Just been in to town, remembered the essential ness of thermal vests for children...after scouring all cheaper shops finally got some in marks and spencer's. Shopping is hard here, I'm starting to think is hard in all smaller towns, maybe that is why catalogues exist (well and to spread the cost).
Went shoe shopping on the weekend for the children, could not get any shoes in their size (apart from flashing trainers which do not count) in first shop, finally managed to buy some we all agreed on in last shop, although when husband tried to have an opinion did tell him to shut up, as couldn't cope with any more democracy in the family. Think he was bit offended, still avoided the shoe equivalent of dodgy pubs (sorry Mat).
Then today saw some clogs in a shop I quite liked, but worried that I just liked them because I haven't seen any decent shoes for ages, and would, as friend H put it; ' Go off them in London because they aren't properly trendy, you just think they are out of shopping deprivation'. Worried if I need a new outfit around Christmas, well I do, but can I afford it? Rather than skulk about primark and matalan and try and create a funky but somehow expensive looking outfit by sheer familiarsation with the stock. But here...there's just the lower end of the market and several next shops, which a local told me I look like I shop in as I'm posh (shamefully rather than being a bit embarassed at being told I was posh was more like shock horror I look like I shop in that horrid shop).
And the cheaper shops, just look well, cheap when they're not bang up to date, but full of nylon and bad seams. The alternative is to go in to town, or Bluewater, trouble is there is no way I can bring self and credit card in those locations without serious damage.
When people talk about downshifting maybe they all know the fact that there's nothing to buy means that you stick to your budget, but also look like an out of date country girl. I even found myself lusting after one of those sleeveless padded vest things the other day, thought it'd be handy nipping in and out of car. Please someone warn me if I ever buy anything in bottle green, wellies, coat or anything, that I used to be cool once...
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Managing low expectations
Kept thinking all night about what happens to lots of women, including me when we have children. I've got a good degree, a further degree, and have had great jobs. In fact probably was hoping to get to director level before I was forty. But when I had children everything changed, suddenly I was a bit more paranoid then before, a bit more vulnerable and my head wasn't just in to my job. And even if it was just how we feel it wouldn't be so bad, but children really need their parents, they get sick, have worrying rashes and temperatures, cry when you leave them, cry when you pick them up. Sometimes I wonder its possible we get anything done with young children.
When I had just one child I just about managed to work three days a week, but truthfully was not managing either my workload or family life as well as I'd have wanted, so I felt obliged to up my work hours to four days. Then I felt out of touch with my baby community, and with doing things with my son, our Friday afternoons were more about the girls chatting then watching our lovelies.
I'd leave Ollie at nursery at eight, then rush to work in an hour of traffic usually to get their for nine. Work through the day, never stopping for lunch, then rush home at five, be in an hour of aggressive traffic (this was through Tottenham, North London), get to the nursery to find son sitting in a corner sucking his thumb. We'd then get home, make a quick dinner, and son would be in bed by seven. And start again the next day. I felt like a clock watcher at work for never putting in the extra hours, and just sad because I wanted to bring up my son, not nineteen year old girls.
It got even harder when I had my second child, after a traumatic birth, difficult first few months - settling down as a four person family, I planned an au pair to look after children. The one I employed despite seeming nice and coming with good references simply could not cope alone with them - I do now its not easy. Then I planned a child minder, again with good references, and set a date to return to work. The child minder could not start for a couple of weeks so my mother in law came over to look after children. The day before my return to work my daughter became very ill with a stomach bug. I could not leave her, and postponed returning to work for a week. She got better through the week, but mother in law caught it and got ill.
After over ten years of living in London, I'd managed to almost avoid crime, my luck ran out that week. According to the police this was because I was vulnerable with two babies, this was hard for me to accept, as I've always prided myself on being strong and tough, and never thought of my self as as a target.
I walked with the children in their buggy through an unfamiliar area on the way from a local eye test to playgroup. This area took me through an estate which definitely had an aura of unwelcome and frankly scariness about it. I think I was then followed up to the high street, and when I got to the Baptist church, to enter the playgroup, two men with balaclavas on rode up to me on bikes, grabbed my bag and started to cycle off. I was so shocked I was shouting that's my bag and give it back. My son saw the whole thing.
