Beyond the back of beyond

We went walking beyond the back of beyond on Sunday.  It was only 20 miles as far as the crow flies from home, but in the desolate wilderness of Keilder forest, we could have been miles from civilisation.  One of the primary reasons that area is visited so rarely is the lack of vehicular access so as we yomped across the somewhat boggy terrain, it really made us think about roads and their destructive impact on remote, isolated locations.  There are so few truly wild places left in the UK that it was something of a privilege to be there

Carrot Cake

We’re having a cake bake fundraiser in the office on Wednesday for “Hospice at Home” who were wonderful when a colleague was dying of cancer.  It also happens to be my birthday so I’ll be killing two birds with one stone when I get out the mixing bowls tonight.  I’m going to make carrot cakes as they are pretty fool proof and most people seem to enjoy them, especially when they have cream cheese topping.  I have a variety of recipes but the one I bake the most is below.  It uses oil so is actually very light and moist.


CARROT CAKE

Cake

7oz light muscovado sugar

4 fl oz sunflower oil

3 eggs

3 medium grated carrots

4oz raisins

zest of 1 orange

7oz self-raising flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

0.5 tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Frosting

7oz icing sugar

4oz cream cheese

2oz butter

1 tbsp orange juice

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut two long strips the width of the tin and put each strip crossways, covering the base and sides of the tin, with a double layer in the base

Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)

Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Set the cake on a serving plate and cover with the topping.

Green Tomato Chutney

I made green tomato chutney this weekend.  Earlier this year, Nerea  planted 3 tomato plants in tubs in the back yard and they grew like Topsy, producing several pounds of fruit.  The only trouble is that since the summer ended at the beginning of August, we’ve had no sun to ripen them and with the nights getting colder, we decided to harvest them before they became frost damaged.  The kitchen has smelt delicious, if a little vinegary, as the chutney has been slowly simmering on the stove top.  It should have matured sufficiently to be eaten with cold-cuts by Christmas

Worcester

Andy has gone to Worcester today for a meeting.  It isn't a city we're overly familiar with apart from its historic associations with the English Civil War and manufacture of porcelain so it'll be great if he finds time to have a look around. I always think it's a great pity to visit somewhere and never discover the true essence of the place. It's something that often happens with residential work events when you are lucky to escape the inside of an anodyne hotel. Hopefully Andy will feel inspired enough to see something other than the inside of a pub!

People watching

I collected Grandma from the airport on Sunday evening on her return from visiting friends "Down South!" I always enjoy collecting her as even the small, provincial airport that is Newcastle provides interesting opportunities for people watching.  And "Arrivals Halls" are often happy places, witness to scores of individual stories; the joyful re-unions between much loved relatives and friends, the relief on the faces of weary business travellers knowing that finally, they can sleep in their own beds or the eager tourists, anticipating excitedly the delights of their holiday visit.  I saw them all re-enacted on Sunday while people watching

Little Mell Fell

We're all suffering from the inevitable "back to school"colds brought home by Nerea. Andy felt the first signs on Friday, just as Nerea was recovering so it was Lemsips all round and a re-think of our weekend plans.We decided to stick with a hill walk with Robin and Cathryn but stay lowish so Andy wasn't over tired. We headed for Little Mell Fell, a classic rounded knoll above Ullswater. The inclement weather confirmed the wisdom of our decision as we got absolutely soaked, saw very little from the summit but still enjoyed ourselves. Fresh air - we love it

CARLISLE'S GHOSTLY PAST

I’m planning to find out more about Carlisle’s ghostly past so I can set up a geocaching trail. I’ve wanted to do an historic trail around the city for ages but with a slightly different theme so I’ve been thinking.  Always dangerous!  Surprisingly, Carlisle doesn’t seem to be overly blessed with too many ghosts according to Google so I need to dig a little deeper into the Carlisle history books.  I’d be very surprised if there weren’t some unsettled spirits drifting around the city as it has such an ancient and violent past. I just need them to start appearing!

SARDINES NOT SANDWICHES

Today I had fresh sardines for lunch and very tasty they were too.  My family love fish of any sort and we are very lucky to have an excellent fish counter at our local supermarket, so fish is a regular on our table. We don’t even mind the bones.  I often buy sardines and coat them in oil and Cajun spice before baking them in the oven but today I fancied them plain with lemon juice. The only down side is that the house smelt of fish at 8am this morning so it’ll linger all day, driving the cats wild

STRICTLY COME DANCING IS BACK

Strictly Come Dancing has finally returned to our screens, but regrettably, without our “American Boy”, Brian Fortuna.  The departure of three well loved favourites and the sidelining of two others to a “dance troupe” in preference of relatively unknown newcomers has been the biggest change, resulting in an inevitable outpouring of vitriol. But although I’m of the “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it” school, I was prepared to be open-minded.  So….I liked the new set design, two of the new dancers seemed excellent and I was pleased Brucie and Tess returned.  But the new dance troupe? Oh dear!

