List Item: Try to get on a TV Quiz Show
I rather like tv Quiz show Pointless - the format is good, the contestants seem to have fun, it is fiendishly difficult to win the money, and the banter between hosts Alexander Armstrong and ridiculously tall Richard Osman - who is permanently sitting down on the show - is charming.
Having been told that Pointless was auditioning, I had to find a partner, as it is done in pairs. There are several fans of the show at work, so I asked Vicky first, but she refused even to consider it. I asked Alex, and he agreed immediately, so I got the forms, had photos taken of us (thanks, Jean), and sent them off.
Today (16th April 213) was our audition in London. I met Alex at the train station to catch the 9:18 - he ran up the stairs at 9:17, but we made it on time. As it happens, we got to the venue in plenty of time, so we passed the spare half hour in the Starbucks opposite with a bucket of coffee. Once in the Grand Connaught Rooms, we waited with the other contestants outside the Durham Suite. There were 12 of us, plus some left over from the earlier session still there. The waiting area was a corridor with too few chairs, rather chilly too. Once we were called in, we had to fill in forms regarding identity, and disclosure / consent forms.
Next we had a general knowledge written quiz - it was like an exam, we had to turn over our papers and were given 4 minutes to answer 20 questions. I think I managed to answer 14, they were far from easy. But we did not get the answers, so I can't be sure. Next we all stood up and took turns introducing ourselves, giving an interesting fact about ourselves, which we prepared in advance. Alex was Leicestershire's longest baby for a whole year, and I spoke of my 50 List.
Finally, there was a mini version of Pointless to play in the group. After this, we all went outside, and waited to be called back. Well, guess what? We got called back!
Game on!
Monday, 19 August 2013
Eyeful of London, then down the Dungeon
In June 2013, I went with D to London. We took a 'flight' on the London Eye. Although we had ordered tickets beforehand, the queuing system is somewhat confusing, but we managed it, and got into a pod with around 20 strangers.
It really is most impressive, the views are spectacular, and it goes so high that my knees felt all wobbly, and I had to sit down as we neared the top.
We had a circular map, to identify the buildings, which was very useful.
OK so I confess, I am not good with heights, but the London Eye was something I have been wanting to do for ages. It was well worth doing and I recommend it, but I can't see me doing it again.
On to the London Dungeon - we bought a combined ticket for both.
There was a long queue along dark corridors, which was most irritating. I hadn't realised that we were to be taken round in groups, a guided and acted tour of the attraction. There are rooms featuring the Great Plague, the Gunpowder Plot, Sweeney Todd, all the things you would expect really. The actors are enthusiastic and it was quite fun, but I lost interest towards the end, it was too long, and aimed mainly at youngsters. Very glad to get out of there!
Ah well, 2 more List items ticked off, hurrah!!
It really is most impressive, the views are spectacular, and it goes so high that my knees felt all wobbly, and I had to sit down as we neared the top.
On to the London Dungeon - we bought a combined ticket for both.
There was a long queue along dark corridors, which was most irritating. I hadn't realised that we were to be taken round in groups, a guided and acted tour of the attraction. There are rooms featuring the Great Plague, the Gunpowder Plot, Sweeney Todd, all the things you would expect really. The actors are enthusiastic and it was quite fun, but I lost interest towards the end, it was too long, and aimed mainly at youngsters. Very glad to get out of there!
Ah well, 2 more List items ticked off, hurrah!!
Jammy Devil
An item on my List is to make jam from some fruit I have either grown or foraged.
I have a redcurrant bush, only 2 years old, and this is the first year it has produced a decent crop. My son loves to pick and eat them directly, but last week they were at their ripest, and he was away in Blackpool for 6 days.
I picked the whole crop, and looked online for a jam recipe - there are so many!
I chose one that had half the amount of fruit to sugar, got sterilizing my jars, and boiling away.
In the end there was only enough to fill one jar, but it is rather
delicious. I goes very well with buttered cheese scones, which is what I
gave my mother when she came over for lunch that day.
So, another thing ticked off the List, and this is something I will do again.
