Iconoclast or Iconophile?

I left home Sunday afternoon for a twenty four hour trip to London - firstly to deliver flowers to Auntie Peggy. I managed what M&S couldn't! Then onto Liz & Jon with a futon. We put the futon together - and then I went to sleep.

 

Up early this morning to prepare for Tuesday's Housegroup. We are using David Coffey's Advent book - which I would recommend to anyone. However I discovered I needed to prepare a Jesse Tree. I followed the websites listed - but then discovered this one which has some great images I can download and use.

I was a little confused by some of the Jesse Tree information on the internet - the implication being that many Christians [particularly Roman Catholics] now use a Jesse Tree because Christmas Trees are pagan things. I always thought they started off with St Boniface. According to tradition, when he chopped down the pagan Thor's Oak at Geismar, Boniface [born in Devon] claimed a tiny fir tree growing in its roots as the new Christian symbol. He told the heathen tribes:
- "This humble tree's wood is used to build your homes: let Christ be at the centre of your households.
- Its leaves remain evergreen in the darkest days: let Christ be your constant light.
- Its boughs reach out to embrace and its top points to heaven: let Christ be your comfort and your guide."
So the fir tree became a sign of Christ amongst the German peoples, and eventually it became a world-wide symbol of Christmas.

So this year we shall have both Jesse Tree and Evergreen! The latter will be beautifully decorated with the accumulated ornaments of the last thirty years - the former with laminated cut-outs!

Round about 10am,Liz and I set off for the Royal Academy.

This plaque is round the corner from her place. We are a family of geeks and nerds!

The bus ride was fun - so many of the streets and shops are already decorated ready for Christmas

Opposite the RA is Fortnum and Mason

Fortnum and Mason's window was full of mouthwatering goodies

- but most of them way too expensive for my pocket. And the less exotic foodstuffs [Marmite, Heinz ketchup etc] seemed to be considerably more expensive than the same items in Sainsburys!

 

 

Their fabulous cake counter had Scrabble tiles on top.

F&M Christmas Windows - based on "The Snow Queen"

You can see the Royal academy reflected in the window- that was where Liz and I went to see the Byzantium exhibition. Mindblowing!

Are you an iconophile or an iconoclast?

I cannot begin to describe the beauty of these artefacts - wonderful use of colour, intricate craftsmanship, fabulous embroidery, shining niello work, micro-,mosaics,glowing illuminated books - all done for the greater glory of God. I felt slightly guilty about my plans to dash home and shove some hastily printed sheets through a laminator!

Maybe if I sat up all night I could embroider a couple of dozen ornaments to hang on the Jesse Tree!

Sanity prevailed, and I realised that time was limited. I would have to produce great masterpieces at some other time.

Pondered a lot on the idea of icons and imagery - and when do these things provide inspiration - and when do they produce idolatry?

On balance a set of laminated pictures would be better for Housegroup - the last thing I want is for people to spend the evening admiring my stitchery.

We walked on to Hyde Park for the Winter Wonderland German Christmas Market - wish I could skate!

This guy was selling reindeer hides. I wondered if he was related to Sarah Palin.

Liz and I were not really too taken with nay of the eating places on offer. The poor roast pig looked really miserable!

 

These wooden ornaments were so intricately made.

Here's Liz - the sun in her eyes - enjoying some mulled cherry wine.

My photo makes her look slightly squiffy, She wasn't -honestly!

A fabulous display of little tin toys - but when I saw the prices, i resisted the urge to buy Bob a model motorbike.

 

  The Haunted Mansion was HUGE, with bizarre sections in luminous green paint.

There were lots of rides and things in the Market, including a lovely helter-skelter, a big wheel, a roller coaster and smaller carousel type rides.

We resisted the urge to go on anything else, and strolled through the park to Knightsbridge to look for some lunch.

I had just put my camera away when we saw a tourist feeding a grey squirrel. "Not a good idea" said Liz - the woman stopped giving him crumbs and walked away, then screamed as the creature actually ran up her trouser leg!

We were walking past a hotel in Knightsbridge when a guy in an amazing check suit got out of a taxi. "That man is wearing Mr Toad's Outfit" declared Liz.

Here is a picture of the costume I made for the school production last summer.

And below it is a picture of the man we saw this afternoon in Knightsbridge.

