Home baking sells out :-)

It's nearly August and I still have over a grand to raise to reach my £4000 target so I thought it was time to hold another cake stall at work. Since my Valentine's cake bake, many of my colleagues had been asking if I would do another and my lovely colleague Aleks told me I was her favourite baker in the UK ;-) With such interest and rather OTT praise I decided to make the most of my holiday leave on Monday and spend the day baking, this way I wouldn't be up all night like last time!

 

It's important for a cake stall not too make anything too obscure, people want things they recognise and so I made the following: Chocolate cake, fairy cakes, cupcakes (with butter icing), carrot cake, cherry cake, 'top-hats', brownies, lemon drizzle, 'jammy-dodgers', milk chocolate crispies, white chocolate chip cookies and flapjacks. I also steered away from using nuts in any of my recipes as I didn't want to inadvertently cause an emergency in the office! I also thought about making scones and tiffin but after 12 hours of baking I was done in and had run out of containers to transport anymore anyway! My dear Mum came through to visit me too and willingly lent a hand with the baking and more importantly, the washing-up! lol In such a small kitchen it's vital to clean and clear as you go! My love of baking stems from childhood when Mum actively encouraged my sister and I to bake to our hearts content and I am lucky to have learnt so much from her! I had never made lemon drizzle cake before and only had limited experience of flapjakes so it was great to have help from the expert! Thank you Mum!

 

It was fun and games getting 16 tupperware boxes and tins full of my cakes & biscuits to work in the morning, along side paperplates, napkins, knifes, posters, cake stands and the all important money box but somehow I managed it! As before I set up my stall in the coffee lounge with the help of Kirsty and Katrina and despite it being a few days before payday my stall was well received. People seemed impressed everything was home made as there was so much to choose from and were generous in their donations. Before I knew it it was time to return to my desk and get on with some work and so I popped by reception with the few remaining cakes and an 'honesty jar' and the lovely guys on the desk, Jimmy and Tam encouraged passers-by to indulge in a sweet treat for a good cause! It turned out to be a fruitful idea as this brought in nearly another £20!

 

All-in-all another successful cake bake, raising £155 on the day and a further £10 later in the week by sharing my secret chocolate cake recipe with a collegue so she can make her daughter's birthday cake this weekend!

 

Thank you to all you supported this event and remember I'll happily make cakes or cookies to order in return for a donation! With recent donations and the proceeds from my cake stall I am currently sitting at £2780, let's try to hit the £3000 milestone by the middle of August! All donations gratefully received at www.justgiving.com/trekforwater2013, thank you for caring!

 

Sx

 

A hot day on the hills

THE COBBLER

Last Sunday was my latest walk with the Sunday Brunch Club and this time we had a new member, my friend and colleague Gordon :-) He has recently completed the Caledonian Challenge and loves to get out and about on the hills. I warned him that I wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace but he would be very welcome to come with us. That's one of the great things about this hill walking group - everyone is free to walk at their own pace without having to slow down or speed up for other people, it works really well! As long as we all stay in eye-shot and congregate at the summit of our intended peaks we can all enjoy the walk as we find most comfortable. Naturally some people find going uphill easier whereas others find the descent easier and so there is also ample opportunity to speak to different people at different points on the walk. I would be nervous going out into the hills myself for fear of getting lost or having an accident so I feel fortunate to have found such a great group with common interests!

Our planned walk for the day was The Cobbler, at the head of Loch Long over in the West. The Cobbler, or to use it's correct name, Ben Arthur, is just short of a Munro at 2900 ft but due to it's distinctive skyline, clear pathways and breathtaking views it is one of the most popular hill walks in Scotland. Ben Arthur is one of a group of mountains known collectively as the Arrochar Alps and is commonly known as The Cobbler as the rocky summit features somewhat resemble a cobbler bending over a shoe. The abundance of large rocky surfaces also makes The Cobbler very popular with rock climbers and in-fact we say a couple of lads doing just that!

As usual our group met outside the Dome here in Edinburgh at 9am and the great weather encouraged a few more walkers than Ben Vorlich, 17 this time. We all piled into cars and this time it was my turn to drive, Gordon, Paula and Karen all opted to come with me and we reached the village of Succoth just after 11, having to stop for fuel en-route. Geared up we were on our way up the mountain by 11:40, following a purpose-built pathway and zig-zagging through an area of forestry and up the hillside. This gave us a more gentle ascent but I still felt the heat tremendously as it was mid 20s already by this time and the ferns and bracken amongst the trees seem to hold the heat! The path then followed a lovely burn, passing the Narnain boulders and becoming steeper. I was ever so grateful for my platypus as it carries 2 litres of water and with barely a cloud in sight the heat was making me thirsty! I was also pleased with myself for taking my baseball cap as it was a great sun protector, being Scottish I am not built for the heat and too much sun, often results in a headache! Anyway, the views were stunning on the walk up and I really enjoyed being out of the city. I predominantly walked with Paula and we enjoyed great chat and each other's company as we plodded on. Stopping at times of course for the odd wine gum (energy boasting qualities ;-)) or to reapply the sun-cream!

