Heritage Tour - 2

There was a lot going on at North Pier during Heritage Open Day as it is also celebrating its 150th anniversary. We toured the pier, watched 2 free performances, one a chat with Charlie Cairoli Jr and one a variety show. The weather for the tour was sunny but on the performance days it was gale force and chucking it down so the turn out was low - such a shame. Here are a few old pics of the pier.

And here is an old projector from when the theatre showed films.

The theatre was larger inside than out - very strange.

We were allowed onto the stage, backstage and ...

and around the dressing rooms which were sumptuously decorated with deco wallpaper, chandeliers, pictures and flowers.

The dressing rooms were like hotel rooms with coffee making facilities and drinks fridges.

Couches and ensuites were in the main dressing rooms.

Mirrors were everywhere so we artistes could check our make-up and clothes.

The even had a sea view!

In the office there was one vital document on show. Two previous theatres went up in flames and the third was saved from burning by one of the artistes - Vince Hill.

Thank you to the bloggers who have signed up for the Tea Party. I've made a simple (can't do difficult) button to display on your blogs if you wish to invite more people to the 'do'.

xx

Welcome to another new follower. My numbers creep up slowly.

Virtual Tea Party Invite

Who is invited?

Anyone who reads this blog, whether they have their own blog or not.

When is it?

It's usually been near the end of October at the weekend so how's about Sunday 27th October. (Please put the date in your diary.) There's plenty of time to prepare a post if you have a blog and wish to join in. 

What do I have to do if I join in?

If you have a blog all you need to do is to prepare a post on something to do with a Tea Party on the day and I will link to your blog. If you haven't got a blog then all you need to do is visit participating blogs and leave a comment. Simple, no sweat.

We've had some great Tea Party hosts and I hope they will consider joining in again. Your post can be long or short, it doesn't matter. Here's a few suggestions.

Show off your favourite - teapot, china, tablecloth, cake stand ...

Take a picture between now and the day of - cake, sandwich, scone, party food, nibbles, drinks ...

Show off some favourite sandwich fillings.

Take a picture of favourite - dress, hat, shoes, gloves, fascinator, brooch, necklace ...

Converse on - weather, holiday, family, hobbies, books read, films seen ...

Take a picture of your garden, bunting, table layout, garden decorations, house decorations ...

If you have more ideas please say.

Dear Bloggy Bloggers,

Just a jingle from me,

How's about a meet

For a special cup of tea?

Tea, buns and cakes

With sarnies for your mam.

Scones with naughty cream

And a smear of strawberry jam.

Bring out your cake stands

Teapots, cloths 'n' that

Polish up your china

Choose your poshest hat

Wear your bestest frock

Bring your closest friend

To chat, laugh and giggle.

This invite to you I send.

Joy, it's just you and me at the moment. See you there!

Heritage Tour - 1

I really enjoyed visiting local places during Heritage Open Days last year and this year I opted for a tour of homes which were built for the 1906 Cottage Exhibition at Cleveleys in the Fylde.

All of the cottages are still standing but other homes have been built in between. Click on the links for more information. The house below was the one that has kept true to the original building.

PS Talking of this year and last year, would anyone like a Virtual Tea Party again this year? Just a yeah or nay will do at the moment. I'll post more detail later if we have a few responses. Look at our other Virtual Tea Parties if you've not joined in before.

PPS Welcome to my new follower.

xx

Calculating

One bucket of plums (given) plus a bowl of crumble mix (500g flour/oats, 250g butter, 200g brown sugar) equals ...

12 small crumbles plus 2 bowls of plums to eat.

The kitchen smells wonderful.

xx

PS Welcome to my new follower (who also enjoys cooking and baking).

Don't ...

... keep having chocolate/ice-cream lollies for afters. It's no good for your diet.

I made some cake instead. I know - it's no good for your diet but if I cut it into small enough pieces then you've got the taste and only a few calories. And I know how much fat and sugar has gone into each cake. My simple cake recipe is 4/2/2, an egg and some milk.

eg. 4 oz flour, 2 oz butter, 2 oz sugar

or

8 oz flour, 4 oz butter, 4 oz flour - the ratio is the same.

At the front is a lemon cake tray bake so I added the juice and zest of a lemon.

The second cake in the middle used some brown and muscavado sugar, a teaspoon of mixed spice and 4 oz sultanas. At the back you can see my experiment with crackers.

I used 1 cup of wholemeal bread flour, a knob of melted butter, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar all mixed and kneaded together for 10 minutes. Who needs the gym to get muscles in your arms? I let the dough rest in the fridge for about 20 minutes then rolled it out very, very and more very thin. It was baked in the oven at 240 degrees C for about 5 minutes. I think I read about the recipe from the Keep it Simple blog (see the side bar). Frugal Queen also had a go at making crackers.

I shall make these again and experiment more with different flours and toppings. A couple of these will suffice for afters and I know what's in them!

xx

PS Welcome to my new follower.

To-de-loo

To the tune of Close Every Door To Me

Cleaned every bog loo today,
Chased all the germs away,
Under the rim and
Around the U bend.

Don’t do this everyday
The job never goes away
Leave the bowl sparkling
Seat clean for your end!

This job is important so
I clean where we have to go
And I know that now the loos
All smell divine.

Cleaned every bog loo today
Germs and dirt gone away
Wiped, brushed and polished
Just me alone.

And I know I did find (excuse the grammar)
Complete peace of mind
With a brush, cloth and cleaner
In a world of my own.

Also known as Bog Ballad, Doos Ditty, Water Closet Witterings, Rest Room Recitations or Privy Ponderings.

xx

Jolly nice

My friend and I had a mini jolly to Poulton last week just for a walk round and a pot of tea. She took me to see the railway station.

Very pretty. What a site to send you off on your journey ...

or to greet you when you arrive home.

xx