DINNER
Sheesh Kebabs (Spicy)
Basmati Rice
Roasted Peppers and Garden Courgettes
Green Salad with Garden Lettuce
Flagelot Beans with Onion in Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar
Plum Tomatoes with Oil
Fresh Garden Basil and Parsley sprinkled liberally over the salads
Organic Beetroot

Walnut Dream Ice Cream (sigh)

Well, it was a very successful 70th birthday bash for Mr A's dad. There were about 50 people, mostly relatives who came friday, and stayed until sunday afternoon.
Scarabella sang to a very enthusiastic audience, the Mr A's band did a storming set.
We stayed in the old caravan, where we lived when we first got together, for a year. It doesn't have electricity, and is at the bottom of a sloping field, surrounded by trees. It was quite nostalgic to be back there, although there were people coming and going most of the time.
Luckily, saturday was good, weatherwise and a splendid game of cricket was organised with much shouting and laughing. To the massed choruses of 'that's a sixer', a bright yellow tennis ball would come sailing over our heads to get hopelessly lost within the trees surrounding the 'pitch'.
The barrel of locally brewed beer, Tomas Watkins, went down very well, as did the assorted drinks, not to mention the champagne for everyone for the birthday toast.

Chris, a family friend and neighbour turned up with a very large step ladder. ....okay........well, it will all become clear at some point in the proceedings..and it did.
Up he perched on the top of it with camera for group photograph. It happened so quickly, we all stood like mesmerised cattle, still waiting, and posing, long after the shot had been taken..

I 'dressed' the marquee. This was hiding the large wooden poles that were keeping it stable in the high winds with flowers. There were a load of beautiful tall foxgloves that had been blown over in the winds that I used, and even if I say so myself, it looked lovely after I'd finished, a mass of purples, yellows and white daisies.

To wind up the evening we had an outside fire by the caravan, where the 'other party' went on. Singing round the fire, laughing, smoking, telling stories, it was a fine end to an amazing day.
Mr A's mother, who is 70, worked like a Trojan, organising it all. From finding caterers, to getting off cuts of carpets for the marquee, she did a splendid job.

Mr A is hunting slugs while I finish up my post. They are out en masse, having decimated many of my flowers and herb seedlings. Slimy buggers!

DINNER
I don't know yet.......but another place will be set, making dinner for 3.

Yes! We have little chirping twittering chicks! Not seen as yet as Madam Broody is still sitting on them with her tail in the air, keeping them warm.
It's strange how the sound of the cheeping seems to come from elsewhere, rather than where they actually are, they are born ventriloquists.

Mr A has a band practice here this afternoon, so I foresee a long shopping expedition.....John, the guitarist will be staying over, he doesn't drive and will be coming along with us tomorrow for the big weekend bash.
Scarabella had a good rehearsal last night, there are just 4 of us supplying part of the entertainment on saturday, rather than the usual 5, so we've had to change a few things to cover the harmonies. Have to admit, with no false modesty, that we sound great! We're all exicted about the party at the weekend, and that we'll be camping.
Actually, Mr A and I will be in the caravan at the bottom of the field and the others will be in tents. There'll be singing round an open fire after the entertainment in the big tent.
I'll probably instigate a 'song circle.' This is where you take turns, going round the circle, for everyone to have a chance to 'do' something. It can be a song, poem, joke, anything that could be a party piece. I remember that I told the worst joke of my life at the last song circle we had. I remember it because I get reminded of it by others who were there. Not everyone in the circle is going to want to do something. There's no pressure, but I love to watch someone do something who is a bit shy and not used to 'performing.' They often amaze by their hidden talent!

I had the usual 'Californian Maki' from the Sushi Bar before practice. It's Shushi rice rolled around a filling crabstick, avocado, cucumber and seaweed with 'Caviar', which is a bright orange, on the top. It's not the real Caviar, not for 6 rolls costing £2.70! Also with accompanying bright green horseradish, soy sauce and yummy pickled ginger. In fact, I'm finishing off the last 2 rolls now cos I didn't feel like eating them all last night.

Mr A is happy, working in his office which is behind the room I'm in. I can hear him singing to Reggae group The Abysinnians. He's started whistling now, as well as singing the odd few words here and there. Ah! Bless!
Well I guess it's time for another hot drink......

