Yes, I know, some are submarines and the pretzel holes are far from defined, but they tasted perfect. Yum yum! One more from the buns of the world baking book!

 This is my last Lockdown diary style post. I feel like all that's missing from 'before' is the social distancing, the 2m rule still being advised. It's feeling doubly like the end of lockdown as I'm working again, albeit returning from mat leave, and only upstairs in the spare room, but still, feels like a new beginning.

​Honestly, on meeting friends, once we got over the initial 'can't hug hello', a walk or a cuppa continues as normal, especially now we're allowed indoors. Still waiting for the cinemas to re-open, personally, but it's not bothering me much at all nowadays. Hope you're feeling similarly!

My final wellbeing lockdown challenge looked like this yesterday...

Something for me: Online Zumba class
Something to make someone else smile: Pretzels for friends and neighbours
Productivity: The pretzels - they took forever to make!

Lou x

The local fruit trees are just coming into season, but I'd never noticed the cherries before. I picked exactly one cup's worth too, on a whim, and that's exactly what I needed for a recipe I found later that afternoon. 

I have never baked (or indeed, tasted) cherry scones with fresh fruit before, but these are YUMMY. The dough was really wet, which made rolling it out and using a cutter impossible, but I 'blobbed it' on a baking tray and they came out pretty well. 

Ooh look, it's time for afternoon snack. 

​Lou x

Lockdown Wellbeing:

Productivity: See above
Make myself happy: Enjoyed having a coffee in the garden with my brother this afternoon. 
Made someone else smile: I delivered a chococlate cake to my very pregnant friend. 

Something possessed me and I couldn't turn the oven off. I've just kept going since Sundays major charity bake, it seems!!

The rolls are linseed and oat (for tea), the buns are almond sponge with cherries for decoration (reminds me of my grandma), and the carrot cake is egg free - vegan, actually - as my baby can't eat egg. 

​So there's my productivity ticked off for today...
For myself... I participated in a weekly quiz my mum friends and I do, and I won, even with the theme of TV! I don't watch much so I wasnt hopeful, but yay!
And to make someone else smile, Rox and I played for ages with the Paw Patrol sit-on car we have, making the lights flash, the sounds blare, and riding on top. Love her laugh!!

Lou x

I promised you photos!

My kind friends and family helped me to raise £175 for this worthy cause. It was exhausting and delivering them all in Bristol took some time, but I really enjoyed it. I have a feeling my home baking business 280 Bakes will be back this year! 

Thank you again to all who donated xxx

Lou x

The recipe was massive, so I batched up half of them and posted them to a friend's parents who needed a hug in the post. Hopefully they arrived in one piece!

Productivity - boom!
Making someone smile - I walked the neighbour's dog because he's sick.
Something for me - I sat down and read a huge chunk of my current book, Freakonomics. 

Lou x

I found an old cookie recipe book and am baking with renewed enthusiasm! These are camomile tea cookies, and soooooo tasty. 

At least, I think they're camomile flavoured. I took a punt on the teabags type, they smelled about right but weren't labelled... 

Either way they taste amazing!

Lou x

Recipe here:

And, hey, they are delicious. They're a sweet bun containing icing sugar, desicated coconut, and two eggs. Sorry baby, another one you can't nibble, Miss Egg Allergic! 

I could eat the whole batch. I won't. I shouldn't.

Productivity today: See above!!!
Thing to make me happy: I started season 3 of This Is Us. Love it.
Something to make someone smile: Rox was introduced to bubbles today, we went through two tubes with a giant wand, fun!

Lou x

Productive activity - check! And they were so yummy and easy to make - recipe here. 

Something for myself - I painted my toenails. Glam or what.

Something to make someone smile - Played Big Bang Theory Monopoly with El Husbandio, and he won. Twice. I didn't do it on purpose but he loves to win!!

Lou x