Yorkshire flood victims

My journey home from Yorkshire to Lancashire took much longer than usual this week. Quite often there are temporary traffic lights as works are done, but that wasn't the case this time.

I was aware of the heavy rainfall and floods - my own area of Lancashire has had problems with lakes appearing suddenly, and roads being partially closed.

However, I have never before driven through streets lined with three piece suites, fridges, freezers, chests of drawers, beds, televisions and sundry household items, all well spattered with mud.

My heart went out to those poor people who were spending hours sweeping out the mud from their homes and businesses. They all appeared quietly determined to get on with it, I didn't see any signs of frustration, although I'm sure many of them must have felt it. Neighbours were helping each other out, people who lived nearby were lending a hand to those who needed it.

So, my journey took longer than usual, but it didn't matter. I was so busy feeling sympathy for those who were experiencing this chaos, and working their way through it that I hardly noticed the time.

I wish them all well and hope that their lives soon return to normal.

Have you noticed the blue tinges to movies/TV shows etc?

I wonder who it was that decided we would all prefer to view programmes with intense blue hues?

Have you noticed the effect? Sometimes it is clearly a blue filter in use - even the whites of eyes have a blue tinge, and the folds in white shirts are blue tinged. It's weird, to say the least.

Other shows seem to have blues very much in evidence, particularly quite bright turquoise blues, fences, sides of houses, clothes, even eyes - it's as if a child has been allowed to pick their favourite shade of blue and incorporate it to their heart's desire.

I can only take so much of it, and then I need to find a programme that is shot using naturalistic shades. Does anyone else find this aggravating????

Delicious Gourmet Vegan Meal at Lucky Leek in Berlin

My daughter treated me to a wonderful 3 course dinner at "Lucky Leek" in Berlin for my birthday. We opted to have the optional "wine flight" with it, so a glass of wine chosen to accompany each course was served to us. This is the menu:

.

First to arrive was a slate plate with tiny Amuse Gueules, a morsel each of two savouries. A tiny loaf had been baked, sliced thinly and topped with a cheesy mix and home made chorizo, the second mouthful was, we were informed, like a mini quiche - I can't remember what a quiche tastes like, but this was light and delicious.

The soup was a beautiful golden orange colour, and suspended over it was the apple on a skewer. The sweetness of the sweet potato was highlighted by a slight kick of chilli, and a swirl of coconut foam. The apple chunk was coated in nuts, and complemented the soup beautifully.

 The wine chosen to accompany the soup was a rose, which I enjoyed, it had a slight sweetness, but I can't remember the name of it, I'm afraid!

The main course was pasta bon bons, like ravioli filled with a pea puree. The filling was quite substantial and a lovely green. The vegan feta roll was tasty and went well. There were two colours of pepper sauce in the bowl, which were very smooth and light in texture. Some lightly cooked pak choi accompanied the pasta. Laid over the top were ribbons of raw purple carrot. There was a chunk of raw peach, with some berries on one side, but neither of us could really see the benefit of them, they didn't enhance the flavour of the main ingredients, and we thought they were a step too far.

The white wine served with the main course was quite dry, and Rachel enjoyed this more than the rose, whereas I preferred the rose!

The Piece de Resistance was the dessert, which was to swoon over - just feast your eyes on this!

On the left was a square of chocolate layer cake - so light and fluffy, nobody eating it would guess it was vegan. A peach sorbet and peach ragout were next on the plate, then an elderflower ice cream, so creamy. A really splendid ending to a wonderful birthday meal. And the port served with it was rich and warming, and we both enjoyed it very much.

The evening was so mild that we sat outside to enjoy our repast. If I return to Berlin, I will certainly eat there again:)

No police call out for odd numbered houses!!!

So, if the police are only going to turn up to investigate thefts and burglaries if houses have an even number - will those people who live in an odd numbered house receive a partial council tax rebate?

Just a thought! What do you think?

Shot at Dawn in Edinburgh - Art Exhibition

Whilst in a windy, slightly damp Edinburgh a couple of days ago, my friend's eye was caught by the statement " A dyslexic man walked into a bra ..." printed on an otherwise unremarkable window.

