dramatic chipmunk..

The best ever banana bread....

 This recipe is a Nigella Lawson one I have made it lots and lots of times and it never fails to be excellent, I always have squashy bananas hanging around and they are the ones to use.. the recipe refers to this as a 'bread' but it's moist and cakey.. it is utterly delightful and I made one today, yummm... I usually scatter extra walnuts on top of mine before I put it in the oven..

 

 a view from my kitchen ;)

 

 Ingredients

• 

• 100g sultanas
• 75ml bourbon or dark rum
• 175g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• half teaspoon
• bicarbonate of soda
• half teaspoon salt
• 125g unsalted butter,melted
• 150g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
• 60g chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

Method

1. Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
3.  Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest.
4. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
5. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas.
6. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract.
7. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1 and a quarter hours.
8. When it's ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish.
9.  Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.

Serves: Makes 8-10 slices

poem...

Where did all the people go

The ones that taught me all I know

The ones that made the me today 

Who gave me strength to find my way

I hear their whispers in my ears

I smell their perfume, taste their tears

And as I near my twilight years

I feel their pain and share their fears

Could it be that we are one 

I've known them since my world begun

They've carried me when I felt weak

And found the words for me to speak

Such comfort to have such good friends

When I am torn such pleasure mends

I never want to step outside

For all I need is here inside.....

written by Cheryl Powling

The joy of owning a teenager...

If I'd kept the receipt perhaps I could have complained, got a refund, or even an exchange, but my teenager isn't something I can really blame anyone else for, no-one is at fault, because being a teenager is such a complex thing, and trying to understand it takes honesty and patience.

It is rebellion or just angst?, how can someone develop their values without testing just about everyone around them, to see what its like to be adored or even despised?, surely the someone who ends up with a rounded sense of values has challenged the rules, in order to form an individual and rounded definition of things they really love or hate.

We are all part of a large jigsaw in society, and we all have our place in the big picture, but where do we fit in, and who can decide for us? deciding for ourselves, is part of the autonomy that teenagers desire, and although they may appear to have the  invincible and all-knowing jacket on,  the truth is that they are probably feeling inadequate and scared.

Then whilst they are having to deal with all their physical and hormonal changes they also have their peers' hormonal and physical changes, to cope with, and the melting pot continues to boil until the heat is turned down, which I would say is about around the time when all the important decisions and exams have been taken... Yeah too bloody late!

 I think as parents or carers we need to make ourselves accessible and slightly sympathetic with a little bit of impartiality thrown in, in order to form a nice bond with our teenagers so that the confusion when met can be spoken about or shared, you cannot enforce rules and punishment with your children without a relationship otherwise you will end up with adolescent anarchy.

'Smells like Teen Spirit ' to me,  Hello Hello Hello How Low..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ciiCyxOJA

The Piano..

Tonight we watched 'The Piano' again..

Jane Campion's Oscar-winning movie is all about Ada (played by Holly Hunter), a mute who has not spoken a word for many years, who immigrates to the New Zealand outback ,and the arranged marriage to a man (played by Sam Neill) who tries to come between her and her passion for her piano, which is her voice and her biggest love until she meets Baines (played by Harvey Keitel) who is a tattooed illiterate loner who I think loved her at first sight.

The film is so beautifully portrayed it is compelling and really one of the most passionate and sexy films ever, and it's poignant ending is rather haunting as is the beautiful soundtrack by the ever remarkable Michael Nyman. 
I urge everyone to see this film, it's definitely in my top 5 favourite movies

Holly Hunter is a fantastic actress I can't imagine anyone else being so right for this part , in fact the whole cast was spot on. It is one of those films which makes you feel as if you are there, as the atmosphere was so cleverly captured, for all to see..

Don't delay watching it..

Penis Envy..

Girls, do you have penis envy, well you too can piss whilst standing up!.

Me I use the SHEEWEE, It's bloody brilliant, the last time I used it was into a bush on the hard shoulder somewhere along the North Circular, it was so easy to use and now I keep one in my bag at all times. I even bought one for all my friends one Christmas..

http://www.shewee.com/newstore/ 

 Get one here!

They really do work, the best story I have for you is the one where I was at Longleat Safari Park, with my family and we had gone half way around, and I wanted to pee urgently, obviously we couldnt stop or open windows as the wildlife would have had little sympathy for a middle aged woman with a weak bladder, so I had to scramble over to the back of my 4-Wheel drive over three teenagers and into the boot , and I managed to pee into an empty evian bottle. There is a video of it, but I daren't show you, as it is far to embarassing.

There are others on the market and here they are, but I would invest in the Sheewee, get one now

 GoGirl

 Magic Cone

 P-Mate

 PStyle

 T-Pee

 TravelMate

 

 Urifemme

Whiz-Freedom

freshette

The path of righteousness...

Let me make myself clear........

I have no religion, therefore I am a rebel in the opinion of some people
I have no belief in the afterlife, therefore I am without purpose after my death
In my life I have heart and soul and I do not rely on the bible to teach me, or to put fear into me
I am my own person, and I take full responsibility for my actions
And my salvation comes from the goodness in me, made by me, and I will not sell myself to God.

There is a difference between religion and spirituality.
Religion is about politics, and rules, and spirituality is about broadmindedness
A holistic state of mind, open and free.

I will fear no evil, for thou are inside of me 

And I shall want for no higher authority than I, to lead me from wrong

The explanations for many things I did not understand are now defined with science and technology

And this makes more sense.

Peace comes with the beautiful relationships that we have with others, and ourselves.

Religion is not reality.. It is not my shield..

written by Cheryl Powling