Love | Owls and Orchids

Posts Tagged ‘Love’

Just One Hour

Posted in Gratitude, Life, Love, Photography, Spirituality, tagged #A Flower Garden, #Just One Hour, #Magical Gardening, abundance, Beauty in life, Fairies, happiness, Life, Love, Magic, Spirituality on November 14, 2014| 7 Comments »

Beautiful Orchids

“A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space — a place not just set apart but reverberant — and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.”
― Michael Pollan, Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education

“There are many paths leading to a garden and many experiences awaiting those who venture in. No matter what your motive—whether to grow healthy, delicious food; spend time outdoors feeling more alive than your desk job allows; help save the planet; find relaxation, solace, or healing; meet your neighbors; get your hands in the sweet earth; or discover for yourself just how abundant and generous nature can be—a garden rarely disappoints. It’s a magnet for life in all its quirky, beautiful forms.”
― Jane Shellenberger, Organic Gardener’s Companion: Growing Vegetables in the West

Just a brief pause in the daily grind, a short pause between the semi lucidity that appears before the next round of pills need to be taken.

I managed to look through my window whilst there was light outside, in fact as the sun rose above the rooftops. It was not sunrise, but the next best thing. That pause between the flare of sunrise and it’s promise of a golden day and the gentle light that bathes everything before the heat begins. So, I carefully extricated myself from my covers and hobbled out the door. Creeping as best as my limping would allow, an improbable sight, and one worthy of a photo, but that I couldn’t manage.

I opened the doors careful to make no sound lest my gentle hearted jailor nurse would hear and usher me back to bed, scolding me along the way. He has good reason, it’s not been the best of weeks, and all through a silly accident. Time not to dwell there today.

Lady Slipper Orchid

Large Spray, Dancing Lady Orchid

Beautiful Close Up

This morning I saw my Lady’s Slipper Orchid out in full bloom, a smorgasbord of shoots twisting together to make a wonderful welcome to the sunshine. Then I spied my Rose of Sharon, such a luscious deep red and I knew I had to take photos. Those I have to share later, but I have plenty more to share now. My poor Hypericum had suffered in the heat and after a savage haircut to help the new shoots to grow, it was time to think about watering, I could hear my Hippeastrum’s calling.

Red Hippeastrum, beautiful.

Beautiful Red Blooms

Blood Red and Snow White, Heart and Soul in the Garden

“It’s being here now that’s important. There’s no past and there’s no future. Time is a very misleading thing. All there is ever, is the now. We can gain experience from the past, but we can’t relive it; and we can hope for the future, but we don’t know if there is one.”
― George Harrison

I hobbled around the house, praying that unwinding the hose wouldn’t waken my husband, as the hose would sit between the windows of our bedroom. Who would think to put it there? No squeaking tap, the fairies are helping today, and we (the fairies and I) enjoyed a glorious hour watering the plants. You could see the fairies jumping between the globules of water and hear the sylphs playing amongst the puddles. They could have played longer, but I, I had to admit it was enough. Everything had been given a good drink.

Time almost ceased to exist as I watered, but eventually we come back to reality.

Hose draped over the holder, I carefully tip toed on those treacherous black tiles, back into the house. I crept around, closing the door so I could sneak inside and type this out. Time for “Pain Killers” is shrieking in my head, well, in my hips and legs, but that’s for another day.

Beautiful Orchids, Yes Iove them

Purple for a change

Sometimes a bunch as a gift are ever so sweet.

Enjoy my brief escape into garden whimsy.

“When told the reason for Daylight Saving time the old Indian said, “Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket.” ~Author Unknown

Blessings for a Happy Saturday, Susan ♥

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The Midnight Caller

Posted in Death, Dreams, Life, Love, Poetry, Spirituality, Uncategorized, tagged #Death's call, #The Midnight Caller, death, Family, Life, life or death, Love, love of life, Loved ones, Poetry, Susan Jamieson on November 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

Death comes calling

The Midnight Caller

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Twas death himself I’m sure

Waiting silently outside my door

Though no door I’ve ever seen

Could keep him away once lured.

