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Morning Ros and Pigale!
As always, I admire your talent and your energy, Ros, for doing these things!
You sound to have made many "interesting" cakes for people at various times!
It would make an unusual and lucrative career, I would think? Have you ever made cakes professionally? as in, getting paid for doing it?
You like doing creative things, too, Pigale, don't you. I'm useless at things like that - probably because I'm just not interested.
But I do admire the talent in other people!

Hello Elle,

Yes, I enjoy manual work - except pastry where I am hopeless!
I love all DIY jobs and have done plenty of it in the first house we bought in France. I enjoy gardening, knitting, model making - all this is much more fun than housework which I loathe !

When in Guernsey, I used to give a couple of French/English lessons after work twice a week so that I would not feel guilty at having a lady in for house chores, including ironing. The bungalow was big and I refused to work all week-end at home as well - and my husband was in full agreement, he preferred his wife to be free to enjoy the week-end with him.

Good morning all!
Thank you kindly for all the info on cupcakes!
I was at my local ASDA earlier and I got a guided tour of the cupcakes, fairy cakes, and tea cakes department by the lady who looks after that part of the store.
It was very interesting and I bought some!
They would not be nearly as nice as the ones you make, Rosalind, I am sure!
Elle, no plans today, but skiing is on TV later, from Austria.
Did you have a wee look at the cryptic crossword site I indicated?
Hello, Pigale!
It is quite dry and mild here today.
Thankfully the incessant rain has gone!
How is it with you?

Hello Rusty,

Glad your rain has ceased at long last !

Here, it is still very windy, rather fresh not to say cold and still dry. Due for sub-zero temperatures from end of the week onwards.
They (meteo forecasters) are threatening us with some nights at minus 7C if not less ! It will be a shock after such a mild December.

Hi, Rusty!
We are experiencing a rapid deterioration in our lovely day....it's becoming dark and gloomy - I fear the threats about rain may well be true.
I was amused to hear of your cupcake purchases from Asda! Are your granddaughters paying you a visit, or do you have plans to devour them all yourself?
Yes, I have had a quick shifty at the personalised cryptic crossword site that you told me about... it sounds as though one such crossword would indeed make a lovely gift.
But my goodness at what a price! I had no idea that it could cost as much as £300 to have a crossword personally designed!
I think I'll leave it right there......
Is this still the ladies' skiing that you are planning to watch? More Lindsey Vonn? or has that finished?

Hope the cupcakes were good, rusty. They usually have a large wodge of butter cream on top (and mine, if not for children, some Grand Marnier or other suitable booze).
Never have done cakes for money, sometimes expenses. No-one would have paid for the 185 hours one of them took! I now only make them for the family -next one is for a significant birthday of a train-lover. And, indeed, driver.
I would have paid that for a personalised crossword from the great Arucaria, not that I would have been able to solve it!
With regard to the £15 demanded for an estimate of photocopy costs, I have been informed I can have them without further payment! As I suspect not more than 2 pages (but maybe quite large ones), by courier one would hope.

Hello, Elle!
Fine day here.
The staff at my ASDA are by far and away the most helpful and friendliest bunch I have ever come across.
So, finding out about cakes was a pleasure!
The personalised crosswords seem to be popular.
I think they say that half the clues will be personal ones.
I think they are reasonable value for a one-off gift.
No, Elle, no Lindsey Vonn today.
This is the slalom. Not her event.
Frida Hansdotter and Petra Vlhova are the favourites in this.
I much prefer the downhill (they are all mad in that) but the slalom is OK.
I am just off for a dander before transmission begins.

Hi, Rusty!
It didn't rain here after all! Surprisingly, it brightened up and we had a pleasant afternoon!
Where did you get to on your walk?
Were you back in time for the slalom? how did it go?
(Did you have a cupcake whilst you were watching?)
I agree with you that the personalised crossword is a worthy gift - but too expensive for my means! I don't have £300 to spend on just one present!
I am reading "Duncton Wood" at the moment - I am unsure what to make of it so far....
I shall persevere, but after reading "Skallagrigg "and "The Boy with No Shoes" by the same author - both of which I greatly enjoyed - I must admit to being disappointed with this.
What are you reading?
Oops, just realised "Eggheads" has started......

Hello, Elle!
I had a walk to the park.
The first run of the slalom is finished.
Second run later today.
Veronika Zuzulova is leading, just now.
I ate all my cupcakes.
Yes, £300 is a lot for a present.
I am poor, so things like that do not enter my head!
I am reading Freedom Riders by Raymond Arsenault.
It is a book in a series, entitled, Pivotal Moments in American History. It is very good.

Hi, Rusty!
I fell asleep....somehow I am not finding my book very riveting reading!
I feel wide wake now though!
Tomorrow, I am going to meet one of my old school friends for lunch.
We have kept in touch ever since we left school - throughout Uni and various jobs, getting married, having our children, grandkids etc; and fortunately, for a great deal of that time we have lived within fairly close reach of each other.
We try whenever possible to meet up once a month.
Now she and her husband are to move away from the area in order to live nearer to their son and his family. It seems a 'sensible' move and they will enjoy being nearer to their grandchildren, too.
It isn't to the ends of the earth - only near Exeter.
But she and I will miss our lunches!
We ourselves are lucky in having two of our three 'children' living fairly near to us - easily visited within 30 to 40 minutes drive.
I do not think that I would like to move!