Rhubarb Cake

This is our vegetable patch. Yes I know it's not got any veg in it yet - I've never had much success direct sowing, so my seedlings are in the greenhouse in modules waiting to be planted later!

But as you can see, it has got a large bushy rhubarb in the corner, which we inherited with the house nearly fourteen years ago. When we moved there was just an enormous patch of earth plus the rhubarb, currant bushes and some raspberries which kept going till a couple of years ago and now need replacing. My OH put all the beds and paths in a while ago and although it was a lot of work it's made it much more managable. I don't have time to really devote to the veg as the rest of the garden takes so much time but I'm doing courgettes, brocolli and some salad leaves plus some flowers and beans if I get round to them too!
Anyway, here is my favourite thing to do with rhubarb, it is in fact my favourite cake of all time I think - I'm trying to diet at the moment so it was a stupid time to make it, but look how beautifully pink the rhubarb is,

I just couldn't help myself. It is called Rhubarb Cornmeal cake form Nigella's Domestic Goddess Book - here is a link (to someone else's blog, just to save me typing it out!) if anybody would like to try it. The polenta/cornmeal is such a lovely golden yellow colour

and helps to soak up some of the rhubarb juices so that the cake isn't too soggy!

Perfect for tea and cake in the garden on a sunny spring afternoon - haven't quite managed that yet, and this cake's nearly gone, I'll have to make another one...

Blue Sky and an Archie update

It was a lovely sunny and, dare I say it, even warm morning this morning, so OH and I managed to get out by ourselves for an extremely muddy walk - but what a beautiful blue sky, I can't remember last time I noticed or saw one! It was so good to be outside and not be freezing cold!

We treated ourselves to a mocha and cake when we'd finished:

and sat outside in the courtyard of the cafe - to go with the blue sky was some vibrant green moss and the bright colours made me feel a bit more hopeful that spring is on its way.

Thanks all of you for your good wishes about Archie - it was his trip to the vet today - she thinks the lump he has is probably a reaction to the innoculations he had three weeks ago, which has set my mind at rest a bit, we've just got to keep an eye on him and see if it goes away in the next month, which it should.

Here he is hating the sound of the hoover:

He wants to play with our noses (and OH's beard too) as soon as he wakes up now, and gets so very excited to see us that he doesn't always remember to keep his claws in as he did before, so I think his days sleeping peacefully and purrily between us may be numbered - OH is running out of patience and needs his lie-ins during his week off!