Our Family Christmas Pudding

Today I thought I would share with you the yummiest Christmas pudding recipe that I've been eating since I was a child. We simply call it mum's plum pudding (even thought it hasn't got plums in it). It's so simple to make and just takes a few hours to cook.

Here's the recipe for you.

And here's how it looks as you're making it. Just to say, the tea strength is up to you - I made my tea slightly stronger this year and it turned out really nice.

The easiest way to pour it into the cloth is to drape the cloth over another bowl and tie with a really strong string.

You need a large pot to boil it in for four hours, and make sure you check it every half hour or so to make sure there is still enough water in it. Boil the kettle and fill it up from that so that you don't cool the water down.

A really good tip for when you're tying the cloth closed with your string is to make sure you leave a long length so that you can hang it up afterwards. Once cooked they can be hung in a cool, dry place until ready to be eaten.

Here's my beloved on Christmas day removing the pudding from it's cloth - warning, it does tend to stick. If you dunk the cloth in hot water before cooking, wring it out and then line it with flour it doesn't stick quite as badly as it can.

It's not the prettiest looking pudding but I promise you, covered with lots of cream or custard, it tastes amazing.

My mum even made me a pudding for my birthday one year and there is a picture somewhere of me with a pudding with candles in it.

I hope you give this recipe a try one day and I know you will enjoy it. Until next time, be good, stay safe, and make yourself something you love to eat this week.

Pamela & Ken
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Happy Christmas Sparks

Sparks is hosted by Annie at McGuffy's Reader (visit to see everyone else's sparks) and her words are the best to use to explain:

"I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world!"

The aim is to post a positive quote, thought, poem, or verse. Here's my Christmas themed spark.

Happy Christmas from our home

to yours

We want to wish all our family, and friends a really happy and peaceful Christmas spent with people that you love.

Plastic Dog that sits beside a busy road, so of course we have to pose with it

Pamela, Ken, Princess Cookie Cat, & Bramble Jelly Sassy Pants
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Winter in Aberdeen

We recently had a lovely weekend in Aberdeen for our anniversary - I wrote about the first part of our weekend in The Twelve Days of Christmas and Cats in Aberdeen. During our journey we stopped in Fochabers for coffee and cake and discovered that they have a window display competition for Christmas. This was our favourite, drink cans that have been turned into a church choir, complete with sheet music.

I loved this little reindeer French bulldog that was in the cafe window - very cute.

The day before we drove across to Aberdeen it decided to snow very heavily but thankfully we were on a main road the whole way so had no problems.

When we got to the hotel we discovered that a friend had managed to get us upgraded to a premium room which was such a nice surprise - I'd already arranged for chocolates and prosecco in the room to celebrate with so it was a great way to start the weekend.

There was a lovely lounge bar downstairs and as it was freezing outside we just stayed at the hotel in the evening and enjoyed some time together in a nice environment.

Here's some pictures of snowy Aberdeen for you to enjoy - the snow makes everything look a little magical.

Ken found a mate to pose next to - I should have got him a matching costume to show off all his muscles.

I loved how this statue looked with the snow - very regal.

The gold mailbox is for Katherine Grainger who won gold in the rowing at the London 2012 Olympics. Every British gold medal winner at the London games had a post box in their hometown painted gold for them.

This huge piece of street art on the side of a building is by the artist Add Fuel, who is a Portuguese Street Artist. 

Look at these boots of loveliness that I spotted in a shop window - I had to go in and hold them for a moment and imagine winning the lottery so that I could go back and buy them.

Beautiful war memorial with the winter sun on it.

We had a good wander round Union Square shopping centre, admiring the lovely Christmas decorations and the shops that we don't have in Inverness. Loved this waterfall of lights in the front of the centre.

One of the shops had all sorts of things made out of chocolate - they were amazing. Love the shoes and lipsticks in this photo.

Chocolate tools and nuts and bolts.

Chocolate 'cheese' and utensils. I was tempted to buy a piece of the 'cheese' as I'm sure it must mess with your head having something that looks so like cheese, but is solid chocolate.

This is looking down into part of the shopping centre from a balcony.

