Death, Panic and the Worry Monster

Firstly, it would appear that I may have slightly killed this:

In a previous life, this was actually a Violet plant that some lovely person gave me because she thought it would be nice for Violet.  Well, it was a great thought, but because I haven't got a garden, the poor thing has just shrivelled up and passed on. 

Next, panic set in this morning as I discovered that none of the shops round abouts actually sell

Anya potatoes

English Provender Caramelised Onions

or

Taleggio cheese.

So, panic stricken, I thought anxiously about what I could substitute these ingredients with.  Thank the lord for M&S foodhall.  They do a jar of Caramelised Onion Chutney.  Phew!

I've ended up having to replace the Anya Potatoes with just New Potatoes and the Taleggio with some Goats Cheese. 

Then I get home and read a comment from a lady who'd visited my blog.  She'd left a message regarding my Vegetarian menu.  A seed of doubt has now entered my mind. This lady pointed out that the cheeses I might be using may contain animal rennet and would therefore be unsuitable for my Vegetarian guests.

I've now turned into a complete an utter Worry Monster. Sometimes entertaining can be quite stressful can't it?

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A couple of other things I'd like to share with you today.  Whilst Violet and I were out and about trying to locate our ingredients for tomorrow's luncheon, I thought I'd pop into one of the charity shops along the high street.  Wow, they do have a hell of alot of crap to shift don't they?  But, I did manage to find a few things. 

49p - what a bargain.  He (or she) is only about 3 inches high and is bright Yellow.  It makes me smile and I've already had to put it out of Violet's reach. She just keeps pointing at it, saying "av it, av it".

A quid.  Now nobody can complain at that price.  Can they?

And, I don't know why I was drawn to this book, but it looked intriguing.

A Fortunate Life by A B Facey.

It's the life story of a man called Albert Facey, who was born in 1894 and grew up on the Kalgoorlie Goldfields and the Wheat-belt of Western Australia.  His father died before he was 2 and he was deserted by his mother soon afterwards.  He was then looked after by his gran until he was 8 years old, when he went to work. He survived Gallipoli, the loss of his farm in the Depression, the death of his son in WWII and the loss of his wife after 60 years together. Albert had had no formal education and had taught himself how to read and write. 

Doesn't it sound like an amazing story?  It makes me feel extremely fortunate that I have the life that I do.

It's gonna be a 3 day weekend again folks - Yippee! 

Cooking for Vegetarians

The little lady is still feeling alittle poorly, but she's still a happy little soul.

check those Gingham Pink Jarmies out.

We've got friends popping in for lunch on Saturday and they're Vegetarians.  At first I panicked, I'm not a vegetarian, and even though the Other Half doesn't eat red meat, he'll eat Chicken.  Now I've had a long sit down and a munch on some chocolate (very good for the brain cells don't ya know), and I've finally decided on a feast I hope we'll all enjoy.

CARAMELISED ONION & TALEGGIO TART - Courtesy of Queen Delia and her How to cheat at cooking bible.

200g  Jar English Provender very lazy caramelised red onions, drained.
250g  Taleggio cheese (which just happens to be my all time favourite cheese in the whole wide world).
6  Savoury pastry tartlet cases.
1  Tablespoon chopped fresh Sage, plus 6 small leaves.
1  Dessertspoon Balsamic Vinegar (If you follow Delia's recipe to the letter, then use Fattorie Giacobazzi Vintage Aged Balsamic Vinegar, which you can apparently buy in Sainsbobs).
Olive Oil for drizzling.

Pre-heat oven to 180c.
Mix the onions, vinegar and chopped sage in a bowl and season well.
Place the tartlet cases on a medium-sized baking tray and divide the onion mixture among them.
Remove the rind from the Taleggio and cut the cheese into slices.
Arrange the cheese on the top of each tartlet, overlapping and slightly covering the edge of the pastry.
Place a Sage leaf in the centre of each tartlet, then season and drizzle a little Olive Oil over.
Bake in the centre of the oven for 15mins - Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your Aunt and all that.

