Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Art for Artists
| Who Should Paint You: Salvador Dali |
 There's no way a traditional portrait could ever capture you! |
Snack
Just wondering whose post I can piggyback today... ;)
There is e's one, from Wednesday 22nd (your links aren't working again dear), with potential for a votey poll about blogging communities, from last week, but my enthusiasm for that is not great at this moment in time.
Then I followed a link from DG's comments and landed here, where I found another use of The Power of Blog against companies providing appalling customer service. Halifax this time. Mr BW and I have had a few run-ins with various different arms of their business in our time, and, as a result, other than taking advantage of 0% balance transfer deals, we will not be using them for anything ever agin. I just love it when companies screw up, badly, and then try to make out it's your fault.
But, that's not what I wanted to steal. Far too serious an issue for today. It's freezing cold outside.
So, to cheer us up, and to go with yesterday's tea, today we have biscuits. As Ian points out, Selfridges have currently got a biscuit city. Made of 72,000 biscuits, 12 metres long, and taking 170 person hours to 'build'. Luckily the artists who have constructed it wore gloves, so apparently it's edible after. Although I can't say I'd want to...
Looks like it's made of nasty biscuits though, bourbons and custard creams and the like. Yuck. I only like home-made biscuits, or their shop-bought equivalents (which I don't buy, because I'd only eat them, unless The Nice Ladies are coming round for a committee meeting).
Of shop bought biscuits, my favourites (in fact, pretty much the only ones I ever buy) are stem-ginger cookies and digestives (which must be McVities - I worked in their research lab for part of a summer back when I was a student, and was impressed that only nice things went into them). I can't abide all the 'old types' of biscuit - malted milk (with their silly cows), rich tea (*shudders at childhood memories of chunks of soggy biccie at the bottom of cups of hot chocolate from where Brother BW and I dipped them in just because we'd been told not to*), custard creams, bourbons, jammy dodgers, pink wafers (don't mention the E numbers) etc etc.
Today's question is...
What are your favourite biscuits, and your least favourite biscuits?
We might do biscuit recipes in the next instalment of Blogichef, soon?
Oh don't you just love it when the servers fall over for several hours....
Thought for the day
"How much of our lives do we sacrifice to pay bills and buy more stuff? For most of us, work means sacrificing our freedom to take orders from someone else, stress, boredom, monotony, and in many cases risks to our physical and psychological well-being.
Once we realize that it's not a few bad products or a few egregious companies responsible for the social and ecological abuses in our world but rather the entire system we are working in, we begin to realize that, as workers, we are cogs in a machine of violence, death, exploitation, and destruction.
Is the retail clerk who rings up a cut of veal any less responsible for the cruelty of factory farming than the farm worker? What about the ad designer who finds ways to make the product palatable? How about the accountant who does the grocery’s books and allows it to stay in business? Or the worker in the factory that manufacturers refrigerator cases? And, of course, the high level managers of the corporations bear the greatest responsibility of all for they make the decisions which causes the destruction and waste. You don't have to own stock in a corporation or own a factory or chemical plant to be held to blame."
Monday, February 27, 2006
Of Motorbikes and Dentists
I had a most throughly unsuccessful day today.
I had loads of work work I needed to do, but instead had to spend the whole morning looking for the MOT certificate for my bike so I could relicense it and avoid the £80 fine that you now get hit with if you fail to do so before your current road tax runs out. Not that I actually know, or indeed, have even heard of, anyone who has had such a fine, but, knowing my luck...
It turned out to be filed in the space between the suspension file for "Bike Insurance" (the renewal documents for which only arrived today - as the stupid insurers only sent them out 2nd class - so, also nearly too late) and that for "MOT Certificates". Things were getting to crisis point when I discovered that. Plus the top drawer of the 4-drawer cabinet such documents reside in (one of eight I possess) has semi-broken (a bit clunked off and fell down inside a couple of weeks ago), so it's a real effort to slide it in and out.
The only way round the prospect of the fine that I could think of was to fill in the SORN, and then, when I found the MOT certificate (or, if I didn't, when I'd had another MOT test), jump through the relicensing-after-SORN hoops.
What a daft system. Supposedly invented to stop people having no road tax, all it seems to have done is annoy good and honest folk. As the relicensing reminders are only sent out 14 days ahead, and you can't renew your road tax before the 15th of the month preceding, you can also easily fall foul of the system if you away on holiday.
Dentist BW obviously thinks he'd like to be a witch too, because he's bought himself a Wand. Far from being a more comfortable and effective anesthetic delivery, it is an instrument of torture. It now takes over 3 minutes, and lots of stupid bleeping noises, to get the anaesthetic in that used to be done in a few seconds. And, for the first time ever, I felt shooting pains as he did it, then really nauseous, and dizzy, plus it has taken six hours to wear off (I have a very high tolerance to anaesthetics and it usually takes two hours tops). I guess the problem is that Dentist BW is very good at injections (which is why I go to him), so I've never have a problem with him and that. Until today.
In fact, I am so unimpressed with his new toy that I've told Dentist BW that if he ever wants to see me again, he'd better ditch his attempts at magic. The dental nurse's expression suggested that I wasn't the first patient to say that to him either.
And we won't mention that on Friday, after £70 worth of digital x-rays, which proved totally inconclusive, he decided that he'd try to sort out the un-pinpointable niggling pain I've had for the past couple of weeks on the left back of my mouth by replacing the old amalgam filling in my backest-but-one top tooth, whereas today he actually replaced the filling in the backest-but-one bottom tooth. The worst thing is... I didn't realise until I got home and peered into the mirror (everyone does that when they get home from the dentist, right?), such was my reaction to his horrible Wand.
Consequently, I've had to have mashed potato for dinner. And jelly.
Although the mashed potato was very nice, having garlic and brie in it, and the jelly is lemon and has grapes and strawberries.
Everything Stops For Tea
Great post with thoughts and questions on tea from LaP.
One of those things she's always heard was:
6. If you put milk in your tea, you should pour it into the cup before you pour in the tea.
She went on to ask:
4. Why should you pour the milk in the cup first?
Now, I passed my Hostess Badge at Brownies about 3 weeks after I joined. So, I've been properly qualified to make tea since I was just slightly more than 7. And so I know why :)
The Hostess Badge was this brown triangular badge with a yellow embroidered tea cup on it. In looking for this picture (as I couldn't be bothered to unearth my Guide Campfire Blanket and take a picture of the original BW Hostess Badge that's sewn onto there), I discovered that it seems they've replaced it with a mobile phone users badge. Ah, how times change.
No, wait, there is a home skills badge... but, alas, no, this seems to be about inventing a game or activity about recycling symbols on packaging. Ah... wait... yes... a bit more Googling reveals that it *does* still exist: here. But, it seems now to be more about arranging a sleepover than making a good cup of the English Cure-All.
I guess you can't have 7 year olds pouring boiling water into teapots these days, and it would be discriminatory to expect every home to have a teapot because many of us just pour water onto a teabag in a mug. So, if the Brownies aren't teaching tea making, one can only come to the sad conclusion that another Great English skill is being allowed to die.
But, when you add the milk *is* important.
Today's question then is, do you pre-lactate, or post-lactate?
(In case you're confused, that means, do you put the milk into the cup or mug before the tea, or after? And it may vary according to whether you use teabags or loose tea.)
Thought for the day
Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards. When people ask me what really changed my life eight years ago, I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things that I aspired to becoming.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Looking closely
This little primrose cost 65p 4 or 5 week ago.
It's still in its original pot and blooming its little heart out.
Amazing, considering the weather we've been having.
Today, for instance - snow flurries, followed by bright, warm sun, now it's freezing cold, cloudy and looking like it might rain or maybe snow some more.
Those colours make me want to throw paint about in an abstract way, or maybe make some fe1ted wool panels for cushion covers for the new studio. But, sadly, I have work I need to get done, so the creative impulses must be restrained.
