Sunday 31 March 2013

TIME AND THE BLUE ROSE OF FORGETFULNESS






Every now and then have a sudden burst of memory, something which I may have forgotten for years that invades my consciousness and remains to haunt me for days.
Often this is caused by a piece of music, sometimes a fragrance,a tiny pebble dropped in the well of memory which sends ripples into the dark corners of my mind where lie memories to painful to bear yet to precious to
forget.
As a normally up beat person I find these occasions disquieting, to discover that after so many years the longing, the love and the hurt are still so fresh in spite of being buried amongst the lumber of a life times experiences is always a surprise.

Time can age us,it can line our faces, it can grey our hair and it can change us so that we do not know ourselves,memories are the last things to go. They remain,either treasured or hidden away,to tantalise,and to torment, or to comfort, sometimes.

The thing that both good and bad memories have in common is that they can both be painful,as if the wound were still bleeding and fresh,and this is Times trick,its barbed arrow,for as you still feel the suns warmth from half a century ago; or the dreadful pain of loss as if to were yesterday, you yourself are the only thing to have changed. Your memories stay evergreen and mock the age spots on the hands that were once elegant and fine. The heart still feels the passion of a love long dead even when it is old and tired.

Weather this is good or bad I do not know, Often I think that forgetfulness would be more merciful,
yet at other times I cling to a remembrance as if it could save me from drowning.

There is,in “The Arabian Nights”a tale about a blue rose, who's scent ,if inhaled induced forgetfulness. I suspect that whoever wrote that tale would understand my ramblings better than I do myself.

Saturday 30 March 2013

PUMPKIN AND BACON SOUP






Not knowing when the family will be arriving home is a problem we all face, a hearty main meal soup solves the problem and even if there are late comers it remains tasty and good. As the boys were gaming today it seemed like a good opportunity to use up one of the last of the winter pumpkins.

8 rashers streaky bacon
1l
b pumpkin peeled and chopped
1 large onion
1 leek including green
1 pt stock
1 pt milk
1 teaspoon powdered coriander
2 tablespoons red lentils
salt
pepper
nutmeg
I oil for frying

Fry the bacon in a little oil until it becomes crisp,place on a piece of kitchen paper to drain and retain the oil.
Fry the onion and the leek in the bacon oil until it softens then add the pumpkin and turn in the oil until it too begins to soften a little.
Add the stock, coriander powder and the red lentils then bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Crush the bacon in to crumbs using a polling pin and some greased proof paper of grind in a food mill.
Blitz the cooked vegetables in a liquidiser adding some of the milk with each batch to make the consistency you prefer,then pour in to the saucepan and return to the heat and bring almost to the boil.
Season to taste with the salt pepper and nutmeg.

Serve the soup and sprinkle on the bacon,serve with crusty bread and butter.

I followed this with a very simple chocolate cake served with hot chocolate sauce. There were no complaints.


Friday 29 March 2013

EASTER FEASTING.


                                          




These days few people adhere to the tradition of giving up rich food for Lent,of course hundreds of years ago it was not such a loss as there was practically no fresh meat ,eggs,cream or milk to be had , Most farm animals were slaughtered in late Autumn and salted, and hens laid very little during the winter months due to lack of light. Besides the diet of the ordinary person consisted in the main of dried beans and peas and whatever green stuff,wild of cultivated could be found. Meat was rare in poor households and as poaching carried a death penalty if was not much indulged in,except be Robin Hood!

At Avie's there is little noticeable difference in our meals during Lent,although we do often have fish on Good Friday. Feasting is ,however much more to our taste and as our Saturday and |Sunday will be taken up by gaming, our feast will be deferred until Bank Holiday Monday.

There is still a debate on going as to what form the feast will take, Pa likes Lamb, my son favours Chicken,where as I prefer Beef,I think it highly likely that my son will prevail.....we shall see. I might throw a spanner in the works and suggest a game pie which both the boys love and which will use up most of the remaining game in the freezer. I could even do a cold collation ,no,not in this weather.

Here's a novelty, I have the whole weekend free, no ironing,no baking,no cleaning and no shopping,I simply can't believe it! If,as I suspect the weather proves to be too inclement for gardening I might get out my sketchbook,not touched for an age .I could perhaps do a little quilling,fiddly but fun,I could get on with my novel...or could just enjoy doing nothing and spend all weekend watching old movies, the world is my octopus!

P.S. Still no kittens!

P.P.S The picture shows the food for our fundraiser last April an account of which can be found in the back numbers of Avies Small World.  

Thursday 28 March 2013

"D'YOU EVER GET ONE OF THOSE DAYS"





Frustrating,aggravating,pestiferous, annoying,time wasting....it's no use,I just cannot think of a word to sum up today.......well nothing printable!
There are times when truly believe that Pa lives on a different planet than the rest of us,even allowing for his usual vagueness,which pre-dates his current problems his ability to misunderstand the simplest of instructions is staggering.
It used to be a joke in the family that he was the “Absent minded professor” he being a learned sort, however ,the practicalities of day to day life have always been ,and still remain a mystery to him.

This morning I mentioned several times that I needed to go to Tesco today,with only one scooter reliable at the moment we must take turns to go out. Pa needed to have a blood test and so I got on with a few chores while he went off to hospital.......100yds down the lane.

Imaging my surprise,not to say annoyance when at a quarter to four he was still out. I called to register my concern and that is when I discovered that he had been to the hospital and having found the cash machine out of order had toddled off all the way to telescope to use their machine,a round trip of about three miles.