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He held out his hand

Pale and slim

Yet warm and strong

Inviting

“Take my hand and walk with me

You know that’s what you want it to be

No more pain and strife

No hurt or tears

Not even one more for this sharp life”.

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But as ever before my answer came

To these beguiling words from Death

“Even for the heartsore

I cannot follow you yet.

My time is not right now

There are others her in this life

Who still need me on this side

They may not know just why or how

But deep inside I know this.

I cannot leave this life

Nor desert them in this way”.

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This life is heavy

My heart bowed down

No answers can be found

In despair I stand and pray for answers

My belief: that they can be found

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I sensed a smile play around his mouth

A sparkle in dark eyes

“I see you have not yet given up the fight

So, one more I must bid you, Goodnight

Remember though, I am always here

Waiting for your call

When midnight chimes awaken you

Remember, I wait for you too.”

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Blessings, Susan ♥

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Image courtesy: michellemonique-deviantart-com

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What Price Trust?

Posted in Life, Love, Susan Jamieson, Uncategorized, tagged #Respect, #Trust your heart, #Trust your life, #What Price Trust, belief, faith, honesty, integrity, Life, Love, trust on November 2, 2014| 1 Comment »

From the beginning and innocence and trust

Image from: Wings-of-Love-by-Stephen–006.jpg

“Our bodies have five senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, hearing. But not to be overlooked are the senses of our souls: intuition, peace, foresight, trust, empathy. The differences between people lie in their use of these senses; most people don’t know anything about the inner senses while a few people rely on them just as they rely on their physical senses, and in fact probably even more.”
― C. JoyBell C.

“Trust starts with truth and ends with truth.”
― Santosh Kalwar, Quote Me Everyday

I was asked a strange question over the weekend and to be honest, I found it difficult to put the answer into words at first. The question, put simply was, “What price would you put on trust?”

Think about it a little. TRUST, what does it mean to you? Is your answer the same as someone else would think, or say, or even believe? If there are different answers to the question, and they are all valid answers in themselves, does that mean that TRUST is something arbitrary? Or, is there only one answer to what TRUST is?

The Oxford Dictionary explains it thus:

Firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something: relations have to be built on trust

Acceptance of the truth of a statement without evidence or investigation:

And synonyms for TRUST: confidence, belief, faith, freedom from suspicion/doubt, sureness, certainty, certitude, assurance, conviction, credence, reliance

Trust, the first step is the hardest

I find it difficult to accept that something as important in life as Trust, can be split so that it has different meanings in differing situations. Am I wrong? I don’t believe so. It is that which brings me to another question.

If trust can mean different things to different people, then how many other truths by which we live can mean different things to different people, depending on the situation?

For that conundrum to be even partially acceptable, it means that my world view has been knocked on its head. It also means that my old English teacher would be turning in her grave right now. Each word has a definition, a meaning which is written down for reference. TRUST would have been a big one. I wish I could ask her right now.

I know that the strict definitions and usage of words has become a thing of the past, especially for the younger generation. Yet some words, I believe have a meaning, and only one meaning and it cannot be twisted to gain an advantage.

Trust, once gained is irreplaceable

So, my answer was this:

TRUST is something which is earned, not expected. If you fail to live up to your word, you cannot expect someone to TRUST you, and it must be reflected in the way you live and speak. You must show, by your very actions that you are able to be believed so that another may have confidence, a certainty, that what you say is the absolute truth. They can TRUST what you say, irrespective of the circumstances. You can be TRUSTED.

Trust is something I don’t often think about, in and of itself. Trust is a part of my life. It is a part of the way I live my life, without which everything becomes unravelled. Without Trust, life becomes unmanageable.

Trust, that’s all you have sometimes.

As a child you trust your parents to do their best for you, and you act in accordance with what they say, because you trust they know what they are doing and therefore, ask you to do what is right. You can trust them.

As a parent, I earned the trust and respect of my children by how I acted and what I said. It is not unusual to find trust and respect go hand in hand. My children are now passing on those same values of Trust and Respect.

When two people marry TRUST is a vital in each other….. Any couple who decides to speak vows to live together, does so because they trust each other. Day by day Respect for each other has their Trustworthiness has grown.

