Wintering

Winter is often a struggle for me.  Not so much physically (although I do get extra aches and pains) but more mentally.  I've got a SAD light which helps but I've been advised to look more closely at nature .  So, when the clocks went back last Sunday I started to make an effort.  Here are the first few days.

Sunday.  I spent ten minutes looking at the trees in the garden across the road.  One is turning brown but at the moment it’s half way through.  One is a rich dark red. 

Monday.   I'm watching a leaf.  Just the one.  It's not a leaf attached to a tree.  It's attached to a spider's web.  It's just outside my window and I can watch it bobbing around on the slightest breeze.  The web is nearly invisible but must be very strong for its thickness.

Tuesday.  I have decided to watch the sunrise.  I often watch the really colourful ones but this is a dullish day.  Even so I was surprised at the many shades of grey which appeared.  I watched for over half an hour.   Why have I always written off these sunrises as "dull"?

Wednesday.  Today I went to the river in Brigg.  It was very still with quite a few leaves floating.  What amused me was the moorhens taking off.  They run across the surface of the water as if it were a runway and they have huge feet!

Thursday.  I am not feeling quite so charitable towards nature today.  I went out to the garden and the cabbage whites have ruined the tenderstem broccoli.  I am surprised how late they have been active.  

I don't know whether this "habit" will help but I shall give it a good try!

 

The 1994 cohort

The Bishop of  London

"The 1994 cohort" doesn't sound very exciting but it's a group to which I am very proud to belong.  It means the thousand plus women who were ordained in 1994 after a very long wait to become priests.

My personal thirtieth anniversary was back in April but the C of E has had various events over this last year commemorating the contribution of women (both ordained and lay) to the ministry of the church.   On Friday the 1994 cohort was invited to join in the national celebration in London and over a hundred of us accepted the invitation.  Since 1994 many of those thousand women have "been promoted to glory" and others are too frail to make the journey to London.  

A "Popemobile" to take me across King's Cross Station!

My good friend E, (a priest of a mere twenty years standing!) came with me and helped me and without her I wouldn't have been able to go.  We travelled by train and taxi to make things as easy as possible for me.

First I went to Lambeth Palace (the official home of The Archbishop of Canterbury) where "the cohort" was treated to a wonderful afternoon tea.  Then coaches took us to St Paul's Cathedral where the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, presided at a memorable Eucharist.  

Thirty years ago we were  regarded with a great deal of suspicion by both clergy an laity.  It would be hard to imagine the C of E without its clergy women today.  Thanks be to God!

Z is for Zucchini

 

Courgette? Zucchini?

I ran Zucchini through file explorer and it didn't appear even once.  Neither did rutabaga, cilantro or egg plant.  Courgette, swede, coriander and aubergine all appeared, though.  In fact each appeared multiple times.  American English seems to be influenced by Italian, ours by French

Cilantro? Coriander?

These are familiar foods both sides of the Atlantic but with completely different names.  I'd be interested to know what each is called in other countries. 

Sometimes we use the same word with different meanings.  A man going out in the USA in vest and pants would, I believe, look quite respectable whereas here he would raise a few eyebrows especially if he were wearing suspenders as well.

Swede? Rutabaga?

I can't follow American crochet patterns unless I first "translate" them as the same terms have different meanings eg an American double crochet is a treble here.  

I'm not good at following some American recipes either as we use weight rather than volume, other than liquids.  Another question: if a recipe demands a cup of flour is that sieved or unsieved volume?  And how much butter is in a stick?  Is flour sold by weight or volume?

Egg plant? Aubergine?

However, today I am very happy to use American terminology as it has brought me neatly to the end of the alphabet

Y is for YMCA

As we walked away from church on Sunday, an elderly gentleman and I were discussing what we were having for lunch.

"I'm having salmon with new potatoes and salad" I said.

"I'm having YMCA" he said

"YMCA?"

"YMCA.  Yesterday's Meal Cooked Again."

I rather liked it and I giggled a bit on the way home.

But it made me think about weird names for food. Some proper names for food are weird. One reader commented that her husband didn't believe there really was a dish called Bubble and Squeak.  I asked how he could make himself eat a Hot Dog. 

But it's the informal names for dishes which are the most fun.  I've just eaten a bowl of Whatever Soup, so named because it includes whatever happens to be in the fridge.  Others call that Bottom of the Fridge Soup, Bung It In Soup or Iffits Soup.

Any ideas from you?