Random Jottings

May Summing Up

This monthly summing up may not be exactly riveting for all visitors, but it certainly helps me concentrate the mind and able to take a view on my reading matter and see how I am doing. I have blogged about nearly all of these so will not repeat myself (hooray!)

This month started off in a delightful vein with two children's books (though all adults should read books like this), Winter of Enchantment by Victoria Walker and Apricots at Midnight by Adele Geras. I will be reading more of AG and having looked at her output methinks there is enough there to keep me going for a week or two...

I have to have my regular crime fix and this month along came John Dunning - The Bookwoman's Last Fling, one of the Cliff Janeway novels about an ex-cop turned bookseller.  Not as good as his others but still great fun.  Then a very silly crime story, if you can call it that, picked up in Chicago - Well Bred and Dead by Catherine O'Connell. Set in Chicago which gave it immediacy as I read it while I was there, all a bit underwhelming, but obviously the first of what is going to be a series about a merry widow living in the wealthy part of the Windy City, and I daresay I shall be seduced into reading the rest even though the murder seems to take second place to seeing how many designer labels the author can mention.  Thrones, Dominations by DL Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh came next.  This apparently is the finishing off of a story line and plot left by DL Sayers and is set just after the marriage of Lord Peter and Harriet Vane.  Of course, I loved it and then followed this up by reading Strong Poison, the book in which Lord P met HV which I had managed not to read.  Not quite sure how but it was a lovely suprise to find this out and I gobbled it up in one night. 

My daughter Kathryn raved about Jeb Rubenfeld's Interpretation of Murder set in NY in the 1920's when Freud visited the US along with assorted other psychologists on a lecture tour.  This strand of the story ran alongside a particular nasty murder of a young girl, very gory and obviously the work of a perverted mind.  Try as I mgiht I could not get into this at all, full of pages of deep pyschological insight and chit chat between Freud et al which sounded as if it was put in there to dazzle the reader with the author's brilliance.  I found myself skipping through great clumps of narrative and found the ending wildly far fetched.  Big disappointment.

Then two totally fun books which I loved: Mr Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange (have now ordered two other Austen diaries by this author and look forward to their arrival) and An Outrageous Affair by Penny VIncenzi, another book I gobbled up in great late night sessions over the weekend.

My novels this month written by contemporary writers are two Joanne Harris novels: Gentlemen and Players and Coastliners.  Totally contrasting and very interesting and I shall now try more of hers.  The other was Celestial Navigation by Anne Tyler which I blogged about at length and received a lot of interesting comments.

So not a bad month as far as mixture of material was concerned.  Wonder what June will bring? I have just started on My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell which is a book which has been lurking most of my adult life.  Why I have never read it before is a mystery to me as it is wonderful and is getting me odd looks from fellow commuters as I sit in the corner giggling away as I turn the pages.

I Love London

Went up to London today.  OK so I do that every day but this was a day when I was not at work and therefore much more enjoyable.  I had an appointment in the vicinity of Bond Street and I swanned up and down looking in the windows at all the stuff I cannot afford to buy and drooled.  I did go into La Furla, very chic bag shop, and was greeted by two elegant young things whose combined waist measurements were probably less than my right thigh.  I took courage from the fact that I had a La Furla bag slung over my shoulder as I entered so they knew I was not just any old body up from the country but a sophisticated buyer....  ahem!

I had a wander and checked out the prices as I wanted to compare them to the cost of my bag which I purchased in Florence last year.  I would say it was about 45% cheaper (Florence that is). I did not leave empty handed, however.  I purchased a beautiful black and white scarf and, as I was a symphony in monochrome today I knew this would look good with my outfit.  'Black and white is SO chic this year' I was reliably informed by willowy sales girl.  Bit my lip and refrained from pointing out to her that I have been wearing black and white for the last thirty years as she was really very sweet with a nice smile.  She also wrapped it up in such a bijou little black bag and tissue paper and ribbon and it was lovely.

On the way home I decided to go for a stroll and then pick up a bus back to Liverpool Street station rather than Tube it and as it was a lovely warm sunny day (just when holiday is over and everyone is back at work) ended up walking along through Regent Street and surprise surprise found myself not a stone's throw from the Waterstones at Piccadilly.  Now none of you will expect me not to go in.  I did.  And spent money. But after checking out the prices of the sandwiches and fashionable wilted rocket salads in the Bar on 5th Floor, I very virtuously went down to Costa in the lower ground floor and economised by having a toasted sarnie and a cappo, thus saving some money.

