Another one about diets .. and celebrities... and a lovely cake!

So I've returned to the issue of diets after having read a lovely article in some trashy magazine (well I was in the hair dressers after all) about twitter trolls targeting Jennifer Ellison (I think she was in Brookside) for being fat and ugly 12 (TWELVE) weeks after giving birth.
For a non celebrity mother, that is no time at all, and I was muttering to myself that it was outrageous that people could be so ignorant, naive and rude about someone.
This happens all the time with celebrities, they get scrutinised every time there is a photo printed of them but everyone, not just the nasty trolls but, tell me you haven't commented on a celebrities looks. Its normal! If the picture is put in front of you of course you're going to judge it. We are human after all!

So I was thinking poor Jenni, she's really getting some stick, people should leave her alone, after all she is a beautiful woman no matter her size -

and then I looked at the pictures again in the magazine (and for the life of me i'm trying to find them online to show you) and I thought... if I was insecure about my weight I would not wear a bikini on holiday. I would cover a little more up and go for a swim suit, and if I was feeling really really insecure I would wear a sarong or a loose top! The photo in the magazine was a family pic. Mr Jennifer Ellison was wearing long shorts and a shirt, little kiddie was wearing shorts and t-shirt and the only one in the bikini was Jenni herself.

Then my little lightbulb struck up - "EXACTLY" I shouted to my hairdresser. She's not insecure at all! She loves her body and is showing it off to her husband, knowing full well that she is being papped at the same time.  The media have probably been given this picture and have made their own article up about her losing her baby weight. She's happy, confident and above all this time round not suffering from post natal depression.

Then I looked through the rest of the magazine and a few more. There are curvy girls from TOWIE (I have no idea who they are though) are beautiful but they really don't wear much do they? Headlines screeching "So and So on a diet", "So and So has put on 5lbs shock horror" but all of these girls are parading around for all to see and clearly love themselves. So why the pressure? Why the constant barrage of abuse and comments. Why don't we all say. "look at so and so, she's got a skimpy bikini on, bet she gets herself a new bloke wearing that!!"

Here's another couple of celebs who's weight fluctuates but they will still go out and show themselves off because they know they are beautiful!

I could find many more, but the message of today's blog, is that celebrities are normal woman who spend a lot of time infront of cameras. Many of the normal ones have fluctuating weight and many of them would rather enjoy eating normal food and doing normal things but are told by their managers and agents they are not allowed!

As a non celeb, we are so lucky that we can do WHAT THE HELL WE LIKE, wear what we want, eat what we want, do what we want. Remember that as your farting your way through the cabbage soup diet, or people are avoiding your stinky breath on Atkins, or if you're permanently counting points for weight watchers and slimming world.  People who don't diet, eat sensibly and go out with their friends and have a lot more fun!

Oh and todays cake was a lovely cake I made for my friends son's birthday. Double layer blue and green sponge with an abundance of dolly mixtures.

An ode to Christmas shopping.... and an amazing cake!

It is November and cold outside
So I have allowed myself some time to abide
The start of shopping for Christmas time
And thus begins my little rhyme.

As a list writer and money-saving fan
my preparation began with a full-price ban
to get the best deals I did shop around
and bargains galore have now been found!
Sorry dear friends no tat for you
I'd rather make cakes to share, that's true
Its just family I'm buying for this year
There's not point in having a bill so dear

Lets start with the children, they take up most space
and money and objects that fill up the place.
Their list for Santa is a mile high
as adverts on telly tell me to buy
A robotic fish, a toy dog that poos
and Cillit Bang to clean the loos.
The kids aren't fussy, they like the jingles
they'd be happy even if I just bought the singles
Of songs that tell them to buy these things
and not forgetting the fairy with wings
The reviews are crap but what can you do
Peer pressure dictates we must comply too.

Thus most of the budget is spent on the kids
its lucky that Ebay accepted my bids
and money was saved, although not quite as much
to buy my own present, I'm such a soft touch!
Siblings are relatively easy to buy for
A gadget, some music or films and more
Often on offer, a 3 for 2's great
You could buy them more things, you'd be their best mate.

My Parents I think I know quite well
They've been around a long time, an easy sell
I'll buy something that's missing from inside their home
that I want to see, not a garden gnome.
Something intelligent that makes me look good
Or perhaps I can borrow it, maybe I could?
If its shiny and metal they'll think its so cool
and how clever they are, they're nobody's fool

Modern technology for grandparents eh?
What would their old-fashioned friends all say!
Aunts and uncles they love their biscuits
A big selection tin is just the ticket
But lastly, not leastly are the in-laws.
Such careful though deserves applause
For buying them gifts within budget and style
To make Christmas shopping really worthwhile
I don't know their clothes size, don't know their taste
So different to mine, I don't want to waste
good time, effort, money on things that get stored
high up in the cupboard, forever ignored

So I ask my dear husband, what should I buy
He answers "I don't know, you're asking me, why?"
They are your parents, you know them so well
But you haven't a clue either, that I can tell
So we'll buy them some chocolate, a diary, a pen
Those things that went out in the 80's, back when
We didn't have internet, or all of these gadgets
we rely on now, such irritating habits

The dogs get a bone, some biscuits to chew
'though they'd be happy with wrapping paper between me and you
but here ends my story of Christmas shopping
Good luck with yours, wishing you all you want in your Stocking.

