THREE LAZY PEOPLE

We are all still feeling very sleep,lazy and disinclined to do very much of anything,and I discover that the peculiar lethargy is not confined to the members of this household. This afternoon my neighbour came round having left work early, he flopped down into a chair and complained of the exact symptoms that have been bedevilling the three of us, it,s all a bit weird.
We all took ages to get going this morning and when eventually I got around to baking some blueberry muffins for breakfast we sat drowsily round the table, almost too tired to eat. I cleared the kitchen and prepared the lamb joint for dinner,nothing elaborate, just a few sprigs of rosemary and a little rub with a clove of garlic. Then I went to Home base and brought myself a Lava Lamp having fallen in love with the one I got for my son yesterday.
Still feeling lazy I par-boiled some large potatoes and prepared a dish of garlic and potato layer with cream, it has a fancy French name which I can not spell.

I was trying to gather up enough will power to do some gardening when my neighbour appeared looking exactly how I felt, I gave him tea, cookies and sympathy and called my son down to have a chat about some books that the two of them have been selling on line. They have made quite a tidy sum between them and developed their friendship along the way. He had his net book with him and I fetched my little laptop as he was interested in some medieval cooking pots and tripods that I have been researching. I am thinking of opening up the living room fireplace,behind which there is a very large cavity ,putting in an open hearth and doing some cooking on it. When I was a child we often had to do this as in the wilds the power was often out for days,once it went off for three weeks, was reconnected and went off again half an hour later for another week .With the correct equipment anything can be cooked in this way.
My neighbour as it turns out has been considering the same plan so we had a merry couple of hours looking at fire cranes,tripods, bottle-jacks, Dutch ovens,hanging griddles and cauldrons, it was great fun. We traded some sloe gin and cherry vodka and then he went off to have a bath and I returned to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

While all this was happening Pa was out buying himself a small set of basket work drawers to store his knick-knacks tidily away, a idea to which I gave great encouragement. It has to be faced that today Pa seems to have had more energy than the rest of us put together.
Dinner was lovely and we all agreed that we should eat lamb more often. We laughed,joked and chatted all through dinner with Pa joining in as he used to. After we had cleared the kitchen I went off to have a bath .
My lava lamp is now glugging away merrily and the cat is fascinated by its constant movement, well it stops her from watching too much television you know. My son and I have a show to watch tonight which will be fun. Pa hates T.V which is why we keep the dreaded goggle boxes upstairs

Pa is rearranging his desk tonight and seems brighter than he has been in ages, I am so happy, he is such a lovely man and it is easy to forget that when his mind is far away and he is someone else.
A few years ago he wrote a brilliant crime fiction novel, I have read all the top crime writers and I kid you not this was a scorcher and I was very impressed. Pa is so modest,he thinks I am just being kind,not so, it really is brilliant. He used to be so bright and funny and my son and I miss him very much. That is why today was so special, even though we all felt tired. I hardly dare to hope that the change in his medication may be beginning to take effect,all the same I do,hope.

A LAVA LAMP AND A MASSIVE TOAD

It has been a funny sort of day, none of us could seem to settle to anything so we tatted about here and there and this is what happened.
Breakfast was lovely, boiled eggs and granary bread with orange juice and a pot of tea. Yesterday I was given a new recipe book called The Bread Bible. There are breads from all nations some of which I know and many that are new to me. I shall be baking my way through the book starting this week. There are some wonderful continental Christmas breads, spiced and colourful with glossy candied fruits and these I can not wait to try.

Back to this morning, Pa was very confused when He woke and I think it upset my son rather as he as not see Pa quite this bad before. He appeared not to recognise the poor boy at all, this has happened to me a few times and it is certainly most disconcerting when it does. Fortunately Pa came to himself quickly and things were back to normal by the time we ate.
It was decided that my son and I should pop up to Home base as they have a large selection of Lava lamps in stock and I am buying one as a Christmas gift for my son. There was so much choice that we almost chose two but were sensible enough to eventually chose a gorgeous yellow ,red and purple one. We switched it in to make sure it was working and once it began to glug we all stood around staring like goldfish a t the spectacle., It takes several hours to warm up to full gloopiness but by evening it was really going strong.

My son decided to have the lamp now rather than for a Christmas gift so now I shall have to come up with a new idea. I already have the most enormous shaggy black Mongolian fur throw you ever saw, I can hardly lift the blessed thing , two corduroy shirts, a very soft bath robe and two pairs of his favourite shoes, Oh and a pair of really nice display cases for his Russian Medal collection, I have been ordered not to buy any more coats as he has too many, actually he has quite a few he does not wear at all. It,s a pity because I had thought of buying him an Inverness cape to go with the deer stalker hat, Sherlock Holmes style,now I shall have to reconside
r.
I digress. On our return we decided to play ludo, not a good idea as I almost always win, my son was so set upon wiping me from the board that he did not notice that Pa had almost won until it was to late and we were both soundly thrashed .Then came more lava lamp watching, they really are compelling things.
The rain which had just held off while we were out came down in torrents and poor old puss was not at all pleased. She sat in the window with a sulky air and refused all offers of food or cuddles. She was not “so standoffish last night. She spent ages sitting on my desk watching a clip from “Laurel and Hardy,s” “Way Out West”. I had to keep pressing the repeat button time and time again. The first time I forgot she stood up, looked at the computer and began to press the keyboard with her paw, I suspect that she will soon be writing her own blog. I wonder what she will say about me?

This blog is a load of waffle today I am sorry to say, but it has been, in the end a lovely, funny,family day. We had toad in the hole for dinner with baked beans, very quick and perfect for such a grotty evening as this as been. Pa is much better this evening and we are opening large tin of Roses chocolates tonight as we have a show to watch. I think the problem today is that we are all rather sleepy., still we all agree that it is wonderful to be together having a good tome and making plans .Where ever you are stay snug and be happy.

EACH MAN TO THE DEVIL HIS OWN WAY

I hear that some bright spark has come up with the crackpot notion of paying people to lose weight and stop smoking. Speaking as someone who is at the moment overweight and who used to smoke I can not help wondering how this could possibly work. I finally stopped smoking with no help from pills or patches because I wanted to. No amount of bribery would have persuaded me to stop including the constant increase in the cost of smoking. I can not say much about losing weight as I have for most of my life been considered dangerously thin,In the last two years I have gone from having my G.P complaining about my thinness to having her moaning on about the fact that I have put on too much weight. I wish that the medical profession would make up it,s mind. On the one hand they tell us to stay slim and fit, not to drink or smoke so that we shall live longer and our self inflicted ailments shall not be a drain upon the N.H.S then in .the next breath they tell us that there are far too many elderly people with age related diseases such as Altzhiemers and arthritis. You couldn't make it up.
Then again what about the people who take part in extreme sport,or indeed any sport. Poor Freddie Flintoff is a right off and he is still quite young. Are we going to penalise sportsmen too? Many jobs come with an occupational risk, even typing but who is moaning on about the huge numbers of people with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, incidentally why not oblige employers to contribute to the cost of such work related conditions?
It is much easier to always attack the little man or woman in the street ,to constantly bombard us with one health scare after another.
Even those who diet and exercise are not immune to this type of pressure. For years we have been told how bad for us dairy products are, they make you fat,they are high in cholesterol,you will have heard the type of thing. So the public,particularly the female public have refrained from eating these things to such an extent that large numbers of young women in their twenties are afflicted with osteoporosis, normally a disease of the elderly. People who jog are finding themselves with major damage to their knee joints.
So what is the answer? Quite simply there isn't one. The unfortunate fact is that living is what kills us all. Just imagine the chagrin of the habitual jogger,dieter,gym fanatic e.t.c. when he discovers that for all his hard work he is not immortal. Give up all the nice naughty things and you do not live much longer, it just feels a lot longer One way or another the Grim Reaper is “gonna gecha gecha gecha”it is simply a question of when.
If all this sounds terribly depressing it is not meant to . Human nature left to its own devises is inclined to optimism, fun and enjoyment of life, this is natural.
We are, for various, often cynical reasons being manipulated into becoming a nation of health obsessed ninnies. One moment we should not eat junk food, now that the cuts are about to bite is will only be a matter of time before we are being told that they are not so bad after all, wait and see.

