We've lived in our old Victorian home without event for over a decade and have never experienced leaks or water damage, until last year. So, rather than continue to leave things to chance, silicon and no more gaps we decided that we needed to attend to a few minor repairs before winter sets in and the heavy rain begins to descend upon us.

What we initially thought was going to be a 10 day straightforward process, turned into a twenty-one consecutive day slog, with a few surprises thrown into the mix for good measure, culminating with me up on a ladder for 17 hours on Mothers days! Easter was a blur, World Figolli Day a challenge and Dante's 10th birthday came and went as we continued to live and breathe in plaster dust and paint fumes.

I'm pleased to report that we are now 'watertight' and that the hardest part of our renovation is now behind us. The lounge room is no longer ensconced in the kitchen and we are all restored to our designated bedrooms of a nigh time and family meals and weekend baking have once again become the norm.

Although the kids proved quite resilient throughout the whole renovating ordeal, Lucia greatly missed walking into the house to the comforting aroma of roast chicken or freshly baked cookies. So last Sunday, while it was raining once again, we spent the afternoon baking these quick and easy chewy cinnamon biscuits, which we then enjoyed with a strong cup of tea.

Chewy Cinnamon Cookies

The recipe below comes via Stephen's aunt Heather and they partner perfectly with a strong cup of freshly brewed tea on a wintery afternoon.

Ingredients

75gm unsalted butter

1/3 cup of brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup golden syrup

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ cups of organic self-raising flour, sifted

Icing sugar for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Combine the butter, golden syrup and brown sugar in a saucepan. Over a low heat, gently melt the butter and dissolve the sugar and syrup together without boiling.

2. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then stir in the cinnamon and sifted flour and mix until well combined.

3. Roll heaped teaspoons full of the mixture into walnut sized balls and place 5 cm apart on a tray that has been lined with baking paper. Flatten gently with a fork.

4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they are slightly browned. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool and lightly dust with icing sugar before serving.