Grannymar

Our Loose Blogging consortium includes:-  Anu, Ashok, Conrad,  Gaelikaa,  Ginger,  Grannymar, Helen,  Judy, Magpie 11,  Maria, & Ramana. As they say in the world of acting, some members are resting!  I do not mean lazing about doing nothing, just resting from blogging with the consortium.  We all look forward to hearing from them soon.
Our topic today was chosen by Ginger.

Media

The message came from a distance of roughly 5251 miles.

‘What’s French for tapestry’?

‘Try tapisserie’ I answered

‘Thanks. U r a brick’,  came a reply four minutes after the first message.

Social media brings all corners of the globe to us in minutes if not seconds.

Anyone know how much a brick weighs?

Trying for a catch at Howth harbour, it looks like serious business.

Worry not I’ll be back at 3pm.

When Charles De Gaulle decided to retire from public life, the British Ambassador and his wife threw a Gala dinner party in his honour.

At the dinner table the Ambassador’s wife was talking with Madame De Gaulle.

“Your husband has been such a prominent public figure, such a presence on the French and international scene for so many years! How quiet retirement will seem in comparison. What are you most looking forward to in these retirement years, Madame?”

“A penis,” replied Madame De Gaulle.

A huge hush fell over the table. Everyone heard her answer and no one knew quite what to say next.

Le grand Charles leaned over to his wife and said,

“Ma cherie, I believe ze English pronounce zat word as,’appiness!’”

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Ramana, thanks for this weeks story

This week I actually have something to show you!

For many years there has been a hook on the wall between my fridge and the pantry door.  You are looking at the back of this item - the more usual way to hang it.  Turning it round you might see the contents.

My Peg Bag

It was a stop gap peg bag to replace the one that was here when I arrived thirty three years ago.  Looking faded, frayed and the worse for wear, I decided to replace it with a remnant of fabric on a temporary basis, seven years ago.  I had intended to make a proper peg bag and only this week completed the task.

I had a large collection of pegs so the new bag needed to cater for all of them with ease.

The bag from the inside.

Turning it right side out it looked like this:

A little girl’s dress

Confession time!  I didn’t have a pattern, so paid a visit to a charity shop and found this little gem.  It looked like it had never been worn - perhaps the mother did not like the colours or want to dress her daughter as a doll.  There may have been other reasons…. but we won’t go there.

The dress was fully lined and this made my job easier.  I pleated the base of the lining and cut two old handkerchiefs into circles and hand stitched one to the inside of the lining and the other to the outside of the lining to add strength and give a neat finish.

I removed the three buttons from the back opening and turned in the edges to form a neat V.  I stitched the belt on the underside so that it stayed in place.

Once placed on the hanger the back of the bag looked like this:

Plenty of room to remove or replace the pegs!

Now if you are a mother or a grandmother and know of a special dress that a young lady has outgrown, why not give it a new life as a peg bag.

I have a slimline calendar hanging in my kitchen.  It became a habit or tradition to replace it each year and it hung by the phone for quick reference to appointments and functions.  It began in the days of the fixed phone.  They (fixed phones) were the only kind when I moved in here.

The calendar had one line per day and often the weekend days were in a different colour, making it easier to keep track of the weeks.  It was amazing how much information could be squeezed into one line.  Back in the days when Elly was at school it kept me up to date on hockey or tennis matches, swimming lessons, PTA meetings and school outings.

Jack had his meetings and trips to the UK Mainland and I had committee meetings & fund-raisers to organise and prepare for.  It was checked on a regular basis for up coming birthdays and anniversaries.

The phones changed and with time but the fixed one stayed in the kitchen.  A Calendar stayed alongside it.

Yesterday, I realised that the month was still showing as July!  Taking a second glance I noticed the page was empty.  The month had been a busy one and August was proving to be just the same.

What happened to all the notes on the calendar?  Sudden realisation of how dependent I had become on modern technology.  All dates and reminders were now on my laptop calendar or in my phone.  The phone bleeps to remind me at an appropriate time.

All phones nowadays have address books so we no longer need to learn numbers.  How many people know when asked what their mobile/cell number is?  Who needs to phone their own mobile phone?

338352  336096  592155  888036 are just four numbers from my childhood.  The people are long gone and I am sure the numbers no longer exist.  In the present day everyone has at least two if not three phone numbers.  I have three, two of them I can recite like the list above, but I need to look up the third when asked for it.  With address books in phones I only need to select the persons name and I am given a choice for all their numbers listed.  I seldom remember any of the numbers by heart these days.

