FAREWELL TO COLD WINTER?

The last day of February has been bright with golden sunlight and the promise of spring. Of course the only promise more likely to be broken than this one is the word of a politician,especially a Liberal Democrat; who cares the sun was wonderful.

Our cats disported themselves about the orchard all day,Twiggy visiting old haunts and favoutite sitting places,Moth exploring her new home turf...much to Twiggy,s chagrin. From time to time a prospecting Tom cat appeared only to be chased off by either Twiggy or Moth, their dislike of these interlopers is, at present the only matter on which the two agree.

My son was drawn in to the sunshine and enjoyed a long walk,revelling in his freedom,the official notification of which arrived this morning in the shape of his P45.

I spent much of the day preparing the feast to celebrate the occasion,a large cockerel, raosted with all the trappings and panoply of a Christmas dinner.

Cockerel are unusal these days although the seem to be becoming fashionable again. A cockerel is a male chicken of twelve to eithteen months old, a bird of this age is tender enough to be roasted as you would roast a turkey. Older birds are called roosters and can be as tough as old boots,however they do make the most wonderfully flavoursome pot roasted fowl and the best chicken soup you can get.

I made my special fresh herb stuffing and I noticed while picking the herbs for this dish that the rosemary bushes are coming in to flower,another promising sign.

Roast potatoes of course and carrots ,peas and creamed leeks. Apple sauce and gibblet gravy completed the first course,follower by strawberry shortcake iced cream. We toasted the future in Herefordshire pear cider..perfect.

Late in the afternoon I took the buggy out and rode up the lane,the sun was setting and the sky was pearly grey. Nimbus stratus clouds stretched their feathery fronds towards me,and behind them the sun cast threads of palest gold. Cold fingers reminded me that I had been out long enough, happily I turned and made my way home to put the finishing touches to our feast.

While I a sure that winter has not quite finished with us, each day that passes brings us closer to spring,tomorrow is March 1^st so don't forget to say white rabbits.

THREE SLEEPY PEOPLE AND A PAIR OF DOZY CATS

Tired as we all were not one of us slept much last night, as I tottered across the ;anding at around four this morning noticed that my sons light was burning, the absence of the usual sonorous snores from downstairs told me that Pa too was still awake.

In consequence of this we were a drowsy set at breakfast,and compared tales of noises in the night, cramps and blocked noses which had conspired to rob us all of much needed sleep.

Our breakfast of freshly griddled potato cakes and a pot of good strong tea soon had us back on form and we revelled in the fact that we were free to do with the day as we pleased.

My son and I spent a couple of hours making the downstairs rooms easier for Pa to navigate in his chair and soon had everything sorted out.

Part of our problem last night was the departure of a large film crew from the stately home further up the lane. Huge pantechnicon shunting up and down with hissing brakes and swearing drivers is all too common hear abouts. The problem is that the gates are rather small and the vehicles rather large, add to this a ninety degree turn in to that lane and it is easy to see the difficulty. Even the cats had a rusty air about them and seemed inclined to doze more than usual.

These days I am none to handy with the old D.I.Y, my son, however has a natural gift in this direction which surprised even himself. He is especially good with flat pack furniture a talent given to few. He should hire himself out by the hour to those less gifted in this area.

In spite of all we had a happy day, we keep on hugging each other out of shear happiness,none of us quite believes our good fortune.

Macaroni cheese with ham made a perfect evening meal,real comfort food and afterwards we sat munching jelly beans while we talked over our future plans.

The artwork for my sons next book has arrived and has exceeded all expectations,yet I hope that he will not begin writing until he has rested a little,he will,of course as he cannot wait to begin.

Tomorrow I have a feast to prepare, a celebration of my sons new life, I have a huge cockerel,as big as a turkey and I shall trim it fit for a festival.......which means that I had better try to sleep.....now where did I put the earplugs we bought for bonfire night?  

PA'S DOING WHEELIES

As he becomes increasingly infirm my son and I spend a good deal of time attempting to find ways of making his life easier and more comfortable, and it was while playing around on an office chair

last week that I began to wonder if such a thing might be of use to Pa.

Constant use of crutches has caused the joints in his wrists and shoulders to become inflamed and it is only a matter of time until the pain is too great for him to used the sticks at all. A wheelchair is not the answer as the comfy ones are all too big to go through our little doors and the small ones are about as comfortable as a bed of nails if used for any length of time.

A week of research later my son and I chose a chair and placed the order.

Pa was hoping that the chair would arrive today and looked anxiously out of the window whenever a car pulled up in the lane. When at last a large van pulled up at the gate and the driver hefted the large box to our door Pa's face was a picture of happy excitement,he really is such a love.

Within fifteen minutes the chair was out of the box and the small amount of assembly was completed my my son. Pa ensconced in the lovely comfy chair beamed smiles over all,even the cats were excited .

Naturally there will have to be a few changes to the layout of furniture and a large rug will have to either be fixed to the floor or removed altogether to make it easier for Pa to move between the two rooms in his chair.

The main thing is it works, Pa can move about quite easily .a little like a child in a baby walker,the wear and tear on his arms is reduced to zero and he no ;longer has to support his weight while moving from place to place.

He is so happy tonight,as are we all,at dinner Pa sat in his new chair looking like a king on his throne, soft padding cosseting his aching joints and his back and his head supported ,he was able to enjoy his meal in comfort.

