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Archive for January, 2008

Asha has had a great day today, between an afternoon in Tregarth, and woodfolk, she has really enjoyed herself.. Playing with friends, making new friends.. getting covered in paint, glue and toys. Making musical instruments, We made rain sticks at woodfolk, great fun, eating a packed lunch and having a take away. What else can a child want, with mummy and daddy in tow, just in case!

This morning we all went to pwhelli as well and enjoyed a lunch in her favourite cafe, so she has eaten really well and we got so much done today!

One exhausted but happy girl tonight!

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Since I sat and enjoyed the presentation last Saturday off Jack and The Beanstalk I have been trying to find out more about this great classic.

Fee! Fie! Foe! Fum!
I smell the blood of an Englishman.
Be he ‘live, or be he dead,
I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.

I am interested in knowing where its from, and so far I know its either of German origin or possibly british… (note british… dont know where in britain)

The earliest printed edition which I have found is the 1807 book The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk, printed by Benjamin Tabart, There is also a burlesque of the story entitled The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean was included in the 1734 second edition of Round About Our Coal-Fire.

Since researching it I have discovered the migration of the celts and Germans.. but little about Jack!

Isnt research fantastic!

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I passed leonardo.

I dont know how but it happened… YES!

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Last time I looked at the clock it was 7pm, now its 00:16!

I havent done half of what I planned on doing.. mainly as i cant remeber what I planned to do tonight. I think i must be far more tired than I thought!

A neighbour of ours came around to talk about rainbows, sounds good. I am sure Asha will enjoy it in time!

I had some really kind emails from fellow moderators from the OU about me leaving my moderator positions.. I am sad but relieved. The pain of trying to work though the posts and constantly having to highlight posts to read them was starting to get too much for me. I really do wish that F.C personal would allow you to determine how you read your posts.

Oh well, Steve has just sent me a link on the Citroën Berlingo Multispace I wonder if its any use :/

The

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Not quite how she was on the night, but if you imagine silver hair ties and white tights, with the wings further up her back its right….

I hopefully will get some better photos some time.. but will have to wait.

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I have bowed out of a forum, tonight as I am fed up of constantly battling to read one posters post.

It is a busy and active forum, and said person posts on it a lot. I then cant just click through the posts but have to highlight all her posts inorder to change font, so I can read it. Its time consuming, and not why I go there.. Easiest option? Walk away.

This morning , I didnt get up untill nearly this afternoon. I had planned on getting to bed early however after getting ready for bed early… only for Asha to decide actually she needed me untill midnight, and then could i get to sleep? No.

Anyway, I am about to finish my TMA.

Referencing :/

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You know the one in dinner ladies – Brens Mum

Well last weekend I was like here, but rather than looking a mess, I just felt it.. I was screaming at my father across a bloody car park, as I had struggled to get the van out of our front – due to the weather, i couldnt see out of a window, never mind a mirror!

then when we got to the car park, which is EXCEPTIONALLY tight – if anyone knows where the car park is in Pwhelli opposite the theater / library you will know the one – LWB van.. tight corner, and there is a VAN parked opposite! I noticed on the way in, I wouldnt be able to get out, as everyone was dropping of kids etc at the Theater, so had to park.. Couldnt see properly as annoyed idiot behind me was blinding me with his head lights, although I had flicked my mirror.

Turned wrong way.. two holes to reverse into.. both nearly impossible.. Father who is 70, but I get frightened when he drives my van.. offered to park me.. I screached at him ” No I bloody do not want your fucking help”

Woops.. I guess I need to tell my GP that I need pain killers whether he thinks so or not, as I cant sleep without them at the moment.. I dont normally take them that often, but lately I have really needed some and current GP isnt very helpfull on this front.

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Asha spent most of the weekend either dancing, trying to sleep, eating or just being very tired… But the show was FANTASTIC.

