Mothering Sunday is one of those funny days which carries the potential both for such happy celebration and such wistful poignancy. I can't help but be happy today because I cherish my only child so very much - though I still can't quite believe he is now teenage - and I have good memories of my own childhood relationship with my mother as well as current ones.
But there are many for whom today is shadowed for one reason or another, because of bereavement, broken relationship, loss or unfulfilled expectations. There is no easy solution that makes the dichotomy between sunshine and shadows meet happily. It would be wrong not to be happy for what is good but I feel it would also be wrong not to share the shadows in a moment or two's reflection, in which there are no words to be said, only a silent solidarity of attempted understanding.
If you are reading this, I don't know where you stand and sometimes of course, we stand in both the sunshine and the shadows because life is like that.
If you are happy today, I wholeheartedly echo that - I have been happy too, chatting at length to my mother on the phone even though I haven't been able to be with her today and making rose-flavoured ice cream, pink swirly meringues and marinated olives this afternoon with my thirteen year old son and watching a film. (We love cooking together - keep out of the kitchen, everybody else! - and we love eating the results curled up on the sofa watching a good film together.)
If you are wistful or sad, I send you a hug. Not because I can pretend to know exactly how you feel but because, however imperfectly, I have an inkling and I want you to know that I am thinking of you this evening.
 |
| Cup cakes made according to Gillian's recommended Hummingbird Bakery recipe here which is a dream - all my cup cakes from now on will be this recipe - thank you so much Gillian! |
I had to make two dozen of these cup cakes at crack of dawn today for a bunch of small children to ice and decorate as gifts for their mothers for Mothering Sunday and I made a few extra for a birthday present for a friend which are what are in the pic. My icing efforts are rather less lurid and less top heavy with decoration than the children's but if there was more icing than cake, and more sugar sprinkles than either icing or cake, on some of their creations, so what?! - they had Serious Fun!
 |
| Pink swirly meringue mixture! |
 |
| ... just out of the oven |
 |
| Remember those pink swirly meringues I saw in Villandry? Here's a plateful of the final result of the homemade version that H and I came up with today! |
 |
| Rosewater-flavoured ice cream - needed to use up the egg yolks after the whites went into the meringues and as you can tell, I am in a pink mood today - for a change! |
 |
| Pudding on the sofa - yummilicious! |
These meringues and the ice cream deserve recipe posts! I bought some rose water a while back but have never put it to use. Good thoughtful post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteLovely post. Mothering Sunday is not a joyful day for everyone. I am conscious of a couple of good friends going through painful fertility issues when almost everyone in our friendship group seems either to be pregnant or recently given birth, and another friend who recently lost her mother...it can be a difficult day, and you acknowledged that so gracefully.
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, I am glad the cupcakes were a success, and love the look of those meringues. Colour themed baking, what a great idea!
Mmmmm. Those meringues look so delicious. I have a little stash of rose petal gin - just smelling it is divine - which I think will find its way into some ice cream later in the year. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely post. I never even thought to write about the sadness that can be associated with Mother's Day. I have been trying to block my own sadness out and focus on the good but I think it's lovely and so thoughtful of you to think of everyone's feelings happy or sad.
ReplyDeleteLove the cooking today, looks like you had a lovely day.
Helen xx
What absolutely delicious looking baking! Lucy xx
ReplyDeleteI agree with Angela, your meringues and ice cream certainly deserve recipe posts! I am so taken with the idea of rose water ice cream now I can't tell you!
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice that there are some of us who still refer to Mothering Sunday as opposed to mother's day, I can't explain the preference it just seems nicer somehow. Personally I couldn't help but be happy as it was my first as a mum but such a lovely post.
Naomi x
Wow, what can I say. What a lovely pink day you had! Everything looks absolutely gorgeous and I bet it all had a taste to match!
ReplyDeleteAlso, your sentiments about Mother's Day were spot on as it it always right to be mindful of the feelings of others when we cannot know everyones circumstances.
B x
What a great post, sunshine and shadows, you are so right.
ReplyDeleteYour meringues look amazing!
What fantastic meringues!!
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are so beautiful too...lucky mum hey!
Fleur xx