Morrison's Walnut Dream Ice Cream,
is truely, quite sublime.
Of late, I scoop out a bowlful,
not just after dinner,
but at any old time.

To make this lusious sweet ice cream,
an even more tastier dish,
I pour on a capful of Bailey's,
to materialize my sweet tooth's wish.

Perfection is rarely found,
and I have to admit there's a flaw,
because after eating just one bowlfull,
I still get a hankering for more.

So if my praises for this ice cream,
have led you to Morrisons shop,
just remember that I did warn you,
that once tasted, it's impossible to stop.

Yes, I've written it after eating some in the middle of the day, and not even as a pudding. God it's delicious! You can really taste the cream in it. I'm well and truely hooked.......

Madam Broody is still sitting on her eggs with her tail feathers stuck in the air. They should have hatched by now, if they're going to hatch at all. I just wonder, if they don't hatch, how long she'll keep on sitting on them.

Bloody slugs! I planted some flowers out in the front garden, called Celosia, with feathery flowers and slugs have eaten one and chewed the leaves from some of the others. They just left a tatty stem.
The beer traps do work quite well, but I keep forgetting to save beer before Mr A's swigged it all.
I used to use slug pellets, but a friend gave me a talking to about the bad side of using them, and the effect on the natural world. He's a tad purist about organic stuff, but said enough to put me off and feel guilty about using them again.

Mr A has reseated the swing seat. Hurrah! I can now lounge and swing again. The seat had worn through, although the rest of it is in fine condition. He used a strong netting, and bound it on with washing line cord. It was a better idea than I had of sewing a cover to fit and dismantling the metalwork to put it on.
I've harvested the oregano and fennel, which are hanging in huge bunches over the Rayburn, so our front room smells divinely of the drying herbs.

Mr A and I went to his parents house on sunday to help erect an 'event' tent for their big do this weekend for his dad's 70th birthday party. A very large rectangular tent, put up in a strong wind was very tiring...should be plenty big enough for the 40 or so people coming.
Scarabella, my acappella group, and Mr A's 4 piece band will be providing the entertainment for the evening. It'll be good because his parents haven't heard him drumming before, well, not in a band anyway.
Mr A's dad has levelled out a bit of a field for cricket, but when tested with a tennis ball, it didn't achieve the result that was needed, that of a ball bouncing evenly and true. Mr A says that with a proper cricket ball it'll be ok, rather than a bouncy tennis ball. We'll see....

Been watching old t.v. shows on 4OD, 'Peep Show', and 'Spaced'. It's a great site, with loads of choice on what programmes to see. I caught up with 'Derren Brown', always watchable. I think he uses hypnosis, as he touches the participants on their shoulder's a lot, like a signal in order to get them to do what he wants. Imagine being his partner. Mmmmmm...

I saw a horror film last night on t.v. called 'The Grudge'. God, it was scary! I should have turned over and watched something else, but it was mesmerizing. Filmed by a Japanese director, it was a bit like 'The Ring', but more scarier! I don't normally watch horror films, I usually prefer other genres, but was enmeshed in this one before I knew it, and had to continue watching it, hoping it would get less scarier, but it got worse! So, a word of advice, if you have a nervous disposition - don't watch this film!

I went to my creative dance group yesterday. I've mentioned it before, a group of ladies of a certain age, unleashing their creative powers through the medium of dance.....
We are using the medium of fairy tales as a basis for the dance. There are 4 stories, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, The Mermaid and another one I don't know the name of, oh, and part of the Bluebeard story.
The way it's being done is called 'Buto', which means that we'll have 5 groups, dancing out scenes from the stories at the same time. Each corner of the floor is the spot where the story is acted out, so as we move to different places on the stage, we do the same action in that corner. Like Rapunzel's corner, whenever someone is there, they do a slow walk, covering their face with their hair, like a waterfall. Well, a waterfall for those who have long hair, the short haired ones have to be a bit more convincing....
At the end of the day, it's a bit of exercise, a bit of a laugh, and a bit of a get together.

