Friday, Spring and Glazed Lemon Loaf

Khurt Williams / unsplash.com

There is a feeling in the air today which makes me think Spring is really here ... at least for the moment. I think we need to celebrate. Throw open the windows. Put something in the oven. Jot you a note. And, because we're still too early for songbirds yet, I found a link with some lovely bird trills and whistles to keep me company -- it's been playing all afternoon. 

I was out earlier doing some small errands around town. When I got back, I felt in need of a little rest. The window was open to catch the warm afternoon sun, and gentle breezes set the lace curtain to billowing. Do you think heaven could be any sweeter?

While I was out, I stopped at the library to pick up a book I had on hold. I've never read it, even though it's been around for decades. But it looks a delight. In the introduction, a fellow named Robert Barnard assures us that mystery readers "who have never encountered Josephine Tey are in for a delicious treat. Ms. Tey belonged to the Golden Age of British crime writing...and her place in the pantheon of mystery writers is unassailable." Sounds good to me.

Here is an excerpt from the back cover in case you, like me, are not familiar with her writing or this particular novel:

"On sick leave from Scotland Yard, Inspector Alan Grant is planning a quiet holiday with an old school chum to recover from overwork and mental fatigue. Travelling on the night train to Scotland, however, Grant stumbles upon a dead man and a cryptic poem about the stones that walk and the singing sand, which send him off on a fascinating search into the verse's meaning and the identity of the deceased. Despite his doctor's orders, Grant needs just this sort of casual inquiry to quiet his jangling nerves. But what begins as a leisurely pastime eventually turns into a full-blown investigation..." 

The Singing Sands is the sixth in a series of six mystery novels that include Scotland Yard's Inspector Alan Grant. Trust me to start from the back of the series, so I do hope it is a stand alone and doesn't need the others for it to make sense. And, poor Inspector Grant, we already know he's got nerves that need unjangling, so it will be interesting to see what kind of trouble Ms. Tey writes him into before it's all said and done.

At last it's out of the oven -- my Glazed Lemon Loaf -- and it's driving me crazy as it sits calmly on the kitchen counter cooling, while the tantalizing aromas of zesty, buttery goodness waft past my nose. The recipe is one I've had for decades now -- so it's tried and true -- and I am happy to share it with you here.

 * * * * *

“Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn’t, she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat. Everyone who is pressing a fork into that first tender layer looks at the person who declined the plate, and they all think, That person is better than I am. That person has discipline. But that isn’t a person with discipline, that is a person who has completely lost touch with joy.

A slice of cake never made anybody fat. You don’t eat the whole cake. You don’t eat a cake every day of your life. You take the cake when it is offered because the cake is delicious. You have a slice of cake and what it reminds you of is someplace that’s safe, uncomplicated, without stress. A cake is a party, a birthday, a wedding. A cake is what’s served on the happiest days of your life.” ~ Jeanne Ray, Eat Cake

I think this Jeanne Ray is a smart woman with her very sensible thoughts on eating cake. I shall remember her fine words when we have a slice -- a thick slice -- of lemon loaf later this evening. And now, it's time for the weekend to begin. I hope it's a lovely one for you, whatever you are planning.

* * * * *

Hugs and blisses,

Brenda

xox

PS.  I forgot to mention I have a new guest post up on the
InScribe Writers blog about unfinished projects and momentum.  

I'd love for you to visit -- here is the link.  B :)