This has been a lovely day.

A NEW BEGINNING

                                                                   WELCOME

My son arrived home from his last shift laden with an astonishing collection of wonderful gifts,and the good wishes of his friends and colleagues still ringing in his ears. My modest boy had not expected this and was still in amazement while he showed us his leaving gifts.

He really had no idea how well thought of he was, It made me think of my favourite film”It's A Wonderful Life”. I was so happy that I cried.

There was even a gift for me,a beautiful shawl,soft and luxurious and a perfect match for my new sweater, I cried all over again.

Something amazing happened last night, for which I am truly thankful, all the kindness and goodwill towards my son from his work mates seems to have washed away the bad memories of the past year or two and left a happy glow with all of us that seems like magic.

I shall miss baking for my friends, it has been a pleasure to plan treats for such lovely people,it is going to seem very strange for a while.

I would like at this point to invite any and all of my sons friends from work to call in whenever they are in the neighbourhood,and if they will please be so kind as to let me know a day or so in advance I shall be sure and fill the cookie jar and the cake tin in their honour.......so please do come if you can.

And now we begin our new lives,my son will write his books and ,we hope fulfil his ambition to earn his living as a writer. Pa and I will continue to be proud of him,whatever he does.

This really is the end of a chapter in all our lives which has been both merry and sad, and for now the future can take care of itself.

Thank you all for giving my dear son such a perfectly,wonderful and unforgettable day.

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

Even though I am still in the grip of a howling cold I feel like doing a jig! When my son arrives home tomorrow it will be the end of what has been a bad time for us all.

Being carer to someone whose health is as poor as Pa's while at the same time catering for the needs of a night worker has taxed me to the uttermost.

While my son enjoyed his work I could at least feel that there was a reason to carry on with such a punishing schedule, but as things changed and the soul of the place was sucked out, it began to feel like labour in vain.

During the past eight years my own health has deteriorated ,trying to ensure that this fact did not compromise either my care of Pa or my son's welfare has exacerbated matters and I am now at the limit of my strength.

Things will have to change I know ,and I welcome that change. Now, at last I may do as my |Doctors tell me and rest, before it is too late.

I shall have time to watch my birds again,time to sketch and paint for the first time in years,the stress of needing to be on my guard 24 hours a day will be over as my son will be home at night .

I short I shall no longer have to face caring for Pa alone.

My son will have his life back and will be able once more to have a proper social life,and most of all time to write. There is real excitement among his friends about his forthcoming publications . For me,just to see him happy and relaxed again will give me new heart and a quiet mind.

He is strong,brave,loyal and much too intelligent to waste any more of his life in a job which is as hopeless as attempting to bail out the Titanic.

Time to man the lifeboats,time for a new life.   

A WARM KITCHEN ON A WINTERS DAY

Still suffering from the cold I caught a couple of weeks ago ,I am finding the entire situation rather old. Blocked sinus are the cause of my current distress,and of course the foul head ache which invariable attends such a condition..

Buoyed up a by the fact that I slept a little better last night I decided to get up and bake, in spite of all. As soon as Pa and I had finished breakfast,I began a baking session which was to last all day.

Rose cream butterfly cakes were first on the list,these being very popular with the boys,I made three dozen,decorated twenty four and the remaining twelve I set aside, these will be used to make a queens pudding next week. All through the day small fluffy snowflakes blew against the windows,watched by Moth,for me they served to make the kitchen fell even more cosy and warm.

More than half of the ginger fingers needed to be chocolate

dipped and I set about this with some trepidation. Firstly ginger Vienna fingers are ridiculously easy to break, and secondly I made a right Horlicks of the job a day or two ago. This time I remembered to melt the chocolate in a tube like container rather than a bowl,as this makes dipping them in the chocolate much easier. Something that I would have done automatically had I been in my right mind. I shall eschew any but the simplest tasks

for the next few days....better safe than sorry!

With a pan of melted chocolate left over I used some of the broken ginger cookies,mixed in some glacé cherries,mini marshmallows, nuts and rice crispies , and behold,rocky road. Quite possibly the easiest cake I ever made.

During dinner there was a minor skirmish between the cats. Twiggy,who had been asleep all day in my room arrived in the kitchen looking very moody indeed. Spoiling for a fight she hunted high and low until at last she discovered poor Moth hiding under my chair. The ensuing ill tempered exchange left my ankles badly mauled.

Stern words were enough to calm Twiggy who slunk away well aware that she was in disgrace,something she hates.

Moth,this time the innocent party was comforted ,calmed and returned to her basket where she soon went to sleep. I carried Twiggy off to my room and gave her a good talking too, then after a few moments she came to my desk to apologise and all was well again. While Twiggy is contrite all will be well, a fee days at least......I hope.

Out of Oomph

I fear tonight that Avie has just run out of Oomph; before turning in she asked me to pen her a brief blog post...normal service will be resumed tomorrow!

IF I RULED THE WORLD

                   A WHIMSY

Try to imagine this being sung by the late Harry Secombe.

IF I ruled the world,

Politicians would be marched out and shot.

And their party wouldn’t matter a jot ,

As they all talk the same load of old Tommy rot.