Penguins for her TAP and Ugly Bug Ball for her ballet, and just happy to have stayed awake for the finale!

The first night we had a hiccup as she helped herself to some popcorn, but she only had a small amount, so her excema isnt too bad.. – but its bad enough.  She thought that as she can have the stuff we make her, she could have the one in the boxes they were all making – poor thing

As normal she was fairly good about it. – As good as a three year old can be about these things anyway !!!  After that i decided I wasnt happy leaving her with all the kids, and the mums with me not there, so I stayed with her for the next half of the show and the following night. But with a lot of changes of clothes, I got to see most of the show.

Miss T was fantastic. She delt with all crying children, as and when it happened, even though she had three dressing rooms to deal with, and stage side! He older students were also fantastic, and the little ones were amazing.

I was sad we werent allowed to take photos, but hopefully S will manage to get some on line in next few days of Asha in her dragonflys costume… If B.W ever looks in she may recognize some of it!

Vicki xx

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Hospital Car Parking..

New hospital not enough parking spaces.

bbc news

Indeed wales allready has evidence that parking can be problomatic

bbc news

Car Parking in Wirral Hospitals had become an issue in the 90’s

bbc news

Why oh why do we allow our councils and health depts to get away with such incompetence. if it was a child in school they would be sent home or given an ASBO!

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We finally managed to buy some, it isnt the easiest item to purchase anymore, but its wheat free and a change from rice pudding!..

I then went online to find a recipie. But I am a lazy cook, and couldnt do with the egg whisking and everything else, just for a pudding. Egg whisking is for cakes, and “meals”.

Anyway, it was a success, and my parents are up for the weekend, so I am going to make some more tomorrow for my Dad.. He will either love it or hate it.. But either way, it should start an interesting discussion!

1/2 cup  tapioca – depending on type you may have to soak it.
3 cups of  sweet Soya milk
1/4 teaspoon salt  I dont normally include salt in cooking, but thought it was worth including it.. and it was!
1/2 cup of sugar  I used slightly more with using Soya milk

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1 Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in good sized pan.. A pressure cooker pan would be a decent size i reckon. on medium high heat. Stir until boiling. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually. – I added the sugar too fast and it burnt the first time.. so do it slowly!

Keep STIRING…

Untill the tapioca looks smooth, and silky, then add the vanilla just before you take it off the heat.  But keep stiring.

If you want to see the recipie i used to try it with eggs and real milk look here  http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000460tapioca_pudding.php

Enjoy!

Vicki xx

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Yesterday I made a chocolate fudge date biscuit thing, with dates in it.

It was basically

4 oz dates

8 oz margarine

8 oz sugar

8 oz of biscuits we had in cupboard

some dark chocolate.

I put it all except the chocolate in a pan and melted it down (cutting the dates up first) then added the melted down chocolate.

I then spread it on some greaseproof. let it cool and poured a little more dark chocolate on the top.. Its yummy!

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O.k. we have three days till “the show”

We have now got the costume working… thankfully a dress rehersal worked in our favour!

Asha is excited, but not overly so.

The house? still a tip!… but I am sure mum and dad will sleep somewhere…

Steve did a lovely Sausage and Mash for dinner, it was lovely.

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Its 2.15 in the morning. I have an awful lot to do tomorrow – and I need to go to Bangor, as Steve dropped his mobile there today by accident.

I should be in bed, sleeping but this assignment on Leonardo is driving me insane. I have decided on the areas, but dont understand the question. I dont follow how they want it referencing, but understand how I would like to reference.

I keep on spelling “Sforza” wrong, and there are more additions to Ludovicio than there are fries in macdonald take aways in the whole of the US and Britain added together.

Why is it so important???? Why am I trying to work at 2 am? Why why why????

Night all…

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We’ve been living in Wales about 5 months now. I know a handful of Welsh words and phrases. We have been counting in Welsh almost since we moved here. Today I told Asha that she would be 4 years old soon. I held up four fingers and asked her to count them. To my surprise she counted in Welsh. We have been counting with her since we moved here and she often uses Welsh words, she just surprised me today. She is growing up so fast.

