Re-discovering forgotten treasures and pleasures

Having Eden with me this weekend has as usual been a lot of fun and also an education. She has very patiently tried to show me the intricacies of saving photos from my digital camera on to the lap top and then to disc. I had not realised that some of the pictures I had taken were from 2007 and some before that too. We only realised this when they were on the computer and we were looking at them because the pictures of all three grand-children showed them much younger than now and it took some time to work out when I took them.
It is always fun to look at photos from the recent past as well as those from further back, especially those of children because we forget how quickly they grow and change. Even Eden looked totally different although I see her every fortnight, she always seems to be a bit taller when she comes down too, or maybe it's me that's shrinking!
I have often told her about a fairy story book with fables and tales from the middle east and India that belonged to my mother, that I read over and over again when I was about her age. Some of the pages were missing because it was from the 1920's and obviously I couldn't read some of the stories all the way through so didn't know how several of them ended. She showed me how to look on the internet and although I did not know the name of the author, we actually found the book and it is still possible to buy it! I think I know what I will be getting for Mother's Day and even if I don't, I will buy one myself and then I can read it to her so that we can both enjoy the tales together.

Introducing the family!

Today my grand-daughter has been helping me to pack up some ornaments for the scouts jumble sale next weekend. Going through various drawers, I found some pictures and little cards she had made me some time ago. I have a very ancient little case upstairs that I call my memory case and inside are all sorts of odds and ends so we went up to put these away.
She has never seen the things I keep in this case so we had a good look through. There are some of my old school reports and also my nursing and various other certificates but I thought the things that would interest her most would be one of her Mum's school reports and cards that her Mum and aunt had made when they were very small, as well as some of the things she had made herself when she was much younger. We went through everything and one of the cards she made me must have had a whole packet of glitter on it because a lot of it is on the bed and the floor!
Deciding it was time for a break from wrapping, I found out my camera and thought I would get her to show me how to save the photos onto the disc and to the computer.
Well, she's a very clever twelve year old and has managed to do it but I'm blessed if I can remember how she did it because to me it's like magic! Her fingers clicked so fast I got completely lost but I'm sure we will go through it again. Well done Eden!
Anyway, I hope you like the photo I took this afternoon. This is Squidge and he is just one of the squirrels that avails himself of the facilities in the garden, especially the peanuts!

Shall I sue for discrimination?

Nowadays it is unlawful for any employer or professional body etc. to discriminate on the grounds of age, race, sexual orientation and disability. However, this doesn't stop the Chancellor of the Exchequer from discriminating against certain groups of people such as me!
A year or two ago as a nod towards cutting exhaust CO2 emissions from cars, legislation was passed so that those buying smaller, more economical cars would only have to pay £35 road tax compared with £120 for those with larger engine sizes. I think the larger Chelsea tractors and other gas guzzlers may have to pay more and so they should, but as they are way out of my price range or need, I don't really know.
Anyway, last August when I retired I had to replace my 16 year old car and with the scrappage deal I was able to stretch to buying a little 1:0 litre Kia Picanto. This is a modest little car and suits my needs admirably because I do not do that much driving and the reasons that I need a car anyway are that I have arthritis and spinal problems which means I cannot walk very far or carry shopping, so need the car to go to the supermarket. The other reason is because my nearest family are just over a twenty five mile drive away with no regular or convenient public transport links.
However, my road tax is £120 per year while a neighbour round the corner who also bought a Kia Picanto a couple of months later only has to pay £35. The reason for this is that I am older than her so have disabilities such as arthritis and other problems including a trapped sciatic nerve, which means that I cannot use a clutch pedal or change gear with my left hand as I am unable to grip due to arthritis. For this reason, I have to drive an automatic car rather that a manual transmission and that is why there is a difference in the price of the road tax. My neighbour however, is fit and healthy and also works while I am on a very limited pension.
The Chancellor has discriminated against me in two ways. Firstly on the grounds of my disability which means I cannot drive a manual transmission and secondly on the grounds of my age. I am sure that most automatic cars are owned by the older driver anyway and I do not see why we should have to pay more road tax when both types of car with a 1:0 litre engine have such low CO2 emissions. Yes, the automatic does need a bit more oomph but I have only just clocked up 1,000 miles since the beginning of August and in a year my total mileage is under 3,000 miles.
Wake up Chancellor, I'm thinking of suing you for discrimination!

Gone to seed - one domestic goddess

Yesterday I was feeling really down with a huge black cloud hanging over me and I was a bit tearful. too Now this is most unlike me because I am always optimistic no matter how grim things are and having a good cry or feeling sorry for myself are things I do not allow myself to do. They are a waste of time and don't make things any better anyway.
All through my life I have had to hold everyone else and myself up because there has never been anyone to do it but me. Even many years ago when I was married my role was to be a wife, keep house and bring up the children. I wasn't me, I was the engine that kept everything running smoothly with no identity, no feelings and no rights.
Now that I am much older and on my own, I often think how lucky some people are especially those who have been fortunate enough to find a lifelong partner or someone to love them, care for them when they are ill or down and provide for them while treating them as an equal. Don't get me wrong, I am quite happy on my own now, I'm used to it and I can please myslef what I do and when but there are times I feel isolated, especially from my family because they live too far away for me to be able to 'pop in' when I feel like company.
I often think of all my talents that are wasted too. I have always been a very good cook and homemaker and I enjoy gardening as well as being 'domesticated' but apart from my grand daughter who comes every other weekend, I don't get much opportunity to display my talents now. Oh well! I'll just have to keep on teaching her how to cook, sew and garden, at least we can enjoy doing these things together.