Onwards...
Saturday, February 25, 2006
The 92nd Make Blue Witch Laugh Award
After last week's amusement at the unfortunate expense of one injured cyclist, this week I avoided the danger of again being perceived as unsympathetic, and deliberately choked back my giggles at JonnyB's account of his recent food poisoning, so no points for you Jonny, sorry. But I do hope you're feeling better now, as I well remember what that's like... having been most ill after nibbling a couple of raw runner bean seeds while I was extracting them from their skins last Autumn to save for this year's crop.
Anyway, Jonny's concluding paragraph: "One might say that one wouldn't wish food poisoning on one's worst enemy. This seems a bit foolish to me, as if one is to have worst enemies then one may as well wish bad things on to them. May you eat a dodgy pasty, Osama. That will show you." elicited the following comment:
Thanking you muchly for the onederfuly tasty food you have been sending me mr jonny. For many days I sit and wait for packages labelled "Osama, Iraq". The pastry based food you send is keeping me regular!!!Next time could you make sure that you put the right postage on? I have to travel for a longest time to pick it up as our local post office* has been shut by your President Blair - could you help with this also?
Osama BL | Homepage | 02.22.06 - 1:53 pm | #
So, this week's "I Made BW Laugh Trophy" and 2 BW H0ney Points to Mr Fullup Wheelie Bin, who, a bit of sleuthing (aka clicking on the linky in the commenty boxy) revealed as MB/birty.
* For those not familiar with it, this refers to the wonderful, "Save the Post Office!" animated song that JonnyB did a few months back.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Oh Blue Witchy had a Coven....
With a dabble dabble here, and a dabble dabble there, here a dabble dabble, there a dabble dabble, everywhere a dabble dabble...
It makes me happy to turn things into images.
It makes me happy to write.
It makes me happy to paint.
It makes me happy to create.
It makes me happy to cultivate and make things grow.
It makes me happy to question to seek new insight.
It makes me happy to make sense of things.
It makes me happy to think about things in different ways.
It makes me happier to enable others to do any of the above better than they already do.
I have a weird way of working.
Humour and pointed questioning or observing from different angles are a large part of it.
This can be challenging.
It doesn't suit everyone.
People can take or leave it.
Some leave, some stay.
Some come back for more.
Some go away and then come back later.
All of those reactions are fine by me.
I've always been a bit of a cross-the-board-ist.
A jack of all trades, and master of none.
Which is hard when you're a perfectionist.
Hence, "A dabble dabble here..." etc.
Anyway, I was thinking yesterday, thinking back through the stages of this blog... it's gone through a lot, but it seems to have come to the stage where it's contented to be a bit here and a bit there. A bit like me... a bit of this, a bit of that, lots of ideas, lots of enthusiasm for projects in the early stages, but not so good at tying up loose ends.
The audience has changed a lot over the past 38 months too.
I know there are a lot of new readers recently too, which is lovely, but I've got to the stage where, not having 'grown up' blogging-wise, with you all (as was much more the case in the first couple of years after I started), I don't know a lot about many of you... so I don't know which bits interest you. Today's question, then, is:
Which bits do you like best, and which bits do you like least?
(and I do genuinely want to know, I'm not seeking platitudes, in any sense, here)
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Poll: Should Gordon Brown be Prime Minister?
Gordon Brown seeks to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but since devolution to Scotland and Wales the Kingdom is not quite as united as it once was. Opposition parties and constitutionalists have begun to ask whether it is right for an MP elected in a Scottish constituency to become prime minister and form a government to draft and administer legislation concerning only England.
In Scotland the people elect a minister to the Scottish Parliament (MSP) to represent them on matters devolved to Scotland (health, education, transport, culture and sport). They also elect a Minister of Parliament (MP) to represent them at Westminster on 'reserved matters'. The people of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath elected Gordon Brown on these reserved matters. No UK voter, whether they be English, Scottish, Irish or Welsh, elected Gordon Brown to represent them on health, education, transport, culture, sport, or any of the other policy areas that are delvoved to the Scottish Parliament.
Yet should Gordon Brown succeed Tony Blair to become prime minister, he will hand pick a UK cabinet government to govern England and run English domestic policy. He will select which MPs become ministers of English departments - ministers with English portfolios, to run, for example, the English NHS, or the Department of Health to give it its correct name. He will have no such power over the Scottish government that affects his own constituents in Scotland, the people to whom he is democratically accountable. This is the so called West Lothian Question writ large. The majority of people in Scotland and England believe that it is wrong for Scottish MPs to vote on English matters, and whether or not it is acceptable for a Scottish MP to become prime minister is related to this.
Please vote to demonstrate how you feel about this.
That was a Party Political Broadcast and Poll on behalf of the Witanagemot Club; thanks to Gareth for writing the above text to explain the problem/situation so eloquently.
Birthday Disco
Mr BW sent me a link yesterday to a site that tells you what was Number One in the Hit Parade (Ha! Finally! In its historic context I can use that term without sounding geriatric :)) on your birthday.
After I'd finished laughing at the fact that mine was Elvis Presley - Return To Sender, I thought that it would be a fun idea to see what sort of disco we could have with all our respective natal tunes.
So, go here, enter your date of birth and pop your song in the comments.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Down Our Way
Those of you who have ever been to The Coven may remember that the house diagonally opposite and down the road a bit was for sale for a long time. Well, it finally sold, and we got to meet the new occupants last weekend.
I currently have lots of concerns about them (not least because they are in pr0perty deve1opment, and don't seem to be terribly sympathetic to the ways of ruraldom), but that is a post for another time.
However, our elderly neighbout just made me roar with laughter. "I haven't met him yet," he said, "but I have met granny who looks after the children."
Well, we did notice that she was a bit older than him, but... what is it they say? Out of the mouths of babes and old people?
In other news, as the days are lengethening, the quai1 have started laying eggs again, and so has Esme. We're now back to brown and blue. And The Ginger, Tabby and White Familiar has had to be shut in the workshop and only let out when she can be supervised because she wouldn't stop sitting in the road. In disgust she gave birth very prematurely and then ate her kittens. That was a good thing as she was too young to have been pregnant anyway, as I said before. Recycling at its best, and it saved on cat food ;)
Art Class: New Class 2
Yesterday was summer trees.
Watercolour on A3 size.
Turned out nice again.
(I usually photograph watercolours in natural light, but it's very dull and drizzly here this morning, so I've had to use the flash, which has burnt out the colours, particularly in the sky, a bit)
The big tree blob on the left and the hedge in lots of shadow on the right were tweaked by Artist Tutor. I was frustrated that I couldn't get the definition that I wanted into them. He just picked up a brush, looked at it, muttered, "Niiice brushes BW!" to which I replied, "Yes Artist Tutor, it's so that I can only blame myself rather than them when my results are baaad!" dipped it in water, pushed the paint already on the page around a bit, picking up a bit here and transferring it to there, or blending a few edges, and presto, it came to life. He didn't add any extra paint from the mess on my palette at all. Amazing. But, I can (maybe!) now see how to do it the next time, which has got to be what learning is all about.
In the past, when art tutors have wanted to do something on my work I've tried to put them off, but where they've gone ahead and done it anyway, I've always been annoyed after. The difference being that previously, I've either had artists who can't teach, or teachers who can't paint. To find someone who can do both is great.
Someone quite local has suggested that I could finance the Coven Enlargement Project (which is to be The Studio) if I painted and sold pictures of kittens...
Thought for the day
Human life. Duration: momentary. Nature: changeable. Perception: dim. Condition of Body: decaying. Soul: spinning around. Fortune: unpredictable. Lasting Fame: uncertain. Sum Up: The body and its parts are a river, the soul a dream and mist, life is warfare and a journey far from home, lasting reputation is oblivion.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Latest Venture
Roll up, roll up, the BW Rent-a-DVD Store is now open!