There is a series of numbers that I remember and they all have four digits - PINS - wait now…. Is that mine or is it Ellys?

Now don’t get me started on passwords…..

No!  Daddy did not cook, bake or boil the kettle.  He did eat and this bread was a favourite.
You might know it as:

White Soda Bread

Preheat oven to 180°C - 190°C

1 lb self raising flour (4 Mammy’s handfuls)
Pinch salt
Pinch sugar
1½ ozs butter or margarine
½ egg + buttermilk

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter or margarine.  Add the egg and buttermilk reserving a little for brushing the top.  Knead lightly on a floured surface and transfer to tin or baking sheet.  (Mammy always used sandwich tins for her bread to give a uniform shape.
Run a knife across the top of the dough at right angles to form a cross.  Brush with egg and milk.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Once baked (test by tapping on the base of the loaf, it should sound hollow) mammy always wrapped the bread in a clean teatowel and set it on a cooling rack.

* I often cut into the bread while it was still warm,  I was the only one to get away with it!
Warm Daddy’s bread fresh from the oven with home made raspberry jam…. heaven on a plate!

** This bread is best on the day of baking and it is NOT a candidate for freezing.  Perhaps this is why Mammy made one cake of white bread and two brown (wheaten) every day.

When you buy a gift for somebody what criteria do you use?

Is it a quick run to the local off-licence for a couple of bottles, not knowing the preference of the giftee so you play safe with a red and a white?

Do you buy the latest blockbuster from the stand alone display just inside the door of the nearest multi-branch Bookseller?

Is the gift selected because it is something in your favourite colour that you would love to have?

Perhaps you spend time, maybe months watching and looking for that special item that you know will be treasured.

Have you ever purchased a subscription to a magazine for twelve months, a season ticket to a particular sport, or concert hall?

What was the most successful or appreciated gift?

Yesterday Maynard was heard to say:

Don’t tell Grannymar, but I’m trying to get my bid in to be one of her “Toyboys”.

Now you all know I come at a price!

Like all Sales, this special offer comes to an end today and the price reverts to normal!

I can cook, sew on replacement buttons, make ends meet and laugh plenty!

Our Loose Blogging consortium includes:-  Anu, Ashok, Conrad,  Gaelikaa,  Ginger,  Grannymar, Helen,  Judy, Magpie 11,  Maria, & Ramana.

Our topic today was chosen by Gaelikaa

Books

The world and its mother knows that I am the slowest reader on this earth.  We don’t need to cover that old ground again.  Now my mad granny didn’t help.  When I was small and trying to read a book, it you asked her what a long word was, she would tell me to ‘Just say Dublin’!  She always followed it with a great big laugh.  So as you can Imagine, if I  tried that lark every second word might be Dublin.

Books come in many shapes and sizes.  They cover all topics. They inform, educate, entertain, amuse, tempt the taste buds or simply feast the eye with wonderful art or photography.

Then there are the blank books just waiting to be filled with information: account books, school copies, diarys, address books and notebooks.

For years I kept a tiny notebook in my handbag.

It was handy if I wanted to write down some information such as, an address, phone number or the opening times for a museum or gallery.  On occasion I have been known to copy down a recipe that appealed, or the details of a bottle of wine that tickled my tastebuds.

On the front page was the up to date list of groceries that needed replacing or items I wanted on the next trip to town.  On the very last page I had my wish list. Not ‘must haves’, but you know the things you might buy if you won the lottery.  Some of the items were bought and scored off, while others languished for a year and then I didn’t want them any more.

It was actually a very good exercise.  At times we think we want something and the more we think the more we want.  I see it particularly with the younger generation.  They see somebody with a new camera or iPhone, an iPod or Wii game and they simply MUST have it NOW!  It is bought, used for a week and then left in the corner to gather dust.

By writing it on the wish list, you are not dismissing it outright, but taking away the urgency and temptation to impulse buy.  It is surprising how the desire lessens and sometimes you change your mind completely.

Now I wonder if I wrote Toyboys on the back page……….

The Botanic gardens in Dublin were established in 1795 and cover a total area of 19.5 hectares, part of which is the natural flood plain of the River Tolka.  The gardens contain 15,000 plant species from all around the world.

The Victorian glasshouses were recently restored keeping the cream paintwork of earlier times.