Me on a Bank Holiday Monday

 Today isn't just special because it's a bank holiday, it's also Leo's sixth birthday!  They have been spending the weekend in a Wigwam here.  I must admit that when they told me they were going to be staying in a wigwam, this is not what I was expecting.  Pretty sure that the wigwams I had in my imagination are not anywhere near as glamorous as these with their en suite showrooms and hot tubs! They are travelling back this morning and I have just been round to their house to set out all his birthday presents for him so he is surprised when he walks in.  We'll pop back later this afternoon and hopefully there will be cake 😋

There was cake yesterday too.  

I made an impromptu offer of dinner to some friends that we hadn't seen for a while.  Then of course had one of those 'whatever shall I make for dinner?' moments.  I had said it would just be a light meal so put together one of my favourite 'put it all in the middle of the table and share' dinners.  A big plate of salad with a delicious ball of burrata in the centre, Italian meats, a selection of cheeses, olives, white anchovies, ricotta stuffed peppers and halloumi skewers.  But what to do for dessert?  As the main had a bit of an Italian theme to it, I remembered a lovely dessert cake that Nigella Lawson made in her Nigellissima recipe book.  It's gluten free as it has ground almonds instead of flour and it is made with olive oil rather than butter or margarine so it is lovely and moist.  Served with fresh raspberries and a dollop of mascarpone - bellissimo!  I sometimes think it is better to make a quick 'come for dinner tomorrow' invitation rather than have a month to wonder/worry about what to cook.

Of course having people over meant that the house had a good clean before they came so we start the week with a sparkling house (downstairs at least!).  Even the garden had a tidy up.  The horrendous thunderstorms of early Thursday morning have made the garden green again which gave us a bit of enthusiasm for mowing the lawn and doing a bit of weeding.

Now, I am just realising that this Friday will be my first Friday of the month to invite you to join me for a chat over a cup of coffee and I need to let you know where to find me as I won't be here!  We are having a few days away so I will still be posting, it just won't be until later in the day as we can't get into our property until 6pm (hopefully we will have wifi!). 

Have a good week and be sure to pop back late on Friday or Saturday when hopefully I will be sharing a cup of coffee in the Cotswolds!