The police came quickly, and were very supportive, as were all my friends at the group, who took the children off and looked after them. The biggest problem was not money, I didn't have any, or my cards, I cancelled them, or even my phone, which I again cancelled. It was my car keys which have a bleep y lock on, and the brand of the car, and my house keys. The police dispatched some officers to look after my flat straight away, and my mother in law, who was inside. She was so ill I don't think she totally realised how scary it could have been, which was a relief really.
After the shock, the worst was to come, when my car was taken by RAC on behalf of Norwich Union to have the locks changed. It was crashed in to, and lost by them while they had it, and I love my car, it felt like it had been violated.
I had to try and get to the bottom of new cards, hire car, new car seats for the children, new phone, an also deal with my feelings whilst back at work. It was really really hard, in retrospect I did do some good pieces of work in my three months back, but it came at an emotional cost. At the same time I had the child minder calling me and saying that my daughter was crying and would not settle every day by at least three in the afternoon.
I felt I'd gone from a strong, capable career minded single woman to a sort of neurotic worrier with numerous problems, and to cap it all before I'd gone back to work the Chief Executive had made a point of getting my boss to ask me whether I was serious about going back, or just wanted a little three month project, to avoid paying back my maternity leave. I also felt, and it was suggested to me that unless I did at least a four day week then I would not be taken seriously at my grade.
Here I was insulted at all that, and yet unable to cope in the little three month project I'd ended up going in to. I gave my notice in after a month, but rather then being the wonderful life enhancing decision it should have been I cried. I can see now that this was because I simply could not make any other decision, therefore I hadn't come to terms with it. I cried when I told the childminder I was leaving work, and knew then it would be tough.
That all said, the children have thrived since I left, largely we've eaten better, been healthier and the house is much more of a home then ever before. Apart from the financial side, which we always knew would be tough its worked really well. But the toll on me has been great, don't have the ability to think analytically any more, can't read complex articles and books, not sure I will ever, or in fact could ever get back on the career ladder again, and have forgotten who I am.
I keep wondering what the answers are, and thinking about literature and art that is about staying at home wives. I keep coming back to the song ' Mothers little helper', forgotten artist but written about tranquilisers, and to Hannah Gavron's seminal book about women trapped in a council estate; ' The Captive Wife'. Then I think about all the mothers I knew in the seventies with their obsessions with cleaning rota's ,and perfect houses, and knowing which day you had which dish for dinner. I think even Ann Oakley wrote and researched ' Housewife' when she was in this phase of her life.
I'm struggling to find positive stories about about stay at home mummies, I seem to remember a swathe of mummy chick lit books, have to admit they all seem to blend in to one in the end. The only happy endings I can think of entail the mummy finding a project, a shop to manage, a business; hotel etc to run.
Then there are the examples of the perfect yummy mummies, Paula Yates was one, and Jools Oliver today's. Paula Yates was clearly a great mummy when her children were little, full of fun, creative ideas and love. But was the effort she put in to this too great, so that when she escaped she went too far? What about Jools Oliver, she has nannies, and now her own writing projects, and no doubt others too, and she publicly talks about the loneliness of being on her own with the children most of the time.
The feminist ideas from the seventies of living in co-operatives, or communes and everyone being responsible for the children come to mind, or of good accessible childcare being open long hours. Before I had children I thought these were great, and would enable women to continue to be themselves. I also though making anything accessible to women and children just meant running a creche. Now as a normal anxious mother I can imagine so many horror examples of these, I know they are not the answer, although they may help.
Truthfully the only 2007 thinking around enabling mothers (or fathers with childcare responsibility) seems to be with the New Right' s subtle push on single parents to get them back to work. Even then though this is just focused on childcare, and not on all the many and varied emotions that parents go through.
When I had just one child I just about managed to work three days a week, but truthfully was not managing either my workload or family life as well as I'd have wanted, so I felt obliged to up my work hours to four days. Then I felt out of touch with my baby community, and with doing things with my son, our Friday afternoons were more about the girls chatting then watching our lovelies.
