Pause In Lent #1

Last Sunday, as we continued studying the life of Daniel, we reached the events of Belshazzar's Feast in chapter 5. Rembrandt's great painting captures the story so well

But the part of the sermon which has stuck with me all week is Bob's final paragraph. The story explains that the King presents Daniel with a gold chain and a purple robe.
Bob pointed out that 'a purple robe' is mentioned just three times in scripture.
Mordecai gets one, along with a gold crown, in Esther chapter 8 - just after he has saved the Jewish people from annihilation by the evil Haman [who is executed]
Daniel gets one, and he too was responsible for saving the Jews from destruction by the Medes and Persians [and Belshazzar gets killed]
...and the one we all will be remembering in a few weeks time - the soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus and a crown of thorns on his head. They mocked him, nd jeered at him 'King of the Jews'...but Jesus was the one who came to save not only the Jews, but the whole world. He died that we might be forgiven.

Wonky Thinking?

They have all been encouraging us to fight food waste, and quite rightly so - Hugh F-W with his mountain of parsnips, Jimmy and Jamie with their 'wonky veg'...and other celeb-chefs like James Martin showing us recipes to help us love our leftovers

And I thoroughly applaud such initiatives. My gardening skills are minimal, and so I do have to buy the majority of my veg - and in this house, being too large, too small or vaguely misshapen is just not an issue. 
So when Asda said they would introduce their 'wonky veg box' I was very interested. It weighs 5kg, costs £3.50 and is being trialled at 128 stores.
Some bloggers have reported an excellent choice of veg and good value for money. Others said "When I got to Asda, they said all the boxes went within 20 minutes, so I did not get one" 
As we were near an Asda on Tuesday, we decided to pop in and see for ourselves.

The helpful guy on the produce section said "Oh we've had them twice now, but there are never very many and they go immediately"
So I asked which day they came into the store. This is where I got confused. He told me
"We never know when they are coming. The people at our packing depot put the wonky veg to one side, and when there's enough, they fill a few boxes and send them over"
Which is not what I'd understood at all, from Jamie's programme. There, the pickers at the farms said they had to sort the veg, and segregate the ones which were not up to standard, and these just went to waste, or landfill, or fertiliser. I thought Asda were going to have a 'second category' for the farmers, and buy their misshaped veg to sell at a lower rate, in mixed boxes. The clear implication of the assistant's words is that the wonky veg are sorted at the packing depot. Presumably these are ones which the farmworkers have already sent through to Asda, but aren't quite up to A1 perfection after all. So are the farmers able to sell the rest of their wonky veg to the supermarket or not?
I have read the statements about the veg boxes and it is not clear just how they get the contents. I think it is rather sad too, that these boxes are being trialled mostly in the affluent South  - but not in the deprived areas of the country. 
I shall reserve final judgement until I have more facts, and the opportunity to try out one of these boxes for myself. It seems a great idea in principle - but will it work out in practice? Have you enjoyed a curvy courgette, longer leek, or pointy potato from one of these boxes? Did you think it was good value?

Is This A Wind-Up?

When I was younger, people frequently seemed to buy wool in hanks, which then needed to be wound into balls. Husbands and children were pressed into service, holding out their arms to support the skein, while the Lady Of The House wound it up. And woe betide you if you lost concentration, or let it slip off! Harold Harvey, one of the artists of the Newlyn School in Cornwall, painted this around a century ago.

People who do lots of this sort of winding often invest in a Swift Machine - which is adjustable and does the job of 'an extra pair of hands' Although you cannot have a conversation with a Swift. If Bob is not around, I usually use the back of a chair - but that does involve a rather complicated dance and waving arm movements!

Wool for the knitting machine has to be wound in a particular way, and I have a neat little gadget for that.

But earlier this week I had a hank to wind up - it had come from a friend. It was too small to fit over a chair, and Bob was out. So I hung it over the door handles. This was relatively successful - mainly because that door has no 'snib' so there was nothing to catch on the yarn

 

But even that wasn't 100% successful. Near the end, I discovered some tangles, and I did have to enlist Bob's help. The ball is wound now - not sure what I am going to know with it though. It is a very pretty random dye. 