If I ruled the world,

Back to Scotland I would send every Scot, *

Brown and Cameron, the whole bloody lot,

What’s the difference they've all lost the plot.

My world would be a much fairer place,

Bankers would have their assets docked!

My world would would see the whole lot disgraced,

And then for years in prison locked.

If I ruled the world,

Horse meat pedlars would be shamed publicly,

Eating value mince on Prime time TV

Every night so the whole world could see.

Not a contents description would lie,

There’d be real beef in everyone’s pie

If the day ever dawned

When I ruled the world.

* only those of a political persuasion,of which there seem to be a great multitude!

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Continuing the saga of my siege with the Optician it is with great relief that I have to report that I shall not be paying almost two hundred pounds for two pairs of glasses. My son,on hearing my tale of woe became very angry that someone had tried to rip off his old Mum and rode to the rescue like a knight of old (it must be all the Sword and Sorcery stuff) and not only did he save the day,he saved me £100.10 in the process.

What is truly amazing is that I still get two pairs of glasses,complete with light lenses and scratch resistant coating,everything ,in fact that the sales person at the Tesco optician had told me would cost £173.OO,quite a saving don't you think?

I would like to make it quite clear the the lovely lady who actually carried out the test gave excellent service and had nothing at all to do with the sales pitch,my complaint is with the sales lady and myself for falling for her patter.

Until the time came to pay I firmly believed,as I had been led to believe that my glasses would cost about £85.00 maximum,she was clever,I’ll give her that.

My son rang around a few local opticians this morning and also made enquiries amongst his acquaintance to discover the best deal . In short,ladies and gentlemen the moral is “Should have gone to Spec Savers.) Exactly where shall be going with my son next week.

I am still in the grip of a nasty head cold and that, coupled with the bustle of decorating and almost total lack of sleep for several weeks has me feeling weak, feeble and exhausted.

Sunny days are purgatory as my heart wants to be out in the garden pruning and planting, getting ready for spring. The grim reality is that by the time I have been up and about for an hour or so my legs and my back ache so much that I can barely stand and all I want to do is sleep.

I expect that it is just a bad case of winter blues,I hope so, and I hope that I can pull myself together soon. At least am managing to produce meals for the boys though I admit they are very simple indeed. Tonight we had a medley of sausages served with jacket potatoes, butter and grated cheddar(cream cheese for me) and a green salad. Next Tuesday I have a feast to prepare for my son to celebrate his jumping off the treadmill! I shall have to feel a lot better if I am to pull it off successfully.....oh dear.

On the plus side the cats are behaving quite well,Pa seems a little brighter than usual and my newly painted room looks lovely in the sunshine,and cosy by lamp light . Plenty to be thankful for to be sure.

I SEE!

I rolled this morning from my tousled bed,having slept not at all...again.....and dragged myself to the optician. Having recently,very stupidly broken my glasses ;it was an absolute necessity as I am as short sighted as a bat without my specs!

The eye test was free, alas,from there it was all down hill. I must say that the test was thorough and I looked froward to being able to see clearly again and the offer of two pairs for the price of one sounded attractive

I was shown some spectacles costing £65.00 a pair,they were awful!

Next I was shown some costing £85.00 per pair,they were lovely.

On the face of it £85.00 for two pairs of specs is not bad,I considered,thinking that the offer had been for two complete pairs of glasses.

Not so, the offer was for the frames only and did not extend to the lenses.

Two sets of lenses,well lets see, the prescription called for thick lenses as my sight is poor,these would be cumbersome and may not suit the frames. Of course I could pay extra and have the lenses coated ,which would mean I could have thinner lenses,it sounded reasonable,after all I did not fancy wearing a pair of bin lids.

The final total was £179.00!!!!!!!! Is it just me or does that seem a lot?

Oh well,I thought even if I'd purchased the cheaper frames the price difference would only have been £25.00 less,until that is I arrived home.

It seems that there are other,much less expensive frames on display in another area of the shop,from what I had seen the starting price was £65.00, Pa told me that he had seen frames for as little as fifteen pounds,I checked,he was correct.

The difference between looking ghastly in a pair of £65.00 glasses and looking nice in the £85.00 ones is one thing, however I could be persuaded to look like and old school marm if in doing so £100.00 could be saved,unfortunately I was not given the chance.

When my son found out he was furious and showed my some glasses on line very like the ones I had been shown priced at £29.00 including the lenses.

I offer this word of warning to anyone contemplating a visit to an optician to buy spectacles,and it is this, for Gods sake take your glasses with you!

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HERE'S TO NEXT MONDAY

                                          Home made beef burgers,made with steak mince.

Now we begin the final countdown,exactly one week today my son will have ,a long last parted company with what I can only describe as a company with a death wish!

He is , to all intents and purposes jumping ship before its inept bridge crew steer it on to the rocks,an event as certain as the sunrise.

I have my own reasons for wishing him far away from his present environment,I am actually itching for him to be gone!Those reasons must,for now be entirely my own.

My siege which the latest plague is, I hope nearing its end for although I slept ,not at all, the morning found me lest incline to cough and to sneeze my brain in to the next Parish!

Our two cats are,while not exactly matey becoming accustomed to each others presence and peace reigns once more. Apart from the occasional bout of swearing the two seem to have accepted the inevitable......now we will wait and see what happens when the expected kittens arrive.

