Little people that make the world a better place

Stevie Wonder said it for us, but here is my poem all the same, hope you like it

Three Years Old Today

There is a little girl I know,
She's only three years old,
But it's already very obvious
That she has a heart of gold.

Her smile really lights the sky
More brightly than the sun,
She has such a  warm and cheerful nature
And always ready for some fun.

She's sweet, she's kind, she's funny,
It's so very clear you see
Her company is so precious
Like her mummy's is for me.

Her little arms wrap round me,
I look at her dear face
My heart it swells with love
And the world's a better place.

A cake for a little princess

A Cake to help you Celebrate

First of all Happy valentine's day to you all!

Whenever someone has a birthday, wedding, friends and family round for coffee or Valentine's day or any kind of celebration one of the most important things to think of is the cake.
A special cake is always a symbol of joy and happiness, better still if home made.
Here today is a lovely cake that is very attractive and also delicious, the strawberry flavour icing gives the promise of Spring.

Celebration sponge Cake

For the cake

175g butter, cut in cubes and at room temperature
175g self raising flour or plain flour plus baking powder
175g sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsps. milk
100g coloured confetti, sprinkles or as they used to be called - hundreds and thousands

for the icing
75g strawberries, washed, pureed and sieved
225g butter, at room temperature
375g icing sugar

Make the sponge cake by putting all the ingredients except the sprinkles into a large mixing bowl and whisking together until light and creamy.
Stir in the confetti.
Pour the cake mixture into two 18 cms sandwich cake tins that have been lined with oven paper.
Bake in the oven at 180 for about 25 minutes. Test in the usual way by inserting a knife or toothpick.
Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the icing by beating together the butter and half of the icing sugar until creamy. Add the strawberry juice and the rest of the icing sugar and beat again .
Use half of the icing to sandwich together the two sponges and then decorate the top and sides of the cake with the rest.
Cover the top with coloured sprinkles.

Everything ready

Stir in the sprinkles

Two sandwich tins

Get ready to make the icing

Strawberry juice gives a wonderful flavour

Ready to celebrate

Funny Ways to remember things

The fine weather means that the lake near my home is no longer frozen and the swans and ducks look delighted to be able to splash around again. the wind is making the water ripple and life is returning to the countryside. Walking round the lake with a friend I saw a black and white duck, she knows the names of all the wildlife and confidently replied that it was a coot. then she told me a way to remember which is a moor hen and which is a coot.

A coot has a white stripe and 'coot 'and 'white' have a 't'.
A moor hen has a red stripe and 'moor hen' and 'red' have an 'r'.

Funny isn't it the tricks we use to remember bits of information?

The great lakes, Some Men Have Even Jumped Over
Superior, Michigan, Heron, Eerie, J for the Niagara Falls and Ontario.

Henry VIII wives, divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.

The word 'independent' in English and 'indipendente' in Italian, e in the English word, I in the Italian one.
The other way round here:_
confirm - English
confermare - Italian

Putting the clocks back/ Forward
Spring forward, fall back