I pointed out,with all the patience I could muster that I was waiting for him to come home so that I could GO TO TESCO
I would have been able to draw out the cash we needed for the weekend myself, as I pointed out to Pa three quarters of an hour later when he finally rocked up at the front door.

Off I went to do the shopping,toiletries and cleaning products,these and the occasional household item are all we by from then these days. It was rather late when I arrived home,tired ,cold and hungry as dinner was also late. I cooked our meal and as we all chatted away I began to calm down.

It was while my son and I were doing the washing up the Pa dropped his bombshell.
Having found the cash machine out of order he had trekked off to the supermarket to pick up some cash and had not been for his blood test!

Now for Pa this regular blood test is vital due to his illness and the medication he takes,tomorrow is Good Friday so e cannot have it done now until Tuesday next at the earliest! This means that he cannot pick up his medication from the pharmacy on Saturday, a serious problem for him....and for me.
I decided long ago for the sake of my sanity to let Pa carry on in his muddling way and be forbearing,and besides there is now nothing to be done until the Bank Holiday is over,but this I must say.

Our world,our governments, our banks and in fact just about every aspect of our lives is run by these academic types.....no wonder the world is in such a bloody mess!


Wednesday 27 March 2013

"FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD"


     



                                FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
Most of today I spent in the kitchen with my very pregnant cat Moth,she looks as if she has swallowed a house brick sideways the poor thing. Those kittens had better come soon or she will pop!
Immediately after breakfast I set about making the bread,which I now do weekly as my arthritis is getting worse,the bread freezes very well but I miss the routine of baking every other day. Today I made two split tins, a cheese loaf,which is wonderful toasted,two small round batch loaves topped with sunflower seeds ,a Coburg and a batch of Chelsea bun;quite a haul!

The shopping arrived and was packed away after which I gave the bathroom a good scrub, wrote several letters before returning to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

I had a small joint of shoulder pork and today for the first time tried cooking both the meat and the roast potatoes together. Shoulder pork can be tricky,one of the cheaper cuts of meat it can if over cooked become as chewy as a mouth full of rubber bands, I need not have worried,all went well and the meat and potatoes cooked perfectly in an hour and fifteen minutes.

A dish of home made stuffing,apple sauce mixed diced vegetables and apple-thyme gravy finished to meal. My son is rather fussy about the way meat is cooked and I must admit I was concerned,all was well however and everyone enjoyed the meal very much.

With just enough room for a Chelsea bun each we sat for a while afterwards enjoying the warmth of the kitchen and the purring of the cats.

How I long to get into the garden,alas,the weather does not permit and I heard today that it is set to become even colder during April. In spite of this we refuse to be discouraged,and will continue in winter mode until things improve. Tomorrow the boys have asked for pumpkin soup and as the bread is nice and fresh,and the weather very cold I shall,of course oblige.

I think a nice steamed jam sponge and custard might go down well with the troops too.

Early start tomorrow as we have ,at last managed to persuade the Local Authority to put up the bird boxes we purchased through out fund-raising last year. Then home to breakfast,toasted cheese bread.....yum!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

COMFORT FOOD


   





                                                 CHEESY PASTA AND HAM

We are,like most of the country still in winters icy grip,none of the snow,and there has been plenty,has settled as in some areas but the perishing wind is still whistling through the keyholes and howling down the chimney pots day and night.
Snuggled down with my hot water bottle last night I was very snug indeed,however,the occasional trip to the loo is sufficient to freeze the toes right off your feet ;and it takes ages to thaw them out again.
Now is the time to forget diets,New Years resolutions and enjoy a warming hearty meal which will hell to combat the chill.

CHEESY PAST AND HAM SUPPER
1 pack of fresh penne
1 ltr milk
1 bay leaf
16 peppercorns
1 clove of garlic crushed
6 oz strong cheddar
4 oz Cheshire cheese
2 oz butter
3table spoons of plain flour
4 oz ham
put the milk into a large saucepan and add the bay leaf,garlic and peppercorns, bring nearly to the boil then remove from the heat cover and leave for at least thirty minutes.
Pour the infused milk through a sieve in to a jug,discard the bay leaf etc.

Put the butter in to the saucepan and melt,stir in the flour and cook until it begins to bubble then whisk in the milk a little at a time. Bring to the boil stirring constantly then reduce the heat and continue to stir for a further three minutes.

Fill a large saucepan with water,bring to the boil and add the pasta with a a little olive oil and a pinch of salt cook according to the packet instructions.
While the pasta cooks fry the ham gently in a little oil. Drain the pasta and then add the ham,mix well them pour in to a large flat dish ,pour on the cheeses sauce and top with slices of the Cheshire cheeses. Grill until golden brown and bubbling. Then serve with a salad and some garlic bread.

If you like you can add a little fried onion to the ham,bacon may also be used in this dish.

This amount gives four large or six smaller portions.

Monday 25 March 2013

A GARDEN FULL OF LOVERS






Recent extreme weather conditions has cause the birds in our garden to leave their nest building activities and return to the business of survival. Today,quite suddenly all that has changed and even though the weather is still desperately cold my garden is suddenly full if little lovers.

The net of dog hair is once again receiving much attention as is the large ball of human hair gleaned during the past few months from hair brushes. In the ash tree we have hung large plastic drinks bottle with lots of holes,this is stuffed with wood wool and is very popular with some of the larger birds.