I feel obliged to comment upon the current problems in the meat industry, having found the news shocking but not surprising in the least. Much has been said and blame laid in all directions,my views on supermarket meat is well known to regular readers,so I will simply say this,

The consumer has been lead by the large supermarket chains, to expect to be able to buy cheap meat. Governments too have encouraged this attitude to food.

In the past livestock has suffered horribly as proper farming practice has gone buy the board in order to increase yield and speed up production.

Farmers and growers have suffered ,being forces to cut prices to the bone until in some cases the animals they sell have cost more to feed than the farmers is paid for supplying them.

Cheap meat does not really exist, cheap mince consists of..as well as horse I mean...veins and arteries,connective tissue,cartilage and fat minced finely and sold as meat, which it patently is not.

It is not nutritious and the money spent on these(Value?) products is wasted. We are all being cheated, the poorest of us most of all. Most of these so called value products are exactly the reverse,but how are people to know this when home economics and domestic science are no longer taught in schools,they have been replaced by something called Life Skills. What the hell are those? Isn’t b having the ability to fed your family a nutritious diet on a budget a life skill,one that both boys and girls should be taught.

These days the only budget people know about is the Chancellor of the exchequers occasional fiddle with the countries economy,often to no good purpose.

If consumers refused to purchase the mass produced, factory farmed meat the super markets and their dodgy supply chains would be in total disarray within days.

No one, particularly the less well of, for whom every penny counts deserve to be cheated by the giant chain groceries. We pay the piper and now it's time we called the tune, buy less meat but buy better quality,leave the factory farmed pork and chickens which have spent their entire lives having their feet and legs burnt buy standing in their own filth....very wholesome!

I know this sounds hard but its really not that difficult,we need to do this for all our sakes

not least the animals in question.

Meat is not the only source of protein and freshly cooked food will always be more nutritious that the over salted,over sugared,over packaged horse meat peddled by the supermarkets.

Find a small butcher and give him your support,he will give you honest advice about how to cook the cheaper cuts of meat,after all , he has a reputation to consider in his community. Please give it a try.

A DAY IN BED

After a rotten night filled with loud sneezes and coughing the boys decided that I should stay in bed,and keep warm ,bless them. I must admit that it was a relief not to have to trudge downstairs to prepare breakfast,instead I was treated to a lovely breakfast of tea and hot buttery toast tucked up in my snug bed.

I spent the day dozing,I seem unable to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, and it was lovely not to have to worry about anything. From time to time my little cat Twiggy came to visit, she worries about me when I am unwell.

I am not sure what is to be done about dinner and frankly I don't have the energy to worry about it.

For now I am going to snuggle down and have another snooze. Bye for now.

The boys arranged to fetch fish and chips for dinner,a great relief to me as I did not feel at all like cooking. I was surprised to discover that I was hungry and I really enjoyed the meal.

I took a shower a little while ago and now I am ready for bed..again, so this time it's goodnight.

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THE "LERGY"

As I feared I have succumbed to the prevailing plague,since yesterday I am become a wretched outcast,a pariah. I am shunned as if I had been poxed, as my old Aunt Sarah would have put it I have “the lergy!”

I spent a miserable night sneezing and snuffling, I did so much rootling about in bed that my poor little cat eventually gave up and took herself off to sleep in my armchair,from where she cast upon me baleful looks and occasionally mewed her reproach. As I said,I am an outcast.

|Friends who never seem to mind sitting for hours in my kitchen,sneezing and blowing their noses insisted ,upon hearing of my affliction, on holding their conversations with me out side in the fresh air .”I wouldn’t want to catch your nasty old cold dear,would I?” Honestly. The bare faced cheek!

My sense of taste has vanished along with my sense of smell, a condition which I hate, and my sinus feel as if they have been stuffed with expanded polystyrene...yuk!

I feel disposed to complain for whenever other family members are so afflicted they retire to bed to be cosseted with hot water bottles hot  tea and all manner of dainties prepared my.....me.

If I retired to my bed not only would there be no dainties for me,there would be no dinner for anyone......yes you might say that I feel a little sorry for myself,not to say hard done by!

When eventually I do get to bed it will be quite late as my son is gaming today which often means a delay in cooking dinner. Tomorrow my aching head will have to withstand the loud guffaws, hysterical, and occasionally blood curdling shrieks of the Kamikaze Dungeoneers as they wage war upon each other in the kitchen.

I shall be fortunate indeed if I am able to make dinner much before eight,by which time I shall be feeling awful (head colds are always worse I the evening).

I should not feel half so rotten if only I could stop shivering and sneezing violently enough to blow my brains out,such as they are.

Now ,having made my moan to the whole world I shall cease to whinge and seek out the menthol crystals, these,infused in some boiling water may do something to combat the polystyrene!

I hope!

THE USUAL FRIDAY PERFORMANCE

As is often the case today,Friday,major cleaning day,brought a steady stream of visitors at the most inconvenient times beginning at breakfast.

We were about to begin our meal when a knock at the door heralded our first guest,a good friend who often pops in to join us in our morning meal. Thankfully we had plenty of crumpets and hot cross buns to go around.

Of course we spent longer over breakfast than usual,which of course made us late beginning the days chores.

