A New Website and Lots of White Stuff

Today was the launch of the new-look 21st Century Housewife website.  Do please check it out at www.21stcenturyhousewife.com.  

If you do have a look, you may notice that the Blog and the Recipe of the Week pages do not have as big an archive as before. This will soon be remedied as I gradually re-post the old entries to the new site. There are a couple of other pages that I have not yet moved to this new site, but most of these will return shortly. In the meantime, if you need an old recipe urgently just drop me an email on april@21stcenturyhousewife.com and I will gladly email it to you. It won’t take long till everything is back to normal - well, better than normal really as doesn’t this look so much better than before?!

Remember how on the weekend I said I thought the weather people were getting all upset about nothing when they were going on about the snow? Well I did a bit of a Michael Fish there! (If you are not from England, Michael Fish is a weather forecaster who, the night before a very serious wind storm in 1987, said that there was no reason to be concerned, the weather would not be that bad. There were tornados.) We have only had about two inches of snow here, but lots of other places in the UK had a lot more. In fact, apparently it is the most snow we have had since 1991. You can see what we woke up to this morning in the photograph above, taken from the front door before we opened the gates this morning. Our cars are further up the drive so you cannot see them in the photograph, but they were covered with snow.

Of course, we don’t cope very well with snow here in the UK, and even the snow we have here in the South East has caused mostly everything to grind to a halt. Schools are closed, the Ministry of Transport have recommended the cancellation of all but essential journeys and most buses and trains are not running. The good side of this is that we have had a Snow Day! The 21st Century Husband is working from home, the 21st Century Teenager’s school is closed and all my appointments have been cancelled. I love snow days; it’s so cosy having everyone home.

I’m not sure what will happen tomorrow as in some places the snow is still falling. Perhaps we’ll have another snow day. I think a lot of people are praying for that - especially the kids!

Is there a Ten Step Program for Plan-aholics?

As I was walking back into our house today after a shopping trip into Reading, I noticed that the crocus I was waxing lyrical about in my last blog entry on Thursday are not crocus at all. I was confused by the all the gorgeous greenery in the pot, amongst which are some crocus leaves. However, the crocus themselves have not actually bloomed yet; the pretty white flowers are snowdrops. Anyway, be they crocus or snowdrops, any flower blooming this time of year in England is still a sign that Spring is on the way!

For the first time in ages this week, we had a weekend to look forward to with virtually no plans at all. Now, two whole days with nothing booked in the diary had felt wonderful a few days ago, but as we approached the lovely expanse of time in front of us last night, the idea was actually making me quite nervous. Normally we are booked up months in advance and a free weekend was such a unique concept that it really threw me for a curve. I have always known that I was born without any spontaneity genes but I did not realise I had become quite that uptight. I think perhaps I need to work on planning just a little less in advance!

Having said that, our ‘unplanned’ weekend has ended up being pretty full so far. We went shopping this morning for some clothes for the 21st Century Husband, and had a very successful excursion indeed. After lunch, in the spirit of trying to be a bit more spontaneous, I decided to do some unplanned baking. I’ve always got the wherewithal for a cake in the store cupboard (there’s that planner in me coming out again!). I made a Cherry and Almond Loaf from ‘How To Be A Domestic Goddess’ by Nigella Lawson, a wonderful book with loads of foolproof recipes for fabulous cakes, cookies and pies. Everything I have ever made from this book has turned out beautifully and the Cherry and Almond Cake is no exception. It smelled so good we cut it whilst it was still warm and although this meant it was a bit crumbly, the taste was not impaired in any way. Delicious! ‘How to Be a Domestic Goddess’ is without a doubt the book I turn to most often when I am baking, and I highly recommend it. One of my favourite recipes is the first recipe in the book – a delicious Madeira Cake which I make really regularly. The Lemon Loaf Cake is gorgeous too, as is the Almond and Lemon Cake. Actually, I could go on for ages listing delicious recipes from this book!! If you like baking, you should definitely have a copy.

We were also looking at cars for the 21st Century Husband again this afternoon. We’ve seen a couple we really like, so there will be more test drives next week. This car saga seems to go on and on – we have never before had such a problem choosing a car. Why is it when you are in a position to buy something that you often struggle to find what you want? Although we will keep the car the 21st Century Husband has at the moment as it is very reliable and still looks good, it is only 6,000 miles away from the 100,000 mile mark on the clock so it really is time for a new one. I’m hoping and praying we have finally found the right car at the right price.

It’s a typically grey winter’s day here in England, quite cold and damp. Everyone is ready for some longer lighter days and some warmer weather, but I think we’ve got a while to wait yet. They are promising snow next week, but as usual the weather forecasters are getting all worked up about something that will probably be nothing, except in very remote areas. I think they are right about it being cold though, as the temperature seems to be dropping by the minute. It’s definitely a good weekend to cosy up at home without plans. Actually, I’m enjoying being a bit ‘plan-less’. Note to self, ‘plan more weekends without plans!’ …or is planning to be plan-less just further evidence that I’m a ‘plan-aholic’?

Spring is Coming

It may be icy out there, and the weather people in England may be promising us the coldest temperatures in years over the next few weeks, but beside my front door is a sign that no matter what, Spring is coming. Not only are the bright green leaves of my crocus coming through the soil, but if you look at photograph carefully you will see two white flowers beginning to bloom. (They are at roughly six and nine o’clock in the photograph.)

Crocus are my favourite Spring flower. When I was a little girl I had a book about Easter and there was a character called Trader Bunny in it. The story is lost in the mists of my memory but I remember that he “could not bear to see anyone cry” and that he had a thing for crocuses – purple ones to be exact. I think there was something about an Easter bonnet in the story as well, but as I have been unable to find the book in my parents’ things, I am afraid I may never know. Suffice it to say that I have such lovely memories of my Mom and Dad reading the story to me that ever since then I have loved crocus. I always try to have some either in the garden or in pots, or both. Actually, I have some tulips coming through in another pot by the front door as well, although it is just the tiny shoots starting at this point. It’s wonderful seeing these lovely promises of Spring as I walk in and out of the front door.

Days like today are such a treat. Although it was bitter cold, it was sunny and I love the sunshine. I used to get teased about the “April showers” rhyme and lots of people said I must like the rain because of what it said, but I never really have – except if we are all at home and I can hear it on the roof while I am lying in bed. Now that is cosy. But I am definitely a fair weather girl, that is for sure.

It’s easy to get discouraged this time of year. It still gets dark pretty early, it is cold and often grey outside, but these little shoots of green promise remind us that Spring is on its way. It won’t be long now!

New Isn't Always Better....

Everything these days is supposed to be newer and better, but most new stuff only lasts five minutes. Gadgets have moved on so much in the last fifty years. I wrote last week about my fabulous new Scooba, which is as I write this washing my kitchen floor. Well this week I want to write about something that was a new gadget long before I was even born.

The picture is of my Cake Breaker. It belonged to my mother, and to her mother before her. Manufactured by a company called C J Schneider Manufacturing Company in Toledo, Ohio sometime in the early part of the last century, this little gadget is one of the most well used things in my kitchen. It “slices” cakes beautifully. You simply insert the cake breaker where you would slice in with your knife, on both sides of the slice of cake, and then the slice lifts out perfectly – even if you are slicing a really ornately decorated cake. The insert reads “Simple as 1-2-3 Cake Breakers by Schneider. A remarkable table accessory that breaks cake in even, beautiful potions, free from crumbs, leaving the most delicate frosting or filling intact.” Talk about truth in advertising – that is exactly what it does – and has been doing in my family for the last seventy years.

I did a bit of research on these cake slicers and it turns out they were fairly widely marketed in North America. In fact, I even found a few on eBay, although how anyone can bear to part with theirs I have no idea. I have to confess I really feel that is what is missing these days - companies that make things that do what they say they will and that last for longer than a couple of years.

At the risk of sounding very old fashioned, I do think we could learn from the good old days quite a lot. We need well built things that last, especially in this market, where money is tight and the economy is fragile. Sadly, I’m not sure that is going to happen on a wide scale any time soon. Never mind, at least I’ve got my cake breaker to comfort me!

Goldilocks

My long blond hair has always been something of a security blanket for me. For the last twenty plus years it has been long, and but for my early childhood and a three year period when I was modelling in my early twenties, it has always been long. As a child of the sixties, one would have imagined I would have long, flowing hair, but my parents were anything but hippies and my Mom held a strong belief that long hair was difficult to care for. Added to this was an unfortunate accident between me and a pair of scissors (that were only meant to cut paper but were unfortunately more than capable of cutting hair) and I was stuck with short hair until I was nearly ten years old. For most of that time I had a “pixie cut”, which did look cute, but which I absolutely abhorred. I had not meant to cut my hair when I was two years old, I had been cutting some paper and watching television at the same time. My mom was with me but, having had two wisdom teeth removed the day before, had nodded off on the sofa. When she awoke I was distractedly running the scissors through my hair and watching television at the same time. I have no idea what I was watching, but clearly it was either very interesting or very disturbing. My Dad whisked me off to our friend Jenny, who was a hairdresser. On seeing my hair, she promptly burst into tears. Although I do not remember cutting my hair, this is a memory that is as vivid today as if it were yesterday as it was the only time I ever saw Jenny cry. She was like a second mother to me until she died about ten years ago, and a relationship of such duration always involves sorrow as well joy, so that is saying something!

