NO SIGN OF NARNIA

Great was my relief this morning when Pa left for a few hours at hospital as it meant that I could devote my energies to some serious cookery and sot out my sons room ready for his return. Before Pa left I cooked us at last the promised breakfast of eggs Florentine, this is a great favourite with Pa and I but as it takes a lot of fiddling about I only make it about once every two or three weeks.
Dressed and well fed off we went, he to the hospital ,I to the garden to pick beams and to bring in a marrow. Lurking amongst the large spiny leaves were a couple of monsters and I cut them both and lugged them back to the kitchen to be dealt with later. Hollandaise sauce uses only the yolk of egg so with four egg whites sitting in a bowl it seemed a good idea to make a Pavlova for pudding tonight served perhaps with some of the boozy blueberries and chopped toasted hazel nuts, or perhaps some fresh plums.

Dinner tonight needed some preparation and I set a pint of link to infuse with two bay leaves, sixteen peppercorns and a crushed clove of garlic then went on the dice onions to cook with the minced steak,this with the addition of a few herbs and a squeeze of tomato purred would be thickened later to make a rich meat sauce.

Ever since reading The Chronicles of Narnia at the age of seven I have lived in hope of one day finding Lucy's wardrobe. With the cleaning done I emptied the washing machine and then on to the exploration of my sons wardrobe, not a task for the faint of heart! The wardrobe is built into the wall of the house underneath the eaves and is a strange enough space to be sure. From the outside it likes exactly like another room and this has in the past lead to some confusion when visitors, new to the house go in search of the lavatory. My room has another of these strange small rooms, mine is bigger and actually has a window , as a child I would have had the jim-jams every night wondering what might come out of it. I still do now I come to mention it and it does house some very,very large black spiders!

Spiders also infest my sons wardrobe where its roof slopes up into the eaves and the fear of one of these monsters dropping down the back of my neck was enough to make my hunt for the lamp post a short one. The one strange thing I did discover was the initials A,S, carved into the door frame............I wonder?

With his wardrobe and his bedroom beaten into submission I took a stroll in the vegetable garden to cool off and while I was there picked a bucketful of runner beans of which I seem to have an embarrassment this year, I have begun to notice that the neighbours always seem to be out when I approach with beans or courgettes, spinach and sorrel however are still welcome.
Twiggy was wild to be out in the garden today and celebrated her freedom by catching a small rat which she left on the front door step, this is progress as she usually brings her trophies still squeaking in to the house, I once found one of her victims hiding in my bed, I was not amused!

The weather held dry for my son today and he visited all his old haunts, this sort of weather is best for these visits as on sunny days the place is infested with later day hippies and wannabe witches, they don't really have a clue what it's all about and in an case a true witch is born, not made! These ancient stones were places of pilgrimage long before Chaucer wrote his Canterbury Tales, in fact long before Christianity reached these shores along with those pesky Romans!

All the chores were done at last and Pa and I enjoyed our meal of poached marrow rings filled with a rich meat sauce and topped with bechamel sauce and a sprinkling of cheese, followed by Pavlova, one thing is certain we shall want not super tonight.

SUGAR AND SPICE AND ONIONS

Listening to the rain beating upon my bedroom window last night I decided that as there would be no working in the garden I would spend the day making some of the last preserves of the year, chutney. Jam jars have been a problem this year and I thought that I should have just enough to bottle one batch. I finally fell asleep at about two in the morning and slept well.

True to form Pa played up rather badly this morning, for some reason he is always like this when my son is away of if he knows that I am busy or at all unwell. I suspect that he feels insecure at such times for which I am sorry but it is a trial I could well do without.
Not only did he refuse to get up which would have been bad enough, he also treated me to one of his Who am I? What am I​ ?Where am I? turns complete with much groaning and thrashing about. This would have alarmed me in the past, this morning I just placed his coffee on the bedside table, told him to pull himself together and marched off!

Although this sounds harsh it does work, and within half an hour he had drunk his coffee and was getting dressed and although the lateness of the hour meant that breakfast had to be boiled eggs instead of the eggs Florentine I had promised to make all went well after that and by twelve I was busy peeling the apples and onions ready to begin the chutney.

CHRISTMAS CHUTNEY

This chutney must be made in September as it needs to mature for three months.

