A world upside down............

I spent half an hour this morning looking through ( would hesitate to call it reading, so many pictures against little text) a back copy of the Sunday Telegraph magaine. A friend had kinly posted it to me, as there was a short article that I wanted to read in it, and I only foun dout about it after the event. Teh article was good, so I got that read, then had a look at the rest. Astounded and disbelieving that people pay ove r£700 for a pair of trousers/£57 for a tube of foundation make-up/£199.99 or a toothbrush/£80 for a secondhand 'vintage' bag. Fast frward to this afternoon where I spent a distresing hour on the computer watchig a programme about the rise inuse of food banks and the people how ue them and why. Some of these people are below the poverty line below the breadline below any line you could possibly think to mention. I cried throughout most of it and felt sick to my stomach to compare what I had been rading this mornig to what I had watched. deeply affected by this these people hav no food to feed themselves and their children, and can get little help to get the leg up they deperately need. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be part of the human race, I really am. What went wrong? How can we fix it properly so that everyone everywhere has at least enough to eat and not starve? I don't know the answer, and that worries and upsets me too. There but for the grace of  God go I.

Nutbloom days

I have been here at Nutbloom cottage for eactly a fortnight, with stil 9 days to go. Had a wonderful time so far, total peace and quiet for the most part. I've got on with a lot of making for my online shop, which will be re-stocked when I get home I've done a lot of reading of all sorts of things - sailing off the west coast of Scotland with the wonderful Nhairi Hedderwick books, Baker Creek heritage vegetable book knitting books and spinning magazines, dyeing books, gardening and cookery magazines. I've caught up on a wonderful series on the i-Player with Nigel Slater using up leftovers and watched an excellent couple of hours of Paul Weller music. I've been cooking just for me and eating when I want - Frosties at 3pm - why not?  I've made curries and omelettes, had good breakfasts, wine in the evenings, some interesting beers and ciders too.  I've snoozed by the woodburner with and without knitting, and the cat has decided he likes me after all, bless him I've had cards made for the shop too, and have been making individual ones I hope to fit in a bit of writing too this coming week working on a couple of projects; I have so any ideas I want and need to get down on paper. The bedroom upstairs is tiny, the cottage itself dating back to the 18thC  J thinks, reached by a treacherous tiny staircase which is a bit of a trial at the end of the day when I'm tired lol.It's a comfortable bedroom though and one window looks out across the road to her neighbour's smallholding, where I can see pigs and pigets going about their early morning whatever pigs do :) Although on a corner close to a road, there is good, new double glazing , so it is quiet. Although there are things I miss from home, I love house sitting here, it has been and continues to be very good for me. My own time and space is very important to me.

Of tumchies and treacle............tales of Hallowe'en past

It ain't what it used to be, as the saying goes.............. Growing up in rural Scotland at the tale end of the 60s and into the 70s, life was very different to what it is now, and what itw as then in a lot of other palces. At the risk of overdoing the cliche, we made our own entertainment, especially at Hallowe'en. Rumours around teh playground for about 3 weeks before the great event - 'What are you going as?' needed not further explanation or expansion, we all knew it was talking about our Hallowe'en costumes. Mind you,costumes might be stretching it a bit - we just dressed up iwhatever was there, what we could find, we didn't necessarily have to go 'as' anything - certainly nothing was bought costume wise, occasionally a mask maybe, but that was it. Witches made their own hats and broomsticks, tramps their own road pack on the end of a stick taken from the hedge or garden, faither's auld jacket and a pair of tackety boots if you could find them. Faces wered one with make up, or, if appropriate, the blackened end of a cork - took days to remove it all lol. We went out in groups usually, each carrying a carrier bag to get filled with goodies. It wasn't 'trick or treating' we did - oh no, we literally had to sing for our supper. Known as guising in Scotland, we knocekd on folks' dorrs, and when opened, had to entertain the resident in some short way,  either on the doorstep or in the sitting room or kitchen if invited in. We would sing a wee song,maybe just a verse or two, a wee poem, silly joke, but we had to do something to earn the goodies. And what goodies they were - the real thing back then! Mrs Jardine opposite made the best treacle toffee in the world, others made that great Scottish delicacy tablet; there were wee oranges, and monkey nuts in their shells, sometimes more exotic nuts like Brazil nuts or almonds, small chocolate bars, and very occasionally a coin of small denomination for your efforts. True treasures indeed, we loved it all, and our gleanings lasted us for quite a while after the event was over. We'd never seen a pumpkin back then, apart from maybe in a Cinderella book - our lanterns were made from turnips, hollowed out (insides eaten ofcourse) and a small candle end melted and popped in - no such thing as a 'tea light' back then. It was scary, traipsing upand down what were familiar and friendly streets (all two long and two very short ones lol) in the pitch black but suchgreat fun, and we were allowed to tay out unti 8 or 9 o'clock until we'd done our rounds; then headed home to tuck in to our hard won  sweeties and fruit and nuts. wonderful. Most folk in the village were more than accommodating as they all knew us and we knew them. we knew the ones that didn't partake, and every year the old story about Mrs Corson was trotted out; I've no idea what year it was, but before we moved to the village. A couple o flads had gone to her door on Hallowe'en, to be infomred in her own little way that she didn't take part at all, and shut the door on them. the lads took up her doormat, scaled the roof and put it over her chimney for her trouble..............................  a village legend that one! Have a happy Hallowe'en however you mark it or not :)

Wonderful picture for a bright winter Saturday

Isn't this wonderful?   (image from Title Wave, acc to Facebook poster)

This is the way forward

“Essentially, what Russian gardeners do,” he concludes, “is demonstrate that gardeners can feed the world – and you do not need any GMOs, industrial farms, or any other technological gimmicks to guarantee everybody’s got enough food to eat. Bear in mind that Russia only has 110 days of growing season per year – so in the US, for example, gardeners’ output could be substantially greater. Today, however, the area taken up by lawns in the US is two times greater than that of Russia’s gardens – and it produces nothing but a multi-billion-dollar lawn care industry.” http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/in-1999-35-million-small-family-plots-produced-90-of-russias-potatoes-77-of-vegetables-87-of-fruits-59-of-meat-49-of-milk-way-to-go-people/

New card idea

Pleased with this - what do you think?

Art and music.............

Andrew Wyeth has been a favourite of mind for many years now, since my schoolday art classes actualy; same with Simon and Garfunkel. Love this twinning of the two :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp0NrW9T59g