Friday, August 17, 2012

Angelwings and Angel Cake






Richard was pleased to find out that another word for caladiums is "Angelwings".   He grows these from bulbs and they make such a welcome sight for us as we climb our stairs to our home.   The night blooming cereus cactus bloomed this week, and just as the name implies, it only blooms at night, so you must watch it carefully else you will miss the flowering.  It is a source of great happiness when it is time to photograph these flowers.
What is Angel Cake?  And why do we not have this in America? It is a wonderful three color cake which was served to me in England and as I had my tea, I was struck so much by the beauty of the table that I had to photograph it.  Please do not notice that the bottom piece of pink cake is gone...I wonder who might have broken that off and eaten it? Hmmm, I wonder? (Don't worry, you know I went back and finished it!)
I photographed the little fairy in England too and it is meant for the garden but my inlaws like her so much that they have her standing guard over their conservatory.  Isn't she sweet?  She reminds me of the fairy drawings by Mary Cecily Barker whose birthplace was Croydon, England where my husband was also born.

Speaking of angels, this reminds me of a book,  "Angels Without Wings" by Jane Vonnegut Yarmolinsky.  She and her then husband, Kurt Vonnegut, were given custody of the children of Kurt's sister and brother-inlaw who had died of cancer and in a train accident, respectively.  Sounds like fiction, but it is a true story.   If you ever get the chance, it is worth reading.
Also, Meike's Mum from www.librarianwithsecrets.blogspot.com  has written a guest post about angels and if you haven't read her story, then I invite you to do so! 

Hope your guardian angel will look after you today!  I love the line from the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life" when George Bailey says, "You look like the kind of angel I would get."   So funny, and I know just how he feels!

42 comments:

  1. Ah yes, angel cake.. creamy, fluffy goodness :) But you do have angel FOOD cake in America, non? Just as yummy!

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    1. Oh yes, light angel cake smothered in strawberries and whipped cream is very good but we don't have that tri-colored cake with the light cream frosting in between the layers. I would like both please!

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  2. Love your beautiful angel theme today. I've never seen my guardian angel, but I know I must have one!

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    1. I hope that my guardian angel is beautiful and graceful, unlike the one she is protecting!

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  3. Love your great angel. These days, I am looking for something similar for my house. Congrats for a great blog.

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    1. Oh thanks, Laura. That was from a PAST TIMES shop in Eastbourne which has since closed. A shame, because I really loved visiting that shop when I was in Eastbourne, England!

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  4. Such beautiful caladiums, I didn't know they were called Angelwings! Love your cactus blooms, too!

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    1. Dear Dorothy,
      All those plants are down to the gentle good care of my husband, Richard. He does such a great job! I just get to enjoy them and sometimes take photos of them.
      Richard was pleased to learn just this summer that they were called Angelwings!

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  5. My kids' guardian angels must work overtime. ;)

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    1. Dear Mimi,
      My son has a very hardworking one too. :-)

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  6. oh my gosh what a lovely name, Angel wings, thats lovely,

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    1. Dear Laurie,
      I love these names from long ago that fit a plant or flower so very well. I think we should bring them back!

      Glad you are back home now. Take care of yourself and your hubby!

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  7. Kay, I love caladiums! They are such beautiful plants. And how lovely that they are also called angelwings. I had no idea. Seems quite fitting, don't you think?

    Even before I read your post, my eye was drawn to that cake. It looks soooo delicious. I'd be eating one colour at a time!

    This was such a nice post --- all about angels.

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    1. We love our caladiums too! And in all these years we have never heard them referred to as "angelwings". Richard just found this out this summer! We LOVE that they are called that!

      And you know I ate that cake one color at a time!

      Hope your angels watch over you today and always, dear Martha!

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  8. just an all around nice post--thanks, kay.

    love
    kj

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  9. "My wife's an angel"
    "Your lucky, mines still alive."

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    1. That's funny!
      How about this one:
      After God created Adam, He said to Adam, "I am going to make you a companion that will attend to your every need, will wait on you and will do anything that your heart desires. It will only cost you an arm and a leg."
      Adam replied, "What can I get for a rib?"

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  10. Gorgeous flower. Angel cake and Nice biscuits! This brought back happy childhood memories for me, Kay!

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    1. This tea with biscuits was from Richard's Aunt Doreen and she LOVES sweet things. I always get things at her house that I don't get anywhere else but you know I enjoy every thing she puts in front of me, of course!!

      And even a tough prickly cactus can flower beautifully, maybe mankind could learn a lesson from it.

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  11. Beautiful post, Kay - love the name for the plant, they do look just like wings don't they? I loved angel cake as a child...try & avoid it now, but you've reminded me how gorgeous it is!! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend, much love xoxo Rachel

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    1. Dear Rachel,
      We love our angel wings (caladiums!)

      On your last post, I loved the photo of the hedgehog. They are such amazing little creatures.

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  12. Wow, those blossoms are fantastic! I have to say I haven't seen Angel Cake while living in England - I'll have to keep an eye out. I think we do have something called Angel Cake in the US, but totally different. XOL

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    1. Hey!
      I think that Angel Cake might be a bit old-fashioned, Richard said he remembered seeing it when he was a child, but I was very happy to enjoy it while I was in England!
      Thanks for your comments!
      I loved the Olympics in London!

