Annus Catchupis

After not writing for so long I was actually surprised to see my blog still existed. It seems that while time waits for no blog (in my life anyway), a blog will wait, and wait and wait for that next update.

Well, I shall reward that patience with this: Graham Greene may have had his 500 word quota, but I will now have my own daily quota of one post a day. It may not be literary, it may not even be vaguely interesting, but the attempt will be made.

We've spent the last three days at home while The Murph has asthma and general sickery. I'm guiltily wondering whether, knowing firsthand how rubbish asthma is, I'm being too soft - not making him go to his swimming class, letting him watch extra tv etc. You can spend so much of your life not wanting to be like your own mother that you end up doing everything opposite. Whether it's the right thing or not who knows?

Now, since I haven't written in so long, I haven't posted any pics either. A post topic for tomorrow then!

Here's to You,

Bertie Blue

xx

Happy Birthday, Nana!

So, we recently celebrated my Nana's 99th birthday. 99, and healthier than I'll ever be! We had a lovely party, and everyone made delicious food.

The Murph and I have been ill with various filthy things for the last three weeks, so it was a highlight just to get out of the flat for the day!

I made a pretty good potato and chorizo tortilla, and a few sweet things. One of them was a dead easy, but very tasty little number that simply combined dark choc, cream, butter, chopped dried figs, and chopped Savoiardi biscuits. This was all set in the fridge, and cut into small squares. Cousin Tav ate almost an entire platter of the stuff!

It's been raining for most of the last month, SERIOUSLY! I love it, but it's been pretty trying having a verr sick child, and not being able to get out on the days that he bucks up a bit. He's all good now, fingers crossed, so we can get out and splosh about in puddles if nothing else. Apart from that, I'm spending every spare second poring through my NEW cookbooks (more on those later), and discovering the extraordinary glory that is David Sedaris. How have I not read him before? How?

Here's to you,

Bertie Blue

xx

Happy World Copyright Day!

It's flipping almost May, and this is my first post for the year! I'd like to say I've been asleep all the while, but no. I have not. I won't apologise; what's the point? Anyone who may have wanted to read my blog must surely have given up some time ago.

So, I'll just start afresh.

Today I found this excellent dispenser of info:

http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php

I will be using it to celebrate all food related feast days and whatnot.

Here's to you,

Bertie Blue

xx

The Positives of Poverty

I found a sliver of silver today. You see, normally Jim is dead finicky about the type of meat he'll eat. He hates anything on the bone, or with any 'bits' attached. Having been raised on sausages, chips and beans, or some variation thereof I guess it's understandable, but it's hard going sometimes as the cook. However, since we're on our uppers at the moment, I can get away with the cheaper cuts and he can't complain.

So...this week I got some lamb shanks, and they were blummin' lovely. Even he had to agree. Here they are, with rosemary, thyme, tomato etc. and some canellini beans towards the end of cooking.








In other food news, I'm still a big fan of sliced tomato with salt, pepper and red wine vinegar on toast for breakfast. Last week though, I had some tomatoes that were getting a bit soft so I roasted them and swapped the red wine vinegar for balsamic a la The Capitan. Lovely! I might do a weekly rotation of tomatoey toastiness.



In the background you can see one of the little canisters that the aforementioned Capitan sent me yonks ago. I use this one for salt and the other, which is a darker shade of green, for chilli flakes. I love them sooooooo much that I now use way more salt than is good for me. I have a little wooden spoon to go with them too. I may end up with arterial sclerosis, but I'll be doing it in style.

And while we're talking about the Capitan, here's a pic of Jim eating home made pizza. He's sporting the serviette with the tie on that you sent!



More later, Bert xx

Furrowing My Brow on a Friday

I'm developing a theory. They say a lot of marriages run into trouble when the child/children leave home, and that women can have a bit a personal crisis around that time - all because the parents realise they don't have much left in common without the child around, and the mother feels a bit lost without the child to look after.

My theory is that maybe that's not it at all. Maybe the crisis comes when you realise that all your opportunities to do the job of parenting better, to get it right, to be the mother you want to be, are gone. However you may have stuffed up, there's no going back to fix it now.

I really hope that doesn't happen to me. I may very well screw up the Murph in some way, but I really hope he can think of his childhood in a completely different way to how I remember my childhood and my mother.

Every day I pray I'll do a better job, that I'll be more patient, that I'll...well let's be honest, I pray that I'll be his perfect mother. I can't stand that he'd ever have anything like any of the memories I have.

It doesn't matter how much effort I put in though, or how much I exhaust myself worrying, it never feels like enough. I always feel like I'm failing him.

Like today for instance, he's bloody exhausted from not sleeping well lately, and I'm doing everything I can to get him to have a nap, and he just keeps fighting it no matter how much he needs it. Even if it's him that suggested having a sleep!

Aaaagh, I just feel so guilty about possibly passing on the insomnia thing to him. Maybe he'll be fine, but it worries me a lot. It's so cruel.

Mind you, I say that, but when he did finally give in today he slept for 2 1/2 hours! When that happens I'm torn between being pleased, and thinking, 'Well why all the bloody carry one then? You were obviously tired.'

Sometimes I think instead of harbouring feelings of rejection like I do, he'll think 'yeah, Mum was all right, but I wish she would've just relaxed a bit more!'

Whaddareyagonnedo?

xx Bert

Mooching on a Monday

Jeez, where've I been? Sick mostly, or looking after fellow sickies. Having all sorts of tricky times with the Murph being funny about sleep, going a bit mad, and generally shouting 'No, I not!' a lot. Jim's still out of work of the official kind, so it's been kinda hairy.

I don't think I even have any nice food photos to upload. Will have to get on to that,

xx Bertie

Savin' it For Sunday

Oy, what a few weeks! I've had the flu for forever, although I'm feeling okay now, and Jim (who never gets sick) got a bug of some sort this week.

Me: Dada's got a bug
Murph: Oh bugger.

That's how it goes.

Otherwise, there's still no work for Jim and I'm whistling past the graveyard by baking, baking, baking.

Let's see if I can find some pics..



This is a Raspberry and Buttermilk Cake - the recipe came from Smitten Kitchen -here via Meet Me At Mike's - here

The recipe at Mike's used cherries, but I didn't have any, and I really dig the tartness of raspberries. The only little thing is, that I used frozen raspberries and for some reason they give off a bit of a grey 'aura' when they're baked. I'm not sure why this is, but it doesn't affect the taste.

You can see what I'm talkin' bout here:



Here is the Delia Smith bread I've been making. I have to admit, I get bored very easily, so I've been splurging on rolls, or a loaf of Farmer Bread from Brot - our local German bakery. It is a good easy to make loaf though, and since funds are low, and I invested in a 5 kilo bag of wholewheat flour, we'll be eating this one for awhile.







And that's all the procrastination I can afford right now, I've got study to do.

xx Bert.