ABC WEDNESDAY - D

I've been so good and despite the glorious Spring weather I've stayed in doing my assignments. I'd got to the stage that my mind was so full that I'd even forgotten which day it was. I'm taking a day off today as I'm going out with some of my college pals...which reminded me it is WEDNESDAY. I'd not planned anything for today's ABC post so have raced outside to see what I can photograph. There's not a single dog to be seen on the pavement (sidewalk for my American pals) so it's......

DIS FOR DAPHNE AND DAISY

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don't forget to visit Mrs Nesbitt's Place and sign in

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ABC WEDNESDAY - C

C IS FOR CATERPILLAR, CRANES AND CROCUS

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C IS ALSO FOR CANCER..............

It was Christmas 6 or 7 years ago when Mick and I along with Manda and co went to the Christmas Fayre in Sudbury. I'm a terror as far as Cuddly toys go and always head for the Cuddly toy tombola stall where I usually win a few prizes; for a Change I'd been unlucky and won nothing and Mick said "OK Babe, time for me to have a go. If I win then this one's especially for you". He picked put a ticket; the stall holders face went white " I don't believe it!" he said" just half an hour into the evening and you've won the first prize!". The Teddy Mick won for me is a prized possession.

As those of you who followed my Blog ' There are a million stories' know, Mick passed away exactly 10months ago after a long fight against brain Cancer.
That special Teddy still sits in my bedroom and he has a new friend....Edmund the Explorer....please visit Edmund's blog. He has a special mission to raise money for Darlington & District Hospice Movement St Teresa's Hospice ..... .

ABC WEDNESDAY - B

A BOUNTIFUL BATCH OF B'S !!!!

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B IS FOR BRUSSEL SPROUTS, BEGONIA AND BEEI always lift a couple of Begonia Sempiflorens each Autumn to overwinter........they are tucked away in the 'junk room' and left to their own devices....imagine my surprise when I found this one in flower


It makes me feel that Spring is coming............it won't be long before we see bees in the garden like this one I photographed last year.
B is also for BATTER......it's Shrove Tuesday next week...Pancake Day!!!....( for more info on Shrove Tuesday click on the photo below)...

Pancakes with Orange Sauce
Ingredients for the pancake mix

250g (9oz) soft plain flour

pinch of salt400ml (¾pt) milk3 eggs

sunflower oil or clarified butter

For the Orange Sauce

125g (4½oz) unsalted butter200g

(7oz) caster sugar

zest of half an orange

zest and juice of a small lemon150ml (¼pt)

orange liqueur (optional)

To make the pancakes

• Put the flour in a bowl and stir in the salt. Add the milk, whisk until smooth, then mix in the eggs.

• Strain the batter through a fine sieve and leave to rest for half an hour.• Pre-heat a non-stick frypan or pancake pan add a little oil or butter and roll around to coat the pan base. Pour off any excess.

• Using a ladle, pour the batter into the pan so that it just covers the base, being careful not to let the mixture go up the side of the pan.

• Cook until golden brown and flip with a spatula or palette knife - or simply toss it. Repeat until all the batter has been used.

To make the orange sauce

• Melt the butter in a saucepan.

• Stir in the sugar and citrus zest, mix well.

• Turn up the heat, add the citrus juice and cook for 5 minutes. Add the liqueur if desired.

To serve

Roll or fold the pancakes in halves or quarters and plate individually, or present on a serving dish. Pour the orange sauce over the pancakes.

B IS ALSO FOR AN EXCITING NEW BLOG AND ALSO FOR BEAR..........PLEASE PAY A VISIT TO EDMUND THE BEAR'S BLOG .......HE'S AN INTREPID EXPLORER FOR AN EXCELLENT CAUSE...........

ABC WEDNESDAY - A

A IS FOR APRICOTS AND ALMONDS

100g ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
175ml orange juice
100g soft butter
100g caster sugar
50g self-raising flour
2 eggs
1/2 (half) teaspoon vanilla extract
175g ground almonds
2 tbs slivered almonds

Preheat oven to fan 160C,180C conventional, gas 4 and line the base of a 20cm cake tin.
Put the apricots and orange juice in a pan and cook gently for 5 minutes then allow to cool.
Whisk the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla together until fluffy then fold in the ground almonds followed by the apricots and juice.
Tip into the tin, smooth and scatter with the slivered almonds.
Bake for 40 minutes or until firm, cool for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack to cool.
Dust with icing sugar

Lovely with fresh fruit and creme fraiche or creme.

