General Chat

Annina

Thanks for that tip. I hope to re-start dressmaking after my machine being in storage for a long time. Let the weeds grow the animals need your charity.

Jean (Monmouth) will you marry me.

Regards

Vera

Vera2010, I also used to make all the family clothes but was useless at zips. I solved the problem by hand sewing them in,do a neat back stich only catching two or three threads on the right side,and you have perfectly tailored looking garments.

Nowadays I am good at making patchwork quilts,have made lots of money for animal charities raffling them.

Oh,and I grow humungious weeds.

Dizzi,

young kids are great,.some people do not give them credit. I have an early photo of gdau aged about 18mths sitting on counter with a pinny on sticking currant eyes on the gingerbread men. God I was fed up with them. Every time she appeared (about twice a week) it ' Men, Mamar, men!! Then over the years she graduated to things she liked, fairy cakes, scones, sausage rolls.

Her brother came along behing her 2 1/2 years later and the cycle repeated. Now when he began school he did not like sums (he is now a 4th year trainee accountant!) but he loved baking. So with the digital scales it was 4 ozs butter, 4 oz sugar etc. how many is that - oh 10 - now we want 8 how many do we take out - never realised the little love he was doing sums.

At 14/15 he took domestic science and I have to admit his swiss rolls beat any one I made!!!!

Enjoy her Dizzi and in years to come she will remember those days - mine do, because they laugh that they took everything single thing home!!

Wend that cake sounds lovely, I could do with your help in garden now - OH has to do it - he is learning but at least some years ago I began to plant for low maintenance etc. Your gdau is such a clever girl and perhaps you have sown the seeds for the future!

CHRIS,
MY GRANDAUGHTER AGE 7 LOVES MAKING CAKES AND BREAD NOW WHEN SHE COMES IN AND ASKS IF SHE CAN MAKE CAKES I JUST SA Y IM B USY SO YOU CAN DO THEM YOURSELF, I LIGHT THE OVEN AND HELP- THERE BUT LEAVE THE REST TO HER
SHE THINKS I'M WRITTTING BUT I'M WATCHING HER LIKE A HAWK. I HAD SOME BREAD GOING STALE SO CALLED HER OVER,SAID I WAS TOO TIRED TO MAKE A BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING SO WOULD SHE DO IT,,TOLD HER WHAT TO DO,
IT WAS PERFECT

Chris of Wessex - I'm always envious of those who can make lovely cakes. I try very hard, but find it a nervewracking experience. Being artistic, I do love the decorating bit though. For my granddaughter's 2nd birthday, I made her birthday cake and decorated it with 'In the Night Garden' figures (a TV prog for small children for those who don't know), which I made from molding icing (think that's what it's called) and then painted them with cake colouring. She seemed to like it and tucked into the green dessicated coconut I spread over the top of the cake to resemble grass!

My forté, if you can call it that, is garden design and putting in the work myself to create something beautiful. I've just come in after 8 hours out there (with the odd tea break!) I do friends' and family members' gardens too, when time allows. Your comment about your granddaughter made me think of mine (3 and a half yrs. old), when she came to stay a couple of weeks ago. I was sowing seeds and she insisted on doing the same thing. So I let her sow some Ipomea seeds (with a little help!) and they've all come up. I will plant a few of them in my daughter's garden later on and, hopefully, we'll all be able to praise her for being so clever! I hold out great hope - encourage them young, I say! Sadly, nobody ever taught me to make cakes!

I am told I have green fingers. I can also usually fix problems with television that goes wrong, service my computer and set the boiler clock! Used to make good bread, but cant stand for long so dont know whether I will do it again.

I used to be good at quite a lot of things that I found interesting. I have a photo book for the wedding &special days cakes that I used to make. I enjoyed embroidery and bought plain sheets, table clothes etc snd embroidered them, I used todo a lot of crochet but haven't done this for ages. Strangely I found an unfinished piece of embroidery only this week snd thought I will finish it this year.

I also loved acting, and public speaking, but over the last few years I have not done any of these.

