- With one vegan (it's now six months) and two vegetarians here, we eat differently a lot of the time. One evening, I made a simple tart for the others with readymade puff pastry, pesto, spinach, tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and basil (or basically anything I could find in the fridge or on the window ledge). It certainly looked okay before baking. As they tucked in, I asked 'How is it?', as I usually do if I can't have a taste. 'Doughy,' replied one. 'Raw,' said the other. Sheesh, some people can be so picky.
- The older I get (and as I watch Aunty M struggle to put one foot in front of the other these days) the more aware I am of the necessity to keep everything moving. As I was growing up I was never what you'd call sporty. Yes, I enjoyed playing street games but at school I detested PE and sports. At my all girls grammar school it was hockey in winter (I always opted for left or right back as there were few goals scored and in those positions you could more or less guarantee a lot of hanging about and gossiping with the other back), with netball, tennis and track events featuring in summer (I was completely disinterested and absolutely useless at them all). But outside of school I spent thirteen years and most nights and weekends in dance training (ballet, tap and something called 'modern') which meant a whole other group of friends (both for me and my mother) and a degree of suppleness I've never achieved since. These days, I enjoy walking (with or without dog), a bit of running (the mister reckons I do a fair impression of Phoebe in that Friends episode) and this week I had a go at belly dancing (which I can say with some confidence that I won't be continuing) with my WI group. I've also dabbled with yoga on and off over the years (sometimes in a class, sometimes on my tod in the spare bedroom) and I'd love to be better at it. So I signed up for this. I've only attempted Day 1. Seems I may have been a tad ambitious .
- Bea Cat doesn't stray far from home and isn't in the least agile. So it's a puzzle how she managed to scale the garage roof. One afternoon this week, she came into the house from the garden, made her distinctive chirruping sound, sat down, opened her mouth and ......... a butterfly flew out. We're thinking of hiring her out at weddings.
- Whilst searching in a drawer here for something or other, I came across my brother's last fountain pen (which has since been cleaned, re-filled with Quink and is ready to go). He had the most exquisite handwriting and always wrote with a 'proper' pen and (usually turquoise) ink. I think I must have inherited the fountain pen obsession (I love the look of them, the feel of them and how they make my scruffy handwriting look so much better) and always have two or three to hand with a Mont Blanc tucked away for best. Yes, F is definitely for fountain pen.
- For me, summer this year has been all about the donut peaches, of which I can't get enough. I've not eaten many peaches in my life, largely because I've always reacted badly to the furry skin, ending up with an unattractive itchy rash round my gob. But the clever little donut shaped ones mean no meeting of peach and human skin. They taste so good, too.
- I thoroughly enjoyed this week's book at bedtime which might not be in the same league as Atonement but, with its literary references, little stories within the story and twist at the end, it hit the spot on several levels. With an early 1970s setting, it's the story of maths graduate and avid reader of novels, Serena 'rhymes with plume' Frome, a new recruit for MI5. Sweet Tooth is the code name of her first mission, the reeling in of a promising young writer as part of a wider strategy to counter pro Communist anti west propaganda. It's certainly an easier read than Wolf Hall which was a bit of a struggle, largely due to the style of writing and the continuous working out who 'he' was or trying to remember who the Duke of This or That was and which of the several Janes and Thomases was which. I loved the subject matter, though, and reading the book did help me answer three questions (Thomas Cromwell, Cardinal Wolsey, Act of Supremacy) on University Challenge. I wasn't in one of the teams, oh no, just grabbing the opportunity to watch it on TV whilst The Boo was being walked. You see, he detests Jeremy Paxman, turns into a trembling terrified mess whenever he hears his voice (and exacerbated by those blasted buzzers). He also hates Gregg Wallace. Fortunately he's not bothered by Mary Berry which bodes well for next week.