My son took the vacuum cleaner upstairs to begin while I baked the bread which today consisted of two large split tin loaves,four baguettes, two welsh cobs a large batch of rolls and a pizza base. Pheeeeew!

The merry roar of the vacuum cleaner drowned out all else for the next couple of hours as first upstairs and then down was given a thorough going over. We were congratulating ourselves on having made up the time when,behold, more visitors in need of tea,biscuits and a sympathetic ear.

An hour and a half later with the floors still not mopped,a pile of dishes to wash and an empty cookie tin we cursed ourselves for having jinxed our luck and set about our various tasks.

We were, of course late with dinner as I had been unable to get into the kitchen to prepare it,I had wisely made the tabbouleh earlier while the bread was rising but the kebabs, sauces and other accoutrements had still to be made. By the time we sat down to eat we we were starving.

The house looks lovely,clean and tidy....for now, and we are all having a well earned rest.

Tomorrow I shall make more cookies. Four tins of shortbread to be precise to fill the now empty tins.

During the course of the day the suspicion that I was staring a cold has developed into a certainty, bum, blast and bugger!!!!! However Most of the work is done for the week and the meals for the next two nights are quick to do, so I can shiver ,shake and sneeze at my leisure.

One thing is certain,nothing,but nothing will be allowed to spoil the joy of knowing that in a little over a week my son will be working his last night shift for his shiftless employer. HASTEN THE DAY!

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SAINT VALENTINES DAY

I cannot remember the last time I got up so late,and when I did it took almost half an hour to get my rickety old legs going.

Down stairs my dear son had prepared a lovely breakfast for us of toasted crumpets dripping with butter and hot cross buns ,all sticky and with just a hint of spice.

We all seemed more tired than usual and|I put it down to the rigours of decorating and the fact that now that my sons last day with his miserable,penny pinching , mean minded ….I could go on ...but not yet …......employers is almost upon us we are all suffering from what I call cut string syndrome.

You know how it is,for as long as it is vital that you carry on you summon the strength from somewhere and you do keep going. But once the heat is off you are like a puppet with its strings cut,it's odd, but I have observed this phenomenon many times.

We decided to suspend all chores except for the making of a special meal. And the baking of a cake in honour of the day.

I am now officially declaring myself shattered and I intend to laze about for the

e rest of the evening.

I hope that your valentines Day has been as nice as my own. Love and hugs from Avie.

OUT FOR THE COUNT

It was almost midnight before we had finished decorating my room and ,of course tidying up all the decorating tackle,brush and roller cleaning etc. by the time the last piece of furniture had been returned to it's rightful place my son and I were,as he so picturesquely put it,zonked!!!

With the bathroom free at last from shelves,drawers and bed frames we all showered and prepared for bed. Lying in my lovely room I felt very thankful for my kind son,who's prowess with a paint brush surprised me. At first I could not sleep for the pain in both legs was dreadful,I took codeine and an hour later was still in pain. I took another half dose and soon the pain eased a little,enough for me to sleep for a couple of hours.

At four thirty I took another dose of codeine and slept again ,this time until six. It was lovely waking up in my pretty room, some of the furniture was relocated yesterday and the resulting changes are very pleasant .Looking about as I drank my morning coffee I felt very lucky indeed.

My son spent today in London with a friend and I decided to take a holiday also. After making Pa and I a breakfast of piklets and syrup I went for a refreshing run on the buggy then spent the remainder of the day tweaking the small details of my rooms decore , ornaments,candles and so forth.

Still in considerable pain I sat for a while in my easy chair cosseting my little grey cat Twiggy who has been very good of late. Not only was she very understanding about yesterdays upheaval but also ,she has, during the past few days allowed Moth ,our calico kitten to remain indoors unmolested. They seem to have agreed to ignore each other,a vast improvement on their former ill tempered exchanges.

When my son arrived home from his day out I cooked bacon,eggs, sausages,potato cakes and beans for dinner and very lazy I felt I must say.

Now I am back in my room once more,. Pa is taking a shower and my son is watching a film, it has been a lovely peaceful day .Tomorrow I am cooking roast partridge for dinner with a valentines day cake to follow........back to normal...I hope.

PANCAKES AND PAINTING

Today I managed to finish painting the last of the wood work,leaving only the walls and the small room to do. Tomorrow the fun really begins as my son ,whom has manfully volunteered to help will wield the paint roller in earnest.

This will not be the first time we have decorated a room together,long time readers will perhaps recollect the painting of my sons room about two years ago...oh the fun and games,I remember it well!

We hope to finish the main room tomorrow and then ,after a day off we shall ,with luck paint what my son laughingly calls the annexe. Normal chores have been suspended to accommodate this work,well you know me,anything to avoid doing the ironing.

For dinner tonight I made chicken in the pot,which is exactly;y as it sounds with the addition of lots of lovely vegetable ,.pearl barley and lentils,perfect for a cold snowy evening with lots of home made crusty bread to mop up the gravy.

Tomorrow we must make an early start and so now we are all planning early nights, don't forget that tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, pancake day, night night.

EASY PANCAKES

8oz plain flour

1 pint milk

3 eggs

pinch of salt

dripping for frying is best.

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add two of the eggs and half the milk. Beat until the lumps are gone then add the rest of the milk and beat again for about two minutes. Add the remaining egg and beat for a further minute. If you can leave the mix t stand for an hour or so great,if not carry on regardless,all will be well.

