It’s not funny, I could have died!Her husband fell off the deck last night and thought that he was dying.
No one came to rescue him, from the place that he was lying
The storm continued raging, all around his head.
His wife and kids were snoring, safely tucked up in their bed.
The thunder struck and lightening broke the darkness of the night.
Enough to see no damage done, just a nasty fright.
Continue reading “Jokes and Ditties”
Best Ever LasagneI have made so many versions of Lasagne, large catering trays full of the ever popular dish have punctuated my life. Search the internet and there are pages and pages of lasagne recipes, so I feel that it should not be necessary to include this. It is however in the Red Folder and shall be included for that reason, it is the one I use at home. Mum gave me this and I think Delia gave it to her, I have changed it slightly, to suit my family. Tasters always say it is the best they have tasted, creamier somehow, but they would say that, they are at my table. You decide. Continue reading “The Red Folder”
Lego men are better than childrenI love Lego men and they can be found all over my house. Recently my daughter knocked one off the shelf whilst reaching for one of my C.D’s and asked why I had them everywhere, they were annoying, childish and did not add anything.
Hmmmmm. Well
Continue reading “Campfire Story”
Did my mum have it all?1950’s housewife images have an strange pull for me. The small waisted, perfectly groomed wife and mother, smiling with inner peace, as she serves delicious and nutritious food, to her handsome husband. I allow myself to fall into the soft gooey world, as these images tap into something deep within me; I can almost taste the dessert. It must have been so easy then, just follow the rules:
We have all seen quotes from The Good Housekeeping economic books. I pull myself back and see that this is a veneered imaged. My 20th century self laughs out loud at the thought that, to prepare myself, I should have to, take fifteen minutes to rest so that you will be refreshed when he arrives. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift. Greet him with a smile. I rub the tint away from my glasses, and remember that this was a slavish life and as a woman you had no choice, in the good old days. Continue reading “Campfire Story”
Mai Tai
I enjoy the flavours of both orange and almond and use white rum in many drinks, so I could never reconcile the involuntary shudder, accompanying a stick your tongue out NO, whenever I was asked if I wanted to try a mai tai. I first tried this cocktail somewhere hot, at a beach bar, sometime in my early twenties. Clearly, I do not recall the details but I was left with a vivid recollection, that this was an overly sweet and alcohol tasting drink, never to be repeated. There are many versions out there.
A happy accident then, that one balmy night, at a trendy cocktail bar in London’s Covent Garden, I sipped a friend’s drink and told the barman, with absolute confidence, that I would have what my friend was drinking. “A mai tai, right,” he said, reaching under the counter for his shaker. “No”, I replied, “one… of…. those”, slowing my speech down and pointing to the drink, as he was obviously slow on the uptake. “Yes”, my friend confirmed, “a mai tai”. The barman raised his eyebrows and I was forever hooked. Continue reading “Cocktails”
Hey Mark – tell us a bit about yourself
What made you start playing the drums?
I’ve wanted to play drums since I was 7 years old, however was made to learn the piano as that was what my parents felt was the way to go. I had the best piano teachers (highly sought after) at the time in Mumbai, a German couple who had settled there, a Mr. & Mrs. Harry Littler and they were very fond of me, keeping me there for hours, which would infuriate me. I used to then throw a tantrum on returning home…finally managed to get out of piano lessons in my final year of school, due to exams. Continue reading “People I love and know”
Red Folder recipe – Chocolate Brownie with no nuts.
As everyone, I have many version of this bake. I go back to this one again and again, and it is the one I give out if asked. It is quick, simple and never lets me down. Brownies are super rich, they should be light and crisp on the outside, but soft and fudgy on the inside. If you want crunch, add 100g of chopped pecan, brazil or wallnuts, it will not change how this cooks. My children pick the nuts out so I bake without, they are definitely better with them in though. This will give you 12 large pieces, like the pictures I have taken, but I normally cut again into triangles so we do not die of clogged arteries. Continue reading “The Red Folder”
Blue Bayou Baby.You must try this long drink. It is refreshing and spectacularly blue. I have always drunk it with gin, as I was taught to make it this way. I have included a vodka based frozen drink, which is just as yummy and deserves a mention.
Fill your cocktail shaker with ice. Add everything except the lemonade mint and lemon and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty and cold. Pour into any tall glass and top with lemonade, add the ice from the shaker and garnish as you like.
Curacoa is made from the Lahara fruit, actually quite bitter with a distinctly orange flavor. It is actually a colorless liqueur. The blue is for show, you can find it in green and red too if you fancy.
I think I am playing the Hunger Games.
Today, I was skipping through my emails, when the unthinkable happened. My screen went blank; apparently I was trying to insert a disc that Windows did not recognise. I looked under the bench, just to be sure, but no, nothing was being inserted, anywhere. I turned the laptop on and off several times, but it just kept giving me the same stupid message, a vertical sad face asking me to wait while it self- diagnosed. I huffed and I puffed, swigged my last bit of coffee and went off to do something else for an hour. The laptop was still not happy to see me when I returned, the face looked even sadder and had done nothing about self diagnosing; 0% complete.
Leave it mum, you don’t know what you are doing. Sage words waft from my daughter’s bedroom. I continued to hit buttons randomly, until finally I was asked to solve the problem with a re-start. Yes finally, I have an answer. Mum! My daughter came out, please do not hit any more buttons, you could make it worse.
It’s alright, I answered in total control. I have hit the re start button, I tell her confidently.
Noooooooooo, mum, you will lose everything. Continue reading “Blue Talk”
Dad, I am right! Some words and more, that I spoke at his funeral.Dad used to say that it was all so very simple. Life is life, we are no more than anything else. We are born and like a plant we grow, bloom, fade and die; the circle of life. He would confirm, nodding gravely, a silent yes, in answer to my unspoken scepticism. He did not believe in any Religion, so that was a dead end. Now, I get that’s certainly the physicality of life, but what makes us human, what’s the point? I don’t feel like a chicken or a plant. A lemon sometimes, maybe. I asked the same question that has burnt on the lips of scientists, philosophers, anthropologists and scholars over thousands of years.
We know that we have a reptilian brain, which controls the body’s vital functions, such as heart rate, breathing, body temperature and balance, useful when we face danger and need to run to the hills. It does malfunction sometimes, a stray hiccup, a shart – look it up- or the weird sick in the mouth thing that happens for no reason. Laughing, when in fact you are horribly embarrassed. Alcohol renders it useless, I can personally vouch for that. OK, so the same in that respect. Dad one, me nil.
There must be more to life, I don’t feel like a plant
Continue reading “Campfire Story”
Crowded Mind 