The following poem has been written to be read at our Community Carol service this year. We have the most wonderful trail of sixteen brilliant rope-light pictures, depicting the Nativity and telling so beautifully, the Christmas story. The route is shown on a map at the Village Hall and follows a trail through the fields and along the lanes of our tiny village. We all gather together for the displays to be switched on and to sing carols and to watch the fun of a small play. Afterwards we enjoy a supper of festive treats. The Trail remains lit between 5pm and 9pm each day up to and including Christmas Day.
Author: Susie Page 19 of 30
Sharp and crisp as snowy nights
crystal clear in prism lights,
gentle orbs that sparkle bright
shining are your eyes tonight.
Reflected jewels of liquid amber
like dripping rich fondant creams,
chocolate in the deepest hue,
I bow my head to look at you.
Eyes that hold this strangeness well
in candlelight they watch and drink
forgotten words, much time to think.
A bitter pill that’s hard for you,
as fairy lights come into view,
white and golds, red and greens,
you simply watch in reverent scene,
reflections in those honest eyes
of baubles and of Christmas time.
In Christmas lights my poems for you
expressed in love, a poignant view…
All Rights Reserved: 2008
Makes about 20 Biscuits.
225 grams plain flour, 75 grams of Icing Sugar, 150 grams butter, A pinch of Salt.
Preheat oven to 160c/gas mark 4
Sieve dry ingredients into good size bowl, warm butter and pour into bowl and mix well until mixture forms a ball of dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll until about 15mm thick, then cut into shapes of your choice. Can at this point be decorated with sultanas or chocolate chips pressed into dough. Cook in oven until pale gold in colour, Allow to cool then sprinkle with sieved icing sugar.
Great biscuits for little ones to make for Christmas. ( about 3p per cookie)
Nearly everyone has tasted Humous the middle eastern chickpea dip and lovely it is too, well the following recipe is less common but every bit as tasty. My Mother-in-Law the wonderfully enchanting Nadrat made the best ‘Baba Ghanoush in Egypt. We spent many evenings on the terrace of our home in Alexandria enjoying this tasty treat. Served with soft warm flatbread, much laughter and plenty of love. This rich cream is a combination of two strong flavours – the oven baked aubergines and the rich creamy Tahina. n.b.The following recipe yields quite a large amount enough for a party dish.
BABA GHANOUSH 3 Large Aubergines, 2-4 cloves of Garlic, a little salt,1/4 pint Tahina paste ( always sold in health food shops these days) Juice of 3 Lemons, 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin, 2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley. A little Olive Oil. A few Black Olives to garnish.
Method: Wash and dry your aubergines and cut in half lengthways, place in a baking tray with a little olive oil and baked in oven on a medium heat until soft right through to the centres. Scoop out the aubergines and place in large bowl – discarding the skins.
Crush the garlic gloves with a little salt, Mash the aubergines with a fork and add the garlic cumin, salt and mash until smooth can all be transferred at this point to an electric blender, but can certainly be done without.
Add the Tahina paste and lemon juice alternately, beating or blending as you go, you may at this point add a little more olive oil to soften further and a little more salt and cumin if liked. It should have the consistency of very thick cream.
Pour into a nice coloured bowl, garnish with a few black olives and serve with warm pitta bread or favourite crispbreads.
So lovely for a lunch break or as as a starter, an addition to other small bowls like Humous, Tzatziki,olives etc to form the basis of a Mediterranean Mezza
Nadrat. Alexandria 1979
My dear sister brought these beautiful roses as a gift at the weekend, how lovely they are and how they cheered and lifted our spirits. It has been rather a sad week in our little village, losing a much loved older village member. Arthur was in his eighties and had started work at the age of thirteen on the local farm – he was such an interesting and very knowledgeable man – often winning the first prize at the village vegetable show. He knew all there was to know about growing vegetables and was a fount of knowledge for us all. He answered all our gardening questions with such grace and clarity. He had not been well in recent years but still managed to tend his plot and produce the best tasting and marvelously ‘giant’ marrows and onions amongst all other vegetables, that I have ever seen. We will miss him at all the shows and when on our walks, seeing him with his cheery smile, sitting in his window, waiting with a wave. Today we celebrated his life. The village church was full to bursting as over two hundred people paid their respects to this much loved man. He never travelled far, once visiting Skegness but didn’t like it much there, quickly returning to his beloved village. Arthur was honoured with a medal from the Queen for forty years service to farming but carried on for many more years after that. He was laid to rest in the village churchyard with his family and many friends around him. We will miss him so.
