Don’t worry, he’s laughing, not crying!

Life has become come increasingly demanding. I have a lot to think about. In order to do so, I need to withdraw into an inner hermitage for a while.  A “poustinia of the heart”, so I can hear God’s voice.

A poustinia (Russian: пустынь) is a small sparsely furnished cabin or room where one goes to pray and fast alone in the presence of God. The word poustinia has its origin in the Russian word for desert (пустыня).

I hope to find God within…meanwhile, I will only be blogging here: Seeking Silence 

I shall be back!

Just some pictures of what I’ve ben cooking up in my kitchen this weekend

Apple cake with crumble topping:

This is just an ordinary sponge cake, with 3 grated eating apples added to the mix, and then a mixture of flour, margarine, brown sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on the top before going into the oven. Lovely and moist and the crumble topping adds a biscuity element.

Cherry Scones:

Always a family favourite, especially served warm with cream and strawberry jam

Carrot, lentil and coriander soup:

Now that Autumn is well and truly here, warm soups and stews are the order f the day. I made this batch yesterday for our tea tonight, and am so looking forward to eating it later with some Nan bread!

Apple and blackberry frangipani pudding:

I still have a fair few foraged blackberries in the freezer, so made this lovely pudding for after our meal yesterday. This is the fruit filling, prior to the frangipani going on the top (made up of 2oz soft brown sugar, 2oz margarine, 1 egg, 1oz SR flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and 3oz ground almonds) The end result is still on the camera, so I’ll post it later.

Enjoy!

 There is a website called “FlyLady” which is an aid to getting one motivated to do the housework, and be organised and thorough. I personally don’t subscribe to the e-mails, because I have my own tried and tested way of getting the chores done, but one of the things FlyLady advocates is putting on ones shoes before getting down to work in the house. She says:

“Since starting this group, I have continually harped on putting your shoes on your feet each morning. I want you to do this and you are not the exception to the rule. Here is why. Several years ago I worked for a direct sales cosmetics company. One main rule for that company was that you could not make a single phone call in the morning unless you were totally dressed, and I mean really dressed! All the way to dress shoes. The reason behind this duty was that you act different when you have clothes and shoes on…With shoes on those feet of yours, your mind says “OK”, it’s time to go to work. You have no excuse for not taking the trash out or putting that box of give-away stuff into the car. You are literally ready for anything. Believe me, when you get that call from school that your child needs you, or that dear friend calls up and says that she needs to talk “can we have lunch?” you are ready! Including shoes.”

And I can certainly see a lot of truth in this! When I am slobbing around the house in my slippers I actually feel slobby! That’s ok if it’s my intention to have a lazy do-nothing day, which happens from time to time (less often nowadays) but if I want to get a lot done, I just feel more able to do it wearing shoes!

I’m sure there’s a spiritual analogy. In fact one came to mind whilst I was thinking about this earlier today. Is it possible to sometimes wear spiritual slippers when in fact we need to put on our spiritual shoes, to show we mean business? I guess we can all become slobby about faith, too, and stop really putting our all into it. Or we can get all too cosy and comfortable and mediocre about our spiritual life and begin to drag our feet. have you noticed how it’s virtually impossible not to drag your feet in slippers?!

Putting on my spiritual shoes is part of getting ready for my day. It is getting up and getting properly dressed by remembering to do my morning prayers, my daily offering. It is being prepared to walk into God’s will for me that day, and willingly! It is being ready to go the extra mile for my family. When I have done all this, then I can put my slippers on and rest in the knowledge that today, I did my best for Him.

Have you put your shoes on today?

Made with fresh oranges and lemons! Enjoy…

Please join me for a cup of tea in my kitchen!

I wish I could invite you in real life…put the blue enamel whistling kettle on the gas hob…serve you biscuits on my vintage cake stand…sit and share the little things about each others’ day. How we might have found God present in our homes and kitchens, in life’s little daily tasks.

