Baking and other things

Tonight I am hosting a committee meeting of the 50+ Adventure Club and that involves cake!! 

It all started sometime ago with a plate of homemade Anzac biscuits after a meeting was over and has developed into some lovely cakes, biscuits and meringues being made in each of the homes we visit.  I enjoy making cakes so this time it is chocolate cookies made before the London Marathon started, and a coffee and walnut cake made after Nordic walking yesterday..  I love Mary Berry's Baking Bible, though I do have one or two other well leafed recipe books.  I think the oldest one I use regularly is about 60 years old and was given to me by my mother for writing my own recipes in.  It has some well tried and tested recipes in it like 'Rock buns' - my father's favourites, 'Chocolate Krackolates' - a children's favourite with cornflakes and 'Lemon Meringue Pie' - very popular using real lemons and nothing from a packet!!  I can make this last one without looking at the recipe!!

I went Nordic walking yesterday morning and how glad I was that I did.  We went around Stanwick Lakes and then headed off onto the Nene Way, walking beside the river watching some children having a wonderful time in canoes and getting very wet.  How nice to see them out and about and not glued to a screen or gadget.  We could hear them laughing and screaming with delight a long way off.  Next stop was one of the locks where two narrow boats were going through.  At one end the gate was electric so nothing much to do there but the main comment was that the ladies were doing the work of opening the other lock gate while the men steered the boats!!

Just to update you on the Marathon - my daughter in law finished in 5 hours 47 and my son who was pacing at 4 hours 30 minutes, completed it in 4 hours 29 minutes so well judged on that.  He was thrilled to have his photo taken with Helen Skelton!!