The Life and Loves of a She Weevil

Summer lovin'

2011-06-04T11:05:00.000+01:00

I must admit to not being a big fan of heat but long days of blue skies and sunshine, drying washing on the line and having the windows open all day and all night kind of make up for it.

It's a month since John had stroke number 4 - the hospital have sort have decided that he may have a problem in the vessels in his brain - no shit sherlock. We have made some major lifestyle changes and we are both (apparently) looking if not feeling better for it.

Twenty five years ago on Monday, I joined the Wrens. I was so excited I could have popped. I met some amazing girls, who have, I have recently rediscovered, turned into clever, funny women.

Things are changing once more. Arty daughter is returning to being arty in September, surrealo son is loved up and organising things for people who like yellow, and the two year old genius is now eight. "The artist" is not arting at the moment but concentrating on not having any more brain storms and I am helping him get there. His beautiful pictures like the one above are featuring here. Expectations are being managed; the living is, as the song says, easy.

We are on the move again. The estate is being demolished and hopefully we will get a lovely new house out of it. You have to take, I have learnt, comfort where you can. You have to ac-sen-choo-ate the positive, for life and the way we live it is a fragile, transient thing.

I'm about ready to put my brain back into gear. I thought a spot of light reading might be in order, so if you don't spot me wasting countles hours clogging your feed with my latest achievement in some distraction that purports to be a game, you'll know where I am.

This afternoon we are intending to have a barbecue on our new oildrum barbecue, that's if the weather holds. The rain will come again but for now I'll just make hay.

Windmills of your mind

2011-05-14T13:42:00.003+01:00

Another funny couple of weeks.

John had another stroke but things are finally looking a bit more settled in terms of health related benefits. I apparently have no more battles awaiting me for which I am grateful

On the housing front, we came home from holiday to find the paperwork we had been waiting for all winter had arrived and although it meant yet another form to fill in (one that I have already done as well) the news looks quite good and according to the woman I spoke to on Wednesday, one of the new houses on the first phase isn't out of the question and if we are able to get one we may even be able to choose our own kitchen and other fittings - how fab.

The important issue is that these houses can be adapted - there is already the reinforcement in place to fit a lift, or a stair-lift and the tracking for hoists have been designed in. So hopefully even if another stroke happens we wouldn't have to move again. We really would like now to put down some roots.

Lachlan and I have just walked back from Homebase at Beacon Park and taken a twirl around the sad houses, empty and boarded up, on Woodhey Road. The demolition has barely started but in a year it could be our new home - wherever we are, we'll be together.

Party!

2011-04-28T14:01:00.004+01:00

I have just been asked by the plumber carrying out our gas safety check what I make of all this Royal Wedding lark. He wasn't mightily impressed. Those of you who know me know that I hold no favour for the Royal Family, but it does seem like a happy occasion and any happy occasion seems worth celebrating at the moment.

I would also like Lachlan not to see the cynical side of life at the moment; I remember with fondness enjoying royal weddings and the jubilee even though my dad was a republican. Lachlan can make his own mind up about things like this when he is older.

It's a shame I can't invite you all - I haven't heard of any street parties, so we are having our own family do tomorrow afternoon. I have spent the morning doing what I love most: occasion cookery. I started making mayonnaise from the Elizabeth David "Summer Cooking" recipe book and made a quick pavlova - it's the Kenwood all in one recipe: 4 egg whites to 9oz icing sugar. The pavlova is out and cooling and I'm poaching the chicken for the coronation chicken: the curry sauce with homemade mayonnaise is now chilling in the fridge and tastes yummy.

On the side in the kitchen is a simnel type cake in preparation - it will form a marchpane centrepiece. The fruit is just absorbing some tea and getting plumped up while I'm waiting for the Dove's farm gluten free plain flour to arrive.

Then I'll knock up some bread rolls and chocolate brownies although these won't be gluten free, and perhaps a qick rice salad.

Whatever you are doing tomorrow enjoy your day.

Moving

2011-04-26T07:21:00.003+01:00

We received some limited information, over the holidays, about the next steps in the neighbourhood regeneration programme.

They are inviting us to apply to the local housing register, which I did back in December just to find out how the new system was working, so at least I have reduced the forms left to fill in in my life by one.

We are finally getting out into the garden which we have ignored for the last two years due to weather, ill health and the crushing sense of defeat brought about by the fact that we are going to loose our home.

We should be grateful for our social housing, and we are, very, and it is not the loss of the the house that is the issue but the loss of our home and the disruption that this will inevitably mean.

The plans for the new estate, which can be found here, look lovely; I'm not hoodwinked into believing that this is not a land grab, however the houses all have dining kitchens - something we don't have at present, which will mean a lot to us. They are also future proofed with level thresholds, gardens, planning for adaptations etc; having three strokes now under our belts this seems like a necessity, a point I will be stressing in our face to face interviews.

Kind hearts and coronets

2011-04-25T07:25:00.002+01:00

It was strange to see the one person who can reduce me to tears with a single phrase on Saturday in the car park of Sainsbury's (Helston). It could have been any day and I would still have thought of the phrase but the fact that it was 23 April, ~~St George's Day,~~ ~~Shakespeare's birthday,~~ would-have-been-dad's-sixty-ninth-birthday struck me as whimsical and portentous.

I completed my shopping not able to get that phrase out of my head; not amusing when you are struggling to find the frozen food section for a last night of the holioday and no money left, don't tell Jamie kind of dinner. She just kept popping into my head toting a Benjamin Bunny Tam O'Shanter and a fitted white day dress and running in the smoke and the steam of the 9.15 to London and now Bernard Cribbins was trying to muscle in on the act too.

It's all very distracting when you can't keep actresses of a certain age and fictional station masters out of a small shopping trip.

By the time I left I had been convinced to buy a lottery ticket which I just never do, using a load of numbers which may once have been the numbers could possibly but perhaps not.

Thank-you, I think, Ms Agutter for the disturbed shopping and thoughts of my dad.

Happy Birthday, Dad

A foggy, foggy day

2011-04-07T07:38:00.003+01:00

No, not in London town, but most certainly in Plymouth.

We are off to our camp in the country tomorrow for two weeks of Lizard loveliness, courtesy of Kate and Phil at Franchis (pictured left).

A year has made a big change. John and I are slowly coming to terms and learning to cope with his health problems and the help we have had from the NHS has been superb. We are trying to work out ways that we can work together from home in the future so that we don't have to be relieant on out of work benefits. John cannot go out to work -well not without a supremely understanding employer and a number of adaptations and very close supervision - however we could, for the moment, work together from home. There has been no real clarification on the fact that John's condition is, I believe, progressive - however, there is at least some sort of record of his ability now and that will be able to be measured in the future. There is also a recognition that his own intellect and articulacy has masked the cognitive impacts of his strokes.

Being at home together is providing a kinder, less stressed environment and we are moving together to make things better because we love each other.

My two older children continue to defy the paucity of expectation that many of the professional held for them in their early life. Thanks Sister Dympna for your lack of aspiration for and complete misjudgement of my children - you have spurred them on to achieve at all costs. I take that back. Apparently, I am the inspiration.

I take this opportunity to wish all my friends a very happy Easter, whether or not you believe. This is the time for new beginnings and hope.

Good day

2011-01-12T16:09:00.003Z

Today I did something amazing. I did something, for me, so mind-blowing I can't quite take it in.

This just the smallest step but this evening I genuinely feel as though by the end of this year (perhaps sooner) I will be a driver. I can hardly believe I drove. I started the engine. I moved off from the kerb, waited for an oncoming bus and then pulled around the parked car and drove down the road. Okay, the lovely Rhona was telling me exactly what to do at every tiny stage of the way and my legs didn't really know what they were doing but I didn't panic, I didn't cry, I stayed calm and even (sshh) enjoyed it, something I could not have anticipated, even this morning.

I am still picturing myself making the car go in broadly the right direction with something of a sense of glee. Apparently this has made me very smiley today. This, as you all know, happens very rarely. Today, therefore, is a good day.

Epiphany

2011-01-07T07:47:00.003Z

This week has been a little like gifts from the magi, not, you understand, that anyone has delivered gold frankincense or myrrh, but in the surprise of a series of small silver linings.

In global terms, or even in normal terms, I have achieved nothing but for me I have been able to move forward on things that have felt impossible for a long time.

Next Wednesday I have my first ever driving lesson and today I am contacting a guy called Barrie in Saltash about a new allotment through landshare.

The kitchen is sorted, the washing, whilst not in any way under control, is atleast in some sort of attrition. I feel like I am winning small battles instead of constantly losing the war.

I am sure that once I get my hands back in the earth, the world will seem a better place. Those of you who know me, know that I am not at all new-agey: too buttoned up to be barefoot but there are fundamental things that I believe people should do for their own wellbeing, and growing things is one of them.

I am also trying to do a little writing to let out some of the torrent of feelings in a controlled way, so I'm afraid you may have to deal with more of my musings than you have been accustomed to.

Can do

2011-01-04T12:59:00.004Z

I am feeling very odd.

Today was the first day back at work and of course, I am not there. To say that this is, in many ways, a huge relief is a massive understatement. The relief is tinged with real fear about the future and I waiver wildly between feeling unusual optimism and the pit of despair. Ho hum. To give up a job, any job, seems foolish and melodramatic but to give up something that is making you sick to the bottom of your soul ....

Aside from all the mental turmoil, today I have achieved the following:

steam cleaned the kitchen

reported our broken boiler and am awaiting boiler repairman (no mean feat when you are not even inclined to let your own mother into the house of doom)

tidied the living room (almost took down tree but twelth night paranoia stopped me)

made lentil soup with Christmas ham stock

phoned Carers Champions

phoned Simply Counselling (a counselling service for stroke survivors and their families)

I thought I was on a fairly even keel with it all but when I was leaving Simply Counselling a message I got quite choked. I do feel robbed and bereft and angry, so very angry ...

I am now waiting for DWP to phone so I may do some baking - it's a bit like fags and buses - they are bound to phone when I am elbow deep in flour.

In other news, Adult Social Care have granted me a lovely amount of money in order to purchase some driving lessons, so hooray for them

Happy New Year

2011-01-03T08:48:00.002Z

For every season there is change, change, change.

To all my friends I have recently said goodbye to, until I started working for schools this was a significant part of my life and this seems like the right time to start again.

I have been low and unwell for most of the holidays but am now beginning to feel a little better. Some might say that this has all been a reaction to the lack of adrenaline (stress); let me assure you there has been no real lack of stress.

As some of my blog friends will know John has had another stroke (October 15th) and as we are still, only now, beginning to really pick apart the problems that his first two strokes have left him with; things are not easy in the house of Weevil

So time to get back to basics: time to write and read; time to grow and sow; time to love and be loved.

A very happy New Year to all of my friends, old and new.

Sold! Sold! Sold!

2008-03-31T12:36:00.006+01:00

All sold and another heap off to friends down under.

Happy Christmas Fairy

2008-03-05T07:53:00.003Z

Hooray - the artist's minigallery is up and running again!!

2008-02-28T10:45:00.010Z

Nudes to the left of me, nudes to the right ....

And all available for sale over here:

www.minigalleryworld.com/John_Morris

A good week ...

2008-02-21T17:01:00.004Z

... This week has been another good one with a little diference from the humdrum of every day goings on. Yesterday we went to beautiful, but atricously signposted, Bath. Arty Daughter had an interview at Bath Spa University for a place on their Fine Art course.

She is talented and clever and was offered a place on the basis of her portfolio alone.

For those of you who have missed him, the Painter has eventually managed to get a new Minigallery subscription sorted out and will soon have some new pieces available for sale.

He seems to be focussing on bare naked ladies at the moment so you are having my bottom inflicted on you in his honour.

Have broached chickens with neighbours who seem easygoing about it (and everything else) but we need to make the garden a bit more secure before we can go ahead.

... and I'm feeling good

2008-02-14T11:08:00.007Z

I know in my heart that global warming is A BAD THING but the last few days which have, happily, coincided with half-term and a much needed break from the now 9 part time jobs have been spent very happily in the garden. I'm not a fairweather gardener and am happy in wind and rain, which has been just as well over the last few months, but to be able to potter with only the slight resemblance to Mr Bibendum that my natural figure invokes and without the layers of fleeces, jumpers and ski jackets has been rather delightful.

My propensity for perennials means that the collection of sticks in the ground you can see will, one day, be rather more than twigs.

In other lovely news the Artist's minigallery will be up and running from 19 February - watch this space.

And finally heart felt Valentine congrats to my friends over here.

One fine day....

2008-01-26T17:11:00.001Z

A very happy New Year to anyone who remembers me. I am now even more busy in the job department which would be fine if the Local Authority would stop buggering about with my pay.

However it has its compensations as the Artist now has a new studio (or as we like to call it, the shed) and is busy being creative again - yay!!

Some of you may remember that we had a potentially large garden from the google earth picture somewhere below but it had a large patio, robbed out of its paviours. Thankfully, the shed now takes up much of this which means we can't really see the garden from the lounge but the plan is to be in it when it's dry enough anyway.

