And winter is over

Hands up all those who forgot to put their clocks forward last night. Of course, that only applies if you live in one of the 40% of the world’s countries that observe daylight saving time (DST). Whatever the reasons, merits, rights and wrongs for DST, I know I am sitting here enjoying the first night of longer evening sunshine. Summer is just around the corner.

I’ve heard the saying that time goes by much faster when you get older, and I can tell you it’s true.

Christmas is long gone, but not far away! Hogmanay is a distant memory, and Valentine’s Day is back in its box until next year when it will jump out of its box with style because 2024 is a leap year. Get those proposals ready!

I’m very fortunate that I’m at a stage in my life when I no longer wonder if anyone will want to send me a Valentine’s card, and I don’t have to worry if there’s nobody I might wish to send a card to.

I met Mr M two days before Valentine’s Day in 2005, and since that day, I’ve never wondered. I know for sure that I’ll receive a card and perhaps some Cadbury’s Dairy Milk from Mr M, and I know I’ll send him an equally appropriately slushy card (but no chocolate). But, as a couple, we don’t fall for the great hype for Valentine’s Day - expensive gifts, over-priced meals, or hotel stays. No, just a card does it for us (and chocolate for me, of course).

Of course, we are just mere humans. Beatrix tries to teach us something in each chapter of her book, including her views on only celebrating love once a year.

From Chapter 10, Eating Too Many Snacks

A few years before I became a human dog, my human mum and dad were married on the Isle of Skye. I’m not sure what this marriage thing is, but it seems to be something Mum and Dad like to celebrate every year because they’ve chosen to live together for the rest of their lives. I get to go everywhere with them, so celebrating is always a good thing in my books, but I’m a bit confused why they don’t celebrate being together every day, not just once a year. 

“Mum,” I asked, “why do you and Dad only celebrate being together one day each year? I want to celebrate every single day now that I’m a human dog and get to spend my life with you and Dad.”

“Beatrix, you’re such a clever dog. But just because we don’t say it aloud doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate each day we’re together. People are not as straightforward in their emotions as dogs, and sometimes we don’t let others know how special they are,” answered Mum.

And with that, Mum went over to Dad and gave him a kiss and a cuddle.

If you would like the chance to win a signed copy of Beatrix The Time Travelling Collie, why not join in the competition currently on our Mother Murphy’s Facebook page? Each day for thirty days, I am posting a photo of Beatrix and asking people to comment on what they thought Beatrix was thinking or saying. At the end of the thirty days, I will decide which I think is the best comment (which I can already sense is going to be so difficult as there are so many excellent comments already).

Click here to go to our Facebook page for Thirty Days of Beatrix

It’s still a strange time in our house - bittersweet. We are still consumed with grief at the loss of Beatrix but now have a new bundle of joy, Florence (who I might rename Zebedee). She will never replace Beatrix, but she will help to start the healing process. I’ve often thought that if Beatrix had been a human, she would have been a head teacher. Well, if Florence were a human, she would be in prison! 

I’m also still grieving the loss of Mother Murphy’s Tearoom. I know it was in March 2020 when Boris first closed all hospitality because of COVID-19, but it still feels like yesterday.

Many of you know I diversified Mother Murphy’s becoming an online business with monthly boxes of cakes being sent far and wide, including overseas, to France. But, once I had a new business model, and cakes had been tweaked and tossed around our kitchen to ensure they would survive being delivered by Royal Mail’s trusty posties, I realised it wasn’t enough.

One thing I miss from the tearoom is creating recipes for cakes and bakes. As many of you know, our tearoom specialised in gluten-free and dairy-free goodies. I loved it when a customer (or member of our tearoom family as I like to think of them) came into the tearoom and told me of a cake, bake or biscuit they missed because they couldn’t get a decent gluten or dairy-free one. I would spend hours in our kitchen at home (with lots of food waste generated sometimes) until I had created what I thought was a scrummy success. Of course, the proof was always, as they say, in the eating. Our customers were always willing taste-testers. But the best people to test my gluten and dairy-free recipes were those who didn’t need gluten or dairy-free food. I aimed to create gluten and dairy-free goodies that taste as good as, if not better than, wheat and dairy-containing recipes.

As many people would confirm, I am proud to say I accomplished this for many cakes, bakes and biscuits, including my family-favourite biscuit selection of digestives, bourbon creams, nice biscuits, jammie dodgers and custard creams. And let’s not forget the white chocolate fudge cake.

Now I have a challenge for you. Although I’m not selling my cakes and bakes at the moment, I still love to bake. Of course, I still love to eat cakes too. Anyway, I’d like you to tell me of cakes, bakes or biscuits you miss because you cannot have them as you need them to be gluten or dairy free.

Who knows, these might find themselves in another recipe book or tearoom if I ever get to create another Mother Murphy’s Tearoom.

Thank you for reading my blog, and, as always, please leave a comment for me.

I hope that by the next blog, I will have more news about pre-sales for Beatrix the Time Travelling Collie and a date for the book launch.

Debra x