She somehow managed to “do something” with my hair but from that moment onwards a pixie cut was the style of choice for me (not my choice I hasten to add). I dreamed of long flowing hair – an impossibility I was now informed as I had “cut all the wave” out of my hair. I know my Mom did not mean to be unkind, it was just her already strong prejudices against long hair had been joined by the horrific memory of my unintentional naughtiness and short hair seemed the easiest solution. By the time I was nine I was determined to have long hair, but several years of interesting versions of layering encouraged by those who still preferred the pixie style meant that I never really got my long flowing locks until I was about fourteen. Once I got them I hung on to them for dear life, and at one point my blond hair hung well below my bottom.

In the early eighties, I was eager to bolster my flagging self esteem by taking a modelling course. No one was more surprised than I when the owner of the school, who was also an agent, suggested I might like to appear on their head sheet. The only contingency was that my hair was out of style and a shoulder length cut was recommended. I was horrified, but the promise of fulfilling what seemed an unlikely dream (I was, and am, only five feet two inches tall), beckoned and I consented. I did some photography modelling, a bit of video, and a lot of runwaywork in shopping malls, hotels and other large venues all over southern Ontario. All throughout this period, my hair got shorter and shorter, culminating in the look you see above. It must have been popular as I placed in the top ten for “cover look” at a Canada wide modelling competition sometime in the mid-eighties. But I was never really happy with it. In the real world (without stylists) I always struggled with it and felt a keen sense of loss about my lovely long locks. I had realised that I was never going to be the next Cindy Crawford, but modelling paid well (when I could wrestle the cheques out of my agency who were always late payers) and I stuck at it for a while. Eventually though, my focus on moving to England became more important, and I decided other work might provide a more stable income. The first thing I did on leaving the agency was begin to grow my hair. When I left Canada a few years later, it was well below my shoulders and has stayed there ever since.

All this is a round about way of saying that I have finally consented to a slight change of hairstyle, which for me is a hugely big deal. I have a side parting and the front bits of my hair had always tended to break, so I suggested a few layers at the front to my hairdresser Jo. I had also noticed the back of my hair had quite a lot of split ends, and Jo confirmed that a “good cut” of about two inches would really benefit it. This would still leave it some inches below my shoulders except at the front, where the shortest layer would still allow me to put my hair back easily. Although I had thought about it for some time, it was a bit of an impulse decision in the hairdresser’s chair yesterday afternoon. I did have a few moments of trepidation. The look on my face as she began to cut made Jo gently turn the chair so I could not see the mirror and when I picked quite a long piece of hair off my trousers I felt a little sick. In the end though she did an amazing job. Miraculously my hair looks thicker even though there is less of it, and if I tuck the front layers behind my ears you can hardly tell I have had it cut. Conversely, if blown dry forwards towards my face, my hair lifts my strong jaw and according to everyone who has seen it, makes me look younger, much to the horror of the 21st Century Teenager who is already fed up with people asking if we are brother and sister. Needless to say, he is encouraging me to “grow it back”!

Although it was a wholly successful experiment, I have had some moments of regret. My first glimpse in the rear view mirror of the car made me think of a take on a silly movie of a few years ago and caused me to remark to the 21st Century Husband and Teenager - “Dude, where’s my hair?” They just laughed and pointed out there was still rather a lot of it. It does have a huge amount more body and shape and on the whole I am very pleased with it. The fact that so many people have told me it makes me look younger has helped too!

This experience has definitely confirmed that my hair is a whole lot more to me than just an accessory. The nine year old inside me who rebelled by growing her hair long is still alive and well, and wondering why on earth I would mess with even an inch of my long locks. But the older version of me realises that you can improve on something that works and that sometimes you have to give up a little in order to get an awful lot back. I will publish some photos in the next week or so, but the change is so unremarkable it would probably be nearly un-noticeable unless you were in the habit of seeing me on a daily basis.

I’m proud of myself for having the courage to change and I have to admit, I love the results. I am looking forward to when it grows an inch or so as I think I will feel even more comfortable with it but I will keep the layers for a while as the positive comments I am getting have made me think that is a very good idea indeed. As to whether a change is as good as a rest, I will have to let you know!

I am the 21st Century Housewife

It has come to my attention that there are folks out there - even here on blogger - who are calling themselves the 21st Century Housewife. Of course, all of us who are housewives in this century are 21st Century Housewives. However, I do feel it important, for everyone's protection, to assert that since 2003 I, April Harris, have held the copyright for the title 21st Century Housewife and anyone else referring to themselves as The 21st Century Housewife is doing so in contravention of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Fashionably Green

Bloomingdale’s iconic paper “Little Brown Bags” gave birth to a range including “Medium Brown Bags” and “Large Brown Bags”. These were free with purchases. Eventually they became so collectable that Bloomingdale’s began to manufacture laminated plastic versions. I was not very keen on these, but when I was in New York recently I came across a new addition to the family which I am very taken with. In the spirit of being green, Bloomingdale’s are marketing canvas versions of these wonderful bags. I immediately snapped up a medium canvas bag, and I have been using it non-stop ever since we got home. It even has a small zipper pocket at the top for keys etc. Hats off to Bloomingdale’s for making a fashionable addition to all the eco-friendly bags out there!

I am trying to be as green as possible, which is hard for someone who spends so much time on airplanes. At a recent Ideal Homes show I took a “How Green Are You Quiz” and my results were tallying up very well until I was asked about flying. Suddenly I was a complete ecological disaster. My other results were so good however that the nice lady doing the quiz said I should just ignore my air miles and concentrate on the good I was doing with everything else (recycling, taking my own bags to the supermarket, using eco-friendly light bulbs etc). I really liked her attitude. Instead of making me feel bad about the one less than perfect thing I was doing, she kept the emphasis on the positive. And anyway, as the 21st Century Husband says, “the plane is going anyway, with or without you on it”. I couldn’t give up travelling, even for the sake of the environment. It’s selfish, but it’s true.

I do try to run our house in as eco-friendly a way as I can. I wash at low temperatures, use the dryer as little as possible (I just have to dry my towels in there, I can’t stand scratchy towels), and try not to use too many chemicals to clean the house. We are lucky that our house is a new build, so it was built in line with new energy efficiency programmes, which makes it a bit easier to be eco-friendly from the start. I think you can only do your best though. I mean, it is impractical to suggest changing every single light bulb in your home to energy efficient bulbs overnight – it would cost a fortune. Almost all the bulbs in our house were energy efficient when we moved in so that made it a bit easier. It does take a while to get used to the new bulbs though. They just are not as bright as their predecessors and it can make it difficult to see when you are sewing or matching socks. On the plus side, they cast a very flattering light so that can work to your advantage! They also save tons of money in electricity bills. I pay less for electricity now than I did five years ago, and the prices have gone up!

My best tip for being eco-friendly is white vinegar. It’s amazing what you can clean with white vinegar. I wash windows, mirrors and even my kitchen floor with a mixture of white vinegar and water. I keep some in a spray bottle to make it easier. If you don’t like the smell of vinegar you can just pop a drop of essential oil in with it . I tried some of the new eco-friendly cleaners but the only ones I am really keen on are the Method brand. I adore their Tub and Tile cleaner. It smells like a spa. No more coughing and choking while I clean the shower for me! (You have no idea how much I miss my cleaning lady but I just can’t find anyone who measures up to her.) I found many of the other eco-friendly products worked, but you needed a lot of the product to make them do so. Ecover comes a close second – although I have never tried their washer products. I’ve always been nervous about whether they work properly, but you never know until you try!

I think that is the most I have ever discussed cleaning on this website, as it isn’t really what this site is about at all. I just kind of wandered into the subject by mistake when I got talking about being kind to the environment. Sorry about that.

As for other areas of my life, I do try to be green. I walk to the local shops and the post office unless we are having a typical British rainstorm. I’d walk to the gym if I could but the closest one is six miles away so that is a bit impractical. I recycle almost everything that is recyclable and I try not to waste food. Sadly I do buy air freighted produce – sometimes I just can’t resist asparagus in January – but I try to buy local foods whenever I can. The milkman delivers milk to the doorstep three times a week and I shop online when it’s practical. So I suppose I do okay.

