Domestic goddess...?

Baking!

Proud of my first ever attempt to bake bread! A small wholemeal loaf

For some reason, I have been overcome with a sudden urge to bake. I have rarely, if ever, baked in my life (apart from in 'home economics' at school)! I saw an episode of the Hairy Bakers last year where they made bread by hand and cooked it in the oven rather than in a bread maker. It looked so easy but at the time we didn’t have a kitchen conducive to baking (small, ill-equipped with few work surfaces). Since we moved and have a decent kitchen, I decided to bake. I looked up the Hairy recipe, bought the ingredients and some mixing bowls and made bread!

The recipe is as simple as they come but I swapped white flour for wholemeal - http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/150713/Bread-dough
I wasn’t sure why I needed to let it rest twice for 30-40 minutes so I only let it rest once and the bread did taste a bit too yeasty. The second attempt I let it rest twice and I think the result was better. It’s really easy and tasty -the most time-consuming part is waiting for it to ‘prove’.

This was my second attempt - nice & tasty!

I also followed their olive bread recipe twice but it wasn’t a success, although Michael said it tasted good and we ate it! There’s no yeast in the recipe and it was too hard and flat with a wet, oily middle. http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/148511/Mixed-olive-bread

Rather 'unleavened'-looking olive bread. Sounded delicious but didn't quite work.

The only other ‘baking’ has been to make chocolate crispy cakes for Easter! I found some miniature mini eggs in the supermarket which are ideal to put in the centre to make wee nests! I'm hoping the nephews will like them! I did look up a very indulgent recipe for a dark chocolate tart that I might make one day….

The joys of moving house

House moves are never pleasant, stress-free experiences. This one was no exception. We had booked a transit van with a local company from 9am-1pm for a bargain £20. We were due to sign the new tenancy agreement and pick up our new house keys at 9am from the letting agent in the centre of Stirling. Knowing that if we move our car from the street in front of our house, someone will nick our parking space, we decide to walk to pick up the van.

Thinking that it will only take 10 minutes to complete the paperwork, Michael decides he’ll wait for me before picking up the van. Nice as she is, oh my god, that woman in the letting agents’ can talk! I really don’t need to know how many picture hooks we can put up in each room. I already know that we can’t be evicted if the landlord defaults on his mortgage. I don’t need or want to know who has previously lived in the house. Thirty minutes later I am still in Clyde property, the van rental company has phoned to ask where we are because they have had the engine running to defrost the van for over 20 minutes. Michael has had to go and get the van without me.

Then the letting agent tells me that she doesn’t have any sets of keys to our new house…. One of their employees has gone to the house to make final changes to the inventory (which, it turned out, was still completely out of date despite his last minute trip) and taken ALL the keys with him. Doh. At this point I doubt if we’ll move house that day. Thankfully she suggests that the inventory checker will drop by our old place to give us the keys while we are loading our van - luckily he manages to get that bit right!

Although we’ve only booked the van for 4 hours and are late picking it up, the van company kindly say we can have it for an extra half hour. Just as well. Because of a burst water pipe, the road between our old place and our new place has roadworks reducing it to a single lane controlled by temporary traffic lights. This means that a 5 to 10 minute journey becomes twice as long – as we only have 4 hours to move everything this is no small annoyance…. We also have to pick up our new, flat-pack bed from a local shop – we had wanted to get it first thing in the morning but they don’t open till 10am. When we get there, expecting to carry the bed through the shop and out to the carpark, instead the staff ask us to go round to the back of the shop – which is not as simple as it sounds and involves driving around a faceless industrial estate. This is around 11am. We have taken one van load to the new house already. I am already knackered.

Finally, we decide we can make only 2 trips in the van within our time limit and we move all the big items that can’t be transported in the car – mostly boxes and some small pieces of furniture plus bikes and a very large TV. The bags of clothes and the plants have to go by car – we have run out of time.

