Just some memories

Today I have been attempting to get through a very long "To Do"  list.  Sometimes I just try to get too much done in one day.  I have packed for the Daylesford market tomorrow - except for the felt I am drying.

Two markets in two days this weekend and when I think about it it that's why I'm trying to get so much finished today.  The house smells so good as I have been cooking .....and thinking................  I have been making  pastry and am about to make Battenberg check cake.  Both recipes are from my paternal grandmother.  As a child I thought the check cake required magic  (not jam) to make the check pattern.

And  more memories come flooding into my mind.  Today is Good Friday and I remember when I was a child Grandpa asking if my brother and I could drove some sheep.  We just loved working with sheep and Grandpa would pay 2 shillings.  However Mum would not let us work on Good Friday.  It almost became an international incident.  There were plenty of cousins so Grandpa just moved onto the next in line!!

I have this photo in my studio.  I have no idea where they were going this day but Nana is really dressed to the nines. Grandpa was Irish and Nana was English.  I have the fox fur Nana is wearing in my camphor-wood box.  At their home Nana and Grandpa always sat opposite each other in front of the fire, Nana knitting and Grandpa - well you won't believe this.  Grandpa used to draw the plan of his farm and then move the sheep from paddock to paddock.  Evey piece of paper, every newspaper was covered with paddocks and sheep numbers - early version of Sudoku

Grandpa used to sit in the same seat at Church every Sunday.  When Father Conway went on a bit long with the sermon Grandpa would get the coughs!!!! I remember being so embarrassed - I wish now that I had giggled.

My mother told me that Nana (who had 3 sons, one being my father) always made sure her sons had 3 pairs of  hand knitted socks and 3 vests.   She knitted all our singlets when we were children.  And my dolls had the best knitted outfits (also in the camphor-wood box)

Now to make the check cake and have a cuppa