passamaquoddy

Lost ones

2009-07-06T16:42:00.002Z

Since March this year I appear to be in a constant state of mourning. In March I lost my darling Fudge and last week my beloved cousin Donna was taken from us. Fudge was old and was clinging on after several strokes. I was visiting my parents when she went downhill. The vet was called and I was able to say goodbye. I buried my nose into her fur and smelt her comforting doggy smell for the last time. Kissing her I told her she was a good girl and that I'd miss her. I took Arch to my old room and told him what was happening and that he was a good dog too. For once he was calm and lay with his head on my lap whilst my tears spilt onto his brown fur. I loved little fudge so much. She was so gentle with other creatures and although she chased cats. she's always give them a head start and if she ever caught up with them she'd start sniffing the ground and pretend to be distracted so the cat could run away. She was my faithful friend during my late teenage years and she shared all my angst and secrets from that time, She never judged and all she wanted in return was affection and her sock thrown.

On the first of July my cousin Donna was taken from us. She was 46. She was sick on and off for as long as I knew her. She had lymphoma when she was younger and the treatment left her in poor health. A few years ago she had a pacemaker fitted.

Despite her health troubles she was the life and soul of the party. No family get together was the same without her. She loved men especially ones with hairy chests: it was the first thing she had wanted to know about my Mark. She made fun of my brothers and my scottish accents and we made fun of her gravesend accent. We stole her cigarettes and my old brother bit off all the filters. She didn't make a fuss ever though she couldn't afford a new pack. She told me a rude story about the song "turning japanese" with hilarious face pulling and hand actions. I was told she had an amazing singing voice but sadly I never got to hear it. whilst my mum was expecting me she craved curry. Donna would cycle to my mum's and talk about curry till my mum wanted a take away. then donna would get some curry too. It's probably because of Don that I can't live without curry! She was there for me when I went through a bad time in my early twenties and gave me the strength to move on with me life.

I knew she was ill but I never thought she'd die. How can that happen to someone with so much life? I phoned her whilst she was in hospital but only got her answering machine. I hope she got my message. I hope she knew that I was thinking about her. even when we hadn't spoken for ages. I hope she knew I loved her.

Misty time of year

2008-10-30T15:01:00.003Z

Well it is for me anyways!. last weekend I managed to destroy two pairs of contact lenses, leaving me with none. So, this week I've been wearing my glasses which are 8 years old, scratched and way too weak for me. The effect on my character has been quite dramatic. I have found myself to be quite withdrawn and quiet and have found it hard to look anyone in the eye. With the grey weather over the last few days it's made my vision ever worse and i've found it hard even to do the most simplest of tasks like going shopping or tidying the house. Walking through town is a nightmare and not being able to judge depth I have walked into several people with them tutting or shouting at me to look where I'm going. In the evenings when the light had completely gone then there's not much for me to do but go to bed.

I'm just so grateful that i don't have this problem all the time. It's given me a new appreciation and understanding what the blind and partially sighted go through.

Try Chai

2008-09-14T15:57:00.004Z

The weather here is rotten at the moment: low cloud and rain. It's the first time I've had to wear a jumper, A sure sign that winter is on it's way.

Searching for something warming I ordered a Chai Latte, a wonderful blend of Indian spices and warm milk. Back at home and with my teeth chattering I set to work making it for myself and it turned out pretty yummy. The good thing about making it at home is that it fills the air with warm scents plus you don't have to go out in the cold to pick one up.

Ingredients

4 cinnamon sticks, broken up.

1 1/2 tsps ground ginger

6 cardamom pods (roughly crushed)

6 cloves

1 bay leaf

1 litre water

1 tablespoon of sugar (this can be left till the end when a sweetener of your choice can be added instead)

(a teaspoon of black tea can be added but decided to leave it out)

1 vanilla pod or 2 drops of vanilla essence

You'll also need a saucepan, a fine strainer and a clean glass jar or bottle with lid.

Boil the water in a pan.

Add the cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and bay leaf.

Add the sugar.

Simmer mixture for 20 minutes. It should reduce by half. If it reduces to less than that top up with water to half a litre. After 20 minutes add the tea leaves if preferred and simmer for a further 10 minutes. After that time it should have a "soupy" consistency. Strain the contents of the pan into the clean jar or bottle. Add vanilla pod or vanilla essence and put on the lid firmly. this mixture will last for a week.

To make the chai latte, Fill about 1/3 with the chai syrup then top up with hot milk. For a naughty treat why not add a teaspoon of chocolate powder? I did!

Reason I love my hubster No. 9000456

2008-08-20T09:02:00.003Z

Whilst getting ready for bed last night I told my Hubster that I'd bought him some hair gel and it was on the stairs. He kept on saying "where on the stair?" After getting a bit annoyed with him for being so lazy and not looking for it I realised that he was quoting from this song. We then continued together to sing the rest of the chorus. Silly I know, but It's one of those little moments that one looks back on and your heart grows that little bit more.

