Did You Solve The Rebus?

I wonder how many you worked it out, We were at Dunston Hall, a luxury hotel, spa and golf course, just south of Norwich. 

 

Weekend Puzzles

For my 70th birthday in April, Liz, Steph and their families gave me a special present - a double ticket for a day here. It looks Elizabethan, but was actually built in the 1850s. Here is a rebus, can you work it out? The things we did and places we went during our day - and the two facilities we did not make use of...
Thank you family, for a wonderful gift

but we did not do these...

Answers will appear at 5pm [BST]

What Does MIB Mean?

I thought it was Men in Black, but in the NANSA CS in Norwich, they have a basket by the door. Everything is £1, and labelled with a tag saying MIB and describing a fault. Ripped sleeve, broken zip, stain on front, faulty seam...

I picked up a dress, it was a really pretty 100% cotton fabric. And my size too. But a horrid rip in the sleeve and half the buttons missing.

I'm not sure if MIB means "Mend It"Basket, or "Make It Better" but the fabric was lovely and I knew I could make something from it. When I got home, I carefully unpicked both sleeves. The dress was extremely well made, every seam stitched neatly, and all raw edges properly finished. The tag said "Patra", not a name I recognised. I tried on the dress. It was...snug. But pretty, an incentive yo lose a few lbs. I bound the armholes with bias binding, found buttons to fill the gaps, and added discreet hooks&eyes between the top buttons to stop gaping.

Definitely good value for money.

My

Incredible Bargain.

Midi-dress In Blue

More Interesting Buttons?

Do you ever buy things from a CS which needs mending?

What has been your best bargain?

Moving Stories...

Just two news stories which you may have missed...
There's an old joke about a minister who said on New Year's Day that he wanted to move the piano in his chapel from one side to the other. The Deacons said he couldn't. So every Sunday after the service, he pushed the piano just a few inches to the left. Nobody seemed to notice - but by Christmas, he'd got it exactly where he wanted.

I thought of that this week when I say this news about a whole church building    being moved in Sweden. 

They put it on a huge trolley and  it travelled 5km at a maximum of 500m an hour - it took two days.

What an amazing feat! And what a beautiful building.

The second joyful news was about 

a lady getting her voice [and her creativity] back after over 20 years. 

She lost it through MND, and for years had a robotic voice. 

An amazing company in Bristol have taken a scratchy recording of her voice on a family video, and created through AI, her 'old' voice again. She uses 'eye gaze' technology to operate a keyboard which then 'speaks' She also uses eye-gaze to produce artworks.
Do check out Sarah Ezekiel's incredible story

Two stories which made me feel very happy. Good news worth sharing

Twostoriesd

Just Desserts?

According to the charity English Heritage, unless Somebody Does Something, the British Pudding will become extinct in the next 50 years. My immediate reactions were

1 - not in this family, mate - I know children who love puds!

2 - why are you worrying us about steamed puddings during these hot summer months?
The answer to #1 - here are their [dubious] statistics...

62% of British households stated they made puddings once a month or less [27%] or never [35%].
36% of people named steamed puddings [10%], fruit crumbles [19%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their favourite puddings.
17% percent of 18-24 year olds named steamed puddings [4%], fruit crumbles [10%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [3%] as their favourite puddings. 45% of respondents over 55 named steamed puddings [11%], fruit crumbles [27%] or pastry-based baked pies or tarts [7%] as their favourite puddings.
838 people eat homemade traditional puddings at home, in comparison to 1405 people saying they ate ice cream at home. Ice cream is therefore eaten 68% more than homemade traditional puddings. Bad maths, and what happens to those of us who eat BOTH? or put i/c on their pies and crumbles?

The answer to #2 is - EH are about to launch "The English Heritage Baking Book" in a couple of weeks time. Cynical old me thinks they are 'scare-mongering' to get grannies to buy the book as gifts for their fruit&yogurt eating daughters-in-law.
Even though we do frequently have fruit and/or yogurt as dessert, I regularly serve up baked, home made puddings, like rice pudding [Rosie loves it] sponge puddings, fruit pies and crumbles. Luz made an excellent blackberry cobbler on Monday. Bob likes almost all puds [except lemon meringue pie] Any leftover cake is often turned into a hot pud, with the addition of fruit, custard etc. On Saturday I said "Well done, Jess, you have eaten all your first course" she replied "And is there  pudding, Grandma?" It was a hot day, so I'd prepared fresh fruits, sponge fingers and ice cream for a DIY Sundae. But often I give them something&custard.

EH name a few puddings which have already 'died the death' namely

Twelfth Night Cake - a fruity Tudor post Xmas pud. If your portion contained The Bean, you got to be Lord of Misrule for the day. It survived the Reformation, but was supplanted by our modern Christmas Cake [and the bean replaced by a silver 6d in the festive pud]

Cabinet Pudding a steamed sponge with glacé fruits and custard. Also called Newcastle or Chancellor's Pudding. In the 1970s this was regularly on the menu at The Lamb in Norwich, I always chose I if Dad took me there for lunch. I must make it for Bob sometime*

Soul Cake  a spiced roundel of flour, butter, sugar, spices and currants. Dating back to 1511 or maybe earlier, these were given to poor people and children who went from house to house singing and reciting prayers at Hallowtide [the days surrounding All Saints/All Souls Days, Oct 31/ Nov 1st] A more wholesome Trick or Treat reward than a bag of Haribo...