Yes I know..

I have never read the Gerald Durrell and as I have just been sent a DVD of same from NewBooksMag under their new project  Is the Film as Good as the Book?  I thought it might be a good idea if I read said book before watching DVD.  So that was purchased in the interests of research and the rest just happened to catch my eye....

Duly caught bus which took its time because of appalling traffic (thought congestion charge was supposed to have got rid of all this?) but did not mind as the bus inched its way down Piccadilly Circus, then along past Trafalgar Square where we got stuck in a jam so sat and watched all the visitors in the Square and the fountains and the National Gallery and St Martin's in the Fields, all lovely.  Then along the Strand, up Fleet Street to Ludgate Circus and then St Paul's hove into view now all white and gleaming after its clean up and looking beautiful.  Then through the City past Mansion House (I always look up when passing Mansion House as there is a chapel inside and you can see the stained glass and if lights are on the colours are jewelled and gorgeous) past Royal Exchange and then along to Liverpool Street station, train and home.

I do love London.  I am glad I don't live in it but walking down Regent Street and admiring its width and wonderful curve and the architecture I couldn't help but think it is a great city.  Expensive mind you, but great.

Bank Holiday Monday

Well true to my promise of boring you all rigid with the delights of my extended weekend, here is my Monday update.

Weather;  absolutely appalling.  In the true British tradition of Bank Holidays, I have to report that the sky is grey and cloudy and it has not stopped raining all day.  I nipped over to Ipswich yesterday to visit the Aged P who is in fine fettle having just returned from two weeks with my sister, and on the way back poodling along the A12, the heavens opened and I could see barely 20 yards in front of me.  I tucked myself into the left hand lane and kept a steady 50mph all the way to Colchester.  As always, when road conditions are bad, I am left staggered by the speed with which cars hurtled past me in the fast lane and before my turn off duly came upon an accident scene with police, ambulances, flashing lights etc and saw a car embedded in the central barrier.  No other vehicles involved, so just one of those going too fast.  These are the idiot drivers that no speed cameras will ever affect.  I only hope that whoever was in the car was OK.

I finished painting the kitchen this morning.  Well, the ceiling has to be done but as I had no intention of tackling that particular task this weekend, that does not count.  Will do when the weather is sunny and I can open windows.  Paintwork needs touching up as well as the pristine white walls now make them look really grubby, but again that can wait another week or two.  I have painted the walls, the tiles and today I finished the kitchen cupboards, which are a particularly ghastly shade of 80s beige, but are now gleaming white.  I am very pleased with it all.  I have a few crooks and nannies to do with the cupboards but I am going to need a tiny brush to reach into corners for that and best to leave it until paint is diamond hard dry before I start fiddling.

So that will be done next weekend and also I will be laying some new floor tiles. My budget for this tidy up of kitchen is about £75 and I am well within that so feel a sense of virtue over the whole thing. 

Had a telephone call from a friend in Scotland at lunchtime, just as I had finished my bacon sarnie, so perfect timing, who was anxious for my opinion on a photograph he had send me of himself in a brand new pair of Scottish tartan trews and posh jacket especially made for a function.  'What did I think?'  this is the male equivalent of 'does my bum look big in this' and of course, we all know the correct answer to that one.  I hastened to assure him that he looked most distinguished, as indeed he did, and could only be happy that he had not donned a kilt.  He then rang off, very satisfied with my response and I assumed a supine position on sofa preparatory to having a quick zzzzzzzzzzz.  Woke up four hours later.

Will now be spending evening finishing off Strong Poison by D L Sayers, watching the cricket highlights, we finally managed to finish off the Test Match (clouds parted enough at Headingly thank heavens) and we have now beaten the West Indies by an innings and about 280 runs.  Wonderfull  Hero bowler is one beautifully named Sidebottom who took 8 for 44.

Reading Empire Magazine yesterday and read a preview of Oceans 13  so I may just jog my memory of the plot of Oceans 11 and rewatch this DVD tonight (Oceans 12 was total bilge and very self indulgent) as I have not looked at it for about 2 months.  One of my New Year resolutions this year, apart from Elaine's Personal Challenge, was to watch this film as often as possible.  In case there is anyone out there who is scratching their head and saying Why?  the answer is very simple................George Clooney.

Be still my beating heart.

