The World of Siân

I love the autumn and the seasonal vegetables it brings.  One of my favourites being pumpkin.  Well in a nod to this here is my really simple pumpkin and butternut squash pie. 2 bags of pre cut pumpkin and butternut squash (why sweat over cutting them up when Tesco do them in a bag £1 each and 3 for 2) garlic goats cheese spinach filo pastry olive oil salt and pepper to season Steam cook the pumpkin and Butternut squash as directed on the packet.  In a pie dish layer the bottom with spinach, add chunks of goats cheese (as much or little as you like), then add one layer of the pumpkin and butternut squash and some garlic, season. Repeat this for the second layer - spinach, goats cheese, pumpkin and butternut squash, garlic and season. With the filo pastry, for goodness sake buy this, even Mary Berry admitted to doing this!!!  Take a sheet at a time brush each side with olive oil and scrunch up by pinching from the centre and add to the top of the pi...

I have been trying to use different recipes for tea lately, fancying something different from our day to day meals, which seem to be set on a routine.  My go to simple dish which is quick and easy to make is: Chicken and Chorizo fried rice. (for two people) 1 chicken breast 1/3 of a chorizo ring 1/2 teaspoon of garlic (lazy garlic, or fresh or dried) 1/2 teaspoon of ginger (lazy ginger, or fresh or dried) (if using dried you might need more to taste) soy sauce (as needed) mushrooms (as many as you want) 11/2 cups of rice. First of all I put my rice in my microwave rice cooker.  This is generally on high for 12 minutes.  While this is cooking I dice up the ingredients.  I cook the chicken first in some olive oil with the ginger and garlic when it's nearly done I add the mushrooms and the chorizo. (Mr Bus cooks this with one small red onion, which you can cook before the chicken and then add everything to). By this time the rice should have cooked, lowe...

Hurrah, at long last the delightful afternoon teas have returned and it was kick started with a meet up with the Biffa's (self given name for my little group of lovely ladies).  We decided to meet up in Cheltenham as it's roughly half way between Bridgend and Stafford along with being a nice place. We decided to rendezvous at the Cheltenham park and ride.  I have to say one of my main priorities when visiting any where is that they have a decent easy to get to park and ride.  I mean, why battle with the inner town systems of somewhere you haven't a clue when you can just park up and jump on a bus which does the stressful bit for you. On arrival into the town we got our bearings by heading to the nearest decent looking pub and as we were driving the strongest thing we opted for was caffeine.  Still it gave us chance to have a natter, exchange some gifts and decide where we wanted to go and if anyone had anything in particular they wanted to get.     ...

It started as most do, just a friendship, with the occasional meeting and enjoying the company. Savouring those meetings, it wasn't long before I started to yearn for them and the need as I was kept up all night. It slowly got hotter and hotter though, bubbling beneath the surface until the heat became intense and it was electric. Nobody noticed at first as usual, until I had to see and have you more and more, longing for the taste and heat of you. It wasn't long before I had to give in to my need and desire. I don't regret a thing and this relationship is the best, I know I am more reliant on you than you will ever be on me. You're there for me when nobody else is, you pick me up when I'm down and give me strength. I grow more and more in love with you and your toxicity every day, you keep me marching on... Caffeine

Well hello everyone, its been way too long since I blogged. To say I have had my hands full is an understatement. Baby bucko arrived a day early thank goodness I was ready to pop.  We had a beautiful baby girl, we are very lucky she is generally very happy and is sleeping well.  She has been a little fractious with the current heat but is such a happy little thing. She has had one completely nightmare day and that was on my birthday (yeah thanks for that little one). We have had our first family holiday. We went to Bluestone in Pembrokeshire. I had been before with my friend but it has improved greatly since then with its facilities. The cottages are getting a little tired but apart from that fantastic. It is quite family orientated with lots of things for the children to do of all ages. We took Baby Bucko to baby sensory while we were there as she is used to going when we are home and she loved it here too and enjoyed having her dad there as well. Parenting is the hardest ...

Oh my word, is it really the end of November….it can't be.  It really is true the older you get the quicker the time goes. Well, I have just over three weeks left in work before Christmas Holidays and then starting my Maternity leave.  In some ways this has come about really quick and in others not so much.  At the moment I think the impending arrival of Baby Bucko hasn't quite sunk in and I am concentrating on Christmas first.  I am sure when that is done reality will start to hit. Don't get me wrong I am very excited about meeting our little one and becoming our own little family with the fantastic Mr Bus, but it is scary as you can never really know how your life is going to change until it does so.  I don't think I am not looking forward to any aspect of becoming a mother, there are many more pros than there are cons. Although I am only 30 weeks pregnant today, I really can't wait to get my body back, its just not mine any more.  Although being pr...

I would say that since becoming pregnant I have noticed the demands and pressures placed on people more by ‘society’ but to be honest I noticed them before this and always thought it backward thinking and not progressive.   Having talked to a number of different women about this, friends and acquaintance I am not too sure where this is coming from. It would seem in this day and age that there are still pressures put on people by ‘society’.   Who are society and why are they putting in place these pressures?   You may be wondering what pressures I am on about. Well… You Must Go To University This seems to be the first one people come across.   Yes going to university is all well and good in one respect.   However, there is a lot to be said for not going to university.   You can make money straight away; you can enrol on an apprenticeship and even learn a trade.   These are all still viable ways to start your career and sometimes the better op...