A soldier TRUSTS his comrades or he cannot do his job.

The first time we learn real trust, we don’t know it.

Trust is invaluable to the world although it is often ignored or misused.

I was asked this question by a battered wife. She was hurting and afraid and more than a little ashamed of her situation. “What price would you put on TRUST?” she asked, as I sat beside her for many hours.

Is Trust a Must?

“It was a mistake,” you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you.”
― David Levithan, The Lover’s Dictionary

It is the coin by which we pay for our lives. It is as difficult and as simple as that, and once lost or broken can almost be unable to be recovered.

Blessings, Susan♥

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The Truth Inside

Posted in Abundance, Gratitude, Life, Love, Spirituality, Susan Jamieson, tagged #The Truth Inside, authentic, compassion, energetic spirit, energy forms, forgiveness, highest good, I Am .You Are . We, light of the world, Love, people, spirits in human form, Understanding on October 27, 2014| 5 Comments »

soulevolutioncenter.com.

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”
― Dalai Lama –

There is never a time when we are not challenged to be true, to be authentic when we are interacting with other people. As Spiritual people, that is acknowledging that we are spirits in a human body, here to learn all we can before evolving into a new and greater beings and travelling to new and greater places, we have to learn to live our truth.

It sounds challenging. It sounds frightening. It may sound as though it is too much to ask of you. Yet it is not. All it is asking of you is that the true essence of your being is allowed to shine. If your inner essence, that Spiritual glow that exists inside each and every one of us, is allowed to shine its light into the world, both you and the world around you become a magical place to be.

Never forget, that when you enter this life, you are a powerful Spiritual being. We have chosen to come here and learn in this environment because it allows us so many lessons in life. Some we may wish we had avoided. Yet strange as it may seem we have chosen these lessons to learn. Learning these lessons, those hard and emotional lessons, teaches us one of the most important things we can learn here, compassion.

Source unknown

We learn compassion and forgiveness for our humanness. There is no one among us who is perfect. It may be something some of us strive for, yet is it the most difficult thing to achieve because we are human. We make mistakes. We may make the same mistake over and over again. The best we can ask of ourselves and others is that they have the compassion to see, we are trying to strive for the best we can be, our highest good and for the good of all. In the end we can only ask of ourselves that we too strive to be the best we can be, that all we do is for the highest good, both for ourselves and for others.

If we can learn this that compassion comes from a heart filled with love, understanding and acceptance, then it is an easy step to find forgiveness for the apparent failings of others. It is so easy to place our expectations on others. When we do this we forget that this is our journey and not theirs, and we must show true forgiveness to ourselves and others.

Why forgive ourselves? If we cannot find it in our heart to forgive ourselves for what we do, for what we expect of others, how can we ever expect forgiveness from them? More importantly, how can we expect to be able to forgive ourselves? We are human also. A spirit in a human body, learning the same as everyone else, just at different stages and places in the arena of life.

For, truthfully, if we cannot forgive ourselves for our failing we harbour a judgement that is impossible to meet. We make ourselves feel unworthy because we cannot extend the forgiveness we show others, to ourselves. When we learn to show the compassion and forgiveness to ourselves that we readily show to others, than we can grow far beyond that which we at first expected. We can make this life in a human form, a magical experience indeed.

Image courtesy of http://www.yummy-wakame.com

This is the truth inside you which is often carefully hidden. Why – because once we have mastered this apparently simply understanding, we can show the love which is inherently within us. We can accept the differences between people and love their uniqueness. We are able to forgive their human failings because we know there are pure Spirit. A glorious energy form that has to conform to a rigid human body. It has to learn new ways of being and doing and in learning to show compassion and forgiveness towards them, we can recognise the same beauty within ourselves.

We are a beautiful Spirit. Energy is what we are and it is beautiful and pure. Forgiveness and compassion, love for all that is, is a part of what we are.

