It's Almost Five Weeks...

 ...since we declared The Kitchen Project "finished". Thoughts thus far

• we still need one more coat of white paint on the door surround. Oops!
• despite using the room A Lot, it remains amazingly tidy and clutterfree
• however late it is, I will not go to bed if there is anything on the worktop which should be elsewhere
• the undercounter lighting is superb
• the majority of 'new protocols' have worked
• keeping the Futility Room as a 'scullery' for dishes and cutlery [both clean and dirty] is proving a very efficient system
• the 'Breakfast Area' works really well, apart from one minor change ***
• regular use of my new, more accessible, breadmaker means I am buying less bread, and eating in more mindfully
• the bins under the sink [recycling, compost and general waste] are an efficient system
• listening to other people's comments is amusing
• I like the alphabetical pull out spice drawer, I want one!
• Where did you get the Atora sign? [Liz picked it up from a freebies heap on the school run]
• How do you know where everything is? [I have it all listed in my little file here]
• The labels on the electric plugs are brilliant...especially the one that says μwave, because μ means micro [this from my GCSE student]
• The tiles look really brilliant
• having the cooker hood venting to the outside has made a difference- especially in this hot weather. The kitchen is by the front door, so the exhaust comes out over the doorbell. The Evri delivery guy actually said to Bob "Is that your wife cooking the tea? It smells delicious - she's a keeper" I'm still grinning about that unexpected compliment.

Fitting that hood was one of the worst parts of the whole project- crawling in the tiny space under the eaves, directing Bob below in the kitchen as he tried to drill through.

You know that bit where Tom Cruise is suspended, and mustn't put his foot down or everything will go wrong. I felt just like that as I balanced over the joists, in the dark, struggling to breathe behind my face mask [mustn't inhale insulation dust!]

**the minor change is the relocation of the toaster. According to Emma Perkin, in the Guardian this week, one "clever storage hack in your kitchen" is to get a tall cupboard, and fit an electric socket inside it, so you can store your airfryer and toaster in there - and use them there too. I cannot believe she got away with this dreadful advice! It is essential to have space around these appliances. They get so hot. The ROSPA and the Fire Service are already alarmed by the rapid increase in domestic fires since air fryers became so popular.

My air fryer and toaster now stand to the left of the hob, there is no wall cupboard above them, and when in use they are moved into a position where there is ventilation all round.

***yes that is a shiny new Dualit. Our Very Old [17+ years] toaster went on the blink in May, the plastic knobs had broken and kept falling off, and worse, it kept grilling, and didn't stop-and-pop-up. And  Not safe at all. So we looked around, and decided on this one. Buy well, buy once -  if any part goes wrong, they will replace that part. Ours was assembled by Michael [it says so on the label underneath!] and it has a very clever bagel setting, as well as the option to toast 1,2,3 or 4 slices of toast. We are thrilled with it, the engineering and design is excellent.

...and the cupboard doors close, the drawers do not collapse, the contents of corner cupboards are accessible, and I feel the kitchen is really fit for purpose. Which is useful as we have dinner guests coming round twice in the next week!

🧀🧀🧀 Thank you for all the wonderful cheese comments yesterday. It is good to see so many of you supporting the cheeses local to your area. 🧀🧀🧀

Say "Cheese!"

I'm not a great cheese eater, I can manage soft fresh "farmhouse" cheeses [cottage, Philly, boursin etc] but not the harder matured stuff like Cheddar or Red Leicester. It makes me feel very queasy, or worse, actually sick. Bob on the other hand will try any cheese at least once. In Brussels once, he bought some ettekeis which absolutely stinks - the cheesemonger actually queried whether he was sure about this purchase!

His current favourite is Red Fox, as recommended by Sue in Suffolk. The website describes is as "An aged Red Leicester with an unexpected crunch" It is available in Tesco, Waitrose and Morrisons.
But what makes a good cheese? Sue mentioned Thomas Tusser in her recent Midsummer post, and he actually wrote down ten qualities to be desired in the ideal cheese.