We stopped to have a coffee (of course) and I had this very cute little meringue snowman. He was very yummy.

On our journey home to Nairn we stopped part way for a break and took these photos that show the snow looking like icing on these picnic tables.

The cafe had a lovely wood burner for us to sit near - nice and toasty warm.

More snow shots.

Hope you enjoyed this visit to snowy Aberdeen. That was two weeks ago and now there is only snow left on the high mountains - the weather is being very bizarre.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and I hope the weather is good wherever you are in the world.

Pamela & Ken
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Friday's Friendly Ideas

It's Friday so it's time for the friendly fill ins which are set by Annie at McGuffy's Reader and Ellen at 15andmeowing.com. The words in purple are the prompts that are provided and then the rest is me.

1. I can't wait to see my beloved open my gift to him. I always get him something really silly alongside some sensible gifts, and I love seeing his face when he realises what I've bought him.

2. I have had the same glasses frames for years. I keep thinking I should change them but I can't make up my mind on what to get. I sometimes think I should go for something totally different but then end up chickening out.

3. I would not mind if Santa were to bring me an extra weeks holiday for 2018. As I know that's not possible, then I'll settle for the ability to relax fully with my beloved when we have time off together.

4. On Christmas Eve, I always like to watch a carols program as it always makes me feel really Christmassy. When I still lived in Australia I would always watch Carols from the Sidney Myer Music bowl - it a bit of a tradition and has been running for  80 years.

What about you, do you have any traditions that you have to do on Christmas Eve? Make sure you visit Annie or Ellen's blogs to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their answers.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and make sure you find time for some calm over the next week.

Pamela & Ken

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P.S: Princess Cookie Cat has survived her trip to the vet yesterday, having two teeth removed and her claws clipped whilst asleep. The vet told us that Cookie would be very subdued last night and to keep her quiet - Ha! She was her normal self with no indication that she'd had anything done.

Friday's Friendly Notions

It's Friday so it's time for the friendly fill ins which are set by Annie at McGuffy's Reader and Ellen at 15andmeowing.com. The words in purple are the prompts that are provided and then the rest is me.

1. Snow can be so pretty, especially when it first falls and hasn't been disturbed too much. Last week we had lots of snow and I thought it was beautiful (not so much on the roads but still lovely to look at).

2. I am really looking forward to an eleven day break over the Christmas/New Year period - time for rest and time with my beloved.

3. One holiday memory that I cherish is the Christmas I had in Saudi Arabia. Christmas wasn't celebrated in the country but my fellow expats and I did have a get together and bought each other silly gifts. My favourite gift was a pink flipper for my keyring that my friend Elaine gave me as I'd commented on one that she had. Sadly, Elaine is no longer with us, but twenty five years after that Christmas, my flipper is still on my keyring and it still makes me smile.

4. I always thought that Santa came from a Scandinavian country until we had a holiday in Turkey. St Nicholas lived in Myra and was a bishop in the fourth century. He came from a wealthy family and was very generous including dropping money down chimneys to remain anonymous - I'm guessing this is where Santa coming down the chimney originated. Here's a link to the history if you're interested - Click Here to Visit.

Do you have snow where you live, or do you have sunshine all year round? Make sure you visit Annie or Ellen's blogs to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their fill ins.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and it's now only ten sleeps until Santa Claus visits all the good boys and girls.

Pamela & Ken

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Top Ten Thursday - Christmas dos and don'ts

This week's Top Ten that has been set by Tamara at the blog Part-time Working Hockey Mom is the dos and don'ts that are part of your Christmas.

1. Do watch Movies. Christmas isn't Christmas without watching my top five movies and just in case they aren't on tv I have them on DVD. My top five are; Scrooged, Miracle on 34th Street (the modern version), The Grinch (the Jim Carey one), Home Alone, and Love Actually.

One of the most romantic scenes from Love Actually.

2. Don't listen to tv ads. This time of year the adverts on tv can put a lot of pressure on people to try and have the perfect meal, the perfect decorations, the perfect presents, etc. Instead, have a Christmas that is as individual as you are and spend time with people that you love.