[Liz hid behind a pillar when I got my camera out - I think she was embarrassed!]

 

Check out his amazing 'correspondent' shoes!! Rumour has it this shoe was originally invented for playing cricket! The darker areas were considered to be the ones that were most strained during the sport. Bryan Johnston the cricket commentator was certainly very fond of them.

We walked on to EAT and had healthy salads for lunch, then looked at Harrods Christmas Decorations.

Liz bought a cute little feather wreath for her tree, which has a very avian theme [apart from the wonderful wooden moose!] with owls, doves and other birds on it. Monty the cat is quite fascinated.

We got buses back to Elephant'n'Castle, then I drove home - reaching Leicester at 7pm.

All in all a very satisfying trip. Lovely to see family members, and fun to see the sights of London. Bob seems to have had a busy and productive time in my absence- and had got a super meal ready for my return.

Spent the evening printing out stuff for the Jesse Tree, then laminated and trimmed all the shapes whilst watching 'Spooks'. [I do enjoy that programme, but I wish they wouldn't keep killing off significant characters!!]

And now I am going to bed, in order to get rested for tomorrow.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I wish I lived near Brighton! I should love to go and see their Beach Hut Advent Calendar. What an incredibly creative idea.

I spent time this morning doing a window display for our local newsagents - Marie and Mark, the owners, have very kindly allowed us to set up a Nativity Scene. However I forgot the camera, so pictures will have to wait!

Steph phoned this morning- back safe from Malawi - along with her baggage - despite a four hour delay at the airport, and almost missing the connecting flight from Ethiopia.

I am so thankful she is home OK - and grateful to all those kind friends who have prayed for her safety and said encouraging words to me when I have been an unnecessarily anxious Mum.

I forgot the camera yesterday as well- it was "Decorations Day" at school. The theory is that they have just ONE DAY when they can go messily mad with glitter and paint, and produce lots of decorations. About 8 extremely helpful parents and grandparents came in to help with my class and we did 7 different Christmassy activities.

One thing was making snowflakes from folded and cut paper. The correct name for this technique is scherenschnitte, and there is even a fabulous blog dedicated to it!

The children each made their snowflake, then decorated it with glitter - causing a great deal of mess!

One little boy - who is usually incredibly quiet, (and has a relatively limited vocabulary, and finds most activities difficult) was really taking his time, and was still at the glue and glitter stage when another child sat down beside him to start the task. I explained about cutting, and drawing triangles and snipping them. I said "And then we unfold it - what happens then?" and the first child's face lit up "And then it's AMAZING!" he said, beaming at his little friend, and holding up his snowflake. He was truly thrilled to have created something so beautiful all by himself. It was definitely  'an awe and wonder' moment!

I had been a little negative about the day over breakfast - muttering about 'not real teaching' - but that one sentence gave me such a buzz.  I do so love teaching.

I am a bit pedantic about snowflakes though - I always insist that they have six points, and not four or eight.

I am hoping that we do not have any real snow for at least 48 hours - I am driving down south tomorrow to deliver the futon to Liz and Jon.

Tomorrow we will light the first candle on the Advent Crown at Church. Usually I put up our decorations at home on the first weekend in Advent, but this year I shall be just a few days late.

Christmas is coming, and I am already feeling a glow of anticipation...

Dither, jitter, and clocking.

That sounds like a firm of estate agents in Midsomer Worthy. They were actually words used, frequently, by some speakers I heard yesterday. I went with Bob last night to a seminar [from Mic to Monitor] all about improving recording techniques. It was interesting in parts! I learned lots of technical language which I may never have the chance to use again, and was pleased that it didn't all go over my head. As well as improving my knowledge of the world of recording, I came away from the event with some interesting observations.

