A long time ago I changed the “Sent from my iPhone” sign off to: “Sent from the land of the Celia Johnson Chocolate Sponge Cake” and never got around to changing it. When I booked a fishing trip with Stacey aboard the Lady Grace she sent a response confirming the date and time and asked: “Will you be bringing a Celia Johnson Chocolate Sponge Cake?”
So I decided to make take all the pre-weighed ingredients and a cake tin from my place, and then rustle one up in the Mersea Island holiday home oven. It SANK big time but hey ho, I covered that up with icing…
In between taking this photo of it with our lovely garden view beyond, and walking down to the jetty, the weather had changed and it was blowing a gale. Me and Mr R had booked a three hour fishing trip (neither of us ever having had a fishing rod in our hands before). We were really looking forward to it but seriously under-prepared.
Who do you think was more appropriately dressed? Me
or Stacey?
Anyhow, it was grim down on the jetty, the water was super-choppy and Stacey had checked out the weather forecast from those in the know – the BBC and her brother-in-law. It was no day for townies like us to be taken out in the elements so my sou’wester had to wait for another day and we went home to drink beer instead.
Stacey liked her cake though:
and we went back on Saturday for a short trip around the bay. We really love going out on the boat with Stacey and maybe next time we’ll brave the squalls and get us some fish. If you are going to Mersea Island then DO seek Stacey out – she has a website here – she bakes some mean cakes herself too, I have heard tell…
Our holiday is over now and I am very sad about it. I’ve got lots of funny photos though to remind me what a fab time we had. Including this one Mr R took of me in my kaftan. I think this does beg the classic question: “does my bum look big in this?”
The recipe for Celia’s Chocolate Sponge Cake can be found here…
Kaftans for EVERYONE!
(fishing, not so much).
Well, I think your kaftan is pretty awesome. The cake looks fabulous, too.
I am notorious for being unprepared and/or improperly attired for any activity. Once I went to the roller rink in a denim pencil skirt. I think Long John Silver would approve of your fishing outfit. I love anything “nautical” and was obsessed with the costumes in the 1956 Moby Dick after we watched it at school. I don’t need to tell you I was a strange teenager.
Love the idea of you running around in nautical related garb as a teenager. My nickname when I was in my 20s was “Honk” after a character in a Mike Leigh television play who wore platform shoes on a camping trip. he he!