Lights Out

There must be aliens from outer space operating in this area because on Monday night, the street light outside my house went out so I had to make a call to the council yesterday to have it remedied. The lady took all the details and thanked me for reporting it then told me it should be fixed within five working days.
That's all very well, but if anyone comes to my door when it's dark they will be waiting until that light is fixed before I answer it because it is so dark, when I look through the spyhole I can't see who's there without that light. I know that there have been some undesirables in the area knocking on the doors of older people on their own telling them that tiles are loose etc. and trying to gain access to the houses.
Anyway, it wasn't only the street light that had problems because the same night, one of the lights in my kitchen started flickering, or at least that's what I thought. When I watched it, nothing happened but as soon as I turned the other way I noticed the flicker again. This happened several times and even though I stood and watched for a long time, it didn't flicker again so I was beginning to think it was me.
Luckily, I am not going quietly mad because last night when I put the lights on I had a repeat performance so I gave up watching it and went back into the front room to watch the news. When I returned to the kitchen the light was out.
This time I knew I wouldn't have to wait five working days, only until this morning. So when I was up, I got out a new light bulb and a chair and went to change it. It was only when I got up on the edge of the sink I realised that I am a bit shorter than I was last time but carefully wobbling on the edge of the sink I got the bulb changed. I had to get down very carefully and the thought crossed my mind, if I fell now, I would be on the floor for a very long time before anyone found me. It's just as well I put in one of those long life bulbs and if it needs to be changed in the future I will have to find some other kind soul to do it for me.

Insurance - what a rip off

Because I now have to count every penny and make every penny count, I decided that I would see where I could save some money each month. After stripping everything back to the bare necessities there was really only one place where I might be able to save anything and that is with household contents insurance.
My current policy is very, very expensive with Saga. I bought it when I passed my 50th birthday because they claimed they were cheaper for the over 5o's. Well , not so. When I had to make a small claim some eight years ago, the amount was less than one year's cover, it was an almighty battle and you would have thought that I was asking for a piece of the moon. I don't give up easily and they paid out eventually but as I was working full time I have never really had the time to phone around for different quotes and the problem with doing that is you get bombarded with quotes from every company and it's subsidiaries every year when your renewal is due!
Today, I looked on one of those price comparison sites and I was shocked. Not only am I paying more than double for my cover but how on earth can some of these companies justify what they are demanding for their policies, especially when some of them want the insurer to pay an excess and then require a thumping great deposit as well.
I have been covered for contents insurance for well over thirty years since I got divorced, but have only ever made two very small claims in all of that time and I have estimated that I have paid various companies several thousand pounds.
Money for old rope comes to mind because all the insurance companies do is send out a computerised renewal notice every year to me, a policy number - not a person.
I will definitely be changing companies this year but then I ask myself is it worth buying this cover anyway?

Watch out! Litterbugs about!

This weekend has been particularly bad with the amount or litter that has been strewn in various places. This was probably due to the springlike weather that we have enjoyed for the last couple of days. Today has seen a return to normal with more rain, sleet and snow showers!
On Saturday for instance, I was sitting in my front room reading the newspaper when I heard a lot of banging outside the window. When I looked out I saw a young man in his twenties get out of a BMW car (fairly new) and watched as he walked along the road and went into one of the Barratt hutches which are opposite. I went back to my newspaper and fifteen minutes later there was a lot more banging of car doors, so being inquisitive and wondering what car had about ten doors, I looked out again.
This time the young man was with about ten others and they all squeezed into two cars but before he closed his car door, he threw out a half eaten sandwich and the cardboard package. I was furious because we have wheelie bins outside and there were two within ten feet of his car. Before I could get my shoes on and go out to confront him, they had driven off so I picked up the remains of the sandwich with the packaging then walked along the road where I put it on the doorstep of the house he was visiting, ensuring that it would be there for his tea!
This morning, I needed a couple of items of shopping so I took the route across Castle Park despite the weather and I was surprised at the amount of litter that was spread across the grass. There must have been enough to fill at least a dozen large wheelie bins. There were cans, bottles and at least two trainers (not a pair) along with the plastic carrier bags and cardboard boxes that had contained cans of lager.
I cannot comprehend why people can't be bothered to put their rubbish in the bins provided, there are certainly enough of them. Instead they prefer to live like pigs (although that is probably an insult to a noble animal). As children, we were always taught to respect our surroundings and bin the rubbish or take it home, but that message seems to have been lost long ago.

