A Bit Of A Squash?

Four plants appeared in the raised bed. This is the largest. They looked like "real" plants, not weeds. I asked two visiting friends who both declared them to be squash or similar. No sign of any 'fruit' [yet]

I have just dug up the last of the lettuces. They'd bolted and the leaves were tasting a little bitter. So Row 1 of the raised bed is now home to the 'volunteer squash' which I have carefully transplanted. You never know...
Talking to my 'London' SIL last night, I mentioned my beans - and the fact that despite lots of leaves and scarlet flowers, I've only had a couple of handfuls of beans. She said hers are just the same, as are "everyone else's". It is the hot weather, and I do not need to worry. Not just me then.
Here are the last few leaves and some more tasty toms.

Bon said I must take a picture of the apple tree, it has produced the best crop in years. "We may not see it like this again for a while" He declared. So here it is, many fruit, ripening fast!

I was not planning on more mugs, but I saw one in a bin outside a CS on Monday...Here's my National Trust Head Gardener's Mug

and now, a 'companion piece' for Bob

Well for 50p, I just had to, didn't I?

The recent rain has certainly revived the grass, and refilled the butts, for which I am grateful. And there is the promise of more fruit and veg in coming months.
How does your garden grow, this week?

 

Benchmark

benchmark - a point of reference against which other things may be compared - a "gold standard". The best it can be

• The Men's Shed Movement seeks to provide the best. 
• Connection, conversation and creation – that’s what joining a Men’s Shed is all about. 
• Men’s Sheds encourage people to come together to make, repair and repurpose, supporting projects in their local communities. Improving wellbeing, reducing loneliness and combatting social isolation.

On Monday, I helped Bob to deliver the latest project that our Shed Men have been working on, And it was to an organisation which is totally in support of the Shed's aims. We went to Easton College near Norwich, to the HQ of Active Norfolk.

This group works to enable everybody, men, women and children, believes that movement improves lives - activity and sport promote health and well-being for individuals and communities.

Here's Sam Watts, Senior Partnerships Office, explaining about their football programme

 

Sam contacted Bob recently to ask for help. Like many such organisations, Active Norfolk is funded by the County Council, with help from Sport England and ActivePartnerships, and therefore runs on a very tight budget. Their HQ is really small - and usually the team eat their lunch 'al desko' as they say, because they have no staff area. But at the back of the building is an area of grass, adjacent to the College rugby pitch. Sam wondered if the Shed could help by building a picnic bench, so that people could sit outside to eat lunch, or even work outside in the sunshine - and generally improve their working day. 

The Shed got to work - eight seater benches usually cost in excess of £200, but the men worked to produce one for around a quarter of that price. Then it was dismantled and loaded into the Kodiaq and Bob and I delivered it to AN's HQ. The three of us carried the parts round to the grass, and Bob quickly assembled it.

And here's the official handover

I really hope Sam and his friends really enjoy sitting out here in the sunshine - their work, like that of The Shed, serves as a benchmark for "good work which benefits both the individual and the community"

A Short Spell Of Rain

As a child [OK, I admit, even as an adult to] I was fascinated by words which had more than one meaning. Stable not rocky, or a place for horses. Rocky not stable, or like a rock. Rock a sort of music, or a big stone...
Spell is particularly wonderful. Is a short spell of rain defined as "R A I N" said very quickly, or is it "Abracadabra, pitter patter" said by a wizard? Neither, it means a brief period of rain🌧 
I love those little mnemonics which help with spelling

because Big Elephants 🐘Can Always Use Small Envelopes ✉️
ices can be found in the middle of LeICESter 🍦

deSiCCated CoConutS  all have one S and two Cs

rhythm Really Helps Your Two Hips Move [Steph taught me that when she learned it in primary school]

Spelling matters - I am afraid I get mildly irritated when British people use color, favor, fetus and other Americanisms. [except in Technicolor which is a brand name so definitely has no U]

I'm proud of my grandchildren's efforts to learn, and their good end-of-term school reports.

But I think it is possibly a lost cause. Texting has given us such conversations as "CU L8R?" "Gr8, B4 2moro!"  And ugly sentences like Hi m8, R U out 2nite? Are we surprised people cannot put a coherent message together? Julian recently sent me this picture, with the caption " Prfoof redader wnated" 

But U probably do not have time to db8 this, as U have 2 walk your K9. By the way, these words are called Numeronyms

I do not use these in my messaging, although I admit to some shortcuts [imho, btw, and wfh]

What do you think about these textspeak abbreviations?

Here is the verdict of Jess on Saturday's short [but heavy] spell of rain which soaked us right through. Once we got back to the car, she burst into song!

Wonderful, Wet, Workhouse Weekend

Term has finished, the family were in Norfolk for the weekend. A cheap pack of chalks and stencils provided amusement outside on the patio, in the late afternoon whilst Dad and Grandad went to Beck's to get fish'n'chips. Friday night's sleepover was followed by Grandad's Legendary Pancake Breakfast. 

Jess takes these Very Seriously. We used Great Grandma's Cherry Stoner to prepare a bowl of fresh cherries to eat with our pancakes.

Then Mum and Dad arrived and we went over to Gressenhall to the Museum. The girls loved discussing Workhouse life and dressing up as poor Victorian children.

We enjoyed a good lunch in the café [great discount for cardholders] then walked over to the farm to look at the animals and go for a ride behind the tractor. Then the heavens opened - just as we were outside, in the farmyard. Running to the cars we were soaked to the skin! Back to Cornerstones, where Grandad made hot chocolate, with marshmallows, and we changed into dry clothes and dressing gowns, and did some cardmaking...