Governments throughout history have attempted to control their people with the threat of hell fire, and now that threat does not work so well they must find new ways of keeping us all in our place.
In the words of the great Freddie Mercury,”Who wants to live forever” so "Don't Fear The Reaper" and just enjoy the life you have. What is bad for you this year may be a miracle cure the next.

I make no apologies for this rant,life is much to short to spend it worrying about how you are going to die so get out there and grab all the fun you can get

Here endeth the lesson.

WE FIGHT ON

Today I received answers from some of the multitude of council members and members of the London Assembly whom I importuned last week. As I expected there has been a certain amount of buck passing but the good thing is that the members of the London Assembly know to whom the buck should be passed. This means that the relevant local councillors have heard about the matter,not just from me but from a number of London Assembly representatives and it seems to have done the trick. Our cause is being taken seriously at last and as the local councillors are all new brooms this will give them an opportunity to sweep clean the mess made by the previous incumbents. It is fortunate that things are moving at last as this afternoon the strimming gang returned to the grave yard to cut the non existent grass, this time I managed to photograph the whole stupid business complete with before and after shots, we need all the ammo we can get. I just hope that this will be the last time as the hedgehogs are beginning their hibernation and any disturbance to them could be fatal even if they survive being strimmed which I am sorry to report a few have not. The badgers are proving to be allies as no one wants to be accused of harming them so I shall of course forget about the damage to my salad beds earlier this year.
My son started his week off today, he is so tired this time that I am quite worried about him,he has been unwell all week and I have packed him off to bed early.
We had cheese oatcakes for breakfast,six each as we were all very hungry and then I set about bottling the wild cherry vodka made earlier this year,it smelled so good I could not resist the temptation to try a little.............wow! I is to be a Christmas gift for my son and by then it will have mellowed to perfection. I have also made him some raspberry vodka, his favourite.
Dinner tonight was chicken ,bacon and mushroom pie served with sweet potatoes in their jackets. I used chicken breast, although I prefer thighs for a pie as my son will only eat chicken breast, I had to be a bit crafty with the mushrooms too as he detests the poor things. All went well and he did not notice.........Phew!
I hardly slept at all last night and found myself watching “Species”and “The Fog” both of which I have seen before. Years ago my son and I had a weekly institution called “Fright Night”. The first time we watched “The Fog” we were alone in the house and it was I foggy November night. At intervals throughout the film there is a knock at the door and the poor soul who answers it is disembowelled by the ghost of an angry,long dead sailor. Things were getting pretty tense as we sat in the dark for the sake of atmosphere. Just as the ghost was about to take out the weather man somebody knocked on our door. Both of us jumped at least a foot in the air, and neither of us felt inclined to answer the door, to this day we have no idea who it was.
Tonight I shall try achohol as a sedative, as I cannot find anyone willing to hit me on the head with a lump hammer. Perhaps one of our coucil officials will oblige, if I ask them nicely,I think they would do almost anything to get rid of me for a while.

A LAZY SUNDAY

Having had three nights in a row with practically no sleep I felt disinclined to do very much work today. I did not sleep at all until about six thirty and was awake by eight thirty,very weary and with a fog where my brain should be. My son and I had tea together and after packing him off to bed I went downstairs to make some breakfast. Pa was up! After I had recovered from the shock I made him a coffee and set about boiling two eggs each and making plenty of bread and butter soldiers and a pot of strong tea. Pa was feeling energetic today and was inclined to clean out the under stairs cupboard, I managed to talk him out of it as he always makes a terrible mess doing it and I had no desire to spend the afternoon sifting through piles of plastic loo roll wrappers, empty cat food cartons and the host of other ephemera to which he always seems to be attached.

I cleared the kitchen and Pa fed the birds, this is quite a big job as we have about fifteen feeders, it is well worth the trouble to be able to sit at the table eating a meal and watching such delightful visitors as Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Robin, Wren and a quartet of different types of Tit to name but a few. I trundled off down the lane to cut some sprays of red Pyracantha which grows almost wild in places,these with some sprays of ivy flowers and the odd red sunflower from the garden made a brave display for the kitchen table housed in an old tin milk jug.
I brought six small yellow courgettes,two knobbly gourds and a small Crown Prince pumpkin in from the garden,the cold nights will soon finish off the plants and I observed that the tomatoes already looked shrammed, as we say up north.
Dinner tonight was a baked pasta dish.

CHILLY NIGHT PASTA BAKE
I bag fresh penne
8 rashers of streaky bacon
four small yellow courgettes
1 tub of garlic roullade
4oz cheddar cheese
4 oz Cheshire cheese
1 .5 pints of milk
2oz butter
3oz plain flour
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to you taste.
Cut the bacon into small pieces in fry gently until the fat runs out, then add the finely chopped onion, crushed garlic and sliced courgette and stir-fry gently until the fat is absorbed
put a large pan of water on to boil and in a two pint saucepan melt the butter then add the flour and cook for about three minutes.(If you do not want to faff about use cornflour to thicken the sauce.).
Add the milk and whisk well or it will form nasty lumps, cook for another two minutes and then add the grated cheddar cheese. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until it begins to soften and stir in the garlic roullade then add the bacon onion, courgette and garlic mix, place in a large oven proof dish and pour the cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle on the Cheshire cheese and bake at 180c for about twenty minutes.
This dish is not for the calorie obsessed but it is guaranteed to warm you up on a cold night. This quantity will serve four to six people depending how hungry you are and can be served with any type of salad you like.
The cat Twiggy spent the morning cavorting about the garden chasing the flying leaves and adorning the kitchen step with her trophy collection of dead mice. When it began to rain heavily she gave up and took herself off to the bedroom where she lay stretched on the quilt until dinner.
I have enjoyed my lazy Sunday, tomorrow it will be every man for himself again as my son starts his week off. If I do not sleep tonight I think I shall employ someone to hit me on the head with a lump hammer at about midnight tomorrow, that should do the trick!

ONE HELL OF A DAY

OH BUGGER!
The pace of today has been shattering,so many jobs to do and so many damned interruptions, I really have been winging it for most of the afternoon. Pa chucked a wobbly this morning, got up late and proceeded to faff about for ages so breakfast although very nice was very late indeed. He then broke it to me non too gently that he needed to go in to town, he left promising to be back soon.............oh yes! I set about making a large cauldron of London Particular soup at the same time as making seven dozen Staffordshire oatcakes and feeding the washing machine at regular intervals, I believe it,s called multitasking or some such buzz word. I call it flaming hard work. Pa forgot to take his phone which left me worried as not only could I not call him to remind him of the time I could not keep track of his where abouts, he does this so often that I am thinking of having him chipped.
Naturally he was late home and at three thirty had done non of the few chores he does, so he began to feed the birds and so on at which point he told me he had forgotten the fat balls for the birds which was what he went out for. I did not ask what was in the two large shopping bags,I did not dare. As I had finished my cooking and tidied the kitchen I offered to go and get some.....anything for a few minutes in the fresh air. Looking at the clock I had just over an hour so off I went. Of course there was a complete arse at the checkout insisting that he had been short changed and demanding the mangers presence. I know the manager well and I would not trust him to sort out my Grannies knitting. True to form he complicated matters still further and after some time I mentioned that perhaps he should open another till while he sorted things out. A short flash of illumination flickered across his face and soon another checkout was opened and I was on my way as a matter of fact the arse had not been short changed at all, at fact which several bystanders already knew and so I suspect did he. When at last I returned home it was I who was late and not at all amused to discover the kitchen floor covered in filthy boots and shoe cleaning paraphernalia. Before I could deliver a broadside their was a load knock at the door.............all I needed...............the local busybody twitching with red hot news....I listened........and listened...............and listened and finally managed to get a word in edgeways,made my excuses and propelled her towards the door with just a little too much haste I felt. Fortunately she has the hide of a Rhino so thankfully she did not notice. Now dinner was late my son was not awake and he had not been taken a cup off tea, the custard needed making and the table needed setting and Pa was still spread about the kitchen cleaning boots. SO.........I made the tea,woke my son,made the custard and set the table while roundly cursing Both Pa and the pile of tat on the kitchen floor. I dislike the smell of shoe polish particularly when I am about to eat, I was very cross.
We enjoyed the meal in spite of all and as I cleaned up the mess Pa gave be a bag, I opened it and inside was a beautiful incense burner, the sort I have wanted for ages, I felt rotten for being so cross, but it is just like a man to always put the woman in the wrong somehow. Still he is a lovely old boy really so we had a hug and made up. I have still not caught up with the outstanding chores and I have just one thing to say........sod it! SEE I TOLD YOU IT HAD BEEN A HELL OF A DAY

