'Let's cut down our social activities to just one event per weekend,' I suggested to Mr Cooper. He was happy to agree, as long as we also include a trip to the pub on Friday evening, plus a Sunday roast, and perhaps a visit to the pictures.
Our one social event to prepare for was to have Sarah and Gareth over on Saturday night for dinner, and a sleepover. (Without horror movies, pop corn and doing each others hair, I hasten to add).
In an effort to keep things easy and simple on the catering front I decided that our starter, 'Onions a la Greque' should be prepared the day before. Another real benefit of this dish is that it is served cold. Then I felt it needed bread to go alongside, which really should be homemade. Is this meal beginning to lose its simplicity? Just have faith in both a seasoned bread-maker and recipe book reader.
Friday morning found me excitedly purchasing my new camera from The London Camera Exchange in Chichester. I am so pleased with the help and good advice that I received from the experts there, and although I am also so pleased with my purchase ( a Panasonic DC-FZ82), I know that I will be even more thrilled when I gradually learn how to use all it has to offer, which is a great deal! At the moment, when at home, the 'basic operating instructions book' is never far from my side.
Friday evening found me definitely more in my comfort zone, as I was mixing together the five ingredients for 'Fleur Kelly's Roman loaves.' Saturday morning saw me baking the same into two large and wondrous loaves.
These are really the most easy loaves to make, and delicious with just butter.
I did draw the line at catching, then milking, a cow, leaving the milk overnight for the cream to rise, churning the cream into butter etc. But at least I knew what needed to be done, should the need ever arise. Also, I would have needed a couple of pigs to feed the buttermilk to, to avoid wastage.
The recipe for Fleur Kelly's Roman loaves comes from a book that I was given for Christmas in 1992, and have used many times since then, as can be seen! The description on the front does not lie, as it really does contain 'over 250 delicious recipes for penniless cooks'.
Even if you are feeling affluent, this book is a winner.
Below is the bread recipe written by Fleur Kelly, whose proper job is as a fresco artist. If you visit St Hubert's, the beautiful but isolated church at Idsworth in Hampshire, you will find evidence of this in the form of a large fresco which she was commissioned to do, to celebrate the new millennium.
http://www.hampshire-history.com/st-huberts-church-idsworth/
We had a very enjoyable Saturday evening, the four of us together, part of which involved planning a couple of walks for when the weather is more clement. One walk is to include a trip to St Hubert's, which Sarah and Gareth have yet to visit. We could take sandwiches for a picnic there, using bread from the Roman loaf of course, or we could just live life on the edge, and stop for lunch in a pub along the way. Putting on walking boots and gaiters does make one rather reckless, you know!
Monday morning found me less tired than I had been the previous one, as I arrived for the 10 o'clock handicraft group at Andover 'Mind'. We have been involved with a project to make papier mache boxes this year, and this morning found a couple of people coming to the end of this activity.
Here is the first completed box, beautifully decorated both inside and out...
......and with a matching lid. A good creative start to the New Year.
I very much enjoy working with this group, as we all come to life through creativity and chatting first thing on a Monday morning. For some of us, facing a new day let alone a new week is a very real struggle, and it is so good to be involved in using creativity as a very positive tool.
I must warn you now as I do feel a little rant coming on here, which has nothing to do with the group above, apart from a conversation I heard there, and in so many other places throughout my life too.
Weight-loss was the topic, which led to one woman saying how much it cost to eat 'proper' food.
Like the wise 'sunny weather' woman I am, I decided that it was not the right place place to state my views, so remained serenely smiling, outside the weather house. When really, I was ready to jump right out of the weather-house, proclaiming what I felt to be right, whilst probably bashing any disbelievers into submission with my bunch of flowers, or at least to wave them round manically.
I create with my art, and also through cooking, and I strongly feel that people need a creative outlet to get a better energy flow in their life, as well as other important things like good nutrition and exercise and sufficient funds.
