Chocolate Buttons

Banners sent me the best chocolate buttons ever for my birthday. They are REAL buttons! So, so pretty and delicious too, every single one was a different design - I had to ration them. I thought that you would like them a lot.
Here is a close up so you can see the sweet details. ('Sweet'. Geddit?) (Sorry).

Moo-licious!

Have you ever seen such pretty cartons of milk? I just couldn't resist them on a recent trip to Whole Foods. Pink for the girls and blue for the boys (except the flavor Mark usually has came in the pink and mine came in the blue). And the best thing was, it tasted as delicious as it looked.

Puppy Love

While we are on the subject of cute puppies I thought you might quite like this little chap. He is definitely worthy of a feature in Metro.

A Chihuahua puppy born in Japan with a natural heart shaped pattern on his coat has captured the hearts of animal lovers around the world. His natural heart-shaped markings on his fur have made him an instant star in Japan. And it was a case of puppy love across the world as the tiny dog made television appearances worldwide.

Shop owner Ms Sakurada got the surprise of her life when she saw the birthmark heart markings in the fur of her tiny pooch. She said it was the first time a puppy with these marks had been born out of the 1,000 animals that she has bred.

Since Heart-kun was born, he has brought a lot of luck, according to Ms Sakurada. He sister got lucky on the lottery and won a concert ticket.
Heart-kun's owner has been inundated with requests from people wanting to purchase the unique puppy. But they can keep their paws off him, she says, for her little four-legged friend ain't going nowhere!

Funny Flea Faces!

Birthday Cakes of 2006

It was the year of the 'special' cakes. They were BRILLIANT fun! So much sickness from icing and sweeties. The anticipation of not knowing what extra special surprise cake you were going to get was too much for the brain box to cope with!
February 2006
Arran's birthday synthesizer made by Lucy
The first of the series definitely set the standard very high.

April 2006
Lucy's Bird cake made by Helen and Arran
Such a beautiful (and tasty) little treat.


May 2006
Helen's Skull and Cross Bones Rock On cake made by Katy and Mark.
I still find it hard to believe that one cake could contain so many eggs. We used 18 large ones in total.

September 2006
Katy's Kiki and Kokos picnic cake made by Mark, Arran, Helen and Lucy
What a work of art. It drove me CRAZY not knowing what magic you were creating in the kitchen all day long. But there was no way I was even close to imagining just how much love was being cooked up. The detail was incredible...hummus and carrot sticks, roast chicken, fresh strawberries, a full tea set and sandwiches with jam inside. AMAZING!

September 2006
Marks Lionel the Lobster cake made by Katy, Lucy, Helen and Arran
He was so realistic Mark mistook him for a real lobster!

2007 - The year of the tray bake
2008 - The year of the Nigella cake?
I'm already salivating at the possibilities this year will bring. It'll be lovely to have a traditional shaped cake full of delicious flavours. Mmm.

Cakey Cakey

Flowers and cake from Arran! Oh my goodness, that cake is rich (page 172 of How to be a Domestic Goddess) Did you look at the recipe? It is made only from fat and sugar: six eggs, a massive jar of Nutella, some nuts, a bar of chocolate, sugar and butter. And the topping... another bar of chocolate and some double cream. That is not a cake, it is a heart attack.
Proceed with caution if you make this cake. I had this TINY slice and got stuck halfway through- it is like eating velvet. Arran ate the same amount and turned green from the sugar and chocolate rush. Have we ever been beaten by a cake before? Do you remember when you ate so many sweets and cakes and bad things that you got tummy ache and you rolled around on the bed doubled in two? He he he he.
This is the best card so far. Following on the pretty birthdayish theme; Kates Jude drew a police station, police car and police man in the rain for me.
And, as you didn't get to see us on any webcams at the weekend, here is a rare photo of me too. (before cake, so I just look tired and not almost passing out!). Do you feel like you came to tea now?