OUT LOOK STORMY

It is with a sigh of relief that I have a much quieter day to report,apart that is from the weather. The wind has torn through the trees today and has made the earache I acquired yesterday much worse,it is entirely my own fault for going out without a hat, I never learn! I intend to buy a white fur trapper hat this very day and shall be sure to put the ear flaps down no matter how ridiculous I look.
There has been no further action in the graveyard or on the allotments. We wondered if they would try to fell the trees while the weather is bad in the hope that the protesters would not be there,but as I live next door to both I am keeping an eye on things and will sound the alarm if anything occurs.
Today was a bread making day and I made two large cross tops and a twist, I think I shall make some London Particular soup tomorrow if the boys agree,it is perfect in this sort of weather and is lovely with new bread.
I also made 80 oat and treacle cookies,every one seems to like them and at the moment we are getting a lot of callers at the house, if I got caught with an empty biscuit tin I should never live it down. I was obliged to visit the pet shop as we had run out of peanuts and birdseed, this could not be countenanced as the bids have a habit of banging on the windows if food is not forthcoming and they are quite capable of waking my son. As I mentioned before I got blown to blazes and the bright yellow rain poncho I was wearing flapped about like anything causing a good deal of amusement to passers by. I dropped in at the local shops as I needed a few bits and pieces and managed to get some really good granary flour for Monday,s bread.

I am glad of this breathing space as the pace of this week has taxed my strength buy also I feel exhilarated by the fact that things are moving at last. So far non of my letters to the press have been published but all our local councillors and London Assembly members have had their cages well and truly rattled and I await their replies with interest ,although I expect a degree of buck passing even that is ammo in a fight such as this.

Pa has been a little better today, he ate a good breakfast and pottered about which was nice to see.
He did however try to get a half pound if leaf tea into a very small caddy and I am still finding tea leaves in some very odd places............very odd indeed!

The cat has spent the whole day asleep under a table lamp and is now curled up on the bed with her
nose tucked under her tail, she hates bad weather poor dear. The beautiful Lime tree outside my window is turning gold so fast that I can almost see it changing hour by hour. During the night it lost a lot of leaves and I hope they will not all blow away too quickly as they make a wonderful show in the Autumn,particularly with the sun lighting them from behind. For me it is one of the sights of the year. I used to hate Autumn but as I grow older I welcome it as a rest from the busy time of gardening and fruit preserving, it has been a hectic year. I hope to get some of the Autumn digging done soon, I have fallen behind rather for various reasons and it won't do. I have a special tool for digging given to me by a retired gardener and it makes light work of the job. I just need more hours in the day. To all those who like my son must be awake tonight keep warm, and stay safe.

ATTACK ON ALL FRONTS

The war is raging and we are attacking the enemy on all fronts. My task has been made much easier by the help I have received from a team of unsung undercover heroes.(.they know who they are ) and I send them my grateful thanks for their timely help. If we fail it will not be their fault and their support means a great deal to me.
Today we have had problems with a group of irresponsible contractors who having amassed a huge pile of waste from the church refurbishment decided to set light to it right underneath a pair of beautiful old Lime trees. It was pouring with rain and the acrid smoke filled my kitchen and tipped me off at once. Pa was having a bad day and was fast asleep so I put on a mack, grabbed my crutches and head off to do battle. I was appalled to see the damage being done to the trees and pointed this out to the clueless wonder who was happily stoking the blaze. Then the BOSS arrived and asked what was going on,”Nothing.” said the clueless wonder. I told him that if he could not see the problem he needed glasses and again requested that the fire be extinguished. He looked at me as if I were an alien life form and said nothing so OI pointed out to him the size of the fine where illegal bonfires are concerned,that concentrated his mind wonderfully and the fire was soon out. However the damage had been done so having photographed the scene of the crime I went home and immediately emailed a copy to the relevant council department with, I must confess a rather sarcastic message to the twit in charge.
I have spent a large part of the day firing off emails to local counsellors,newspapers and members of parliament and I still have a way to go before I am finished. Pa eventually awoke in time for dinner and I did at least manage to do a little cleaning and some laundry today.
Dinner was a large cottage pie topped with red Leicester cheese with diced root vegetables and garden peas and large jug of gravy,followed by slices of lemon drizzle cake. The smell of my breakfast of kippers hung around for hours until I burned a couple of pungent incense stick, that cured it.
I hope I sleep tonight as I have lots to do tomorrow,some how I could not get to sleep last night,still I was warm and snug and had a stack of DVDs to watch and some very naughty sweeties.
I keep wondering what is going to happen next and I just pray that my hard won anonymity will not be compromised by my involvement in this fight. I take comfort from the fact that this is to important a cause for caution,so fight I must regardless.

DIRTY TRICKS

W e all assembled for the protest against the felling of healthy trees on the local allotments,we waited for hours and no body came. A temporary reprieve we thought, but under cover of some building work being done at the church they slipped in by another route and felled the tree the woodpeckers have nested in for years and poisoned the roots of other trees. This was the answer to my email sent to the council yesterday asking them to take a more measured approach to the care of these important wildlife habitats. As some famous bod once said “We have only just begun to fight.” Plans are afoot, letters and emails are being sent to the press and various politicians in the hope that we can gain support. We have to stop this or the wild life in the area will soon be non existent. The bird survey I have been doing for the past couple of years will now be useful as it shows the marked decline in a number of already endangered species. I know I go one about this but it matters very much to me. I shall be busy as I and to write all these letters and they must be sent soon. I will of course keep you informed of our doings,unless of course I get arrested which seems likely as the council are intractable and we are determined; so when the irresistible force meets the immovable object I shall be chained to the allotment gates complete with buggie. The last time I got in trouble on a protest was in 1973 in Coventry when I threw my wooden 5” platform clog at the windows of the council offices in a huge demo about the cutting of student grants, after that I always made sure not to get caught but as I cannot run any more I may as well stand and fight as it were.
Breakfast was a quick meal of poached eggs on toast and them I went off to the protest meeting. On my return I had just begun to make two tray baked lemon drizzle cakes when a friend arrived so we had coffee and she stayed about an hour. By this time I only just had time to prepare a meal of sausages eggs and chips, a rare meal at our house but liked by all,and of course a slice or two of the new cake. Today I did not hoover the floor or steam the kitchen floor. I did not wash my hair or do any gardening whatsoever, it will keep. My little world is under attack and I will never give up the fight to protect it and all the creatures that live in it, whatever it takes.

SEPTEMBER DELIGHTS

I have had such a lovely day,nothing of any great import occurred but somehow it has been just the sort of day I like. My son got off to sleep in good time and was not at all disturbed by some noisy workmen how kept up a constant racket for a couple of hours. Pa was up early and we had a lazy breakfast of eggs and soldiers,orange juice and tea. After I had cleared the dishes I went to the shops while Pa fed the birds. It was so warm and sunny and I felt very happy as I went on my way. On my way home there were so many lovely things to look at. Masses of red berries on the cottoneasters, ripe apples on the crab apple trees and the ivy in full flower,its scent is heady on a warm day and the bees and other insects make the most of this late source of rich pollen. I am told that honey made by bees who have feasted upon ivy is the best honey there is, lavender honey is my favourite.
All afternoon the sun shone and I prepared a thyme and butter basted chicken for dinner with roast pepper salad, tomato salad shredded lettuce,carrot and two sauces,one creamy and the other spicy.
During these preparations yet another small bird,this time a Great Tit flew in to the living room and disappeared behind a book case. I was afraid that it would be hurt but we managed to retrieve it in one piece,and having removed the fluff from its pretty feathers I released it into the sunshine with relief. All through the afternoon the cat Twiggy slept in the garden occasionally moving to follow the sun as the day went by. The whole picture has been one of contentment and that is how I feel tonight, at peace with myself and happy in my little world. May there be many such days for all of us.

