Still Striving For that Elusive Halo

Sorry Doris forgot about your birthday yesterday. 

20 years ago there was a bright sun in the sky - just like today.

20 years ago there was a light dusting of snow on the ground - just like today.

20 years ago I woke up with a back ache - just like today.

20 years ago I could blame my daughter for that, although I didn’t know for another hour and a half that I was about to give birth to a daughter.

20 years ago as she took her first breath of the air of this world she was small and helpless, a bit bruised and squashed in her rush to get out.

Today she is a beautiful, intelligent, resourceful woman who has a wonderful future out there for her and of whom I am very proud.

Happy Birthday Pazza.

Like me my brother enjoys to cook, in fact it has been known for him to enter and win jam making competitions, much to the annoyance of those who have won them for years.  He also often tottles up to pay a visit to Nick Nairns Cooking School.  So when I stumbled across this picture the other day I knew it would end up getting posted today.

This photograph was taken in 1969 one Lilias Day.  BB is the one in the chefs hat on the right, our sister is in the middle (who some 30+ years later final became a nurse) and yes that is me on the left as the Queen of Hearts, must have been my Alice in Wonderland phase!

Happy Birthday BB, have a wonderful day.

Son has always enjoyed listening to music, and no doubt tonight he will be listening to plenty as he celebrates his birthday.

Happy 22nd Birthday!

Unless of course you are the Queen who gets two, or *L* a member of the congregation who being born on the 29th February only gets one every 4 years.  Most of us only get a birthday once a year, and for Hubby his is today.

45 seems more than a year older than 44 and I am not sure why, maybe it has something to do with why the shop keepers like to keep prices at £4.99 or £9.99, or maybe it is that pricing policy that has now crept into my sub-conscious and effecting birthdays.  Either way 45 is still young, it didn’t seem like it when I was a child, but with the over 100’s now being one of the fastest growing age groups in the country, it could be said that it isn’t even middle-aged.

So to Hubby and all those other youngsters out there whose birthday is today:

Happy Birthday!

Last night friends who both have birthday in this octave came round for dinner (the menu for the evening, for those who may be intrested can be found here). They are also both priests, and another of the guests had made an altar birthday cake for them, complete with jewelled chalice and paten, and lacy linen made out of icing!

Here they are blowing out the high six candles on the altar/cake. Of course neither of them are six, but they acted like it when they wanted to set off loud fireworks at past midnight and I said they couldn’t!

Tonight friends are coming round, two of whom are celebrating birthday’s hence the dinner - the menu.

Scallops wrapped in pancetta then cooked on a griddle served with pea puree.

Mango Sorbet

Rack of lamb, simply roasted, served with roasted butternut squash, and cous cous with courgette, shallots, peppers, apricots, pine nuts and plenty of fresh parsley. I may or may not also do a port and redcurrant sauce haven’t decided for certain on that one.

For dessert pear and almond shortcake with vanilla cream.

Cheese and biscuits for those still hungry, if anyone is!

Pea Puree

• Boil a bag of frozen peas for 5 minutes then plunge into iced water.
• Whiz in a liquidiser with a glass of dry wine a little salt and pepper.
• Push through a sieve - this takes a while but the flavour is sweeter without the skins.
• Add tablespoon of either Double Cream or Creme Fraise.
• This can all be done in advance.
• Heat through before serving. 

Pear and Almond Shortcake

• Mix 5oz of self raising flour with 1oz of ground almonds (you can use ground rice instead if someone is alergic to nuts), the grated rind of one lemon, and 2oz of dark brown sugar.
• Rub in 5oz of butter, once it is like fine breadcrumbs pull it together into a ball and kneed it so it all sticks then push it into a tin building up small sides, prick it well with a fork.
• Bake for 30 mins 190c, leave to cool.
  That can be done in advance.
• Peel, core and slice three to four fresh pears place on top of the shortcake.
• Beat together 4oz of philadelphia, an egg, and a tablespoon of ground almonds (use vanilla essence if someone is alergic to nuts), or a few drops of almond flavouring.
• Spoon the mixture over the pears and shortcake ensuring everything is covered – bake at 180c for 40 mins.
• Best served warm rather than hot.

78 years ago in Brussels, Belgium, John and Ella celebrated the birth of their new baby daughter. That woman became an icon of the 20th century, not only because of her charm and beauty, but also due to the work she undertook for UNICEF.

I first remember seeing her in that British classic, The Lavender Hill Mob although she will probably always be best remembered for her roles as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Her only Oscar came from her role as Anya Smith or rather Princess Ann in Roman Holiday. I am of course talking of the beautiful quirky legend that was Audrey Hepburn; to mark this day here is the song she made her own.

Yesterday I had to get up at what was in effect, as far as my body was concerned at 5.30am, and dash down to the church to deposit items for the Lent Lunch, before jumping in the car and making the short journey over to Cambuslang. Currently they are without a priest of their own and I am acting as interim priest which doesn’t usually have any impact on Sundays’, but this Sunday was different. The priest who was to cover had fallen ill and with no one else to cover at short notice it was down to me. One of the things I really used to love about not having my own parish was the visiting of other churches so it was nice to be with them all at St Cuthbert’s and while we had to juggle the service a bit to ensure I was able to leave in time to get back to St Mark’s, they did get to sing all their hymns which seemed to be the major concern.

Of course this event would have to happen during some major road works, and although it was still relatively early on a Sunday I did get caught up in a queue of traffic on my way back, however abandoning my car in the middle of the car park I was able to get in and get dressed before R, the organist had started to play the list of standby hymns in case I had got delayed. For the second time I reminded a congregation that although people were marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, slavery was still alive and well in some parts of the world, and the job which began all those years ago was still not completed. The Lent Lunch was a great success with everyone enjoying the basic fayre of soup, bread and cheese.

Then back home for the next celebration.

Youngest university students birthday, as she opened her presents we opened a bottle of wine to toast her 19th year. Now she did have the choice of going out to eat, but when I had previously asked where she wanted to go it was no surprise when she turned round and said; “I want roast lamb at home with all the trimmings, and yorkshire puddings even if it isn’t right … oh and don’t forget the birthday cake!” Hubby and I had ventured out on Saturday to buy the lamb, he thinking half a shoulder would suffice me decided a whole leg would be needed, I won the day and as the afternoon drew on the smell of roasting lamb filled the house. Daughter managed to eat well over half of it herself, she is very fond of roast lamb! Then came just about the most chocolate ever to disguise itself as a birthday cake with extra chocolate poured all over it, just in case she thought she was being short changed! Later in the evening she headed off to party with friends taking with her the rest of the birthday cake - me I fell asleep I must be getting old!