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Wednesday 4 December 2019

Winter Reading...



The weather has been cold, crisp, frosty and very beautiful.   A nice change from never-ending rain and flooded fields.

I should have taken advantage of the fine weather to get outside and rake the leaves from the lawns, or to continue cutting back some of the shrubbery.    Instead I have taken extra-long walks with Toby, visiting some of the places which were inaccessible due to the poor drainage of the clay soil around here.

We have walked miles through the fields, skirted ancient woodland, and I have pondered about the countless feet which have walked these pathways since the days of yore - the people, their daily lives, clothing, footwear. 

I get lost in my thoughts but, luckily, one part of my brain keeps a look out for wildlife and things of interest.

On one occasion I saw an enormous flights of geese making their raucous way to somewhere else, a common enough sight around here, but what made this particular group special was that they had a flock of much smaller birds flying with them, inside the 'V' formation.  A sight I have never seen before.  They looked sparrow-sized, but could have been a little larger.   I wondered whether they were 'hitching a lift' taking advantage of the aerodynamics provided by the motion of the much bigger birds.

Home again, home again.  Rub-a-dub-dub-dub/paddy-paws/paddy paws.    Good boy Toby.  Sit!  Have a biscuit...
Good boy.
All gone.
Off you go!

Time for a cup of tea and a quick read.

None of that Marie Kwondo (or whatever she calls herself)  nonsense around here. 

The old piano stool makes a handy table/repository for my current books/research material.    I should work at my desk, down the other end of the house, but Toby and the cats are not allowed down there and they hate being left alone when I am in the house.

Duty calls, I need to get on with housework and also with writing a few more Christmas cards, but all that can wait for half an hour.

Old recipe books and books about the history of food await.

In many ways I would rather dig and delve into the books than cook.   However, I cannot deny that I like trying out new (to me) recipes from these old volumes.       At the moment I am particularly interested in old Lincolnshire food, though one would really need to be a meat-eater to do full justice to all the local dishes, many of them require pork, for country folk depended on the pig to keep them fed. 

Luckily I have found a very traditional dish which has so many variations and traditions associated with it that it will keep me happily occupied until Christmas.   No meat required.   Thank goodness.

More in a day or two.

Feel free to ignore my ramblings, I know it won't be of interest to many, but the blog will help me to keep a note of my various attempts.

Enjoy the week. 
Keep warm, be safe, be happy.
x




 








26 comments:

  1. Linconshire pork sausages come to mind, very nice with jacket spud & beans.
    Check out the Church Explorer on Sunday and last week if you like Tomb Effigies

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  2. I was looking through my old cookery books recently and thinking I need to rehome some. A couple were ones from my husband's old aunty and I thought you may like them. I will have to look out your address.

    Glad you enjoyed your walks in the footsteps of old parishioners. Looking forward to seeing what your recipe will be!

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    1. I would very much like to give them a good home, thank you! I had to choose the recipe carefully - don't want to be faced with having to eat loads of 'naughty' baked goods just before the winter feast. It was while I was out on one of my walks that the answer came to me, but more of that later.

      I have just seen the first line or two of your latest post (will visit properly, later) so disappointing. I hope the right people come along soon so that you can move on to your next adventure.

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  3. The flights of geese are a new sight for me so I love to see them. The Red Arrows were out and about today too, something else I marvel at.

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    1. The Red Arrows are truly marvellous, Sue. I imagine you have a front row seat in your part of the county.

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  4. Oh goodness. Christmas. And I haven't done my tax yet. And I have a deadline. I've been living in a bit of a fool's paradise for the last week or so!

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    1. Hello Jenny, Two of my grandchildren come to me for breakfast and tea, five days a week - their excitement keeps me well informed...well, that, and keeping track of when they are on holiday and I am free from my duties! I hope you make your deadline - are you one of those people who works better under pressure?

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  5. My dad's side of the family are all from Lincolnshire - I would be interested to know what they ate.

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    1. That's nice to know! I will be doing several posts on Lincolnshire food, so keep watching.

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  6. Have seen geese in V formation but never with other birds tagging along. What a sight that must have been.

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    1. I did a double-take! Unfortunately it was one of the rare days when i had forgotten to take my telephone/camera. Typical!!

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  7. I've not seen little birds flying within a 'V' either, how strange. I love reading through old cookery books or watching programmes about old recipes. Often some quite surprising things pop up.

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    1. During the next couple of weeks I shall be indulging in watching 'Tales from the Green Valley' and 'Victorian Kitchen', yet again. Two very good old series of programmes. Have you seen them?

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  8. I just finished a great read, The Golden Thread, How Fabric Changed History. I cannot disagree with it, though I think I might have titled it How Thread is Woven into History. Who knows. It's all the same. One Adam and Eve realized they were naked, probably sooner than that, part of life was making clothing.

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    1. I have made a note of it, Joanne. With your knowledge, and skill with weaving, I take that as being a 'Highly Commended' book, definitely worthy of a read.

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  9. I would love to see geese flying over, but nowhere around for them to fly to/from. Wonder what the small birds were.
    Have fun with your recipe experiments

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    1. There are times when I think we have cornered the market on geese, we are definitely on a major flight path for them! They are a magnificent sight, just blinking noisy.
      I will be having my first taste of one version of the recipe, later this afternoon.

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  10. The recipe sounds intriguing, I look forward to reading about the result of your experiments.
    Yes, the cold weather has given our usual walks a new dimension. Our doggy companion loves a puddle but he is not so keen on the frozen ones, Torvill and Dean he is not!
    Jx

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    1. I have found so many versions of the recipe that I reckon I could be still trying them out next Christmas!
      The wind has got up now, it feels very cold indeed. Old cat is by the stove, young cat has copied her. Poor Toby is keeping his head down because there is a shoot not too far away. They terrify him.

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  11. Ha! I loved your side remark about Marie. As much as I love order, it isn't really reasonable when other people live in the same cottage too.

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    1. Hello Kathie J! In my defence, I am only messy with books. As quickly as I put them back on the bookshelves they seem to migrate to wherever I am working! Thanks for commenting, I will call by your blog to say hello, as soon as time permits.

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  12. Sounds ideal, long walks to blow the cobwebs away. Your old cookery books sound intriguing, great to experiment, good produce, no hidden additives, warming wholesome food. Enjoy. xcx

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    1. It is one of the simplest and oldest dishes I could find. Most versions are very frugal and good for health, though I shall be indulging in some of the deluxe versions as we head towards Christmas. x

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  13. I would have loved to see small birds flying along with the geese. You may
    have witnessed something very rare.

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    1. I really wish i could have taken a photograph, Deb. You would have loved seeing them. I hope all is well with you.

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Lovely to hear from you.
I will try to answer comments in the next post.