BUSY BUSY

I got off to a very early start this morning as I wanted to get the shortbread made and the bread before breakfast which I managed to do with time to spare. I am glad to say that my son managed to stay in bed until half past ten which was better than I had hoped. Pa and I had poached eggs on wholemeal toast for breakfast and my son had three rounds of Cheshire cheese on toast, I often do this on Monday, he loves cheese. After breakfast I packed him off to rest as he has to work tonight and Pa feed the birds while I dug up some leeks and then prepared the leek and potato soup for this evening, it is lovely with new bread and soup is also a Monday favourite with us.
We were visited today by a physiotherapist, not that we needed one you understand be because some clueless idiot at social services made a mistake. What we were expecting and should have been sent was an occupational therapist to assess our needs as regards the stairs and the bath and so forth.
The young man got lost and when he finally arrived he spent half his time telling us that what we really needed was an occupational therapist............we knew that already, and the rest of the time practising his golf swing with Pa,s walking stick. He regaled us with the story of his last two golfing holidays and I was hard pressed to remain civil in the face of this complete waste of time. Thank fully he left before my impatience got the better of me and promised to “fast track “ us through the system so that the correct person could come and assess our needs. He made this statement as one who is conferring a great favour. The other thing about the poor chap was that he was an Ed Milliband look alike and it was this fact alone that drew forth my deepest sympathy, it must be awful for him. When he finally departed Pa and I giggled like school kids for a good half hour and launched into a hilarious critique upon the unfortunate individual and social services in general.
I must say I enjoyed the sunshine today, days such as this are precious at this time of year. I noticed that the beautiful lime tree at the front of our house is beginning to take on the wonderful translucent yellow of Autumn much earlier than usual and the wild dog roses and sweet briar are loaded down with glorious vivid scarlet rose hips. I hope I can find time this week to make some rose hip syrup, it is gorgeous on iced cream in winter and is jolly nice with a shot of vodka too!
We all enjoyed the soup and at the last moment I decided to make an apple and blueberry crumble. I used brown sugar and oatmeal in the crumble as well as butter and flour to make it extra crisp, I did not have time to make custard so we had it with single cream,my favourite and the reason for my hip size. Have a good week one and all and blessings lite upon you.

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

A short trip on the buggie this afternoon proved very useful and heartening. I believe I have mentioned my on going battle with my local council about the will full destruction of the wildlife habitat in my area. I had thought that I was fighting this battle alone,today I discovered a group who are also fighting the same seemingly hopeless battle and on Wednesday we intend to join forces. It seems that the council are sending in a team of contractors to fell yet more trees on the allotments a few yards away from where I live. We intend to make their job as hard as possible and so if all goes well I and my buggie will be chained to a tree by the time they arrive. I feel very strongly about this and have seem the devastating effect that has already been caused to the wild life in the area by the indiscriminate destruction of trees and hedges. Hounslow Council, like many London Boroughs professes to be a green borough, they go in for high profile and expensive initiatives to prove it and then while no one is looking they clear trees, poison hedges and engage in all manner of destructive practices. As long as they look good they do not care, we are going to try to make them care. I am so happy to find that I am not alone in the fight, I was beginning to feel like the archetypal dotty old lady riding her hobby horse to the bitter end and I must say I have been treated as such by the authorities. Now it,s payback time, Me and my buggie weigh quite a lot so they will have to take me out on a forklift truck if they want me to move,it should be quite a sight.
My son and his friends had a great time last night and some of them were back today for the Sunday game. We did not get much sleep last night as Pa was on the Prowl. I heard a strange noise at about two in the morning and went to investigate. There were no lights on upstairs and yet there was a considerable kerfuffle in the bathroom, Grabbing my machete, which I always keep by my bed I went to investigate, I knew the bath room window was open and thought that perhaps a burglar had climbed up the vine and got in. I switched on the light and sprang into action only to discover Pa sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor having collided with a chair in the dark. When asked why he was in the dark he answered that he had not put the light on for fear of disturbing those of us who were asleep, this explanation met with scant gratitude from those of us who were now wide awake. Having settled Pa down again we all tried to go back to sleep............and tried...........and tried. I eventually gave up and lay watching the 24 hour news,a sure sign of desperation. It was a bleary eye trio who sat down to breakfast this morning but the grumbling was soon muffled by the delicious hot crumpets and jammy croissant. My neighbour came round with a huge dish of his very wonderful cauliflower cheese and although I was cooking pasta tonight I had that instead,although I hate to say it his is nicer than mine, he is a very good cook and we are always swapping dishes of this and that. I hope to have more luck tonight with the old R and R if Pa can be persuaded to keep quiet, My poor son has to stay awake if possible on Sunday night to acclimatise himself to Mondays night shift,frankly I can not see him managing it after last nights performance.
I can not believe the holiday is over,we have all enjoyed the break from routine. Back to work tomorrow, “A barrel organs life is all grind” as they say.

Merry Hell

I went to Tesco today, yes I went of my own accord to Tesco on a Saturday and repented my foolishness all the way round the store. I encountered about a thousand Valkyries whizzing around the place with trolleys and at least a hundred Boadicea wannabes raging through the aisles using their trolleys as deadly weapons against any poor unfortunate who crossed their path. This coupled with an army of dazed husbands wandering about like zombies and a legion of small children running up and down seemingly bent upon destruction It was to say the least an alarming experience. I have observed that when you are sitting on a mobility scooter or in a wheelchair you become invisible to almost everyone and I advise any budding Harry Potters to try it. I found myself trapped at the end of an aisle with a mass of trolley wielding harpies behind me and an aggressive Amazon before me who seemed to believe that she could pass straight through me like a wraith. Unable to reverse into the following throng I endured a very determined battering by this daunting female until she realised at last that until she let me pass non of us were going any where. I am almost certain that she was of normal intelligence and would in any other circumstances have behaved like a reasonable person,but what I call the supermarket effect,coupled with the fact that I was sitting in a mobility scooter got the better of the poor soul. When she came to her senses she had the grace to look abashed and went on her way to the hoots of derision from those following in my wake who then proceeded to push past me on all sides until the whole wretched performance was repeated with another deranged creature swimming against the tide. I am a hardy soul but I was rapidly losing my nerve so resisting the temptation to go at full tilt and cut a swath through the throng I struggled to the check out, paid for my purchases and fled. Never again!

Other than the afore mentioned horror the day has been rather pleasant. My sons friends arrived and enjoyed their game and the cake I made for our departing member. Two bottles of Champagne and a bottle of Brandy that had been rescued from a vessel which had laid at the bottom of the sea for ten years were drunk and then the gamesters left for their farewell dinner leaving Pa and I to clear up the mess, and cook our dinner.

I took the opportunity to cook trout for dinner as my son dislikes it I served it on slice wholemeal garlic toast with a horseradish ,cream and mustard relish and a salad or watercress, wild rocket and tomatoes with basil, I saw the recipe on a cookery show and copied it except for not smoking the fish, we prefer our trout fresh.

I intend to have a long lazy bath with candles and incense and then snuggle up in bed with the cat to watch a film while Pa works on his model railway and my son carouses in Richmond. Perfect..

CLEAN UP, CLEAR UP AND CLEAR OFF

Today was a major cleaning day as we are having a party here tomorrow. An old friend of my son is leaving for America in three days time so we are giving him a farewell party in the afternoon and in the evening there is to be a dinner party at a restaurant in Richmond.

The shopping arrived this morning and unfortunately a large bottle of pear cider had exploded and soaked about half of the groceries, still more unfortunate was the fact that this was not noticed until the bags had been brought into the house and had leaked all over the hall, the carpets and the kitchen floor. I was obliged to wash down packs of kitchen roll. tins of tomato, packs of loo rolls and quite a few other sundries,a pestiferous job which I could well have done without. For this gross inconvenience the delivery man knocked two pounds off the bill for the spilled cider.......I was not amused.

Having washed and dried the cider soaked items we had a breakfast of cheese oatcakes,6 each and they were very welcome as we were all famished. We were also rather sleepy. I had great difficulty getting off to sleep last night and at one thirty I looked at the clock in despair, I must have dropped off soon after because at two fifteen I was awakened by the ringing of my mobile phone. As my favourite uncle is seriously ill after a major stroke I started into wakefulness fearing the worst. I was annoyed to find Pa on the line, he had,God knoweth why, been fiddling about with his mobile and had accidental rung my number,I was livid. My poor son hearing the noise also woke up and came to ask what the trouble was, by the time I had explained and Pa had apologised we were all wide awake and neither my son or myself slept again until about five in the morning. The miscreant of course went straight off to sleep, there is no justice!

