Drabbling (or blogging in exactly 100 words)

My daughter, my inspiration

2012-02-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

Nerea celebrated her 18th birthday at the weekend so it was a time for love, tears and laughter. One of her gifts was a collage of random photos and it was so rewarding to share them with her, remembering where they’d been taken and what we’d been doing. Reminiscing made me consider writing a letter to Nerea, sharing some of my memories of the past 18 years, but also looking to the future. So write I did, keeping it personal by writing longhand. It was a surprisingly emotional but rewarding letter to write and we're both so pleased I did.

Frosty wind made moan.....

2012-01-03T10:38:00.001-08:00

The wind is extraordinarily strong today. Lorries have been blown over on the motorway and at 5.30am, I thought a gust was about to lift the house roof off! Its strength hadn’t abated when I left for work so I took the safer option and walked in rather than be blown off my bike. Now, the ill-fitting office windows are moaning and shrieking in a manner worthy of a Christopher Lee horror movie. It’s somewhat distracting on a telephone call as few callers are familiar with the vagaries of the building, and to them, it sounds quite disturbing and unsettling.

Apple Cake

2012-01-03T10:37:00.001-08:00

I made an apple cake on Sunday with some Bramley apples I’d found lurking in the back of the fridge. I’d been saving the recipe for such an occasion (despite my good intentions to reduce my cake intake) and I wasn’t disappointed. It had a lovely light texture as it was made by whisking eggs and sugar together before adding the other ingredients. Andy, Molly and I munched on 2 large slabs as we hunkered down in a frosty peat hag below the summit of Arkleton Hill yesterday. It proved to be an extremely tasty part of our packed lunch

Dutch Apple Cake

Ingredients
2 eggs
175g caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
85g butter
75ml milk
125g SR flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp Demerara sugar

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Line the sides and base of a 20cm cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and the whisk leaves a figure of eight pattern (This will take about 5 minutes).
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the milk, then pour onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Sift in the flour, cinnamon and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.
4. Arrange the apple slices over the batter. (They will sink to the bottom.) Sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of Demerara sugar and bake in the oven for ten minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/gas 4 and bake for a further 20±25 minutes or until well risen and golden brown.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before cutting into slices

Arkleton Hill

2012-01-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

Our New Year walk up Arkleton Hill yesterday really blew the cobwebs away. Arkleton is close to the Border town of Langholm, famous for its annual historic Common Riding. Arkleton House, passed at the start of the walk is a wonderful gothic, grey Scottish pile and was the former home of MP Walter Scott Eliot who was murdered by his butler, Archibald Hall, infamous for having a holiday house in Newton Arlosh, Cumbria. Although the hill tops out at 520m, it still provides stunning views across the rolling border hills and is well worthy of a summit bid (and geocache)!

Christmas Excesses

2012-01-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Unsurprisingly, I’m busy deciding how to get rid of the excesses of the Christmas period. Sadly, we still have chocolates and other goodies in the house and I’m really very weak willed. Yesterday, we went for a robust hill walk and just had to have a treat when we returned home……..regrettably, chocolates were consumed!! Luckily, I don’t drink alcohol to any great excess so giving up the odd glass of wine isn’t really a hardship. No, for now, it’s going to be portion control and more exercise as I just can’t deny myself the odd sweet treat now and again.

Happy Christmas and welcome to 2012

2011-12-31T05:07:00.000-08:00

Planning, saving, Advent, excitement, baking, shopping, queuing, wrapping, sewing, cleaning, spare beds, air beds, tree, decorations, tissue-paper, cards, baubles, letters, ribbon, stockings, tinsel, ,sausages, guests, pork, turkey, stuffing, trifle, cheese, pudding, John Rutter, candles, crackers, carols, nativity, holly, presents, chocolate, nuts, Slade, films, photos, Morecambe and Wise, mince-pies, Christmas cake, Downton Abbey, Dr Who, red wine, white wine, mulled wine, port, brandy, Single Malt, cold cuts, more cheese, pickles, friends, family, laughter, Boxing Day, party, phone calls, soup, emails, dog walks, geocaches, bloated, irritable, tiredness, feeling full, late-nights, lie-ins, New Year, washing, pine-needles, back-to-work blues, diet, detox, thank-you letters, relief!!!!!

Elf n'safety

2011-12-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I had a quiet chuckle when I saw the paper “star” pinned to the top of a Christmas tree in a common room. Some festive folk had decorated the tree with the usual trappings but obviously without the prior consent of the “elves of safety” It had obviously been touch and go as to whether the tree was allowed at all; thank goodness there were no movement sensors in the room or the tinsel fluttering in the gale blowing from the ill fitting windows might have activated them. As it was, the fairy lights had to go! Merry Christmas!

Stay at home Sarah

2011-12-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

Ordinarily I’m quite a sociable person but in winter, my hibernatory tendencies kick in. I enjoy the long dark nights when we’re at home all evening, drawing the curtains as soon as we come in from walking Molly. Despite recognising there’s an anti –social element of shutting the world and the weather out, it’s lovely to create a cosy environment to read, sew or watch TV. But so often we find ourselves needing to be elsewhere. That means leaving the snug nest that is home and venturing out into the chilly darkness. And sometimes I feel quite resentful. Like tonight!

For those in Peril on the Sea

2011-12-08T13:20:00.001-08:00

The wind has been blowing a hoolie in Carlisle today but looking at the footage of the storm battering the Outer Hebrides, we have got off comparatively lightly. I couldn’t help but think of Cnoceisgan, protected to the rear by a large natural rock feature, resisting this storm, as it has resisted others over the past 300 years. For purely selfish reasons, I’d love to witness a truly wild coastal storm, with crashing waves whipped into a frenzy by the shrieking wind, but my selfish dreams take no account of “those in peril on the sea”. May they keep safe.

Evening on the Tyne

2011-12-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

On the way home the other evening, I decided to stop off and pick up a drive-by geocache close to the River Tyne. I parked up in the layby and for once there were only a couple of joggers on the cycle path. I nipped out of the car, grabbed the cache and then peered over the railings at the river stretching away in front of me. The low tide had revealed a decaying boat wreck immediately below. The derelict carcass was softly illuminated by the lights along the Keelman’s Way creating a beautiful, tranquil view curving around the meander.

Frozen Planet

2011-12-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

We’ve been enthralled watching the stunning BBC FrozenPlanet series narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The high quality and sensitivity of the filming reflects the professionalism of the wildlife team and showcases all that is good about the BBC. Each programme includes a short piece which gives an insight into the filming techniques deployed. The “Winter” episode featured an affecting and powerful struggle between a she wolf and a bison, captured by chance, by a camera man on the ground. It was a brutal but incredibly moving illustration of the fight for survival in the harshest regions of the world.

Senior Shopping Scenarios

2011-12-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

I’ve nothing but respect for our Senior Citizens but I’m wondering why they choose to shop over lunch time when weekday workers are trying to fit in jobs during lunch breaks. Today, I queued at the Post Office for 40 minutes as I had a parcel to weigh. For a considerable period, the queue was outside. In order to stave off boredom and distract myself from the cold chill in my feet, I conducted an unscientific poll. Of 24 would be customers, 19 of them were elderly people who could shop at other, less busy, times. My question is Why?

Big Freeze

2011-12-05T09:52:00.001-08:00

Our weather has finally turned wintry. In fact, I saw my first car with snow on the roof this morning. I needed to wear gloves on my bike and could have done with a face mask to keep the cold air out of my lungs. But despite the downsides of icy cold weather, it’s infinitely preferable to the warm, wet conditions we’ve had of late. I recently found myself walking across a field which was so heavily waterlogged and badly poached, I was in serious danger of losing my wellies with every step I took. Bring on the big freeze!

Christmas Cheer...or not

2011-12-05T09:51:00.001-08:00

I finished making the Christmas cards and “year book” this weekend (it’s really a 1 page news letter but year book sounds soooo pretentious and I do enjoy a touch of irony) so I’m feeling very chipper. I know others will have shopped, written and wrapped weeks ago but that isn’t how I operate. In all honesty, I’m not a Christmassy person when that means shopping for expensive presents and general over-indulgence. I love having a tree, which we decorate on Christmas Eve and relaxing with my family but Christmas as a commercial excuse for excess is a complete turn-off.

Transition

2011-11-22T14:18:00.000-08:00

It was an unusual week in Wales this year. Firstly, the weather was amazingly mild for November which meant we were able to get out and about rather more than usual but secondly, Nerea was only with us for the weekend as she had arranged some work experience at home. Despite her absence, and she was much missed, we still had a lovely time, exploring our favourite beaches, getting out into the hills and eating far too much. But “times are a-changing” and it seems as if the next phase in the inevitable re-structuring of our little family has begun

Solace in the sunset

2011-11-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

During the last week, I've had to resolve 2 rather difficult personnel issues at work. Driving home from West Cumbria after a terribly stressful and psychologically draining day, in the distance, the dying sun was setting over the mountain tops of the Lake District. Such a truly beautiful sight compelled me to stop the car close by a convenient footpath sign. I rummaged for suitable footwear in the boot and despite looking somewhat incongruous in my suit and green wellies, I set off into the dusk along the track. Half an hour later and thankfully I’d regained some inner peace

I was truly "Over the Rainbow" in rather more than 100 words

2011-10-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

“Anything off the trolley, dears?”

