It went with a swing.

What a lovely evening- the jazz concert was a warm and toasty success.  A nice big audience and the band and singers were all great.  The church looked really pretty with holly and candles and fairy lights everywhere.  The mulled wine and mince pies went down a storm.  Pictured here is Dave the postman's famous shortbread. I truly believe that if you didn't feel all warm and snuggly and christmassy when Mike Long sang White christmas than you must be a robot, from planet Grinch.  Mike's voice was velvety rich and evocative and his version could easily stand next to Nat King Cole's anytime.  It was a lush evening.  I'm already daydreaming about organising another one- bigger and better, next year.  Next time I'm thinking of finding a brass section from somewhere- we all need trumpets in our lives after all.  We raised a lovely amount of dosh for the feel restoration fund too- brilliant.

THE Christmas jazz concert, it's tomorrow!!!!!

How can I have forgotten to mention I have been organising a jazz concert? It is tomorrow night at the local church and is in aid of the church bells which need re-hanging. The re-hanging will cost about a squillion pounds and we are applying for Heritage Lottery funding, but need to raise 10% locally.

It was my big idea to have a concert so I was the one to drive it forward, but it couldn't have been possible without my fellow ringers being super duper helpful. I suggested it back in August and have been beavering away ever since.

The band, Just Misbehavin' are booked, the brilliant singers Mike Long, Emily Wraith and Lynn Thornton have agree their set list, the wine is ready for mulling, the mince pies are ready for munching (we have all been madly baking) we even have a hostess trolley on standby to keep the mince pies warm (yes, we have thought of everything!)

Tomorrow we decorate the church in the morning and then the band arrive before 6pm for a little run through, then it's show time at 8pm. It's very exciting and I've gone past nerves, though I'm sure they will return tomorrow. Can't wait. It's been a long time since I put on a show (I used to run a contemporary dance company back in London, but more about that another time) so I'm really looking forward to it.

As a bonus, marvellous mum and dad are coming down with my brother and his lovely partner, hooray! Darling boy and Little brother are very very excited.

I will post again soon to say how it goes, I'm sure it wil be with a swing though!

Mini cupcakes for the big church bells

Our church bells need re-hanging.  This is super duper mega expensive and funds need to be raised.  Before you can qualify for funding from the big boys, you need to prove you have raised a certain percentage locally.  This is where I come in, in a very small way of course.

Now I’m not a religious person, but I recognise the brilliant space that a church has, both physically as an ancient building, and also emotionally within a community.  All that history, the atmosphere, the acoustics, the dazzling stained glass, the stylish pews (do you think I could sneak one home for my new kitchen in the barn??), but mostly the sense of cohesion and pulling together.

A concert was arranged in the local church to raise money, and we merry bell ringers were to be providing the half time snacks (as the poster promised wine and nibbles)  I had been asked if I could possibly bake some cupcakes, and of course I agreed.

I decided mini ones would be best, more like a cocktail pudding snack, than a full on slice o’ cake which is what mine more usually are.

I kept it classic and went with chocolate and vanilla decorated in shades of cream, blue and purple and only had empty cake stands to take home.  Happy concert goers and happy me.

Oaty cookies

The first cookie I ever blogged about was these oat cookies.  Soft and chewy and surely good for you with their low GI (well, its oats, innit)

I have volunteered to make refreshment cookies for the Devonshire Guild of Bellringers meeting (I know....) which is taking place this year at our tower.  So, to refresh my memory of how these bad boys taste, I thought I would whip up a batch.  They are just as oat and chewy and moorish as I remembered and so I think they will do.  These and something chocolately that is.  Perhaps my triple chocolate cookies.  After all, there always needs to be chocolate, doesn't there?

Cupcakes for the bell ringers

If you had said to me 5 years ago that I would be learning how to ring church bells I wouldn't have believed it.  It is so hard and 10 million miles away from anything I have ever done.  The church was struck by lighting in 1689 and the fire melted the bells, but they were re-cast and are chiming today. Learning to ring the bells is brilliant.  For how incredibly heavy they are, its a very delicate and fragile art form.  Each ringer has to both keep a steady pace, but react to the changes other ringers make.

I am being taught by the most amazing woman who has more skills than I have ever encountered in one person (running a small holding single handed, riding a pony a trap, basket weaving to name just a few) and to boot, she is lovely.

I went to the church bell ringers committee meeting recently and of course, took along some cupcakes, after all, all that bell ringing needs some chocolate to fuel it.

The bells, the bells...

I have much to tell you, mostly about learning how to ring the local church bells...story coming soon