Dear Lucy,
And they say that village life is quiet and boring, well not with you around, my dear! I do hope that your past isn't catching up with you, we all know how rumours are hard to live down... It puts me in mind of a particularly rigorous customs search I once endured due to a small, yet innocuous, bag of white powder in a suitcase; those memories can scar, but at least none of my neighbours witnessed it. I do hope that the Village Gossip hasn't been told and that you managed to enjoy your Hallowe'en shindig.
We don't much go in for that 'trick or treat' malarkay, but we did hold our usual firework party on November the 5th; we had about 15 guests of all ranges and, I'm delighted to say that most of them brought pudding and alcohol! Perfect!
My latest bake was a masterpiece, though I say it myself. I know you're struggling to cope with your damsons, but my issue is cooking apples. We have a very tall tree in the garden, so the fruit is impossible to pick and I have to wait for the blighters to drop before I can do anything with them. That means I have to act quickly before they rot on the ground; it's feast or famine with apples in our house. Anyway, I was hosting our latest book club meeting (we'd been reading "One Day" which is very pleasant but not at all the 'masterpiece' the testimonials claim it to be) and the apples were there, so I tried the Apple Scone Round [page69]. It was so simple to make and designed to look rustic, so it suited me down to the ground. I served it with both clotted cream and Wensleydale cheese, but most of the Book Club members went for cream; it was delicious warm from the oven, but the problem, I find, is stopping after one slice... I had visitors the next day and offered them what was left of the round with a cup of tea; though not quite as perfect as the previous day, it was well-received and very tasty. I don't think a damson version would work, though...
How's the liquid diet going? I must say I'm very impressed as I find any kind of self-deprivation beyond me; have you managed to fit into anything without lycra, yet? I'm not quite into anything with an elastic waist, but I do find that jeans with a bit of stretch in them are far more forgiving once you've had children; the fat seems to move south, doesn't it?
Keep up the good work! Let me know how you're going on; I think you're marvelous for even trying (unless your liquid diet consists mostly of alcohol, that is!)
Much love, Cathy