1. Apart from 2 of the 4 speakers, I was the oldest person there - and I was certainly the only female. Is the recording business really that male dominated? Why do people assume that girls have no interest in technology?
2. Having a female in the audience was a challenge for at least one of the speakers - who struggled sometimes to moderate his language! He kept looking across at me and faltering mid-sentence.
3. I realise that the seminar was free because rich companies [like Apple] were sponsoring it. But I think that they could have found more interesting people to present their products.
4. I was greatly amused by the fact that these highly technical blokes were phased by basic domestic technology. We were due a coffee break halfway through - and at the side was a table with a tea urn, cups, and biscuits etc. The urn was switched on just after the "Welcome" chat. By the time 'Apple' guy got going, it was coming up to the boil and therefore hissing and steaming. He was looking confused - having assumed the hissing was coming from part of the highly expensive sophisticated sound gear! Even when the source of the noise was established, nobody had the sense to turn the thing down [so I did it, during the coffee break!]
5. It is vital to ensure one is sitting next to someone who not only knows what they are talking about, but also asks intelligent questions. Not to mention someone who can talk about being at Oxford with people like Michael Gerzon [who?] - people might think that I am equally knowledgeable.
6. If it is the last night of this seminar tour, it is worth asking for an extra free T shirt. I did - and ended up with three - which is useful, because during one of the boring parts, I was working out how to implement a craft idea I had seen in a book in Waterstones last week [which required two identical T-shirts] Now I can try out the idea for nothing!
7. Some wives only get to spend evenings with their husbands if they accompany them to watch rugby matches in the freezing cold. I am very grateful that Bob's hobby is something which interests me a little, and has free coffee, biscuits and T-shirts!

What did I learn technically? Well, that timing is crucial, and if the internal clocking is affected by jitter, your recording will not be as good as it should be. That in the analog/digital conversion business, it is helpful to add noise and dither. That the human ear is a phenomenal piece of engineering. I came away rejoicing in a Creator God who designed our hearing system and inspired great composers and musicians - and smiling to myself at the first heading which went up on the screen "The Importance of Conversion"

Now that is language I do understand!!

Fired with enthusiasm!

I love Christmas time - so many things happening, and even though I am incredibly busy, the diversity of the activities in which I am involved seems to keep my adrenalin going.

Monday was only a partial Day Off for me - into town for the Bank, GPO and coffee with Bob, teaching in the afternoon, giving a friend's child his tea and putting him to bed whilst Mum & Dad were at his sibling's concert, then onto knitting club in the evening.

Tuesday included teaching, sorting out those IKEA drawers, and in the evening,sitting in front of TV working on another Christmas project [ to be revealed later] and planning a visit to Liz on Sunday night to deliver the futon.

Wednesday I did a phenomenal amount of housework, then lunchtime was helping a friend waitressing as 30 OAPs had a Christmas Lunch. Then Sewing Club followed by a very happy Church Meeting [which didn't last too long either!]

Today I have been working on more production costumes for school, going to our Coffee Drop In, and spending a bit of time at the PC. M&S have agreed on a full refund for the non-existent flowers, and I now know the best and cheapest source of replacement walking stick ferrules [For a friend - I am not in need of a stick just yet!]

And in the middle of all that, a text message from Steph in Malawi, saying all is OK and they fly back tomorrow, and it has been a really worthwhile trip.

I made eight of the firefly headbands - and decided to fasten them with ribbons threaded through metal eyelets. That way they can be stored flat and will keep better. The holographic card is lovely and reflects the light beautifully. When the children dance they should look like little flickering flames!

I got the eyelet punch, along with eyelets and a variable size hole punch in Sainsburys "Tchibo" section a few years ago. The whole set cost about £4 and it has proved incredibly useful, and gives things such a professional finish.

I feel really blessed today - I have such a lovely family and belong to a really caring fellowship, and although I could undoubtedly earn more if I worked full-time, I am sure it would not be as fulfilling and happy as the varied life I lead now.

At the meeting last night, Bob read a lovely translation of Hebrews 10, which has stuck with me since - it is so good to remember that God can be trusted- and I love the idea of 'outbursts of love'.

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to outbursts of love and good works."

Customer Dis-Satisfaction

Well, I give full marks to Ikea - we purchased two 'Rast' chests of drawers - about 8 years ago - and they were for Steph's bedroom - they went down to London with her and came back here in September. I wanted to put rearrange things and put them in my bedroom. The plastic drawer runners had all cracked and the drawers were not running smoothly. A quick trip to the store - and we got twelve replacement runners free of charge. And I managed to leave the store without purchasing any candles!

On the other hand , the basket of flowers [and teddy bear]ordered for Auntie Peggy's 80th birthday has yet to arrive!

My accounts page on the M&S website claims it was delivered yesterday - but it also says [bizarrely] that they will deliver another identical order on 8th January! Bob spoke with a helpful [but equally baffled] person on the phone today.

