Another Day in My Life - Yes, Today is all About Cake!

Blimey, like Jenny the 14th crept up on me pretty sharpish and I was quite surprised that it was already that time of month. Yet again, Saturday is a tutoring day for me so after having a cup of tea in bed (thank you DH) washing, dressing, checking a few blogs and doing a general tidy up, there was just enough time for me to peg out the washing before my first pupil arrived for the morning at 10 o'clock. The DH and the eldest rushed out to go and sing at a wedding at 11:00, which left the little one and I all alone until my next pupil came a 12:00. The little one had dressed herself (only her trousers were on backwards this time) so I tidied her up: combed and tied back her hair, sorted out her trousers and washed her grubby hands. Then we made some fairy cakes for tomorrow's church open day. She decorated them happily with silver balls and various sparkles whilst I made our lunch, ready for the return of the rest of the family.
My next pupil arrived right on time and the little one played as I taught, but she was getting hungry, so she brought her lunch into the office and sat and ate and said, as she was looking over my shoulder at what I was marking "lots of crosses means 'bad', doesn't it mummy?" My poor pupil glanced over to me quite miserably, and I explained that often even grown-ups had difficulty with apostrophes! I then had an older pupil, went through a bit of poetry with him and by that time my big girl and the DH were back from the wedding. They ate their sandwiches whilst I made a lemon drizzle cake, again for the church open day and poor old DH asked if the cake was for us "no!" says I, "keep you mitts off the lemon drizzle!"Having so many off limits baked goods in the house is causing some consternation amongst the Domum family. The children have eaten quite a few of the chocolate rice crispy cakes, and their appetite for them made me, at one point, yell "those are God's rice crispy cakes!!!". So, although I'm not entirely sure my Creator enjoys a chocolaty treat, I think my children understand that if they snaffle too many of the cakes intended for the church fete their mother may have an embarrassing "mental episode"!!lol!!
Despite being a bit of a cake-harpie I have allowed unlimited access to the flapjacks I made...simply because I didn't think the greaseproof paper was going to come off them easily (yes, I'm all heart). However, the DH, after eating one or two...or three, informed me that the paper came off fine, but I can't deprive them any more so it'll be tea-time flapjacks all round tonight.
After much cake-baking and tutoring and singing and playing with dollies and dressing and undressing and licking of spoons and pegging out of washing, we headed off to the very many second-hand bookshops you find in my area. Oh my oh my did we enjoy ourselves! It was quite a dull and cold day, just right for a Saturday afternoon mooch. One bookshop, which we hadn't visited before, had such a fine collection of cookbooks I nearly fainted with pleasure and the children were more than happy, huddled up in the children's section for a good hour. The DH was pleased because he could buy back all of the Inspector Morse books he'd lent my mum over the years and the bookshop man was happy because he knew we were the kind of book-addicted customers who wouldn't be able to leave empty handed!

I bought Agnes Jekyll's Kitchen Essays (now re-printed by Persephone, I believe), a collection of poems by John Donne (thanks to Barbara Pym's novel Jane and Prudence, methinks Dulce Domum now digs the metaphysical poets), a poetry anthology (with some pretty illustrations) and An English Almanac by Miles Hadfield. I wonder what he says for June 14th? Oh, nothing what a shame...I shall inform him that on the 14th of every month is Jenny's "A Day in the Life" blogathon thingy. Anyway, I'll leave you with a bit of John Donne, it's very romantic stuff, he loved his wife an awful lot and wrote and wrote about her (he'd have made a good blogger)...quite saucy, but in a seventeenth century way, with lots of thees and thous, and therefore quite all right for respectable married ladies of a certain age to read! Anyway, I'm off to eat a fish and chip supper and watch Dr Who. You all have a good evening, whatever you're doing this 14th of June. Anon, fellow huswifes, anon!

TO HIS MISTRESS GOING TO BED by John Donne

COME, madam, come, all rest my powers defy ; Until I labour, I in labour lie. The foe ofttimes, having the foe in sight, Is tired with standing, though he never fight. Off with that girdle, like heaven's zone glittering, But a far fairer world encompassing. Unpin that spangled breast-plate, which you wear, That th' eyes of busy fools may be stopp'd there. Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime Tells me from you that now it is bed-time. Off with that happy busk, which I envy, That still can be, and still can stand so nigh. Your gown going off such beauteous state reveals, As when from flowery meads th' hill's shadow steals. Off with your wiry coronet, and show The hairy diadems which on you do grow. Off with your hose and shoes ; then softly tread In this love's hallow'd temple, this soft bed. In such white robes heaven's angels used to be Revealed to men ; thou, angel, bring'st with thee A heaven-like Mahomet's paradise ; and though Ill spirits walk in white, we easily know By this these angels from an evil sprite ; Those set our hairs, but these our flesh upright. Licence my roving hands, and let them go Before, behind, between, above, below. O, my America, my Newfoundland, My kingdom, safest when with one man mann'd, My mine of precious stones, my empery ; How am I blest in thus discovering thee ! Oh, this is just an extract, but you can find the full version of the poem here.