(note careful avoidance of the nasty creeping Americanism 'rental')
To tempt you this evening we have Brokeback Mountain, King Kong and something that looks very nasty called Jarhead. I don't think I was meant to know about the last one. I think it was meant for watching one night when I'm out with the Nice Ladies.
Why no links I hear you ask?
*coughs*
*whispers*
Value, but Real, Versions.
Think takeaway ;)
Art Class: New Class 1
I've just realised that I haven't posted any art since January 13th, when I was struggling with trees.
Since then, I've completed the 6-week Thursday Class module on portraits and figures, started here. I'll get round to posting the pics one day (*counts quickly* ah - there are 8 of them). I was going to say 'soon', but I'd hate to disappoint.
Now, I think I mentioned that Good Friend BW decided to skip this module? Well, she eventually decided to leave that class. I've carried on going though, as I share a sense of humour with the tutor, and have an affinity with her artistic style and taste. She suits me, but, as the class is now down to 4 or 5 of us, it's likely to fold at Easter I think.
Some long time ago, at an art exhibiton, I picked up a leaflet about day courses, run, from October to April, by a well-known local artist (of the £350-650 per watercolour ilk). We have a couple of his works in our collection, and he is technically excellent. Well, the leaflet reappeared from my 'filing pile' (aka heap of papers, most of which would be consigned to the recycling bin, if only I could get round to sorting them) at an exactly appropriate time (do they exist?), just as GFBW was bemoaning the lack of a decent tutor. So, I waved it in front of her nose, made her make a phone call, and we decided to go along.
Last week was our first session, and the subject was 'winter trees'. I groaned, almost audibly. But, almost immediately, I worked out why my trees had been going wrong - I was doing curvy branches (what the Artist Tutor calls 'spaghetti trees'), when real trees have angular branches - generally they have straight bits, then bend at an angle, then another straight bit, before bending at another angle. As soon as he said, I could see it, but, until then, trees had been so visually complex that I'd failed to notice their exact structure.
Anyway, by the end of his technical explanation, demonstration, and some sympathetic individual tuition, I went away with this, painted from a photo from his extensive collection, with which, for once, I was quite pleased:
Today it's 'summer trees', so I'm hoping for another treemendous improvement. The other people who go along to these art days are largely Elderly Ladies Who Lunch and Have Done So All Their Genteel Lives, Early-Retired Barristers and Accountants, and Gentlemen Farmers, all with Very Conservative and Bigoted Views of The World and Almost Zero Artistic Talent, as far as I can see, so I must insert my 'tact chip' before I leave the house.
But, I need to branch out, after all...
Thought for the day
When I feel a little confused the only thing to do is to turn back to the study of nature before launching once again into the subjects closest to heart.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Thought for the day
You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you are doing is work or play.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Results service
Thursday's Where do you sit? survey elicited 37 usable responses. I think. Without checking it twice. If anyone has more time than me and wants to add it up, and find differently, that's fine :)
BW Readers' results say:
Right handers: left chair 12/33 (36.4%); right chair 21/33 (63.6%)
Left handers: left chair: 3/4; right chair 1/4
Now, all I need to do is find where I saved the link to the original research...
10 minutes later: Ah, yes, it was on the other computer.
That was lucky :)
A study by Dr. Peter Luck, at Christmas Maltings Surgery in Haverhill, Suffolk (published in Laterality, 2006, 11, 90-100) found that patients suffering from depression or anxiety are more likely to choose to sit to their left when visiting the GP. This, he claims, has implications for the detection of psychological distress among patients.
"The seating arrangement I now use in my surgery allows patients to choose their spatial orientation (left/right) with me during face-to-face consultations. I use this system to alert me, when patients choose to sit to their left, that there is a greater possibility that they may be suffering from psychological distress," Dr Luck said.During Luck’s research, a GP’s consulting room was arranged for five months so that two chairs were positioned an equal distance to the left or right of the GP’s desk. The choice of chair made by 756 patients seeing their GP was recorded, and after their consultation each patient was tested for anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Their handedness was determined according to the hand they wrote with.
Among the 674 right-handed patients, Dr. Luck found that those who scored positively for anxiety or depression (358 of them) were significantly more likely to sit in the left-hand chair facing the GP (59 per cent of them did) than those who weren’t anxious or depressed (27 per cent of them sat on the left). A similar effect was not found
among the 82 left-handers, possibly because they were too few in number.The right-handed patients who weren’t depressed or anxious tended to
choose the right-hand chair, reflecting their attentional preference for the left side of space, consistent with past research.Somehow, psychological distress seems to affect this usual attentional bias, thus explaining the Dr. Luck’s pattern of results.
The abstract of the article concludes: "These results support the notion that orienting behaviour is influenced by biases of visual attention linked to handedness and that attentive biases may be disturbed in states of anxiety and depression."
I am not going to draw any conclusions whatsoever from our fun survey (particularly as I am one of the left sitters - and used to sit on the right in The Coven Lounge, but now sit on the left), but, please be careful where you sit next time you visit the doctor, you might be giving quite the wrong impression :)
Saturday, February 18, 2006
The 91st Make Blue Witch Laugh Award
Two contenders today.
But first there are a few matters that need attending to:
(a) A builder (the last hopeful) who should have been here yesterday. He made a rather risqué comment yesterday, when he rang to say he was sorry that he couldn't make it and change the appointment, when I told him I'd be tied up at 10am so he'd better get here at 9am.
(b) A client to see. Working on a Saturday is not good, but, due to the above impending large expenditure connected to (a), it's necessary.
(c) The hens to move from The Coven Orchard onto The Coven Lawn for a few weeks. This gives the orchard grass time to recover, and fertilises and scarifies the lawn. And they'd better work quickly given what Defra are likely to say this week. All offers of secret B&B for the odd hen or two will be gratefully received.
(d) 208 plug plants to pot up. I've already washed most of the plastic pots, and Mr BW has blended the compost. Hopefully he might get (d) done while I'm busy doing (b).
Later: All missions accomplished. Now for the funnies.
Contender 1: terreus. If I am honest, I originally laughed at his description of his morning at the hospital. But, I tried not to think I'd laughed, because it felt mean. But, the way he wrote about it was funny. Luckily, a great typo meant I could legitimately laugh at his afternoon:
After my disastrous morning things picked up a bit in the afternoon. I was getting a bit disheartened towards the end of this week as yesterday was the day I should have had a letter, the letter telling me I either have or don’t have the interview for the position I put in for two weeks ago. I got a phone call yesterday afternoon asking me if I would like to attend an interview on the 27th. I nearly said to the lady on the phone fkin right I do, but caught myself and said hmmm let me check my dairy...
Condender 2: Brian, married for many years, had a totally different experience this week:
Tuesday, February 14, 2006I nipped out of the office this morning to get a Valentine's day card for Julia, I didn't take my glasses. I bought one that looked quite nice and took it back to the office. I was about to write something in it when I noticed the words, to the best guy in the world, written on it.
Ooops!
I rushed back to the shop and got a more suitable one. Going to the counter, I was served by the same shop assistant and explained I'd got the wrong card. She said she had noticed I'd bought a card for a man, but assumed I was gay.
Oh, modern times.
One BW Prize Point to each contender, but the extra point and trophy for the week go to terreus. Who I can but hope will forgive me for laughing... and terreus, please, I know what you've threatened, but a tasteful shirt and tie would undoubtedly be best for that interview, OK? :)
Friday, February 17, 2006
Perceptions
The "Where do you sit?" research thingy is still open a couple of posts down. If you haven't posted an answer yet, please do... it may seem strange, but it does come from a piece of published academic research. I will summarise your answers and post the link to the original research over the weekend. Mr BW has just emailed me the final recipe for the Blogichef cookbook, so I'll also get that up, and put a permanent link in the sidebar, for your future reference, too.
