Hello Blog Friends!
Welcome to June. This week started off, on Sunday afternoon, with a severe thunderstorm warning. The dire predictions also included northeast winds gusting to 80kms. After joining the Evensong Livestream from Canterbury, I thought it best to cook my dinner a bit earlier than usual, in case we lost power. As the winds began to pick up, it seemed wisest to take proper precautions since, if high winds approach from the north, there is a risk of it raining in the living room, not a welcome occurrence !So, after supper, the sofa was pulled away from the north wall and swathed in plastic sheeting, then several large towels were arranged on the floor and, with some trepidation, I went to bed. During the night I could hear the high winds and rain lashing against the windows and so spent a fair amount of time in prayer that the worst of the storm would not bring much damage to the city and that extra shelters would be opened, for the homeless.
By Monday morning the storm had blown itself out and, although the north wall was damp, there was no damage except for a lot of leaves and small branches strewed, outside, over the lawns. Quite an eventful start to the month!! Fortunately, we never lost power so, after clearing up the debris, office work began. THREE attempts had been made, over the last couple of weeks, to elicit an insurance certificate, from CTM’s Broker. This document is needed by the campsite from whom we rent for Junior Youth Camp, (held in early August) and the camp owners like to receive the certificate along with the deposit. After 2 emails and a follow-up phone call, it was great to finally see the document in my Inbox and to send it off to the Camp Directors, for approval.
As this week included the Day Camp committee on Wednesday evening, there was a Meet link to send out and notes to prepare. The meeting went well and our new member, John, was able to join us, it is hoped the general chaos has not put him off! I suggested we check in soon so he can be brought up to speed, as I’m sure he has plenty of questions.
Thursday, Ruth (who had been on duty, at the meeting as scribe) submitted the minutes so, I was able to circulate them straight away, which is always a “plus”. A couple of host communities have starting asking when they can expect the Google Slides for the program. These were supposed to be finished by mid-May but, due to a death in the family of the student who is creating them, there has had to be a “grace” period. Fortunately, the coordinators who have requested the files, have been understanding and patient about the delay.
Ouside of office hours, I have been able to complete a Birthday Crown for Amelialand the bowties, mentioned in my previous post, as well as finally getting round to sewing a summer dress from a pattern given to me last Christmas. The “war” with Maple keys has also continued, although all I managed to do in the garden, this morning, was to hurriedly plant a few dahlia tubers before another thunderstorm blew in!
Mae Anne had been supposed to come for lunch today (Saturday) but she is having quite a packed weekend and so we have, instead, opted for High Tea tomorrow. This will give me more time to bake something nice for that meal, so I am making a Lemon Drizzle Cake, which makes for a convenient segue into this week’s recipe.
Recently, I was given a bag of Spartan apples and made a Crostada with them. I love having something like that on hand for breakfasts, as it is delicious with a dollop of yoghurt or a piece of Cheddar.
Apple Crostada
- Pastry for one 9” crust
- 7 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼” slices
- ½ cup raw cane sugar
- ¼ cup Tapioca starch
- ½ tsp. each, cinnamon, allspice, ginger & sea salt
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp cold water
Roll the pastry out to a 12” round and place on a pizza pan or large baking sheet, lined with parchment. Chill. Combine the apples, sugar, spices and lemon juice and mix well. Remove the crust from the fridge and pile the filling on the crust, leaving a 2” border all around. Fold up the border, crimping it over the edges of the filling. Brush the crust with the egg wash and dot the top of the filling with small pieces of the butter. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 40 minutes. Cool before slicing, serves 6.