Bored Of The Flies?

So difficult to keep on top of them, they seem everywhere in this hot weather. It's vital to keep food covered. But there comes a moment when the salad has to come out of the fridge, along with the mayo, and it is good to have plenty of water on hand. I've tried to be creative about "lids" and I think I've found some workable solutions.

It was ridiculously satisfying to discover that the silicone lid I use on bowls in the microwave is exactly the right size for my salad bowl. And my small MOOPOP fits the little bowl I use for serving mayonnaise.

I picked up the little glass jug from a CS year ago. It had lost its original stopper, but this inverted champagne cork does the job. [I don't drink champagne, no idea where the cork came from]  Until the other week, I had a cute IKEA water carafe with a silicon lid. Then it slipped and broke! I retrieved the carafe which Bob had kept since his student days. The IKEA lid didn't fit. 

I found the cover I made four years ago from a vintage doyley. Perfect.

I recently picked up a yellowstickered bag of three limes. I sliced and open-froze them. Instant ice-and-a-slice.

One of the ancient names for the devil was Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies.  I was amused recently to read the suggestion that those irritating insects which keep you awake at night. Buzzing round the bedroom, should be called beelzebugs!

Have you any good suggestions for creating no-fly zones?

You Couldn't Make It Up!

In our crazy language, both make up and made up have a number of meanings
"make up" as a noun usually means cosmetics, and "To make up" as a verb can mean to apply cosmetics.
But "make up" can also mean "create a fiction, tell a lie" - you make up an excuse to get out of a sticky situation, the criminal will make up a story and give a false alibi
And "to make up" means to reconcile after an argument  [kiss and make up!]
Finally "to make up" means to complete something. "If you save your pocket money, I will make up the difference so you can buy the book" Or with a cake mix - make up the mix to produce a cake. Similarly made up can be wearing cosmetics, descriptive of a lie, finished arguing and became friends again, a finished product - and lately it means very happy "He offered me the job and I was well made up"
Kirsten and I are now making up - not lying, or reconciling, but completing the CoverStory project. Our two panels have all their patches stitched, their seams embellished, and the names and dates on an info panel to one side.

Each has ten patches, an information panel, and horizontal and vertical seam embellishments. We each did 5 patches per panel, and half the seam stitching.

Now we each have our 'own' panel [mine is the lower one] 

It is time to make up our panel so it becomes a book cover. 

We wanted this project to be usable [the first four pieces are still languishing in drawers in Norfolk and Sussex waiting to be framed!]

I made an error right at the beginning - I allowed for the 'turnings' on our foundation fabric, and we both stitched "over the edge" so some embroidery will be lost inside. And forgot the info panel, so that had to be added later.

I checked my shelves and foraged in the loft, and found five new and unused A5 notebooks, plus the very slim notebook I was given at my workshop last Saturday - and the travel journal I took to Paris last year, which has been a general purpose commonplace book since then. I think that is the one I am going to make up the cover for. 

But since my parcel arrived from Kirsten, I have been asked to shorten three pairs of pyjama trousers and decorate another slime shirt for the school play, and I already had another special project on the go. 

My CoverStory will not be finished this week - but when it is, I shall be "well made up " too!
Thanks Kirsten for another year of challenging, exciting. collaborative sewing. And for this month's great "flat gifts" which will get a special mention later 

Throwaway Comments

It is fifteen years since the start of this annual campaign, but I think I only really picked it up in 2019. Aiming to be 'part of the solution to plastic pollution'
I know that lots of you are already working hard at this - Taking your own containers to the local chinese takeaway, buying loose fruit and veg, having milk delivered in glass bottles, wearing pee-pants instead of plastic-based sanpro, using waxwraps not clingfilm, taking reusable cups to Costa ...
the list of good alternatives is really long - but we still have a long way to go. I hadn't realised the new kitchen would affect my thinking about recycling, but it has.

Under the sink I now have two IKEA 'hallbar' bins alongside my yellow compost bin [i'm still awaiting the Council to sort out a food waste collection] These are labelled general and recycling. I have found myself being much more careful about putting packaging in the correct bin lately.

