David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 49
April 17, 2016
Writing - Library news and other stuff
How many of you have forgotten to return your library books and received a fine? Those were the days. I have paid coppers here and there when I've been late but it is in the nature of reading that books contrive to take your attention away from simple fiscal matters. (I bet George Osborne reads a lot!).
The couple below were threatened with jail for not paying fines for non-return of their borrowed books.
A couple has been threatened with jail after failing to return two library books on timeCathy and Melvin Duren from Tecumseh, Michigan, have been told they could be imprisoned for refusing to pay court fees as the dispute escalated.The couple borrowed two books. One was a collection of Dr Seuss stories, which they took out for their teenage son to read to their granddaughter in July 2014.Then in April 2105 the couple borrowed a thriller called The other was The Rome Prophecy.While the Rome Prophecy was found and returned to the library, the Dr Seuss book was lost.They actually paid the fine but not the court costs.[image error]The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
One of my favourite collections of stories and once again proving to be as popular today as when I first read it in 1960.Just over a week into its Gigantophithecus theatrical run in India, Disney’s The Jungle Book has swamped Titanic, clawed past Life of Pi and leapfrogged over The AmazingSpider-Man 2 to become the eighth highest grossing Hollywood movie in the country’s box office history.The Jungle Book’s grosses fell just 21 percent from its first Friday to its second, and 37 percent from Saturday to Saturday, both excellent holds that portend more lush returns ahead.By Sunday’s end the film will reach the magic 1 billion rupee (US$15.2 million) threshold, a common measure of hit status in India.
I find that amazing but it is such a wonderful book. The main story is a children's classic but there are other great tales such as Riki-Tiki-Tavi which are equally engaging. The fact is good stories never die. I predict that The Life of Pi will be long forgotten when Jungle Book is still filling cinemas and on most book cases.
Blackudder and Buldrick byCaroline Shotton
Finally, using stories in art, the above excellent interpretation by Caroline Shotton shows to me how a good story can generate more than writing and film. The two characters in the painting are from the Blackadder series from TV.
[image error]Richard Curtis
The 4 series were written by Richard Curtis, a New Zealander born in 1959. It will be a piece of writing that lives on long after he has shuffled off this mortal coil.
God Bless
The couple below were threatened with jail for not paying fines for non-return of their borrowed books.
A couple has been threatened with jail after failing to return two library books on timeCathy and Melvin Duren from Tecumseh, Michigan, have been told they could be imprisoned for refusing to pay court fees as the dispute escalated.The couple borrowed two books. One was a collection of Dr Seuss stories, which they took out for their teenage son to read to their granddaughter in July 2014.Then in April 2105 the couple borrowed a thriller called The other was The Rome Prophecy.While the Rome Prophecy was found and returned to the library, the Dr Seuss book was lost.They actually paid the fine but not the court costs.[image error]The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
One of my favourite collections of stories and once again proving to be as popular today as when I first read it in 1960.Just over a week into its Gigantophithecus theatrical run in India, Disney’s The Jungle Book has swamped Titanic, clawed past Life of Pi and leapfrogged over The AmazingSpider-Man 2 to become the eighth highest grossing Hollywood movie in the country’s box office history.The Jungle Book’s grosses fell just 21 percent from its first Friday to its second, and 37 percent from Saturday to Saturday, both excellent holds that portend more lush returns ahead.By Sunday’s end the film will reach the magic 1 billion rupee (US$15.2 million) threshold, a common measure of hit status in India.
I find that amazing but it is such a wonderful book. The main story is a children's classic but there are other great tales such as Riki-Tiki-Tavi which are equally engaging. The fact is good stories never die. I predict that The Life of Pi will be long forgotten when Jungle Book is still filling cinemas and on most book cases.
Blackudder and Buldrick byCaroline Shotton
Finally, using stories in art, the above excellent interpretation by Caroline Shotton shows to me how a good story can generate more than writing and film. The two characters in the painting are from the Blackadder series from TV.
[image error]Richard Curtis
The 4 series were written by Richard Curtis, a New Zealander born in 1959. It will be a piece of writing that lives on long after he has shuffled off this mortal coil.
God Bless
April 16, 2016
10 things we didn't know last week
A varied collection for your entertainment this week.