4 lb of cooking apples peeled cored and chopped
1lb onions, peeled and chopped
2 pints of malt vinegar
2lb granulated sugar
I lb dark brown Muscavado sugar
1 oz garlic peeled and crushed

Place these ingredients in a large pan and bring to the boil then simmer until pulpy then add

1teaspoon of ground allspice
1 oz of ground ginger
12 oz chopped pitted dates
1lb sultanas or raisins
1 oz black mustard seeds

Simmer until the mixture thickens then bottle in sterile jars . Store in a dark place until Christmas, this chutney combines all the spicy seasonal aromas with a sweet sharpness that goes well with cheeses of cold meats. It is worth making plenty as it makes a great Christmas gift. In properly sterile heated jars this will keep for over a year, if it lasts thatlong.
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With about half a pound of left over mashed potato and a little flour and melted butter I made some potato cakes which we ate for dinner with some crispy panchetta,eggs and mushrooms and very nice it was too. Having spent the afternoon in an atmosphere of boiling vinegar and onions I needed to cook something quick and tasty so this fitted the bill perfectly and Iced cream for afters finished the meal.

Yesterday I bottled some wild cherry brandy and some blueberry vodka and I now have about a pound of alcoholic cherries and the mass of blueberries. Tomorrow shall make a very boozy cherry pie for which I must remember to buy cream and the following day a blueberry sponge
these treats are a nice by-product of making home made liqueurs and we look forward to them very much.

How the wind did howl about the house today and the rain lashed down without ceasing, our poor little cat, deeply grieved at being unable to venture outdoors sat disconsolate watching the rain drops run down the windows and the windblown leaves driven before the stormy blasts. She would have dearly loved to be outside chasing them about the garden, eventually she drifted off to my sons room to be miserable about something different for a while....poor old puss!

My son spent the day in Hungerford browsing around the many antique shops, we may move there one day. We spent a year living in Newbury and often spent our Sundays in Hungerford, a pretty little town with wonderful Savernake Forest close by, not to mention Avebury .

Sleepy now I shall soon take a bath and then as soon as Pa is settled I shall cuddle up under my snug quilt and hope to sleep but should I not I have a couple of good films to watch , maybe the cat will join me,if I can prise her off my sons bed for a while. Good night all.

WILTSHIRE PILGRIMAGE

Early this morning the house was bustling with unusual activity as we made the final preparations for my sons annual pilgrimage to Avebury and its environs. Even Pa was wide awake and as the taxi arrived to ferry the traveller and his luggage to Paddington station we stood on the door step waving madly as he disappeared round the bend in the lane.

Bread making was next on the list and then a quieter than usual breakfast of pancakes for Pa and I during which we received a call to let us know that he had caught the train without incident and was on his way. I cannot tell you how much I miss his cheerful presence in the house but although I shall be glad to have him home again I would be the first to admit that he has never needed a holiday quite so much as he needs this one. I know that he is overworked, I know that he has not had a pay rise for almost three years , I know that if he leaves they will need to hire at least two people to cover the amount of work he has been doing for so long,and I also know that he could do a damn sight better somewhere else.

He arrived at Marlborough at twelve thirty and got quite a welcome from the staff , he has a special room away from the noise, it is large and comfortable and he loves it .
Today he wandered round the lovely old market town and dinned sumptuously at his favourite resterilise before retiring early. The weather forecast for the week is abysmal but he is a tough northern lad and he cares nothing for that, besides he has a lot of research to do and will use the quiet time he now has to good advantage.

During the afternoon the weather closed in here and it began to rain heavily and the rain was driven by gusty winds, Pa and I and our cat Twiggy were glad to be indoors,safe and snug.

Pa is to have all the special meals he loves this week and tonight I prepared an rich oxtail stew which I served with carrot , parsnip, swede and potato mashed together with butter, when we were first married I would often cook this dish , now we only have it when my son is away as he dislikes oxtail. The kitchen was nice and clean as I had spent some time during the afternoon scrubbing the cooker top and washing the paintwork here and there, so after dinner there were only the dishes to wash.

Tired from our early star we decided on hot baths and an early night, now that the evenings are drawing in I light candles in the bathroom when Pa takes a bath and burn a relaxing incense. Pa spends over an hour in the bath as the warm water relaxes him and soothes his arthritic pain which can be bad at times. My son and I like the candle light too, so everyone gets a treat and it helps to make the longer evenings a little more pleasant.