Since Christmas I have been taking advantage of any dry days to move things that I'd given temporary homes to after buying them and plantings 'bits and pieces' I've bought. Today I planted out some rhubarb, gooseberry bush (with words of warning from my mother about looking underneath it), redcurrant and blackcurrant, an apple and a pear tree.

The chicken thing is looking like a distinct possibility - my neighbours my need a bit buttering up first, although I thought 3 pullets wouldn't cause to much noise, what do you think?

She Weevil's Moveable Feasts

2007-09-19T10:43:00.001+01:00

Almost gone and entirely forgotten, if you would like to submit your favourite recipes for this little weblog, here, they would be most welcome.

There is already a glut of tantalising little treats there (well, perhaps glut is overstating it somewhat but it they are there nonetheless) and yours could join them. There is no prize and no reward other than the knowledge that you have been immortalised on tinternet.

Politics of envy

2007-09-18T15:58:00.000+01:00

I am a nice person. This is a truth universally acknowledged. So why am I sitting here smouldering? Google, and more especially googling, is bad for my health. Today I found someone who used to be my best friend and she has done very nicely for herself thankyou very much. All I can think is horrid thoughts about the "golden ones". You know the ones who happen to be standing next to you when the cosmic shit hits you full in the face.

I should, as a nice person, think "Oh! Jolly good for her" but the best I can muster is a muttered "Spoiled cow" and a teeny (it was really teeny) "lucky bitch".

Tomorrow I may have come to terms with it all but today I am just plain jealous and I hope she gets a huge boil on her pretty, upturned nose.

For Diana ...

2007-09-17T12:56:00.000+01:00

No, not that one. The nosey one from two posts down. *Waves* .

Things I should be doing today:

Minutes, minutes and more minutes. A couple of agendas. More minutes.

Things I am doing today:

Pondering on baby status over here and thinking about baby status over here. Thinking about lovely weekend on the Lizard and looking at new to us caravans on ebay. I am also thinking about how to get roughly £13,000 so I can get one of these.

And when matters of import such as those are not at the forfront of my thinking organ, I am pondering shed situation, permission and purchase.

It's all go in the house of Weevil, I can tell you.

Happy Christmas Fairy and the scottie dogs

2007-09-05T07:59:00.001+01:00

These wonders can be found here.

Back to school

2007-09-03T08:11:00.000+01:00

LTB and Surrealo Son (oh, and me) are all back to school this week. The summer holidays have been a fantastic break and we had really lovely weather down in our little caravan. Since we have been home we have finished the bathroom, started the garden in earnest and made five pounds of blackberry jam.

I have planted out two of the rescued roses along with some crocosmia, some lilies, a Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia, some catmint, and rather a lot of herbs. There are also various things that I planted from mixed packets of seeds that are yet to be identified - some look a bit like sunflowers and the dog keeps eating them (who knew?) and the other has glaucous foliage with a red vein - keep your smutty thoughts to yourselves - and may well be a brassica of some type. Whatever, it has provided an attractive addition to the border.

I was also lucky to have been given some lavender plants and honeysuckles and jasmines by my mum for my birthday along with another beautiful David Austin rose "Heritage". Thanks Mum.

The Happy Christmas Fairy and the back to school bags.

2007-08-29T16:40:00.000+01:00

I may have forgotten to mention for some time, that I have have two lovely sisters; one grumpy one and one Happy Christmas Fairy one. They are both variously talented individuals but in the absence of anything concrete from the grumpy one to show you, I would just like to point out that the Happy Christmas Fairy one makes beautiful personalised PE bags like this:

Or this:

She even makes grown up bags for grown ups like this:

Best of all, they are available here, so go and buy one this second!

The kindness of strangers ...

2007-06-08T14:52:00.000+01:00

While we were away at Easter people from other allotments started nicking bits and pieces from ours, supposing it to be abandoned (which in effect it was). My allotment neighbour came round and told Arty Daughter to get me to call him when we got home and I did. I was very upset as I was having to give up not only the allotment but also my lovely roses; presents from my mum and my dad before he died.

The news of the new house and the prospect of a garden seemed somewhat ironic; if only I'd known a couple of weeks ago, I might have been able to salvage them!

My delight this morning, to go downstairs to meet my allotment neighbours wife, with not even my hair brushed to be told that they had saved the roses and potted them up for me and I could go round and get them whenever we got a house.

The kindness of Tom and Mrs Tom is overwhelming. Those roses are really loved and I am so pleased that they will be coming home to our new house with us (on or about next Thursday).

Good-bye to all that

2007-05-28T09:35:00.000+01:00

Well we've only been here, in Urine Towers, for the past two years seven months and three days but if you all keep your fingers crossed really tightly we may indeed be on the move to Urban Decay Grove.

As you can see from the little picture on the right it has a pleasantly sized garden and the little crescent is tree-lined.

Of course not much has happened in the intervening three years. We arrived here in such traumatic circumstances and the trauma seemed to lurch from bad to worse. In spite of it all Surrealo Son and Arty Daughter are blooming in to wonderful young people and two year old genius is now four and knows everything there is to know about Harry Potter.

It won't miss anything at all about this dank little dive. I won't miss the humiliation of having things delivered and the delivery person snearing, or not being delivered and the delivery person and the company snearing.

We are not going to miss the "Slugs". They haven't featured much because what I took at first as a rum eccentricty actually turned out to be something a little more sinister. I thought it wise not to report on the majority of activities from below but one is a matter of public record. Save to say that this and other things have had a grave and detrimental effect on all of our lives and have made our little escape to the country an absolute necessity. I may be a little quiet over the next few weeks but this will be a good and busy quiet, not another post stroke hiatus. With love and hugs to all my blog friends near and far.

Headbangers ...

2007-05-21T21:08:00.000+01:00

No, I haven't gone over to the dark side, Ella is still my drug of choice on the musical front but I do seem to be surrounded by headbangers. In the jobs I mentioned below I have recently had to deal with a few individuals who need their heads banging together.

In addition to those who would benefit from a short, sharp block knock I have also encountered others that are inducing me to bang my own head hard against a brick wall in order to maintain the illusion of my own sanity.

In other news we may be moving from Urine Towers to Urban Decay Grove but it is semi-detached and has a garden (front and back); who cares about the crack den next door and the prostitute in the bus shelter?

In other other news I may have invented something brilliant but only if you are over 6 foot tall and own a caravan.

Red hot teddy peppers

2007-05-13T09:57:00.000+01:00

Well green to be precise but it didn't fit with the theme. Weather attrocious here today so bad that they have had to cancel the Ten Tors. For all the children taking part, I'm sure it's a major disappointment but for all the parents, and in light of this, I'm sure it's a great relief.

This little feller and all of his friends can be found here.

Out of touch ...

2007-05-12T19:21:00.000+01:00

It's official. I'm out of touch. It's now six and a bit (soon to be seven and a bit) pin money jobs and juggling the blog the allotment and work has just been a bit too much. I tried to keep up but waht with bees and bumps and spooky ear infection sickness (I had that too) and computers going bang and council workmen (we've had those too in bath collapse saga or should it have been 6 week epic?) I just haven't quite managed.

So a big hello to everyone and I'll try to make it once a week from now on.

The times they are a-changing...

2007-03-19T08:00:00.000Z

You, the more astute amongst you, will have noticed a distinct lack of posts. Tick VG.
There has been a bit of a shift around in Urine Towers and from one and a bit little "pin money" jobs. I now have a number of "clients" which I won't go into here and a new venture here.
Consequently, I have decided to give up the allotments as I just don't have the time.
If anyone has the need of seed potatoes, I have 30 (10 First Early and 20 Maincrop) that you would be welcome to for the cost of the postage.

In other news, downstairs neighbour has been sent away for some time ....

PS The Artist has just noted that the above sounds a little like I offer a very dubious variety of "personal services". If only life were that interesting.

... and one for the pot

2007-01-27T17:40:00.000Z

Following a request from said friend in the wilds of Wales I found this on an old RNIB website and also found a pattern in the charity shop downstairs. I also happened to find a pattern book for Robertson 'golly' Sweaters for all the family, comme ca:

Bargain! Also found a Rupert book on ebay this morning and a Raymond Briggs the Snowman one yesterday.

But enough dithering; here is the pattern from the RNIB website, courtesy of 'My Weekly':

Two for the Pot
Size and materials
A delightful, easy to knit tea-cosy which can be made in two sizes.
Materials required:
Patons Beehive Tumble Dry Double Knit, 1 x 50 gram ball in each of two contrasting colours; for 1-pint size, one pair each of 3 3/4 mm and 4 mm (Nos 9 and 8) knitting needles; for 2-pint size, one pair each of 4 mm and 4½ mm (Nos 8 and 7) knitting needles. Quantities of yarn are based on average requirements and therefore approximate.
Measurements:
Small tea-cosy to fit 1-pint tea-pot; large tea-cosy to fit 2-pint tea-pot.
Tension:
1-pint size, 26 stitches and 38 rows to 10 centimetres (4 inches) measured over garter-stitch using 4 mm needles; 2-pint size, 24 stitches and 36 rows to 10 centimetres (4 inches) measured over garter-stitch using 4½ mm needles.
Abbreviations:
k = knit; st(s) = stitch(es); tog = together; ml = make a stitch by picking up horizontal loop lying before next stitch and knitting into the back of it; M = main colour; C = contrast colour.
NB
The difference in size between the two tea-cosies is created by using different tensions, therefore take extra care to ensure that your tension is correct before starting. Pleats are formed by each colour being drawn across back of colour just used and keeping all strands at wrong side throughout.
Figures in brackets ( ) refer to the larger size; where only one figure is given, this refers to both sizes. Figures in square brackets [ ] refer to both sizes and are worked the number of times stated.
Method
With 3 3/4 (4) mm needles and M, cast on 56 sts and knit 4 rows.
Change to 4 (4 ½ ) mm needles, join in C and work in pattern as follows:
** 1st row: K1M, *6C, 6M; repeat from * to last 7 sts, 6C, 1M.
Repeat this row 5 times more.
7th row: K1C, *6M, 6C; repeat from * to last 7 sts; 6M, 1C.
Repeat this row 5 times more.
13th row: As first row.
Repeat last row 25 (29) times more.
Shape top
Next row: K1M, *K2togC, 2C, K2togC, K2togM, 2M, K2togM, repeat from * to last 7 sts, K2togC, 2C, K2togC, 1M.
2nd row: K1M, *4C, 4M; repeat from * to last 5 sts, 4C, 1M.
3rd row: K1M, *[K2togC] twice, [K2togM] twice; repeat from * to last 5 sts, [K2togC] twice, 1M.
4th row: K1M, *2C, 2M; repeat from * to last 3 sts, 2C, 1M.
5th row: K1M, *K2togC, K2togM; repeat from * to last 3 sts, K2togC, 1M.
6th row: *K1M, 1C; repeat from * to last st, 1M.**
Break off C.
7th row: with M, K1, *m1, knit twice into next st; repeat from * to last st, ml, K1 - 30 sts.
Leave these sts on a spare needle.
Make second half in the same way, but reversing colours from ** to **.
Top
With M, and wrong side facing, knit across both halves - 60 sts.
Knit 10 more rows.
Cast off.
To make up
Join sides, leaving openings for spout and handle.
Cut 4 x 30 cm (12 inch) lengths of yarn (two of each colour if you would like a two-tone cord). Make a twisted cord, knot ends and fray them to form tassels. Thread through top and tie in a bow.
(Reproduced with the kind permission of ‘My Weekly’).

A nice cup of tea ...

2007-01-26T08:33:00.000Z

.. goes to my neglected [blog] friend in the wilds of Wales. In fairness, she's not the only one I've neglected and I had resolved not to do the whole mea culpa thing again I've just been so busy and my juggling skills were never up to much in the first place.

So, sheepish waves to everyone. I'm out of the loop because when I don't write I feel guilty about lurking; I'll just draw a line and get on with it.

My small job has escalated and now seems to be breeding. The initial small job may well be in terminal condition though following a particularly nasty encounter at the weekend. However other associated small jobs seem lovely and cuddly at the mo.

Despite making several sales the artist has suffered what you might call a crisis of confidence - not helped by the uncertainty of the Urine Towers situation.

As for the allotment, apparently someone blithering idiot has cut down all our fruit bushes - I don't know, the artist went. It's just another of the things I haven't had time to cope with. On a brighter note I have 50 seed potatoes to chit: 20 Red Duke of York and 30 Desiree.

A Little Sheepish

2006-12-18T12:38:00.000Z

... Yes, Harry Potter in sheep's clothing is LTB making his first stage appearance. Hoping he brings some light into the darker days of the year.

Need to get my bloglegs back on; I'm feeling a little rusty. The holidays are here though so maybe some time to enjoy the leisure of writing.

Happy Christmas and welcome to the haggis....

2006-12-10T09:08:00.000Z

...hunting season here.

Many, many apologies to all my blog friends concerned that something even worse had befallen me. Generally speaking, I have been simply too busy.