I am very sad that Norfolk Museums Service has cancelled their "Guest Tickets" Scheme. Last year when we renewed our subscription, we were offered 15 Guest Tickets for £5 each. We used four on Saturday - saving £40 over the regular price of £60 for the family. We have used 13 of the tickets at various museums. They run out in September, and that £75 has already bought us £145 worth of tickets. NMS make money on their visitors in the gift shop and the café, but I cannot see families wanting to pay £60 for a day out...
Are there good museums near you? and are they expensive to visit?

Lord, Hear Us As We Pray For Peace.

We pray that this crisis will end now, without further loss of life.
We pray for the injured, the suffering, the starving
and for those who mourn their loved ones.
We pray for all people who have been displaced,
those who have lost their homes and have nowhere safe to go.
We pray for all those in danger at this moment.
Lord, hear us as we pray for peace.

We pray for the powerful, the decision-makers,
who can choose to act for peace.
May they follow the paths of justice, mercy and compassion.
We pray for recognition of the value of human life
We remember that we are all made in the image of God.
Lord, hear us as we pray for peace.

We pray for those who are most vulnerable.
We remember your call, Lord,
to help the bereaved, the stranger, the orphan.
We pray for medical staff and humanitarian workers
who continue to serve others,
even when they are themselves deeply affected by this conflict.
We pray especially for children caught up in the violence,
that they may know safety.
God of peace and justice, hear our prayers.

Pray not for Arab or Jew, for Palestinian or Israeli,
but pray rather for ourselves,
that we might not divide them in our prayers
but keep them both together in our hearts.

When races fight - Peace be amongst us
When neighbours argue - Peace be amongst us
When nations disagree - Peace be amongst us
Where people struggle for justice - Let justice prevail
Where Christ’s disciples follow - Let peace be our way 
Now may the Lord of peace himself
give you peace, at all times in all ways.

Prayers from Embrace and Christian Aid

 

A Blast From The Past

Last week I met up with an old blogging friend. When we first met [online] about 17 years ago her girls were still at school. Now one is a teacher, the other an artisanal baker. She said that being lactose and gluten intolerant she's very careful about what she eats. However there was one recipeone recipe from my blog, posted nearly 14 years ago*, which she still makes! And her daughter has tweaked the recipe and made it her own, to sell in the bakery. When I told Bob,  he said he thought a fruitcake was a good idea. So here is the post with recipe from 2011 - I plan to make it this week!

No eggs, no gluten, no added sugar…The Yes!Yes!Yes! cake is a brilliant birthday or Christmas cake – it suits almost everybody [except those with nut allergies] and cuts into a dozen slices or more. It is incredibly rich – after our first slices, we went in for much smaller pieces.

You need a 9” ‘springform’ cake tin like this

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• 200ml oil [almond or sunflower]
• 500ml apple juice
• 300g chopped dates
• 500g mixed raisins and sultanas
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300g ground almonds
• 1tsp grated nutmeg
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 100g chopped walnuts
• icing sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Pour oil and juice in medium sized saucepan, stir in dates, raisins and sultanas. Bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl, stir in bicarb - it will sizzle furiously! Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Line the tin with baking parchment or a non-stick liner. Fold almonds, nutmeg, zest and walnuts into dried fruit mixture. Pour into the tin.
3. Take a large piece of baking parchment which will cover surface of cake and go at least halfway down sides of tin. Cut a circle 1”in diameter from centre of paper, then tie paper firmly in place.
4. Bake the cake for 3 hours, testing after 2½ hours with a skewer [through the hole!] When skewer comes out clean, cake is done. Run knife round the edge, and remove collar, leaving cake to cool on the base.
5. The following day, the cake will be ready to eat. Dust with icing sugar. It will keep well in a tin for several weeks.

Enjoy!! * back then I made the cake because a vegan friend was coming to stay for the weekend

Lightbulbs Or Teatrays?

I know the phrase a lightbulb moment, when you suddenly understand something, it all comes together, you are inspired.

In the world of crossword-speak [like the comments published underneath the Guardian cryptic every morning] people talk of a tea-tray moment. This is when you suddenly realise how a clue works, and why the answer is what it is.

Until recently I thought this referred to the sudden shock when the chambermaid brings in the tray and finds Sir Roderick murdered in his bed, and drops the tea-tray and screams. 

But I find I am quite wrong, it is the D'oh! gesture, beloved of Homer Simpson, when you slap your head, because you realise you got it completely wrong - and it is meant to symbolise bashing yourself on the head with a tea-tray, thinking
"How stupid am I?"

I have had not one but two tea-tray moments this week. On Wednesday I went to check on the tomatoes in the mini greenhouse, and I was really worried because one pot just did not seem to want to ripen - they had gone from a pale green to a honey colour - but no signs of the beautiful scarlet I was expecting. 

I bent down and checked the label on the pot [I got it from Toftwood Nurseries, when I bought my 'mini cucumber'] And realised they would never go red - because they were heritage tomatoes, intended to stay golden, named "Honey Delight"

I did have plenty of other scarlet beauties though, ranging from sweet little ones to sprinkle into salads, through to larger ones.

My second revelation was on Wednesday. I was due to meet a friend in Fakenham for coffee. I quickly stripped off, left my glasses in the bedroom and jumped in the shower

I scuttled back to the bedroom, and caught sight of myself in the mirror. I had a huge red zit on my nose. I am not particularly vain, but this did look ugly. Only when I put my glasses on to check it more carefully did I realise it was not a spot - just a bit of the price label from the new shower mat, which had somehow got stuck on my nose.

I guess we all misinterpret things wrongly sometimes, and feel a bit daft for doing so!