Image from
what-we-are-today. source unknown

We are part of the greater beauty of the world around us. The energy of the majestic trees, the beautiful birds who choose to live there, all the creatures of the sky and land. Their energy shines brightly into the world making a rainbow colour of beautiful life. Compassion and forgiveness for our human frailties beings a glitter and shine to the beauty which surrounds us. Let the truth that lies within see the beauty which surrounds us. Let us see each day, the glory we are a part of, and release the burden of achieving, for being a beautiful Spirit shining our light into the world, making the world a more beautiful place in which to live.

Let the Truth inside you, be the Truth that we can all share. Let the world glow with the beauty of our spiritual energy. We are all energetic beings and the brightly glowing existence we share can make the world a wondrous place. Shine your own light into the world and make the rainbow a glorious reality.

image courtesy of http://www.josephinwwallart.co.uk

Blessings, Susan ♥

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Taken By Surprise

Posted in Depression, Health, Life, Philosophy, Spirituality, tagged #Taken By Surprise, heart to heart, Life, life goes on, Love, support, Susan Jamieson, Understanding, unexpected news on October 20, 2014| 9 Comments »

Reflections of life

“It was one thing to make a mistake; it was another thing to keep making it. I knew what happened when you let yourself get close to someone, when you started to believe they loved you: you’d be disappointed. Depend on someone, and you might as well admit you’re going to be crushed, because when you really needed them, they wouldn’t be there. Either that, or you’d confide in them and you added to their problems. All you ever really had was yourself, and that sort of sucked if you were less than reliable.”
― Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care

Its been one of those strange periods, when you know there is something coming, something unpleasant and you would do anything to avoid it if you could….. but in the end you can’t. It rears up and engulfs you and try though you may you can only try to keep some kind of footing. Some balance as everything turns you on your head.

All month I’ve said “It’s the lunar eclipse”, “It’s the partial solar eclipse”, “It’s just the sun flares”, and finally “It was just all the above and the planetary alignment and once October was over everything should settle back to normal. Whatever normal happens to be.” I was hoping that would be the case.

Yes, I was right and yet October isn’t quite over yet. More unexpected and unpleasant news on the health front which totally blew me away. Like so many other people I’d been caught out having a “minor episode” and my heart was showing all the signs of the problem which I’d put down to stress. It’s wonderful what stress can get up to. Yet I’m here and when I get my head around everything I’ll hopefully be back on that even keel and have my scattered wits flowing again. Just not at the moment. I need to find a stable point and be able to hold on until the world stops turning so quickly.

The only thing which has taken me by surprise, is the feeling of being let down, abandoned, by the one person I expected to understand that I was rocked to the core by this news and I thought they would cut me just a little slack. Perhaps I expected too much. It’s been a rough ride this past year and a half, but not all of it was due to my health. I’ve been riding that wave too.

I know I’ve been unpredictable for a week or so. I also know I could have handled this better. It’s not an excuse, but losing both Mum and Dad and then my dance with illness and Chronic Pain…. I simply wasn’t prepared for anything else. My bad!

So, at present I’m feeling as though I’ve been betrayed by someone I least expected it from. I didn’t need that on top of everything else. Silly of me to think it would make any difference. Life goes on or it doesn’t. In the grand scheme of things I’m unsure if I’d be really missed if I did ‘go’. I know that’s self-pity talking and I’ll ignore it shortly.

I’m really tired and can’t seem to relax or rest. I suppose my mind is just reeling. My meditation is helping but I don’t expect miracles in a short time…. it simply has never worked out that way. I’m getting better, but I suppose I’m a slow learner. I need to let it all out… you know, have a good cry but that’s one thing I have the most trouble with. Letting go and letting my vulnerability be seen.

For good or ill, I’m done today and this is going out as it is. This makes the first time I’ve done this….. I always sit on my post for a few hours and let the ideas settle, but I think I might be able to catch a few z’s. Maybe.

I’m sorry I wasn’t stronger. I’m sorry I let you down by being human, weak and needing support. I guess I’m not as hard and unfeeling as I thought I was. Perhaps tomorrow you’ll understand that there’s only so much a person can take before something has to give… or break.

So I’ll take my “broken heart” and hide away for a while. Heaven knows you may feel better if I’m out of the way.