In an attempt to summarise and allay any further fears:

I had a caravanning holiday;I am very busy in my current two jobs;

I have another two jobs; three if you count the Money Programme inspired foray into the world of Avon (oh and I'm now a parent governor again);

I have been to London with Surrealo Son on a course called Informed and Influential for "young people". He had a fantastic time, was interviewed by the local rag and I spent the day at the V&A;

There was another dogbite incident requiring hospital treatment and consequential putting down of old friend;

Subsequent interest from School;

Nativity and School Fayre and lots of meetings;

Not a stroke in sight.

Oh and a fight with an american woman over ebay but apart from that nothing much on.

To all my very good and faithful friends, sorry for worrying you: I'm a very lax and bad blogger.

1971 and all that: blast from the past 3

2006-10-12T08:54:00.000+01:00

Well I'm sure no-one will have any problems with identifying this show ( the clue is in the song) and there is lots more info here.

Thanks to her and him for the inspiration. When you've finished expelling wet Alsation, Ally, I think it may be your turn.

Tories attempt to Hijack blogosphere

2006-10-02T12:13:00.000+01:00

Having just been subjected to a tortuous piece on blogging on The Daily Politics Conference Special which seemed to involve talking to a lot of people who had heard of a weblog and one woman who had even "tried it once", oh and Iain Dale, naturally, I thought I would ponder the rise of the political blog in this country.

Then I thought that that would be equally tortuous and I would just say this. As a card carrying member of the Labour Party and possibly even a member of "renewed "New" Labour", or for that matter as a menber of any political party, I owuld prefer that they spent my money on proper policies and public meetings than more marketing shortcuts and guff.

Blogging is not a way to sell things or ideas to people, it's an invitation to a conversation. At least that's what I think. Anyone care to comment?

Say hi ....

2006-10-01T10:31:00.000+01:00

.... to Jemima.
According to the blurb on Adtrader she is 16 weeks old. She seems to have a bit of everything in her but certainly a large bit of siamese. What they neglected to mention was that she had been mistreated and was VERY timid. She has spent the entire preceeding 24 hours under our sofa but seems to be coming around a little now.

It's oh so quiet ...

2006-09-21T14:38:00.000+01:00

Bad blogger. Bad, bad blogger. Things at work have been, to say the least, a bit mental this week and the curtain finishing plan has not come to fruition. So If you happen to be in West Cornwall camping over the weekend and walk past a caravan and are able to see bare bums they might very well be ours, owing to curtain inadequacies.

I will try not to shock or offend.

As you may have guessed we will be off again for the weekend, escaping the delights of Urine Towers and communing with nature in God's country. I will probably bore you all into submission about it next week. By which time the whole work/mania dynamic should have settled down a bit.

Just to let you all know that I'm still here and that I'm thinking of you all but especially YOU just now.

END OF SEASON SALE NOW ON!!!!!!!!

2006-09-14T11:26:00.000+01:00

The Artist is having an end of season sale of all his remaining stock. If you don't see something you like don't forget commissions are available and would make fantastic Christmas presents!

Leaving on a jet plane....

2006-09-13T15:51:00.000+01:00

Parcel tracks

Date Time Location Tracking Event

13-09-2006 19:35 SYDNEY On route to delivery depot
11-09-2006 15:38 SYDNEY Arrived in destination country
09-09-2006 22:35 International Hub Despatched from hub
08-09-2006 04:25 International Hub Left origin country
07-09-2006 01:06 National Hub Sorted in hub
06-09-2006 18:46 Plymouth Depot On route to hub
06-09-2006 16:26 Plymouth Depot Export item accepted into network

Down to earth ... with a bump

2006-08-29T08:21:00.000+01:00

So after returning relaxed and lovely on Saturday and having a very pleasant evening catching up with Arty Daughter the dog sitter, Sunday brought us down to earth with a bump. Chav Central, situated somewher beneath the delightful flat we occupy in Urine Towers, was busy all day with young men consuming (actually relatively small) quantities of Stella Artois and feeling only its detrimental effects accompanied by shrieking young women. I can only surmise they were quaffing fruit based drinks a la "The Pub Landlord", probably Bacardi Breezer or something similar. These were having a similarly detrimental effect and very soon even more shrieking ensued and accusations and epithets were being bandied about with vigour. Bottles soon started to be dropped on the ground and we were quickly reminded why we had had such a good time in the middle of the countryside. I thought they had set in for the day but about 2 o'clock it went quiet again. Perhaps they had gone home for a nice Sunday dinner with their respective families I hear you ponder. Well that would be the conclusion any usual person might come to but apparently this wasn't the case; they went somewhere else and got (allegedly) stoned and had a few more Stellas and then decided to go for a Sunday afternoon drive.

So all this seems a very long way away.

But it's not too far away really as we are going down at the end of September. yay!!

We're back!!!

2006-08-27T14:50:00.000+01:00

0ur holiday could be described as bright with sunny intervals and intermittent showers and I will report in the fullness of time along with a couple more piccies but for your delight and edification I present Mullion Cove - ta da!

Caravanitis

2006-07-20T13:13:00.000+01:00

In my quest for all things "vanny" I stumbled across probably the most fantastic ebay listing I have ever read: ebay add. The sale has now closed so I'm not trying to flog you anything and I have nothing to do with this guy. Although if he had a blog I think I might have to pop in to see him every now and again.

You Gov

2006-07-18T12:49:00.000+01:00

Take part in surveys used in the national press and television news and get paid for your time. If you sign up through this link, I get paid too which will help me buy a Carver Cascade water heater for this:

Every woman, every man join the caravan ...

2006-07-15T16:16:00.000+01:00

... of love.

As I eluded in the post below, since I last posted we have become the proud and ever-so-slightly mad owners of a caravan.

A 1989 Ace Rallyman to be precise. After weeks of trawling used caravan adds I have now found the very van (well the very model anyway) and can therefore post lots of lovely pictures without actually having to go to ours. That little pleasure will have to wait until the slider in the post below reads 0.

I have, it is true to say become rather obsessive compulsive about it all as we have stayed in this van before two years ago and all our camping gear is actually already in it. The fact that I thought I would never see any of it again may go someway to explaining elation and excitement.

Any how I have 2 weeks in the middle of August booked and am fit to burst. I have never been on a holiday where I have had to pay a deposit before so at the tender age of 38 (on Monday anyway) a grown up holiday is something I am grasping with both hands and wrestling to the ground in that kind of matey play fighting rambunctiousness that teenage boys have about them.

In true ~~anorak~~"tin-tenters" tradition I will now give you the lowdown on our "outfit".
We have a 2.0 Renault Laguna estate which is of absolutely no use as I don't drive and the Artist is still a bit incapacitated in that respect. In fact we are a bit dubious as to whether it actually works at all. Not to worry we are going on the train.

Our 1989 Ace Rallyman is a 2/3 berth with either 2 single bunks or one extra large double.
It does look somewhat like the one in the picture though ours has the added convenience of having opening curtains!

In the picture above you can just see (on the right) a gas fire and (on the left) a built in three-way fridge and ice box. We also have a table which goes in between the two 'banquettes'.

To the rear of the van is an end kitchen and end/side toilet/shower/washroom.

For some reason blogger doesn't want to upload these pictures but we have a sink, a three borner gas hob and a grill, loads of storage, a shower, wash basin and porta-potti. We also have a large awning which attaches to the side of the caravan complete with large dining table and lots of chairs. This converts to extra bedroom space which is useful given the fact that Surrealo Son is now a bit of a long thing. He was 15 last week and is now about an inch taller than me. (6' 2"?)

As you can probably tell my excitement knows no bounds - wish me a happy one for Monday. I appear to have been given a caravan from an unlikely source.

Happy holidays

2006-07-12T08:28:00.000+01:00

So many things have been going on since I last posted and I haven't really got the time to do it just it now so I'll leave you with a tiny smidgeon of information above and keep you guessing until I have time to do the whole subject justice.

Who'd have thunk it?

2006-06-25T20:04:00.000+01:00

Thanks to Cheryl, who appears to be back to her normal (?) self, you can now stereotype me by drink.

You Are A Martini

You are the kind of drinker who appreciates a nice hard drink.
And for you, only quality alcohol. You don't waste your time on the cheap stuff.
Obviously, you're usually found with a martini in your hand. But sometimes you mix it up with a gin and tonic.
And you'd never, ever consider one of those flavored martinis. They're hardly a drink!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

As you can see, any of you worried that I might be dead this is not the case, I'm just a bit bogged down at work which finishes soon for the summer. Yee hah as they say in my nearest Martini bar.

Oliver's Adventures at LTB's house

2006-06-17T13:31:00.000+01:00

This week had to be the one where Lachlan had to look after the class "pet". Oliver came complete with a bag and a book of his adventures at all the other boys and girls houses (all written by other mummies). Just another thing to add to the ever increasing list of things to do. I should probably add that Oliver is a toy cat not a real pet at all.
I have just finished it and I must admit to being quietly pleased, so here for your delight and edification is the story. Are you sitting comfortably? Right, then we'll begin.

OLIVER’S ADVENTURE AT LACHLAN’S HOUSE

Oliver came to stay at my house for the weekend but he didn’t know that he would actually stay a week. On Sunday we went to Mount Edgcumbe. It is a long way away and we had to get a bus and a ferry. It wasn’t very sunny but we had a barbecue anyway and I played football. Oliver sat on the mat and watched. After lunch I didn’t feel very well. Mummy said I had a temperature and we would need to go home. So we got a ferry and a bus back home.
On Monday I still wasn’t very well, my skin was very itchy and I had a headache and I was very hot. Oliver helped mummy to look after me; he kept me company and made me feel better
On Tuesday I was feeling a bit better but still not well enough to come back to school and I did something very silly: I hit my old dog Jack, on the head. It made him very frightened and he bit me. My mouth was bleeding and I had to go to hospital. A nurse looked at my mouth and said the doctor would need to look at it. When the doctor came He got a special face doctor to look at my mouth. She told my mummy I would need to have an operation to mend my lip and that I would need very strong medicine in my arm to make me better. Oliver was very worried about me and he went home with my daddy to wait for me.
In the afternoon a special doctor put me to sleep and when I woke up it was night-time. I was only awake for a little while. Mummy was at the hospital with me and she had to sleep in the playroom! She was very tired.
The next day the mouth doctor came and looked at my lip and said he thought it would get better soon but I needed to have some more strong medicine in my arm. I stayed at the hospital until I had had all my medicine. When I finished having my strong medicine in my arm I was allowed to go home and I went with mummy and daddy on the bus.
On Thursday I went to see my doctor to make my skin better; Oliver stayed at home and did some colouring in. My skin is feeling much better now and mummy says I can come back to school on Monday.
Oliver told me I was very mean to smack my dog and I won’t ever do it again: operations aren’t very nice; I would rather play with Oliver instead.

Friday Picture

2006-06-16T07:43:00.000+01:00

Some pictures from the Painter's exhibition on the Barbican, Plymouth last year.

Courtesy of Surrealo Son

2006-06-16T07:40:00.000+01:00

I'm probably the last person to find this site but courtesy of Surrealo Son yesterday in a vain attempt to cheer me up he introduced me to this. I haven't tried out the other bits and pieces yet but will do today whilst trying to complete some irksome tasks I have to get out of the way.

LTB in dog bite drama

2006-06-15T10:36:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit distracted. At the moment the whole world feels like a very hostile and unkind place and I feel completely overwhelmed. I will be about but there is just so much ruminating going on in my head that there is no other room for words.

Little Jenny Wren

2006-06-13T09:30:00.000+01:00

This post was inspired by Doris over at Grans on Bran. Many Happy Returns, Doris.

Your anniversary date is one I share as on 9 June 1986 I left home aged 17 to join the Women's Royal Naval Service as a trainee Wren Radar. The girls I shared a mess (bedroom) with were Sue Thomas, Elaine ____ from Sunderland, Claire Norsworthy from Cardiff and Lesley ______ who's dad had been in the Navy with mine.

I could say that I joined for all the usual reasons given for joining the armed forces but in truth I joined to escape a situation that over the previous six years had eroded my confidence and broken me into tiny fragments of myself. The shards were so shattered that it has taken me the intervening twenty years to try and reassemble them and they are still not all in the right order and some may still be missing in action.

At 17 I found myself close to emotional meltdown and considered a career in the Wrens as a safer option than the complete boundarylessness of the next few years spent at University. In fact it was anything other than safe and in effect just pulverised the shards into smaller fragments than they would otherwise have been.

My memories are therefore bittersweet. I do not blame the Navy; my expectations were flawed. The people I met were not all angels and their motives were sometimes very suspect but on the whole they were good people. I was the ubiquitous square peg and however hard I tried I just didn't fit.

I have felt like that for a lot of my adult life apart from here; I actually feel like I do fit in. What that says about the rest of you, though, I couldn't begin to imagine.

New thingamajig

2006-06-12T13:07:00.000+01:00

I'm trying something new while I wrestle with something old. I have a Sheweevil forum which I am trying out: FORUM.