For a brief moment there I felt how my Mum and Dad must have felt about me and there was a connection down the generations; a thousand eyes looking through mine – this is why we do what we do – this is the culmination of our sacrifices. With hope, one day Asha will look at her children and the connection will be remade.

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I was sat in a play area today in Caernarfon, and realised that although for most of my life I had only lived 15 miles away from the Welsh Border, and had spent nearly every weekend in Wales, when not abroad, or refusing to travel. I know nothing about Welsh Traditions / Culture!

So well,,, do I know anything else now? No, not really. I know about the pilgrimiage off from St Beuno to Bardsey Islands. I have a book on The puritan movement in wales which looks lovely on the book case, but I havent read it yet, and google has come up with some links for ideas… but what do I know?

Red Dragons.. Welsh Tea,

Bara Brith,
This is literally translated as ‘speckled bread’. Once a week, the stove was lit for baking day, as the heat began to fade in the stove, so a handful of currants was added to the last of the bread dough and this speckled bread became a treat.

450g (1lb) mixed dried fruit
300ml (1/2 pint) tea
2 tbsp marmalade
1 egg, beaten
6 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
450g (1lb) self-raising flour
honey to glaze

1. Soak the fruit overnight in the tea.
2. Next day, mix the marmalade, egg, sugar, spice and flour. Spoon into a greased 900g (1lb) loaf tin and bake in a warm oven (gas 3, 325ºF, 170ºC) for one and three quarter hours or until the centre is cooked through. Check from time to time that the top doesn’t brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil or move down a shelf in the oven if necessary.
3. Once cooked, leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes, then tip out of the tin on to a cooling tray. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top with honey.

http://www.nwt.co.uk/english/eatingout/eatingout_bbrith.htm accessed 14th Jan 08

and Coal Fires… I also somewhere have some crude ideas about miners families.. but is this Welsh culture or propaganda?

I have little idea, I do know my neighbours are lovely in this village, and I really want to learn more… Roll on Beginners Welsh with the OU

Croeso: beginners’ Welsh http://www3.open.ac.uk/courses/bin/p12.dll?C01L196

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Last summer I started my journey in local history , especially the Laird family and relating it to family history. My mum has in the past hinted at a link.. but i have no idea what this is.

Here are some of my observations and notes from that time.

It starts with a book on Shipping History by Robert F. Stockton

1833 a paddle steamer was built for Charles Wye Williams’ Irish Inland Navigation Company
Laird’s first vessel was a 60ft prefabricated iron lighter
The Wye-iron lighter http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/CammelLairdShipbuildersat.html Jacksons.. early impact in birkehead

In 1839 Laird built its first screw propelled steamer, a 63ft tug for use on North American waterways callled: Lady Lansdowne
Politics
William laird
Moved down from /scotland 1824 first took interest in Birkehead at the Birkehead Ironworks
John Laird
(14/7/1805- 29/10/ 1874)
While there were many names involved in Birkenhead’s early history,
the Laird’s stand out as being the most significant contributors only narrowly followed by the Jacksons. Partners in so many committees and public enterprises, John Laird (Conservative) and William Jackson (Liberal) became bitter political rivals who regularly opposed each other in many elections over the years.
In the first parliamentary election for the town in 1863, Laird opposed Thomas Brassey and won to become Birkenhead’s first MP. Two years later he defeated one of Jackson’s sons to retain the seat, as he did on two further occasions.

John Laird
Lived 63, Hamilton Sq
1st Mayor of Birkehead
John Laird took a leading role in may aspects of the town,
churches, Borough Hospital – Paid for the erection of the Borough Hospital (conway st?)almost entirely himself
First Cheshire Rifle Volunteers,
George Francis Train ,Street tramway.
Birkenhead becoming the first place in Europe to adopt a street tramway.
Improved ferry services Laird St School of Art.