After breakfast I set about making a cake for the party

COXIES PARTY CAKE
6ozs softened butter
6ozs caster sugar
6ozs self raising flour
one and a half teaspoons of baking powder
3 eggs

Put all these ingredients into a bowl and mix for three minutes

Then add
1oz finely chopped walnuts
2oz finely chopped glacé cherries
3oz finely grated carrot
half an ounce of black poppy seed
rind of I lemon or orange
1oz angelica finely chopped
Fold into the mixture and then divide between two eight inch greased and lined sandwich tins.
Cook at 360c for thirty minutes.

When the cake is cool mix twelve ozs of icing sugar with eight ozs of softened butter and the rind of an orange or lemon and beat until it is very fluffy and pale. Use a little to sandwich the cake together and spread the rest over the cake and around the sides. Finish the decoration with small orange and lemon slices or chunks of candied pineapple.

When all the work was done I went out for an hour to relax and then we had our evening meal of cooked meats cheeses, pork pie and crusty bread,we had fresh tomatoes and beetroot too only my chicken leg was absent as I mentioned yesterday. The apple and mango jelly was gorgeous and was just right for tonight.

As we are all tired we are having an early night, Pa has been warned what might happen should last nights occurrence be repeated. If it does I might well feature on tomorrow's breakfast news, I jest of course!

FUN AND GAMES

Today was fun we managed to play games for a couple of hours this afternoon. My son had an early appointment with his G.P. to check his hypertension and I am happy to say that it is almost normal at last which means that with luck he will be able to start his flying lessons early next year. While he was out I baked four barley corn loaves and on his return we had a celebratory breakfast of hot buttered crumpets and croissant with strawberry jam. After breakfast I delivered a loaf and some jam to a friend and then returned to do some cleaning and prepare our evening meal of lemon and pepper roast chicken with sweet potatoes roasted garlic and crusty bread. .This is a very simple and extremely tasty meal which requires very little work .I often do this dish if we want to have a game in the afternoon. My son and I had a hilarious game of pick up sticks until Pa was ready to play,we laughed so much that it was almost impossible to play but it was great fun. When Pa joined us we played poker dice and Pa won again and again, we must try and do better tomorrow or we shall never hear the last of it. Dinner almost cooked itself and was enjoyed by all........except me. I dislike hot chicken and was quite happy to have a lovely big sweet potato and some bread and butter, I planned to have a cold chicken leg tomorrow as we are having cooked meats and cheeses with salad tomorrow. Unfortunately Pa just arrived to inform me that he had found my piece of chicken on the kitchen floor. I suspect the cat Twiggy is responsible for this as a few moments before the felony she left my room and went down stairs only to return a few minutes later to sit on the bed and wash her face, any one who owns a cat will know what that means. As it happens I had set aside a small plate of chicken pieces for her super but as Pa had ignored her polite requests for her share she helped herself to mine. Oh well I could always eat the cats share for my meal tomorrow although I feel more inclined to oblige Pa to treat me to fish and chips, we shall see.
There was a real chill in the wind today and I was glad to wrap up warmly in a sweater when I went out. As I write darkness is falling fast and the shivery wind is bringing down leaves and seeds in regular flurries. I shall be glad to curl up in bed tonight with the cat, who will no doubt expect and of course receive forgiveness for absconding with my chicken leg, she is so beautiful,it is impossible to be cross with her for long.

A QUIET FAMILY DAY

We all had a lazy morning and no one was up before nine thirty when I made us all a cup of tea to start the day. I was glad my son had a good long sleep as he has been very tired of late and finding it hard to sleep. We had porridge for breakfast with cream and brown sugar sprinkled on the top, we call it holiday porridge and very good it was. After breakfast Pa went out to the village and I tidied up the bathroom and rearranged the furniture,then changed the bed covers,I finished the morning by sorting through the laundry and it is plain that this weeks pile of ironing will be massive. Having put off that nice little job until the weekend I went down stairs and began to prepare the evening meal, pot roast of beef Northern style, with roast potatoes,Yorkshire puddings ,mushy peas and lots of gravy The meat is rolled brisket and it takes quite a while to cook so at two o clock I browned the joint in a deep pan and added an onion, a carrot and a parsnip and enough beef stock to cover the joint and popped it into the oven. Then I made the Yorkshire pudding batter

8oz plain flour
three quarters of a pint of milk
half a teaspoon of salt
3 eggs
Sift the flour into a bowl with the salt, add two of the eggs and gradually beat in the milk. After two minutes beating add the final egg and beat for a further two minutes then cover and leave for at least an hour. You can make this batter in the morning and use it in the evening if you wish.
Next I part cooked the potatoes and tossed them in dry semolina to make them crispy.
In the late afternoon we all played poka dice and Pa won again. An hour before the meat was ready I popped the roast potatoes into the oven and the Yorkshire puddings the meat was ready. I set the meat aside on a hot platter and then passed all the pot roasted vegetables through a sieve and added the stock from the pan, this made a nice smooth gravy which needed no more thickening. I confess to using a tin of mushy peas ,shocking bad form but needs must as I forgot to put the dried ones in soak last night. Fortunately no one noticed and I am sure you won't tell, will you?
The grape jelly was lovely and very light and refreshing after such a large first course. It has been a peaceful sort of day ,the sort we all enjoy,may we and you too have many such days to come.

TUESDAY?

We were all up early this morning and feasted upon freshly baked blueberry muffins,they were even nicer than usual as the blueberries I used this morning were very large and juicy, and of course we all ate too many,as always. After we had cleared away the breakfast debris I popped out to the garden centre for some suet for the birds and a large potting tray for Pa. He feeds the birds more often than not and it can take quite a time as there are about nine hanging feeders and several more trays so I thought that he could use the tray to fill the feeders indoors, it works very well I am glad to say. We had home made sausages and colchannon for dinner with apple sauce and gravy followed by caramel shortbread, I used the cheats method
CHEATS CARAMEL SHORTBREAD
7 oz shortbread fingers
1oz butter
for the caramel
1 tin condensed milk
4 oz butter
4oz soft brown sugar
for the topping
6oz milk or plain chocolate
Grease an 8” square tin , crush the shortbread very finely,melt the 1oz of butter in a saucepan and mix in the crumbs then spread evenly into the tin and press down firmly.
Put the condensed milk,butter and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil stirring all the time
then reduce the heat and continue to stir until the mixture becomes golden brown and sets to a soft ball when a little is dropped into cold water. Spread the caramel over the crumb base and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water,being careful not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water or the chocolate will thicken too much. When it is melted spread it on the caramel and leave to cool. When the chocolate has set put into squares and enjoy it.
We all had a game of poker dice this afternoon and Pa beat us thoroughly much to our chagrin, we hope to get our revenge tomorrow. We are still confused about the day of the week I think it will be a while before we sort this one out.
All out door activities were off as the weather became wet and very windy,so windy that it blew a vase of dried flowers off the mantle piece and it scared the poor cat so much that she jumped out of the window. My son and I are watching a show tonight so that,s it for now,bye for now.

A CONFUSING DAY

A consequence of an unusually delightful Sunday has left us all confused about the day of the week. I hurried to write out the fortnightly shopping list and my son rushed to book oslot on line thinking that today was Tuesday. I took a very early call from Pa's physio therapist who wanted to come and visit and made a complete Horlicks of arranging a date for the same reason. Poor Pa was as confused as the rest of us and to make matters worse we kept on forgetting and had to keep reminding each other of the day only to forget again the next moment. I gave up at lunch time and stopped worrying about it.
My son made breakfast this morning, lovely soft golden oatcakes covered in melted cheese,and rolled up to be dipped in fruity sauce,we were all hungry and ate six each! The day looked gray so I went out at once to buy some baskets, lidded sea grass ones,they are wonderful for storing magazines, catalogues and sewing things. My old sewing basket is now so old and decrepit that I have been hiding it an a cupboard for months. Now I have anew one at last,one that is big enough to hold all my sewing things as well as craft knives and other sundries.
While I was out I picked up a compendium of fifty games for the ridiculous sum of two pounds fifty,I did not expect much from this and was pleasantly surprised to find the boards and counters were quite good ,my son and I played a few games this afternoon as it was wet,we had intended to fly his miniature helicopters but the weather was against us, we had great fun and hope to have more time tomorrow to try a few more games.
The soup made from yesterdays spare ribs was lovely, I added lots of fresh vegetables finely diced and as many types of lentils split peas beans and barley as I could, it turned out to be a real old fashioned broth and the men loved it. The raspberry jelly too was a success and disappeared quickly
.We still have a week of holiday left and although we are at home we are going to make the most of it by having special meals and treats and playing games which we all love to do.
I hope my little cat comes up to bed tonight, last night she slept beside me for quite a while and I do love to hear her purring,somehow it makes the bed seem even softer and cosier,that,s cat magic.

