Two Englishmen, A Scotsman, And A Jew

No, this is definitely not a joke. First up, read this BBC News report about Archbishop Vincent Nicholls [Roman Catholic], and the link to Archbishop Justin Welby [Anglican] . Then read this blogpost, by Jim Gordon [Baptist]. Finally, read the words of the prophet Amos [Jew]

You levy a straw tax on the poor, and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.  

For I know how many are your offences and how great your sins.

There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes, and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil.

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.  

Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph. [from Amos chapter 5]

I do not feel the need to rant further - these wise men of faith have said it all far more eloquently than I can.

Silks And Satins

Isn’t this the most gorgeous piece of cloth?

It is a lovely deep green fabric, machine-embroidered with silks in random pastel shades. It was in a bag of bits which my blogfriend Sandie gave me last year – and I have kept intending to find a use for it. So I put it on my list

Then a friend came to church last week in a skirt, which she had made herself, from beautiful embroidered fabric and I thought Aha! I remembered this skirt I made six years ago

This was using some cotton fabric I bought in London, and I cut the pattern from an old M&S skirt.

I bound the hem with purple satin bias binding from Button Boutique. This is one of my favourite summer skirts – the colours match so many different tee shirts!

So I made another one…

Same pattern, same format. Two pieces cut on the bias, sewed up at the sides,  no waistband- just a length of wide elastic stitched round the top and then folded over.  And the bottom edge hemmed with satin binding from BB again.

It is a warmer weight and will be a good skirt for the Spring. Thank you Sandie! Another project completed, and another length of cloth rescued from the Great Stash and repurposed!

Sicilian Sunshine

Bothersome bad backache this week has meant plenty of comforting baths, bed and books. These days I will admit, a little more readily than I used to, that sometimes it is better just to stop and rest if I can. I’d picked up a heap of books in preparation for next week’s half term break, but I am well through the pile already.

Having greatly enjoyed the TV series, I went for a stack of Andrea Camilleri’s “Montalbano” Sicilian detective novels. Both Bob and I have remembered the episodes as we’ve read the books. But as is often the case, the books have a little more detail, and extra plot twists which do not always translate well to the small screen.

If you liked the TV programmes, I think you will not be disappointed by the books. They capture the flavours of the island beautifully. Especially the food! Eating is a key ingredient of Salvo’s detection method, so there’s an awful lot of Sicilian cuisine to digest [no apologies for all the puns there] In the midst of the stormy weather here, I have escaped to a world of sunny, sandy beaches, al fresco meals, and warm olive groves.

Camilleri is one of Italy’s most famous contemporary writers, and Montalbano has been translated into nine languages. The English translation is by Stephen Sartarelli – who includes some helpful notes at the end of each volume, particularly regarding local slang, political asides, and the names of foodstuffs.

The descriptions of his colleagues – Fazio, Augello and the wonderfully Malaprop-like Catarella are brilliant. As you read, you realise how accurate the TV depictions were. The two key women in his life, Livia and Ingrid are well written too… 

For sheer escapism, these have been a really good read. I believe there are 8 more in the series – I must check out the library again before the weekend. [My remaining library book is another Jo Nesbo Harry Hole thriller. Not sure I can cope right now with more cold dark Scandi-drama!] I give Montalbano ***** for clever plot twists, great atmosphere and intelligent description.

The weather outside is truly frightful – although nothing like as bad as many of you are experiencing. My thoughts and prayers are with all those whose homes are flooded and/or livelihoods threatened.

Some We Made Earlier

Our local Connexion group met tonight. Elisabeth brought cupcakes with candles [for Janet’s birthday] and we made little gift boxes.

My little pink ‘heart’ cakes were rather more kidney shaped than hearts! I piped some rather wonky pink icing and decorated with tiny pink and white sugar hearts to emphasise the shape. They tasted OK though!

Don’t Lose Your Marbles!

Here’s a great, easy idea for Valentine’s Day – heart shaped cupcakes. It’s all over the interwebs at the minute…I may have to whip up a batch of these shortly [the Connexion girls are coming round this evening, and cakes are de rigeur at our meetings!]