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I hated Potato Salad before a friend shared this great recipe with me.

POTATO SALAD WITH SHALLOTS - Courtesy of my lovely friend Lucy

2lb Anya potatoes

6 Shallots, peeled and finely chopped (beware, these little suckers will make you cry)

4 tablespoons of freshly snipped chives.

For the Vinaigrette:

2 cloves of garlic, peeled.

1 dessertspoon Sea Salt

1 dessertspoon Mustard Powder

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar

150 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Freshly ground Black Pepper

Cook the potatoes until tender.

Whilst the spuds are cooking make the vinaigrette.

Using a pestle & mortar, coursely crush the salt, then add the garlic - this breaks down into a puree.

Now add the Mustard Powder and really work it into the puree.

Now add some freshly ground Black Pepper and give it another mix.

Next add the vinegars and work these into the mixture.

Lastly add the Olive Oil and give everything a really good whisking.

When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a bowl to cool. 

Whilst the potatoes are still warm (give them about 10 mins), pour over the vinaigrette, chopped shallots and chives and toss them all together before serving. 

DELICIOUS.

I'll also be making some Pizzas and I'm going to be giving this cake a try.  The Girl over at Living with a boy recommended it in her post the other day , and it'd be rude of me not to try it out for myself.

If you can recommend any other yummy vegetarian recipies I'd be more than grateful to receive them.  I love swapping recipies.

Have a great Thursday everyone. x

ps - still no job news to report, which in turn means no house searching to report, which in turns means a very unhappy ME.

Coffee and postcards

Violet is still alittle poorly today. She slept in our bed last night and spent the entire time doing a River Dance tribute on my kidneys.  As you can imagine I'm feeling rather sore and tired today.  So far caffeine hasn't been successful in either reviving me or making me feel even half human.  When it was time to make my second mug I was in total confusion when I opened the fridge door to find that the milk had disappeared.  Vanished. Vamooshed !!!!!! After scratching my head for a minute or two I began the search for the elusive milk.  Where could I have put it? The cupboards, the microwave, the washing machine? I finally located it in the oven - because that's where you keep milk, obviously.  Don't tell me you've never done it.  (Please tell me you have, or I'll think that I've definitely lost it).

Before I creep off and get myself even more coffee (and possibly some cake and chocolate) I just thought I'd mention that I received my first postcard from another Postcrossing member yesterday. 

Here's a (very bad) photo of the card I recieved.

It's from a lady in Japan.  Isn't it pretty?  It's of the Akiu Otaki waterfall in Sendai, Miyagi (which means The City of the Forest in Japanese).

Just take a look at these beautiful stamps.

Because I'm nosey, I went and checked out this lady's profile on Postcrossing and I couldn't believe what I was reading.  She's sent an unbelievable 1,348 postcards around the world, and has received 1,320 in return.  The postcards she's sent have travelled a distance of 11,537,757km.  Wow!  I think this lady is going for some kind of World Record, what do you think?

After reading all that I had to sit down and think about the cost of sending that many cards. Perhaps it becomes addictive.

I'm now heading for the kitchen and..........

Happy Wednesday x

What a lovely surprise

I've just been reading the lovely blog over at Petit Filoux and discovered that she's given me an I ♥Your Blog Award.  How great is that?  Apparently the title of my blog makes her laugh. Me too - though there is alot to be said about listening to the wise words of advice from your mother.

My blog is relatively new, but I love this blogging world (which I happened upon by chance one day) and hope that I continue to be apart of it for many moons to come. 

By accepting this award I must follow the Rules, which are:

1.) Thank the person who nominated me. Well of course.  Thank you Petit Filoux, I've followed your blog for some time now, I'm a big fan and I love it.  It's great to have you back with us all again after a short break away.

2.) Copy the award and place it on my blog - easier said than done, I am new to this afterall.

3.) Link to the person who nominated me - again, I'll try.

4.) Nominate 15 bloggers - just 15!

5.) Post links to the 15 blogs I nominate - Oakey, Dokey.

