Thursday 28 March 2024

A Shedload* Of Fun!

Up and out bright and early for the first on-site meeting  of the Swanton Morley Shed Project. We put signs by the entrance to the farm outbuilding. Another committee member arrived early too, so we set about putting up the church gazebo which we had borrowed for the day. The wind suddenly got very gusty. So Bob went home for ropes and tent pegs, while Roger and I  held the gazebo down!
Then we got out the table and the box of refreshments. And realised that the milk was still in the fridge - so it was my turn to go home [fortunately it's only a couple of miles]
At 10am, people started to arrive - the sun was shining
We had a couple of dozen blokes turn up - and two women [the lady from the council who works with community groups, and Rev Rachael the vicar, who is an enthusiastic supporter of the Men's Shed Movement]. Some brought tools to donate, and the atmosphere was really good. Many positive suggestions added to the chalkboard about what folk felt was needed to make things go well [I wrote 'more cake']
But by the time we had packed up and got home, we were both utterly exhausted.
I'm very proud of Bob for getting this community venture off the ground. I bought him a book to mark the day. [OK, it was 50p in the Charity Shop!] It is extremely funny. [see below]
I did get the feeling that its general premise seems fairly accurate - many men go to their Shed to avoid helping with housework or entertaining the in-laws. 
This time I sorted and served the refreshments - from now on, they will make their own. And whilst Bob is 'shedding' every Wednesday I can do housework get out my sewing! 
*It appears nobody can agree about the origin of the term shedload meaning a significant amount. It first appeared in the early 1990s. It may be 'the amount you need to fill a shed' or perhaps 'the amount spread on the road when a lorry sheds its load.' But it definitely means LOTS. I hope Bob's project gets shedloads of members and they make shedloads of projects - and more importantly, shedloads of new friendships.
I know at least one person reading this [Catriona] has a connection to a Shed. 

Has anyone else got one in their town,

or belongs to one themselves / has a spouse who is a 'shedder' ? 

Many sheds have a women's contingent now as well.




From "The Shed" ... Michael and Gwen are looking for the placemats Gwen's mother bought them for Christmas.

'Quick,' says Gwen. 'She will be here in twenty minutes!'

'I bet we hid them in here,' says Michael, closing himself inside the quiet shed.

Michael says he will not give up looking for the mats in the shed, even if it takes him all day.'

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Janome Joys!

 Five weeks ago, just before holiday club started, I took myself off to Norwich and ordered a new sewing machine. It is a Janome 5270 QDC. QDC stands for Quilting, Decor, Couture - it is a designed to be an "all-round" machine, for people who make Quilts, Curtains, Clothes etc. 

It is from the same series as the 5060 used on the Sewing Bee - but has a bigger, stronger machine. Karen at Sew Creative asked me about the sort of sewing I do. "Are you a quilter?" I told her I have some pieces cut and waiting to be sewn up - but other projects got in the way...memory bears, fancy dress costumes for friends, covers for PA equipment made from recycled gazebo walls...and basic dressmaking and clothes renovations. She suggested that the 5060 can struggle with tougher fabrics and paying the extra would be worth it in the long run. I should get many years of service from it.This will be my last machine - I am not sure I will still be sewing when I am 90!
But I am loving it! On a day when Bob was out at the Hospice, I spent my time just playing around with the machine and see what stitches it did, experimenting with the new features I have never had on a machine before, and generally having fun.
Great things to mention are
  • The scissor switch- which cuts threads very neatly as you finish a piece
  • The lock-stitch switch, which does that little forward-backward-forward dance automatically at the beginning and end of a lionbe of stitching
  • The Knee Lifter - a lever which attaches to the front of the machine, and when I'm manoeuvring round corners or curves, this allows me to do it with both hands, because I can raise the presser foot by nudging the lever with my knee.
  • The automatic needle threader. 
  • The easy digital stitch selector panel 
  • The option of operating with a foot pedal or a stop start switch
  • The clear LED display
  • PLUS
  • The 'quilters' box' containing a Walking Foot and other aids
  • The extension table for spreading the weight of larger projects
Back in 2019, cousin Gillian gave me a pretty notebook for Christmas. I have decided it should be for my Sewing Notes
I have made a note of the things I discovered on my Practice Day [the instruction book is very comprehensive - so it is useful to know page 60 is the Twin Needle section], and all the projects worked on thus far. 3 bears, 4 cushion pads, 4 garments and an ironing board cover. That's a dozen items in the first month.
I think one thing I need to make soon is a cover for my notebook - the cover is a strange sort of embossed cardboard, and I suspect it will show the dirt very quickly.
My other 'regular' machine, and my embroidery machine are both made by Janome. I'm very happy with the design and quality of their products. Both John Lewis and Dunelm sell their own branded machines- but these are made for them by Janome. I would definitely recommend these machines. 