And that is the point really, if we all just do our bit, it will make a huge difference. If you try to do too much, you’ll get discouraged and give up and that won’t help any of us. So when it comes to being eco-friendly I think the best advice is to do things in moderation and try your best. Actually, that is pretty good advice for life as well!

My Robot Helpers

Remember the Jetsons? It was an old cartoon series that featured a family who lived in the future. They lived exactly as the writers in the 1960’s (and later in the 1980’s when new episodes of the series were made) thought people in the future would live. The father, George, worked three days a week at Spacely Sprockets. His wife, Jane, was a housewife and they had two children, Judy and Elroy. They also had a fantastic robot maid named Rosie. Aside from the few times that she broke down with disastrous consequences, Rosie was an amazing asset to the household and as far as I can gather did pretty much everything around the house. Let’s put it this way, I never saw Jane with a vacuum cleaner in her hand! I thought Rosie was wonderful and when I was first a housewife I always joked that I’d love to have a Rosie round the house. Well, believe it or not, I now have two – except their names are not Rosie and they don’t look anything like her.

The one you see above is my newest acquisition. He’s called Scooba. He cleans hard floors independently. This makes me incredibly happy as the job I hate most round the house (next to cleaning toilets) is washing the kitchen floor. Now Scooba does it for me. All I do is fill him with water and a bit of white vinegar, press a button and he’s off. He beeps when he has finished and then all I have to do is empty the dirty water chamber, give the whole thing a rinse and plug him back in to charge. My kitchen floor is left sparkling clean with virtually no effort and no chemicals.

I also have another robotic cleaner which looks remarkably like the one at left with just some slight structural differences as he does not have to hold water. Oh, and he is silver instead of blue. He’s called Roomba. He is actually my second Roomba. The first one came into our lives about three years ago, purchased at an “Ideal Homes” show. I must admit I had my doubts when we first purchased him, wondering how it was possible that a small robotic device could actually vacuum for me. The 21st Century Husband and Teenager were not to be deterred however, fascinated as they were by this piece of technology. Well, I’m incredibly grateful they insisted because he was one of the best purchases we ever made. He is unfortunately deceased, having worked himself quite literally to death over a period of three years. It was the flat we stayed in while waiting for this house to be built that killed him. It appeared to be clean, so I set him to work just to maintain the standard. Turns out the carpet had never been vacuumed properly and he choked to death on the build up of new carpet fibres. It was rather sad really. You shouldn’t use Roombas on brand new carpets. They can’t cope, bless them. My new Roomba is the next generation and, although I hate to be disloyal to the memory of our first Roomba, he is a bit more advanced than the previous model we had. He works a lot like Scooba, except on carpet instead of hard floors. Instead of just a plug, he has his own charging dock which he can actually locate for himself when he needs a bit more juice provided he is on the same level of the house. The only thing he cannot do is the stairs (he has no legs, but then neither did Rosie!) but he can clean the landing upstairs as he senses the abyss of stairs below him and stays away from the edge. It amazes me every time I see him do it. All I have to do is press a button to get him going and then empty the dirt chamber and clean his brushes between rooms.

Of course, you still need a traditional vacuum cleaner for heavy cleaning, and also for furniture and to get into those pesky edges. Roomba is more of a day to day tool to keep things up to a good standard. But it is nice having these robots round the house. Used properly they can keep your floors clean virtually all the time. Due to my hatred of the dreaded task, My kitchen floor used to get washed once a week if it was lucky. Now it gets washed and sterilised every couple of days, with virtually zero effort on my part.

I feel very Judy Jetson-esque as I watch my little buddies racing round the house. I’ve even been known to talk to them, which does worry me at times. But as they talk as well I can’t see that it is that bad. Every once in a while there is a little mechanical “oh oh” sound if one of them is stuck or needs a bit of extra help. Roomba even speaks to me if his brushes are dirty. He has a woman’s voice though and she tells me in five different languages – which by the time you get to the third one is a bit annoying. I don’t know how he can have a woman’s voice – despite my memory of Rosie, these little robots have always seemed very male to me. I have no idea why but they do – as you can tell by my constant reference to them as “he”.

I often wonder what the housewives of days gone by would make of these space age additions to my household. When I think of what it was like to clean when I was little (not that I did much of that, but I watched my Mom!), it seems almost too futuristic to be true. I have to say that I can’t recommend them highly enough. You do have to keep the dirt chambers empty and perform a little routine maintenance, but it is no effort compared to what you would have to do if they were not there. They have absolutely changed my life. In fact, I’m hoping to add to our robot family with another Roomba for upstairs so that I can have them all going at once. Now if I could just find a robot to clean the toilets….

(If you would like a Roomba or Scooba of your own – or even a little robot family – go can to the Domotec website. Just click here to have a look.)

The Dawn of a New Era

Watching the incredible events unfold yesterday in the Mall in Washington made my heart sing. The inauguration of Barack Obama surpassed even my wildest imaginings, and the fact that he went straight to work afterwards gladdened my soul. No, I’m not an American, but as a citizen of the world I found that President Obama’s words spoke to me in a way that was not only inspiring, but also challenging.

This is a man who speaks hope, and hope is really the only language that gets anything done in this world. Without hope, all striving seems futile and it is hard to work up the energy to even try. With hope, you can achieve anything – even the seemingly impossible. America is lucky to have such a man to inspire this generation. Of course, it is impossible to completely agree with anyone’s politics or policies, but as a statesman, Obama certainly has the power to inspire and I have no doubt his presidency will leave America a better place.

Of course, it helps that there is an aura of glamour attached to him. He is young and his wife Michelle is beautiful, fashionable, intelligent and supportive. Actually she probably would have preferred I used those adjectives in another order, but they are meant as compliments nonetheless. I am inspired not only by how she puts her family first, but also how she manages to be of service in the wider world. Describing herself first as “Malia and Sasha’s Mom”, she says “My first priority will always be to make sure that our girls are healthy and grounded. Then I want to help other families to get the support they need, not just to survive, but to thrive.” For all the glamour that seems to surround the President and First Lady, one gets the sense that these are very down to earth people.

It saddens me that there are not more people in the world as enthusiastic and determined as Obama is. It would be nice to have a leader who was an inspiration. While The Queen inspires me, I have to confess that Gordon Brown most certainly does not. It would be wonderful to have a leader who had the hope and presence of President Obama, instead of just a dogged, blinders on determination to make things better just for the moment. While he frantically plugs up the holes in the dyke, the water builds up behind and threatens to overwhelm us all. I sense no spirit of hope around him.

Now, this is the first time I have ever been political on this website, and I certainly do not wish to offend. I’m hardly a great political analyst and I’m only speaking from my heart. The point I want to make is that what I saw and heard yesterday made me realise that we are all going to have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps if we are not going to be swallowed by the gloom and pessimism that now seems to surround us every day. We must take action, we must be determined, but above all we must have hope and faith. Not only that, but as parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, we have a duty to inspire the young people in our lives and not allow them to be caught up in hopelessness and futility. Particularly in the United Kingdom, where so many of our youth feel disenfranchised and discouraged, we need to eat, breath, speak and sleep hope. It’s the only way we will be able to make Britain great again.

If you want to read President Obama’s inaugural speech, it is posted on the Obama Biden website. You can see it by clicking here . Whatever your politics, it is well worth a read.

It’s fitting that the last thing I’m going to say about this is how thrilled I am to see a black president in the White House. It has been a long time coming and is cause for great rejoicing but whatever colour he is, Barack Obama has the soul of a great leader. I hope his election will help us to stop labelling people by their colour and see them simply for who they are and what they can achieve. It does not make any difference where you come from or what colour your skin is. Everyone can be great. And being great doesn’t have to mean being famous. Being great can be as simple as doing your best and being of service. And that is something we can all do.

A Wonderful Weekend

The weekend absolutely flew by, but it was really a lovely couple of days. It was great to see our friends. We went for two lovely walks, one through the forest near our house and one down by the lock. I made a very successful dinner on Saturday night. We started with the 21st Century Husband’s famous champagne cocktail. It consists of Cointreau or Grand Marnier, Brandy and of course champagne. He always mixes it by eye, and says only that you want “more Cointreau than Brandy” so it is very much his speciality. It never tastes the same when I make it! If you want to try it, I suggest about 3 tablespoons of Cointreau and one of Brandy topped up with champagne. Be warned, it’s strong! For dinner I made salmon mousse followed by Nutty Pork Chops, new potatoes and salad. Dessert was my Grandma’s Lemon Pudding (see my Recipe of the Week for October 29, 2007 on http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/ ) and of course we had cheese and Port to finish. We then played tennis on the Wii which was really funny. It was a wonderful evening.

After our walk on Sunday morning I made a traditional Sunday lunch, serving my new Winter Casserole Recipe (see this week's Recipe of the Week in the column on the right or on http://www.21stcenturyhousewife.com/ ), with mashed potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables.