This cake will freeze.

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ABC WEDNESDAY - Z

Z IS FOR ZENITH

"the high point or climax of something"

so here is one photo from each of my ABC posts.................

Only 24 photos as this collage is the photo for Z and VW were only one picture.

Many thanks to Denise who inspired ABC Wednesday. Back to A next week.

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ABC WEDNESDAY - V TO Y

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Oh dear I've no chance of catching up with ABC Wednesday.....can I cheat a bit...

V & W ARE FOR VOLKSWAGEN

X IS FOR an x-shaped mark used for indicating a vote, showing that something is incorrect, representing a kiss, or representing a signature by somebody who cannot write.......(AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT ENCARTA SAYS!)...so I'm going for a kiss.................OK that brings me up to date........the letter Y......hang on while I rush round the house with my camera...I must have something beginning with Y.......................

A CALENDAR OF THIS YEAR SHOWING

THE FOUR SEASONS OF THE YEAR!

btw...one of the children at the school I help out at made me this........

Now it's time to put my thinking cap on ready for next week's Z!!!

ABC WEDNESDAY - U

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I'm really stuck on the letter 'U'. I don't have a UKELELE (ukulele), an ULTRAVOX album or a copy of ULYSSES . I've been wandering around the house hoping a 'U' will jump out on me....hang on......what do I see on these shelves.............................

U IS FOR UNICORN

If you'd like to learn more about Unicorns just click on my photo above.

Just a brief update on what's happening here in Suffolk for those of you who so kindly drop by to see if I've posted. I'm staying at Leanne's (Crowsfeet Anonymous) tonight as one of our Grandaughters is singing in the choir at Colchester castle....really looking forward to it but must make sure I have tissues at hand...hearing youngsters singing always brings a tear to my eye. It also means I've managed to post this as I'm using her computer! I've been working hard on my History and Literature Assignments in the Childhood Module....all handed in now. My Sociology survey I have to write up over the Christmas Holidays. We will be moving on to the Gender module next......I guess they'll be a few feminist issues raised over the next few weeks as we've only one man on the course!

I'm totally unprepared for Christmas which is unusual for me......I do have a few of my Cristmassy knick knacks scattered about though. It's going to be a difficult Christmas this year but I'm going to Manda & Co for Christmas dinner...it will be so strange not cooking it myself!!!!!

It will be some time before I'm back on the computer properly......but I'll try to get the rest of my ABC's posted each week. It'll take me a year I reckon to catch up with you all!!!!....till then

STAY WELL AND KEEP SMILING!!

ABC WEDNESDAY - T

Posting from a friend's computer so hope this works.....

T IS FOR TINY

and here are some of the TINY plants in Wisley's Alpine House

TIS ALSO FOR TOADSTOOL

these were for sale at Wisley...aren't they fabulous!!!!

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T IS ALSO FOR THURSDAY

so while I'm on a computer here's my Thursday Thought for Tomorrow (tomorrow starts with T too!)

Four times a year we get a small free magazine called the CORNARD NEWS. The Winter edition arrived last week and when I saw one of the articles I thought what a perfect Thursday Thought it would be...............

A.A.A.D.D. - AGE ACTIVATED ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER

This is how it manifests itself;

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start towards the garage I notice mail on the table that I'd collected from the letter box earlier. I decided to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, open the bills and put the junk mail in the recycling bin and notice that it is full. So I put all the bills back on the table and take out the rubbish first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the post box when I take the rubbish out I may as well write out the cheques for the bills and get them posted.

I take my cheque book off the table and notice there's only one cheque left. My new cheque book is in the desk drawer so I go over to my desl and find the can of Coke I'd been drinking earlier. I'm going to write out my cheques but first I need to move the can so I don't accidently knock it over. The Coke is getting warm so I decide to put it in the fridge.

As I head towards the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the worktop catches my eye --they need water. I put the coke on the worktop and find my reading glasses that I'd been searching for the day before. I set the glasses back down and fill a container with water. I suddenly spot the TV remote control has been left on the kitchen table.