Sunrise, chasing away the darkness

Blessings, Susan ♥

To image from Facebook.com

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Wolf Sister

Posted in Life, Love, Magic, Poetry, Uncategorized, tagged #Magic Portal, #shapeshifters, #Wolf Brother, #Wolf Sister, Life, Love, Stone circle, the hunt, Wolves on October 13, 2014| 2 Comments »

The Spirit of the Wolf

Wolf Sister

She lay there

Heart thumping painfully

Blood seeping slowly

Onto the white snow

Praying for strength

Just a little more strength

To see her to the stone circle

Through the portal

Finding safety once more

Her thoughts reached forth

Questing for her mate

The other half to her soul

The one to make her whole

A howl, hauntingly strong

Calling from the other side

Waiting for her to come

Soon….. Soon, she sent

Pulling herself to her feet once more

The proud she-wolf stood

Limping painfully onwards

Hiding from the man scent

She slipped from shadow to shadow

A trail, blood-red in her wake

A chorus of howls suddenly split the night

A curse heard deeper in the forest

The men hunting her paused

Looking fearfully for the wolf pack

She could smell the magic in the air

As she crept nearer to the stones

An unearthly humming filled the night

To the chorus of howls

Lurching into the safety of the stone circle

She was met by her mate

Nuzzled by her friends

One by one

As the air shimmered brightly

Their wolf form disappeared

Two women and three men stood before her

Waiting….

She held her head low

Gathering her strength for the change

The air shimmered in purple hues

Standing in the she wolf’s place

A beautiful woman now stood

One by one

Holding their partner’s hand

They stepped through the portal

Another night

Another adventure

A close call

Safely home again

Inside each, the memory

Deep in their cells

Their other half,

Wolf Brother and Wolf Sister

Waiting for the time to run again.

Blessings, Susan ♥

Image courtesy/wolf pasticcio.www-blingcheese-com.jpg

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In Search of…Part 25– Revelations

Posted in Abundance, Gratitude, Life, Love, Magic, Spirituality, tagged "In Search of", #Coming Home, finding yourself, Life, Life's Journey, Love, Understanding on September 23, 2014| 3 Comments »

image from http://www.josephinewallart.co.uk

“You must find yourself before you can know where you belong, yet to find yourself first you must know who you are. However, you will never really know who you are if you are always allowing other people to define who you should be, so be yourself and if you are still unsure of who you are then reinvent yourself.”
― Andrew James Pritchard, Smoke and Mirrors

It was difficult to settle to anything on the flight to Singapore. My last night had shown me what another lifestyle could be like. Gone were the onerous responsibilities of looking after everyone else. For a time I was treated like a Goddess and it had felt simply wonderful. I suddenly found myself reluctant to take up the reins of that heavy load of responsibility once more. I realised that there was something more to life and I had scant time to consider what I wanted from the rest of my life.

The stopover in Singapore was barely long enough to freshen up and have a coffee before it was time to catch the plane for the last and final leg of my journey. What had I been searching for? Had I found it and what did I want to do now? They felt like simple questions in one way and yet I also recognised that they were extremely important. Definitely not something to decide on a whim but to give careful thought to. Luckily, I had hours to do just that and after my sweet sleep in the lap of luxury in Athens I was wide awake.

Flying home. Image courtesy of http://www.customercentric.info

Singapore Airlines lived up to their reputation for making their passengers feel spoilt and very well looked after. There seemed to be an endless supply of food and drinks being offered. Drinking alcohol and flying didn’t appeal to me so the sensuous aroma of good coffee was a welcome distraction. The head steward, seeing me awake when everyone else slept, kept me company for a considerable time. Another friendly reminder that I was not alone.

As the time passed I realised that this was one of the things I had been searching for, some evidence that I was not alone. I had spent my entire adult life to this point being something for someone and had rarely had the luxury of spending time on myself. If my short stopover in Athens had shown me one thing it was that I deserved to be “spoilt” and the luxury of that one night epitomised the fact that I was worthy of good things and good times. I had no longer any need to put everyone before myself. I deserved to be spoilt too and now, I could do just that.

