Monday, 10 December 2012

An old fashioned weekend



We have had an old fashioned weekend - old fashioned in the sense that we have no internet access...

It looks like we are going to have an 'old fashioned' week too - until we get the problem sorted out.

This has severely curtailed my ability to 'blog' and so, in the interim, we will have a series of wintery scenes for your amusement:

My walk home on Friday:



The view from our front door:


Our balcony:



What I needed after a sub-zero degrees visit to the shop just around the corner:


After a day of 'snow chaos' the clouds blew away:


The sun came out and the sky turned a brilliant blue:


 White bread - Yorkshire style.  I make two loaves every weekend:


It is 'a la Yorkshire' because it is made with milk.  Probably there are other names but having a largish Yorkshire component in my family I rather like that name. I made a lot of mince meat this weekend too and finished the Christmas Cake so all is sorted, or as they say in Germany: 'in ordnung'.

And finally this photo, taken from the sitting room window on Sunday morning:


I can still occasionally get online to view other people's blogs during my breaks at work.  Hopefully I will be back online very soon!

26 comments:

  1. Dear Kirk - I am pleased that you managed to show us your snowy photos. The snow has alluded us so far, in fact the weather is glorious in this run up to Christmas.
    I have at least 3 other followers who are experiencing internet troubles all in different countries.
    Anyway it is good to take a break and bake some bread - what could be better.

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    1. Dear Rosemary,
      No snow? Good. We are motoring up to the Welsh borders for the Christmas New Year hols and I don't want any snow unless it is on Christmas Day.
      I love baking bread. It is not only a nice thing to do but always fills the kitchen with the most appetising smell!

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  2. So sorry about your internet problems, but glad you can still get connected from work at times. Your photos are stunning. Snow is very picturesque... from this distance. It's currently 13C here, going up 16C this afternoon. That's cold enough for me. I felt the need for a sweater while looking at your picturesque views.

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    1. 13C is cold enough for me too!
      I don't mind looking at the snow while I am inside by the fire but walking around in it is not my cup of tea. I am already missing the sun!

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  3. Hello Kirk,
    Really pleased you found my blog and in turn can now share yours. I had a smile as I made great big fat Yorkshire (yes with milk!) white loaf this morning around 6 am... and I am not sure why!! Well, to eat and but really for some thick doorstep toast to be honest! Look forward to reading more...
    best wishes Ivan

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    1. Dear Ivan,
      Thank you for your kind comments. I love Yorkshire bread. Making it for the pure, heavenly pleasure of eating it with lots of butter on is reason enough!

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  4. Oh wow, look at all that snow! These photos are so beautiful. I especially like the lighting in the last one - such a golden glow.

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    1. Thank you Merry Wife. I was pleased with that last photo too. I just happened to have my camera in hand at the right moment! IT looked like the entrance to Narnia at that moment.

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  5. I miss snow. It's not Christmas without it really. A down under "Throw another prawn on the Barbie" festive season must seem a million miles away for you guys. David.

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    1. Dear David,
      I 'sort of' like the snow. When I was little, walking to school in the snow was something I disliked. It always seemed to get in to my boots. Now I am adult and I am back in the northern hemisphere and the same thing happens!
      I do however like looking at the snow - from the safety of my nice warm sitting room.
      Yes its been nine years since I had a hot Christmas. I wonder how we will like it when we return?
      Kirk

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  6. Hi Kirk,

    You had more snow in Germany than we in Holland. It looks beautiful. Especially the last photo taken on Sunday morning. Ahhh, a man who knows how to bake :-) Your bread looks really good! I had a machine for several years too, but somehow the bread was too heavy for us. Still don't know what I did wrong. I stick to cakes & pies now.

    Hope your computer will be fixed soon. Meanwhile enjoy the peace and quiet!

    Madelief

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    1. Dear Madelief,
      Thank you for your kind comments. AGA and I are fortunate in that we both had mothers who taught us to bake when we were children - so we have grown up cooking.
      I also used to have a bread making machine but I gave it up years ago. Making bread by hand is such an enjoyable thing to do and that way it is never heavy.
      Kirk

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  7. Dear Kirk,

    So sorry to hear about Internet problems. I do hope you have a local computer wizard who can help out.

    Your photographs are beautiful, but I get a little chill just looking at them! I warm up on cold days with a cup of hazelnut coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, but the weather here in Florida is still in the 70s.

    I think it's great that you make mince meat. I would eat mince meat all year round, but only get it in pies at Thanksgiving and Christmas!

    Good luck with the computer,

    Mark

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    1. Dear Mark,
      I have to say that while the snowy winter scene is certainly romantic and very nice to look at, as I get a little 'older' I find I prefer the sun and a bit more warmth.
      If we lived somewhat little closer I would make sure that a batch of my mince pies was making its way to you!
      Kirk

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  8. I´m so happy, that I find your blog!
    Wonderful things, old things.... like it.

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    1. Dear Conni,
      Thank you for your nice comments. I am glad you like my blog. When I get the internet back I shall go and visit yours too!
      Kirk

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  9. Really beautiful pictures, Kirk. My own blog is suddenly telling me I don't follow anyone, for some unknown reason, so maybe it's best not to worry too much about these electronic things and just go with the seasonal flow!
    A happy, care-free Christmas to you, whichever way the wind blows!
    XX, Faisal.

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    1. Thanks Faisal,
      Internet - it seems to live up to the old adage: can't live with it - can't live without it.
      I intend to be very carefree -especially after next Friday when we get two weeks holidays!
      Kirk
      xx

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  10. I guessed that there must be a Yorkshire "component" in your family! My husband has a Dale in his ancestry - Ann Dale from Danby, a village near Whitby.

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    1. Eeee there is indeed a Yorkshire component to my family. York, Pocklington and of course Hull - you can't get more Yorkshire than that I guess. Mind you my lot migrated south - to London in about 1900.
      Dale is my middle name. It is one of those family middle names.

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  11. Kirk -
    Beautiful photos! Very peaceful!! Send us some of that fluffy snow, please. It's so mild and unseasonably warm here in DC. Hope it all gets sorted out soon.
    Take care,
    Loi

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    1. Dear Loi,
      Our snow is almost gone now but the freezing cold wind blowing off the Rhine remains.
      Hopefully our internet will be back on Monday - we are at the mercy of German Telecom!

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  12. I'm intrigued -- just what does an Australian breakfast in a Bushells box consist of?

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  13. Hello Kirk, These wonderful winter photographs remind us of the decorative qualities of snow. In Taipei, it gets quite chilly and rainy, but never snows. Still, after Ohio winters, and I wonder whether the horror of driving in it (or in freezing rain) is worth all the decorative effects.

    I think that you have found the ideal antidote to winter bleakness, however, in baking that Yorkshire bread.
    --Road to Parnassus

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    1. Dear Jim,
      Thank you for your kind comments. I am with you regarding snow. I like new snow when I look out of the window but I don't like icy, muddy looking old snow.
      Baking is a very good antidote to cold weather. This weekend I am making mince pies - lots of them, finishing the cake and probably making some soup!
      Kirk

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