I really need to sort out my wool collection - almost all my recent projects have involved using up the Great Stash - and I have a number of little leftover balls [they can always become Innocent Smoothie Hats next Winter] There are altogether too many half empty carrier bags lurking in cupboards which need properly collating. 

How do you store and organise your wool?

Flippin' Good Fun!

I lost count of how many people came to the pancake party on Tuesday evening - but I started out with a stack of 50 paper plates, and by the end, I was getting out regular plates because there were still more guests arriving. Bob cooked well over 100 pancakes - we stopped counting! 

Our youngest guest was 3, and our oldest almost 90. After they had all gone, we sat and watched "Back in Time for the Weekend" which I had recorded earlier.  It was interesting hearing the family say that one of the good things in the 1960s was being together as a family, all the age groups mixing together. 
I am grateful that such good times can still happen, even in the 21st century - and cross generational events can be enormous fun. And I didn't see any of the teenagers huddled in corners using their mobile phones either - they were helping the children, and serving pancakes to the older folk, and chatting to everyone.

Pausing For Breath...

Today is Ash Wednesday - the start of Lent. If you want to join in the Lent Pauses, please comment on this [or subsequent] posts- and I shall add your name to the list in my sidebar. Same format as previous years [see here] - and do not feel pressured to blog every weekend. But if you have some helpful thoughts to share, in this season of reflection, then please do join in. My apologies for being slow in advertising this - life has been rather busy of late!

Stick Yer Finger In Yer Ear...

...and go TIng-a-ling-a-loo

Stick yer finger in yer ear, and go TIng-a-ling-a-loo

Just like old Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo

Stick yer finger in yer ear, and go TIng-a-ling-a-loo

We used to sing this to the children when they were tiny. I never knew any other verses [but it appears to have been recorded by Benny Hill - who sang about Nelson at the Battle - despite the fact he died ten years before!] I thought about the song last week when I dug out some soft toys from a box in the loft. I gave them a thorough wash and then let them dry on the radiator. 

Snoopy was one of my 21st birthday presents, I cannot remember where the blue and yellow puppet was from - and the monkey was a gift to baby Liz from my brother Adrian.

 

In the best tradition of Uncles, Adrian has always given great gifts. The monkey's label declares his name is Rutherford [we approved of a soft toy named after the father of nuclear physics] His wonderful digits fit into his ...erm...facial orifices. He can indeed stick his finger [or toe] in his ear, or his thumb in his mouth

And yes, to the great delight of both uncle Adrian and niece Liz [and disgust of my Mum] Rutherford can also stick his finger up his nose! I shall endeavour to be Very Laid Back when my grandchild discovers this.

I am amazed to find these are selling for around £20 on the internet as 'vintage toys'. Not planning on selling this one though.

What's Afoot?

People have different opinions about footwear inside the house.

• some go barefoot
• some wear socks
• some wear slippers
• some wear their everyday shoes

Now that I have a lovely soft bedroom carpet, I do skip about barefoot in the mornings and the evenings - most of the time I wear my slippers in the house, and sometimes if I am dressed up to go out [or have just come back in] I may stay in my shoes for a while. I rarely go about in stockinged feet, in case I slip over. 

Lots of my friends have a 'no outdoor shoes in the house' rule. I try to remember to take my slippers with me when I visit them. And there's always a heap of shoes by the front door.

So I was interested to discover that not a million miles from here, there is a company which makes shoes to keep by the back door. This came about, according to their website because "As far back as I remember my wife, the kids and I spent so much time rushing in and out of the garden through the kitchen door in all weather getting soggy socks and then walking onto the carpets to find dark grubby patches appearing daily - always a bone of contention!!" 

I don't know why they were running around in their socks all the time, in and out of doors. But I do see that it makes sense to have 'outdoor' footwear. My last pair of slippers did not have waterproof soles, and if I forgot and went out to the dustbin, or to retrieve a can of food from the shelf in the garage, my feet got damp. My current slippers [blue suede ones, above] have got decent soles- but I rarely go outside in them. I keep a very old pair of clogs by the back door.

