I am going to get into baking!

I would say I am a pretty good cook and most of our meals are 'from scratch' (to quote a good friend).  I do your usual family meals - roasts, sausage and mash, spaghetti, chilli plus a few more exotic risottos and paellas thrown in for variety.  The perfect curry still eludes me though so I usually cheat with a ready made sauce.  One thing I rarely do is bake.  If you make a tasty cake you have to eat it don't you?  Not good for the waistline.

Well this year I have decided to embrace my inner domestic goddess and take up baking.  I shall just bake things that can be eaten sensibly or as part of a main meal.  I have just baked a rather good chocolate and banana bread, inspired by the Great British Bake-off and a baking book from my parents.  So pleased with how it's turned out:

The oven is still on so I am going to bake a soda bread to go with our stew instead of potatoes. So expect the random posts of 2012 to be about baking as well as gardening!

UPDATED: The soda bread, lemon drizzle cake and shortbread

Good news for Readings voluntary sector

Reading Borough Council Press Release

Voluntary and community groups across Reading are set to benefit from an increase in funding from Reading Borough Council over the coming year..

Despite the difficult economic climate, in Reading the Council plans to continue to increase money going towards the voluntary and community sector from a budgeted £12,596,403 million in the current year, to £12,637,584 in financial year 2012/13.

Working Better With You - Battle

Last year Reading Borough Council held a series of Let's Talk events.  There was an on-line survey, leaflet, letters were sent out and two events held in every ward.  This all culminated in the Working Better With You event at the Town Hall in November.

It was during this event that the priorities for Reading residents were revealed.  The feed back from Let's Talk can be found as a pdf at the bottom of this page.

The priorities in Battle were found to be:

Important: Health services, libraries, public transport,
education and play activities for children

Improve: Tougher licensing laws for shops selling
alcohol cheaply, removal of street drinking around
Oxford Road.

While setting the budget for 2012/2013 the Labour administration have had the priorities of residents at the forefront of their minds.  Funds are tight and it's important that valued services are maintained and protected wherever possible.

Battle councillors Chris Maskell, Gul Khan (also our candidate in May's local elections) and I are already taking the results above very seriously.

Residents say health services are important but we have all just found out the promised medical centre on the former hospital sit will not be built.  Battle councillors have expressed their anger and concern about this massive disappointment and will be working hard to ensure residents concerns are taken seriously.

We are also considering the future of the Oxford Road once the Cow Lane bottle neck has been removed in 2015.  The road has already been resurfaced and unnecessary street furniture removed.  We are now looking for further improvements in the next few years.

We are working with local police and the Oxford Road Neighbourhood Action Group (NAG) about concerns with public drinking, alcohol sales and street workers near West Reading bridge.

There are many other things we are working on for the neighbourhood as a whole, certain areas and individuals.  If you need our assistance, please get in touch.

Sometimes it's the small things

A councillors work is varied - from ensuring roads are resurfaced and libraries refurbished to getting missed bins collected and dog waste bins installed.

This dog waste bin in Little Johns Lane was installed in the last few months because residents were concerned about dog fouling.  I asked if a bin could be provided, and it was.  Let's hope those walking their dogs use it.

Small projects like dog waste bins are just as important as the larger problems and projects because they are important to residents and are therefore important to me.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a peaceful New Year.  

Battle councillors Chris Maskell, Gul Khan and I will continue to work hard for Battle residents.  If you have a suggestion, concern or need some help please do get in touch.  Our contact details are here or you are welcome to come to one of our surgeries at Battle library - the first of the year being Saturday 7 January 10.30-12.  Further dates are on the left hand side of this page.