When our visitors left late Sunday afternoon we set about getting organised for the week. Later we sat down to watch the wonderfully uplifting film “The Women”. We ate tea while we were watching - salad with pancetta alongside leftover meat and cheese. It was really relaxed and good fun.

This was the way I like my weekends - full of family, friends, food and fun. Especially this time of year, it is nice to spend time at home in good company, eating and drinking and enjoying yourself. It’s also a great way to avoid the credit crunch as it is so much cheaper than going out! Whatever, I am very grateful for a lovely couple of days!

Starting Off the Week

This is one of my favourite photographs from our visit to New York. The 21st Century Teenager took it when we were riding through Central Park in a horse drawn carriage. You can see from our faces how much the 21st Century Husband and I are enjoying ourselves. It is a great memory of a wonderful trip.

We did have the quiet weekend I was hoping for and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a yoga class on Saturday which really helped me to feel balanced and settled again. For the rest of the day we just pottered round the house, and that evening we watched “Hancock” a very funny film about a slightly unconventional superhero starring Will Smith. It was a great laugh.

We slept so late on both Saturday and Sunday that we had brunch both days. I even made pancakes on Sunday, which is not something that happens very often! We stayed around home most of Sunday, except for a visit to The Club at Mapledurham, a golf and country club near us. We took a tour and have joined as health and fitness members. It does not seem quite as nice as The Branston Golf and Country Club, which we belonged to when we lived in the Midlands, but everyone was very friendly and the facilities seem quite good. They also have a small bar and restaurant with a varied menu. Plus it is reasonably close to us which is a boon as it seems that everything we do involves driving somewhere at least twenty minutes away. It does take a good twenty minute to get to the club but it is a straight-forward drive, and provided we don’t travel at rush hour, it is pretty traffic free.

Sunday after dinner I was delighted that we decided to do something we have not done since my Dad passed away. We all sat down and played Crib – or Cribbage – my favourite card game in the whole world. I remember watching my Dad and Grandpa playing cribbage on the very same table I have in my kitchen now, and desperately wanting to learn how it was done and be included. As it involves counting and math, I had to wait until I was about seven to begin to learn, and I remember feeling unbelievably grown up when my Dad said he would teach me how it was done. I played game after game with him, until I was good enough to play with the Master, my Grandpa. I was so thrilled the first time he played with me, and as for the first time we played three-handed Crib, my Dad, Grandpa and me, well, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I was all of eight years old. Grandpa loved Crib too. He had learned to play as a young lad in the trenches in France during World War One. Grandpa was funny about Crib. He didn’t mind losing the odd game, but if he lost more than two in a row he would usually decide it was time to stop playing!! Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday night game, the 21st Century Husband, Teenager and I round the table where I first learned to play all those years ago. It’s a lovely way to remember people, keeping traditional games and stories alive. In fact, we all enjoyed it so much that it looks like it may well become a Sunday evening institution. I do hope so.

It is another busy week. I’ve already had a session with my personal trainer today, and I’ve got yoga again this afternoon. The 21st Century Teenager has an interview at a Sixth Form College tomorrow and Thursday we have to drive to Birmingham for an orthodontist appointment. I’m also getting ready for the weekend, which I am really looking forward to as our friends are coming to visit. It’s all go!

Where did the week go?

We had a wonderful journey back home from New York. The limousine collected us late Monday afternoon, and we went to the British Airways lounge at JFK on arrival where we were offered a pre-flight supper so we could sleep in flight. Our flight was on time and everything went really well. In fact, we arrived back at Heathrow airport earlier than expected, but luckily we went straight in, no nausea-inspiring circling for us! The driver was waiting to collect us on arrival and we were home before nine o’clock in the morning on Tuesday. Fabulous!

Tuesday was a bit of a difficult day for me as it was the first year anniversary of my Mom’s death. I do miss her so much. I still find it hard to believe my parents have gone. I found my Mom’s old scissors in her sewing kit the other day and it was such a strange thing as I could just see her standing there using them all those years ago. With moving house around the same time as my parents passed away it has meant that it has taken me a really long time to go through things, and I keep finding things that remind me of my parents on an almost daily basis over a year after their deaths. It is nice in one way and very sad in another.

Since we got back from New York it has just been an absolute blur of activity. The 21st Century Husband is back at work, and the 21st Century Teenager is in the middle of trying to finish his GCSE coursework. (GCSEs are state set exams every Year 11 has to take in England.) He missed a deadline this week, causing me to nearly have a nervous breakdown, but luckily his teacher has given him an extension. I do think that the stress they put on young people here educationally is quite staggering – but I have to confess I often wonder if it isn’t harder on their parents than on the young people themselves! As for me, I am trying to get the house organised again, particularly the study, which has not been right since we moved in. It has become a bit of a catch all for boxes and lots of “stuff”. I’m also keeping very busy with my writing, having rather neglected it over the Christmas and New Year period.

It was wonderful to get back to exercising properly this week. Everything except yoga has started up again, and that starts again next week. I am so much more balanced, physically and emotionally, when I exercise. It makes such a difference to how you feel, not to mention how you look – and apparently there are all sorts of other health benefits we can’t see – like the cells of people who exercise apparently act ten years younger than in those who do not. It works for me! We are off to look at a local health club this weekend– I am hoping to persuade the 21st Century Husband and Teenager to join me in more exercise.

It has been so cold here! We really are not set up for extremes of weather in England and the cold weather has caused chaos in places. Luckily it has been okay here – just the odd dusting of snow and very cold weather. I’m feeding the birds and the squirrels extra as I can’t imagine how cold they must be!

We’ve got a quiet weekend planned which I am very pleased about. There is lots of work to be done but I’m hoping we will get a chance to relax in between.

4th January 2009 - The Birthday

Today was the day – the 21st Century Teenager’s Sixteenth Birthday – the main reason for our visit to New York. We started off with breakfast. Our Starbuck’s breakfasts are becoming a habit, especially as there is a branch right in the Waldorf Astoria hotel where we are staying. You can take your food into the glorious lobby and sit in the numerous sofas scattered around. It’s also the only place you can get free internet access in the hotel so we usually take our computers along with us. It has been incredibly difficult trying to keep my blogs updated this trip as the WiFi at the Waldorf is not the quickest, and has a habit of dropping out occasionally, just at the most inopportune moment! However should the WiFi drop out there is plenty to look at in the lobby. There are two lobbies, one on the Park Avenue side of the hotel, and one on the Lexington Avenue side. These are joined by a corridor lined with gothic columns where you can find the rest rooms and a small room where you can pay to have your shoes shined within an inch of their lives. It’s well worth the $7 charge – I have never seen the 21st Century Husband’s shoes look so shiny! The Park Avenue lobby is where the majority of the Christmas decorations were until yesterday. Magnificent trees towered overhead, and hundreds of poinsettias lined the stairs on each side of the lobby. Today the trees and poinsettias are gone, replaced with a round floral display that is over ten feet tall. The lobby on the Lexington Avenue side houses the famous Waldorf Clock, and is also home to the reception and concierge desks. Tucked in on one side is the Peacock Alley restaurant where we had a marvellous dinner last night. It is named Peacock Alley because when the Waldorf Hotel was joined to the Astoria Hotel many years ago, people from high society used to like to walk up and down in their finery – a bit like peacocks!

The 21st Century Teenager had some birthday money in dollars and had decided that he wanted to buy one of the new iPod nano-chromatics at the Apple store on 5th Avenue. So we headed off in a shiny yellow taxi. This was our third visit to the New York Apple Store (we are sad, I know!) and it really is the most fantastic Apple Store I have seen. A glass cube rises up out of 5th Avenue, just in front and to the left of FAO Schwartz and across from The Plaza Hotel. The Apple logo hangs suspended in the cube. When you walk in you can either walk down a circular staircase or you can go in the amazing round glass elevator to the shop floor downstairs. Although I’m not a big fan of elevators, I could not resist today. It was just the three of us in this very funky elevator. It was like something out of “Get Smart” (in fact we all started humming the theme tune on the way down and then burst our laughing which did get us some very funny looks)! Once we had arrived on the sales floor, it took some time for the birthday boy to decide what colour of nano-chromatic he actually wanted. In the end, he decided on a red one, as not only does it look very great, but Apple give a donation to the Red Charity fighting AIDS in Africa for every Red nano-chromatic purchased.