[image error]
1. You can get a UK driving licence if your name is Buzz Lightyear.
Apparently not the only cartoon driver I followed Dennis the Menace this morning!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
2. US presidential contender Ted Cruz bought 100 tins of Campbell's Chunky soup immediately after his honeymoon.
Must have needed building up.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
3. The North Pole has been moving towards London since the year 2000.
Aye but it has to pass Yorkshire first!!!!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
4. Nearly half of people who bought vinyl last month have yet to play it.
No machine to play it on?
-----------------------------------
[image error]
5. Parents are worse at telling if their child is lying than complete strangers.
As a teacher I learned that years ago.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
6. It costs 13m roubles (£140,000) a year to keep Vladimir Lenin's body embalmed.
Burn him!!!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
7. Octopuses are surprisingly good escape artists.
Its all those arms.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
8. Sniffer dogs detected no illegal drugs at Manchester Airport during one seven-month period, but one often found "small amounts of cheese or sausages".
Withdrawal symptoms.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
9. Of the Guardian's 10 most abused online writers eight are women, and the two men are black.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
10. House of Commons clerks are unfamiliar with Scots usage of the word "mince".
Not the only ones.
-----------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. You can get a UK driving licence if your name is Buzz Lightyear.
Apparently not the only cartoon driver I followed Dennis the Menace this morning!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
2. US presidential contender Ted Cruz bought 100 tins of Campbell's Chunky soup immediately after his honeymoon.
Must have needed building up.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
3. The North Pole has been moving towards London since the year 2000.
Aye but it has to pass Yorkshire first!!!!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
4. Nearly half of people who bought vinyl last month have yet to play it.
No machine to play it on?
-----------------------------------
[image error]
5. Parents are worse at telling if their child is lying than complete strangers.
As a teacher I learned that years ago.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
6. It costs 13m roubles (£140,000) a year to keep Vladimir Lenin's body embalmed.
Burn him!!!
-----------------------------------
[image error]
7. Octopuses are surprisingly good escape artists.
Its all those arms.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
8. Sniffer dogs detected no illegal drugs at Manchester Airport during one seven-month period, but one often found "small amounts of cheese or sausages".
Withdrawal symptoms.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
9. Of the Guardian's 10 most abused online writers eight are women, and the two men are black.
-----------------------------------
[image error]
10. House of Commons clerks are unfamiliar with Scots usage of the word "mince".
Not the only ones.
-----------------------------------
God Bless
April 15, 2016
Writing - Stories from stories
I have just watched a film, as I do, because I enjoy stories. In all fairness many of the films that I begin to watch end up being turned off because that's what they do for me - turn me off.
[image error]Shirley Maclaine Christopher Plummer
Have you noticed that many films are built upon stories from other stories? There is nothing incorrect in that it is just another strategy for creating channels down which the imagination can course in the name of entertainment. Sometimes the 'internal' stories may be a fiction in themselves and on other occasions that they may be true stories. If the marriage is constructed well then it is really of little consequence but may add high emotion in the climax of the film.
Elsa and Fred
The film was Elsa and Fred starring the same two actors as in the first pair of photographs at the top of the page. They have aged, unsurprisingly, but my goodness they certainly can act. I have no intention of spoiling the story for anyone but suffice it to say that I think it is an excellent piece of writing.
Speaking of which:-
Read on!
December 2015
Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
[image error]Shirley Maclaine Christopher Plummer
Have you noticed that many films are built upon stories from other stories? There is nothing incorrect in that it is just another strategy for creating channels down which the imagination can course in the name of entertainment. Sometimes the 'internal' stories may be a fiction in themselves and on other occasions that they may be true stories. If the marriage is constructed well then it is really of little consequence but may add high emotion in the climax of the film.
Elsa and Fred
The film was Elsa and Fred starring the same two actors as in the first pair of photographs at the top of the page. They have aged, unsurprisingly, but my goodness they certainly can act. I have no intention of spoiling the story for anyone but suffice it to say that I think it is an excellent piece of writing.
Speaking of which:-
Read on!
December 2015Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
April 14, 2016
Writing - Wordsmiths and the like.
I have never described myself as a wordsmith or an author, occasionally I'll admit to writer and poet, but then I pull up short against those who either ignore my work or belittle me as a result of some minor error - which is only in there to highlight my humanity. Enter author Kurt Vonnegut a life saver. The first sentence of the quote below the picture says it all.