Blue Tits, courting everywhere, our Blackbirds kanoodling in the orchard,even a pair of Magpies spent quite a time in the walled garden,she begging food and he providing small morsels until ,at last she allowed mating to take place.
Twigs are at a premium as not only do we have Magpies but Crows,Jays and a Rookery near by the squirrels are fighting a war with these raiders who are stripping the small twigs from their drays.

All around the garden the show put on by the Magpies has been repeated by dozens of birds during the course of the day,perhaps they know something about the weather of which we are unaware. Perhaps it is just a matter of timing,it is ,after all the end of March,who can say?

These brave little feathered bundles continuing their daily lives in the face of such awful weather conditions shows us how resilient nature can be,even so I would ask anyone reading this to please keep on feeding things like suet,crumbs and small seed,our birds will need all the help they can get this year.....Thank you. Xxxxxx Avie xxxxxX  

A GARDEN FULL OF LOVERS







Recent extreme weather conditions has cause the birds in our garden to leave their nest building activities and return to the business of survival. Today,quite suddenly all that has changed and even though the weather is still desperately cold my garden is suddenly full if little lovers.

The net of dog hair is once again receiving much attention as is the large ball of human hair gleaned during the past few months from hair brushes. In the ash tree we have hung large plastic drinks bottle with lots of holes,this is stuffed with wood wool and is very popular with some of the larger birds.

Blue Tits, courting everywhere, our Blackbirds kanoodling in the orchard,even a pair of Magpies spent quite a time in the walled garden,she begging food and he providing small morsels until ,at last she allowed mating to take place.
Twigs are at a premium as not only do we have Magpies but Crows,Jays and a Rookery near by the squirrels are fighting a war with these raiders who are stripping the small twigs from their drays.

All around the garden the show put on by the Magpies has been repeated by dozens of birds during the course of the day,perhaps they know something about the weather of which we are unaware. Perhaps it is just a matter of timing,it is ,after all the end of March,who can say?

These brave little feathered bundles continuing their daily lives in the face of such awful weather conditions shows us how resilient nature can be,even so I would ask anyone reading this to please keep on feeding things like suet,crumbs and small seed,our birds will need all the help they can get this year.....Thank you. Xxxxxx Avie xxxxxX  

Sunday 24 March 2013

COLD FEET






Early this morning,in fact fat too early for comfort my son set off to visit a friend at Portsmouth, the idea being to spend the day and I expect half the night with a gaming group to which the friend belongs.
I am glad to see him getting out and about more, he is still acclimatising to the radical changes brought about by working during the day instead of at night and I feel that a break can do nothing but good.

Research for his new book has been going well and the first draft is satisfactory. He has been fortunate too in finding an artist to design the covers who has a perfect understanding of the fantasy genre and having seen the draught I can say with conviction that it works perfectly .

Once or twice late in the evening I have seen him sitting wistfully in front of his computer,and I know that he is missing the old comrades with whom he worked for so many years. This is understandable and expected, I jolly him out of it by reminding him of all the bull shit, clapped out servers, ancient computers and half assed orders which used to cause him endless annoyance. It works every time.

Pa and I had a quiet day with the cats attempting to keep warm. My poor feet got cold in mid January and have not been properly warm since. Fleece slippers and hot water bottles effect a temporary cure but the moment I get out of bed I can feel the cold nipping at my toes.
Pa has taken to wearing knitted bed socks purple and pink with pompoms on the ties, well they do not make bed socks for men.

One thing which has proved a blessing is the tartan fleece onesie I brought for him at Christmas, he loves it and it keeps him very snug indeed, he looks so cute bless him.

Small dandruff like bits of snow have been falling all day and the bitter wind is still causing problems. Last night it blew the lid off the storage bin in which we keep our bird food , we buy in bulk you see as it is so much cheaper. Thankfully the damage to its contents was not great as much of the food is in tins,or watertight tubs,the lock up however the bin itself is much the worse for wear. Hey ho!

I made a bread and butter pudding for Pa and I this evening, although my son will eat it ,it is not a favourite with him. Pa and I love it and so we pigged out while we had the chance.....................yummy!

An early night is on the cards for me and as soon as Pa is tucked up in bed have a hot date with hot water bottle. Night night everyone, keep warm and safe.

Saturday 23 March 2013

THE BATTLE FOR EUROPE HAS BEGUN.

 My grandfather fought in the First World War,and my father in the Second,they fought gladly and were prepared to give their lives so that Britain and Europe would be free from either German or Russian oppression.
After the war my father,who had spent almost four years in the Middle East was disgusted and sick to the heart when The Allies carved up Europe and shackled Poland,Czechoslovakia Hungary and half a dozen or more other countries to the tyranny of Stalinist Russia. He had fought beside these men for freedom and he felt every bit as betrayed by his government as they must have done.

We entered the war to free these countries from German occupation only to sell them of to another aggressor,an exercise in futility? Who can say?

Two wars had however failed to bring about a satisfactory conclusion for either Germany or The Soviet Union,both wanted total domination of Europe.

Having failed to gain domination by force of arms these two nations are now locked in a financial battle to control Europe by taking over the assets and Governmental control of countries like Cyprus,Greece,Italy,Southern Ireland and who knows how many others as this strangle man made financial collapse plays out.
Russia has been attempting to occupy a warm water port for well over a century,this week we almost gave her that port!

The fact that Germany won this particular battle should not give any cause for relief,as they have now seized control of Cyprus exactly as the Russians would have done had the Cypriot Government agreed to their diabolical terms!

Germany and Russian have spent the past week playing a dangerous game of chicken with European stability and no on seems to have noticed what is really going on.