We spend the rest of the day sorting out our new place which is like a palace in comparison to the old, one-bedroom bungalow. My plans to return to the bungalow to start the cleaning are abandoned as we realise that we are too tired to tackle any more big jobs separately. So, we jointly put together the new bed – a solid Scandinavian pine one - put our comfy mattress on it and make up the bed. That’s the best bit of house-moving advice I’ve had - make up your bed first so that when you are too exhausted to do anything else you don’t have to try and find your duvet, the cover, a pillow or put together a new bed!

Front of new house

Around 7pm I pop into nearby Bridge of Allan to the very good chippy (Allan Water Café & take away) and get us each a huge portion of fish and chips. We eat, then by 9pm we are in bed exhausted. We have misplaced one of our car keys and I have a restless night worrying that I have dropped it in the street during the move. The next day Michael finds it in his pocket!

Thursday morning comes. I struggle to find the requisite crockery and cutlery to make a bowl of porridge. At 10am we return to the bungalow to de-mould, scrub and polish. Michael fights with the greasy oven. I battle with mould and mildew. By 5pm we have finished. We had already done some of the bigger jobs such as dug and weeded the garden, cleaned the windows and curtains, the fridge-freezer and microwave. It is much cleaner than when we moved in. We have even repaired things that were broken when we arrived, such as drawers and lampshades. I reckon it took a total of over 20 hours to clean the place, not including the gardening. We are determined to get our full deposit back!

It feels like I am broken. I run a bath and soak- I think this is my first bath in over 2 years. Bliss! The bungalow’s boiler couldn’t heat the water to fill a bath. Another early night - in bed by 8pm. We sleep badly as the heating comes on in the night and roasts us.

Friday, I am back at work. Saturday, we sort out a few boxes. Sunday, I run Michael to Glasgow airport to catch his flight to Bristol so he can go to his Nan’s funeral in Somerset on Tuesday. The flight is cancelled due to ‘pilot sickness’ so he stays at my parents’ and catches a flight the next day instead. I am so tired that I don’t feel safe on the road - the drive home to Stirling takes almost 2 hours instead of one because of roadworks and heavy traffic.

Now we have been in our new place for just over 2 weeks, although Michael was down south for one of those weeks. We have mastered the central heating controls, emptied most of our boxes, settled in the cat, and cleaned what hadn’t been cleaned properly (how galling after the time we spent cleaning the bungalow…). I have even had a few friends over for pancakes. I feel quite at home here. I think we’re going to enjoy living here.

Charlie making himself at home

Latest news

Well, one of my new year’s wishes has come true- we are moving house! We were lucky enough to find a bigger place that will accept pets – probably because it’s unfurnished. Anyway, it is bigger with 3 bedrooms and a garage so we won’t know what to do with ourselves with all that space and will probably lose one another in all the rooms! We have been used to using 1 room as office, living room and dining room in our current place.

Sadly, Michael’s grandmother died last week. She was 89, which is pretty impressive, but had been unwell for quite a long time. It is an odd and sad coincidence that the last time we moved from Hertfordshire up here to Stirling, just a couple of weeks before the move Michael’s Grandad died. Michael is upset but seems to be coping. He has some happy memories of the times they spent together which is all you can ask for.

Other things that have been happening are that I have got a new contract at Stirling uni working on 2 new projects- nice to work on something new. I am back to cycling to work now the snow and ice has gone (although ti did snow on the way home today). Two weeks of taking the bus was more than enough and I was glad to get back on my own two wheels. This week one day as I cycled through the fields I saw a small herd of 5 roe deer grazing, then as I got near to the university a buzzard swooped down into a field about 10 feet away from me – both times I stopped to watch as it’s not often you get a good close look at these lovely wild animals. The bus can’t compete!

White Christmas

Christmas dinner at my mum and dad's house

Left to right: Dad, Mum, Michael, Sarah, Gordon, Kate. Some of us wearing traditional paper crowns out of the crackers

The boys' table - David, Danny, Ruben

Having after dinner coffee

Stirling in the snow and ice - a few pics that Michael took near our house.

