GrandBlogMom ... Guess who uses this? Ypocras an update ...

Well – you guessed right ...  young Lenny!  I have a new name: GrandBlogMom!  Sharon is BlogMom ... I’ve been elevated to the grand level ... the other age-related connotation I care to forget about!

GrandBlogMom has been a very lucky lady and received a Valentine’s Day card, an ecard and a hamper full of goodies ...

Lenny does not forget either ... he sent some flowers to Linda in the Nursing Centre ... she was so chuffed, and beaming with delight ... I couldn’t get my coat off before she was regaling me about her wonderful blooms.

In these days of American snowstorms, blizzards, floods, coastal storms, major winds, lashing rain, heat-waves in Australia ... we all need cheering up.

On Monday I went up to London to visit “The Worshipful Company of Drapers of the City of London” – thankfully on about the only dry day this week ... but each time I go to London the fields are even more flooded.

A post is coming up ... but relating back to my A-Z postings last year and the Y forYpocras entry ... I was fascinated to read in the history of The Drapers’ the following:

.. one of the benefactors is the Elizabethan antiquary, William Lambarde.  He entrusted the Drapers with the governorship of the almshouses; he also presented the Company with a handsome silver gilt cup and four gallons of ippocras (a spiced wine cordial).

Life fascinates me ... that these connections keep rolling in ... there was another, but that deserves a longer post ...

I called in to see my sister-in-law in the Chancery Lane area of London ... her advice to me and my visit was:

Avoid low lying ground – they have closed the Thames barrier to keep us dry.

I laughed, but some hours later ... the actual point dawned on me ... I was travelling on the Underground – so I was well below river, ground-water and rain level ... the Victorian structures held I am very pleased to say!

Enjoying a glass of Ypocras before it
can get stored!

Anyway enough of thinking about potential disasters, major city floods or similar nasties ... to you all on this Valentine’s Day I toast you with a glass of Ypocras, or perhaps a hot chocolate  ...

... and I can only hope for so many that the jet stream changes course very soon – it is becoming/has become very serious in parts of the UK ...

... and a very big hug to that wonderful, cheery, happy chap Lenny of Lenny's World ... who is always so thoughtful ...

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Floods and storms ... salt and sugar, and all things nice at the Caviar House ...

I would love my mother to still be alive as she would totally engage in the West Country flooding we are having ... quite extraordinary events ... she would recall stories from her parents' times let alone her 90+ years. 

Looking east towards Newlyn from outskirts of
Penzance - showing breach into Newlyn Green
c/o Adam Gibbard SWNS.com and Daily Mail

When she lived in Newlyn she was always out helping in the community ... there were local floods from excess rain and storms ... but nothing like those we're having now ... 

Walking on Penzance Prom in 1910 - by
an unknown artist

This is what the storms have done this year  ... while here’s a similar postcard dated 1910 ...

Penzance Seafront - c/o Daily Mail

In my M post during last year’s A-Z “M is forMother of the Sea” I included this artwork of Penzance Promenade looking eastwards, away from Newlyn, where my mother lived  ... I’m not sure who painted it ... but the postcards are always available.

Newlyn Village - the seas broached the harbour,
crashing through into the village
c/o BBC Alan Dwan

I’ve practically always driven down to Penzance ... as I’ve been driving for more years than I care to remember ... but on occasions took the train and it was a treat in someways ...

However this sight for sore eyes is one I’ve never seen before: the remains of the railway line’s sea-wall and embankment at Dawlish, after they were torn away by the storm-waves ... the line itself left in animated suspension ... looking, to me, like a rope bridge ...

"The Rope Bridge" - Dawlish

This is the main line from London to Cornwall ... one of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s (1806 – 1859) innovative early railway lines (1830s) ... described in Wikipedia:

Dawlish - picturesque railway
line along the seafront

“the line is noted as one of the most memorable stretches of track in Britain for its natural beauty, although at a very high cost to Network Rail, as it is one of the most expensive lines to maintain due to the continual battle with sea erosion. 

One storm in 1974 washed away much of the westwards platform in the station and a storm in February 2014 brought down the sea wall and washed away a section of the railway line leaving the track suspended in mid-air”.

I think I prefer my descriptive term of a rope bridge ... but someone has been pretty quick off the mark updating Wikipedia.

