Problems with PC and therefore Blog

I've been having problems with my blog and PC, as you will have found out if you tried to log and on check out the lastest news in the last few days.

In an effort to fix it, I locked it to visitors whilst I played around.  Needless to say this did not work.

I have emailed all of my followers through contact folllower, and explained what is going on, however I'm not sure if this email arrived to anyone, because of the problems I am having.

I have generated a brand new email address and added it to my profile.  Please contact me by clicking on this link, to advise if you can:

a) still see my blog

b) received my email (which may have gone straight to spam - please check)

c) did not get my email originally
d) not able to post a comment

I would like to confirm that this was not a virus on my PC/Laptop, and responding will not affect your own PC in any way

I look foward to hearing from you soon

An Ode For Miss Frugal

This one is totally for my new bloggy friend Miss Frugal.

I discovered her blog only yesterday, after following one of the links from another lady I follow regularly. The post I saw was for a lovely recipe for Chocolate Cinnamon Cake, and I just had to have a go at making it.

If you click on Miss Frugals name above you can go directly to her post for the recipe, and a look around her lovely blog, but if you want to get right down to the chocolate cake experience here is the recipe again for you

Chocolate Cinnamon Cake

175g butter
175g brown sugar
200g self raising flour
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
60ml milk
Chocolate spread

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 c.
• Grease and line a 8 inch round cake tin.
• Put the butter, sugar, flour, eggs, cinnamon, baking powder and milk into mixing bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Tip about half of the mixture into your baking tin and then spoon four or five blobs of chocolate spread on top of it.
• Put the rest of your mix into the baking tray and smooth it out.
• Use the skinny end of your spoon and swirl the mixture around a bit.
• Smooth it out again.
• Put the cake in the oven for about an hour or until the cake is springy to the touch

As you can see from the pictures, it was really really easy to make. I would say a total of about 7-10 minutes prep/mix time and then up to an hour in the oven depending on it's fierceness.

(Yes that is my laptop you can see - I needed to follow the recipe from Miss Frugal Blog!)

The best and I suppose only good bit of not having any children is that I get to lick the spoons - YUM!
and this is how my cake came out of the oven 40 minutes later...
it had risen beautifully and got a lovely deep brown colour to it.

When it had finally cooled enough to eat it, we cut a slice each and squirted some cream next to it and got stuck in. By droppping dollops of choccy spread into the mix pre cooking, you have a lotto as to whether you get a gorgeous mouthful of squidgy lovliness in your slice.... mmmm

We have to say that we decided it was far nicer without the cream, and I even think that a thin layer of the left over chocolate spread over the top as an icing may be a good idea, but it was so light and delicious that it will certainly be on my cooking agenda again.

Thank you Miss Frugal x

My 300th Post!

Wow - My 300th post - I know I can talk for England but who knew I was as bad when I write things down too!

So ....... For such an epic event, I thought it should be dominated by friends - naturally, as they are such a huge and important part of my life.

Firstly, Sally-Ann and Mike always there in a crisis, and always there for the fun times too - my life would not be complete without them - and that goes for my Family Tree too, as Sally-Ann has done most of the hard graft on that for me, usually whilst I'm at work, and making me smile with daft little questions by email to break up the monotony of my paid for duties to my employer!

Then there are the friends I left behind in Birmingham, who I still love dearly, and wish meeting up could be a more regular thing.

There is my new friend Mel. Mel is my Pilate's teacher, and despite only knowing her for about 3 and a half months, I feel like I have known her for years, she is so easy to get on with and we do laugh a lot, especially during the strange positions she gets us into during class. She has just adopted a greyhound from the local greyhound trust, and I can foresee many walks on the beach with her, and Ernie. The first of which we had on Tuesday, along with Sally-Anne and Mike, Fred and Hamish.

And last, but by no means least, there are the friends I have made in the blogging community, who boost my spirits with the lovely comments they leave me, and make me smile with the witty and interesting posts that they write.

So there we are then. Post number 300 complete. Role on the next 300 is all I can say.

XoXo

Wi-Fi Accessible

Yeah right!

I went around Minehead and found an internet café that give free WiFi broadband, only to find that I was about 3 hours too early. It’s only on at certain times.

After having our lunch there and very nice it was too, we headed back, and stopped off at the reception area, on the off chance that the site is coming into the 21st century.

YES! Finally! Today was the first day though it will cost £5.88 for 90 minutes of non consecutive use over a 24 hour period.

OK I said – that’s cheaper than 2 coffees at the place in Minehead!

I got online and downloaded a map that we need for tomorrow and then started to copy and paste the word documents that I had written up onto blogger.

I got the first one on and pressed the button to download onto my blog.

The internet crashed and I have not been able to access it since.

I am somewhat cross, as I still have an hours worth of use to get from my payment, and we shall not be in Somerset tomorrow, instead we shall be headed up to Birmingham to see some of Paul’s family.

GGRRRR….. WiFi shmyfi!