The icy River Forth & snow-covered Dumyat hill

Freezing fog and icy trees with Wallace Monument in background

Sunset

Hogmanay party at Stirling Castle Esplanade - minus 6 celsius

New year’s resolutions….

I was trying to think what I’d done/ achieved this past year and what would I like to do in 2010. Well I tried to learn to play squash better to be able to at least occasionally beat Michael- but I still haven’t beaten him! I did learn some new moves but only made it to 4 out of 10 lessons, not as many as I’d hoped! Next year I’m going to try to go to more lessons!

I’ve picked up dancing again for the first time in seven or so years and despite an unpromisingly, uncoordinated start I have improved and am really enjoying it! I’ve been doing salsa and a range of other styles from Bollywood to African to contemporary with a bit of Michael J’s Thriller thrown in just for fun. I just started a bit of Brazilian samba too which is very fast and makes all your wobbly bits shake – oooh!

I didn’t get up as many mountains this year as I would’ve liked but I think maybe I should learn to read an ordnance survey map properly – that could be one of my challenges for 2010: learn to navigate in the hills! Then I’d feel more confident going out without an expert and maybe Michael and I would get lost less often!

Yoga has been a regular feature in my life in 2009 and I am actually improving! I think I am inflexibile genetically but I am gradually getting there:-) As my teacher says- it’s taken her 30 years to get to where she is now (she’s in her mid-60s and can do the splits and many weird and wonderful contortions). That’s something I am definitely going to carry on with in 2010.

On a more practical, less personal note, one of my more urgent ‘resolutions’ is to move to a bigger place without a damp problem! Hopefully by February we will have moved out of our tiny bungalow and will actually be able to invite people round for parties and to stay over! Maybe next new year I’ll have an ‘open house’ on 1st January and have all my local friends and family over! It would be nice not to have to sleep on a mattress on the floor when we have someone to stay and to be able to have more than one guest at a time in the house! It would also mean that we can have a separate room for the computer desk rather than have it in the living room.


Another ‘wish’ rather than a resolution is that I’ll make it to France next year for a visit at some point –maybe somewhere I’ve never been before like Toulouse or Lyon. My last visit was to Paris in 2008 for a weekend. I loved it but I have been many times before, particularly as I spent a year in Versailles in ‘93-’94 and had my half price travel card which was very well used on numerous weekly trips into the city!

I do fancy doing some language learning next year – maybe picking up my Spanish again or starting something new like Arabic or Gaelic (just for fun!). It will depend how much time I have on my hands…

Now, I am off to make the most of the last 1.5 days of 2009! Happy new year!

Winter 2009

November/ December Chaos

It's gone by in a blur! Inevitably, November and December are busy months with various parties and celebrations from birthdays (including mine!), to bonfire night, dinners and charity events to secret Santa gift-giving. Add to that a week-long holiday abroad (Lanzarote, which I’ve already written about), my numerous job applications and interviews (some bizarre experiences), and a climate change march – not to mention a change of job - and I’ve barely stopped until now!

I’ve found the whole experience of academic job applications somewhat of a let down. There is often no real equal opportunity in academia where jobs are promised to individuals but then must be advertised by law. You can’t know in advance which jobs actually exist and which are a complete waste of your time – very frustrating. Anyway, after numerous interviews including one in Bournemouth the outcome for me is that I have a short-term, full-time contract at Stirling Uni, where I used to work, as an extension to the project I’ve been working on for the past 2.5 years. That ends in January when I should have two part-time contracts based at Stirling giving me a full-time research post for 12 months. It is working with really nice people so I am looking forward to it but it will be extremely busy as I will also still be unofficially doing work on the current project which is still running until March.

Doune Castle, Nov 09 - various Monty Python scenes were filmed here

View from Doune Castle


Through the portal- a view from Doune castle ramparts

In amongst job interviews etc I’ve been out and about enjoying various salsa nights including ones for a charity set up by my friends to raise money for building wells in Nicaraguan villages (http://www.agua.seoras.com/).

