After too many days looking at some very very ripe bananas languishing in the kitchen I just had to find a way of using them.
My good friend Google came up with this lovely recipe for banana muffins. To make them a touch more Christmassy I added a good pinch of ground ginger and cinnamon.
They filled the house with the most delicious smell.
Having done these I felt I just couldn't ignore the even mankier looking bowl of dessert apples.
After a bit of chopping, stewing and mashing of said apples, I baked another batch of muffins, using the same recipe but just substituting what looked like an equivalent quantity of fruit.
After a bit of chopping, stewing and mashing of said apples, I baked another batch of muffins, using the same recipe but just substituting what looked like an equivalent quantity of fruit.
I also upped the spices on these ones with a good rounded 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cloves and cinnamon.
I haven't sampled the banana ones yet but they got the thumbs up from Minx and Monster. The apples ones taste just like Christmas...mmmm!
Amidst all this comfort cooking postie came knocking again.
This time he had my P45.
No...not that P45.
Mr P0045!!!
A very special (and very Christmassy) new friend for Gloria all the way from The Pigeon Loft!
Poor thing - looks like he had a rough time in all that Christmas mail!
My postie even apologised for the state of the parcel...to which I replied 'It's ok, it's something squishy inside'....at which point postie wandered off looking rather bemused...
Rest assured Charlie - your parcelling skills stood up brilliantly to the rigours of Royal Mail :-)
Where were we?
Oh yes.
The parcel!
First things first, I just had to get Gloria involved in the unwrapping.
She's not quite sharing the sense of excitement here....
....but then she noticed the secret code 'Mr P0045'.
She could barely contain herself when this was the first thing to fall out of the package...
...see how thrilled she is with her new head gear?...
After a bit of posing Gloria got stuck in to unwrapping the rest of the goodies.
Another hat?
One to wash and one to wear?
Nope.....a hat complete with (rather dashing) new pigeon friend...
...seems Gloria Hennypenny is a bit of a pigeon fancier :-)
Now here's a thing.
Gloria and I have been wracking our brains to come up with a name for the new avian man in our lives. We tried (and failed) to think of something suitably seasonal.
Therefore, I've decided to throw it open to my lovely bloggy friends.
If you would like to suggest a name for Gloria's new boyfriend friend it would be much appreciated.
In return Gloria, P45 and I will send you a little something to say thank you. I'll choose on Christmas Eve so it gives you a day or two to get thinking...'cos you've got nothing better to be doing...right?!!!
The little something will be on it's way to the winning pigeon namer in 2009!!!
xxxx
26 comments:
Thanks for the muffin link Lesley. I may have to bake/break with my tradition and have a try at these.
I'm working on the name for P45.
Oooh now I want to go and bake apple muffins!!!! It's cruel of you to tempt me when I've got too much sewing to do!
Mr P45 and Gloria make a rather spiffing couple but what to call him? I still think your suggestion, way back when Monkee Maker needed a name for Greg, of Squadron Leader P John Smythe, is rather marvellous so you could always do a bit of recycling because we know that is your forte!
Or he could be called "hishrowl" which is my word verification for today.
Actually, I think hishrowl is a fairly accurate description of the noises I was making when I discovered that my fairly large Amazon delivery (containing the majority of the children's presents from grandparents etc) had been "delivered" to my house by Citylink at 10.18am according to the online tracking system.
Pretty clever of them considering I was at work at the time.
Hishrowl-inducing because they hadn't bothered to leave a card saying where it really was!!!!
Thank heavens for honest neighbours and helpful Amazon staff.
And Citylink can thank heavens I didn't have a direct contact number for them or I would have been hishrowling quite fiercly at them!!!!
P.S. Did you like my nice long comment - perhaps I should just try blogging a bit more often instead of using up your comment space!
Me xxx
I don't know why but the name "Guy" came into my head. I'm afraid there's no clever reason for it. I think Guy and Gloria sound like a lovely couple!
