Don’t You Know…

…there’s no such thing as a Gruffalo. Julia Donaldson’s delightful story has been our theme at school for a few days – and on Friday we are Going On A Trip to find the beast.

The children love this tale of a strange creature …

He has knobbly knees and turned out toes
And a poisonous wart at the end of his nose,
His eyes are orange, his tongue is black;
He has purple prickles all over his back

We even have a Gruffalo Dressing Up costume. Unfortunately due to enthusiastic play, coupled with poor stitching, we had some side splitting issues – and the head started to come off!

So the Gruffalo came home to my house for a brief encounter with the sewing machine.

And now he is fine and dandy and ready to stalk the wood again

This is a costume for a small child – I don’t think they make them for women my size.

The Lord Provides

This is an official Government chart of fluctuations in house prices in the UK from Jan 2005 to December 2011 which I found this week . House prices since then have continued to rise. Notice particularly that low pint in the first quarter of 2009.

We never really bothered to follow this index, believing we would never be in a position to purchase a property, and as far as we knew, prices were riding steadily.

The thing I still cannot get over is the fact that in January 2009 Bob woke up one morning and said “I believe we should try and buy a property for our retirement”. I am afraid that I laughed at him – such a thing was impossible. Like Sarah, in Genesis 18, I laughed too soon.

We got Cornerstones when the prices were at the lowest point. Just a few months later, prices would have risen, and my income from Supply Teaching would have fallen [due to the increase in Academies and other changes brought in by dear Mr Gove]

We would definitely not have qualified for a mortgage now. As far as I am concerned, our bungalow is a real Godsend, and I am grateful that Bob listened to the Divine Voice prompting him to take the step of faith and buy the property when we did. Proving the truth of Proverbs 3

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

The Secret Of Holeyness

I wanted to find an easy lace pattern – one I could memorise, and do in the car whilst travelling. I played around for a while and ended up with this. It is not particularly original, and probably all over the Internet already, but here it is [front and reverse sides shown]

You need an odd number of stitches, and the pattern has just four rows to it.

Rows 1-3 – KNIT

Row 4 – *K2tog, yrn* repeat to last stitch k1

That’s it. Even I can manage to carry that in my head!

I shall explain why I wanted this later- but if you have caught the knitting bug, do pop over to Elaine’s Blog [here] and check out her pattern for Teds for Zimbabwe – her friend Jessica needs 200 by Christmas.

Kneadlessly Breadmaking

In our ongoing exploration of the whole bread experience, I tried yet another method this week. A favourite food blog on my list is Frugal Mum Of 3 [aka Sharon] who blogs here. She was on Radio 4’s Food Programme this week with Sheila Dillon, extolling the virtues of the slow cooker. [you may still catch it on iPlayer for the next couple of days]

Sharon blogged her recipe for slow cooker bread last week. My slow cooker is very busy at the moment – preparing casseroles for when I get home from a long day in the classroom, or cooking a ham joint to slice for lunchtime sandwiches, or turning a chicken carcase into stock…but bread? Her recipe is here.

The amazing thing is, it was incredibly simple, and required almost no effort on my part. I put the ingredients in my Kenwood Chef, with the kneading hook, left it to its own devices for 5 minutes while I made a cup of tea, then put the dough into my slow cooker [lined with a couple of cake cases] and set it on High for 2hr 15 mins.

We decided that next time we would perhaps cook it a little longer [I used 100% brown flour, and with some white I think it would have been fine] and Bob felt he would have liked a little more salt. But the texture and taste were extremely good. Thank you Sharon!

I am not sure Paul Hollywood would approve- but he is a bit of a purist. From my point of view this loaf has lots of advantages…

• speed – I started at 4pm and it was cool enough to eat by the time “The Archers” came on the radio just after 7!
• economy – slow cookers are wonderfully cheap to run
• shape – the breadmaker does leave a ‘plughole’ in the bottom of the loaf

Speaking of PH, I didn’t enjoy the GBBO very much this week. Is it me, or is he being unnecessarily harsh in his judgements? I felt so sorry for Beca and Frances, who were reduced to tears by what he said. But if Ruby tells us how awful her cooking is once more, I may scream. The other week she kept saying it was so stressful because she was also doing her exams. Surely if you have Big Exams coming up, you shouldn’t enter a competition like GBBO at the same time?

