Sunday, June 8, 2008

Weekend mutterings

A weekend of odds and sods. I rose early filled with expectation. It's not often that our weekends are planned, we tend to be more of an ad hoc family, we do what the moment lends itself to, but this weekend was different. It was the weekend of the annual Craft show. My head was filled with the prospect of rows and rows of yarn, needles, accessories, needlecraft galore and hours of happy browsing, with maybe the odd purchase. We arrived and were immediately aware that it seemed a little on the quite side. My brain worried that due to middle aged fuddleism perhaps I had mixed dates. But no it was the correct weekend and the show was on. The hall was a lot smaller than I expected and although there were beads and scrap booking stalls a plenty, there was a distinct lack of woolly wonders even quilting and embroidery were barely represented. I was disappointed but the teens loved the array of scrap booking and made Christmas and birthday list wishes to last for a few years to come.
Home again I decided to settle down for a stint of knitting. I have three projects on the go at the moment. I am on the last sleeve of my peplum cardy, and that should be finished by tomorrow as it's only a short sleeve.
I am also working merrily through Ophelia in Patons Serenity Bamboo and cotton. I love this
stuff, it has such a smooth soft feel and drapes in the most flattering way. I am just disappointed that I can't source it in New Zealand. I found the batch currently in use in a yarn store down in Matamata in January in a shade of pale grey relegated to the bargain bin and bought all five balls. It was made for Ophelia, but now I want to knit with it again and have seen some wonderful colours like this







I am also half way up the back of the t-shirt top from the Knit1 magazine for my daughter, which is in a greeny brown shade of different brand of bamboo and cotton. I'm making her the first one of the three. It has a moss stitch border and little cap sleeves.
In between knitting I have been reading Nigel Slatter's Toast. It's not often I read a biography but this is for a new book club. It is a fascinating read, the way the episodes of his childhood are told through the encounters he has with food. I could empathise with so many of the dishes he describes and can remember my own childhood dishes and the battles on Sunday that would ensue over two Brussels sprouts, or cabbage. One meal I could never stand was boiled gammon and cabbage. It always smelt slightly slimy, and the salty, slippery texture of the cabbage after it had been cooked in the gammon water would make my stomach churn. What childhood meal do you remember with a shudder?

8 comments:

Sal said...

I don't think I had a problem with any childhood food at all. My mum's cooking was lovely,good old fashioned wholesome food.
But the one thing that I really hated the smell of, was mustard! That really turned my stomach..and still does.;-)

Anonymous said...

I love sprouts, but not when my grandmother has boiled them to a mush for most of Sunday morning!
I've been to one of those craft shows before, a great disappointment when you've made a special effort to go. Think there has only been one like that, the others have been a real treat

A Spoonful Of Sugar said...

Sorry to hear the craft show wasn't up to expectations!

Mostly the food from my childhood was often overcooked and very bland. Foods I particularly detested was parsnips and turnips; and kidneys. I think it inspired me to cook and my family don't realise how good they have it!

April said...

I always hated having left over meat from the sunday roast on sandwiches for school the next day. Cold greasy meat - yuk. Also hated risotto as it was really dry and grainy.

April xx

Anonymous said...

Cauliflower, I was made to eat the stuff and I really dislike it. I also remember every tea time we had to have milk- now I don't like milk much and can't drink it from a glass.. anyway I used to always make up excuses as to why I couldn't drink it , my fave was that it was sour but one teatime it was actually sour and I was made to drink it as my mam didn't believe me.. My own fault I know yuk

Jane said...

It is frustrating to get to a craft show and find it isn't all it was supposed to be - poor you. Childhood food was ok can't think of anything i detested except school curries - too hot.

Willow said...

Two meals stand out to me.

I don't much care for liver (actually I detest it and any organ meat) but having to eat it fried tough as rubber--shudder.

My dad made boiled eggs and put them in my lunches. Ick. The only way I eat boiled eggs now is deviled or in a dish that camoflagues the flavor.

Willow said...

I'm pleased that you are learning your lessons in blue love. As a teacher, I love it when my students grow and learn :P)