~Courgette Chocolate Cake~

3 courgette plants and I've already got a steady supply. I have many recipes to deal with a courgette glut gleaned from various friends, books and websites. I just have to remind myself to pick them when they're reasonably sized and tasty because if you ignore them they can turn into marrows overnight! So, Sunday afternoon has been spent turning these

into this

The recipe actually made 2 loaves, one for the freezer and one for now. The recipe is from The Allotment Seaonal Planner & Cookbook by Andi Clevely. The kids sometimes complain about the tell-tale green bits visible in the sponge, 'but it does taste really nice', I say...
Here's the recipe;
Beat 125g butter and 115g brown sugar together. Add 2 eggs with a little of the flour(310g). Mix in 1 tsp vanilla and 110ml plain yogurt.. Sieve remaining dry ingredients ( 2 tsp bicarb of soda, 30g cocoa,1/2 tsp mixed spice,1 tsp cinnamon,1/2 tsp salt) and fold in. Then mix in the courgettes. Grease and line the tins. ( I use greaseproof loaf tin liners from the Pound Shop). Makes 1 square cake or 2 loaves. 45 mins at 170 degrees C.
 Gorgeous. Does it count as one of my 5-a-day?

~Seaside Outing~

I think of the East Coast seaside as my spiritual home - I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years there. After a hectic week I've spent a day and night at the seaside which is just enough to charge my batteries and blow the cobwebs off. This view makes my heart sing...

...it's the good old North Sea, honest. And this too

I love the pebbles on the beach, the wooden breakers; and the sound of the waves.
I fitted in a quick look in the charity shops and second hand shops of this lovely town too; and came away with some more vintage melamine (1960s Melaware 2 cups for 40p- one still has the label on from new!) Look at the handle shape, and they are my favourite shade of green too;

and a lovely crochet blanket for £1. Away into the caravan stash they go!

~Birthday Weekend~

We had a family garden party at the weekend to celebrate my husband and daughter's birthday.  My little girl is 16 today, 4th July, and I'm wondering how that went by so quickly.  I am so proud of how she has grown up into such a gorgeous girl and I'm hoping she has a fantastic time at her Prom tomorrow night here at this country house hotel,which is also where my Dad was born when it was a Maternity Hospital after the war.