So much of life is about these simple, uncluttered moments when we stop and take a breather, in company or alone. I love my kitchen! It’s not flash, or funky, in fact it’s probably a bit on the shabby side and definitely needs decorating. But it’s home, and it’s the heart of my home. I sometimes just run my hand along the work surface, touch the back of the battered old chair my husband restored when next door gave it to us for firewood! When I’m washing up, I often stop, my hands in the hot water, and look out upon the garden, full of ivy and flowers and at this time of year, the occasional robin perching on the washing line.

My kitchen is full of sights and smells which hold meaning for me. Fridge and shelves stocked with ingredients for making cakes, stews, crumbles, pies. An overflowing herb rack which I couldn’t live without. An odd assortment of plates, cups and saucers which don’t match. Cookery books, and plenty of loose leaf recipes stuffed between them. The kitchen is my space, my territory, I am happiest there, and I’d love to invite you inside for tea and biscuits and a chat.

We don’t have a kitchen to share in real life, but we have here ~ pop in and let me know how you’re doing. The picture above is my own kitchen and I have made it inot a prayer, which you can find here: Kitchen Prayer.

 

Today is my 48th birthday!

What would be a perfect birthday celebration? To have a 1940s tea party The above picture is from the tv programme “The 1940s House” which is something I get out and watch on dvd quite often! Not having any other members of my family interested enough to actually arrange a 1940s tea party for me, I shall have to go about it myself, I think I imagine myself sat with my daughter, planning the menu, as are the ladies above! I shall do this later in the week…

Menu

Mock sausage rolls
Roll out an oblong of shortcrust pastry. Cook red lentils in a little water until soft and combine with fried onion, mashed butter/kidney beans, breadcrumbs, a little beaten egg and some sage, pepper and salt. Form the lentil mixture  into a sausage shape and place onto the pastry, roll, and cut. Bake in a moderate oven until the pastry is golden.

Fish paste sandwiches
6 oz Cooked smoked mackerel
4 oz Cooked, Mashed Potatoes
2 oz Softened Margarine
4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Pepper

Flake the fish with a fork or put through a mincer. Beat in the potatoes
until a smooth paste is formed. Beat in the Margarine, Worcestershire
Sauce and the pepper. Spread between thin slices of fresh or toasted bread and serve for supper or as a nutritious picnic treat.

Carrot Sandwich Filling
Add two parts of grated raw carrot to one part of finely shredded white heart cabbage and bind with chutney or sweet pickle. Pepper and salt to taste. Or bind some grated raw carrot with mustard sauce flavoured with a dash of vinegar

Carrot Cookies
2 Tbsp Margarine
4 Tbsp Sugar
A few drops of vanilla or almond essence
8 Tbsp Grated raw carrot
12 Tbsp Self Raising Flour or Plain Flour with 1 tsp Baking Powder

Cream the margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the flavouring and carrot and fold in the flour. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into greased patty tins and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar. Cook in a moderately hot oven for 20 minutes

Wartime Trifle
1 small ordinary tea bun per person (stale will do)
Fruit Juice (bottled) OR Cooked Fruit OR Very thin Apple Sauce
Thin Custard made with custard powder or potato flour and flavouring.

Cut the buns across and put in a large dish. Heat the fruit juice and custard and pour over the buns, ensuring that each is well soaked. Top with a little fresh fruit for decoration if available.

Mock Apricot Tart
1 lb young carrots,
A few drops almond essence,
4 round tablespoons plum jam,
About 6 tablespoons cold water,
1 lb shortcrust or potato pastry,
2 teaspoons more jam if it can be spared.

Line plate or flan dish with pastry and bake blind. While cases are cooking, peel, wash and dry the carrots and grate into saucepan. Add jam, essence and water and cook slowly until a pulp forms, stirring regularly. Spread over the pastry case and top with a little more jam if available. Could be served with mock cream.

Mock cream
1/2 oz cornflour
1/4 pint milk
1 1/2 oz margarine
3tsp sugar
few drops of vanilla essence

Mix the cornflour with a little of the milk to form a smooth paste. Bring the rest of the milk to the boil and then pour the hot milk over the cornflour paste. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, then cook for 3 minutes. Cream the sugar and margarine together. Gradually whisk in the cornflour mixture and add the vanilla essence. Allow to cool.

Oh, and don’t forget the obligatory rabbit-shaped blancmange!  

