Believing in the Mummy in Me

At the risk of being overly poetic, I was watching Eddie Izzard's documentary Believe this afternoon and his theory is that you have to believe you can be an acrobat [or whatever] before you can achieve at being an acrobat... Maybe that's what this year has been about: believing that I can actually be a mummy and not just pretend at playing with babies. I'm really starting to enjoy Tilly now (and hopefully, she me) and I'm touched by the responses I have had in person and online. It's hard to know what 'everyone else' is doing behind closed doors and you imagine everyone else is experiencing some version of the Von Trapps/Supernanny ‘success’ at parenting far beyond your own efforts. Or maybe that's just me.

 

I also attempted fudge this afternoon too, in an 'oh crikey need more presents for unexpected people and have no pennies' moment... Hoping it will set slightly beyond its current state. The consistency of Marmite is not ideal for cutting and jarring purposes.

 

I’ve also been productive on a more long-term present-giving basis in the form of peg bags for the Mummy-in-law and another one for one of my BFFs. Vintage fabrics, found coathangers and a bit of internet tutorial… Very pleased indeed. Thrifty, useful and pretty.

In a further bout of pre-holiday (or are we now mid-holiday) gluttony, I've managed to purchase a packet of yeast that I'm dying to try out - never worked with yeast before - but actual bread scares me... I’m debating starting out with a sweet recipe (quelle surprise) in the form of Nigella’s Snail Bun recipe…I may have to hand them out to passersby if they actually work. All the domesticity doesn't half take its toll on my behind!

NB: Update: These were made from the first edition hardback recipe, which further internet research revealed was missing a crucial line after the ‘Knead well’… Online instructions include the words: ‘Knead well for ten minutes by hand or six by dough hook, adding flour if necessary to get a rollable consistency’.

After covering my hands in yeasty gloop and no small amount of swearing, we finally managed to salvage the batch into these. Suffice to say, they were thoroughly enjoyed. Woops. There goes the rear-of-the-year awards…