tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47156804436071118142024-11-01T08:10:29.912+00:00A space to share my thoughts Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-47904412476232884922021-10-19T10:48:00.000+01:002021-10-19T10:49:23.087+01:00

I got gifted this doll pattern from Bee Sew Inspired and it's been on my want to make list since it came out. Initially I had a fleet of Christmas hanging decorations in mind but the smallest one is actually bigger than I thought so I might brave shrinking it more next time. They come in 3 sizes: 6", 8" and 10" - I was only going to make one but you know... they' re so addictive and satisfying I

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-92014565573081588802021-09-28T22:17:00.000+01:002021-09-28T22:17:11.347+01:00

Hello everyone! It's been a while hasn't it? As I was getting lost on Facebook, I remembered about my poor neglected blog. I'm going to try something new and instead of posting repetitively in lots of groups I'm going to focus my efforts on writing this post instead. This month I've made a backpack to replace the trashed one my daughter had from last year. I recieved this

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-74940856714676227402021-04-13T19:48:00.000+01:002021-04-13T19:48:40.183+01:00

 Hello friends!I had such good intentions of keeping my blog regular and up to date but life is not to be. Things got busy, family got ill, life turned upside down and everything recreational was only done in stolen time. It's been a tough year and it's only 2021! I have thoroughly enjoyed pattern testing still but have had to really reign in my addiction by not signing up to everything

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-36250518798605034792019-09-19T12:35:00.001+01:002019-09-19T12:35:44.688+01:00

It's been a while my friends, and a lot has happened since I started this blog when I was but a mere student. I now find myself married with two gorgeous imps, managing a Victorian house in a lovely quiet street in Southampton. My eldest is now 6, the littlest almost 4 and I finally have a little more space to focus on my thing again. I took up sewing! I love sewing and I think that's

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-78943540854683119812011-08-07T21:57:00.006+01:002012-03-15T17:21:16.695+00:00

Rosehips are weird. I never know if I like them or not, and from all I heard and read it was always too risky to pick myself. Under ripe and apparently the seeds have dangerous or unpleasant effects on your throat and digestive tract, over ripe and it's hard to prepare them.  I always avoided rosehips until recently when just a couple of days before my summer holiday to Barcelona my 

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-13855735534986158902011-05-26T18:59:00.001+01:002011-05-26T19:00:16.024+01:00

I feel I should start this entry with a fat apology. I think it’s safe to say I’ve hit my first blogger’s block, although it’s not just the writing but the cooking too. Recently I’ve started a new job alongside my current one, which means I have practically no time to indulge in adventurous cooking or baking. A few days ago though I was reading a new entry by the Traveller’s Lunchbox blog and

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-71699134040264219352011-04-02T21:43:00.000+01:002011-04-02T21:43:40.269+01:00

Is anyone else loving the smell and sight of spring? I walked through an abandoned apple orchard today and as I entered the narrow gap, startled a young doe.  Blossoms were beginning to erupt but it will be several weeks yet before the whole orchard comes into bloom.  Walking down a path lined with pink blossom trees, I remembered the day a funnel of petals were gracefully swirling

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-79457811187396418252011-03-10T01:15:00.001+00:002011-04-02T20:14:54.525+01:00

It's the weekend and I go back to my home town. An urge has been teasing my brain for a while, but cake or biscuits is not what I'm craving. They're just not chocolatey enough... Then one night I'm having a sugar-loaded conversation and I realise what I'm really craving is a soft, rich and gooey brownie.  A fun and longer than necessary trip to the supermarket with my candy loving boy and

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-37096928001468830532011-02-19T01:11:00.000+00:002011-03-30T01:53:05.541+01:00

So lately I've been going through a bit of a nibbling phase, roaming around my house trying to find something to graze on, except... grazing is pretty hard to do when there's no food in the house. Two weeks ago is when I thought I needed to go food shopping, one week ago I thought I seriously need to buy food and today? I still had no food. What's a sick girl to do? Too ill to buy food, too

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-79712014302554296922011-02-12T00:43:00.002+00:002011-04-02T21:48:38.179+01:00

My birthday lies almost annoyingly close to Christmas, but luckily I have sweet friends who (most of them anyway) understand that wrapping gifts in festive wrapping paper or writing a birthday message in a Christmas card makes for a very sad birthday girl, seriously. If it's disguised as a Christmas present it would probably be banished under the tree, exiled until Christmas day. Luckily, I do

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-55981987085186826872011-02-11T21:51:00.001+00:002011-02-11T21:52:25.933+00:00

So I've just started up at work again properly, but for some reason it is taking me a lot longer to adjust to being employed in a serious job again.  Over the holidays I worked at my cinema back home, almost daily, almost always long shifts, yet I was fine.  My only conclusion is that my brain is no longer happy trying to pay attention to the likes of law and politics.  Fair enough

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-77332204197149503572011-02-10T23:27:00.005+00:002011-04-02T21:49:39.215+01:00

Every month or so I have cake duty for SPLAT! at St Ebbes, a play group for toddlers where mummies can enjoy a slice of cake, hear about Jesus and just socialise.  I get the special dietary requirements duty and I've had some good results and some not so good results when trying to produce cakes and biscuits which contained no wheat, milk, butter, oats.... apart from the Tunisian

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-81546197551379474002011-02-10T22:02:00.003+00:002011-02-11T09:25:03.206+00:00