I hope that my son gets a good nights sleep and that the next few days will give him the rest that he so badly needs, I worry about him so much. I am firmly convinced that these days it does not pay to be honourable, diligent and hard working, all that happens is that people with less of these admirable qualities take advantage of your good nature . My son was once informed that he works far to hard to be promoted, what the devil does that mean.....I bet you can guess what I think it means!

Remember I told you that I had taken some photographs of the masses of different insects to be seen gathering pollen on the flowering ivy. I downloaded them on to my net book today and I was amazed at how beautiful they are in close up. All my life I had adored bugs, beetles bees and all types of insect, excepting only the huge black spiders which are haunting my bedroom at the moment. The photograph on today's blog is of the European Wasp, handsome devil don't you think?

THE X FACTORY

Firstly I must confess to never having watched more than a few minutes of this “popular” television programme and although many may say that this gives me no right at all to offer up a critique upon The X Factor I beg to differ. Like Big Brother, Strictly Come Dancing and others in the reality T.V. genre are now so widely reported on serious news programmes and in newspapers that it is impossible not to know what is going on. There seems to be an all consuming interest in the doings of the contestants and the panel, which is fed by the never ending interviews with those concerned by journalists who should ,in my humble opinion know better.
Now is the season for these shows to begin vying for the attention of a population who if they are not by now sated with such rubbish certainly should be.

Last night while channel hopping in the vain hope of finding something worth watching on the many free view channels I stopped to listen to a singer who's appearance was as arresting as her performance. She looked like a Goth and a tatty one at that but hand on heartthe last time I heard a performer sing with such passion and with so much soul it was many years ago at a Judy Garland concert. This young woman had in her voice the heart rending quality of Piaf,the integrity of Garland and the soulful sweetness of Mama Cass of whom she had a more than passing resemblance.I was captivated in a moment so that even when I realised what I was watching I still listened and was touched to the core by the raw talent on display.

I could have done without the leaky waterworks of the panel who I am told frequently cry with amazement when one of the contestants ,manages to stay in tune and I really could have done without the gratuitous mopping and mowing being done by someone whom I took to be a fond family member. It was unnecessary and distracting, fatuous and oh so predictable to the point where surely by now it must be obvious to all that the worst kind of manipulation is going on here.

Of course the woman was proud of her daughter but the possibility that the panel might have ripped the girl to shreds in front of an audience of millions, as is their want to do should have tempered her reaction.
I enjoyed the performance immensely and yet I was not so besotted that I did not notice that the young lady's voice needs quite a bit of work here and there if she is to go on to better things, tecnique which can be learned. The panel were fulsome in their praise which would have been fine if we did not know that they frequently say such things and behave in this emotional manner for any one half decent who gets on the show.

How long I wonder will it be before some one slimmer. Prettier and with less than half the talent and integrity displayed last night gets the same WOW response, and I will wager that the winner will be the usual pretty girl or appealing young man, which shows like this seem to churn out like sausages,look what happened to Susan Bourne after the build up she recieved, second place and a nervous breakdown in full view of the public.....great television!

Singers such as I watched last night have a hellish time in the business because of how they look, for every Alison Moyet there are a thousand Cheryl Coles, and here is the case in point.
Cheryl Cole, an undeniably pretty girl but with a very small talent in deed, her singing is at best mediocre and as far as I can judge her only real ability is in keeping her face in front of the worlds cameras by any possible means. To call her, and the many like her stars or worse diva's is to denigrate real performers such as the late wonderful Amy Winehouse, Madonna, Aretha Franklin to name a few, artists of genuine ability and more to the point entertainers of quality.

Having spent some time in the world of show business and a strange place it is believe me I can say with truth that real talent is as rare as hens teeth and is often found in the most unlikely people and even more unlikely places. Pretty girls are ten a penny, especially when they can command hairdressers ,make up artists and fashion designers to do there bidding.

Talent.... OK ….The “X” factor is not something that can be learned or bought or counterfeited it is a tiny spark, a gift, a blessing or a curse to the one in a million who possess it, it can make or it can destroy a persons life................depending on how it is used, developed and managed.