Four Seasons Hotel, Egypt, Luxury in every corner

I also realised that I had been thinking about the many pleasures I’d had as I travelled throughout the Middle East, Athens and Switzerland. These were no longer out of my reach. Ex-husband’s ‘away’ no longer had to rule the day. I could elect to travel in style and enjoy myself. I no longer had to deny myself these things. I deserved to enjoy my life and be spoilt too, if that’s what I wanted. I had asked the Universe to help me to find the reason for my life, where my life could go and what it would feel like to share my happiness and enjoyment with others. I had attracted to myself some of the wonders the world had to offer and my Guides, Angels, the Universe, were all willing to aide me in finding this happiness.

Surounded by Guides, Angels and Spirits. Image courtesy of soulsanctuaryreiki.com

In my search for who I was and why I was here, I had come to realise that as a spirit in human form I could, with the help of the Universe, experience whatever I was able to manifest and the means to do it. I could even attract to me the happiness I had long been seeking and which had eluded me except in small ways. The many courses I had taken, subjects studied, my PhD in Metaphysics and all the healing courses, all were stepping stones to realising how wonderful life can be. It also made me realise that I could be helpful to others, both as a teacher and healer. Far from being “useless” as I had been told so many times, I was more than simply “useful”. I was able to see a life of helping others but also one where I was bringing happiness to myself and others, and being able to travel as I had wished to for so long.

I had, as my plane finally touched down in Brisbane, realised that my life was just beginning in many ways. A vast new array of possibilities was there for the choosing. I knew, inside my heart and soul that my life of service was just beginning. I still had much to learn, yet this time my work would be recognised and accepted. I would no longer have to feel unworthy or useless.

Bateman’s Bay, NSW

I also realised that being close to the ocean, or a body of water larger than a puddle was important to my wellbeing. I was already being assisted in finding my place in life. I was going to sell my home and move to the coast to live. Pursuing my teaching and healing would also come. How and why it would happen was not really important, knowing it would happen was. If I was to be alone or with others would also come to me as time passed.

Suddenly, I knew that my search, far from being over, was just beginning and the best part of it was still to come. A lightness I had not felt for such a long time fell over me like the caress of angel’s wings and I smiled with happiness at the thought of tomorrow and the next day and each one thereafter. As my son stepped through the gates to greet me I felt love welling up from deep inside. The pain and loneliness which had driven me on my trip had been replaced with such joy and contentment that I knew happiness would follow. How? That was part of the journey to unfold.

Susan, ready for the next phase of life

“Coming back is the thing that enables you to see how all the dots in your life are connected, how one decision leads you another, how one twist of fate, good or bad, brings you to a door that later takes you to another door, which aided by several detours–long hallways and unforeseen stairwells–eventually puts you in the place you are now.”
― Ann Patchett, What now?

I have not yet stopped searching because I also realised that to stop the search is to deny myself the excitement and happiness which is my birthright, my Spirit’s right to experience. The Spirit has an unquenchable desire to learn and to assist, both our own self and others. Until I am sure that the next step in my journey has been completed I will keep moving forward, knowing I will meet the teachers I need and those who are to be with me along the way.

It has taken me the time I needed to learn that my search isn’t over, but also that it is not a sad thing but a continuing excitement if I but allow it to come to me. With this I am content and I am happy for my search to continue as I teach, heal and learn wherever I happen to be.

Image courtesy of http://www.josephinewallart.co.uk Where will the journey take me?

“Reach deep within, and reconnect with the essence of your being.”

― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason

Blessings, Susan

© Susan Jamieson, 2014

In Search of, Part 24, Going Home

In Search Of, Part 23, Switzerland

In Search Of, Part 22, Athens and Geneva

In Search Of, Part 21, Back to Tel Aviv

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The Power From on High

Posted in Life, Love, Magic, Poetry, Spirituality, tagged #The Goddess, #The Power from on High, #The Sorceress, Life, Love, Magic, miracles, moon magic, Mystery, Poetry on September 21, 2014| 4 Comments »