These are ancient [purchased for £5 in a sale in 2002] and used to be a smart beige colour. They have been through the washing machine a couple of times. But they are comfortable, and the rubber soles underneath are fine. It takes moments to step out of my slippers and into these. 

The posh ones produced by this local company are cute to look at - but at £20 a pair I really don't think I shall be buying any. I have wellies for serious wet weather and gardening. 
What do you wear on your feet around the house? And do you have shoes by the back door to put on for trips outside to the recycling bin?

Lost For Words

I read an amazing story on the BBC Website this week. An American Tourist went to Iceland for a holiday, picked up his hire car, programmed the SatNav and drove to his hotel. Except the poor chap has mistyped the address. His hotel was on a major road int he capital of Reykjavik - Laugavegur. Except he typed Laugarvegur . the poor man inadvertently added an extra R. This resulted in a six hour detour and he ended up in the pretty fishing village of Siglufjordur, where there is a road called Laugarvegur. 

It looks a very beautiful place, and he was welcomed and treated royally by the locals. He is now a media sensation in Iceland. It seems that many Reykjavik guidebooks mis-spell this word, so it may not have been his fault [though I wonder why he didn't stop when his one hour drive from airport to city turned out to be so much further]
But it made me think how adding or removing a letter R from a word can completely change its meaning
petty/pretty    small minded, or beautiful
card/cad         an amusing chap, or an unreliable chap
stray/stay       wander, or remain
aid/raid          help. or steal
cook/crook      chef, or criminal
toy/tory         plaything, or politician
lard/lad          fat, or fellow
tire/tie           to wear out, to bind together
work/wok        labour, or chinese cooking pan 
heath/hearth  bleak outdoor landscape, warm fireside
drying/dying   removing of moisture, or ending of life

My final two pairs were inspired by Paul's words in Roman 6
"The payment for sin is death - but God gives us the free gift of life forever in Christ Jesus"
fee/free and paying/praying

Can you find any more good pairs?

Book This Date

Today is National Libraries Day - so get down to your local branch and bury yourself in a book!  If we don't use our libraries, we will lose them. I understand that the Ferndown Branch is due for a visit from the Gruffalo sometime this morning. Find out about what's on in your area here

Books are so precious, and so important. I believe passionately in encouraging young children to read. One of the best bits about becoming a Grandmother will be the delight of sitting down to read books with my grandchild. And if you learn to love reading as a child, that love stays with you into adulthood. I love the Judy Blume quote...

Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?

The film is out today. It wasn't filmed in the forests round Thetford, and apart from Ian Lavender [the stupid boy is now playing an elderly officer], I don't think there are any 'originals' left. I will reserve judgement until I have seen it. But the trailer is fun...

Try These For Thighs!

As promised, a review of Hugh F-W's Chicken with Lentils and Rosemary. Liz made this for me two weeks ago, and I picked up my own copy of the Waitrose magazine and made some for Bob and myself. We did not eat the whole thing, but portioned some up for the freezer. It was very easy to put together, I had all the ingredients to hand apart from the chicken thighs. I found one thigh was an adequate portion for me [Bob had two] and we had savoy cabbage alongside. I made one evening meal, and put the rest in the freezer [that was 5 portions] for about £3.00. 

The picture top right is Hugh's from the Waitrose magazine - and the one bottom left is mine. [You can also find the recipe here] Lovely warm, filling food for a cold winter's evening - and another meal for the Year of the Pulses!

One Year On!

This time last year, we had a light dusting of snow. I posted about the crocuses in the garden, and the joys of having an open fire [here] and said I am excited about having a real hearth in the lounge. We’ve been given some firewood, and it was fantastic to sit watching the flames the other evening. I am excited about the prospect of a toasting fork and crumpets! Childhood memories of winter evenings…

Well it has taken us a whole year to get round to it! At the weekend I found some reduced crumpets [only 18p for 6] and so Bob improvised with my long handled carving fork and we slathered the crumpets with butter and honey. They were gorgeous. But my friend C saw the picture on fb and said she thought they looked like pikelets.

