. lOvely lemOn viennEse whirls .

isn't it a wonderful thing when the stars align & you know that things are just meant to be . particularly when the thing that's meant to be is a baking lovely, light, buttery biscuits, filled with wonderfully tangy lemon curd and an ever so light & fluffy frosting ? this months baking challenge from Bumpkin Betty was to make one of the recipes baked by someone else . adding your own little twist . there were a few that made a { not so } short list . Betty's white chocolate & blackberry cake . 

Jaclyn's sweet potato brownies . Sophie's greek honey & pistachio cake . & . Jennie's Hong Kong coconut tarts . to name but a few . 

but . then . i took a peek at this week's BakeOff . biscuit week . with a technical challenge that sounded suspiciously like a Viennese Whirl . which i remembered spotting amongst last month's family favourite bakes . Joyce baked Viennese Fingers dipped in dark chocolate with a sprinkling of gold dust . { doesn't a sprinkling of gold make everything so much better ? } . with a lovely write up on her blog Happiness is Handmade . on how these brought back happy memories of afternoon tea . 

what better bake to make than these then . with . my own twist ?

a lovely fresh lemony addition of homemade lemon curd . an absolute favourite of mine . & . a super simple recipe from Nigel Slater . { which you can find here } . & . it pairs wonderfully with a light buttercream . making these viennese whirls a lovely light indulgence . { if light indulgence isn't too much of an oxymoron ! } .

i spy with my little eye the circles i marked out in an attempt to make them consistent in size . { yes, how very Bake Off of me ! } .

spot the odd one out ?  i may have also made a batch of chocolate orange whirls . if you swap around 25g of the flour for cocoa powder you'll have lovely chocolatey biscuits . then make a simple ganache by grating the zest of one orange into 100ml of double cream . heat it to just before boiling point then add 100g of finely chopped dark chocolate . leave to stand to allow the chocolate to melt in the heat of the cream then stir to combine . i added the juice of half an orange too . place in the fridge to harden . then pipe as before . 

very very very lovely . 

and so . along with a cup of tea . i'm ready for biscuit week on the Bake Off .

thank you again to Bumpkin Betty for another lovely baking month . if you'd like to join in the baking head over to her facebook page . & . you can drool over all the other sweet treats the other bakers have been making .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. do All things with kIndness .

i feel i may have lost a little of my blOgging mOjo this month . & . my healthy eating mojO . oh . & . my running mOjo . there's a distinct lack of mojO at the moment .

Oh . except for my eating cake & cookies mojo . yep . still got that { and a few extra pounds to show for it too } !

in this wonderful digital age { which i love for sO many reasons } it can be hard not to keep aiming for that image of perfection that we constantly see . the perfect clean diet . the perfect fitness regime . the perfect family life . & . so it's all too easy to give yourself a hard time for indulging in one too many slices of cake . for skipping out on the running & working out . for not blOgging more often . for not being enough . for not being our own image of perfect . & . yet we all know { deep down } that life isn't perfect . but . actually . that's ok . it doesn't have to be perfect to still be wonderful .

so i'm making sEptember a time to be kind . to others . but . also to myself .

. do all things with kindness .

. choose joy . 

. be you . be love .

. september 2016 .

. september 2016 .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hAppy fridAy .

. 1 . crUshing on MattCrumps cute cAndy world .

. 2 . sisterly love snapped by house_of_douglas . & . shared by HelloLittleBirdie . 

. 3 . pink . gold . glittery . loveliness . with . unicorns !

{ gorgeous girliness by ModernQueenKids } .

. 4 . every girl needs her own sUper hEro cape . don't you think ?

. 5 . sUper cUte cOnfetti cAts . all . printed & produced by the sUper Julia Staite .

. 6 . despite the cuteness of the cOnfetti cAts . yEp . i'll be a plant lady before a cat lady . 

. 7 . everydAy mAgic . from . EnfantsTerribleMagazine . & . thegirllikesrainbows .

. 8 . lOng lOng lOng week . but . yay . lOng weekend ahead .

. 9 . is it time for big cOsy knits yet ? 

{ sunshine cardigan by LoopyMango } .