Energy, food in fact all resources are becoming scarce,now begins the inevitable land grab by the powerful nations in order to ensure their dominance in the future.

Never forget that at this moment in time we are dependant on countries such as Russian and France for our energy. Great terminals have been built in South Wales to store gas,not our own but imported gas and no matter how many of these tanks we fill we are still dependant of countries which have shown repeatedly throughout our history both ancient and modern that they do not have our best interests at heart. This is dangerous,it makes us vulnerable.

Does our benighted government seriously believe that in the event of a shortage of power France would still supply our needs, of course they would not,understandably they would see to the needs of their own people first,anyone who believes the contrary is living in Fairyland.

One by one members of the European Union will be taken over ,not by the E.U but by Germany,or Russia,in fact the highest bidder. During the past week it has been Germany delivering draconian ultimatums,not the E.U and it will be German money which bails our the poor Cypriots.

We should not feel snug, that we are still afloat,we should not feel safe in our “friendship” within the E.U.

These countries hate Great Britain, Germany will never forgive us for beating them twice and France will never forgive us for bailing them out twice,national pride was too badly dented.
These days we are expected to believe that every Frenchman was a member of the Resistance,this is very far from the truth. The British saved Europe twice and they hate us for it.

It is true that the U.S.A. .who became involved only when their Politicians could be sure which way the wind was blowing helped a great deal with armaments and with brave fighting men. The men were indeed brave ,wonderful men,but the American Government exacted such a price from the British for the assistance they gave that it almost bankrupt the U.K. in paying it back. The American soldier entered the war for the love of liberty ,the American Government entered the war very reluctantly, and for profit!

President Obama consistently shows his contempt for Britain while demanding a continuation of our assistance in matters military. Nothing new there.

This week,the battle for Europe began in earnest. How much easier it is to bankrupt an nation and then ,when it is on its financial knees offer assistance in exchange for total control,How much easier than sending in troops,and artillery. My God this is happening under our noses and no one has noticed,or so it seems.
Most ordinary people no matter what their nationality wish only to live peacefully,to have enough money to house their families and educate their children,they are not interested in power,that goes for both the Russian and the German peoples too.

This week for the sake of six and a half billion pounds,A drop in the ocean of world debt we almost gave Cyprus to the Russians ,there oil,there gas ,and the border with Turkey,it would be better to write off the debt in entire rather than risk another carve up.
Any reasonable person would think so,these men are not reasonable,they do not care who gets hurt,who starves,who dies,and I include our own politicians in this statement, for they cannot truly be in ignorance of the truth behind this charade.

With perestroika came a great opportunity for the Western World to show the people of Russia that we could work together. We could have helped them financially to make the transition from one way of life to another. Instead we let them down,we allowed their economy to collapse and then congratulated ourselves on our perspicacity. We were wrong,very wrong. During the years that followed the Russian people suffered so much that they were prepared to return to the rule of a man like Vladimir Putin. Freedom or starvation,which would you choose?

I have no answer other than this, for Gods sake would it not be better to write of the he lot and begin again than to plunge the world in to darkness,this time perhaps forever.

Friday 22 March 2013

SPRING?







Yesterday was officially the first day of spring, if someone had mentioned this to the weather it would have been well.
The icy blasts which are still finding every crack and keyhole in our ancient cottage is wreaking even worse havoc in my home county of Derbyshire, and in Cheshire where my mother now lives,
great drifts of snow are swirling about,making roads impassable and causing much damage.

Friends who live in the West Country report torrential rain and gales,causing much the same problems as the snow is causing in the north.
The birds,about who's doings I blithely wrote just a few days ago are now either huddled shivering in the ivy or piling in to the very boxes in which they are building their nests in an effort to keep warm!

Any plans I may have had of getting into the garden are shelved for the foreseeable future and instead I am huddled at my desk by the radiator in a bundle of woollies and a pair of fingerless gloves! Hot chocolate, hot porridge ,soups and stews are still the order of the day instead of home made lemonade,salads and a tray of tea in the orchard.

I noted this morning ,with some concern that the weather forecaster promised us that the snow could easily escalate to encompass the home counties.......oh bum! That's us! By tomorrow we too could be buried under a chilly blanket of snow.

Now it is well known that I am a lover of snow,besotted with the stuff in fact,but there comes a point when even the most ardent fan of the chilly stuff must cry “Enough.” We have reached saturation point in every respect, looking out over the garden ,blasted by wind and cold,even the few brave snowdrops look (shrammed) as they say Up North.

One thing is certain, if I hear anyone ,mention Global Warming I shall scream the place down,I swear to God!

Thursday 21 March 2013

SOME HOPEFUL NEWS







The first of my mothers test results haver come back clear, of course there are still several proceedures to be carried out but at least,for now we can breath again.
I hardly dare hope that all will be well but it is a good beginning and she is coping so well,bless her.
Somehow nothing else seems in the least bit important and so for tonight, that's all folks

Wednesday 20 March 2013

RICE







Tonight I decided to make paella for dinner,it is at this point that I must tell you that my son does not like rice! Normally when I make this dish I use Bulgar wheat instead,it is a good substitute and to be frank it is a damn site easier to cook than rice and a lot quicker too.
Tonight, for some reason I decided to do things properly and used rice,fool that I am.
My son likes things to have a sauce and on this account I used Aborio rice as this stays moist and congratulated ,myself that at least Pa would be happy as he loves rice dishes and seldom gets them due to my sons preferences.

