Blueberry cake and Cottage fairytales

When are you grown up enough to stop living in a fairytale?

Is cottage living a fairytale? Totally when you are watching it in the magical light of a golden hour in instagram videos… And twice totally when you get out barefeet to the verandah in an early frosty morning with a steaming hot cup of tea, look up and offer your face to the blessings of the never ending rain…

But there are dirty gumboots, digging, earth under the not-anymore-pretty nails, rats scattering out from the nasturtium plant, a discovery of a foot rot on sheep and chickens pooping on my garden furniture. And again this year - never ending rain. Well it is a part of the same fairytale.

The storytelling and finding the glory of ordinary helps here too.

The blessings of the rain are always a clean house as the dog and cat bring the mud from outside which means washing the floor… and lots of baking… and invention of the new recipes and, increased imagination on “what will I do when it stops” as well as the fresh passion for reading and embroidery.

Fairies are keeping me company most of the day as I am drawing a book about fairies. I think of a little flying woman who is whispering into my ear: “That is enough for today, let's go and have some tea”. This is how this Blueberry Fairy shortcake was born. Here Is the recipe if you decide to have a “fairy tea party”:

Blueberry Fairy Shortcake

150 gr of Butter

Pinch of salt

Half a cup of sugar

1.5 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

Work it all with your fingers to create some not quite bread crumbs but rather large flakes. Add ¾ cup of cold milk with a teaspoon of vanilla essence. Quickly stir, forming the dough with the consistency of a thick sourcream. Add a cup (or how much you want) frozen blueberries. I got mine out of the freezer an hour before. Stir them in and bake for the next 40 mins or so until the top is golden in the oven t 180C,

Eat with cream, rhubarb jam and a cup of hot tea of your taste… Think of one little wish you would like to make true and take a step towards it. Or all the steps. You can easily be the blueberry fairy yourself.

And we are never too old to live the fairy tale. Isn't it fun to make and live your own one?

Have a creative week,

Yulia