Surely the time for all this sort of thing is past?

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090929/tuk-22-000-for-breakfast-at-tiffany-s-6323e80.html

I don't think I need to comment, really, do I? Apart from a huge sigh of despair perhaps.

Michaelmas

Today is Michaelmas, the Feast Day of St Michael.

Michaelmas chickens and parsons' daughters never come to good - traditional saying

MIchalemas is one of four days on which quarterly rents are paid. The tradition of serving goose for dinner on this day may stem from the practice of giving one's landlord a bird as a gift. It was also thought that eating goose on this day would bring financial prosperity in the year to come.

And when the tenants come to pay their quarter's rent,
They bring some folw at midsummer, a dish of fish in Lent,
At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose,
And somehwat else at New-year's tide, for fear their lease fly loose.

Weather lore associated with this day:

So many days old the moon is on Michaelmas Day, so many floods after

If St Michael brings many acorns, Christmas will cover the fields with snow

A dark Michaelmas, a light Christmas


We won't be having a goose today for supper - it's cottage pie, I think. I've cooked and eaten goose twice, both times at Christmas. I did enjoy it, a lovely, rich meat, but not the most economical of things to buy! Worth it once or twice as a special treat just to taste it. I don't think it's widely eaten in Scotland, so I'd not much to do with it until I moved to England. I suppose it was very different when a lot of households reared their own geese along with their poultry. Having animals myself, I realise how expensive it is to rear them - food, housing, the work involved in preparing them for the table, etc, so I can see how the price is justified. I'd like geese of my own one day, but MrL not keen here for some reason. I'd like to make some quill pens too.............

Quote for a Monday.............

"I loved my garden, and my garden loved me back"



Treska Lydia Stein (M.E.N. 235)

I would like to go here..................

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm

Wonder if they'd let me move in? LOL

Mondays....................

I like Mondays. I've always liked Mondays. Even though technically (?) speaking Sunday is seen as the first day of a calendar week, I think most folks see Monday as the real start . Although I haven't gone out to a paid job for a while now, I still work within the working week framework - work Monday to Friday, with a mroe relaxed Saturday, and try to have Sundays "off".
What I like about Mondays is the fact you can re-invent yoruself every week LOL.

This will be the week I................(fill in the blanks)

This will be the week I catch up on the housework/cleaning/laundry/letter writing/bills/gardening/mending etc etc etc, and by the end of the week (ie Friday) my life will be a shining example of organised calm and productiveness.

Er no, doesn't work like that, at least not here! By Friday I have inevitably done a lot of kntting, baking, spinning, reading,etc while the ironing mountain threatens to engulf the storeroom and teh wine still isn;t bottled, teh veg beds still not tidied...........
Ah well. Must try harder.

Climate change farming

Hugely interesting programme on Radio 4 early yesterday (Sunday) in the On Your Farm strand.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mtq2c

My friend MarkD played host to an interviewer from Radio 4 to talk about his venture into climate change farming and growing. Well worth a listen, literally food for thought.

Follow Mark and his venture on his Otter Farm blog:

http://www.otterfarmblog.co.uk/

Let me know what you think if you listen, or heard it yesterday.

What's made me laugh today......................

This has - someone's avatar on Ravelry, but I just had to share as it made me laugh out loud LOL