My heart went out to that young lady who's name I do not know, and for the intense enjoyment it gave me to listen to her my grateful thanks .With all my heart I wish that nothing happens to spoil last night for her. I hope that she goes on to the top...but should she not I would like to tell her that nothing in the world will make people forget they way she sang last night, if I never hear her sing again I shall remember and be glad that for once I did not switch off the moment I realised what I was watching. Thanks lass, whoever you are and good luck.

UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS

While tidying my room this morning and running through my mind the many tasks which needed to be done today an old episode of “Upstairs Downstairs” was playing . It was the episode in which the family had gone of to Scotland for the grouse shooting taking old Hudson as valet cum gillie cum anything else His Lordship needed , it is not a favourite episode so I switched it off and carried on tidying.

Later, having cooked a breakfast of poached eggs on toast for the boys, washed up, met , greeted and made tees for my sons friends and dealt with the mail I went upstairs to do the ironing....not comment......! Today the task was more than usually arduous as I was also packing my sons cases for his holiday which starts on Monday. I set up the Ironing board, found the cases and while the iron heated up I booked a taxi to take the traveller to Paddington Station on Monday morning.

It was while I was lovingly folding the last shirt to pack that I remembered poor old Hudson and it occurred to me that our positions in the household are much alike, the only difference is that he actually went to Scotland with the luggage whereas I shall remain here on board wages as it were to look after Pa. It is just as well that my sense of humour is in good working order of I could easily become unhappy about the situation.

I recently purchased anew bird box, I large one for the small birds to roost in during the bad weather and this afternoon armed with a large hammer and some nails I went to find a suitable location for this birds des res. This was not as easy as one might suppose as there are already many nest boxes dotted about the garden, in trees and on the walls or tucked under the ivy. The box must be sited high enough so the madam Twiggy cannot reach for although she does not usually bother birds one likes to be sure. Then there are the rates who are not above taking the odd birds egg given the chance. Really in was quite a bossiness but at last a suitable location was found in the hardest bit of old wall I have ever d the misfortune to encounter, and guess who forgot to but masonry nails.....that’s right!

Much hammering, cursing, bruised thumbs and bent nails later I surveyed the new abode with pride and walked up the garden path, pleased with my effort, but pride goeth before a fall and that is exactly what happened , the bird box fell of the wall with a clatter and I returned to try again. More cursing more bent nails and more anguished yelps ans the hammer hit my thumb again. From the other side of the wall a voice filled with concern ask if I was quite alright an I replied that I was perfectly fine thank you, it sounded like our vicar......remembering my language I do hope not!

Typing is difficult at the moment due to the unpicturesque state of my finger ends and I still have Pa's new curtains to hang before I an finished for the day...What I need is a footman, or a parlourmaid, in any event I shall delegate this task to my tall son and I shall sit giving instructions in a ;lordly manner..that will be fun for a change.

How lovely the weather has been today, the ivy is common in to flower and is full of bees. The moth trap is going out in my garden this evening for possibly the last time this year and we are hoping for some rare ones and praying that it does not rain before morning or muggings here will have to get up, go out side in her dressing gown and bring the blessed thing indoors. Even Hudson did not have to mess about with moth traps........Ho Hum!

WHAT SEPTEMBER MEANS TO ME

How I hated September as a child, it meant of course back to school after a long glorious summer of climbing trees, swimming in the river, playing on the sweet smelling haystacks and lazing in the long grass for hours with a book for company.

Primary school was mostly fine but the Autumn term always meant that the girls had to do knitting for two hours a week on a Tuesday and my knitting was atrocious. Long after other girls had become proficient and had gone on to knit baby clothes for little brothers and sisters or even bobble hats and scarves I was still at the plain square pot holder stage .My teacher Miss Smith had lost all patience with me and declared me incorrigible, she was right, I still cannot knit.

It did not matter that my crochet work was gossamer fine and perfect or that my embroidery was second to none the fact that I was unable to master the problem of even tension in my knitting made me an outcast and I was made to sit with the infants while I struggled with my pot holder,it was a fine blow to my conceit and I felt it keenly. Finally the headmaster decreed that I was indeed incorrigible and informed my teacher that instead of knitting he would put me in charge of the library, a grand name for a folding bookcase in the corner of the hall.
I would decide what books we would take each month from the mobile library. This was a position of honour and I passed very quickly from being the butt of a hundred jokes to some one who must be treated well if you wanted a book on a particular subject. My old headmaster was a wise man indeed.