Naturally we walked over, and discovered that it was the venue for an art gallery. The current, free, exhibition was entitled "Shot at Dawn" by Chloe Dewe Mathews - we entered to have a look - if nothing else it would give us some respite from the rather strong winds.

We saw several large format pictures, which turned out to be photographs. Printed alongside each was a name, or names, a date, then below that another date and time. No explanation was printed as to the subject matter, which varied from a splendid solitary tree in morning mist, to a modern looking school. We decided that the photographs must have been "shot at dawn", hence the title of the exhibition.

As we walked around, examining the photographs a chill went down my spine, and I became certain that the photographs were of sites where soldiers were literally shot at dawn, and that these must be shots of how the areas look nowadays. I was proved correct. We viewed the images with a different intensity.

We spoke to one of the curators, who explained that the artist, Chloe, researched the deaths of several soldiers and over a couple of years spent time visiting various sites of execution to take photographs of the modern site, trying to replicate the time of day and the weather conditions.

Although chilling, there is hope in the photographs, too - the new school built for children who may not exist without the sacrifice of the soldiers, and whose lives would certainly be different, for example.

If you are in Edinburgh before the 25th January, do go and spend some time at Stills, Cockburn St, Edinburgh. The exhibition is also on in London at the moment, and then tours Europe for a couple of years.

Rebellion - free e-book - a fantasy novel

My daughter's first novel, Rebellion, is free on Kindle at the moment - it's a fantasy novel telling of the audacity of a girl who rejects the role assigned to her by her school and the challenges she faces as she sets out to join the assassins.

Rebellion (Chronicles of Charanthe Book 1) by Rachel Cotterill (10 Oct 2010) - Kindle eBook

• £0.00 Kindle Edition
• Available for download now
• (20)

So, if you'd like something different to read over the summer, or what's left of it, why not give it a try - after all, you've nothing to lose - it's free:)

Preston Community Choir sings a Christmas carol for a musical Advent calendar

Preston Community Choir is just over one year old, and on Thursday a man with gadgets presented himself at our rehearsal!

Apparently we were to be videoed rehearsing one of our Christmas carols for the Lancashire Evening Post's musical Advent calendar.  Sadly they didn't ask or warn us in advance, so no immaculate coiffures, no fancy clothes - just us, as is, in a rehearsal!

If you're brave enough to click on the link you can see us, still slightly shocked, rehearsing "Believe" from Polar Express.  You may require ear - plugs, or to remember where the "mute" button is on  your pc!  I'm on the far left in first sopranos. Happy listening:)

http://www.lep.co.uk/what-s-on/music/sing-a-song-for-christmas-december-17-2013-preston-community-choir-1-6319725

Delicious Christmas Vegan gluten-free meal at The New Continental in Preston

It's that time of year again when diaries fill up with Christmas outings of one kind or another - and my heart sinks every time a meal is booked, because I dread being served slices of melon, followed by something cardboardy or a large plate of lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, culminating with a fruit salad whilst around me everyone else is tucking into something special, and festive.  I pay the same as everyone else, but seldom do I feel I'm getting value for money.

However, I'm pleased to tell you that the Preston Community Choir Christmas meal at The New Continental in Preston was a delightful surprise:)

My starter was a variation on the vegetarian starter, which was a local blue cheese salad.  For my plate the same base of tangy watercress and rocket leaves were wrapped around some sun blush tomatoes, then topped with sliced olives and chopped walnuts.  I wasn't sure what the scattering of small things on the plate was until I put on my spectacles (it's so sad when you need to put glasses on to be able to see your food properly, isn't it? glasses should be full of wine!), but once on my nose, I could see that there was an artful scatter of small brown lentils - an unusual garnish that really worked well with the walnuts.

My main course was a delicious risotto, with an assortment of griddled vegetables.  A very colourful and tasty assemblage of ingredients, don't you agree?  I was really quite heartened by the meal so far - how often to you get to say that in a busy local pub?

For dessert the wonderful chef had created a vegan pannacotta, accompanied by festive berries - it tasted as good as it looked, I promise, and I savoured every mouthful.

Thank you to the chef(s) for producing such a lovely eating experience at a busy time of year - it was much appreciated.

Fiskars Garden tools - my wish list for Father Christmas!

Whilst visiting my parents a while ago I spotted bright orange plastic peeping out from  a corner of the garden room.  Naturally, I had to investigate!