Somerset Levels - this land has been underwater
for over a month
  c/o Harvey Hook HotSpot Mediaand the Daily Mail

We are really are being deluged by rain, storms, winds all leading to major damage ... it is now so bad, they can’t pump the water out because the ground is already bubbling water up through the tarmac, people’s houses etc ...

It is unprecedented ... though I’m sure back in aeons of time it’s happened before ... but I feel for those who’ve been flooded x number of times already and probably will be again this weekend ... and those in this last week who’ve had to move their animals ... in some cases to slaughter ...

L and I enjoying our time
at the Caviar House

... however there is nothing that can be done about the jet stream as it stays stuck ... two years ago, when all it did was seem to snow, I wrote about our weather ... so should you wish to know more about the jet stream – this was when we had snow, rather than torrents of rain.

This, we are told, is likely to continue for at least another couple of weeks – please move away jet-stream ... it is just devastating ...


... yet at the same time there's a positive: palaeontologists have been able to explore, photograph, record new fossils and clues from the rock falls, buried forests or 800,000 year old footprints ... 

Selfie with God-mother!

... the seas will once again cover exposed forests and footprints ... but wonderful they've been seen ... leading to a greater understanding of those areas of coast.

Life can take funny turns ... there was a flood at Victoria Station in one of London Underground’s busiest Tube lines ... there were delays ... logical with all the rain we’ve been having ...

Wet Concrete in signalling room
c/o Evening Standard

However think again ... it was wet concrete that had been poured into an escalator void bursting through into the main signalling room next door – 

‘Any worker worth their salt knows you have to be very careful with these materials.  It’s bog standard stuff.’

But they needed sugar ... thankfully someone had some sense ...  there was a run on sugar from the local supermarkets to throw on – as that stops concrete from setting as quickly - why or how ... I don't know!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this story!  Mistakes are made ... but ...

So from us, who stay dry and safe, just inconvenienced at times from the floods or delays – I say cheers!

PS - just to make matters worse .. thieves are targeting 'abandoned' farms and houses .... stealing fuel, farm equipment, etc   People really are despicable.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories 

British Food ... the Way We Eat Now – Happy Mother’s Day ...

While I was writing my A – Z posts on Aspects of British Cookery, this nation of gourmets celebrates the joy of fine food.

Apparently London is the world’s most exciting gastronomic city ... it is hard to believe just how gastronomically astute we have become since the grey, beigy wartime rations we’d been used to eating.

Only a few decades ago ... tourist budget Britons started to branch out to travel and trade across Europe, then further afield ... our palates grew more adventurous and much more discerning.

 

Garlic and Onion sellers
peddling the streets of London

Mediterranean produce appeared in market stalls, on station barrows, village stores got edged out with the introduction of small supermarkets, they expanded to become big supermarkets, which e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d even more to hypermarkets ...

The yellow curry or orange sweet and sour pork offered in those early Indian or Chinese restaurants or takeaways, became more upmarket, spices and herbs started to appear in our shops ...

... again we were informed how to make new delicacies ... the British cook was once again being educated ... and asked to expand our culinary horizons ...

 

by Jenny Linford - available
at The London Bookshop

... cookbooks are still bought, recipes in newspapers and magazines included ingredients that three decades ago would have been unheard of here ...

... this melting pot of a nation – a nation rich in cultures ... demanded foods from around the world ... so a Jamaican could make Curry Goat, a Filipino could make Tamarind Sinigang, a South African could have his boerwors, we could all try our hand at making Japanese Sushi ...

So much has happened to awaken our taste buds ... we demand to know where the coffee came from, where the salt was sourced, and which type of pepper is on offer ...

 

Grand Dining London 2013

We have such a diverse range of peoples ... you can find Brazilian foods, Polish stores, Scandinavian dishes ... all within the range of a town or city near you ... if not deliverable by a white van man ... then certainly available to be ordered from a shop near you ...

Cornish Anemones reminding me
of my mother

Then what is even more strange, to me anyway ... is that an enterprising British-Indian young man from Bradford is opening a fish and chip shop in the Indian sub-continent, not even on the coast!

It’s a funny old world – but a fun one ... a very happy Mother’s Day to all families – to all women ... we are all carers in some way or other ...

I'm doing a double dose today and can be found on the Blogging from A to Z Challenge site here.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Brain Pickings, Roger Ebert, RIP ... blogging ... A- Zers something to reflect over and the ‘what now’ ...