. & . finally . next week is biscuit week on BakeOff . & . i spy a whirling technical challenge .

{ these cranberry viennese whirls look just the thing to scoff whilst watching ! } .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hAppy fridAy .

. 1 . lOving this picture of such sweet siblings . shared by Katrien @growingwildthings .

. 2 . qUirky new label from Sweden . Civilliants . 

{ weirdly wonderful prints & cute photography } 

. 3 . gOrgeous new label from PuertoRico . NicaNica .

{ contemporary style & perfect for twirling in }

. 4 . gEtting in the Olympic Spirit with a little Stadium Glam from MiniMaven .

. 5 . On my weekend tOdO list . to create a bUllet journal .

{ track the past . organise the present . plan the future }

. 6 . On my wish IhAdOne list . to keep those threads tidy .

{ I heart Stitching . & . I heart Knitting }

. 7 . anOther beautiful image from Katrien with a lovely print from Frau Ottillie .

. 8 . my thought for today .

{ beautifully illustrated by Jessica Andriany }

. 9 . this weeks InstaCrush . @lianne.scher . of 1701CopperKitchen .

{ perfect serendipity in finding this just in time for the start of the BakeOff ! }

. & . finally . lOving the look of these lemon pOppy seed muffins . from Milk and Honey .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hAppy fridAy .

. 1 . a peony . to wish all those getting wed this weekend a very happy marriage .

. 2 . la roulotte du pinson . for beautiful things for children's rooms . inspired by nature . 

. 3 . my little gent . for cute clothing for your little guy . coming very soon .

. 4 . h&m studio child . inspired by fantasy & folk tales . coming very soon .

. 5 . summer reading . some of the best new books of aUgust .

. 6 . summer reading . with IssueNo.8 of Babiekins .

. 7 . time for tea . in this gorgeous Peter Rabbit china cup .

. 8 . and talking of tea . this seems appropriate for this weeks quote .

. 9 . this weekend . you'll find fAbritzia dEsign at TheHandmadeNottinghamMarket .

{ along with many other lOvely lOvely sellers } .

. & . finally . this weekend . you'll find me at the Bakewell Baking Festival .

{ enjoying this lovely sUmmer bErry loaf at a Bakewell picnic } .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. time for afternoon tea . { twelve treats for a perfect teatime } .

did i mention it's Afternoon Tea Week this week ? yes, all week, the perfect excuse to indulge in dainty finger sandwiches, pots of freshly brewed tea, &, freshly baked scones topped with jam and cream, & perfect petit fours . if you have room for all that . i'm not sure i've successfully finished an afternoon tea yet . they deceive you with their daintiness, their one bite delicacy . you take your time, and savour each mouthful, & then you reach that final tier of cake & pastry loveliness . & . realise you can't eat another mouthful ! { if anyone has the answer to this, please, please, do tell ! }

did you know that we have Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, to thank for the wonderful thing that is Afternoon Tea . her mid afternoon lull was solved by asking for tea and a light snack to be served in her room . to which she asked friends to join her . & . so the practice of Afternoon Tea began . it's popularity seems to keep on growing, adopted by hotels, bakeries & tearooms alike . some serving a very traditional version . others taking a more unconventional approach putting modern & themed twists on each tier of treats . and whilst it may seem like the ultimate tea party for grownups, it's also a wonderful thing to introduce children to . there already being a sense of occasion and whimsy about the whole affair that appeals to young & old alike . i think there are few things in life that are so universally appreciated . { including Afternoon Teas for the gentlemen in your life too } .  

so . lets start at that bottom tier shall we . plates ready to choose your first tea sandwich ?

. 1 . 2 . 3 .

{ lets start . with . tea sandwiches }

. 4 . 5 . 6 .

{ cream before jam . or . jam before cream }

?

. 7 . 8 . 9 .

{ fairy cakes . fondant fancies . french macarons }

. 10 .

{ the Mad Hatter's Tea Party . at . The Sanderson London }

. 11 .

{ Charlie & The Chocolate Factory . at . One Aldwych }

. 12 .