We have now established that M&S use HDNL to deliver their flowers. Had I known they used that company and not their own vans, I would never have ordered from M&S. Recently we have had no end of trouble with parcels couriered by HDNL, as have others we know.

I will give them until tomorrow to get this sorted [that's a full week after they said they would deliver] then I shall ask for my money back I think! It would have been easier to buy a bunch of flowers and drive to Essex in person to deliver them!

Fayre Trading

My School Christmas Fayre went incredibly well. In fact, it appears to have done much better than the one in this village - which unfortunately was booked for the same day.

Here's part of my stall with everything set out - and on the left a poster and flyers for the Church Panto.

[every customer got a flyer in their bag. I'm trying really hard to advertise this event!]

At the other end of the table was my sewing machine, and I worked hard all afternoon producing bibs and facecloths with names on.

That proved really popular. I was so busy that I never actually got away from the stall once the Fayre started, although beforehand I did manage one purchase! The table next to mine was covered in Hush Puppies shoes [seconds] and the boots were £10, the shoes were £5.

So I treated myself to a pair of smart brown court shoes.

It was a good opportunity to chat to children and parents - many of whom were fascinated by the embroidery machine, and I hope some of them do come along to the Panto.

I was very grateful to Bob, for delivering another multiway socket and extension cable to the PFA, in the morning while we were setting up, and then for returning later on in the afternoon and fetching me cups of tea from the refreshment area! Lots of the kids [and parents] spoke to him, as they know him from Holiday Club.

There is a lot of work involved in a day like this - and I admire the commitment of the PFA Mums [and a few Dads] who labour so hard to raise money to provide the school with extra treats. The parents in general were supporting the day, and there was a lovely atmosphere. But I came home utterly exhausted - having sewn and sold two dozen facecloths and a great deal more besides.

The Calculator Song

I'm working out what it means to follow Jesus

Adding up what it costs to follow him

Counting the time that his love is multiplying

Realising he took away my sin

He's always in my memory

He'll never cancel what he's done for me

When I add it together I calculate

Jesus is Great, Jesus is Great.

We sang this at church this morning - it went well. I was especially pleased to notice that in all the mathematical operations included, there is no mention of division!

We have had a brief text from Steph - she has arrived in Malawi safely! Praise the Lord for that.

Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep...

That man is so kind...Bob brought me a present from Maplin [it's not like he needs an excuse to go in that shop!]

The little speaker from the radio by my bed broke, and he's just got me a new one. These inexpensive pillow speakers are great if you suffer from insomnia, or are married to someone who has sleep apnoea or who snores, or if anything else prevents you from sleeping.

You plug it in, slip the speaker inside the pillowcase - and you can listen to the radio, but NOBODY ELSE can hear it. Not even the person lying next to you.

So if Bob's snoring wakes me at 3am, I tune in to the World Service, or BBC7 and listen for a bit. Then I switch off the radio - or more usually drift off to sleep again really quickly. The speaker slips down and when I wake up next day, the Today programme is already going - and I can listen to the early morning news without waking Bob.

The only downside which I have discovered is that occasionally I plump up the pillows and forget the speaker is inside - and break the cable. So this is my 3rd speaker in 10 years. I will try and be more careful with this one !

Tolstoy said "In the dark night of the soul it is always four o'clock in the morning"

It will soon be Advent - not sure if we'll be singing this oldie - verse two always makes me think of those who suffer from insomnia

"Thy kingdom come!" on bended knee
the passing ages pray;
and faithful souls have yearned to see
on earth that kingdom's day.

But the slow watches of the night
not less to God belong;
and for the everlasting right
the silent stars are strong.

And lo, already on the hills
the flags of dawn appear;
gird up your loins, ye prophet souls,
proclaim the day is near:

The day to whose clear shining light
all wrong shall stand revealed,
when justice shall be throned in might,
and every heart be healed;

When knowledge, hand in hand with peace,
shall walk the earth abroad;
the day of perfect righteousness,
the promised day of God.

As a child, my friend Honor was always confused by the second verse - she could never understand why God did not wind up his watch!!