Mr A posed an interesting question the other night.
'Why don't more birds fly south in the winter?'
He talked about seeing blue tits huddled in the cold during winter and wondered why they didn't fly south for warmth. I didn't know the answer, but I bet some clever clogs on this site would know the answer.
Guessing, I'd say that it's an inbred urge that passes down through the generations to fly south to warmer climes, and if their forebears didn't do it, then they aren't going to start now.

LAST NIGHT'S DINNER
Home grown Baby Courgettes, ditto Garlic, Green Pepper, and Tomatoes spiced up with Jalepeno Peppers
Lots of homegrown herbs, Oregano, Parsley, Fennel
Basmati Rice

...........and finally, Taaaa! Daaaaaaaa! Menu of the Day.

There's enough left over for me to have the same again tonight
Brown Rice, instead of White Basmati.
It takes longer to cook, but is tastier and has a chewy consistency.

DINNER
Real Chips cooked in olive oil (it's all I've got)
Homegrown Eggs
Bacon
Baked Beans

Sorry Mr Frost, no beetroot to go with the bacon this time!

Broody is still stuck fast onto her nest, and we estimate that if the eggs are going to hatch then it should be this weekend. It seems forever that she's been sitting on a nest box. At least she has some privacy since moving her into her own little house, which is called an ark.

My grandaughter's friend's cat has had kittens, and I got a call from her mother to say that Molly had told her that I was looking for a kitten. Thing is, there's 3 males and 1 female. We don't want male kittens, so we may just get one kitten - for now. It's a tabby, and all the kittens are quite big.
Not exactly lion size, which is fine, as long as it will keep the rodents away...

We had a terrible storm 2 nights ago. Lots of plants in the garden got bashed about. The lupins have been flattened...shame, there were lovely on either side of the steps going up the middle of the terraces.
I had my grandaughter, Liberty down again this afternoon. She comes out with some funny things.
'Can you do me a flavour?' she asked, meaning favour!
She loves acting out Cinderella. She keeps saying, 'you be the wicked step-mother', or 'you be the fairy godmother.'
I have to put on a voice and do a bit of very hammy acting. For some reason, she loves acting the part of a skivvy (as she calls it). She'll say 'you be the step-mother and order me to make you a cup of tea.' So I order her to bring me a pretend cup of tea, then I have to say 'it's too strong', or 'it needs some sugar', and make her go and make another one for me.
It gets a bit wearing after a while...........

Another evening of football. There wasn't anything else worth watching anyway......

DINNER
Pork and Bramley Sausages
Mash
Cauliflower

Walnut Dream Ice Cream with Baileys Cream

This week I'm delivering meals on wheels every day as the regular driver is on holiday. It took just over 2 hours to deliver 16 meals. Bit of a rush then, cos the meals are supposed to be delivered within 1 and a half hours. There's one lady, in her 90's, who was upstairs when I called. She hadn't been feeling very well, and came down in her Stanna stairlift, very slowly, to look for her handbag so she could pay me for her meals for the week. I was very aware that she couldn't move fast, and I didn't want to make her feel like I was trying to rush her, so it was an exercise in showing patience! She's a lovely lady, but at her age, living on her own, it's rarely a quick in and out.
The disgruntled man who was angry about getting pork on friday had rung up someone in county hall, I forget who, but it could have been his M.P. So the complaint filtered down to the local manager of wrvs, who rang me to say that he would not have to pay for his meal because he was so upset, and the mistake was made by the kitchen. Anyway, when I went to him today, I showed him the tray of food to make sure it was all ok. He was very polite with me, I think he used his anger all up complaining to those higher up.
I know it sounds like I'm moaning about the work, but I enjoy it really, and most of the clients are lovely.

Mr A has a band rehearsal tonight at our house. The bass player couldn't make it so he asked me if I would play bass for tonight.
Right. No problem. I'll just instantly be able to play along with songs I've never played before.
No sweat! Yeh, right. I'll stick to something really really simple. Like a one note bass riff.....

Cut down most of the fennel and the oregano today. I have huge bunches of them to dry. The fennel is about 6 feet high, and the oregano looked like a crop circle, it had gone leggy and squashed into a flattened circle. Now I can see the rest of the garden, as the fennel hid quite a large space.
Put in some lobetia that Mr A had grown from seed in the gaps.
After some vicious weeding there are lots more gaps to fill.....

