We met Elliot last year on a windy Northumbrian beach. Elliot likes windmills, and often pretends to be one. He's not really into toys, but he likes lawnmowers, pressing buttons, helping with housework, and going in the loft. When there is a bit of DIY going on in the house, he likes to help out and fix things. He also likes to talk, and asks lots & lots of questions! For our little shoot we had fun looking for treasures on the beach, getting sandy hands and building castles. Maybe next time we'll see that windmill impression!
Taylor Made Pancakes!
I remember always looking forward to Pancake Day. After the post Christmas lull, then the disappointment of Valentine's day, along it came, like a warm hug. Belting back from school and the table was laid. A mountain of lemon wedges and a pot of Tate & Lyle with the granules glistening were the central features. We didn't really divert from this combination, maybe occasionally adding a spoonful of golden syrup into the mix. I think now my favourite topping has to be bacon and maple syrup. The smoky, sticky crispiness of it all, sat on top of those fluffy pancakes.
So, we thought as it's Pancake Tuesday, we would do a little shoot with our lovely friend Taylor from over the road. Plus, we didn't need any encouragement to make and eat these tasty morsels!
We decided to use the Jamie Oliver recipe for USA style pancakes and they turned out rather well. Taylor whisked up the egg whites until they were stiff peaks - strong enough to turn the bowl upside down (although we didn't try this just in case). The yolks, flour, baking powder & milk were mixed together in another bowl. Then Taylor folded everything together and the batter was all ready to cook our pancakes.
We had a variety of toppings, some combinations more of an acquired taste than others! We had the traditional lemon and sugar toppings, nutella, banana & butterscotch, raspberries, golden syrup, and my personal favourite bacon and maple syrup.
Our taster Lex certainly gave them the thumbs up, and he knows his pancakes! Happy Pancake Day everyone - hope you have a good one.
Lex and the Wolf
I was sitting at the table a couple of weeks ago writing a shopping list, when I spotted a lupine behatted Lex racing from one side of the street to the other. Lex is our neighbour, and we often have chats on the cobbles about what he's been up to. He's also a wizard at game inventing.
I took a couple of shots of Lex with Silky (the wolf), in place. A little flurry of snow blew down the alleyway. I said how cool he looked in his new hat, to which Lex replied 'I'm not cool, I'm just me'!
Then our mini shoot was over, and Lex took up place on the sofa to play a game, whilst Maude the cat sat happily washing her paws.