[image error]
"Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel or a play or a poem is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae or a banana split." ― Kurt VonnegutOf course for many years, particularly but not exclusively in the UK, becoming a successful author has had nothing to do with writing ability or literary genius but connections and birth. Add to that existing celebrity providing in built marketability and you have the uphill struggle independent authors all face.
However, the need to be a wordsmith, or whatever you want to describe it as, doesn't care it just insists that we write. Once smitten by the need to write it never lets you go not even for a day. Of course that will trigger in the minds of some killjoys the word quality. It is something that concerns me and when producing my full length novels I do have them proofread by two different people, having edited them myself first. I also check the poetry I produce but not these blogs so much. There is a basic requirement to get the words down and out there.
What the miserable people miss is the message in the order of the words. My writing friend, Christina Carson, has produced a beautiful piece of philosophical work.
[image error]
"We the wordsmiths,we the lover of language and meanings,midwives birthing our stories and poems,sensible enough to know fiction from non-fiction….in our trade,yet totally bamboozled by our own lives.Living as if we’d somehow escapethe consequences of made-up names and meanings,of inventions that exist only in our minds,while all of Nature chuckles kindly, ... "
To read the rest of the article go to Christina Carson Blogging on the following link,
http://christinacarson-blogging.blogspot.co.uk/
The bottom line is that all writers who are producing the words because of the drive to do so, are providing an excursion into a different way of looking at the world. If we get paid for producing the words, all well and good, but if we don't it won't slow the production.
God Bless
[image error]
"Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel or a play or a poem is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae or a banana split." ― Kurt VonnegutOf course for many years, particularly but not exclusively in the UK, becoming a successful author has had nothing to do with writing ability or literary genius but connections and birth. Add to that existing celebrity providing in built marketability and you have the uphill struggle independent authors all face.
However, the need to be a wordsmith, or whatever you want to describe it as, doesn't care it just insists that we write. Once smitten by the need to write it never lets you go not even for a day. Of course that will trigger in the minds of some killjoys the word quality. It is something that concerns me and when producing my full length novels I do have them proofread by two different people, having edited them myself first. I also check the poetry I produce but not these blogs so much. There is a basic requirement to get the words down and out there.
What the miserable people miss is the message in the order of the words. My writing friend, Christina Carson, has produced a beautiful piece of philosophical work.
[image error]
"We the wordsmiths,we the lover of language and meanings,midwives birthing our stories and poems,sensible enough to know fiction from non-fiction….in our trade,yet totally bamboozled by our own lives.Living as if we’d somehow escapethe consequences of made-up names and meanings,of inventions that exist only in our minds,while all of Nature chuckles kindly, ... "
To read the rest of the article go to Christina Carson Blogging on the following link,
http://christinacarson-blogging.blogspot.co.uk/
The bottom line is that all writers who are producing the words because of the drive to do so, are providing an excursion into a different way of looking at the world. If we get paid for producing the words, all well and good, but if we don't it won't slow the production.
God Bless
April 13, 2016
Poetry Thursday 208 - Ways of learning
The poetry I have written this week has come from two separate unrelated incidents that reflect human learning. The first from my grandson and the magic, that is a child acquiring skills and knowledge, even in its most basic form then building upon those acquisitions. The second is a contraction of a 75 minutes conversation in a new restaurant!
[image error]
Joy of Learning
We begin life’s journey with learning,from the simplest act of study – to suck.Human psyche imprinted with yearning,afraid to leave everything to good luck.Driven to first words to satisfy needs,initial steps to widen boundaries.The human animal plants the good seed,of future development of kiddies.Empty receptacles ready to fill,schools for intellectual fulfilment.Loving parents will fill the social bill,all sides come together and compliment.Young people our link to the future,a duty to organise their nurture.© David L Atkinson April 2016
This second offering is more of a conversation between three people. Even so one of us is learning a new job! Imagine the scenario - a customer, a head waiter and a novice waitress from Yorkshire.
[image error]
Service! (a 3 way conversation)
A table for one good sir?Yes please.A drink while you wait good sir?A beer from Holland please.The menu for lunch sir?Thank you.Did tha want arf or a pint?A pint thank you.Are you ready to order sir?Yes please.
