Picture 1 is the tree opposite our front gates. I publish it because all trees at this time of year seem to stand smartly to attention (vivid imagination in action again). Whether it's the sap rising or something, but all the twigs and branches seem slightly more vigorously upright than they did a month ago.If anyone agrees I would value the support because mostly folk think I've finally flipped when I raise the point.
Picture 2 is to show you the middle conifer at the rear where the thrush sings his version of Matins. Please see yesterday's lead picture.A busy day - a blood test first thing and the doctor later rang me to say my kidney function is now much improved and I'm to stop taking the Spironolactone she prescribed earlier.
I'm proud of myself with my Vehicle Excise Licence renewal. I succeeded in renewing it online ! Very easy system, you just have to follow the instructions. Betting than standing for ages in a Post Office queue. Given that you could find a Post Office that is!
Then over to Carlton for Y's 'nails' and instead of lunch at The Cheesecake Shop we went into town to John Lewis. Our purpose was to buy a nest of little tables which Y had spotted and, while we were there we also bought a new TV, a Samsung LCD, HD model and we loved the look of it and a great picture. Can't be delivered for around 10 days but we aren't really in a hurry.
Comments.....Jill.... Here's hoping that Magwitch has pretty well left you alone today. And I'm sure you are right about the siskin being a green finch.
Haslet is a cooked meat which some consider a delicacy.
Research seems certain it originated in Linconshire at least the linked page considers it so. Here is a picture:-
I'm not abit surprised the Mail on Sunday had a go at Delia and said her chocolate cupcakes cost £11. They are determined to 'get' her - I think because she dares be critical of modern poncy chefs. My money is still on Delia anyway. I'll be really pleased to know how you get on with the mini-chopper. They sound useful.
Quotation time......This doesn't come from an anthology of quotations but from a book of mine by Roland Barthes and is similar to my thoughts about trees standing to attention. He says :-
"Sometimes I would mention this amazement, but since no one seemed to share it, nor even to understand it (life consists of these little touches of solitude), I forgot about it"
Translated by Richard Howard. AnonymousRob prolly reads him in the original French !!
A Karen day tomorrow, and for us the first National Trust Committee Meeting at 10am. Officers are to be decided and I think I'm going to have to stand for election to the Vice Chair against Garry. I have taken the trouble to find a proposer and a seconder and have elicited some prior commitments of support. So. We shall see !
Hoping for a Magwitch free night all round and I'll catch you tomorrow.
For the football fans I've decided to republish the 'babes'.
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The haslet link is still indecisive, one bit says it is made from entrails, someone else says it is minced pork and breadcrumbs, no entrails. Don't think I'll bother...
ReplyDeleteWatched Delia tonight, I didn't think the bit about her religious beliefs/going to Mass/meeting Sister Wendy was relevant to the programme. Would not bother doing spag.bol. her way, and the second pasta dish took at least 20 mins. by which tome you could have made two omelettes, eaten them and cleared away..... I did like the look of the crab cakes, wonder if it would work with tinned salmon, and has anybody tried dipping such things in semolina before frying them?
No signs of Magwitch, I have kept sling on all day.....
Have you seen the weather forecast for Saturday.......
Sunday, March 16, 2008
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was that it is too early for fledglings, but I have been put right by my ‘bird expert’ although (without seeing the picture) he thinks it more likely to be a missel thrush (which are very early hatchers).
Forever to be thought of as ‘One-chive’ Marsden!
I got some decent, reasonably priced (prepacked) purple sprouting from Lidl. It generally seems to be very rare, in poor nick, and expensive. Although it has never been obtainable from Ollerton greengrocer's, it used to be readily available, in season, in Nottingham.
James the Fish supplied us with an excellent leg of lamb (from a source local to him). It is the only cut of a sheep I am generally happy with. We shall certainly be sampling more of his meat which is so reasonably priced.
I saw Lonnie Donegan at the Mechanics in the fifties, where he did an interlude for the Chris Barber band of which he was a member. I also saw Humph there, and Ken Collier. The Johnny Dankworth 7, with Cleo Laine and Boscoe Holder, I danced to at Clipstone Miners’ Welfare, also Harry Gold and His Pieces of Eight and other ‘names’ (Vic Lewis' National Anthem was the best I've heard, with the possible exception of the Sex Pistols). We had to go to Leicester in the 60s to see Dizzie Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and the MJQ’s ‘little man with a little stick hitting a little bell’. It was Scunthorpe for Eric Delaney and Newstead Abbey for George Melly (the latter in the 90s).
