Flash! Bang! Wallop!...What A Picture!

 

Nothing like a bit of Tommy Steele and his Cockney mates to brighten a cold wet November morning. You will remember we had our own Flash! Bang! Wallop! just five weeks ago with the spectacular demise of the microwave [Video here] John Lewis promptly supplied a replacement. And on Monday, that one went bang too! This time we asked for our money back. We suspect there was a batch of defective magnetics, and research online shows other people have had similar problems. We now have a similar Hyundai. 

What a Picture? Here's one to amuse you...

Bob has been asked to give out the gifts at the Chapel next week at the Toddler Group Christmas Party. Santa #1, who has done this for years, is just out of hospital, with a broken leg. Santa #2, who helped out last year, is about to go into hospital for an op. So Bob is stepping up as Santa #3. Except the costume was bought for #1. A small, slight man, it is Size L. Bob takes size XXL! Furthermore the beard and wig are a massive of  horrible static nylon curls.

Here he is in the unaltered outfit and itchy beard. I spent Thursday making a new beard using some white fur fabric from The Stash. I sewed fur and black gaiters to the bottom of the trousers legs, and let in some elastic into the hat so it would fit better. 

I hope there will a photo later of Santa in full costume, so we can "stick it in the family album"

Top Tips for working with fur fabric

• On the back of the fabric, mark the nap [direction] of the fur with a few arrows, so the pile runs in the right direction
• Use glass headed pins so they are easy to find and retrieve, and don't disappear into the fluff.

Cut To The C[h]ase

Did you know the phrase "Cut to the chase" is a century old? It comes from the early days of silent cinema, in the USA. Film makers shot lots of film, but it was hard to make dialogue interesting. The rapid chase scenes were exciting however, so superfluous footage was excised- the editors phrase was "Cut to the chase". Now the phrase means "forget the trivia, get to the point"

The point of this post is a case. Specifically, a case to help you cut. I recently purchased some folding scissors, and was intrigued to realise they would fit perfectly into a square case - the same size as our TwoByTwo patches. I decorated two squares of lilac felt. One side with three Boteh motifs, and the other with a letter K [for Kirsten] The crimson K is decorated with running stitch and coloured seed beads - the other side has sparkly sequin embellishments. The squares are attached on three sides, open at the base. I threaded a ribbon through the scissors and then through a hole in the top corner of the case. And attached a pair of buttons at the top.

When folded, the scissors are inside the case. But they can be pulled out, unfolded and used. The little buttons retain the ribbon. 

This should fit tidily in a sewing bag, and when folded, all the sharp points are safely enclosed. 

I included this as Kirsten's "Flat Gift"

I am becoming quite fascinated by the constraint of having to work on these little squares each month! 

Yes Ma'am!

We watched "The Thursday Murder Club" last week. Having read the book, we knew Whodunit already. No spoilers here, for those who haven't. 

It was definitely "a cosy crime", with an amazing cast list. Being set in an OAP home, or more accurately  "an upmarket seniors' retirement community" there were many older actors both in leading roles and cameos. Oh, and David Tennant, who seems to pop up in almost everything lately.

As well as the Fab Four [Mirren, Imrie, Kingsley and Brosnan] look out for 

• Jonathan Pryce [the best actor in the recent Count of Monte Cristo we thought]
• Richard E Grant [at 68, one of the younger OAPs in the cast]
• Paul Freeman - I prefer him without his beard. He was Molly's urbane suitor in one series of Monarch of the Glen
• Richenda Carey - Also in MotG* playing Kilwillie's snooty sister Lady Dorothy
• Ruth Sheen - the longsuffering office secretary in Strike [new series due this autumn] No relation to Martin, or Michael

*our family referred to that favourite Sunday evening viewing as Monica. [As in "busy tonight, catching up with Monica Theglen"]

The filming was done in various Home Counties properties and villages, mainly Englefield House near Reading. The London Street through which HM drives at speed is actually Chatham Dockyard. And whilst Englefield House conveniently has an adjacent church, the cemetery opposite was specially constructed for the film,. With polystyrene gravestones! 