Lunch was at our new favourite place, The Russian Tea Room. As it was Sunday they were serving brunch. The 21st Century Husband had the Eggs Florentine he had enjoyed so much the last time. The 21st Century Teenager and I decided to have their Pecan Pancakes with Allspice Syrup and Fig Honey. I have to say they were the most amazing pancakes I have ever tasted. The syrup was maple, but spiced in a delightful way, and the fig honey was a real symphony of flavours. I would never have thought to put nuts in pancakes, but believe me, it works! We spent a lovely hour or so eating our brunch, drinking our tea and revelling in the wonderful surroundings and history. I have heard that royalty have dined here, that Rowan Atkinson, the British comedian, was married here – and that Madonna was a coat check girl here before she became famous. The history of the place is just palpable – you can almost see the shadows of diners long past out of the corner of your eye. It is everything I dreamed it would be when I promised myself as a child that one day I would eat here. I was reading a book set in New York, the title of which escapes me, but the author’s vivid (and I must say very accurate) description convinced me that life was not complete without a visit to this wonderful place. I am so pleased to have been twice and I hope to return many times in the future – it is definitely a family favourite.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the Fifth Avenue area, around Rockefeller Centre and in and out of the fascinating shops that line this famous street. We got back to the hotel in time for a glass of champagne and some nibbles in our room. Then we all got ready for our big night out at the Rainbow Room. We took a taxi to Rockefeller Centre and were escorted by an attendant to the elevator which went straight up to the 65th floor. I think my stomach stayed somewhere about the 20th! We walked out into a very crowded lobby, which did surprise me as I was expecting something understated and elegant, but instead I was greeted with chaos. Luckily we were seated by the window at a very nice table. The view was stunning; I was just shocked at the sheer number of people we were sharing it with. The service was not very good, and we waited a long time for just about everything, including our glasses of tap water. The look on our servers face (he called himself our “captain” which is apparently New York speak for head waiter) when I asked for tap water was quite something. In the first place I try not to drink too much bottled water as it isn’t good for the environment, but I certainly was not going to drink it here as it was between $13 and $17 dollars a bottle. Frankly I would rather put that amount of money towards the wine! When he finally got round to bringing our water and our wine we were able to order. Luckily, the server’s (sorry, captain’s!) lack of finesse was more than made up for by the wonderful food. It was quite something eating our dinner looking out over the New York skyline. I had a traditional New York Shrimp Cocktail for the first time – five huge shrimp served on crushed ice with a dish of spicy sauce, just like my Mom used to make! The 21st Century Teenager had a lentil soup and the 21st Century Husband had Calamari – which the 21st Century Teenager and I could hardly look at as it contained several whole baby squid, breaded and fried. He did say it was delicious though. For main course the birthday boy had a steak – which was sadly overcooked (a rare thing indeed these days!). The 21st Century Husband and I had veal – Marsala and Scallopini respectively. It was very good indeed. We decided to forego dessert, both for reasons of being full and also because our bill was already rapidly approaching $300. I have to say it was not the best meal or service I have ever had, but it was something very special to eat in the famous Rainbow Room. I have to say I am delighted we did as I found out as we were leaving that it is closing on 12th January – after being in business since 1934 – because of economic troubles. So it is a wonderful thing that we went!

After another hair raising ride in the elevator – my stomach definitely arrived downstairs after I did - we wandered back to the Waldorf Astoria. New York is beautiful at night, and there are so many police around that provided you don’t go down any side roads it seems to be very safe. We retired back upstairs to our room – which I forgot to mention is on the 13th floor, but with a beautiful view (see the photograph above) – and had another glass of champagne to toast a wonderful day – and a wonderful sixteen year old!

2nd January 2009 - Enjoying the Big Apple

We started the day with breakfast at Starbuck’s again. Having given up caffeine, I had my second latte in two days. I think I might be letting myself down a bit, but it tastes so good I just don’t care!

We headed off to Macy’s. The shopping was great. Not only are their sales amazing, but it is easy for all of us to find things that fit. We had great salespeople as well, and once one of the chaps knew Guy and Alex’s size, he found us some bargains that were really quite incredible. The only thing I don’t like about Macy’s New York is that although it is beautiful on the surface, with amazing Christmas decorations, the actual store is very old, and beginning to fall apart. In particular, the ladies’ rooms are just awful, and I’m told the gents is not much better. At Saks Fifth Avenue, the ladies’ rooms are positively luxurious, but at Macy’s, you would just rather not be in them. It’s a shame. The ladies’ rooms in Macy’s San Francisco are beautiful. It kind of spoils the whole shopping experience. But we really did well on the bargains so it was worth it.

After a brief stop back at the hotel, we headed to Rockefeller Centre as we had a tour of the NBC studios at 5.30pm. The taxi driver laughed at us as we were taking a taxi only two blocks – I had not realised how close the Waldorf was to Rockefeller Centre. On the plus side, the taxi driver pointed out St Patrick’s Cathedral to us, and suggested we might like to have a look around. We had time before our tour, and I’m so glad we took his advice. It is a beautiful cathedral, and as we always do, we lit a candle at the chapel of St Joseph, the patron saint of my Mom’s dear friend Jenny, who was always like a second mom to me. Ever since she died, I have lit candles all over the world for her – now I light them for her and for Mom and Dad as well. I’m not a Roman Catholic, but some of their traditions are very comforting, and at the end of the day we all believe in the same God.

It was soon time for our tour, which was very enjoyable. We had toured the NBC studios on our last visit to New York a couple of years ago, but this tour was different enough that we all still found it very interesting indeed. I was thrilled to get to sit in the Saturday Night Live studios (last time they were setting up for a show and we had to peer through the windows). I have always loved Saturday Night Live - particularly back in the days of the Not Yet Ready for Prime Time Players!

When we came out it was dark, and the decorations at Rockefeller Centre looked amazing (the 21st Century Teenager and I are pictured by the huge Christmas tree above), as did the stars all over the front of Saks Fifth Avenue. There is a TGI Fridays just opposite from Saks and we had a super meal there, eating far too much and enjoying every bite. Following the advice of our taxi driver from earlier, we walked back to the Waldorf and had a nice drink in Sir Harry’s bar before we headed upstairs to bed. It’s been another super day in New York City.

We had such a nice evening yesterday. After dinner the 21st Century Husband and I sat down to watch Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. I love old black and white films (not the old war pictures or westerns, but nice films!) and this one is fantastic. It is a step back into a much more innocent time, albeit a time when the world was at war, and America was about to join the fray. My mother was fourteen when it was released, my Dad was seven and the world could not have been more different than the one we live in today. Watching it was a very pleasant way to while away an hour and a half, and we both felt very cheerful indeed after watching the happy (if slightly predictable and kitsch, but then that is what old movies are all about) ending. Holiday Inn is such a classic.

We are all really excited now, and it isn’t long until we are heading off to the Big Apple. We are all packed and ready to go.

I have a New Year thank you to say to my readers this month as my website www.21stcenturyhousewife.com has had more hits than ever before. The numbers have been steadily increasing over the months and I want to offer my sincere thanks to the over 6,000 readers who now visit the site every month.

Regular readers may already know about my other blog on Blogger.com “Recipes from the 21st Century Housewife’s Kitchen”. You can read it by clicking here. I’ll be writing particularly about our culinary adventures in New York on this blog. It’s pretty different from this blog but you just might enjoy it so do have a look!

And in case I don’t get a chance to blog tomorrow as we will be travelling and then attending a dinner, let me take this opportunity to with Everyone a Very Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Almost Ready for the Off

We slept late on Sunday morning, treating ourselves to brunch at 11am. The rest of the day was spent pottering around home, doing the odd jobs that crop up from time to time and beginning to get ready for our trip to New York on Wednesday. We also had a very pleasant walk down to Mapleduram Lock in the afternoon, although it was very cold indeed.

Today I have been rushing round like a headless chicken, trying to get everything ready not only for our visit to New York, but also for our friends to come and stay here whilst we are away. It was a beautiful day today and I was pleased to have the chance to nip out to Pangbourne to run some errands in the sunshine. I have to confess, I am getting really very excited about our trip. I can hardly believe we are going. I have been to New York before, but it always seems to be a flying visit, often on a tight budget. This time we are treating ourselves to a really special trip to celebrate the 21st Century Teenager’s sixteenth birthday. Staying at the Waldorf Astoria and eating in some of New York’s most famous restaurants, from the Russian Tea Rooms to the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Centre, we are hoping to give him a celebration that he will always remember.

Of course, I always worry before we go that everything will be on time, and that all will go according to plan, especially as we are due to celebrate New Year’s Eve at one of the Waldorf’s three celebrations. Our flight arrives in the early afternoon, and dinner is of course not until the evening so we should be absolutely fine, but of course I worry despite that as I am a champion worrier! I have decided to just pray all is well and it will be.

We are now nearly packed, although I am up to my eyeballs in washing, ironing and sewing on buttons. For once we are taking a trip where I can dress up. I love dressing up and am very lucky to have accumulated a really nice collection of very classic dresses over the years. I seem to be able to choose things that do not date, so provided I am careful not to wear them in front of the same people twice, no one realises I have worn them again and again. As I do not know a living soul in New York City, I can practically guarantee no one will have seen me in any of them before. It has been fun going through my closets and finding my favourites. I have even managed to choose things that mean I only have to pack two pairs of shoes. For me, that is a record.

