On Good Friday, Josef, my cat was in the studio, sitting in a sunbeam; he had never looked better. Yet on Easter Sunday morning, as if to remind me that nothing in life is certain, he took sick and then later died at the Veterinary Hospital in the afternoon. Josef had needed special care since … Continue reading
I am in a baking frenzy. There is a flour tornado in my kitchen as I open up self-raising, plain and gluten free flour and bag after bag of sugar. The KitchenAid mixer is maxed out and I am juggling four recipes whilst desperately channeling Bree Van de Kamp and trying to remind myself that I … Continue reading
The words which once busied themselves in my heart and mind, words which jostled, bubbled up and spilled out into chatter and onto the empty page are all silent and still. I try to follow the path to the place where they are held, but I can’t remember the way, or the connection, or something. … Continue reading
It’s morning. Josef the cat stretches out his slim black legs to shake off sleep and then twists and twirls and pirouettes around my feet. In my small kitchen he purrs, yowls, stretches again and reaches up with his sharp claws onto the cutlery drawer until he hears his bowl being filled with food. Josef … Continue reading
Luxuriant with butter, laden with toasted nuts and rum-soaked fruits and cushioned with a moist layer of crème d’amande, this unashamedly rich Stollen is a heavenly Christmas treat. A labour of love to make; a slow, rhythmic exercise of sifting, blending, creaming and rising where every step is an investment of devotion and tenderness as … Continue reading
Dartmoor Flower Shed 