January – Month 12

This is a very important entry of two halves. First of all this month’s achievements which I have to say, feel like a bit of a barrel scrape and, as it’s month 12 (how did that even happen?) ‘The Audit’.

This month
On January 1^st I took up two, one a day ‘new’ activities. Inspired by Annie Wilcox I bought A Cloud A Day and every morning, with breakfast, I read about a cloud.

This then inspired me to go back to something I failed to complete a couple of years ago – Clemency Burton-Hill’s book A Year of Wonder.

*This is the book if you want to learn something about classical music*

In it she writes about a piece of classical music for every day of the year and someone has usefully put together a Spotify playlist to go with it. It’s another breakfast activity, and a real joy. If a particular piece of music is not a joy – because not all of it is – Clemmie makes it one with her writing. I’d like to add a gentle acknowledgement to two friends Sue and Fiona who are also listening, and with whom I have an, albeit brief, exchange of opinion on what we’re listening to. Winter lockdown isn’t tremendous fun and this fleeting daily contact is just lovely.

I decided that I should post here, my favourite piece of music and my favourite cloud from the month. Here they are:

*I think it was the blue sky as much as the cloud!*

An aside – If you don’t know anything about Clemency Burton-Hill, look her up on Wikipedia and listen to her recent Women’s Hour interview. She’s amazing.

Staying with the music theme, I have to report that MATTHEW HAS NOT SENT A CD THIS MONTH. There you have it. I paid too. Now laugh! I’ve forgiven him and he says that one is on the way. He asked me to rank the music I’ve received over the last 12 months. You’ll notice that there are 12 EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN’T RECEIVED ONE THIS MONTH. That’s because I’ve included Bruce and put him first because that’s where he belongs.

Birds! I went for a walk and heard, as well as saw, a woodpecker. Can you:

Tap, tap, tap

I almost took part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. I say almost because it turns out that I did it wrong because you’re supposed to count number of birds not just the type. So, for my readers only, I saw blackbirds, jackdaws, sparrows, blue tits, robins, thrushes, and pigeons. That’s it. I was very disappointed that the tiny wren who dances around the garden from time to time didn’t make an appearance.

The canal. No walks this month as we couldn’t get to the starting point without an unofficial drive. I did, however, find out that there’s a map of the canal and I’m using it to highlight the walk. You can see how much has been achieved. The orange sections are those where we’ve had to walk ‘there and back’ because of lack of transport. It’s a great map – all 167 bridges have names!

A couple of recipes – lentils cooked in coconut milk. More than edible but ‘presentationally’ dull…

and something called Hoppin’ John cooked to use up a lot of spring greens delivered in the veg box! Unexpectedly delicious.

Books – The two bookclub books this month couldn’t be more different. The Wall by John Lanchester, a dystopian novel which describes a scary Britain protecting its borders after a climate change catastrophe, and The Wintering by Katherine May, a book about preparing for the ‘down times’ in life. I thought I wouldn’t like this at all but I absolutely loved it. Maybe because of the times? I liked The Wall too, but it I suspect it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

This month’s donation went to the Abergavenny Food Bank.

THE AUDIT
It’s happening. In a few days time I’m going to be 70. Instead of ‘celebrating in style’, at least the style I’d hope to have planned, it will be champagne with Pavel at home. Maybe I’ll get dressed and put on shoes and if so, I shall wear make up.

This blog and the tasks/challenges I set myself were all about having a bit of fun because of my birthday. Yes, I’ve had a bit of fun, but not exactly the fun expected!

70 tasks. Without going into detail they break down as:

47 completed

13 pandemically failed to complete

9 actually failed to complete and

1 was not allowed to complete

What I’ve really delighted in are the readers who’ve said ‘oo why don’t you do this? Or you’ve inspired me to do this!’ And things like last month when I mentioned decorations from the Sacramento Street Christmas shop in San Francisco when Yvonne undressed her tree and sent me a photo of all the decorations she bought there, with the comment, ‘I can’t toss (them), it was a hell of an era.’ So then I emailed Christine, my flat mate from above the Christmas shop and we had a little reminisce.

I’ve wondered about carrying on with the blog and the tasks, and I’ve decided that I’m going to. Until all 70 things are ticked off. I’m nothing if not obsessive. What’s the point of having a list otherwise? As I add the pandemically inspired ‘extras’, who knows, there may end up being 80 or more tasks and…. well, you can see where I’m going with this!