Now I know that even for me this is a bizarre opening to a report about Over The Rainbow (Or “OTR” as we say in show-business), especially if you are not a Harry Potter aficionado, but honestly, it has everything to do with one of the most fun filled lunches I have ever enjoyed.

Let me enlighten you. Few of you will be aware of the agonising dilemma I faced when the OTR dates were published and I discovered I was away on holiday for my local(ish) Dumfries gig; But what was to be done? Should I plan a road trip to the cosmopolitan Cumbrian metropolis that is……Barrow in Furness? Perhaps I could ride the overnight bus to a venue some where “Down South”? Or maybe I should even cancel my holiday? (Well possibly not cancel, but I certainly thought about travelling to Wales a day later than the rest of my family. So that’s why I ignored “Parenting Lesson no 34: Never feel the need to be defensive with your teenager”, and uncharacteristically snapped “Yes, I really am that sad”, to my incredulous daughter, when I foolishly shared my quandary with my wholly unsupportive family). .

Anyway, “Manana” being another of my watchwords, I shelved the problem, adopting a Micawber like attitude that something would turn up. And so it did in the form of a charity VIP fund raising lunch in Newcastle for Macmillan with an OTR ticket for a Whitley Bay show thrown in. (At this point, it’s appropriate to say both “thank goodness” and “thank you” for the forensic press scanning activities of the lovely ladies on DS and on FB, for at the time the event was publicised, I was being sand blasted in the Outer Hebrides and would have otherwise missed reading it).

But back to the tale. What self respecting Northern FF could resist such a wonderful and altruistic lure? Certainly not me! Money swiftly changed hands and a ticket was all mine!

Despite initial reservations over the ballady type of Eva Cassidy music not being to my taste, my excitement levels began to rise as I read the reports and reviews of the shows attended by other lucky ladies so by OTR eve, I was like a child waiting for Christmas. I had booked the Wednesday off work but as so often happens, an important meeting was scheduled (groan) but it was to be held in the Newcastle office (yippee. You'll appreciate I'm getting in some practice for panto time). Ordinarily, I would have “dialled in” but thinking it would be convenient to attend in person, I had an earlier start than planned to Destination Newcastle. But never mind.
Like all meetings, it dragged on so it was 11.30am before I hurtled out of the office like a mad woman (nothing new there) and leapt into the car, praying I would remember the way to Jesmond. Thinking I might as well extend my spiritual petitions beyond the celestial sat-nav, I also entreated that there would be a convenient parking place and that the 17 (yes, 17) sets of traffic lights between me and my lunch date would all be on green. They say that the devil looks after his own but I prefer to believe it really was divine intervention that enabled me to perform the best reverse parking manoeuvre I’ve ever done into the only free parking space in the whole of Newcastle outside West Jesmond Metro Station at 11.55am. And in front of 2 re-cycling wagons and 6 burly operatives too! Deo Gratis!!

Once out of the car, it was pouring with rain, (I'd not mentioned the weather in my prayers, thinking you can't have everything) so naturally my carefully sculptured hair styling lasted all of 30 seconds as I scuttled through the underpass and down the lane to Franco’s. Jesmond is quite a trendy part of old Newcastle with some great architecture but I had no time to stand and stare. I rocked up to the bar resembling a drowned rat on acid and grinned manically at the beautifully coiffured lady offering bubbly. I asked for something weaker and dripping gently, took in my surroundings. And very smart Brian looked too, in his jacket and white shirt! And the bar wasn’t bad either!

And then came the seating issue. It seemed that I was a problem. (Inevitably, I hear you thinking). But because I was alone, they didn’t know where to put me (A lesson to be learned there, methinks). I decided to diffuse the tension, said “I don’t care where I sit as strangers are friends you haven’t met, I’ll chat with anyone and after all this is Newcastle, one of the friendliest cities in the UK” and so found myself sitting with 3 of the most wonderful, inspirational ladies I could have ever wished to meet. And I was the only one under 82! The ladies were all actresses and had spent much of their lives performing in a wide variety of stage and TV roles including Dirty Dusting, Tracey Beaker, Byker Grove and Super Gran among others (Regrettably, I’d not seen any of them but at least I recognised the titles so was able to “ooh” and “ahh” in all the right places!) But, Jean in particular was memorable for her role as the trolley lady on the train in the first Harry Potter film; but oh that she’d had some pumpkin pasties with her as Franco’s food, sadly, was only just about OK.

That minor disappointment aside, the atmosphere in the bar was buzzing. A local TV/Stage personality acted as host and as my ladies were local celebrities too, our table was a veritable shrine for other “lovvies”, with regular pilgrimages made from other parts of the bistro to chat with them. However, the piece de resistance of the whole event came from Sarah Jane Buckley herself, for, accompanied by one of the band, she sang “Somewhere over the Rainbow” in Eva Cassidy style, before jacking up the tempo and belting out “Valerie”, as we ate. I was impressed with her singing and knew I was going to be in for a treat later that evening. The rest of the lunch passed in a riot of laughter with my adorable theatrical companions and their gossipy tales and I was truly grateful for their wonderful company.

Once we’d eaten, there was the inevitable press photo shoot and raffle. Naturally I didn’t win a prize but to everyone’s delight, Brian won garden centre tokens. I then dithered for a while, wondering if I should ask Brian for a photo, despite my helmet hair, but was finally persuaded to take the plunge by my lunch companions. Brian was charming as usual, I checked for hostile positioning of coffee cups (what happened in Blackpool stays in Blackpool) and the delightful Maureen Nolan did the honours on my phone. I remember making some typically inane but true remark about not being au fait with technology, gave the FFs a name check and the deed was done! And then it was time to slink back out into the rain for a wander round Jesmond in search of Tupperware before the drive over to Whitley Bay.

Now for those of you who have never heard of Whitley Bay, it’s a small seaside town on the East Coast and home of the (now derelict but about to be restored) Spanish City immortalised in the Dire Straits song, “Tunnel of Love”. It isn’t exactly Blackpool although both locations can be described as bracing at any time of year with little difficulty. And it was certainly that last week!

I have a bizarre but none the less genuine fondness for seaside towns in winter (I know it was only mid-October but trust me, it’s always winter in Whitley Bay) so I arrived in plenty of time as I wanted to add to my successful butty box finds. I found an enormous Sainsbury’s, admired the new Gok collection and had a warm cuppa before facing an invigorating walk along the front. I was glad to hear the Spanish City was to be restored as there is something terribly sad and poignant about seedy, derelict, Victorian/Edwardian seaside buildings. I did a bit of treasure hunting and then made my way to the tastefully re-vamped playhouse where I met my friends from lunch time. I was pleasantly surprised to see the theatre was full and then…… it was on with the show.

Now I’ve never been a huge fan of the musical genres played on Terry Wogan R2 show; I think I was irreparably damaged by it during my youth when my mother, along with most other women in Britain, listened as she tried and failed to Fight the Flab during the 1970s. Or maybe it was enduring Terry’s toe curling rendition of the Floral Dance rather more times than I care to remember. It matters not. I’ve previously admitted to being slightly dubious initially about the OTR music but Sarah Jane as Eva lived up to the critiques and totally blew me away. She was convincing, had terrific musicality and really di have a great quality of voice. I was also pleasantly surprised by Maureen Nolan too. She still looked amazing and sounded just as good as she had during her early days in Blackpool as part of the Nolan Sisters. And yes, the set was basic, yes the acting script was somewhat pedestrian at times but none of that detracted from the story telling through music which was fab-u-lous. One minor draw back was the rather indifferent cinematic projection quality on the backdrop which is possibly why I thought, (and I’m sure the agriculturally astute among us could confirm), that the ripening cereal crop gently swaying in the breeze during Fields of Gold was in fact, wheat. I swear I never saw a whisker of barley in that projected image.

But leaving that aside and moving on to the Star of Our Show, Brian, well what can I say? He certainly did a good Ronette impression with that tambourine! I was prepared to be critical if necessary but there was no need; I genuinely loved his performance. He was superb in the role of Danny, with good diction and a mature stage presence and his very listenable singing voice has definitely developed. My elderly ladies were enchanted with him and adored his accent!! And like all of us, I too would have liked to have seen him in a bigger role but perhaps that's being greedy. After all we have Aladdin and beyond to look forward to.

So that was it. A wider range of music than I expected, several curtain calls, another standing ovation, a hug with my ladies and then out into the night to find my car and drive the 2 hours home, singing Wonderful World. And it really is, filled with wonderful people of all ages sharing so much joy! Thank you Jean, Gwen, Helen, the cast and crew of OTR, Steve the fundraiser and Brian for giving me a fabulous day to remember

I'm kindled!!