And let me end with the chocolate Pigs in Mud cake I made my brother for his birthday.
Went down a treat!!

How to choose a primary school ... and a cake with a little doggy on it!

Good day to all my lovely readers.

Today, after chatting to a number of friends with small pre-school age children I thought I'd give my advise and opinion on the best way to pick a Primary school for your children.

Its not often that I will publicly slate something or somewhere, I usually try and be open-minded to give everything the best chance, but in this instance I am happy to openly display my contempt for OFSTED and explain why their reports should hold very little value to your choice of schooling.

In the region where I live, there are a number of Primary schools, at least 9 in the space of two small towns that I can think of. Of these 9 schools, 8 of them are really, really very good.  The 9th one possibly is good, and i've heard nice things about the teaching staff, but no one that I know has ever put it down as a choice for their child.

So lets retrace our steps a little bit. A couple of years ago I went through the same process myself of choosing a school. I found it all very easy, because I live about 10 yards from the school I chose for my daughter and I knew I liked it before I moved into my house!  But going through the process, you would normally look for the following:
1. How far away is the school from my home?
2. How good is the OFSTED report?
3. what are the other children like?

Not a bad process but I would, in the light of day now REMOVE point number two, and this is why....

OFSTED is a bully. OFSTED knows nothing about teaching and OFSTED has predefined ideas of how it will grade a school before its set foot onto the premises.
The role of OFSTED is supposed to grade schools as to their teaching methods, whether they fit in with government rules and how well in general the children are developing. However, there are a number of schools around the country, where the children are not developing as per their peers, and this is down to any number of reason from style of teaching, quality of teachers, background of children (parents make quite a difference to how a child learns), religion, nationality etc.
In the case of the last two possible reasons - religion and nationality, we run the risk as a country, that if we slate these schools and mark them lower than neighbouring schools, we will be called racists.  I am no way racist, and talking about race and religion does not make me racist, but it cannot be overlooked that a school in England, where none of the children's first language is English, is not going to do as well against the school guidelines as a school where children speak English at home. Fact! There are state schools in England that have no English children, there are state schools of various religious background where teachers have different views to the government, and put their views before the government views when teaching the children.
So that we don't upset our peers, a number of good state schools outside of the above categories have been marked down so that the other schools don't look quite so bad.
This in turn is a direct reflection on the good teachers at these schools, who work so hard to educate our children, love teaching our children and watching them develop and progress, but are bullied into a state of emotional stress, thus of course affecting their work, purely based on a pre-defined decision.  This is PC at its worst, whereby genuinely good, honest staff are being penalised for no reason.

I'm not only picking on religious and schools with English being the minority.  Back to the 9th school in my area. Until very recently, 8 of the 9 schools were single form entry. 30 children per year.  Two years ago, one good performing school was told they HAD to increase their entry for just one year to 60 children. They've not been asked to do this again.

Last year, the school that no one puts down on their choice of schools received planning permission for building works to extend the school massively, in order to accommodate a 2nd form entry every year going forward. This started in 2013. "But" I hear you say, "You said no one wants to go there!"

Now, I don't want to sound like Katie Hopkins (and I can't believe I've just given her some publication on my own blog!), and I'm not at all a snob in the slightest, but my reason, and from what I can tell the reason for a lot of friends for not choosing this school as an option was simple.  I looked at the school at pick up, and thought, do I want my children spending the next 7 years with children who's mothers stand outside the school, fag hanging out of their mouths, language that I wouldn't even use at a football match shouting across the street, and the dress sense of a couch potato who hasn't quite managed to get up to get washed and dressed yet.  Call me what you like but I spend a lot of time teaching my kids right from wrong, and however much I like to swear, I certainly save that for the office and the car when I'm on my own. I groom my children as best I can (yes, my best clothes DO still come from Tesco though) and I also make them eat fruit and veg.  I want them to continue with this and I don't want them to continually ask me why they have to eat fruit when others around them are only eating chocolate or KFC. I don't want to hear swearing from their little innocent mouths and if being completely honest, I don't want them to start smoking... EVER.  Unfortunately, the impression I got from this 9th school was that. I might be wrong, and I know that I am being very generic and I'm sure there are a number of fantastic families at this school, whose children and lovely and polite and well-behaved. But in this case I'd rather be in the majority.  In a school where parents are less interested in their children's education, you do of course run a greater risk of a problem with bullying Yes, it happens everywhere, but in a school where parents know what is going on, and are actively interested in their kids, this is more likely to be nipped in the bud before it gets too bad.

