Keeping Busy

Sunday was interesting - I went out to preach at another church. They are studying the life of Joseph and I had Genesis 42-44 to work from. Over coffee later, I discovered that five of the women present [in a congregation of just over 30] had also been to the show at Newmarket [but on the Friday and Saturday] They had similar comments to mine about overpriced gadgets etc! Bob got home before me and had prepared a superb lunch, and we had the other half of the SussexPondPud for dessert.

In the evening, I dragged him to the Parish Church, not for any spiritual reasons, just that it is the highest point in the village. We watched the four planets aligned [Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury] then went and had a reviving cup of tea at my brother's house. This is a BBC photo.

On Monday the sewing machine was humming- one neighbour WhatsApped on Monday morning with a request, I suggested she pop round at 10. At 9.55 the doorbell went, and there was another neighbour with a skirt which needed shortening! Which is all good, because sewing calms me down, and I have felt a little stressed over the past couple of days. I can sit and sew and think and meditate and usually feel so much better afterwards. 

Tuesday I had set aside for preparing another sermon, as I am speaking at our chapel on Sunday, and the set passage is Colossians 3. I love having time to really study the Bible. Bob had a Hospice session in the morning, but when he came home, he suggested we went out for lunch at a newly opened Café at a Farm  Shop nearby. Tasty!

Preparing for last Sunday, I discovered something I had never noticed before. If you've read the Bible story [or watched Lloyd Webber's Technicolor dreamcoat musical] you will know the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, and some Ishmaelites took him to Egypt. These men were traders in Myrrh, spices and balm. In Chapter 43;11 seventeen years later, the brothers go to Egypt to try and buy grain. Their father Jacob] tells them to take silver, plus myrrh, spices and balm [also honey, almonds and pistachio nuts] in order to appease the official [ie their brother who they have not recognised] How fascinating that they took the same valuable items. This is the only mention of pistachio nuts in the Bible. Almonds get mentioned a lot [they are the symbol of new life, and the best nuts imho] 

All the sewing for the neighbours has delayed my final post about Newmarket. But I will post about it soon!

When Life Gives You Lemons... 🍋

... Make Sussex Pond Pudding🍋, a traditional recipe which is warming and tasty on a cold damp evening. I had been given a lemon at the pancake party, so produced this on Saturday [first course was a lightweight ham salad, and the pudding served us for 2 days] Turning Out The Pudding was quite a performance. Bob filmed it, in the manner of one of those "unboxing videos"  I'm not sure if it will post to the blog...

Old Fashioned Sussex Pond Pudding [serves 4-6]

• 100 g (4 oz) Atora Suet
• 225 g (8 oz) Self Raising Flour
• 150 ml (¼ pt) cold water, approximately
• 100 g (4 oz) unsalted butter, diced
• 100 g (4 oz) caster sugar
• 1 large thin skinned lemon

1 - Lightly grease and line the base of 1.2 litre (2 pint) pudding basin. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, Atora Suet and enough water to make a soft, but not sticky dough.

2 - Roll out two thirds of the dough on to a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick (¼ inch). Line the basin with the dough making sure any splits are sealed well.**

3  - Put half the butter and sugar into the centre of the basin. Prick the lemon well with a skewer and place in the middle, and then surround with the remaining butter and sugar.

4 - Brush the top edges with a little water and roll out the remaining dough into a round shape the same size as the basin. Cover the pudding with the dough and press down well to seal the edges.

5 - Cover with greased greaseproof paper and cook in microwave oven on two third maximum (medium/high) 700 watt for 7-8 minutes or until well risen and just firm to the touch. Leave the pudding to stand for 2-3 minutes before turning out onto a warm dish. OR [better result imho] steam for 2½ hours in a pan half full of boiling water. Do not let it boil dry. 

6 - Serve immediately with yogurt, custard or cream - recipe from Atora Suet

When you cut into it, the buttery lemon sauce pours out to make a pond round the pud! 

What I Brought Back From Newmarket

We looked long and hard at many items, particularly the Fabric Tube Maker. It works on the same principle as my bias binding maker. And you can make baskets, bowls and bags from 2½" wide strips [aka Jelly Rolls] The guy who demonstrated was very persuasive. To be fair, his special show price" was a couple of quid cheaper than online. But I'm not sure I'd use it. I can see that if you make a lot of Jelly Roll Quilts,it is a good way to use up leftovers. 

Elisabeth and I both walked away from the fancy fabric displays, but upstairs found a huge basket of Fat Quarters at £1 each. She bought one piece specifically to recover a favourite zip pouch

I went right through the scraps and found 4 which were all part of the Natural History Maritime Collection. "You did well to find a set" said the sales girl.I'm Very Determined" I replied. A number of bloggers have been buying up linen sampler panels and books to embroider. With varied success. At 3pm I noticed some people reducing their goods. I picked up a beautiful piece of Moda fabric, designed by French General [a husband and wife partnership in New York, not Charles DeGaulle] It was £6 per metre. 