I've bought Fiskars tools for years, they're reliable, long lasting, and bright orange, so hard to lose!  This was Fiskars' orange that I had spotted!

Mum showed me the long handles loppers and the secateurs she had acquired.  Mum's getting on in years and her hands don't have the strength they once had.  I was amazed at the lightness of the tools.

What makes them easy to use is the "Power Gear", which is essentially a ratchet.

As the majority of the tools consist of tough plastic, with only the blades (and screws!) being metal, the cutter remains remarkably light in weight:)

The secateurs are equally to be drooled over! 

Very lightweight and easy to use, but very effective.

So, Santa, if you're reading this - this is my grown-up Christmas Wish!  And yes, I've been a good girl:)

Design Your Own Cookies, the book to encourage you to branch out of your comfort zone!

Design Your Own Cookies by Rachel Cotterill will encourage you to bake delicious cookies, and go on to devise your own variations. 

Rachel provides 50 basic cookie recipes, both sweet and savoury, then encourages you to break the mould, and develop your own, personalised cookie.

You like chocolate chip cookies? Try adding peppermint oil to dark chocolate chips, or orange essence.  Perhaps instead of dark chocolate you might prefer white chocolate - maybe with some freeze dried fruit mixed in.

The basic recipes have been tried and tested - the wonderful permutations that are waiting are down to your imagination - go for it:)

TWELVE - we ate vegan, vegetarian and wheat free in Thornton - wonderful!

Wow! Four friends met up for a meal at TWELVE in Thornton. Four friends to challenge a chef! Me, vegan and wheat free, a vegan, a vegetarian and a wheat free vegetarian who really doesn't want to eat vegan. I hasten to add that we did explain this when booking, we didn't just turn up, that would be plain cruel:)

So, passing though the bar area,

and having walked past the mega magnificent wine rack

(you'll notice the ladder to the left to be able to access the top bottles!), we were shown to our table in this modern, stylish interior. The seats weren't as comfortable as I would have liked, offering no back support, but that was only a small niggle.

After we were seated bread was brought to the table, including two warm vegan gluten free rolls.  Butter was on the table in the shape of 12s, we asked for olive oil to dip our bread into, and were asked if we would like balsamic vinegar, too.  Thoughtful, and a lovely touch. 

Our starters were Carrot and Ginger Soup, served with a mini onion bhaji "lollipop", very pleasant

A Beetroot and Walnut Salad, very elegantly presented and tasty

And my choice, and one other, a Mushroom Fricasse, with grilled salsify, delicate and scrummy

All were delicious, and as you can see, beautiful!

Our main courses were a Thai Broth with Rice, well seasoned

Mixed Vegetable Risotto - I asked if there was any asparagus to add to the mix of vegetables, and some was provided:), this was a robustly flavoured rice dish with a basil oil dressing

Mushroom Risotto, delicately flavoured

And to my shame, the dish below whose title I can't for the life in me remember! Sorry:(  But doesn't it look great?

We were also served a small bowl of vegetables each

The vegetables were lightly cooked, and good, but I question the value of adding potatoes to vegetable selcection when rice is served - I would have preferred a green vegetable for interest and variety.  Again it's only a small niggle.

The dinner offer was for 2 courses and a glass of wine for £17.50, which, in my opinion, was excellent value for money.  We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and will certainly return - I wish I lived nearer to Thornton!

I made a point of asking to speak to the chef to compliment him on the quality of our meals.

General Embossed Birthday Card

One of my favourite shops has been open five years today, so I decided to mark the occasion with a birthday card.

It's not quite the same as making a birthday card for a person's birthday, is it? Not much point in putting cake, or fancy clothes, or handbags on the front is there?

So I decided on the simple approach. I wanted to say "Happy Birthday", so that's what I did!

I made a tent fold card, with cut away lower corners, and embossed the front, then inked it with a sparkly blue ink, fading towards the centre. I then embossed a sheet of white card, and cut a tag out of it, I threaded dark blue and green ribbons through the tag before mounting it on the base card. I then stamped the Happy Birthday greeting onto blue paper with the same shimmery blue ink, cut it out and stuck it on the white embossed panel.  I trimmed the top of the card with self-adhesive fluffy ribbon.  