About this time last year I wrote the poem ” Then And Now” Hamada had not long received a Stem Cell Transplant and was weak beyond belief. The poem tells of my feelings and hope at seeing another Spring together. Reading once again this poem, my feelings are still much the same but thanks to the wonderful medical knowledge that enabled this procedure, at a point when Hamada was so very ill, it has given him another wonderful year with us all. We have managed a small holiday and Hamada has spent lots of wonderful weekends with our dear family on their regular visits North. We even managed a trip South to see extended family, with such determination shown. He looks really well again, although extremely weak, sleeping for a great part of the day, he cannot walk any distance but I know this year has been so special for him. He is now in what the Consultant calls ” a good partial remission” I have re-read my poem and although we have not made ‘many walks together’ during this year, we have sat by the ‘sparkling sea’ and most of all had another Spring together. The courage everyday, shown by this brave man, is amazing. Long may this remission last, may he get stronger and enjoy another Christmas and maybe yes, many Springs beyond..
“Then And Now” – by Susie Hemingway – December 2007
All Rights Reserved.
Boudoir Biscuits. Cream Fraiche. Mascarpone. Coffee. Brandy. Icing Sugar.
Method.
Mix 500 ml of Mascarpone with 200ml of Creme Fraiche and 3-4 heaped dessert spoons of sieved icing sugar ( depending on how sweet you like it and how much brandy you will be using! ). Make up your best coffee, good and strong, allow to cool a little, and mix with 2-3 dessert spoons of good quality brandy. Dip Boudoir Biscuits in coffee and brandy mixture ( not letting them get too soggy) enough to fill your selected dish, layer up with the Mascarpone mix, to the top of the dish. Chill and before serving with love, sprinkle with a little coco powder or chocolate curls, and perhaps a little angelica as decoration.
From my window across the fields, the leaves are nearly gone, it is chilly and starting to look somewhat bleak already. Still my little firs give some colour to the view now that Winter approaches.
It is Remembrance Sunday tomorrow and our thoughts return to those who gave their lives for us in the first and second World Wars. We also remember the brave men who have been lost, in the Falklands War, in Iraq and Afghanistan. In our little village, at the service tomorrow, we shall wear our poppies with pride as we remember these brave and courageous men
They shall not grow old, as we who are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun We Will Remember Them…
Originally a Persian dish – but now a speciality of Fez. You can adjust the amount of fruit used and may prefer to use less the first time you prepare it.
Ingredients as follows:
1 kilo of lean lamb ( cubed ), 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon , 2-3 tablespoons of ground ginger, a little butter, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 medium onions finely chopped, 300 grams of prunes ( the lovely stoned ones in the sealed foil bags are wonderful), 1/4 spoon of saffron ( optional ), 2 tablespoons of honey, a good teaspoon of ground coriander, salt and black pepper.
Turn the meat in a little hot butter (olive oil if preferred) in a heavy based pan. When lightly brown, add onions cook gently, and cook for a minute or two until softened , add ground ginger, saffron, cinnamon,coriander and a little salt, and plenty of black pepper, stir gently until nicely covered. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover with a good beef stock and cook in oven until meat is tender, approximately 2 hours, starting at 180c for 10 minutes then turn down to 160c for the remaining time. Now add the prunes and honey and cook gently for a further 20 minutes or until needed. At this point it can be turned off and reheated when required – so great for dinner parties – just remember to make sure it’s piping hot before serving with love.
Egyptian,and Moroccan cooks often sprinkle a little orange blossom water ( can now be found in health food shops or delicatessen ) and roasted sesame seeds over the meat before serving.
Nice to serve with fluffy white rice or little crispy potatoes and a bowl of freshly cooked spinach.