As luck would have it dinner needed to be early tonight as my son had a meeting to attend,this fact coupled with a catastrophic failure of the kitchen electrics left me cooking in a hurry,in the dark and in a bad temper!

I have not cooked a rice dish for an age so I followed the instructions on the packet to the letter .However,it seems that these instructions had lost something in the translation so that I was obliged to resort to plodding my way through the Spanish directions (I am by no means fluent) and thus discovered the problem.
Time was against me so I cut my losses,threw away the dodgy instructions and winged it for the next twenty minutes.
By cooking all the other ingredients separately and drowning the rice in stock I managed by the end of that time to combine the two and achieve a passable if slightly al dente dish.

Quite expecting that my son would hate the meal and that even Pa would dislike it I served it up with scant confidence.
Imagine my amazement when they both pronounced it to be perfect and in spite of the fact that I had cooked too much rice they both returned for seconds...then thirds and at last there was hardly anything left.

This must be what is called dumb luck,but in spite of having fluked it tonight this will be the last time try a new dish under combat conditions...and that is absolute!

Tuesday 19 March 2013

THE BIN MEN COMMETH







Like many Local Authorities ours now contracts out all its refuse collection and recycling to a private company assuring us that this will save money. While this may or may not be true what is certain is that the quality of the service heas declined drastically in recent years.

Remember when you kept you rubbish in a metal bin for the men to collect, now we are ordered to carry the bags of rubbish out to the road as “Health and Safety Regulations” prohibit the men from carrying out the bins in case thay hurt themselves! The result of this is that foxes,crows and other carrion eaters rip up the bags and drag the rubbish all over the road.

And what about the health and safety of the householder, who may be elderly, or like my husband and I, disabled. Having to carry the heavy bags up a long pathway to the road is an inceasing challenge to us and many like us.

Then there is the recycling. We have a bag for paper,a bag for metal,a bag for plastic and a bin for food. This means that a considerable amount of time must be spent outside sorting this in to the relevant recepticles which is a trial for people like us, and one that we could well do without.

Of course  believe  whole heartedly in recycling and have always done so .However when I discovered recently that although the recycle stuff is collected seperatly in a specilal vehicle it all ends up in landfill,you may imagine that I was not at all amused!
It's hard to believe,but it is all too true.

We are exhorted to go to all the efferot of seratating out our rubbish for no good reason other than to make us believe that we have a “GreenCouncil". It is we who are green for having belived their clap-trap for so long!

Then, as if to add insult to injury the collectors frequently leave the boxes and bags at the wrong houses so that there is a weekly swap shop of recycle bins(Some are smaller than others) which is a pest in bad weather. Worse than this however is their practice of throwing the heavy plastic boxex and food bins over the railings and in to the garden. Tha damage that this has done to plants and shrubs has been very costly and on one occasion a large heavy bin missed my cat by inches as she sat sunning herself on the grass!

Some where at the beginning of this blog I used the word service.....Service is exactly what we are not getting. Our collectors know that we are disabled and quite often the ramp which we use to acsess the road is out when they call. In spite of this they always,,,ALWAYS.....tleave our boxes,bags and bins ,together with those of our niegbours jammed into the gateway so that we cannot get bock through the gate without alighting from the scooter and moving everything, a difficult task when one is loaded  up with shopping and smartly dresses.

This is the price we now pay for asking the men to desist fro throwing the boxes over the gate. I don't know what it is but service it most certainly ain't!

Monday 18 March 2013

THE WEATHER GODS ARE ANGRY






Thunder and lightening,whatever next?The trip to the shops we had planned was cancelled,Pa slept for most of the afternoon ,waking only to drink a cup of tea or coffee. My son made a start on his next writing project and I set about trying to work out how to send attachment by computer, and what a pesky old business it is.

A have an on line acquaintance to whom I wished to send some pictures of my garden, and I picture of the mystery spider which is still lurking in the downstairs loo to a friend who has a degree in Bugology. I hope it is rare enough to make him come and get the blessed thing....even the cats hiss at it whenever it appears.

By the afternoon the rain have become torrential and both cats sat in their respective corners of the room (they are still not speaking) looking extremely glum.

In spite of this we all felt happy in the fact that we are together and that for once my son would not be leaving the house at nine in the middle of a cloud burst to go to work. I am becoming concerned about the garden though,I really do need to move the roses and redcurrant bush, the wine berry and the loganberry before too long, the walled garden needs attention and the front garden,where most of the herbs grow will have to be completely remodelled if am to grow any veg this year.

Dinner,later than usual due to my son's writing schedule was a very forgiving pork casserole which included squash ans sweet potato as well as the usual winter vegetables. Roast potatoes finished the meal. I would have preferred mash to go with all the lovely gravy but The roasties were requested and I was happy to oblige.

Evenings are lovely now,no scrabbling about to get out in time for work. No more worry about my son getting mugged again. No more hurried meal,we are off the treadmill at last! My thankfulness for this is boundless,and weather my son's books are a success or not,and I have every confidence they will be,he is at least free form the pitiful tyranny of ….....perhaps I had better see what the Levinson report says?  

Sunday 17 March 2013

RAINY DAYS AND SUNDAYS



Once again my kitchen became a battle ground today, taken over by the Kamikaze Dungeoneers. They fought great battles on two large banqueting tables which practically fill the kitchen,much to the amusement of my pregnant cat Moth and much to the disgust of Twiggy,who detests company of any sort.
Pa and I, banished as usual to the outer reaches of the house and spent the day snoozing ,in Pa's case and catching up with some correspondence in mine.
The weather, diabolical again discouraged any idea I might have had of going for a spin on the scooter,or spending time in the garden.