Tuesday 26 March 2024

Gird Up Your Loins

That phrase means prepare for action by tucking up flapping robes into your belt/girdle . My action here is cooking - I prepare by putting on an apron. I'm a very enthusiastic, messy, splashy sort of cook

Here's Miguel Barclay's Pork Stroganoff from his "£1 Meals" which I reviewed recently. Sorry, we ate ours before I took the picture, this is from the book! It was delicious, I will definitely serve it again. It was easy to multiply up the quantities for two people. 

Pork stroganoff  Serves 1 
  • ½ mug of brown rice
  • 1 mug of water
  • ¼ onion, peeled and diced
  • Olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
  • 1 pork loin chop (about 100g/ 3½oz), cut into strips
  • Salt and pepper
  • A handful of mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 100 ml (3½fl oz) single cream 
  • A handful of spinach 
Put the rice and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil, cover then simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.
While the rice is cooking, gently pan-fry the diced onion in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat. After 3 minutes, add the garlic then the strips of pork. Season and continue to cook for a few minutes.
When the pork is starting to brown, add the mushrooms and paprika then continue to fry until the pork is cooked through.
To finish the dish, add the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, then stir in the spinach and, once it has wilted, serve with rice.

Comments; I used a couple of pork loin steaks from Iceland which I had in the freezer. They were quite large. I had some small homegrown shallots in the garage which I used in lieu of half an onion, and some homegrown spinach in the freezer. The cost for two of us came in around £2.56.
Next time I'd use less meat [Lidl fresh pork loins are smaller but cheaper] and certainly for four of us, 2½ or 3 of the Iceland steaks would provide adequate meat. I think the cost could be brought down  a little. It wasn't quite 'saucy' enough - Bob suggested a little more cream or a splash of stock or water.
I reckon the cost would come in at around £1.25 a portion, and considering the book was written seven years ago, that is quite fair imho - especially as it is good enough to serve guests!
Thank you all for your kind words yesterday. Our journey to Leicester and back went smoothly. It was good to see old friends again, albeit at a sad occasion. Steve appears to be bearing up well, and receiving lots of support. 

Monday 25 March 2024

A Difficult Day

Seven years ago, we travelled up from Ferndown to the East Midlands, for the wedding of our good friend Steve from Kirby Muxloe. We had not met his bride before - he and Angela got together after we left KM. But it was a lovely day and the wedding was full of love and joy. 
They were so happy to have found each other. Sadly we will be travelling back to Leicester today for Angela's funeral. She died suddenly a few weeks ago following a fall. Steve says friends at church have been really supportive, and his faith remains strong - but these are truly difficult days. 
May God give Steve strength for this time - and may he know that there are many people who care for him. 

Sunday 24 March 2024

Not Simply "Palm Sunday Christians"

Shout and cheer, Daughter Zion!
    Raise your voice, Daughter Jerusalem!
Your king is coming!
    a good king who makes all things right,
    a humble king riding a donkey,
    a mere colt of a donkey.
I’ve had it with war—no more chariots in Ephraim,
    no more war horses in Jerusalem,
    no more swords and spears, bows and arrows.
He will offer peace to the nations,
    a peaceful rule worldwide,
    from the four winds to the seven seas.

These are the words of the prophet Zechariah - fulfilled as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. In my reading today, Delia says this
"I wonder if Jesus knew. as he looked at their demonstration of support and loyalty, that when the going got rough, they would turn and run? Our response today is to pray, not for human strength, but for the strength that comes from God; that through his strength we can learn to love him even when the going's rough; that we won't be simply 'Palm Sunday Christians' seeking all the comfortable aspects of religion Instead let us ...learn how to follow Jesus, imitating his humble submission to the Father in all the circumstances of our lives. Above all, let us learn to recognise Jesus not only in praise and worship, but also in the midst of our difficulties, sorrows, or frustrations; so many times in such circumstances, we tend to close the door on him, forgetting that the resurrection happened in the midst of chaos and confusion. Let us pray for grace to allow the Man of Sorrows to enter in and share all our sorrows....See now, your King comes to you.He is triumphant, he is victorious. 