The mating game

It seems as though we've had all four seasons today from light sleet and snow showers at about four thirty this morning followed by rain and drizzle. I had woken up very early as I do from time to time so I know what the weather was like at that unearthly hour! After a cup of tea I put the radio on snooze and dropped back off to sleep until just before eight to find that everything had stopped falling and there were even a few bright patches of sky.
Gradually through the morning the sun came out and it was very bright and springlike which affected the squirrels. There were three of them and I think that only one was female. Two of them were taking turns in chasing each other round the top of the garden fence, up the walls and over the flat roof of the kitchen. The there was the occasional death defying leap fom the fence to the bird table roof and back again.
While these two were engrossed in their energetic antics the other squirrel was demurely sitting on top of the nut box busily tucking in to the peanuts and not really bothering about the other two. Occasionally, the other squirrels would approach the one on the box one by one only to be chased off by the rival.
These activities carried on for a good hour or so until eventually the squirrel that had been eating decided she had had enough and sat up on the fence having a tidy up. Meanwhile, the other two took it in turns to eat the nuts and eventually all three sat on the fence in the sun for a while before heading off.
After they had gone, I opened the back door because I had been cooking in the kitchen and with the oven on it had become rather warm. It was then that I spotted three yellow crocuses which are just beginning to open so spring really isn't too far away.

What shadows under my eyes?

Yesterday when I was shopping I had to go to Boots for some eyeshadow and a couple of other bits. It wasn't very busy in there and I have always found the staff very helpful and they will sometimes engage in a short conversation while they serve you.
The assistant that served me on the pharmacy counter took my card and put it in the machine, but as it is a bit high I needed to swivel it around so that I could see to enter my PIN but as I did so, the machine bit fell off and shot over the counter. I apologised for destroying the equipment and we had a chuckle about it when she said I didn't know my own strength.
On my way out of the shop there was another young lady who was promoting a certain beauty product to hide shadows under the eyes. She stopped me to ask if I would be interested in finding out more about it so I politely asked her if I had shadows under my eyes. She looked very closely and told me that I had lovely skin and no, I didn't have any shadows. Then I asked her how old she thought I was. She laughed and told me that she wasn't very good at guessing ages but as I didn't have as many wrinkles as her Mum, I must be in my early fifties!
This made me laugh and I agreed, she wasn't very good at guessing age because I am 62. She then asked me how I kept my skin so smooth so I told her that I had never bought expensive skin products like the one she was promoting, I only ever used the cheap basic ones, that I had a good and varied diet including lots of vegetables and fruit and that I made sure that I got a good night's sleep.
She then thanked me for my advice and I went on my way. I wonder if she's still promoting her eye product today or has she returned somewhat disillusioned to the tills?

Resisting the urge

Today we had some reasonably good weather with bright sunshine and it is possible to feel the warmth in the sun once you shelter from the chilly breeze. Yesterday was the complete opposite with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, with some snowflakes the size of tea plates, but fortunately it didn't settle.
This is the first year I can remember a 'proper winter' for at least twenty years. Hopefully a lot of garden pests will not re-appear in the spring because it will have been much too cold for them to survive, especially the migrant pests that have been heading here from the continent with the climatic changes of the last few years.
Now that the days are a little bit longer, the garden centre nearby has got a whole lot of new plants in including bare rooted roses and other perennial shrubs. I have been very tempted to go and investigate but have resisted the temptation so far. However, my resolve will weaken and my curiosity will get the better of me especially when I hear them call my name as I walk past, then I really must go to have a look to see what's on offer for this spring.
I still have some pruning and clearing up of dead foliage which I tend to leave to protect the plants from frost, so I don't usually start getting active in the garden until the beginning of next month. When the sun shines though, it is very difficult to restrain myself and resist the overwhelming desire to go out and get stuck in, but I have to in order to prevent disappointment.
In the past, I have made the mistake of starting things too soon in the garden, only for the weather to turn very wintry again which has put a stop on the development of the plants or killed them off altogether. This year I will again follow the old saying - if you drop your trousers and sit on the soil and find it too cold, then it is not the time to start planting!

Another politician with 'foot in mouth' disease

So just who does Sir Nicholas Winterton think he is? Today in an interview on the radio he was complaining about the ordinary people (ie: those who elect the politicians like him) travelling in standard class on trains as being 'too noisy' and guilty of 'too much activity' while travelling. The worst horror of all is they have children!
For this reason, he says he needs to travel first class so that he can do some 'work' when he travels between his Macclesfield constituency and London. All of this travel is done at the expense of the taxpayers and electorate!
Firstly, I doubt very much that his 'work' is productive or beneficial to the British public. After all he doesn't cure people of illness or make a product that can be useful or exported, in fact, I've not heard of him being any use to man or beast since he joined parliament in 1971!
The most outstanding thing about Sir Nicholas is that he claimed £20,000 for a flat that he put into a family trust after paying the mortgage. That money was claimed from the taxpayer too.
He thinks that expenses (he calls them 'allowances') including travelling first class, are nothing to do with the public but are the domain of parliament.
Well, I disagree. I am trying to survive on a state pension and small occupational pension and I can't even afford to travel on a train not even in a cattle truck. Not only that, I have to pay income tax on my little bit of occupational pension and that goes towards paying for his travel and his flat. I could never afford to buy my own flat so I have to pay a colossal rent every week. The majority of my working life was spent helping others especially the time when I was nursing and when I worked in the jobcentre.
This man has certainly done nothing to encourage voters to support his party in the election that is coming this year. Now we can see politicians for what they truly are and what some of them really think of us.

