Is it too soon to use the C word?

I do realise there are still several weeks till the the big day, I'm also well aware that we are not even up to Halloween yet, but I can't get away from the fact that some preparations just can not wait.

One of the traditions in our house is the Christmas cakes being made in October, giving them plenty of time to mature before the end of December.
I used to hate Christmas cake, don't really like fruit cake generally actually, but since making my own the way I like it I love it, or rather I love my recipe :)

I now make two cakes one to be topped with marzipan and icing, the other to gave a glazed nut topping, mmmmm.
Good job I make two as last year I managed to drop one which proceed to roll along the ground grrr.

Also no need to make mincemeat this year as there is plenty left from last year, and I'm not bothering with Christmas pud.

Ahhhh the holiday season :)

(today's blogging soundtrack- rocky horror picture show) really festive, Ha.

Mad Tea Party - 2013 !!!!

Hello fellow party goers !!!
and if you have come over from Vanessa's A fanciful twist welcome to my blog!!

I hope you all received your invites in good time to join in with all the fun :)

Along with the note that came with my invite, was instructions on how to get to the party.

Firstly through the shady grove.....

Then follow the winding path between the trees.

And look !! We have arrived !!!

The table is laid, the tea is brewing and there is plenty of goodies to spare.

Do have a seat and tuck in, there is a lot of un-birthdays to celebrate today!!

Grab yourself a teacup and saucer.....

and what type of tea would you like?

English breakfast, fennel, or perhaps chocolate peppermint!!

Poppy would like to play too!! 

She can be Dinah and drink catnip tea!!

Milk? Sugar?

A perfect cup of tea.

It looks as though the white rabbit and the door mouse are having a game of chess!!

I wonder who will win?

Would you care for a biscuit? Or perhaps a slice of cherry tart?

Don't mind if I do, thank you :)

Best eat up before the knave steals them all.

Yumm.... cherry bakewell tart.

Don't forget to save a cherry for last!!

Hmmm I wonder what future hides in the bottom of my cup?

The sands of time are running out?

Oh dear it is getting very late, I'm afraid it is time for us to go !!

I hope you all enjoyed visiting my mad tea party, 

thank you so much to Vanessa over at A fanciful Twist
for hosting the 6th!! annual mad tea party,

and I hope to see you all at the other parties taking place around the bloggy world.

Also you can find my previous mad tea parties Here and Here xxx

Some Everyday Moments

Whilst uploading photo's for the Mad Tea party tomorrow I cam across some random shots that didn't warrant a post of their own.
The above was taken a week before the solstice at around 11.40 pm, still daylight. Actually it was much lighter than the pic suggests but the camera couldn't capture it too well.

Having a bit of a treat in the garden centre cafe after a morning of shopping, mmmmm. Umm there may have been other treats bought taken home for later..... (We'll just forget the up half the night in agony with biliary colic, yep indeedy).

And finally, a shot of our Poppy cat lounging amongst the daisies yesterday, just because.

Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax or ( Hooks and Yarn and Chai )

Whilst the rest of the UK appears to be having a bit of a heatwave, here in Orkney the weather has turned very autumnal today. It has been so cold I have even put the fire on. This is not necessarily a bad thing, I love having a fire on but it does use the fuel up.

I've decided to take advantage of the chilly foggy weather by drinking hot cups of chai and playing around with yarns, hooks and stitches, working on my next crochet design with the intention of eventually having some to list on Etsy. All exciting stuff for me (you can tell I don't get out much).

Also coming up this weekend is the annual Mad Tea Party (see button in side bar), so expect plenty of tea, cakes and shenanigans on Saturday.

Far Too Much Alcohol Getting Used around Here

Wow it's been really busy around here recently and far too much alcohol is getting used in the making liqueurs and tinctures for the home apothecary.

we make a lot of home brewed drinks even the cottage, dandelion wine is a favourite, and I especially like  home made fruit liqueurs

this is a bottle of blackcurrant I made last year, so far this year I've made rhubarb schnapps and blackberry vodka to add to the collection.

Remedy harvesting season is also in full flow lots of nettles to be harvested for John's nettle tea, also all the dandelions for ointment and tincture. But my favourite has to be the ribwort plantain harvest. Such a useful plant which no one would look twice at just considering it a weed, but I love it, it's just brilliant for aches and pains.