Our neighbour took down a couple of fence panels between their garden and ours last summer to make it easier for the builders who built their extension. They've not been replaced, as the gap is convenient for the same builders now working on our extension!
We had a grandstand view of everything the builders did (which is why we chosecthe same outfit for ours).
Now, when I'm standing at our kitchen door early in the morning I've noticed that the trees and bushes in both gardens are full of small birds, gossiping, flitting around and generally being very busy.
So I'm standing still, watching sos3 as not to disturb them, and they are constantly in motion.
Be still... and know that I am God, it says in the Psalms.
Vogel als prophet, (the prophet bird) from Waldscenen op 82 no 7, by Schuman, played by Víkingur Ólafsson
Who remembers Shippam's Paste? When it came in little glass jars like this? I was asking the builders earlier in the week if they had dug up any treasure, and as it happens the man in the trench had just reached down and unearthed this little jar.
'You can have it,' he said, and I'm very pleased with it.
There were fish pastes and meat pastes, as I recall, all looking a sort of light brownish colour. Meat or fish paste sandwiches were a mainstay of packed lunches and picnic lunches, except at our home, I don't know why.
The jar is a treasure though, because of the memories of staying with Oma (my grandmother). She used Shippam's pastes and saved all the little jars. She would make up Rowntree's jellies (jello in the USA?), pouring it into the little jars to make little treat-size portions for playing at 'having a party'. She was a bit random in how she diluted the jelly tablets so sometimes you could drink the jelly, and other times you needed to cut it out of the jar.
Now I shall use it for flowers.
....
Today's other treasure was my cousin's combined birthday and housewarming party. Her birthday isn't until much nearer Christmas, but she's planning to celebrate it throughout the year with a mix of parties and days out.
The treasure was meeting up her, her three children and their husbands/partners, and the three grandchildren, for the first time in years. All the other cousins were there too, and other relatives from her family. We stayed for afternoon tea, but left before the evening barbeque (and dancing?).
Her garden looked amazing; it's only half cleared from being completely, but totally overgrown. It might not be very big - typical sixties bungalow size - but she has hacked clearings here and there so it is a series of secluded spaces, decked out for the party with solar lights and bunting - it will look so pretty as the light fades. I was sorry to have to go, but I knew I wouldn't last more than a couple of hours.
Treasures indeed - an old chipped glass jar full of memories, and the sight and sound of all the family.
yesterday morning was all a bit hectic; remember this photograph? The trenches are all 1.5m deep (or so; how accurate can one actually be?)
The builders brought an extra tipper truck to ferry concrete from the lorry parked in the road to the trenches; and yes, the first tipper truck loads were TOO FULL to get down the driveway without slopping;
We left them to it; we were booked in for a 'fun' time at the dentist. It always takes ages; we could go locally but, 'for reasons', as my son would say, we've been going to this practice for over 40 years - not the same people! - but the same gentle ethos. I do find the hygiene and checkup appointments a bit of an endurance marathon, but all the staff are quiet and gentle and explain everything. I came out with 'not bad, room for improvement' from the hygienist, and 'all clear this time' from the dentist.
I always want to call out 'no fillings today!' as I emerge from the dentistt's room... it's funny how these adverts from our childhood stick in our minds... (but we don't use Colgate toothpaste)
The dentist was also able to recommend Orileve products for a dry mouth - a combination of heat and needing to drink more and sleeping with my mouth open means I wake up with my mouth completely dry - most uncomfortable.
With having the dentist at 1pm, and the travelling time there and back, we ended up having a meal at 5.30pm... was that lunch or supper? I have no idea. Mince and vegetables and baked potatoes. Have I turned into an 'old person' who must to have their meals at the proper time? Oh dear.
100ml Teriyaki sauce (from a bottle, or see recipe below)
1 stock cube or some bouillon (or a sachet of miso)
700m hot water
100g dried egg noodles or similar
2 pak choy, cut into 4 lengthwise
100g sprouting broccoli, sliced
2 long red chillis, sliced on an angle (one in the dish and one as garnish)
3 spring onions chopped ( separate the whites and greens )
2 tsp sesame oil
To serve:
Handful of bean shoots
Handful of coriander
Nori / dried seaweed
sesame seeds
Just in case:
Teriyaki Marinade
150m light soy sauce
50g soft brown sugar
100m mirin
100m sake
Bring all to the boil and cool.
Method
Marinate the salmon in the teriyaki for a short little while, but not longer than an hour.
