New Year? -- Oh Dear!

Down with the decorations. Our tree is having one last night before it goes for its long sleep and the place looks fairly bare. And New Year? Well despite all this great advice -- very entertaining book Kathleen :) XX

 

I didn't have a drink! 

I was sound asleep in bed as Big Ben belted out its annual message to just another day. Meanwhile people were being crushed to death over a money scramble, dying of bad drugs, fighting for their lives in hospitals, being born, working all nighters, mourning loved ones, making love, crying out for help, partying and lunching upside down in Australia...

...okay that's getting silly but you know what I mean.

The morning news was a cold awakening. The sad thing is that when we are all supposed to be making merry that's the very time it can't be done which inevitably leads to 

that empty feeling.

Feelings of inadequacy, failure to be in the swim, failure to find that HIGH of Happitude that all the world expects. 

What pressure! What seasonal cruelty we put on ourselves and others to endure!

Sound asleep in bed, albeit not feeling too well, was a very good place to be.

Today confirmed that emptiness when we went to our local little town for a walk and found that a lot of the shops were in the process of restocking after Christmas -- or selling off tat. They had an empty look -- blank windows where the decorations used to be, depleted shelves, staff with that post holiday palor. 

A squall of cold January sleet soon drove us back home and I couldn't help thinking how miserable it must be, after the warmth of Christmas, not to have a home to go to, a cup of tea, a hot meal and how it is that the Christmas spirit drains so quickly down the gutters of a new year...

Let your New Year Resolution be

just a Little KINDNESS every day.

Celebrating the successes of an Old Year

I had a lovely e-mail today which read:

You are among the 25 authors whose prose or poetry has been selected for the 2014 Mariner Awards.  As our Annual Review says, "The 40 titles listed — out of 304 for the year — are the ones that the Review Board has rated most highly in 2014. They have earned Bewildering Stories’ most signal honor."

There are TWO of them :)
Bewildering Stories has passed it's 600th Issue and I so proud to be part of that!

Christmas was properly but if anything, modestly celebrated here at Chateau Joslin with pork, apple, roast vegetables, sprouts (of course), individual Xmas puds, Alnwick rum butter and cream. Didn't have room for coffee but I had been basically pigging out for the past three weeks so no kudos there.
The presents were lovely and we spoke with family and friends. Special thanks to Kath and Jim way over there in Minneapolis for your call 
and emails from afar too, Jody Costa, Amy Corbin and Jane Vandenburg.

Apparently there is SNOW in some parts. It was frosty for the past few nights but no snow here and the frost is all gone too. Sometimes the NE is milder than the SW. This IS BRITAIN!!! Here in the garden there are still roses and a couple of other hangers on, despite a recent frost.

I have a poem today in PPandP -- a true story of lost love Ahhhh! In fact that is my third 'garden' based poem there -- coincidentally. So here you go: 

Pretty poems all in a row.
AGNESENGA

Liaison at Dusk  

Doomed Love 
 




As you make your New Year Resolutions, remember the first one should be to be KINDER and more POSITIVE. 

'cos what's the point of being skinny if you're beastly and MEAN?

Food for Thought for Friday -- Happy Yule

The Wassail cup -- a libation for apple trees

filling the house with scents of

gold, frankinsence, 

bay, holly, ivy, mistletoe, oak; 

the Yule Log that burns brightly for 12 days

 or the chocolate log that lasts 12 minutes :)

However you celebrate the Winter Solstice

this weekend sees the turn of the season 

and the last Sunday of Advent all at once.

so CELEBRATE 

Nothing to do with polar bears -- I just like him!

Thought for Friday -- Five Armies and lot more

A lot more of the same that is... I wasn't expecting a great deal from the last of the Hobbit films; just over-egging. I got what I expected and a couple of laughs but the best scenes were not the big action stuff and this is where all of these films fell down. All I ever wanted was that STORY and instead in my opinion Jackson lost the plot in prolonged battle scenes, cold elf eyes and protracted plots. And this one disappointed me in another way too -- there was no tune I could 'hum as I left the cinema' as Tom Lehrer put it in Oedipus Rex. So that as they say is that and I for one am quite glad it's over. If I saw one more Legi moment or another cave troll or 'mercenary goblin' whatever that is... I would get serious latex costume cramp.

By all means go and see it but don't say I didn't tell you so -- and there are two lines worth the laugh :) and a couple of nicely acted scenes amongst the CG HooHaa.

Baah! Humbug!

 

Thought for Friday -- It's beginning to look a lot like

Yes it has happened. Our first frosts have arrived. I looked out at 5 in the morning on Wednesday, and the world was picture postcard white. It's turned mild again now. The good old Gulf Stream and Jet Stream are keeping us cosy this year so far. 

And my plans for this weekend -- put up our tree :) I fancy some twinkliness.
Here are some memories frozen into my mind from childhood..