Many people think these triangle labels on plasdtic automatically mean you can put it in domestic recycling. You can't! If you can see the number, you are usually safe with 1-5, possibly not 6 & 7. But honestly, how often do you squint at the clear plastic as you prepare a meal, and can see the triangle, but not the number? So you recycle and hope [aka wishcycling]
So well done to the OPRL company [On Pack Recycling Labels] who have been working incredibly hard to make it easier for us, to recognise easily what we can and cannot recycle, with labels like this

This independent company is getting lots of big brands on board

And it seems that their efforts are paying off. Their latest report "What consumers want" involved consumer insights taken from a study in spring 2025 involving over 5000 UK consumers. They covered six areas

I find their conclusions encouraging - I do check packs for guidance on recycling, and prefer simpler instructions. I think labelling is improving - but I am aware of friends and social media spreading misinformation, usually through ignorance.
Now my bins are adjacent, it is much easier to put things in the correct one. I am not sure if there are any massive changes I can make this July, I shall just keep plodding away. Recycling, but more mindfully [and hopefully in a better way] Looking out for the informative OPRL swirls, in preference to the old three arrow triangle. 
I have to come clean here - the company conducting the Consumer Insights Study for OPRL is a small one in Manchester, called Tangible, and my Steph is now the boss. I am incredibly proud of her, and her company, for this research. These small changes in labelling really are having a big impact on the amount of thoughtful recycling. And that makes for a better world for us to live, and our grandchildren to grow up in.

It's "The Silly Season" At Cornerstones

The term silly season originated in the UK and is used to describe a period, typically in the summer, when the media has a hard time finding significant news stories. This leads them to publish more light-hearted, frivolous or unusual stories, sometimes referred to as "fluff" pieces. Well it has certainly been silly round here the last few days...

Thursday - parcel from Manchester, a garment which needs altering [details to follow] "That's not an auspicious label for a dressing gown" said Bob

Friday - still finding minuscule sequins everywhere. This was the day when there were lots of flying ants too. During breakfast we spotted an ant trotting across the floor with its head stuck in a sequin like a blue halo [sorry the picture is not in focus properly- and moving too fast and I was shaking with laughter]

Saturday  - I read BBC news item about Glasto, and a music teacher called James B Partridge, who does nostalgia gigs where he gets the crowd to singalong to what he calls Assembly Bangers. Shine Jesus Shine, Lord of the Dance, This Little light of Mine etc. I watched the video clip with subtitles so as not to disturb Bob. I shall never sing Cauliflowers Fluffy in the same way again. 

The subtitles changed the broad beans sleeping in their blankety bed  to sleeping in the black goodie bag" Oh I do hope you can access it! [BBC video here]

 

Prayer Points

At last week's workshop, I did a page in my notebook using a sticker 'Pray without Ceasing' as the centrepiece.  I added three words made with individual letters
Thankyou
Please
Help
I think almost all prayers can be put into these three categories
We have so much to be thankful for, and it is good to count our blessings and acknowledge things
There are lots of situations where we need to say please - asking God to bless our friends, our neighbours, our country and our world.
And many situations where we are not sure what to say, how to act, where to turn - and we need help from Someone greater.Today is the Annual General Meeting at our little chapel.

• I thank God for those who meet there, all the work that is done in the community, all the friendships represented, and the opportunity to meet and worship in freedom
• I ask God to guide and bless Nick the Pastor, the deacons, leaders of the different weekly groups - and to comfort the lonely and bereaved, heal this sick, and encourage us all
• I ask for His help to show us how to share God's love in our community, and enable us to do more good stuff and overcome our inertia, and help us to be generous with time, money and resources.

Do you have any Thankyou, Please, Help prayers today?

 

Don't Throw In The Towel!

To throw in the towel means to give up, to accept defeat. It comes from the world of boxing - when a fighter cannot go on, he [or his second] throws a towel into the ring to signal the end of the bout.
I was beginning to feel a bit snowed under with sewing tasks, because I didn't have the time or energy to sew any of my own projects. But as the slime and prom dress took less time than |I thought, I was able to get the machine out for myself on Thursday. I wanted to work on a Beach Towel. 

My rules for the ideal beach towel

• big enough to wrap right round you and cover yourself when getting changed in/out of cossie
• not so big it won't fit easily in the beach bag
• thick enough to dry you quickly, and keep you warm
• long enough to cover a sunlounger
• not shabby, but not so precious you'd be upset if an irreversible oil stain meant it had to be discarded or if it somehow got left behind on the sand
• easy to find when you are packing for a day out

I have such a towel. Rather old, and much washed, but it meets all my criteria except I often have to sort through a stack of white towels to identify it. I spent a happy half hour on Thursday sewing two strips of pretty blue cotton from the Great Stash. I cut them and pressed the hems, then sewed them along the non-terry stripes. A simple modification, but one which will make the towel stand out among its plainer neighbours, and save time later.