Heat the heaviest frying pan you have,or a griddle of course. Grease lightly and wait until the pan begins to smoke. Pour in enough batter mix to cower the bottom of the pan and cook until the underside is brown then turn and brown the flip side

Serve with lemon juice and sugar, bananas and cream, what even=r you prefer.

If you like try wrapping a slice of ham around a small blanched leek,roll in a pancake,cover in a basic cheese sauce and bake at 175oC for thirty minutes

VALENTINES COOKIES

Next Thursday we celebrate St Valentines day,it's strange to think that the lovers symbol of a heart pierced by an arrow commemorates the death of this saint,and just a little gory too.

I decided to make some cookies to mark the occasion,an excuse for a bit of fun I suppose.

I used a recipes published on Tuesday December 13^th 2012,it is the same cookie dough I use for stained glass window biscuits

I chose this mix as it cuts out neatly,tastes very good and keeps well in an air tight tin.

Nothing could be easier than decorating these little treats, all you need is a little glacé icing and a few sugar flowers, (I buy mine on line) and a little time.

Pipe a little icing on to the hear cookie and set with a couple of the sugar flowers,you see I told you it was simple. This basic cookie dough is perfect for batch baking in large amount for such things as church fêtes or a school bazaar and can be decorated to suit any occasion.

I gave myself a lazy day and apart from cooking dinner,washing my hair, and tidying out a chest of drawers I have been very ,very lazy indeed. I intend to continue to be lazy for the remainder of the day and shall retire to bed shortly with my cat and a bag of sweets. Goodnight all.

Paint-Splattered Fingers

For the last few days, Avie has been doing some decorating around her room; her fingers are so splattered with paint that she's been unable to compose a blog tonight! Normal service to be resumed tomorrow...again....

Son of Avie

"A PICTURE NO ARTIST COULD PAINT"

Having quite worn myself out yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to find that after a few hour rest I was able to take up my paint brushes again and continue to paint the woodwork in my bedroom. A total waste of four years fine arts training? Not at all.

OK,so it's hardly the Sistine Chapel,all the same somebody had to put on the undercoat,even for Michael Angelo!

Many years ago I was engaged in painting the son of a friend, to picture was to be a gift for his Grandparents. He was a pretty little boy and sat without much fidgeting for all of two minutes,a record I might add,and it was during one of his running around the room to work off the pent up energy engendered by those two minutes that I looked out of the window into the street.

What I saw there made me do the fastest double take of all time.

Cruising slowly down the street was a large vehicle,a little like a modern mini bus, nothing unusual about that. What was most unusual were the assorted backsides which were hanging out of the window,where possible and pressed up against the glass where it was not!

Quick as a flash I began to scribble a sketch of the scene,the startled crowds the pointing fingers of the children and of course the bums! It seemed like a united nations evens as it appeared that every continent was represented with out fear or favour. This was confirmed when the vehicle,having turned round at the end of the street returned with a similar display featuring the occupants of the other side of the van.

By this time I was laughing helplessly,doubled up and unable to hold my pencil straight. Out in the street the crowds were in a similar condition and when a Police car speeded down the road after the United Nations Bum Show the laughter became even more uproarious.

I propped my sketch up on the easel and just a that moment the only person around who had not seen the display of formation mooning caught sight of the picture on the easel. He was absolutely silent for a couple of minutes as he stared at the sketch,at last he spoke.

In am angry voice he declared that he was sure his mother would not like his portrait I had made it look like a school photo of his class......with their trousers off!

In those far off days before mobile telephones with cameras mine was the only record of the event. It was perused by the Local Police who were,I assumed looking for any distinguishing features,and by the local press who expressed an interest in publishing my work in the weekly rag.

I of course refused to publish,after all who wants to be considered the same as many other modern so called artists.....................actually the truth is simply that the sketch disappeared,it vanished from my portfolio without a trace...shame really...if I had it today it could be worth a fortune.

Too Many Pots!!!

I'm afraid to report that Avie has baked herself to a standstill today! Normal service to resume tomorrow...

Son Of Avie

DECORATING

Today I painted another of the doors in my room, including the architrave and I feel quite proud of myself.

My son is to paint the walls and ceiling next week and I would like to have the woodwork done before he begins. I did the two metal windows yesterday and so I still have two door sides a wooden window, a stone mantelpiece and the skirting board. I am not sure if a shall be able to do the last as the amount of bending required will probably be beyond my powers,still ,we shall see.

I have chosen a pretty cream colour,no feature walls for me,my patchwork quilts, curtains and cushions provide more than enough colour for a small room. I am to be given a beautiful patchwork quilt for Mothers Day, a joint gift from the boys and so it would be lovely if my room were newly decorated for the occasion.

I recently picked up some lovely dusty pink curtains with tie backs and matching cushion covers very cheaply so the new look will be complete.

Tonight I cooked the cheats steaks, the recipe for which I posted a couple of days ago, this time I added a few finely chopped sun dried tomatoes to the meat, the boys and I really tucked in. The gravy is very good and with mashed potato is is perfect.

We finished our meal with a slice each of lemon drizzle cake,now the cake tin is empty again which means a baking day very soon.