Friday Picture

2006-06-09T11:15:00.000+01:00

This one is off down under soon to a lovely patron of the arts and I must admit to it being a favourite. It also currenlty adorns our livingroom wall and so as with any of the Painter's pictures it will, no literally, leave a gap.

In other news the bits and pieces have arrived from cafe press and are so fabulous that the bag I bought for Happy Christmas Fairy is going nowhere fast. Sorry and all that but I just love it too much to part with it. One word of caution though; if any of you decide to buy something and your order exceeds £18 you will be liable to pay UK duty.

I will get you one, Happy, you jst can't have this one and Huffy you just need to tell me which design you like.

Sorry the rest of you, just chat amongst yourselves, it's the only way we three weird sisters communicate with each other. I exaggerate but only slightly. If I can get the battery charger to work I will post a piccie of the true loveliness of the stuff later including perhaps one of the Painter sporting a very attractive strawberry tee-shirt.

In more other news my lovely allotment neighbour Tom has managed to get me a water butt all I have to do is is dig a hole to sit it in so that the kids who live nearby and collect gardening implements to sell at car boots don't kick it over.

That's tomorrow sorted out then: a hole to dig. Strange, that; I'm more used to digging myself out of them than in.

Moses supposes ...

2006-06-08T14:25:00.000+01:00

To make up for my lack of posting I thought I would send you all flowers. Well, a flower at any rate. This is the William Morris posted about previously, and as you can see it now is flowering.

It's really appreciating being in a bright and sunny position as opposed to where it was before. It got the best of the sunlight in my old garden but still not really enough to keep it happy.

It was a bit of a shame to dead head it really but the bloom is beginning to fade with intensity of the sunshine and hopefully it will just encourage it to flower some more.

Hugs to all.

Of cabbages and kings ...

2006-06-04T09:06:00.000+01:00

So we spent the day yesterday laying the rest of the weed fabric my lovely mum got me for my birthday (which isn't until July but the garden wouldn't wait that long) including some of the paths. I also managed to plant out 10 Sweetcorn plants, a variety called Lark and 15 each of Red Cabbage (Inferno), Brussel Sprouts (Diablo), Cauliflower (Skywalker) and Savoy Cabbage (Famosa). I have planted cornflowers in amongst the sweetcorn and hope that they will help the ground stay freer of weeds and provide some additional support and help in pollinating the corn.

I actually only managed to fit 52 of the brassica plants in the bed I'd put aside for them and have had to dot the spare around in various places to make sure they don't go to waste. I'm planting morre intensively than recommeneded as I only have a half plot veg and a second half plot for fruit. My allotment neighbour, Tom (80 next year) says he doesn't think they are even halves and I should get it remeasured but to be honest I've got about as much as I can cope with at the moment I shall just have to try and give them extra food until I can manure all the beds in the winter. I think I'm going to get them some pelleted chicken manure (called Cluck!)

It was very hot there yesterday and Friday and, according to another allotment neighbour, it was up to 90 degrees on his shed; I did feel somewhat like the witch in the Wizard of Oz: "I'm melting" but survived and the whole place, although not looking massively attractive with the addition of the plastic matting does, at least, look and feel a tad more manageable.

In other news, it's back to work on Monday, so no more halcyon days indulging my shepherdess fantasy.

*Wanders off singing "high on a hill lived a lonely goatherd ...."*

Friday picture

2006-06-02T08:30:00.000+01:00

Sadly this is another one that has gone to the place where unwanted paintings (underneath other paintings) go. I love it and had I seen it before it was overpainted would have shouted "Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo" in slow motion. I love it. It helps that green is my favourite coulour. There is an underlying sense of corruption which I adore.

As ever it is by my lovely husband and talent on legs John Morris. We are excitedly awaiting delivery of two tote bags, a t-shirt and packet of greetings cards from here.

The sun has got his hat on ...

2006-06-02T08:02:00.000+01:00

Yestreday, after the funeral, I went up to the allotment to do a bit more preparation. I wore the black cotton top that I had worn to the funeral as it's stretchy and comfortable to work in but it has no sleeves. This means it's quite cool, I also had on a pair of baggy dark grey linen trouser and felt comfortable despite the sunshine.
I didn't think "stick on a hat, something long sleeved or at the very least some suncream" and consequently today I am paying the price. If someone could find a method of converting the heat coming from my arms into something useful we could heat a greenhouse or three, quite probably.
Ally asked about the cheese and it is still being quite cheesy. I heated 2 pints of milk to blood temperature and added Vegeren to the amount stated on the bottle (10 drops per pint) and waited for it to set. Once it was thoroughly cooled I strained the curds from the whey using a linen napkin (as I had no muslin to hand) and then later I put a knife through the curds added some salt and pressed the curds into a mold (a 3 inch plat pot that I had) lined with some curtain netting that I had. At this stage it tasted a little like mozarella and was the same kind of consistency but after being pressed over night it now smells cheesy. I have been looking at the recipes here and am hoping that my little bit of cheese will turn into something resembling a brie*.
It may be horrid; I don't know but I have been wanting to try this for quite a while and I am, so far, very pleased with the results. Just the rudimentary equipment I have to hand has meant I have something that resembles cheese. It may be that in a couple of weeks I have something unpleasant that I don't want to touch we'll have to see. I'll keep you posted.
*Note to self: In future do not enter term "brie" into google images unless you want something you hadn't bargained for. Try Camembert instead.

Gardeners delight...

2006-05-31T14:19:00.000+01:00

... or mine anyway. As promised I am back, having made 4lbs of lemon curd and some homemade cheese. I'm nothing if not industrious, me.
I have spent most of the last few days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) at the allotment. Actually that's not strictly true. We did go on Sunday with LTB in tow but had to abort our visit due to boy/rake issues. Our visit was long enough to discover that some form of arthropod has attacked the tiny sprouts of our Golden Ball onion sets. I discovered also that we have lots of lovely strawberries coming through too.
Yesterday Surrealo Son and I went up and he sheared down the grass and dandelions around the fruit bushes so that I can lay the weed suppressant fabric round and about. I turned over another bed (the one that I had done on Monday) in readiness for our 60 brassica plants that are due any day now, hoed around the strawbs and earthed up our new potatoes, Adora. They're about 5 or 6 inches tall now. They went in a week earlier than the Catriona which are just breaking through.
This morning 10 sweetcorn plants arrived; they will have to wait until Friday now as I have to go to a funeral tomorrow and won't have time. They join the globe artichokes in the things to do list, although I have potted them up and they are sitting on the kitchen windowsill. Did I tell you that already? Am I loosing my mind?
The most exciting thing of all is the tiny pea sized apricots or nectarines on my unidentified fruit trees which even have tiny green bum clefts. There are also a plethora of red/white and black currants although the strimmed goosberry bush seems not to have survived.
Last but not least, I have to report that my Maigold rose is flowering its little heart out and my William Morris is just about to follow suit.
So as they say, somewhere, everything in the garden is lovely.

New and lovely

2006-05-31T10:59:00.000+01:00

A repository for my recipes can be found here: http://sheweevilsmoveablefeasts.blogspot.com/.

I will be posting about the allotment a little later.

Help save Fordhall Farm ...

2006-05-27T17:34:00.000+01:00

taken from the Warmwell.com website and found via the INEBG forum

"a community driven venture which is helping to reconnect people with the land and food, whilst promoting the full 'pasture to plate' cycle."
The Fordhall Initiative was established with the aim of saving Fordhall Farm in Shropshire from being broken up, sold off and lost forever. The story is an inspiring one - (particularly after the sad story of High Yewdale -new window).The family remain adamant that the decades of research and compassionate management at Fordhall should not be lost to development. The family has until July 1st 2006 to raise the £800,000 required to purchase the land and save it from development. They have raised over £65,000 to date. The idea is to take Fordhall Farm out of private ownership and to put it into community ownership forever. Fordhall will be owned by the public and opened as an educational and social resource promoting sustainable farming and healthy living. It will remain a proper working farm with farm shop. Their website shows how you can buy shares and help to support this brave venture. As the website says,
"This structure is the first of its kind in the UK; it represents a passion and commitment to a way of life that needs to be encouraged if future generations are to enjoy living in harmony with nature."The venture is applauded and supported by, among others, Patrick Holden, Prince Charles, Zac Goldsmith - and by warmwell. And some warmwell readers, we hope, will want to buy shares or write a letter of support.

Mmmmm ...

2006-05-26T11:12:00.000+01:00

The letter meme is brought to you today by the letter 'M' and the number 37 and is here courtesy of Stegbeetle via Cheryl via Annie.

I have to now think of 10 things about me that begin with the letter M. I won't be specifically tagging anyone but if you want to do this yourself just leave a comment.

Motherhood - back in the days of yore when I was still at secondary school and wanting to be this careerwoman (forensic scientist/journalist with a life a little like Kay Scarpetta I should imagine) thoughts of being a mother were quite alien to me. I had a hard time believing that I would be married until I was at least 40 and the idea of having children at that age or out of wedlock seemed an impossibility in my left wing but conservative (for this read old-fashioned mind) mind. I will freely admit that just three years later, in a very dark place, I used motherhood as an escape, a buffer to the trials of life. Don't get me wrong, once the decision was made and the deed done it was an instant love affair with my children. I was completely overwhelmed by my own love for them and astounded when this overwheening need to be with them and ensure they grew up into fine young adults was not shared by their father. He has not seen them for 14 1/2 years apparently because he has to pay too much maintenance to be able to come 400 miles. I know that I would walk (to coin a phrase) 500 hundred miles to be with them. Sorry if you are reading this but tell me this is not true.

Marriage - In 1993, back living with my mum and dad with two little children. I thought I would be on my own forever. I was very lonely and very sad but I knew I never wanted to be married like that ever again. I didn't see how it could be any different. 3 years later I met the Painter. Within a very short time I realised that (durr!) not all men were the same. He is the love of my life; the other half to my whole. Most days he makes me feel like it's not only okay to be me but it's essential. I love him for loving me in all my shapes and sizes and am so glad that the children have had a father they could really learn values from.

Morgan - It is, although I don't and have never driven, the car of my dreams. One day we will tour around France in one, staying at little B&Bs with me wearing a headscarf and the Painter a rakish grin. It won't be in the colourways of the one above but will be in cream with tan leather interior. I'll probably wear white a lot and pretend I am a floaty and gamine type of girl instead of the sturdy (and possibly even sturdier) girl I am now. We might even have a red setter in the back (oh, well there is no back and it might be a bit of a squeeze if he sits in the middle - forget the dog).

Muse - Until I started blogging I had been unable to write for about 8 years. I still find the poetry, which came so easily once, difficult to write. It was as if, at the end of my degree in 1997 the poetry became a childish thing to be put aside; that decision having been subconsciously made in my head, I find it very hard to go back to it. It is a struggle. I have no space in my head or my heart for me or my writing. I try to keep blogging. It is a little space in the world that is just me.

Memories - I am a sentimental and nostalgic old fool and find myself away in my past often. My memories are not all good, even of my childhood but there was a halcyon time before 1977 when my life seemed just about perfect. Things happened after that which brought the world and the intrusions of others crashing into my psyche and they have altered my entire life and cast their shadows far and wide.

Mum -
as I have said before, she often goes unmentioned as she is a very private person. She has been a rock through my adult life and if she should find herself now on sandy foundations then it is time for me to be a rock. (September 1987)

Mullion - A happy place in my life. A very austere beauty built on serpentine rocks.

Mangold wurzels - these root vegetables grown as cattle fodder were what we used to carve for halloween. Children in this country did make jack-a-lanterns but not from pumpkins as they do now but from turnips (swedes to you English types). We made ours from mangold wurzels. They were like very large parsnips but much more gnarled with lots of thick sinewy rootlets coming from the main taproot. They took ages to scoop out (and kept us, no doubt, nice and quiet for ages). Once we had carved faces in them and put string through for the handle we dripped red wax on them to make them look even more sinister. Then we took them with Karin, Mum, Diane, Christopher and huffy and the happy Christmas fairy (sometimes with Jason Bryant) to Easter Beach* for a sausage sizzle.
* If you go here and click the big pink button look for Mawnan Smith then recentre on Bream Cove at max zoom it can be found mid way between Bream Cove and Gatamala Cove.

Margaret - my middle name. The eighties were not a good time to have the name Margaret if you liked Billy Bragg. It made me feel guilty by association. Until that time and now I loved it and even considered going by Peggy or Meg. I feel proud that it is one of my names as it is for my paternal grandmother Margaret Morrison, a very lovely lady.

Mercy - a scarce commodity these days. We find ourselves in a world increasingly intollerant of difference and the ability to extend mercy and kindness to others seems to be becoming lost. I am remindedthat from time to time I need to extend this to myself.

Friday picture

2006-05-26T08:27:00.000+01:00

As Cheryl (the mad, baggagey one over here) remarked once, the scale of these paintings is difficult to glean from the computer screen. The Painter's paintings are often large chimney breast fillers and this one is no exception and would grace any wall apart from the fact it is currently languishing in a roll having had a mishap involving falling off its hook and its stretcher bars breaking. It's all quite sad.

