Housekeeping

On several occasions when a few of us have a cup of coffee together conversation will turn to housekeeping skills, and in my case, lack of them. Although I make supreme efforts to keep the dust down and at least keep the kitchen and bathrooms in pristine condition, I am hopelessly untidy and a complete squirrel. Like a lot of fellow squirrels I sometimes find I have a series of bags and boxes waiting to be sorted, usually items that have been swept into said receptacle from floor and table when notice has been given of an impending visit less than half a day away.

It's not that I don't long for the look of softly glowing tables empty of all but a beautifully, but casually arranged bunch of flowers, sometimes we even achieve it fleetingly, but my brain does not seem to function in the organised way needed to sustain it.

The scent from the orange blossom is beautiful

When bent on a day of solid housework I find some interesting recipe, new knitting pattern, or something that has been missing for days ready to distract me from my purpose.

I am just so grateful that I enjoy, indeed am almost fascinated by, food preparation and preservation. I love cooking for friends and family, I love to read about the lives of those other women, past and present who did the same.

One of my all time favourite accounts is 'The Diary of a Farmer's Wife' 1796-1797 an account first published in the Farmers' Weekly in 1937. I have it in a rather ancient Penguin paper back and it inspired me to keep a similar sort of diary for a number of years, which I then stupidly destroyed when my life changed.

The quest for a perfect cupcake recipe is my current occupation. The one found the June 2007 edition of Good Food magazine has to be the favourite.

We loved the butter icing, made with Green and Black's Organic white chocolate with vanilla