Food On The Mind

Watching any form of the Masterchef programmes when your repertoire has evaporated into nothingness (yet another joyful side-effect of CFS) is not a good idea sometimes.  Usually I can't be bothered with food, I just don't have an appetite any more and perversely this is not reflected in my waistline.

Today, however, I'm as ravenous as a werewolf.  Seeing the delicious things being made, I possibly could try but I'd rather someone made it for me.

One more thing I miss.  Bad timing means that while the boys are going through constant growth spurts and eat like gannets I'm not doing as much as I want to.  If I could I'd make a huge banana loaf, yum.  Ah see how annoying it is!

This is one I prepared earlier, a few years earlier, but they always look the same, and never last long.  Grubs up.

In readiness for getting back to normal I have a Pinterest board full of ideas I'd like to try.  Won't someone send me a taster before I lose the hunger!

So, it's still January then...

This month seems never ending but at last, Friday introduces February.  As it goes this hasn't been a particularly depressing endless grey month.  Instead we had quite a few sunny if cold days, no snow - much to the chagrin of Eldest - so instead we had to import snow from the nearby town of Falkirk.

We went in to the cinema to see Les Miserable (sob sob poor Gavroche!) and came out to see our little car with a cosy, snow blanket.  Much joy was had with an impromptu snow fight which caused a lot of bewilderment amongst passing drivers in the car park as old ladies such as I am are not meant to be firing well aimed snowballs at their sons.  Yah boo sucks to that!

I realise this mundane post focusses too much on the British obsession of weather and I do not wear a British mantle easily so we'll just say Scottish are as obsessed too.  And with better reason as, unlike this year, we usually get a boot in the rear from it during winter.  I miss the snow.  Plus the boys major disappointment at *no* *snow* *days*!

As well as cinema day, last Friday was Burns night when the kind of people Robert Burns himself parodied heavily in his work hold feasts of haggis to celebrate the great man, no sense of irony at all.  This is one of my favourites and perfectly encapsulates everything I think of politicians although it was originally (I believe) aimed at those Scottish Lords who handed Scotland to an arranged marriage with England.

Such A Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation

Fareweel to a' our Scottish fame, 
Fareweel our ancient glory; 
Fareweel ev'n to the Scottish name, 
Sae fam'd in martial story. 
Now Sark rins over Solway sands, 
An' Tweed rins to the ocean, 
To mark where England's province stands- 
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation! 

What force or guile could not subdue, 
Thro' many warlike ages, 
Is wrought now by a coward few, 
For hireling traitor's wages. 
The English stell we could disdain, 
Secure in valour's station; 
But English gold has been our bane- 
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation! 

O would, or I had seen the day 
That Treason thus could sell us, 
My auld grey head had lien in clay, 
Wi' Bruce and loyal Wallace! 
But pith and power, till my last hour, 
I'll mak this declaration; 
We're bought and sold for English gold- 
Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!

Red Sky In Morning

Shepherd's warning.

No sooner had I imparted these words of wisdom but eldest piped up:

Does that mean SNOW?

Ah, bless he's been waiting since November for the promised white stuff.  Most of the UK is coated in it.  Alas we have mere frost and, as every child knows schools don't close for ice.

Still the view from our back door was awfully pretty. Dusting of icing sugar frost tinted bubblegum pink.

OMG It's Fulla Stars

A jolly good purchase with 3 (very) amateur astronomers in the house,  yes I include myself in thst although my interest lies primarily in gazing awe inspired by the brilliance of what lies above.

I am terrible at remembering the name of anything beyond Orion but after reading up on the boys' books I was desperate to be able to spot more.

So here is the handy answer.  Plus it swivels to show what can be seen at different times and seasons.

Tonight the sky is sharp with frost that bites and the sky is clear of cloud and full of stars. 

And We're Off...

...2013 has begun, we're already running to catch up!

Crikey!

Enough with the exclamation marks before I use up my quota for the year.  Two days in, it hasn't been an auspicious start but then again this is January, not the best of months for happy thoughts.

Wish it would bloody snow though.  Poor Eldest has been holding out for snow over the past few weeks and apart from a brief dalliance there has been nothing but rain.  2012 was the wettest year ever - 2013, who knows!

This can be a boring post to start with as I'm sure something will get me going before too long.