It can probably be restretched but some of the canvas has torn too so it will have to be cut down; at least we have the image here.

I was going to post the picture of the iris which the Painter painted from one of mine in honour of the Chelsea Flower Show which seems to have them in abundance this year. If you are thinking of some for your garden they really are fabulous and I must recommend Claire Austin's catalogue. She has such a variety of fantastic irises in all shapes sizes and colours; lovely blousy back of the border cottage garden perennials. She has a great selection of other perennials too and the quality is excellent.

Hopefully the rain will stop at some stage over the weekend otherwise I will be laying phormisol in the rain. This week has been a bit hectic with work commitments taking over and lots of unfortunate and sad events that have meant more stress and headaches and a screaming fit mid week.

The Painter stood and took me venting my spleen (eugh) like the man that he his. An unhappy train of coincidences that were beyond everyone's control have meant a very unsettled and unsettling week for the Sheweevil. It's half-term now and hopefully I can use that as some sort of full stop. I have decisions to make.

On a different tack or perhaps as an adjunct to the above I need feedback on the Cafepress stuff. I think small independent retailers might like the designs, what do you think. I also thought about doing craft fair kind of things with them. We have some samples on order and once we have seen the quality of production will be able to think about this in more detail. I have no real sales ability and singularly failed to sell myself when I had my own business a few years ago but I don't find it hard to be enthusiastic about the Painter's stuff (sorry gentle reader you bear the brunt I'm afraid) and so perhaps it's a way to go?

Broad Bean and Bacon Loveliness ...

2006-05-23T14:40:00.000+01:00

or Soup to us mere mortals.

Here is the recipe (my own) referred to in the post below.

About 2 lbs of shelled broad beans
large onion
clove of garlic
lardons or streaky bacon cut into small pieces
2 potatoes scrubbed well or peeled
2-3 litres of stock
olive oil
basil
salt and pepper to taste

Sweat bacon, onions and garlic in olive oil until bacon is golden brown and onions are translucent. Add broad beans, potatoes chopped roughly and stock. Bring to boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add a handful of chopped/torn basil leaves and allow to infuse for five minutes. Blend in a liqidizer and reheat if necessary. Serve with crusty homemade bread.

Technorati tags: soup, recipe

It's not easy being green

2006-05-23T08:55:00.000+01:00

You may or may not have seen the programme "It's not easy being green" on BBC 2 recently. The post below (the one about the Strawbridge Smiley) is a tribute of sorts. Essentially, the programme is about living a more sustainable life. It helps that the family have moved to Cornwall (God's country) and the village of Tywardreath in South Eastish Cornwall, within spitting distance of the Eden Project.

many will have seen Dick Strawbridge and that moustache before on Channel 4's Scrapheap Challenge (various series) and I suppose it was the appeal of this ex-Army officer turning eco-warrior that appealed to me.

The series is sadly now over (another is in production). Sadly the BBC has no plans at the moment to release it on DVD. A little consumer pressure is needed, I'll be bound. But the Strawbridge family do have a website here. There's lots of information on there including courses to attend and a very new and active forum. Lots of great recipes ( including my curried parsnip and a new broad bean and bacon one never previously published), tips, advice and support.

The series veered away from preaching greeness and that is one of its winning ingredients; most of the advice is given and received in the same vein.

Go and pay them all a visit - they are a friendly bunch and like Sheweevils appear not to bite very often.

Technorati tag: green, life

Nicked

2006-05-20T10:20:00.000+01:00

from Stegbeetle, who says, and I quote
"from Wulfweard. I warn you now, there are meant to be 100 questions but for some obscure and unexplained reason there are no questions 9, 26, 63, 70 and 87. "

1. NAME ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
I have a scar just below the outside edge of my right eyebrow. It's tiny, looks a little like a minute moon crater and is the kind of thing only an infant child or a lover would notice. Chickenpox on my fifth birthday. The party was cancelled.
2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS OF YOUR ROOM?
Four Muchas and a Morris.
3. WHAT DOES YOUR MOBILE PHONE LOOK LIKE?
Don't have one
4. WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Jazz mostly swing bebop, motown & northern soul, folk happy clappy stuff and gritty industrial stuff and gaelic mouth muisic.
5. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT DESKTOP PICTURE?
Yellow tulips on blue sky came with XP
6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
A place of our own away from our neighbours
7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
Being near my family; mostly my dad
8. WHAT TIME WERE YOU BORN?
05:40 hours
10. WHAT ENDED YOUR LAST RELATIONSHIP?
An officer of the law.
11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
No I love the dark.
12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
Cheryl.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOGNE/PERFUME?
Chanel No 5
14. WHAT TYPE OF HAIR/EYE COLOUR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Dark hair, dark eyes but that's an electra thing. Honestly the wrapper is relatively unimportant it's what's on the inside that counts.
15. DO YOU LIKE PAINKILLERS?
Try not to take them unless you mean the metaphorical kind in which case I like some a little too much and have done for a very long time.
16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINKS?
Coffee.
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING?
pepperoni
18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Bacon and egg bap
19. WHO IS THE LAST PERSON YOU MADE MAD?
One of the children
20. DO YOU SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE?
A bit of french, bad german and can say how are you, would you like a coffee and good night in gaelic
21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GIFT THAT SOMEONE EVER GAVE YOU?
Fido
22. DO YOU LIKE SOMEONE?
I am madly in love with John Morris
23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
No - a lot of the time I'm barely single jointed
24. FAVOURITE CLOTHING BRAND?
ditto steg
25. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR?
I don't drive but a Morgan not sure about the leg room though
27. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MARRIAGE?
I've done it twice; once was very, very bad and the other, for the most part, is very very good.
28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING?
probably
29. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TELL SOMEONE HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO YOU?
By letting them be themselves
30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
17
31. BLONDES OF BRUNETTES?
Brunettes.
32. WHAT IS THE ONE NUMBER YOU CALL MOST OFTEN?
my mum
3. WHAT ANNOYS YOU THE MOST?
Rudeness and ignorance.
34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF ENGLAND?
Scotland obviously, Canada and Ireland. Never been to Wales
35. YOUR WEAKNESS?
Expecting the rest of the world to be considerate.
36. WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU RECEIVED?
A garden fork.
37. FIRST JOB?
Marks & Spencers christmas assistant.
38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
No.
39. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED OUT THIS FORM?
Family treeing
40. IF YOU COULD GET PLASTIC SURGERY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Breast reduction
41. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN IN LOVE?
Probably 3 times
42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT THE MOST?
I don't know
43. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF ALCOHOL BECAME ILLEGAL?
Breathe a sigh of relief. Not really; prohibition is a famously crap idea and I shouldn't impose my problems on the rest of the world.
44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
Weed supressant fabric (which I now have thanks mum) world peace.
45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT?
Could probably go on having babies forever but only want 3 children.
46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My middle name is after my grandmother Margaret.
47. DO YOU WISH ON STARS?
No but I do think my dad is sitting on a cloud somewhere, possibly over the rainbow.
48. WHICH OF YOUR FINGERS IS YOUR FAVOURITE?
my wedding ring finger which is slightly bent.
49. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?
yesterday for Cheryl and George
50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
yes mostly but the 'puter makes it increasingly difficult to do
51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE VEGETABLE?
yuk to all the green ones once cooked. Potato, parsnip turnip.
52. ANY BAD HABITS?
I think most of them are covered above except nosiness
53. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING CD ON THE SHELF?
Don't have too many and they are all carefully selected, so none.
54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
yes. I'm a loyal friend and a kind goodhearted person when I'm not being a sarcastic cow.
55. HAVE YOU EVER TOLD A SECRET YOU SWORE NOT TO TELL?
Yes, I'm ashamed to say.
56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
My looks matter to me but not others looks.
57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE YOUR ANGER?
Explosively
58. WHERE IS YOUR SECOND HOME?
Second homes should be subject to Council tax at double the rate not a discount.
59. DO YOU TRUST OTHERS EASILY?
Yes. Until they give me reason not to.
60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD?
I wanted a train set but never got one
61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
None
62. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
almost never
64. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MOSH PIT?
Is that a large fruit stone
65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
wit
66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICK NAMES?
Self-coined sheweevil; no others, no-one would dare.
67. WHAT IS THE MOST PAIN YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED?
Tooth ache from an abscess
68. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I let the butler do it
69. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU SPILLED?
Milk. I didn't cry
71. WHATS THE LAST FURRY THING YOU TOUCHED?
Molly. You can only stroke her for a bit until she bites the hand that sometimes feeds her .
72. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COLOURS?
Green
73. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BANDS/SINGERS?
Ella Fitzgerald
74. HOW MANY WISDOM TEETH DO YOU HAVE?
None; see number 67.
75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Only if they want to
76. WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Lachlantheboy talking to his dad
77. LAST THING YOU ATE?
Fruit salad. Yummy yummy
78. THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Isobel
79. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Arms and facial hair
80. FAVOURITE THOUGHT PROVOKING SONG?
Flower of Scotland
81. FAVOURITE THING TO HATE?
where to start? the list is full of petty peeves
82. FAVOURITE DRINK?
Gin and Tonic.
83. FAVOURITE ZODIAC SIGN?
Cancer.
84. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPORT?
Rugby Union
85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOUR?
Red with greying temples.
86. EYE COLOUR?
Green!
88. SIBLINGS?
Two sisters: huffy and the happy christmas fairy. Hello *waves*
89. FAVOURITE MONTH?
July.
90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
I don't know but I don't think so. It's a textural thing: I don't like smoked salmon either.
91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED?
The House of Tiny Tearaways.
92. FAVOURITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
Christmas Day
93. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
Probably. I have done in the past but it's always gone tits up.
94. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Autumn
95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Do I have to choose?
96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE-NIGHT STANDS?
Relationships.
97. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
probably someone egotistical like me.
98. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
I can't possibly imagine
99. BIGGEST FEAR?
Leaving my children too young.
100. IS ANYONE IN LOVE WITH YOU?
I believe so.

RGU Blogging research

2006-05-19T12:44:00.000+01:00

I took part (as I'm sure did many others) in a research project on British bloggers earlier this year or perhaps at the tail end of last year. I received a follow up email today and post it below for anyone who is interested.

Dear blogger

you'll no doubt recall filling in a questionnaire for a research project on blogging at The Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Your participation was much appreciated. Several of you said that you would like to be informed of the results, so I'm writing to let you know that Sarah Pedersen is giving a conference paper in Bulgaria in June. The focus is on the technical aspects of online communication, hence the slant of the paper. A summary appears on the conference website, http://elpub.scix.net/cgi-bin/works/Show?_id=213_elpub2006 . There's also a link from Sarah's webpage, http://www.rgu.ac.uk/abs/staff/page.cfm?pge=10843 . In due course, the full paper will be available online.

We're also preparing to submit a paper to a journal, and have another one sketched out. Depending on where they are published, these should also eventually be available online.

Best regards

Caroline Macafee

The Strawbridge

2006-05-19T08:25:00.000+01:00

As many of you will have guessed, the Painter is the one with all the artistic flair in our relationship. I like to think of myself as more of an ideas man. Here is my first rudimentary stab at producing a Strawbridge Smiley. I did google smileys and how to create them but the language they use is in a geostationary orbit somewhere above my head. So if YOU know how to turn :{ into that over there but with a much bigger moustache then HELP!

Friday picture

2006-05-19T07:27:00.000+01:00

The Painter did this for me last year: I made him do it one day when he wasn't feeling very inspired after Stroke No. 1. I bought the tulips and said "There, paint those"; this probably isn't a very conducive method of inspiration but I love the result. He doesn't, wasn't happy with the photo he took and so it isn't on Minigallery and is actually languishing in his portfolio.

Yesterday I coined a phrase "blog village". I have spoken about the idea before; of online virtual communities offering something of the support that real communities once (sometimes) did.

I visited a forum that I hadn't been to in a while ( a very friendly one) and it turns out that practically none of us now visit the one where we all met, a large food based forum. I stopped visiting it after there was a lot of unpleasantness there. I also joined a forum yesterday. It's very new and I suppose the personalities are still bedding in but some of the opinions were expressed in a particularly strong way that wasn't really necessary for the level of the discussion. I will have to wait and watch.

To everyone everywhere I send a Strawbridge Smiley :{ and say have a happy Friday. Share your views don't impose them.

Tired and emotional

2006-05-14T16:50:00.000+01:00

I am quite recovered from the escapades of Friday or "LachlantheBoy and the flu remedies" as it will now forever be known. He is entirely all right, at least he's as all right as he was before he took them.

Despite the fact that I'm still full of whatever it is I'm full of, I had to go to the allotment today because a) my onion sets were sitting here still festering in their packet and untouched since they arrived in February and b) Thompson and Morgan will soon be delivering the array of veg plants that I ordered so that I wouldn't be able to say "I'll leave it until next year" and risk losing our plot. You may think I have already lost the plot but no gentle reader, that hasn't happened quite yet.

