Saturday 11 June 2011

Molees...molasses and oat treats







I try and avoid sugar and wheat but often get a craving for a sweet treat in the evening..heres my solution -Molees!!! I dont weigh the ingredients but below is my estimate of proportions.

1/3rd of a block of creamed coconut=75g
2 generous tablespoons of molasses =100g
dried fruit-chopped dates, apricots, prunes, sultanas, raisins =200-300g
... any or all. I usually put in a just finished marmalade jar... add warm water and leave for 20 mins to plump it up- shake it up and it also washes the jar for you and adds a bit of orangy flavour to the mix
2 teaspoons of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of mixedspice, 1 teaspoon of cocoa powder,
grated carrot and apple... 2 medium carrots, 1 apple
dessicated coconut, ground nuts and seeds =50g
Oats - 7 to 10 handfuls... 200-500g


Melt the coconut block in a large pan, add molasses, add soaked fruit and any remaining liquid, and spices, dessicated coconut or ground nuts and finally enough oats to make a maleable but dryish mix.
Either put on a baking tray as for flapjack and cut into squares when cool or roll between palms into small balls.... if still wet you can roll these balls to coat them in dessicated coconut.... high calorie but really satisfying. No cooking after the initial melting of the coconut and I find its easier to stir in all the ingredients if its all warm... you can cool it down at the end before you cut into squares.

Saturday 4 June 2011

Tuesday 22 February 2011

Sunday 13 February 2011

Another FineArtFriday on etsy

My autumn leaf felt scarf got included in a beautiful Treasury to promote Fine Art Friday... and I was so pleased to see some soap. some crochet work and my scarf among the paintings.. a lovely inclusive definition of Fine Art...you can see it by clicking here

Monday 7 February 2011

Carpetbags.. Beluch, Ersari and Caucasian rug fragments




After what seems like years of discussion, design work and prototype development, my partner; travellinglight.etsy.com [with a bit of assistance from me] has produced two hand shoulderbag size carpet bags. I think they are stunning and unique. The bagform brings out the beauty of the rug, the colours, textures and motifs.You can see his shop here;.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/travellinglight

Saturday 5 February 2011

Glorious Mud

Now the snow has gone we have mud, slippy, slidy, squelchy mud.... but Im trying to think positive and appreciate the wonderful varied colours of mud...at the bottom of the page is the Treasury I made to start the Brown Appreciation Society... How Now Brown.. or you can see it here; http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d4b7181908e8eef0f7e0444/how-now-brown

Friday 14 January 2011

Fine Art Friday and Singing Saturday


FineArtFriday is a collaborative promotion of fine artists on etsy.. Jessica Torrant- a very fine artist herself! has made a wonderful collection of etsy artists in this Treasury... go take a look.. I discovered some new artists I will be following with interest-


http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d309e060a766d918eb56c17/transformation

My FineArtFriday will be followed by SingingSaturday, another day of singing songs for peace, justice and the environment. We gather at an ancient Quaker Meeting House in the hills known as the Pales and bring food to share.. I'll include a clip of us singing soon.

And finally a challenge for anyone reading this.. I get obsessed by certain landscape views..I shall be working on some abstracts based on photos I took today... very dramatic with storm clouds and sunbeams.....I hope to have something to share next FineArtFriday! Anyone else care to have a go?

Monday 10 January 2011


I had fun experimenting with some plant pigment inks I bought [2 years ago.. ahem.. you can't say I'm not quick off the mark!] from Helen Melvin, a wonderful felt artist and natural dyer; http://www.fieryfelts.co.uk



I painted a small cedar wood panel and following the grain lines- this little landscape emerged...with a pig's face in the sun..I also used a little white acrylic paint...I dont know if I should wax it or seal it.. I would rather leave it natural.
Thanks Helen.. Im off to try them on paper next.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

in the hills or up a mountain?

While taking the rubbish down to the 'hairpin'... the nearest place on the lane that the refuse collection lads come....[ they hadnt been for 5 weeks so there was a fair bit... mainly for recycling -plastic, metal, paper] I was reflecting how this is our point of contact with civilisation.. this point a few hundred feet lower and half a mile away. In the summer I have walked down with a wheelbarrow and the one eyed cat for company... he got a lift back up in the barrow.
The hairpin almost makes me feel we live on a mountain as the road is steep and exposed and we get cut off by ice and snow here.... but really we are surrounded by rounded hills not high peaks...we live at about 1300 feet..our house is tucked down below the high ridge which is about 1500 feet.. in a cwm .. a dip... a hollow.. sheltered and hidden. I like the word 'cwm' it seems safe and comfortable.. as does the Welsh word 'cwtch' which I think of as 'to snuggle up' 'hug' or ' get comfy with'. Our house and barns cwtch up together in their cwm in this wild and freezing weather.

And while this winter is going on I seemed to have produced a summery floral abstract as my first attempt at acrylics. I dont know where it came from except it reminds me of a huge bunch of alstromeria I bought for £1.50p.. reduced at a supermarket ...white and a pale pink.. which lasted almost 2 months!! Finally the papery petals falling.. yet the green leaves still vibrant and the stamens stained orange.

Saturday 1 January 2011

snow parsley


The snow has gone except from a few tucked away hollows and ditches... revealing flattened yellowing grass and alot of mud... the snow however was pretty and covered up mess and made the world seem calm and untroubled.. an illusion I know.
I liked the look of snowballs in trees and on these stalks of cow parsley.
I liked watching the rolls form as I walked uphill my booted feet tossed up little chunks of snow and these gathered more snow as they rolled downhill so that at the bottom they could be 3 inches across- little flattened discs.. an inch thick sometimes...like silage rolls in miniature.