Spring bulbs and it's only just autumn

Yesterday, we received a leaflet through the post inviting us to the local garden centre (actually a large “shopping experience” with a plant section) to collect a free pot of spring bulbs.  I went along, fully expecting some form of catch but no; I was directed to the bulb area, given a pot to fill and after transferring them to a bag, handed  the voucher over at the checkout before leaving the store.  I was amazed that for once, I actually did get something for nothing.  I’m looking forward to planting them and other bulbs this weekend, ready for spring

VIth Form Girl

Watching Nerea set off for VIth form in her stylish Mango suit and court shoes made me reflect on how school wear was never so glamorous in my day.  I remember being forced to wear some hideous grey kilt that suited everyone but me as my butt sticks out.  Having large feet didn’t help either, because unlike today, prettier shoes were only available in smaller sizes and I’d to resort to wearing flat, black, boys’ shoes. Is it any wonder why I have such issues of confidence over my clothes?  But back to Nerea.  She looked lovely; professional and confident.

Burn The Floor - 4th September 2010

This is longer than my usual drabble but I don't want to forget the wonderful occasion

Picture the scene; a warm, sunny afternoon, a Thames-side path at low tide, a chic wedding reception being hosted in a converted wharf side bar, and a smartly dressed 7 year old boy. Over the muted conversational hum, a sweetly clear voice asks   “Daddy? Why is that lady standing on a seaweedy pipe and hanging onto a bit of rusty old chain?“
And apart from a slight question mark over the inclusion of an appropriate adjective, (I would perhaps have used insane), I found myself asking the same question but mentally adding  “when she could be meeting Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna at the stage door of the Shaftesbury Theatre instead”  For yes, that insane woman was me.  Now I know you are all asking yourselves what on earth this has to do with the final UK performance of Burn the Floor but bear with me.  I will get there.  Eventually
I’m sure that many women, faced with a day to themselves in London would think; “shopping” and head off to the consumerist temples of Oxford or Regent Street armed with fantastic plastic and an empty Harvey Nicks carrier bag purchased on ebay for £10.00.  (What is all that about?)  But not me. I have an addiction which can be summarised as a form of treasure hunting using a hand held satnav.  Usually our hunting grounds are the hills and dales of northern England so the chance to factor in a spot of urban geocaching before the BTF show was a chance not to be missed.  Consequently I’d planned my visit  to include maximum opportunities for furtling around grubby drain pipes in places of historic interest to find magnetic key safes.  (Well, it takes all sorts and let’s not forget that diversity is the TAFFs watchword).
Thus, it was a highly excited Glistener who ejected from the overnight bus at Victoria Coach station at 6am clutching her rucksack, GPSr and BTF banner!  Now luckily for me (and unlike Brian), I’m a morning person so arriving in London at the crack of dawn on a Saturday offered lots of exciting possibilities.  Geocaching takes you to all sorts of interesting and unusual places (remind me to tell you one day about my unscheduled tour of the Metropolitan Mounted Police Stables in Old Scotland Yard – amazing) so I was able to find a number of elusive geocaches hidden in public places.  These are normally too difficult to seek during the working day without causing a full scale security alert.  It also meant that the park and pavement cafes were less crowded so I’d time to sit and people watch while enjoying a coffee without feeling pressured to be somewhere else.  London is such an interesting, historic and culturally rich city, that despite being something of a country bumpkin, I have to agree with Samuel Johnson that “when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life”
But enough philosophising.  Let’s return to the Thames and my precarious position 5ft up on an old pipe reaching out for a magnetised film canister stuck to a mooring ring some distance above the high water line of the river.  Let me be clear; I hadn’t intended to find this cache during this visit  but the inaudible siren call of the cache -  “find me, find meeee” was so compelling, I was drawn to it inexorably like a moth to a flame. And that was my downfall (although thankfully not literally).  By the time I’d finished explaining my abnormal antics to the increasingly enthusiastic little boy and his father, rather too much time had elapsed for me to change my clothes, travel to the theatre and still be at the stage door for post matinee meets and greets. So, I have only myself to blame for missing the opportunity to meet Brian and Ali.  But maybe that was just as well.  I’m sure neither of them would have appreciated an impromptu Thames mud pack in advance of their final performance.  With a little less urgency, I headed for a suitable coffee shop, changed out of my slime covered trousers into clean clothes and wandered along to the theatre.
