Cutting Comments

Bob has a 'thing' about having sharp knives in the kitchen*. He argues, quite properly, that a dull knife is more likely to slip. So our knives are all stored carefully in a knife block, and regularly sharpened by Bob. I'm fascinated to watch him wielding the steel [but I always stand on the opposite side of the kitchen when he does it!] It's a bit like Errol Flynn playing both parts in a sword fight - there seem to be flashing blades everywhere!
Our breadknife has failed us [it is over 40 years old] and we've been hunting for a new one. We were pleased to find this one in the M&S New Year's Sale** - greatly reduced, and I had a loyalty points voucher. Original price £26, but I handed over just £5 for a smart stainless steel riveted handle model.

My own favourite is a little red Swiss Kuhn Rikon paring knife, it has a 3½" blade, and its own sheath. It fits nicely into my hand and is good for veg. I've had it for decades.
However, slicing celeriac is a whole new ball game. Those knobbly, brain-like roots are quite tough. I could never have produced the thin slices required for the boulangere, or prepared the julienne for the remoulade without this. It's an Oxo Good Grips hand held mandoline. Jon gave me this, years ago, and I find it so useful. Thanks Jon!
It has an adjustable very sharp blade [3 thicknesses plus safety closure] and a hand grip so you don't slice your fingers.
I am trying to minimise my kitchenware - but I refuse to cut down on my good knives [apologies for bad pun] 
*I recall a self-catering cottage in Cornwall which was very badly equipped, and all the knives were blunt. So he insisted we went out to Trago Mills to buy a knife for the holiday. At the end of the fortnight we left it behind for the next family, with a label "This knife is sharp!"
**M&S no longer sell knives online, and when we got our breadknife instore, the assistant said she fully expects M&S to stop selling kitchen knives completely soon. All the knives they had were reduced, and she said there had been no new stock since Christmas.

The Root Of The Matter

I am sorry that some of you cannot get comments published on the blog - I have no idea why that is. Liz sent me a message, as she couldn't comment, on the subject of celeriac. She recommended celeriac remoulade - and specifically Nigel Slater's recipe from the Guardian. So I strolled down to the shop and bought some parsley, and made some for lunch. The recipe is surprisingly easy.

Peel then shred a medium-sized (450g) celeriac. 

The shreds should not be too fine, nor should they be thicker than a matchstick. 

Toss them immediately in the juice of half a lemon. 

Mix together 4 heaped tbsp of good mayonnaise, 2 tbsp of smooth Dijon mustard, 

2 tbsp of double cream or crème fraîche and 2 tbsp of chopped parsley. 

Season with salt and black pepper, then fold into the shredded celeriac. 

Set aside for 30 minutes then serve with thin slices of ham.

I used some think home-made yogurt in place of creme fraiche. We'd finished the crusty walnut loaf, so I added some triangles of regular sliced - it made a good lunch.

We both liked the sharpness of the mustardy/lemony mayo sauce, although we felt the celeriac itself did not have as much flavour as we had expected [do read the NS article above- it is full of useful tips]

I had used the other half of the root for Hugh FWs "Three Root Boulangere" This is from his "River Cottage Veg Everyday" book. [Recipe here]

This was a good warming dish [I used carrots instead of parsnips] and one I was able to leave in the oven to cook whilst I popped out to see someone. OK on its own, but it would be a great accompaniment to a roast chicken. It was lighter than a creamy dauphinoise.

I checked out the price of celeriac in the supermarket - and my " organic brains" from the farm shop cost about the same as a 'regular' celeriac root from Waitrose [£1.60 kg]. That surprised me - some of the Farm Shop prices were noticeably higher than the supermarkets. If I see these on sale in the future I shan't be as reluctant to purchase them.

