This is Stripeycat: August 2016

Sunday, 21 August 2016

Saturday, 20 August 2016

This afternoon we went up to Craggies again to get some stuff and also to take Pat next door out for a drive. It's a lovely run up there through Cragg Vale even in the torrential rain. We got stuck behind a vintage tractor at one point and then saw several other machines further along the road and had a sudden flash of memory from the watermark day flyer that they were having a tractor race! - which became very much more obvious as we turned off for the business park. A line of about twelve enormous vehicles were belting along with lights flashing...it never ceases to amaze me how much bigger tractors are these days. I mean, I learnt to drive with Chris on a grey vintage Dexta - like the one we saw at the car show the other weekend, which was naturally small due to being old and cabless, but, even then other cabbed machines on the farm - a blue Leyland, white david brown, good old red and silver massey, noisy yellow marshall and a dark red CASE International were literally about half the size of these things tear arsing along the road. Standing up close to them when we'd parked was even more astonishing...George didn't even come up to the top of the front wheel!

PAST the monster machines....we encountered the mardy llamas...sorry, alpacas, who are part of http://www.countyalpacas.co.uk/ - which is an alpaca wool business making everything from socks to duvets. Beautiful, soft, silky stuff...I want some socks for Christmas. We found that unfortunately the cafe was closed but bought some food stuffs and then called into Polka dot lane. That turned into a huge conversation with the owners and Pat about history and was absolutely fascinating. We got a bit wet because it was hoofing down, but it was a good trip and i think Pat enjoyed just getting out.

Jon made Spag bol and then we watched Peanuts the movie. George ate a shit tonne of popcorn and Bella tried to get her share.

Bed then...but managed to stay awake long enough to see Mo Farah win his second gold of the games and complete his double double, Well done you incredible athlete.

Friday, 19 August 2016

Bolt

I love this man. Genuinely. He just astonishes me. The fastest man on earth. The fastest man ever recorded, The winner of 100m, 200m and 100mx4 relay in Beijing, London and now Rio. The triple triple. AMAZING. Made me proud to have been alive during his reign and sad that this is the last time i'll see him at an olympics. Love that cheeky, twinkly, roguish grin.x

Thursday, 18 August 2016

A bit of baking...

I got the veg and fruit box from Abel and Cole on tuesday, within which we got Apples, pears, redcurrants and whitecurrants....so, I needed to use them up obviously!

The pie is mainly apple with a couple of additional pears - added a generous amount of cinnamon and a little squeeze of agave - baked the sliced fruit topless in the oven for a while and then laid a lattice of pastry over. Nothing clever, just ready rolled cut into strips and draped over. Up to this point we were completely vegan...then I had the bright idea of grating some cheddar over the top, lol. Never mind. It tastes great. Very autumnal...am I allowed to say that in August? - it;s coming folks, it's coming!

The cake is a standard all in one whisking method job but made with a unrefined coconut blossom sugar - this is what gives it the brown wholemeal colour. the middle is filled with the red and white currants, some raspeberries, strawberries and blueberries with a layer of whipped cream. Topped with the same. It tasted fantastic, but honestly, I could have had the sponge alone without the fruit and cream, coconut sugar gives it such a rich, dark, caramel flavour it would be great on its own with a cup of tea.