We've just had a lovely letter from an elderly relative of Mr BW's, in response to our FOTCR™ news (which is cunningly combined into a card, and generally amuses the recipients, to lesser or greater degree). One of the things she said was, "I think you two are quite incredible. How do you find the time to do so much?"
I was quite taken aback by her perception, because I never really think we do that much at all. Or, if we do, it's all in one quite limited sphere - Coveny, outdoory, constructivey, growy, foody, save-the-worldy, crafty and arty things.
Shortly after reading the letter, I popped over to Jen's where, by one of those strange co-incidences, she's found a most ingenious Interacative Johari Window - that is, an online version of a model for mapping persona1ity awareness and perception. It involves picking 5 or 6 adjectives to describe yourself, then asking others to describe you from the same list.
I'd be very interested to discover what you think - you can complete it for me here
(if you don't want to give your name, that's fine, just put "A Reader" or something).
Walnut tree with cyclamen and snowdrops
Oh and there's a naughty yellow crocus in there trying to spoil the effect.
Thought for the day
Junk, someone once said, is what you throw away two weeks before you need it.
- Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Where do you sit?
Long-time readers will know that I have an interest in handedness. Not cack-handedness (although some days that term might apply - ask Mr BW, he has to mend what I break), but handedness as it relates to 1atera1ity in the brain.
I've just read an interesting new piece of research that needs testing out by BW readers.
Imagine you go to see your GP. S/he is sitting behind a desk. There are two chairs positioned an equal distance to the left or right of the GP’s desk.
Do you choose to sit in the chair on the left or the chair on the right, and are you right or left handed yourself?
We probably need a sample size of at least 30 - so lurkers, please delurk (you don't have to give your real name or email address). I'll put up a link to the original research in a couple of days.
Continuing application
Some most interesting applications. Most interesting. Although I do think that Mr D, NiC and Debster might be ever so slightly mistaken in thinking I am Rothschild Witch.
The way things are going, I have just added, "...and write my blog," to the Witchy Butler/Butleress's job spec below.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Situation Vacant
I need a butler.
Someone to open The Coven Front Door (which, remember, has beautiful stained glass panels made by Mr BW over the FOTCR™) at times of busyness.
We don't have any silver for the peson appointed to polish the rest of the time, when s/he's not opening doors, but s/he could make me nice cups of tea, answer the phone, and maybe do some weeding (although Mr BW actually likes doing that, so maybe not).
My need for a butler became apparent this morning, when the following chaos was unfolding:
I had one potential builder here collecting and being talked through the two A1 plans and accompanying pack of information and requirements we've put together to enable them to quote (apparently it's "abnormal" to be so "helpful and organised" as to provide: aerial photos and external photos to help them make sense of the structural madness being attempted plans; 6 pages of Always Late Arch1tect's construction notes; 3 pages of our instructions, most of which contradict Always Late Arch1tect's which clearly came straight off a word processor without much checking or amending; 4 pages of our diagrams for positioning of switches, sockets, lights etc; and 8 sheets of structura1 engineer's calculations), an estate agent who did a valuation for me last week on the phone trying to tell me he'd found someone - a cash buyer - to buy The Coven (even though I'd made it quite clear it was only a valuation), a h0ney customer requiring more jars than were in the box outside, DHL delivering a large parcel that required a signature, a man wanting to give me a quote to pollard the oak tree in the drive (I didn't like to point out that oak trees weren't generally 'pollarded', or at least, not by skilled tree surgeons), and the dustman wanting to tell me that they were sorry but they really couldn't collect the old car battery that had been by the gate for the past two months (we knew, but just haven't been near the battery disposal point).
So, I need a butler.
Or a butleress.
Applications can be left in the comments box.
Please state salary required, and what Value you could add to The Coven.
That about sums it up...
"Many years ago as an angry young man I asked my dad why he always bought and read the Daily Mail. His answer was that, apart from the fact that he could always do the crossword in the Mail, he never knew whether or not to believe what he read in the Grauniad and the Times, the journalists were too damn clever by half and could convince him of the verity of whatever they were writing. With the Mail, on the other hand, he knew exactly where he stood - he never believed a word of what he read in it. That way he might gain a better understanding of what might be going on in the world - it would always be something other than what he read in the Mail."
- Nicked from an e-list.
Thought for the day
The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Hurrah, at last!
"Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, who voted for a total ban for England, told the BBC: "I'm absolutely delighted. This is really a historic day for public health."She added: "This is going to save thousands of people's lives."
Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chancellor Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Charles Clarke all voted for a blanket ban.
But Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, Defence Secretary John Reid and Education Secretary Ruth Kelly opposed it."
Self interest?
Education Secretary thinks it's OK to smoke behind the bike sheds?
But why is it going to take 18 months to implement the ban?
And please can it also apply to the doorways of shops, and the streets outside office buildings. Oh, and to streets themselves...
You know you've been together a long time when...
You spend Val's Day Eve talking to builders, who arrive early, causing your unromantic quick pasta dinner to be hastily bundled into the Aga bottom oven, rather than having a romantic, albeit over-priced, dinner in some swanky restaurant.
Getting the message
There was a conversation about text-speak over at KW's yesterday.
We concluded that neither of us like the terms 'text' or 'texting' and avoid them like the plague. In fact, I only send text messages. Actually, I send very, very few, because they take me so long to write. I still don't reliably know which letter is on which key...
It's a time thing. I'm an Impatient Witch. If I need an answer or to make an arrangement, it's a 30 second phone call, not a 10 minute barrage of text messages. If it's not urgent there's email. Plus, if I'm at home, the telephone is easier, and if I'm in the car, I can call hands-free, but can't send or receive text messages.
When I do send a text message, it has correct spelling and punctuation. To me, writing in 'text' (or is it 'txt'?) really makes one look, well, 'lacking in education', to put it politely. I suppose it's another way of eroding the ancient 'class boundaries' - because, like it or not, many of us do make judgments based, consciously or subconsciously, on the standard of another person's written English.
When I was a Small Witch, a favourite teacher-set exercise for those who finished their English early was to precis a paragraph of information into a telegram. I got lots of practice at this useful exercise in developing Value Wordage. Telegrams went. Text messages came. I suppose we did have text-speak back then - but only in autograph books (which were far too common for me to have, according to Mummy BW). "2YUR, 2YUB, ICUR, 2Y4me" type stuff I seem to recall. It still makes me cringe.
Now, reassure me (or not)... what are your habits of written communication involving a mobile phone?
Monday, February 13, 2006
PIN Day cometh
I have a distinct need to go shopping, just so I can pretend I have forgotten my PIN and sign for my purchases for one last time.
Unfortunately, it being half-term week round here, that is not a very sensible idea.
Mr BW, being red/green colourblind has also discovered a major flaw in the new system. Not all PIN-keypads are identical. Most have a larger green button for 'enter' under a smaller red 'cancel' button. But, some have similarly sized red and green buttons on opposite sides of the keypad. The green button is generally on the right. So, being left-handed as well as colourblind, he tends to naturally press the red 'cancel' button rather than the green 'enter' button. This annoys cashiers. And causes queues.
So, if you're feeling mischievous one day, just press the wrong button after you've entered your PIN. And then, when the cashier shouts at you, just pretend you're colourblind and say, "Do you realise you are in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act?" The world gets dafter. As Random Alan reports over here.
Oh god
I've been speaking with a so1icitor in the south of Ire1and a lot recently about a truly dreadful case of 'what members of so-called 'Ho1y Orders' do to small boys entrusted into their care, in the absence of their parents,' that I'm currently advising on. Maybe that should be 'did' as this case was years ago, but I suspect that unfortunately it is still 'do'.