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  13. What beautiful plants you have! I love those Mary Cecily Baker fairy pictures. I'm not mad about Angel Cake, but what I really like is Battenberg. I don't know if you would know that one. It's got different colours, like Angel Cake, but it has marzipan all round the outside. Adore marzipan! x

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  14. Well,what I truly love in England is the most wonderful cake that has a cream and raspberry filling in between the layers. I bought one in celebration when the World Cup was going on. Not sure if it has a name but it was delicious! (And the banoffee pie was very good too!)
    And since I am not sure about the cake you are talking about, you really need to mail me one just so I can understand you. Don't you think? ;-) I'm such a tricky gal!

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    1. Kay - I would but it might get squished in the airmail! Just make sure to look out for it next time you are here.

      I was going to say Victoria Sponge for the one with jam and cream, and I see somebody below has already suggested that. Oh, I can't cope with all this talk of cake, and need to go and see if there's anything nice in the fridge. x

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    2. Thanks, Joanne, I WILL look for it when I am in England the next time. And guess what, Richard said that the Battenburg Cake was his favorite too, with the marzipan icing, he said it has an almond flavour, sounds yummy. I'm with you, let's eat cake! xx

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  15. What beautiful combinations! And what a greeting for you both upon arriving home.
    I would hasten to think who my 'angel' would be!! HAVE TO BE A 'SAINT', FOR SURE! Well, I HAVE one here actually....my husband..Ron.

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    1. Me and you both, can you tell that Richard is the angelic one in this household? He is! :-)

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    2. Thank you for the offer to have helped paint the fence. It is nice to know there are kind people out there. Your flowers are also beautiful, but I'm not familiar with them. Must be a warmer climate variety.

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    3. That cactus cannot survive the winters in Georgia, it is in a pot and my husband has to bring it in before the first frost. We have had it since 1994. The caladiums (angelwings) will also be kept in the garage over the winter and hopefully, we will have them again in the Spring! None of these plants would survive in Georgia in the ground in the wintertime.
      (My new header photo is of lantana and is an annual, it is at my Dad's house.)

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  16. Hi Kay, I know it's not yours but I love the pear tablecloth under your angel cake plate ~ it's adorable!!! Would love to try that....

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    1. Dear Audrey,
      It's so funny that you say that. That cloth is from TARGET and I bought it as a little present to give to Richard's Auntie Doreen in England and she put this on her table just that day that I was there! (I was going to say this in my post, but I ended up leaving that out.)
      You have my taste so very much, it is not even funny!

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    2. Ha ha, I LOVE THAT! And I should've known. Actually, I WISH I would've seen those at Target....I might've bought one for myself. Ha! I hope we get to meet one day....it sounds like we'd have a thousand things to speak about!

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    3. Oh, we would have a lot to talk about! And we both have SUCH good taste, we just can't help it! :-)

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  17. Angel wings - To me it meant lying on my back in the snow and then with arms outstretched to the sides, swishing them up and down, up and down, until you were soooo cold and then carefully getting up and.......low and behold the whole imprint of an angel with wings. I was going to say - go on try it - but you dont get much snow in Georgia do you? P'raps next time you are in England!

    Liked your post very much. Angel cake - hmmmmmm not sure about that - would rather have the Victoria sponge with raspberry and cream filling!!

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  18. Dear Pat,
    Oh yes, I have made angel wings with snow, although not very often, we do get snow in Georgia. And when we do, the kids go crazy!
    Victoria Sponge! Yes, that is what it was called! Thanks, Pat, I KNEW someone in England would tell me! And I had no idea what it would be like, I saw it in Sainsbury's and just thought it looked good, and I was right! My son said it was one of the best cakes he has had ever had, and I agree!
    Thanks for your comment. Didn't you just love the Olympics, I felt so sad this past week with them being over.

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  19. I was at Pat and Dave's for dinner this evening and your name cropped up on the subject of Victoria sponge or something that led to or from Victoria sponge. Who knows? Anyway Pat wondered why I didn't follow your blog. She, of course, has a special affinity to (or is it 'with') your part of Georgia. I have popped in and out of your Blogworld and I think I've even left the occasional comment. Anyway I've just been reminding myself of some of your varied and interesting posts and thought I'd say 'Hello' on this one. It seems to me as good a one as any. I'll be popping in more often in future.

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    1. Well, hey there! And yes, Pat says she likes me but I know the REAL story is her love for Stone Mountain! HA! But hey, I'm not picky I love attention however I can get it.
      If my husband had been home (he was at work) he could have told me the name was Victoria Sponge! This is frustrating to me sometimes.
      Thanks so much for becoming follower (#90, WOW) such a nice number, and I prefer to think of all those as friends, so I welcome you as an official friend. And please, feel free to pop in any time, I understand that you can't whistle either so that makes me like you all the more.

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  20. Gorgeous photos! The angel cake looks wonderful and the night blooming cereus is fabulous. It's not easy to get a good shot of it. We do have those in Hawaii.

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    1. Hey Kay!
      Thank you! And we sometimes miss the blooms if we are not careful!

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