 

Once at Uni, my landlady offered me pikelets for tea, and I thought they were small fish. I was even more confused when she said there was jam or golden syrup to spread on them! Once we had sorted out that we were discussing what I called crumpets, she said 'pikelets' was a Midlands term, and the Civil War soldiers used to stick the yeasty discs on their pikes, to toast them round the campfire.

However, recent research has led me to this explanation of the difference

Crumpets were originally hard, it was not until the Victorian era that they became soft and spongy as we know them today. The characteristic holes are developed by adding extra baking powder to the yeast dough and fermentation can improve the flavour.The pikelet is believed to be of Welsh origin where it was known as ‘bara piglydd’ which means ‘pitchy bread’, later anglicised as pikelet. It is often called the ‘poor man’s crumpet’ as it was made by those who could not afford rings to make crumpets and so would drop the batter freely into the pan. Both are generally round and with small pockets in them, but as crumpets are made in rings, they can be made into any shape by simply changing the shape of the ring, such as squares, hearts, animal shapes etc. With a pikelet this is not possible as there is no ring.

I am not clear what 'pitchy bread' means. Is it 'pitched' [ie thrown] into the pan, or is it black and sticky underneath?  Whatever you call them, I greatly enjoyed this treat - and at 3p a time, they were hardly an extravagance. But I really must find a proper toasting fork with a longer handle!
What do you call these? 
How do you toast yours? 
and what do you spread on them?

Box Tutorial [Sadly Without Pictures]

I have been wrestling with trying to publish this for ages- and I am sure I am missing something obvious [Bob will tell me the instant he comes home!] but I cannot get the pictures on my instruction sheet to reproduce here. Try it with a square of scrap paper, and if it still makes no sense, please email me and I will send a copy of the sheet

RECYCLING CARDS INTO LITTLE BOXES

Cut the largest square you can from the front of the card. Cut another from the back—but make the sides 6mm shorter. This makes the bottom of the box smaller so the lid will fit over. Work with wrong side up throughout

Draw diagonals on the wrong side of both squares with pencil and ruler to cross at the centre.

Fold the corners to the centre and crease very firmly.  Use the cross as a guide

Open up [creases marked with dotted line.]  Now fold each corner in turn to the opposite crease point [ The first creases should line up with centre pencil line. Open up.]

Repeat on all four sides

Now fold the corners in to the nearest crease.

Cut out the eight little triangles – two on the middle of each side. Make four more little cuts- all running diagonally bottom left to top right so that the little centre squares in between those triangles you just removed can fold up as flaps.

The shaded centre square is the base.

Fold back the four little corner triangles, crease firmly.

Now fold up the sides in this order.

Top left, and bottom right—fold over so the corner triangle comes to the centre point

There will be flaps sticking out at right angles!

Now fold over top right and bottom left, to enclose those flaps. Again the corners will touch the centre cross. Push down firmly and your box should stay in shape, You can always put a dab of adhesive on the centre cross to hold these points

Now repeat with other part of the box!

Cut, Roll, Fold, Recycle...

Our Coffee and Craft session yesterday ended with two ideas for recycling. Turning old Christmas Cards into little boxes, and using old magazines to make pots.
Alison demonstrated the latter- putting rolls of paper round a peanut butter jar to make an attractive pencil pot/plant holder/ whatever. You simply use Pritt to stick down the paper as you roll it firmly round a pencil - then cut and attach to the jar. Really attractive - especially when cut at interesting angles 

My craft involved making gift boxes from old cards - you use the front for the lid, the back for the base. Cut the largest square you can from the front, and one with slightly shorter sides [reduce by 6mm] from the base. It needs to be smaller so the lid will fit over. Here are some pictures of the ladies making their boxes. They are an ideal size for small gifts - like jewellery - or for table favours, you could pop a chocolate coin or two inside - or you could fold up a banknote or two!