Jill:
Yes, it was Andrew Marr of the long arms interviewing Heaney.
I am not usually awake for the show but it was good. I too was in bed.
Pleased to welcome back Paris, Rome and all the other…
Wikipedia says:
“Haslet (pronounced 'Hacelet' is a herbed pork meatloaf, originally from Lincolnshire in England. It is typically made of stale white bread, pork (traditionally the offal), sage, salt and pepper, and sometimes onion.” That sounds right to me. Obviously, like sausage, it varies from butcher to butcher. In Mansfield it was sometimes spelt ‘Aislet’ and it was always unaspirated.
I like good tongue very much (not ‘lunch tongue’ which is ditinctly inferior). Years ago, Sandra always had a butcher (we had one next door) brine a tongue for her to cook, half for the Christmas period and half for the freezer. Now she sticks to a ham.
Oh dear, Delia: £11 for cupcakes. It strikes me that this series is full of holes; a mistake.
Pleased Magwitch has been banished, I hope permanently.
AnonymousRob :
According to my ‘West Bridgford Agent’, who pirouetted there a lot in the 60s, the Dancing Slipper was originally above the TBI (Trent Bridge Inn) but then moved (as noted by the blogmeister and Reg) above the garage/shops in Central Avenue.
Reg:
I remember Clinton Ford (Fanlight Fanny) and he must have been at least as good looking as George Melly!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Re the trees, I think Roland Barthes may be offering you good advice.
As your thrush sings, I suppose it must be a Song Thrush!
I have failed to renew my Vehicle Excise Licence online for 2 succssive years, perhaps because R follows M. It is a very easy system, but like many others, inc Alliance & Leicester, fails at the end after you have spent half an hour getting there when the Post Office is only 5 minutes walk away! (never more than 3 in the queue except on Thursdays).
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you buy a new TV a few months ago?
Is Garry the one you have trouble with. If so, could it be Garry Cox? If so, I don’t relate well to him either!. (he’s a member of the Dukeries U3A).
Jill:
I didn’t see Delia. Did she use tinned crab? Are you recommending semolina in place of breadcrumbs?
I was unable to post this yesterday because Jessica had been using my computer and lost my ‘links’. And it didn’t occur to me until this morning to reformat. That had to be done carefully because Dan had only set up my new monitor on Sunday. He also brought me a laptop (not yet usable), a dock to connect it to my keyboard and monitor, and, I think, a ‘new’ tower.
Forgot to mention that I was named and featured on Radio Nottingham this morning, having emailed about the cockpit, 3 levels below ground, at The Lion (now a Slot Machine Entertainments place?) on Clumber Street, Nottingham.
ReplyDeleteLis-je Roland Barthes dans le français original ? Mais, bien sûr, certainement. Only I don't understand it, not (just?) because Barthes is demanding but because my French is very, very limited to the basics of holidaying dans le pays. Un bouteille be vin blanc (ou rouge) s'il vous plait.
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Reg. I must get on to Andrew L tout suite and stop him otherwise I will have to spend all that night in the pub. On second thoughts........
Acker Bilk is the 'best' I can offer to the I saw (insert name of jazz great) live debate. However, I did see BB King at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester; in the gardens it was as well and it didn't rain. I'm thinking of inviting Grappelli and Menuhin to my fantasy dinner party.
The Sports Desk has gone quiet. I expected a mention for the Mighty Stags with their splendid away victory at Bradford. Maybe they should play all their remaining games away; it appears that the footballing Gods are not with them. Haslam Out!! On the other hand it is possible that a Welsh grand Slam has dampened the spirits. However, I believe we did win a cricket match somewhere in the world the other day (a rare occurence) and Lewis Hamilton appears not to be a fluke. Thank you for publishing the Babes again; can you e-mail me the link please?
My pronunciation has always been Hacelet. Wiki seems to have got it covered. I don't like offal.
I've just remembered I saw Dizzie Gillespie at a jazz festival in Lugano when I was on holiday there many years ago.
Rob
Delia used tinned crab and breadcrumbs to make the crab cakes, along with an egg and various green bits (chives?)and then formed them into cakes and rolled them in semolina, before frying in veg.oil, they seemed to have a nice crusty appearance. She aso made fish soup by using a tin of same, and adding cognac and tinned lobster.
ReplyDeleteShe has got slated in the Easter edition of the Radio Times, only one person sticking up for her.
We saw BBKing in Memphis, Chris Barber and Humph at Battersea Town Hall, and Lonnie Donnegan at the old Chiswick Empire, on the bill with Marty Wilde and Liberace.....