For me the best laugh-out-loud line in the entire film was when Pryce says to his wife who is just going out sleuthing "You look just like the Queen". Same initials HM, and Ms Mirren has played HerMaj twice [ film, The Queen 2006, and stage, The Audience 2013-2015] And she does it so well. You have to look twice to be sure who is who.

It was a fun film, but they did "over-egg the pudding" at some points. ***

Have you seen it, what did you think?

"For Your Tomorrows, We Gave Our Today"*

The King was in Staffordshire, but we went to the local VJ Day Commemoration Service on Friday at Dereham Parish Church. It was very moving. The Curate preached the sermon, and spoke of his grandfather, who had been a prisoner in the Far East. He also talked about Bishop Leonard Wilson of Singapore, and how this gracious man of faith was able to forgive his torturers because he believed God's Spirit gave him the grace and strength to do so. I had quite forgotten about the Bishop, one of my Dad's 'heroes of faith'. I must try and find "The Singapore Story" - the moving biopic made about this man.
Here is the prayer of commitment from Friday's service

Let us pledge ourselves anew
to the service of God and our fellow men and women:
that we may help, encourage and comfort others,
and support those working for the relief of the needy
and for the peace and welfare of the nations.
Lord God our Father,
we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,
in the cause of peace, for the relief of want and suffering,
and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your Spirit;
give us wisdom;
    give us courage;
        give us hope;
and keep us faithful now and always. Amen.

* The famous Kohima Epitaph

Taken With A Pinch Of Salt

I read this during lockdown, two years after it first came out. I gave it a 3* review, and dithered about making it 4*. I admired their resilience and commitment to their marriage - and having toured France ourselves with a tiny tent, minimal luggage and a tight budget, I recognised that such ventures can be very stressful.

But last month's article in the Observer, by Chloe Hadjimatheou left a really sour taste in my mouth.

What was claimed to be a 'true story' in fact is full of not just inaccuracies, but many actual falsehoods. 

When I read the book, some parts didn't feel quite right, and in my review I said as much  "It doesn't do to be too forensic as you read it. I think there are parts where things may have been slightly adjusted to fit the narrative. I mean, surely, a woman of her age, packing for a long journey by the sea in summer, would remember a hat and some sanpro? And their diet, if it was exactly as described, seems extremely bizarre and unhealthy. Dates are very vague - and there is a hiatus in their walk, when someone offers accommodation so they can be inside 'over the winter'. Nine months disappear into one chapter. "
But I tried not too be too judgmental, so didn't put in my review that I felt that stealing food from the village shop is always wrong: I gave her the benefit of the doubt, their finances were tight, she was worried that her sick husband was weak from lack of food etc. But now I learn that they own a plot of land in France, and that there are serious doubts about his diagnosis of a terminal illness.
Winn was very critical of other people, who apparently dismissed the pair as "tramps, down and outs, or addicts". There are numerous episodes where they are treated badly at campsites and little shops. Since Chloe's article, a number of Cornish people have come forward and spoken of their distress at recognising their shops and sites described in the book - with totally false reports of what happened. Some are local traders who lost business because of the way they have been very inaccurately portrayed in the book.

Somebody at Penguin didn't do their necessary checking up before publishing this "true" story, did they? They might have discovered inter3sting facts -That the bailiffs claimed their house because they had embezzled money from their employees. That nine months condensed into one short chapter misses out the things that they did in the community which sheltered them, and the debts they left unpaid. That the medical details in the book do not follow the same timeline as those Winn has given elsewhere. 

It is all really sickening. I wonder how Gillian Anderson feels now, having played the lead character in the film? 
I recognised that directors claim "dramatic licence" when they alter the details of a story for the film - to make it easier to follow etc. But it seems to be the case that a high percentage of the original book was based on economies with the truth - and yet it claims to be a true story.
"What would happen to us, if we suddenly became homeless and without any income?" I said to Bob - and he said that our friends would rally round and help. [As they did for us in 1985] "Well where were her friends?" I responded. And I found myself wondering if the fact that Raynor claimed that nobody seemed to be friendly towards to them was because she herself wasn't a particularly friendly character. Maybe she did not have any friends to support her.