Obviously I can't say anything about the specifics of that, but I do find it unbelievably strange how most of the accused Brothers seem to have died incredibly young. Particularly given the stress-free nature of their day-to-day existences. I suppose their 'god' told them to do it, and then told others to facilitate them in changing their identity to escape their just desserts. Hmmmm, religion. Is there anything good to be said for it?
Anyway, I needed to ring said so1icitor at 9am to catch him before he went in to court. Speaking with him is so pleasant - really put me in a good mood for the week it did.
In this country, so1icitors I have professional dealings with are (with few exceptions) generally brusque and abrupt, and often have incredibly over-inflated opinions of their own value and self-importance. Now, I don't know if this chap is a one-off, but he's always incredibly polite, listens carefully to anything I say, does what he says he'll do when he says he'll do it, is incredibly grateful for my input, always rings me back promptly if he's out of the office when I call, and is always cheerful.
It's almost worth ringing him just to hear him say, in his dulcet lrish tones, "Thank you for taking my call, and God bless!" at the end of every conversation. Much less annoying than the creeping American, "Have a nice day!"
But, I have been so tempted to say, "That would be the same 'God' who sanctions his senior servants' p@ed0phi1ic* activities would it?"
*(I wanted to check that form of that word, but, knowing what is watched by Google, increasingly the masters and overseers of the internet, didn't dare...)
Thought for the day
Sometimes you may have to pull back from trying to save the world and just try to save the piece of the world that belongs to you.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The 90th Make Blue Witch Laugh Award
One contender today.
Ah, no, that would be one winner today, wouldn't it?
But first we have to get some plug plants, find out about low energy LED lighting (halogen is too expensive on the environment and in running costs), and Megaf1o hot water systems - anyone know anything about either of the last two?
Later: Well, it seems that Local Small Town plumbers and electrical merchants don't either. I hate it when people try to pretend they do when they have absolutely no more idea than you (and probably less, as I'd alredy spent some time online reading up). It's really insulting and I always want to tell them to stop tryinig to bluff it and admit they don't know.
High performance low energy LED lights area a bit too hip and new and trendy to be widely known about yet. Although they do come in blue :) Still, we do at least have the manufacturers' details so I can ring and speak to the technical people about my crazy scheme. Which includes LED floor lights.
We did discover that there is an LED / GU10 (standard halogen mains-voltage system) replacement bulb now available though. We're not totally convinced it is quite as bright as halogen, but one oculd use more of them to get the same result. The bulbs use 90% less electricity than the halogen equivalent (just 1.8W), last 10 times as long, and give off no heat. Our local trade electrical supplier has them for £3.85. They're more here. Save the planet and your purse.
We got the 200-odd baby plants to grow on for this summer's decorative garden effects. 10p each at that size - but they'll be £1.49 or £1.99 at grown on size later. True Value.
Oh yes, nearly forgot.
The winner of today's 2 points and the MBWLA Trophy is Darren.
Monday, February 06, 2006Well, it makes a change to wake up laughing these days.
The dream took in a trip to the countryside, to the BW's. Where Edward startled a horse, we investigated the haunted basement, where BW's mum (see, dreams don't really bear much resemblance to reality) had come into the garden to berate us (or maybe they do), where BW had tried to help some more with my job situation, while we were sitting amongst the doo-dah in a dove shed, where Mr BW was marking out their land because the local farmer was infringing upon it again.
When we left, to walk home across the fields (what? 20, 30 miles?) we stumbled across a festival, where transexual ex-child-antiques dealer James Harries was performing 'Santa Baby'. The next act on were Steeleye Span, whose recoder player had phoned in sick. Someone from the band recognised me as having filled in for said band member on the 1992 Tour of the World (taking in Yorkshire and the Outer Hebrides). Though he was very much mistaken as to my identity, I was cajoled into taking part...
Wonderful stuff :)
Friday, February 10, 2006
Oh F*ck
Several times recently I have seen the Ginger Tabby & White Familiar near the road. Elderly "I'm as old as the Queen" Neighbour BW told us last weekend that twice recently he'd caught her sitting in the road. We gave her a talking to, and tried to teach her the Green Cross Code and enrol her in The Tufty Club.
On Monday evening, at around 6pm, a man knocked on the door with GT&W Familiar in his arms. At first, with visions of the past flashing before my eyes, I thought she was dead, but then I noticed she was purring contentedly.
Apparently she'd tried to commit suicide in front of his car, and he'd been worried that she was too young to do that. Luckily, he'd managed to stop just in time, but as he opened his car door to check she was OK, she'd tried to jump in. He put her back on the side of the road, but, immediately he drove on, in his mirror he saw her go back and sit on the white line in the middle of the road. So, he kindly gathered her up and presented her to me.
2000 acres of farmland behind, and she has to sit in the road in front. Why?
I figured it was just her being a lonely adolescent and picking up the energy from previous familiars who had met untimely deaths by motorised vehicles.
In desperation we locked her back in Mr BW's workshop, where she lives, and where we'd kept her for a couple of weeks when we first adopted her back in November. We've only been letting her out when we can supervise her. And she's caused havoc in the workshop. She loves playing with pencils, screwdrivers, and the contents of the cardboard recyling box. And screws, nails, wood, horticultural fleece and egg boxes. All of which are no longer neatly on their allocated shelves or in their allocated places.
Because the GT&W Familiar is clearly in need of a sibling, I've been keeping an eye out for other kitten familiars this week.
Yesterday I found a number on a local pet-shop board, for someone who is moving to accommodation where pets aren't allowed - and looking to rehome two 5 month old female kittens - one black fluffy (would bleach to Blue, I thought ;)), and the other multi-coloured. Purrfect, I thought, just 2 months younger than GT&W Familiar.
Unfortunately, the number was incorrect - it was a mobile number with 12 (rather than 11) digits. I tried every logical permutation of omitting one number form the sequence that I could think of, but to no avail. It wasn't meant to be.
This evening, when I went out to the workshop to get some potatoes from the sack and vegetables from the freezer, GT&W Familiar was looking rather plump.
I mentioned this to Mr BW.
He'd thought that when he saw her this morning too.
He assured me that, judging by what he'd removed from amongst the cat litter, it was definitely not constipation.
We decided that the reason she was trying to kill herself in the road last Monday was because she couldn't face telling us that she was going to be a teenage mum...
I suppose it was yet another spell that went wrong :(
I was only trying to help Mr D's Ginger Whinger get pregnant.
I hate it when cats that young get pregnant... they usually end up having part-morsels, or stillbirths. Once we had one who managed 2 live kittens, so we'll have to hope...
Buses or Enlargement?
Dither, dither.
What to do?
I believe that what is meant to be is meant to be, and that things happen for a reason.
So, when I found a flyer (or is it flier, I never know?) from a local e5tate agent offering free valuations in a pile the other day, I thought, "Why not?" and rang him.
I was nearly honest. I said we couldn't decide whether to extend or move. I did omit, "the hedge and replace it with a line of double decker buses," from the end of that sentence.
Having organised one valuation, I thought I'd get Village E5tate Agent (known locally as an elderly pompous git with the social skills of Prince Charles and an accent to match, but the ability to sell local country houses to overly-moneyed, but non-sensed, Londoners for way more than they are worth) to come round too.
The first one, who was very nice and not at all estate agent-y (ie he didn't smell of either cigarettes or after-shave, have gelled hair, or speak Estuary), has just left. The next one arrives at 11, so I have a few minutes to knock out a quick update. Nice E5tate Agent said, "Isn't your Coven wonderful Mrs BW, so calm, and so immaculate? You don't want to move, really!"
