It occurred to me today that most of what I do at the moment involves melting one substance, adding things to it and making it turn into something different. Chocolate, wax and solid oils all get heated up to melting point in my kitchen and then end up as cakes, biscuits, candles and soap. I really enjoy the process. I find it quite relaxing as it generally needs to be done slowly and I love the bit where I can add ingredients, stir and let it all set into something new.
Of course, the problem with all this alchemy is the potential for things to go wrong. And I find they usually do! Yesterday I began making a delicious combination of nettle and sweet orange soap. I picked and washed the nettles from outside my cottage..
Finely chopped the orange peel I had dried on my sunny kitchen window sill..
melted all my fats and oils and stirred and stirred then waited and waited for it all to trace so I could add the chopped stuff and essential oils. And I waited a bit more, then at ten last night I made the nerve wracking decision to add it all anyway, pour it into the mould and go to bed. Gulp. There were a lot of ingredients in there and I didn't want to waste it. But I was worried that if I didn't pour it, it could have all set in the pan overnight. I tucked it all up in a cosy bed..
and went off to my cosy bed. This morning I had a little peek to see if it had set and... Yes! BUT, there is a thin layer of oil that has separated out, which isn't the best thing but neither is it dreadful. According to my books it could be that my chilly kitchen isn't the best place to leave raw soap to cool as it cools a bit too quickly thus the oil problem. Oh bother. I have moved it to a warmer place and will leave it for a few days to see if the oil soaks back in. It should be fine to use but I have learnt a valuable lesson!
There has also been a lot of wax melting going on. My mum's friend kindly offered to take a sample of my candles to the school where she teaches to show her colleagues. As I didn't have many left, I have spent a busy week making more and will be taking a box of goodies to her tomorrow. Hope she likes them.
And finally, I spent this morning baking in my kitchen. The weekend looms and my 'children' will be ferreting about in the cake tins almost as soon as they have eaten their tea, so I had better fill them up!
Later on I will be melting (yes, again) chocolate to cover the top of a chocolate biscuit cake and making coffee icing and butter cream for the above cake. I was going to make more spice biscuits, but to be honest the bathroom needs a bit of attention now and I really need a cup of tea first!
The best news ever came my way this week via the nice man who delivered my shopping. He told me that the Jet stream responsible for keeping warm air off the British Isles for so long has finally and joyfully moved! Oh yes! It will be creeping upwards over Britain during the weekend and then when it reaches the top, will hopefully stay there for at least six months. So instead of suffering arctic blasts from the East, we should be gently cradled in a soft warmth from the South. Oh I do hope so. It will probably bring rain, but I will put up with that in exchange for heat! Get your legs sorted ladies (Pea and I did ours last week and almost blocked the drains. It's been a while since there was a need to shave our legs!) and prepare yourselves for warmth!
Boy, is the Tesco man going to be in trouble if it stays cold!
Have a super weekend and thank you for reading. xxx
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