Happy New Year

And a Happy 2008 to both my readers.

We partied next door with a selection of my in-laws. That's my niece in tyhe photo above - good looking girl, isn't she?

I spent a good bit of the afternoon baking a cake. First I couldn't find my cake tin anywhere, so I gave up and bought a new one. Actually I planned to make a second, individual cake for another neice with gluten allergy, but I found that the gluten-free flour was well past its sell-by date. So I spent a frantic hour trying to buy more when the health food shops were shut - nope ther isn't a single local supermarket that does gluten-free flour. Sugar substitute, gluten free biscuits, bran, you name it, but not gluten-free flour. So I gave up and tried corn flour for the mini cake.

Then it turned out that the niece with the gluten allergy wasn't coming for dinner after all.

Ah well, we had a good time, and the big cake was appreciated. I expect the little cake will be welcome, too, when I finally see my niece.

We have a terrific view from the back of these houses. At midnight we could see six different firework displays.

But now you'll have to excuse me. You see, I haven't cleaned the kitchen since last year.