Did you see my guest post over at EcoYogini on Friday? I totally messed up the link so if you didn’t get to see it take a look here!

One of the things about using your bike as your sole form of transport is that some weeks you don’t get a rest day from exercise.  Due to work and teaching hither and yon this week I think I’ve cycled over 40 miles and my legs are feeling it.  Really need to sit in a bath of ice right about now but have another few miles to do today!

So rewind to Friday night.  I baked vegan chocolate thumbprint cookies (recipe here).  They were delicious!

The weather on Saturday was glorious.  It finally started to feel warm and spring-like and the smell of summer is not far away!  We had breakfast in the garden.

Himself worked away at the barbeque!

And I enjoyed the sun!

We had, amongst other things, potato smilies.  Yes, I know, not the healthiest food around but it was Saturday.

FRESH POTS!!!!

This weekend in Cambridge is Wordfest, the literary festival.  Yesterday afternoon I went to a talk on How to Get Published!  It was very interesting and I learned a heap of stuff that I needed to know.  I think I am ready to start that book proposal with a vengeance PLUS I met some nice people.  Hi, Catherine if you’re reading!

I love this poster outside the library.  I once read that more people have two cars in the UK than two novels in their house.  I do so hope this isn’t true. 

Now follows a pictorial guide to the Suburban Yognini’s Suburban Cambridge.

This is the cul-de-sac in which we live.

And this is the road I grew up on (just around the corner, everything comes full circle in the end I guess!).

Cherry blossom.

Magnolia blossom.

Bridge across the River Cam.

My favourite row of houses.

While I was out Himself worked very hard to clear out the conservatory so we can work and eat in there over the summer.

Today is warm and sunny again, but sadly I have to stay inside and do my tax return

A tulip finally came out this morning though.

Tonight I am off to another Wordfest event with Ma Yogini, to see my old MA mentor, Rebecca Stott, talk about her new book.

See you all tomorrow!

Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance

Ingredients
115g/4oz plain flour
5 tablespoons of coco powder
pinch of salt
half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
5 tablespoons of soy or rice milk
5 tablespoons of oil (nut oil or mild vegetable/sunflower oil)
1 teaspon of vanilla extract
130g/4.5oz sugar
Jam!

Method
This couldn’t be easier. Mix together the oil, vanilla extract, sugar and soy milk in a bowl and then slowly sift in the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and coco powder into the milk/oil mixture.
Mix together until it forms a  dough (you may need to add a little more flour depending on the moon and other such random variables that seems to affect cooking….).
With damp hands (damp hands are important, they stop the mix sticking too much) make small balls with the dough and place the balls on a greased and lined baking sheet. Press the balls down with the flat of your hand to make small but thick discs.  Make sure there is plenty of space between the discs as the cookies expand in the oven.  Better to do two batches than have them all spreading into one giant cookie.  Unless you want one giant cookie of course…..
Bake at 180*C/350*F/Gas Mark 4 for five minutes. Take them out of the oven and make a thumbprint in the middle of each cookie. Fill each thumbprint with a small amount of jam (raspberry or strawberry works best) and put back in the oven for ten minutes.
Let cool for two minutes and then continue to cool on a wire rack.