Progress report

Kitchen walls which I thought were white until I started painting them and realised they were in reality a dirty cream, are now pristine and gleaming.  Tiles tarted up with tile paint, also pristine and gleaming.  Have started painting the cupboards with special melamine paint and those that are done are also looking bright and shiny and CLEAN.  Arms aching, paint in hair and eyes, so have downed tools, cleaned up kitchen, and will be settling down to watch the Test Match special in a mo. Kevin Pietersen made a double century, total collapse of West Indies and we have enforced the follow on.  I tell you for someone who used to watch the likes of Joel Garner and Curtley Ambrose hurling down bouncers at English cricketers which would have sent any self respecting person haring to the safety of the pavilion for a cup of tea, that phrase in relation to the Windies is music to my ears.  We now have three days in which to bowl them out and win the Test and as they have lost another two wickets and are 402 runs behind, I think I can definitely start celebrating. 

So Becks is back in the England football team, Ian Botham to be knighted, the obliteration of the West Indies batsmen, my kitchen almost done - I am enjoying today.

Both and Becks

I am just about to go and start painting the kitchen.  My paint spattered leggings and t-shirt are on, I have just had a huge mug of coffee, read the paper and scoffed two newly baked rolls I picked from the local shop with my paper and I feel ready to face the world, well, the kitchen anyway.

I

So a good morning really and just to make it even better Ian Botham one of my all time favourite sporting heroes is going to be knighted.  Apart from being a cricketer of astounding talent and entertainment, oh the joys of the Ashes back in the 80s and watching Ian tonk the ball all over the park, he has raised millions of pounds for leukemia research by his walks the length and breadth of England and round the world.  He is a great man.

 

And secondly, David Beckham aka Becks is back in the England football team.  OK so it is only a friendly but boy do we need him and as I was furious with Steve Mclaren last year for dropping him from the team when he replaced the Dreary Swede as coach only to prove that he was even drearier, I am delighted that he has been forced by his total inadequacy as a coach to bring David back.

So I am a happy woman a the moment.

Off to paint now

Reader, I cooked them

A comment on one of my recent posts about baking cakes reminded me of the time when I did indeed bake cakes for a living and reminded me of days some 25 years ago when my children were small.   So, dear reader, here is the story of me and my days in the kitchen.  I was a Naked Chefette before Jamie Oliver was born and using four letter words before Gordon Ramsay arrived, I can tell you.

When I had two small daughters and a musician husband who by the very nature of his work, had sporadic earnings, something had to be done.  I had always liked cooking, my mother Newcastle born and bred, used to turn out the most fantastic lardy cakes, sponges, scones and rock buns, and I imbibed a love of baking just by watching her as a child.  So when the opportunity arose to take a stall at a friend's house where she was holding a craft fair, I decided to have a go.  I baked Victoria sponges, chocolate cakes, coffee and walnut cakes and some loaf cakes (banana bread, etc) and to my utter astonishment sold the lot in about half an hour and came home with a profit which fed the family for a week.  Onward and upward I thought.  I started going to more craft fairs (this was in the late 70s and they were very popular then), noted that they were attended by a lot of people dressed in cheesecloth and into whole foods, and then started producing whole food cakes (you could have used some of these as door stops, I kid you not, but they sold like, well, like hot cakes really) and jams and chutneys.

I was offered a stall at a Christmas craft fair, a big one in the local arts centre, and knew that I this was a chance to make some serious money.  I joined up with a potter friend of mine who produced loads of hand thrown little jam pots, complete with lids and sold them to me for the princely sum of £1.  I then filled them with home made jam, probable cost 30p, and sold them for £5.  These flew off the stall.  I had gone to town with some upmarket sounding jams, plum with sherry, apricot and walnut, marmalade with whiskey all done up nicely with printed lables and material tops (ends of fabric lines bought cheaply at Laura Ashley covered dozens) and these too sold well.

Then I got cocky.  I placed an ad in the local paper - 'Home made Christmas puddings made to order'.  I ended up cooking over 200 puddings that year.  Blind panic had set in when the phone started ringing but I sat myself down and planned my campaign.  I went out and purchased three plastic buckets from the local DIY store. I raided the supermarket (later on I had a card for the cash and carry but not then) and bought up all the dried fruit they had on their shelves and all the other ingredients I needed.  I then took my recipe for a 2lb (yes halycon pre-metric days) pudding and quadrupled it thus meaning I could make 8 lb puddings (my father was a mathematician and you can see I inherited his talent....) and filled up one bucket with this mixture.  This was repeated  with the other buckets and ended up with enough for 24 lb puddings. (My daughters 'helped' me with the mixing though quite a lot of it ended up in their hair and on the floor but I remembered my days in the kitchen with my mother and let them get on with it.  I cleared up afterwards).  One large bottle of cooking brandy was divided between said buckets, clean tea towel over each one and then left for 24 hours while I dealt with small children, laundry, housework, fun things like that.