I have a redcurrant bush, only 2 years old, and this is the first year it has produced a decent crop. My son loves to pick and eat them directly, but last week they were at their ripest, and he was away in Blackpool for 6 days.
I picked the whole crop, and looked online for a jam recipe - there are so many!
I chose one that had half the amount of fruit to sugar, got sterilizing my jars, and boiling away.
So, another thing ticked off the List, and this is something I will do again.
Monday, 17 June 2013
Bath Time
On 31st May 2013, I went to the city of Bath for the first time.
I have been meaning to go there for ages, so it is on The List.
My friend Sam drove Barbara and me there, we were on our way to the Hay Festival, taking a detour, just so that I could cross Bath off my list. My friends are tolerant and kind!
The first thing I found was the Central Library, so of course I had to have my photo taken outside the door (I work in the central library of my home town).
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We went for morning coffee in the Pump Room, a very classy place - in fact I had this from the menu:
This is the pump with the Roman Bath behind it
The famous Roman Bath
I have been meaning to go there for ages, so it is on The List.
My friend Sam drove Barbara and me there, we were on our way to the Hay Festival, taking a detour, just so that I could cross Bath off my list. My friends are tolerant and kind!
The first thing I found was the Central Library, so of course I had to have my photo taken outside the door (I work in the central library of my home town).
.jpg)
Caramel sortb
Georgian Elevenses
Toasted Bath bun with cinnamon butter, hot chocolate with whipped cream, glass of the world famous Bath spa water £6.25.
Wish I had asked for the drink without cream, I know it upsets my stomach, so had to scrape it off! Lowering the tone of the place.
The water came straight from the pump in the room, it was warm and....nasty.
I didn't dare to have more than a few sips of this warm pump water.
There was a quartet playing classical music in the Pump Room as we ate, the waiters were very polite and pleasant, it was a beautiful place. We had a walk round the city, full of tourists of course, but well worth going - since we didn't have that much time, I would be pleased to go back there one day for a proper look.
Then we bought a picnic from Waitrose for our lunch, a very good idea indeed. Although I dare not tell you the ultimate fate of the taramasalata, eh Sam? Hehehe, I am still laughing about that incident, shocking and hilarious as it was! Justice was served in fishy pink form.
Caramel shortbreadD
Caramel shortbre
Caramel shor
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Make Hay Not War
Been meaning to go to the Hay Festival for over 20 years, so it was one of the first items on my 50 List. Sam and Barbara came with me on 31st May, to 1st June.
The Festival is free to enter, but the events are ticketed - I bought tickets for 5 events: Alexander McCall Smith, Mark Watson, Deborah Moggach, Rose Tremain and Peter Sawyer.
Sam drove us to Hay on Wye, via Bath, just for me to tick another thing off my list - see next blog page!
We got to our campsite, the Tangerine Fields, where we had hired a ready-erected tent complete with airbeds. If you HAVE to camp, then this is a most civilised way to do it. Not having been camping for many many years, I was dreading it, but there were no B&B places left by the time we decided to go, so it was the only option. Besides which, I had rather foolishly added 'Glamping' to my 50 List, leaving me with no choice but to try it. Sam and Barbara are both experienced campers, so they knew what to bring and gave good advice.
We walked into Hay from the campsite, it is full of secondhand bookshops and interesting-looking places and people. There was a shuttle bus to the festival site, about 1.3 miles away, for the very reasonable price of £1 per day. As we took that journey, it was amazing to see how many houses along the way had been turned into temporary stalls selling all sorts of goods: tea, coffee and cakes, books, plants, a makeshift beer tent, Fair Trade clothes and bags.
Once we arrived at the site, it was a joy to behold, so exciting, yet most civilized, with covered walkways all round, the flooring keeping our feet from getting muddy.
There were stalls and deckchairs, friendly staff, places to eat and drink, lots of people walking around enjoying the view. Families with young children, many many people in their 50s and 60s, I would say the clear majority were female, but a good mix. Certainly, the oldest crowd that I had ever seen at a festival, being a veteran of Glastonbury, but come to think of it, my last trip there was 1990!
