Cycling Championships

We went up to Manchester for the British Cycling Championships as Gareth loves cycling. I actually really enjoyed the day, despite it being a bit long. It's amazing how fast they go. Some of the events were a bit mad - especially the Kieren, where they follow a motorbike which slowly ramps up their speed, then they set off on a race. My pictures are a bit blurred as they went so fast - it was really hard to get any good shots.
I didn't realise how close Manchester was to Derby. We had a lovely drive through the Peaks although it was a bit dark on the way back.

Derbyshire Day

Today we went to Derbyshire Day at Carsington Water. It turned out to be a lovely Autumn day. There were different stalls of local food and produce. Gem and I had a go at the well dressing but the ladies were a bit bossy and did let us know that we weren't really doing it right! We watched the Morris dancers then went on a walk. Gareth drove home as a practise - I hope that he can take his test soon as he is good. A good morning out.

Playing at Rosie's house

Rosie and I had a great couple of afternoons today and yesterday playing while Gem was out. Today she was feeding anything that had a mouth as you can see from the pictures. She also tried to get the cat chatting on my mobile. Hours of entertainment!

How to make great wholewheat bread

This is for mum (and anyone else who uses a bread machine). I have found the perfect mixture for a soft and light brown bread with lots of grains. I used Allinson flour.

Cook on setting 3 wholewheat for a 2lb loaf
water (warm) 1 5/8 cup
skimmed milk powder 3 tbsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
salt 1tsp
sugar 2tsp
strong white flour 1 cup
country grain bread flour 2 cups
wholemeal bread flour 1 cup
yeast 1tsp
vitamin C powder 1tsp