In the abscence of any long wordy posts, due to time constarints at the moment (gosh, I’m too busy right now!) I thought I’d post some photos of my latest culinary delights for your persusal. I might get round to adding full recipes at some point, too Enjoy!

A  honey cake made form a WWII recipe in the Daily telegraph wartime book, Good Fare. It has little sugar/fat and only one egg, substitued by milk and honey, Rather less sweet than I’m used to, but nice all the same (although my family weren’t keen). I ended up turning it into a sultana-cake pudding (also a WWII recipe) later in the week to use it up! See below…

Another recipe on rations! A root vegetable pie with potato pastry and boiled rice mixed with tinned tomatoes and fried onion. Both rather nice, if a little dry!

These are some spinach and feta tarts which were loved by all, even my 7 month old grandson. Very simple to make, just bake the pastry cases blind and add cooked chopped spinach, crumbled feta and fill with a mix of cream, eggs and milk seasoned with pepper and basil (you don’t need to add extra salt as feta is quite salty anyway). I served with baked potatoes and salad

Jam tarts! An old favourite from childhood for most of us I’ll bet I used a mixture of raspberry and starwberry jam, lemon curd and marmalade to make the most of the different colours.. Caught in the sun they look like jewels

This is a mango, cinnamon and lime cake. I had a very over-ripe mango in the fruit bowl, so I peeled, chopped and boiled it with the juice of half a lime and a teaspoon of cinnamon until reduced and thickened, then added it to regular cake mix. The icing is made from icing sugar and the remaining lime juice and sprinkled with cinnamon. Sweet and tangy all at the same time! I think I will let mangos go over-ripe on a regular baisis now. It is probably the moistest cake I have ever made

Finally, this is a latte sprinkled with nutmeg in my favourite mug ~ put your feet up and share a virtual coffee with me, and have a great day!

Well, it’s been a while! I guess I have been too busy living “Life on the Home Front” to blog about it But it’s time for a recap, and for me to put together some thoughts I have been mulling over, and try and get them into some semblance of order!

This is the time of year when life changes for me, steps up a gear, so to speak. After the wondrous lull of the summer holidays, when I become fully domesticated again and just revel in being in the home, the kitchen, pottering, tidying, being creative in a domestic way (and loving it!) I have to change hats, and prepare to enter the world of work again. It’s so good working in education, because it means I get plenty of holidays in which to connect with what I see as my true vocation ~ being a homemaker. To be honest, I would love to do it all of the time, because it’s where my heart is and where I feel most fulfilled. But circumstances necessitate that I work part-time, and quite honestly, we couldn’t manage financially without my income. At least now the children are all growed-up, I don’t have to juggle childcare, or feel guilty about not being there for small children. Yet I still feel most at home in a apron, and dare I say, barefoot in the kitchen!

It’s been quite a while since I posted anything about Saint Zita and the woman of Proverbs 31. Both have been a wonderful inspiration for me, and both of them combined the domestic with the working life, albeit in different ways. I will be writing something about both of them soon, focusing on the balance between the home and work, and being able to do justice to both.

If you want to catch up with my other musings on Saint Zita and Proverbs 31 first, then please follow the links!

• Saint Zita
• Proverbs 31

See you again soon!

I don’t say this boastfully or out of a sense of pride, but it’s not often I have a kitchen disaster…except last week I certainly did! I was making an apple, sultana and cinnamon crumble and after putting it all in the dish, I placed the dish on top of the cooker until time to go in the oven, and went off to do other things. I was sat at the computer in the front room thinking “mmm, those apples do smell nice” which then changed to “hmmm, those apples smell a bit like burning toffee!” at which point I went in the kitchen to investigate. Oh dear. I had left one of the gas rings on low, and plonked the crumble on top. There was a lot of sugar added to the tart Bramleys, and the bottom of the dish was toffee of the most burnt on kind…

Unfortunately the whole thing tasted burnt and was unsalvageable, so I had to throw it and make a quick chocolate pudding instead. Thankfully the dish came clean after a couple of days soaking in biological washing powder and warm water (a tip I picked up from the internet!) so all’s well that ends well.

