Medley

Decisions: move on to the next posting, or do several separate postings, or just put a few pictures up for the record. 

I've chosen the latter, starting with Monday's Christmas party at Eagley Jazz Club, where The Dixie Beats put on a great show to a full house. Good food, good music, great value.

It's not every day that a message is received from someone you haven't seen or communicated with for 62 years. Mike Shakeshaft, sixth from the left on the photo below, is that person. This week he kindly provided the picture of the students and staff of Ward House, Adams Grammar School, in July 1961. I am sitting on his left. He discovered me as a result of my posting in June 2022, recalling my early days at a boarding school.
Hopefully we will meet up in the new Year.

Sue's retirement nearly 12 months ago gives her the opportunity of indulging in flights of fancy such as that shown below. I'm hoping she will progress to something useful. Xmas cards, perhaps!?

We recently popped in to the Little Heath Farm shop with Ernst and Bianca. They were admiring the trees, and now Ernst has managed to find one that is nearly as tall as he is. Well done. It'll be strange for them to be celebrating Chritmas in Altrincham, rather than in Cape Town's summer sunshine.

Next, I've been doing Wordle every day since I bought my latest (S23) phone. A few days ago the software did what it has done to many others - it ended my run without reason or explanation. Perhaps that's a blessing - I'll never manage such a long run and I no longer have to worry about doing it every day, or even getting it right.

Finally, when Sue isn't doing jigsaws, she can be found labouring over a cold stove. Here's a result, and the recipe is here and below.

Ingredients:

For the biscuit base:
125g softened butter
50g caster sugar
5tbsp cocoa powder
1 egg, beaten
200g digestive biscuits, blitzed to crumbs
100g dessicated coconut
50g chopped almonds

For the custard icing:
100g softened butter
4tbsp double cream
3tbsp custard powder
250g icing sugar

For the chocolate topping:
150g dark chocolate
50g butter

Method:

1. For the biscuit base, melt the butter, sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Whisk in the egg for 2-3 mins until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add the biscuit, coconut and almonds. Mix, then press into the base of a lined 20cm square tin. Chill for 10 mins.

2. For the custard icing, whisk together the butter, cream and custard powder until light and fluffy. Gradually add the icing sugar until it's fully incorporated. Spread over the bottom layer and chill until the custard layer is no longer soft.

3. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a microwave, then spread over the chilled bars and return to the fridge. Leave until the chocolate has fully set - at least 2 hours. Take out of the tin and cut into squares to serve.