You just take an ordinary cake tin, and put your paper liners in, then drop a glass marble down the side of each case.

Then when you bake the cakes, they will come out heart shaped. Decorate them as you please.

So simple – and no need to go and spend money on a set of heart shaped tins. Love it!!

PS I suspect the marbles will get VERY HOT so do be sure to let everything cool down well before you try to remove them. If you are short of cooling racks, use this tip from Real Simple magazine

Card Sharp

I don’t claim to be the sort of Coupon Queen who gets all her shopping for 3p using coupons clipped from every magazine and newspaper she sees – but I do use Reward Cards. Because of that, I receive vouchers from Boots, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S. For a long time now, I have organised these using a little plastic box from Staples. It stays in my bag, and whenever I get a coupon in the post, or with my receipt in a shop, I put it away safely. Every week or so, I check them, and discard ones I will never use, and move the useful ones to the front to ensure I do not miss their expiry date.

It is neat, tidy and only the size of a credit card. It keeps my purse from getting full of clutter. But the Reward Cards were getting too plentiful.

My purse has three sections – a zip part for cash, a pocket for notes, and smaller pockets to hold credit cards,reward cards, library cards etc. But there were just too many cards in there, and some only got used once in a blue moon. The pursed bulged and strained at the seams. I saw a good idea last year on Karen’s Blog, and finally this week, I got round to adapting it.

I bought some binder rings in Rymans.These cost £1.79 for a box of four, but I know I shall find uses for the other three! I stacked all** my cards neatly – first checking for barcodes and magnetic strips on the back. I arranged them so that any codes or strips were at the bottom [this did mean turning some cards upside down or the other way round] I put an elastic band round, and marked X in the top left corner.

Then Bob kindly used his pillar drill to put a 4mm hole right through the stack. And now they are corralled tidily and accessibly on the ring. It will be easy to remove them individually when needed.

** I should say that all means “All the cards which are not credit cards or bank cards” They are still safely in my purse. These cards are the ones which are of little value to anyone else.

I admit to having three library cards- Leicestershire [County] Leicester [City] and Norfolk Library Service. Shoestring had a lovely post about National Libraries Day on Sunday, ending with this great quote from Alan Bennett

"For a child a library needs to be round the corner. And if we lose local libraries it is children who suffer." 

 

There’s Sew Much More In Leicester…

I have frequently mentioned Button Boutique, our wonderful little haberdashery, just off the market, in St Matthew’s Arcade

They have a brilliant range of products, for needlecrafts and knitting, and so much more. The staff are so knowledgeable and helpful, and prices are competitive.

But now, just a bobbin’s throw away, another store with an alliterative name – Material Magic. It opened less than a fortnight ago, and is right on the route from the market to BB.

They have a great range of fabrics, all at excellent prices, and the manager is from the family who run the Direct Fabric Warehouse, just behind Wilkinson. I’ve used DFW for years for fabric for play costumes, and my SIL got some fabulous curtains there for the lounge in her new house.

I hope Rehka and her team do really well in this location in the Odeon Arcade – the shop is spacious and full of light, and the current stock looks great.

Three Stars Will Shine Tonight

Still working away at the challenge of completing 52 Projects

This one has been waiting an awful long time. My Mum died in 1991, and I had inherited her hot water bottle with its warm red cover. Over the years, I have replaced the hwb a couple of times – a leaky top and then a weak point in the rubber. But I kept the original cover, which gradually started to show signs of wear: The button came off ages ago, the buttonhole had a tear, and the side seams had started to undo. It was looking pretty sad really. I almost threw it out a few years ago…

But it was Mum’s and somehow comforting to cuddle on nights when I felt cold, or a bit under the weather. I mended all the damaged stitched and a couple of tiny holes. Then I printed out some trial phrases.

I chose the script style, and embroidered the message in pink thread. The photo isn’t clear – it is graduated in colour, going from white through to dark pink and back again. Then I added a moon and three stars.

Although I had the original button [covered in the same red fabric] I sewed on a vintage red one under the buttonhole, and two decorative ones as well.