As Mark Twain said "A lie can get half way round the world while truth is getting its boots on"

Some people are angry, others feel cheated by all this. I just feel sad

The Green Leaves Of Summer

The tree does not really seemed to have changed since June - but notice that the crop beneath continues to change colour.

The music is the song from the 1960 film "The Alamo" . The lyrics have nothing whatsoever to do with that historic siege, nor yet Davy Crockett!

 

The Greatest Story Ever Told

My 70 Things List, item #6 "Go to the Cinema" has been ticked off. On Easter Sunday, Nick our Pastor showed a trailer for "The King Of Kings" which came out a couple of weeks ago. 

After a morning of worktops, it was our Bank Holiday Monday Treat. This film was showing in Norwich - two tickets plus fees, parking etc >£30, or Fakenham <£10. No contest!
This was an interesting film with an intriguing history. In 1849, Charles Dickens wrote a story for his children "The Life of Our Lord" which he then read to his family every Christmas. He bequeathed the manuscript to his sister in law in 1870, and said it was never to leave the family or be published whilst his children were alive. She died in 1917, and it passed to the youngest of Charles' sons, Henry. In his will, he stated that if the majority of the family agreed, it could be published. So in 1934, his widow and children sold it to an American company for £200K....Fast forward 90 years, and an animated film has been produced.

Bob and I sat in the tiny 3rd Screen of Fakenham Central Cinema [F's only cinema] along with just one other family. The seats were comfortable. The film was...vaguely bizarre. Here is the UK trailer to give you a flavour

Why was it bizarre? Well it seems to be sponsored by some US Christian groups, but produced by a South Korean film studio. It has a rather star studded cast - Kenneth Branagh is Dickens, Uma Thurman is his wife, Ben Kingsley is Caiaphas the High Priest, Pierce Brosnan is Pontius Pilate. Mark Hamill is Herod, and Forest Whittaker plays Peter. Oscar Isaac is Jesus and Roman Griffin Davis Is Walter [Dickens' son]

In the film, Walter is obsessed with King Arthur, and Mrs D suggests to Charles that he tells his son the story of The King of Kings and Son of God. So he does, and the boy [plus the cat] gets caught up in the story, and is transported to 1st century Palestine. He warns Mary and Joseph to escape from Herod's soldiers, he sits and listens to the Sermon on the Mount, He watches the Palm Sunday Procession and the crucifixion - and witnesses the Resurrection. 

They have tried to cram too much into 105 minutes - Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection plus Adam and Eve, and the Passover story en route. And how did they decided which Gospel events to put in? They've included Slaughter of the innocents, when young Jesus got lost, The Temptations, Blind Bartimaeus, Resurrection of Lazarus, Sermon on the Mount, Miraculous Catch of Fishes, Walking on the Water, Feeding 5K, Man through the roof, the woman who anointed Jesus' feet, clearing the temple, Judas with his 30 pieces of silver...and even the woman taken in adultery. It is a year's worth of Sunday school lessons and then some.

One minute you see the Victorian child at home in London as his dad tells the story, then next minute they are transported to a dusty, crowded middle eastern street [still in their 1800s clothes] I think if you don't know the Bible narrative very well, you might get a bit lost. And I am not altogether sure about the characters 

All the Pharisees and disciples had HUGE noses and were generally not very attractive. But the Jesus character was slim, with a tiny neck, and lovely hair - but he looked like those bobble head caricatures people stick on their dashboards. And the three Marys all looked the same to me [Mary his Mum, Mary sister of Lazarus, Mary at the tomb]  Over the closing credits, inexplicably, they played the 1896 hymn "I surrender all"

It is rated PG in the UK and USA because of violence.
So who is this film aimed at?

I am not sure I'd use it as an evangelistic tool. But as Bob said, there were some clips that would be good sermon illustrations, or useful to tell a story at Holiday Club [no, we are not doing anymore!] I don't think I'd take my grandchildren - too scary for the little ones, and too complex a story even for Rosie to make sense of. 

