THURSDAY ALREADY?

Is it just that I'm getting older - or are the days just flying past? I think it's a bit of both.

This week seems to have gone so quickly - Thursday already! It's probably because I've had lots to do this week. DH celebrates a very special birthday tomorrow so I've been out shopping on a couple of occasions gathering little nick nacks to use for baking his birthday cake.

The family are going out for a meal together tomorrow night to celebrate and birthday cake will be on the menu for dessert. I think it will be 'Devil's Food Cake' - at least I'm hoping it will be! Yesterday I made an old favourite's - banana cake - a very old recipe from a very old recipe book - one most Kiwi's will be very familiar with ' Edmonds'. My copy is a 1959 publication but it hit the book shelves earlier than that in NZ. It is still my favourite recipe book and has some lovely recipes that 'mother used to make'. You know the ones like Overnight pudding, Aotea biscuits and Afghans!

Tomorrow just happens to be E18's boyfriend's birthday as well so another cake will be made to celebrate that special day. I'm planning to be busy baking most of the day!

A couple of years ago I planted a tiny camellia shrub in a little corner at the front of the house. I already had several japonica variety in another part of the garden but this one is a sasanqua. Named "Volcano" the picture on the tag looked fabulous - bright red/pink and large. The first year it managed a few little buds and the flowers were puny and the next summer it almost got taken out completely by the heat. Half of it died off and I did a trim job on it. It hasn't grown all that much but this year it has a few buds, the first of which has turned out just gloriously. It is large and showy. I'm hopeful the other buds will bloom just as beautifully. Next time I'll report on the birthday bash and hopefully will have some photos to post as well. In the meantime -

Blessings!