Clive (rhymes with P45). You gave me a fright there.
And a rumbly tummy.
They look great together. I think he'd rather fancy the name Raoul. Yes, Raoul... trendy, studly and fitting for a bird.
Ummm... I'm going with my bad 80's knowledge .. I would call him Charlie Stars. After Charlie of course, and the stars for christmas, and very badly, as he is 45 for 80's band/song "Stars on 45". Hanging my head in shame for maybe Mr C Stars ..
or my word verification is "dingu" a bit like Pingu
Grayson Clark.
(And I think I can smell those delicious-looking muffins even from way over here...)
Albert!
I wanted to name Nathaniel Albert but everyone deemed it cruel to name my son Albert (so it's his middle name)!
Would make a perfect name for your beautiful (but manly) bird!!
Albert and Gloria, I rest my case m'lud!!
xxxx
I think Gloria & Marcel because...... I googled Gloria & .....look what I came up with a wedding site http://www.ourweddingintuscany.net/
I do hope YOUR two are going to get married!!!!
Noel the Pigeon? 'Gloria & Noel' - does it have a nice ring to it?
The muffins look yummy - I am on a flapjack mission at the moment. All kinds of additions, hadn't thought of bananas though. Banana flapjacks? Hmmmmm.
x
Ralph (as in 'Rafe') - because he just looks a bit like an upper class caddish pigeon to me. I'm sure Gloria is hen enough to keep him imn line though!
Oh great! Now I shall be humming 'stars on 45' for the rest of the day! AAAk Rachelmp that is not a kind thing to do to a soul!
Name? Hmmmm... list yesterday said top names in Aust this year were Ava and ummmm .... something. Did I tell you things are wee bit stressed today?
Never mind Lucy's 'hishrowl', my word verification is 'noses'. Is it just me, or do these word veri thingies seem to be getting much more fun? They used to just be a complete string of impossible to read random letters, but now they seem to make proper words, or at least words that should be proper. Like hishrowl for example...
Anyway, you named your pigeon in your post - Squishy. But as that isn't very dignified for a poor pigeon, how about Squishy McGraw (as in Feathers McGraw from Wallace and Gromit, who bears more than a passing resemblance to the little fellow).
And as if to prove a point, the word verification this time is 'billed'
Hahahahahaaa love the hats! I can't think of a name as I have mush brain.
Those muffins look yummy mmmmm.
Happy Chrimbo xx
Seasonal? To go with Gloria? How about Inex....Inex Chelsis Deo?
wow those muffins look mouthwatering! yummmm!
i think George rather goes with Gloria!
happy christmas
xxxxx
your muffins really made me drooling!! lol
may you and your family have the blastest fun of christmas time!! happy holiday!! :)
surely Gloria Hennypenny's bit of a crush should be James Bond so maybe along the lines of Jasper Bondam 00P45 ( as in Bantams!!)
Great Muffins
I'll say up front that I'm not good with names but the new pidgeon looks like a George for me. Georgie if you are intimate of the mister.
Happy Christimas!
Muffins smell good!!!
And how about Walter? (As in Pigeon?)
I'm suggesting Percy. Because it seems fitting for a pigeon, that's why.
I just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I am having a little giveaway, if you want to visit and enter!
well I wanted to suggest *Noel* but a certain Kittyperson beat me to it!!!
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm lets see....Herbert??????Oswald?
Melman,Marty??Alex??
Oooh, hooray! I'm so glad Mr.P made it- looks like he had a rough journey, poor thing. At least Gloria was there to make him a cuppa and cluck over him.
I will DEFINITELY be trying those apple muffins, they sound delicious...like Christmas in a cake :)
As for a name...hmmm...Noddy? After Noddy Holder and because it is a Noddy-esque hat he's wearing. No, that's rubbish. Perhaps Ernie (the fastest pigeon in the west)after Christmas TV favourite Ernie Wise...not the Benny Hill character.
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