Whenever preparing garlic cloves - always wash hands in cold water – this washes the smell completely away. If hot or warm water is used to wash hands the smell from the garlic will penetrate the skin and the smell from the garlic will linger on the hands.
I often watch the television programme QI, Chaired by Stephen Fry. It is stuffed full of unusual facts and witty banter. In today’s revelations was the obscure piece of knowledge that crisps decay teeth worse than sweet sugary drinks. In fact, allegedly, they are about the worst thing a person can eat if they wish to escape tooth decay. For some unknown reason the most dangerous culprit is Cheese and Onion flavour!
I heard the news of Kraft’s alleged take-over of Cadbury’s with much disappointment. The situation was not helped when the Chairman and CEO of Kraft, Irene Rosenfeld failed to pronounce the company name correctly. Surely anyone who cherishes a company and its workforce would try their utmost to at least say its name properly.
I, along with most other Midland inhabitants, have been brought up in the wonderful tapestry of Cadbury. We have either had someone in our families working at Cadbury in the past or present - or have friends and neighbours who have worked in this magnificent chocolate world. Cadbury, where the heritage from its Quaker roots developed a work ethic for every worker that was the envy of every other manufacturer in the world. Its workforce had homes built for the workers, set in leafy suburbs with every facility at their disposal.
On the news, the tight voice of Kraft continued to change the name of this beloved brand and insisted instead of pronouncing it correctly as Cadbury – bury as in hurry, curry and bun - changing it completely into Cadbury – berry as in cherry, ferry and dead!
Whilst looking through some of the photographs that I had taken of birds during the Summer, I came across this one – a goose in reflective mood – looks like this goose could be praying, perhaps.
These geese are not as gregarious as most geese which may account for this particular pose. Its breeding grounds are in Alaska around the Bering Sea and in Russia in the area of Kamchatka. They spend the Winter period over an area of around three hundred small islands many of which are volcanic. These small islands are scattered from the Peninsula of Kamchatka left to the Peninsula of Alaska and are called the Aleutian Islands.
*Above picture taken at Slimbridge.
January holds thirty-one precious days. In the Northern hemisphere these will be cold, cutting, icy, windy, bitter, rain-filled and interspersed with snowfall. The word January means door, doorway or gateway to the year. Its origins fall back in time to the Romans who worshipped amongst others, a god who was reputed to wear two faces and was known as Janus or Ianuarius. Ianua was a Latin word used for door.
The birds are struggling to find adequate pickings this month and there has been a steep decline in the magpie population. Previous milder winters has caused an explosion in the population of the crow family but this year there is noticeably less of them visiting the garden for food. There have been more blackbird and thrushes flying in and prepared to join each other at the dinner table which is most unusual. Blackbird, thrush and robin are very territorial and usually will fight off other members of the same family when their territory has been breached by another. The cold weather appears to have brought out a softer more tolerant side to their natures as they, for once, are prepared to share any offerings to stave of hunger or starvation.
“Nearly everything is good for you …… but remember it is fattening too. Moderation is the key of a life filled with harmony!” Anon
Just before the snow descended and covered everywhere for day-after-day … the garden bulbs pushed their way up through both the soil and the hardy perennials - giving hope of new fresh colours to brighten up the borders.
Our bodies are a result of an ancient design. The bodies of our ancestors rested totally on survival. We, live in different times but carry the ancient design of our forebears.
Primitive mankind would gather as much food as they could during the plentiful Summer months and eat and eat and eat. They would gain weight which would help them to survive the cold, long Winter when food was more difficult to find.
To help ‘ancient man and woman’ survive they inherited a hunger hormone called GHRELIN. We still produce massive amounts of ghrelin in our stomachs to this day. If we do not eat regular meals then this hormone is made in large quantities – its purpose is to advise our brains that our bodies need food. Our bodies have a flaw in that the brain is not informed by the stomach that food is reaching it for a whole thirty minutes after the first mouthful has descended into the stomach.
Ghrelin makes the body desire every kind of food from those we really like and enjoy to those that we normally would probably never eat. It is worse than the most addictive of drugs and our cravings and desires for any type of food know no ends.
It causes us to over eat as we feel so hungry for so long. The result of ghrelin is more and more of mankind are becoming obese. How do we overcome something that we cannot help produce and carries desires far greater than drug addiction? We firstly need to eat regularly. Carry a small handful of nuts, seeds or dried fruit and munch some of it when we feel the first pangs of hunger. Never eat quickly …… remember the half-hour journey from stomach to brain. Take rests during meals so that stomachs don’t become over-stretched. Watch out for the gluttony desire that is caused by this hormone!
No matter what diet and exercise programme may be taken up and adhered to – none will work if the body doesn’t obtain the essential amount of natural iodine to speed up its metabolism. Nowadays it is simple for both meat lovers and vegetarians and vegans to eat enough natural iodine without the need for supplements, which may result in health issues if taken too liberally.