2011-10-18T10:05:00.001-07:00

Andy and Nerea gave me a Kindle as a very welcome surprise birthday present. Currently, I’m travelling by train several hours a day at least twice a week and as the train is of the “local” variety, attempts at working securely or indeed even getting a seat some days can be a challenge. And as I’m commuting at either end of the journey by cycle, I can’t really carry too many weighty ancillary items like library books as my laptop, waterproofs and work clothing already occupies considerable space in my panniers. So the Kindle is perfect and has made reading on the train so much more accessible

Only dull women have tidy desks........

2011-10-18T10:04:00.000-07:00

For some weeks, I’ve been working regularly out of a “foreign” office, hot- desking at will. That this new and somewhat uncomfortable experience has coincided with a rigorous enforcement of a previously lacklustre “clear desk” policy probably has had something to do with my reflections on the de-personalisation of working environments. Don’t get me wrong: I’m all in favour of a tidy and secure work area but the removal of personal items from a place where individuals spend upwards of 8 hours a day can and does have a significant psychological impact on an individual. And it’s not always positive…..

Retirement

2011-09-17T11:42:00.001-07:00

A hugely energetic and creative colleague and friend took early retirement last month. Having recently re-married and with two adult children, she felt that life was too short to remain shackled to the selecting an appropriate gift for someone who has all they need for their sustainable lifestyle. And then inspiration struck by way of a voucher for a local craft workshop where Karen could create her own“gift”. Maintaining the crafty theme, I sewed an appliqué cockerel for a leaving card. Karen was both touched and delighted. Job done!

Judging at the flower and produce show

2011-09-17T11:33:00.001-07:00

It's regrettable but the “rug, handmade,” entries were definitely of an inferior quality to those in the “knitted garment, 2 ply” category. For it’s true. I have sat in judgement on the crafts people of Allendale at the annual Flower and Produce Show. My Mother–in- Law was originally invited to judge the Craft Section but feeling the need for moral support (Few have forgotten 2004, the year Mrs G awarded first prize to her daughter’s entry in the Queen Cakes category), she invited me to share the burden. Such a responsibility left me emotionally drained by the end of it

Carlisle Cathedral

2011-09-12T12:48:00.001-07:00

Until recently, my experience of Carlisle Cathedral, a beautiful, red sandstone building dating from the 12^th Century had always been joyful; school speech days, musical recitals and occasional attendance at Evensong, celebrated with the music of centuries. So it was with some trepidation that I attended a funeral in that ancient, holy place. That the funeral was for someone my own age who died leaving his wife and 3 teenage children made it all the more poignant. The service was dignified but my heart ached for his family as they walked behind his coffin, bravely shouldered by his teenage son.

A great sadness

2011-09-12T12:47:00.001-07:00

Our local community experienced a tragic loss last month when the father of one of Nerea’s school-friends took his own life after a battle with depression. When I visited his wife during that dreadful period of limbo between his death and funeral, of the many things we talked about, one observation really caught my attention. She said “he was in such a dark place we couldn’t reach him”. I know little of mental health issues but hearing that such a “larger than life” character with a brilliant intellect had experienced such utter desolation, it strengthened my resolve to learn more.

Outer Hebrides

2011-09-12T12:46:00.001-07:00

The Outer Hebrides; dramatic landscapes of big skies, white sands, rocky shores and restless seas. A magical, wild and beautiful place.

5 hours by ferry from the Scottish mainland, the archipelago remains peaceful and unspoilt, proving to be the perfect choice for our summer holiday. As we’d not visited Harris since Andy and I had cycled camped our way through the islands when Nerea was still small enough to sit on the back of Andy’s bike, we were delighted to return. Our holiday croft on the Quidinish peninsula over looking Flodabay was idyllically remote, and perfect for recharging our batteries

Broomhaugh Island

2011-09-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

Robin

Caroline

Geocaching has brought us some real challenges over the years and none more so than when we tackled Broomhaugh Island in the middle of the River Tyne. Caroline and I finally tackled the cache with Robin and Cathryn on a warm, dry evening when water levels were low. But the river crossing was a mere nothing compared to the battle through 10ft high Himalayan Balsam necessary to reach the crossing point. After hacking our way through the jungle for half an hour, we felt like Dr Livingstone, as bruised and battered, we eventually reached the bank and the island ahead!

Cathedral Camping

2011-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Nerea had a busy summer including spending a week volunteering at Truro Cathedral. For her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award, she had to share in a residential experience, learning to interact socially with new friends. She and her friend Laura opted to join a Cathedral Camp where the volunteering aspect went well, with a variety of tasks undertaken, including painting, cleaning and handicrafts with younger visitors. The social aspect of communal living also delivered benefits as the team cooked for each other, ate communally and socialised together after chores were done. It proved to be a great experience for her.

Have you missed me?

2011-09-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

Oh how I’ve missed Blogging. I haven’t been idle these past weeks, though, despite not publishing any musings for a while. I’ve been busy enjoying experiences to share and storing up topics to write about. It’s a consequence of “PCs behaving badly” and although my android phone is magical, it just isn’t easy to write on with my clumsy fingers (And then there’s my eyesight……) but enough! Now, typically, the loo is leaking and, regrettably, it’s more essential than technology so we may not be splashing out on a new laptop just yet. Normal Blogging service will be resumed shortly.

Nature re-asserts herself

2011-07-23T00:24:00.001-07:00

I had meetings in Newcastle yesterday and once again I had time to kill between them so I took a trip up to the high lands above Greenside, former mining village and a place I’d never been before. The views across the Tyne valley were stunning and showed little evidence of the former industrial scenes from the last century Our landscape changes constantly, shaped by both the forces of weather and man but the ability of nature to re-assert itself to create visions of awe inspiring beauty, despite the ravages of abuse that it sustains, never fails to inspire me.

Memories

2011-07-20T03:41:00.001-07:00

Earlier in the year we were shocked by the sudden death of a much loved colleague. Her funeral was private so colleagues decided to remember her in our own way. As Cath loved animals and had close associations with FMD, a Memorial walk and picnic at beautiful Watchtree, the nature reserve that grew out of the FMD horrors ten years ago, was arranged. The walk was well attended, the sun shone, dogs wagged their tails, happy, excited children played and modest Cath would have been surprised but thrilled at the love shown for her. It was a wonderful, fitting tribute.

LOSING IT

2011-07-20T03:03:00.001-07:00

I think I may be losing it…… or else Blogger is. I was convinced I’d written a drabble about a Memorial walk I’d participated in. But I can’t find it anywhere so maybe I just imagined it in my head although it was such a lovely occasion I can’t believe I didn’t put finger to key pad…… I need to rectify that soonest

But it’s made me think about our reliance on electronic “record” keeping. When it’s well ordered it’s wonderful; when it isn’t, then a LOT of time can be wasted searching through irrelevant documents. Trust me; I know.

A pirate adventure (in rather more than 100 words)

2011-07-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Despite the good natured but inevitable bickering over Mr Kiya’s insistence on being Nancy Blackett (none of us could recall a bald, moustachioed Nancy in any of the Swallows and Amazons stories but there you go), it was a remarkably well disciplined crew and Ship’s Dog Molly, that set off in search of Pirate Treasure on a glorious Sunday morning. We were well "vitt’led” with provisions aplenty but in terribly Susanish mode, also had a trunk full of dry clothes and towels so as to avoid any “chills” that might impact on the successful liberation of the treasure! We soon arrived at the Blue Parrot parking area where Capt’n Nancy shivered his timbers at the cost but Cathryn stumped up the gold and we prepared for our first adventure to Plunder Port. Now maybe it was the excitement of reaching the bright lights of the port but some of the scurvy dogs that called themselves crew were ill prepared for the crossing, having left Pirate footwear in the for’ard cabin of the Red Peril. Some confusion reined but in due course, the crew stormed the island and quickly plundered the loot. We eagerly poured over the find and after consulting the compass, sailed forth in search of Grog and Rum Isle

With considerable skill, Capt’n Nancy berthed the Red Peril in a tiny roadside inlet and after Molly curled her lip at a rabid cur (the poor thing had a lampshade round his neck) the thirsty crew hot footed it to Rum Isle for a spot of Grog. (Actually, it was rather more of a squelch as we’d left our damp footwear on for the short passage; whatever would Susan have said?) This crossing was rather deeper than the first so thank goodness for over hanging tree branches as with great hilarity, the crew, emboldened by the lure of liquor, hung from the branches and splashed our way across. Once again the booty was soon found but to the dismay of certain parties, the Grog was absent!! Mutiny was only just averted! The Ship’s dog found something interesting to roll in and then it was back to the Red Peril for the sail to Maelstrom Cave.

By now the port was bustling and with piratical menace, Capt’n Nancy commandeered another roadside berth. It was here that the crew’s Susanish tendencies became more apparent; discussions were had over the best approach to tackling the cave, dealing with wet gear and the wilderness beyond. We trekked our way upto the roaring falls unhampered by rucksacks and boots and made the treacherous descent to the river, spotting ropes hanging in the falls. Were we too late? Did they belong to another Pirate crew? No, they belonged to a band of brigands escaping justice by climbing along the river so unseen by them, we bravely navigated across the thundering water (OK, I’m bigging it up a little here; the water fall was moderate at best!) and found ourselves facing the gaping jaws of the cave.