An extraordinary Sunday

Today we had a real old fashioned Sunday complete with a lazy breakfast of eggs and soldiers and a proper Sunday meal,nothing rushed ,we have so few of these that they are a real treat when we do get them and we all make the most of it. After breakfast I popped up to the garden centre and bought a lovely tea cosy for two pounds fifty,a real bargain and we do need a new one as winter approaches. On my return I found the men of the house congregated in the kitchen drinking tea with the neighbours so I joined them in a cup before beginning the preparation for our main meal.
First I made two Pavlova cases and while they were baking prepared the pork by cutting off the ribs and rubbing in oil salt and brown sugar, the ribs I fried quickly and then simmered for three hours in some stock, they will be the basis of a hearty soup tomorrow. Next I stuffed an orange pepper with tomato and garlic and prepared a tray of parsnip,carrot and baby squash to roast along with some jacket wedges. I decorated the Pavlova with shavings of dark chocolate,caramel chocolate and white chocoloate. I did make a fresh rapberry jelly for tomorrow as it needs a day to set properly I find. I took a ride this afternoon, it was warm and sunny with a delicious breeze that was most refreshing after some hours in the hot kitchen As a northerner used to living in the wild hills of Derbyshire I find the heat of London oppressive at times,of course the winters are milder which is an advantage to an arthritis sufferer, even so I enjoyed the snow last year perhaps more than an adult should,I have always loved snow.
Our meal was a success and my son enjoyed it all the more because he has been away for a while and rather likes my cooking. I have loved today am sorry to see it end but of course days such as this would not be so precious if we had them all the time.
At one point this afternoon we had quite a large crowd on the road looking in a t the garden, at first we were baffled as the garden looks very dull at the moment. Then we realised the they were admiring the cat Twiggy who was posing very prettily on the sundial in the centre of the garden,she knows as do all cats how to show themselves off to the best advantage.
For some reason I could not make my little laptop post a picture with last nights blog. I hope to have more luck tonight as I have lots of new photographs some of them taken by my son while at Avebury. I do hope your weekend was as pleasant as ours and I send good fortune for next week.

The Hero Returns

Yes he is back all safe and sound and loaded down with books and a beautiful picture to hang in his room,it is of a world war one trainer aeroplane and of course we hung it as soon as we had hugged and had coffee. Pa went out earlier to buy some special hooks and I must say it looks splendid, the perfect size for the space and he is so pleased to have it at last. He also bought a gift for me, a lovely pendant made from polished wood with the runic symbol of my name carved on it,and Pa has a new mug with a view of the stones at dawn with which he is very pleased. Suddenly the house is alive again,he has a way of lighting a place up,it is impossible to be gloomy when he is around.

Pa and I spent the morning getting everything ready for the hero's return and I made a batch of new bread for us and our neighbours, and Pa fed the birds while I prepared the evening meal,chicken pomadori with my special pasts sauce,which incidentally nothing lika momma used to make! Although I an not a fan of this dish owing to the fact that I have had to eat it too often we all ate it tonight and I quite enjoyed it much to my surprise. We had blueberry jelly for afters and during dinner caught up on all the gossip and swapped news.

As he was very tired from his journey and having to lug a huge pile of books about we decided to have an early night. I am rather pleased about this as last night we had trouble getting to sleep. I believe I have mentioned that there is a very old graveyard behind our house,well last night there appeared to be about ten nor twelve people enjoying a drunken revel about ten feet from our window. I thought live and let live until about one thirty and then having had enough I employed a small skill I happen to have acquired , I am able to throw my voice as a ventriloquist does and began to make bloody curdling moans and groans. The revellers at first accused each other of making the noises to scare their fellows but as they fell silent one by one and the moans continued they very soon legged it and peace was restored at last. I must confess that this is not the first time I have resorted to this means of gaining a good nights sleep. I once terrified a group of noisy girl guides who were camping out there to gain some badge or another, and have turned my skill on the local drunks who occasionally hang out there so often that the place is gathering a reputation for being haunted. We will just have to hope that the Society for Psychical Research does not turn up one night.

I am cooking a pork dish tomorrow, we so seldom get a Sunday all together because my son is either asleep or gaming with his friends so a proper Sunday lunch is a real treat. I had intended to do roast beef but pork seemed more popular so I was out voted. I do not mind at all as I love roast pork so every one is happy. The cat twiggy is also glad to have all her people at home again, she wanders in and out of my sons room when he is away and often sleeps on his bed, a thing she never does when he is at home. She also listens to his voice on the telephone, she really does miss him. I have waffled on quite long enough on shall disappear to the bathroom while I have the chance.

Have a lovely evening and keep safe.

BLOWN TO BLAZES

What a windy day this has been, we have been showered by twigs and leaves from the surrounding trees since lunch time and the cat has been sheltering from the flying debris for a large part of the day. The windmill in the vegetable garden has never spun so fast before and a few of our birds have been startled by it,s squeak is it whizzed round. I went into the garden to pick a few tomatoes and a large apple dislodged by the gale hit me on the head, it was the biggest apple from the Bramley so far this year,I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I have the bump to prove it. I shall take revenge by turning it into a large apple cake on Sunday. Although the squashes have been disappointing this year the garden has produced the most amazing gourd I have ever seen. The first one was a tiny stripy thing but the one I picked today is all knobbly and bright green, it is also quite large, as some as my son returns with his camera I shall photograph if for you.
We had some poached eggs and toast for breakfast with tea and orange juice and the house smelled nicely of toast all morning. I made a blueberry jelly while Pa went into the village for some demarera sugar as I used the last bit in our milky coffee yesterday evening, I shall need some in my next batch of biscuits. My son comes home tomorrow and I can not make my ,mind up about what to bake, it is a close thing between between Pavlova or caramel short bread, perhaps I had better make both.
Pa and I are having steak pie for dinner tonight as it is a dish my son dislikes,or so I thought, it seems he had steak pie for lunch today,I confess myself amazed, when ever I suggest pie it always has to be chicken and bacon or rabbit or pigeon, I might just have something to say the next time he turns down a home made steak pie!
We had three unexpected visitors this afternoon which really slowed down the preparations for tomorrow, still it was lovely to have a break and a chat over a cup of tea and some freshly baked shortbread. I am looking forward to seeing my son tomorrow, he tells me he has not burned this time , he came back from his trip to Derbyshire a little on the crisp side! I shall be glad to grab his camera too as I am running out of new pictures for my blogs. The cat is demanding food with menaces so of am off to feed her, and then a good long soak in a nice hot bath is in order I think .Night night.