The result is simple, yet has an understated elegance which I like.  I hope Julie and Geoff will like it too, and will have many more happy years in Preston.

West Hollywood, USA, gets my vote - it's banned trade in fur - hurray

"West Hollywood is the first city in the US to ban fur.

Stores can no longer sell, trade, or distribute it." 

That is what I read in a blog article by Vegan Richa.  I was 

amazed and delighted.  I wish places in the UK would be so 

brave.


I remember, when I became vegetarian, hanging on to my 

sheepskin coat for a while with the justification that the 

animals were already dead.  I didn't last long, I gave it away

to a charity shop reasoning that if somebody bought my 

almost new cast-off, then perhaps a new animal skin coat

might not be bought.


Now, of course, I don't buy anything with wool, silk, leather 

etc content or decoration - and sometimes manufacturers 

make it very difficult, adding "a touch of luxury" with 2% silk, 

or 5% cashmere and so on!


So, good on you, West Hollywood - I'm proud of your 

stance:)

Free electricity, sunny or not, here it comes:)

I suspect most people who've had solar panels installed become addicted to watching numbers changing on their meters - sadly, I too make regular trips to the garage wall to gaze at the meters, then up at the sky, then enter the figures in a small notebook.

Well, when you've spent thousands of pounds on 10 glass panels to grace your roof it's only natural to want to monitor the progress, isn't it?

In fact, I don't really think of it as "free electricity" at all, because my bank account is thousands of pounds lighter, so how can I call it free?  On the other hand, once all the paperwork is finalised, I will be paid for generating that electricity whether I use it or not, so, in that context it will be free.

Anyway, you'll be fascinated to know that on the day of installation it was quite overcast, and the team didn't finish work until gone 4pm, yet still those clever little units managed to cull 1.4 units of power from the atmosphere.

The next day had quite a few sunny spells, and they magically produced 8.88 units.  I used the washing machine 3 times that day to make the most of the sunshine (I don't have a tumble drier), yet altogether I only used 1 unit of electricity, so that was pretty impressive I thought.

Today it's raining, so the panels are having their first shower - I hope they wash behind their ears!  Nonetheless, they have already generated 0.3 units, so it's true, you don't need the sun for solar panels to work.  Even on a rainy day something is captured.

So, this is your solar energy bore signing off for today - I may well give you more figures another day - well, count on it, I will:)

Solar Warmth - my panels are fitted!

This morning my roof was quite boring, just a single Velux window and lots of tiles.  This evening it sports 10 solar panels, 5 to the south elevation and 5 to the west, as suggested by Stephen, the surveyor.

Sorry, the photos aren't the best quality, I left my camera at my parent's house when last I visited, so my phone has been obliged to become a camera for the day!

 Liam getting ready

 Mark at the consumer unit in the garage

 Liam working on the roof

The well stocked van!

As a team the boys worked well, each had his own role to perform, and they just got on with it.  Very impressive.  Mark worked in the garage on the main part of the electrical work, young Liam ran the cables around inside the house and fitted the inverter, and the Liam you see in the photos worked on removing tiles, fitting the supporting bars and brackets and fitting the panels themselves.

I'm pleased with the way they worked.  I do wonder if the panels on the west elevation should have been placed higher up to catch more of the afternoon/evening sun.  I had understood that they were to be in the same formation as those on the south aspect, in a 3:2 pattern.  I shall have to watch how they're affected by the shadow of the neighbouring house.

I shall be taking regular readings to see how much power I'm generating - but it's already over 1 unit, and it was overcast, so I'm pleased with that.

Knock knock knocking on Malta's door

When I'm away from home, whether for a day or on holiday, I enjoy studying the architecture around me.

As I looked at the houses on Malta, mostly terraces or apartments as Malta is such a small island, I noticed the door knockers.

Wherever you are on Malta, the sea isn't too far away, so it's no surprise that fish swim into view quite often.

Lions were also much in evidence, the first looks a little glum, possibly at the indignity of having a hoop through his jaw!

this one looks very angry

slightly pensive, I think

quite regal and serene

Simply elegant, don't you think?

The Maltese Cross was awarded to the whole island of Malta to recognise their war efforts in the Second World War, and it, too, appears as a door knocker.

What's your favourite door knocker design?