Happy Easter

As a special treat, I baked some delicious chocolate cupcakes this morning.  Iced with chocolate ganache and topped with mini Easter eggs.  Very rich, so quite an indulgence, but definitely worth it for a little Easter celebration. 

 

Wishing you all a very Happy Easter.

Spring

 

Last week, we had mild temperatures for a couple of days and my thoughts turned to spring, which according to the calendar, was just around the corner. 

 

 

This week, nature had other ideas and the arrival of spring was greeted with a huge snow storm, which dumped about a foot of snow on us in about nine hours. 

 

The garden, which had been reappearing last week (indeed, the whole of the front garden was snow-free), is now buried under drifts again.

 

At least this morning, the sun is shining and I can appreciate the beauty of nature from my kitchen window.

Coast

Just before illness struck our household, we took a drive up to Cape George and Ballantyne's Cove in search of seals.  I had been told that they were clearly visible on the ice, but on the day we visited, they were tiny black blobs in the distance, as much of the ice had blown off-shore.

Still, the scenery was breath-taking, as was the wind.  The snow along the shoreline was quite deep, so we didn't venture far.

The winter landscape looks so different to the view in summer when the harbour is busy with boats.

The narrow channel seen in this photograph is the only access to water and the seals were on the far side.  There were only a couple of them and even with binoculars, it was difficult to pick them out from that distance.

It was great to get out and see the coast in winter.  I hope that next time we visit, the spring will have arrived and the snow melted.  We may then be able to enjoy sitting at this picnic bench and admiring the view.

Comfort Food

There are times when the only thing that offers any comfort is food.  After two weeks during which we have hardly set foot outside the door due to illness, I felt the need for a taste of home.  Nipping down to the local supermarket for a packet of teacakes isn't an option here because they don't sell them.  In the past, I have attempted baking teacakes, but they did not turn out that well.  This time, I tried a recipe from Country Homes & Interiors' Magazine, which I adapted slightly, as I didn't have all of the ingredients.

The results were delicious!  The article suggested eating by the hearth, which sadly, we don't have, but they tasted great with a cup of tea.  Perfect comfort food for a cold winter's day.