Still there was a hazy layer of calm today which I thoroughly enjoyed,you see tomorrow is rather special for us.
For eight years my son as worked nights ,this has wrecked havoc on the lives of us all, three weeks has been the maximum amount of time which he has been away from work on holiday in all that time. Tomorrow will be the beginning of the fourth week of freedom,a very significant occasion for us.
I cannot pretend that we are any where close to adjusting to pour new found freedom,this is going to take some time, but I am very sure that I shall enjoy having more time for my garden,my books and my painting;if the Gods allow.

Some how or other today the rain did not matter,nor the grey sky,the pure pleasure of knowing that tomorrow my son will not have to return to his former employment made up for all.
Yesterday evening I came across him staring out of the window looking pensive,I asked him what was wrong and he told me that he was missing his friends at work.

This did not surprise me in the least, the camaraderie created by working through such troubled times and against impossible deadlines as they did for years must have formed strong bonds which will never truly be broken.
I asked him is he was sorry to have left and got a resounding “Not likely, I feel that I've been let out of prison.”
And so say all of us!



Saturday 16 March 2013

MUSIC TO MY EARS







Spring seems to be still a long way off and the promise of only a few weeks ago has been forgotten with the advent of gales snow/frost and more torrential rain. In spite of this the birds in our garden are busy building nests.
A large bag of hair ,donated by a friend who owns a long haired dog vanished in a morning as did a net full of wood wool and a hand full of hay jammed in to a thorn bush.

The robins reedy winter song has ,for some weeks been replaced by a full throated warble which is a joy to hear, the wrens are shouting out their territorial claims loudly enough to be heard in the next parish and all around are the sights and sounds of their industry.

My tame pair of robins are courting my attention as the nest in a bush outside my window,the male bird sings on a branch a couple of feet away from where I sit to write and as soon as it is possible to keep the window open during the day their will be a supply of meal worms for him and his family,a small price to pay for the offices of such a skilled musician. During the winter months we place a private supply of food for him by the front door a spot which other birds a too timid to use.

Recently I purchased and old French bird cage,the type in which a dove would have been housed as a lovers gift to his lady. The spaces between the bares are wind enough for small birds such as robins to easily get in and out. During the summer this will hand in my bedroom window and inside I shall place a plate of meal worms and suet, this will enable the robins and their young to feed safely without fear of our resident kestrel family.

I hope for some interesting photographs to show you if all goes well.

Although my cold is no better feel rested now and I hope to shake it off before too long.
My mum is having a quiet weekend with my brothers,we expect that there will be some news next week.
In the mean time we are all attempting to have as normal a time as possible, as mum herself says,time enough for trouble without meeting it halfway, how I wish I had her courage.

Friday 15 March 2013

PENDING







Yesterday morning found me bleary eyed and aching from head to toe., my temperature revealed the reason fro my lethargy and also with my head splitting(infected sinus,)a hacking cough (chest infection) and the consequences of an adverse reaction to a new medication I decided to cut my losses and have a duvet day.
I have been attempting to see my G.P for some time but appointments are as rare as unicorn poo !After a wait of almost three weeks I was to have seen a Doctor on Wednesday last., at the last moment that appointment was cancelled.
Two of the G. Ps were on Holiday I was told ,and the Locum had failed to turn up . My appointment she went on to tell me had been considered non urgent and a new appointment had been made for April 3rd.
I mentioned with some asperity that I had already waited for several weeks,that I had been obliged to discontinue a vital medicine due to violent side effects and that if a temperature of 102 was not urgent what,precisely would it take to attract the attention of these Medical Demi Gods. She repeated the date and time and hung up!

Feeling that I have in all conscience been more than patient under the circumstances I am in the process of writing a complaint about what has happened. I have a number of medical problems all of which are debilitating and one of which,if not correctly medicated could prove fatal. I have now been without proper medication for this condition for five weeks and the complications caused by the incorrect medication have been alarming.

Amongst other difficulties I have been unable to wear shoes for a fortnight as my feet have swelled up like balloons! Walking,already difficult at times has become both hazardous and even more painful than usual. Bouts of dizziness are also making it more than usually difficult to move about.

Today I am still feeling grotty but I was able to do a little cooking for the boys and I feel all the better for it.
I am grateful for the fact that my son is at home just now,if he were not things would be impossible.

There is still now news from Mum and the cat is still bulging at the seams ,everything seam,s to be pending.
Please excuse the rant I shall better tomorrow,I hope.

Thursday 14 March 2013

Apologies

Avie asked me to apologise for the lack of an entry tonight; time has grown long and late, and it has been a rather tiring day...so normal service to be resumed tomorrow....

Son Of Avie

Wednesday 13 March 2013

ON THE PROWL






Moth our little calico cat is now so heavily pregnant that unless she kittens soon I shall be obliged to fit the poor little minx with a roller skate under her tummy...my she is a size. I n spite of all our efforts to make a secure place for her to have the kittens we have so far failed to come up with anything to her liking . Unfortunately for us at present she seems to favour a spot an the kitchen worktop between the toaster oven and the sink...most inconvenient for all concerned.

Only one of our beautifully constructed hiding places has found any favour with Madam Fusspot and she does inspect this delightful spot beside the gas boiler whenever she returns from a trip outside and this morning I found her in the laundry basket among the tea towels and aprons. The ways of cats are strange indeed.