In true buccaneering style, Capt’n Nancy strode forth, his voice only reaching one octave higher than normal as the chilly water reached his pieces of eight. The ship’s dog was distraught; despite promising herself she’d follow the example of Tashington, when it came to it, she couldn’t face the swim into a watery grave! She dithered pathetically at the entrance as her beloved Capt’n was swallowed up by the darkness. He was soon followed amid much shrieking by Mrs K and C while R remained at the mouth of the cave, placating the ship’s dog. It was too cold to linger in the watery darkness so we grabbed the loot and retreated rapidly, our legs feeling totally numb. A hasty trek saw us back down at the Red Peril where after a change of Pirate trousers and pants, a swig of grog and a shouldering of rucksacks we were ready to tackle the wilderness beyond.

The compass was re-set and once more we sallied forth, initially retracing our steps. The Ship’s dog, fearful of another visit to the watery tomb, gave the footpath down the gorge a wide berth. By now the crew were starving and mutinous again (there were mutterings about gate crashing Fran and Dom’s wedding – well there was a sign to it) so permission was granted to eat our rations. Fortified by ships’ biscuits and the promise of the Olde Tavern, the crew set off again in high spirits, moving onwards and upwards in search of the illusive treasure. The ground grew rougher, the summit of Kanchenjunga grew closer and Mrs and Mrs K reflected that when reading Swallowdale and Pigeon Post as children, they’d never dreamt they’d be re-enacting it several decades later. On reaching the Olde Tavern, there was a critical moment as some of the crew realised it was “dry” but as their attention span was pretty limited, they were soon enthralled by the “brewing” equipment inside. With reluctance, the crew left the machinery and making rather heavy weather of the ascent by taking a less than direct route, the booty at the anchor chain was eventually found.
By now the sun was high in the sky and the crew’s desperation to find the treasure was increasing. After a ration of Grog to slake our thirst it was ever onwards and upwards in search of trash or treasure at the lookout cave. There were further mutinous mutterings as Capt’n Nancy ignored a critical waypoint but eventually, the crew were restrained from going off the rails! Perched high on the hillside, there was some confusion over torches but all soon became apparent. Led by the Ship’s dog, who was desperate to make up for her earlier woosy-ness, we enjoyed the Slater Bob experience, R looking for all the world like Squashy Hat prospecting for minerals. Deep in the hillside we turned off our torches to experience the total blackness and then made our way out. We didn’t find any gold or copper but there was plenty of mud in “them thar hills” as we could see on our boots and clothes once we came back out onto the hillside, squinting in the sunlight.

By now the thirst for gold was immense so despite the onset of C’s dodgy knee, which required her to adopt a Long John Silver gait on the down hill bits, we hastily navigated across the screes, keeping our height while relentlessly following the magic arrow tantalisingly pointing to the treasure trove. We picked up the path to the uncharted waters ahead taking just a moment to admire the stunning views all around, R commenting that he could see over to Cross Fell, site of another fabulous challenge we’d completed last year. And then we crested the rise and the whole of Pugwash Bay lay before us. In piratical style we made an undignified dash to the treasure chest and plundered the contents (for a photo) before finally taking a breather. We’d made it. The treasure was ours! The crew relaxed for a while drinking in the scenery and then made a careful descent, C sounding like Blind Pugh as she tapped along with her trekking pole.

We were soon we were back at the Red Peril and the busy port in a comparatively short time, where we fortified ourselves with provisions from another local tavern!! We had a totally, brilliant adventure, taking in places we never knew existed and thoroughly enjoying the challenge.

Learning at the launderette

2011-07-18T05:07:00.001-07:00

For the first time in years I visited a launderette and how interesting it proved to be. The cover off the sofa bed needed washing in an industrial sized washing machine so after a bit of judicious research, I found a launderette not too far out of the centre of town. I spent a surprisingly relaxing and enlightening hour, chatting to an American academic couple who were on holiday investigating the local historical and archaeological features. It was great to be able to hear their stories and share some of the less well publicised historical anecdotes of Carlisle with them

Bathroom Blues

2011-07-18T05:03:00.001-07:00

The weather was atrocious this weekend so apart from leaving the house to do a little shopping, we didn’t get out and about. But the bathroom is now a bombsite, bereft of all but the basic “furniture”. It’s needed a major makeover for some time but although Andy and I are not bad at decorating and home improvements, they are never at the top of our agenda of things to do. We’ve chosen the tiles and a modern bathroom suite but I doubt that we’ll manage to get everything done before we go on holiday to Harris. C’est la vie!

Banana Bread

2011-07-04T09:50:00.001-07:00

I’m unusual among my colleagues in that I like over-ripe bananas. So it was with great delight that Lou brought in 4 speckled, brown beauties on Friday. I exchanged them for a couple of my under-ripe (or raw ) bananas from my desk top fruit bowl and took the ripe ones home to make one of my favourite cakes, Date and Banana loaf. I don’t often make it as Andy and Nerea barely allow green bananas to turn yellow let alone over-ripen. The smell of the cooking cake is delicious and fills the whole house with its distinctive sweet smell

Banana and Date loaf

8 oz SR Flour
6oz Soft brown sugar
4oz softened butter
2 beaten eggs
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4oz chopped dates

Light oven to gas 3, 160 C

Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin

Beat the flour, sugar, butter and eggs together until combined

Stir in the mashed bananas and the dates

Pour into the tin and cook for about an hour until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean

Enjoy

Aung San Suu Kyi

2011-07-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

I heard the first Reith Lecture given by Aung San Suu Kyi on Radio 4. The title of the lecture was “Securing freedom” and was a typically intelligent, moving and realistic discourse on her continuing political struggles in Burma. The observations that resonated most with me were her references to the “universal human aspiration to be free” and the “spirit which drives people to dissent”. That so many individuals in the 21 st C remain unable to enjoy one of life’s fundamental rights to live in freedom is intolerable; I’m humbled and inspired by the courage of Aung San Suu Kyi

I'd not give room for an Emperor— I’d hold my road for a King.
To the Triple Crown I’d not bow down But this is a different thing!
I’ll not fight with the Powers of Air— Sentries pass him through! Drawbridge let fall—He’s the Lord of us all
The Dreamer whose dream came true

Kipling The Siege of the Fairies

HEALTH AND WELLBEING AT WORK

2011-07-04T08:43:00.001-07:00

I'm a member of the Health, Work and Wellbeing group at work and this week we’re having a lunchtime “trade fair” event. Many of us spend a large part of our lives at work and some of the modern day stresses we face are directly proportional to the relationship between our professional and personal lives. My own contribution has been to develop a stair climbing challenge but we’ve got representatives from a variety of organisations attending. We’re positive that colleagues will benefit , be that by addressing financial concerns, health and fitness issues or challenges raised by caring for others.

RAINBOW CHARD

2011-06-16T06:01:00.001-07:00

Following tender nurturing by Andy, we harvested our first crops from the container garden yesterday; a substantial amount of vivid red and green rainbow chard. It obviously liked its sheltered and sunny situation by the wall as it had grown vigorously. I decided to cook and serve it with dinner last night but rather than just wilting it, I used an untried but delicious sounding recipe from the good old BBC. The only time consuming aspect of the preparation was the removal and shredding of the stalks but it was a good investment. The finished dish looked and tasted wonderful.
Sautéed chard with garlic
Ingredients·
1kg/2½lb chard, Swiss, ruby or rainbow are fine·
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed·
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped·
Juice and zest 1 orange
2 tbsp sunflower oil
salt and pepper
Preparation method
1.Take the chard leaves off the stalks and shred the leaves and stalks finely. Keep them separate
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onions and the chard stalks and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, chard leaves and orange zest and mix together. Season well and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until the leaves have wilted
3. Stir in the orange juice and serve at once.

Drabbling

2011-06-14T11:30:00.001-07:00

I’ve not been drabbling since our PC became unreliable and despite having a smart phone, I’ve been reluctant to attempt to create (moderately) lengthy documents on the Blogger Android App(cue cringing daughter at Mother’s use of teccy terms). I‘ve surprised myself at how much I’ve missed my little musings and think it’s down to the 100 word discipline. For an essentially lazy body such as myself, 100 words are just enough to “say something”, few enough to pre-empt any feelings that the writing is a chore and about the right length to sustain a reader’s interest in meaningless rambles!

A new laptop needed

2011-06-14T11:27:00.001-07:00

Our PC has been temperamental for a while and finally, it seems to have drawn its last breath! Luckily, we’re able to recover the information stored on there(there isn’t much we need to keep) and then move to a laptop. We don’t need a desk top PC as our requirements are pretty simple: some web browsing and word processing, and we’ll be able to be a little more flexible in where and how we use a laptop. I never thought I’d say this but this episode has illustrated how much we depend on computer access in our daily lives

Handbags and Gladrags

2011-06-14T01:07:00.001-07:00

Hearing the Stereophonics cover of Handbags and Gladrags this morning set me thinking. And it didn’t take long to conclude that I’ve been wired wrongly.(Shockingly, my colleagues agree!) I just don’t get the whole “girly” shoes and handbags thing. I’m not sure whether it’s out of laziness (Why does anyone want to empty the contents from one bag into another for a night out and then repeat the experience the following morning?) or just plain skinflintishness (You can only wear one pair of shoes at a time!)? But what ever the reason, it seems I’m just not normal. Sarah

Half Term Henna

2011-06-13T20:55:00.001-07:00

Nerea isn’t the world’s greatest early riser so it was with some thing approaching incredulity that I heard her getting up BEFORE me this morning. And then I remembered; as she’s on half term holiday, I’d agreed to henna her hair before I went to work so she could spend the rest of the day wearing a cling film turban while the colour developed. She’d set her alarm so she didn’t sleep in. And so it was that at 7.45am, I was mashing up chunks of henna with hot water, ready to apply the hideous green paste to her hair

It's not good for the waist line!

