Weather Reporting

Windswept and Weary of all that Wind and Rain

Climate change is something that is probably on more than we human’s minds lately. If Magpies could talk to us I am sure that the crew that live in next door’s Leylandii would be howling at the wind, literally, given that it has kept them from venturing far in the daily food search. It is coming in from the West and howls up the glen, eerily banshee-like with its lonesome whistle.

The Christmas Cake is done, finished, completed and…wait for it…A HUGE SUCCESS! The next hurdle is the icing. Oh well, hopefully that will be a success too. Aha! I hear you say, what is she on about with her Christmas Cake is done…well you see the ‘09 cake is the second Christmas Cake I have ever made in 50+ years. Mum always made the cake, Mother in Law made the plum puddings and I cooked the turkey. That’s what I am good at, plain, wholesome, no fuss, honest to goodness traditional cooking.

Cakes? Considering that my Grandmother’s Mother ran the village sweet shop in another part of the county and Gran made the cakes and sweets that were sold there - it is a sad fact that yours truly has not inherited her light hand. Neither did Mum, come to think of it…I am sure there is an Army Contract lurking about somewhere for one of her apple pies for use as a missile. God love her, she hated all forms of cooking with a passion - jam making was probably the only one that slipped under the radar. If she couldn’t fry it she didn’t want to know, and my long suffering Dad was thrilled when I started learning cookery at school…be it ever so humble my roast chicken was an improvement on burnt offerings. We won’t go into casseroles. Nope! Not going there.

I am so ahead of myself this year that I have half my Christmas presents bought, in one fell swoop, in T K Maxx, in Arklow, oh! Bliss. They have a lovely trug and garden tool set and I bought two of them - one for a cousin of Mum’s who is a keen gardener and who is a joy to be with, and another for my friend who has just inherited her parents house; there is a rose garden with it to die for. Her parents have moved into sheltered accommodation and they decided that as she would inherit the house anyway she might as well have it now. She and Liam sold their house, and managed a better price for it than usual in this current downturn, and they will use it to restore the old family home which is 80 years old and showing more than a few wrinkles.

I bought some unusual glasses for sister in law who collects such things, and who has had to have new units built in the alcoves on each side of her fireplace to house them. I am in the process of having units put into the alcoves in my sitting room also, the difference will be MORE BOOKS as a poor long suffering OH moans. I look at her shelves and think…what a waste, look how many books I could get in there. He has often plaintively said “if the house went on fire you’d risk your life to save those books of yours before you’d save me” , “not at all pet,” I coo at him lovingly, “I’d dowse you in water first and then save the books, that way you could help me!” He’s still looking at me out of the corner of his eye, very suspiciously.

We have acquired a sky box and a new 32’ flat screen, [guess what OH’ll save first in the event of…] and I have to admit I have fallen in love with it. I had been very sniffy about the whole deal, there was nothing wrong with the aerial and five stations we have here, I would murmur, three home stations, UTV and the Beeb. Sufficient for my needs, but of course there was the question of Football, I was told. ED and YD put in a word for the joys of music television, Rihanna or Those Twins caterwauling at top pitch, and needless to remark I succumbed, so last Friday a strong, silent East European young man installed the needful. I asked him did he want Coffee, the reply being “umph!” and a negative shake of the head I assumed that was a no, he looked disparagingly at our tv and told us that another brand was better and two of my neighbours had that other brand. He was on a hiding to nowhere with this one, I am definitely not into the “Jones” game.

So why did I fall in love with it? Nothing to do with the fact of 7 zillion channels and record this and pause that and put the kettle on…nooooooo! The first programme was about Ron and Valerie Taylor and sharks and it tickled my sense of humour pulling OH’s leg about watching out in case the sea slipped out onto the carpet and mind that great white…a joke that soon lost it’s flavour when the news came on and reports on all the flooding going on came into view. If you have been a victim of the current floods, you have my fervent prayers and deepest sympathy, we were flooded in ‘82 in the other house and it is no joking matter.

Time to go and do a bit of housework, may your day be safe, sunny and may you be flood free, wherever you are.