We don't like your biscuits!

Always being concerned about varied diets being better for you, I thought I would offer the squirrels a special treat especially as the mating season is approaching. I remember many years ago when I was on night duty at one of the big hospitals which was at the time, surrounded by beautiful grounds with grass and trees, the squirrels used to appear on the windowsills of the ward first thing in the morning. The patients would give us digestive biscuits which we then broke up and put out for them and the ladies on the ward enjoyed watching them as we were getting them ready for the day staff and their own breakfasts.
On Sunday, I got Eden to break up a couple of digestive biscuits and put on the bird table because the squirrels often sit up there when they have got peanuts out of the nut box which is screwed just underneath. On Monday when I cleaned out the nut box and re-filled it I noticed that the biscuits were still there.
At different times this winter I have put other offerings out such as apple cores, bits of carrot and raisins and these have all disappeared without trace in a few days. I must admit, I haven't seen the squirrels take these things or sit there and eat them, but then I can't stand and look out of the window all day. They did take the hazelnuts and walnuts that I put out over Christmas but those must have been buried because I have not found any sign of the shells in the garden.
Today, there were two squirrels taking turns at getting the nuts, some they ate and some were buried in the garden. Then one of them climbed onto the bird table to eat his nut out of the rain and when he had fininshed he picked up a piece of the biscuit, had a taste and deliberately threw it off the bird table! He repeated this with another piece before going back to the nuts!
Now I know the biscuits were only cheap ones which I use for cheesecake bases, but there was no need for him to be so ungrateful. In future they'll just get nuts!

What happened to home made pancakes????

With today being Shrove Tuesday, I have been amazed at the number of people that buy pancakes! Can you believe it? They are so simple to make anyway. I know that the ready made pancake mix has been available for years so that you don't have to weigh ingredients, just add milk and mix, but to buy them ready made leaves me open mouthed.
I am unable to decide whether people are too scared to try making them, too busy or too lazy!
When I was young we used to have pancakes for tea on Shrove Tuesday, they were simple pancakes with some sugar and lemon juice sprinkled on them and were absolutely delicious. Today is different as the times have moved on. You can not only buy them ready made but you have a choice of 'extras'. Anything goes from Crepes Suzettes with the orange sauce and Grand Marnier, chocolate pancakes with a chocolate sauce, pancakes with butterscotch sauce, lemon curd type sauce, maple syrup with buttermilk pancakes, Scotch pancakes with or without dried fruit and with honey or not. In fact, anything goes from sweet and savoury, so it's whatever takes your fancy!
If you don't want to buy them ready made, or you're not confident enough to make them yourself or try the packet mix, then there is another alternative and that's to buy the mixture all ready made in a container rather similar to a milk container, so all you do is give it a shake and pour into the frying pan!
As for me, I won't be having pancakes this year nor next year if my bloated waistline has not shrunk. You could say I've given them up for Lent!

Search for shoes

Now I really am beginning to feel old! At the moment when I go out for my walk or even into the centre to do shopping, I wear a pair of sandy nubuck ankle boots that resemble those worn by builders, but I got mine for just a few pounds some years ago in Lidl. They are extremely comfortable and because I have back problems they are perfect for walking any distance.
As these boots have a nice faux sheepskin lining, I really don't think they will be suitable to wear when the weather gets warmer and I am certain that they will not look right with lightweight summer clothes or cropped trousers!
What I would like to find are some shoes that look reasonably elegant with a wide separate heel about an inch or so high with adequate support around the back of the heel and not costing the earth. All I can find are flimsy fashion shoes with a one piece sole and heel moulded from some cheap looking plastic with no support around the back of the heel, poorly made and costing the earth!
I always used to buy shoes at Marks & Spencer as they were well made with good materials and were reasonably priced, but I haven't done so for several years because they no longer seem to want the custom of the more mature lady with conservative taste. All their shoes are for the young and fashion conscious with heels that would cause me to fall and break my neck and I would need to take out a small mortgage to pay for them.
The cheaper shoe shops seem to be selling off their winter stock because one has an offer of 'buy one, get one free'. I'm not sure if they mean buy one shoe and get the other free or maybe they're really desperate to get rid of all those Ughh! boots!
Perhaps I will have to wait a bit longer to buy shoes and hopefully I won't end up going barefoot!

Hot air!

