Anchoring in the shire, with family, friends, coffee and cheese… always looking…
So, just for the record, since April, i've been cycling to work.
Via my Cardio Trainer we recorded:
Sunday 27 Feb. through to Monday 4 July = 851.71miles
I then changed to the Endomondo tracker and clocked:
Tuesday 5 July through Thurs 22 Dec = 1636.93 miles
So that's 2488 miles recorded this year.
A wheely HAPPY NEW YEAR all!
Christmas Eve, (Annie’s) Mini Meat Pies!
It seems every Christmas I remember from Cornwall included these mini marvels! But take my word for it they don’t hang around, soooooo morish – ansome me lover! From what I recall, this is me mum’s recipe with a few twists.
– Pastry, whatever you fancy either shortcrust, flakey or puff (above’s with Short and Puff mixed! ‘cos we ran out). Sorry, didn’t make me own, it’s too easy to take of off the shelf.
Easy…
– 1 large finely chopped onion.
– 6-7 mushrooms, finely chopped.
– pack of mince 500g.
Lea and Perrins.
Balsamic Vinegar.
1 Oxo Cube.
1 egg.
(i) with a yummy knob of butter fry onions, mushrooms till browning.
(ii) remove the above to a bowl.
(iii) in same pan fry mince (with a touch of salt and a good grind of pepper) till browning, then add the fried onions and mushrooms.
(iv) add to the pan, a shake and a bit of Lea & Perrins, a shake and bit of Balsamic Vinegar and sprinkle on one Oxo Cube. If too dry add a splash of water.
(v) fry till mixed and cooked.
(vi) Roll out your pastry and cut out appropriately sized circles with top of a glass/cup and place into greased pie/muffin/tart trays.
(vii) Cut out circle lids from same cutter.
(viii) put filling mix onto pies.
(ix) brush the inside edge of the lids with egg and place the tops on the pies.
(x) I use a smaller egg-cup to push down the lids on the pies to ensure the egg ‘glues’ the edges.
(xi) brush the tops of pies with egg.
Cook for 20mins in a 200deg oven.
Eat! over the coming days, warm or cold. But to be honest they’ll be gone in a few hours.
Here’s the recipe for Great Nana Daisy’s
Gingerbread Biscuits
from Porthleven Cornwall.
1 pound plain Flour
half a pound Butter
half a pound Sugar
1 desert spoon Baking Powder
1 desert spoon Bi-carb
Half ounce Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
A pinch salt
7oz warmed syrup
– Mix dry ingredients.
– Rub in marg.
– Add warmed syrup
Latest recipe pimp is add chopped up crystalised ginger bits to the mix! Boom!
Form into walnut sized balls and dab top into sugar.
Bake in a hot oven 10-14mins.
Enjoy!
Global Harmony is a mixed a cappella world music choir based in Melton Mowbray. I’ve been part of GH since 2008. Last week we had a great Christmas Concert at St Mary’s Church in Melton!
If you live near Melton and fancy a challenge on Monday evenings, come along! www.globalharmony.org.uk
(There's a new 2020 post click here with a free to download do-it-yourself template!)
2011 – I’ve produced some artwork recently for a project portraying people from a local village in Leicestershire and relating them to characters in ‘The Christmas Story’.
The local church identified 9 nativity characters and 9 corresponding pictures of people from contemporary village life. An interesting piece of creativity!
It’s to be on display in a shop window in Sibson Road in Birstall, for shoppers and passers by. Ordinary people, ordinary place, extraordinary story.
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| Extraordinary Story |
It caused me to ponder various things… the obvious: ‘what if a God was one of us?’
The seasonal: Immanuel, ‘God is with us’?
“The Christmas Story” a curious story that I’m told differs in each gospel account and has had heaps tagged onto it over the years… to the point that I wonder if elves and reindeer were present in the stable? Oh and coke cola and red stuff.
God became man… ? We can wonder at the significance of the prophesied birth. Light and angelic hope…
I dunno…
The project above asks, if it happened today, “where would you (and I) be in it”?
Hummm… I can’t imagine…
I’d like to think that I could sense the majesty and grace of such a prospective happening, but can’t see myself as the chosen host, the visitors, the authorities or the worshippers… but I guess I am still one of the ‘us’.
Immanuel, ‘God is with us’?
Check it out anyway, it’s produced by the Methodist Church in Birstall all credit to Rachel Parkinson and her team. It’s on Sibson Road Birstall – from next week.
Ordinary people, ordinary place, extraordinary story.
(Note: images shown here in here have blurred faces to respect individuals identity as this project is dated 2011)
(There's a new 2020 post click here with a free to download do-it-yourself template!)
– The prospect of the overinflated season of ‘want’ that’s approaching, doesn’t help.
In life generally, I guess it’s my nature to generally take the easier more pleasurable option. Surely would it not be madness not to?
My usual choice, is relatively comfortable; I enjoy flowing familiarity with negligible hurdles and man-made encounters. It is raw, spatial and rich in the spirit of something ‘natural’ (?)… It’s relatively smooth and takes me where I intend to go… skirting intriguing worlds and lives with little incident… yes, it does have has it’s unforeseen encounters but it’s a an enjoyable option.
After unsuccessfully visiting two larger city cycle shops this morning, I popped into the ‘small on the outside, big on the inside’ local town shop. I was after a quality chargeable front light for my bike – for commuting daily using unlit country lanes.
It’s fine immersing yourself in the supposedly ‘this is what you need, ‘cos this is want everyone else has’ on the interweb, but perhaps ‘real’ life is more… real, amenable, alive…?
They were welcoming, knowledgable and helpful.
The Serfas ‘True 250’ is just what I was looking for.
The spec and the price was just right – and having compared it’s credentials further I’m very pleased with it. It was a great to be able to see and try a range of options before I bought.
Thanks Cyclops, I had little faith but next time ‘Cyclops Cycles’ Cyclopscycles.co.uk in Syston will be my first choice.
That time of year again… when things hint at becoming sparkly, spiced and warming… (that’s if you can find your waythrough the froth, the jingle-jingle and the plastic saturnalia).
But if you fancy something different in December and you’re near Melton on 10th, comeand listen to the unaccompanied sounds of Global Harmony in the seasonedsetting of St Mary’s Church Melton.
If you’ve not heard Global Harmony before check out; a bit of audio. You get a taste from the above, but there’s nowt quite like the real thing – if something a little different is your cuppa tea that is (with a hint of rooibos perhaps)! I’m digressing and waffling again… or am I waffgressing… ?
Anyway… Global Harmony .
Jules P Richards 