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July had been a washout in Wicklow until this week! Your blackberries are way ahead of ours! But I have been in the brisk river at the end of the land, and the sea on the other side of the mountains. Plunged in, head under, with old school friends, brain freeze but survived, so alive! Thank you for inviting me to remember!

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That sounds amazing - what a great way to feel alive! And Wicklow is top of my places to visit list! I’ve heard there’s a hotel in the mountains that is a kind of foodie retreat, which is exactly my kind of thing. 😊

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That blackberry photo was stunning! I could taste them right through the screen. My favorite part of July was celebrating my granddaughters 2nd birthday. She was born 9 weeks early and weighed 2-1/2 pounds, so celebrating another year of her life will forever remind me of the fragile way she entered the world, and the strength and love that gave her the will to grow and thrive. She is a wonderfully spirited and lovely child. We are so fortunate.

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Thank you for reading! Happy Birthday to your granddaughter. I’m glad she’s doing ok now - what a blessing. 😊

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Ohh how I love this! You've captured all the things I love as well. Summer here also came with lots of rain and gloomier days. I normally don't mind it, but it's been similar weather for months, so some sun would be delightful, haha. I've been collecting glimmers this months as well and I have some photos in my last post, but other glimmers have been making my morning coffee, finally making my own oat & almond milk and writing my little list with things to bake in the next few weeks. 🥰 Thank you for sharing your wonderful list! ✨

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Those are wonderful glimmers! I’m intrigued by your list of things to bake. I wonder if there are any of the same things as on mine… 😂 Thank you so much for reading.

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Thank you so much! Okay so, let’s see. At the moment I have raspberry white chocolate cupcakes, pavlova with fresh strawberries and atta bread on my list. I realllyy want to make a mini chocolate cake as well, but despite loving to bake, I don’t have a massive sweet tooth. 😅 Today I will bake chicken curry pastries though as my sister has been craving it and I’m always happy to bake them. They are easy to have as a little snack between work as wel. ✨ I’d love to know what you have on your list! Though I have a feeling it will only inspire me to add even more to my list to bake haha!

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Oooh if you need a recommendation for a chocolate cake, Melissa Hemsley has an excellent recipe for a flourless one, made with ground almonds and maple syrup. It’s rich but not too sweet and the recipe has coffee flavoured whipped cream on top (but I amended it to orange because I am a citrus fanatic). Your chicken curry pastries sound phenomenal. On my list are some dark chocolate and peanut butter bars and I’m wondering when it might be appropriate to start thinking about crumbles…

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Ohhh I've never made a flourless one, but I do have some ground almonds as I dried out the pulp when I made the almond milk. Though not sure if it's suitable for the recipe though. I shall look it up because it sounds delicious! Ohh I am so curious about a orange flavoured frosting, but not sure if I'll like it. I made a lemon pound cake last year and I wasn't a fan and I was so suprised as I love citrus flavoured things, but I think I have to stick to drinks and sorbets etc. ,haha.

The chicken curry pastries turned out quite tasty, if I do say so myself, haha. It's very simple to make and it feels special because it's added into puff pastry and puff pastry is quite magical. It's ALWAYS appropriate to think about crumblessss!! I've made an apple one a lot last year, it was the first time I really enjoyed it. But I'd love to make a red fruit one! 🤗

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There is nothing better, IMHO, than a crumble. 🥰

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I have been enjoying quiet moments sitting on my garden with cups of tea.

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That sounds wonderful, Gill. What a relaxing way to spend time! I hope the weather has been nice where you are. 😁 Thank you so much for reading.

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A great post with lovely photographs. Thank you for sharing. We've had a busy July, the best part was our trip to Scotland. I'm really looking forward to a quieter August though. 😊

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Thank you for reading, Jenna! Love Scotland - hope you had a wonderful time and that you get to slow down a bit in August. ☺️

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