The 21st Century Husband is working today and tomorrow, but then he is on holiday for the duration of our trip. So, for now, roll on Wednesday morning…

And a Good Time Was Had By All...

Christmas Eve, we had a late supper of the 21st Century Husband’s Tagliatelli with Bacon and Cream (see the Recipe of the Week for 31st December 2007 on my website www.21stcenturyhousewife.com ) which was easy and very delicious. We finished off Christmas Eve in the living room by the fire, having a drink while we wrapped the last of the presents. It was idyllic.

We were woken Christmas morning by the 21st Century Teenager, who brought us a cup of tea and urged us to hurry up and get downstairs to open the presents. We had a wonderful time the three of us opening our surprises. I was very spoiled, and am really grateful for the super things I was given, which included my favourite perfume, Coco by Chanel, and makeup from the favourite cosmetic company, Dior. We then had a quick breakfast of Bran Muffins (see the Recipe of the Week for 23rd July 2007 on my website www.21stcenturyhousewife.com ) which I had tweaked for Christmas by adding three big dessert spoonfuls of mincemeat to the batter after the raisins. They were delicious.

We then headed off to the 21st Century Husband’s parents for Christmas lunch. It was great to get together with everyone. The meal was delicious and the company was good too. We toasted Absent Friends, in tribute to all the people who had sat round the table on Christmas Day in years gone by who were no longer with us. This included my parents, and it was so nice to acknowledge them on this special day. I have so many happy memories of them at Christmas. In true British tradition, we finished our meal in time to watch The Queen’s Speech on the BBC. The Queen continues to amaze me, always somehow knowing what to say, and still looking so elegant and vital at a very great age. She is a real inspiration. Afterwards we chatted and then had some tea – and by this I mean a light meal, not just a cup of tea - before it was time to leave.

Boxing Day was spent with our friends at their new home in the country. We were served a wonderful meal and again, the company was super. We drank champagne and far too much wine, and late in the evening I learned to play Texas Hold’em Poker. We just played with chips, no money was involved, which was a good thing as despite being a seasoned card player, Poker is not really my game! Even the 21st Century Teenager managed to call my bluff! We then had a lovely supper of bread and cheese before retiring. (We had been invited to spend the night so that no one had to be the designated driver.) We left just before lunchtime this morning, after a delicious breakfast of croissants and many cups of tea.

It has been super to have two such wonderful days, spent with family and friends, but it is equally wonderful to be home again, just the three of us. We have a lot to do in the next few days, including getting ourselves ready for our visit to New York City and getting our house ready to host our friends who are coming to stay while we are away. They are attending the New Year celebrations in London. I must admit I am very excited about our visit to New York, and spent a pleasant hour this afternoon choosing what clothes to take, including a dress for the New Year’s Eve celebration we are attending at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. I am praying everything falls into place over the next few days, that the weather in New York behaves itself and that flights are all on time. I am looking forward to another pleasant day at home tomorrow, with perhaps a walk in the afternoon if the weather co-operates. I could certainly use some exercise, after all the delicious food and drink I have been served over the past few days!

Merry Christmas

It’s finally here! Christmas Eve – when visions of sugarplums dance in everyone’s head and you can’t help but be caught up in the excitement of waiting for Santa Claus. I do love Christmas, despite the fact that many of my memories of it are difficult ones – of hospital visits and people lost, of wanting only one thing for Christmas and that being the continued existence of a loved one. But for every difficult memory, I have a wonderful one to replace it. Memories of the handwritten letters I received every year as a child on Christmas morning from Santa, deep snow on Christmas morning, huge family gatherings in Canada where the laughter was so loud you could get lost in it, baking cookies with my Mom, laughing with my parents as we peeled pound after pound of shrimp on Christmas Eve ready for the family feast the next day, my first Christmas with the 21st Century Husband, our first Christmas with our little boy, and our second Christmas with him spent in Florida with my parents, our son’s face every Christmas morning, Christmas 2002 in our home in Derby with my Mom and Dad and our friends; there is always something I can remember to push the sad things away.

So many of us have so many blessings we take for granted – a home, our health , family, friends, food, clothing, presents under the tree – all things that so many people just do not have. Thousands of people will be eating Christmas dinner in shelters this year – and so many people won’t get to eat it at all. For most of us, there is everything to be thankful for. And anyway, Christmas is about hope. It’s not about everything being perfect, it is about reminding us of the hope that exists even when they are not.

Here in the 21st Century Household, chaos reigns as usual – my to do list is a mile long, there are presents still to be wrapped, more baking to be done, buttons to be sewn on, clothes to be ironed and things to be sorted through. But we are all together the three of us (okay the 21st Century Husband is working, but he is here!) and aside from a few little niggles that really don’t matter, all is right with the world. I’m incredibly grateful, and I hope that you are experiencing something similar in your household too.

So don’t worry about the turkey, or Great Aunt Mildred getting into the sherry, or whether someone is going to say something that will upset Uncle George. None of that is important in the grand scheme of things. Whatever is going on around you, however chaotic it might be, in the words of my much missed Dad in his speech at my wedding nearly twenty years ago, “Have some fun”. It’s incredibly good advice for life, and especially for Christmas.

I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas – one full of happiness and laughter, family, food and friends - and full of fun too!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit - 23rd December

Christmas preparations are in full swing in the 21st Century Household, and we are all really getting into the Christmas spirit. I have to admit, it is still chaos though – I haven’t even begun wrapping presents and the kitchen is a mess after a very pleasant afternoon spent baking and decorating cookies. I was joined in the kitchen by the 21st Century Teenager and we really had a lot of fun.

I say that this Christmas is chaotic, but compared to recent Christmases, things are actually quite calm. In fact, we realised as we baked the cookies that this was the first time we had managed to find time to make cookies at Christmas in a number of years. Both the 21st Century Teenager and I find baking incredibly therapeutic, and this afternoon is definitely one of those days that will stick in my memory for the fun and laughter that we had. It really is worth taking time out to spend time with your kids (or nieces, nephews and/or grandchildren) passing on old recipes and having a laugh together in the kitchen – and not just at Christmas either!

We drove into Pangbourne this morning and it was absolutely heaving with Christmas shoppers, with queues at the butchers, Grey’s cheese shop and the stationery store. The decorations in Pangbourne are very pretty though and it is well worth a look round this historic village this time of year. Luckily we did not need much – I have been fairly organised in terms of food shopping this year – so it was not stressful at all. We also nipped to our local Waitrose (grocery store) just to pick up some very last minute bits and pieces. Thank goodness we got there early as by the time we left there was a traffic jam of half a mile queuing to get into the car park. I think that will be it for the shopping this year!!

I’m really beginning to get excited about Christmas, Boxing Day and especially our trip to New York at New Year to celebrate the 21st Century Teenager’s 16th birthday. Once the 21st Century Husband gets home tonight – hopefully he is working from home tomorrow – it really will be “beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!”

The Sunday Before Christmas

I’m very pleased to say I have been published again, this time in The Chicago Herald News. To see my article entitled “A Goat By Any Other Name Still Would Not Smell Sweet” please click here

Today was a bit of a strange day actually. Having spend such a lovely day yesterday I don’ t know why I felt so low, but I think it was just the feeling you get when you realise that Christmas isn’t all jingle bells and mistletoe, and that sad things still happen. I was missing my parents today and as this is the first Christmas since I lost them both (although it is the second without Dad), I had a good old cry. This left the 21st Century Husband and Teenager feeling more than a little at a loss as I very rarely cry – unfortunately this means that when I do, it’s usually quite dramatic.

I decided to fight my melancholy with tradition, which I always find to be very comforting. So I nipped down the road to the grocery store and got a turkey crown (just the breast) so that I could make a lovely roast dinner. We then decided to go to church for a carol service of some description. We were spoiled for choice as there are several churches near us, all holding services this evening. I was after something very old fashioned and traditional, so I was very pleased to find a service of Nine Lessons and Carols at the church of St James the Less in Pangbourne. Nine Lessons and Carols is a service often held before Christmas and consists – as you would expect – of nine “lessons” or readings from the Bible, and nine carols. I’ve loved it ever since I was a young girl, when I was allowed to light the candles during one of these services at school. I felt extraordinarily grown up being charged with this responsibility, especially as the candles were on candelabras at the ends of the pews and so high up that I had to stand on the pews to actually light them. I’m quite glad I was not sitting underneath any of those I lit though as I remember feeling distinctly unsteady! In later years I began to find the service beautiful for reasons other than that it made me feel grown up, in particular the beautiful readings and carols, and also for how it tells the story of Jesus come to earth.