So how does the government persuade parents to put this school down as their choice? OFSTED reports.  This school, at its last report (2012) got Satisfactory across the board. The grading has now been changed, so that what previously was Satisfactory is now "Requires Improvement". If you are not sure of a school and how it is operating, and therefore relying on OFSTED to give you this vital information, Satisfactory seems much more positive than requires improvement doesn't it? If I were to choose a school only on paper, then I would certainly go for this option, and with a brand new school building, its got to be popular to require the extra space? Right? so so SO very wrong.

So as I mentioned earlier, when you are putting your three or four choices down for your children's primary school, look at the area around you, and then go for a walk  between 3pm and 3.30pm and see if you like the look of the other mothers, see what the language is like, and most importantly, see if the children are smiling.

One last note on the mothers thing before I move on to my cake of the day - you will be spending 7 years with these other women. Get a good bunch and you stand to have a fabulous social life with them too, its not just the children who make friends at school, its us Mums too (and Dads lets not forget!).

Ok, so today's cake was a birthday cake for my American boss who is missing little Sam, his Bassett Hound. So I made him a chocolate banana nut tray bake, and tried to recreate Sam on it! What do you think?

A review of the Cinnamon Square Patisserie Making course

DO IT DO IT DO IT! Actually don't do it because I want to be the tart expert of Rickmansworth! ;)

So I went on my first Cinnamon Square course last Thursday. There were six of us in total. Me and 5 guys, a friendly bunch and we all introduced ourselves over a cup of whatever we wanted ( I started with a coffee to keep me awake, but I wouldn't have needed it, had I known how good the course was going to be). We then moved into the "classroom" and Paul introduced himself and asked us about ourselves. VERY funny when he looked at me and said "Have you done a course here before, you look very familiar" "No," I replied. "I didn't win the cake competition you judged at the library, remember? My friend won instead" He'll know better for next time now! ha ha.

So Paul explained to us how he makes his sweet short pastry. Not one for the faint hearted or maybe weak hearted, but then everything in moderation. LOTS of butter with the flours and sugars,  and Paul was very good at explaining how and why and how long and what ifs. AND wow what a fantastic mixer! Take your average Kenwood and increase it about 5 fold. I WANT ONE OF THOSE please!! It was great.
Once we had our pastry mixed we played with it and rolled it out for our ten pastry cases. This was probably the most tricky bit of the whole course. A really good short pastry should be difficult to handle. Well ours was. The more difficult, the nicer the taste!  We then sent our 10 pastry cases of various sizes (8 actually because the chocolate ones were already prepared for us) with a truly lovely lady called Mae who was so careful not to mix anyone's cases up and so many little name tags dotted around everywhere.

Whilst the pastry was baking or half baking we set to work on the following amazing fillings. I'm not going to give the game away of how we made them but we got instruction papers with each one to do at home as well. -
Chocolate ganache (oh my god, and the size of the bag of chocolate buttons Paul had for his baking - and that we were allowed to eat as much of it as we wanted)
Lemon curd, for want of a better word. I'm totally addicted to it now
Creme Patisserie, made the PROPER way with extra yum
Frangipan - and whilst making the frangipan, we were also given so many amazing tips on how to get a perfect mix on a sponge cake for a Victoria Sponge. Paul was so generous with his information, all the Cinnamon Square secrets were being shared with us.

And so we made
2 Tarte au Chocolat filled with chocolate ganache and topped with as much chocolate as we wanted to add, or cocoa powder decorations, "HELP YOURSELF" Paul kept saying!
2 Tarte au Citron - definitely my new favourite with home made lemon curd which I shall be making and freezing as soon as I get rid of that savoury crap in my freezer.
2 Strawberry frangipans - I can't believe I made proper Bakewell Tarts. Move over Kipling, I can even ice the same as you. You are NOTHING to me now, we are so OVER. I'm going home made all the way!
3 Raspberry Frangipans - I have so many more friends now wanting to pop in for a coffee and a cake. I wonder what James would think if I turned the kitchen/dining room into a mini café
and the Piéce de resistance a Creme Patisserie filled large tart complete with as much fruit (and I really mean as MUCH) as we wanted or could fit on!  The other guys did get quite extravagant with their fruits, Paul had everything from Figs, plums, strawberries, raspberries, blue and black berries, grapes and so on. I kept it a little calmer because I wanted to make something that Molly and Lucy would tuck into, so it was predominantly strawberries and grapes with a fig in the middle for yours truly.