I am passing this award onto:

1.  Do you mind if I knit
2.  A friend to knit with - Go and check out the new addition to the family, Trouble.
3.  Domesticali
4.  Heart Shaped
5.  Junie Moon
6.  LeeLeeTea
7.  Living with a Boy
8.  Middle of Nowhere
9.  Minniemoll Knits & Crafts
10.  Mooncalfmakes
11. Myrtle & Eunice
12. Never Not Knitting
13. Noble Pig
14. The Coffee Lady
15. The Quince Tree

It's actually been very hard to choose just 15 blogs out of all the great ones I do read.  There are some very tallented people out there.

Sorry, I must also mention The Goddess's Kitchen. 

I urge you to go and visit them all - you won't be disappointed.

On safari

I've just had a zoom around the blogging world and I'm pleased to see, and read, that everyone seems to have had a fun-packed weekend. 

Wasn't the sun glorious on Saturday?

Our little clan met up with some friends at Woburn Abbey and took the little ones round the Safari Park.

This is my first encounter with a bear, and this one's even playing with a ball.

Beautiful Lioness' basking in the sun.

 (I didn't take a photo of the rather amourous Lion making out with one of his hareem though - this isn't an  x-rated blog afterall)

The Squirrel Monkey's were close enough to touch.  Don't they look soft?

It's definitely a place I'd recommend to parents with children - it was set in beautiful parkland and was a really enjoyable day out.  We plan to go back and visit the Abbey next time. 

We drove back through Woburn Village, which looked like a very pretty little Georgian town to while away a couple of hours.

Unfortunately Violet seems to have come down with a nasty chest infection, so yesterday and today I've been mostly stuck indoors, but it's given me alittle time to knit. 

I'm so close to finishing the front section.  Just the right side of the shoulder to knit, which I might get done this evening when madam has gone to bed.

 It would seem that I may have made a slight(!) mistake - I think I got alittle carried away with the Fairisle on the back section, so now I've had to knit extra on the front section to match.  Fingers crossed it won't effect the overall look of the sweater too much when it's finally finished.

We're going on an adventure

If you wonder what Violet and I get upto of a morning - take a look at today's little adventure.

Violet looks alittle apprehensive about today's mission.

She wrestles with the very hungry Crocodile who guards the bridge.

Be careful Violet, they bite.  SNAP!!!!!

Our hero hot-foots it over before the trolls wake up

For those non-explorers out there, I can tell you that it's very hard work, so we had to stop for Chocolate (had to you understand).

Is it safe to enter the deep, dark wood?

Our intrepid explorer isn't scared and off she goes.

Oh no, there's something in there. What could it be?  Is it a monster? Run Violet, run!

We've battled fearsome beasts and navigated perilous terrain, but eventually we find what we've been searching for - a friendly bear.  Hello bear.

It's hard work being a mum :0)

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One of my postcards has been received.  The chap in The Netherlands received his card yesterday and has left me a little thank you message:

"Thank you very much for your card. I think it's wonderful you put so much effort in it. The church is beautiful - though I've been to London once, I haven't been lucky enough to see the English countryside yet."

He seems happy, which in turn makes me happy.

Have a lovely St George's Day today and I wish you all a very sunny, relaxing weekend whatever you get upto.

The sun has got his hat on - hip, hip, hip, horay........

Today we've been out enjoying some sunshine

(This is Violet getting all excited about the prospect of going to the park)

And, I finally got around to turning these ingredients

into some

Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam.

I had to substitute the juice of a Lemon for some Orange Juice instead because I basically forget to purchase a Lemon - how crap am I? The recipe only had 4 ingredients for goodness sake, and I still forget to buy one of them.

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Other news: The 'other half' still hasn't heard anything yet about his new job :0(

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On the knitting front:  After having to undo some of the rows, I've finally reached the Fairisle section.  That's a big 3 cheers for me I think.  Hip hip horay! (I can see this sweater being the death of me).

About me

Ok - so I've finally plucked up the courage to add a few details about myself on this blog.  You can find them in the 'About' page just off to right there.