It was a fun afternoon out - but I was glad we had not paid over thirty quid for the experience! I am sort of relieved that the Guardian reviewer had similar reactions

*** please let me know if you have seen it and what you thought

Just before we went to the cinema, I heard of the death of the Pope. I am pleased he was able to come onto the balcony in St Peter's Square on Sunday and wave to the crowds. RIP Francis. Having recently read Conclave, I suspect we may now shell out a fiver to watch the film at home sometime.
But a final thoughtful comment from Pierce Brosnan who was interviewed about the film, he simply said
I tell you, this will be good to have a retelling of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Our Saviour. Why not? We need it....

Hallelujah!

Every year there is a European competition to find the gelato "flavour of the year" This year it was won by a chocolate, hazelnut gianduja delight, named "Hallelujah"

It does look rather splendid. The Italians are especially delighted that it went on sale on Monday - this was World Gelato Day and the day that the Pope came home from hospital. 

And he is known to be very fond of gelato.

In other pontifical news, I have just finished reading Conclave by Robert Harris. Another extremely clever book from this gifted author. I picked it up in a CS a while back. But then Pope Francis went into hospital and I felt vaguely uncomfortable reading about a deceased Pope. But when they said Francis was making a good recovery. I started it, and polished it off very quickly. I did suspect the plot twist at the end fairly early on, but that did not detract from my enjoyment.

I rate this one **** [it will be going back to a CS once I have seen the film!] DO NOT look up the book or film on wikipedia, as it reveals too much of the plot and may prove to be a spoiler for you. Fortunately I only looked on Wiki afterwards!

Anyway I am always glad when a sick person is getting better

Rejoice, rejoice! Or should we spell it Rejo -Ice?

ShortCut

On Sunday, I woke to a message telling me my neighbour had just died. She had been ion hospital a fortnight, and it was not unexpected. In her 90s with multiple health issues, it was a release from pain for her. But I shall miss her so much. She had been housebound for nearly 5 years, and I often popped over in the afternoon to make her a cuppa and stay for a chat. 
Bob and I had a quiet day - church, lunch, then TV [the Grand Prix, then The Residence] and an early night. The Residence is a screwball comedy murder mystery reminiscent of Knives Out **** [lots of clever film references]

On Monday we cleared up all the debris from Saturdays electrical work [Bob and Adrian couldn't do it Saturday as the lighting circuit was switched off and it was starting to get dark when they finished] Another neighbour popped round to see if I was OK, she had noticed I was quite subdued at church [how very kind of her] Then after lunch we popped into Norwich to return library books, get a light fitting, and I got a haircut

Last haircut was 6th November - so this was 20 weeks ago. My new cut looks exactly the same as it did then [picture below]

Just a little bit greyer! Next haircut mid August, if not sooner. Maybe I should not go so long between cuts. I think I am developing a double chin. Maybe I should go longer between cakes!
All this plaster dust has left my skin very dry, I am using lots of handcream and moisturiser.

Cannot decide whether to change my name to Polly Filla or Dusty Springfield. The only one who could ever reach me was the son of a Preacher Man. [Or in my case, son-in-law]

I do miss Only Connect on a Monday Evening!

A Funny Thing Happened ...

 ...On The Way To The Forum 

In between our trips to the Forum for the Science Stuff, there have been some hilarious moments which have caused much laughter.

I was I the bathroom with Jess. She was explaining that the Treasure in the rubber duck's chest is not real gold, it is just chocolate coins. She asked me what I thought he would say. I held him to my ear and said "I think he just said Quack! Quack!". Jess was having none of it "No Grandma, he's saying I'm calm and collected " 

Where on earth did she learn that expression? We have adopted a new Spoonerism this week.  Rosie requested a drink of squash.  Bob offered her a choice,  orange or berry juice.  Except he said Jerry Buice.  It has been called that for the last four days! 

A lady stopped me in Norwich, and said "I love your jacket. In fact I love your look, wish I could wear that" I thanked her for the compliment. I was in my biker jacket, sweater dress, leggings and boots. Nothing fancy. Bob says the "Granny Biker Chick" look suits me. Not so much amusing as astonishing.

But the funniest thing was as we were pulling away from traffic lights in Norwich. Rosie was watching pedestrians on the other side 9f the junction. She started giggling. "That man, he was carrying an avocado in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other, and when he started crossing the road, his trousers fell down!" "What happened next?" "He dropped the avocado and grabbed them!" "That's awful" "No, it was OK, he was wearing Nike Underpants"

We're all still chuckling about the incident!