Researchers at Bristol University have discovered that the seas of the world are warming up at a much faster rate than first thought so the necessity to cut carbon emissions is more urgent than ever.
I have definitely cut my carbon footprint considerably since I retired. This has been achieved by reducing the settings on the storage heaters because they just eat electricity and my money, walking as much as possible and only using the car to shop at Tesco once a month instead of weekly. Not much I know, but at least I'm doing my bit.
The government however is not doing so well and are unlikely to get to grips with the problems mainly because they will not pass unpopular legislation to ensure the carbon footprint of the nation is reduced. There is so much that could be done.
At present, councils and social landlords have to do whatever they can to make sure that the properties they are responsible for have relatively low heat loss by having double glazing, loft and cavity insulation where possible but this does not apply to private landlords. The majority of this group are exceedingly greedy as their main interest is to get as much money as possible for what are very often sub-standard and badly maintained properties that do not have double glazing, adequate insulation or modern facilities and are usually very damp as well. Many do not even have proper central heating.
Because the majority of private landlords have gone into the property market to provide themselves with a big fat pension I can't see any politician wanting to bring in laws to bring the private property rental market up to the same standards as the councils and social landlords. This would lose them votes. So, if like me, you rent privately, your landlords can continue to line their pockets with your gold and you will have to rough it and put up with the condensation, damp and any other problem!

Slummin' it!

Today I took Eden for her eyesight check and fortunately everything is fine so she won't need to wear her glasses anymore and will have her next check in 12 months time.
I had promised her that we would go to MacDonalds today which is something I haven't done for nearly ten years, but after coming out of the opticians, we had over an hour to fill before it was lunchtime so we went into the new Primark store that opened earlier this year.
The store was heaving which I suppose is only to be expected for one that sells such cheap merchandise. Some of the homewares were quite reasonable but I can't say that I was taken by any of the clothes that they had there, apart from some cotton pyjamas (I bought some for Eden for £5). It was obvious that everything was aimed at the young and fashion conscious and most of it looked as though it would only stand a couple of washes. It certainly wasn't for old dears like me who believe in having everything properly pressed and perfectly fitting with no frayed bits or threads sticking out. Then again, we went into Marks & Spencer a little later where they had badly crumpled tops made of cheap material, looking as if they needed a good ironing, but costing ten times more.
Anyway, we had some chicken thing in MacDonalds together with the usual fries and diet coke and I must say, apart from the modern decor, nothing has changed since the last time I went in one.
Tonight we are having pizza but this time it's home made and not a mass produced effort and I am trying out the pizza stone my daughter and the grand-children bought me for Christmas so fingers crossed!

The food that cheers!

Tonight I have my 12 year old grand-daughter with me for the weekend and this morning, I took some prepared liver and bacon casserole out of the freezer to derfrost for our dinner. I made this when she was with me a few weeks ago and asked her to write on the lid of the freezer tray so that I would know what it contained. Every time I get something out of the freezer that she has labelled, I have to smile and the casserole is no exception. She had decorated the top with a selection of smiley faces and non-smiley faces and once again has claimed the credit for making the dish!
This is something she does every time we make a dish and have some left over to freeze. Occasionally if I'm on my own and I take a dish out to derfrost I have a chuckle, especially if she puts a description such as: Lasagne , made by Eden and is deeeelicious! Another thing I have found written on the top is 'love from Eden'! or 'Enjoy this Grandma'!
The shopping list that I keep in the kitchen is another source of surprise because as soon as I have used something up, I write it on the list for the next big shop. Last time she was here, I used up the last of the cocktail cherries in a fruit trifle so asked her to write 'cherries' on the list. When I got to Tesco last weekend I was rather surprised to find that I needed 'cheeries' instead.
We enjoy cooking together and I look forward to reading the little messages she leaves on the foil trays in the freezer as well as the illustrations and I never know what I will be hunting for in Tesco!

Aaaaargh! Frustration!

The weather is very deceiving at the moment because although it is bright, clear and sunny you only have to poke your nose outside the door to get it frozen off with the fierce, cold biting wind.
Despite my cold which seems to be hanging on, I wrap up warm every day and if I don't have to go shopping, I go out for a walk for about an hour.
Today was no exception. The sun is a little higher in the sky and when you actually get out of the Arctic wind, it really does feel like spring. That together with the birds singing and pairing up and the buds getting a bit fatter by the day, you know it won't be too long.
I'm like an impatient child waiting for Christmas or birthday because I just can't wait to get out into the garden to potter and start clearing away the dried foliage that has protected some of my plants through the winter. I can already see some of them beginning to poke out little shoots as if they're checking to see if it's warm enough to put on the full force of growth. But not just yet, it's too early and too cold.
At the top of my little garden I have a bright pink camelia which has a lot of fat buds on it this year and some of them are just beginning to show the pink of their petals, but I think they know it's too cold to open up because they seem to have been that way for a couple of weeks. Last year it didn't flower at all because all the buds fell off but that may have been my fault for letting it get too dry in the summer before, so last year I kept it well watered. After it has finished flowering this year, I am going to trim its roots and put it in a larger pot with new compost so that it will look twice as good next spring.
Until the weather warms up, all I can do is press my nose against the kitchen window and wait and watch and wish!

Police Raid!