I'd leave Ollie at nursery at eight, then rush to work in an hour of traffic usually to get their for nine. Work through the day, never stopping for lunch, then rush home at five, be in an hour of aggressive traffic (this was through Tottenham, North London), get to the nursery to find son sitting in a corner sucking his thumb. We'd then get home, make a quick dinner, and son would be in bed by seven. And start again the next day. I felt like a clock watcher at work for never putting in the extra hours, and just sad because I wanted to bring up my son, not nineteen year old girls.
It got even harder when I had my second child, after a traumatic birth, difficult first few months - settling down as a four person family, I planned an au pair to look after children. The one I employed despite seeming nice and coming with good references simply could not cope alone with them - I do now its not easy. Then I planned a child minder, again with good references, and set a date to return to work. The child minder could not start for a couple of weeks so my mother in law came over to look after children. The day before my return to work my daughter became very ill with a stomach bug. I could not leave her, and postponed returning to work for a week. She got better through the week, but mother in law caught it and got ill.
After over ten years of living in London, I'd managed to almost avoid crime, my luck ran out that week. According to the police this was because I was vulnerable with two babies, this was hard for me to accept, as I've always prided myself on being strong and tough, and never thought of my self as as a target.
I walked with the children in their buggy through an unfamiliar area on the way from a local eye test to playgroup. This area took me through an estate which definitely had an aura of unwelcome and frankly scariness about it. I think I was then followed up to the high street, and when I got to the Baptist church, to enter the playgroup, two men with balaclavas on rode up to me on bikes, grabbed my bag and started to cycle off. I was so shocked I was shouting that's my bag and give it back. My son saw the whole thing.
The police came quickly, and were very supportive, as were all my friends at the group, who took the children off and looked after them. The biggest problem was not money, I didn't have any, or my cards, I cancelled them, or even my phone, which I again cancelled. It was my car keys which have a bleep y lock on, and the brand of the car, and my house keys. The police dispatched some officers to look after my flat straight away, and my mother in law, who was inside. She was so ill I don't think she totally realised how scary it could have been, which was a relief really.
After the shock, the worst was to come, when my car was taken by RAC on behalf of Norwich Union to have the locks changed. It was crashed in to, and lost by them while they had it, and I love my car, it felt like it had been violated.
I had to try and get to the bottom of new cards, hire car, new car seats for the children, new phone, an also deal with my feelings whilst back at work. It was really really hard, in retrospect I did do some good pieces of work in my three months back, but it came at an emotional cost. At the same time I had the child minder calling me and saying that my daughter was crying and would not settle every day by at least three in the afternoon.
I felt I'd gone from a strong, capable career minded single woman to a sort of neurotic worrier with numerous problems, and to cap it all before I'd gone back to work the Chief Executive had made a point of getting my boss to ask me whether I was serious about going back, or just wanted a little three month project, to avoid paying back my maternity leave. I also felt, and it was suggested to me that unless I did at least a four day week then I would not be taken seriously at my grade.
Here I was insulted at all that, and yet unable to cope in the little three month project I'd ended up going in to. I gave my notice in after a month, but rather then being the wonderful life enhancing decision it should have been I cried. I can see now that this was because I simply could not make any other decision, therefore I hadn't come to terms with it. I cried when I told the childminder I was leaving work, and knew then it would be tough.
That all said, the children have thrived since I left, largely we've eaten better, been healthier and the house is much more of a home then ever before. Apart from the financial side, which we always knew would be tough its worked really well. But the toll on me has been great, don't have the ability to think analytically any more, can't read complex articles and books, not sure I will ever, or in fact could ever get back on the career ladder again, and have forgotten who I am.
I keep wondering what the answers are, and thinking about literature and art that is about staying at home wives. I keep coming back to the song ' Mothers little helper', forgotten artist but written about tranquilisers, and to Hannah Gavron's seminal book about women trapped in a council estate; ' The Captive Wife'. Then I think about all the mothers I knew in the seventies with their obsessions with cleaning rota's ,and perfect houses, and knowing which day you had which dish for dinner. I think even Ann Oakley wrote and researched ' Housewife' when she was in this phase of her life.
I'm struggling to find positive stories about about stay at home mummies, I seem to remember a swathe of mummy chick lit books, have to admit they all seem to blend in to one in the end. The only happy endings I can think of entail the mummy finding a project, a shop to manage, a business; hotel etc to run.
