Simon's Cat

Simply the best....Humphrey has got a toy rat with catnip in it....he goes bananas!

Enjoy!
Arilx

Dancing With Dragons!

Well it's not often that one gets to put that in a sentence but tis the truth! Near Arundel is a place called Lyminster in which it was once reputed there lived a dragon. Now this dragon wasn't the friendliest of fellows. He lived in a large pond called the Knuckerhole and had rather a nasty habit of not only snacking on the local livestock but also on the locals given half a chance. Over time he became the bane of everyone's life and it was decided that Something Had To Be Done. How this came about varies depending on who's doing the telling. In the one version it's said that the beast was dispatched by a knight who conveniently just then happened to marry the King's daughter. This is however, not the version that I partook in today.

The next contender in the tale is one Jim Puttock who hailed from Wick, a nearby village. He took to the dragon with poison and then cut off his head with an axe which finished him off good and proper. Rewarded by the Mayor Of Arundel he lived a hero's life and was buried in the graveyard.

Sadly our telling of the myth does not have such a happy ending. One Jim Pulk a local farmer's boy decided to take on the challenge. He cooked up a huge poison pie which he took to the pool on a horse and cart. The beast, being frankly a bit of greedy guts, gobbled up the pudden with great gusto and expired with equal speed. Sadly Jim had not noted any health and safety policies so by handling food without wearing gloves he too got poison on his hands...yep you've guessed it....brown bread. Supposedly you can still see his gravestone in Lyminster church but I am sorry to spoil the party by revealing that the actual stone is a medieval one person unknown. It has a herringbone pattern which some say are left by the dragon's claws. One child in the 1930s used to leave snapdragons upon it.

Arilx

Piggy Wiggy

My lovely SIL adores pigs and when this dear little video came up on my book of the face feed I couldn't resist sharing it to her wall.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=834900936530983&fref=nf

M also collects pig related items and has many examples of porcine loveliness sprinkled throughout her home. On the occasion of a notable birthday she approached Mr GBT [her brother] and asked him if he would make a special commission for her from her husband. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't undertake this kind of request but obviously it's different for your sister and there was kindly no time constraints put in place due to his other orders for this business that he needed to fulfil. Over time he drew the design for the said item discussing possible tweaks and progress with his sibling at various points during the making. Having worked in miniature for the past decade it proved quite a challenge for him to have to work to a larger scale but in the end he successfully overcame all the hurdles and this was the end result.  Voila one pig box. She was delighted. However, it is definitely a one off!

Arilx

A Frugal Gluten Free Tip.

Dear chum who I housesparkled for yesterday was diagnosed as gluten intolerant last year. On top of being a vegetarian and needing to follow a low fat diet it has presented a few problems as you might imagine. She's a brilliant cook and loves to entertain so food is a big part of her life.

We were talking around it yesterday once I'd finished over a cuppa. I'd taken over half of an enormous pumpkin [we both abhor waste and swap all sorts!] that another chum had grown on her lottie that I'd been keeping in the garage since Halloween. I'd made soup from my half and she mentioned that she had a lovely recipe for a pumpkin cake that she's made in previous years.

Knowing that she now bakes both ordinary and gluten free cakes I was curious to know what flour she uses for her ones. Various types it turns out but one of them is rice flour. She has found the cheapest place to get it by far is the Asian cash and carry in the next town which I introduced her to a couple of years ago. It's well worth the fuel as she tops up on all her beans and pulses and other regular items she uses. I appreciate not everyone has access to such places but thought it worth a mention. Pray what use is a money saving tip if it's not shared...keeps those frugal wheels turning I'd say.

Arilx

Certificates Evening.

We have been along to our son's GCSE certificates evening tonight at his old school as they bid farewell to the class of 2014. It was a far more emotional experience than I  had anticipated. Much guffawing as they ran a VT of our children's time at the school...quick flashes of the small person reminding of who he was through to now. Starting when he was a cute 11 year old loving school and ridiculously eager through to the long haired sometimes reticent chap around the 13-14 mark at times struggling to fit in with his Aspergers  to the tall trendy young man with the immaculate quiff that I have today who's once again enthusiastic with loads of friends and rarely at home except to study or eat! He still gives his Muvva a darn good hug though.

It was really moving to see the young people receive prizes for all their achievements. Naturally some were for academic achievement, but others were recognised for the sheer effort they had made and where they had exceeded expectations. Some had fought extended periods of illness and personal tragedy to come through with good sets of results whilst others had contributed hugely to charity work, sport, music and other initiatives. My son got a mention for his set of results which made me immensely proud.

The headmaster closed his speech with some quotes and then these three pieces of advice to this former students as they embark upon their adult lives:

1. Be honest.

2. Have integrity.

3. And most important of all was - Be kind.

True, so true.

Arilx

The Shakespeare Effect.

This is, as I'm sure many will recognise, the rebuilt Globe theatre in London. We saw it a few years back on a walk along the South Bank

Fast forward to this week and I was completing a crossword [this is in the vain attempt to keep my brain sharpish although why I bother having found out many moons ago that our brain cells start dying off when we're 16 I have no idea really. Pure vanity I suspect!] for which the clue was "mongrel" and the answer was three letters long. Simples I thought...obviously must be "dog" except none of the other bleedin' clues tallied...erm back to the drawing board. After about ooh thirty seconds of thinking about it I resorted to my usual tactic....cheating and looked it up in the back. The answer was "cur" a word familiar to my from my days of studying Shakespeare for my degree but somehow I had never actually ever known was it meant other than garnering it was an insult.

I was amused by this little gem that a friend sent me last week- it simply appealed to my sense of humour

I in turn emailed it to my dear chum J who is currently studying for her English Masters as I knew she would appreciate the humour of it. Rather marvellously she replied with these links so you can now invent your very own Shakespearean insults if anyone puts your back up this week!

http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/index.html?

http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/shake_rule.html

Personally I favour "Thou tottering tardy-gaited strumpet" as my insult of choice for thecoming week!

Arilx

Pegged Out.

Inspired by this post last year http://mymakedoandmendyear.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/ my chum E and I decided to give it a whirl. What thrifty fun it was...only my stars are for my American folk art bedroom so I haven't made them festive. An easy but effective make using only what you've got lying around. I now find you can make stars using the leftover clips too but haven't done as yet.

Arilx