Also, I've actually managed to track down some postcards of Solihull to send to my Postcrossing folk.  I thought getting hold of a few postcards would be easy, but oh my goodness no.  I've sought them here, there and everywhere, to no avail.  Then the other half had a brainwave, "have you tried the Tourist Information Office?".  Well, no I hadn't, so I trapsed off there, but they were shut.  When they finally were open I discovered to my dismay that they had some lovely postcards of Coventry and Stratford Upon Avon, but no decent ones of Solihull.  All my hopes of sending postcards to different folk around the world had been dashed.  Then I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and whisked Violet off to St Alphege Church (a very pretty looking church in the centre of town).  Perhaps they would have some postcards I thought. As I walked through the doors a lovely lady approached me and said "you look like you're on a mission".  Well I was on a mission, a postcard mission.  Joy of joys they had some, so I grabbed a handful, left a donation and made my way home, happy in the knowledge that my postcrossing adventures could finally begin.

I wrote them last night, they were posted this morning and are now waiting to  be flown to the far corners of the globe.

If you're interested in what the postcards actually looked like, here's a pic.

(I know some people are interested in history, so if you'd like to find out more about St Alphege Church you can click here).

Fingers crossed they'll be arriving at their destinations soon.

The lucky recipients will be:

A lady in Jackson, USA.

A lady in Beijing, China.

A young man from The Netherlands.

A lady lawyer in Riga, Latvia.

And, the young woman (in want of a husband) from St Petersburg, Russia.

An artist at work

Dolphins and Octopus (if you have to ask).

A fairytale swap

Vanessa over at Hapi-Ness is hosting a Fairy Tale themed swap.  I haven't participated in a swap before, but this one seems like a whole lot of fun. 

If it sounds like your kinda thing then go and check it out.

I just need to decide now which Fairy Tale I'm gonna choose.  Decisions, decisions.

Apparently no news is good news.

Still no news - no news is good news and all that.

Though this hasn't stopped me forking out £3.60 on this months Homes & Antiques magazine to check out all things house related.

Check these gorgeous mugs out

 

Unfortunately, the magazine doesn't seem to give any details about where to buy them, or even what make they are, so some investigation work is called upon.

Next, what do you think to this fab bathroom?

Isn't it beautiful?

And lastly a serene bedroom

check that Arts & Crafts style chair out.  Want it! Need it!

(Sorry the photos are soooooo v.bad, but I did snap them straight from the magazine pages)

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Onto my knitting. 

I've got about 4 more inches of Canard (green) to knit before starting the Fairisle pattern again.  I'm now on a mission to get this finished - it has been an enjoyable knit, the colours are really lovely, but it's hard to find sufficient time to just sit and crack on with it.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this.  We never seem to have enough time for the fun, enjoyable things in life do we?

Put brain into gear

I'm struggling to put my brain into gear this week.  I think this is to do with the possibility that the 'Other Half' may find out this week whether or not he's got a new job.  This job would still be Birmingham based, but at least I'll be able to start viewing properties in search of our new family home.  We've been renting this flat in Solihull now for nearly a year and, even though there is nothing particularly wrong with the place, it's beginning to get me down - I need to be painting walls, hanging paintings, planting some trees and growing vegetables, tending plants, and generally making a house a home. Violet needs to be playing in a garden and not just trying to avoid dog crap and broken glass in the local parks. This family needs their own green space, no matter how small, to call their own. It's hard not to get too excited - it's making me anxious.  I can't seem to focus on anything else. It's Wednesday already and there's been no news. 

I've been searching Rightmove and it's scarey the price of houses in this area.  I may have had a quick browse of the properties back in York - and yes, I did spot the perfect house for us - shall I show you?

Sex and the City 2

Something else you should know about me (aren't I giving alot of info about myself lately?).  Even though I love cookery programmes and programmes on history and even gardening and natural history (btw did anyone watch that Museum of Life on BBC 2 last night, it was brilliant) A few of my TV weak-spots are Ugly Betty, Pushing Daisies and Sex and the City.  There, I've said it.  When Sex and the City finally ended and Carrie didn't marry Aiden, I was gutted, something must have been wrong with the world.