Then there are the examples of the perfect yummy mummies, Paula Yates was one, and Jools Oliver today's. Paula Yates was clearly a great mummy when her children were little, full of fun, creative ideas and love. But was the effort she put in to this too great, so that when she escaped she went too far? What about Jools Oliver, she has nannies, and now her own writing projects, and no doubt others too, and she publicly talks about the loneliness of being on her own with the children most of the time.
The feminist ideas from the seventies of living in co-operatives, or communes and everyone being responsible for the children come to mind, or of good accessible childcare being open long hours. Before I had children I thought these were great, and would enable women to continue to be themselves. I also though making anything accessible to women and children just meant running a creche. Now as a normal anxious mother I can imagine so many horror examples of these, I know they are not the answer, although they may help.
Truthfully the only 2007 thinking around enabling mothers (or fathers with childcare responsibility) seems to be with the New Right' s subtle push on single parents to get them back to work. Even then though this is just focused on childcare, and not on all the many and varied emotions that parents go through.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Good Lord, I know London is warmer but seriously...
It's so cold in the country, why did no one tell me? Two jumpers are not enough in the evening, and we have to permanently wear slippers. Slippers and cardigans! We're not even forty, it is really, like uncool. Trying to think of funky ways to stay warm, have couple of lovely blankets, but are we really supposed to sit on the sofa wrapped in a blanket? Is that what people do?
I'm reminded of 'Suth' the student house where I not only met husband but some amazing friends. First year I stayed there I had an upstairs bedroom which was freezing, both because of there being no central heating and also because the window used to blow open in the middle of the night. For a while I had my bed under the window, luckily I was usually drunk as quite often woke up wet and in gale from open window. It was a great window though, could get out of it, and sit on roof, and make rude comments on people below.
Found out the year later that there had been something like 12 chinese men killed in that room in massacre, apparantly an axe was used and the landlord got property cheap as he had to scrub the blood of the walls. Weirdly I wasn't scared of the room, or the house, unlike my friend L's house. L managed to convince all the girls once that Mr Tickle was lurking outside the lounge window scratching on it. They also had a slug problem in their kitchen, and had someone murdered with a paving slab outside their house.
These are the reasons I've picked to live in suburbia I think.
I'm reminded of 'Suth' the student house where I not only met husband but some amazing friends. First year I stayed there I had an upstairs bedroom which was freezing, both because of there being no central heating and also because the window used to blow open in the middle of the night. For a while I had my bed under the window, luckily I was usually drunk as quite often woke up wet and in gale from open window. It was a great window though, could get out of it, and sit on roof, and make rude comments on people below.
Found out the year later that there had been something like 12 chinese men killed in that room in massacre, apparantly an axe was used and the landlord got property cheap as he had to scrub the blood of the walls. Weirdly I wasn't scared of the room, or the house, unlike my friend L's house. L managed to convince all the girls once that Mr Tickle was lurking outside the lounge window scratching on it. They also had a slug problem in their kitchen, and had someone murdered with a paving slab outside their house.
These are the reasons I've picked to live in suburbia I think.
Monday, 12 November 2007
Pension Day
Went to the bank and the post office this morning, they seemed to have reversed functions. The bank was packed with over sixties who had sort of book things (perhaps older people not to be trusted with debit cards). The older people were enormously friendly, and entertaining both to the whole queue and to the cashiers. It was lovely, a sort of capitalist community centre, but with a queue, which I guess makes it more East European, although not massively 'cos my experience of East Europe is there isn't much random chatting in queues. There was lots of jollity about ooh, my extra two hundred for heating is there.
Think this is government policy to give out to all older people this winter. Have to admit was bit jealous, really fancy using £2oo worth of heating just for hell of it. Don't really like wearing slippers and jumpers in the house. Can't remember ever putting one on indoors in London. I asked a mummy at pre-school today how much colder it gets here, she laughed and said much, and that we have snow as we are up the hill. Warmer in town centre with no snow, ? cos seaside air has salt in it and that melts the snow? Not positive that is reason, but colder! What if we have to drink hot drinks to keep warm and buy these blanket things I saw in a catalogue which you put over you to watch tv that have a special front pocket for glasses (sadly reading not wine), or a remote control. Oooh just had better idea, we can just take up drinking whisky or hot rum.