2011-05-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Andy’s approach to cooking is akin to the early style of Graham Kerr, known as The Galloping Gourmet during his popular TV show between 1969 and 1971. On his ventures into the kitchen, Andy loves to use good quality ingredients with plenty of butter and liberal quantities of wine, which pleases the tastebuds (but do nothing for my waistline, blood pressure and cholesterol levels). Thankfully, his creative cooking sessions are moderately few so that when facing a calorie laden dish, I tuck in with only a little guilt, knowing that healthy foods are on the menu until the next time!

Lemon Sole with Mussels ( Matt Tebutt - BBC Saturday Kitchen)

4 x 450g/16oz lemon sole
110g/4oz plain flour
50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
250g/9oz butter
1kg/2lb 2oz mussels
200ml/7fl oz white wine
2 limes, 1 segmented, 1 juiced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, diced
4 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tbsp roughly chopped chives,
3 tbsp parsley cress
3 tbsp pea shoots
3 tbsp basil cress
3 tbsp red amaranth cress

1. Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/Gas 8.
2. Cut the head off and using sharp scissors, cut around the edge of the
fish and remove the fins. Wash the fish and pat dry and season the
flour with salt and black pepper.
3. Sprinkle the flour onto a plate, dust each fish on both sides with the
flour.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in an ovenproof frying pan and fry the fish,
white skin-side down, for 2-3 minutes. Using a palette knife, carefully
turn the fish over and add 50g/2oz of the butter. Roast in the oven for
6-7 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, heat a lidded frying pan until hot, add the mussels and
white wine, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the mussels have
opened. (discard any mussels that do not open).
6. Strain the mussels, reserving the cooking liquid, and shell the
mussels, discarding the shells.
7. Heat a frying pan until medium-hot, add the remaining butter and
heat until golden-brown.
8. Add a little of the mussel cooking liquid, the lime juice and the
cucumber and cook for one minute. Add the mussels to the pan and
warm through. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper,
then stir in half of the dill and the chives.
9. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
10. To serve, place a sole onto each serving plate, spoon over the
mussel sauce and scatter over the lime segments and sala

Merrick

2011-05-31T04:21:00.000-07:00

SW Scotland offers a genuine wilderness experience so as it was a Bank Holiday AND half term in England, we decided to escape to the solitude of the Galloway hills rather than queue on a Lakeland Fell. In glorious sunshine, we made our way up Merrick enjoying stunning views, especially to the Rhinns of Kells. It was with some reluctance that we left the sunny summit for the descent down the East Ridge to Loch Enoch. But the watery landscape didn't disappoint as we tackled the "traditionally" Scottish terrain with eagerness, keen to see the famous Grey Man for ourselves.

Beware the past will return to haunt you

2011-05-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

During an unguarded moment, Andy mentioned to a colleague that during the 1980s, when the film Gandhi was screened, he'd been known to deliver celebratory greetings to friends in the form of a "Gandhi-Gram"

His swarthy skin, bald head and willingness to leap out of cardboard boxes wearing nothing but John Lennon glasses and a loin cloth(carefully fashioned by my good self) made him a popular choice to deliver a party "surprise". Needless to say, my subsequent confirmation of this scurrilous gossip has caused untold amusement among other colleagues who are desperate for proof. Now who has the photos?........

The Dress

2011-05-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Nerea wore "The Dress" on Saturday to Emma and James' wedding. She looked fabulous as the colour and style suited her so well. And despite my reservations about her shoes, I have to admit they enhanced the overall effect.
What really brings me joy is that in spite of my own total inadequacy in the style area, Nerea has developed a personal poise and style confidence that's not overtly driven by fashion but knowledge of what looks good for her. I can't take any credit for it and secretly, I'm in awe of her ability to find the right look.

Wedding Belle

2011-05-23T11:54:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a wedding so it was with great enjoyment that we shared in our God-Daughter's marriage on Saturday. The wedding party were wonderfully relaxed in their finery, contributing to the ambient atmosphere in both Beltingham Church and Dissington Hall. Despite alarming predictions of dire weather, the day remained cool but dry until late evening with occasional bursts of sunlight shining through. And with relatives out in force, we spent our time waiting to greet the bridal group by defining our relationships with the "Happy Couple"...... "So
pleased to meet you. I'm Sarah, the Bride's Mother's Cousin's wife! And you??"

Potty Pottering

2011-05-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Andy has been pottering! He's the only one of our family with green fingers and enjoys particular success with his "container gardening". Although I love flowers, especially old English roses and honeysuckle, my "fingers" invariably have the touch of death about them! So, in order to facilitate his "growing" he's become the proud owner of a mini greenhouse, handmade by our friend Robin. It's a small but impressive, robust structure that fits under the kitchen window with removable shelves, a lift up lid and safety glazing (in case of flying felines). He's thrilled with his acquisition and has begun propogating

Phone Home.............

2011-05-14T02:45:00.000-07:00

Finally, I've joined the age of technology with my new phone! It's a pretty basic model although touch screen, internet, photo messages and email appear to be part of the minimum spec these days and it's all for £7.50 a month. (I get a discount because of my respectable profession!). In the past, I've been allowed occasionally to handle Andy's iphone so felt reasonably confident with some of the functionality although I did allow Nerea and Andy to do the basic setting up activities. But, I managed to transfer all my phone numbers BY MYSELF so I feel rather smug!

Campanology celebrated

2011-05-14T02:42:00.000-07:00

My Father-in Law was an enthusiastic bell ringer and teacher for over 65 years, regularly ringing for Sunday services, weddings, funerals and noteworthy events in the local and national civic calendar. When he died, in celebration of his passion, his coffin was beautifully adorned with a bell rope during his funeral and his 3 sons and niece, together with friends, rang a quarter peel on St Cuthbert’s bells in Allendale where he had been Tower Captain for many years. So it’s delightful and entirely appropriate that the ringers are unveiling a plaque to his memory next week in the tower

Happy Un-Birthday

2011-05-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Caroline mentioned last week that it was Karen’s birthday on Monday. Although I’m not a great anniversary celebrator myself, I make exceptions for birthdays in the office so on Sunday evening I made a card, baked chocolate chip cookies (recipe by Cookie Girl and lifted from The Goddess’s Kitchen's Blog), tied them with ribbon and left a reminder note for the morning. As I was packing my panniers, I received a text: Caroline had got the date wrong; the birthday is actually on 11 August. Nevertheless, they made Karen an unexpected Happy “Un- Birthday” gift which we munched with coffee

Triple Chocolate Cookies

(recipe courtesy of Eat Me by Cookie Girl and sourced from The Goddess's Kitchen)

Makes 20

Ingredients
200g unsalted butter, room temperature
255g caster sugar
125g muscovado sugar

1 medium egg

1 tsp vanilla extract
45g cocoa powder
255g plain flour
¾ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp milk
55g plain chocolate chips
55g milk chocolate chips
55g white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180oC/160oC fan oven/350oF/Gas 3.

Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

Cream the butter and both sugars together, beating until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Once they are mixed, sift in the cocoa powder, flour and bicarbonate. The mixture will now seem a little dry, so add the milk and stir until all ingredients are combined. Stir in the chocolate pieces, but take care you don't over-mix at this stage.

Drop tablespoons of mixture onto the baking sheet, placing each spoonful about 2in apart. If you want to make sure the cookies turn out as neat rounds, pop them in the fridge for half an hour or so before baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.

Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Progress!

2011-05-06T10:13:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, the networked printer in the office needed new toner. Once upon a time, a colleague could have gone to the IT section, requested a replacement cartridge and then fitted it themselves; a process that took upto 10 minutes (depending on whether you used the lift or stairs). Now, it’s necessary to report the issue to the Service Desk requiring a phone call lasting 3 minutes, followed by a further 2 minute call back to book an appointment. Then there’s the period of delay until an engineer from a location 37 miles away comes to fit the cartridge. Progress eh?

An Ancient and Modern Royal Wedding

2011-05-05T11:35:00.001-07:00

I wasn’t going to get caught up in Royal Wedding fever but as I stopped on in Chesham to help Richard and Mavis after her stroke, I found myself being swept along with it…and thoroughly enjoying the experience. No one does pageantry as well as the British. I thought the whole event was a wonderfully understated but appropriately regal event, the juxtaposition of ancient horse drawn carriages carrying senior royals along side a fleet of modern mini-buses for lesser dignitaries merely serving as a reminder of the quaint eccentricities we Brits cherish and are rightly noted for across the world

FRIENDS IN OTHER PLACES

2011-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness for friends in big cities. Nerea's going to a Charity Ball and desperately wanted a dress she'd seen in a local branch of a national chain. She loved the style but wanted a different colour. Several fruitless searches later (it's out of stock in most stores and online!), we finally came up with a plan. I telephoned the Glasgow store where the dress was in stock, reserved it and then made arrangements with our friend Ian who lives in Glasgow to collect it. He's coming south to visit his parents next week so can deliver it then. Sorted!