Image courtesy of cosmicpsychics.files.wordpress.com

The Power from on High

The circle formed

Arms held high

Energy building nigh

Silently told, prayers unfold

Magic raised to heights untold

The vortex raised towards the sky

Towards the glorious Goddess floating by

Calling to her daughters

The time for magic’s mystery is nigh

Inside the vortex coalesced

A form of gold and purple hues

The Sorceress at her brightly best

Stood motionless, centred at her Goddess’ behest

Silently communing

Energetically consuming

High powers never before felt

Controlled by one who dwelt

In human form found

The Sorceress of powers yet to be bound

The Sorceress

Blessings, Susan ♥

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Susan’s Special Rich Boiled Fruit Cake

Posted in Creativity, Life, Love, Magic, Recipes, Uncategorized, tagged #cooking with love, #Susan's Special Boiled Fruit Cake, birthday treats, boiled fruit cake, celebrations, Family, Food, happiness, Love, recipes, special treat on September 8, 2014| 12 Comments »

Cake coming up for the special celebration

I started a family tradition when I met my ex-husband, and later it was more for the children, as they loved the fruit cakes I made and so it was always a birthday special to have a ‘special’ boiled fruit cake then.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, its easy to make and delicious to eat.

Special Rich Boiled Fruit Cake

There is something so deliciously special about this super moist cake and it has remained a favourite with guests and family for more years than I care to remember. So when my husband was having his birthday at the beginning of this month, for the first time in ages I felt well enough to do some serious baking. Serious only in so far as I simply haven’t felt well enough to do anything too extra ordinary as I thought I’d end up in the oven with the cake.

Needless to say I had to rush out and buy all the ingredients. One doesn’t have much in the pantry if you’ve stopped baking. So here it is, the cake to make your mouth water and want for more. It was all the more special this time as he had never tasted my boiled fruit cake. Apparently I’ve given his Mum a run for her money with this one. Oops

Boiled Fruit Cake – Susan’s Style

Ingredients

I Cup of sugar (or substitute)

¾ cup water

110 grams (¼ lb) butter

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon Bicarb-Soda

I packet mixed fruit (good quality please)

I packet of glace cherries – for the mix and

1 packet to decorate (I just love them!)

I packet of slivered almonds for the mix,

Reserve some for the top if you like to make a nicely finished off cake.

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Place all of the above in a saucepan and boil for approximately 5 minutes. Allow to cool

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All the ingredients in the pan, stir well

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Bring all the ingredients to a boil

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The Bicarb-Soda makes the foam rise to the top of the pan

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Remaining ingredients

2 large eggs, beaten (700 gm eggs free range are best)

I cup of Plain flour

I cup of Self Raising flour (or Self-Rising flour)

½ cup Sherry (optional)

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Alternately add the beaten eggs, plain flour and self-raising (or rising) flour and sherry. Mix well.

2 eggs beaten, S/R and Plain flour and the Sherry!

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Add eggs, flour/s and sherry alternately

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Mixture is ready for the last stage

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Oh – I nearly forgot the Sherry 🙂

Nothing much left here after all those cakes

Place the mixture in a lined cake time in a moderate oven (320 degrees Fahrenheit or 160 degrees Celsius) for approximately 1 hour.

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One decorated cake ready for the oven

Test with a wooden skewer – if it comes out clean it is done.

Depending on your oven, test the cake after 45 – 50 minutes.

Allow to cool in the paper. (It also keeps the sherry in.)

The Special Touch of Decadence

With a pastry brush, and whilst the cake is still hot, paint the top of the cake with additional sherry. The heat makes the cake absorb the sherry immediately.

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Depending on whether your mixture was a little dry you can repeat this process after you have tasted the first slice – I have to admit that I usually paint it again and wrap it in alfoil and then a plain tea towel to keep the moisture in.

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Sherry to add that extra decadence

(Treating it like a Christmas cake really allows the flavour to seep into the fruit deliciously.)

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Cooking up a storm

Adding that extra dollop of flavour

Cake remains beautifully moist for a couple of weeks – if you can get it to last that long!

Almost ready to eat…. who needs it to cool down?

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OK – I should have let the sherry soak in a little more but YUM!

Yes! He’s a happy chap! Happy Birthday!

I usually have to make two cakes, (at least), to get a chance of savouring it after the first couple of days – even with the two of us! The little uns still love it!

Enjoy!

Blessings, Susan ♥♥♥