Now The Green Blade Rises

I've been very conscious of the arrival of the spring flowers over the last week or two. As well as the snowdrops, the bright yellow aconites have been appearing too.
I've found myself humming the hymn "Love is come again". This was written over a hundred years ago by John Crum, an Anglican priest, to be sung to the old French Tune Noël Nouvelet. It is usually sung at Easter, but I think Rev Crum began it with the word "Now" to show that the message is for every day.[I do like the last verse]
    Now the green blade rises, from the buried grain,

Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

    In the grave they laid Him, Love whom we had slain,

Thinking that He’d never wake to life again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

    Up He sprang at Easter, like the risen grain,

Jesus who for three days in the grave had lain;
Up from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

    When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,

Jesus' touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

In East Anglia the traditional name for aconites is 'choirboys' because the ring of bracts under the petals is reminiscent of a choirboy's ruff. I searched for a videoclip of the song - and many featured ruffled and surpliced boys like this. But I prefer these two Danish guys with a guitar. I think their version befits the simplicity of the ancient tune. 

Chickpeas, Cherries And Climate Change

Our Green Living Group on Thursday was fun. Shirley brought a cake [recipe below] which was well received, as was Sharon's Lemon Drizzle. Numbers were lower than at the first meeting- a few folk can't commit to being there for every session. We worked through the material and had good discussion.
It was interesting to hear that one of the group uses a local organic veg-box scheme, and is very happy with the quality and variety of the contents [and the flexibility to ask for specific veg to be included/omitted] We also talked about doorstep deliveries of milk in glass bottles, and the new Christchurch Farmers' Market. Christchurch is about to get a ZeroWaste Shop too.

We were given our GLP folders, with all the info for all the sessions - there's definitely a lot to take on board. As I prepared earlier in the week to facilitate the session, I was conscious of the amount of statistics being thrown at us. And abbreviations such as GHG = greenhouse gas. I hadn't realised that 50% of GHG comes from the food industry. Well, people can live without plastic bottles and jet aeroplanes- but everybody has to eat!

I tried to make interpreting the numbers more accessible [not everyone has A level maths] and also took along a few books which I have found helpful [along with a homemade waxwrap and a veg bag] Other people had the same idea, which helped fill the resource table.
I'll try and précis the most helpful suggestions about changes in food choices in another post shortly.

Slimming World Chickpea Cherry Cake [gluten free]
1 400g tin of chickpeas
3 eggs
4 tablespoons sweetener
6 teaspoons almond essence
1 teaspoon baking powder
Stick the whole lot in a food processor and whizz til smooth
Pour into 7" cake tin 
Drop 10 glace cherries into the batter, distributing evenly throughout

Bake in oven, 40 mins at fan 180º 

Fuss In Boots!

Liz mentioned a good probiotic supplement she had been taking. I thought I'd try them out, since the campylobacter wreaked havoc with my system over Christmas. I checked the link she sent to the Boots website - they are currently  on offer "3 for 2". This seemed a good deal [and if they don't suit, I can pass them on]
I went into Ferndown Boots on Friday afternoon. Took 3 boxes from the shelf to the counter. "These are 3 for 2, aren't they? I couldn't understand the shelf labels" 
The assistant explained that no, these were not in the offer. I showed her the website page on my phone. Yes, 3 for 2 online,and in some shops. But Ferndown is part of a new pilot scheme they are trialling. Our store is not included in some offers. She was sorry, she didn't know which nearby stores could sell me them 3 for 2. But she could order them for me, and I would get them on Monday.
"But the website says if I order by 8pm, you will have them tomorrow" No, she was sorry, Ferndown doesn't have Saturday deliveries. "But you have three boxes already in store, can I not collect them tomorrow?" She was most apologetic. She said the whole thing was really embarrassing, and told me of a man with his joint pain pills. "Please can you send feedback to Boots that I am unhappy about this?" I said "I know it is not your fault, and I can see this whole thing makes your life difficult too"

On Monday at 12.15 I got a text saying my tablets were instore. I went and collected my box. On the side of the box it explains that Boots are cutting down on plastic packaging. "Please tell us what you think about the BootsRecycleReady initiative" 
So I took a photo of the large box, with the three small boxes at one end [the remaining space had been full of screwed up paper] And I told Boots that I thought the box was way too large for the contents. And that if I'd been able to buy the three boxes in store at the discount price, they would have not needed to ship this package to me.
Furthermore, this is putting people off using the High Street Shops, and that is not good for the community. Until this year, we had two Boots branches locally. Now just the one.
Looking at the other photos on the website, it seems I am not the only one to respond like this.
One step forward, two back...