We overran, probably because being the only woman, I started questioning Paul on his life and experiences and had to mention soggy bottoms when no one else had. They all knew EXACTLY what I was on about. But the time had flown so fast.

Not happy with just the ten tarts to take home, we were also told that the foil containers that we baked in could be reused - I have the materials I need to make these at home, and we packaged our tarts up in boxes, as you would expect if you had bought cakes from Cinnamon Square made by a professional baker. It was the best going home package I have ever taken home from anywhere.

As I mentioned, Paul was an excellent teacher, a lovely person and very clever and talented baker. Mae was just lovely, very friendly, very welcoming (kept offering drinks, and always smiling).  My baking friends were Allen and Jeff. A bit like me (except very old and balding and men), they bake at home but hadn't done much pastry. There was Levi and Matthew, the gayest couple in Rickmansworth to be sure (no socks with your black brogues and women's fashion designers and Ivan (not a Russian) who was certain he was going to win next years GBBO. I will route for you because your local Ivan, if you get on, but I don't think my money will be on it mate!

And so thus ended my lovely evening at Cinnamon Square, and happy to add Tarts to my repertoire of baking for friends and family and complete strangers. Put your orders in now for your pre christmas discount!

I MADE ALL OF THESE....

Having a hobby is key to a positive lifestyle

Life is busy. Work and family take up so much time and I so often hear people complaining that they never get a minute to themselves, and whilst we may love the time we have with our families, especially watching young children growing up, and some people really do love their jobs and put as much effort into them as they do their families, its is vital to also have something you can turn to, to release those tensions, take your mind off any worries and generally have quality "me time!" (sleeping doesn't count as a hobby!)

Stress is one of the biggest causes of serious illness in the western world, and there are so many things that can be done to reduce it and prolong life, in an enjoyable way. If you think you are stressed, but don't have time to live let alone do something for yourself, its time to re-evaluate the situation.

A hobby is a regular activity that is done for pleasure (the key here). It doesn't have to cost anything, it doesn't have to be done in a group of weirdo's at 9pm at night in the local community centre (unless you choose to of course) but it is done by YOU and doesn't involve your daily routine.

My hobby, you would never guess, is baking! I just LOVE it, and will try and do it every week, not only to make a delicious cake to eat, but also to improve my baking and decorating skills, show them off to friends and family, and you never know I may even get a few commissions out of it to make celebration cakes for people. I can usually find the time to bake, whilst at home with the children. I set them up to play or watch telly in the other room and I know they are out of the way, safe and I can concentrate on my "me time", and they get to lick the bowl afterwards so they don't mind me leaving them to their own devices!

Easily done, at home, no childcare needed and my only cost is my ingredients.  My other hobby is Ice-skating. Something that I can't always do as and when I want to, but again, I will make the time, usually at lunch time during work. I know if I can get to the rink in time, I can have half an hour to myself on the ice, or even a lesson, and be back to work without anyone being any wiser!

If you don't know what you want to do as a hobby, try out different classes and events. Its so easily done and so many classes can also be found at massive discounts on the likes of Groupon and Wowcher. I have friends who have done Pole Dancing, cake pop making, macaroon making, tapastry, ballet, climbing, singing, dancing, acting as well as the usual sports and gym, wine... sorry I mean book clubs and collecting!

Some of the strangest hobbies in the world include one guy who video's and photographs himself playing dead. Apparently he's had over 32 million hits on his website and by day is a married man with 6 kids!

Or you could try being the person in every live TV shoot. I've seen the guy myself on the news (Paul Yarrow of South London). This one is about being in the right place at the right time!

There are also some very generous people who's hobbies are to give money to total strangers who look like they need it! Come over here mate.. I could do with a tenner!

Other than having time to yourself to pursue hobbies, one of the main purposes to boost your lifestyle is that you have something to talk to others about.  Hobbies of all shapes and sizes are positive conversation topics and positive, upbeat conversation leads to enthusiasm, excitement, enjoyment and that lust for life that we all need.  People love to know what others get up to in their spare time. If we didn't we wouldn't have so many reality TV programmes and if you are the person who can give little time and information. It doesn't have to be rocket science, it doesn't have to be a hobby that no one else does. If you like to knit scarves, or collect stamps, do puzzles, play football, you will always be asked about it. Go on, give it a go!

As a mini N.B. though, I wouldn't recommend listing ALL your hobbies on your CV. It can sometimes look like you don't have time for your day job. Leave that to coffee machine chats once you've got your job!


And Finally, sorry there is no cake this week, but that will DEFINITELY change tomorrow evening, as I'm going on a Patisserie making course. I will of course update with photos of my creations and let you know how tasty they were!

If you have any odd hobbies, do list them below to share with others!