Do you have a 'dedicated' beach towel?
Are you as organised as my Liz? She always keeps a "Beach Go Bag" ready, with towels, cossies, sun cream, wipes, buckets and spades etc.

What Is A National Treasure?

In 1922, Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" was sold to an American collector. 90,000 people came to the 'Farewell Exhibition' at the National Gallery. Many were moved to tears - how could this unique, beloved work by an English artist leave our shores for the USA? After WW2, the Waverley Report was published in 1952, setting out criteria for "National Treasures" and situations where the government could step in to 'save it for the nation' when something was likely to be sold overseas. These three criteria were
History: Is it closely connected with our history and national life?
Aesthetics: Is it of outstanding aesthetic importance?

Scholarship: Is it of outstanding significance for the study of some particular branch of art, learning or history?

In the last 70+ years, hundreds of items have been saved [some are listed here] from Jane Austen's ring, Salvador Dali's Lobster telephone, and Maps from the Spanish Armada.

And in 2022 - exactly one hundred years after it left, The Blue Boy did return to the National Gallery for a 5 month exhibition - but has gone back to the USA now [permanently, sadly]
Basically, what it means is that in certain cases the government [guided by the Secretary of State and a committee of eight 'experts'] will refuse an export licence and declare something may not leave the United Kingdom. Often export licences are deferred, giving a chance for somebody in the UK to buy the item. But the number of refused licences is very small in comparison to the number granted. For instance, in 2012-2013, 33,842 items with a value of £1.7 billion were issued with export licences. Only 19 were referred [their value was £114 million - including Estate Maps of Hampton Court, and two paintings by George Stubbs [the latter bought by the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich]

I never knew all this until today...and I bet you thought this was going to be a post about Stephen Fry and Delia Smith*, didn't you? As far as I know, the government has not put any restriction on National Treasures such as they from travelling abroad!

[the only reason I found out today was through reading about the proposed Queen's Memorial and falling down an architectural rabbit hole on the internet!]

*Both ardent supporters of Norwich City FC

I'll Dye For You

From the sublime to the slime
Here's an exceedingly long and beautiful prom dress spread out on my bed. The owner is about my height. I have just shortened the frock by about 9". I will be vacuuming tiny blue sparkly sequins from the carpet for months. Really tiny, here are two beside a 20p piece.

She's my GSCE student, and it is her 16th birthday this week. It has been fun working with her, I hope she enjoys her prom. Meanwhile her younger brother is in the school play. He came home with a list of requirements for his costume - which included "Two tan shirts, one must be covered in slime"
Mum asked if I had any ideas - the price of tan shirts is too much - so I suggested getting a twinpack of white school shirts and dyeing them. Where do I get the dye? she asked. I said it could be done with a pot of coffee. "I'll dye for you!" I said. Here's A Quick Tutorial

Take the new shirts and wash them [to remove any 'dressing' in the fabric] Whilst still wet immerse them in a large pan containing 1 strong pot of coffee, one pot of stewed tea [2 tea bags] a tbsp salt and a tbsp vinegar. Bring to boil, simmer 20 minutes stirring constantly. Allow to cool, then transfer to smaller pan or bowl, and pour liquid over shirts. Put a plate or pan lid on top, weigh it down [eg 2 cans tomatoes!] to keep shirts submerged. Leave to soak overnight. Remove, rinse and spin [you can do that in your machine] Hang to dry.

One can go back in the packet, prepare the 'slime' for the other. Find some plastic bags, preferably grey, green, black. 

I used a heavyish grey refuse sack, and some 'parcel' bags [M&S dark green] and lighter green compost caddy sacks. And a blue latex glove. Cut out a 'waistcoat' from strongest bag, and lots of 'slimy dribbles' from the other bags.
Stick the dribbles down with appropriate adhesive - along the top edges so the garment does not become too stiff.
Wrap this round the shirt and stitch down the front and round the neckline. If necessary, cut the armhole slot a little bigger to allow for movement!

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.

Where Are The Chagos Islands Anyway? **

I first learned the term CHAOS from Martha Cilley, aka the FlyLady, about 25 years ago. She is a 'home organiser' with a million ideas and plans to help you avoid living in CHAOS, which stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome [because your house is an embarrassing mess]
Well this week, I realised there is an extra complication - some of us maybe living in CHAGOS, which stands for Can't Have Any GARDENERS Over Syndrome

There have been odd goings on in the Cornerstones patch. I take full responsibility, I was too preoccupied with the kitchen work, and the sewing machine, and the Half Term Family Time.