Bob - who has finished his antibiotics and is much better, thankyou - is lamenting the whole pill-taking system. How can we recycle this wretched mixed material plastic and foil packs? It is almost impossible to separate the two parts - and you are not supposed to put foil into our recycling bin unless it is scrunched up to at least the size of a tennis ball. 
Oh for the days of little brown glass bottles with metal screw tops, filled with our medications. And the strange cotton wool bung in the top which you had to fish out to gain access to the pills.
And more often than not, the cotton wool got pushed down into the bottle. What was the purpose of that cotton wool? [and did your mother save them all into a spare glass bottle in the medicine cabinet?] 
Keep taking the tablets!

Brain Food

Today I am off to my "Green Living Project" group in Christchurch. Last time was just the "intro" - this is the first proper session, dealing with Food, and how we can make lifestyle changes to reduce our carbon footprint in terms of our food choices. It's my turn to 'facilitate' so I have been studying the course materials already - two things have been on my mind. Shop local, and eat less meat. Yesterday I met up with my great friend Pauline at The Lantern Community Cafe, near Ringwood.
This ticked many of the GLP's targets. Much of the food is grown onsite, the breads/cakes produced by the in-house bakery, there is a 'Farm Stand' selling locally grown, organic produce - and Pauline is a vegetarian! The Lantern is a Camphill Community, providing housing, support services and training for adults with different abilities. Click the link above to find out more about this happy, friendly group and all they offer. 
It was lovely to see a "Candlemas Table" - the Community observes the church calendar and celebrates the changing seasons as part of their daily life.

Pauline and I had a good chat, shared a large, well-fruited toasted teacake and meandered round the shop [gifts, books, craft materials and educational toys - as well as organic foods and cosmetics]
I bought a loaf of walnut bread and two meatball pasties from the Bakery. The bread was a little bit dry and crumbly, but the pasties were fabulous. 
And from the Farm Shop I purchased a celeriac. This is mainly because I do not think I have ever bought a celeriac before. But it does look alarmingly like a brain!

Galanthophiles Are Gathering!

A couple of years ago, I learned the word galanthophiles - lovers of snowdrops. We went to Kingston Lacy in February 2018, and found dozens of other people enjoying these lovely little flowers.
We went again yesterday - and the flowers were lovely as ever, and the visitors were everywhere [some with very swish cameras!] 

There were swathes of bright white blooms all across the garden, making my two tiny clumps here in the Manse garden seem a little pathetic! 

We saw sheep in the nearby fields, their coats looking fluffy and warm, camellias bushes blooming, and many signs of spring.

Not all the flowers are snowdrops. 

We could not walk inside the Japanese Garden, so this picture  of blossoms and bamboo is from the NT website.The gardens at KL are particularly stunning right now. It was lovely to spend our afternoon off strolling outside enjoying Creation's beauty.

Do you remember M*A*S*H*  - a TV series which ran from 1972- 1983 about a US Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the Korean War? The main female character was nicknamed "Hot Lips" Houlihan. Major Houlihan was a feisty nurse, played by Loretta Swit. 


I only mention this because I was trying to find an anagram for galanthophiles, and not succeeding. Apart from this one [which made Bob chuckle]
H-hot Lips Angela!

Repair, Recycle, Repurpose

Repair - good news! Bob went out into the garage with the broken kettle [having been nagged to put on a coat, as it was chilly out there] and returned half an hour later having mended the switch. The red light in the switch no longer works- but the kettle boils, and switches off automatically. And we have saved £20 or thereabouts.

Recycle - last month at our coffee&craft group, Alison demonstrated recycling Christmas cards to make 'tree' decorations. She cut out a stack of identical tree shapes, then folded and stuck them to make 3d hanging decorations. We were sent away to interpret this idea and bring our creations to the February meeting.

Being lazy, and not as neat at cutting as Alison, I chose an easier route. I punched out lots of hearts, and die-cut out a stack of flowers. I folded and stacked the flowers in groups of 6, the hearts in sets of 5. I strung them on crochet cotton separated by beads from broken necklaces. They look quite pretty I think!