3. Do eat mince pies. It's a weird thing, I'm not the biggest fan of mince pies (fruit mince, not meat) as I find the pastry a bit stodgy, but at this time of the year it's the done thing and it makes it feel like Christmas. I really like puff pastry mince pies, but not many places sell these.

4. Don't endanger your pets. At Christmas time there are lots of things around that can be dangerous to inquisitive pets from tinsel on trees to fruit and nuts being dropped on the floor. Be aware of what's bad for them and keep it away from scrounging furbies. Click Here to see a list of things that pets can and can't eat at Christmas.

5. Do buy your pets a present. As important members of the family we always get the brats something. Don't tell her, but I've bought Princess Cookie Cat a huge tub of her favourite chicken treats.

6. Don't forget to recycle. There is always excess paper, cans, and plastics at this time of the year so please make sure that you recycle and help look after the planet.

7. Do make traditional Christmas pudding. Every year I make a Christmas pudding to mum's recipe which includes boiling it in a cloth for four hours - the kitchen ends up feeling like a sauna. It always looks a bit deformed as I've never mastered the art of taking it out of the cloth neatly.

8. Don't overindulge too much. Indulge but within reason. Christmas isn't about eating until you feel sick or drinking yourself into oblivion, but unfortunately too many people use it as an excuse to do just that.

9. Do remember others less fortunate. Give food to your local food bank, give treats to the local animal shelter, or even give warm coats to your local homeless charity.

10. Do pose with a santa hat on.

What do you think, do you have lots of dos and don'ts that are a necessary part of your Christmas? Before you go, make sure you hop over to Tamara's Blog and see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their top ten.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and remember it's only eleven more sleeps until Santa Clause comes.

Pamela & Ken
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A Hodgepodge of Life

Wednesday Hodgepodge time with the questions provided by Joyce at the blog, From This Side of the Pond.

1. What title would you give this current chapter of your life?

Tasmanian and her beloved explore Scotland one cake at a time. 

2. December 6 is National Microwave Oven Day. Who knew? Besides popcorn and coffee reheats, what's the most common thing you microwave? Could you get along without a microwave?

We are constantly using our microwave for so many things. I prefer a milky coffee, so a cup of milk gets blitzed to make my coffee and Ken uses it to make his porridge every morning. We do poached eggs in it, cook veggies, melt chocolate when I'm baking, do baked potatoes, and I could go on. We could live without our microwave but we would just have to allow a lot longer for meal preparation.

3. If you could insert yourself into any Christmas carol and experience the lyrics in real life, which Christmas carol lyric would you choose and why?

My favourite carol, and it really doesn't feel like Christmas until I've heard it, is O Holy Night. The words speak of hope, of loving each other, of oppression ending, and of peace - who wouldn't want to live those words.

4. Describe the most beautiful drive you've ever taken.

The most beautiful drive I've ever taken only took about ten minutes and was in the back of a white car sat beside my father. It was the drive from my parents house to the Baptist Church to marry my best friend and the day we truly started our lives together. This coming Monday will be 18 years since that drive, and every day with my beloved is a blessing.

5. What's something on your Christmas list this year? (an actual list or figuratively speaking, either one)

One thing that is always on my Christmas list is Ferrero Raffaello which my beloved always gets me. The other thing that's not on my list, but we always have them at Christmas and that's After Eight mints - can you tell I've got a bit of a sweet tooth.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Princess Cookie Cat had a trip to the vet yesterday and due to a large weight loss, fur loss, and a dodgy tooth, I foresee lots of vet visits in the future. We're (anxiously) awaiting blood test results before we find out what the next step is - hoping nothing too major is found. She'll definitely need at least one tooth out but the vets are going to do a mouth x-ray and see if there are any other teeth that are degenerating at the root.

After having no health problems for the last 13 years, it seems our Princess is going to make up for lost time. It's such a huge relief that we have pet insurance, which we often had to say when Cookie's sister Muffin was alive. Keep your fingers crossed that all is well with our gorgeous furby.

I think by the look on her face she knew she was headed to the vet.

What's on your Christmas list this year? Before you go, make sure you visit Joyce's Blog to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their answers.

Until next time, be good, stay safe, and have a nice piece of cake this week.

Pamela & Ken
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