Twiggy too is on the prowl, she has moved almost entirely in to my bedroom at the moment but has displayed a desire to invade my sons wardrobe,needless to say her attentions in this quarter are not entirely welcome, cat hair and black trousers do not mix.

The spider in to downstairs loo is still cavorting about ,much to Pa's dismay and as it's main lodging seems to be behind the cistern I have fitted a mirror on the door of the loo so that he can see what is going on behind him whenever he has occasion to use the facility!!

Outside there are problems too,on a swift trip up the garden for a bunch of fresh rosemary I observed a pair of magpies stuffing twigs down one of our chimney pots and I foresee trouble in the near future if I fail to persuade them to stop. I am considering the use of an old fashioned “Soot Witch” a small explosive device use to dislodge baked on soot from inside the chimney. This will I hope cause the pair to have second thoughts as to their choice of nest sight!

There is still no news from mum which I hope is a good thing, I must admit that she never out of my mind these days and I know the boys feel the same. She is such a sweetie,and so very dear to us all. Pa had a difficult relationship with his own mother ,who was,in my opinion the most malevolent old hag I ever encountered. My mother has treated |Pa like one of her own sons since the day I first brought him home to tea and he adores her for it. I keep on finding myself repeating the mantra”Please let mum be OK” over and over again.



Tuesday 12 March 2013

AN UNINVITED GUEST


                                                                    or

              THERE'S SOMETHING NASTY IN THE DOWNSTAIRS LOO!





Troubles never come singly, it is all too true,but with everything else which is going on
or in the case of the cat having her kittens,not going on ,our downstairs loo has been infested with a strange spider!
Not a great problem on the face of it,you might be forgiven for supposing,but you would be quite wrong.
You see this spider is very,very,odd and the photograph above does not do justice to it's strange features.
To begin with it has the body of an insect rather than a spider and although it does have eigth legs they are red in colour. I Has a pale body and a dark brown thorax,unlike a spider it’s body is not soft,instead it has a hard shiny carapace,like a fly.
It has two huge eyes and we can see no evidence of it's having the usual eight.

Poor old Pa has to use the downstairs loo most of the time,the alternative is a trip on the stair lift which takes rather longer than is comfortable for him under the circumstances.
I recently cured myself of a lifelong fear of spiders but I find that this does not include weird ones such as we are currently harbouring.

My son feels as I do and even the cats are not keen.
Now come the questions, what is it? Where did it come from? And more to the point ,where did it go?
It was last seen disappearing behind the cistern in the early hours of the morning....it has not been seen since. Pa is afraid that it is still in there and I am afraid that it is not and had spent much time turning out the kitchen cupboards with the aid of a litter picking device!

We are at present on |red alert and shall be until the creature can be persuaded to depart. In the mean time I have sent what pictures have to a couple of spider experts ,it would be something to discover the thing to be harmless,I must say it looks anything but!”

Monday 11 March 2013

BLOW ,BLOW THOU WINTER WIND.....etc!


                                         
We awoke this morning to swirling snowflakes and a bitter wind which had spent the night finding it's way though all the cracks in the woodwork and all the badly fitting windows. I thought at first that the boiler had expired but in fact the poor old girl just could not compete with the freezing east wind.
Having given thanks that no one had occasion to got out today decided to hunker down and keep warm as well as we could. Out came the sweaters,cardigans and fleeces,out came the furry slippers.....Christmas gifts.... and every available draught excluder was deployed.

Niether of the cats showed any inclination what ever to go outside ,to our relief,we topped up the litter tray while the cats looked on thankfully.
I must say that normally our little cottage is quite snug, but when the wind is in this particular direction it blows through the house like an express train.

Over a hot breakfast we decided on a dinner of macaroni cheese and ham ,followed by a steamed strawberry jam suet pudding and custard. I also made a mince meat fruit cake for Pa,the warmth from the oven was pleasant.

Having designated the day a holiday we set about amusing ourselves while attempting to keep warm, this soon proved to be impossible and from this time on we took turns to make hot tea or coffee while piling on more and more warm clothes. I dealt with a pile of correspondence while wearing a hooded fleece cape and a pair of fur line boots and a hot water bottle inside my sweater.!

The afternoon passed slowly and we were all jolly glad when dinner time arrived and I must say we certainly did justice to the meal.

After clearing the kitchen I I took my place in the queue for a shivery shower.
Ac tally that was the warmest I had been all day as the water was piping hot overhead heater thoughtfully installed by the builders last summer really came in to its own.

Now with my gorgeous fur lined hot water bottle newly filled I intent to go to bed and to stay there all night,if the Gods be willing,and if Moth does not decide to have her kittens on the coldest night of the year. Wish me luck.

Sunday 10 March 2013

MOTHERS AND SONS







We all overslept this morning,this seems to be par for the course these days and it took three mugs of coffee to get us going. While drinking my third mug I called my own lovely Mum to wish her a happy day. The answer hone took the message and for a while I was really worried, all however was well and a few minutes later she rang me.
It seems that my youngest brother, who still lives at home had greeted her this morning with “Happy Mothers Day.” a card, a gift; and the news that his hot water bottle had exploded and that his bed was soaked!!

I was not the only Mum in the family who did not get a cuppa made for them this morning although actually it does not trouble me, here who ever wakes first makes the first coffee of the day and more often than not it is my son who makes this first and very important beverage.

After a nice long chat I was called to breakfast and Mum went off to her belated pot of tea. My son had set the table with great care,it looked splendid, quite a set out. There was a pot of tea, orange juice,hot buttered crumpets, English muffins with honey and some wonderful buttery croissant piping hot and crisply delicious with lots of strawberry jam.