"You're right, I don't," I thought, "and you've no idea how many times I moaned at Mr BW every time he touched something or turned on a tap last night, after Cleaner BW had been and made things "immaculate" yesterday, either!" :)
But as for value, with or without new 20 foot square studio with huge double doors and roof terrace, and bathroom, well, he was stumped. "It's more than unique!" he wailed, "I can't put a price on it, I need to think about it!" (which, I suspect, means, "look on the internet")
And, it turns out that the wife of one of the bui1ders who we have lined up to quote just as soon as Always Late Arch1tect has finished his higher order calculations (hopefully this afternoon - and Mr BW has told him I'm going over to his office to pick up the Bui1ding Reg5 drawings later, so he can't blame the post for delaying them past another agreed date - although obviously Mr BW didn't tell him the last bit) works in Nice E5tate Agent's office. Spooky.
Now, given that, when that particular bui1der was recommended to me, I'd never heard of him, let alone seen him around in his sign-written van, and later the same afternoon he pulled out of the drive of a house round the corner, as I was driving the other way, I wonder how many more signs I need that he is The Right One To Do The Work?
Thought for the day
Early signs of middle age:
Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Omnibus
Given that I have a bad Witchy feeling about the Coven Enlargement Project (although, after some, erm, very heavy-duty persuasion from Mr BW, Always Late Arch1tect is now attempting to atone for previous sins and is promising all will be done by Friday - although, given the structural complexity of sitting a second storey on a first storey and utilising an existing flat roof for part of the floor, and now having to raise the roof pitch even more so that Mr BW, who is 6' 3", will be able to stand up in the new bathroom (and I'll bet it was Stuctura1 Eng1neer Friend BW - brought in to save the day - who is 6' 5" who pointed this out to Always Late Arch1tect who is only 5' 7"), it might have been sensible before coming up with his very complicated and extremely costly scheme if he'd first made us dig a hole to see the depth of the existing foundations under the flat roof bit - although we've always been led to believe they are about 4 foot as the previous owner ordered too much cement and rather than sending it back, had the on-site digger deepen the foundation hole, they might not be), and the fact that the summerhouse roof has been leaking (and the building seems to be in terminal decline), and Mr BW is always going on about how much land we use due to the 6 foot wide (and yes, I do mean wide) hedges around The Coven, sometime around midnight last night I got to wondering whether it would be better to abandon the whole Enlargement idea in favour of taking out part of the hedge that separates us from the farmland behind, and removing the summerhouse (we could burn the wood from it in the woodburner so it would be quite a Value recycling idea), and parking a line of Routemasters (one could be the summerhouse, one could be the bathroom, one could be my studio, one could be Mr BW's studio etc etc) along our boundary instead, but, I wasn't quite sure, and I always need a sign that my Witchy feelings are onto something, before I can be sure, and, just as I was thinking some more about it and wondering how much more said nice bussies had gone up in price since I last looked (I still reckon that I could buy a good-sized fleet for the price this Enlargement Project would otherwise cost, and maybe I could hire them out for weddings and funerals and stuff - hey, just thought, I must amend my Last Wishes document to say that I want to travel to my funeral in a Routemaster), I clicked onto DG and discovered that today is the 50th anniversary of their birth.
Gosh. I almost forgot to breathe.
So.
I have my sign.
Is that a mad idea? :)
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Message for Verity, Alan, and anyone else who has problems viewing particular sites from work
Ron provides a link today that shows how to use the Google language tools, hacked a bit so that you don't have to view through the Google interface, as a proxy server so that your company filters don't stop you playing on the internet.
Basically, if you want to view BW by this method, you'd use this link:
http://www.google.com/translate?langpair=en|en&u=www.blue-witch.co.uk
(and obviously, you can replace the blue-witch.co.uk with the URL of your choice)
Thought for the day
And above all things, never think that you're not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning.
Monday, February 6, 2006
Saturday, February 4, 2006
The 89th Make Blue Witch Laugh Award
Three contenders today. An old blogger, a new blogger, and a commentator.
Of course the first contender just has to be DG, for taking the piss out of the Blaggies (if you didn't see it in its full original glory, you missed out, as I forgot to take a screenshot). Funnier still was the reaction. Hehehehe.
And then there is Tim. Who looked at this photo of NiC's allotment extension, and commented:
Click to enlarge, then look at the bottom of the picture, about 1/4 in from the right. What do you see? Yes, a shadow made by a witches hat. She's watching y'know.Tim | 06.01.31 - 11:10 pm | #
And thirdly, the newest entrant to the 'Third Age' (well, she was then, but she's not now). Firstly some fun, then some useful advice here:
Before Christmas every magazine had ‘Drop a dress size’ on its cover. After Christmas, it changed to ‘Lose a stone in your lunch hour’ or some such crap!10ish years ago, I had what Eileen calls my trauma (yes Kev was implicated) when chubby Kaz became slim. Suddenly I could wear the clothes I was too old for. Ironic eh? Anyway, I got over it, and the weight started piling back on. Susan Powter came to my rescue. Her 1994 book ‘Stop the Insanity’ changed my life. She looks like a slapper, but she’s intelligent, political and scientific.
Eat low fat. This means doing the fat formula.
Look at the label.
Multiply the kcal from fat by 10. If this comes to more than one third of the total no of kcal then don’t eat it. If it’s less go ahead. Ignore any of the claims on the label.Move about a bit as well and you won’t gain weight. Make this a lifetime habit like I did.
And the winner? DG. Although I already know he'll take as much public notice of this as he did of that ;)
Friday, February 3, 2006
Blogichef Cookbook Index: quick, cheap, and easy recipes
New posts are under this top index post.
Details of this blog-a-long participative Monday to Friday thingy in posts below. Do join in, either by posting a recipe on your own blog, or emailing one to me to post here, and please encourage your own readers to join in.
This is the main Cookblog Index for the Blogichef Project and will stay at the top all week (so scroll down to read new posts). When you post a recipe, please put the title and URL of the post in the comments box.
If you want to display the Blogichef Logo (thanks to terreus for 'adapting' it) alongside your recipe, and have no server space of your own where you can upload the image, Cyberevolution has very kindly agreed to host it. To post it into the right-hand side of your recipe, put the following code at the top of your recipe post: [img align="right" src="http://www.cyberevolution.info/uploads/blogichefnew.gif"] (replace [ and ] with < and >)
Only the names of recipes you've posted on your blog, and the URLs, in the comments box below, please.
Blogichef Recipe
As a reward for all the contributions - when Mr BW gets time, the very last recipe here will be the long-awaited BW Special Chilli Prawn Spaghetti.
Watch this space.
Blogichef Recipe
Nearly the last contribution, from Mr D who admits that, "this is not actually my recipe - its been finely tuned by Mrs. D.!"
He says that it works very well with cooked chicken but anything will go, including prawns or vegetables. He suggests that you make it exactly like this first time, then adapt to suit your own taste.
(In)famous Curry Sauce
Ingredients:
1 large onion, diced
1 clove of garlic (or more to taste)
1oz butter
1 tablespoon of oil
1 teaspoon of each of: ground ginger, ground cinnimon, ground corriander
3 cloves
2 tablespoons of curry powder (we use madras but it works with any)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of pickle (we've used anything from branston to mango
chutney)
Quarter teaspoon of sugar
1 pint of chicken stock
Approximately a one inch cube of coconut butter
Start by making your stock with hot water and to this add the coconut
butter so that it melts.
Fry the onion and garlic in the butter and oil until soft. Take off heat and add all the other ingredients, finally pouring on the stock. Return to the heat and bring to the boil - if the sauce is too thick for your liking add hot water but do it gradually because it can quickly become too runny.
Turn heat down and simmer gently for approx 30 minutes. The sauce can be frozen but it does lose something if you do this.
Blogichef Recipe
Ham tells me that "people have been known to kill" for his final (?) recipe contribution to Blogichef week, which is also the last recipe I have in my email larder (however, Blogichef week doesn't close until midnight, so you've still got time to contribute your own recipe, either en blog, or via email...).
As Ham says, it is only quick to prepare - not to cook, but, if you've got a slo-cooker, or don't mind leaving the oven on very low all day, you could easily make it one night and eat it the next.