I think Mum would have approved of the refurbishment. I put the three stars on because she used to love watching Dr Kildare – and this was the theme tune…

Stoked!

I woke early yesterday morning, so I listened to the Radio through my ‘pillow speaker’ [a brilliant device- only I can hear it, and Bob sleeps on happily]

The Radio 4 Sports guy, Gary Richardson,  was interviewing a bright young woman all about the Olympic Snowboarding, and the fact that the British guy, Billy Morgan, ought to win the Gold Medal. “The whole of Britain ought to be stoked today” the girl declared.

After the piece, the main presenter, Sarah Montague, asked her colleague Mishal Husain, what ‘stoked’ meant. Neither woman knew “We are just too ‘Radio 4’!” said Sarah. Minutes later they explained. Maybe the world and his wife emailed the Beeb to give them this definition. “It is to be totally committed to, and utterly passionate about something” 

Further research has taught me that it is snowboarding slang - by way of surfboarding, dating back to 1960s drug culture. Another popular, similar definition is “to be completely and intensely enthusiastic, exhilarated, or excited about something. Those who are stoked all of the time know this; being stoked is the epitome of all being.”

Clearly Britain wasn’t stoked enough yesterday morning. Sadly Billy missed out on the medals, as did his team-mate Jamie Nicholls.

But this morning is Sunday, and I want to be stoked – for Jesus!

What To Watch On A Wet Weekend

Combine a wonderful educational children's programme, a brilliant actor and mathematics. What more could a girl want?

Elementary!

The Count is definitely my favourite Sesame Street Character

Buttoned Up!

Another one crossed off! “Repair Liz’s Lap Quilt”

Back in 1998, Liz made a lap quilt for a GCSE project. She found this book in the library [newly published, back then] and decided that she really liked the ‘Indigo’ quilt.That’s the top one on the cover picture [left]

Inevitably this mean purchasing fabric – the great Stash did not have the required materials. But the quilt was made [it took her longer than a weekend though]

Since then, it has lived on the blue sofa, and is wonderful for wrapping round my knees on cold evenings! But the design had twenty mismatched rectangles of various blue prints, with cream sashing in between – and every square had a button in each corner. These buttons were from my stash – an assortment of random white ones. Over the years, most of the buttons became detached and lost – and a hole appeared in one of the blue rectangles.

So I have patched the hole, and sewn on 80 matching buttons. I found that I had a bag of 100 blue/grey shirt buttons in my stash [where from? can’t remember! thank you, whoever gave them to me]

It’s been through the washing machine and looks much fresher. Bob thinks Liz may want it back now. If so, I shall return it at half term. There’s a good review of the Quilt book here.

Please Don’t Drop The H!

I insist that letter should be spelled [and pronounced] aitch, not haitch. I do drop mine occasionally – I was born in Essex after all. They drop them quite a bit here in Leicestershire too. As Professor Higgins lamented in Pygmalion “Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?”

From ‘My Fair Lady’

But I am not used to seeing the letter dropped from the end of a word. I can only assume that it happened when someone fitted a new door handle – and the bottom of this sign was unfortunately cut off in its prime.

I think the end result is rather unpleasant, don’t you?

What’s In A Name?

Following last week’s post about Waitrose Free Range Noodles, Liz commented that she was always amused by the Waitrose Essentials Chocolate Chip Brioche Rolls – “In what sense are they ‘essential’?” she asked.

My daughter has a good point there- the Oxford dictionary defines essential as being “absolutely necessary; extremely important”

I look round Waitrose once in a blue moon [specifically the blue moon when the motorbike service is due- Bob’s mechanic is very near the Oadby W. store] so I am not au fait with their essentials range. Liz’s comment led me to check it out further.

I am quite sure that artichoke hearts are not absolutely necessary. Mind you, that is the only thing I am sure about when it comes to artichoke hearts – having reached my fifties without ever eating them! Crème Fraîche I do buy occasionally. But I am fascinated by the strap line produced with care by farmers who share our values. Have you noticed how values are becoming as important as value in the supermarket wars? Waitrose proclaims ‘value with integrity’  for its essentials range.