My first event ticket was for Alexander McCall Smith, the large venue was full, and no wonder, for he was a fabulous speaker, telling amusing tales, getting lots of laughs. At 7pm I went with Barbara to see Mark Watson, at the Sky Arts Studio. All the performers had a strict policy of one hour only, and Watson seemed to be quite intimidated by the big countdown clock on the stage, referring to it frequently. He read passages from his latest book - Knot - which I had heard parts of when it was Book of the Week on radio 4. He is such a funny, sweet guy, seemingly chaotic, but not really. Adorable!
We got the bus back to the town, and found a place still open for food - The Granary, which did such nice food that we went back there for breakfast in the morning.
Back at the campsite, it was warm enough to sit outside, Sam had brought a candle bag for the table, a nice idea. We were all tired after our long day, and even I managed to get a bit of sleep, but I awoke very early, and went for a wonder about around 5.30am. The showers were fine, and there was a special tent with mirrors and hairdryers, a little touch of luxury. At 8 a van opened up selling hot drinks so I got some tea for my friends and woke them up with a cup, for which they were most grateful.
Our campsite was in such a beautiful setting.
Back to the Festival site after breakfast in town, and Sam and I had tickets to see Deborah Moggach at 11.30am. What an amusing woman! She had the whole audience laughing with her funny tales, fabulous! Her new book is called Heartbreak Hotel, and I have just finished reading it, very enjoyable. After that, I went to see Peter Sawyer talking about Anglo Saxon coins, a subject he managed to make as dry and dull as ditch water sadly, He is highly knowledgeable but very elderly and doddery, a dry old stick. Oh well.
Had time to take a good look round at this point, taking in the sights and sounds of Hay 2013. I saw Cerys Matthews and her husband the Luton boy Abbo - I had been to see his band UkDecay only the week before - and you might be aware that my title for this blog is after a song called Dead From The Waist Down by Cerys's band Catatonia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoXOfakP6E
"Make hay not war, or else we're done for"
Later I found Barbara sitting in the sun on a Hay deckchair, and joined her. Next to a pen of black sheep, oddly.
Soon it was time for Rose Tremain at 4pm, Sam came with me to this event, and it was really interesting. Rose told many amusing stories, although she didn't have the same wacky personality as Deborah M, she was great fun.
Hay, I loved you, and I want to go back next year, although I would prefer to B&B rather than camp.
When it was time to go home, Sam asked me to navigate a route directly East from Hay to Luton, so an unconventional route home, and a very long one, but the scenery was amazing, we went through the Cotswolds, such a beautiful part of England.
The Festival is free to enter, but the events are ticketed - I bought tickets for 5 events: Alexander McCall Smith, Mark Watson, Deborah Moggach, Rose Tremain and Peter Sawyer.
Sam drove us to Hay on Wye, via Bath, just for me to tick another thing off my list - see next blog page!
We got to our campsite, the Tangerine Fields, where we had hired a ready-erected tent complete with airbeds. If you HAVE to camp, then this is a most civilised way to do it. Not having been camping for many many years, I was dreading it, but there were no B&B places left by the time we decided to go, so it was the only option. Besides which, I had rather foolishly added 'Glamping' to my 50 List, leaving me with no choice but to try it. Sam and Barbara are both experienced campers, so they knew what to bring and gave good advice.
We walked into Hay from the campsite, it is full of secondhand bookshops and interesting-looking places and people. There was a shuttle bus to the festival site, about 1.3 miles away, for the very reasonable price of £1 per day. As we took that journey, it was amazing to see how many houses along the way had been turned into temporary stalls selling all sorts of goods: tea, coffee and cakes, books, plants, a makeshift beer tent, Fair Trade clothes and bags.
Once we arrived at the site, it was a joy to behold, so exciting, yet most civilized, with covered walkways all round, the flooring keeping our feet from getting muddy.
There were stalls and deckchairs, friendly staff, places to eat and drink, lots of people walking around enjoying the view. Families with young children, many many people in their 50s and 60s, I would say the clear majority were female, but a good mix. Certainly, the oldest crowd that I had ever seen at a festival, being a veteran of Glastonbury, but come to think of it, my last trip there was 1990!