But back to the post office, weirdly it had totally swopped clientele and length of queue with the bank. Everyone in the post office was in their thirties or forties, bar the staff, who are very nice anyway. And everyone seemed to be posting things they had sold on e-bay. Seriously weird. Sometimes I think I am living a total parallel life to all other thirty something's with children. There was another me with a baby in there, although she was braver than I am with the posting of stuff, and managed Finland! I just tell ebay potential purchasers that I don't do abroad. Seems terribly xenophobic now thinking about it, and also rather lazy, why don't I? Could just make up postage costs as woman in post office admitted to doing. Luckily she erred on her side today.
Think this is government policy to give out to all older people this winter. Have to admit was bit jealous, really fancy using £2oo worth of heating just for hell of it. Don't really like wearing slippers and jumpers in the house. Can't remember ever putting one on indoors in London. I asked a mummy at pre-school today how much colder it gets here, she laughed and said much, and that we have snow as we are up the hill. Warmer in town centre with no snow, ? cos seaside air has salt in it and that melts the snow? Not positive that is reason, but colder! What if we have to drink hot drinks to keep warm and buy these blanket things I saw in a catalogue which you put over you to watch tv that have a special front pocket for glasses (sadly reading not wine), or a remote control. Oooh just had better idea, we can just take up drinking whisky or hot rum.
But back to the post office, weirdly it had totally swopped clientele and length of queue with the bank. Everyone in the post office was in their thirties or forties, bar the staff, who are very nice anyway. And everyone seemed to be posting things they had sold on e-bay. Seriously weird. Sometimes I think I am living a total parallel life to all other thirty something's with children. There was another me with a baby in there, although she was braver than I am with the posting of stuff, and managed Finland! I just tell ebay potential purchasers that I don't do abroad. Seems terribly xenophobic now thinking about it, and also rather lazy, why don't I? Could just make up postage costs as woman in post office admitted to doing. Luckily she erred on her side today.
Three, sorry actually Four Reasons Son's Nursery May Have Concerns
1. Earlier in the term, realised before breakfast we were out of milk and bread, so decided on quick dash to shops. Of course we didn't get dressed, just put our coats on over pyjamas. And of course the children didn't want to come so bribed them by saying they could buy sweets - but not eat them until after lunch - . Got to shop, bought milk, bread and sweets, daughter chose a sweetie necklace which she put on.
Bumped directly in to Nursery school teacher, who said goodness you're all up early, and looked at daughter eating sweetie necklace for breakfast. Not only do we shop in our pyjamas, at least one of us eats sweets for breakfast.
2. A few weeks ago daughter and I got caught in massive downpour on way to Nursery. I had pack a mac on and was dry. Had forgotten buggy cover and daughter's coat got drenched through. She was crying and even her nappy had got wet. Nursery felt so sorry for her they lent her clothes. But I was ok.
3. At parents evening the teacher was in the middle of explaining how son has difficulties in stopping talking and let others talk. Whilst she was talking I half put my hand up, palm facing her, and interrupted her by saying don't you ever do this? Shocked face, she said no, talk to the hand is a bit rude. I was no no no, I meant put their hands up. Too late though as had already interrupted her.
4. Last week went to pick up son in new coat. One of the teachers admired it, and I admitted it was new. She then looked at daughter who was just wearing a thin jumper and asked her if she was a bit cold. The shame. I explained we had at least come in the car, but why did I put my coat on and not hers? Bad me.
Bumped directly in to Nursery school teacher, who said goodness you're all up early, and looked at daughter eating sweetie necklace for breakfast. Not only do we shop in our pyjamas, at least one of us eats sweets for breakfast.
2. A few weeks ago daughter and I got caught in massive downpour on way to Nursery. I had pack a mac on and was dry. Had forgotten buggy cover and daughter's coat got drenched through. She was crying and even her nappy had got wet. Nursery felt so sorry for her they lent her clothes. But I was ok.
3. At parents evening the teacher was in the middle of explaining how son has difficulties in stopping talking and let others talk. Whilst she was talking I half put my hand up, palm facing her, and interrupted her by saying don't you ever do this? Shocked face, she said no, talk to the hand is a bit rude. I was no no no, I meant put their hands up. Too late though as had already interrupted her.