 

The 2 or 3 hundred feet to the lowest part of the summit ridge became a rocky scramble, with immense rocks all around us. It was easier at this point to do away with our poles and use our hands to pull ourselves up large slabs of rock that could only be described as lethal in wet weather! We finally reached the summit ridge and followed one of the many tracks to the top of the Cobbler's head. The panorama was stunning, over mountains and lochs, going as far as the Atlantic and beyond! A perfect place for lunch and a well-earned cup of tea, thanks Gordon (Gogs)!

 

The view to the west is dominated by the outline of the centre peak a rocky outcrop of which the top marks the true summit of this fabulous mountain. Only some of our group were daring enough to attain this true summit as a very good head for heights is needed and as I found long legs would help to! To climb to the top one has to crawl through a hole (known as the needle) in the rock formation and clamber out onto a ledge, only 1m wide with a vertigo inspiring 150ft drop on the other side. This ledge is inclined and a definite scrambling ability is necessary to negotiate it and eventually get to the top! This is frequently referred to by climbers as "threading the needle" or "tackling the eye". Disappointingly, despite my best efforts I didn't make it, I 'tackled the eye' ok by passing the hole onto the ledge but couldn't manage to pull myself up the last stop onto the true summit, short tired legs coupled with the sheer drop was too much of an obstacle! Karen and Gordon made it though, along with a few others of our group and Gogs impressed us all by standing upright with arms outstretched! Naturally a perfect photo opportunity for his fb profile pic ;-)

 

After lunch we made our descent, re-tracing our steps in the increasing heat of the afternoon sun. Descending the rocky features of the Cobbler was even more difficult than going up and everyone could feel it in their knees but slowly but surely we made it back to the original track and followed the burn back down to the forestry and eventually to the carpark. After a 6-hour walk in the heat it was unanimous that we should head to the pub to celebrate, so to the village inn it was. Non-alcoholic drinks for the drivers of course! We enjoyed sitting out in the beer garden for about an hour but soon the realisation hit us all that it was a two hour drive home and we all had work in the morning so we said our goodbyes to the Arrochar Alps, pleased with what we had achieved and made for home.

 

Sx

 

 

 

 



Thanks to Kiehl's Skincare

I have recently passed the £2500 mark with my fundraising but still have a long way to go before I reach my £4000 target and so I am researching further fundraising ideas and hope to get another event under way.

 

From past experience Raffles are always popular and so I have started writing to more companies to ask for their help. One of my favourite retailers, Kiehl's enthusiastically replied to me and I was delighted to meet with the Edinburgh store manager, Shona Walker, last week. She kindly donated a gift box of goodies, worth approx £40 and beautifully wrapped.

 

For those who are not familiar with this brand, Kiehl's is an American cosmetic and skincare retailer specialising in premier skin, hair and body care products . It was founded in New York as a single pharmacy in 1851 and respects it's old-fashioned values to ths day. Furthermore Kiehl's is committed to giving back to it's communities and is actively engaged in charitable initiatives both locally and globally. I am impressed by their mission and that these values have filtered down to store level and encouraged the staff at the George St store to support me in my fundraising endeavours for WaterAid!

 

 

Thank you Shona & Kiehl's!

 

Sx

 

 

 

 

These boots are made for walking....

I recently invested in a new pair of hiking boots and was keen to try them out properly on the hills, a weekend back at my parents' provided that opportunity :-).

 

Although the boots I had on the Great Wall of China served me well they let me down on the West Highland Way as it turned out they weren't waterproof in the slightest! For walkers boots are the most important piece of gear you'll ever buy, they do the most work and provide more security than any of the other climbing gear on the market. Moreover, they must fit perfectly to avoid a world of pain! And so Tiso it was....

 

I had researched various boots online and was keen to try a number of boots by Scarpa, Hi-tec and Saloman. Most of the boots available these days seem to be made in Italy and that pushes the prices up as the Euro doesn't go far. Still, I had recently worked a bank holiday at work and set aside my double pay for the privilege ;-) After trying on at least 6 different pairs of boots at Tiso and seeking the advice of a member of staff I eventually decided on the new Baltoro from Scarpa. combining elements of previous ranges to produce their most comfortable, lightweight boot yet. The Gore-tex XCR membrane prevents water getting in, whilst allowing breathability and the Vibram sole which I love on my Merrell trainers provides a great level of grip. Added to that these boots actually look attractive, especially with the the pink bits peeking through the grey :-)

 

I wore the boots around the flat initially just to break them in but to be honest, being fabric rather than leather they are already quite flexible and didn't need much breaking-in. However it wasn't until my Dad agreed to climb a Munro with me that I had the opportunity to wear them on the hills. We decided to climb Shiehallion, just past Aberfeldy. Situated in higher Perthshire, Shiehallion is one of Scotland's best known Munros and also viewed as one of the easiest. With this in mind Mum decided to join us and we were all impressed with her efforts, conquering the summit in good time.

 

The walk certainly started off easier than the previous Munros I have faced with a well constructed path gradually climbing, however the terrain become tougher as we neared the summit with thousands of quartzite boulders littering ridge and slowing progress. Added to that the elements were against us with drizzle and mist and a strong wind. At times I was sure I was going to take flight and Dad nearly lost his hat! We enjoyed our picnic at the summit but soon felt the colder and the fleeces and gloves had to put on hastily! On our descent the weather improved and we were treated to views across Loch Tummel and towards the Ben Lawers massif. My new boots did me proud and it was great to tick off another Munro in my training programme for Peru :-)

 

My new boots :-)

 

Sx