37 conkers

After school today we decided take a slight detour on the way home to go see if there were any conkers underneath the enormous Horse Chestnut tree at the bottom of the hill. There were very few on the ground, perhaps only 3 or 4, but as we looked, and walked around the tree, the wind blew down more and more. It was quite exciting waiting, watching them fall and smash open on the ground.

Collecting conkers doesn't loose its charm as you get older, and these conkers are still as smooth and silky-new as they were when I gathered them as a child. The children loved it too and I was glad I had decided to take them last-minute, which is also why we used a lunch box for collecting. We managed to discover one conker in its shell that hadnt broken open, and the children saved opening it for when they got home (where they opened it together, aahh). Esme counted them when we got home with a little help, and there were 37. The leaves were put in by Esme too, to help keep the conkers cosy and warm.


Mmmm, and tonight as I made tea I made a new trial concoction fridge cake, I love fridge cake, its always going to taste nice, with all those yummy things in it. tonight I used melted butter (6oz), broken biscuits (8oz), raisins and sultanas (handful), pumpkin seeds(smallish handful), plain popcorn (2 handfuls - this was todays new trial ingredient) and cocoa powder(not sure how much, I just tip a load in to taste). all pressed into a tray, put in the fridge then when chilled, a big bar of Cadburys dairy milk melted and spread on top.

(There was going to be photographs- edited now, see below!!!), we were eating it before the chocolate had hardened and it was too messy and yummy to stop for pictures, the popcorn made for a nice flavour variation too. So here for now is my favourite cocoa powder,Green and Blacks, I dont use anything else these days, it makes for fantastic chocolate anythings!


and now this jar is empty, (I will try and take a pic of the remaining fridge cake later if I remember)(added now!!!), one good thing is it is very very rich, even I can only bear about 2 pieces in a sitting. and that is saying something, as my chocolate tolerance levels are set very high.



the sprinkles are for the kids benefit.

Hubby is now eating the cakes again, he just complained the popcorn tastes like cardboard (on about his 4th piece).???!!