There ya go suh – luks nice!Does tha wan any sauce or vinegar?No thank youJus ask if tha wants owt else.Would you like to order dessert sir?Yes please.Would you like another drink sir?No thank you.
There ya go suh!Thank you.Did tha enjoy it?Yes thank you.Aye its luverly!Can I get you a coffee sir?No thank you – just the bill please.Did tha want owt else?No thank you.Thanks very much suh.© David L Atkinson April 2016
[image error]
The second 'poem' - it is not exactly that - is the gist of a conversation over an hour and quarter at lunch today. Suffice it to say that the young Yorkshire lass who was waiting tables had not yet acquired the polish of the head waiter!
God Bless
[image error]
Joy of Learning
We begin life’s journey with learning,from the simplest act of study – to suck.Human psyche imprinted with yearning,afraid to leave everything to good luck.Driven to first words to satisfy needs,initial steps to widen boundaries.The human animal plants the good seed,of future development of kiddies.Empty receptacles ready to fill,schools for intellectual fulfilment.Loving parents will fill the social bill,all sides come together and compliment.Young people our link to the future,a duty to organise their nurture.© David L Atkinson April 2016
This second offering is more of a conversation between three people. Even so one of us is learning a new job! Imagine the scenario - a customer, a head waiter and a novice waitress from Yorkshire.
[image error]
Service! (a 3 way conversation)
A table for one good sir?Yes please.A drink while you wait good sir?A beer from Holland please.The menu for lunch sir?Thank you.Did tha want arf or a pint?A pint thank you.Are you ready to order sir?Yes please.
There ya go suh – luks nice!Does tha wan any sauce or vinegar?No thank youJus ask if tha wants owt else.Would you like to order dessert sir?Yes please.Would you like another drink sir?No thank you.
There ya go suh!Thank you.Did tha enjoy it?Yes thank you.Aye its luverly!Can I get you a coffee sir?No thank you – just the bill please.Did tha want owt else?No thank you.Thanks very much suh.© David L Atkinson April 2016
[image error]
The second 'poem' - it is not exactly that - is the gist of a conversation over an hour and quarter at lunch today. Suffice it to say that the young Yorkshire lass who was waiting tables had not yet acquired the polish of the head waiter!
God Bless
April 12, 2016
Writing - Are subscription libraries an option?
More library 'stuff' and some interesting aspects of which I wasn't aware.
[image error]Bromley House Library
In the days before public libraries, people paid for the privilege of borrowing books. But with council-run libraries experiencing a decline in users and many closing, those that require membership are seeing their numbers rise. So what exactly is the draw of the subscription library?Nestled on a high street near a charity shop, newsagent and chicken restaurant is an exclusive library that - even after 200 years - is unknown to most.
Sitting behind the doors of a three-storey Grade II-listed Georgian house in Nottingham city centre are shelves and shelves stacked high with books, some dating back to the 16th Century.
Bromley House Library has become a little haven in a busy city, but unlike most libraries, you have to pay to use it.
The first committee in 1816 was made up of three clergymen, a banker and two doctors with a strict set of rules and hefty fines for those who broke them.
Becoming a member then would have set you back five guineas for a share (equivalent to about £550 today) and two guineas a year thereafter.
Today, an annual subscription is £96, without the need to buy shares.
Among its collection are rare history manuscripts and 16th Century material, as well as modern literature, travel books and biographies.
Subscription libraries - a historySubscription libraries were also known as proprietors' libraries because members owned shares in themWith the passing of the Public Libraries Act in 1850, most were replaced or taken over by local government and opened free of charge to the publicThe Leeds Library opened in 1768 and is the oldest surviving subscription library of its kind in the UKThe first one in Britain was the Leadhills Miners Library in Lanarkshire, which was started in 1741 by 21 miners, a minister and schoolmaster. They had an entrance fee which was the equivalent of 15p (£16 in today's terms) and the annual subscription was 10p (about £10)The most expensive of the UK's subscription libraries today is the Liverpool Athenaeum, where a Category A membership costs £795 a year[image error]Oldest subscription library (opened 1768)
Of course there are many examples of 'little libraries' to be found in a variety of places.
[image error]
The picture above is not the same one that I visited but I have been to a pub in England that was offering books as well as drinks. People who don't like drinking alone would find that place very comfortable.