This is a fragrant dish and can be prepared with various fruits, apples,quince, pears, or apricots, again the sealed foil bag ones, are best for the apricots. It is a great dish to prepare the day before as the flavour enhances .
I do hope you enjoy this classic Middle – Eastern dish.
Through my fears, the heavens smiled
shafts of sunlight fell my way
great big rays of golden glory
came to me that bluest day,
from somewhere amid the heavens
upon a gentle breeze,
issued forth that tranquil feeling,
bringing salvation straight to me.
shafts of sunlight fell my way
great big rays of golden glory
came to me that bluest day,
from somewhere amid the heavens
upon a gentle breeze,
issued forth that tranquil feeling,
bringing salvation straight to me.
A calm and needed preservation,
radiant in beam of light
to not forsake, although forlorn
and hopeless, seeing all within my sight,
I lift my face to narrow beam
it’s pouring warmth to cover me,
and stubborn as this heart allows,
I stand in watchful patience now.
Come shine for me, your rays of gold
come gentle breeze, to bathe my cold,
Oh! glowing energy in crimson light,
impervious to change so bright,
enlighten with your power,
the vigour of my soul,
in dreams of costly structure
this folly, that is bold.
Who sent this cheering influence
in heart where sadness dwells,
what spark, what fiery brilliance,
provoked this staunchness now,
still, the heavens smiled, and shafts
of sunlight fell my way,
great big rays of golden glory
came to me that bluest day…
@ Copyright October 2008
“Sunset at Kanyemba” Courtesy of Ellie Robson.
“Sunrise at Hemingby” Courtesy of Janey Johnson.
: Extract read at the Epiphany Service In Village Church Jan 4 2009
All Rights Reserved @ 2008
This week I have been planting more trees! on the top lawn, as if we don’t have enough already at “Hemingway” Not being a very capable gardener, I am at least enthusiastic. I do try to keep these rather large gardens tidy with a lot of help from my brother-in-law who is so helpful with all the heavy work. I felt a new border would be nice to create a bit of interest near to the ‘House of Hope’. This idea is slowing taking place, with the clever removal of a rather large amount of turfs with a special spade, this one borrowed from a rather kind neighbour that allowed the careful slicing out of the turfs to be used elsewhere. One side of the border, some small evergreens are to be planted and the rest hopefully a colourful rose bed. Once established, a much needed vegetable patch beyond will be started. Having such a large garden the time has come for us to make it a lot more productive. We enjoy so much, and use all the apples and blackberries we harvest now and with the wonderful vegetables from Sister Jenny’s crop, which are so good, we have decided to use this valuable land to further good use, watch this space…
It will be a classy affair, no doubt about it. Starting tonight on BBC 1 at 8pm. This 14 episode, Dickens Masterpiece, adapted by the superb Andrew Davies, will indeed be delicious viewing. With the plethora of wonderful stars, including Bill Paterson, Matthew Macfadyen, Sue Johnson, and the simply superb Tom Courtney I can’t wait, not to be missed – and remember second part is on Thursday.
As many of my readers know, days for me are not always ‘good to my heart’ Watching my husband’s journey with the very debilitating illness Multiple Myeloma, does not always make for the ‘sunniest’ of days. Still here we are, almost as Summer Time comes to an end, and over one year since Hamada underwent a Stem Cell Transplant, how fortunate we are, in so many ways. One to have made it so far when the outlook was very grim for him. Also to be living in this wonderful country village which I know has been a daily tonic. These were the views upon lifting my blinds this late October morning. Yes, we have much to be thankful for.
Mondays won’t be the same for a while as I will really miss my travels down the Amazon with the intrepid, very cheerful Bruce Parry. What a superb program ‘Auntie Beeb’ it has been. Last evening Mr Parry reached the final stretch of his epic journey and here we really see the massive destruction that is taking place in the Brazilian Rain Forest. How savage it all looked, and shockingly close to the indigenous tribes. Bruce Parry’s journey took him seven months! but we were able to see his journey in a matter of weeks and as he has now been made a ‘son’ of a badly affected tribe in a very moving ceremony, we witnessed and felt their despair. Bruce Parry covered their story so completely – it was compelling viewing.
Such a shame to disturbed their work of art. On my car this morning.