Not like Gehazi, dead white, like a leper
Not like Lot's wife, all salt
Not like Argus, full of eyes
Not like Tom Piper, “hoven and puffed”
Not like Crispin, leathery
Not like Lazarus, poor
Not like Esau, hairy
Not like Mary Magdalene, full of whey or maudlin
Not like the Gentiles, full of maggots
Not like a Bishop, made of burnt milk
Tusser clearly expected his readers to be well versed in Scripture, as some of these refer to Bible characters, or church teachings

1.Gehazi was the servant of the Prophet Elisha, who was punished for his deceitfulness by being struck down with leprosy, which makes the skin dry and white [2 Kings 5] no dry cheese

2.Lot's wife looked back on the destruction of Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt [Genesis 19] no over salted cheese
3. Argus Panoptes is a character in Greek mythology who had many eyes. Presumably a warning to avoid cheese full of holes?
5. St Crispin was the patron saint of tanners and leather workers. Shun cheese with a leathery texture
6.Lazarus was the poor beggar in Luke 16 [not the guy brought back from the dead [John 11] no poor quality cheese
7. Esau was a hairy man [Genesis 25] avoid hairy cheese at all costs!

8. Magdalene was often pronounced maudlin, which was a synonym for weak/watery avoid feeble cheese

9. Gentile is a corruption of the old English word gentle, an old name for the blowfly larva/maggot. In Exodus 16, if the Israelites hoarded their manna, it became 'gentles' - nothing to do with non-Jews. Don't eat maggoty cheese

10. Three bishops had been burned at the stake by Mary Tudor, two years before Tom wrote his poem. Cheese made with burnt milk leaves a bad taste in the mouth

I have no idea at all about #4, Tom Piper, unless this musician's cheeks were puffed up with wind. Don't eat cheese which causes flatulence?
What qualities do you look for in a piece of cheese?

If you had to prepare a cheeseboard with just three cheeses, what would you choose?

Why?

Confession - I looked at this chart and initially misread it. I thought it said that the four characteristics of the cheeses should be

blue

semi firm

firm & aged

bloody minded.

I immediately thought of the guys in 'Last of the Summer Wine', grumpy, elderly gents, [plus Peter Sallis]

Bits And Pieces

Just when I thought I was coming to the end of sewing tasks, a request for a school play costume, and another for a memory bear arrived over the weekend. But the weekend was Hot Hot Hot and I decided to chill out and have a go at a jigsaw instead. I got this one three weeks ago - and it seemed appropriate as we had old friends visiting on Sunday, on their way home to Leicestershire after a trip to Norwich on Saturday. I decided to time myself. It took 5 hours

I spent 10 minutes sorting the edge pieces, and another 30 assembling the edge. Then we had tea. I faffed around for a bit trying to sort out a strategy, and finally concluded I would have to find the street names and put them in their approximate locations, and built up the city round that framework.

I discovered that my geographical knowledge of the city of Norwich is not as good as I thought. Finally I finished just after 11pm, with one piece missing. It was under the table! The map is slightly strange,  it marks some car parks and bus stops [but not all] The colour palette is quite limited

It was a fun challenge. I shall keep this one and do it again sometime. It measure 47x32 cm, quite small.  Now it is midnight and I need my sleep!

Word-Art

I am not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what happened! Clare said she was going to a free workshop at the Green Pastures Bookshop in Dereham, and would I like to join her? "It's about Bible Journaling". And I thought this would be a session on how to read the Word, and keep a journal of what has been read, and learned. I know my German friend Chris has some beautiful Lyra coloured crayons, and as he reads, he marks verses with specific colours to indicate what they are about [God's love, the life of the church, evangelism etc] Furthermore there are some colours in the sets he does not use, and he generously passes them on to me to use with the children. I went off in my sunhat and found 9 other women sitting round the table at the back of the shop - including my good friend Wendy from chapel.

Cheryl, who was leading the workshop explained that Bible Journaling "helps you deeply engage with God's Word, fostering spiritual growth and understanding. It allows you to slow down, reflect on scripture and connect your faith with your creativity...using your artistic talents to connect with God and express your faith in a unique way" So more art, less words then? We were asked to write on a tag what we expected from learning to BJ
A quiet space to grow in grace I wrote, and made a pocket for my tag in the cover of the notebook provided. We spent the next couple of hours illustrating verses from the Psalms, with stencils, paints, ink pads, stickers etc.  It was a blistering hot day, but we all worked really hard! Here's Cheryl with Clare and Wendy, and below, the whole group displaying their artwork. And lots of pictures of what people did with the verses from Psalms which Cheryl had given us...