The private club that I am a member of has its own small collection of books as well as newspapers available for drinkers to peruse at their leisure. I have also stayed in many an hotel that provide books for the guests to read on particularly rainy days.
[image error]
Of course there are many homes around the world that have their own private libraries. Whilst holidaying in France some years ago a gang of us hired a gites for a couple of weeks near Carcassonne in southern France. The party was large so we needed a large property and booked through a firm that specialised in special gites. Ours was Louis XIV through and through, had its own library and separate chapel and more. The library was delightful.
In fact it is public libraries that are the important issue. We need to be aware of these havens of peace, tranquillity and learning, and make every effort to support them staying open.
God Bless
[image error]Bromley House Library
In the days before public libraries, people paid for the privilege of borrowing books. But with council-run libraries experiencing a decline in users and many closing, those that require membership are seeing their numbers rise. So what exactly is the draw of the subscription library?Nestled on a high street near a charity shop, newsagent and chicken restaurant is an exclusive library that - even after 200 years - is unknown to most.
Sitting behind the doors of a three-storey Grade II-listed Georgian house in Nottingham city centre are shelves and shelves stacked high with books, some dating back to the 16th Century.
Bromley House Library has become a little haven in a busy city, but unlike most libraries, you have to pay to use it.
The first committee in 1816 was made up of three clergymen, a banker and two doctors with a strict set of rules and hefty fines for those who broke them.
Becoming a member then would have set you back five guineas for a share (equivalent to about £550 today) and two guineas a year thereafter.
Today, an annual subscription is £96, without the need to buy shares.
Among its collection are rare history manuscripts and 16th Century material, as well as modern literature, travel books and biographies.
Subscription libraries - a historySubscription libraries were also known as proprietors' libraries because members owned shares in themWith the passing of the Public Libraries Act in 1850, most were replaced or taken over by local government and opened free of charge to the publicThe Leeds Library opened in 1768 and is the oldest surviving subscription library of its kind in the UKThe first one in Britain was the Leadhills Miners Library in Lanarkshire, which was started in 1741 by 21 miners, a minister and schoolmaster. They had an entrance fee which was the equivalent of 15p (£16 in today's terms) and the annual subscription was 10p (about £10)The most expensive of the UK's subscription libraries today is the Liverpool Athenaeum, where a Category A membership costs £795 a year[image error]Oldest subscription library (opened 1768)
Of course there are many examples of 'little libraries' to be found in a variety of places.
[image error]
The picture above is not the same one that I visited but I have been to a pub in England that was offering books as well as drinks. People who don't like drinking alone would find that place very comfortable.
The private club that I am a member of has its own small collection of books as well as newspapers available for drinkers to peruse at their leisure. I have also stayed in many an hotel that provide books for the guests to read on particularly rainy days.
[image error]
Of course there are many homes around the world that have their own private libraries. Whilst holidaying in France some years ago a gang of us hired a gites for a couple of weeks near Carcassonne in southern France. The party was large so we needed a large property and booked through a firm that specialised in special gites. Ours was Louis XIV through and through, had its own library and separate chapel and more. The library was delightful.
In fact it is public libraries that are the important issue. We need to be aware of these havens of peace, tranquillity and learning, and make every effort to support them staying open.
God Bless
April 11, 2016
Tuesday Food Blog - Shepherd's Pie with a cauliflower mash topping
I had a longing for some comfort food this weekend and decided upon Shepherd's Pie but to make it somewhat more veggie acceptable I thought that I'd make a cauliflower mash topping. The recipe is further down this page and is from Antony Worrall Thompson.
Shepherd's Pie and peas
The meal was very tasty and had five vegetables and lamb mince. Very much the standard meat sauce but there was an added extra ingredient that I included. I have never been one for buying extras for the sake of it as you quite often with a half full container of the item that sails by its use by date and is thrown away. However, while food shopping last week I saw a pack of Greek anchovies at a very low price so, as I was having pizza that day, thought I would have a pack and add to the pizza topping. In the meantime I saw an advert suggesting adding a couple of anchovies to the meat sauce in a shepherd's pie enhanced the flavours. So I saved a couple and duly added them. They were the secret extra ingredient. My verdict on adding the little fish - why? It certainly didn't detract from the meal but added very little!