I've also been busy making more memory bears

Repurpose - my friend has given me a bag of her late husband's shirts, and I am busy repurposing them into three Memory Bears. Bob commented on Friday evening as I sat watching TV, pinning and tacking pieces together, that I appeared to have an efficient production line going. I felt good - until Saturday when I realised I had tacked the fronts of the arms to the back of the bears! But I unpicked and restitched them all.  I'm hoping to have them finished by Sunday.
It is proving to be a constructive and useful week, and we are both feeling much healthier than we did last month.

Flour Power

Last week, this picture popped up on Bob's Facebook feed, and underneath was a caption "we should be doing this now"
Bob thought [correctly] that I might want to learn more, so showed me the picture, and left me to fall down the rabbit hole of Internet research.
Here's what I discovered... 
The story is more complicated than "feed companies wanted to help Depression hit families in the 1930s" It goes back further than that...and it wasn't "pure kindness" that started it, but clever marketing... 
Back in the early1800s, US flour, seed and feed merchants starting using fabric sacks rather than barrels to transport their goods. Initially they used 'osnaburg' a cheap, coarse woven cloth, originally linen based. This was the fabric used to make clothes for the slaves on the plantations. 
Then they began using cotton. Often it was printed with a simple pattern, as well as the company logo. Thrifty famers' wives would unstitch the sacks, wash the fabric, and make household goods [bags, curtains etc] and also garments. 

Someone noticed that they could use "feminine attention to attract the masculine dollar" and by the beginning of the 1920s many companies were producing sacks designed to be repurposed, along with sewing patterns and instructions on removing the wording.

Men complained that they were sent to fetch multiple matching sacks [you need three for a woman's dress] and they were to be in blue floral or something similar. The manufacturers even altered the stitching to chainstitch for simpler dismantling  [easier to undo as it is a single thread] By the time of the Depression in the 30s, such thrift became even more important, and again in the War Years. 

Despite the attractiveness of the finished product, there was still a stigma attached to feedsack dresses. They marked you out as "poor" 
When a young Marilyn Monroe did a photo shoot in a dress made from a potato sack, people were quick to point out that her garment was very befitting to her humble origins. 
The printed cotton sacks continued into the 1960s. But then heavy paper and plastic fabrics took over. 

But it was a good thing. Reusing, recycling and helping those in need, as well as clever marketing. 
Why has the picture at the top of this post recently started doing the rounds? Well back in 2009 a historian called Kendra Brandes in Illinois researched feedsack garments very thoroughly. You can read her work here. A few years later Margaret Powell added further research. Then in 2019 somebody saw the picture of the guy and the sacks, read the story quickly and assumed incorrectly that it was "pure kindness". 
I'd love it if more manufacturers used fabric bags instead of plastic. Not sure Rosie would want Grandma Ang to make her a potato sack dress though. 

02.02.2020 - A Palindromic Candlemas

A lovely palindromic date makes today special. 

I was sad on Friday, I admit, but yesterday I found snowdrops blooming in the garden - these flowers are a symbol of hope. They are also known as Candlemas Bells- reminding us that Jesus is the Light of the world. Today is the feast of Candlemas.

 In the Church Year this marks the end of 40 days of the Christmas Season, and recalls the time when Mary and Joseph took baby Jesus to the Temple to be blessed.[Luke ch 2] They met the widow Anna, and the elderly Simeon - humble saints, seeking to follow God. I have adapted a Candlemas prayer from this website 

Christ, who brought light to the world;

Shine your light where our world is dark.

Mary and Joseph brought doves to be sacrificed in the temple,

the sacrifice demanded of those too poor to afford a lamb.

Christ, you knew poverty on earth

and understand the pain and suffering that it brings.   

Shine your light in situations of poverty.

Simeon prophesied and told Mary in the temple:

‘‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many

…and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Christ, you knew conflict on earth

and experienced the violence and the hurt that it brings.   

Shine your light in situations of conflict.

Simeon praised the Father as he met the Christ child,

he prayed ‘My eyes have seen your salvation.’

Christ, you saw on earth how in need of salvation humanity was,

and still is, and you wept.   

Shine your light in situations of spiritual darkness. 

And may our lives reflect your light of love, joy, peace and hope

It's A Cover Up!

Last March I finally got around to making myself a crossback apron from the Purl Soho Pattern. I had been given a piece of vintage linen and it was just what I needed for the project.