So Surrealo Son came to the gardenwith me while the Painter did some shopping. He only came to help me carry the tools and asking him to do some shearing of the common paths was apparently rather too strenuous and he left soon after.

We had cleared the bed for the onions last weekend before LTB's asthma came back with avengeance; I didn't feel like I could leave Arty Daughter and Surrealo Son with the responsibility of looking after him with a serious attack imminent so today was the first day we were really able to get back down there.

I turned the whole bed over again and gleaned yet more couch grass and dandelion roots and then riddled the bed and removed the hitherto undiscovered part of the Fosse Way that is my allotment. In true Roman tradition I am removing some of the stone to cover the pathways, even giving them a nice cambre in order to allow the rain (what rain?) to run off.

Our mystery fruit trees seem to be a nectarine, apricot or possibly plum not cherries as I thought last year and there are five of them all with fruit set so it's quite exciting.

The onion sets went in this afternoon, unfortunately some of the red ones had gone for a burton because I hadn't taken them out of the jiffy bag but there are too many other things in life to worry about so I'm just going to shrug and say an internal "so what" and not give myself a hard time about them. There are also strawberries, some potatoes through and red and white currants developing nicely.

My climbing rose Maigold seems to have recovered from its two moves in one year and is about to flower and Climbing Sweet Dreams is still thriving despite the fact it was an Asda bargain basement in a cracked pot when Dad bought it for me.

We also replaced the Wolf Tools multichange handle and rake which had been nicked. I was going to wait as Tom, the old guy on the allotment next door, gave me an old rake of his which was very kind but being handleless makes my hoes unusable and so I splashed out.

Two beds up and running the fruit patch is also going to be home to globe artichokes and sweetcorn, possibl the tomatoes too but for the rest of it some weed supressant fabric is the order of the day. I wonder if my lovely mum will mind giving it as a birthday present?

Enjoy your gardening.

One branch at a time ...

2006-05-10T13:13:00.000+01:00

I'm spending a fair amount of time up my family tree at the moment and have "found" four distant cousins so far.

Thankfully I have had a little more luck than Keith Richards in the tree department; perhaps he sould stick to his family tree too.

My surname list and sundry other lovelies are here:

Lots of names connected with me mostly

My resistance is low ...

2006-05-10T08:34:00.000+01:00

I have been quiet for a few days. This is due in large part to tree pollen and the profusion of it about this year. I don't even get hayfever, unfortunately it is the thing which aggravates Lachlantheboy's asthma and I hadn't had a night's sleep since Friday. On Monday everything took a turn for the worse and we had to make a dash to the doctor's. They were fantastic. I phoned them at just before 11 and they said "we can fit you in at 11:10" so we went over to the surgery and everyone was extremely kind and helpful. Now I have stopped worrying to the same extent about LTB I seem to have succombed (my spelling brain has deserted me too so if you do happen to notice something that makes me look particularly ignorant, please ignore and in no circumstances bring it to my attention) to whatever hit me earlier in the year.

In addition to that I seem also to have reinfected by the Indie Virus. So unfortunatley I may have to spread it about a bit, in order to make a full recovery you understand. If I do happen to sneeze in your direction don't worry just think of it as some kind of extended meet and greet. The Indie Virus will do no harm whatsoever to your drive, hard or other wise and the Indie Virus is only mitgated by spreading it about.

Chocolate and Avocado Mousse ...

2006-05-05T17:42:00.000+01:00

a la Sadie Frost.
I didn't see the whole programme; just caught the end when I was waiting for the Apprentice and to be honest I tried this because I believed it wouldn't work. I was wrong, it does and is super delish.
(This is not their recipe just my interpretation of what I saw)

1 200g bar of dark chocolate(see previous post on chocolate cake for American equivalent)
2 large ripe avocadoes
the juice and zest of 1-2 flavourful oranges.

Melt the chocolate gently until runny. Halve and peel the avocadoes, roughly chop and place in a liquidizer (or food processor) with the juice and zest of the orange. Blend on high speed and add the chocolate. Blend again until completely smooth. Place in the refridgerator and allow to set.
These ingredients make about 3/4 of a pint.

Friday picture

2006-05-05T08:15:00.000+01:00

Something of a departure this morning. When these lovely Fruit Pastels were created two years ago, they were done as greeting card designs. Although the Painter looked into it, all the upheaval during the last two years meant that we never really got around to doing anything with them(apart from putting the originals on minigallery). I can now announce our own range of merchandise, printed on demand by Cafepress.com.

"CafePress.com is an online marketplace that offers sellers complete e-commerce services to independently create and sell a wide variety of products, and offers buyers unique merchandise across virtually every topic. Launched in 1999, CafePress.com has empowered individuals, organizations and businesses to create, buy and sell customized merchandise online using the company's unique print-on-demand and e-commerce services. "

John Morris Art merchandise can be found at the link above or through the text link at the side and there are a variety of items available from greetings cards to aprons and of course the ubiquitous t-shirt.

Things go from strength to strength at Minigallery and we'd like to say a big hello to the person who joined up following a clickthrough on here! Hello! Now to go and do some more work: I'm up to update the other websites.

Google search terms

2006-05-04T08:41:00.000+01:00

My new oddest google search term is ""Julie T Wallace" breasts". I'd rather have my own thanks but to whoever you are Hi *WAVES*. This picture was borrowed from the Mum's the Word tour website, here.

My original post, which helpfully also explains the origin of my blog persona can be found, here. Unfortunately due to the demise of my old blog and my need to just cut and paste it all back up you'll have to scan down that page to a post called "The origins of the She Weevil".

Private Lives

2006-05-02T12:44:00.000+01:00

Following Ally's post over the weekend about demoralisation and the merits of spoiling her ballot, I joined the Labour Party.
This is not an act of endorsement but one of protest.
I have tried to join before on a number of occasions but the lamentable administration at Party HQ meant I never got the direct debit mandate through in the post. I am a member of the TGWU and have been a lifelong labour supporter so after trying unsuccessfully and then frankly just not getting round to it, I have let the whole thought of activism slip and let real, not ideal, life be my main concern.
Enough is, frankly, enough though. Many pundits have shied away from the Prescott story, citing the fact that it is a "private affair". If the allegations are to be believed, though, the notion of turning his officicial residence at Admiralty House into some sort of knocking shop is a matter for public debate. Perhaps he thinks he is honouring his political forebears in some odd sort of way or perhaps he has just forgotten the old chestnut that "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely".
In my opinion his alleged behaviour shows scant regard for the morals he purports to uphold. He has breached the trust of not only his wife and family but of his constituents and his party too. He has abused his mandate in a way he found unacceptable in others:
"They are up to their necks in sleaze. The best slogan he could think up for their conference next week is Life's better under the Tories. Sounds to me like one of Steven Norris's chat up lines. Can you believe that this lot is in charge? Not for long, eh? Then after 17 years of this Tory government, they have the audacity to talk about morality. Did you hear John Major on the Today programme? - calling for ethics to come back into the political debate? I'm told some Tory MPs think ethics is a county near Middlesex. It's a bit hard to take: John Major - ethics man. The Tories have redefined unemployment they have redefined poverty. Now they want to redefine morality. For too many Tories, morality means not getting caught.Morality is measured in more than just money. It's about right and wrong. We are a party of principle. We will earn the trust of the British people. We've had enough lies. Enough sleaze".
I thank Iain Dale for the quote from John Prescott's 1996 speech to conference.
We have had enough lies; enough sleaze. The Labour Party means too much to me to let this all go unchecked. Enough.

So here's to you Mrs Davison ...

2006-05-02T10:38:00.000+01:00

Inspired by Stegbeetle at Solid Gone

Emily Davison (1872 - 1913) (taken from BBC History: Historic Figures series)

Emily Davison, the militant suffragette and martyr to the cause of the political advancement of women, had a favourite quotation: 'Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.' In 1909, she wrote these words on slips of paper, tied them to rocks and threw them at the carriage of the chancellor of the exchequer, David Lloyd George, as it drove by.

She was sentenced to a month's hard labour in Strangeways jail as a result, but to Emily, imprisonment was only one of a series of setbacks she considered worth suffering to advance the cause of women's suffrage.

As a young woman, the Women's Social and Political Union, founded by Emmeline Pankhurst, had caught the attention of Davison. In 1909, she gave up her job as teacher and went to work full-time for the suffragette movement. She was frequently arrested for acts ranging from causing a public disturbance to burning post boxes.

In prison she went on hunger strikes, a tactic favoured by many of the suffragettes, as a hunger strike meant release from jail. The Cat and Mouse Act of 1913 addressed this: a female hunger striker would be released from prison long enough to regain her health, and then, once strong, she was put back inside to finish her sentence.

It was in the late spring of 1909 that Emily was caught throwing stones at Lloyd George. During her month in prison she attempted to starve herself, and resisted force-feeding. A prison guard, angered by Davison's blockading herself in her cell, forced a hose into the room and nearly filled it with water. Davison, it's claimed, seemed content to be martyred this way. Eventually, however, the door was broken down, and she was freed. She subsequently sued the wardens of Strangeways, and was awarded 40 shillings.

By 1911, her illegal actions increased. She began to believe that the suffragette cause needed an actual martyr to bring it the publicity it needed.

Her final act was to run out onto the racetrack at the Epsom Derby, and grab the reigns of the king's horse running that day. In so doing, she was trampled on, and died a few days later. The public disregarded the act as that of a crazed woman.

Despite the public's indifference, Emmeline Pankhurst, in her autobiography, wrote what she felt Davison's death meant to the suffragette movement: 'Emily Davison clung to her conviction that one great tragedy, the deliberate throwing into the breach of a human life, would put an end to the intolerable torture of women.'

A suffragette being force-fed

Chocolate Waldorf Squares

2006-04-28T13:31:00.000+01:00

As promised to various cakeaters (delightful ones, I hasten to add) yesterday, I rootled around in my boxes somewhat earlier than anticipated and the recipe was where I thought and I am therefore able to reproduce it in glorious technicolor for your digestive delight.

The recipe was taken from an Essentials Magazine from circa 1991 as part of their Creative Cook Series and is by Rowena King

Makes 24
Cals per portion 310
Keeps for upto 5 days (yeah, right)

For the Cake

Oil for greasing
4 oz/125g of butter
5 oz/150g plain chocolate broken into pieces
1 lb/450g of caster sugar
8 floz/225ml of cold water
1tsp of vanilla essence
8 oz/225g of plain flour
2 oz/50g of self raising flour
2 oz/50g of cocoa powder
8 oz/225g of mayonnaise

For the Glaze

4 oz/125g of plain chocolate broken into pieces
1 1/2 oz/40g of butter
24 walnut halves dusted with icing sugar (so eighties)

Preheat the oven to Mark 3/325°F/170°C
Brush shallow 11"x7" (28x18cm) cake tin with oil and line with greasproof paper.

Place the butter, chocolate, caster sugar and water in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the chocalate is melted - do not boil. Stir in the vanilla essence.
Sift the flours and the cocoa powder in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Ad the mayonnaise and a litle of the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the rest of the chocolate mixture.

Pour into the prepared tin then bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour until risen and firm to the touch.

Cool in the tin and lift out and peel away the lining paper.

For the glaze, put the butter and chocolate in a small pan with 1 tbsp of cold water then heat gently, stirring until smoth - do not boil. Spread the glaze over the cake and then chill for 5 minutes. Mark [and cut] into 24 squares and top each square with a halved walnut. Store in an airtight tin.

Bon appetit!

Friday Picture

2006-04-28T08:24:00.000+01:00

Stella! Stella! A touch of the deep South brought to you this morning from the, err, deepish South. This weeks Friday Picture is called Bayou No 2 and can be found over at Minigallery. It's a little different from the Painter's usual stuff and is currently residing in the living room of Urine Towers above the funky Heuga patchwork we like to call carpet.

As we speak the weather is not quite so sultry in Plymouth but it is what one might call a delightful spring morning.

Oh, and another thing ....

2006-04-25T14:27:00.000+01:00

I now have Heuga Carpet Tile Stalkers - hi to everyone at interfaceinc.com in the Netherlands.
*Waves*

Lachlantheboy

2006-04-25T13:36:00.000+01:00

Six years ago, when my dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in an advanced stage and was told it was inoperable I had something of a breakdown. It wasn't all connected with my dad, indeed it involved many strands of my life not least among them was the fact that at twenty-two almost twenty three my first husband left me seven and a half months pregnant with planned child number two (Surrealo Son). It turns out, although it wasn't revealed at the time, that he was having an affair with a work colleague and although he told me he was leaving because I was fat ugly and useless, the real reason was that he was actually in love with someone else.

I was left with two children who were brought up by me, my parents and later by me and the Painter but also with the conviction that I shouldn't have anymore children; this is a drastic decision to take at any age but especially at 23.

I spent the next few years at college and then afterwards supressing all kinds of feelings about children. The Painter was very ambivalent about them and just kept telling myself I didn't want them. Six cats should have told me that there was certainly something missing but I couldn't see it for myself.

