Life: November 2022

Bournemouth Beach

Popped down to see my youngest son at uni on a lovely sunny November day and wandered along the beach front. Who knew that there are actually goats grazing on the cliffs at Bournemouth?!

This is the Jon Egging memorial in tribute to a pilot who died during the 2011 Air Display in Bournemouth.

Mending

My beautiful One Hundred Stars dressing gown was ready to be packed away for winter but it had developed some quite substantial fraying where the sleeve met the cuff. The fabric is so fine that it would have been nigh on impossible to unpick.

My only solution was to cut the cuff off and reattach as if it were a large piece of binding so that it encapsulated the frayed edge, It obviously leads to a much narrower cuff, but I think it works.

Stonehenge

It must have been over 20 years since I had visited Stonehenge - it was before the museum was built and the road was shut. So, I took the opportunity to visit en route to seeing my sister. If you don’t take the option of the bus from the car park, it is about a 20-30 stroll down the road (or through the fields) to the stone circle itself.

Even though there were a fair few people around, there were moments when it felt like it was just you and the stones. It’s a wonderful site and, as National Trust members, it was free for us. 

Mincemeat

For the last couple of years I have been reading Nigel Slater’s Christmas Chronicles. It’s part winter/festive diary and part recipe book. I made his mincemeat recipe which I used with a little leftover puff pastry in some mince pies.

Banoffee Puddings (makes 6)

We had some old friends over for dinner at the last minute this weekend. I rustled up a quick and hassle free banoffee pudding as follows:

Bash 4 or 5 digestive biscuits in a sealed bag and spoon into six glasses. 

Next spoon equal amounts of caramel sauce from a tin of Carnation Caramel.

Chop 2 bananas and distribute evenly.

Whip 2/3 pint of double cream and spoon on the top.

Grate a little chocolate on the top to finish.

Autumn Walks

It hasn't been the best month weather wise and I certainly have keenly felt the decline in the number of walks that I have been doing. It feels like it is either raining or dark!

However, I did manage a really enjoyable walk around the outskirts of the town where I live. Sometimes I have to just try and get out and make the most of the local things to remind myself how lucky I am to have this lovely countryside on my doorstep.

Love Mrs Jones x