Sunday afternoon Tea and a cake

Ah, there is something so wonderful about a hazy Sunday afternoon where you and your loved one(s) sit at the table together with a mug of Earl Grey tea and a Chocolate Eclair.  

No, it doesn't happen very often but I DO absolutely love this combination, especially on a Sunday afternoon.

You can keep your carrot cake, Victoria Sponge, Fairy/Cup Cakes,Coffee and Walnut or Fruit Cake for my heart belongs to the Cream filled chocolate eclair.   Accompanied by a lovely cup of Earl Grey.

What would be your Sunday afternoon tea treat?

Do share!

xx

Le grand camping Trip Part 4- Red squirrels, water falls AND the best Black Forest Gateau

When I was writing last, I ended my tale in the pouring rain in the tent after vegetables at last!

It continued to pour all night and it was rather hard to sleep.

The next morning, it showed no sign of abating and so we had to dismantle the tent and pack up the car in the pouring rain.  No time for making porridge or tea so when we got on the road, we were rather hungry.

We stopped in the nearby town of Freudenstadt which looked rather a nice town and decided to search for somewhere to have breakfast.

Cafe Pause was where we ended up and let me tell you, this is a WONDERFUL place to have breakfast!

 The menu was absolutely huge in terms of breakfast choices and seemed quite reasonable too. There was a breakfast buffet option but we decided to go for choosing our own items.

CBC ordered an Almond croissant which turned out to be two of them, plus a Pretzel and coffee.

He also ordered Speck und eier- egg and bacon which came as one dish. We agreed that I would eat the bacon for him but it came in this form so he had to eat it (also, check out the salad portion! So much more than something that was called A SALAD a few days ago.)

I also ordered the eggs with bacon but chose to have mine fried and it was wonderful! I also ordered a plain white roll which was delicious, such a tasty roll. Our eggs came with the same rolls anyway, it seemed, so we stashed those in our bag for later.  I ordered Earl Grey tea too but asked for a pot.  (It was 5.20Euros -seriously!!?!?! The eggs and bacon was 3.20!!!!!)

 What did WKWTTG have?

 He went for a coffee, a banana milkshake, fruit salad and yoghurt and fruit salad with granola

 CBC and WKWTTG got up and ordered themselves cake also to go with another coffee.

 It was a breakfast fit for a King!

 The cafe was also a Konditerei (cake shop) and a gift shop). You could buy marzipan bacon and eggs.

 Marizipan ham and cheese salad...

 and more cake..

As we went to the car, I saw a shop entirely dedicated to dirndls!

 Next, we drove for a few hours to reach Triberg.  We decided to stop here as the place was renowned for Germany's biggest waterfall, the world's largest cuckoo clock and the origin of Black Forest gateau...

If you ever want to buy a cuckoo clock, this is the place to go, but more of that later...

 You paid a certain amount of money to enter the site of the waterfall. It was well-planned with different walks and routes to climb, getting closer to the waterfall.

 The noise was terrific.

 There were some interesting birds there, apparently there is a member of the Jay family called a Nutcracker. We also saw one of my favourites, a darling little Nuthatch.
Not sure what this one was...

 We had seen signs that said it was possible to see red squirrels here which we were pretty excited about. I've seen some before at Kielder in Northumberland but it would be cool to see them again.

We were pretty lucky as two came along soon and were willing to eat the nuts chucked by a couple of people.

 My own camera had died by then so I had to rely on CBC's photos.

 It got closer and closer...

They are so fluffy and cute!!! Eventually they ran off and we made our way back to town as we had to put more money on the car for parking.

Even though it rained, it was wonderful to see two such wonderful things!

After this, we headed down to Cafe Schafer which boasted (according to CBC's googling) Germany's best Black Forest gateau and the original recipe.

 We ordered three slices between two of us and let me tell you, we should have ordered a third slice.  It was delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cunningly cake cream and cake only, leaving the Kirsch-soaked-cherries to CBC and WKWTTG

I was going to share the shop of 1000 cuckoo clocks with you but I think this post is too long already so come back soon for cuckoo-clocks like you have never seen before!!!

xx

Windy Gyle - a walk in the Northumbrian Cheviots

Cast your mind back beyond these halcyon days we are experiencing in terms of radiant weather to the freezing cold, slightly murky day that was Easter Monday!

There was no bank holiday lie-in for us, but the exciting prospect of a walk in the Cheviots with my own Northumberland friend who lives Hexham with her husband. We departed Haltwhistle and met at their house and drove in Convoy.

The road was winding and became more and more remote until we found ourselves on a military road surrounded by high hills, bleak, but beautiful and we wondered what life would be like living in such a place.

Our destination was the Trig point of Windy Gyle, one of the hills there.  It was rather cold and windy.

We set off in convoy up the slopes. I was permanently at the back, out of breath and far inferior to my companions, R, D, CBC and WKWTTG.  It mattered not, it was blissful to be OUT THERE, in such a remote place with no other walkers for 98% of the journey.

There was snow on the peaks in the distance above dark forests.

And here were my trusty companions.

Although the weather was not the best, those lugubrious clouds pervading the sky made for a poetic and imposing backdrop.

Towards the top, we climbed out this Stile that was the border between England and Scotland. My first time in Scotland! The wee lad on the other side of the gate is Scottish!!! He was amazed I'd never been in Scotland.

Here's the obligatory spiky plant in the absence of thistles!

The final stage before the trig point was this boggy field.

You can tell, I hope, how bitterly cold it was up there by the little piles of snow scattered here and there.

Heading towards the cairn.

Alternative routes were available but alas, the car was below.

We reached the impressively-sized cairn for a shot where we saw our 2nd people of the day who took the photo for us.

And then the Trig point.

I can honestly say I've never sat inside a cairn to eat my lunch before!

Did I mention how cold it was. Glacially cold, I might add.
We sat down to eat our picnic while a hoolie blew around us.The Thermos was an absolute God-send!  My friend in white (wearing my spare hat as she'd forgotten hers), has Rainard's (or however you spell it) syndrome in her hands so her hands had gone blue she was so cold.  The joy in her face when she held the Thermos was a delight.

The walk down was a relief as it was fairly gentle so I didn't encounter my usual Downhill terror!

At the back as usual but this time with R!

As we neared the conclusion of our walk, the sun came out to play.

And at the car, the meandering river glinted in its radiance.

I love Northumberland so much because you can have this type of walk, something challenging and interesting but have it all to yourself. It was very different to our usual Lake District walks and it was a great opportunity,especially with friends.

We went to a nearby-signposted Barrowburn tea rooms at a farm nearby where for £1.50, I had a pot of Earl Grey that gave me 5 cups...

and a delicious Mars bar Crispie slice for £2.  It was really sad to discover that the tearoom is closing in August because the farm just doesn't make enough money to survive. The tea room was making more money than the farm despite their low prices. It was so pleasant and I become so sad when a business or livelihood that has been in a family for generations, is lost.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. 

Have you been to the Cheviots?

xx