NO to the HS2

2011-05-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

The beech woods of the Chilterns looked particularly lovely this spring. Where ever we walked, bluebells danced merrily in the dappled sunlight of the woodland, teasing wafts of their delicate perfume discernible on the warm spring breezes. And yet so much of this wonderful landscape could be destroyed if the proposed HS2 railway goes ahead. At a time of global recession and when cuts in the Public Sector are reaching monstrous proportions, it's incredible that this proposed initiative is even under consideration. Those of us with social and environmental consciences must speak out against this unnecessary, ill-considered and destructive proposal

Easter

2011-05-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our Easter break started off well but then disaster struck. Shockingly, Mavis had a stroke, requiring a stay in Stoke Mandeville hospital, administration of life saving drugs and a discussion about the possibility of surgery. Thankfully the stroke was mild but it was a serious warning sign to Mavis who has been a smoker since she was 18. Since the stroke, she hasn’t had a cigarette which is a GOOD THING but she’s finding the cold turkey experience to be extremely challenging. As the stroke was mild, we are hoping that her recovery will be swift and her symptoms, short-lived

Sharing our lives with others

2011-04-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

One of my daily highlights is coming home and catching up on my blogs; not the one I write, although I enjoy my “drabbling” enormously, but the ones I follow. I’d never thought of blogging until I “met” Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones but since then I’ve discovered several other amazing blogs. I particularly enjoy Melissa Stramel’s “Lilac Lane” as I am in awe of her fabulous sewing and designing skills. By following links I’ve come across many wonderful sites, including April Kennedy’s “Funky Vintage Lovely”. I feel really lucky so many people worldwide share their lives in this way

Driving with Miss Daphne

2011-04-20T10:56:00.000-07:00

Nerea's been out driving in Daphne on several occasions with Andy. He's got nerves of steel and is quite happy to accompany her; I'm not sure if I went out with her it would do either of us any good! Nerea's still at the stage of gaining confidence so at the moment they're revising lessons and concentrating on navigating the quieter roads in the area. We're happy she had several lessons before getting the car as it seems to have paid dividends. She's able to use the controls and understand the driving concept. Hopefully it all seems to be coming together

The Chilterns

2011-04-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

It’s almost Easter and we’re experiencing a raised level of excited anticipation as a consequence of a spur of the moment decision. We’re off to the “Deep South” to spend a few days with Richard and Mavis who live in the beautiful Chilterns. It’s no surprise that several famous British TV programmes such as the Vicar of Dibley and Midsommer Murders have been filmed locally as the area is comparatively close to London; almost at the end of the “Metropolitan Line”, but it’s defined by rolling hills, beech woods any many quintessentially English villages, creating a delightful but accessible landscape

Caching local!

2011-04-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

The weather was lovely again this weekend (Me? British weather obsessive? Nooooo)so I decided to hunt down several local geocaches that until now, we haven't had time to grab. Several involved solving highly inventive puzzles which required considerable effort (on the part of the cache owner to put together and then) for finders to solve. As Nerea wanted to go driving in Daphne, Andy accompanied her while I went off with Molly for company on Saturday but I had the pleasure of both Andy and Molly with me on Sunday , when we put the last few, finally to bed

Daphne, the yellow peril

2011-04-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

“Daphne the yellow peril” arrives today. She’s comparatively old but looking good for her years and will be Nerea’s first car. Nerea has been learning to drive since March and is now at the stage of needing to practice in preparation for her test. Unfortunately, she isn’t able to drive “our” car as it is one that Andy gets from work and she needs to have been driving for a year after passing her test to become a named driver. Consequently, we decided to buy an elderly, baby sized Fiat! Nerea is totally over excited and can’t wait for 7pm!

Pocket Money

2011-04-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

I laughed out loud today on hearing about the antics of a friend’s daughter. School holidays meant that Heather had spent the day with her grandparents. And, as usual, before going home, Granda said Heather could have some money to buy sweeties. But on this occasion, instead of handing a pound over to her, he handed over his wallet and told her to help herself. And so she did! To the total contents of £160. The “gift” only came to light when she told Mummy that Granda had given her “this cash” and she produced the fat bundle of notes!

Jesmond Old Cemetery

2011-04-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

I’ve been to Jesmond, an historic “bijou” area of Newcastle, for a variety of reasons over the years but had no idea this wonderful oasis of calm existed. Hidden by a 10ft high wall, the grave-yard occupies a slice of land between 2 main roads and is the resting place for many of the former great and good citizens of Newcastle. I especially enjoy social history and find graveyards to be compelling places because of the stories they hold. It’s particularly sad that this tranquil location has fallen into disrepair but thanks to the “Friends”, hope of restoration is rising

Catwalk!

2011-04-14T11:25:00.000-07:00

Nerea tried her hand at modelling last week at the school charity fashion show. She modelled “superdry” leisure wear, a hat and a big bag. She was a little disappointed not to have the opportunity to wear a prom dress but was glad to be taking part. The evening was in aid of hospice charities and must have raised a lot of money as it was very well attended. We were lucky enough to win a £20 voucher off a Chinese meal which was an

absolute miracle as we never win anything; now we just need to pick the date!

Mountain Madness

2011-04-14T11:13:00.001-07:00

Nerea was out on the fells too this weekend, undertaking a practice expedition for her Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s award. She went off on Friday, laden with her enormous rucksack full of “tasty” mountain meals (which, incidentally, seemed to be most expensive ready meals available for sale Modern technology enabled us to receive a couple of glorious photos via the iphone and a text early on Monday to say she was on the top of High Spy, on the return route. Sadly the weather had deteriorated somewhat but at least it was all down hill (figuratively speaking) to the finish.

Balmy British Weather

2011-04-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

The weather took a turn for the better this weekend; it was positively balmy, enabling that rare occurrence of me casting aside my vintage fleece and baring my arms to the sun’s rays. Poor Andy is STILL suffering from a lingering cold (even I admit it’s not man flu) so keeping our aspirations realistic, we went for a moderate walk in the deserted fells above Haweswater. Apart from a couple of other walkers and a horseback rider, we didn’t see a soul all day until we dropped down to the lake shore for the last mile back to the car.

British Justice... not at any price

2011-04-07T14:28:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday was a sad day for the English judicial system. Despite significant local opposition, Hexham Magistrates Court closed its doors for the last time . Following a swift and insubstantial “consultation” that adopted a previously unseen degree of opacity around the decision making process, the Government imposed the sentence of closure on a judicial institution that has existed for 900 years. All future “local” justice will be meted out in the city of Newcastle, which is not only a considerable geographical distance away, but is worlds apart in topographical and socio-economic terms. Progress? I think not.

Get your Twix on the A66

2011-04-01T09:42:00.001-07:00

Caroline on A66

We’ve our own Route 66 here in the UK. It’s an arterial road that adopted the route of a Roman road across the north of England, linking the Cumbrian coast at Workington with the North Yorkshire coast at Middlesborough. It’s rather more infamous for being closed when the first winter snows fall on Stainmore than any iconic song lyrics but never the less, it’s a significant road in the lives of many travellers for few will be unaware of Sedbury layby at Scotch Corner. After all, it’s where we “get our Twix on the A66” (or preferably a bacon butty!)

England's Last Wilderness??

2011-03-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

Glorious sunshine on Sunday tempted us onto the moorland high above Allendale for a caching walk with Molly. Although the views were hazy. we could still see for miles and all the time we were out, we didn't see another soul. We were delighted to hear our first curlew of the year and to see more skylarks than we'd seen for some time. Advertising literature describes the North Pennines as "England's Last Wilderness" and although there are other areas that arguably offer a valid challenge to the "last" aspect of the description, the wilderness factor is certainly there in abundance

Green Fly

2011-03-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

Crown Princess Margareta

We found two green fly on our old English scented climbing roses at the weekend and it's still only March. Last year despite our good intentions to use nothing but soapy water as a deterrent to them, the evil beasties proved to be so resistant to any form of control we'd to resort eventually to commercial pesticides. On rummaging in the shed, we found an old spray container with a drop of mixture in the bottom so Andy duly applied it as far as it would go. Sadly it seems that the toxic battle needs to commence early this year.

Gertrude Jekyll

And more laughter....