I love it! I slip it on as soon as I come home from church on a Sunday, and set about preparing lunch- knowing my smart clothes are safely covered. The deep pockets hold lots - a phone, a hanky, a tea towel... And it doesn't come undone. 
I've mastered getting it on and off too, so if the doorbell goes, I can remove my apron in seconds and greet my visitors looking spick and span.
But I wanted another one - I wear this one so much and I need one for when it is in the laundry.
This week I have made another. Not in linen - but using an old tablecloth. I am very fond of this, I purchased it in an Italian Street Market 18 years ago, when I visited Florence with Steph. The colourful print features various fruits, with their names in different European Languages

I don't really need the cloth anymore -and there are a couple of small ineradicable stains- and I am very conscious of them when the table is laid. But it still sparks joy as I remember that fantastic holiday.
So I cut the cloth up and sewed it into another cross-back apron.

I cut carefully, making sure the pattern was properly centred. It's a complex pattern and took around 3½ hours from start to finish. But it was worth the effort. The enclosed French seams will make it long lasting.[I don't think there is enough fabric left over to make a mini version for Rosie though.]
I have a new apron, in the old fabric. Joy all round!
If I am into decluttering household linens, I shall have to follow the examples of Sue and Sue and sort my teatowels next!

Today I Am Sad

I make no secret of the fact that I voted to remain in Europe. I am incredibly sad that today marks the end of an important relationship. 
I genuinely believe our nation will be the poorer for this decision - and mainland Europe also.
I was looking at the words for goodbye in different European languages - they seem to fall into two groups. The first commends the other to God - Adieu, Adios, Adeus...even our own Goodbye is a contraction of God-be-with-ye. And the second looks to a time of being together again Auf weidersehen, Au revoir, La revedere. May God be with us at this parting of the ways - and until we are united again.

Going Off The Boil

 At the end of the kettle debacle on Sunday, Bob said "We have a camping kettle in the garage" but I pointed out we had decluttered that over the summer, when we passed on all camping stuff to a friend at Church.
But I still have my huge church kettle. It holds 14 pints and will boil enough for 50 cups of tea. It appeared in the school play in 2018, when the Giant's wife carried it - but it is not really serving any useful purpose. It needs to go.
It has gone into my Etsy shop, along with my Big Brown Vicar's Wife Enamel Teapot [NB the teapot is big and brown, not the vicar or his wife]I am not sure if either of these will sell. 
There are similar ones there - and I have priced mine slightly lower. After the excitement of five sales in the first week, everything has 'gone off the boil' a bit. I hope things will pick up again soon.
Do you sell on eBay or Etsy? and are you making mega-bucks?

Letting Off Steam

It isn't just me, is it? Please tell me that your kettles do not last as long as they used to either. 
The kettle we had when we first married in 1979 lasted us almost 20 years. In 2009 when we got Cornerstones, our Leicester kettle had just broken. We purchased two identical kettles. Then we moved here in 2015, and two years later [end of January 2017] our kettle here died. Summer 2019 we had to replace the Cornerstones kettle. In both cases it was a fault with the lid. It wouldn't stay shut and therefore the water took ages to boil. And Bob couldn't fix it.*
Now the Dorset kettle is kaput - this time it's the on-off switch which has snapped. Silly little plastic fittings which break and cannot be replaced. That is only three years of use. Am I being unreasonable expecting it to last longer? The standard guarantee seems to be 2 years.**
On Sunday when disaster struck, I went into proper WW2 mode. I boiled a saucepan of water on the hob, filled the teapot, then poured the leftover into a thermos flask for later. I have a reasonable kettle at Cornerstones [and also a cheap £5 Tesco basics in the cupboard there too] so I'll collect one of them in February. I am not buying another kettle this month. We've had enough unexpected expenditure already this year.

