Nutty Joys

It was an average day today … up until 11.30 am, when a WhatsApp message suddenly popped up out of the blue on my husband’s phone. It was from Number #3 son, whom we haven’t seen since December 2019, in those hazy days before Covid struck. He lives abroad, currently in Malta, and his text to my husband started thus: "Do you have any plans tomorrow afternoon? Don’t tell Mum, but I’m making a surprise visit."

Anyone who knows us at all will know that the first thing my husband did was to come and find me and show me the message! So after I’d finished dancing round the room, squealing with delight, we asked him how long he was planning to stay, to which "two weeks" was the reply. He won’t be with us all that time, but wanted to assure us that we would be his first stop!

So the rest of my day was then mapped out. Apart from checking that the spare bedroom was shipshape, there was nothing for it but to start baking. Whenever he comes, he always does the rounds of old school friends and goes armed, as requested, with a couple of lemon cakes and a batch of "Nutty Joys" – an amusingly named recipe given to me by an old friend many years ago, and which are oaty biscuits with a touch of ginger. 

Please note that I couldn’t get away with just plain lemon drizzle cakes for Number #3 son, they also have to be coated with icing, much against my better instincts. Of course, despite the sugar and fat content, my husband felt obliged to test a Nutty Joy for me to ensure it was up to standard. He pronounced it perfect. Phew! That’s all right then. 

Roll on tomorrow, I can’t wait.