I cannot decide who I want to win – Frances does amazing presentations [if only PH would stop quoting his ‘style over substance’ mantra at her every week] Beca appears to be a great ‘family’ baker, and Kimberley clearly has good technical know-how, and skill with flavours. As Ruby repeatedly says her cooking is dreadful, then either it is false modesty, or it really is dreadful. In either case she does not deserve to win.

And who was that intruder behind Frances?

You Can’t Make An Omelette…

…without breaking eggs! Now I know that, and agree with it. On Sunday night when staying with Liz, I was reading her Waitrose magazine. It had an article about “101 ways to save time in the kitchen” I had come across most of these ideas before – but I found one which was completely new to me.

Make a Spanish Omelette using potato crisps rather than sliced potato.

This was intriguing – the idea being that you break the eggs, beat them up, and add a packet of crisps, let them soak for twenty minutes or so, then make omelette as usual adding other ingredients, such as veg, meat, cheese etc.

So I thought I would try it. My additional veg were chopped peppers, tomatoes, and spring onions – and in the absence of chorizo I used elk snacks [see below] The omelette was duly pronounced ‘tasty’ by Bob – but we both agreed that although we could see the crisps in the omelette, we couldn’t actually taste them.  Further research suggests this is not as uncommon idea as it may appear. Check out here and here. But I am not sure I shall bother again. To quote the Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake “the crisps are so thin that they're all but invisible in this dull, slightly dry slab of solid egg – I like the potatoes to have a yielding softness, which this method could never hope to achieve.”

[i would point out that my omelette was not ‘dry’ and all the additional veg meant it wasn’t dull either – but we both missed the essential element of potato slices]

IKEA elk snack sausages are made with smoked and dried spiced pork and elk meat. The website says “The moose is common in most regions of Sweden. Serve this sausage cold as part of a smorgasbord, as a sandwich topping, or as a snack with beer”

They are the size of small cocktail sausages and I finished off the pack in the fridge, slicing them up finely to throw into the omelette.

Conclusion; This is one time saving tip I shan’t repeat.

An ExCeLlent Excursion

On Monday, Bob and I went to the ExceL exhibition centre in London [having spent Sunday night with Liz and Jon] This year the PLASA [Professional Lighting And Sound Association] had a new venue for their show. Previously it has been at Earl’s Court.

ExCeL is an attractive venue by the Thames, on the northern quay of the Royal Victorias Dock in the Borough of Newham, between Canary Wharf and the City Airport. As you enter from the Underground Car Park, you are confronted by a number of huge London skylines, each with motivational statements [the sort beloved of Team Managers and Ofsted Inspectors]

There was lots to see. Bob was interested in all the professional lighting and sound stuff – I just meandered around having interesting conversations and looking at some of the more unusual stands. I loved the bunting at Bectu – and would have liked some for the role play area at school [sadly it was not available for sale – someone had made it for them specially]

Another stand also had home made bunting – and fun lights [rescued from his local pub who were throwing them away]

This chap is, by his own admission, obsessive about sustainability. He helps theatrical groups to be more responsible about their carbon footprints, and we had a discussion about recycling and make-do-and-mend.

His clouds are made of waste sheep’s wool, and absorb sound [where does he find ‘waste sheep’? I wondered]

One stand that really caught my eye was the one which hired out theatrical equipment – like this life size animatronic camel

I noticed that in the background they had a palm tree similar to my own [but taller] Obviously you cannot see it here- but the camel was moving his mouth and also bending his neck from time to time, and looking from side to side. Awesome! I thought – wouldn’t that look good alongside my palm tree at a Nativity Production? So I asked.

“Its £5000 to airfreight it, and then £1500 a day to hire it” said the man. I pointed out that a school on a tight budget would prefer to spend that on a term’s worth of teaching support, not two afternoons of moving camel on the road to Bethlehem!