Keeping Abreast of the Situation

What an incredibly busy day! In school all morning, then home for lunch. After lunch, I made 8 sets of 'firefly' wings for the foundation Stage Christmas Production. It was a very quick job on the overlocker - and I was able to get them back to school at 2pm. They looked very pretty and floaty. I did take a picture before I left home - but having no small child around, I draped one pair of wings across the door in the hall to get the effect of the light on the sparkly pink fabric.

Please believe me! when a child has her hands through the elastic loops and the wings are on her back they really do look like iridescent insect wings. Looking at this photograph I realise this pair looks like a rather large piece of diaphanous ladies underwear! Oops!

After that, a committee meeting with Bob, dashed home [and a friend came to collect his PC which Bob had just fixed] then some pastoral visiting, a trip to Aldi for fabulous inexpensive Christmas foodstuffs [they have lovely Stollen and Panettone] An evening meal then I collapsed in front of TV to watch a programme I recorded DAYS ago about cryptic crosswords.

In the middle of all that, another phonecall to check if my aunt's flowers had arrived [NO] However, the helpful people at M&S [please forgive us, our computers are running very slowly today due to the high volume of custom because everything is 20% off] assured me they had been delivered and left "in a secure place by the front door at 6.45pm" My cousin assured me that there were no flowers anywhere [and there is no 'secure place' - she lives on a corner plot and her front garden is very open] The nice person at customer services has promised another delivery on Monday.

I am still waiting for my Christmas stamps - Royal Mail's website says 'delivery in 1-2 days' but apparently [their Customer Services tell me] that should actually say 'up to 10 working days'. And yes they did send a letter dated 13th telling me my order had been processed - but in fact they did not process it until 14th [although they took the money straightaway from my card] "So are you telling me the '1-2days' bit isn't true? and the 'we have processed your order' letter wasn't true either?" "Err, yes Madam. I am afraid this seems to be a catalogue of errors on our part. You should have the stamps on Monday 24th" "But I was expecting them on the 11th" "Yes, I am sorry about that"

Anyway, top marks to M&S for their helpfulness [and for prompt delivery of Steph's gift which I ordered only 2 days ago] and "Cashmere Valley" who were equally prompt with Liz's gift. All the other gifts got wrapped yesterday. I will prepare the cards [sans stamps]over the weekend. We actually had our first Christmas card through the post yesterday - but from friends who are about to move house - so they sent out their cards very early to include change of address. [How thoughtful]

I will get everything done, eventually - but the list of tasks seems endless right now. The washing is done, but the ironing mountain is getting ever higher. I am truly grateful that Charlie the dog is much happier than he was last week - his digestion appears to have settled down and his appetite has returned. It is probably a good thing that my weekend is fiendishly busy - it means I will not have time to brood about Steph.

On Saturday she is flying to Malawi with 3 others from her company [TNS Global] to look at the Unicef Projects which TNS have been supporting over the past year through its charitable donations. I am very proud of her - but also a little anxious. She has had all her various inoculations. Please pray that the team are kept safe and that the whole experience is one of blessing.

I am equally proud of Liz, who has just taken on a new role as a Dog Socialiser. Every weekend she is giving her time as a volunteer, helping out at Battersea Dogs Home. Liz too had to have some inoculations. I hope she doesn't get bitten by any unsociable mutts!

One final question, posed by Bob over lunch - "Why are there fireflies in the Christmas Production"?" You know, I never thought to ask my colleagues that, I just sewed the costumes. I suspect it may not be a Nativity Play!! [In 'Love Actually' they somehow get a lobster into their Nativity!]

Happy Birthday!

Auntie Peggy - my special aunt - is 80 today - I made her a card, and also sent the purse I embroidered a few weeks ago. She was really thrilled - having had her purse stolen last week [I never knew that till we spoke on the phone this evening!]

She has had plenty of cards and good wishes, which is lovely. She's a great Christian lady and I know it has been hard for her since my Uncle died. She is struggling to cope with her new hearing aid.

I've thought a lot about age today.

Bob and I took the communion service at one of our Care Homes this afternoon. The ladies were, for the most part, very appreciative- although some struggled to stay awake for the twenty minute service! Last week I did a hymn service at another home - and I am always struck by how positive the staff are, resolutely cheerful and bright - even when some residents are behaving more like recalcitrant toddlers or sulky teenagers. I wondered what these folk were like thirty or forty years ago - were they busy Mums, career women, wives and homemakers?