Anglo Saxon cake honey, oats, butter and dried fruit, mixed and cooked over an open fire. Sounds like fruit flapjacks to me.

I checked out my older cookbooks and found lots of puddings I'd forgotten about. I think many modern women can't hang around the kitchen all day topping up the boiling water round the steamed Pudding. I do make puds, but avail myself of the modern technologies.

Microwaving sponge mixtures, happily leaving things unattended in the slocooker where they don't boil dry, using my pressure cooker, and air fryer...batch baking and freezing to eat later. 

I shall share some favourite pudding recipes in another post. 

Do you still eat puddings?

ECO & ECI

Years ago I was sitting in a staff room writing notes on my day of Supply Teaching, so the regular tea her would know what her class had been doing. The woman next to me was doing the same thing.

"Excuse me, what is ECO & ECI that you have written as the afternoon lessons?" I asked as politely as I could 

"It's Educational Cutting Out and Educational Colouring In" she explained. "There was no work set, so I got them to draw things, cut them out and colour them in. But nobody ever asks what it means, it is a very useful abbreviation for Supply Teachers"

I have never ever used this in the classroom. 

But entertaining the grandchildren is another matter. 

Jess asked for some arts and craft activities last week. We looked through this useful little book, and she cheerfully made a chain of dancing fairies.

When Rosie came with us to Stranger's Hall, she enjoyed dressing up on and playing the games. As we left, she thanked the woman at the desk - who gave her a lovely activity book.

We came home and the next day we sat in the sunshine doing ECO and ECI and making Tudor paper dolls 

The emphasis was on educational though. Even if there was much giggling about a Tudor undergarment named a BumRoll, and another which Rosie insisted on calling a Farting-Gale!

It Started With A Book...

Liz taught me the phrase cascade of chores when one task leads to another, and another...and eventually,  maybe, some of them get completed.  A few weeks back, I said I would lend a book to someone. I put it on the table - then left the house without it. I have apologised to her now, because neither Bob nor I have seen it since July. "I must sort the bedroom bookcase" I declared "It is really overloaded" But it was too hot for housework

It has been baking in our bedroom "The fan is not very efficient" said Bob. I pointed out it was rather old, dusty, and tired [like me] We have had it 20+ years. He looked at it, and declared the the back of the grill looked rusty. But when dismantled, the brown rust proved to be a thick layer of dust. Bob cleaned it all up, it works much better. Back to the book sort. 

Technically the top 2 shelves are all Terry Pratchett, the bottom 3 are craft and cookbooks, and in between, "current reading" with ½ a shelf designated "borrowed" [from library or friends]

I cleared 5 shelves onto the top of the drawers for sorting. And soon realised it was a dusty task. I grabbed an old washing up brush and brushed down each book in turn [just like the NT conservators in Blickling Hall library]

Oh so very dusty! And there were far more books which were not craft or cookery than I'd realised. Some have come from the lounge "fiction" selection and need to go back there. Some need to leave the house forever. And that missing book is still missing [sorry, Heather!]

This is still a WIP, as I have realised there are cookbooks in the study and kitchen. But only 5 in the borrowed pile.  I am embarrassed to have found three CS books bought in Essex in March which I'd forgotten about. I'm giving books a good shake, dislodging all sort of random cards and clippings. Some to be recycled, others will be kept as bookmarks because they bring back happy memories. Like these from 1992!

How often do you sort or dust your bookshelves?

I know some of you are former librarians,  so I'm sure you are more diligent than I am!

"For Your Tomorrows, We Gave Our Today"*

The King was in Staffordshire, but we went to the local VJ Day Commemoration Service on Friday at Dereham Parish Church. It was very moving. The Curate preached the sermon, and spoke of his grandfather, who had been a prisoner in the Far East. He also talked about Bishop Leonard Wilson of Singapore, and how this gracious man of faith was able to forgive his torturers because he believed God's Spirit gave him the grace and strength to do so. I had quite forgotten about the Bishop, one of my Dad's 'heroes of faith'. I must try and find "The Singapore Story" - the moving biopic made about this man.
Here is the prayer of commitment from Friday's service

Let us pledge ourselves anew
to the service of God and our fellow men and women:
that we may help, encourage and comfort others,
and support those working for the relief of the needy
and for the peace and welfare of the nations.
Lord God our Father,
we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,
in the cause of peace, for the relief of want and suffering,
and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your Spirit;
give us wisdom;
    give us courage;
        give us hope;
and keep us faithful now and always. Amen.

* The famous Kohima Epitaph