Find the Ducklings

I was going to call this post 'reasons to be cheerful' following the run of grey, wet weather lately, which seemed to have dampened everyones' spirits and then I went for a walk locally to where I live and was enchanted by seeing a rather glamorous duck with her six baby ducklings flitting along the stream in a beam of sunshine.  Mill Road running along the side of Arundel Castle is a joy in all weathers, lined with tall majestic beech trees and displaying the wonders of nature in all her glory year round.  Seeing the adorable little chicks chirping away as they explored their new home was so delightful.  It made me realise we're surrounded by miracles every day, sometimes we just need to stop and appreciate them.

Another uplifting pleasure has been entertaining friends for dinner which gave me the excuse of baking something delicious for dessert.  The best feelgood factor that chocolate always delivers is hard to beat, so I decided to make a dark chocolate roulade filled with black cherries soaked in kirsch, lots of whipped cream, black cherry conserve for added zing and extra shavings of Montezuma's plain chocolate for decoration.  Illiciting responses of 'wow' I'm not sure who enjoyed the indulgence most, either my friends thinking they were in seventh heaven eating it, or me having the benefit of the aroma of baking filling the house and being in my own world preparing the treat.  Everyone was happy and with the bonus of leftovers the following day.

I've since made a double batch of chocolate almond cupcakes as a thank you gift and also to take to another friend who has just left hospital; plus made lemoncurd which is a firm family favourite.  So although I haven't ventured very far lately either for work or leisure, I have lots of exciting travel plans on the horizon to keep me in ancitipation of new directions ahead, but in the meantime have made the most of being somewhere I truly love to be, home.