The final photograph is a motorbike…

The Theatrical Guild is a national charity which helps backstage and front-of-house theatre staff who are in need. They help in a variety of ways including offering educational sponsorship and one-off grants, as well as access to counselling and welfare advice. The lady who was on the stand said that there is a lot of support for actors in need – often because their faces are well known – but the ‘behind the scenes’ crew are often overlooked.

Consequently there is an annual charity motorbike and classic car tour to raise funds [hence the bike on display]

The 2014 route has yet to be announced, but I said I would mention it on the blog.

The riders visit various theatres of interest en route [how come I have missed their visits to Leicester in previous years?]

I had lots of fun on Monday – Bob took it more seriously, networking, and picking up some PA equipment at good prices and meeting up with people he knew.

We finished off our day with a brief trip out to Romford to see cousin Gill and Auntie Peggy. We hadn’t seen them for ages – so came away with our 2012 Christmas presents! [Mine for them were lightweight, and posted last December]

I do enjoy being able to spend a day  like this with my other half- especially when the rest of the week is jam packed with more mundane activities.

Portion Control

In a recent post, Floss mentioned her “wholesome thrifty” resolutions for the Rentrée [in France, it seems that you use the start of the new academic year for resolutions, rather than the calendar year] She intends to make ‘portion desserts’ at home, instead of buying yogurts and cakes. This set me thinking…

At the start of term, I bought a load of these Sainsbury’s 4-packs of yogurt. Basics, they cost 33p in total- which is 500g of yogurt. [You can also buy a 500g tub of plain natural yogurt for 50p]. It is easy to pop one of the little tubs in my lunchbox for school. But they contain

Sugar, Strawberry Purée (2%), Strawberry Juice from Concentrate (2%), Rice Starch, Natural Flavouring, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Natural Colour: Anthocyanins. 

I dug out my set of 8 Tala mini jelly moulds [mine cost me £4, on offer in Sainsbury’s a while back] and my yellow 1980’s Deva Bridge Yogurt maker [Which is basically a large insulated jar] and I made a batch of my own yogurt ‘from scratch’

1 litre UHT milk, heated to 43°C [use a cooking thermometer] stirred with 1 heaped tablespoon of natural yogurt as starter and 1 heaped tbsp of dried milk powder. Lid on. leave overnight to ‘yog’

Result – 1 litre of yogurt, containing just …yogurt. I spooned this into my 8 jelly pots till they were half full. One chopped banana was divided between 4 pots, and a teaspoonful of jam from the bottom of the jar went into 2 more.

The last 2 had a sprinkling of sultanas and three chopped almonds, from my store cupboard Then I topped up the pots, stirred everything, and snapped on the lids. Into the fridge, all ready for our lunches. The yogurt is beautifully thick and creamy – but not overly sweet. It tastes fresher than the ‘basics’ pots. And I can use it flavoured for desserts or plain for cooking with.

Milk 53p, dried milk 1p, banana 9p, nuts and sultanas 2p= 65p. I haven’t added the cost of the gas [but it didn’t take long to get to 43°] That gave me a litre of fruit yogurt in 8 pots – two Sainsbury's basic 4-pots would have cost 66p. However I had enough 3tbsp left in the big tub – one tbsp. for the next starter and two to swirl into some soup or sauce. 

I realise there isn’t really a saving, financially- but I think the ingredients are better, and I plan to use the pots for other lunch treats [crème caramel, fruit in jelly, home made mousse, or just chopped fresh fruit] And the pots can come home and be washed and re-used, which is better for the planet. Thanks. Floss, for the inspiration!

Feeling Sheepish–Another Costume Tutorial

I was asked to help make 6 sheep costumes for a school production – to fit a group aged between 12 and 17. So four fluffy,fleecy creamy white throws [125 x 150cm] were purchased from Primark [£5 each]

These are one-size-fits-all. I think costumes that fit too snuggly are less versatile in the long run – these will go on anybody – the stars or the understudies.