There are Egyptian Walking Onions everywhere - in the small green trough where Rosie and I first planted them two years ago. But also in the adjacent flower bed. And the small onion which I replanted in the second, smaller raised bed last year, has spread a lot - and almost planted a shoot in the grass under the apple tree...I probably should have been more diligent - but those little onions are useful to cook in place of shallots, or to chop finely for a garnish atop a salad or soup - and the green shoots are very chive-y.

Last Thursday we were at the Parish Church Coffee, Cake and Chat group. A lady suddenly said "There are plants growing on the outside of the church. I think they are snapdragons. Is that a flower? have I said the right word?" We assured her that indeed snapdragons were a flower. On our way out, Bob and I checked - and yes there were indeed snapdragons [aka antirrhinums, or toadflax] which had taken root in the soft mortar above the church door.  The next day I noticed that there were butter-yellow snapdragons in my garden - in the main raised bed, nestling between the lettuce and beans, and in the smaller RB, close to the bamboo-cane-pyramid.

Where could they have come from? [the Parish Church? Is this a novel form of 'church planting'?] 
They are pretty flowers so I am allowing them to stay...

But the worst thing? My pyramid has hardly any sign of runner beans growing around and upwards. There are a few small plants with the right sort of leaves. [I dug out that dandelion in the middle] However, row 10 of the big raised bed is full of these scrambling shoots with beautiful scarlet flowers. 

These are definitely runner beans. But did I plant them all in the wrong place- this was supposed to be Dwarf French Beans. Have I have muddled up two seed packets? My friend Cathy who also volunteers at the Hospital [I am a Visitor, she is a Gardener] came round for a cuppa. 

She was very kind, and said such mistakes are easily made. I have stuck lots of spare canes in Row 10 to give these beans some vertical support. Cathy advised me on dealing with blackfly on the broad beans and was fascinated by the EWOs. I broke off a shoot and gave it to her- with a dire warning about their spreading potential.

So what with walking Egyptians, invading snapdragons, and not-where-they-should-have-beans, my garden is a little bit confused this summer. Definitely CHAGOS. If Monty Don, Alan Titchmarsh or Sue Kent turn up, I shall skilfully guide them away from the chaos of the garden, and distract them with a tour of the new kitchen [still impeccably tidy!] 

**Nearly 6000 miles away, in the Indian Ocean, between Sri Lanka and Mauritius [see here]

It's A Crime!

 It must be my age - at the end of a busy day, I sit down to watch a TV programme, and more often than not, wake up 45 minutes later as the credits roll, and say "whodunit?" And I'm missing my Quizzy Mondays on BBC2. 

I have totally given up on Death Valley. However we have been watching White Collar on the Disney Channel.
If the stars are guys in suits, especially with natty fedora, I'll give it a try. We enjoyed it so much that we have worked our way through all six series. Neal Caffrey [played by Matt Bomer] is a highly intelligent, utterly charming young con artist, art Forger and thief. FBI agent Peter Burke [Tim DeKay] recruits him as his Criminal Informant, to help solve White Collar Crime.

It is a funny, clever, but thought provoking series. Neal has to wear an anklet so his movements can be tracked, and must stay within a two mile radius of FBIHQ, otherwise he goes back to prison. The dynamics of the relationship between a born liar and a man committed to truth and justice make it a clever show. Peter's wife is played by Tiffani Thiessen [Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills 90210 - teen idol of the 90s] *****

Both my brother and my daughter recommended Department Q on Netflix. This is very different. It is based on a Danish story, but has been relocated.  Set in Scotland, it is about a police department set up to solve cold cases. Carl Morck [Matthew Goode, good looking English guy who's been in loads of stuff, including Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey, and Antony Armstrong Jones in The Crown] plays the crabby detective coming to terms with the aftermath of a messy divorce and a very nasty shooting incident. 

Warning - there is a lot of swearing, and violence. You do have to concentrate, there are many flashbacks - both to the shooting incident, and the events surrounding the cold case being investigated [a lawyer, who went missing four years before] But it is well written, with an intriguing plot. Lots of well known Scottish actors appear throughout. Do not watch late at night, as it may keep you awake! Thank you Ade and Steph for the recommendation.  Another *****