4. Last week went to pick up son in new coat. One of the teachers admired it, and I admitted it was new. She then looked at daughter who was just wearing a thin jumper and asked her if she was a bit cold. The shame. I explained we had at least come in the car, but why did I put my coat on and not hers? Bad me.
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Dark Day
Just realised there is a definite correlation between how much work we do on the garden and how much our neighbours talk to us. We definitely have the worst front garden on the road, and actually really nice neighbours. Basically we're not keeping up with the neighbourhood, not in terms of buying things but in doing work on the house.
Never knew suburbia was so hard. Will have to make best front garden in street just to make up. Trouble is husband broke all garden tools last week when digging, seriously broke the spade, fork and a hoe thing. Also I saw a big arch enemy out there this week, a very hairy spider which moved very quickly. The moving ones are the worst, am sort of getting immune to the still ones in the corners. Please don't tell me they move when I'm not looking, have decided they like to live very still, sort of to not be noticed so they can catch things.
Friend from Bexhill had a rat in her kitchen bin last week, she just shut the lid and went to work. That's braver than me, although in some ways bit ineffective as a treatment as rat was still in bin later on. She did not know where it came from and she is in a new apartment. The creatures of the outside world come to all of us, no matter what sort of plaster you have on the walls.
Never knew suburbia was so hard. Will have to make best front garden in street just to make up. Trouble is husband broke all garden tools last week when digging, seriously broke the spade, fork and a hoe thing. Also I saw a big arch enemy out there this week, a very hairy spider which moved very quickly. The moving ones are the worst, am sort of getting immune to the still ones in the corners. Please don't tell me they move when I'm not looking, have decided they like to live very still, sort of to not be noticed so they can catch things.
Friend from Bexhill had a rat in her kitchen bin last week, she just shut the lid and went to work. That's braver than me, although in some ways bit ineffective as a treatment as rat was still in bin later on. She did not know where it came from and she is in a new apartment. The creatures of the outside world come to all of us, no matter what sort of plaster you have on the walls.
Chilly night
Lovely cold night, been watching X-factor with a fire made out of found wood, feel very cosy and country. Think need a bit more seaside in life so will definitely go down to the beach tomorrow and try and get some found objects.
Also loving old Coupling we sky plus'd - the lines are great. Been trying to ponder who is Jeff in my life - don't think we have one - shame!
Also loving old Coupling we sky plus'd - the lines are great. Been trying to ponder who is Jeff in my life - don't think we have one - shame!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Autumn in Hastings
Walked in to town today, lovely breezy warm day. Spent some time searching for florists wire - not sure it actually exists, think maybe I need to find some thin galvanised wire...sometimes making craft more difficult than it should be.
Would love to share some great craft ideas for autumnal activities but seem a bit stuck at present. Instead decided to make and freeze some easy veggie sausage rolls, they look great, and always go down really well whenever we have a bit of a party or get together. The best thing is the recipe, and how simple it is.
Easy veggie sausage rolls
1 pack ready made puff pastry
150g pack sosmix
half a red onion - finely chopped
bit of vegetable oil
a little milk
poppy seeds
To make
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge about 15 minutes prior to using
Heat the oven to about Gas Mark 6
Oil a baking tray
Make the sosmix according to packet instructions and leave stand for about ten minutes meanwhile...
Fry the red onion in some vegetable oil until soft - about five minutes
Mix the onion in to the sosmix
Roll out the pastry to about 3cm thickness
Put a sausage shape in to the pastry, roll it up, then cut it in to bite sized chunky pieces
Score 2 or 3 lines on top of sos rolls
Brush milk on to sos rolls
Sprinkle poppy seeds on to about half (allowing for people who don't like seeds, aka some children
Put sos rolls on baking tray in oven
Check after about 15 -20 minutes
When golden brown take out of oven, leave a couple of minutes, take off baking tray to cool
Ready to eat hot or cold.
If freezing them to eat later put uncoolked sos rolls on tray in freezer, when frozen pop in freezer bags. Pop back on a greased tray when needed and in pre-heated oven.
I promise you they will go down amazingly well with veggie's and non-veggie's alike.
My other favourite easy buffet ideas are to make a big pot of vegetable soup, have some posh -ish bread ready to have with it, and a selection of cheeses. This is ideal for winter suppers, and can be again prepared in advance and frozen.