2011-03-29T11:31:00.001-07:00

And the geo-induced laughter continued as sitting with colleagues on Friday lunch time, chatting about nocturnal caching adventures from the previous evening, I swung my foot, accidentally catching the lever under the seat of Fiona's chair. Mid sentence, she suddenly plummeted 10 inches, open mouthed. Already in high spirits from my exaggerated caching exploits, the look on Fiona's face sent us into further paroxysms of laughter. With tears rolling down our cheeks, we struggled to restore her chair to the correct height. Everyone, including Fiona, spent the rest of the afternoon in good humour, periodically chuckling away quietly to ourselves

Laughter is the best medicine

2011-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

"Laughter really is the best medicine" A new "night-time" geocache had been published some weeks ago located in a wood not far from home. We'd never had a convenient dry and mild(ish) evening until recently so plans were made to finally tackle it as the weather forecast was good. The cache involved following a trail of fire tacks; small luminous pins on the tree trunks that gleam when lights are shone on them. It was so much fun, we never stopped laughing all night as we wildly waved torches around,crashing and stumbling our way through the trees to the prize

Feeding Romans

2011-03-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

The weekend was fairly hectic as we were involved with the AGM of the VIIIth Legion, a Roman re-enactment group organised by friends of ours. Saturday and Sunday saw us preparing lunch for over 20, with homemade leek and potato soup to warm the wind battered soldiers fresh in from the parade ground on the windswept shores of the Solway Firth. Others attending the event has also brought some edible contributions including cake so everyone sat down to a veritable feast. The company was agreeable and the crack was good with much sharing of ideas and increasingly unlikely tall tales

Reivers Riddle

2011-03-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun solving the Werewolf and Whitespace puzzles that I've decided to set one up of my own. Living in Carlisle I'd like to capture the history of the notorious Border Reivers and locate the final geocache in a place that has historical associations with them. That shouldn't be too difficult to find as the area is littered with buildings and place names that give clues to the region's turbulent past. Fortified farmhouses, earth works and the division of land into Marches that are still ceremoniously recognised today are all worthy legacies of earlier centuries of lawlessness

More on the werewolf.........

2011-03-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

We've finally cracked the Werewolf!! It's actually taken us less time than we envisaged as we'd had a head start with some of the puzzle solving techniques deployed in The Beast of Bowness and Whitespace. Solving the werewolf was a brilliant experience, requiring us to research information, interpret cryptic clues and eventually locate a remote mountain location using cartographic techniques before the final co-ordinates were revealed. Now we're busy planning a trip south to Blackstone Edge on the Pennine Way to find the physical container. It'll be over 20 years since we last visited so it's about time we returned!

Japan

2011-03-14T11:36:00.000-07:00

The news of apocalyptic events in Japan has brought the important things in life into sharp focus. It's truly hard to comprehend the extent of the horror that residents of Japanese seaboard communities must have felt as they experienced the catastrophe. And for those who lost their lives, as a result of the tsunami. it's to be hoped they had little awareness of what was actually happening as destruction overwhelmed them. The power of nature is truly terrifying and on occasions such as this, we are reminded of the relative impotence of mankind and the delicate, fragility of life

International Women's Day

2011-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful evening yesterday in celebration of International Women's Day. Judith, who lives in West Cumbria, had invited a number of girlfriends to share a meal and favourite readings or poetry written by or for women. I drove over after work clutching my contributions of a Victoria sandwich cake and "800 years of Women's letters" to my chest. The food contributions were delicious and the poetry and prose readings had been chosen with great care.We moved from laughter to tears, from quiet reflection to exuberant celebration and revelled in the joy that the evening had brought us

Shrove Tuesday

2011-03-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

Lemon and sugar, anyone? Yesterday was Shrove Tuesday (Easter really is late this year)so there was the inevitable clamour for pancakes from Andy and Nerea. As I don't like the hot, greasy miasma that pervades the whole house after cooking them, they're a luxury food in our family, reserved for high days and holidays. Andy has a fairly good wrist action (accrued no doubt, through years of bowling in the cricket team) so he adopted his traditional role of tossing them part way through cooking. His dexterity with the frying pan resulted in just one landing on the floor.

Cunning Cartography

2011-03-07T13:05:00.001-08:00

Yesterday saw us driving over the Border on a cold, crisp morning. We’d decided to find a geocache in a comparatively remote part of the Borderlands, never anticipating what a bizarre cartographic experience it would be. We followed our usual routine of arming ourselves with our Landranger map and trusty GPS. But on arrival at GZ, there were huge discrepancies between the mapping and the features on the ground (and no, it wasn’t our navigational skills). After some head scratching we eventually found a parking place down an unmarked track and tramped off into the hills in search of tupperware

I thought I was a werewolf but I'm OK nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

2011-03-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

Puzzle geocaches? Nightmare!
So why all the Werewolf wrestling? Simply put, we’re hooked.
The Beast of Bowness is responsible; a puzzle geocache set for last week’s event. With 15 challenges to solve before the final co-ordinates were revealed we tackled local history, cryptic clues and devilish code breaking for I3 tortuous but surprisingly enjoyable hours before finally cracking it. (Google is our new best friend!!) Then, during our event, another cacher tempted us with tales of Whitespace and Werewolf, two other fiendishly difficult puzzles. Whitespace fell yesterday so now we’re hunting the Werewolf. But as yet, we’ve no silver bullet!

Cake Bake

2011-03-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Nerea announced there was a cake sale at school today. As we had commitments last night, the baking took place first thing this morning. But the buns weren’t decorated when Nerea had to leave. As I had 2 teleconferences this morning, I stopped at home, took a banana cake out of the oven during the first and finished the cupcakes before the second. But the piece-de- resistance was my multi tasking delivery to school. I walked up, carrying a foil wrapped tray while on my second call, mobile phone set to loud speaker and mute to avoid background noise!

Banana and Cherry Loaf

100 g (4 ozs) glace cherries

100 g (4 ozs) softened unsalted butter

100 g (4 ozs) caster sugar

50 g (2 ozs) soft brown sugar

2 medium eggs – beaten

225 g (8 ozs) S.R. Flour

2 ripe bananas – mashed

Preheat oven to 160° C/fan oven 150° C/gas mark 3.

Lightly oil and line the bottom of a loaf tin.

Wash off the syrup, dry and chop the cherries

Cream the butter with the sugars until creamy. Gradually add the egg and the flour. Stir in the chopped cherries and bananas.

Mix to a soft consistency then spoon into the prepared tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 90 mins. (Test if cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre – it’s ready if it comes out clean)

Remove from the oven but leave in the tin until it is cool.

When cool tip out onto a wire rack.

Freedom Of Speech

2011-03-03T10:17:00.001-08:00

I believe that freedom of speech is one of life’s fundamental human rights but so is a right to privacy. So it’s no surprise that I’ve unresolved issues over the appropriateness of posting comments likely to offend or encroach on another’s right to privacy on a public internet forum. Although I’m an occasional poster myself, I’m much more of a lurker who reads with incredulity, the sort of comments considered appropriate for a public arena. I wonder if people genuinely don’t care (publish and be damned) or are so naïve they don’t realise that what they write may be libellous

Letting go

2011-03-02T11:02:00.001-08:00

Letting go can be a difficult step to take, but it’s one that must be made by the members of Team Awesome, the affectionate collective which evolved from following the Strictly Come Dancing duo, Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna,. When Ali and Brian developed a personal relationship during Strictly, Team Awesome was a comfortable concept, but after a private and dignified end to their romance, some supporters felt uneasy about the appropriateness of continuing with it. I agree; it isn’t about abandoning support for either Brian or Ali but essentially, Team Awesome is over and we need to move forward

A Colony Of Cumbrian Cachers II

2011-02-28T10:17:00.001-08:00

What a weekend! 51 people from 21 different caching teams attended our event so no pressure there! As Saturday dawned a sunny spring morning on the Solway Firth, everywhere was looking particularly lovely, so many of the teams spent the morning hunting for new butty box hides before rendezvousing at the pub for lunch and a drink. Then, it was into the Village Hall next door for a light hearted quiz and a raffle with cups of tea and biscuits to ease the chatter along. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and once it was over…. we discovered we had too

A Colony Of Cumbrian Cachers

2011-02-25T11:21:00.000-08:00

In a moment of madness some weeks ago, we decided to organise a small geocaching event out at Bowness on Solway. It’s a lovely but infrequently visited area so we thought we’d create an opportunity for local cachers who rarely meet in the wild, but feel they know one another by reading cache logs, to explore the area, find a few new caches, meet up for a pub lunch and share tales of daring do. Never having been to an event ourselves, we’ve decided to keep it low key. The Big Day dawns tomorrow! Let’s hope some cachers turn up.

Dream Home

2011-02-21T11:12:00.000-08:00

I've always had a fondness for the sea which may arise from growing up on the flat, Fylde coast. (I've also developed a real affection for mountains but I'm unable to explain that one away with a nostalgic reference to my childhood). Catching the end of a house design programme on TV started Andy and me thinking about our dream home. It'd be in a coastal location, close to the mountains, with huge windows giving out onto forever changing views of sea and sky. Sounds as if we should be relocating to the West Coast of Scotland!