UPDATE---- The people at McDonalds are wonderful – thanks to them I have free WiFi connection and have been able to update you YAY!

Talk about avid blogger.

Having written up Saturday’s blog on a word document, I found it imperative to find someone daft enough to have their broadband connection enabled to any user, so that I could download it onto my latest post.

The reason for this – you cannot get a signal by dongle at the caravan. We are in a dead zone.

We drove around Minehead for ages, just to see if I could find a connection – all in the aid of an updated blog!

We decided that this was rather cheeky and despite finding about 3 or 4 wireless connections that were enabled to anyone, I could not bring myself to do it!

I know what you are all thinking – you’re on holiday girl, you should be relaxing, not on the lap top all day, and certainly not trying to get a WiFi connection.

Well in actual fact I’ve only been on the laptop for about half an hour in total, and I miss it!!!!

Will update you again as soon as I can

XOXO

Especially for Jordiegirl.....

On My previous post Jordiegirl posted a lovely comment, for which I thank her, and asked me how to get your signature at the bottom of your post.

So here it is chick, your very own "How To..."

Take a little trip onto:

http://www.mylivesignature.com/

It's a really easy website to use and will generate your signature for free, all you have to do is follow the instructions. It will show you different typefaces and colours to choose from and once you are happy, it will ask if you want to generate that signature.

Once you have generated the signature you need to 'copy' the HTML code that is created. (I took a screen dump and saved it to my PC to refer to it later if I needed to).

You then need to open your blog up in another tab, if you want your signature to come up every time you blog you can set it permanently. Click on the Settings Tab. Then Formatting. Then paste the HTML code into post template (right at the bottom of the screen) Select update.

The next time you open "your create a post", your signature should come up at the top of the page. You just need to place your cursor in front of it and drop it down a couple of lines so that you can begin typing above it.

and VOILA! your very own personalised blog post.

Hope you can follow this and manage to set it up OK, as I have done this in a bit of a rush - On Holiday tomorrow avo for a couple of weeks, so I will have to play catch up on my postings when I return.

Meanwhile, don't work too hard everyone.... ! I'm on my jollies now LOL...

xoxo

And the Best Follower Award Goes to.....

Thank you so much to Sage for giving me this award and to whoever it was for starting this award off in the first instance. I am overwhealmed that so many of us connect though words on a PC or Laptop, and feel that I can count each and every one of you as a friend.

I understand that there are some simple rules that need to be followed when an award is received. Here they are:

1. Put this award on your blog.
2. Invite 10 people to take this award.
3. Don't forget to link back to the person who gave you this award.
4. Let them know that they have received this award.
5. Share the love to those who get this award.

And so, after much consideration, here is the list of my winners (in no particular order), please don't feel offended if I have not included you in this list, it does not mean that I love you or your comments any less...

1. Cornwall Beside the Sea

2. Acting Like Mama

3. Gingeyginge

4. Mama Syder

5. Jordiegirl

6. Brilliant Farm Girls Beauty Secrets

7. Cuteluc

8. Pilates Portreath

9. Wise Herbs Random Jottings - Sorry Sage - you gotta get this one back x

10. Paul L

New Design? Part Deux

OK so it isn't the 1940/50's inspired look I was hoping for, (see Mama Syder, Destination 1940 or Strawberry Koi in my favourite blogs list), as I had a terrible job trying to find a background and pictures that I like and that would not 'copy' these inspirational guys.

Needless to say - it has changed, albeit only by a small amount, ie a new banner, background and music added. (You can shuffle this and have a listen to some of the tunes I have chosen, most of them harping back to my teens during the 80's!)

I have also added some favourite things lists down the right hand banner - If you know me well enough, you will understand the fascination with CSI and Forensics - I am still hankering after training to be a forensic criminologist, but at £4.5k for a 2 year full time college course its a big no go at the moment!

Anyway, I digress, back to the blog....I wish that I could come up with something a little more vintage, needless to say I am still on the case and any suggestions would be gratefully received.

In the meantime enjoy and let me know what you think - and guys - that does not mean by text, phone or email!!!!

New Design?

Having read Mama Syders blog today, I feel inspired to do more with my background template...... But what?...... mmmmm

My brain is soooo not working today so I think I need to sleep on it for a little while. If you check out her blog, you will see why I feel the need for a revamp - It looks fantastic!

Facelift time

New backgrounds...

I've been all through the free backgrounds on the 'cutest blog on the block' (see link on side bar) and decided this really is cute.

It'll do until the next one, and anyway, I like owls!

Summer Breeze Rose

How about this one then Sally-Ann?
Have to admit - this is loads more sedate and more fitting with my advancing years, but is is calmer on the eye .... mmmmm....

Disaster ???

Right then - I have many friends that view my blog - unfortunately I get most of my feedback by phone and text I think they are all scared of technology(!), and it seems that it's only you and me Ally that like this page, and I have to admit that it's already starting to bore me so it's back to the drawing board.....

I will find the perfect blog background for me - eventually, after many many trials I'm sure!