Finally! Summer has arrived… a tad late, but no matter! Baby Grace, boys, Pebbles (the handsome hound, above) and I went down the boreen for a walk in the afternoon, hoping for a delicious crop of blackberries. Didn’t come back with quite as many as I would have hoped for- but then again, Grace and Liam ate their body-weight in blackberries, so maybe that’s why I only ended up with a few…

…I picked some other gems along the way….

And then we came home to another batch of delicious Banana and Chocolate Bread, just as Fergal walked in the door (which necessitated a large pot of tea of course!!)

One of these days (maybe even today?) we are going to walk down to the bridge with the kiddies and my camera and photograph it in detail, for it’s the details like the old gate, autumn leaves and ancient walls that make it such a treat.

But before I go any further, here is the recipe for:

Banana and Chocolate Bread

(I use a loaf tin lined with greaseproof paper & preheat the oven to 160’C)

Needless to say I just turn on the Kenwood Mixture and start flinging the ingredients in… Queen of Finesse, thats Me)

Cream 1 packet (approx 125g) of unsalted butter (softened) with 125g caster sugar.

Break in one of 2 large eggs, mix completely, then break in the other egg. Mash 3 large over-ripe bananas and add to the mixture.

Add between 100-200g of chocolate-we favour a good milk chocolate (i.e. one with about 35% or 45% cocoa solids- can get this in Lidl) The more chocolate, we find the chewier and delicious (and, strangely, flatter) the cake is. (I’m getting light-headed at the thought!!)

Add 200g of self raising flour to all of this, then scrape the mixture into the tin and bake for about 50 mins- 1 hour. Then when it is cooled, turn it out, or else like what happens in our house, I’m taking it out of the oven, find “someone” (a.k.a. Fergal) has made a pot of tea then the resident savages start into it and demolish it, still hot and runny (be careful of the very hot chocolate!). 

Stores well for a good few days (and that’s why I made four for our “Bat Walk” tonight, and now I’ve only 1 left which I doubt will last till evening… I think I’ll have to crank up the mixer for another few loaves)

While I was out photographing the garden:

I decided to photograph our shop displays-I’m always putting these off because I think I need the light to be a certain way etc etc (procrastination) but anyway, I went and gave it a go, and was quite chuffed with the result. I want to do some more, set up specific things, but as I was doing it at speed while Grace was asleep (she loves helping/dementing me when I have the camera in my hand- takes twice as long) I didn’t get quite that far. But at least I’ve made a start… 

I’m off now to make up a spiced mulled fruit-wine for tonight, something warm and sweet and delicious to set us up for tramping around a wet, dark forest with a bat detector… oooh, I can’t wait!!!!!

I’m trying to work out orders of wooden toys for our shop for Christmas- wooden train sets, pedal-free bicycles, wheelybugs, wooden cash register for all the budding shop owners…. this must be my favourite part of the job!!! My youngest son, almost five, has a list of about twenty “definites” -eeek!!! (hate to disappoint, but…)

Meanwhile, when I sit down later I’ll be back to crochet-I have three crochet workers (a.k.a. crochet slaves) helping me crochet four long bench cushions for Kellys Pub in Galway since the others were STOLEN (you know who you are) Hopefully these ones won’t be as easy to shove under a jumper and walk out… We have a plan, and gorgeous cotton yarn (see previous post), so my hopes are high that these will be just as lovely!! 

(I’m here breastfeeding baby as I type, and every few seconds a foot bends up and types a few letters, so if I have any typos, apologies)

I have a pile of post to send off today, cards I have been meaning to write for ages and eventually getting around to it. I’ll put up a picture of the bag I made for Liz, the lady who ‘gave’ us our little fluffy dog, Pebbles. WEEKS later and it is only being posted. TUT TUT.

The little dolly to the front is one of the Waldorf-inspired dolls I’ve been making (in my free time, ha ha ha), Once I have a face embroidered on I’ll post detailed photos. I’m so chuffed with them. I especially love the fluffy nappies!! I’m thinking of having a weekend in October where we showcase all the “handmade” delights rather than drip-feeding them onto the shop site as they come through- oooh, the lovely baby blankets, dolls, cards, cushions, felted mobiles that we will have in our shop for Christmas!!! The anticipation makes up for the rotten weather over the summer (just about).

I was about to say that I was going to head off and have a cup of tea and a slice of the most delectable banana and chocolate bread I made yesterday, but, lo! My three little savages have scoffed it all (we’ll have to work on their definition of “some”) A plain biscuit for me then……..