What is it about cookies and biscuits that is just so moorish?  Especially when it's not quite cheery enough to ponder outside unless absolutely necessary. One cold weekend I found my mind drifting to the kitchen; it is the natural place to drift to when the house feels empty and cold.  A rummage through the treasure trove and I have myself a promising start for a cheerful batch of

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-37032154853872223382011-02-07T01:07:00.000+00:002011-04-02T21:50:39.658+01:00

I feel I should start this post with a huge apology for being out of action for so long.  Time has flown by in the last couple of months, but now that the festive season is over and life is returning to normal, I should hopefully be back to cooking lots and sharing them with you.  I thought would start the beginning of a new month with bread. We can't go wrong with bread, bread makes my

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-61450812837579089622010-12-19T23:27:00.022+00:002011-04-02T21:50:56.161+01:00

A view from my bedroom Like many others in the South of England I woke up find a surreal wonderland blinking back at me in the late morning sun. You know how when your part of the world is just blanketed with this smothering, fluffy, white sheet, how the light quality subtly changes but it takes a while to realise the cause?  I love that feeling, it's not very often one gets to

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-49534900371410668702010-11-16T18:57:00.005+00:002010-11-17T00:39:05.852+00:00

Every month I go home - and every month as I finish church, I find myself walking in a wonky line into the local T. K. Max.  Unusually though, their clothes hold no interest for me, but their homeware department on the other hand... oh my.  I can happily float around the store and lovingly look at their Le Creuset range, or their farmhouse crockery ranges, flirting with the idea of

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-31356620639386658622010-11-14T01:54:00.000+00:002011-04-02T21:46:34.677+01:00

This weekend, my rock n' roll friend celebrated her birthday in a pub situated (to me anyway) in the middle of nowhere, and it was a fantastic night - what with a skittle alley, giant connect four, friendly people and of course, dancing! If you want to check this dinky pub out, it is called The Red Lion situated in Islip, Oxford. I was having one of these "I keep losing time to do things"

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-91519000589896584762010-10-30T18:52:00.000+01:002011-04-02T21:52:00.190+01:00

For a short period in October, the theme appears to be orange and black - you guessed it, it's around the time of Halloween.  I really dislike this combination, although I am a huge fan of the saffron orange which just conjures up the impression fiery warmth and life.  Another reason why I love the colour orange is that it reminds me of the fruit as well, which comes in beautiful gluts

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-7702640566873704612010-10-27T18:16:00.001+01:002011-04-02T21:52:39.210+01:00

What does usually think of when Halloween once again pops overs for a visit? Well in this household it is what to do with the Jack-O-Lantern left behind? Leave it to go mouldy and try to dispose of it without touching it? Or, chop it up and make it into hearty meals thereby giving Jack a purpose to his short life other than to look spooky-but-not-really for one night.  Naturally we chose the

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-16524633653375105622010-10-12T18:01:00.000+01:002011-04-02T21:53:18.653+01:00

My last post raved about the beauty of autumn, but does anyone else feel the slight pressure to cling to the light meals of summer still?  It is that strange phase of change where my body just has not had a chance to adapt yet.  The weather so far has swung between summer sunshine to waking up to a sparkling frost blanketed scene.  Autumn's harvest bounty is steadily growing though

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-60368431139772456432010-10-11T17:57:00.002+01:002010-10-18T15:54:01.615+01:00

Finally, we have come to this beautiful time of year again where the temperature is starting to fall, the air is slightly crisp and the leaves are gradually donning their gilded coats of golds, russets and saffron.  Autumn is my favourite season visually, in terms of the smell in the air - slightly toasty and earthy and of course the abundance of delicious food.  Cue, plump squashes,

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-81704170793604915762010-10-09T23:13:00.001+01:002011-04-02T21:54:15.366+01:00

I feel I should start off this post with a massive apology for not updating for a long while, truth be told I haven't been cooking anything inspiring lately and life's not too bright at the moment, what with a bike crash accident and a lack of supporting job. On the good side though, I've had time to dance more and read more cookbooks. One book I find myself referring to time and again is the

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-22407828375951783432010-08-31T17:05:00.303+01:002010-10-03T13:15:34.104+01:00

About a week ago a friend of mine recommended a foodie festival in the heart of Oxford, even better though it was a short cycle away and the ticket spanned the whole three day festival period.  Naturally I could not resist and eagerly bought my ticket, hoping someone would like to come with me.  Luckily people did so I was not left to enjoy the whole food-filled weekend as a loner. &

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-86867326240367047592010-08-23T21:07:00.000+01:002011-04-02T21:54:42.943+01:00

Every year, my church hosts a holiday bible club for children from both Christian and non-Christian backgrounds.  This year I have had the pleasure of helping and tomorrow the kids will start flooding in for a week of fun and chaos.  There is a Spy Theme going on, and I'm pondering what to wear for the opening day - Sherlock's cloak or a bowler hat and black tie?? Choices, choices... &

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715680443607111814.post-49508235961315250682010-08-23T19:11:00.001+01:002010-08-23T19:12:21.800+01:00

It's that time of year again when apples fall in prices in shops and the apple trees dotted around start to shed their fruit, plopping them lightly onto the wet grass below.  Since starting this blog, I have become a lot more aware of fruit trees and brambles, which makes walks that much more exciting.  Cycling past my neighbour last night, out walking his dog, we stopped for a while to

Madame Shannaniganshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10341616068547749650noreply@blogger.com1