Saturday 18th July - Treasure!

 

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. 

Thursday 16th July - Meals and Mayhem

 Let's get the mayhem over first;

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.

If I'd had some salmon around, I would have made John Torode's 10 minute salmon and noodles;

Ingredients

• 2 - 4 pieces of salmon 
• 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... 

Tuesday 14th July - The noise has stopped - for now

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.

.... 

The Real Saturday post for 11th July

 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.

Saturday! NOT Sunday 11th July - Mrs Endicott's Splendid Adventure

 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...

Thursday 9th July - Seriously?

 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