*AFTHOTWTTF was a 1962 musical comedy written by Stephen Sondheim. Then it was made into a film. I know nothing about it except the opening song "A comedy tonight"

Oh Don't You Know, There's No Such Thing As...

 ...A Gruffalo

I was quite thrilled to read last week that Julia Donaldson has become the UK's best selling author, by volume, since accurate records began. She has beaten J K Rowling to the top spot. My family love her books [is it really five months since Jess went to see Zog at the Theatre, wearing her doctor's outfit?]

I didn't intend to do two  book reviews in one week, but when I took the Duplo into the Hospice Shop, I picked up this book for £1,

It is based on the recipes referenced in the original story, like Gruffalo Crumble and Roasted Fox. The author is not named, but it is all very well thought out.

There are breakfast dishes, and sweet treats, and in between you can find snacks and main meals. I like the fact that two thirds of the recipes are savoury, and even the sweets are not too heavy on added sugar [eg the Mouse's Nut And Date Bars are sweetened with fruit]

The illustrations are delightful, interspersing pictures from the original book with photographs of the food. And they are so inventive, and look very tasty

Snake's Logpile House is a stack of lengths of celery [stuffed with peanut butter and raisins, or cream cheese and poppy seeds]

I think these would make delightful foods to serve at a Gruffalo themed party.

There are Turned Out Toes[ mini beef burgers] Poisonous Warts [pea and feta frittatas] Orange Eyes [Cheesy Quiches] and Roasted Fox [sweet potato wedges]

Terrible Tusks are fruit skewers, and of course there is Owl Ice Cream [with bananas and almonds] And finally a Gruffalo Cake

I am looking forward to Rosie arriving for half term, and we can try out some of these recipes. Then I can give a proper review. But it will be 5* I expect

I came across a lovely YouTube clip of the story. The BBC animated film is excellent [I do not know if this link will work]

But here is Julia herself, with friends, retelling the story beautifully. She plays the part of the mouse....

Does your family love Ms Donaldson's books too?

Which food from the book would you choose to eat?

Jabberwocky

Saturday was an interesting day. In the morning I had my covid jab, in the afternoon we both had flu jabs. I cannot believe how utterly different the two appointments were. 
Bob dropped me off at 9.55 outside the clinic in Dereham - he went off to do something else and we agreed to meet up in the library afterwards, just a little further down the High Street. I went inside, gave my name to the receptionist and stood waiting with all the other 'jabbees' - the 'jabber' was on the other side of the room behind movable screens. The jabbees were all very friendly and chatty. Which was probably a good thing, partly because the jabber had quite a loud voice, so her discussions were not exactly confidential - and partly because everything was running horribly late. 
My appointment was at 10, there were two others in the queue also booked for10. And another pair booked for 9.45! I WhatsApped Bob to warn Bob I'd be late. The room had insufficient chairs, and a bizarre slope in the floor. It made me feel quite queasy queuing along the wall. [nifty alliteration there!] and my heavy bag [containing library books, CS bag and my raincoat for the dry cleaners] had to go 2 feet in front of me, as it wouldn't balance on the slope. 

People kept arriving, and a chap with a stick asked if there were any more chairs. The receptionist found 2 more. Everybody seemed my age or older. "No! Esther Williams,"came a loud voice from behind the screen "like the swimmer!" The jabber had asked the jabbee to repeat her name. But the jabber was a young woman who had clearly never heard of this filmstar of the 1940s.[Why would she?] The conversation behind the screen continued. "She's very chatty" said the woman standing next to me.[it was now 10.15, the time for her appointment] I promised not to engage in any conversation other than answering basic questions, in the hope I would be in and out quickly. 

Bob WhatsApped me"I'm in the library waiting for you"At 10.25 I was called. "Why do you qualify for the flu jab?" she asked. I said I thought it was my age, I am 69. Then she asked for my date of birth, and other questions about my health. I nearly said "If you had asked for my dob first, you'd have realised I am old" but I didn't. She was concerned I had only had one previous jab. I said I contracted covid before lockdown, and since then have had every jab offered to me. She looked at my notes again and agreed I had. But that last time I had Pfizer and this time I was having Moderna. So she said that after my jab, I must stay in the waiting area for 5 minutes in case I have a reaction. She injected me [left arm] , thrust a leaflet* in my hand and called the next person in. I hung about for 3 minutes - it was gone 10.30 - then went off to drop off the drycleaning and CS bag en route to the Library. We came home, stopping to visit my brother en route, and enjoyed a cuppa. 