Cauliflower mashIf you believe that using cauliflower mash is an aid to losing weight but having a favourite comfort meal, read the recipe below! I did use low calorie creme fraiche instead of double cream but with all of that cheddar cheese it isn't going to be non-fattening. In fact it is rather like topping the meat sauce with a cauliflower cheese, so delicious but not slimming.Ingredients 25g/1oz butter ½ onion, thinly sliced 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 100g/3½oz mature cheddar, grated 75ml/2½fl oz double cream (creme fraiche) salt and freshly ground white pepper pinch nutmegMethodMelt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and sweat for 1-2 minutes until softened.Add the cauliflower and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Stir to combine, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender.Drain through a colander and place the cauliflower mixture in a food processor.Add the cheese and cream and blend until you have a thick puree.Season with salt, freshly ground white pepper and pinch of nutmeg.
God Bless
Shepherd's Pie and peas
The meal was very tasty and had five vegetables and lamb mince. Very much the standard meat sauce but there was an added extra ingredient that I included. I have never been one for buying extras for the sake of it as you quite often with a half full container of the item that sails by its use by date and is thrown away. However, while food shopping last week I saw a pack of Greek anchovies at a very low price so, as I was having pizza that day, thought I would have a pack and add to the pizza topping. In the meantime I saw an advert suggesting adding a couple of anchovies to the meat sauce in a shepherd's pie enhanced the flavours. So I saved a couple and duly added them. They were the secret extra ingredient. My verdict on adding the little fish - why? It certainly didn't detract from the meal but added very little!
Cauliflower mashIf you believe that using cauliflower mash is an aid to losing weight but having a favourite comfort meal, read the recipe below! I did use low calorie creme fraiche instead of double cream but with all of that cheddar cheese it isn't going to be non-fattening. In fact it is rather like topping the meat sauce with a cauliflower cheese, so delicious but not slimming.Ingredients 25g/1oz butter ½ onion, thinly sliced 1 cauliflower, cut into florets 100g/3½oz mature cheddar, grated 75ml/2½fl oz double cream (creme fraiche) salt and freshly ground white pepper pinch nutmegMethodMelt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and sweat for 1-2 minutes until softened.Add the cauliflower and enough water to just cover the ingredients. Stir to combine, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes or until tender.Drain through a colander and place the cauliflower mixture in a food processor.Add the cheese and cream and blend until you have a thick puree.Season with salt, freshly ground white pepper and pinch of nutmeg.God Bless
April 10, 2016
Writing - The fight goes on
The UK governments austerity programme doesn't just bring hardship to individuals but also to local authorities and the services that they offer. I have written about the fight to keep public libraries open and came across this example today.
[image error]Carnegie Lambeth Library
A nine-day occupation of a south London library has ended, only hours before those inside were due to be evicted.Campaigners for the "Defend the 10" group have been inside Carnegie Library in Loughborough Junction since 31 March, the day it was closed for a year.
Lambeth Council said its plans would "guarantee" the library's future.
The Carnegie and Minet libraries officially closed for a year on 1 April. The council said they would reopen in 2017 with a gym as "healthy living centres".
The plan is to have gymnasium facilities in the buildings as well as a free library service.
A council spokesman said,
"It means we can now concentrate on spending our scarce resources on services instead of security, including developing the plans which will guarantee Carnegie Library's future.
"Carnegie will reopen with a library service that will remain free and open to all."
The authority added none of its 10 libraries were closing and the gym will be in the unused basement of the building.
It sounds like good news on the face of it as long as the social aspect of libraries is maintained.
The occupiers, including children and pensioners, were given 24 hours to leave from the point the order was served at 17:30 on Friday.
Campaigners said more than 2,000 people joined a march which began at Carnegie Library, passing by Minet Library before ending at Brixton Library, where a rally was held.
One protester, 11-year-old Denise, said: "Libraries are about more than books, they let people meet one another."
[image error]
The really gratifying aspect of the above is the indisputable drive for people of all ages to want to save their libraries. There will always be a need for a free source of books and as a writer that is simply the best news.
Read on!
December 2015
Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
[image error]Carnegie Lambeth Library
A nine-day occupation of a south London library has ended, only hours before those inside were due to be evicted.Campaigners for the "Defend the 10" group have been inside Carnegie Library in Loughborough Junction since 31 March, the day it was closed for a year.
