Particles of matterParticles of matter float, abandoned, searching,
I see it everywhere, death shares my space.
It annoys me.
I will wipe the grey away, yet I know
my cleaning stops nothing.
I know it will settle again, everything settles
given time.
Continue reading “Advice Safe”
One Day Children you might thank me!!I quite often do things in the kitchen without thought, because it was part of my training, so am often surprised when someone watching comments, ‘that’s a good idea’ or asks ‘why do you do that?’ I thought I might jot these things down, bring them home and leave them here. You never know, one day children you might need to know how to julienne a mango or make a choux pastry swan. These impromptu tips will appear as I fill a page in my notebook.
Do not wash button mushrooms, wipe them with a damp kitchen towel. Continue reading “Pro chef – Kitchen tips”
My husband is a New Zealander. The Kiwis love their land, like the Irish, they almost always return to their birthplace, if they ever leave in the first place. I am English and proud of my heritage, I love my people more than my land. It is a subtle difference.
My son is travelling back to London, then on to Paris to compete under the silver fern in a black singlet. He was born in the UK.
Being British means different things to different people, I think it is these millions of bits of different, that creates the pattern of my country. Personally, I love my Queen, our shared rich and violent history, the grey manic cities and public transport of home. I love the rolling green hills, beautiful autumn changes, seaside towns filled with ice cream, fish and chips and rolled up trousers. I love the pomp and ceremony, the stiff upper lip and diversity of the people and the central heating.
My son does not remember most of theses things.
Continue reading “Advice Safe”
Sweetcorn – super cobI grew sweetcorn in the garden when the children were young. There is something inspiring about planting a tiny kernel and watching it grow so tall. Sweetcorn requires little care and you are rewarded with the main cobs and tiny offshoots of baby corn. Apart from the messy husks and the furious flossing after eating, I still love eating sweetcorn like a beaver, as I did back then. I smile when I pull open those husks to find the glass beads of yellow and remember.
INTERESTING FACT
When you cook corn antioxidant activity, which helps protect the body from cancer and heart disease, is actually increased. Don’t write off the tinned or frozen stuff either, evidence suggests this is just as good, so eat it out of season, its just as nutritious.
Because sweetcorn is so delicious on its own, I fear it is left naked on the plate, apart from a thin negligee of butter, most of the time. Give this sweet starchy vegetable another look, let the little gold nuggets shine in other ways. Oh and do not be afraid of the starch, an ear of corn has about the same number of calories as an apple and less than one-fourth the sugar, makes you think. Continue reading “The green folder”
NOGGIN – nut – conk – melon – noodle – block –loaf of bread – uncle Ned – LUMP OF LEAD
I would say I have an average sized head, so I am not sure why things keep hitting it.
East London, I went out to admire a full moon from my parents suburban garden. A bat flew into my Loaf. We were both a little stunned. I had never, ever seen a bat in the London skies before.
Walking my kids to school in Essex, I turned the corner and foam, from the top of a window cleaners soapy bucket, caught the breeze and gave me a bubble afro. The guy nearly fell off the ladder laughing. He could have hit his Noodle.
Continue reading “Campfire Stories”
This bowl of colour flew out last week, my Bibimbap hybrid. The classic Korean dish is new to me, I have never really been a big fan of Korean cuisine I had a very bad experience with a bowl of broth made from Ox blood punctuated with shots of soju once, I can not talk about it! Bibimbap literally means mixed rice in Korean. When I first looked at a traditional home-style recipe I have to say I was a little overwhelmed by the list of ingredients a couple of which I vaguely knew and the various methods of cooking which spanned three pages. It just all looked like too much effort for some meat and veg on rice.
A colleague generously bought me a bowl from her local source so I had a reference. She makes it at home as a go to dinner and is the one who pointed me in the right direction. I first tasted all the components separately, the version I had contained beef so that was out for me if I am honest I was underwhelmed but mixed together with a little spice, topped with a warm fried egg everything changed and I could see the potential.
Continue reading “The Green Folder”
Have you ever put your ear to the ground and listened. I have seen it done in the movies, Native American trackers putting their ears to the ground to hear horses’ hooves, miles away. I’m listening now. I am angry with my child, the boy one, he was rude, expected too much, forgot I am a person, saw only the mother. He treated me with contempt. My love was not shield enough, he hurt me. He hurt me with a thoughtless text message.
I want him to apologise, see the wound he made with his words but he is young and does not understand the weapons he holds.
I want to be the parent, the rock, but today I crumbled into the rough sea of hormones.
Continue reading “Advice Safe”
Chair Upholstery lesson 3: CuttingThe people in the top of this long thin island were busy tying down their garden furniture earlier this week, waiting for cyclone Gita. My inbox held an email from Antonia, warning that the lesson might be cancelled because of Gita. I was kind of hoping it would be, as I had not even started my homework. Buy material, easy. I had used my spare time for other things, mainly socialising and had missed the window to actually order my material to be delivered to class.
I watched the weather reports, Gita was veering away from her plotted course and we were to expect only heavy rain and strong winds; it looked like we had avoided much worse. Another email came through that the course was on, my own veering and avoiding had left me an hour and a half to find some fabric.
Sometimes I feelI look through my feet to the glittery water caught in the V of the horizon. My tummy is fat with brown bread and cheese, there was not much choice for a vegetarian, so I washed it down with champagne and was grateful. I watch a pukeko stupid walk towards the long grass, squawking loudly to warn her chick to stay down, ‘there is a human out here, a human, stay hidden’ she says again. I focus on my shoes, they are black and have molded to fit my feet perfectly. They do not match my octopus print dress but it is a wedding by the beach; the tentacles on the fabric reach my ankles anyway, so I guess it’s alright, no one can see much of them. They are my comfortable shoes. Today I am relaxed and comfortable, like my shoes, but sometimes I feel
Continue reading “Advice Safe”
Chair Upholstery Lesson 2: StructureDespite Google Maps shouting from the footwell of my car that I should have turned left 200m away, I arrived early last week and waited in my car for the upholstery queen to roll up the door to my learning. By the time she did, our little gang was complete and eager in the car park. When we heard the throaty screech of metal moving, we all jumped out, unpacked our homework from the boots of our cars and made our way like broken snails to the workshop. The girl next to me smiled weakly as her pile of old chair skin fell to the ground. She tried twice to pick it up, each time she juggled with her mid-century frame and failed. I was concentrating too hard on my own pile to be of much help, but I did stand and wait patiently until she motioned through gritted teeth that I should carry on. Continue reading “Upcycling”
Crowded Mind 