My first event ticket was for Alexander McCall Smith, the large venue was full, and no wonder, for he was a fabulous speaker, telling amusing tales, getting lots of laughs. At 7pm I went with Barbara to see Mark Watson, at the Sky Arts Studio. All the performers had a strict policy of one hour only, and Watson seemed to be quite intimidated by the big countdown clock on the stage, referring to it frequently. He read passages from his latest book - Knot - which I had heard parts of when it was Book of the Week on radio 4. He is such a funny, sweet guy, seemingly chaotic, but not really. Adorable!
We got the bus back to the town, and found a place still open for food - The Granary, which did such nice food that we went back there for breakfast in the morning.
Back to the Festival site after breakfast in town, and Sam and I had tickets to see Deborah Moggach at 11.30am. What an amusing woman! She had the whole audience laughing with her funny tales, fabulous! Her new book is called Heartbreak Hotel, and I have just finished reading it, very enjoyable. After that, I went to see Peter Sawyer talking about Anglo Saxon coins, a subject he managed to make as dry and dull as ditch water sadly, He is highly knowledgeable but very elderly and doddery, a dry old stick. Oh well.
Had time to take a good look round at this point, taking in the sights and sounds of Hay 2013. I saw Cerys Matthews and her husband the Luton boy Abbo - I had been to see his band UkDecay only the week before - and you might be aware that my title for this blog is after a song called Dead From The Waist Down by Cerys's band Catatonia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVoXOfakP6E
"Make hay not war, or else we're done for"
Later I found Barbara sitting in the sun on a Hay deckchair, and joined her. Next to a pen of black sheep, oddly.
Soon it was time for Rose Tremain at 4pm, Sam came with me to this event, and it was really interesting. Rose told many amusing stories, although she didn't have the same wacky personality as Deborah M, she was great fun.
Hay, I loved you, and I want to go back next year, although I would prefer to B&B rather than camp.
When it was time to go home, Sam asked me to navigate a route directly East from Hay to Luton, so an unconventional route home, and a very long one, but the scenery was amazing, we went through the Cotswolds, such a beautiful part of England.
Saturday, 6 April 2013
I do declare, I made some eclairs!
Eclairs are made with choux pastry, which is totally different to make from other pastries I have made before.
Most of my cookbooks are of vegetarian food, but I have a small selection of baking books - not one of which had a recipe for eclairs. Online, there are hundreds, and they vary a lot. In the end I settled for Mary Berry's one as it looked simpler than the others.
http://www.mykitchentable.co.uk/index.php/2011/09/mary-berry-chocolate-eclairs/
Although it was a relatively straight-forward operation, I created an awful lot of washing-up, and masses of mess! It was fiddly, getting the mixture into a piping bag. The eclairs looked very thin when they were piped onto the baking trays, but once cooked, they had expanded and risen beautifully. Golden, light-as-a-feather, fingers of fun!
I whipped the cream too vigorously, so it was rather too thick to pipe. I spooned it into the eclairs and drizzled the chocolate sauce on top.
Result: not a bad first attempt. They could be neater, more even, but they were lovely to eat. My boys loved them, and the friends who were here liked them too.
Personally, I find that too much cream does bad things to me, I have an intolerance, so have to be very sparing in eating it.
My son has requested that I make a new batch this afternoon, and I am happy to oblige.
I gave my friend Sam a couple of eclairs, as a thank-you for lending me the piping bag, and her feedback is as follows: "marvelous eclairs" and "divine darling!"
So, that is the 12th item crossed off the List.
Most of my cookbooks are of vegetarian food, but I have a small selection of baking books - not one of which had a recipe for eclairs. Online, there are hundreds, and they vary a lot. In the end I settled for Mary Berry's one as it looked simpler than the others.
http://www.mykitchentable.co.uk/index.php/2011/09/mary-berry-chocolate-eclairs/
Although it was a relatively straight-forward operation, I created an awful lot of washing-up, and masses of mess! It was fiddly, getting the mixture into a piping bag. The eclairs looked very thin when they were piped onto the baking trays, but once cooked, they had expanded and risen beautifully. Golden, light-as-a-feather, fingers of fun!
Result: not a bad first attempt. They could be neater, more even, but they were lovely to eat. My boys loved them, and the friends who were here liked them too.