Lambeth Council said its plans would "guarantee" the library's future.
The Carnegie and Minet libraries officially closed for a year on 1 April. The council said they would reopen in 2017 with a gym as "healthy living centres".
The plan is to have gymnasium facilities in the buildings as well as a free library service.
A council spokesman said,
"It means we can now concentrate on spending our scarce resources on services instead of security, including developing the plans which will guarantee Carnegie Library's future.
"Carnegie will reopen with a library service that will remain free and open to all."
The authority added none of its 10 libraries were closing and the gym will be in the unused basement of the building.
It sounds like good news on the face of it as long as the social aspect of libraries is maintained.
The occupiers, including children and pensioners, were given 24 hours to leave from the point the order was served at 17:30 on Friday.
Campaigners said more than 2,000 people joined a march which began at Carnegie Library, passing by Minet Library before ending at Brixton Library, where a rally was held.
One protester, 11-year-old Denise, said: "Libraries are about more than books, they let people meet one another."
[image error]
The really gratifying aspect of the above is the indisputable drive for people of all ages to want to save their libraries. There will always be a need for a free source of books and as a writer that is simply the best news.
Read on!
December 2015Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
April 9, 2016
Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week
Today's collection has a deal to do with eccentricity.
[image error]
1. Iggy Pop has a white cockatoo called Biggy Pop.
Wow!(sic)
------------------------------------
[image error]
2. Superhero movies currently perform better at the box office if they aren't just about superheroes.
You mean people like stories.
------------------------------------
[image error]
3. Sir Walter Scott wrote bad reviews of his own novels to boost sales.
No such thing as bad publicity
------------------------------------
4. An ancient sea creature would drag its offspring around on strings like kites.
Tied to mother's apron strings
------------------------------------
[image error]
5. Tyrion is mathematically the most important character in Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones free zone here!
------------------------------------
[image error]
6. More people were executed in 2015 than in any of the previous 25 years.
This is just so sad
------------------------------------
7. A member of the Manson family apparently hand-edited a print-out of his Wikipedia page from prison.
------------------------------------
8. You can be given lines to write out for motoring offences in Vietnam.
I must try harder
I must try harder
I must try harder
------------------------------------
[image error]
9. There is one female shop owner on Savile Row.
How many inside legs has she measured?
------------------------------------
[image error]
10. Chumbawumba's song Tubthumping was written about a drunken Irish neighbour who would fall down and get up again outside the band's house.
Inspiration can come from anywhere
------------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. Iggy Pop has a white cockatoo called Biggy Pop.
Wow!(sic)
------------------------------------
[image error]
2. Superhero movies currently perform better at the box office if they aren't just about superheroes.
You mean people like stories.
------------------------------------
[image error]
3. Sir Walter Scott wrote bad reviews of his own novels to boost sales.
No such thing as bad publicity
------------------------------------
4. An ancient sea creature would drag its offspring around on strings like kites.
Tied to mother's apron strings
------------------------------------
[image error]
5. Tyrion is mathematically the most important character in Game of Thrones.
Game of Thrones free zone here!
------------------------------------
[image error]
6. More people were executed in 2015 than in any of the previous 25 years.
This is just so sad
------------------------------------
7. A member of the Manson family apparently hand-edited a print-out of his Wikipedia page from prison.
------------------------------------
8. You can be given lines to write out for motoring offences in Vietnam.
I must try harder
I must try harder
I must try harder
------------------------------------
[image error]
9. There is one female shop owner on Savile Row.
How many inside legs has she measured?
------------------------------------
[image error]
10. Chumbawumba's song Tubthumping was written about a drunken Irish neighbour who would fall down and get up again outside the band's house.
Inspiration can come from anywhere
------------------------------------
God Bless
April 8, 2016
Writing - The relationship with your characters
When we create a character in a book do we have any kind of relationship with that character or are they simply two dimensional and paper bound.
[image error]Kate Tempest
Kate Tempest is a successful spoken word artist and poet but she has now written her first novel The Bricks that Built the Houses. She has an interesting view of the relationship between herself and the characters she has created.
The narrative below is Kate Tempest answering questions about her novel.