I thought Clare's wings on a pink/blue/golden background were stunning.
BJ is a bit like scrapbooking, or cardmaking. Cheryl showed us all the equipment she has [alcohol inks, brushes, washi tape, stencils, stamps, glustix, and stickers...]
Chatting afterwards Wendy said it did seem to need a lot of 'stuff' which she doesn't already have [she's an incredibly accomplished knitter]. I said I do make cards occasionally, but feel happier with a needle and thread [hand or machine]. So whilst it was fun to meet with others for a crafty morning with good conversation, I am not sure either of us would pursue this seriously. Clare seems to be a natural at it!
But thank you GP for allowing us the space to try it, and to Cheryl for leading the workshop. Anything that encourages us to read the Bible more, and learn what it says, is of value. Familiarity with God's word definitely has an impact on my life.
But next time I get invited to a workshop, I will ask more questions. I would never have worn a white shirt had I known I'd be handling blue paint!

Of Mice And Men's...

 ...Sheds

Shed life has been quite busy. Last Saturday Bob and friends had a stand at the Village School Fair. Mainly to publicise their existence, but also to try and sell a few bits and pieces to raise funds. All those power tools mean insurance premiums are quite high!

It was a hot but breezy day, i had lots of good conversations with people. On Thursday Bob met up with someone from a local company donating some wood to the Shed. As well as the hardwood needed to repair the main church noticeboard, Ben also gave Bob some veneers and a huge box of unwanted furnishing fabric 

It's a beautiful quality heavy cotton. Plans are afoot for more fundraising. It will make great work aprons and tote bags. No, of course the men at the shed don't use sewing machines, but they know a woman who does...

I've just finished the next two mice for the Museum. They are having a VJ Day event, and Katie asked for "a 1945 woman[mouse] who stays at home in Norfolk whilst her beloved is out in the Far East. There were lots of Norfolk men who were captured out there and became POWs.  So I dressed one mouse in a simple floral dress, with pink felt flower-trimmed hat. Then I made her friend- a Land Army Girl. She has the hat, a bottle green knitted jumper, collar and tie. The belt is brown ribbon, threaded through a very small buckle salvaged from discarded worn out shoes. Bob made her rake. It's really hard to make her look feminine though!

Next project is shortening a prom dress and making a play costume. I'm really glad I bought that sewing machine! And I love the diversity, something different every week.

 

A Bit Too Whimsical...

 For years I have loved the Lord Peter Wimsey stories of Dorothy L Sayers. DLS died in 1957, leaving one novel unfinished and various bits of writing and sketches which she may have turned into further books. Forty years later, the executors of her estate approached Jill Paton Walsh and asked her to finish "Thrones, Dominations" which she did in 1998. I quite enjoyed it, and felt JPW's writing had got the right "feel", and particularly handled the dynamics of the relationship's between key characters [Wimsey, his wife Harriet, manservant Butler, and the rest of the family - minor aristocracy in Norfolk, and a Scotland Yard detective] I never got round to reading any more of JPW's Wimsey stories. She died during lockdown. Two weeks ago, I was in Norwich Library and spotted the three remaining books on the shelf. I borrowed them all!

To be honest, I was a teensy bit disappointed. Maybe I'd hoped for too much. T,D was mostly DLS and a little JPW, but Presumption of Death was JPW's story written using DLS ideas and snatches of stories. The other two I think were almost all JPW. 

And I think she just tried too hard - there was far too much reference to the earlier Wimsey stories. And whilst I love Peter and Harriet's "piffling" conversations, I think they overdid it a bit. Particularly the literary references - I don't mind occasionally having to stop and look something up so I can understand, but when it is every other paragraph...
As Sue found with Jim Eldridge's wartime book, the references to Bletchley Park seemed wrong - it was the same in Presumption of Death. Yes I know Peter is supposed to be working with British Intelligence, so might conceivably know about BP, but I think he would also have been wise enough to recognise that having signed the Official Secrets Act, he was not supposed to discuss BP "Until 30 years after the cessation of hostilities".

The Late Scholar is set in 1953, so their discussion of "A Ploughman's Lunch" would not have happened! Cheese rationing did not end till 1954, and a small group called the Cheese Bureau started promoting bread-and-cheese lunches in London pubs in 1956, but it was not till the 1960s that the Milk Marketing Board, led by Richard Trehane [from Dorset] made this a national campaign. 
This is poor research I think - to get two things so wrong - and I was disappointed both that JPW made the errors and her editors did not pick up on them, 
So I am rating these whodunits as just ***

Two Little Fairy Princesses...

I made Jess a Fairy Princess dress for her birthday present [as she requested] I had fabric leftover. So my littlest great niece is getting one too. I delivered it when we met up on Monday.
Yes, it is that pattern again - so sweet!

The fabric is from Pound Fabrics.  I like this company, and find them very reliable. Next project will be a much larger Prom Dress to shorten for a teenage friend.