Lentil Pottage
Into a earthenware crock or cast iron casserole put the following essentials:
Potatoes - about so much
Onions - about 2 - 3, cut into large wedges
Lentils - about a glass of green, whole lentils soaked overnight and/or some split red lentils
Beans - about so much of any beans, soaked overnight - butter beans, kidney, black eye are all good.
A clove or so of garlic
Optional additions:
Meat - cheap cuts are GOOD for this - shin, mutton, belly pork you name it, ring the changes
Other root veg. - carrot, parsnip, swede....Pot is getting pretty full by now, though.
Water to cover.
Now here's the thing that makes this VERY different.
Put it in the oven on a very cool setting - about 110 degrees, regulo 1/4. Aga is perfect. And leave it there. Overnight. And at least 6 hours the next day. Aim to cook for at least 18 hours. Top up with water if necessary. If it is burning, turn it down. The stew will undergo a transformation in flavour, the potatoes will go very brown and - even without the meat - it has an astonishingly meaty taste.
As an optional extra, you can make up a dumpling mix with flour, fat and water and plonk it across the top to seal.
Serve with McCain fries, as many as you are Abel.
Blogichef Recipe
Ham has provided another recipe (quick preparation, but have a bath or check around blogland or something while it's in the oven), saying:
"I remembered this one I posted to Compuserve Cooks Forum back in about '85, it's a sort of version of patatas pobres, but a little more
violent: It's actually rather good, even though I say so myself."
ARMENIAN POTATOES
1 1/2 lbs Large, old potatoes
2 fl oz oil
3 tblsp Tomato paste
1/4 pt Water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
10 cloves garlic, choppped
2 oz parsley, finely chopped
pepper
Wash & peel potatoes, cut into small dice. Stir all the flavourings and mix
in the potoatoes.
Bake for about 1 hour mins+ in oven at 160C/325F.
Eat.
Stand well back (from everyone else).
Blogichef Recipe
The Witches are massing (we're only 10 short of a full blog coven now) and witch of oz (aka “soup witch”) has sent in her Pumpkin and Apple Soup . She says, "This is is a staple in my home, and I am actually going to make some this afternoon. Hope anyone who tries it enjoys it…
Serves 4
Takes about 30 –40 minutes from the start to spoon in mouth time
2 tablespoons of butter/cooking fat
1 large onion chopped roughly – I like it with onion so you can use more!
fresh thyme – up to a tablespoon of leaves but to taste really
2 large cooking apples peeled and cored and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons of soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons of whole grain mustard – be generous with this though!
salt and pepper to taste
about 1.5 lbs of pumpkin/ butternut squash flesh cut into chunks
2 pints of vegetable stock (I always use water from all my cooked vegetables)
cream or crème fraiche to serve
1) Heat up the cooking fat in a large pan and the onions and thyme to cook until softened and beginning to colour, slowly does it
2) Add the apple and sugar, gently cooking until just softening, stirring gently
3) Add mustard, pumpkin and stock with salt and pepper to taste, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes until apple and pumpkin are falling apart
4) Blend until smooth
5) Stir in half cream/crème fraiche and then swirl other half decoratively!
6) Eat with home made wholemeal bread – yummy! (well, eat with soup spoons, but you know what I mean!)
(Ed's note: there's a bread recipe at KW's)
Blogichef Recipe
Blue Hat sends us this recipe:
Quesadillas
250 grams of cheese
4 tortillas (flour or corn)
300 grams of grilled chicken (optional)
grate the cheese
warm one side of the tortilla up in a cast iron grill
spread the cheese on the tortilla as you warm the second side of it
spread the chicken pieces on the cheese
fold
repeat for the 4 tortillas.
serves 2
Blogichef Recipe
Ooops, running out of Blogichef Week time and still have quite a few emailed recipes to post.
This one is from Joules, who says it was first posted on her blog last year, and is, "fun, quick, cheapish, tasty, adaptable and very filling."
Sausage and Potato Soup
Ingredients - adjust amounts according to what you have in the fridge/what you can afford/how many you're feeding/what you like!
A few rashers of bacon - any type; unsmoked streaky is good - cut into smallish pieces
Onion, chopped
Clove or two of garlic (optional), crushed or chopped
Sausages - I usually use Cumberland, but any uncooked sort will do - cut into approx one inch pieces
Potatoes, peeled and roughly diced, enough to fill the saucepan
Stock, light chicken or vegetable
Dollop of oil - olive or sunflower - for cooking
A smidge of nutmeg, to taste - essential, that one
Fresh basil, torn into small pieces and added about 5 mins before the end of cooking (also essential)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt if you absolutely must
Method:
Heat oil in large saucepan
Throw in chopped bacon and onion. Saute on lowish heat until onions begin to go transparent
Add garlic, saute for about a minute
Add stock to half fill pan
Add potato chunks and uncooked sausages
Add more stock to just cover the ingredients
Bring to boil simmer until the potatoes are soft
Mash roughly with a potato masher, leaving plenty of large potato chunks. (Sounds odd, but I've found the sausage pieces almost always escape the masher and keep their shape.)
Simmer fifteen minutes longer, add basil
The soup should be very thick (as in a spoon will almost stand up in it) and is great for lunch on a cold day.
Thursday, February 2, 2006
Blogichef Recipe On Test
Just had Harriet's delicious Ode to the Mediterranean Using Chinese Techniques contribution to the Blogichef Cookbook for dinner.
A gorgeously inventive combination of melting flavours (I refuse to say the trendy 'f' word, but it is, and more so than most of what purports to be).
It took 40 minutes from the time I decided to make it. There'd be 10 minutes at least off that time next time I made it, for familiarity, and another 5 off for being organised.
However *sniggers* Mr BW appears to have overcome his dislike of ginger this evening (he's been going on about it under practically every Blogichef recipe including it - eg "Ginger is a BAD food. repeat after me BAD food. BW tried to slip a small amount into a honey and lemon drink the other day and it was horrible. Ginger grows underground for a reason, it's because it wasn't supposed to be found and eaten.") 4 good Microplane gratings in it there were. Don't tell him, will you? :)
Just as I was slapping it on the plate, I realised that a photo was required. Oh the things one does for one's art... No food stylist points though.
That recipe has joined our regular repertoire - and would not be out of place served in a good restaurant or at a dinner party. Thanks Harriet :)
Blogichef Recipe
This evening we have a Value smoked salmon pizza recipe from NiC's, erm, accomplice (? ;)), Tim. He says it's quick if you don't count the proving time, and that it originally came from a Sainsbury's Pizza and Pasta cookbook. If it's about 20 years old, I think I may also have that one Tim...
Alleged to serve 4.
Stuff you will need (it's for dough y'see)
7 oz plain flour
Good splash of olive oil
Pinch of salt
Sachet of easy blend yeast
Bit of warm water
Other ingredients
4 tomatoes (proper sized ones, not cheery ones)
6 oz smoked salmon trimmings
Bag of Mozarella
Add the oil and salt to the flour and stir around a bit. Add the yeast
then enough water (a bit at a time) until it's a firm dough.
Knead for a few minutes, folding and bashing to incorporate lots of air. Take out your aggression on the defenceless dough.
Put it in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm to prove (I stick it in the top oven), until it's doubled in size. The books say this will take a couple of hours but in my experience it only takes about 30-45 minutes max.
Meanwhile the topping.....
Skin the tomatoes by cutting a shallow cross on one pole and dunking in just boiled water for a few minutes. The skin should then peel off.
Slice thinly.
Slice the mozarella.
The dough is now ready, so roll it out, or if flash do that thing where you fling it in the air and stretch it over your hands.
Arrange the tomatoes, then the salmon then the mozarella. Put it on a
hot baking sheet then bake for 15-20 minutes at 220C 450F Gas 7 until
the cheese is golden.
Serve immediately with a glass of crisp white Italian wine.
