When asked what her favourite cake was, Mirinda did not hesitate. “Simnel is my favourite!” I was shocked that she didn’t say my Christmas cake but she quickly said that that was a very close second. Given Mirinda’s birthday sometimes coincides with Easter, it is quite handy that simnel is her favourite, given it’s traditionally a cake made at Easter, which I make most years.
And so, given today was both Birthday Eve and Maundy Thursday, I made one.
The kitchen smelled very good for quite a while.
Though it wasn’t the only thing we did today. More important than even the simnel was a little question of excessive hair. On the dogs. Particularly Emma who was about 75% hair. Freya has quite thin hair so she wasn’t as bad.
There’s also the gardening issue. Both of them manage to bring enough foliage inside, hidden in their hair, that the house is constantly in danger of turning into the garden. This is very annoying.
So, it was off to La Voff, to have it all off.
And what a brilliant job she did. She transformed our girls from hairy vagabonds to soft little bundles of velvet.
Mirinda’s not too sure, but I love and prefer them shorn and soft. Freya, however, doesn’t like the cold so the shivering is bound to start. Speaking of which, Mirinda said today how she hates seeing dogs with coats. We bought them coats in Lymington last year, after a haircut but, when I think about it, they don’t need coats when they are out walking. It’s only when they are doing nothing that the shivering starts. Given Freya sees doing nothing as her professional duty, she spends a lot of home time, shivering.
Anyway, I think they look beautiful though, as usual, it’s close to impossible to take a good photo of them. Though I try.
On a completely unrelated topic, the other day I was scanning some old documents when I came across a handy brochure, describing some of the things a temp should do when representing the agency with which they are registered.
I joined a temp agency when we first arrived in the UK back in 1998. I was used to being the ‘token male’ in the typing pool as I’d been one since working as a data entry clerk for the Department of Social Security, then as a WP Operator for a law firm.
So I was not surprised that one of the requirements was to dress neat, tidy and decidedly female.
The thing is, I’ve always been a bit of a slob but, fortunately, I don’t think I read the Dress Code section before I went for an interview. Mind you, when I think about it, the women in the office at Global Beauty (where I worked on spreadsheets) hardly followed these tips either.
I have never owned a pair of court shoes or worn nice pearls. Fortunately, though, I definitely did not wear jangling bracelets which, I guess, is why I managed to get a job so quickly.
Just in passing…the first simnel cake I ever made was in 2011.
