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Category Archives: baking

Sketch, Cookie Cutters and A Leaf

We have had a sketch book of my Dad’s for many years and I thought I had taken out and given away the various sketches. I brought it down today so that the LiveWires can use the paper for their delightful drawings and discovered another of dad’s drawings, of Wheal Busy. My Dad was an author of children’s books and adult historical romances – a man of many talents.

Wheal Busy dated 4/vii/80

I sent for some new biscuit cutters so will have fun with the LiveWires making Autumn biscuits.

Biscuit cutters

A lovely Autumn leaf found on my walk today.

Red leaf

Guest Blogger and Cake

15 Oct

Daughter No 1 is the one who 3d printed the vase. here she is going to explain the Epicyclic Gears shown below.

This epicyclic gear set (also known as planetary gears) is 3D printed in one operation as a complete moving part. The term planetary comes from the inner gears (the planets) orbiting the central sun gear. This type of gear set is often used in automatic vehicle transmissions as it can handle large amounts of torque in a very compact form. The gear teeth are V shaped meaning they lock in place along the axis of the gear, so this widget does not come apart, nor could it be assembled from its individual component parts. It can only be created using 3D printing.
It is printed using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), as was the vase, and is made of Polylactic Acid plastic (PLA) – a biodegradable thermoplastic derived from natural resources such as corn starch or sugar cane. The lines visible on the surface of the widget are indicative of the path the print head took as it laid down a 0.4mm wide bead of molten plastic which fused together to form the completed widget. The component parts are printed with just enough clearance between themselves and their neighbouring part that the beads of plastic of each part do not fuse with those of the other parts, resulting in a working assembly of seven individual parts all printed together.

Printed epicyclic gear, a thing of beauty and great fun to play with!

I baked a cake today – Blackberry, Apple and Date Cake and it is scrumptious, especially with a dollop of Creme Fraiche.

Blackberry, Apple and Date Cake

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 15, 2018 in art, baking, Beauty, Photography, Uncategorized

Tags: 3D printing, Apple and Date Cake, Blackberry, Epicyclic Gears

Day 18 – Together

11 Oct

Friday 20th September 2018

A peaceful family day with lots of relaxing and chatting together, sharing recipes and family stuff. On our walk for lunch we spotted a tiny door in the wall….

Cakes to make; I’ll be trying the Hummingbird Cake!

Door…

Lunch was a delicious and very American burger.

Best Burger

1 Comment

Posted by mybeautfulthings on October 11, 2018 in America, baking, family, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Nancie McDermott, Southern Cakes

Baking, Making and Scraww

14 Aug

The day started with us making Chocolate Croissants together.

Chocolate Croissant

I told the LiveWires about the show, Scraww, that we were going to see this evening at Trebah and that we would all be birds and they as children, would be fledglings. ‘We need wings!’ was their reaction so we spent all morning designing and making wings!

Sewing the back and front together

Wearing their wings at Trebah

The show was brilliant and thoroughly enjoyed by both LiveWires. The wireless technology worked a treat and the whole event was so exciting for them both. If you live in Cornwall and can find/borrow some children to take, you will experience something rather beautiful and very imaginative. Click on any photo for the bigger version and detail.

Hoopoe

The start

Flapping her wings to keep up with the flock

Encouraging the flock to keep going

Robin, Owl and Hoopoe

Blue smoke

Waiting for Simaug

Headphones on and deep concentration

The bridge at dusk as we left after the show

Please forgive me for not reading blogs, replying to comments right now. As you can no doubt tell, every moment is taken up with the lovely LiveWires.

From the Trebah website:

“The birds of the world have gathered; join the flock on an epic quest to find the legendary Simorgh bird. A feather fuelled, technically immersive journey into Persian poetry… prepare to elect your new king!

This summer Trebah Garden and Gaggle Haus present the epic Persian tale SCRAWW, told via an immersive soundtrack created by international sound designer and composer Max Pappenheim. Audiences will don “silent disco style” headphones, join a flock and put on their feathers as they get led through the garden, experiencing live performance blended with Max’s score. Paths and plots twist as the flock move through this truly immersive soundscape before reaching the finale on Trebah’s picturesque private beach.

SCRAWW is an exciting co-production between Trebah and Gaggle Haus, introducing international talent to the landscape and performing arts sector of Cornwall. “A genre-bending operatic and digital piece of pure perfection!”

The Gaggle Haus team includes Director Anna Pool (opera, theatre and music maker); Lila Palmer (librettist) and Anna Driftmeir (scenographer and production designer), a team of acclaimed makers, who have worked across Europe and in the United States.”

3 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on August 14, 2018 in baking, Beauty, community, Cornwall, garden, Photography, Postaday2018, Trebah gardens

Tags: Anna Pool, Gaggle Haus, Max Pappenheim, Persian tale Scraww, Scraww

Cake, Quaking Grass and Cornflower

26 Jul

I promised you a photo of the Pomegranate Passion cake and here it is. It tastes as good as it looks. The topping is Mascarpone with Greek yogurt and macerated Pomegranate seeds.

Pomegranate Passion Cake by Yasmin Khan

The evening light on the grass seed heads was lovely.

Quaking Grass seed heads

It lit up the Everlasting Cornflower too.

Everlasting Cornflower

The temperature reached 30.2C today – unheard of in Cornwall.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 26, 2018 in baking, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Pomegranate Passion Cake, Yasmin Khan

Cornish Pasty, Blue and Sunshine

15 Jul

I know – I grew up in Cornwall and came home again 10 years ago but today was my first attempt at making Cornish pasties! I was inspired by Ark and followed a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrbY_JBrFE4), having bought all the correct ingredients yesterday. They didn’t look quite right as my pastry was too friable and thin (apparently I should use strong bread flour for the pastry) but my golly, they tasted good! I shall be trying again………

My first ever Cornish pasty

The White Lupins are nearly over and we have twenty two blue Agapanthus flowers on the point of opening to take their place in that bed.

Agapanthus, Day Lilies and Everlasting Cornflowers

These days of sunshine and golden light day after day, the way the sun moves from coming in at the kitchen window at the back of our house in the morning to streaming the sunset rays through the front into the sitting room and our bedroom – all remind me of this lovely poem by Linda Pastan. I first discovered her work last April.

In the Kingdom of Midas – Linda Pastan

If you follow the sun
from room to room,
wading in the pools
of light spilled
by that tawny,
molten river,

if you move all day
from east
to west, from kitchen
to study to bed,
by afternoon you’ll see
the bedposts touched

and changed to sheaves of wheat,
and the children born
and nourished there will be
golden tongued
and golden headed.

For you the moon has always been
the pale,
homely sister.
You tell your rosary
in saffron beads of light,

and though one day
you’ll drown
in shade, the sun
will leave its heavy coins
on your closed lids
forever.

6 Comments

Posted by mybeautfulthings on July 15, 2018 in baking, environment, Food, garden, nature, Photography, Postaday2018

Tags: Agapanthus, day lilies, Everlasting Cornflowers, In the Kingdom of Midas - Linda Pastan, Linda Pastan

A Visitor, Hydrangea and Cake

12 Jul

Our resident Toad called by again this morning.

Common Toad

Hydrangeas are coming into bloom. I love the lilac, white and green in this emerging flower.

Hydrangea

A couple of days ago I read a cake recipe that sounded good so I saved it, bought the ingredients and this afternoon have made it. It had no name so here is the Lemon, Apple and Ricotta Cake.