My knee is very painful today,I am in the middle of a change in my medication and the pain has been much less easy to ignore since the second week of the change. I am hopeful that things will settle down again soon as it often takes a while for a new drug to begin to take effect.

With all my chores done I shall soon be off to my bed with a hot drink and hopefully one of the cats,if, that is either one decides to honour me with her presence.

SUNSHINE MUFFINS

In the ten years that we have live in our cottage every room in the house has been decorated,once or twice....excepting my own. Although I am a clean and tidy person the room is beginning to look more shabby than chic,besides which I fancy a change.

In my youth I was, if I say so myself, very good at decorating,not to mention fast. Alas ,those days are gone never to return,and so my son has volunteered to assist me with the painting and my neighbour is popping round to help my son move the furniture......deep sigh!

I am spending some tome this week doing what I can to speed things up next week. Today I cleaned and painted the ancient metal window frames with a special paint,it was only a little job so I hope that there will be no ill effects tomorrow. All being well I shall sand paper the doors tomorrow,let us pray!

Of course decorating leaves me with less time for baking and it will be Friday before bake bread again. A treat was needed for tonight and so I made one of our favourite muffins,which incidentally make a great breakfast too.

SUNSHINE MUFFINS

5 tablespoons of clear honey

40 g butter plus extra for greasing

250ml natural yoghurt

1 large egg

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

half a teaspoon fresh lemon rind finely grated

125g plain flour

150 g wholemeal flour

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

one and a half teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda.

Preheat the oven to 190oC. Grease the bun tins, they should be 1 one and a half inches deep. Melt the honey and butter together over a very low heat then remove them and leave to cool.

Whisk the yoghurt,egg,lemon juice and lemon rind together. Sift all the dry ingredients together then fold the wet ingredients in to the dry ones. Do not over mix!

Fill the wells two thirds full and do not smooth the surface.

Bake the muffins for twenty five minutes serve hot or cold.                         

CHEATS STEAK AND ONIONS

Steak is expensive and quite often it is tough and does not cook well,try these easy to make steaks,they won't break the bank and children love them

FOR THE STEAKS

1lb steak mince

1oz bread crumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon of onion powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 onions sliced thinly in to rings

salt and pepper to taste

FOR THE GRAVY

1 cup of beef stock...a cube will do.

2 tablespoons of plain white flour

salt and pepper to taste

a few drops of balsamic vinegar

1 table spoon of tomato purree

Mix together the beef,egg,breadcrumbs,salt ,pepper,onion salt and Worcestershire sauce,squeeze together and then form in to six balls and flatten in to steak shaped patties.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and fry the steaks over a medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side until browned. Remove the steaks from the pan and set aside on a plate to keep warm

Sprinkle some of the flour on to the onion rings. Add the tomato purree to the pan and fry in the pan juices for a minute or so then add the onion rings with the rest of the flour and stir well making sure to scrap the brown bite from the bottom of the pan. Gradually stir in the beef stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about five minutes until the gravy thickens then add the balsamic vinegar a drop at a time until you are happy with the flavour.

Return the steaks to the pan,cover and simmer gently for a further fifteen minutes.

Serve with mashed potato and a selection of vegetables.

Just as good are steaks made from pork mince, in which case substitute the beef stock for chicken stock and add a tablespoon of apple jelly to the gravy.

BORED WITH THE BOARD !

There are those who own skate boards,something I have always wanted to do,but since I damaged my knee back in the sixties I decided to take up a more sedate sport...scrambling motor bikes!

Then there are the surfers,lucky people who sport like dolphins among the waves. For me this was not a practical hobby as my home in the Midlands was about a far from the sea as it is possible to get in this country.

In my twilight years, I find myself becoming more and more whimsical,eccentric as my friends so charmingly put it, today I spent almost three hours with the only board I have ever owned....alas...it was the ironing board.

I began to iron just as “Star Trek,The Wrath Of Khan” began this afternoon and finished the wretched task as the credits rolled at the end. Admiral Kirk waxing philosophical about his vanishing youth caused a spasm of annoyance and I found myself remarking to the television screen that at least he had spent his youth blazing around the galaxy,without an ironing board in sight!!!!

It is not normally in my nature to repine about my advancing years,in fact as a rule I am quite comfortable in my present skin. Ironing brings out the worst in me...a lot of ironing tips me over the edge of reason. I snarl,hiss,swear like a trooper and....talk to the television. Sad is,n,t it?

Some time ago I found myself addressing a few choice remarks to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair,(Lord how I detest the man).I had been ironing for hours on a hot day and it was at this delicate moment that he began to pontificate about women equality. Now I have to tell you that I am by no means a supporter of Women’s Lib, I am convinced that far from giving women freedom it actually works them to death. The modern woman does not have everything,the truth of the matter is that she runs the home,she holds down a job, she cares for the children-elderly relations-husband with man flue.....and above all the does the bloody ironing! She does not have it all.....she does it all!

In the whole of my life I have only met two men who could iron without decimating the families wardrobes,both had been in the army,and here it comes, neither had ironed so much as an handkerchief since returning to civilian life.

What then ,do we learn from this? Well firstly ,of course we learn that I am going off my rocker!

What we should realise is that women are their own worst enemy , when women insisted on equality in the work place(which incidentally they still do not have) they should also have insisted on equality in the home; I mean , who did they imagine would be doing the chores while they swanned around the boardroom in their business suits .