When dad was diagnosed the world came crashing in on me and I realised that I wanted a baby as much as I had ever wanted anything and I wanted my dad to hold it before he died. The issue would be the Painter or so I thought. Becoming pregnant with my two older children had been easy and I thought it would be the same.

I became pregnant in about seven months (I realise this must seem easy to some) and was delighted. At eight and a half weeks I lost this pregnancy. I put it down to one of those things and got on with life. It took another seven months for me to get pregnant again again I was delighted and hopeful and sick and tired: I lost this one at six weeks. I think I would have been okay if my doctor had been different but he basically instructed me to go on the pill and to forget about having a baby for a while. I didn't want to do this for several reasons, my dad was still alive and I desperately wanted a home birth which I'd been supposed to have with Surrealo Son but had been denied by the circumstances. The doctor told me I was stupid for even considering a home birth anyway.

The treatment I got from the doctor led to a real deep depression, paranoia and agoraphobic type tendencies. I was a mess and things felt like they couldn't get any worse when Arty Daughter was hit by a car one evening after school. When I saw the windscreen of the car I was convinced she must be dead but she was lying in the back of the ambulance telling the paramedic how uncomfortable the bed was and generally being very hyper. The paramedic said it was just shock and a good sign in the circumstances.

I went into all the Xrays and scans with her and although she had a tiny fracture to her elbow and another suspect thing somewhere behind her ear she got better quickly.

I was a different kettle of fish - a bit of a basket case by now, I even found myself asleep on the floor one day - not long after I discovered I was pregnant again and had probably been when I was exposed to the Xray and scans. I dared not even cough or sneeze and was convinced every day that I was going to loose the baby again. I explained to the midwife, after a little while, my experience with the doctor and what I wanted and she was fantastic, organising everything with no recourse to the doctor.

There wasn't a single day in that pregnancy that I didn't expect it to end but it was lovely to look forward, too, with dad to the new baby coming.

Dad died on 14 December 2002, about five weeks before Lachlantheboy made a delayed appearance. I never got my homebirth, the delay meant they wanted me to be induced and I think with all the emotional strain of losing my dad and the continuing uncertainty I had about ever having a baby, I just wanted to hold him.

I don't know why I wrote this really. Just to tell someone I care about that I know how it feels to have hope and then for those hopes to be dashed.

I hope with all my heart that you get a happy ending like the one in the picture above.

Friday Picture

2006-04-21T13:48:00.000+01:00

Well this is the little darling that was supposed to go up last Friday before it got bloggered. It was done two years ago but for some reason has never made it to the Painter's Minigallery site, for no reason other than it was simply forgotten. It somewhat unimaginatively called Tomato and is one of the Painter's Fruit Pastels collection. Some torn basil leaves, slices of mozzarella and little balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing and it's summer on a plate.
Not much time today, busy getting more carpet burns on my knees.
I'll leave you with that thought.

RING RING RING RING RING RING RING BANANA PHONE

2006-04-19T16:51:00.000+01:00

I don't know what it is about my two boys about from some shared genes which gives them anything in common but for the last two weeks Surrealo Son has been training Lachlantheboy to sing bananaphone when the phone rings. He did this inanticpation of his and Arty Daughter's trip to my mum's and the Pavlovian response he tried to instill did not really work. This morning though, it was enough for Lachlantheboy to utter the phrase banana phone to set Surrealo Son off down the other end of the phone. This in turn made Lachlantheboy chuckle. He has the muckiest laugh in christendom and other places besides.

For your delight and edification here is the offending Harry Potter version (sorry the embedded video didn't work):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-680578622662029761&q=bananaphone

HSUMA

2006-04-19T13:40:00.000+01:00

I've been indisposed, sort of. I've been online but mainly climbing up and down my family tree which has me slightly obsessed at the moment. Hi Joanne and Lorraine if you stop by.
I was supposed to write up a visit we paid to Tanners restaurant and to update all you lovely people on the allotment and everything and there was the Friday picture I missed. Actually I did do it but the electricity went off just as I was about to post and when everything came back on I had been bluggered.
A very brief round up will therefore ensue, that way I might be able to get past this bloggage.

Allotment - not as bad as I thought; Parks dep have been stars and have strimmed and mulched with bark chippings the second plot we took over at the end of August just before stroke #2. One bench, a garden fork and a pair of garden shears MIA but apart from that all present and correct.
Tanners - fantastic lunch with excellent bottle of McGuigan Brothers 2003 Shiraz - super fantastic and belated anniversary present.
On the way back from allotment we arrived to find delivery man delivering 250 assorted Heuga carpet tiles that I bought as a job lot on eBay. We now have a very mental patchwork floor. It beats the brown tiles that we had put up with for 18 months.

I suppose I have been busy but my head feels funny again - stuffed up. So I apologise to anyone who has contacted me and been somewhat concerned (Ally, KW)

Brrr!! Blog chill

2006-04-06T15:28:00.000+01:00

There's something virulent on its way around the blog world and I got my dose from Bad Aunt over at present simple. Cheers Bad Aunt. Apparently, according to

pearsonified, the indie virus is the virus you want to catch, although there is no known cure and the only way to alleviate your symptoms is to pass it on.

I'm not sure but I think Ally may want to avoid the indie virus if she moves to the country, on account of her fantasy chickens. No, I know she has never really expressed any desire for fantasy chickens, I just have an inkling. But it may be that it helps in the cultivation of her new homemade yoghurt. In any case if she does succumb, I'm sure she'll self medicate with a drop of the amber liquid.

Well, perhaps not and speaking of wells which I wasn't if the indie virus was accidentally to find its way over to Kitchen Witch she'd likely come up with some sort of powder or potion to combat it.

Finally I'm sure the indie virus wouldn't dare make its way to Kings Lynn because Stegbeetle is far to busy to be bothered with it.

tagged: the indie virus

More Baggage baggage

2006-04-06T08:32:00.000+01:00

The Rules:
1. You can only say YES or NO!
2. You are NOT ALLOWED to explain ANYTHING unless someone messages you and asks!

Taken a picture naked? : Yes
Made out with a member of the same sex? : No
Danced in front of your mirror? : Yes
Told a lie? : Yes
Gotten in a car with people you just met?: Yes
Been in a fist fight? : Yes
Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back? : Yes
Been arrested? : No
Left your house without telling your parents? : No
Ditched school to do something more fun? : Yes
Slept in a bed with a member of the same sex? : Yes
Seen someone die? : Yes
Kissed a picture? : Yes
Slept in until 3? : No
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by? : Yes
Played dress up? : Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school? : No
Felt an earthquake? : Yes
Touched a snake? : No
Ran a red light? : No
Had detention? : yes
Been in a car accident? : Yes
Pole danced? : No
Been lost? : No
Sang karaoke? : No
Done something you told yourself you wouldn't? : Yes
Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose? : Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue? : Yes
Kissed in the rain? : Yes
Sang in the shower? : Yes
Got your tongue stuck to a pole? : No
Ever gone anywhere partially naked? : Yes
Sat on a roof top? : Yes
Played chicken? : No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on? : No
Been told you're hot by a complete stranger? : Yes
Broken a bone? : Yes
Mooned/flashed someone? : No
Forgotten someone's name? : Yes
Slept naked? : Yes
Blacked out from drinking? : Yes
Played a prank on someone? : Yes
Felt like killing someone? : Yes
Made a parent cry? : Yes
Cried over someone? : Yes
Had sex more than 5 times in one day? : Yes
Had/Have a dog? : Yes
Been in a band? : No
Drank 25 sodas in a day? : No
Shot a gun? : Yes

Care of Cheryl with a very minor amendment. I'm a bit busy at the mo but will be back soon.

Farewell my lovely ...

2006-04-06T08:26:00.000+01:00

More fantastic news and dwindling stock! I am so proud: Arty Daughter's image will now adorn someone else's wall courtesy of Mr Morris.

Friday Picture

2006-03-31T12:34:00.000+01:00

Just to remind myself that spring is on the way despite the fact that the lurgy is back. I'm cold and shivery and feeling decidely miserable and disinclined to humour.

This lovely picture is by the very talented artist and lovely husband, John Morris. The iris was grown by the very talented and lovely wife, me.

Different Strokes

2006-03-29T10:51:00.000+01:00

Today is something of a milestone; after talking about and dancing around the subject for a couple of weeks the Painter is finally back at work. He has sold another painting and it is the start (well, almost) of a new financial year.

It is difficult to imagine all of this, remembering him so lifeless in the hospital back in September, contemplating the recouperation he had already made and the one still to come.

In those dark days it was friends here and family that sustained me. Help was also found in the uplifting stories of young stroke survivors on the Different Strokes website.

I have contacted Laura and include her story below with her permission.

My thanks go to her for her permission to reproduce her story, and especially to the wonderful team at Mount Gould Stroke Rehabilitation Unit in Plymouth who have helped this day happen.

Laura Wood

After reading through other survivors' stories on Different Strokes, I truly just realised that I am not the only one! I suffered my stroke in the August of 2005, a few months after my seventeenth birthday. Ever since it feels like what should be the happiest year of my life - in my last year of school before uni - has been a nightmare. It is reassuring to see that others have been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. So here's mine, as I distinctly remember it:

I felt completely fine on the day, I've never been to hospital in my life and was fit and healthy and had no reason for concern! As one of those energetic sorts while I was in the living room that afternoon I, as I usually do, flipped over and rolled off the side of the sofa onto the cushions. I lay there for a moment, watching a bit of BBC, and then when I stood up I felt a sudden agonising ache down the right hand side of my body. I stood there for a while, slightly swaying; off balance and uncoordinated. My frame of mind suddenly and completely switched, it was as if it had separated into two - one half was telling me I was fine and that it was just a weird occurrence, the other urging me to 'just go to sleep'.

In a kind of trance I haphazardly threw myself into my room and onto the bed. The other side of my mind came into gear again telling me 'Laura that's weird, you usually put on the radio' but my other side overpowered it, 'no no just go to sleep'. Obeying the latter command would have been a whole lot easier had the left hand side of my head not being pounding, and the right hand side of my body excruciatingly aching and numb. Instead I opted to read. It was a book I had previously read so finding that I couldn't make sense of the words or even hold the book in both hands alerted me that something more than definitely was wrong!

The other side of my mind kicked in and reiterated its point that I should just endeavour the pain and sleep. I managed to uncomfortably sleep for around 45 minutes before I was called for tea. When I awoke I had quite forgotten the other 'weird' occurrences, and when I stood up I struggled to gain balance and felt completely dazed and severely lacked coordination - however, I put it down to merely getting up too fast! This 'weirdness' continued when I found I could not grasp the door handle or coordinate my right-hand side at all. 'That's weird' I thought. I somehow drunkenly went to the kitchen where I sat, and shook my head - still feeling dazed and trying to rid myself of the feeling. I reached out for my glass with my operating left hand and took a gulp, only to find it spilled out the right hand side of my mouth. My mum turned round at this point and laughed "Laura what are you doing?!" as she chucked me a tea towel, "nothing" I thought as I dabbed my face. But as I dabbed I laughed, somewhat uncontrollably, thinking 'god that's weird'. I continued in my plight to actually have a drink and took another gulp from my glass, only to find the same dribbling to happen again. At this my mum looked a little confused "are you okay? what have you been doing up stairs?", yet again I dabbed my face, but as I was doing so I started feeling stupid and started laughing nervously again, not quite understanding what was going on. Mum asked again what I was doing upstairs, and I had my reply clear in my head, my mind after all was completely focused - 'I was asleep' - but I just couldn't seem to coordinate anything out of my mind, like my speech. My laughing ceased as I began to realise that I could not speak. I started to cry, but I felt stupid doing so as I didn't understand why I couldn't speak, so I was still laughing. Mum asked what was wrong and I stopped my laughing immediately, instantly realising that this was no laughing matter!

Although I was completely clear headed, I felt as if I was completely mentally disabled. I couldn't coordinate my right-side limbs; I couldn't speak; I couldn't communicate, I couldn't remember any short term thoughts; I couldn't do anything. It was the most terrifying feeling knowing that my fully functioning body, which I had always taken for granted, was for no obvious reason breaking down and ceasing to function.

My parents took me to A&E in Elgin where I was seen to straight away. It all seemed very surreal as I lay there thinking - "what? A stroke?! That's what old people have!" I recall crying myself to sleep that night, not just because of my excruciatingly thumping headache, or because I'd not be able to go out that weekend, but because I knew from then that things were going to be different.

I refused to believe that my body was weak and from the following day onwards I convinced myself I was fine, when really all I wanted to do inside was curl up and cry. I was transferred hospitals and was carted from test, to test, to test, until consultants at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary eventually confirmed that I had indeed suffered a childhood stroke, and that it was because of a newly discovered hole in my heart, which I have had from birth. It was this hole that let a clot that was passing through my heart at the time to pop through and into the opposite atrium, which sent it to the brain. Apparently the chance of this ever happening is so tiny that I'd probably have had a far better chance of winning the lottery!

