SouthseaScene

One of the best recipes I've found for a dinner party is the Chocolate Souffle below. It's easy to make (my criteria!) and can be made ahead. Chocolate Souffle (for 6) 200 grams dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa is best) 150 grams butter, cubed 6 eggs 175 grams caster sugar 125 grams plain flour Double cream or ice cream to serve Heat the oven at 180 degrees Celcius, if cooking right away. Butter 6 ramekins well. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over simmering water, or in a microwave. Beat the eggs with the sugar until very light and fluffy. Then fold in the flour. Fold in the chocolate mixture and divide among the ramekins. Put it in the fridge at this point, if you are making ahead or bake it for 8-12 minutes. The souffle should rise and form a firm crust, but still runny on the inside. Serve with some double cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

I've been looking at a lot of blogs lately and there are also many bloggers who are on Twitter. Some have lovely stories to tell and one of them is Shelly Bobbins. A few days ago Shelly Bobbins said she was off benefits. That was good news and I congratulated her. And then her success stories seems to have just blossomed. So I really want to pay tribute to her for her inspirational story and if you want to check out her business, follow her blog! http://www.shellybobbins.blogspot.com/ Perhaps as we are inching towards the new year, others would-be entrepreneurs would also make that brave new leap? If so, good luck to all of you.

This caused consternation in the events meeting today. All around the room we talked about how there are so many events programmed in the city and yet we do not have the reputation of a city of culture. Perhaps it is not the lack of events we should be worrying about, but the lack of quality events. Those events which are of quality, they do get national and even international following. So, something to ponder about.

It is clearly winter now, marked by several rainy days in a row. In Southsea, it's the wind that's the killer. You may as well forget about using an umbrella. The one I had is now broken after two weeks. That's pretty good going. So either buy a cheap one, or wear a Sou'wester! If you are living in Cornwall, investing in a boat is a good move. I'm wondering whether we will have to move uphill any time soon. Our coastal area is always threatened by flooding. One must wait and see. In the mean time, I'm searching for a longer raincoat to cope.