Here's part of it, there are letters, flowers, border patterns... On Pinterest there are many examples of how people have stitched the panels

We thought we had been to all the stands, then we went round a corner and found a big area with lots of machines and accessories. It was Sewing Machine World from King's Lynn [Many people I know have bought machines there. It's highly recommended] And here Elisabeth and I found exactly what we'd both been looking for. But that is a whole other blogpost...

A Pause In Lent #2

A Riot Of Colour!

Elisabeth was outside the station as I drove up, and within 10 minutes we were parked at the Racecourse. Check-in was quick [we had prebooked tickets] and we'd walked 75% of the way round the ground floor in the first hour. Then at 11.30 the loudspeaker went bing-bong! and a cheerful voice welcomed us and reminded us the three eating venues were all now fully open. 

I fully expected the voice to say "Hello Campers, Hi-de-Hi!" but she didn't. We looked out at the race track - all very green, but deserted. Not a horse in sight... and decided we were ready for coffee. E&I are old hands at this, we checked the three places, and discovered the cheapest coffee was inside in The Runners' Bistro - and it was fairtrade and served in proper mugs. E has a very strong social conscience and we were happy with this choice. We chatted and then it was noon, and people were coming in for lunches [which smelled delicious] We decamped to a sheltered spot outside and ate our packed lunch [prepared by E] Then back inside for more meandering. Stallholders were saying that people had been slow in arriving, and there were fewer than expected. We were 99% white women in the 40-80 age bracket. Most stallholders were women too, but there were some blokes.

You can see that it doesn't look that crowded! E had never been to a Quilt Show before and loved looking at stuff [and deciding not to buy it] There was one knitting/wool stand upstairs. 

I did like the award-winning Thimblewood stand, with their lovely felt nativity set, and beach hut etui. But came away with just the business card! 
I did not think much of the man in the corner selling marbling kits for £40, nor the guy with all sorts of overpriced perspex gizmos to make your quilting and patchwork easier. "I know a lot of ladies struggle with maths so this ruler has zero in the middle and measures out left and right, so you can find the centre of your work more easily" This "lady" took an exception to that, and moved on swiftly. Going with a friend is always a good move. You can ask each other "Would I really get much use out of this?" and if salesperson is too pushy, one of you can say "Let's so for coffee and think about this" I watched quite a few women waving their credit cards and buying things with apparently very little consideration about their purchases.

Special mention for AitchBee. This stand looked familiar, as did the one beside it Helen Howe's quilts- I visited their shop on the Norfolk/Suffolk border the year before the pandemic and blogged about them. I showed them the post I had written then, and Helen filled me in on the story since that summer. Two lovely ladies- who were generously giving away postcards with notes on how to replicate some of their quilt patterns!

There were many large quilts hanging around the venue featuring Kaffe Fassett prints, and more of those Highland cows [complete kits available to buy], and also a display of ones which had won prizes in the pre-show competition.

We looked at three quilts by Gillian Travis. They all followed the same format; she collected photographs whilst on holiday [Shetlands, India and Mexico] then reproduced details as paintings on postcard size pieces of ecru cotton. Each piece was then embellished with stitching [hand and machine] The scottish one had letters, and small items [jumpers and bobble hats] as well as scenery and building. India was vehicles, Mexico was doors.

These were on the top floor of the show. It was almost 3pm. And I made my Big Purchase of the day. Then we went for more coffee [and shared a slice of cake] and returned, as Elisabeth had decided she wanted to splash the cash too. As we left, at 4, the bingbong! lady was wishing us all a safe journey home. Next week I will post pictures of what I bought! Thanks Elisabeth for being a great friend and a good companion. A pleasant day out - lots of inspiration for further projects. 

Quilts Super, Quick Supper

 

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Elisabeth and I had a lovely day. Lots of laughing and chatting and catching up, while we looked at all the merchandise and quilt displays. It will take a while to sort all my photos. 

So here's one I took earlier of a recipe I tried out this week. 

This is Jamie Oliver's Roasted Pepper Pasta. 

I made it on Wednesday evening and set aside half for Thursday. It was very easy and very tasty. And it just required heating through when I got back from the Quilt Show feeling exhausted [but happy]

Spinning, Strimming, Trimming

Tuesday was a pleasant day and for the first time this year, the whirligig dryer went up in the back garden. Always a cheerful sign, spring is on the way. And later Bob strimmed the edges of the lawn, and mowed the grass. The grass was just a bit loo long. I'd better get a move on with my 2026 garden notes.

My hair was also a bit long, so I drove into Norwich and went to Supercuts. Shelley cut quite a lot off, but I am pleased with the shorter cut. I can show off my dangly earrings! I think my last cut was in September, but Steph trimmed my fringe in the Christmas holidays.  A one length bob needs minimal maintenance, but once it gets a bit too long and the weather warms up, I like to go shorter again.

I am still unpacking bits and pieces from the Manchester trip. I thought I had left Bob's slippers behind. I hadn't - but I had failed to pack my little red Icelandic beauties!

Today should be a lot of fun, I am meeting up with my old friend Elisabeth in Newmarket - we have been friends for 44 years. We are going to the racecourse together- but for a Quilting Show, not to bet on the horses! There will be a full report later...