This morning I came downstairs at 6:15am and made a cup of tea which I took back up to bed. After having the tea, I lie there half listening to the radio, planning what I would do today and dozing. Now that I don't have to get up to go to work, this is a luxury that I will continue to enjoy until the mornings are lighter.
I had obviously drifted off to some magical place when I was woken very rudely by extremely loud banging at my front door and a lot of shouting, "Open up!" coming from outside. Quickly I pulled on my dressing gown and scrambled downstairs to open the door not knowing what sort of emergency was taking place. Without my make-up on and my hair resembling that of a very old scarecrow I look like an old witch so I thought whoever is there will take fright when they see me and run away so fast they'll break the 100 metres sprint record!
There was a young policeman outside the door and a good half dozen or more of his colleagues banging on the door of one of the houses opposite. He asked if the property was a house or flats so I told him it was a house and it was also empty. He called across to his colleagues to let them know before they used force to break the door down!
The policeman had a sheet of paper in his hand which had some pictures on and I said to him that two of the men on there had lived in that house but had moved out at the end of May last year! I also told him that if they checked their records, they would have found that I reported an attempted burglary by this person a few weeks after he had moved out and the police had come to see me at the time and got a full description. I also said that this person obviously knew the people that subsequently moved in because I had seen him visit them on several occasions after.
Then I told him the property had been empty for about four months and the person that owned the house had recently had builders and decorators there so it had just been re-furbished. I said I didn't think the owner would be too happy if the police broke the door down either! He agreed and thanked me saying "It also saves me from an emabarrasing explanation to my bosses". Then off they went.
I'm not surprised the police don't catch criminals if their intelligence is so out of date and I don't think they sent this lot to collect a parking fine either!! Perhaps next time, they'll wait until I've 'got my face on' and done my hair too.

Police Raid!

Don't look now....you're being watched

As the sun was shining this morning I decided to go out for a good long walk to help clear the migraine headache that I have as I wanted to do some writing today.

Although it looked spring like, I put on my hat because there was quite a stiff breeze and as soon as I was outside I knew I had done the right thing.

I set off in the usual direction towards Castle Park and then decided to make a small detour and cross the canal then make my way towards the floating harbour. This would mean that I could avoid most of the city traffic and it would also give me the opportunity to be a bit nosey and look at the building work that was taking place where the old Courage brewery had stood.

Further on, I crossed over Bristol Bridge then walked towards the floating harbour. Along where the boats are moored there are quite a lot of swans and a great many seagulls and I like to stand and watch them doing what swans and seagulls do!

I stood by the railings at the edge of the water watching the birds, many were taking a mid-morning bath and preening their feathers with great gusto, then I became aware that the seagulls that were perched on the railings beside me appeared to be closer than when I stood there a few minutes before. At first I thought it was me because after all, birds usually avoid being too close to humans, but each time I looked at them they were standing quite still and looking straight ahead.

Then, as I stood watching those on the water once more, I became aware that someone or something was watching me very closely. I turned my head slightly and once more the seagulls were looking straight ahead, but again they seemed to be getting closer. I looked around me but there were very few people about and those that were, seemed to be briskly walking to wherever they were going. This sequence happened a couple more times and then I was absolutely sure that the birds had moved a lot closer. So there we stood, but now they were watching me very intently, so I watched them back and we had a short staring match!

The only explanation I could think of was that they expected me to pull out a bag of breadcrumbs because that's what most people bring with them when they come to watch the swans. Just in case they felt like mobbing me to find out if I did have any food, I decided to leave them to it and came away. Next time, I'll go out with a bag of crumbs!

Fair Trade for British farmers (or is it supermarkets!)

Very often I am mystified by the term 'Fair Trade' as I am not really sure that it benefits the producers of the products that carry the logo. The idea is that the money we pay for any product we as consumers purchase which carries the 'Fair Trade' symbol, will go directly back to the producer of that product so that in poor countries, the producers and farmers receive a fair price for their goods.
If that works as it is supposed to, then I'm all for it. However, I have serious doubts because in many poorer countries the lion's share of the land is owned by large multi-million pound companies usually based outside that country and they employ local people to grow and pack the produce for them. Of course this ensures that many people have work and access to schooling, housing and hospitals that they would otherwise not be able to access.
In some countries, the farmers and producers are part of co-operatives that enable them to receive good market rates for their goods and that does help them in many ways.
What I would like to ask is, why is it that there is no 'Fair Trade' agreement for British farmers and producers, especially with the supermarkets? I am always amazed when I hear reports on the 'Farming Today' programme on the radio. It seems that the supermarkets can destroy a farmer's livelihood with the stroke of a pen while paying what they consider to be a 'fair price' at the same time ensuring that their profits increase. We already know that they will not accept any fruit or vegetable that is not uniform in size, shape or colour despite it being quite a normal occurrence in the natural world. After all, we are not all the same size, shape or colour so why should we expect our fruit and vegetables to be that way. Most people would welcome the opportunity to buy good produce that doesn't fall into these categories even if it is misshapen and covered in soil.
The biggest scandal of all at the moment is milk. Dairy farmers are giving up at an alarming rate due to the low price that they are currently being paid for their milk and if this problem is not addressed very soon, we will be importing most of our milk. This will mean that other products such as cheese, yoghurt and butter will also be made from imported milk. I for one, want my milk to come from British cows that have been grazing in British fields and cared for by British farmers - even if I do have to pay a bit more for it and providing that no extra goes into the supermarket shareholders' pockets!

