Some patisserie for a friend & teddy bears having a picnic!

Phew! These little confections were definitely a challenge, but one I really enjoyed facing up to & I have to say that, even though I'm not a great fan of "fancy French" patisserie style, I actually quite like the way they turned out! I hope my mini friend likes them too!

 

At the same time, I had a request to make a Teddy Bears' Picnic cake again & even though I'm never very keen on re-making a piece because, for some reason, they never work out the same twice (which is why I don't "get" copiers as I can't replicate my OWN work, so how the hell can someone copying do it.....), I wasn't prepared to let my mini friend down so said "Yes!" Actually, for once, I have to say that the 2nd cake is actually better than the 1st!

Then I got a catalogue in the post from Lakeland - a big kitchen/cooking store here in the UK & on the front cover was the most gorgeous Easter cake they had made to advertise a rather expensive air pump spray set for producing graduated colours on icing...well....the cake was so pretty that I just had to reproduce it in inedible miniature! Thank you Lakeland for the inspiration!

A few Heirloom tomatoes & a question....

I'm still in the veggie mood at the minute, although in between I am slowly working on an order for cakes &  I mean slowly...perhaps it's the January blues, but I seem to be working more & more slowly at the minute.  It doesn't really help the work rate when I have given up smoking in the house, so I am "downing tools" too often to pop outside for a smoke :-)
Anyway, between sitting outside in the rain or snow in a coat & with an umbrella.....if anyone could see me, I must look like the local nutter...some would say that that is exactly what I am!.....I have managed to fill a basket that has been sitting looking accusingly at me for a couple of weeks now.....

Now I have a question! Does anyone actually read blogs these days or has good old FaceBook ruined them as well? I'm finding that more & more people just don't bother with groups or blogs anymore, but seem to be forever posting on FB.......why, I wonder...when there's absolutely no real support, interest or help from FB. How many of your "friends" are people you actually know & how many of them can you turn to for a little advice on a project you are working on?  I do know that the friends that are to be found on www.cdhm.org are always willing to help with a mini problem, so why is it that it seems  everybody prefers the anonymity of FB.....is it because it's easy? OK, that's my "rant" over for now....but I really would like to know why.........