After lunch we walked together round to our village surgery arriving 5 minutes early. My appointment was 15.01pm. We checked in, and joined the queue of jabbees [loads of seats available if needed] My name was called almost immediately, I went to the front, got jabbed [right arm] and I walked home. Back by 15.04pm, Bob a few minutes later. So much more efficient. 

I was OK till 10pm when I went to bed. My left arm [covid] started aching like I'd been kicked by a horse. I felt nauseous, and alternately sweaty and shivery. Did not sleep at all. I've not reacted this badly before. I stayed in bed Sunday morning, Bob went to church via Zoom. Fortunately I felt much better by Sunday evening

Have you had flu or covid jabs - was it efficient , and are you ok? Keep well, everybody!
* I was confused, the leaflet was all about possible reactions to "SpikeVax" - the jabber never explained that was the name for the Moderna Vaccine which she'd given me. 

Running Time

The 2024 Paris Olympics is over. But if you have never seen the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, about the 1924 Olympics a century ago, I urge you to watch it. It is available free on BBC iPlayer for the next week, [or to rent on other streaming services] And if you want more info about Eric Liddell, check out yesterday's Morning Worship from BBC Radio 4.

My father was a babe in arms during the summer of 1924. My grandparents regarded Eric as a good man of strong faith, and a great role model. His story was told to their children and grandchildren. So I knew all about him long before the film brought his story to a wider audience. 

Definitely a film worth watching, for all sorts of reasons... 

Thunder Enlightening

The weather girl said there may be thunderstorms the other night. At 10.45pm. after I'd watched the news, I suddenly realised there was a lot of stuff on the lawn, I persuaded Bob to come outside with me and pull everything into the summerhouse, and put down the big parasol. There was no thunder that night at all. Typical...

Yesterday morning Rosie and I were waiting for breakfast [Grandad Bob cooking the pancakes] and somehow we started talking about circuses. "What is the name of that tune they always play at the circus" I said. In the kitchen Bob started singing 🎵"DumDum Diddle Iddle, DumDum Diddle Iddle..."🎵 and Rosie said "That's the Dumbo Tune" and I said "I think it's older than that"

As we sat round after breakfast, I looked it up and announced to the family "The tune was written by Julius Fučik, a Czech composer, in 1897. He wrote lots of music for military bands, and was fascinated by the Roman Empire. He called this piece the March of The Gladiators. It quickly became popular with marching bands, and was adopted by many circuses as the piece played for the arrival of the clowns.. In the States it was renamed Thunder and Blazes". "They stole his thunder" said Bob "I wonder where that phrase comes from?"

"I know that!" piped up Rosie "It's an idiom. There was a man who wrote plays, and one play had a storm in it. He built a thunder machine with wooden balls banging on a sheet of iron. The thunder was really good, but the play was rubbish, so they stopped performing it, and put on "Macbeth" instead. Then the man went back to the theatre to see a performance and during the storm scene, he realised they were making the noises using his machine. He was so angry he stood up and shouted, 'You won't perform my play, but you have stolen my thunder!'

Bob and I sat amazed at this information. I checked online, she was absolutely right in every detail - this was playwright John Dennis in 1709, and his failed play was called Appius and Virginia.[I learned it on a podcast, Grandma] So before 9am on a Monday morning, I learned

~the proper name of the 'circus tune'

~the alternative name in the USA

~and the origin of a popular idiom.

And now you know it too!

Monday Was A Sun-Day

It was so delightful to stroll through Norwich yesterday. Bob was going to the Hospice so I travelled with him, and he dropped me off 10 minutes from the city centre. It was warm and sunny. As I was in no hurry I kept stopping to take pictures. So much music history here!

