Wednesday 5th December 2012

You don't need antibiotics? If you have an infection and it's left untreated you risk it getting significantly worse.

chickadee - emzap is spot on, in my case, brandy.

Lyrics? Are you kidding me? Without knowing it, I had got this album out of the cupboard and am playing track 1 as we speak. How about that for coincidence?

Cakes, well, I think that all the bases have been covered so far. However, I do like to try and impress MYSELF by aiming for a perfectly smooth icing whether it be Royal or fondant. The only way to achieve a perfect top coat is to have an almost perfect undercoat. So I don't let the wife do that bit now. Instead she moans at me until I get round to it. Which reminds me, I must plan for this year's design.

I'm glad to hear that there is positive news from many fronts today, and I'd like to be upbeat as well if I may. Undecided on whether to go for a run or a swim or maybe both, I togged up for a run. Just the usual 6.6 miles, and wearing 3 top layers, gloves (and Santa hat) to avoid the 5deg chill. Without actually trying, the miles tabbed themselves out, tick tock, after the first one they started to flow at a consistent rate. I checked the watch and was surprised to see a 7 in the pace window. Does not compute. Halfway lamp post arrives and the time is in the Respectable category. Flow the run home, and the device tells me that my average pace was 7:29m/m, and HR 138. The mile splits were rock solid consistent, with the only variable being HR, which didn't go wandering too much despite the second half being an up grade.
Talk about being in shock!

Blisters  co-incidence indeed
LMH Yes I do, but the doc wants to get to the underlying cause before prescribing any as he thinks it's not just bacterial...joy!

Just remembered I hadn't opened my advent calander for 3 days

Lovely to have a run like that Blisters. When you talk about base and top coat are you referring to marzipan and icing or do you do two layers of icing?

Look after yourself then emzap, if you have any advancing signs of infection just take yourself to the hospital, a broad spectrum would do for a start just to try to contain something, obviously a specific antibiotic is better if you can wait without ill effect.

Greetings all,

wow it was cold out there tonight..... brrrrrrr struggling for traction in places

What - 9 very cold club miles
Why - Club Run
Last hard - nearly the fence I was slipping into at one point...
Last Rest - Mon

Lyrics I feel I should but No

Take care

Just work (and baking)
Light covering of snow on ground and freezing again tonight

Sorry LMH, for not being clear regards the cakes. If you get the marzipan smooth, flat and round, you'll stand a better chance of getting the next layer smooth, flat, round, and of even thickness. Think of it as if you were plastering a wall. You're not going to finish it in one hit, but it makes life hard if you made a mess of the first layer.

If I want a quick yet pretty cake, I'll go for fondant icing. Not ready rolled, but definitely not home made. There's still work to do to get it looking pretty, but once it's on it can be eaten the same day.

For Royal icing I do two layers. It's actually quicker (less slow), as a thin layer dries quickly (1 day). You've also less likelihood of those annoying little bubbles. A good palette knife is essential. As is patience. A turntable is helpful, but an inverted plate works fine.

Imagination is the best bit, and after all is done and dusted, what really matters is how much rum you managed to squeeze into the cake. We usually get half a litre in. Well, it goes somewhere.