I realise that when we watch TV tonight I'll be looking for the remote control but won't be able to remember that it's on the kitchen table. So I decide to put it back by the TV where it belongs; but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the vase but some spills on the floor...so I put the remote control back on the table while I wipe up the spill.

Then I head back down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:

• 
  
  the garden's not watered
  


• 
  
  the car isn't washed


• 
  
  the bill's aren't paid


• 
  
  here's a warm can of coke sitting on the worktop

• 
  
  the flowers don't have enough water


• 
  
  the bill's haven't been paid


• 
  
  the recycling bin is still full


• 
  
  I can't find my glasse


• 
  
  I can't find the remote contro


• 
  
  and I can't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then when I try to figure out why nothing got done today I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I'm really tired.

Don't laugh...if this isn't you yet, your day is coming.

GROWING OLD IS MANDATORY

GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL

LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC

Sorry I'm so out of touch with you all at the moment...normal service will be resumed A.S.A.P.

so one last 'T'......Tatty Bye for now!

ABC WEDNESDAY - S

S IS FOR SUTTON HOO

Sutton Hoo is an estate in Suffolk that is the site of an early burial site. One of the most important archaeological finds was the remains of the ship burial of the Anglo-Saxon King Rædwald, who died in AD 624/5 along with one of the greatest treasure-hoards ever discovered which included the gold and regalia of a warrior-king and silver feasting equipment. A couple of months ago I was lucky enough to join some of the local school children when they visited the site as part of their Anglo-Saxon History lessons; I promised to post some photos on my 'S' post.

Sadly on the day of the trip the weather was pretty bleak.......................and there were many heavy downpours as we made our way to the burial ground. We passed Sutton Hoo House where Mrs Edith May Pretty J.P. who owned the estate used to live.She and her family had often wondered what the strange mounds were in the grounds.On the way we passed the grave of a warrior's horse.................it was quite common in those days for a dead warrior and his horse to be buried side by side.In 1937 Mrs Pretty sought advice from Ipswich Museum's curator, who in 1938 released Basil Brown to work for her. He opened three mounds in the first season. He found plundered cremation burials with goods in two of them. In the larger mound he found iron ship-rivets and a disturbed chamber burial with fragments of metal and glass artifacts. In 1965–1971 re-excavation took place to resolve certain problems posed by the first discovery. The ship impression was again exposed (this is a photo of a photo in the museum) A plaster cast taken, from which a fibre-glass shape was produced. The mound was afterwards restored to its pre-1939 appearance.

After a long wet walk .................we finally reached the mound in which the remains of the buried ship was found.........
Archaeologists have reconstructed how the burial at Sutton Hoo must have taken place. A long trench was dug atop a 100 ft. high cliff above the River Deben. The ship was dragged up from the river and set in the trench. In this photo you can see the river and part of the hill that the ship was dragged up.A hut was built in the centre of the ship, and there was placed a large coffin and the grave goods. The trench was then filled in and a large mound erected over the top.

On the way back and absolutely soaked...(the rain was torrential when we stood on top of the mound...no chance of taking photographs!)...we were shown the remains in one of the smaller burial areas. The actual bones had long gone but the impression they had left had been filled with plaster.

After a hasty lunch we went into the museum and saw a recreation of an Anglo-Saxon hut.

I loved the cooking utensils....just think how much jam I could make in a pan as big as this!We also saw this replica of the Sutton Hoo helm or 'battle mask'. The original (which had to be reconstructed from fragments) can be seen in the British Museum. Unfortunately with 29 children jostling to see my photos of the gold coins and the sword belt buckle came out rather blurred....My photo of the Anglo-Saxon alphabet is clearer........I guess the children weren't quite as interested in seeing this!!!!It was a really long day; the journey itself was over an hour each way and when you consider how wet and tired the children were...they were really well behaved. I think they and we adults were glad to go home rather than back to the classroom.

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S is also for

"Sayonara"

...not sure if that's the way to spell it but I think it means Farewell. Unfortunately I'll no longer be on the Computer for an indefinite period...apologies for all the posts I've not read yet, all the emails that will go unanswered and the Blogspals Birthdays etc I'm going to miss.....including ICARUS whose birthday is on Friday (there is a card in the post Icarus...hope it gets to you at some point). I do have some ABC posts still in draft which I'll try and post through a friends pc........admittedly they could turn up any day of the week...but I'd like to get to 'Z'.