Madam Broody is still sitting on the eggs. We got a bit worried because she didn't seem to be eating anything, and wondered if she'd just conk out through lack of food. It seems like she's had a bit though, and drunk some water, so that's a relief.
The garden's coming along nicely, the peas, beans (broad, runner and dwarf) are growing, cabbages are like giant green umbrellas, the globe artichokes bushing up nicely and the sweetcorn getting a bit taller, though a bit of a way to go before tucking into delicious corn on the cob.

Well, this seems to be a football week, with the t.v. being taken over from 7.30-10pm full of footie games. Mr A shouts out at the telly, 'handball!' or 'that was a dive!'.
Ah, bless!

Well, the sausages are browned on both sides, though square sausages would make cooking them evenly easier.
Try saying 'evenly easier'. Fast, quite a few times.

Damn! I'm out of sherbert lemons. I shall have to go into Carmarthen to the sweet shop to get some more supplies.
When you want a fizzy lemony suck, nothing else will do!

DINNER
Egg n Chips n Baked Beans, with fried Green Pepper and Homegrown Baby Courgette

After a week of quite rich meals, I thought it about time for a fry-up, much to Mr A's delight.
He has put new skins on some of his drums and is banging away on them at the moment.

Another evening of football....however, we will be catching up with last saturday's Dr Who later on. The t.v.'s just gone on and Mr A a bit peeved because he missed a goal in the first 12 minutes of the match, when he was banging on his drums!

Did my meals on wheels round this morning and had one disgruntled customer. He doesn't eat sausages, gravy, custard, and numerous other things. Anyway sausages were on the menu, so the cook gave him a slice of pork instead. He doesn't eat port and wagged his finger at me, saying 'there'll be ructions about this!' He then said that it wasn't my fault, a sort of apology for wagging his finger at me and getting in a huff. It is hard for the cook to cater to so many different diets, as there are a few diabetics who can't have sugar. Despite the grumbling (and that's just me), I'm glad to do the job. With some of the clients, the meals on wheels is the only chance they have for a chat.
The woman who normally does mon-thurs is away next week, so I'm going to do a full week. She's told (warned) them all that' I'll be coming with their meals every day. It takes just over 2 hours to deliver 13 meals. Still, at least I get some petrol money.....

Right. The chips are almost done, so on with the eggs. We were getting quite a few double yokers, but not of late. They were massive eggs and must have been quite a squeeze to get them out!
Broody's still sitting on her nest, ever vigilant, cooing away........

DINNER
Monkfish with Borlotti Beans in Tomato Sauce with Fennel (from garden)
Rice
Side Salad with Feta Cheese, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Black Grapes, Jalapeno Peppers

Walnut Dream Ice Cream with a drizzle of Baileys Cream

Mr A was working from home today, so there was a constant flow of music from his office, including Stranglers, The Clash, assorted Reggae and Romanian Gypsy Punk Funk.
I've been writing the plot of a story. It's Science Fiction and involves:
2 aliens called Jemm'Nez and Braa'Ayu,
symbols given in dreams,
3 reincarnations,
a mission to save the planet's population from dying of an illness,
a cure for the same illness on another planet,
a locator disguised as a locket,
a key to the spacecraft disguised as a locket,
dream diaries,
a book written from the diaries which becomes a fictional best seller.

So, change the order a bit, add some interesting dialogue, descriptive scenery, strong characterisation and page numbers, and a story is born.

It's a football night on the t.v., so I'll probably watch some programmes on 4OD, Peep Show being number one choice of viewing.
Each evening, Mr A has a bottle of beer that I've brought when I went shopping. I get a different one every night, tonight it's the turn of Ridley's 'Old Bob.' A strong premium ale, alcohol 5.1% volume. Mr A reckons it's a good 'un. The names of some of the ales I've got range from the ridiculous to the sublime. I can't remember many at the mo, but there's Black Sheep, Dark Lord, Oxford Gold, Old Glory, and Landlord.

The veg is coming on, in the garden, we had our first courgette, a round, firm and smooth little beauty.
I can't wait (well, I'll have to) for the sweetcorn to be ripe. Corn on the cob picked and cooked within half an hour is a taste of heaven on earth. Oooo, with a large dob of butter and a pinch of salt. Yes.