Personally, I find that too much cream does bad things to me, I have an intolerance, so have to be very sparing in eating it.
My son has requested that I make a new batch this afternoon, and I am happy to oblige.
I gave my friend Sam a couple of eclairs, as a thank-you for lending me the piping bag, and her feedback is as follows: "marvelous eclairs" and "divine darling!"
So, that is the 12th item crossed off the List.
Monday, 18 March 2013
There must be fifty ways to show I'm fifty
I have written a song!
More accurately, I have re-written the lyrics to the Paul Simon song - Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, so with that famous tune in mind, here are my new words:
"The problem is how to get these done in just a year
The answer is easy if you do it without fear
I'd like to try out 50 new things, step it up a gear
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
I said it's really not my habit to be brave
Trying out different things, that’s not how I behave
I may be middle-aged, but I’m not yet ready for my grave
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
Fifty ways to show I’m 50
You just go for a manicure
Maybe even a pedicure
Write a short story
Read Anna Karenina
Knit a Dennis the Menace jumper
Just grow a big pumpkin
Then go glamping at Hay
Ooh do some tae kwondo
Have a tattoo, ooh
Go visiting Iceland, and
See the Northern Lights
Invent a new cocktail
Make up a new song
Go up in the London Eye
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
Fifty ways to show I’m 50
Make money for charity
Play a ukulele
Sing the Sound of Music
Dressed up as a nun.
Get a photo of my family
Teach the kids to do laundry
Get lost on a bus, then
Walk on Hadrian’s Wall
Get a film on YouTube
Make a patchwork quilt
Find out about Didlum
And make some éclairs
Tell people they’re lovely
Learn to stitch tapestry
Just help me to do this
And I’ll love you for life!
Quite pleased with this - but now I need to learn to play it on a ukulele or something, make a recording of it, then make a video to go with it, and finally, to get it put on YouTube! No idea how to do any of those things, so advice is welcome.
More accurately, I have re-written the lyrics to the Paul Simon song - Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, so with that famous tune in mind, here are my new words:
Fifty Ways to Show I’m 50
(To the tune ofFifty Ways
(To the tune of
"The problem is how to get these done in just a year
The answer is easy if you do it without fear
I'd like to try out 50 new things, step it up a gear
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
I said it's really not my habit to be brave
Trying out different things, that’s not how I behave
I may be middle-aged, but I’m not yet ready for my grave
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
Fifty ways to show I’m 50
You just go for a manicure
Maybe even a pedicure
Write a short story
Watch Citizen Kane
Read Anna Karenina
Knit a Dennis the Menace jumper
Just grow a big pumpkin
Then go glamping at Hay
Ooh do some tae kwondo
Have a tattoo, ooh
Go visiting Iceland, and
See the Northern Lights
Invent a new cocktail
Make up a new song
Go up in the London Eye
And learn a new dance
She said you have to draw a portrait of your sons
Then get on Pointless, meeting Alexander Armstrong
I have to learn to do some re-upholstery
And write a blog
You need to visit Bath and see the sights
Then solve a Rubik’s cube and always get it right
Eat only raw food for a week, enjoying every bite
She said you have to draw a portrait of your sons
Then get on Pointless, meeting Alexander Armstrong
I have to learn to do some re-upholstery
And write a blog
You need to visit Bath and see the sights
Then solve a Rubik’s cube and always get it right
Eat only raw food for a week, enjoying every bite
There must be fifty ways to show I’m 50
Fifty ways to show I’m 50
Make money for charity
Play a ukulele
Sing the Sound of Music
Dressed up as a nun.
Get a photo of my family
Teach the kids to do laundry
Get lost on a bus, then
Walk on Hadrian’s Wall
Get a film on YouTube
Make a patchwork quilt
Find out about Didlum
And make some éclairs
Tell people they’re lovely
Learn to stitch tapestry
Just help me to do this
And I’ll love you for life!
Quite pleased with this - but now I need to learn to play it on a ukulele or something, make a recording of it, then make a video to go with it, and finally, to get it put on YouTube! No idea how to do any of those things, so advice is welcome.
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