has too many syllables to make it read correctly, and secondly, I had no ideas! You have no idea how long I spent trying to rhyme “zombie”, “Abercrombie” and… something else. But I was determined to get a zombie in there somehow :-). Feel free to read “upon” as ‘pon if you’d like it to read better.
For this week’s other limericks, click on the blue froggy.
Once upon a time, I’ll explain
Lived a scientist, Igor by name
Sought his life to prolong
It went horribly wrong
Now he spends all his time eating BRAINS!
Mmm, yummy brains 🙂
Sharing My World 2016 Week 23
Here is my post for Cee’s Share Your World.
What was one of your first moneymaking jobs (other than babysitting or newspaper delivery)?
My first moneymaking job was a summer job working for the council in their computer department. It was very much “the olden days” – mainframes and rows of big machines with tape reels spinning round. A lot of the time, I sat at the console waiting for the computer to tell me which tape it needed next, at which point I had to go and find it on the shelves and load it up.
It gave me a nice little “cache of cash” for starting university!
What is your favourite month of the year?
Most months have something going for them. The cold crispness and “winter smell” of December (plus Christmas of course!) and the warmth of July/August. Months which are not on my favourites list include
- January (back to work with a vengeance, a bit of a let down after Christmas)
- February (good job it’s short)
- March (could go either way)
- April (who knows what April will bring? A loose cannon, is April.)
- September (pretty pants)
- November (completely pointless)
Well, that’s half of them. Don’t even talk to me for half the year, apparently.
What three things in nature do you find most beautiful?
Lovely views (Tintagel, Cornwall).
Bubbling brooks (Golitha Falls, Cornwall).
Other-worldy peace and quiet (St. Nectan’s Glen, Cornwall).
List at least five of your favourite spices? (excluding salt and pepper)
Ha ha! I started Googling “difference between herbs and spices” and when I got as far as the “he” in herbs it auto-filled “difference between herpes and warts” 🙂
This is tricky – I’m more a “herb” person than “spice” person. I like all sorts of herbs – parsley, rosemary, thyme… spices not so much. Apparently chilli powder is a spice so that’s one. That’s got cumin in it, so I’ll have that one as well. I’ll also take curry powder which is “a blend of up to 20 spices” so that’s up to 22 total! What a cheat I am 🙂
FF – The Importance of Specificity
Here is my post for this week’s Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. The photo, provided by Douglas M. MacIlroy, is another redo, but this time I was around for the original.
Therefore I have done a sort of a story. It’s a bit puerile. I remember I had no real ideas the first time around either, but my original story, “Punchline”, can be found here.
I’m a bit later this week as yesterday evening I had dinner with Louise (aka afairymind from The Story Teller’s Abode) and her mum (Millie Thom) and Dad. Within minutes we were chatting like old friends, they’re just as lovely in “the real life” as in the blogosphere!
To read this week’s other stories/reruns, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright Douglas M MacIlroy
“Go on!” yelled Fred excitedly. “Grab a bat and whack me! I’m invincible in this helmet, it’s indestructible! No more head trauma for me!”
Glee etched on her face, his little sister did as she was told, swinging the bat as hard as her seven-year-old arms would allow. She’d dreamed of this moment!
THWACK!
Inside the diver’s helmet, Fred’s eyes widened in shock. His mouth gaped open, and with a barely audible “ugh” he slumped to the ground, clutching his splattered groin.
The moral of this story? Say what you mean. Be specific. Because squashed nads hurt. Like, a lot.
Limerick Challenge – Wedding
Here is my entry for Mind and Life Matters’ Limerick Poetry Challenge. This week the prompt word is “wedding”.
Here was my chance to try my hand at some romance, but sadly it wasn’t to be. After a couple of early extremely off-colour attempts, I ended up with this one. It all went a bit creepy, to be honest :-).
Click on the blue froggy for more entries!
Poor Freddy was jilted at church
Abandoned and left in the lurch
He tracked down his “bride”
With binoculars spied
And plotted revenge from his perch.
Click for a random post!
Woohoo!
I totally didn't win!
Share Your World
Friday Fictioneers
draliman on life 