Frasier . The General
Getting New Material
On October 30, 2019 by Speranza
I have never been frightened of things that creep. I actually enjoy picking up (little) snakes, frogs, toads, ‘pill-bugs’ (which John Steinbeck likened to ‘tiny armadillos’, one of the best descriptors ever) caterpillars and worms. When Frasier was young, he had a bearded dragon lizard which I was the main caregiver to. I have often shunted spiders into an envelope for transport to a safer, more suitable locale if they are of a reasonable size. (There was one in the basement this week that had a startled, unpleasant facial expression and a head only slightly smaller than my own. He is still down there.)
Art for Art's Sake . Music . The General
The Joke – Brandi Carlile
On October 20, 2019 by Speranza
The General and I were talking recently about how disposable music seems to have become. Except for the boldest of hipsters among us – the kind who listen to bands that are not yet invented and eschew everything but vinyl – there are very few ‘liner note’ devotees anymore. I have often been surprised when my own boys know very little about a musician they admire. I’m not talking about being able to recall what colours the band members like here but rather, more basic stuff like, say, their names or nationality. Instead it seems to be just a bit of fleeting interest they have downloaded and may soon forget about.
British Stuff . Cooking . Nostalgia
Open Love Letter to The Victoria Sandwich Cake
On October 19, 2019 by Speranza
Just for a moment, can we forget about the news and the state of the world and instead talk about cake? I know this seems shallow and possibly verging on the politically incorrect but honestly, it’s starting to turn a bit chilly outside and somehow even the sunlight itself is becoming harsh and brittle – certainly, no longer gentle.
So I need cake.
A Victoria Sandwich cake is a simple iconic sponge cake. ‘Sponge cake’ in itself is a troubling term, since a true ‘sponge’ has little or no butter and relies on egg whites to be poofy which is definitely NOT the case here. Many sources suggest that this cake was Queen Victoria’s favourite and was served at tea parties to help with her endless grief after her husband’s passing. But to me, it was simply the go-to, working class cake of my childhood and was made from my mother’s only cookbook as seen here – a hilarious cookbook in retrospect too, almost Monty Python-ish at times but quite unconsciously so, which of course makes it even funnier.
De-Cluttering & Organizing . Love . The General
Decluttering: The Mini-Series
On October 2, 2019 by Speranza
I am aghast to see that it is now October and that I have been retired for six months!
Yes time flies when one is working (and particularly always working with dates, as I used to) but now the hours scream by and literally, it is always 4 o’clock and by then there’s not enough of the day left to really be starting a new task when you could be tucked into the last bit of weak sunshine on the stairs with a book (and wine) or sitting outside (now in a cardigan) surprising an entirely different avian crowd than there is in the morning!
(In my previous life, I would be sorting laundry, washing the floor as I talked on the phone to someone and maybe doing some prep towards the next day’s dinner).
And this was after I got home from work!
Anyway, The General and I did decide to embark upon a decluttering of the basement this week and have already done a few runs to the thrift shop which feels amazingly freeing, just as Marie Kondo promised. We have been watching her show on Netflix as a kind of warm-up inspiration before we go downstairs although I have had to explain to The General that this does not count as “working on the basement” especially as a snack break was included.