I came across Roger Ebert, the renowned film critic who died recently, when I was researching about the silent movie “The Passion of Joan of Arc”.

 

Film montage c/o The Independent

Ebert’s description then made me realise that he must be one special man and obviously lived passionately for his work.

Maria Popova of Brain Pickings, who has the most incredible blog, posted about RIP,Roger Ebert ... The Beloved Critic on Writing, Life and Mortality ...

... the passages she selects for us, as bloggers, could offer highlights into our minds, our reflections, our future, our next journey, while most definitely making interesting reading.

Ebert had cancer of the jaw, lost his ability to talk, realised the advantage of the internet age, and then sadly died, but having written his memoirs, given a TED talk in Scotland, passed on pearls of wisdom in interviews, articles he was able to type etc ....

Please visit Maria Popova’s blog and particularly this post – it makes thought provoking reading together with all the links ...

With reference to us as bloggers, authors, memoir writers, genealogists for our families, et al ...

Extracted from Brain Pickings:

Much like his ability to summon memories without deliberate effort, Ebert’s mastery of the writing process is largely an unconscious act, a state of mesmerism experienced in finding your purpose and doing what you love:

When I write, I fall into the zone many writers, painters, musicians, athletes, and craftsmen of all sorts seem to share: In doing something I enjoy and am expert at, deliberate thought falls aside and it is all just there. I think of the next word no more than the composer thinks of the next note.

He marvels at how the social web, despite his initial skepticism, liberated his impulse for self-expression as his writing took on an autobiographical life of its own:

My blog became my voice, my outlet, my ‘social media’ in a way I couldn’t have dreamed of. Into it I poured my regrets, desires, and memories. Some days I became possessed.

The comments were a form of feedback I’d never had before, and I gained a better and deeper understanding of my readers. I made ‘online friends,’ a concept I’d scoffed at.

Most people choose to write a blog. I needed to. I didn’t intend for it to drift into autobiography, but in blogging there is a tidal drift that pushes you that way. …

... the Internet encourages first-person writing, and I’ve always written that way. How can a movie review be written in the third person, as if it were an account of facts? If it isn’t subjective, there’s something false about it.

The blog let loose the flood of memories. Told sometimes that I should write my memoirs, I failed to see how I possibly could. I had memories, I had lived a good life in an interesting time, but I was at a loss to see how I could organize the accumulation of a lifetime.

It was the blog that taught me how. It pushed me into first-person confession, it insisted on the personal, it seemed to organize itself in manageable fragments.

Some of these words, since rewritten and expanded, first appeared in blog forms. Most are here for the first time. They come pouring forth in a flood of relief.

There are many other insightful points put over on Maria’s posting ... it is really worth visiting – while the TED talk is definitely worth a 20 minute listen ......... what would you do if you could not talk?

 

The subject of not eating comes up ... where he mentions the ‘experience’ of missing the jokes, gossip, arguments and memories ... that he was not able to interact with.

My mother couldn’t eat or drink ... but we still had communication – mostly perfectly normal, though occasionally I’d need to have my wits about me (provided lots of laughter) ... and usually I never discussed food or drink of any sort – it made it fairer for my mother: though she had loved the experience.

There are some other lovely thought provoking thoughts here – so I hope you will click over and visit Maria’s blog and enjoy this posting on Roger Ebert RIP, together with blogging reflections.

Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings Blog – RIP, Roger Ebert: The Beloved Film Critic onWriting, on Life, and Mortality

My post on The Silent Pianist, which includes notes on the silent film  “The Passion of Joan of Arc”

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

Reflections Post .. A – Z (Aspects of British Cookery) 2013 ...

To be a part of the group of Bloggers who participate in the A-Z Challenge has once again been a huge pleasure ...

First – Arlee Bird of Tossing It Out had the bright idea in the first place, all of four years ago ... participating in a group of 100 would have been wonderful, but life wasn’t with me then and I opted not to participate.  

Now with 1700 of us for the last 2 years ... it is an amazing achievement.  This is the link to Lee's Relfections Post ... 

Second – for others to have jumped on the bandwagon as Helpers and Organisers through co-hosting is wonderful for us bloggers, who just participate. 

Lots of ‘stuff’ is sorted out by these willing volunteers – and they deserve all the credit we can give them.