Mix the stock cube, bouillon or miso with the water in a pan. Add the noodles and bring to the boil then cook for 1 minute.
Drop in the salmon with all the marinade and arrange the pak choy and broccoli around the outside with 1 chopped chilli and the greens of the spring onions.
Sprinkle over a little sesame oil then cover with a lid and simmer gently for 6-8 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.
Serve with bean shoots, coriander, greens of the spring onions, the remaining sliced chillies, nori and sesame seeds.
Additional garnishes could be a little more sesame oil and some crispy fried onions.
I don't think I've ever made this with all the proper ingredients! But it seems to taste fine without bean sprouts or fresh coriander or nori seaweed or whatever I haven't got this tine around...
Our green-fingered neighbour was determined to save the cardoons. Undeterred by the news that they have a tap root up to two metres long, he cut off most of the stems and got out what he could. So his wife and I each have a large vase of large flowers, and he has three cardoon plants which might survive. Or not.
I left my vase outside overnight as a couple of bees were still lost in among the purple filaments gorging on the nectar in spite of the stalks being cut down and laid on the grass, and then trimmed and put in vases!
Yesterday and today (it's now 4pm and the builders have been clearing up for the day) have been incredibly noisy. I knew it would be, but even so... We now have three deeeeep trenches across the garden
The shed was originally to the left of that digger; I watched in total disbelief as they manoeuvered two pump trolleys under it, one on each side, and PUSHED it, still full of everything, to it's new location.
Still, we now have yet another huge heap of earth in the front garden, waiting for the man with the lorry with the great grabby grabber on the back to come. Grabber man makes it look effortless, filling its terrible jaws with earth and rubble and swinging it safely through the narrow space between the tall rose, the streetlight and the telegraph pole to dump it onto the lorry.
Tomorrow they will be pouring concrete into the trenches.
....
Salmon fillets, skinned, cut into pieces and coated with one of the more exotic salad dressings (I recommend honey and mustard, and also a ginger one) and air-fried for 9-10 minutes at 180 was delicious.
Tonight will be rolls with coronation coleslaw and cold sliced chicken again. No thought required.
This morning my brain when I wrote the previous post, I was clearly not properlyawake!'. I'd had woken up far, far too early and the caffeine hadn't really kicked in..
The reason for seeing in the dawn? I had a hummingdinger of a nosebleed at 4.20 am - I checked the time - and it was half a box of tissues and over 25 minutes before it stopped. I was very pleased that I reacted quickly enough to save the bedding! (But my pyjamas went straight into the wash once I was up!).
Anyway, all's well that ends well, and I've been fine, if a bit scrambled what with early rising and a heatwave. The heat seems to suddenly envelop the house at about half past two, and then all sensible thought processes cease. We've been opening the front and back doors to let a draught of cool air sweep through.
Weren't the men's Wimbledon semi finals interesting yesterday! I stood in the hall and watched through the open door...
and then had a better idea; BB helped me set up a camping chair in the hall and brought me my laptop.
Now the tricky thing is that iplayer is about 2 seconds behind the TV... so he switched off the sound and watched on TV from the comfortof his armchair and listened to the delayed commentary. Confusing, or what, huh?
....
Assembled meals have been the order of the day; sliced ham, salad, potato salad...
'Pasta pockets' as my friend calls them (filled tortellini) with sauce out of a jar
Crustless quiche made first thing in the morning, with boiled potatoes, also cooked in the morning, and salad... you get the idea..
Although I've come to the conclusion that all the bought coleslaw salads have been dressed with the same generic mayo-type dressing, and it really is Much Better to make one's own.
....
I'm very much enjoying 'Mrs Endicott's Splendid Adventure' by Rhys Bowen, although I haven't reached the quotation I posted yet.
I was searching through my Commonplace book this morning for a poem (which I don't think I have written down yet) and tripped across this quotation
"Prayers don't have to be elaborate things. Why don't you start with
three things you're blessed with,
three things you're afraid of,
and three things you ask of Him?
And don't forget to listen, too."
Underneath, I have written "Mrs Endicott's Splendid Adventure - by Rhys Bowen". Not an author I have read.
It's the advice on prayer that caught my attention. It seems doable to me...
On the strength of those words, and the blurb, I have downloaded the book for £1 onto my kindle.
"Blindsided by betrayal in pre-WWII England, a woman charts a daring new course in this captivating tale of resilience, friendship, and new love by the bestselling author of The Rose Arbor and The Venice Sketchbook.
Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France."
The book looks interesting, (if not particularly 'holy') and I am already wondering who said these words to whom...
Ang's comment below alerted me to the fact that today is SATURDAY! So my Sunday-style post is a day early...
Oh please, please, could everyone in Clacton-on-Sea vote for Count Binface?
He looks to be the only candidate standing against Nigel Farage in the by-election after NF resigned as an MP (oddly enough the same initials as National Front, I'veonlyjust noticed). NF resigned as MP, apparently, if I've got this right, in protest at being investigated re potentially breaching the code of conduct for MPs.
Reading the ITVX article it seems he's a 'comedian, satirist and Intergalactic Warrior'. Plus he's written for 'Have I Got News For You'. Sound at least as well qualified as many, then?
Am I serious? Um... well, actually,.... yes?
Meanwhile, I dug these plums out of the fridge;
Perfectly ripe, according to the label... definitely NOT! I remember plums being soft and sweet and luscious, nor crunchy and sour. I'm stewing them with sugar and cinnamon.
I've been looking forward to these plums because of this poem
I bought kitchen towels that were about an inch too wide for our wall- mounted dispenser.
No problem, I thought;
BB looked at my DIY fix, and walked to the shop for some new rolls. 'I'll keep these for the car or the shed' he said...
And that's about all I accomplished apart from lunch (sausages, home-made pasta salad, home-made coleslaw, tomatoes, cucumber, crisps and fruit) and supper (exactly the same all over again, except for the coleslaw).
we were eating lunch; sea bream with roasted onions, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, herbs etc. Plus some purple sprouting broccoli for 'greens'.
The new revised second class post delivery schedule is beginning to bite; Ang posted this last Wednesday, or maybe Thursday morning;
a pink and maroon slip stitch pattern with some suffragette safety pins - purple and dark green. Plus a postcard of an amazing quilt. She describes it here.
Knitting is Not Happening at the moment. Too Hot!
Otherwise it's been a fairly quiet day. I sat in the shade first thing this morning and watched and chatted and answered questions while Vicky sorted out the chaos of all my pots, abandoned for nearly a year now, ever since we decided that this extension was more than a dream. It was an education watching her at work; even if I was physically able enough do to this, I would never have been able to match her quick, quiet efficiency.
Then I came in, and while BB was out sourcing a new key safe for beside the front door, I defied the Builders by working out how to open the patio door, and then fixed a string to the handle in such a way I could open it, and haul it back closed without ever stepping down to my doom. The half open door is now completely blocked by the chair, and we can operate my door control system without moving it.
So that was most of Tuesday... here's the whole poem about peace dropping slow...
I had meant to post yesterday, but after all the activity on Saturday I ground to a halt. No surprises there.
But it was a good day to read Ang's post for Sunday 5th, and right now is a good time to read it again;
A reworking of Psalm 23, published back in the 1960s and written by the Japanese poet Toki Miyashina...
The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush. he makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals. He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity. He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind, and his guidance is peace. Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day, I will not fret, for his presence is here. His timelessness, His all-importance, Will keep me in balance. He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my head with the oil of tranquility. My cup of joyous energy overflows. Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours, for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord,
and dwell in His house forever.
Today started with the builders arriving around about 7.30am. They have worked steadily, fueled with tea, coffee, biscuits and plenty of water until the last bits were tidied away at 4.30pm, with a few short breaks.
I think the most exciting part of the day was moving the shed - entire, intact, complete with contents still on the shelving!
'Have you done this before?', I asked the Man in Charge.
'No, but he says he has,' pointing at Second-in-Command.
So they set the two young men to work...
They managed to lever a pumped forklift trolley under each side, and sort of push-me-pull-you the whole shed from here...
To here, about three or four metres. If you compare the trees in the before and after pictures you can get the idea. It's now sitting where my veg patch used to be.
I took a photograph to say 'goodbye' to the Fatsia
But one of the young men has extricated quite a lot of the roots from the raised bed. It's currently sitting in a tub of water at the shady end of the garden util I can work out what to do. It going to have to live in a large tub, I think.
We've now hit a snag, first of many, no doubt. Work has more or less stopped for the rest for the week, as they can't do anything much until the building control inspector has inspected a small section of the footings to agree the proposed depth. That can't be until Monday.
'Please make sure you lock you back door,' said Man-in-Charge several times. 'People forget, open their door and fall out as the steps have gone. We'e seen it happen so many times.' He gave us a considering look....
and has left one of his machines parked right across the door! I think it is rather sweet of him, and don't resent it at all. We can get out safely from the front door and walk round so it is not much of an inconvenience, and we can leave the door open to get a through breeze without worry.
Peace is all around now...
Evgeny Kissin, Chopin Waltz in C# minor op 64 no 2
I'm enjoying the last few days of the garden... it won't look like this later in the week! The patio, and everything on it, will be the first to go; pots and furniture to the bottom of the garden, papers to be stacked somewhere for later, and as for the border, I shall just have to look away!
I've moved my herb pots to the front door
They are all supermarket herbs, and cuttings (apart from the geranium!).
I'm hoping they can bevjoined by a bay tree - small bush really - which is probably completely toot bound in its wooden half barrel. I say hoping; a couple of our half barrels totally disassembled themselves when the iron hoops dropped, enabling the wooden staves to open like flower petals and cease being any use as a plant container. I've a replacement tub in mind should this happen to ours, or we might make hurried trip to a garden centre.
I will be able to reach the herbs easily by the door; if they were moved to the bottom of the garden with everything else then that wouldn't be at all convenient.
We've hung new bedroom curtains! They are nothing flamboyant. I refuse to spend money on expensive bedroom curtains when we hardly see them! They will improve the look of the room though; the light had faded and rotted the red blackout curtains we've replaced. I never liked them anyway; we bought them in a hurry because neighbours had installed a motion sensitive security camera which was reacting to every passing fox, waking us up several times a night. Both the neighbours and the light have changed, so at last we can go back to ordinary lined curtains. No picture yet...
We've also played with our new 'toy'; BB had the joy of assembling it, fitting all the pieces together (he does enjoy making up kits) and then we took turns...
It's a Flash Spraymop! And it made very short work indeed of the kitchen and bathroom floors, without leaving them too damp. We could be entering a new era of cleanliness around here...
This keeps happening with Ang and me. I could have called this post 'Many a slip' like Ang's...
She's posted today about the Double Knitting Collaboration square on it's way to me - the link is above - and here's the one I've sent to her;
also a slip-stitch pattern, also knitted in two colourways. Mine's a two colour stripe; the left hand is blue as main colour, cream as second, the right hand reversed with a paper blue as the second colour.
This pattern comes out looking completely different to Ang's because the rows knitted in the second colour are interrupted by two main colour stitches being slipped - carried up without knitting - creating the continuous vertical stripe. These slip stitches also pull these rows more tightly together, making a very dense, firm texture. Good for a winter sweater!
Here's the back - the horizontal lines of yarn show where it has been passed behind the slip stitches rather than knitted in. It's much easier to knit this pattern than explain it.
Apart from Ang knitting the cable square last time, we seem to have been remarkably in sync with our choices so far; something I noticed that kept happening during our previous collaborations. I promise we don't ever confer before we decide what we're making!
Which colour did I send? I could make up my mind. So I closed my eyes, shuffled them and picked one. You'll find out tomorrow; my parcel arrived with her yesterday.
Which square has she sent me? I don't know; we both posted them on Wednesday afternoon but hers hasn't arrived yet... hopefully I'll find out when the postman gets here around lunchtime. Things seem to travel quicker going from west to east than east to west. Riddle me that one if you can!
I tracked down the name of the wonder app; it is called mellowflow and the reviews are SCATHING;
Following up on the Reddit forum, I've come to the sad conclusion that my gut feeling of 'if it looks too good to be true, then it really is too good to be true'. My advice; stay away, and just stick at lesson no 1; 'tidy three things in your line of sight'.
Sadly, for tidying up and keeping it tidy, there's no way around actually... tidying! There doesn't seem to be a magic method, especially for butterfly brains like me.
I do try to;
Set small, quickly achievable goals, like 5-10 mins, or one surface, or one task at a time.
Take time to gloat and congratulate myself on the little successes.
Never, ever, berate myself if I don't manage to do 'it', whatever 'it' is.
Never push myself too far beyond what I am already able to do.
Switch between types of tasks fairly frequently.
These have all come from the way I've learned to teach piano over the past 40 years, the main idea being to try and always
Build upon successes; start with a low bar and raise it slowly.
Associate the activity (even scales and sight reading!) with positive emotions.
Avoid all negativity, crossness, tension, distress in learning.
Gamify Just about everything.
Constantly cheer oneself on.
Now, what three things can Iput away next? Oh dear, I'll have to find somewhere to put them first...