Now take three of the throws and fold them lengthways [150 x 62½cm] Cut them to make 6 strips. These will be the tabards. You will also need a hooded garment to make a paper pattern for the hood

Cut the hems off the fourth throw, and fold it into four lengthways

Now draw round your paper hood pattern three times [reversing one shape as shown, to leave a larger gap] and cut out the six hoods. Here’s a clever tip – draw round your closed hand – and it will give you exactly the right shape for droopy sheep ears. Cut twelve of these from the remaining bit of the fourth throw. You can get some out of that gap between two hoods, and the remainder from the fabric on the left of the strip

 

The fabric sheds horribly – so I found I needed to overlock everything – but I sewed the back seam and the little front seam under the chin.I tried the hood on, and got Bob to pin the ears in the correct place, then sewed each ear firmly around the top.

The tabards just needed side seams [leaving a 25cm slit for armholes, and a 15cm slit at the hem] and a head hole. To get the right size hole, you need a 7” plate [18cm] Draw round it and cut out. Trust me on this, it will make a hole to go over the average teenager’s head! Now find those hems you cut off earlier, and they can be cut into lambs’ tails and sewn on the back of each tabard.

For ease of dressing, I did not sew the hoods to the neckline, although you could do that if you wanted to, I suppose.

The sheep will wear long sleeved black teeshirts and black leggings underneath. And there you are. All you have to do now is vacuum the hundreds of bits of white fluff from the sofa, and the carpet!

If you were to be making these for younger children, for a Nativity play or something, then I would suggest folding one fleece lengthways as before  [150 x 62½] and cut across, to make two tabard pieces 40 x125, and use the remainder for 2 hoods and 4 ears. And cut off the hem at the end to make 2 tails. A 6” plate should make an adequate head-hole.

On the subject of Nativity Costumes, my main tutorial for that is here. It has proved to be one of my most viewed posts [around 2000 hits!], and has been repeatedly pinned and re-pinned on Pinterest. It is good to feel that one’s blog is proving useful!

Golden Brown

It is just a hundred years this year since the death of American artist John George Brown. The USA has claimed this guy as one of their own, but he was born in Durham, England,in 1831. His parents had tried to dissuade him from a career in art, and he initially trained as a glass worker. He moved to the New York when he was in his early twenties, working for a glass company, but also studying art in his spare time He married the bosses daughter [shrewd move!] and his wealthy father in law, spotting his gift, encouraged him to pursue art full time. He’s most famous for his pictures of the street children, paying many of them to come and model for him. He died in 1913, having become a popular, and very wealthy artist.

His painting have been criticised for being poor in colour, although they are executed with precise detail, and are more popular with the general public than with connoisseurs. Clearly I am not a connoisseur, because I like them!  I thought I would share a few of his autumnal canvasses today, because I love their golden colours.

Autumn Landscape Vermont

Leaf Gathering

The Country Gallants

The Cider Mill

Brown tried to capture the spirit of the street children as people who "pull themselves up by their bootstraps.” and many years later, claimed that most of the children he painted had grown to become successful businessmen. He claimed to never forget his poor beginnings, saying "I do not paint poor boys solely because the public likes such pictures and pays me for them, but because I love the boys myself, for I, too, was once a poor lad like them”

Purge Me With Hyssop And I Shall Be Clean

..Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow [Psalm 51]

I had a major washing disaster last week.Usually I am incredibly diligent about sorting my washloads – lingerie goes into a separate nylon bag so it doesn’t tangle and snag round things, and whites are almost always laundered separately.

But Bob was away, and I got up early one morning and put a load in the machine really early,before I pootled off to school …and one solitary white item somehow got in with the coloured stuff. When I got home, I unloaded the damp washing, and found that everything was fine and dandy except my white shirt.

There was a large grey stain right in the centre.

I washed it again.

Then I soaked it in Vanish.

Then I soaked it in bleach.

Then I gave up and let it dry.

I haven’t felt like ironing it yet.