Out doors was my element and as I grew up I hated Autumn as it meant the onset of =bad weather and believe me where I lived the weather could be and usually was dreadful from October to May. Above all I hated the early darkness which closed in and curbed my freedom to roam were and when I chose. I suppose that it was what the season augured rather than what it was which made me dread it so.

Old folks always told me that the older you get the more you dislike Autumn and winter but of course I being contrary have found the opposite to be the case.
Now September is welcome with it's softer light and its misty mornings. I love the spicy scents of the decaying leaves and the bustle of the harvest. Now it means to me a rest from all the gardening, jam making and preserving which has occupied me for months. Although I love my gardens by this time of the year I am getting weary and in need of a break before the business of making Christmas cakes and puddings in amounts that seem to increase year on year.

Most welcome at the moment are the cool nights when it is a pleasure to snuggle down under my patchwork quilt instead of being far to hot with only a sheet. Having been brought up one the northern hills where there is always a breeze I suffer a good deal from the humidity her about.

September means that once again we can eat game and venison pasties rabbit pies and roast pheasant are back on the menu accompanied by honey baked butter nut squash... wonderful.
It means sitting around the kitchen table all together playing cards or board games or drinking our hot chocolate together while we watch a film, yes I love September now because it is the harbinger of all these pleasures...and it means that my little cat will spend more time with me curled up on my desk of my bed and for now the September sun is glorious. Life has it's compensations I always find.

TWAS ON THE THURSDAY MORNING THAT THE CARPENTER CAME ROUND

It crossed my mind today that I am still waiting for the holidays to begin, so far due to unforeseen circumstances I seem to have been busier than ever since Monday. Today saw the removal of the back door and the draught proofing thereof which took all day and tomorrow I am promised that a start will be made upon the windows . While I am glad that the work is being done at last and that it is being carried out while my son is not trying to sleep during the day it has to be said that it has made for a very uncomfortable day.

Our meat order arrived and needed to be packed into the freezers pronto, unfortunately the kitchen was full of the carpenter and his tools so it had to wait while I cleared him out. No sooner had he returned than the grocery delivery arrived and again I had to ask him to sit in the garden while we unpacked and put the things away. Incidentally while unpacking the meat my son decided that he preferred beef to guinea fowl for dinner so a quick change of vegetables and accompaniments was required..no problem.

Mayhem was breaking loose with everything happening at once and it was at this point, heaven help me that my mother chose to telephone., and I knew I was in for trouble, she never calls if the news is good,I was right, the news was bad! The card I sent for my brothers birthday had not arrived, his birthday is tomorrow, but the real reason she called was to tell me of a family row between my sister-in-law and her son, who happens to be my favourite nephew. Doing my level best to say noting that could upset my brothers wife I attempted to defend my nephew, it was very tricky...very tricky indeed and I suspect that I failed, still what the hell They live over two hundred miles away so I shan't hear them shouting!

Now that the doors are almost finished it is wonderful not to be able to see half and inch or more of daylight all around the sides and a good inch at the bottom. The chap doing the job is a real crafts man and a perfectionist, we shall be much more cosy this winter thanks to his good offices.

We tucked in to the roast beef with a will as we have not had many roast dinners while the battle of the ovens was going on, how typical of the enemy to try starving us out! I served the beef with Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and mushy peas as it is usually eaten in our neck of the woods, two large jugs of gravy disappeared along with all but four of the two dozen small Yorkshire puddings all the roasties and most of the peas. None of us could face any pudding unsurprisingly.

This afternoon we all went into the garden to play quoits, a game which even Pa can play as an equal, more than equal in fact as he won handsomely, I on the other hand played badly and came last for which I make no excuse. Tomorrow I intend to give the others a sound thrashing if the weather permits........and I manage to improve beyond all recognition!

The cat Twiggy watched us play with interest but took care not to get in the way of the flying quoits, she too feasted on roast beef this evening and is now sitting on my bed washing her whiskers with an air of satisfied snugness which is a joy to behold, I love to see her a happy little cat, she is certainly pleased with life tonight,