(Ed's note: I left the typo as was, as it amused me)
Blogichef Recipe
Probably not terribly safe for work, or easily offended people, this one.
(*watches while this becomes the most clicked on outgoing link of the week* ;))
These have been sent in by a Deviant ("noun. One that differs from the norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards" - hmmm, sounds a bit like me I thought ;)) reader of terreus', who tells me that, "I posted some [recipes] as a semi-goof a few months back and thought you might like to peruse." He seems to have a Witchy-Approved take on Iraq too.
You may find you need to scroll down a bit to get to the recipes as the links seem to be a few inches out.
Deviant De Regueur tossed Caesar Salad
Egg Sammich Special (or, food to bewitch the boy in your bed)
Blogichef update
I currently have 5 Blogichef emailed recipes left in my larder. Many thanks to the senders, and they'll all be up by the end of tomorrow.
I have great plans to get some more of my own up, but I may end up sneaking them in next week at this rate...
In between hundreds of small but essential tasks and trying to put an end to the Ginger, Tabby and White Kitten Familiar's torturing of a little mouse that had gone on for over an hour and finding out that it was actually a very realistic mouse-like lump of moss off the roof, I have discovered the secret of getting P1anning Departments with a very poor record for meeting deadlines to do so. After weeks of subtle prodding, I finally lost patience yesterday and left a very polite but pointed message for the Head of P1anning Contro1 that I'd like him to call me before the end of the afternoon with either a decision on our app1ication, or details of the comp1aints procedure. It's amazing how quickly he then provided a 'yes' answer :)
The cookbook is looking good with 27 quick, cheap and easy recipes so far.
Still time to join in or post another favourite...
Blogichef Recipe
Woohoo! Spells Blogichef Week has resurrected Clear Blue Skies Dave!
Well... sort of... ish... OK, so I'm exagggerating just a teeny weeny bit. He sent me an email with a recipe for an ideal way of using up leftover Tuscans ;). But the recipe did have a post wrapped round it. Thanks for the recipe/post Dave. Now, how about a guest post on fatherhood and the progress of Baby CBS Cirrus, for next week, eh? :)
Dave's Tuscan Filled Pasta
A few years ago, L and I went on holiday to a villa in Tuscany. The shop in the nearest village was very small and the choice on offer very limited so on the first afternoon we bought a small selection of ingredients and invented this dish that evening. We liked it so much we've been cooking it ever since. Apart from being quick, easy and delicious, this dish is very versatile. It can be cooked without the meat or maybe with ginger or other aromatic spices. How about using baby corn and sugar snap peas? I haven't tried that myself but I'm sure it would work.
To cook it the way we do you will need (to feed 2 people with large appetites and little regard for their waistlines):
1 red onion, chopped, though not finely
2 peppers, diced (different colours works best)
8-10 ounces of turkey or pork (breast or fillets or whatever, diced or in strips)
Mushrooms, cut to appropriate size
Garlic to taste
Italian/mediterranean herbs of your choice
Extra virgin olive oil
2 packets of filled pasta. It doesn't really matter which sort you go for, though we usually steer clear of the meaty or overly cheesy ones. Spinach and ricotta or garlic and herb tortellini (or both together) are our favourites.
1 non-stick pan/frying pan
1 saucepan of boiling water (large enough for the pasta)
Cooking it is easy and only takes ten minutes or so (less if you're not having meat).
First, heat the olive oil and gently cook the onion and garlic for a minute or so before adding the turkey or pork.
Once the meat is browned, stir in the herbs and add the peppers.
Allow the peppers to cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two (depending on whether or not you prefer them to have a bit of bite when you eat them) and then add the mushrooms.
Cook for a further few minutes until everything is properly cooked.
Start cooking the pasta at the right time for it to be ready when everything else is finished.
Serve with the pasta forming the bed on which everything else sits. You can finish it off with parmesan, balsamic vinegar or whatever but I prefer the simplicity of black pepper.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Blogichef Recipe
It pains me to post a recipe suggesting that you eat my Girls' Relatives' vital organs, but, as Ham has kindly submitted it, who am I to appear lily-livered by not providing details of what making this "value yet impressive dish" entrails (r, erm, yes ;))
Spanish-like chicken liver salad
Serves 2 as main course, 4 - 6 as starter
Ingredients:
Chicken livers (say about 99p worth)
A couple of onions
Salad
Paprika - smoked sweet preferrably but you don't have to be arsey about it
Sherry. At least a glass for the food.
Slice and fry the onions until about 5 minutes before they are
caremelised (don't burn).
Wash and cut the livers into halves (just separate the lobes) chuck in
and fry as you like.
When they are ready, chuck in a teaspon or so of paprika and cook for
30 seconds.
Chuck in a glass of sherry (to taste - Fino, Harveys Bristol Cream - you decide) and cook down for a few seconds until it is ooshy not wet.
Plonk on the salad and recieve accolades.
Blogichef Recipe
I've been meaning to post this one for ages - even took the photo last summer - but haven't got round to it. Blogichef week gives me the perfect opportunity.
It's basically a puff pastry based, cheese-topped flan/pizza/quiche type thingy - great served hot, or cold (Mr BW often takes a slice to work for lunch, and it's great for summer lunches or picnics too), with salad, or with green beans.
You can use whatever vegetables you have (it's a good way of using up any that are getting a bit manky) for the topping - I often use mushrooms, or onions, or tomatoes, or spinach - and the cheese is up to you - thinly sliced brie is wonderful (the picture is mushroom and brie), but mozarello, cheddar, or even stilton (especially with mushroom topping) is also good. Use whatever herbs you have - fresh or dried (mushrom is good with tarragon or parsley; onion with sage, thyme or rosemary; tomato with basil or oregano; but, really, anything goes).
BW's Quick Tart
Serves about 10 (but it's very more-ish...)
Ingredients:
1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (or, for a cheaper, but slower version, roll out a packet to a large rectangle)
One topping mix (see below) - this can be made ahead and kept in the fridge ready for a quick meal.
Cheese of your choice (grated or sliced, about 12oz, but you can use more or less)
Herbs (whatever you have - 2 tbs fresh, chopped, or 1 large tsp dried)
2 tbs milk, for glaze
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to quite hot (sorry, I have an Aga, I don't cook by temperature!).
- Unroll puff pastry sheet onto a large flat baking tray.
- With a sharp knife, score into the pastry about 1" (2.5 cm) in from the outer edge all the way round. Don't cut right through it - about half way down is about right. This 1" border will puff up to make a nice crispy edge when it's cooked.
- Spread on topping of your choice, right up to the cut 1" border line.
- Sprinkle on herbs of your choice.
- Cover topping and herbs with cheese of your choice.
- Brush 1" border with milk.
- Bake for about 20-30 minutes until edges are golden and well risen and cheese is melted and golden.
Suggested topping mixes:Onion: Fry 4 or 5 thinly sliced large onions in 1 tbs oil, over a low heat, until they are lovely and gooey and caramelised. Some people add a bit of sugar to do this, but I prefer just putting 2 tbs of balsamic vinegar in just before I take it off the heat.
Mushroom: Finely chop (I do them in a food processor, on pulse) about a pound of mushrooms (this is great for using up ones that have been overlooked in the fridge and are almost not good enough to eat), and then fry them over a medium heat, in 1tbs of oil or butter, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Tomato: Either make a simple tomato sauce by cooking 2 onions in a tsp of oil for 3 minutes, then adding a tin of Value tomatoes, a squidge of tomato puree, and lots of black pepper, then blitz in a food processor or liquidiser, or use tomato puree (or even tomato sauce) with a few tomatoes thinly sliced over the top.
A jar of pesto, or similar, would also work well as a quick topping. Try anything!
Thought for the day
And do as adversaries do in law, strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends.
- William Shakespeare (The Taming of the Shrew)