Do email me if you would like the instruction sheet for the boxes

Say Cheese!

I completely forgot I had't posted about this one! I don't really eat cheese, but we often serve a cheeseboard when we have guests

very curvacious!

Bob had brought a lovely piece of wood with him when we moved last year - I can't quite remember its origins. Anyway, he cut and shaped some cheeseboards with his router. It is hard to photograph, but the edges were beautifully rounded. 
He cut a shallow recess to hold the cheese knife, then fixed a super-magnet above it. The whole board was rubbed with food safe oil to preserve its surface.We found some lovely knives in a kitchen shop in Norfolk - and he ended up making five of these as Christmas presents. As you can guess, they were well received!

And I made some chutney to go with them

Hot Story, Cool Music!

We are going through the book of Daniel on Sunday mornings at church. Last week we watched this video [Bob had to edit it, to make it shorter - this is the full version] Hope you enjoy it as much as our congregation did!

A bit of 'barbershop' singing certainly livens up the service

If At First You Don't Succeed...

So, two years ago, I took on the 52 Projects Challenge

The idea came from a couple of blogs I was following at the time - one now defunct, the other still going
The idea was that you made a list of 52 projects you hoped to complete during 2014 - then did them!

If you click on the categories list on my sidebar you will see my attempts. The problem was that other things seemed to get in the way, and somewhere in the autumn, I lost the list! I did not manage the things - but I did get other things done. 
I have decided the approach was wrong - instead of berating myself for what I did not achieve, it would be better to stop at the end of each month and make a collage of stuff I had produced, and was pleased with.  And I would not make the list in advance, that way I would be doomed to fail. So here is January's picture 

1. my latest dress from the 'Market' Pattern
2. my recovered ottoman
3. the baby hat and bootees made for a friend's newborn
4. a striped baby cardigan

The cardi is using up some wool Liz bought and didn't get on with. I added a third colour and used that Sirdar book again to knit this one. It is in a larger size - knitting the newborn sizes may be quicker, but babies do grow so fast it is more sense to do bigger stuff.

Take A Deep Breath

Occasionally I get emails from people who invite me to promote their cause on my blog. I almost always politely decline. I prefer to speak about things I have come across myself, and want to share, rather than take someone else's word for it. However I recently heard from someone, and after going into it further, I felt I could share her story.
Ten years ago, a young mother in the United States, Heather Von St James, was diagnosed with mesothelioma. This is a cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Her father had worked with asbestos, and as a child, she used to put on his coat - and so innocently inhaled the lethal fibres. Heather was told she probably had a year or so to live- and certainly would not see her baby daughter Lily grow up. Heather opted for radical surgery, and had her left lung completely removed. Here is Heather, her husband Cam, and daughter Lily now


You can read Heather's story here and watch her inspirational video here. Heather contacted me because she thought I would help her share her story. A meso diagnosis is a frightening thing - and she wanted to pass on her hope to others. When she asked me, she didn't know how much this would resonate with me. In my own family, there has been a lot of lung disease, of different types - I have lost relations to emphysema, lung cancer, sarcoidosis and mesothelioma. As a young child, I was taken to visit an Uncle who was breathing in a scary 'Iron Lung' [these were very common in the 50's and 60's, particularly for polio sufferers] and at the end of her life, my Mum had to take her oxygen cylinder around with her. So yes, I have watched those I love struggle to breathe, and felt powerless to help them. I was glad to read the story of Heather's life.  
She does a lot for the Mesothelioma Cancer Allliance in the USA, encouraging and helping others. In this country we have MESO UK. Both these websites offer information and support for Meso sufferers and their families.
But Heather particularly asked me to mention February 2nd - this date is celebrated every year by Heather and friends as "Lung Leavin' Day" as it is the anniversary of her op.  Heather throws a party and invites friends to write their fears and worries on a plate and throw it into the bonfire. 

This year will be the tenth anniversary of her surgery - a real cause for celebration. If you want to join in, then you can go to this interactive page and smash a 'virtual' plate. 