What's on Stage Awards

2011-02-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Sadly, Brian Fortuna and Ali Bastian weren't victorious in the WOS "best newcomer" award for their efforts in BTF. Jonathan Groff won, (more famous for his role in Glee than in the nomination play) having led from the front since the voting opened, confirming the power of juvenile, technologically enabled, fan bases.
Brian and Ali's runner up position, with a sizeable 25% of the vote, was certainly due to the Martini Girl efforts of the FFs and TAs who "DID THEIR BIT" and voted "any time, any place, anywhere". And now, it's time to allow Brian and Ali to move on as individuals

A Blustery Day

2011-02-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

There's something exhilarating about walking along a beach on a blustery day and yesterday was no exception. We decided to find a new geocache that had been hidden on Grune Point; a mile long, raised shingle beach, exposed on the western side to the Solway. The point is home to all sorts of flora and fauna, which explains the astonishing number of twitchers freezing in the name of ornithology. After investigating the excellently preserved WWII pill box, we decided to deny the wind further sport and return to the car along the more sheltered Skinburness saltmarsh on the eastern side

On your bike

2011-02-14T11:30:00.002-08:00

On Thursday, my bike chain snapped a short distance from home on the only trafficy part of my journey. It was terrifying! As neither of us had the time to fix it that evening, I used Andy’s bike to cycle into work the following day. Cycling on his machine seemed unfamiliar as even though the bikes are similar, the feel of it was quite different. I was really grateful to Andy for servicing mine when I was out on Saturday as yesterday, the weather was awful. Riding it again this morning felt like I was back with an old friend

VIth form excesses

2011-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

Andy and I were guests at the VIth form dinner on Friday as Andy coaches the 2^ndshockey team. After the delicious dinner at school, sensible adults went home, but the night was still young for Nerea and her gaggle of friends. They took taxis to a local studenty bar for drinks before going onto a nightclub (yes we do have one in Carlisle), arriving home at 2.30am in a taxi after eating late night chips on the street!!! She spent most of Saturday in bed but Andy and I had little sympathy. Thankfully she looked a lot livelier yesterday!

Timely reminders

2011-02-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I visited an old friend. The circumstances surrounding my visit were somewhat unusual and beforehand, I was feeling slightly nervous. As so often happens, I’d nothing to worry about and the visit was positive with lots of chatter between us. My friend looked well and sounded optimistic about the future so I’m sure that things will turn around for her, even though it will take a little time to get there. On leaving, as I drove off into the lovely late afternoon sunshine, I reminded myself to really appreciate freedom and other simple but beautiful pleasures in life.

Sweet 17!

2011-02-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Nerea celebrated her 17^th birthday in glorious style. She went out for a lovely meal with Alex on the Friday night before the celebrations ramped up with an Indian meal at another local restaurant on the Saturday with her girlfriends. Then it was a (non) sleep over at our house where birthday cake and moderate amounts of wine were consumed while watching a scary film; Andy and I retired to bed early!!. The party concluded with home made waffles and maple syrup for breakfast on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the day involved her catching up on her beauty sleep!

Pasta lika papa makesa

2011-01-31T10:03:00.001-08:00

Our work top pasta roller is one of our best loved kitchen gadgets as Andy loves to make homemade pasta. This weekend saw him rolling dough again as it’s is so simple to make with an end result far tastier than commercially made pasta. I’m not exaggerating when I say it resulted in the most delicious lasagne I’ve ever eaten. It was a wonderful combination of flavours and textures and each mouthful was a sheer delight. The recipe was from an Italian cookery book we bought years ago and so far, we’ve not had a single disappointing dish from it.

A morning constitutional?

2011-01-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

Andy is away in Reading this week so my workday morning routine has to change to include dog walking. Ordinarily, Andy is responsible for Molly’s morning constitutional so I am free to organise tea and porridge breakfasts, prepare our packed lunches, sort loads of washing and supervise Nerea’s exit to school. Inevitably, I’m having to get up earlier to fit everything in although with Andy away, I only need to prepare one lunch so I can claw back a little time before cycling to work! Thankfully the evening routine is much less hectic as dinner can be a moveable feast!

Birthday party time!

2011-01-24T10:53:00.000-08:00

Fiona’s 50th birthday party held at the Rugby Club was a great night! I made Chocolate Chip Cookies and presented them as an edible birthday card in an origami box I’d made out of brown paper. Most people entered into the party spirit and enthusiastically participated in the dancing and musical charades. Rumour has it that a photo of Andy and me, standing on chairs and acting out Kate and Leo in Titanic to “My heart must go on” may be in circulation. Unlike others, I can’t even use the excuse that “drink had been taken” as I was driving!

Toll house or Chocolate Chip cookies

The original chocolate chip cookie, said to have been invented by Ruth Wakefield of the Toll House Restaurant in Massachusetts. She sold the recipe to the Nestle company which made it famous throughout America.

Makes 25-30

Ingredients:

10oz (280g) plain flour

1tsp baking powder

pinch salt

1 egg

3tbs milk

1tsp vanilla essence

6oz (170g) slightly salted butter, softened

5oz (140g) caster sugar

4oz (110g) light muscovado sugar

14oz (400g) chocolate chips or diced plain chocolate

4oz (110g) chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preparation: Line several baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment, or butter them generously. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Beat the egg lightly with the milk and vanilla essence. Cream the butter with the caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the muscovado sugar and keep beating until it is evenly incorporated. Now add about a third of the egg mixture, beat well and then stir in a third of the flour. Repeat until all used up, by which time you should have a thick, smooth batter. Stir in the chocolate and pecans.

Drop dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on to the sheets, leaving plenty of space between them. Bake at 190C/375F/gas 5 for 12-16 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes on the sheets so they begin to firm, then transfer to a wire rack.

Baby nostalgia

2011-01-21T05:53:00.001-08:00

Rachael in the office is leaving today to have a baby so I had a short period of indulgent, nostalgic reflection. Although it’s 17 years since I was expecting Nerea, it still seems like yesterday. I remember the dual feelings of excitement and dread as her due date came nearer and then, as I waddled around like a fattened turkey, just the overwhelming desire for it “all to be over”. How little did I appreciate that Nerea’s birth would be merely the beginning of a wonderful new phase in our lives. And despite the upheaval and change, it’s been fantastic.

Home made birthday gift

2011-01-20T10:33:00.000-08:00

We’re going to a “20th celebration of a 30th Birthday” on Saturday and I’m deliberating about a home-made gift. We’ve been advised that “the girl has everything” and doesn’t want any pressis but I’d feel uncomfortable not taking anything. Equally, I wouldn’t want to offend any one with an inappropriate gift. Hopefully, a small, home baked offering will be appreciated. Shall it be a selection of cup cakes or a box of chocolate brownies? Or perhaps a batch of Florentines or mature cheese sables? I’ll enjoy deciding on the choice of edibles almost as much as baking the goodies themselves

Tour guide

2011-01-19T13:22:00.001-08:00

I’ve started my tour guide training!! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while and with things on the public sector employment front looking decidedly unstable, I’ve decided to broaden my skill base. I love history and talking so what better thing than to attempt to combine the two. I’m beginning my training with Carlisle Castle and then, if I’m any good, I will be allowed to graduate onto other sites and tours. I’ll also achieve a recognised qualification if I make the grade. I’m excited and ready to take this the first step on a much longer journey

Hair! Not the musical

2011-01-14T10:15:00.001-08:00

I’m having my annual angst about my hair. It’s thin, fine, turning grey and has a natural wave so that the moment it gets damp, it dissolves into wiry curls. It doesn’t respond well if I use too many products or heat on it so I am limited to styling options. I’m not vain but I think if fair to say that if there was one personal feature I could change, then it would be my hair. I’d love to have thick lustrous locks that take very little managing and retain their styling for slightly longer than half an hour

Chocolate and orange flapjacks

2011-01-13T10:46:00.000-08:00

I discovered a few squares of dark chocolate in the fridge at the weekend which were a legacy from the profiteroles I made at Christmas. There were too few to make anything terribly chocolately but I was reluctant to buy any more, being on a post Christmas healthy eating campaign. Then, in a moment of inspiration I decided to make chocolate orange flapjacks. We were planning a walk so flapjacks were intended in any case and as they’re very forgiving, were unlikely to be ruined by the addition of orange zest and chocolate. And I was right! They were delicious

Chocolate and Orange Flapjacks

110g or 4oz soft brown sugar
110g or 4oz butter
80g or 3oz golden syrup( an extra spoonful of syrup will make them slightly chewier)
220g or 8oz jumbo oats (you can use rolled oats or a mixture of the two)
zest of 1 orange
50g chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Set oven to 180C or gas 4
Grease a 20cm or 8” square baking tin

Melt butter, sugar and syrup.
Stir in oats.
Add orange zest and chocolate chips and mix well
Press evenly into tin
Bake for 20 mins until golden (Longer than this will make them crispier)
Leave in tin to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares

UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS

2011-01-07T08:56:00.001-08:00

We recorded the new BBC production of “Upstairs Downstairs”, broadcast over the Christmas period so we could watch it at our leisure. We weren’t disappointed. My family were avid viewers of the original series’, depicting London life in an aristocratic family during the early 1900s. Although originally an ITV production from the early 1970s, this reprise, written by the original authors and set in the pre-war 1930s with new characters, delightful sets and costumes was a welcome return. Now we’ve seen the 3 “taster” episodes, we’re waiting with bated breath for the next series, which must surely be a given.