Changing lifestyles

As we hurtle forward at an ever increasing pace, I don't think that any one of us stops to think about the long term consequences of the way our lifestyles change or what we lose. This was something that came to mind yesterday when I was looking through my cookery books and I realised how many things we are losing or have lost already.
Society has changed dramatically with the breakdown of the family unit, so now a lot of children don't have two parents to act as role models for them and where both parents have to work, the pleasant routines of yesterday have fallen by the wayside along with manners.
This is borne out by the fact that families rarely sit down to eat together now, in fact most evening meals are eaten in front of the television, proper breakfasts no longer exist in most households and many miss this meal anyway. Lunch has become a sandwich which the majority of people 'graze' as they do their lunchtime shopping and most places of work do not have adequate canteen facilities. Afternoon tea with scones and cakes (and tea from a teapot not just a teabag) has died out along with light suppers. When I was younger, meals were social occasions where the whole family sat down and communicated with one another and Sunday lunches and teas were a real events in the weekly calendar.
Nowadays, most people don't cook from scratch despite having kitchens with every concievable time saving gadget. Cookery books only gather dust and the skills of pastry making or bread making are rapidly dying out too. How many young mums today could tell you how to bake a Victoria sponge when most of them probably don't even know what one looks like!
Today, despite having so many labour saving devices, we are 'time poor' and our lives are no longer enriched with so many of the simple social pleasures we once enjoyed.

How many?

Because I thoroughly enjoy cooking, cookery programmes and cookery books, I have spent the day going through recipes and then a lot of the time in the kitchen because it was 'bread making day' today. I also made some rather delicious oaty almond crisps because the oven was on and I thought I may as well use up some of the oats and oatmeal that I have. The biggest problem with having an interest in cooking and living alone is I either have to eat the same dish for several days in a row or fill the freezer, so mine was filled again today!
While I was kneading the bread I wondered just how many recipes I have, not only in the cookery books and those that I have cut from magazines, but also my own 'sawdust and splinter mixtures' (those are the ones I have in my head and a few of my Mum's). The answer is lots, and lots, and lots more!
Nearly forty years ago, I bought the full Cordon Bleu cookery course which was published in weekly instalments and that collection, together with a Woman's Own cookery book that I bought when I got married seem to be really dated now. I can't believe how old fashioned the kitchen equipment looks either but I'm still using a lot of the utensils that I had when I first got married and they don't seem to be out of place in my kitchen today!
I should really start to write out all the recipes I have in my head so that I can pass them on to my grand-daughter as she is more interested in cooking than her Mum, she has already asked if she can have my cookery books when I'm gone and she's only twelve but I'm not planning on going anywhere until I reach at least a hundred! That'll give me time to write my books!

A better day than I thought!

Although I'm still feeling pretty ropey with this cold, I have been out every day this week and this morning the sun was shining so I went across Castle Green on my way to the shops. What a difference from yesterday when it was cloudy, damp and gloomy and everything looked grey and forlorn. Today the birds were really warming up their vocal chords ready to attract a mate, the hazel trees were dripping with luxurious long yellow catkins and the mahonia is just beginning to open giving us the promise of spring. On days like this I think everyone feels a lot better, I know I feel more invigorated and cheerful.
Very often in the shopping centre there are market researchers with their clipboards who have a habit of springing in front of you or the students who are working as charity fundraisers and normally I try to avoid them if I can. Today was no exception but I could not avoid the young man standing just outside the first shop I was about to enter. He was very pleasant and I knew quite lot about the organisation he was collecting for, but I explained to him that he had stopped the wrong person as I could not commit to paying a regular monthly donation from my small pension because the landlady has that. Anyway, we had quite a conversation about all sorts of things including world affairs, education, the countryside and cooking (I even gave him a pasta recipe) then he thanked me and I went on my way.
When I had finished my shopping, I decided I would go back over Castle Park on my way home and again the birds were singing fit to burst, so I sat down on a bench just to listen to them for five minutes or so while enjoying the sunshine. It's amazing how much better I felt with the delicate warmth of the sun on my poor old nose which is quite red and sore from being blown every ten minutes or so and despite coughing and spluttering. I'm surprised I didn't frighten the two squirrels who were busy playing a game of chase up the trees and enjoying every minute of the good weather. They were unaware of my presence there because they were obviously having too good a time.

They don't make things like they used to!

When I got dressed this morning I put on a top that was washed only last week but I was very disappointed to see that a slight stain down the front had not washed out. The trouble is, today's washing machines are just not up to the job and neither are the detergents.
Many times before, I have had this conversation with people who are around the same age as me and we all agree that the twin tubs and washing powders from the 1980's were far better than todays machines and powders.
I used to have a Hoover twin tub which was absolutely brilliant. It was much quicker than today's automatic although it meant I had to be around the kitchen in order to put the washing into the spin part of the machine to rinse it and spin it, but I could do smaller loads and the whole wash was completed in much quicker time and used far less water.
At first I would sort the wash and do the whites that needed a hot wash first, then I would top up with cold water and do the colourfast, then the delicates and finally anything that the colour ran from.
The detergents and powders were also much better and removed stains like fruit juices, tomato sauce and oil but no matter how good todays detergents claim to be they are useless and leave all these stains in the fabric. As for the 'trust pink, forget stains' stuff just forget it. It's a complete waste of money!
I've even tried these washing balls that bash your washing around and are supposed to help knock the stains out, but all they do is make a racket in the drum and give me a headache!
Sometimes I wonder why we don't all challenge the false claims that the detergent companies make about their products in their advertising garbage. Is it that we think we must be the only one who has the problem or are we too afraid to say that our clothes get that bad?
Perhaps we should all be off to the nearest river to bash our washing on a large stone!
Please - won't someone bring back the twin tub?