There may not be a monthly update but there will be updates. If you’ve read this far you’re on my mailing list. Do let me know if you want to be deleted – I won’t mind at all. But thank you for staying the course this time around!

November Month 10

This has been the most difficult month so far and the writing of the blog follows suit. I feel I don’t know what to write about, but here goes.

There are no birds to spot – even the pigeons are in short supply – and so I decided to draw a few so that when the days are more conducive to ornithology, I may stand a better chance of recognising my feathered friends. It goes without saying that I can’t draw but I’ve made use of Matt Sewell’s Our Garden Birds and I’m copying his drawings. That doesn’t feel like much of an achievement, but better than nothing. I don’t think I’ll be sued for copyright any time soon!

I have another job. This is a voluntary one until Christmas. I’m calling myself Ms Am@z0n because I’m off to Book-ish every morning to pack the web orders from the day before. Every little bit helps I hope, at least Emma says it does. It’s good for my brain because I’ve had to learn how web orders work, how to check stock and how to order books. However, the real reason I’m writing about it here is that, yes, I am counting it as a job, albeit temporary, which was a challenge from a couple of months ago. It works really well with me being (still, yes still) on British Summer Time. I wanted to be able to work before the shop opens to reduce contact with people, and going at 9am my time is only 8am Book-ish time. I have plenty of time to not be able to find books before anyone comes anywhere near the shop!

Walking the canal is progressing with a bit of manoeuvring. This month was supposed to be Llangattock to Abergavenny, the plan being to catch a bus to Abergavenny and walk back. On the assigned day the bus was FULL and so the plan was quickly changed to drive to Abergavenny, walk half way to Llangattock and back again, and the next day to walk from Llangattock to the previous day’s destination and walk back again. A brilliant plan even though it meant walking this stretch of the canal twice. It was made even more brilliant by the fact that the ‘mid way’ destination turned out to be The Towpath Inn in Gilwern. We crept in to have a look, having not been in a pub for 10 months or so, and it was EMPTY. On both days. A drink was had and it made those two walks very special. Did you note how I managed to capitalise both full and empty in this paragraph?

Enjoying the pub. There’s brandy in one of those!

This month’s donation to Fine Cell Work. A charity which works with prisoners who make absolutely beautiful things. Have a look.

Matt sent me a ‘sweary’ cd this month. Kesha – High Road. He told me it was sweary to warn me and he was right. I didn’t mind too much. I actually liked most of it on first hearing. I haven’t played it a lot because I also ordered the new Bruce Springsteen. Not sweary. Very much liked my me.

Memory stuff. A real challenge this First of all the poem. I now know the second verse. I wonder if I’ll get it done before February? A friend Lorraine sent me a piece about the poem which I loved reading and made me think. Always a good thing!

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/89511/robert-frost-the-road-not-taken

Then the Chopin Waltz from memory. Even harder, but I can pretty much do this if I have the music in front of me, not to follow, but for a quick look if I stumble. Since I’m short of content this month, I planned to post a recording of me stumbling. I’ve spent half a day trying to work out how to do that, and I’ve failed. You’ll have to take me at my word that I’m hardly looking at the music at all. If you’ve received a link to the blog via an email from me I’ve added the recording to that.

Cooking – here are the best from the month. A roasted mushroom on butterbean mash, recommended this as it full of tasty spices, and chocolate chip muffins. The chocolate chip muffin recipe is from Candace who seems to have made me these muffins at important moments in my life. A pandemic feels important!

Another of those ‘tasted better than in looked’ dishes

This month I read Ali Smith’s Winter and Elif Shafak’s How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division. See how it is? Wintery. Divided. Neither were Bookclub books so another challenge by the wayside. It’s ok though. Elif says so!

On a brighter note, it is my birthday in a couple of months, and no, I won’t have completed my 70 things, but if the governments let us, we will be celebrating in style. I’ve booked something for the day itself and if it happens, it will be perfect. It does, of course, involve eating. Details to follow.

October Month 9

I’ve set myself another challenge (I still need two more). This one is a little silly. I’ve been on lockdown here, and when the end of British Summer Time was approaching I decided that I didn’t want to deal with the dark afternoons that the time change would bring. So, out came the computer, I drew up a chart, and I’m not going to change the clocks until at least a decent time after the equinox. I imagined this would fail almost immediately, but it’s been a week and has been surprisingly easy. And it’s still daylight at 6pm! It’s working partly because Pavel has joined in too. We have discussions at ‘odd’ times during the day about whether it’s coffee time, lunchtime or Channel 4 news time, but we’ve missed nothing yet!

