Griswold & Wagner rear their heads again

Silver dollar pancakes with blueberries

I bought a few more cast iron cooking implements.  I have no excuse, of course, but I don't care.  I like to eat just small amounts of bread, especially breadsticks, so need several baking forms to make a batch of dough.  Once everything is baked I freeze them.  It only takes a few minutes to thaw them in the oven, and one stick is just right for accompanying a bowl of soup.

Notice the tiny little pan in the back?  Handy for melting butter, or roasting a few cloves of garlic, or making a truly tiny batch of cornbread, or frying one egg the right shape for an EggMcSausage (not that I ever make those, but one never knows - be prepared, is my motto!)

Full length breadsticks

Finger length breadsticks - aren't they cute?

Muffin pan - too much dough!

And this is my Plett-pan, for making silver/sand dollar pancakes - so cute and easy to eat!

Space-saving furniture

Foldable tea trolley

I love space-saving furniture, the sort that take up little space but expand and rise to the occasion.  Most useful when one has only a tiny house!

My foldable tea trolley for example fits into a six inch wide space between the kitchen cupboard and the fridge, but unfolds into a regular sized tea trolley, a useful extra space when I am involved in a major kitchen project and need additional counter space.

Ignore the dust, will you?

Another useful piece of furniture is my folding campaign bed.  Officers in the British Army used to carry such beds when posted overseas, transporting them on donkeys and elephants and such like.  Despite their somewhat suspicious appearance they are actually quite comfortable.  I slept on it for three weeks when I first bought The Little House, before my proper bed arrived.  As you can see, it isn't very wide, but perfectly serviceable.  I had my beloved Mouser sleep on top of me during those three weeks, and even the slightest bodily movements dislodged him, so it was a precarious experience for both of us.  Happy Days!

All folded up, looking like a small cabinet or table

Unfolded - the canvas is like a hammock

Don't you just love all those little legs?

All made up for one of my friends

In the front bedroom -a little snug, but it worked quite well

Lastly, I would like to show you my convertible chair!  If I have company in the Parlour I keep the footrest folded away, to create space, but otherwise I keep the footrest out.  I don't have a sofa, so the befootrested chair is my most comfortable piece of resting furniture in the house, aside from the beds, of course.

Folded out, ready for adding seat cushions to make a bed.  The part where the feet are folds into the middle part when the bed is in use as a chair, and the part where the head will be is the back of the chair

Seat cushions added

The front part, where the head is when the chair is a bed, in upright position; the footrest not folded into the main section of the chair

Morris chair complete with footrest!

Very comfortable indeed, though it does take up more space with the footrest out

Visit to Paris

I actually managed to have quite a nice visit to Paris in January, meeting up with friends and buying the most heavenly soft and beautiful cashmere wrap as well (on sale, no less!).  I made few photos, the weather was iffy and I was too busy chatting with friends.  We went to Ladure for afternoon tea and cakes, and it was great!  One day I shall go to Angelina, but so far the queues always discouraged me.

Amazing shop window!

La Madeleine again

Shopping in the Sales

Catching up...

I have been shockingly busy these last few weeks, which is why I did no blog posts.  I did take a few photos ...

These last few weeks I have had a great piece of good news - I have been promoted!!!!!  Full kudos to my managers and colleagues for responding so positively to my innate quality and perfection.

There was bad news, too - another death in the family, this time the relative in question died at age 59, which is way before anyone should follow the call of the final reaper.

Another thing that kept me busy was a visit from two friends of mine, who stayed for the weekend to see a special exhibition at the Bodleyan.  It was great to see them again, but did take up a lot of time.  One weekend to prepare the Little House, one for the actual visit, and one to clean up afterwards.

And just when I saw land and thought I could settle back into my routine, one of my crowns broke off, taking the tooth with it.  It was one of my favourites, let's call him Eric, at the very back of the jaw, so not too noticeable a loss.  I think I may just keep the gap, rather than have a fake tooth inserted.  The gap could come in handy, I am already wondering what I could use it for.  Of course if I chewed tobacco, I could keep a quid (Priemchen) in it, but seeing as most of the nation's spittoons have been decommissioned I can't see myself going down that road.

On a related note, I hope the Eric remnant will come out in one big piece, rather than lots of tiny fragments, so I can turn it into a relic and set it up in a little shrine.  Eric is the first piece of my body I have ever lost, and the upcoming surgery is the first I have ever had, so this will be an important chapter in the history of my physical development.

Anyway, I will now do a few little posts, to address the backlog!

Mexican Radio or just doing the Hoovering?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyCEexG9xjw    Mexican Radio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM8Ss28zjcE   Freddy Mercury hoovering - how cool is that?

The things I used to listen to!

Back soon!