Paul writes to Timothy and urges him to pray for those in authority, kings etc [1 Tim 2:1-3] So it is right for me to pray for Catherine, Princess of Wales right now [and her family]


In her message on Friday, Kate said: “At this time, I am also thinking of all those whose lives have been affected by cancer. For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone.” Amen to that thought.

Saturday 23 March 2024

Sitting Pretty

Last summer I did a refurb on my 1960's bedroom chair  I painted the wood a rich blue, and recovered the seat in glorious IKEA print [50p from a village yard sale] We also have four folding chairs [Habitat 1980] When we first got Cornerstones, I made cushion pads for them using Laura Ashley curtain fabric.

I decided that they needed refreshing. So I took the inner IKEA seat pads out, and made new covers from the rest of the Yard Sale fabric. I used the print on both sides, so even when folded, they would look cheerful. I sewed on Velcro tabs to keep the pads in place. They slot through the holes in the grid
Now I have 11 dining chairs plus a High Chair. Which will seat a dozen of us once both flaps are up on the dining table!
Not a bad refurb - costing just 10p a chair for the fabric!



Friday 22 March 2024

One Person Found This Helpful

People seem to use the most random of starting places for making programmes [as anyone who has watched Dave Gorman on TV will know] OPFTH is the name of the new Radio 4 comedy programme hosted by Frank Skinner. It is all based on the reviews which customers give products which they have purchased online.
I have always been Very Careful with my money, I used to joke that in my family we did not have Loose Change, we had Tight Budgets. So if something needs replacing, I will check out carefully what is available, what it costs, and what others think about their model. I ask around among my friends, in person and via the blog.
I read articles in Good Housekeeping and similar august publications - "The Top Ten Air Fryers This Christmas" "What sort of Microwave does your family need?" "Find the best jeans for your shape" and I read the reviews online [on the manufacturers' websites, on Amazon, and on retailers' pages, especially John Lewis and Lakeland. 
With the demise of so many domestic items recently, I have spent a lot of time searching through reviews- and mostly deciding that I will manage with what I've got, and not spend my pension on inadequate products.
But along the way, Bob and I have had a good laugh at some of the things people say...
Most review pages require you to give a username, a brief title, a star rating and some comment.
I felt desperately sad for the person reviewing the steam mop, the title was I am in my 40s and this is exciting. 
And then there was 'Grandad' whose review of a steam iron entitled "never used an iron before"  said - This iron cuts through creases like a hot knife thru butter, I can't understand why my wife put up with the old heavy types" 
Frequently I find people who review within seconds of obtaining the parcel [I guess they get that email from A saying "take time to review your recent purchase" and feel obliged to do it then and there] There are so many that say "5* - I haven't unpacked it yet, but the picture on the box looks good." 
And the ones which say things like "I bought this as a gift for my Mum/daughter/sister and she hasn't said anything bad about it" 
Some reviews are so short and stupid you wonder why they bothered...
"5* It is an iron" is admittedly brief and to the point - but not very informative.
"This vacuum cleaner is good if you have carpets" - isn't that what they were designed for??
Others go on for ages, with complicated stories about how it was better/worse than the thing it replaced, what every member of the family thinks about it, and in depth details of the pets.
"I use this vertically on my curtains" 
 conjures up amazing pictures of someone waving a steam mop like Hermione's Magic Wand. 
So reviews can be amusing - but sometimes they are helpful. The M&S website [clothes and footwear sections] is good for letting you know about fit. I wanted to spend some vouchers on a particular pair of shoes - and many reviewers said 'these come up small, go up a half size". I did, and they fit perfectly.
Lakeland are good at responding, and have sometimes modified their products to meet customer requests. 
I won't even discuss the "fake" computer generated reviews. 
I write reviews occasionally - usually after a few months, when I am sure the product is still meeting up to my requirement, and my initial enthusiasm has calmed down. Which is why I haven't yet reviewed my new car here. But I will do so sometime!
Do you read reviews?... And do you ever post reviews of products you've bought?