Hot chocolate

Posted on January 22, 2025 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Browsing, Capabilitea cafe, Cold, Drink, Food, Hot chocolate, Life, Low sun, Time, Virus2 Comments

My sister and I went to have a cup of hot chocolate and some cake at the Capabilitea Cafe at Trentham Gardens, in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, this afternoon. It was lovely to get out after spending at least two weeks in the house with this dreadful virus. We were going to have a savory meal but I was tempted by this “the works” hot chocolate.

The sun was low on the horizon when I finally got out. It’s bad this time of year and it was hard to drive the couple of miles there. I’m glad I had my sister with me, she helped me blow up my car tyres and had to point out where the disabled parking spaces were on the Trentham village car park. We had a little wander so I could try and stretch my legs. I managed 1657 steps today, which is more than I’ve done in weeks (that’s in fits and starts, I have to stop and browse (take a rest), every so often). But I escaped from the house at last !

Scone

Posted on September 28, 2024 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged afternoon tea, Cream, Eating, Food, Hot chocolate, Hot drink, Jam, Life, pronounced, scone, Tea5 Comments

How do you pronounce Scone?

Is it sk-own, or scon?

Each is used in the UK

How do you serve it?

With Jam

With Cream

With Butter?

Or all three?

Etiquette matters!

Cream first

Jam first?

You can tell if someone

is from Cornwall or Devon.

I can never remember

which way they choose?

Just they do opposites

My way is butter, then jam

and cream on top. Yum

And with hot chocolate.

Although it should be tea to drink…

Dilemma time!

Very cream tea!

Posted on August 20, 2024August 20, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Afternoon, Cherries, Cream, Eating, Food, Hot chocolate, marshmallows, scone, SunnyLeave a comment

Scone, jam, cream and hot chocolate with massive marshmallows! My treat for getting out of the house with my friend after being stuck indoors for a few days. It was very creamy. An overdose of cholesterol. I liked the willow pattern bowl the xlotted cream was in. The sun was shining and it felt really summery.

Mural on cafe wall

Posted on August 6, 2024August 6, 2024 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Canal, cobblestones, Hot chocolate, Illness, Life, Middleport pottery, Mural, Painting, Recovery, RestLeave a comment

I went out today to the health clinic. My friend helped me out so we went off for a hot chocolate afterwards. We were going to one cafe but the road was closed because some buildings are being knocked down. So we took a side street and ended up at Middleport pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.

The cafe there is in one of the old pottery buildings and overlooks the canal. I’m not sure who painted this mural but it is a delicate one that includes the love birds that appear on willow pattern plates and pots.

We sat near the door in a cool breeze and I enjoyed a rest after walking the short distance from the car park over the cobbled roadway to the cafe. I felt like I could start to recover.

Window view

Posted on December 8, 2023 Posted in Memories, UncategorizedTagged arrangement, Busy, Hot chocolate, Life, Pub, Stoke-on trent, Tiring, Window2 Comments

I had various things to do today. Part of arranging my late hubbys final passing. I find it hard to know what to say. My friend came with me to help and we went in the local pub to get a hot chocolate and try and take my mind off things.

Thinking about what hubby wanted I have chosen something very simple and have asked people to think about him on the date and time of the cremation as I am not having a service (we discussed things a while ago). I thought it better to explain so people know well on advance and don’t ask to attend a service.

I really want a celebration of his life, but it will be after Christmas because something so sad needs thought, and the festive season is looming,

Looking out the window, the world was zooming past, unaware of how my day was going. I’m glad we had a break…..

Tired

Posted on July 16, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bunny, family bakery cafe, Hot chocolate, Life, poppy seed swirl, Rabbit, Rest, seats2 Comments

After the choir singing and procession I realised just how tired I was. We went into the robuck centre in Newcastle under Lyme and stopped at the cafe in the atrium. I wanted something to drink and somewhere comfortable to sit down and rest my ankles and knees!

The cafe was called Family Bakery Cafe. It was friendly and had cakes and pastries on offer this afternoon so I treated myself to a hot chocolate drink and a poppyseed pastry swirl to go with it.

The robuck centre has many closed shops but it sounds like more stores will be opening up. I hope so, the cafe is a good thing to have because it’s hand made cakes are delicious. But the way things have been no one has any money at the moment. I wish this small business all the best. X

Chocolate and oatcakes

Posted on February 12, 2023 Posted in UncategorizedTagged bird flu, Birds, Feeding, Food, Geese, Hot chocolate, marshmallow, Nature, Oatcakes, Westport lakeLeave a comment

Afternoon tea, a couple of cheese ant tomato Staffordshire oatcakes with a dab of brown sauce and a hot chocolate with squirty cream, marshmallows and a tiny jammy dodger biscuit with a ram heart at its centre, presumably for valentines day? (which I have hubby). We had this at Westport Lake visitors centre. We sat on the balcony in a slightly chilly breeze, overlooking the lake. The geese were calling, I think they wanted bird food. But we couldn’t feed them because there us bird flu in the area and feeding a flock can help spread it. The latest news is that it has jumped species to small mammals which is very worrying. Anyway, sorry to put a downer on this post!

Donkey in hot chocolate

Posted on January 28, 2023 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Donkey, Drawing, drawing in leftovers, Food, Hot chocolate, Life, Sketching, using food to sketchLeave a comment

I’ll doodle and sketch on anything. This was a cup where I drew a donkey into the froth on the inside of my hot chocolate mug. I have drawn with sticks on beaches, creating mermaids and seahorses, into the gravy on my plate when we have been out to lunch, and when I was a child I used a sweeping brush to draw swirls in the dust on our garden path. That reminds me of videos of people painting Chinese characters with ink using a mop. I guess if you love mark making, it’s not easy to stop!

Abstract

Posted on September 21, 2022September 21, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Abstract, Art, blue grey, Cup, Curves, Duplicated, Hot chocolate, Pattern, Photo, speckled, Symmetry, WhiteLeave a comment

What is it? Speckles and brown curves, white outlines and blue grey centre?

It’s my empty hot chocolate cup, duplicated, twisted, cropped.

Looking at things, and seeing something interesting in them can be quite exciting. Putting things together in a new way can create something new.

I see sheep!

Posted on April 2, 2022April 2, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Drink, Faces, Fun, Hot chocolate, Humour, Life, Pareidolia, Pattern, Shapes, Sheep, SillyLeave a comment

Pareidolia, the ability to see creatures in patterns. This was a drink of hot chocolate that I had mirrored to make a pattern. The two shapes in the white area look like annoyed sheeps heads to me. I’m funny like that!

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Hot chocolate