That cake again!

Just in case you feel inspired enough (or crazy enough! ) to want to make an Imperial State Crown Cake then here is the perpetrator - ahem - inventor - himself - Keef Piethagoras Williamson of Keef Cooks showing just how he went about it!


 I'm even more honoured that he did now I've seen this - though it was certainly a challenge to try to eat the result. 


 But it was definitely a cake and a half - and another half . . .Delicious.


Thank you again, Keef!

A Special Weekend

There are friends and there are friends.

Facebook makes it seem as if ‘friendship’ is as simple as clicking on a name and – that’s that!  Friends for life-  or at least until another click ‘unfriends’ someone. 

I’m happy to see my Facebook friends making comments or liking a post and some of them are real friends  - friends in the outside world,  people I’ve met in person – or through long correspondence or emails.  People who might  be separated sometimes by life taking them many  thousands of miles away but who, when you meet up again, fit like a comfortable sock,  falling straight back into place in your life and reminding you of just how much you missed them.

We spent this weekend with friends like that -  their life  has often taken them miles  away,  to different countries, different experiences, but  just recently they came back  to live in UK – just down the road in fact (well, in contrast to past times!). Close enough for us to go and visit  easily – and hopefully much more often.

So this weekend I was able to fulfil a l-o-n-g held promise to show my friend around Haworth and to visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum together.  It was a slightly unusual  trip to Haworth for two reasons – one that the sun  was shining  so ‘Wuthering Heights’ it was not! And two, we hadn’t realised that we’d be sharing our latest reunion with  the crowds who had come to enjoy the annual  Haworth 1940s weekend.   So the narrow Main Street, the  park behind the Parsonage and  every one of the cafés  were crowded with soldiers in uniform, land girls, RAF officers – and  the general public  dressed up to the nines in  costumes that ranged in accuracy from downright perfect to a passing nod to the idea of 40’s fashion.   Great fun – if a little wearing as you tried to make your way anywhere in the bustling crowds.

The highlight for us – and I’m sure for many people there – was the flypast of the Spitfire plane, circling low enough over the street to be seen clearly.

After that we all went  back to our friends’ new home for the evening sharing in the  - er ‘delights’ of the Eurovision song contest  ( you need to be friends to do that!)  There was also an extra surprise  for me -  extending my birthday celebrations with the  most magnificent cake I have ever been served.   Blending my birthday  with the 90^th celebrations of HM The Queen,  Keef  had created the Imperial State Crown  of a cake decorated with incredible accuracy (we’d been looking at a replica of the actual crown only that afternoon.)

But the actual crown couldn’t have tasted as delicious as this light fruit cake version.  It was wonderful (well it should be when created by the Cook himself from Keef Cooks )– if something of a challenge! The cake itself weighed  a ton.  We could only manage a smallish portion each – and the rest of the cake will need to be shared amongst friends  who I’m sure will enjoy it every bit as much as we did.

But at least we managed to walk off some of the calories the next morning when we went  down to  Rodley Nature Reserve  where as well as   the delights of watching a proud mother sw

an carry all of her 8 cygnets across the water on her back  we were able to watch oyster catchers and the handsome, elegant herons from pretty close up.

A fabulous  weekend  -  I send special thanks to my friends  - and the great thing is that now they live so much closer, we can repeat this  again pretty soon.

It's that day again

It wouldn't be the 12th October if I didn't post the traditional -

To wish Mr Hugh (in a towel) Jackman, inspiration for so many heroes in so many books over the years, a very happy 42nd birthday.





<- This picture inspired the work on creating a hero at my workshop in Halifax at the weekend. And this --> is just . . . inspiring

I'm totally sure that Anne McAllister will also have posted a selection of inspirational images as well to mark today - after all, she is the person who stole my original version of H-I-AT when we were together in Australia.

And if it's Hugh's birthday, then I need to wish a very happy birthday to Lacey too. You're in great company Lacey!

A Special Day

I have some more posts about Conflict coming up but I'm pretty busy today with something special to celebrate . Two special things really. Two special birthdays.

One I'm a bit late - a day late - with so I have to say sorry to my lovely 'twin' Holly Jacobs for that. Holly's birthday was yesterday. So Happy Birthday for yesterday Holly! I hope you had a very special day.

And today's birthday? Well that's really special - to me anyway.

Some years ago (quite a few of them!) in Leeds, West Yorkshire, a baby boy was born who was destined to become my own real life hero. I had to go to Aberystwyth in Wales to meet him, in spite of the fact that while he was growing up in Leeds, I was only 20 or so miles away in Halifax. But destiny knew what she was doing and it all worked out as a HEA in the end.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE MAGNET and here's to many many more of them!