This is a story and a set of characters you’ve addressed before. Why did you want to return to them?You end up falling in love with the characters you create, especially because I’ve been touring with them for so long. I’m living with them every night on stage when I’m singing about them, then in the day drafting the novel on the tour bus.
They seem to inhabit every space - you walk around and you live with them and they become fiercer and brighter and for some reason I didn’t feel done with them - they kept wanting to come out.
It is interesting that Kate expresses her feelings for the characters she has created in such strong terms. I understand where she is coming from. I wouldn't say that I love Patrick Steele but he has certainly become precious. There was a point when I felt that I would kill him off but for whatever reason that has not happened as yet and seems to have disappeared as a future plan.
There’s a world-weary, jaded air to these characters. Is that a generational thing or specific to the experiences of these particular individuals?I feel that something has happened to this generation, my generation. In the 1950s and 60s there seemed to be hope for change, for imagining something that could change the social climate.
There was a more optimistic use of the imagination to come up with alternatives to the way that things were. There was belief in a movement for change.
For me the way Kate describes the difference between the early years of the baby boomer era and nowadays through her characters, is a valid and interesting way of expressing personal concerns through fiction. It is something that writers have done through the ages and is a powerful vehicle that can influence governments. We just have to remember the way the USSR treated their own authors, imprisoning them, banishing them and worse, to appreciate the power available to writers.
Kate Tempest goes on to expand on this idea.
The experiences you write about feel like they’re very familiar to you. How autobiographical is this material?With all fiction it begins in truth. The best fiction begins in some moment that feels so real and right with you that it sends you to try and make sense of it through writing.
I really like her summation of fiction and truth, it is powerful and I totally agree with what she is saying. Sometimes a 'truth' is so powerful that the speed at which I write is quite surprising to me and that can be the case in writing both prose and poetry. There is only the writer who can identify that 'truth' as it is a personal, internal process which triggers the inspiration.
The Steele novels, Cessation and the poetry I write, touch on a number of truths but there is a sense of joy when these inspirational moments occurs.
God Bless
[image error]Kate Tempest
Kate Tempest is a successful spoken word artist and poet but she has now written her first novel The Bricks that Built the Houses. She has an interesting view of the relationship between herself and the characters she has created.
The narrative below is Kate Tempest answering questions about her novel.
This is a story and a set of characters you’ve addressed before. Why did you want to return to them?You end up falling in love with the characters you create, especially because I’ve been touring with them for so long. I’m living with them every night on stage when I’m singing about them, then in the day drafting the novel on the tour bus.
They seem to inhabit every space - you walk around and you live with them and they become fiercer and brighter and for some reason I didn’t feel done with them - they kept wanting to come out.
It is interesting that Kate expresses her feelings for the characters she has created in such strong terms. I understand where she is coming from. I wouldn't say that I love Patrick Steele but he has certainly become precious. There was a point when I felt that I would kill him off but for whatever reason that has not happened as yet and seems to have disappeared as a future plan.
There’s a world-weary, jaded air to these characters. Is that a generational thing or specific to the experiences of these particular individuals?I feel that something has happened to this generation, my generation. In the 1950s and 60s there seemed to be hope for change, for imagining something that could change the social climate.
There was a more optimistic use of the imagination to come up with alternatives to the way that things were. There was belief in a movement for change.
For me the way Kate describes the difference between the early years of the baby boomer era and nowadays through her characters, is a valid and interesting way of expressing personal concerns through fiction. It is something that writers have done through the ages and is a powerful vehicle that can influence governments. We just have to remember the way the USSR treated their own authors, imprisoning them, banishing them and worse, to appreciate the power available to writers.
Kate Tempest goes on to expand on this idea.
The experiences you write about feel like they’re very familiar to you. How autobiographical is this material?With all fiction it begins in truth. The best fiction begins in some moment that feels so real and right with you that it sends you to try and make sense of it through writing.
I really like her summation of fiction and truth, it is powerful and I totally agree with what she is saying. Sometimes a 'truth' is so powerful that the speed at which I write is quite surprising to me and that can be the case in writing both prose and poetry. There is only the writer who can identify that 'truth' as it is a personal, internal process which triggers the inspiration.
The Steele novels, Cessation and the poetry I write, touch on a number of truths but there is a sense of joy when these inspirational moments occurs.
God Bless