Otherwise, it has been busy chez Pogle over the last few weeks, despite being summer vacation. Vacation does not necessarily equal rest! I have been doing a fair bit of babysitting and generally cathcing up around the house, so forgive my blog silence. I will try and make an extra effort over the next couple of weeks

I made this savoury pudding a couple of weeks ago to use up some leftover stale bread, and it was a hit! It’s very simple to make, and as all my recipes tend to be, I made it up as I went along, so the quantities are approximate (I can never fully remembered what I did after I have eaten it!)

Just grease a baking dish well, and line the bottom with triangles of buttered bread (crusts cut off), buttered side down. Top with a generous amount of grated cheese and fried onion and herbs…you can add other stuff here, like fried red pepper, courgette, mushrooms, chopped ham ~ whatever you like! Top with more buttered triangles, butter side up, and then pour over 3/4 eggs beaten with some milk (5-6oz) so that it just comes up to, but not over, the bread. Place a small plate on top and weight it down a bit (with a can of beans or similar) so that the bread soaks up all the egg/milk and leave for half an hour. Top with more grated cheese and then cook at Gas 5 for about half an hour. It will puff up like a souffle, and is delicious served with a green salad…but very rich! Be warned!

Bread and butter pudding was a staple during wartime, and although usually sweet was often made as a savoury dish to save on sugar, with powdered egg and margarine instead of butter. This is def. not a rationed recipe though…far too much butter, cheese and real eggs

Today I made cupcakes, and bought an icing bag and piped pretty swirls on the top, for the first time! I am pleased with the result…

These two are my favourite…(the flower’s not edible, just pretty! )

It is important to look after yourself if you are running a Domestic Church! I have been pondering this, and come to realise that women in general are very good at putting others needs before their own, and while that is all part and parcel of a Christian domestic life, we also need to make sure that we are taking care of our own needs, for then we are better able and equipped to look after others!

I had a doctors appointment yesterday, and my GP emphasised the importance of “weight-bearing exercise” for post-menopausal women such as myself, to keep my bones strong and protect against osteoporosis. The conversation went something like this:

Doc: you need to be doing weight bearing exercise at least 5 times a week.
Me: does housework, hoovering, mopping floors, cleaning windows, hanging out the washing, carrying shopping, running round after my family and 3 grandchildren, jiggling a baby and walking everywhere (as I don’t have a car) count?
Doc: only if you work up a sweat…
Me: that’s my exercise accounted for then!

…but it’s also important to make sure we are building in times to relax and wind down in our busy week. Whether that’s by doing a gentle hobby we enjoy, such as reading, or simply relaxing in a chair from time to time. We are human beings, not human doings, and we need time to just “be”! My favourite way of relaxing is in a long, hot bubble-bath, listening to Classic FM on the radio. I can go in, lock the door and shut out the cares and concerns of daily life for half an hour each night, and feel refreshed and physically cared for.

What’s your favourite way to relax? Leave a comment…

I live in a small semi-rural town which holds an agricultural show every year. Part of the show is a huge cheese tent, where different regional cheeses are sampled and awarded prizes. My daughter’s partner went today, and came back with a bagful of different cheeses for us ~ more than we could eat! We shall share them with my other daughter…

From top left we have Double Gloucester, a selection of cheeses from the Isle of Man, mature cheese from the Lake District, Wensleydale with cranberries, Red Leicester my husband’s favourite, Wallace and Grommit Wensleydale, Cheddar with citrus peel, Wensleydale with cranberry and orange, smoked Cheddar coated in paprika and Cheddar with Colman’s English mustard! Quite a feast

Oh, and the weighing scales are new, retro-style to replace the old, rather ugly 70s ones which were given to me 20 years ago and which have started to weigh innacurately! Don’t they look smart?

What’s your favourite?

I am a big fan of fig biscuits, but they have to be the right sort…I don’t like ones where the biscuit bit is too thick, and not enough fig in the middle ~ Bolands are my favourite sort…

I was browsing this site A Nice Cup of Tea and a Sit Down the other day and found a page comparing different makes of fig rolls: Fig Fest which made me smile! Thanks to mum6kids for reminding me of the site again

…so now I’m off to have a nice cup of tea and a fig roll! Tell me your favourite biscuit in a comment Or maybe you would like one of the mini Bakewell tarts I made today…

Super purple blueberry cake today!