CAUGHT IN THE STORM

I am always the dim wit who believes in the weather forecast, even though I know that my twinging corns and my rheumatism are a much more accurate way to tell if the weather will be good.......or not. Ever the optimist if the forecast says the weather will be fine I always fall for it and today was no exception. Pa and I had poached eggs on toast for breakfast and chatted away over a large pot of tea then he went off to feed the birds and I washed up and then set about finishing the fruit jelly that I beg in a huge bright yellow waterproof poncho and headed for home. Like a miracle the rain suddenly stopped and apart from the deep puddles and the rain pattering down from the trees I made it home without further incident. Pa was getting worried as I had been gone for some time and called me as I rattled down the lane. I had a bunch of flowers for Pa, he loves to have a vase on his desk and there or not many in the garden just now. I had a fur cushion for my son and the brandy and some kippers completed my shopping bag.
After a coffee Pa went on tidying his desk and I went into the kitchen to make some oatcakes as we had finished the last lot. This time I made just four and a half dozen some of which Pa and I ate for dinner with lovely crispy bacon and two eggs each.
My son will be home on Saturday and his room is ready, a freshly made bed is nice to come home to I tan yesterday. The strained liquid amounted to two pints and I set it to boil while I sterilised the jars and lids. Once it was boiling I added two pounds of warm granulated sugar and boiled it again until setting point was reached,then I quickly poured it into the hot jars and popped on the lids. It tasted wonderful and the colour is splendid, I shall certainly use the fruit from liqueur again in this way.
We needed some more brandy for another liqueur so I decided that as it was such a nice day I would nip out to the shops and get a bottle, the ride to the shops was lovely,warm and breezy, a perfect day. I trundled round the supermarket and picked up a few things, then just as I was waiting to go through the check out the heavens opened, It was impossible to see out of the windows as the rain came down like a curtain and it kept on coming. I sat under the supermarket entrance and surveyed the scene, the sky was black all around and so I put the tiller cover on the buggie, shrouded myselfll blanch some apple rings for the freezer and bake a fruit loaf, I am experimenting with a cranberry and walnut loaf which will be lovely for Christmas if I can get the recipe right, I think fresh rather than dried cranberries will be better and of course it will be a while before they are ready so I shall try soaking the dried ones in orange juice over night , who knows,it could work.an yesterday. The strained liquid amounted to two pints and I set it to boil while I sterilised the jars and lids. Once it was boiling I added two pounds of warm granulated sugar and boiled it again until setting point was reached,then I quickly poured it into the hot jars and popped on the lids. It tasted wonderful and the colour is splendid, I shall certainly use the fruit from liqueur again in this way.
hink. I hope to do some gardening tomorrow weather permitting, failing that I shall blanch some apple rings for the freezer and bake a fruit loaf, I am experimenting with a cranberry and walnut loaf which will be lovely for Christmas if I can get the recipe right, I think fresh rather than dried cranberries will be better and of course it will be a while before they are ready so I shall try soaking the dried ones in orange juice over night , who knows,it could work.

CAUGHT IN THE STORM

GUESS WHO MESSED UP POSTING HER BLOG AGAIN, SORRY ,SEE NEXT POST.

A LETHAL DOSE

I do not think I have mentioned the fact that I make liqueurs from all manner of fruits. It began with sloe gin many years ago and has evolved into an annual ritual involving apricots, damsons raisins, cherries, blueberries, raspberries and anything else I can lay my hands on. Today I bottled three of this years liqueurs, by Christmas they will be drinkable but left for a year or two the will be fabulous. I started by bottling the blue berry vodka, the the cherry brandy and finally the Seville and Clementine white rum. By the time I had finished the kitchen smelled like a distillery and I was feeling rather light headed. On the kitchen table was a bowl full of all the spirit soaked fruits and I suddenly had an idea, I picked about two pounds of damsons from the orchard and mixed them with the boozy fruit and four cooking apples and stewed them until all the fruit was soft, them put it in a jelly bag to strain until tomorrow. By now the kitchen smelled even worse and a plague of inquisitive wasps drifted about the room threatening to drown themselves in the dripping juice.
Wether or not my plan for this juice works I shall not know until tomorrow but if my guess is correct it will make a wonderful spicy fruit jelly for the Christmas table and for gifts too. I will let you know how it comes out tomorrow, if the Gods spare me.
Back to the spirits, after I had strained the contents in to bottles I had quite a bit left over, so of course I tasted all of them,just to see if they were all right you understand. Then Pa tasted all of them to make sure that my opinion was not a biased one,we agreed that they were very good indeed. We still had some of the orange rum left so I put it in a small bottle for the boys next door to try.
By now my head was spinning and Pa said he felt the same. I had already taken the bottle next door along with three jars of chutney, a joint effort, made by me with their tomatoes. I grew concerned about the amount of liqueur I had sent round, judging by the way Pa and I were feeling I thought it could be a lethal dose. I am not joking, years ago a friend of ours drank a whole bottle of raspberry wine and slept for thirty odd hours, her husband drove here the eighty miles home and left her asleep in the car. When he found her still asleep the next morning he drove her to hospital and rang me for the antidote! Fortunately she eventually woke up but it was two days before she sobered up and she could never remember anything about that night. Since then we have been careful to warn our friends about the possible side effects of our home made hooch!.They seemed fine and I left them sipping their drinks satisfied that I had done all I could. I think there is not much doubt that if I had lived three hundred years in the past I should have been burned at the stake as I am told an ancestor or mine was , alchemy runs in the family it seems. Thirty years ago my father and some friends had a still in an old barn on our farm. When ever it was going you could smell it miles away but as we lived out in the wilds that did not matter. On bottling days the men of two villages would gather in the barn and would emerge later in a well sozzled state. The postman and the milk collection man and the village blacksmith all partook of this appalling brew. It ended when the village women, tired of having to cover for their well oiled spouses threatened to turn them in if they did not cease and desist. Knowing they were beaten the men backed down and the still dismantled. Sic transit Gloria vinum......I think?
My son is still enjoying his holiday in spite of a few showers here and there and has purchased a painting for his room from a gallery in Hungerford with which he is very pleased, he intends to hand it above his bed, I dubious spot to hang a picture if you ask me.
Pa is quite his old self today and I am so happy, to have him cheerful and alert is like a holiday for me, long may it last.

Not so much a hiccup as an enormous belch

Though I would much rather not talk about yesterday I feel that perhaps an explanation is in order so I will be as brief as possible.
My son left for is holiday at nine o clock and at ten past Pa suffered a collapse. He was incoherent and could not stand up. In attempting to do so he had two bad falls and I was at my wits end. Pa was due at the doctors surgery at ten thirty and had a snowflakes chance in hell of getting there so I rang the surgery and asked for a home visit. While I was congratulating myself that at least my son was safely on his way he rang to say that all the trains through Reading had been cancelled as there was a power out in Reading,when he asked me if Pa had got up in tome for his appointment I lied and said yes. Fortunately the doctor came quickly and was very reassuring, she promised to look in to the amount of medication which his seven consultants are prescribing and mentioned that he seemed to be given more than the legal limit of one of the drugs. She also talked him into allowing the house to be assessed by social services so that we can get a grant for a stair life and a modification to the bath, I have been trying to persuade him to ask for help for ages as we both have trouble with the stairs and getting in and out of the bath is a nightmare these days. The stubborn old ****** took it like a lamb, I could have cried with relief. By late afternoon Pa was much better and I have decided not to mention any of this to my son as I know he will worry and he does enough of that already poor darling .The doctor also tore the old boy off a strip for leading me such a dance and not going to bed until three in the morning, wonder of wonders, last night he had bathed and was in bed by eleven thirty and this morning was awake and alert a nine, I hope it lasts, if it does not I shall grass him up to his formidable lady doctor, I should hate to have her on my case if you will pardon the expression.
I heard from my son this morning, he slept well and had a lovely breakfast before setting off for Avebury so that is alright. Pa and I had boiled eggs and bread and butter for our breakfast and then I set about making some red tomato chutney a sticky job but worth the trouble I think
RED TOMATO CHUTNEY
2 pounds of ripe tomatoes
2 onions
1 apples
6 ounces of raisins
3 ounces of dates
8 ounces of sugar
half a pint on malt vinegar
3 ounces of whole pickling spices...choose the sort with whole chillies then if you do not like it too hot you can take them out.
Skin the tomatoes, peel and chop the apples and onions and put them in a large pan with the dates ,raisins and vinegar, tie the spices in a bit of muslin and add to the pan.
Bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit is soft, about thirty to forty minutes then add the sugar. Bring to the boil the reduce heat and simmer slowly until the mixture thickens a little.
Remove from the heat and pour into warm sterile jars.
This recipe is perfect with cheese , ham or pork pie and makes a lovely gift nicely presented..
For dinner tonight I cooked some whole plaice stuffed with anchovies and herbs wrapped in foil and baked for fifteen minutes served with new potatoes sliced runner beans mashed summer turnip and a buttery parsley sauce. Pa and I love fish. We had iced cream for afters..........perfect.
I need an early night as I am still tired from yesterday so now I am off for a bath, oh yes, last night,s blog, as you will have noticed I made two attempts to publish a short blog both of which turned out to be very short indeed, in fact none existent ,to say that I was preoccupied would be an understatement and I must have pressed the wrong key both times. God knows where the blogs went I only know that they did not publish and are not on my computer either, they have vanished into a black hole perhaps.