I have no idea what caused the stain. I am certain the mark was not there before it went in the laundry bin. Nothing else came out of the machine with stains on it. And this one seems ineradicable. It measures around 5” by 2½”. Which is huge as such stains go – but this one won’t go, and that’s my problem. It remains a large grey splodge in a very visible part of the garment.

I could just about get away with wearing it as a ‘tucked in’ shirt - but would then have to take in the sides a bit, as there’s quite a lot of fabric in it. And anyway I like the loose tunic style.

Has anyone got any suggestions? All ideas gratefully received. I really don’t want to consign the shirt to the bin or rag bag – the pleats and embroidery at the top are lovely. And as you can guess, this is actually something I purchased new [admittedly in a sale, with a voucher] and not a charity shop bargain. It cost me hard earned cash!

Help!!

Just Who Is “Satpin M.D.”?

You may have heard of Marcus Welby MD, Doogie Howser MD and various other TV medics… but Satpin MD?

As I have been working with 4 year olds, just starting school, over the past few weeks, these are the letters they have to learn first.

And whenever I see it written down I feel it ought to be another hospital drama [to be repeated endlessly on ITV 3] But these letters are so incredibly useful, it is amazing how many words you can make from them [despite the fact that there isn’t a magic ‘e’ there]

I am sad, and in I’m pain. Satpin MD is in Spain.

Pat sat in paint! Pat did stain Tim’s satin pants.

Did Tim mind? Mmm! [Tim said “Stand, damn imp”]

A panda in a sandpit, ant in pants.

Mad Dad’s mint is damp. Mimi spat at dim man.

Instant antipasti dip? Add passata in a mini tin.

Sid is in India, I’m in Panama

Satpin MD said I’d nip past Sid’s pinata.

Pianist taps a minim, Ada spins and stamps

Actually my class don’t get to do exciting sentences like these – and I can’t think of any more – I seem to be running out of

spit and stamina

Maybe Satpin MD trained at the same hospital as that other children’s wordsmith, Dr Seuss?

Situation Vacant?

Sarah is happily settled at Uni – and her Mum and I went out for a cuppa together on Tuesday, at a new[ish] establishment in a nearby village. We were quite amused by the sign outside the cafe!

Important Announcement!

Just received this message from FM, whose blog I have enjoyed for ages [she is a close friend of Froogs aka Frugal Queen] So I am passing it on in case you are one of the 400! [or if not here’s another blog to add to your list]

Hi it's FM here, long time follower. My blog has moved to: www.frugalmummy.blogspot.co.uk
Can I ask you to publicise this please as something horrid has happened and I can't access any of my old blog or the last four years' worth of blogs - aaargh!! This means I can't find my list of 400+ followers either, and I genuinely love to spread a little bit of happiness through my blog. Many thanks, FM xxxxx

So I am passing on the news- Tracey’s blog has moved!!

Flower Power

On Sunday, after preaching at a local church, I was given a lovely bunch of flowers, which I brought home and put in my white china pitcher. They were a rainbow of colours

But I have separated them out now, and made six smaller arrangements, so I can have flowers all over the place!

Sunflowers are so cheerful! The elegant blue bottle came back from a trip to Florence with Steph about ten years ago, and originally contained mineral water. I used the roses as a table decoration from our candlelit supper.

My little spice jar [from Steph] is just right for a tiny posy – the blue jug was a gift from Liz [I think] I have posted about the beer bottles before. And the yellow ‘mums are just in an Ikea drinking glass.

I do so love having fresh flowers about the house, don’t you?

Serendipity

I was walking through Leicester yesterday en route to the fabric shop [details will follow later] when I spotted a pile of Hornsea tea plates in a charity shop. They were mostly the Contrast pattern

But two of them were Cornrose- our wedding present china, and out of production for years. How much? I asked the lady.

She looked at her list and said “tea plates, 10p each” so I gave her 50p and happily put the pair of plates in my bag. That’s one tenth of the price on eBay for a pair [inc. postage]

It doesn’t take much to put a smile on my face!

ser·en·dip·i·ty [noun] The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way