It doesn't seem right somehow to be talking about Conflict today though, so if you're looking for Conflict posts then come back tomorrow. We're off out into the sunshine for the day to celebrate. And then dinner tonight with The Offspring and his Lovely Girlfriend.

But on a small intriguing coincidence thought - Holly's birthday is August 8th, the Babe Magnet 's birthday is today - August 9th. And when I was at school my best friend then was born on August 8th too. There must be some special connection between me and these dates at this time of year.

So Josephine West - if you're out there - Happy Birthday too!

It's June . . .

The first day of June - but no sign of 'flaming June' in Lincolnshire. it's grey and cool - and predicted to be wet. Oh well,as I'm in the final stages of a major clear out/clean/organise of my office, the cooler temperatures will be fine by me today.

As it's the first of June, I want to celebrate the birthday of a lovely lady - one of my special friends and favourite authors.

Happy Birthday, Liz Fielding!

I may write and enjoy the high octane intensity of the Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents novels but I enjoy reading so many other authors books - and Liz's novels are some of my absolute favourites, for the quality of her writing and the wonderful emotions she brings to her stories.

Today I'm going to celebrate Liz's special day by reading her latest - A Wedding at Leopard Tree Lodge which Liz was kind enough to send me a copy. Perhaps not quite the way round, by celebrating with a gift she's given me but it's going to be my treat for the day.

Have a very special day, Liz! I know I will with your book to enjoy

I had a surprise this morning - I had actually forgotten that my latest title - The Good Greek Wife is now available for pre-order on Amazon - and actually on sale on the Mills & Boon web site. So it was quite a surprise to find it on that site this morning. As I haven't had my author copies yet, I hadn't even read the back 'blurb' so I was keen to be able to find out what was actually in it - this is what I found:

The return of the proud Greek husband… He was declared missing at sea – but now notorious Zarek Michaelis is back and ready to take control! First he’ll see to his business, and then to his wayward wife…

For two years Penny has struggled to come to terms with Zarek’s disappearance. But enough is enough. It’s time to move on…

Her proud Greek husband is still as darkly handsome as ever, and the attraction between them is just as potent. But Penny can’t trust Zarek’s motives – does he just want her body and the fortune he left behind…or to try again?

The Greek Tycoons Legends are made of men like these!

. . .and again

Today I'm out and about again - blogging over on the Pink Heart Society site.

As it's Monday, my topic is the famous Male on Monday slot - but I've been greedy today and not limited myself to just one male but a type of man that sets my pulse rate pounding.

And if it's greedy, well it's my birthday this week so I indulge myself a little - can't I?

Talking of birthdays I want to send very special birthday greetings to one of my very special friends, and a real favourite writer of romances I just love to read

Happy Birthday Michelle Reid!

Michelle and I hope to celebrate our joint birthdays next week when the Babe Magnet and I will travel to visit her in her gorgeous cottage in the Lake Distract. But for now I'll just send my best possible birthday wishes.

And as it's a week for celebrations, I'm giving away a book a day to someone who posts a comment - so why not join in and maybe you'll be celebrating too.

Cats and Birthdays

Yesterday was of course the Floozie's birthday. Today I'm posting photos of another cat to help a friend celebrate her birthday. It also makes for a quick post as I'm deep in the word mines and looking at a dreadline coming way too close.

Dylan doesn't get into the limelight as often as Sir Sidney or The Floozie. He is, it must be acknowledged, a small cat. But a small cat with a big character. He's a cat of little drama and not prone to pushing his way into people's lives. He waits quietly for you to notice him - which people always do.

Especially Biddy. Dylan with his one working eye and his rusty purr and his swaggering 'shoulder power' walk is Biddy's favourite of all the cats. And always has been.

And today is Biddy's Birthday. She's over on the Pink Heart Society celebrating with the delights of Male on Monday. So I'm helping her celebrate with these new photos of her other favourite male taken the other weekend when the sun shone and he was out in the garden lapping it up.

Happy Birthday Biddy!

And special thanks go to my dear friend Mama Duck who took these photos - with fabulous memories of a long warm late summer afternoon just talking. Now she's back in Spain and I miss her . Hugs, Duck!

Happy Birthday to me

I was going to keep quiet and just have a day off but it seems I've been outed on Anne McAllister's blog (or rather by Sid the Cat on Anne McAllister's blog)- and on Kate Hardy's too (Thank you both of you!) so yes I'll admit it - I'm having a birthday!

And as I have a Babe Magnet who knows what's right and proper, I already have flowers and a DVD of Australia so all's right with the world.

I also have the tweaked version of Nikos and Sadie's story back on my editor's desk so I'm also free from dreadlines which is a wonderful feeling.

And the sun is shining - what more could I ask for.

So I'm going out for the day.

And if there are final alpha questions I'll deal with them tomorrow!

PS to Jan - here's the cake!