I love to chaat

2008-07-23T12:58:00.010Z

I'm in love and his name is Simla Chaat. I had this dish on my hen night last year when we went to the Suruchi restaurant in Edinburgh and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I love the mixture of spicy and sweet. I'm not too sure where the name comes from other than that Simla is an Indian city (now called Shimla) in the north of India and was seen as the 'summer capital' of the British Raj and that Chaat is an Indic word literally meaning to lick. Well since making and eating it I haven't been able to stop licking my lips!!

Recipe

A splash of olive oil

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 Red chilli (finely chopped)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons chaat masala (from most good Indian food shops)

Small bunch of fresh coriander leaves (finely chopped)

400g can of chickpeas (washed and drained)

1/2 cup of water

1 tablespoon of mango chutney

1 small cucumber (peeled and diced)

1 ripe banana (peeled and diced)

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chillis stirring until fragrant. add the ground ginger, ground coriander, chaat masala and half the fresh coriander leaves. stir for 1/2 a minute. Add the chickpeas, water and mango chutney. Simmer (stirring occasionally) until the chickpeas are tender and the juices have evaporated. leave to cool (This tastes lovely just as it is with pitta bread)

Once cool add the rest of the fresh coriander leaves, cucumber and banana. Serve as a starter or as a light lunch with pitta bread or chapatis.

Give me music

2008-07-21T14:37:00.007Z

At the moment I've really got back into music and am dying to find that rare "wow" song that when I first hear it it will make me stop in my tracks and take the breath from my lungs. There are some songs that when I listen to them they completely absorb me, time stops and for the duration of the song nothing else exists, just me, the song and my emotions. one such song is somewhere a clock is ticking by snow patrol (excuse the video). my heart feels like it's beating in time with the music. When I listen to it I feel love, I feel passion and also scared as it takes me over. Another snow patrol song with a similar effect is It's beginning to get to me. The end of the song is so emotional it brings tears to my eyes. I love that about music. some people take drugs to change their moods but I'd rather listen to an amazing song. One song that I listen to to lift my spirits is Yes by Mcalmont and Butler. I always listen to it when I'm doubting myself and it always makes me feel a little kick ass after.

After all that excitement I need my comedown song. My older brother started my love of Tuvan music, especially Yat kha . Their song Amdy baryp is amazing and will take you to the Gobi tundra, whether you want to go or not. Enjoy

Dinner Party

2008-07-07T10:44:00.002Z

So, after a weekend of waking up in the middle of the night with random recipes in my head I've decided what I'm going to cook for our guests on Saturday; Bruschettas to start (One with tomato topping, the other with mushrooms), Chicken breast with Mediterranean style stuffing, wrapped in prosciutto served on a bed of sweet potato mash for the main and syllabub for the dessert. I may even make my home made amaretti!

fine dining

2008-07-01T10:38:00.004Z

I've always been interested in cooking. From a young age i loved sitting in my mother's kitchen, watching her cook and learning from her. One of my earliest memories is of making the base for the gravy for the sunday roast (3 teaspoons of bisto powder to 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce mixed together with a little water to form a paste).
Recently it's progressed into a proper hobby with me seeking out new recipes and inspirations. Our recent trip to the Amalphi coast in Italy has inspired me to focus on italian cookery: Perfect for the warm summer days we now find ourselves in. My confidence in the kitchen has also grown. Mostly due to my parents having just visited us and me cooking for them.
With this I've decided It's time that we invite some friend over for dinner. A proper dinner party!, Well almost, our dining table is a bit on the small side for 6 people so i will do things buffet style. but should be lots of fun! (photo by Mark Howells-Mead)

My name is Jo and i'm an addict

2006-10-27T15:20:00.000Z

these may not be to alot of peoples taste, but i am addicted to these. when i lived in britain i always had a weak spot for chestnuts, it was always my job at christmas to peel the roast chestnuts from their shells, eating the "not perfect" ones as i went along. Now i'm here i get to eat chestnuts.... but with sugar and most of the time with booze... truely this is a great country!!!

tomorrow's the day

2006-05-18T20:09:00.000Z

tomorrow's the day i leave my job and say bye to my close friends. I start work at 7 and by half 2 I will be leaving travelodge forever (or until they open a hotel in central switzerland anyway!). Then in the evening my friends are comin round for a fondue evening. This being scotland, i've decided to do chip (sadly you can't deep fry fondue) for the fussier eaters. everyone in scotland loves chips and cheese!!!. Then i'll say bye to them and pray that they will still keep in touch: many have been my friend since i was 9, I'd hate to loose them now.

SORRY!!!

2006-05-09T16:32:00.000Z

just want to say sorry to whoever sent me an email today regarding my profile. Well i think it was about my profile because that's all i managed to read when i accidently deleted it (it had gone into my junk folder!). so sorry for not replying and if you write back i promise not to delete again!:-)

English signs

2006-03-09T12:15:00.000Z

English signs in foreign countries:

In a Bangkok temple: "IT IS FORBIDDEN TO ENTER A WOMAN, EVEN A FOREIGNER, IF DRESSED AS A MAN."

Cocktail lounge, Norway: "LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR."