Well, it's time to put the rice on, pick some fennel and act as a general busybody. Actually, I claim that title.

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce our esteemed and honoured blogger for this evening;

'General Busybody, R.M.M.' (right mouthy madam)

Along with Beefburgers, barbied with Mr A's own home made charcoal.
Fresh British Asparagus as a starter
Green Salad, Lettuce from garden with Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar Dressing
Feta Cheese, Pepperdew Pepper, Onion, Black Grape, Caper and Tomato Salad with Ditto Dressing
Hard Boiled Eggs from our Hens with Anchovy and Paprika sprinkled on top
Slice of Homemade Bread and Butter

Bloomin' 'eck! It were tasty.
No false modesty here.

There was a hardboiled egg and some Feta cheese salad left over which I had for lunch, and it was just as yummy.

Don't know what I'll be having for dinner later. You can bet that there will be ice cream along the way though....................

I just finished typing a post and it disappeared! It was a long one as well.
Bugger.
I'm not going to write it all again, so here's the grub bit.

DINNER
Barbequed Beefburgers made with Aberdeen Angus Beef (r.i.p. Angus)
Savoury Rice
Salad a la Moi, lettuce from garden

I had written loads, so here a precis of some of it.

Last night good rehearsal. There will only be 4 of us for the next gig as Anna got an offer to go to a jazz festival in Paris.
The songs went well, so we can do it without her.

Went to Mr A's parents on sunday. He spent the day on the tractor cutting the grass.
His mother made a scrapbook of his dad's life so far with photo's and contributions from members of the family of their memories of him, for his 70th birthday.
I felt nostalgic looking at photos of earlier days in our marriage. He was a gorgeous 22yr old bloke when we met. He didn't stand a chance when I clocked how handsome he was (is) as well as practical.
His dad's veg garden is doing well and his mum's bog garden with exotic plants is also doing well.

Got a text from Mr A at 10.30 (bedtime) whilst I was still in town saying 'where's me fecking book?'
Whoops. I'd taken all the library books back, including the one he was reading.....

We are invited out for dinner tonight, so no menu of the day. Tomorrow we are also invited out for dinner, talk about never rains but it pours.........
Tonight we are going round to some friends who we haven't seen for a while. Interesting couple, he is a sculptor, doing commissions etc for councils and stuff like that. She is an independent accountant and someone who's advice I value because she is so straight headed and gets to the nitty gritty of the thing.
Tomorrow it's the in-laws for his 70th birthday. Mr A is lucky with his parents, they are both solid, nice people who did a good job in bringing up their 3 children.

So, I'll have to catch up with Dr Who another day........
Mr A is in the woods, next to our house. He's been 'doing a burn' that's lingo for making charcoal. We have a bin full of it and the barbies we have taste delicious when cooked with it.

Madam Broody Hen is still sitting on the free range eggs. She's funny, because she had nobbled all the eggs laid by our other hens as well! She was sitting on a huge pile this morning cos Mr A couldn't find any eggs from the other hens. When I went up this afternoon, there were 5 eggs on the floor of the hen house! She must have chucked out the eggs she didn't want. The fertilised free range ones are all marked with a X, so we know which is which. Broody must know the difference as well as she's kept the marked ones underneath her. I put some food and water in a small bowl next to her as she doesn't seem to be leaving the nest at all and I don't want her to starve or go thirsty.

Went on the junk mail preference site to see about trying to stop all the junk mail we get. You have to pay for the service, so didn't bother.
I'm wondering if you can get it stopped for free. I hate throwing away all the paper that comes, most of it shiny stuff, not good for breaking down.
Maybe I'll start writing back to them telling them to stop sending junk mail, without a stamp.
It annoys me because it's such a waste of paper and resources as most people chuck them away so think of all the trees wasted to make junk mail paper.

Still not managed to make a copy of the Scarabella dvd. Does anyone know how to make a copy? Do I need to buy extra software (hark at me, as if I know what I'm talking about!) I've got this dvd and don't know how to put it on utube, any help gratefully received..........I've only one compartment for one dvd on this laptop by the way.

Right. Water's hot, so I'm going to have a bath. Cheerho!