{ Afternoon Tea Bus Tour . on . B-Bakery Bus }

how will you celebrate Afternoon Tea Week

?

. if you are still looking for more inspiration . take a peek at my Pinterest board .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hAppy weekEnd .

. 1 . next week is Afternoon Tea Week . & . these would be a perfect start .

. 2 . beautiful storytelling in a single image . illustrations brought to life with flowers .

. 3 . classic storytelling re-issued by Puffin . 

{ the high spirited Anne of Green Gables illustrated by the inimitable Lauren Child }

. 4 . the gorgeous garden retreat created by Jeska of Lobster&Swan . jealous ? Oh yes !

. 5 . tempting toast with homemade strawberry jam . 

{ simple pleasures for sunday breakfast . with berries courtesy of Tesco #TriedForLess} .

. 6 . earl grey tea . to accompany the toast .

. 7 . a little more storytelling on a plate . by the incredibly creative Lee Samantha .

. 8 . thought for the mOnth .

. 9 . rather cute retro jelly bags . 

{ one in every colour . pretty please ! } .

. & . finally . rather cute mini cakes . a perfect ending to your afternoon tea .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hellO from kEllerman's . { wish yOu were here } .

a little while ago . on the spur of the moment . three girls decided to go to Kellerman's for the sUmmer . { well, it was one evening . but . for now lets pretend ! } . they booked their tickets . they packed their sUmmer frocks . a cUte cardigan { they'd heard it got quite chilly in the Catskills } . love notes for their dance instructor . a polka dot neckerchief . Oh . and not forgetting the wAtermelon .

they travelled off in search of adventure . cocktails . dancing . fun and games . & . a secret cinema experience not to be missed .

without wanting to give too much away . { & . to use every cliche from the film } . nobody put bAby in a corner . & . we all carried a watermelon . & . we really did have the time of our lives . 

for those who've not heard of Secret Cinema before, it began 9years ago with a secret screening of Dr.Strangelove . followed by several more iconic films over the past few years . much more than a film screening it is an immersive . interactive experience . & . from what i've read . Dirty Dancing may have been their most ambitious yet with a recreation of Kellerman's holiday camp . including secret " forbidden " staff quarters . where . like the film . the dancing was indeed a little dirtier than elsewhere . the location is kept a secret you simply get told to meet at a particular location & then follow the crowds of likeminded people . { in our case lots of girls in gorgeous frocks & lots of people carrying watermelOns } . as you arrive at the location you're required to put your phone into a sealed envelope - this is strictly a technology free zone - which is actually really refreshing . you actually take the time to enjoy the event . rather than the temptation to view it through the lens of your camera as you hunt that perfect instagram image . & . there is sO much to enjoy . the hours before the film began just whizz by . & . you're almost sad to tear yourself away to watch the film . but you do . & . you laugh & cringe a little at the iconic " I carried a watermelOn " line . & . you cheer when Jonny declares " nobody puts Baby in a corner " . & . you get up and dance along as the opening beats of " Time of My Life " begin .

whilst you're not allowed to use your phone to capture the evening . you can buy an old fashioned 35mm camera at the event . we did . & . it was quite amusing . when you are so used to being able to take multiple images . to crop . rotate . brighten . darken . & . apply any number of filters to perfect that shot . all in an instant . to return to a time when you have 24 shots . no zoom . no selfie stick . was actually quite liberating . & . that anticipation of how they'll turn out . somehow prolongs the memories of the evening . 

but enough of my ramblings . lets get back to those three girls . let's call them Peggy, Jill & Jennifer . & . lets take a look at their holiday at Kellerman's . { un-edited . un-cropped . no filter required } .

we really did . & . i would go to another secret cinema screening in a heartbeat .

. have a hAppy dAy .

. hEllo aUgust .

{ celebrate the little things }

hEllo aUgust

i'll be

. reading Where my Heart Used to Beat by Sebastian Faulks .

. enjOying a day in the 1950's at Compton Verney .

. making cards and buying gifts for family & friends birthday's .

. hoping the sun shines long enough to enjOy a picnic at Bakewell .

before ending the month

. watching the new series of The Great British BakeOff .

. have a hAppy dAy .