Vintage Maple & Co

Even though I regard myself as pretty darn funky I don’t think I’m  on trend or, ever will be.  I’ve absolutely no idea what’s fashionable.  With music, books, food, art and clothes I like what I like.  Today I thought…

How to Use the News Positively

A little while back I wrote a post ‘No News Nook’. I described how I’d reduced my current affairs intake in favour of making my own headlines. Here’s one where a wee bird came and sat right up close. Now…

B&B Doll’s House

Local museums can be a cornucopia of curiosities. Part of their attraction is that collections often are so random. The main purpose of my visit to Southend’s Central Museum was to see the treasure trove from the Saxon King’s burial…

Lemon Drizzle Cake

One of the reasons that we are keen cooks is that we like to know what’s in our food. So today, in the spirit of sharing a recipe with just good honest ingredients I thought I’d provide instructions for the…

Embrace the Shake

I am not the best of sketchers as this little drawing I did for Susan Yeate’s 30 day sketchbook challenge demonstrates. Still I found these little dancers pleasing in spite of their lack of realism and anatomical correctness. Somewhere along…

The Saxon King

The other side of the road from Priory Park in Southend where I often used to play as a child held a secret. A man was buried there with a stash of goodies, hidden for over a thousand years. If…