Items needed in the diet to obtain iodine naturally:
*For those who have never considered sea vegetables then here are some simple tips (all sea vegetables or sea weeds contain iodine):
The most mildest of the sea vegetables is Dulse – it is a dark, rich, red colour and very rich in iron. It can be used as a salt replacement by adding a few leaves to cabbage, greens or stir-fry. Many like it tossed in a salad or simply munched on as a mini snack with a few nuts.
Nori often is available ground up as little flakes and can be added to virtually everything. It is the richest of all of the sea vegetables as it contains a wealth of minerals. It also comes in sheets these may be purchased raw and pressed or toasted and are often used as the outer rim of sushi. The sheets are useful to use in place of bread for those trying to cut down on wheat.
Wakami is sweet seaweed and naturally very high in calcium so is good for those caring to keep their bones strong.
There are many more sea vegetables, including agar which is used to make a natural jelly. For those who may not wish to have anything too flavoured then consider purchasing Atlantic Sea Salad (Clearspring). This is made up of Dulse, Sea Lettuce and Nori and so may be used in every meal – soups, sauces, casseroles, salads, stir-fries, prawn cocktail, risottos, chilli, in fact, any dish from any part of the world! It can even be used as a condiment in place of salt.
Despite the continuing Winter conditions, the birds sound ever optimistic as they sing with the most melodic of tunes. Their songs are loud and beautiful, perhaps to remind us that they need feeding. Often in these type of Winters many of the song birds die. Blackbirds and robins enjoy juicy worms and grubs which they cannot get to with the snow and the ice. The finch family prefer tiny seeds which are also hard to find in this weather. The tit family are diverse in their eating habits as some eat small spiders, insects, seeds, aphids, nuts, acorns, sweet chestnuts, fruit, small slugs (usually the black variety) and pine nuts to name but a few.
If you can feed the birds – then look in your store cupboards as so many things are suitable and will help to keep them alive:
The snow has continued to fall off and on since yesterday. The narrow side roads are still white and fluffy with recently fallen flakes. Although the sun has shone in the patches of blue sky, it is now beginning to get colder. Where the snow has been cleared here and there on pathways the ice is uncompromisingly treacherous and each footstep is perilous. I have managed to crunch around a little and capture this feather-plumped Wood Pigeon … looking for something to eat.
Today is the most superstitious day of the year … It is 5th January and tonight is the Twelfth Night. It is known as the Eve of Epiphany the very last day of Christmas the last evening when the Lords and the Ladies of the land can celebrate and make merry in the name of Christmas.
Do take down all of your Christmas decorations. Remove all Green Woods (Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe and Fir) from your homes before the hour strikes at midnight. To leave up decorations after today is to invite troubles into the home. Years ago it was believed that not to remove them would bring disaster and pestilence. Although the observations of putting away all of the Christmas decorations has become a little blurred with the passage of time – it is still observed.
Remember – if you forget then the only way to ensure good fortune is to leave them remaining until next Christmas. Because of this – some people leave one bauble on a shelf all year round – so that if they have forgotten to remove something the bauble will protect them!
*Remember, if you do have mistletoe to take off the berries and smear them into any crevices of the bark in the branches of local trees. This establishes new mistletoe plants. The new plant that grows from your endeavours will entitle you to a wish for every plant that forms – but you will have to wait until next Christmas for your wishes to come true … this is surely worth a few seconds of your time – a wish after all is a wish.
This Winter is beginning to lengthen into long, white, cold snaps. Today, began icy but before long we were catapulted into a Dickens’ scene of bleakness! The snow began to fall and before long covered everything. A path was cleared to both the bird table and the fish pond … but as I write these words the snow has begun to fall once again – thick and full – it is so very dull and bleak.
One of the most delightful birds of the Worcestershire waterways is the Great Crested Grebe. It seems difficult to photograph as it is forever diving, ducking and darting out of sight so I was pleased to just capture a few pictures of this particular one … they are harder to find and film than any shy celebrity!
Great Crested Grebe
This is a very late posting and added after New Year’s day … but somehow it feels appropriate to slot it into this particular date.
I can remember as a child a saying that was often said on New Year’s Eve. I used to find it deflating as I wanted the Christmas fun and festivities to go on and on and on. It was lovely to be in a whirlwind of total merriment from dawn until dusk, day-after-day. The tinsel, balloons, blowers, whistles, laughter, jokes …. endless and wonderful like a fairytale.
The saying that I am referring to is:
‘It’s all over bar the shouting!’
It is a very old saying that is often spouted when things are done and dusted and all that remains is for people to acknowledge the fact by shouting, screaming or crying.
Somehow … if it is spoken to early, I think it simply spoils the fun.
I hope that your New Year was fun ….
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