Only 1 slice left!
Daughter No1 made the most delicious sticky chocolate brownies today, so thought I would share the recipe with you.
100g unsalted butter, 175g caster sugar, 75g dark muscovado sugar, 125g dark chocolate, 1tbsp syrup, 2 eggs, 1tsp vanilla flavouring, 100g plain flour, 2tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2tsp baking powder.
1.Grease 20cm shallow square cake tin, line base.
2. Put butter, sugars, dark chocolate and syrup in a pan and heat gently, stirring until blended, leave to cool.
3.Beat together eggs and vanilla, whisk in cooled chocolate mixture.
4.Sieve together flour, cocoa and baking powder and fold into mixture.
5.Spoon mixture into tin and bake at 180C for 25 minutes until top is crisp. the inside of the cake will still feel soft to the touch.
6. Leave to cool completely in the tin then cut into squares.
I don't know if you happened to watch on Channel 4 the series about Willie's Chocolate, the 100% cacao (smells delicious), but my Mother managed to get hold of some of the chocolate and maybe I'll try it out in this recipe, but reducing quantity.
Whilst rummaging in our rickety old garage today for some chicken wire I found an old coin on the gravel floor, well oldish. Upon investigation it is a commemorative crown issued in 1965 in honour and memory of Sir Winston Churchill, unfortunately it's value is minimal, but that doesn't matter it's a nice coin to keep.
Only 1 slice left!
It is nice being able to use flowers from the garden now they are starting to bloom, notice in the background my super new small fridge for the dining-room. I got it a couple of months ago now, as I was getting concerned about leaving things like yogurt etc out on a table during breakfast service. Now juice etc is kept chilled in the fridge and it has already been put to use by my guests for milk and snacks. I had pondered the idea of mini fridges in the bedrooms, but eventually decided against it. Have a nice holiday Monday if you are off, I'm away to watch the snooker now.
An interesting Beech tree trunk
Seeing as it was such a lovely morning, we thought we'd have a barbeque early evening, first one of the year. As is so typical it took ages to light, you don't want to know my mood!! and a slight breeze had got up and surprise surprise as soon as the food was put on a huge dark cloud came overhead, never mind we enjoyed it anyway.
Out and about today passed by a field awash with daffodils, dazzling sight.
Gorgeous flowers in my outer hallway.
Queen's View
Queen's View
After my guest's had gone and everything done, we headed off to Killiecrankie, just north of Pitlochry, to the National Trust for Scotland's Visitor Centre as they were holding in conjunction with Cadbury an Easter Egg Trail. Once off the A9 it brought back many memories going along the old road before the A9 was built, we always used to stop at the Little Chef, now long gone. 
A lovely sunny day today, superb for all the outdoor activities in the Wellmeadow. We went on a Treasure Hunt around some of the shops hunting for plastic ducks which had their name on them which we had to write down, thankfully we located them all.
Watching the canoeists on the rapids at Grandtully