One lady today said she was just visiting - she really came from Ilford. I told her that I had been born in Romford, and that my Auntie Peggy belonged to a church in Ilford. She was SO pleased to talk to someone who knew were she came from! I guess when you are in the middle of Leicestershire, Essex does seem a long way away.

After the service, Bob and I visited a family in the village whose 18 year old daughter died suddenly on Friday of meningitis. It was incredibly sad, and my thoughts and prayers are with them. The parents allowed her organs to be donated - and a number of people now have life because of that. I can only admire them for that - in their grief, they wanted others to benefit from their loss if it were possible. That girl will not grow up and grow old - their memories will always be of a bright, beautiful teenager just starting at Uni.

Two weeks ago at the War Memorial, we sang Watts' great hymn "O God our help in ages past" based on Psalm 90, and today I was thinking of other verses from that Psalm

The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

Whether we live eighty years or just eighteen, may we learn to gain a heart of wisdom - and may we sing for joy because of the unfailing love of the Lord.

A Drink With Jam and Bread

"There are those who love to get dirty and fix things.
They drink coffee at dawn, beer after work.

And those who stay clean, just appreciate things,
At breakfast they have milk and juice at night.

There are those who do both,
they drink tea." 

(by Gary Snyder, of the James Norwood Pratt Tea Society)

My teapot just got smashed. Spectacularly! I put a tray away on the top of the cupboard. then I put the kettle on and found some mugs. They the tray slid, slowly, silently, off the cupboard and fell down onto the teapot [which had some cold tea inside it] and the pot smashed to smithereens all over the floor in a nasty puddle of cold tea and leaves [the bags split]. I yelled, loudly, the dog was confused, and Bob came in from the garage to offer help in whatever crisis I was undergoing. [He is very good like that]

Fortunately I have a spare pot which my cousin gave me last year ["I know you like dotty things, Ang!"] but it does dribble alarmingly from the spout. It looks pretty but I am not sure how long it will stay in use.

We drink lots of tea in this house. Fairly Traded, of course. Eleanor Roosevelt said "A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water."

I also possess a large enamel teapot- a proper Minister's Wife One- inherited from my mother - ideal for large quantities and church events - too large for everyday.

And  I have a small traditional "Brown Betty" - but that only holds two cups - not even two mugs worth- so a bit small for the two of us.

I am Very Traditional in my views about teapots. I like them to be the classic shape, not 'novelty', preferably pot, not fancy bone china or stainless steel.And they need to pour without a dribble. And [although in Staffrooms there is often no choice in the matter] I prefer tea made properly in a pot -not with a bag swished about in a mug of hot water.

Liz likes Redbush and Bob likes Earl Grey and Green China Tea. But I am happiest with Red Label from Sainsbury's.

Riddle;

Q; "Why don't Marxists drink Earl Grey"

A: "Because they think Proper Tea is theft"

Nerd, Geek or Dork?

Bob posted about being a nerd - but then I never had any doubts I was married to one. However,   in the interests of science, I tried out this test, on myself, and I'm slightly alarmed to find that I come out as a "modern, cool nerd". Was I a nerd before I married him? or has thirty years of nerdiness in the home somehow infected me? And what effect has this had on our children? I watch "The IT Crowd" occasionally - and I really don't think either of us is like any character in that series. And if we are, please don't tell me, it would upset me too much!

It's a Wrap !

I made tuna salad wraps for lunch, but decided it was a pretty cold day outside and we needed a Hot Pudding.

Challenge - to turn three sad plums and one egg into an exciting and warming pudding for two.

The results was very pleasing,so here is the recipe.

Preheat oven to 180'C. Rinse, and chop up the plums and divide between two small ovenproof dishes. Microwave for 1 minute on HIGH.

Separate the egg. Beat the yolk with 150ml milk, I teaspoon custard powder, 1 teaspoon sugar. Microwave for 1 minute on HIGH.

Divide this custard between the two  dishes. Beat the egg white till stiff, fold in 1 dessertspoon of sugar. Pile on top of two dishes. Bake for about 10 minutes till golden brown. Serve

The pudding proved satisfactorily tasty and impressive looking, as well as being hot and extremely thrifty.

[Confession time - I wasn't sure if it would work, so the egg and plums pictured are the ones I had left afterwards, not the ones I cooked with!]