This piece of paper will get more and more crumpled

On the first day of the month I completed task No 46. All 5 peaks reached – Table Mountain, Skirrid, Blorenge, Pen y Fan and now Sugar Loaf. It’s been a delight. It was Pavel’s birthday and we left very early in the morning with a plan to be back down to the Sugarloaf Vineyard for lunch. I thought we would be on top on our own, but no. At least another 5 people arrived while we were there. People get out and about very early!

Walking the Brecon Monmouthshire Canal Day 2. Talybont to Crickhowell. Who would build a canal half way up a mountain? I’m glad they did. The views are stunning. I understand the canal boaters love it too because, unusually, the canal contours the hills, so it is not straight, and navigation is therefore more interesting. Unfortunately the next stage – Crickhowell to Abergavenny – is not possible for a while due to local travel restrictions and now our lockdown.

It looks straight and you can’t see the hills to the left, but it’s not and they are

Bird watching! My lovely friend Jocelyn turned up with another bird feeder to join the one that Kathy sent. This one had fat balls in it. We struggled to attach it in the garden but managed and then watched. My ptarmigan – recently picked up from Arts Alive where I made it last year in a pottery summer school – did not go for the fat balls, but, after a few pretty tits had done their thing, the local jackdaws found them. That was very sad because Jocelyn confirmed that once found, they would not forget. As mean as it sounds, I really don’t want to feed and gaze at jackdaws and so that particular feeder has been abandoned. The apple on the heart still attracts a few small birds. Our garden is not the best place for bird watching though – we have an over-abundance of pigeons. I look to the Spring to work on this challenge. All being well I’ll be 70 by then and the blog will have finished. That is, unless I decide to stay 69 for another year……..

No. 67 completed too. We went glamping! I feel it may be a bit cheating as it was rather luxury glamping. In a treehouse, in the middle of Wales. Just us, sheep, books and a hot tub! How luxurious is that? I always forget how lovely mid Wales is. Wild, empty and beautiful.

If you look closely you can see the hot tub!

Music. Scales are progressing. I’ve tackled nearly all of them now and have moved on to more complicated arrangements. This month 3 against 2. Not easy.

I haven’t studied a composer. I don’t know why, I just didn’t feel like it. Instead I’ve been listening to minimalist music. Arvo Part’s Spiegel im Spiegal is 10 minutes of total peace. That, or it will drive you crazy! Have a listen.

And then there’s Steve Reich’s (short)) clapping song. Go on……

The chocolate course Lecture 2. Make truffles. I watched the lesson, made the water ganache (I had no idea there was such a thing) and ended up with a total fail. The ganache, even after a day in the freezer – where you’re not supposed to put it – is still too soft to turn into a truffle! We’re eating soft (not)frozen balls of chocolate with creme fraiche. Highly recommended! I’ll try again next month.

Matt sent me a hip hop CD. Marlowe. I had to ask for a copy of the lyrics as my head was baffled. I’ve listened. I don’t mind it but it’s probably not going to find it’s way to the top of the pile. It doesn’t matter.

Matt said: Well this one was always going to be a little challenging. I doubt many people start getting into hip hop at 70

I’ve cooked, as always. After last month’s blog, my vegan friend Annie suggested I try making ‘fake’ Rolos. Remember Rolos? They probably still exist! Anyway, chocolate covered soft chewy toffee. The vegan ones have a mashed date and peanut butter centre. I sprinkled sesame seeds on them for a bit of interest. As if mashed dates are not interesting enough.

It’s clearly a ‘sweet’ month as I made a rice pudding cake. Rice pudding cake you say? It was quite delicious, but actually not hugely more delicious than rice pudding itself.

I also made a spicy lamb dish and a chicken bake. Even though we’re almost vegetarian. Strange times.

This month’s donation has gone to the Longtown Mountain Rescue team. Chosen because a friend’s husband volunteers with them. They do great work and depend on donations.

Books. Only one this month for a bookclub. Patrick Gale – Take Nothing With You. A charming coming of age novel about a young gay man who plays the cello. The joy of music in the novel made it for me, but then I got close to the end and discovered the absolute best recipe for pasta tomato sauce ever. For some reason I thought it must be Patrick Gale’s recipe, but it turns out that it’s Marcella Hazan’s very own. Simmer a tin of tomatoes with a whole onion cut in half with three ounces of butter for 40 minutes. Discard the onion. Eat. Absolutely delicious. Pavel ate the discarded onion!

I’ve started to paint another picture. You really don’t want to see it.