Macgregor laird (1808 -9/1/1861)
scottish merchant of british trade on river niger)
I admit these notes seem a bit potted, about but they do all link in and make some kind of sense.. In time, may be my jumble will become more structured.

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I listened to Steve complaing about the kitchen today, and looked in the cupboards and decided its time we used up some ingredients.

We have 5 packets of flour, two packets of millet, enough pollenta to fill the bath, corn flakes asha has gone off, and enough plain chocolate to fill the River Seiont, twice.

We also have a mountain of custard powder, and othe items in, which to be honest I am fed up of storeing.

Money is failry tight at the moment, so we have decided once more on Sunday we are going to do a food plan for the next two weeks.. doing it in two week schedules seems to work better, as you can do deals over two week periods better.. ie tescos 2 chickens for £5 seems far easier if you have 14 days to eat them in rather than 7. especially if each chicken makes two meals!

So the plan so far? I made some polenta up tonight so that can be eaten with some burgers tomorrow, and never know we might manage to get rid of the falafal mix as part of the roast dinner as well useing it as stuffing! Pancakes, some kind of pastry.. probably chicken pie, as they went down well last week.

If anyone has an idea for loads of corn crisp breads do let me know!

We also have some sausage meat in so might try some sausage rolls, corn flake cakes and millet Millet Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups Millet Flour  (I will be useing normal flour here)

1/2 cup Millet Flakes

1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate Soda1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar  (nah gluten free baking soda here as well!)

1 medium apple, peeled and grated1

1/2 cups milk   (soya milk for us)

1 or 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup  (Honey – Maple syrup = yuck!)

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together and the grated apple. Add milk and honey slowly until right consistency. Spoon into lightly greases muffin trays and bake in moderate oven until firm to touch – approx 20 – 30 minutes.

Oh well will see.. but the idea sounds interesting.. and my use up some of that millet!

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Its twenty three minutes past one in the morning, and I am trying to read about leonardo Da’vinci and anatomy. surely i should just be asleep?

The problem is,, the only time i get to study is when Asha is asleep.. so that means late nights at the moment. At least the fire is warm, and the coffee is good.

Now who really is that bothered whether or not Leonardo is a great man?  Is he a fore runner of the modern age, or is he just like the rest of us.. trying to survive in a unforgiving world?

The more i read into this man, the more i view him as a shrew business man, who sees others ideas, and uses them to meet his own ends.. Now how can i put that into academic writing.

I wish I had spent more time on this course, I know I am going to finish it and regret not having given it my 100 %.. But i know that i am human.

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I love cooking. I love curry. Back in the day, I used to make curries based on a recipe an old friend gave me. Over the years that has been refined and more often than not my curries are pretty good. My method is a one pan method, that is I fry everything together and make the sauce in the pan as it cooks. It has always been good enough for me.

I recently came across a recipe for a curry sauce base that is made seperately. The first attempt was too thick and had to be mixed down with a tin of tomatoes. Todays attempt looked a lot better, much more of a soupy consistancy. It tasted pretty good too, though its hard to be sure as I have a cold and everything is a bit muted.

I was supposed to be making beef burgers today, but I ran out of time after making the curry sauce. I used some of that with some of the mince. I have another 3 meals worth of curry sauce in the freezer now.

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Asha likes our cat. She is also scared of her. When Cat jumps up onto the bed, Asha tells her to get away. But if I knock Cat off, Asha tells me not to push Cat off. She regularly comments of Cats’ “starey” eyes. So today I said to Asha, we’ll both half close our eyes and in a little while Cat will do the same because half closed eyes to Cat mean safe and happy. Sure enough she did. Unfortunately by this time, Asha had more or less lost interest and was experimenting with squinting.

So Cat and Asha were happy with each other for a little while.

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