And what about the women who work in factories,or other low paid unfulfilling employment,what do they get out of their forty hour week?

Most women work because they must,they work to pay the bills their husbands wages will not meet. They are not free! They are not free to stay at home to care for their families,they have not the luxury of choice. Neither are they independent since all of their earnings go towards the family budget.

Women have opened themselves up to this exploitation and its time it stopped.

Back to Mr Blair,who of course heard not a word of my ironing board speech, unfortunately for me however my voice had carried far enough through an open window to be heard by a couple of callers who had, instead of knocking at the door amused themselves by listening to my ravings. Imagine my embarrassment? All the fault of the ironing.

Now that’s of my chest I think I shall take a shower,I've earned it.

BUTTERMILK BREAD,QUICK AND DELICIOUS

I have just spent the better part of a couple of days baking,bread cakes and cookies. I had the shame making experience of being caught without a single biscuit in the house,a rare occurrence thanks the Gods for if the news gets about I shall never live it down.

Of course ,not everyone either wants or is able to spend much time baking,even so with this recipe in about thirty five minutes any one can have a delicious tasty hot loaf to eat with soup, stew or as part of a breakfast with bacon and tomatoes.

1lb plain flour

1 level tablespoon of cream of tartar

1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1 breakfast cup of buttermilk or use a dessert spoon of vinegar to a cupful of fresh milk, or two tablespoons of runny yoghurt mixed with fresh milk to fill the cup.

Grease a flat tin. Set the oven to 435oc. Sift the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Add just enough of the milk to make the dough adhere together in a ball. Divide the dough in to two and shape in to rounds. Place on a greased tin. Mark the top with a knife,a cross is traditional, and bake for twenty minutes. Serve at once.

In the unlikely event of there being any left over it wrap it in a damp tea towel and place in a hot oven for about three minutes.

Try this bread with leek and potato or mushroom soup.

The saga of the cats continues,we are still being staked out by a bunch of determined Tom cats,all competing for the favours of our little cat. Since she will not allow anyone to pick her up it we have been unable to catch her and take her to the Vet to be neutered. However I have just discovered that there are now contraceptive pills for cats.

I suspect that we are too late this time but you can wager shall be making enquiries at or local vets practice very soon indeed.

The tiny side room which I brought in to use during the summer has really come in to its own during the winter months. I can sit with my back to the radiator watching the birds in the orchard no matter how bad the weather. In the Ash tree out side the window my robin sings several time a day and a pearly grey wood pigeon copes at me in the morning.

If I open the window and reach out my hand the robin hop on to my fingers and will take meal worms and bits of suet,quite unafraid.

At nigh a colourful Moroccan lamp emits a cosy glow which is very comforting in bad weather of if I am in pain. All in all I am glad I made the effort ,and so is Twiggy as it has become one of her favourite roosts.

STICKY MARMALADE PUDDING STRAIGHT FROM NARNIA.

I first heard of this wonderful winter pudding at the age of seven, Our teacher,Miss Leyland was reading “The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe” in instalments at the end of each day......if we were good! Never had a class behaved so beautifully , on the one occasion when a boy in the back row cause trouble and forfeit our much longed for twenty minutes in Narnia,no one spoke to the poor little urchin for days.

You will,if you have read the book remember the dinner at the Beavers house,marmalade pudding was served at the end of the meal, and I swear that just a few minutes before home time we hungry children could almost smell that pudding!

All those years ago it would have taken several hours steaming to make such a pudding,today a microwave can produce one in minutes. I think that the old fashioned way makes a tastier pudding as the two and a half hours  steaming time allows the marmalade to permeate every part of the pudding making it every bit as sticky and delectable as C.S Lewis promised

MARMALADE PUDDING

1 lb self raising flour

8 oz suet (vegetable or beef)

pinch of salt

water to mix

marmalade/

Grease a 2 pt heat proof pudding basin, Sift the flour in to a mixing bowl and add the suet and the salt. Add sufficient water to mix to a firm dough. Form in to a ball and roll out to about 1cm thick.

Next cut the dough in to rounds beginning with a small one to fit the base of the pudding basin then cut five more increasing in size until the last one is slightly bigger than the top of the basin.

Put the small circle of dough in the bottom of the basin and spread on a dessert spoon of marmalade, repeat this process gradually increasing the amount of marmalade used according to the size of the circle of dough.

When all the circles except the largest one are sandwiched with the marmalade place the last piece on top of the basin and tuck in the excess dough.

Take a piece of grease proof paper and make a pleat in the middle, this will allow the pudding to rise. Tie the paper securely with string . Next cover with a piece of foil and tie in place again ,this time making a handle over the top so that the pudding will be easier to remove from the water.

Fill a large pan with water and place e a trivet or a saucer in the bottom put the pudding in to the water which should cover about two thirds of the puddings depth, bring to the boil then cover with a lid and reduce the heat.

Simmer for two an a half hours then remove from the heat and turn the pudding out on to a hot plate. Serve with vanilla custard.

This pudding can also be made by lining the pudding basin with pastry,filling it with marmalade and applying a pastry lid. I find that this method is too marmalade for the taste of most children and it does not have the stripy appearance of the layered pudding.