During my weeks in hospital I had convinced myself so deeply that I was fine. I didn't want to be 'The Ill One' that stays in bed while everyone else is back at school, or out having fun. I felt vulnerable and lonely, I just wanted to go back to normal - how things were before. I was in severe denial and locked up my true emotions in favour of a false 'fine, fit and healthy' persona.

Each day felt like one long slog. I tried to laugh along with everyone's jokes and pretend nothing happened but it was killing me on the inside. What made matters worse was that I had no one to speak to - my friends never even knew what a stroke was, never mind how to converse about one! This went on for months, each week I just told myself 'no no I'm fine, get on with it, there's people in the world worse off than you are' and ended up pushing myself too far and taking on more than I could handle (not that I'd have ever admitted that!). I was plagued with headaches, migraines and an insatiable tiredness, yet I was persistent in wanting to be respected for being brave rather than pitied for being ill. It eventually got to the stage where I was too proud of my self-belief to let my guard down and complain about my problems. But the reverse occurred and the tension, the pressure, the pain, and the months of wanting someone to talk to got the better of me, leading to stress and a lot of tears!

It has now been nearly 8 months since my stroke and everyday I am still filled with the fear of 'what if I have another stroke?', or if I have a slightly funny turn I will suddenly think 'oh no its happening again!' I have fears of it ever happening again, which is desperately unfair for a young seventeen year old to worry about, but I am obviously not your normal teenager anymore! Which is not a bad thing.

I am very fortunate to have been treated within three hours, otherwise I could - like many have - been left half paralysed or unable to speak or communicate. I had physio during my time in hospital for my right arm, and my use of speech improved naturally day by day. My short term memory came right back up to speed within a few weeks, and apart from those minor implications, only my isolation and migraine have proved problematic to me in the aftermath.

After seeing the cases of other survivors I now realise that I am not the only one, and I can get through this. I only wish Different Strokes was brought to my attention at the beginning. I have learned so much from only being involved a matter of weeks. I am now aware of how I tried to ignore the 'invisible side of stroke', and I can now make changes to help towards taking my life beyond being a stroke survivor. I am currently set to undergo another heart operation in a few weeks to fully close the hole in my heart. I underwent a procedure in December but this led to various complications, hopefully this time it will not only see to closing the hole but to the closing off a part of my life that I want to draw an end to. In September I am going to Edinburgh University to study Business where I intend to restart and look back on this past year on an experience that has made me stronger, despite taking me to my weakest.

I may have had a more fortunate recovery than others but I know now that it did not make mine a one to just forget about and neglect. I may have put my problems down to be uncomparable to other medical marvels of the world, but I do not recommend doing it! Embrace your problems and take advantage of those who are there to listen and help. Every recovery is different, every victim is different, every stroke is different - but all survivors are the same, in self belief and strength.

Thank You.

Buggerluggs

2006-03-28T10:10:00.000+01:00

Searching for free knitting patterns on Saturday I came across lots of lovely things none of which happen to include the picture on the left. I'm not sure wheter the ears are real or are stuck-on felt ones and maybe this is a chimpanzee handler's helmet. The V and A have a fabtastic knitting collection including some groovy original 1940s patterns all available to download. So if you want to get in the groove head over there and have a look.

Mark Warren ...

2006-03-28T10:00:00.000+01:00

... where are you? Go on google yourself, I dare you, and find this post and let me know what you are up to.

I never thought that I would be

2006-03-27T18:56:00.000+01:00

No, not "fighting fascists in a Southern Sea" but making friends in cyberspace.

I started this blog in May 2004 over on aol hometown. Over there (and in real life) I was Billy no mates and thought that I would be the tree falling in the wilderness of blogdom when I started on blogger. I found blogexplosion and some other kind sympatico people found me.

I have never met any of these lovely people (although I have some nice invites now: KW, Ally). I check in with them every day even when I'm in that particular headspace that prevents me even from saying "Hi", worry about them, think about them and feel involved with them in the same way I would if I lived next door. This would, of course, be a virtual next door as many of us want to live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by vegetables (it's sounding more and more like Plymouth, this utopia) and sundry domesticated animals.

I thought having the little genius would help to reconnect me with the world through the medium of mother and toddler groups etc. I have discovered that these seem largely to be a thing of the past now as many new mothers go straight back to work - I'm sure there is probably a scoial sciences PhD in there somewhere - but oddly, given my fascination with the interweb - I have found myself connected again, to people from all over the world, that I would never otherwise have met.

Cheryl - Charles - Erin - Mary - Vickie - Annie/Cat - Steggy - Graeme - Last Year's Man (well I already knew this one) - Susan

The worst of times ... the best of times

2006-03-27T15:34:00.000+01:00

PLEASE NOTE THIS POST CONTAINS NUDITY - IF YOU ARE OFFENDED PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE TO READ

From a standing start, from our little genius' birth which coincided rather nicely with the Painter's 40th birthday, the Painter has been plying his trade as a professional artist. He has had to endure terrible pangs of uncertainty, scepticism from some quarters and, as some of you know, two major strokes and the consequent rehabilitation.

In the middle of all this we have been evicted and rehoused in a notably unsalubrious hovel, fondly known as Urine Towers.

The last year have seen the Painter go from struggling to sell one or two paintings to selling 10 of his lovely paintings. At the moment we are planning for the forthcoming year, setting targets and generally dreaming about the way things might be in the year to come. For those of you who might have missed the Painter's work I showcase all his sales below and sincerely thank all of his clients: your belief and patronage have made things that seemed like a pipedream begin to become a reality.

Rosa Jacqueline Du Pre

2006-03-24T14:06:00.000Z

Petals like thirty pieces of silver;
stamens the colour of
crushed feelings
and leaves gloss green,
reflecting the sunlight
like monster eyes in that garden.

It took the place of the apple tree.
Its fruit:
scarlet hips
full of syrup sweet goodness
and cruel white fluff
tipped with barbs to make you choke.

Friday Picture

2006-03-24T07:45:00.000Z

Pouting "Arty Daughter" - more work from the Painter at www.johnmorrisart.com or at minigallery.

Nutter on the bus

2006-03-23T08:41:00.000Z

Yesterday I had my interview for teeny job number two and was wondering about the oddness of people and questioning my expectations of people when, standing at the bus stop, I was accosted by "the nutter on the bus". I was quite alarmed. The man came and stood inside my personal space leaned into within about four inches of my face and began telling me jokes. The corners of his mouth, his fingers and his hair were all stained with nicotine and his breath reaked of the cigarette smoke that swathed his head like his own personal smog.

I was waiting for the jokes to turn dirty - he had a dirty old man mac on and his fag free hand jammed deep into his pocket. He called me darling at the end of every sentence. He obviously thought I was hgetting on the bus for Torpoint because he kept making jokes about Cornish people.

The bus came along and that would be the end of that, I thought. I sat on the outside of the seat but he asked me if I minded him sitting next to me. I was still waiting for the tone of the conversation to change or for him to grab my leg but he didn't he kept telling the most awful corny jokes. About five minutes into the journey he thanked me for talking to him.

It was a turning point. His jokes were still awful but their bombardment slowed and we started to have a real conversation, about the stuff going on outside the window, the weather: all very British. Then he told me his wife had died. His darling Stella. He was obviously very sad and lonely. He asked me my name and told me he was Ted.

He got off at the stop before me and thanked me again for talking to him and then despite myself, I thanked him back. When did I stop being the Good Samaritan and become the person who crossed the road?

Friday Picture

2006-03-17T09:56:00.000Z

Well a collection of Friday pictures actually, taken shortly before SN2, in situ in the Art Garden Cafe on the Barbican, Plymouth, home of the Mayflower Steps, birthplace of modern America.

If you are American and thinking of coming to see the steps, you may well be surprised to find them lapped by rather foetid brine and polystyrene chip boxes. Don't worry this is just a British thing. We have so much history which take it foregranted.

Anyway, thank your luck stars you've been saved the dubious pleasure of the sight of my bare naked bottom again.

The Painter's paintings can be found at John Morris Art and at Mingallery.

Brain Constipation

2006-03-17T09:25:00.000Z

I have been a bit quiet this week. I have just coined this new phrase in honour of the stuckness I have been experiencing. Work has been a pig; a constant stream of anticipation and failure both making me feel like I'm underperforming and letting people down, rather than it being the fault of the real culprits.

So, knowing that this job is really doomed to failure, I have applied for and been shortlisetd for another in the same place, ostensibly working for different people but really subject to the same kind of stresses and strains.

The idea behind me toeing the water of the world of work was to try and rebuild my CV which, after two breakdowns, is not easy. One post was supposedly very titchy, supposedly only 75 hours a year - I had already done two thirds of it by Christmas and only started mid November. The second job was, is, an attempt to get something a bit more marketable on my CV. I'm not kidding myself, the work will be no more or less challenging than anything else I have done since I graduated, but the job title is "better"; has better prospects, I suppose. In the world of the Admin Assistant, the Project Co-ordinator is king.

According to Cheryl, my feelings of doom and gloom are inevitable at the moment because of a giant cosmic whirl (I'm paraphrasing very heavily now, blame me for that not her); hopefully, if she is right, after the 29th (the day I get my letter of appointment?) things will take a turn for the better.

Tony Blair is probably hoping for the self-same thing following his drubbing from Jack Dromey on Newsnight.

You must never go down to the end of the town if you don't go down with me ..

2006-03-14T14:47:00.000Z

Struggling author has a link and the stolen (by me) image (left) on her blog through to a Save Christopher Robin campaign. It seems that the powers that be at the Disney Corporation have decided to ditch CR in favour of a tomboy girl character instead.

If you, like me, think that rattling Disney's cage about this is worthwhile then click here; you may, however, reckon that, on balance, saving the world is a better bet, in which case you can click here.

Hands across the blogosphere

2006-03-14T07:52:00.000Z

In concurrence with what the baggage said over there, I've been to visit Marmoset and am trying his meme.

What were you doing ten years ago?
Ten years ago, at the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth, I had just started seeing the Painter after a heady exchange of poems left in pigeonholes; he was wild, arrogant, longhaired and much, much different from the service types I'd been out with before or indeed married. There wasn't the faintest hint of rugger bugger about him. Instead he was funny, sensitive and not a little insecure. I asked him to marry me after four weeks (pathetic cow) and he dithered for another two years - slowly, slowly catchy monkee, as it were.

What were you doing one year ago?
One year ago we had just spent the last few weeks coming to the terms that the Painter had had a major stroke, from which thankfully he made an almost complete recovery. We had endured a very traumatic period before having just been evicted from our family home by a close family member and there was a lot of hurt, bitterness and anger flying through the air at Urine Towers. The days were very dark and our relationship seemed to have crashed into the kind of sharp, dark, holing-below-the-water-line type of rocks you get on the Lizard. In the course of a year everything seemed to have gone bad.

Five snacks you enjoy:
1. Tomato sandwiches with worcestershire sauce and black pepper
2. antipasta
3. tapas
4. cheese in all its many and wonderous varieties (although I could easily cgive cheddar a miss
5. Kalamata olives in rosemary and garlic infused oil.

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics:
1. The Wheels on the bus gour orund and around (and around and around and around)
2. Flower of Scotland
3. Anything by Rogers and Hammerstein
4. The Abba discography
5. Like Soldiers Do by Billy Bragg

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Buy a smallholding in the Orkneys
2. Buy houses for my children held in trust until they are 30
3. Start my own home made soup and preserves business a la Baxters
4. Buy a tractor
5. Learn to drive on one of those intensive driving course and spend the summer before we start our smallholding touring through Fance in a Morgan with my husband.

Five things you like doing:
1. I won't be as coy as Marmoset, I love making love, having sex and even shagging with the right person at the right time.
2. Writing
3. Eating
4. Taking long rambling walks
5. Loving my family

Five things you would never wear again:
1. Prada
2. Gucci
3. Versace
4. Dolce and Gabbana
5. Donna Karan (set aside the fact that I wouldn't get a little toe into most of these things I think it's a realistic list).

Five favourite toys:
1. My kenwood Chef for which I have some new bits acquired on ebay
2. My husband
3. My pruning knife
4. The wireless aerial thingy for the broadband because it lets me talk to you lot
5. A really good cook's knife.

I tag Ally (when you are better) and Stegbeetle. I would also like to tag KitchenWitch but she a) doesn't have the time and b) I'm not sure they are her thing, so the option is open without obligation.

An introduction to...

2006-03-13T17:01:00.000Z

John Morris Art. It's just a simple site with some information, some pictures and some contact details. For those of you already au fait (sick to the back teeth) with me going on about The Painter's work, I'm sorry but it does as one of his happy customers said, feed our children. It aslo gives me a variety of pretty pictures to put on my blog.

If you are just happening along and want some more information, you can always contact John at info@johnmorrisart.com.

To coin a phrase, that is all. (They used to say this over the intercom when I was in the Wren's so I make no apologies, to Ally or Ms. Mac)

Blame Cheryl

2006-03-11T08:50:00.000Z

Which Moira Stewart are you?

Barbie

WTF?! You're not a Moira at all!

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I didn't get this from her blog but I did get it from the same place that she got "What Art work are you"