I've temporarily borrowed a spare kettle from the church kitchen - an elderly Russell Hobbs. It boils OK but the automatic switch-off is broken. You have to make sure you keep an eye on it and turn it off promptly or it will boil dry. 
Why can't things be made better? Or at least made so they can be repaired? 
My SIL has just bought herself a new Pfaff sewing machine. Her old one [from the mid 1970s] was declared "beyond economic repair". After more than forty years, she wasn't complaining. She was able to pass the old one on to Tools With A Mission [here] who will spend time fixing it, so it can be used to bless others. 
*he did a brilliant job fixing my steam iron just before Christmas though. That was bought in 2008. I hope it will keep going for a few more years yet. 
**mine have lasted 19 yrs, 11 yrs, 8yrs and 3 yrs. Not a good progression.

Kung Hei Fat Choi

Did you celebrate Chinese New Year in any way? Unlike previous years I didn't "push the junk out" - but I found my little red Chinese Character badge in the drawer [it says "love"] and wore it on my jumper. I also picked up a Chinese-meal-in-a-box reduced to a fiver for our meal tonight.

Rosie and family live in London, so they went to Chinatown to watch all the floats, and eat some biscuits.

Rosie also went to a craft workshop, and made an amazing owl costume. Then put it on to surprise her sleeping parents on Monday morning!
Tu-whit Tu-whoo!
and Kung Hei Fat Choi

The Unvarnished Truth

I thought I knew all about people trafficking. I heard someone speak about it once, and they gave out keys to remind us to pray about the people caught up in it. 

I turned my key into an earring. People ask about it, and that's a good reminder to me to pray. But I don't meet the victims, do I? 
I mean, aren't these people picking brussels sprouts in freezing field in Lincolnshire, watched over by cruel gangmasters.
Or maybe involved in cannabis cultivation in disused warehouses somewhere near Manchester
And those trapped in the sex-trade, kept prisoner in seedy brothels in Bristol or London or Liverpool...
And then I read an article in the Guardian last week about the true cost of a manicure.  I have only had two professional manicures in my entire life. Once on holiday in Spain, nearly twenty years ago - and the second was just after I came here, in a beauty salon in Ferndown. It was for a special event - and cost me around £25. ["an arm and a leg" - for 10 fancy fingernails]

Most Beauty Salons in the UK charge that sort of price - but in recent years, there have been dozens of smaller "Nail Bars" popping up in High Streets in towns across the land. And you can nip out in your lunch hour from work, and get a quick set of acrylic/gel nails done for a tenner, cash, no appointment needed. In, out, job done, back to the office...
And the girl attending to you is clearly foreign, smiles, but doesn't say much - and certainly doesn't engage you in the usual salon chit-chat [going on holiday then? doing anything special this weekend? do you fancy a different colour this time? how are the grandchildren?....] She looks tired, but you wonder if she was "out on the town herself last night, she's young and perhaps a little shy round people.
She's quite possibly one of the many young women [probably from somewhere like Vietnam] who has been trafficked to the UK, and forced into this trade.

I was really distressed when I read the article. Ferndown has 3 Salons, all upmarket, with chatty, experienced staff,dealing mostly with the more affluent ladies [those trendy grannies with blue or maybe pink tips to their hair, and dresses from "East" or "Phase Eight" - but not me!] 
But I know that as I have driven through London I have passed these smaller Nail Bars nestling between Cash Converters, and the One-Stop. 
Because they are quicker, and cheaper, and accessible, they have become very popular. But many [not all] of them are a front for the traffickers. And the girls working there are afraid, and intimidated by the managing staff, and unable to seek help...
The Stop The Traffik website has a very helpful page about this. I'm glad that Southwark [the borough where Liz lives] is taking a very pro-active attitude towards this awful issue. But in many cities there just aren't enough enforcement officers available, and a serious shortage of interpreters [as the Guardian points out] to enable these terrified young women to get the help they need. 

This may have little or no relevance to you if you are down a quiet lane in Suffolk, or in a cottage in Cornwall, or watching your country being devastated by bush fires - but I am flagging it up anyway, just in case someone following my blog can make a difference. 
You may be reading this, and realising that you pass such a place on your daily commute, or that when you admired a work colleague's nails, she told you how inexpensive it was at that 'little place on the High Street, with the charming Asian girls'. Please, if you suspect something dodgy, check out the Stop The Traffik webpage, and then alert the authorities.
 If my daughter was taken away to another country and we lost contact, and I suspected she had been trafficked, I'd be praying every night for somebody to help her. 
Wouldn't you?