Sarah Gl9ver developed the Tonic Sol Fa system to help to teach singing. That may sound unfamiliar, but it is what Julie Andrews, as Maria, did with the Von Trapp children. Do Re Mi... 

It's fascinating to think that Laurel and Hardy and Archie Leach [aka Cary Grant] appeared on stage here. Leach, who had run away from school joined a circus troupe and appeared as a stilt walker. 

Yalm pronounced yaarm means "to eat hungrily" and it's an old Norfolk dialect word. Yarm is a popular eatery in the Norfolk Lanes. The old Labour In Vain" Yard takes its name from Psalm 127 - Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. There was much graffiti in evidence today"

The Red Herring is not an endangered species. Please try to keep awake

Get connected! 70% of British people feel they no longer have any connection with nature

Do NOT write on this wall! 

I didn't get my hair cut, but I did make my 5th clothes purchase of the year - a new pair of shorts [£23.99 reduced to £7.99 - a bargain]

Bob and I met near the market and enjoyed coffee in the sunshine. We wandered round Sostrene Grene together, then came home for lunch. 

A delightful morning's outing! 

. 

Time On My Hands

In the heart of the city is a shop called Samaritaine. It is the fashion store, and has been for decades

Bob decided we really ought to visit. Apart from anything else, my watch broke recently, and I was wondering about a new one. One with hands to tell the time - no fancy step counting, heart rate monitoring etc. I went up to the floor where the watches were. A very kind lady discussed my choices, and whether I wanted a leather strap or a metal bracelet. Having encouraged Bob and me to sit down at the lower counter, she put a pair of black silk gloves, unlocked the case, and laid two wristwatches on a green baize tray.

She helped me try on the one on the left. The right hand one cost a little more, but came with a second, gold bracelet, so you could change it up for special events. The left hand one was just under €2000. But with the discount [Mother's Day Weekend] and the refund of VAT for foreign tourists, it would only be €1475. That's around £1250. I thanked her, and said they were both attractive, but we would go and have a coffee and think about it.

I didn't have to think too hard - do I look like a woman who wears a €2000 watch? In 1974, Samaritaine had an award winning ad campaign featuring King Kong. 

They are celebrating the 50th anniversary with a replica of KK's hand. You can pose in its terrifying grip. So I did

And what about getting a replacement watch? I now have a lovely Sekonda, with a metal bracelet, proper hands, a sweep second hand, and the date. Bob spotted it in the RSPCA CS on Friday. So I guess you could say it has a second-hand second hand.
It cost 1% of the French watch - just £12.50

And it ticks [and tocks] all the boxes. I am utterly delighted with it!

[Thanks for spotting it at the top of the glass cabinet, Bob]

Sunny Delight

"Isn't it delightful, sitting in the sun like this?" I said to Bob - and suddenly remembered Sunny Delight orange drink. It was so popular in the 90s - "Do they still sell it?" I mused "And didn't a boy in Wales go orange after drinking too much?"

So of course I looked it up - yes they do still sell it, [in Tesco, Asda and Iceland] reformulated and rebranded as SunnyD and focussing on its healthy Vitamin D content. And yes sales took a massive hit after a four year old girl turned orange. You can also get  SunnyD "blue raspberry", which has Brilliant Blue FCF colouring [a synthetic dye with dubious side effects]

But enough of that - the food I am more interested in was in the two books I was enjoying, both very appropriate for delightful sunshine

Frozen Yogurt is by Constance and Mathilde Lorenzi, two sisters who started a chain of food outlets in Paris and elsewhere called It Mylk selling Frozen Yogurt, about 10 years ago. Sadly these have all closed now, or I should be eating in one this week! But as I make my own yogurt, and want to avoid UPF supermarket icecream, I thought this CS bargain might help me with this. They have two basic recipes - using 'whole' or 'fat-free' milk for their end product.

Also there are instructions for those with an ice cream maker, and those [like me] without this gadget. The book gives the basic recipes, recipes for flavoured ices, and recipes for 'extras' - milkshakes, gateaux, cookies, toppings etc. It makes your mouth water! I decided to try one recipe out, but realised I did not have any single cream to hand, even though I had plenty of yogurt.