Just a basic sponge cake with blueberries added, and some blue and red food colouring in the buttercream to make it purple. Topped with blueberries and icing sugar ~ what could be simpler? Or more yummy?

We are decorating the bathroom at the moment. Hubby stripped off the layers of wallpaper, back to the plaster, and we found underneath some original art-deco style painting, probably from the 1930s! The condition of the wall, unfortunately isn’t good enough to restore it, but we are going to paper over and then reproduce the design ourselves, in the same colours ~ what do you think?

 

I love this public information film from 1941 ~ so funny! And those accents…

…can you tell I can’t think of what to write right now!

She makes tapestry for herself; 
     Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

It’s ages since I have written on Proverbs 31 ~ I am getting slack! Please forgive me, and I hope this entry makes up for the wait

I have been reflecting on this verse quite a bit lately as I have been discussing modesty in dress and how should we present ourselves as Christian women? Unfortunately, there is a school of thought which equates modest with frumpy/dowdy, but it doesn’t have to be so! The woman of Proverbs 31 is well-dressed and so is her home. How does she manage it? I know if we are busy at home all day, or have small children, it’s hard to even keep clean from one minute to the next, and the latest accessory is often dribble, baby sick or pureed sweet potato down the front of your top What’s a girl to do?

But we’ll come onto clothing later ~ for the first half of this verse refers to home furnishings (yes, there was such a thing even in OT times, albeit without the influence of Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen!) Now I’m pretty sure that most of us won’t be making our own tapestries to hang from the walls, or cover the chairs, but it is important in my opinion to try and create a sense of beauty in our homes, even when the children are small. Everyone has their own idea about style and in the 21st century there is a multitude of them, but whether patchwork cushions and quilted throws, farmhouse kitchen, or modern minimalism is your style, there is nothing more comforting than having a well kept home to relax in in the evening. Of course one has to work at it ~ homes don’t tidy themselves ~ but it’s not about creating a show-home either. A home needs to be cosy and welcoming, somewhere you can put your feet up on the sofa and just curl up. There are many ways one can improve without breaking the bank or buying a new kitchen! Soft lighting, warm colours, attractive rugs, pretty cups and plates, well-chosen ornaments, some plants…none of these have to be expensive and some can be sourced from charity shops and flea markets, but what a difference they can make. It’s also a good idea to do a quick whiz round of the kitchen and living room before settling down for the evening. How much easier it is to relax when the supper dishes are washed, the kitchen side is wiped clean and the living room is hoovered and the clutter and toys of the day put away.

And then there is the matter of how we present ourselves. If we think firstly of two extremes, it might then help to find the balance in the middle. Firstly, it can be so tempting to slob around the home in our oldest, tattiest pair of jogging pants and worn out t-shirt c0vered in stains, hair hastily bunched in a scrunchie, no make-up…but at the other end of the scale, we can become obsessed with our appearance, spending large amounts of money on designer clothing, expensive haircuts and beauty treatments, trying to present a perfect picture-image. Neither of these two extremes is the ideal! It is possible to appear well-groomed and attractive without breaking the bank or making appearance into an idol. Of course you might need to dress down to do the gardening, or those really messy jobs around the house, but for general duties there is no reason why we can’t wear a skirt and blouse, a dress or a pair of smart trousers. A great help is to wear an apron, so that when baking or cleaning our clothes are protected. I love the images of housewives of the 40s and 50s wearing lovely dresses sensibly covered in aprons! Here’s me in mine…

Dressing well, with a little bit of make-up and some pretty jewelry needn’t be expensive ~ again, charity shops sell good quality clothes at bargain prices ~ and it all helps to keep a little spark in your marriage too!

The first is just beautiful ~ the second is funny, but just as true! Enjoy

The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony

1641 “By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God.”145 This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple’s love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they “help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.”146

1642 Christ is the source of this grace. “Just as of old God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony.”147 Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to “be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,”148 and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb:

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church

To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong admit it;
Whenever you’re right shut up.