I took Violet to see the first Sex and the City movie (she was under one so it was allowed), and even though I loved seeing 'The Girls' again, I had to admit that I was slightly disappointed in the whole storyline.  Anyway, today I discovered the trailer for the new movie - OMG, Aiden (sex God) is back and looking A.M.A.Z.I.N.G and well fit. 

If you're a fan and haven't seen the trailer yet, go and check it out here:

Violet won't be allowed in the cinema this time around, Lee absolutely hates it, so looks like I'll be going to watch this one on my ownsome (in cinemas from 28th May apparently).  And, I can't wait.  :0)

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Today, while Violet was doing this

I actually manage to get some knitting done. Yay!

This meditation had me in tears on Sunday

Don't worry, I'm not going to preach to anyone,  this is just something about me and my life that I'd like to share with you today.

I attended church every Sunday from before my earliest memory until after I was married at the age of 23.  My parents weren't the God-Squad type, but they were brought up with old fashioned values, one of which was that you put on your Sunday best and went to Sunday School every week.  Don't get me wrong I often didn't want to go,  let's face it, 99.9% of my classmates didn't go to church, but I loved it (it made me top of the class at RE when I got to comprehensive school - I even seemed to know more than the actual teacher), I made a different set of friends and as I grew older, what I once classed as the 'Old Biddies' in my younger years, I could now call my friends too.  When I moved away from the area they all kept in touch, they couldn't have been happier when I gave birth to Violet, and were overjoyed when I asked if she could be Baptised in the same church I'd grown up with and where I gotten married 13 years previously. So, every now and again I like to pop over and say hi to the ever diminishing congregation (the 'Old Biddies' are dying off, which is extremely sad and there aren't any young people taking their place).  

Anyway, on Easter Sunday I decided that it was time for a visit - I couldn't have been given a warmer welcome.  Violet was such a hit with everyone and they commented on how much she looked like me at that age (I've know them all that long).

The lady preacher was extrememly nervous and my heart went out to her. I can't remember the sermon she gave, but I do remember the meditation she read.

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Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, “To Meredith,” in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, “When a Pet Dies.” Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.
Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

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I'm not ashamed to say, I cried buckets.

I just thought of how wonderful it was that someone at the Post Office took the time out to write back to this little girl enclosing a book on how to cope with her feelings of grief over the death of a most beloved pet? 

I do find it extremely difficult to believe that God exists, but I know for a lot of people he/she does and I admire their faith.

I hope I haven't offended anyone by writing this post today.

We seek them here, we seek them there, we seek chocolately eggs everywhere.

Call me a bad mother, but I didn't buy Violet any Easter eggs.  I don't want her to think that this is what Easter is all about.  Plus, she's only just turned 2 for goodness sake.  Instead I decorated an egg (I'll post a pic later) and filled it with a couple of toys, some stickers and a T-Shirt. 

On Sunday morning I drove over to Nottingham and took her to the church I used to attend as a child.  Whilst I went into the Service I left Violet with the other children (may I just say, that this is the first time I've ever left her with strangers, in an unfamiliar place).  I thought I'd be able to hear her screaming blue murder, but there was nothing.  At the end of the service, Violet came running in with a big smile, gave me a quick acknowledgement, then proceded to wreak havoc by pulling all the cushions from the pews and then hiding in the pulpit.  Apparently she'd had a great time and hadn't batted an eyelid when I left.  

Then it was off to my brother's house for lunch and an Easter egg hunt in his back garden. 

A toy train in the veg patch,

a watering can on the patio,

and finally, something chocolatey. 

By the time it was ready for going home we had a carrier bag full of Easter eggs - enough to keep us going for the rest of the year.  Though if it were left to the other half and Violet, it's probably enough to last until the end of the week.  So I've hidden them all under my pile of laundry in the cupboard - I know I can trust that the other half won't ever find it there!

HAPPY EASTER

Here's to a restful, happy, sunny Easter

x