I also managed to visit the Xmas markets in Edinburgh which are really pretty and atmospheric- there’s a ‘highland village’ market selling loads of woollens and also drinks like mulled wine –mmm! – and German market with loads of foods, trinkets, and decorations from, guess where, Germany. There are also traditional funfair rides, like a big wheel and helter skelter, and an ice rink –all in the Princes Street gardens. They’ve even temporarily stopped work on the (much delayed) tramline on Princes Street over Xmas so people can get around more easily.

We finally had a proper look around Doune castle and enjoyed the very entertaining audio guide by one of the Monty Python actors complete with optional excerpts from the film dialogue. If you visit I’d recommend taking a torch as some of the staircases in the upper sections of the castle are very dark and narrow!

Salsa night for charity in local bowling club - I'm the one in the blue dress

Finally, I took part in my first demonstration! I joined thousands of others (around 6000-8000) in ‘The Wave’ in Glasgow to stop climate chaos. The atmosphere was great with samba bands and pipers playing and lots of families taking part. We walked a few miles from Bellahouston Park in Ibrox to Kelvingrove park in Glasgow’s west end via the new footbridge over the Clyde (video at end of post). With folk from my Friends of the Earth group we carried our blue banner and were joined by the ‘People and Planet’ group from Stirling uni. One of their banners was a lot ruder than ours - I can’t remember exactly what is said but it included ‘F*ck’ in it…

Me and Walter carrying our banner at 'The Wave', Dec 09 - a bit blurry but the only one with me in it! It says 'Stirling for Climate Justice'

In London everyone had been asked to dress in blue to create a visual ‘wave’. In Glasgow we weren’t asked to do the same- it turns out that this was probably because of the Celtic match being played that day. Their arch enemies Rangers wear blue and there was concern that we might be mistaken for rival fans…! How sad!

Yelitza & Roser with their Xmas teddies they got from secret santa

Snow on the Ochils behind Stirling station on Xmas Eve


December snow on the hills in Riverside, Stirling

Stirling Baptist church with a hint of snow still on the roof

I have been hugely enjoying my time off over Xmas catching up on reading, sleeping, seeing family and doing some swimming which I haven’t done in ages. The week before Xmas I had the pool practically to myself as there were only three people using two pools at the university! It was a lot busier yesterday as people are trying to burn off some of the Xmas excess!

Video of the start of the climate change march in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow (it would only let me insert it at the end of the post for some reason...)

A Walk in the Ochils

November walk from Tillicoultry
I hadn’t been out on a hill walk for a couple of months- far too long –so when Toni suggested a Sunday walk I immediately said yes. It looked like it would be just me and Toni until Roser also came at the last minute.

We met in our usual place at the Macrobert café on the uni campus and spent too long chatting with Sonia meaning we had to opt for a more local short walk in order to be able to finish it before dark. It’s now dusk around 3.30pm!

Great texture of the rocks on the hill

Me & Roser at the summit in the clouds-it wasn't raining but very windy. Toni assured us that on a clear day you can see the Cairngorms and the West Highlands

We drove a few miles to nearby Tillicoultry where we started our walk in Mill Glen – a popular local Sunday walk. It was very steep in parts and hard going on the ascent but peaks at only 671 metres. As we got nearer the summit we were walking in the clouds – they look just like fog and I can’t really tell the difference. We briefly stopped for tea and a snack at the summit in the howling wind before heading back down out of the clouds to admire the views across the Forth valley.

I love the contrasting colours of the bracken and grey sky

Roser & Toni on the descent down Ben Cleuch (sounds like 'clook')

I saw the recently disused Tillicoultry quarry on the way down – a large hole in the side of one of the hills and a gorse bush in very early flower (they usually flower around February time) in the sheltered glen.

We made it in 3 ½ hours and arrived back at our car to find 2 fellow walkers had lost their car keys and were trying to break back into their own car! They still hadn’t managed by the time we had removed our muddy boots and left.