There are no easy answers- Heather is wise enough to know that. Not everyone who comes near asbestos will get meso - and not everyone who gets it will recover as she has done. But she does believe that having faith, and sharing a positive attitude and not giving up at the first hurdle is important. This special day is her way of helping others get through the tough times in their lives. I am glad for her, for Cam and for Lily, that they have had these ten years of happy family life which was thought impossible back in 2005. So I am passing on their story.

So cheer with Heather, let go of worries, chuck a plate on a real or virtual bonfire... if you feel it is appropriate, chuck some cash at a Meso Charity too.

And don't forget what it says in 1 Peter 5 

Throw all your anxiety onto God, because He cares about you.

Bottomz Up! [DIY Wipz]

Having a pack of baby wipes around is useful at times- my favourites are Mamia from Aldi [at first I misread it, and thought they said Narnia so that's what I call them now] 

But Liz being both thrifty and concerned about recycling decided that she wanted to check out re-usable ones before the baby arrives. 
There are loads of these on the market - basically a plastic box, containing washable cloths, with a moistening solution - and in deluxe sets, a second box for soiled cloths.


But they cost a lot of money - some over £30 a set. So we set about making our own for less than a fiver.

You need a pack of 10 IKEA washcloths [£3] and two plastic storage containers, with clip lids, about 16cm square. these were 2 for a quid in the £ shop]
Cut the cloths in half and hem the cut sides. You now have a stack of 20 cloths.

With a sharpie, mark lid AND base of the two boxes to show 'clean' and 'dirty'  [I did smiley/sad faces] Job done!

Well - almost - you do need to moisten them. Some people like to keep a spray bottle of solution by the changing table, and mist baby's bum as the nappy is changed [I am sure I would end up squirting the wriggling child in the eye] 

But most pour the solution in the box to keep the cloths moist and ready for use. There are lots of recipes for solution out there on the internet - the most common seems to be

• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp baby bath/shampoo
• 1 tsp baby oil
• 10 drops of essential oil [tea tree or eucalyptus]

Shake this vigorously, then pour over your stack of cloths in the box, to saturate them. 

We decided to use half-size facecloths because a lot of the time, a smaller cloth would do - and you can always use two if really necessary. Folded once, these rectangles fit neatly into the box. 

I know this is perverse, as I am a real pedant about spelling usually, but on shopping lists, I almost always spell wipz [like beanz] with a 'z'. And sox, chox, and bix get an 'x' [my Mum did that too - it must be hereditary]

Not So Fast!

Last weekend, I stopped at the Motorway Services, and looked briefly at the magazines in WHS [then picked up a free one in Waitrose] It being January, they are selling the February editions. I have never quite understood that system, but they all do it. Here are some covers

All of them carry features about getting fit, getting healthy, losing weight etc. I appreciate that this is all part of the 'New Year, New You' thing. But I am beginning to question this idea.
The thing is, January in my house at least, is the hardest time to thing about diets and weight loss. I ate sensibly over Christmas [most of the time] and did not put on any weight. But part of that was because I did not pig out on the lovely foodie gifts we received.

But we did eat some of them up - fancy biscuits and sweets were enjoyed as desserts, posh jams spread on breakfast toast and croissants. That meant some of the Christmas food I had got in the freezer was untouched.  So in January, we are eating up the Christmas leftovers which remain in the freezer. 
This means there is no way I am planning to diet this month. On Saturday I used the two packs of frozen pastry, and some apples from a friend to make a batch of apple pies

These have gone into the freezer [apart from the tarte tatin which we ate straightaway] and I also baked that fish-ful of halva whilst the oven was hot. It is a soft, sweet peanut/sesame dessert, rather pleasant in small portions.

Two weeks from today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I may choose to fast from fancy puds then. But for the remainder of January, I am planning to enjoy the pies and pastries. And of course, the Grand Manse Pancake Party will be happen on Shrove Tuesday. 
But don't expect courgetti, Dukan Diets and green kale smoothies round here anytime soon!