Sainsburys declare ‘our values make us different’ [I first blogged about this 6 years ago] and they have just relaunched their basics range. The first ad of the campaign highlights how Sainsbury’s basics eggs are sourced from non-caged hens. Later adverts will showcase Sainsbury’s British ham, MSC accredited fish fingers and Fairtrade tea, all from the basics range and all with strong ethical credentials. [Froogs has posted some good recipes recently using this range]

The Oxford dictionary defines basic as “offering or constituting the minimum required without elaboration or luxury” or “common to or required by everyone” – I presume they are using the first definition. Smoked salmon is hardly required by everyone!

I’m still pondering on Arabella Weir’s comments on the food Programme on Monday night. She said that if an apple is 30p and a pack of value biscuits is 30p, then people with lower incomes are likely to buy the biscuits, as they will be more filling [and easier to share around the family] despite the fact they are less healthy than the apple. And as a working Mum, she said the £3 ‘family lasagne’ in the supermarket may be full of rubbish ingredients- but at the end of a long day, when she is tired, that is a quick and easy way to get a meal on the table – she really cannot face the effort of ‘cooking from scratch’. I think she has a valid point – for many people it is harder for them to eat a healthy diet on a restricted income. This is not a good state of affairs – the nation was healthier under wartime rationing than it is today!

Cast On, Knit, Cast Off, Repeat

Last year, I decided to do some serious stashbusting, by knitting a different project every month for charity – I made hats, scarves, various blankets, dog coats, slippers, mini hats, teacosies, vests, teddies, legwarmers, and sewed some bags too. It was incredibly satisfying, and I enjoyed the variety.

But I still have wool left – so one of my 52 Projects is to do another charity knitting challenge. The 52 Projects is intended to be small tasks which can be completed in a week. Bob is taking one of his holiday weeks over this coming half-term, and we shall go to Cornerstones, then down to see the girls in London.

Today I had a letter from the London City Mission – a charity I have supported for years- with details of their 2014 Hospital Knitting Project. [They work with Lewisham and the Royal London Hospital] It looks brilliant,and doable.

A whole sheaf of patterns – for playgroup toddlers, newborns, high dependency units, special care babies, and [sadly] stillborn babies.

I still have a fair bit of pastel 4ply yarn left – so I am going to see how many items I can produce in just one week.

Another blogger was lamenting recently that she likes knitting babystuff- but has nobody to knit for. Here’s a good cause! If you would like to take part, email enquiries@lcm.org.uk, and ask Joy Gadsden to send you the details.

Scandiwegian

Apparently this is old British naval slang for someone from the Nordic countries. Who knew? [Jane and Chris in Canada probably!] We seem to be absolutely beset by Scandiwegian stuff just lately.

“The Bridge” finished on Saturday night. Utterly and totally miserable, I thought. They didn’t even have Sarah Lund’s lovely Nordic Sweaters to keep them warm! And who is left to come back for Series 3, or is there not going to be one? I’ve recorded [but have yet to watch] Channel 4’s Sunday night programme ‘Swedimania’

Yesterday I realised that we had a fair bit of Swedish stuff around.

I bought my Swedish IKEA drinking glasses for a couple of Christmases ago. I do like the red and white theme, and the star pattern

In October we were in the Swedish Clas Ohlsen store in Norwich. I treated myself to these

They were quite cheap [but do not like very hot plates!] and make  cheerful place settings for the table.  I’ve just been given a lovely wooden box with a Scandinavian design on the lid

No, not IKEA, not Ohlsen – but Waitrose! It held Christmas sweetmeats. I shall repurpose it for haberdashery notions.

Continuing the red/white theme – but not at all Scandi, here is my breakfast coffee from Saturday.

Bob made me a proper cappuccino, then dusted it with a cocoa powder heart*. Belgians can be so romantic sometimes!

I have great hopes for the new BBC 4 Saturday night Euro-cop drama.

Salamander is produced by Belgian TV, with dialogue in Dutch/Flemish, so it will be subtitled**.

Belgian it may be, but I suspect this one will have very little in common with these other two Belgian sleuths we know already

*he cut a stencil out of paper to get the right shape

**this is useful, as I know hardly any Flemish words