I might also make some easy cheese sticks, and some savoury swizzlers, even easier then the sausage roll recipe - just puff pastry strips brushed with marmite and ketchup, twisted up, then cooked in the oven. Can't believe how much I like them for how not healthy they are. I think this winter I'm going to continue to try to make hummus, it never quite works for me, usually just too oily, or too much tahini, or I don't know just not right.
Would love to share some great craft ideas for autumnal activities but seem a bit stuck at present. Instead decided to make and freeze some easy veggie sausage rolls, they look great, and always go down really well whenever we have a bit of a party or get together. The best thing is the recipe, and how simple it is.
Easy veggie sausage rolls
1 pack ready made puff pastry
150g pack sosmix
half a red onion - finely chopped
bit of vegetable oil
a little milk
poppy seeds
To make
Take the puff pastry out of the fridge about 15 minutes prior to using
Heat the oven to about Gas Mark 6
Oil a baking tray
Make the sosmix according to packet instructions and leave stand for about ten minutes meanwhile...
Fry the red onion in some vegetable oil until soft - about five minutes
Mix the onion in to the sosmix
Roll out the pastry to about 3cm thickness
Put a sausage shape in to the pastry, roll it up, then cut it in to bite sized chunky pieces
Score 2 or 3 lines on top of sos rolls
Brush milk on to sos rolls
Sprinkle poppy seeds on to about half (allowing for people who don't like seeds, aka some children
Put sos rolls on baking tray in oven
Check after about 15 -20 minutes
When golden brown take out of oven, leave a couple of minutes, take off baking tray to cool
Ready to eat hot or cold.
If freezing them to eat later put uncoolked sos rolls on tray in freezer, when frozen pop in freezer bags. Pop back on a greased tray when needed and in pre-heated oven.
I promise you they will go down amazingly well with veggie's and non-veggie's alike.
My other favourite easy buffet ideas are to make a big pot of vegetable soup, have some posh -ish bread ready to have with it, and a selection of cheeses. This is ideal for winter suppers, and can be again prepared in advance and frozen.
I might also make some easy cheese sticks, and some savoury swizzlers, even easier then the sausage roll recipe - just puff pastry strips brushed with marmite and ketchup, twisted up, then cooked in the oven. Can't believe how much I like them for how not healthy they are. I think this winter I'm going to continue to try to make hummus, it never quite works for me, usually just too oily, or too much tahini, or I don't know just not right.
Friday, 9 November 2007
Freezing Friday
For some reason my bedroom is icy cold, even spent time last night feeling the windows for gaps, could not find any. Few years ago I would have been convinced that we had a ghost, I've heard so many times that spooks make the temperature lower. However, although I still have a little worry spirits exist even if they did ours is such a friendly warm house I'm positive they don't live here - or at least no bad things live here.
Feeling really stressed today as have two big things on, one involving a trip to Eastbourne, which although local - ish still feels a long way away as trafic always a bit of a nightmare. It also involves me leaving baby Jem with a friend, which is quite new to us. Totally trust my friend but still worried that Jem might have total meltdown as she used to when little. One time we left her for no more than ten minutes with her grandfather. She was just crawling, and just wept and crawled around every room in our flat to look for us. Finally she accepted we weren't there, and grandfather was in charge. Apparantly then she just sat sobbing on his lap.
Very traumatic for both of us, course why I have to remind myself of that today is annoying. She's over two, and it will just be for the morning. Trouble is Jem spent one night away from me when she was born in NICU and has made up for it ever since by being velcro'd to be side (the velcro easily comes off when she wants to play!).
Anyway this afternoon should be loads more fun - we're going to a bouncy castle that makes music, not totally sure what to expect but kids exited about the thought.
Did not get around to making a garden wreath yesterday, watched a film instead with children, drank some lemonade, ate revels and pizza. It was really lovely to totally relax with them, usually too busy trying to get everyone to use cutlery and make a sort -of healthy meal which we eat around the table. Sometimes being 'proper family' and trying to bring them up well is too hard and frankly not a lot of fun.
