AUTUMN GARDEN

Hi Sheila ..
Your garden is looking pretty in autumn...

and tasty looking cake :o)))

Lovely photos Sheila, your cake looks delicious...:)

If that cake was in our house there would be a fight on for that bit with the cherry....

Everything looks good including the cake

beautiful Sheilar !!! I must get that Clematis - lovely colour cylamen and rose - and a good cake baker too ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Wonderful ! I wish my climbing hydrangea grew like that.
Do you know the name of your mineature Chrysanth please ? I've got one the same and people have been asking me the name of it, but I can't find the labell

Your cake looks nice. Will you be icing it ? I had to 'help' my mother do her's every year - i.e. I did it for her lol

Lovely pics. of your plants Sheilar. I love the Ville de Lyon but as it was getting swamped by everything in the border ,I moved it mine on to the allotment and it didn't flower this year.Your cake looks scrummy.

Lovely....

Great pics Sheila, have just got Ville de Lyon so hoping for great things next year.
Cake looks scrumptious.

Thanks for your comments Terratoonie, Franny, Pimpernel, Clarice and Paul. I used to cook my own Christmas cake every year, then somehow got out of the habit but decided this year to make my own instead of shop bought.

Hywel, the climbing hydrangea is growing outwards towards the lawn so it will be getting cut back soon. I'm sorry I don't know the name of the crysanths, there were four in one pot which I bought from a local greengrocer. I normally cover the cake with a thin layer of jam, them put marzipan on top, then another thin layer of jam, then icing. It's all so time-consuming but tastes devine!

Rose, yours probably didn't flower because of the 'trauma' of being moved, maybe next summer eh?

Thanks also Michaela and Cinderella.

Meadowland, yes, the smell of Christmas cake cooking in a slow oven is absolute torture!! I've another one to make for my daughter mid week sometime, so will be tortured again!!

The clematis The President is lovely. Ditto for the cake. No-one in my family, apart from myself & my OH, actually likes fruit cake, very sadly. So I don't make it anymore, because I just end up eating most of it myself! Along with all the other Christmas goodies in the house at that time of year, eating lots of Christmas cake is never a good idea lol.

Dwyllis, thanks for your comments. I'm so pleased that 'The President' has flowered, albeit only one!! I was expecting a very dark coloured flower, but I'm happy with the colour it is. Everyone I know (especially family members) absolutely love rich fruit cake, so when I cut it, there is strictly one piece each (hide the rest) otherwise they'd eat the lot in one go!!! lol ... and you're right, it's not really good for you ...

Lovely SHeilar! Such beautiful flowers!
If that cake was in my house..nobody would see it at CHristmas hhaha ;)))

looking great so late..really like the Ville de Lyons especially pretty and it must be a joy on these autumn days..

oooooh cristmas cake..now how very personal are these with secret ingredients and methods..

a few years ago i discovered a french christmas pastry called a 'pompe' especially the 'pompe a l'buile' a flat christmas cake made with leavened dough and olive oil flavoured with orange-flower water, saffron and studdied with almonds..mmmmmmmmmmmmmm..

im sure your's will be just as delicious

Mmm sounds delish Guy :)

Thanks Sheila - never mind about the Chrysanth name. It was other people that asked me. I'm not really bothered myself lol

That's how my mam iced her cake aswell :o)

Still lots going on in your garden... The christmas cake looks great... :))

Back to the cake....Do you not prick it with cocktail sticks and drip Brandy and Rum on it....leave it a few weeks turn it over and do the same again...and again..Or did Mother have a problem ?

My mother did that too lol

Lol...

Pixie - I have to hid the cake from two-legged mice! lol

Skips - that sounds delicious, I love anything with almonds in it.

Hywel - I ice the cake the way my late Mam used to.

Thanks Hollyeves for your comments.

Pimpernel - I soak the fruit overnight in brandy. This year it's Metaxa, I gave up with the spoon and just poured it in! lol

nice pics and yummy cake, but dont want to think about xmas yet lol :o)

Thanks San, I'm dreading Christmas this year - haven't a clue what to get anyone!!!

Cake first......looks and smells delicious ( I have a very good imagination) love the pics of your garden too...don't mention the C word please.

Thanks DD - I won't mention the C word again! :-)

Thanks lol

two legged mice!!!!!!! lolol

Hi Sheilar . . . "don't know what to get anyone for Christmas"?? how about cake?! You're obviously a successful baker - I have a friend who loves baking, and gives her nephews a cake each - they love it!

That's a good idea Sheila;-)

:))) I wouldn't mind if someone gave me one . . . my cakes are rarely successful! Btw your garden's looking lovely . . .

Thanks :o)))

That Christmas cake looks really good, I only put marzipan on ours cos OH doesn't like the icing, might put nuts and cherries on too??
That French cake sounds well worth trying skip, have you ever made it?

Exceptional plants and trees... Your garden is looking awsome.

Oooooh....clematis AND cake!!!!! nothing beats that surely? lol x

except for two cakes karen!!!

lol!

Thanks to everyone for all your positive comments.

Hi Shelilar Love the colour of the clematies,and the cake dont look half bad eather, yummy :)

Cmsue, the cakes just need icing (I made two), I put the marzipan on on Sunday and will ice it next weekend.

Hi Sheilar, I to am making a xmas cake, but cant do it till two weeks befor ,because bob is diabetic, so i have a recipe for Splenda. and it has to be keeped in the fridge.I think its because the splenda dosn't act like sugar, but i still feed it with plenty of brandy,(he can have that) and i have a recipe for the marzipan made with Spenda , Fingers crossed it come out like last year . Yummy :)

;-))