Frost
The swish and whoop
of boys sliding sideways
across the schoolyard.

The sharp edge of the glassy dam
where swans preen yellowish plumage
less than pristine.

On the playing field grass bristles white.
Swings dangle chains too cold to touch
even with mittened hands.
The roundabout’s in stasis.

The snap of leaves,
and crackle of fire as the Parky
burns the pyre of summer.

Broth, bed socks and lemonade
bottles filled with hot water
blankets and eider
weight the eyelids down

patterns form
inside the window panes.
A million questions greet each day.

Why don’t birds freeze to the trees?
Old fashioned glitter cards, silver tinsel,
a snowman skiing on a fruitcake.
Frost.

© 2014 Oonah V Joslin

 

Black Friday Disturbing Trend -- Don't DO this

There are so many advertts on TV for BLACK FRIDAY. What is it? The day after THANKSGIVING of course. The American eqivalent of BOXING DAY sales.

WHY?

Has it escaped your notice my fellow Brits that we are NOT actually Americans? We don't have Thanksgiving. And with our government trying to roll out all things American -- health systems and labour laws  

(fewer holidays in fact, less security, what -- unions? Why would workers need unions and holidays -- after all you have  three low paid jobs already, Drone!!) 

We already have much higher personal taxes and fuel taxes and food prices than in America -- really we have little to be thankful for.

And may I just add that my American friends really hate this Black Friday business too!

So don't do this. Stay home. It's going to be SALES SALES SALES

as long as you buy they'll sell -- but how can they afford such great savings??? Simple -- the stuff is worth a lot less than the so-called rrp to start with.

There's nothing that's worth buying. None of it's worth having. 

It can't buy you a moment more in this world or an ounce of happiness. 

It won't save the rainforests. 

It won't prevent a single extinction. 

It won't contribute to saving this planet for your children.  
(I don't have any so why should I care? Yet I DO.)

But I see by the news I am too late and people are out there fighting for holiday bargains for a holiday that doesn't exist.

Capitalism is the greater part of the problem. BE part of the solution. 

It's a black Friday indeed that sucks you into its retail vortex.  

If you ask me -- this is the real nightmare before Christmas!

Put on your wellies. Go for a nice walk somewhere peaceful. Stare a tree and breathe real air. Insist on a human face for the future.

Food for Thought for Friday -- SCONES

Scones are handy. They are quick to make, they taste good, they freeze well for quick reheating, they are the perfect accompaniement to a cup of tea and they are traditional part of High Tea. which was ever an upper class persuit and remains a great luxury for most people. But it can be done cheaply at home -- sandwiches, scones, cake :) Basically if you were a 
Farmer: Breakfast really early, Dinner about noon, Supper or Tea around 6 --early to bed
Worker: Breakfast really early, Lunch (pie or bread & cheese), Supper or dinner (maybe soup or stew) around 6 -- early to bed.
Gentlefolk: Breakfast later, High tea about 3 or 4, Dinner around 8 

The nouveau riche and middle classes tried wherever possible to emulate the wealthy lifestyle.

makes 6-8 scones

preheat the oven  
Tea Scones

8oz self raising flour (I always add an extra teasp of Baking Powder to this.)
OR the same amount plain flour with 4 tsps BP added)
half tsp salt
2oz butter (real butter!)
1oz fine /caster sugar
about a quarter pint of milk + a little for brushing 

Method
sift flour into bowl 
rub in butter
add sugar
salt
milk 
(I actually use a food processor and just dump the lot in an zizz it with the blade)

mix and turn out onto a floured surface
the dough should not be sticky but if it is just roll it round a bit in the flour. Don't knead it like bread! Just shape it into a round flat shape about an inch and a half inches thick. (I like nice big scones) but it's up to you. Cut with a round biscuit cutter or just cut into triangles with a knife. Place on a tray. Bake at 230C/ 45OF /Gas 8 for about 10 minutes. When they are risen and sound 'hollow' when tapped on the bottom they are ready for butter, cream (preferably clotted cream), jam (preferably home made) :)

For fruit scones add sultanas or raisins or dried cherries at the shaping phase.
Cinnamon and dried cherries make them festive.

All Purpose Scones

Why all purpose? Well they have no sugar and so you can make these into fruit scones by pushing a couple of oz sultanas in at the shaping stage OR you can put some cheese in with the flour and some mustard (English please) in the milk OR you can add herbs and put them on top of a stew for the last 20 mins of cooking -- like dumplings. These are versatile! I like to use wholemeal flour if I make cheese scones but it's up to you. Experiment. For a richer scone add an egg beaten with just a little milk and use the extra to brush the top for a shiny finish.

8oz SR flour or as suggested above
same amouts of salt, butter and milk as above

Same method and cooking times etc.

So there you are... Get scone making!
Invite some friends over for High Tea.