I do read a lot though and have started to write again,.


20.00hrs Spain

lol Chis
It looks as though your G/daug is going to follow in your footsteps .
Hazelx

Hope springs eternal - just had email from g.dau asking if I have a piping bag she can have for cup cakes. Told her unhygenic I will show her how to make paper ones. I am excited - she will need nozzles - does this mean her first step!!!!!!

Have bought her this weekend, digital kitchen scales, 2 1lb loaf tins, 8" cake tin, pie plate, bun tray, flat tray and have been copying recipes for her!

I love baking /cooking and when my daughter got married
in 1992 i made a 3 tier wedding cake for her , when the children came along i made their christening cakes as well .
Hazelx

I don't know if it's a talent but I'm good with children and teenagers. They like me, I like them. They find me easy to talk to, which is why I trained as a counseller.

The latter part of my teaching career I spent with young people who had "challenging behaviour" and I found it very rewarding.

Can't paint, can't cook but I can sew a bit and make costumes for my drama group. I used to do embroidery.

Gwynne

I was saying the other day our lives boil down to a few bits of paper, certs, letters,your're right Chris , it's about saying "I was here"in a big way !

I have to say it's a gift for which I'm eternally grateful and there's no way I go flouncing around being "arty" but I love the buzz of an exhibition,prefer the press to take photos of my paintings than me.
I would love to be a fly on the wall in 100 years time to see what the critics have to say !

Dizzi, I just think you are wonderful and I always look to see " what Dizzi did next !"

I DO DRAWINGS
AN MAKE WIRE THINGS AN THINGS OUT OF JUNK

Lol Chris-are you sure a small swaggy of the gin wasn't taken?!!!
Maybe the straw was a giveaway!!

I am incredibly talented at doing nothing!!
By that, I don't mean staring vacuously at the television, I mean just sitting doing nothing, mind a blank. Something some people just can't do nowadays!!!
I'm at my best when houswork/tidying up needs to be done.

I suppose I could call it meditation, or maybe I have a 'syndrome'- I don't know, but I'm an expert at it, my house is testimony to my skill!!

Sue Maid - then perhaps you can understand one of my embarrasing moments!

County Council Official arrives at my front door to gain access re a boundary he has received a complaint about. I take him into diningroom where he can see from patio doors. Then I realise there is a cloth on the table and decorating equipment and I am in the midst of painting variagated ivy leaves for a bridal bouquetl. However this is done by mixing food colours with gin/vodka. I used gin as I did not like it - however I knew what he was thinking - middleaged housewife drinking gin in afternoon as on the table was a large bottle of gin!!! After than I used to fill a very small asprin bottle with gin in case I had any more callers!

Oh no Chris..... .cake decorating is a real talent. I have a cousin who does beautiful work. She has an album full of the cakes she has made over the years and they are works of art.

S x

Lindsey that is an achievement - my cakes were eaten. Your paintings are there forever.

Thank you Vera - I think I just like the sound of my own voice:-)) I don't really see it as an achievement - more luck I think. Now being an artist or a published writer - that I think is an achievement. I also wish I had a talent for knitting.

S x

Chris

It's sad not to be able to do the same things now but hey that zipper now that is a challenge. Never was able to successfully put a zip in when dressmaking. It needs to be just right otherwisem it gives the game away.

The youngsters may not be able to do things we could do but I know who I like having around when the mobile phone, compute or printer is challenging me.

SueMaid

That is an achievement - not many people can do that. Have been on many training courses (smaller nos than your audience) and some people just are not easy as speakers.

EDIT did not see you there Lindsey that too is a great achievement especially being able to sell them. What a way to earn a living doing what you love. In my day what you loved could only be a hobby - you had to go out an do a 'proper jiob' (boring shorthand and typing) Would have loved to have done something more creative.

Regards

Vera

I paint, lost count of how many I've sold, some are in homes, offices museums , Chicago even. I do classes and demo's you wont believe how hard it is to talk and paint !
I love what I do, its better than working, from about 6 years old that was all I wanted to do and I'm never going to retire !