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Sound the Trumpets - A New Blog for the Older Brigade has Arrived!

Tis The Season of Goodwill!

The season of goodwill is upon us!  The shops online and in the High Streets are buzzing with Christmas fare.  There are 3 for 2 and 50% off, etc, enticing us to spend our hard-earned cash.  But I have become more savvy over the years.  I now make a list and stick to it with self-inflicted discipline to keep myself from going overboard.  I learned my lesson the hard way years ago, and now I am one step ahead of the crafty retailers’ advertising. Seriously, write a list. I do mine around the beginning of August (yes, as early as that).  And, bit by bit, I find out what the grandkids have their little hearts set on, except George, who is 7 and will chop and change from one week to the next and start putting money aside when I price things up.  The older grandkids all want money, so that is easy, and I begin to put money away for them from the beginning of the year; believe me, you don't notice it so much. Around October, I look at my Christmas decoration...
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Coffee Cake Day!






Bake a Cake Day!

While rummaging through my baking cupboard I noticed a bag of self-raising flour creeping dangerously close to its best-before date. Clearly, the universe was telling me: Bake a cake!

So, what better excuse to whip up a classic coffee cake for my husband — you know, the man who likes to stick with the "what we like" kind of guy?

Out came the kitchen scales, the brown sugar, margarine (yes, margarine — it’s what the recipe calls for), self-raising flour, and three eggs. I chucked the sugar and margarine into the bowl and whisked them into creamy perfection. Then, in went the eggs — already pre-whisked like a proper prep queen — and a generous few tablespoons of good ol' Camp Coffee.

Ah, Camp Coffee — that nostalgic 60's and 70’s liquid gold. Back then, it was the budget-friendly drink of choice for broke young couples (aka, most of us). These days, it goes into my coffee cakes!  I wonder how many mortals from the 60's and 70's remember the days of camp coffee?  

The cake baked up beautifully! Golden, fragrant, fluffy… just perfect.

Can I eat it? Nope. I'm coeliac, so it's a no-go for me. But that means the entire cake is all for the husband — minus the buttercream, because he’s diabetic and supposed to be cutting down on sugar. Let’s just say we won’t mention this to his diabetic nurse…

As for me? I keep telling myself it’s all for the best.  I whisper to myself: That cake is a trap. Be grateful you can't have any, think of your waistline!

And just like that, my flour is saved, my kitchen smells amazing, and my husband is one very happy cake-muncher, and I have not gained any extra inches around the waistline! 🍰💛

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