Then when the mixture was all matured nicely and the kitchen full of brandy fumes I divided the mixture into foil containers (had made a clean sweep of those as well in all the shops I could find them) and covered them all with greaseproof paper.  But how did you steam them all I hear you cry?  Rowed them up in three large roasting tins, poured boiling water around them all and then totally enclosed each one in huge sheets of foil thus creating a mini steamer.  These were then put in the oven and every two hours I rotated them.  What I used to do quite often was put them in the oven on very low gas and leave them overnight.  This had the advantage of not only cooking while I slept but the kitchen was lovely and warm and smelled marvellous when I staggered out of bed in the morning.

You have probably had enough of my culinary adventures by now but just remember after all this, came the cooling down and then the wrapping up in foil (bright red, with green for the veggy versions) the labelling etc and dispatching.

This was the start of my cooking career which kept body, soul and family together for many years but enough for today.

It will come as no surprise to you all I am sure that I now get my Christmas pudding each year from Marks & Spencer....

Commute Free Day One

I have received various emails and comments from friends and fellow bloggers telling me that I should be putting my feet up, drinking lots of good tea, read lots of books and do nothing for the next few days.  I can assure you all, with thanks for your thoughtfulness, that I shall indeed be doing this quite a lot over the holiday weekend.  I will, however, be painting my kitchen as it is looking in need of a gallon of white paint sloshed over everything and that will be fun.  I do find painting very therapeutic.  No need to think, just get the roller well and truly covered in paint (usually me as well) and off you go on this lovely blank wall.  Some good music on the radio is essential.  I have my painting clothes for jobs like this which consist of a pair of leggings I have had since the 80s when they were fashionable (they are at the moment as well which gives one pause for thought) full of holes, a battered old T-shirt and a pair of bright yellow sox from Virgin Atlantic which were handed out as part of the pack when I flew to New York a few years ago.  I have not flown with them since then until my recent flight to Chicago when I was delighted to receive another pack, this time they are a virulent shade of lime green and I have been wearing them all week, so comfortable.  I shall look nothing like this incredibly neat and tidy and THIN person in the photograph....

Sat up late last night, secure in the thought that no early train today, and finished Penny Vincenz's An Outrageous Affair which was a simply terrific, unputdownable read.  I have her latest here as well, got it in hardback as Waterstones had it half price which is cheaper than the paperback will be, and have been dipping into that one already.  Closed it up though as I know full well I shall do nothing once I get immersed in that one.    Dropped in to see my good friend Rosemary for coffee.  Her grandchildren are coming to see her this weekend and her granddaughters is now coming up to 9 and I am going to pass on to her Apricots at Midnight by Adele Geras as I think she will love it and it is just the right sort of book to have read to you at bed time so it is going to a good home.

Then I trolled into Sainsbury's Homebase to buy the various paints I need for my kitchen (tile paint, emulsion for the walls and ceiling and melamine paint to redo the cupboards), a pile of paintbrushes, a roller and also a colour card as I think I am going to paint one wall sunshine yellow, and then discovered that it was 10% off everything day, so that was a nice little surprise.

I then came home, had lunch, put feet up for half an hour which turned into three hours, I must have needed it and am just about to watch cricket highlights of the Test after I have had a bijou bitette to eat. 

Maxine over on Petrona said she was looking forward to hearing what I will be doing over the next few days.  Well, who am I to refuse a request like that...

But it won't be earth shattering

Wednesday Crock

Gravy anyone?

One the left,  remnant of an old 1950's dinner service, on the right a 1930s gravy jug bought for 20p in a jumble sale.

Both used regularly.

It's all too much to bear

I am sitting at home watching Liverpool v Milan in the European Champions final, Liverpool playing beautifully in the first half, dominating the game etc and then one minute before half time Milan gets a free kick and this freaky ball slots through into the net.