There’s been a few extra minions in the background and I certainly hope we helped clarify things – but then someone has to do the work we forward on ... co-hosts and Lee once again.

What year this refers to - I've no idea!!

Third – us lot: the participating bloggers – congratulations to all who finished and especially to all newcomers this year.

Fourth – to comprehend what is going on in the background defies me and I’m aware that I’m in no position to grump or groan or criticise (sorry I noted someone who wasn't being very positive about it all) – as I don’t fully understand how Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, et al work and then the Browsers, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox to name a few ... and then how we set them up to work either ...

Five – we come from all around the world with many of you speaking English as your second language – I applaud you ... then many of us with differing educations and outlooks on life ... these we need to remember and consider.

I decided that I could not get round to everyone – but I have the rest of the year ... some bloggers were brilliant and gave us recommendations of bloggers who needed extra help or who fitted the letter of the day ... Arlee Bird and Amanda Trought being two I can think of ...

 

Amanda at the Art4Therapy Street Gallery in
University College Hospital, London

I’m lucky I develop a wonderful rapport with many bloggers and have had some fun email conversations ... this year C.Lee McKenzie even going so far as to make my Pond Pudding in my "P" post and posting about it ...

... then she mentions that in the summer she and a friend are having a Pond Pudding Competition ... to see how high they can go and which height makes the best pudding?!  Health and Safety beware!!!!

 

Amanda and I meeting
up at the participative
event of Art4Therapy

I’ve met some brilliant new bloggers to whom I relate to enormously ... the thing I love about the Challenge – those relationships stick ... some haven’t participated this year ... but they’re there.

So often people need our support and having been through my own recent turmoils of the last 7 or 8 years I’ve learnt much, and endeavour to appreciate everyone where they’re at if they’re having problems.

I’ve learnt understanding and thus try and look at things from others perspectives ... ie their set up, their state of mind, their desires and dreams ... some I relate to more easily – as we all do.

One of Amanda's beautiful paintings ... 

The categorising of the blogs this year certainly helped ... but we never know ... there may be hidden talents in another direction - so don't discard anyone!

I’ve had trouble with/I’ve noted:

• Disqus comment facility being put on Blogger blogs – I am unable to comment as the facility doesn’t appear .... I gather it does on other browsers

• Google+ - I sometimes can’t get access (I don’t participate in it)

• The GUI version of Blogger – especially where the gearwheels pop up as the blog is opened up ... I often can’t comment

• Some of us live in the ark, some are advanced and technically astute – but melding and being able to get on to some blogs can be troublesome ... I endeavour to work a way round ... if not ‘tough’ and I just get on.

• It’s the way of the world – enjoy what you can do ... meet like-minded bloggers – by luck as they drop in on you (that happened to me a few times this year), and by commenting as we go through the list ...

• Be positive – take the best outlook ... with 1700 individuals, ten or more genres ... it’s not going to satisfy everyone ... but you joined and if you let it, the experience will be truly gratifying and truly mind opening ...

• ... this is a learning experience par excellence and we are so lucky to have the wonderful people we have organising it for us – so enjoy the people you meet .... it’s a fun fun world!

I doubt there's another group as willing, as supportive as the people we find here putting this show on for us ... I am so thankful!

Cheers!!

Amanda Trought - R for Relationships ... Amanda and I meeting ...

Amanda Trought - U for Update ... her brother has cancer, while her mother is suffering from Dementia ... we appreciated each other's situation, though my life is now my own after my mother's long life ... 

... she asked me how I coped, and what I feel now ... questions we perhaps don't get to ask of others ... I expect we'll meet again to continue these thoughts - but she has other priorities right now.

... I could empathise with the amount Amanda has on her plate with her own family, her art therapy and two of her immediate relations needing a great deal of her time.  Admiration is a word I'd apply here .... she deserves much.

The A - Z is one brilliant challenge ... but so many others in the world have much more pressing challenges affecting their day to day lives ... 

and a PS - 

a couple of things I forgot ... one is I wish people had their email on their sites, so we can make a personal contact, if necessary.   I resisted this for the first year .. but once I'd made lots of friends .. the whole thing became ridiculous and I put up my email - I'm very grateful for the connections I make.

Re commenting .. I too wish people would leave just a little relevant note re the post .. it doesn't take much more effort (if any) - than say the generic "great post" - each time my blog and others are visited ... personalising things helps the connection ... 

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories