My inbox this morning is full of requests for the gingerbread recipe to be typed as my handwriting is unreadable!

So here it is for you. I wouldn't normally flood your inbox with another email so soon; but it's easier than trying to answer all those emails individually.

And if you didn't read the original email with the thoughts about NOW and NOT YET and hope and how gingerbread reminds me of the waiting in anticipation, you can read it here

Below, if you want to skim on down, there are four sections:

the gingerbread recipe, details of THE SPICE RETREAT, some huge thanks for you and some thoughts on HOPE for 2021

MY GRANDMOTHER'S GINGERBREAD RECIPE

4 oz black treacle

4 oz golden syrup

2 oz butter or margarine

2 oz lard

8 oz plain flour

1/4 teaspoon bicarb of soda

1 tsp ground ginger (I usually add more!)

1 tsp mixed spice (ditto!)

4 oz dark brown sugar

1/4 pint full fat milk

7 inch square tin - grease or line with baking parchment. Although as you can see, I use a rectangular tin!

Gently heat and melt together treacle, syrup, butter and lard.

Sift flour, bicarb, spices and then stir in sugar.

Pour in treacle mixture and milk, beat well.

Bake at Gas Mark 3 (170 C) for about an hour, but make take up to an hour and a half.

You want it to be still a little soft in the middle (but not runny)

Cool in tin. Wrap in parchment and foil for at least 2 days, better if 5! Then cut into small squares and enjoy.

Freezes well. Thaw for 6 hours at room temperature.

(For USA readers: try Wegmans for treacle and golden syrup. Mixed spice is sometimes available as Pumpkin Spice at Trader Joes. It’s a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves ….)

THE SPICE RETREAT

(which, as someone pointed out, fits well with the gingerbread theme!

How to live a spice-y life ...... while enjoying gingerbread?!)

It's not too late to register for this 5 session special retreat, which is available for you over the new year. A great time to reset and discover who God intends for you to be!

I finally engaged with your Advent Retreat this weekend and found it deeply moving and profoundly helpful. Thank you so much for your gifted and sensitive leading and for all that you are and do. It was my experience of the Advent Retreat which prompted me to sign up for the Spice Retreat, something I now very much look forward to. It will be a privilege to sit once more under your anointed ministry. P. M.

The spice retreat was an oasis in my week and for that matter day as I worked through some of the things in the journal. H.C.

Thank you for the SPICE retreat. There was a lot in it, and I am continuing to use the resources. Thank you, as well, for the 1 to 1 spiritual guidance session.

That was very helpful. C.W.

The SPICE RETREAT starts on December 31st

although you can chose to do the retreat

at a time to best suit you.

So sign up NOW - full details of the retreat and sign up form can be found here.

THIS IS THE LAST TIME THE SPICE RETREAT WILL BE AVAILABLE for now,

so don't miss this opportunity to do it.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement over this past year. My email list has increased enormously, the SPICE Retreat and the ADVENT retreat had lots of participants and lots of emails of thanks afterwards, and the audio recording of WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS has done well too. (don't forget it's in Kindle too, as well as the paperback of course)

THANK YOU, thank you.

A SCENT OF WATER - a daily devotional for the first six months of bereavement is due out in the spring of 2021. I'm doing the final re-write over the next week or two, following the editing and proof reading from the publisher, and prayers would be appreciated. THANK YOU!

So I'm hugely grateful to God for the way he has blessed my writings to help so many people.

I'd love to know if there are areas you struggle with that you'd like me to tackle in future writing - no promises, but any suggestions are welcome.

HOPE: my word for 2021.

Romans 15:13 my verse for the year.

The thrill of hope ... radiating with hope

How we need this for the new year, after this terrible year.

What have you chosen for your word/verse for 2021?

I've ordered Rowan Williams' Candles in the Dark. I'll let you know how I get on with it!

Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope! (TPT)

See you in the new year!

- Penelope