It's all too much to bear

Totally unfair but there you go.  It is not often I shout Up the Reds and I think it is very noble of me to do so considering Liverpool put out Chelsea from this competition for the third year running, but one must get behind a BRITISH team in these circumstances.  Heaven knows the number of finals that any English footballer gets to in Europe/World is so remote that when it happens one must cheer regardless.

It's all too much to bear.

Then my mind, totally overcome with the fact that in the last three weeks I have read four, yes four, novels written by living and contemporary authors, has been unable to cope with it all and has gone into meltdown.  I am, therefore, giving the little gray cells a bijou restette and am now reading Penny Vincenzi's An Outregeous Affair which has half sisters separated by the Atlantic, a mysterious death in Hollywood back in the 1950's, a suicide 30 years later which is linked, lots of handsome men, sex and shopping and it is terrific and exactly what I need at the moment.  I have blogged about Penny V before as I think she is great and writes these huge brick sized blockbusters which are such fun to read.  This month she popped up in Saga magazine (mag for the over 50s for those of you across the pond) looking terrific at 70 for heaven's sake.

Then I made a wonderful discovery.  I have never read Strong Poison by DL Sayers, yes the first book when Lord Peter Wimsey meets Harriet Vane.  I have seen the DVD and also watched it on television but for some reason I had not read it though I thought I had.  Senior moment I fear but this is such a lovely piece of serendipity so I nipped into Waterstones and bought it, couldn't wait for Amazon to send it, and I am saving it up for the holiday weekend.

I am taking this Friday off work and also the following Tuesday so I will have five glorious commute free, office free days in which to loll around.  The thought of it all is TOO MUCH TO BEAR but I will manage.

I might even paint my kitchen which is looking a tad dirty at the mo, I may even tackle the cobwebs lurking in the corners and if I am too overcome by all this housework then rest assured, dear readers, that I will maintain the Simpson-Long tradition and will lie on the sofa with a good book.

Booking Ahead

I have had a good relaxing day today and have been on line booking up interesting things to see at the theatre and opera.  I have loads of Covent Garden vouchers burning a hole in my pocket (Christmas and birthday presents) so have just received the latest Friends of Covent Garden magazine, House, and it is full of goodies for this booking period and lots to come.

First of all though, I now have nestling in my dressing table top drawer, whence resides my tickets box, two seats for a performance in July of Sweeney Todd at the Royal Festival Hall starring the Mighty Bryn.  Both my daughters saw this Sondheim show several times when they were younger (they were huge Sondheim fans but as my daughter said to me the other day, it was highly unsuitable for small children and she was right!) and I asked if they wanted to see it.  My elder daughter is very irritated she is away, but as she is island hopping in Croatia at the time I think she can bear the disappointment, but Helen (the Bride) is thrilled to bits and so we have two seats for that. 

I have also purchased two seats for The Magic Flute at the English National Opera.  I saw this production last year. Nicholas Hynter of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of the film Madness of King George, turned his talents to opera and the result was a Magic Flute that has been in the repertoire for some 11 years.  This is the last time they are going to show it, which is a shame.  If the Royal Opera House used a Tosca (Zeffirelli) for over 30 years and are still showing a Boheme (Carola Oman 25 years) then why not keep this one going?  It sells out every single time it is shown. 

Then I turned my attention to Covent Garden.  I have sent off ticket applications for Romeo and Juliet,  my favourite ballet, the Kenneth Macmillan production, another one going strong for over 25 years (in fact I first saw it around 1970 with Nureyev and Fonteyn) this time it is Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo starring so fingers crossed for that.  Yes and I know that this is not a picture of him as Romeo but I could not track one down that Typepad would accept so I had to make do with this one instead which I think illustrates without any further explanation why I wish to see his Romeo.....

Then two tickets applied for an opera, L'Elisir d'amore by Donizetti which is witty and delightful and fun and contains one of the most famous tenor arias ever Una Furtiva Lagrima.  Rolando Villazon will be singing Nemorino so that will be a super evening if I am successful.

And finally, a friend of mine is taking me to see Aida, again at the English National Opera.  This has not been put on at the Colly for over 20 years and I saw the last production there and it was an utter disaster, lambasted by the critics and was never seen again after the one run.  Expensive opera to bin.  All those lions and tigers in the Triumphal Scene (only kidding not allowed any more, the Health and Safety people have intervened).  This new productions has sets and costumes designed by Vivienne Westwood so visually it is going to be pretty amazing, and I choose that word very carefully, and hopefully the singing will too.

So lots to look forward to when the nights are dark and the lamps are lit.