an apology

A PERFECT DISASTERPIECE

A REAL DAY OFF AT LAST

Today has been really special as apart from cooking dinner I have done absolutely nothing at all, zero ,nowt,zilch!It almost drove me potty but I needed to stop charging about for a while, My son brought me tea in bed and then cooked us all a breakfast of toasted crumpets and jammy croissants with lashings of orange juice and a large pot of tea. His friends arrived for their game and I took the buggie out to the garden centre and picked up lots of seeds for next year, they are on sale at fifty pence a pack so I could not resist.
When I got home I spent the afternoon messing about on the computer and lost all track of the time. Pa and I had a lunch of cold meats and pork pie very late indeed. The gang left a little later than usual but they had a good time and that is all that matters. I knocked up a very quick pasta for dinner and we finished of with a piece of chocolate cake each.
All is ready for my sons holiday and he will leave early in the morning so I shall be up to see him off of course. Pa has a doctors appointment at ten o clock so he too will be leaving the house early...............I hope! I shall have the house to myself, a rare event indeed these days , I suppose I could hold a wild revel in their absence but actually I shall just enjoy the quiet while I make the days bread. No radio, no television, no one needing attention, it will only be for a few hours but I am so looking forward to it, does that sound dreadfully selfish?
I shall miss my son from the moment he leaves, but I am truly glad that he is having some time to himself , I know the value of quite time. We have a tradition in the family that when ever he goes away there is always a large welcome home balloon in his room when he returns and his favourite dinner, its fun to plan treats for him. We seem to have a lot of odd traditions in the family ,perhaps we are just odd. I feel very lazy but rested and relaxed, ready for the fray again tomorrow. These cool mornings are so lovely,oh yes I promised a picture of the mist on the fields, I hope you like it. As the autumn progresses the mist will get heavier and more noticeable;e so more pictures in the future.

Centenary Blog

I cannot believe I have been regaling the world with the trivial minutia of my life for a hundred days. I have not read the back numbers, nor do I intend to until perhaps a year has passed. I hope that I have not been a complete bore and console myself with the fact that I am probably talking to myself which believe it or not was the original idea. You see I had been unwell for some time and it felt as if nothing would ever be right again. I can not believe how quickly I fell in to the dark place, and my recovery was so slow it felt like climbing out of a deep well. I still loved life but felt that life no longer loved me. All this sounds pathetic and perhaps I was, it is enough to say that I no longer cared about anything but sleep and forgetfulness, except that I could not sleep because of the constant pain.

Some thing had to happen and of course it did, I had told no one how I felt so no one could help me, until one day I just cracked, it was horrible but from that day I began to feel better. I still have the pain and I am still fighting a losing battle against Pa's failing health but talking to my doctor, who artfully tricked it out of me made me realise that I was not fighting alone.

I had tried to keep the worst from my son which was selfish of me because he wanted to help and when I finally asked I found a strong, caring man where my little boy hand been, something of which I am so very proud and thankful. I stopped feeling sorry for myself and found the old joy in just being alive was still there. I still have bad days but then so do we all. Being able to get out if the house makes a huge difference and I am always on the gad,and then there is my little laptop,the biggest difference of all. I write about all that happens in the day, make fun of the problems and it is as if the fly away and I start the next day with a fresh page. I play games and research family history all from my bedroom chair, I can fly once more as it were, and I am happy again.

To any one reading this I say thanks for listening, I hope I have entertained more that I have complained, and please, if life ever seems to much to bear do not be afraid to ask for help, or even do as I did and send a message in a bottle to the whole world to whom I wish peace and love forever.

ALL HANDS ON DECK

Today was very busy for all of us as it was a major cleaning day. As my son works night shift every other week it can difficult to clean the house without making a noise and waking him so some jobs, like hoovering and cleaning the upstairs can only be done when he has his off week. After breakfast Pa went off to the shops and we got started. My son cleaned and polished his newly painted room while I made the bread and then I cleaned my room and the bathroom. Then my son did the hoovering while I sorted out the hoses in the garden as everything was dry. Then I steamed the whole house, floors, carpets, rugs and all. We were glad when we had finished and celebrated with a cup if fresh coffee, made in a very ancient percolator. I one owned a filter coffee machine, but not for long the noise it made was atrocious, it sounded as if someone was trying to suffocate a walrus or unblock a drain, it had to go!

Pa was out for quite a time, half an hour after we had finished the cleaning he returned, and that is as long as the tidiness lasted. I came in from the garden to discover the living room floor and the sofa covered in bags, just dumped there and a large spill of an unidentifiable liquid all over the kitchen floor and what looked suspiciously like dirty footprints all around. Now I am not fanatical about tidiness but I do like things to be clean and it would be nice if the cleaning occasionally lasted more than half an hour! I have heard it said that women can be bad tempered when it comes to house work but when you consider that every day she sees her life's work destroyed it is perhaps not to be wondered at. I was, shall we say less than pleased and requested that Pa packed away his purchases forthwith as I once again cleaned the floor. We buried the hatchet on neutral ground.....one would have preferred somewhere more personal but one can not have everything can one!

Dinner was a wonderful meal and took an hour and a half to eat as was chatted and laughed all the way through. With the new bread we had Stilton, Red Leicester and Cornish Brie, ham, turkey, corned beef , antipasto and chicken. There were lots of fresh tomatoes, beetroot and coleslaw. We were very hungry after all the work so we had some ice cream for afters, I may not eat again for a week.

I took a buggie ride down to the river and watched the boats going up and down while I blasted my ears with Blue Oyster Cult and drank a pint of beer, life is still sweet I find. Have a lovely weekend what ever you are doing.

LOVELY SEPTEMBER

What a truly perfect September day this has been, days like this stay in my memory for ever. On just such a day fifty-two years ago I had my first day at school. I remember lining up in the playground, it was a very small country school in the Staffordshire Moorlands and there were no more than forty children. It was almost at the top of a very steep hill surrounded by huge trees and the old church was just a few yards up the road. I remember sitting in a pool of sunlight that streamed in through the high arched windows playing with some building blocks, it seemed a very long day. History records that on my return home, which was in a vintage Humber motor car (the local taxi driver also did funerals) I announced that school was very nice but that I did not think I should bother going again, Childish innocence indeed!

Enough of this frippery, back to today, we had oatcakes and cheese for breakfast with the usual orange juice and lots of tea, then I set about preparing dinner. This took ages as I had lots of different vegetables to prepare all from the garden. Extra vigilance is needed with these delights as they are the haunt of caterpillars, slugs, snails and beetles of all shapes and sizes. Failure to remove all of these calls forth calumny upon the head of the cook/gardener so I picked over them with extreme care. Then I barded the partridges with streaky bacon and an onion cut into quarters, added a little water and a shot of port wine, covered the dish with foil and set it aside for later. Finally I made a sauce of elderberry and apple jelly with a large glass of port wine and the juice of an orange . A visit to the garden centre was next as we needed a new seed feeder for the small birds, the last on having been marmalised by squirrels. The new one has a very strong thick cage enclosing the plastic tube which contains the food, if the pesky little varmints get through that I will eat my hot water bottle......I do hope that was not a rash promise!

I did nothing in the garden today as my knee was very painful and I consider discretion the better part of valour, particularly if I want to do any more gardening this week, I just enjoyed the sunshine as I picked the herbs for the stuffing and picked some marigolds for the vases in the kitchen.
The partridges were good and there was very little left except a few roasted potatoes, I always make too many. We all saved a little of the partridge for the cat Twiggy as she had been picketing the kitchen for hours and none of us cared to feel her claws in our vitals if her share was not forth coming.

I intend to do very little cooking tomorrow, only the bread to make and an easy dinner of cold meats and cheeses, what a relief after today's marathon. I am very tired, more that usual for me at this time of day, perhaps it is the change of season, I have always felt that hibernation would be a lovely way of spending the winter months when all is dark and drizzly. I should curl up with a heap of yummy munchies, a stack of my favourite DVDs and a very snug quilt and only get up for Christmas say, or if it snowed a lot, or if there was a beautiful frost. Perhaps there are too many things I should miss after all. Anyway I hope this lovely golden glorious weather lasts for weeks and weeks, there are still lots of small squashes needing time and sunshine and besides it is lovely to be warm without being too hot, don't you agree?