Doctor's office, Rome: "SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES.

Dry cleaners, Bangkok: "DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.

In a Nairobi restaurant: "CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER."

On an Athi River highway: this is the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi. "TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE."

On a poster at Kencom: "ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO, WE CAN HELP."

In a City restaurant: "OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS."

A sign seen on an automatic restroom hand dryer: "DO NOT ACTIVATE WITH WET HANDS."

In a cemetery: "PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Tokyo hotel's rules and regulations: "GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED."

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: "OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR."

In a Tokyo bar: "SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS."

Hotel, Yugoslavia: "THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

Hotel, Japan: "YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID."

In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery: "YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS, AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY."

A sign posted in Germany's Black Forest: "IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN ON OUR BLACK FOREST CAMPING SITE THAT PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT SEX, FOR INSTANCE, MEN AND WOMEN, LIVE TOGETHER IN ONETENT UNLESS THEY ARE MARRIED WITH EACH OTHER FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Hotel, Zurich: "BECAUSE OF THE IMPROPRIETY OF ENTERTAINING GUESTS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX IN THE BEDROOM, IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE LOBBY BE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE."

Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand: "WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?"

The box of a clockwork toy made in Hong Kong: "GUARANTEED TO WORK THROUGHOUT ITS USEFUL LIFE."

In a Swiss mountain inn: "SPECIAL TODAY - NO ICE-CREAM."

Airline ticket office, Copenhagen: "WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS."

A laundry in Rome: "LADIES, LEAVE YOUR CLOTHES HERE AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON HAVING A GOOD TIME."

shopping in Thun

2006-03-04T12:48:00.000Z

I’m just back from Switzerland after another oh too short trip. this time it was a bit different as we didn't do any of the usual touristy things (apart from a trip to Basel) and I didn't even go up one mountain. despite the absence of tourist activities this was my fav trip yet.
We did normal everyday things like go into town and it gave me a chance to suss out the shops. I love the supermarkets, the choice is smaller (except for the hams.... never seen so much ham!!!) but the produce on offer is mouth watering. I also love that the fruit and veg look like they've just come from a farm and still come in odd shapes (you know the type; potatoes that look like lord lucan etc).
The things for the home are beautiful, lots of bright glass which is right up my street and so many kitchen things that look very exciting but I don't know what they're for (I love them anyway because I’m sure they're for making something yummy!). We ended up buying some gorgeous green glasses (which I’m praying are dishwasher proof) and a lovely snuggley fleece throw, perfect for Sundays watching the best of the BBC.
The jury's still out on the clothes, some are over designed which make them look like children’s clothing and I really don't like the shoes (although the trainers are nice). there are however, some very nice things if you look which I’m fantasising about just now. There was a very nice military style blouse and a stunning leather jacket. hmmmmm I’d better save my money for my next trip in to Thun.

that funny old feeling

2006-02-21T11:57:00.000Z

the washing machine's busy turning, the carparking is booked, the email confirming my flight has been read about 20 times (and printed twice) and my passport is safely in my camera bag. i'm off to switzerland again!. i thought after my second or third journey i would be a bit more blase about it but i go through this routine every time! (this being my fifth flight there in just over a year). I've decided to live a little bit wildly this time and not ordered my currency, prefering to get it at the airport (although i do have 120 francs saved from last time just in case!).
i even have my little routine right through my journey: load up my car, say bye to my dog, recheck luggage in car, double check that passport and wallet is in camera bag, drive to dundee, stop just outside of dundee to fill up car. buy some breakfast, drive towards edinburgh whilst eating breakfast, sing wildly till i get to dunfermline when singing turns to loud cursing as I see the almighty tailbacks heading towards forth bridge, start to sweat as i start worrying about missing flight, get to airport and wonder why i was worried about missing flight when check in hasn't even opened yet, check in, go to loo situated between check in and departures, go to departures, look in dixons shop in departures and think about buying mp3 player or personal cd player (if i'm feeling retro), wait and wait and wait for plane, get on plane, hope and pray that old people eating apples aren't going to sit next to me and curse myself for not buying cd player before, convince myself that 11.30am isn't too early for a whisky and coke, eat FAR too much chocolate, fall asleep, wake myself up by doing something embarrassing (trying to catch flies or speaking in my sleep are favourites) look out the window to see the approaching mountains and feeling the butterflys in my tummy awaken. start getting annoyed that flight is taking so long. pass through geneva airport in a blur. get shouted at my a man in french, sit on the train worrying about what is at the end of my journey. visit train loo countless times on journey to check that my hair and what remains of my make up is ok, feel my tummy tightening to a knot as a see the toblerone mountain and the lake, see the blurs on the platform take human form as the train slows to a stop, get of train and feel the butterflys disappear as i meet the embrace at my journeys end.

2006-01-06T12:08:00.000Z

why oh why do they change my fav' childhood treats?!. not only have they made cream eggs smaller (they say they haven't but we know the truth!) they have made twiglets shorter, now making it impossible to hold on to the end whilst sooking off the marmite!!. the worlds gone mad!!!!.