Now remembering the “curious incident of the aquarium in the night-time” from the March show at Blackpool Tower, I made sure I was in situ and highly visible in the theatre foyer well before show time. This gave me plenty of time to approach directly, several innocent non -TAFFs who were suitably bewildered at my advances.
“Am I a TAFF?  No, sorry. I’m from Dorset but my Uncle lived in Wales”
“Did you say Fortunas Fantastic?  Yes, I’m sure the show will be fantastic. Fortunately, I’m not sitting near you!”
So, it was with a little relief that I eventually spied several familiar faces across the lobby as the TAFFS began to arrive.  There was the usual chaos as people met and greeted each other but gradually, we were herded into the designated bar for pre-show drinks.  I didn’t mingle too much as it was evident that lots of people knew each other and wanted to catch up but in any event, I’m quite content people watching.   It was apparent from the excitement levels in the room that the evening was going to a roller coaster of emotions and I couldn’t wait for the show to begin.
We made our way into the delightfully elaborate Victorian auditorium to take our seats with a few minutes to wait before curtain rise so I was able to savour the expectant atmosphere that all theatres seem to radiate.  The show opened with an amusing little interaction between a couple of the cast and the audience, reminding us that  mobile phones and cameras were not permitted and then we danced into the routines.  Now I’m not given generally to fanciful musings but I can honestly say that when Ali and Brian came onto the stage, I felt a palpable wall of noise, emotion and something that I can only describe as  “positivity” sweep across the theatre from the TAs and FFs to the stage.  I’d like to think that all the dancers, musicians and singers on the stage felt the power and were energised by it for all their performances were simply electrifying.  The show was non stop with changes in tempo, music, costumes and dance styles.  I think it fair to say that the stage was smokin’ for the whole night.  Brian shone among the professional dancers and novice Ali more than held her own in the routines she performed in.  The finale was sensational and to see and hear the whole theatre standing up on their feet around me, cheering and applauding as the curtain rose and fell was something I’ll not forget for a long time.  I can only imagine the high that Brian, Ali and the rest of the company must have experienced as I felt as if I could have floated out of the theatre, despite my rucksack!
After the show was over, all too soon, I might add, I went round to the side door as the TAFFs had some gifts to give Brian’s mum, including a BTF banner I’d made.  Mrs Fortuna seemed to be very pleased with them and came across as a gracious, lovely lady. Sadly, I wasn’t able to stop to meet Brian and Ali as that seductive temptress, the overnight coach back home, was luring me back to Victoria so I slipped away unnoticed into the night.
There will be those of you thinking that this report actually has very little to do with BTF, Brian or Ali and you are entirely correct.  There is other, so much better reportage out there that provides all the essential detail on the stage performance (amazing), the costumes (stunning)), the music (I wish I could sing or play half as well) and our stars of the show (attractive, talented, affectionate and emotional) that I feel I can add little value to that.  But I wanted to share with you my wonderful, personal experience in my own way so you will have to excuse my eccentricities.  It was a day and night to remember and for the opportunity to be part of it, I’m so very, very grateful.

Roller Coasters R Us

Andy, Nerea and I are roller coaster junkies although we don’t have too many opportunities to experience the thrills and spills of theme parks.  But last week we had an awesome day out at the world famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach. It‘s certainly developed in the 25 years since we last visited with new, ever more exciting rides like the Pepsi Max Big One and Infusion but it still retains a heritage feel with old wooden framed  favourites like the Grand National and Big Dipper.  We packed a lot into the day which ended with fish and chips on the prom!

Geocaching in London

Arriving in London at the crack of dawn on a Saturday has its compensations.  I was able to find a number of elusive geocaches hidden in  public places that are normally too difficult to seek during the working day.  It also meant that the park and pavement cafes were less crowded so I’d time to sit and enjoy a coffee without feeling pressured to be somewhere else.  I walked miles to achieve several brilliant caches, including a multi cache that ended on Primrose Hill and one just above the high water line of the Thames,  only accessible at low tide

Burn The Floor

The stage was smokin’ hot on Saturday night for the final UK performance of Burn the Floor. The show was amazing and only greater input from Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian would have improved it.  Brian shone among the professional dancers and novice Ali more than held her own during the routines she performed in.    I met my FF Fairy Godmother again, other TAFFs  and Brian’s mum briefly although travel arrangements prevented me from meeting  Brian and Ali themselves.  Even "riding the overnight coaches" couldn’t diminish my excitement at being able to share the experience. I’m so thrilled I went.