So, I popped the turkey in the oven and got everything else ready to cook when we got back so that we could head off for the service which was being held at 6pm. First we had to find the church – and although we have lived near Pangbourne for over a year – we were not sure exactly where it was. We did find it quite easily though and I was pleased to find it was very beautiful – old and traditional –which was just what I was hoping for. To see a photograph, please click here. It was lit with candles for the service and the inside reminded both the 21st Century Husband and I of the church we were married in, St Nicholas Church in Chislehurst. It was also beautifully decorated and smelled of pine from the huge Christmas tree at the back. Perfect.

I wanted traditional and that is exactly what I got. The service was from the old order of service, with lots of thees and thous and everything I remember from when I was a kid. Having said that it was not at all stuffy, and there were lots of children both attending and participating in the service. The choir sang beautifully and the whole service was so joyful and comforting. We left feeling not only very Christmassy, but also incredibly centred and blessed.

On arriving home, we opened the door to the wonderful smell of turkey and after a few last minute preparations we sat down to a delicious meal. By now I was feeling so grateful for all the blessings I have I was able to smile at my good memories of the parents I miss so much instead of feeling weepy. I can see this becoming a tradition the last Sunday before Christmas – a service of Nine Lessons and Carols followed by a turkey dinner. It works for me, and I’m sure to have no objections from the 21st Century Husband or the 21st Century Teenager!

It definitely feels like Christmas now.

Saturday

We drove up to Burton on Trent today to see our friends. The 21st Century Teenager went to kindergarten with their eldest daughter and her mum, S, and I became friends through them. The friendship gradually extended to the whole family and we have all been friends for over ten years now. It was so good to catch up with them after such a busy year. We’ve gotten together a few times for coffee since our move south last December but this was the first time we have had a meal together. S made a beautiful lunch of rainbow trout, lemon couscous and salad and also made two lovely desserts, a tiramisu and some ginger and cherry fudge. Her youngest daughter made a fantastic gingerbread house which we also ate. I was horrified that she was going to cut it up, so insisted on taking the photograph above first, but actually in the end it was so delicious I got over my sorrow at its destruction!!

After a very pleasant lunch, we headed off to our hairdresser. We all had appointments so we were there for a couple of hours, but as she is an old friend we all enjoyed the chance to chat. She has been doing our hair (all three of us!) for over ten years. She has a beautiful salon as well, with a television, lots of reading materials and internet access so there was plenty to do for each of us when it was our turn to wait. We all left with our hair beautifully done and feeling very relaxed and Christmassy, having enjoyed cups of tea and mince pies while we were there.

We did not get home till quite late as it takes nearly three hours to get up to the Midlands from here, but we had all enjoyed the day so much we did not mind the drive at all. It is so nice to get together with old friends.

A Private Evening Tour of Windsor Castle

The 21st Century Teenager and I had no problems driving to Windsor yesterday and the 21st Century Husband met us there on schedule so everything started out really well. I’m happy to say it continued that way as well. We were a bit early for our tour (very unusual for us!) so we went to a lovely little teashop beside the very famous Guildhall. Dating from 1687, the Guildhall was the site of the marriage of The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker-Bowles and also the Civil Partnership between Elton John and David Furniss. Our friends got married there a few years ago and it is an amazing building, well worth a visit. The room they use for marriages and civil partnerships is just gorgeous. But I digress. The teashop was called The Crooked House and it is exactly that - a very small 300 year old crooked house! We all had tea and a piece of carrot cake. The cake was delicious, and the tea was all leaf tea, very traditional. I had camomile tea (I’m still not drinking caffeine), which was made with dried camomile flowers – you could actually see the dried flower heads! (We were all given strainers to strain out the flowers and leaves of our tea before drinking of course.) It was a lovely break before our tour.

By the time we made our way to the castle gates it was getting dark. There were about twenty of us on the tour and the castle was closed to all visitors except for us. We went through the visitor centre first for a security check and then our guide led us through the courtyards. Seeing the castle from inside the walls in the darkness gave us a very unique perspective. We headed for the wing that contains the staterooms and were led by our guide at a leisurely pace through them all. The ropes that normally stop one from looking closely at paintings and furniture were removed so that we could walk wherever we chose (of course no one touched anything). It was lovely to have a such a close look at things. Our guide told us about the rooms, their history and their contents. She was extremely knowledgeable and welcomed questions. It didn’t matter how obscure the question was, she always seemed to know the answer.

I have been inside Windsor Castle once before, in 1989. Of course some of it has changed a bit due to the catastrophic fire in 1992, but it has been sympathetically restored and looks incredible. The wonderful thing about this visit is that as it was night time, all the chandeliers were lit, and we saw the rooms in the most amazing light. Some of the chandeliers were over 16 feet tall – just imagine! The castle was decorated for Christmas and we saw three huge Christmas trees all beautifully decorated.

I will always remember this wonderful tour, not least of all because we were allowed to get so close to the beautiful treasures inside the castle. At one point, whilst looking at a piece of furniture I looked up and realised that on the wall above me there were three original Reubens paintings. It was quite staggering to realise I was inches from these incredible treasures. In another room, we had a close view of Rembrant’s famous self portrait, a painting I have seen in photographs many times. To see it in real life was just wonderful. In St George’s Hall, Queen Victoria’s sleigh was on display for the first time. It was a beautiful sleigh and as our guide described Queen Victoria as passenger and Prince Albert as driver we could almost see them there!

In all, our tour took nearly two hours. At the end we went into a room containing glass cases full of antique china and porcelain. There we were offered a glass of mulled wine and mince pies and allowed to wander at our leisure looking at this fascinating collection. All three of us had the most wonderful evening. I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to tour this beautiful historic property in such an enjoyable fashion.

Today went very well too. Despite my claustrophobic experience of being stuck in traffic in the car park in town for over an hour last Friday and my resolution not to drive into town until after Christmas, I drove in for my Pilates class. I parked in a different car park and had an entirely different experience! After my class, I decided to risk doing a bit more Christmas shopping and managed to nearly finish it all. I walked back to the car park feeling ecstatic on one hand to have just about finished, but a bit worried on the other about what it would be like trying to get out of the car park. In the end, I had no problems at all and didn’t spend any time at all stuck in traffic. I did take a wrong turn as I’m not used to parking in that car park, but it was quite a minor inconvenience!

So now I am at home with almost all my shopping done, but I still have not finished my cards (last posting date is tomorrow!) and I do need to wrap all my purchases. But I am getting there, and I do feel a lot more relaxed knowing that. The 21st Century Teenager finishes school for the Christmas holidays tomorrow. I always look forward to him breaking up for the school holidays, it feels like Christmas has really started then. I’ve just had a phone call and a wonderful chat with my cousin in Canada, dinner is in the oven and it feels like all is nearly right with the world. I think I just might be beginning to get into the Christmas spirit!

Sneezing, Christmas Cake and a Visit to A Castle

The preparations for Christmas continue in the 21st Century Household, as I try to keep my head above the piles of presents to be wrapped, cards to be written and things to be done! I’m definitely getting into the Christmas spirit that is for sure. The only problem is I’ve got yet another cold (my third in eight weeks!). I find it hard to understand how I can be getting so many colds. Up until now I have not had a proper cold for over three years. Yet ever since we got back from Cyprus I have lurched from one to the other. They are all different as well. The first involved a lot of coughing (which I hate), the second a sore throat and this third one is a sneezy cold. I feel like I’ve turned into a cross between Sneezy the Dwarf and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. (Thank goodness for makeup!) But I don’t feel ill with it, so that is a real blessing. It’s just slightly embarrassing sneezing so much. I’m not a quiet sneezer, no matter how hard I try. The other day I was in the grocery store and everyone’s head’s swivelled round when I sneezed three times in a row. Very embarrassing.

The 21st Century Teenager and I have finally decided what Christmas cake to make for Christmas Day. It’s one of Nigella Lawson’s recipes from her book How to Be a Domestic Goddess called Marzipan Fruit Cake. (It’s on page 34 in my copy of the book.) Made with chunks of marzipan and lighter dried fruits soaked in rum, it is absolutely delicious. The only change I made to it was that there was no Orange Flower Water at my local grocery store so I used Grand Mariner liqueur instead. It was a very successful substitution. I don’t even like fruitcake as a rule and I am struggling not to devour this one. We had another piece of it last night and it is definitely improving with age – although I would have argued that it could not get any better when I first tasted it. I had my doubts when I made it as you actually freeze chunks of marzipan overnight and then mix them into the batter which I had never heard of before. Actually it is a fantastic idea as the chunks get quite soft and then hide in the cake – delicious little almond surprises. So now we just have to make the actual cake for Christmas. I’m a bit nervous as folks here often decorate their fruit cakes with marzipan, icing and goodness knows what else and I don’t think I want to do that with this one. It’s a bit too rich for icing of any kind. I’m thinking about sprinkling it with a layer of Demerara sugar before I put it in the oven so it will just have a golden top, but I hope no one will think I’m being lazy!