I cheated, and used a can of evaporated milk to make the 'salidou' salted caramel version. It was OK, although it taste a little of evap. I think I will definitely try these recipes again, using proper cream. You have to beat the freezing mixture every hour for four hours, to break up the ice crystals. After the final beating, I poured it into individual plastic tubs, so It was [a] easer to portion, and [b] thawed a little to a softer consistency for eating quickly. Please note artistic strawberry garnish.*****

My second sunshine read was "Taste- my life through food" by actor Stanley Tucci. I love this clever and funny guy. He has been in so many films - my favourite is Julie and Julia, where he stars opposite Meryl Streep as the husband of Julia Child. There is a lot of food in that film! Tucci is of Italian Heritage, and has recently done some TV shows where he goes to Italy, in search of his roots, and eating the local foods. 

Jay Rayner describes the book as "A delicious story of appetite, family and pasta...the ever tasteful Tucci invites us to his table, and feeds us all the good stuff."

Lots of great Italian recipes, mostly meat based, plus some cocktails, I looked up hopefully at my tomato plants, willing them to produce lush crimson globes so I could make the ragu, timpano, tropiano sauce and more. 

The book is full of anecdotes, the story of his life, his first wife [who sadly died of cancer] and his second very happy marriage.

But I am only giving this one **** - partly because he uses the f-word far too much, and quite unnecessarily [being American is no excuse] and secondly, there is no index for the recipes, they are dotted about through the book and not easy to locate [and have no pictures either] 

But definitely two delightful books to read in the sunshine.

A final thought - do you think Donald Trump drank too much SunnyD and that is why he is that absurd orange colour?

Daisy, Daisy...

A year ago, I was on holiday in Scotland, and I had a disastrous fall. As well as smashing up my teeth and face, my bag also got damaged. I was a quite upset- it had been a birthday gift from Liz, and I'd only had it for a few weeks. It's a neat little Uniqlo banana bag, made of nylon. It's ideal for holidays - cross-body style it holds a surprising amount.

But it had half a dozen small holes and done larger ones, from where it hit the gravel.

I thought I should repair if before the Paris trip. Sunday afternoon I sat and sewed, whilst watching a fascinating film about actress Dame Margaret Rutherford. 

An invisible mend seemed impossible - so I decided to make it bright and beautiful.

First I stitched the holes together with blue thread.

Then I stitched lazy daisies over them

Finally I sprinkled some silver sequins around the flowers. 

Smart enough for the Champs Elysee, do you think?

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

  

In "The Wizard Of Oz" Dorothy skips along and finally gets to the Emerald City and finds the Wizard. On her journey, she meets the Munchkins. 

In the book [pub 1900] Frank L Baum describes these people as the same height as Dorothy, and dressed all in blue, their favourite colour. Hollywood ignored these details when they made the film.

We were asked at Craft Group to contribute some cakes or savouries on Sunday [the event raised over £500 towards the upkeep of the Village Hall] 

On Saturday afternoon I stood in the kitchen wondering what to make. I decided fairy cakes are easily manageable. I got out my 1996 Dairy Book, and spotted a recipe I have never made before - Munchkin Cakes. It only needed one egg, and I had all other other ingredients, [apart from crystallised Orange and Lemon slices.] So I set to and made a batch.

       INGREDIENTS

• 100g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• grated rind and juice of ½ orange
• 200g self raising flour
• 100ml fresh milk
• 75g apricot jam
• 75g plain chocolate, melted
• crystallised citrus slices to garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 170º
2. Melt butter and sugar over low hear for 2 mins, stir occasionally 
3. Add egg and orange rind, beat well, 
4. Fold in flour, gradually add milk and orange juice
5. Spoon into 16 paper cases [2tbsp per case]
6. Bake for 25 mins till risen and golden brown
7. When cool, scoop out centre, place tsp jam in hollow.
8. Replace lid, ice wirth melted chocolate
9. Decorate with orange or lemon slice.

I grated the rind with the microplane and stirred it through the mix. Having no slices, I put gold stars on each cake. The cakes were fairly uniform [wouldn't win BakeOff though] 

I kept back the wonkiest pair for us to sample later,

Conclusion - they taste just like Jaffa Cakes!

I may make these again, when my little Munchkins from London or Manchester come to visit.