Hello Blog Friends!
Advent is drawing on apace! As mentioned in a recent post, it is proving necessary for me to “Change the Decorations” a few days earlier than usual as a former boarder (and friend!) is coming to visit for a few days right before Advent and there was really no better time to turn the house upside down! The work will start next week and hopefully be done by the weekend of the 23rd/ 24th, the Saturday being the second episode of the Christmas Cooking Cook-Along.
It has been a full week, with a flurry of last minute Cook-Along preparations and much work on the plans for Carols & Cocoa and the Alumni Advent Study Program. Many reminders have been sent out and, as a result, we now have 14 people (tentatively!!!) registered for the study program and, even better, an alumnus has offered to lead the Advent 4 session, which I had decided to lead myself, having asked a number of people who were not available.
One family has also signed up for a recording of Carols & Cocoa, which we are offering for the first time this year one hopes that trend will continue!
On a daily basis there are always a number of “office” related chores such as day-to-day accounting and Monday morning I spent a joyless hour validating CTM’s Zeffy account. This process even included the need for me to take photos of my government ID. Zeffy is an app. by which people can make payments and donations to charities without any transaction fees. The app. was first recommended to us by the Synod Office and Guylaine was able to start the process but someone (aka myself) had to validate everything for the Office account. AGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was most annoyed it took so long as my plan had been to watch a short part of the Remembrance Day observances, at 11am from the National Cenotaph in Ottawa but was still stuck in the process at that hour.
As a lifelong Anglican, the news, on Tuesday, of the resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, came as quite shock, although I was aware of the calls for him to resign starting to come from other bishops so it was not a complete surprise. Obviously, this is an unprecedented event in the life of the whole Anglican Communion and affects all its members. That evening was the monthly meeting of Diocesan Council at which our Bishop read a statement, on this subject, by the Acting Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada.
With cold but mostly sunny weather, the push has been on to rake the last of the leaves so early each morning I have managed to fit in an hour or so of that work (rather be raking than shovelling!!).
Thursday, I welcomed Eli (the person from St. Georges Church whom have been advising about restoring a special chasuble) for a lunch visit and heard how they are hoping to have it completed in time for their priest to wear it for Christmas Services. We had a long conversation about Advent observances and shared bowls of Shakshuka with Focaccia. That evening there was an online meeting of the Search Committee for Coadjutor Bishop and I have now been tasked with the editing and rewording of 10 questions for the candidates, half of which will requite written answers, as part of their application submission and the others will be posed to them in recorded videos. All this content will eventually be posted on a special website, allowing the Electoral Synod Delegates to have a clear picture of all the candidates before the voting process takes in May of 2025.
Yesterday work began on the Advent/Christmas issue of CTM’s quarterly newsletter “Networks” and in the afternoon a friend for whom I had been doing some sewing repairs came for coffee and to pick up the garments, After she left I did as much baking prep as possible since today’s tasks need
to be completed in a timely manner as, at 245pm, I must log on for the first episode of the Cook-Along.
Next Wednesday Jessica is coming for her monthly visit and this time I’ve decided to do a High Tea so my Bake list includes the following scones. I recently watched a YouTube video that featured the making of Earl Grey Tea Scones and so have adapted the recipe to my organic ingredients. I’m hoping to have time before Jessica’s visit to make a pot of orange curd, as that sounds as if it would be a delicious combination but failing that I fortunately have some homemade marmalade that can serve as a substitute.
Earl Grey Scones
- 1 cup of raisins
- 2 tsps. Earl Grey loose tea
- 2¾ cups unbleached flour
- 3 Tbsps. raw cane sugar
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ cup butter, frozen and then grated
- Zest of ½ an orange
- 125ml milk
- flour for dusting
- To serve:-
- Marmalade or Orange Curd
- Whipped cream
Place 1tsp. loose tea in a tea ball or sachet and combine with the raisins. Pour over 100ml of boiling water, stir, and let the mixture steep while you prepare the scones. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the grated butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the orange zest and remaining tealeaves. Strain the water from the raisins, discard the tea ball, and add the raisins to the dry mixture. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the milk. Use a fork to gently combine and bring the dough together. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about 1” thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 5cm fluted cutter, cut out 12 scones, re-rolling the dough as necessary. Arrange the scones on the lined tray. Bake in a preheated, 425ºF oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the scones are risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the scones to cool for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with marmalade or curd and whipped cream.