My gift to my mother of two pairs of trousers was exactly what she wanted,I know this as I took the precaution of asking her in advance what she would like.

My gift from the boys was a wonderful patchwork quilt(I am addicted to these works of art) with two matching pillow shams,exactly what I wanted as I too had been asked what I would like.

The pretty pink and white patchwork looks lovely in my newly painted room and as I too knew what my gift would be I had purchased a set of curtains and some cushion covers along with a pretty patterned fleece for the colder nights to match the new quilt set.
I spent the rest of the day rearranging my room and with my son's help with the curtains by four thirty it was finished.
I looks so light and airy after the rich terra cotta shades which have made the room cosy through the winter months and although it is certain that winter is not yet over I for one am more than ready for a change.

There was fish and chips for dinner followed by my favourite iced cream and for me NO WASHING UP!

Today has been lovely,almost perfect in fact,all that was missing was visiting my mum for tea as we always used to before we moved south.

My son has with Pa's help made this a very special day, so lovely that I don't want it to end. Still tomorrow will be a lovely day too and I intend to make my lovely boys a fine breakfast as a thank you for my wonderful day.

Saturday 9 March 2013

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY






Yesterday afternoon mum slipped off to the hospital for some more tests without letting us know. She is desperate to keep us from worrying about her. However my spies are everywhere and I did discover that the results of these tests will be sent to her G.P.
I spoke to her today and I must say that she sounds fine,it's just being so far away that makes if so unbearable, but it cannot be helped.

Tomorrow is Mothering Sunday and I made sure ages ago that mum would have her card and gifts in good time. My son is doing the cooking tomorrow and I shall have a lazy day,and well deserved if I say so myself as I have just finished an enormous pile of ironing...pheeeeeeew!
I began at the start of the Scotland v Wales rugby match and finished about twenty minutes after the match ended. It was an odd sort of a game but at least Wales won.

Snow is forecast for Monday I hear, just between you and me even I am getting a bit bored with the stuff,not to mention the fact that it will flatten my poor crocus flowers.

When the ironing was done I poured myself a large glass of damson gin,lovely stuff, I believe I might just have another even larger on before bed.....well it makes a change from Horlicks.



Friday 8 March 2013

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS?






I feel as if I am sitting on a time bomb,there are so,me many things pending the outcome of which could tear my family apart.
Mum still sounds cheerful and my younger brother ,another Richard sounds cheerful when call him. My darling Mum, waiting for more tests,waiting for results,so many people go through this hell every day, Iv,e been there myself and it's no joke. She keeps cheerful for us bless her and how we all love her for it.

Part of me wants the tests over with and another part of me dreads them,whenever I think about it I feel sick.

To take my mind off things today I decided to spring clean the kitchen,and I must say it looks lovely all shiny and with things put away in their proper place. Keeping busy is the best  way I know to dispel gloomy thoughts yet somehow, today, it did not seem to work as well today.

The cat Moth is holding out on us,she has still not given birth and every night she gives every appearance of the early stages of labour,she is a tease, still it can not be long now she is huge. She waddles about the house and from behind appears to have panniers!

I did manage to get some sleep last night for which I am thankful, later I lay comfortably listening to the rain pattering on the window panes,it is a relaxing sound and somehow to me it is reassuring, although I have no idea why?

For the time being things are ticking over and today has been a lovely ordinary day,I ask for no more.

Thursday 7 March 2013

A GRINDING HALT






To say that we had a lazy day would be a complete understatement today we did nothing except get up late,and eat a late breakfast of potato cakes after which Pa went back to bed.
My son and I spent the afternoon on our respective computers sorting out files after which I cooked a meal of sausages with caramelised onions and soft bread rolls. In had not the energy to do more.
It appears that the more we rest the more tired we become. My son is finding things particularly difficult after working a night shift for so many years.

In spite of this we are enjoying having more time together,for my however learning to relax again is going to take a while.
P a seems fine at least,he could sleep through the last trump so nothing new there.
Moth has not yet given birth and continues to mooch about in dark corners.
I must try to pull myself together tomorrow and if it is fine I mean to do some more gardening.

Snow is forecast however so I expect I shall end up dong the ironing. I have promised the boys a steamed treacle pudding tomorrow to follow a main course of home made vegetable soup and cheese and tomato soda farl. I might make a batch of cookies in case of weekend callers.

I miss having my sons work mates to bake for.

Wednesday 6 March 2013

LOVELY,LOVELY LIFE


                                            LOVELY LOVELY LIFE


Whenever life throws a wobbly in my direction and whenever I begin to despair fate always seems to throws a lifebuoy to save me ,it happens every time.
Often,it is just a small thing which,although it lifts the gloom for just a few seconds shows me that there is light at the tunnels end. Enough to return me to thankfulness for all that is still good in my small world. Today it was a haze of damson blossom against the dark background of evergreens. Sprays of tiny white buds shyly opening to show the delicate stamens filled with rich pollen.

A light breeze stirred the branches and I swear the tree looked as if it was dancing,swirling its dainty white skirts like a ballerina,showering the ground with snowy petals and filling my heart with joy.
My childhood home had a grove of damson trees ,beautiful in early spring and filled in autumn with delicious fruits,my mothers damson crumble is the best in the world. I called her today and she sounded cheerful and upbeat. One thing I know now is what ever happens she is and always will be the best mum in the world, and there will always be happiness for me whenever I think of her.