I started cooking at a very early age, and am a firm believer in using recognisable ingredients to produce fresh food. Too many people say they 'haven't time' to cook, or 'cannot afford fresh vegetables and meat'. It is so wrong to enter a shop only to see bags of biscuits, cakes and doughnuts for £1, 2 packs of hot cross buns for £1 and the like, when fresh fruit and vegetables are pricey by comparison. It is so wrong that we are not taught to cook using fresh and affordable ingredients from almost day one at home and at school. If you can't cook and have very little money, of course cheap and ready-made foods will be what you will buy. Processed foods are our nutritional enemy, and a social one too. (Nearly done now)
It is so wrong that we have ended up in a civilisation where cheap, unhealthy food is both very much to the fore, and acceptable. It is also so wrong that lots of people haven't the means to access making cheap and nutritious food, having had no help from their own up-bringing and education, for whatever reason.
I will change the subject now, and temporarily lower my flowers and return the my place smiling serenely, in the sunny doorway of the weather-house.
What about a complete change of subject here with couple of photos containing no hidden agenda?
Last week I was talking about my brief appearances as a model, at the Cloudhopper fashion show. Today whilst waiting from another call from the insurance company I started to do a little 'tidying' on the computer. As well as deleting some images, I found ones to keep and treasure, including some recording my only too brief modelling career..
Here is my 'Prawn Cocktail' apron appearing at the Cloudhopper Gallery,
Here I am demonstrating that after having produced amazing, fresh, nutritious foods you then need to create unique and wearable outfits to celebrate them. In this case, lino-cuts printed onto fabric, which is then used to make an over-the-top apron. Perhaps my response to food could be described as over-the-top by some.
The one below really does have no hidden agenda, as I purely served as a model for this video tape dress and hair decoration. The creator of the dress is wearing the red and black outfit, and the garment has nothing to do with food (unless it was made with videos of cookery programmes?)
Staying in a more cultural vein, this week's book is pictured below. It is a fictionalised account of a true event, and describes the months that Van Gogh spent in an institution and the relationships he formed whilst there, with one woman in particular. I stopped reading it for a while when I was about a third of the way through the book, as it was becoming a little difficult to continue.
Not at all because it was badly written, it is beautifully written, but because the story was becoming increasingly more sad, and seemed unlikely to get happier..
When I returned to it, to complete it, it unfolded into such an uplifting book that at the end I felt replete with both happiness and hope, especially as the main character was a woman in her mid-fifties
who was given a fresh burst of life. Her same life, but with many positive changes. (For instance, she stops buying microwave burgers, and has wholemeal bread and raw vegetables for lunch...I jest!)
Well, I jest about the burger bit, you will have to read it to find out the truth about the raw vegetables. If you are at all interested in Van Gogh, and also the life of women in the past in their mid-fifties, this is a really good choice for you.
I hasten to add here that life with Mr Cooper is every day a burst of new life, filled with happiness and hope. Well, perhaps not quite every day, that would be too tiring.
Moving on in an artistic way, Van Gogh gives way to Paul Klee. Monday mornings find me at Andover 'Mind, and Monday afternoons at Trinity in Winchester, where Ali leads an art group for the women's service there. Since the start of the year, we have been looking at the life and work of Paul Klee, and on Monday we began to consider our own compositions, inspired by his work.
This is my response, which was very rewarding to do. It sort of resembles a journey to Andover where I am keeping an eye out for the first snowdrops, whilst also looking forward to cooking red cabbage at the end of the day. All true! You can see the red cabbage appearing in the bottom left. I think my style of art is what is called 'narrative'. Only a little bit of raw food ingredients appear in this piece, you will be thankful to learn.
Some people feel uneasy when shown art that they feel they don't understand, but Ali is excellent at explaining different periods of art, and makes many different concepts more familiar to us.
Last week I was given my 'Secret Santa' present from 'The Greyhound'. Strangely enough, I work in the kitchen there.....
I unwrapped it in my break whilst having a cup of tea with George. What could it be? It was rather like exploring a piece of modern art.
Could it be a holder for a candle?
Or is it an eggcup for a breakfast egg?
No, it is actually a very attractive holder for my rings and things.
Luckily when we were burgled, none of my colourful mainly plastic jewellery was stolen, which was most of it.
I think it looks very pretty doing its proper function, though it did suit the improper ones too!
I hope this finds you all enjoying the start of your weekend. When you go shopping, just add a few more vegetables to your shopping than you have planned, plus a piece of adventurous fruit. Even better, plan to share them with your friends.
I am cooking for just Mr Cooper this weekend, as we are enjoying a weekend away from socialising, apart from with each other, of course!
Happy slicing and chopping, and I look forward to seeing you all again in a week or two.
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