I am collecting The 21st Century Teenager at school at 2pm as we have been invited to a special private evening tour of Windsor Castle. We are all very excited about it. It is not actually until 5pm but we need to get to Windsor in all the Christmas traffic. We are meeting The 21st Century Husband there as he is already halfway to Windsor at work so it would be pointless for him to come all the way back here to then go again – not to mention how much time it would take. I have not been inside Windsor Castle since I went with my parents and The 21st Century Husband (when he was my fiancée) in 1989. Of course, if you go to Windsor (and I have been a number of times), you cannot help but see the Castle as it dominates the town, rising as it does from the hill in the centre and sprawling for acres. It is very beautiful. One time when we stayed in Windsor we were at the hotel immediately opposite and were able to watch the Changing of the Guard from our hotel room window. We had the best view I could imagine and it was incredible. This time, the castle is all decorated for Christmas so it should be even prettier than usual. If this tour is anything like the one we had of Buckingham Palace earlier this year I am sure I will be raving about it tomorrow!

Speaking of which, I had better go and get changed. I wonder what one wears to an evening tour of Windsor Castle….

The Weekend

It has been a fun weekend, but it sure wasn’t without it’s share of minor glitches! We are still trying to find a car for the 21st Century Husband. We think we have one, in fact we have put a deposit on it, and are trusting our local dealership to obtain it for us in an auction. The auction was supposed to be on Friday, but then there was a hiccup about the personalised number plate on the car, so it was delayed till next Wednesday. (They are not sure if the car is being sold with the plate, or if the registration number is being transferred.) So we are still hanging, waiting to see if it will be ours and, if so, how long it will take to get it! The garage are assuring us of next Friday but I’ll believe that when I see it! They seem very confident of obtaining it. So I went into the dealership to sign some papers and then thought I would “pop” into town to return some things that did not fit at Marks and Spencer. I parked in the Oracle, which is the local shopping centre, and went off to do my returning, and also a bit of Christmas shopping. I decided to head home about 3.30pm, along with about five hundred other people. In the end I queued twenty minutes just to pay my ticket, but the worse was yet to come. I just about managed to squeeze out of my parking space and into the traffic queuing to get out of the car park. I then sat there, barely moving, for forty-five minutes. I don’t do enclosed spaces, and I was on the fifth floor. I finally managed to inch my way on to the exit ramp, but in the end, it took me an hour and a half to get out of the car park! I had to stop at Waitrose (our local grocery store) on the way home as well, so by the time I got home I really was in need of a very strong drink. Unfortunately it was only just six o’clock so I waited until the 21st Century Husband got home about eight before I had a very relaxing glass of wine!

Saturday we were up early as we had appointments at our aesthetician in Burton-on-Trent – Eve at Eden Beauty. Eve has recently refurbished her premises and is in the process of renaming it Mimi Day Spa. It is looking absolutely lovely. We spent a few hours being pampered – the 21st Century Husband had a facial, massage and manicure, the 21st Century Teenager had a manicure and I had a manicure, pedicure and eyelash tint. Then we had to hightail it back down south on the motorway, as the 21st Century Husband and I were due at a Christmas party in London in the evening.

The driver collected us at 6.45pm, and we set off on a journey which should have taken us about an hour and a half. However, traffic in London was terrible on Saturday night, and in the end we did not arrive at the party until 9pm. It started at 7.30pm, so we kind of took the idea of being “fashionably late” to new heights! On the positive side, our drive took us on the route through the West End of London, past all the amazing shop windows, including the ones at Harrods, which were quite something. We found out later most of the city was blocked up, because of something that had happened on The Embankment, pushing all the traffic on to the roads deeper into the city and causing gridlock. The party was lovely though. It was held in a restaurant called 1 Lombard Street (which is also the address!) located in a building which used to be one of the old establishment banks. The interior was beautiful, all neo classical décor and even a domed ceiling. We had a lovely evening. The company was lovely and the food and drink were just delicious. Instead of a sit down meal, there was a constant stream of intriguing hors d’oeuvres. From miniature hamburgers and hot dogs to tiny canapés and cones of hot chips (French Fries), the waiters and waitresses urged us to try as many as possible. As the evening wore on, the menu then changed to plates of tiny brownies and little baby raspberry cream meringues. The very amusing bar staff kept our glasses full all evening– dancing around behind the bar and creating scenes reminiscent of the old film “Cocktail”. We really did have a wonderful time. The driver collected us again just after midnight. The party was far from over, but it would take us over an hour to get home and I really don’t do very late nights any more. I’m a bit like Cinderella - I wilt after midnight. It was a good time to depart, just as things were still very merry but not too much so!

Sunday was a lovely day, just spend pottering around home. We have had very little quiet time in our new home as we have been travelling and entertaining so much, so it was delightful. We slept late, had brunch instead of breakfast and lunch, and I cooked a beautiful piece of beef for dinner. We also managed to get some of the things on our “to do” list done which was very nice as well. I hope we get to spend some more quiet time at home soon as it really does do us good. It’s funny how when I was younger a full diary was my absolute ideal, but now I have one, I crave quiet times spent at home with my family. Still, the grass is always greener – and sometimes you really do have to be careful what you wish for!

2nd December 2008 - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

It’s definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the 21st Century Household. There are presents waiting to be wrapped, glorious red breasted robins at the bird feeder and a sense of excitement in the air. Okay, there are decorations strewn just about everywhere and I’ve only written one Christmas card, but it is starting to take shape.

Yesterday night we retrieved the Christmas decorations from the attic, which was quite a job in itself. Due to the rather chaotic year we have had, boxes got put up in the attic in a bit of a rush. This was further complicated by the fact that the attic was not boarded, so we had to balance everything between the roof struts. (We intend to board the attic, it is just taking a while to organise!) Thankfully the 21st Century Husband and Teenager managed to find everything, picking their way carefully between the beams – despite one breathless moment when I thought we had lost the most important Christmas ornament of all.

I try not to be put too much importance on material things, but this one particular decoration means the world to me. It is an angel, purchased by my Dad when I was two years old. He brought it home and gave it to my Mom, saying “I bought this for April, our little angel.” Of course I was too young to remember that actual day, but Mom told me the story when I was a little girl. Back then, the angel seemed almost magic to me. In fact I was so taken with her that when I bought my first Christmas present for my Mom and Dad it was an angel shaped candle not unlike our treetop angel. I still have them both (we never lit the angel candle!), and my treetop angel has been on nearly every Christmas tree I have ever had – Mom and Dad brought her over for me when I moved to England.

Anyway, after a little while I did find my angel and tonight we assembled the first of the trees. I like having artificial trees. Growing up in Canada, the importance of not cutting down trees for Christmas decorations was a big issue and I’ve always carried that with me. I know you can buy ones with roots on them, but so many have just been cut down without them. Plus the ones with roots rarely survive when replanted due to the extremes of temperature they are subject to. It’s one of my big things. Funnily enough, we did have a couple real trees the first years I was in England (I was over-ruled!), but our cats used to go mad with the smell and try to climb them. After finding not a partridge in our pear tree, but rather a cat in our Christmas tree on more than one occasion (this was usually followed by the collapse of the aforementioned tree), we went back to the artificial variety.

So tomorrow we will begin to decorate the first tree. It’s the one in our living room, the one the angel will go on. I have photographs of the 21st Century Teenager putting the angel on top of the tree every year since he was two. Even when I had to lift him up so he could reach, he managed it. It won’t be a problem this year though. Although last year’s photograph shows him reaching above his head to place the angel, it became apparent last night that this year he will be reaching down to do it! He has grown over six inches in the last twelve months and even at six foot three inches tall shows no signs of stopping. It really brought home to me how much he is growing up.

I suppose that is why the holidays, and particularly Christmas, are often so bittersweet. Of course there is the bittersweet story at the heart of it, the baby Jesus born to save the world in a stable in Bethlehem, the baby who would become the man who took on the sins of the whole world in order to save us. But there is also the bittersweet nature of our own lives – the incredible joys, the heartbreaking sorrows, the myriad of moments that make up our existence. Christmastime brings all those memories back to us. The most important thing we can do is to choose to concentrate on the really wonderful memories. Of course we need to honour and acknowledge the sorrows we all share but it is more important to remember the really wonderful Christmas Days. We need to concentrate on the positive – our child’s first Christmas, or the first time we cooked dinner for our own parents in our own home instead of the other way around - and use the joy that gives us to root ourselves firmly in the now, making new and wonderful memories for ourselves, our families and friends.

I hope it is beginning to look – and feel – a lot like Christmas (or whatever joyful holiday you celebrate at this time of year) in your home too.