Oh, I Love That Book!

I took a book to read in the dentist's waiting room. I had recently decided to reread this book again because I love it. It makes me laugh out loud, and is a good antidote to cold winters and depressing news reports. 
Traffic was good, and the journey to East Harling went very smoothly. I had left home in good time [two weeks before, there was one diversion and three lots of roadworks with temporary traffic lights] so I got there with 20 minutes in hand. I checked in, and then sat down, swapped driving glasses for reading glasses, and opened my book. 
A couple of minutes later, the door opened. In came a mum, with baby in pram, and Grandma bringing up the rear. The chap who was waiting leapt up and rearranged chairs to accommodate the bassinet. Everyone settled down, and then the young woman said "Oh, I love that book!" I realised she was talking about my paperback.

I quickly swapped over my glasses [she was seriously out of focus] and we spent the next 10 minutes talking about EMD's characters, and the perceptive descriptions of the children, and longsuffering husband Robert. I said I had one of those. "Does yours ever complain that he has not had sufficient breakfast?" she asked. "Occasionally" I said. This young Mum was utterly delightful, about the same age as my Liz [who also enjoys DOAPL] "I have never met anyone else before who has read it!" she enthused. "What do you think of the Vicar's Wife character?" she asked. We covered an awful lot of ground before she was called through to the treatment room. It quite took my mind off gloomy thoughts about the possibility of root canal work. [which mercifully did not materialise]
I don't seem to have ever reviewed this book on my blog, which surprises me. I think I last read it during the pandemic, when I was here on my own at Cornerstones, running Grandma's Nursery for Rosie. There had just been an article in the Guardian about the book, and it was already here on the shelf at Cornerstones.
You can pick it up and put it down without 'losing the thread' so it's ideal for an 'analogue bag' It won't be to everyone's taste - but if you are stuck for something different, please do give it a try! It's a first person narrative, similar to Three Men In A Boat in many ways. The punctuation is rather random, and she uses capitals frequently, so characters have names like Our Vicar's Wife, and she skips speech marks. You get a line like Then Lady B. said Did I Want Coffee? and I replied Not Just Yet. 
Perhaps I should write a book in this style
I was in John Lewis, and a Complete Stranger said You are our Neighbour Daphne. And when I said No, I was Angela, she pointed to my Beloved Husband, and asked Well why are You with Him? He looks just like Daphne's Boyfriend...
I suspect nobody would publish it

Great Chieftain O' The Puddin' Race

Great Chieftain O' The Puddin' Race 
We celebrated Burns' Night a day late, but I cooked a haggis with cream sauce, neeps and tatties. And asked Alexa to play Scotland the Brave on the Bagpipes as I carried it to the table [for once, she obliged!] I have no idea what Burns' haggis poem means, and I suspect it might detract from my enjoyment of the meal if I did
I bought my McSween's haggis [serves 2-3] from Robertson's Butchers in Reepham. The butcher was very helpful and I have to say the flavour was excellent.  I'd done rather a lot of veg, and we had much haggis left over, so I made two 'cottage pies' for the next day - neeps on the bottom, then haggis, then mash on the top. 

The haggis is not usually considered a UPF, being made of lamb, beef, oats, stock, onion, salt, pepper and spices. No artificial colours or ingredients. One of the main ingredients of haggis is liver, which is high in vitamin A, vitamin B12 and folate. Heart and lungs will provide some iron, zinc and selenium and the oats included in haggis will contribute to fibre intake. It’s important not to over indulge in haggis as it tends to be high in fat and saturated fat as well as high in salt, so be mindful of the portion size. It was a filling, warming dish on a cold evening. I may serve it again soon, but without the bagpipes! It is relatively inexpensive, and a good ZeroWaste food, using up the offal which is often discarded.
Have you ever eaten haggis?
Did you celebrate with a Burns' Night Supper?

So Very Grateful...

Back to the dentist for a follow up appointment. Good news, everything seems to have responded to the treatment [antibiotics, saline rinses etc] It was an infection in the gum. No need for root canal work etc. In and out quickly, there was no charge for the visit. Return in the autumn for routine check up. Hallelujah!

Home via the ward where my old school friend is in hospital. She's been away from home since November, this is the 7th different bed she's been in, the 4th location. She is looking forward to getting home. I'm so pleased to see her looking brighter, and healthier. I got home at 1.15, Bob was making sandwiches

We'd just finished eating when Craig at Vision Express rang. My replacement frames had arrived. We popped into Dereham. It is wonderful to be able to see properly again, and only need one pair of specs.

I did try to do some 2x2 hand stitching on Tuesday, but it wasn't right, and I ended up unpicking it. I hope to get the bulk of the two patches done soon. Plus I have some sewing jobs lined up for three friends. Glad to able to see clearly enough to sew straight!