Oh! Change the record!

Well, I've heard it all. Today on the news there has been concern expressed about the numbers of elderly people that have Alzheimer's Disease. Discussions between various so called experts are blaming it all on bad diet and lack of exercise - again!
This is ridiculous because the scientists do not know the causes of this dreadful disease and as there is serious underfunding for research into it, I'm sure it will be a very considerable time before they will be able to tell us for certain what the causes are and this will probably not happen in my lifetime. Perhaps if they had put all the money wasted in the panic about Swine Flu into research for Alzheimer's it would have been better spent!
The other problem I have with the 'bad diet and too little exercise' theory is that the poor people that they showed who have the disease were not overweight but every one of them looked undernourished. Now I know that when someone has this disease they very often do not eat properly and many have to be fed, but I still think that the answer to any health problem these days is always the same - give up smoking, cut out the fats, sugar and salt and get more exercise! This is the advice they give to prevent heart attack, stroke, diabetes, infertility and anything else you care to mention. Maybe I wouldn't have this darned cold if I hadn't had that pork crackling and ice-cream at the weekend!
Have they not thought of perhaps blaming it on the chemicals we unknowingly consume in the quick, ready made, processed foods that are so popular in this 'no time for anything' life most people live? Or maybe those we ingest or inhale from our ever filthy atmosphere?
Perhaps it's the pace of life we are forced to live or that we are crammed into ever smaller homes with no privacy or room to move.
I believe in 'all things in moderation' and that's what I will stick to.

What happened to swine flu?

Well our ignorant politicians have done it again! All the fuss that was made about the 'swine flu pandemic' and how it was going to cause hundreds of deaths in the UK has all come to nothing.
They spent millions on 'swine flu' jabs and Tami flu doses that weren't really needed and as the vaccine will be totally ineffective if another strain of flu develops next year, as it will, they have wasted our money.
Every household received a leaflet telling us what to do if we displayed symptoms and newpapers carried full page adverts too so all that money has been wasted unnecessarily when it could have been put into the NHS.
We had a similar situation with bird flu, but at least on that occasion we weren't bombarded with leaflets and those of us with compromised immune systems weren't summoned to our local surgery to be used as pincushions! On that occasion it was DEFRA getting up the noses of farmers and smallholders.
The problem with politicians is they don't trust scientists to do their jobs properly and they most certainly do not have scientific brains themselves. All they do is cause panic in the hope that if the worst case scenario happens, then they will be able to say that their 'quick' actions helped to prevent hundreds of deaths (particularly important as this is an election year).
Instead, the whole thing has fizzled out quietly as these things do and I'm quite sure we have heard the end of this latest 'serious pandemic'!

Unreliable x 3!

My landlady wrote to me in December to say she was appointing some letting agents who would be responsible for repairs to the property and that she would soon contact me to let me know who it would be. So far, I have heard nothing more from her but on Thursday last week a young lady contacted me and said she was from a letting agents and had been asked by the landlady to take on the responsibility of the property and asked if she could visit this afternoon to look around. I did explain the the landlady had not come back to me but the young lady said that her company would not agree to act until they had seen the property and as she knew the landlady's details I believe she is genuine. The appointment was arranged for two thirty today.
When I got up this morning, I felt dreadful because my throat and windpipe felt as if they were on fire and my ears hurt like hell especially when I swallow. As I hate feeling unwell, I got up and got on with a few chores as usual and then I had to go out to the surgery to collect some of my prescription items which the pharmacy did not have on Friday when I collected my prescription. I walked to the surgery thinking perhaps my symptoms would improve being outside in the fresh air but I was wrong.
The pharmacy still did not have one item for me because they said there was some problem with the supplier so if I had enough of these tablets perhaps I could ring in a week to see if they had been able to get some. Still feeling wretched, I walked back home and had a light lunch which hurt me every time I swallowed so I thought that after the visit of this lady from the letting agents, I could have a large brandy as that may kill off any germs (or intoxicate them thus rendering them harmless!).
At two thirty I waited for the young lady to arrive and five minutes later I had a call from her office to say she had called in because she was having problems with her car and would it be alright if they rang later to arrange another appointment. I did explain that I would be at home all afternoon so it would be OK for her to come whenever she had got her car going. The other young lady said this would be fine and I left it at that. Then another fifteen minutes later, the office rang back to ask if someone could come tomorrow morning instead but I told them that would not be convenient so the appointment has been re-arranged for tomorrow afternoon at three thirty. I hope it has stopped raining by then because I can't be doing with someone traipsing around inside and out with dripping clothing and wet shoes.
I can't cope with unreliability, especially today, so I have just had a large brandy and now I'm going to have a nap to see if I feel better later!