Feeling really stressed today as have two big things on, one involving a trip to Eastbourne, which although local - ish still feels a long way away as trafic always a bit of a nightmare. It also involves me leaving baby Jem with a friend, which is quite new to us. Totally trust my friend but still worried that Jem might have total meltdown as she used to when little. One time we left her for no more than ten minutes with her grandfather. She was just crawling, and just wept and crawled around every room in our flat to look for us. Finally she accepted we weren't there, and grandfather was in charge. Apparantly then she just sat sobbing on his lap.
Very traumatic for both of us, course why I have to remind myself of that today is annoying. She's over two, and it will just be for the morning. Trouble is Jem spent one night away from me when she was born in NICU and has made up for it ever since by being velcro'd to be side (the velcro easily comes off when she wants to play!).
Anyway this afternoon should be loads more fun - we're going to a bouncy castle that makes music, not totally sure what to expect but kids exited about the thought.
Did not get around to making a garden wreath yesterday, watched a film instead with children, drank some lemonade, ate revels and pizza. It was really lovely to totally relax with them, usually too busy trying to get everyone to use cutlery and make a sort -of healthy meal which we eat around the table. Sometimes being 'proper family' and trying to bring them up well is too hard and frankly not a lot of fun.
Thursday, 8 November 2007
Sunny Day
Lovely sunny day today, just realised yesterday that there's a lovely view of the sea on the walk to nursery, will have to take a photo of it. Helps to lift spirits everyday to see the sea, even though we're right up the top of a massive hill and I know the penalty of walking down to the beach is tears as the little ones struggle to climb the mountain home. Apparantly locals say you get used to it, perhaps we will be all like an urban variety of Hedi and her goats by the end of the year.
Popped in to see friend around the corner, who (also) has damp. She's going to DIY tackle it this weekend, fantastic if they can do it as itll save an absolute fortune. I'm still a little mystified by damp really, how come it sometimes dries out? And why do some people say you can sort it ourself by injecting walls etc, and others that is takes specialists who you pay thousands for? Basically think this is like my Chemistry GCSE conundrum that I never got passed, why do we say water boils at 100% when it NEVER HAS.
Had really weird dream last night involving Colin and Justin, decorating guru's from the telly - it either means I've been watching too much telly, or that I fancy them. Can't believe the latter although they are very nice people so think its time to turn off the telly. In fact I always imagined we would be more of a hippy family who played board games and piano and did not have a telly. Instead the children can sing adverts to us, and I kind of adore my sky plus.
Jobs for today, unfun ones are cleaning the bathroom, [hoovering, and tidying in advance of this afternoon when we've got a new language school coming over to see us. We hosted students a couple of times in the summer, largely it went well, although the last one was not a success at all.
Then I thought I might get some creative inspiration and try and make a seasonal wreath - with found objects. Apparantly you can whip one up with an old coat hanger, some ivy and adornments. Not sure about the adornments or how to fix without florist wire (where does that come from? do you beg florists for it?), anyway have not got any.
Will take a photo and publish if successful...
Popped in to see friend around the corner, who (also) has damp. She's going to DIY tackle it this weekend, fantastic if they can do it as itll save an absolute fortune. I'm still a little mystified by damp really, how come it sometimes dries out? And why do some people say you can sort it ourself by injecting walls etc, and others that is takes specialists who you pay thousands for? Basically think this is like my Chemistry GCSE conundrum that I never got passed, why do we say water boils at 100% when it NEVER HAS.
Had really weird dream last night involving Colin and Justin, decorating guru's from the telly - it either means I've been watching too much telly, or that I fancy them. Can't believe the latter although they are very nice people so think its time to turn off the telly. In fact I always imagined we would be more of a hippy family who played board games and piano and did not have a telly. Instead the children can sing adverts to us, and I kind of adore my sky plus.
Jobs for today, unfun ones are cleaning the bathroom, [hoovering, and tidying in advance of this afternoon when we've got a new language school coming over to see us. We hosted students a couple of times in the summer, largely it went well, although the last one was not a success at all.
Then I thought I might get some creative inspiration and try and make a seasonal wreath - with found objects. Apparantly you can whip one up with an old coat hanger, some ivy and adornments. Not sure about the adornments or how to fix without florist wire (where does that come from? do you beg florists for it?), anyway have not got any.
Will take a photo and publish if successful...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)