All in all a good week, thank the Lord. Much restoration! 

Guess What We Used To Make This, Grandad?

The girls were with us Saturday afternoon. Rosie had asked me to teach her to crochet. So once she was busy making chains, and Jess has realised this was not something she had the patience for, I took her off to do a simpler craft. We made some bunting, and hung it between two chairs.

I had made these all little flags last week, but before she began decorating them, I showed Jess the technique. Its ridiculously easy but you need to prepare them at least 48 hours beforehand, and children must understand that some bits can only be done by a grown up. 

You need lots of loo rolls. Each one makes 2 flags. The instructions in Red can be done by children.  Adults should do the hot water bit!

1. Half fill a jug with very hot water
2. Using tongs, carefully stand a loo roll in the jug
3. Count to ten [child can do that!]
4. Using tongs lift up the tube and turn it over, put it back in the jug
5. Count to five, lift out the tube, shake it a little
6. It will start to unroll, and become two separate parallelograms.
7. Do this with all the loo rolls
8. Lay the shapes on a worktop or chopping board to dry
9. Carefully fold in half to make a "pennant" shape.
10. Next day, when dry, stack them and put a weight on top to keep them flat

Now they are ready to decorate and will hang tidily over a string. You can staple near the fold to stop them coming off! The card is really good for paints or felt pens, or for sticking things on with PVA or Glusticks.
NB You can sterilise loo rolls - place 4 in a cross shape on a microwave plate, and zap on full power for 20 seconds [no longer, they may catch fire] but I reckon this total immersion in very hot water is adequate cleansing.

Watching the rolls uncurl to become diamond shapes is weirdly magical. And people are so surprised when you tell them what the bunting is made from! I shall do this one again i think.  

Spectacular!

In the continuing saga of "things at Cornerstones which are wearing out or falling to bits", the latest casualty - my glasses. Wearing them to read in bed, I fell asleep and bent them out of shape. Repeatedly!  And on Sunday the 'arm' snapped off completely.  

The guy at Vision Express could not have been more helpful. He said that for £25 the [rather expensive varifocal] lenses could be put into new frames. It should be less than a fortnight before I get them back. I'm very grateful for his help.

My older black framed glasses are OK for distance, so I can drive in them - but I really struggle to read. I splashed out a further £5  on a pair of cheap reading glasses with blue plastic frames. I can wear these in bed without worrying too much. And will go on doing so even after I get my others back. 

So I'm wandering around with two pairs at once, swapping over when I need to read something or do closework like sewing. Looking like horologist Steve Fletcher!  Julian was very sympathetic, having just had to replace his glasses at significant cost. He sent me this...

At least I don't have to buy a complete new pair, I only got these in May, and my varifocal lenses are pretty costly. Eyeglasses were first invented around the end of the 13th Century, about 150 years before the printing press. Which makes all those phenomenal embroideries, like the Bayeux Tapestry, and Opus Anglicanum even more amazing, 

Those stitchers had no means of magnifying their work. Some guilds restricted the hours of work, and insisted it was all done in daylight, to protect the eyesight of their needleworkers. 

I started wearing glasses when I was 30, what about you?

Breadsong Buns

 In the autumn I read this lovely book and really enjoyed it. I was delighted to receive it for Christmas, along with the instruction to "make the cinnamon buns, Mum" So here is my first attempt at them. They were very tasty..

They are a sensible size too. Not so big that you wonder if you should only eat half, but not so small that you want to eat two. 

I love the instruction for rolling the.spiral of dough like a snailb- then stretching the last bit across the top and underneath "as if it's checking its undercarriage"

The buttery cinnamon dough is flavourful, the simple milk and sugar glaze is quite sufficient. You do not need extra frosting.

[Recipe here]

Jesus, The True Light

Today marks the end of the Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity. The chapel doors will be closed this morning, as our fellowship joins with our Anglican friends in the Parish Church up the road. These are our brothers and sisters in faith- and it is good to worship together sometimes. Meanwhile Bob is preaching at the United Service at the Parish Church in Dereham 

The prayer below is from the Churches Together website. The lovely photo of the Northern Lights over Dereham is from my dear friend Heather who lives just a few miles away, and took this shot from a bedroom window last week in the early hours of the morning. [Thanks H!]

Lord Jesus Christ,

You bring us together in all our diversity,
as family and church.
In the face of so many situations on earth,
where hope has given way to despair
and hearts are wounded and emptied by disappointment,
renew our strength and unify us.
Help us to share Your hope wherever we find ourselves.
You are the true Light,
who casts out the darkness of sin,
despair and brokenness,
who shines into our hearts, releasing
the joy and the true hope of Your eternal love for all.

Amen.