Friday 29 June 2012

What a Doughnut!

Assorted best seller doughnuts from Krispy Kreme
Doesn't time fly when you are having fun? I placed these pictures on the blog nearly a fortnight ago, got busy with something else, saved the page and completely forgot until reminded by a blog follower that I hadn't posted for a while - thanks Linda!

Well there's nothing too much new other than summer has arrived in the UK at last but due to an unusual flow of the jet stream, we are subject to westerly Atlantic fronts bringing occasional thunderstorms and torrential rain and many parts of the UK are being subjected to flash flooding. Although locally we haven't had flooding, residents in this area who were flooded five years ago this week following unprecedented levels of rain will be looking nervously at weather forecasts. 

Doughnuts (or donuts depending on which part of the world you come from) above were a father's day gift and don't they look good? I have to say that in terms of taste, some of them didn't quite live up to how they look. I've no great experience with doughnuts, but I like soft fresh doughnuts, sweet and light. Some of the above were almost bread-like which wasn't quite what I expected. Needless to say, before you ask, I only had three over two days, the family ate the rest.

As a child, my mother occasionally had a treat from the local bread shop Skeltons (long gone) of an apple turnover. This was a clam shaped doughnut with stewed apple and cream in the middle. I loved the jam donut, a round rock shaped doughnut with delicious strawberry jam in the middle and as a very rare treat, a chocolate éclair, a long slim doughnut with cream in the middle and a covering of chocolate on top. By the way, they were a fabulous bakery and their freshly baked Danish loaf was stunningly tasty.

Everything is very green and bright outside and plants, shrubs and trees are growing well but the flowers just need some sun to bring them out. It's certainly warm enough and on a night it's been a sticky, humid 18 degrees; the fan might have to come out. I even meditated on the patio a couple of nights ago it was so warm.

My friend Linda's daughter Helen decided that her two pet goldfish, Arthur and Merlin, really needed a new home and a better life than to be swimming around in a tank. So in a short ceremony, having offered to accommodate them in the small pond, I let them loose among goldfish cousins and rudd half cousins. After a few moments of sluggishness and no doubt shock, they happily swam off and a fortnight later, they seem to have integrated and are eating happily with the rest of them.

A small goldfish being released into the pond, either Merlin or Arthur

It's a busy couple of weeks coming up starting with Cottingham Day on 7 July (in the East Riding of Yorkshire) and my angel stall is getting an airing in the craft fair. On the same day, in the evening, I'm covering a paranormal investigation in Lincoln. In the week after, I am travelling down to Hampshire for a 4 hour meeting which takes two days out of my life because it's a day travelling down, an overnight stay, a workshop and a long day travelling back. In context this is nearly 250 miles and 4 hours each way at the speed limit without a stop. In reality, I have to drive around London on the M25 and will need a couple of stops so just travelling takes the time.

Oh joy!

Chat soon

Ta-ra

5 comments:

  1. Why on earth are you doing the M25 to go to Hampshire? A43 A34 is MUCH better. (M62, M1, J15-ish, round Oxford and down to Newbury, Salisbury, Winchester) It's not shorter - but it's easier.

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  2. Hi MorningAJ
    Now I've only ever once been to Hampshire and that was many years ago, but thanks so much for the advice and I will certainly be consulting the AA mapping as a result.
    XX

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  3. Your story of the goldfish reminds me that on Thursday when there was intense flooding in Gateshead, a policeman said that as he stood in one gateway, two goldfish swam past him.

    Those doughnuts looks so appetising - sorry to hear that they were 'breadlike' often these things look better than they taste. Nice to read you again.

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  4. My nickname was Donut throughout gradeschool because once my pals parents took me to a donut shop, my first, and I ate myself sick. And so they forever called me "donut" Thanks for the memories...I think

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  5. Hi Weaver, that's very kind, nice to be back. I recall the floods of 2007 in my area, there were thousands of top quality pond fish lost forever.
    xx

    Hi Donna, Yes not sure what to think either - kids can be cruel can't they?
    XX

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