Black Friday + One

After a planning meeting at breakfast yesterday, we decided to go to the post office late morning and then head across town to the auction rooms to the viewing. The timing of this was crucial, so that we would hopefully miss the congestion of the thousands flocking to the Bleak Friday event. We arrived  at the auction house car park as planned with the Blue Danube playing on the radio, I pointed out to Lady Wuffinga that it was written by Strauss but I could not remember which one, she said, "was it Joanne?" I pointed out that I did not know whether there was a lady Strauss involved in composing!

On the way back from looking at unconsidered trifles and boxes of various at the auction, the sun was at its highest, a beautiful but coolish autumn day, by this time the radio was blurting out some advert for lamb joints for £4 a kilo at some temple of retail, which was a bit disconcerting as it came after Rachmaninov's Symphony No 2. The shopping was well under way in town and with so many people flashing the bank cards under the very bright lights of all the retail emporia, and with the brightness of the sun, Card Flash can become a serious condition amongst the unwary, a bit like snow blindness for skiers. So for next years Black Friday I thought a rose tinted pair of shades would be useful allowing people to shop in comfort.

On the way back we decided to stop at Lidl for a few food related comestibles and found that the tins of butter beans had been reduced from 35p to 33p per tin, which was a nice surprise. So we saved four pence therefore black Friday was not so bad.

Black Friday Eve

It has been a while since I lasted posted, unfortunately the mother of Lady Wuffinga became unwell and needed more care and attention than usual and coupled with an upturn in work commitments time has been at a premium. Now that the matriarch is a bit better, Lady Wuffinga  and I are now getting back to some sort of normality - what ever that is!

I have been into town twice over the last week and on both occasions it has been very busy, I did wonder if all these people were shopping or just doing a trial run as Black Friday is on its way, sussing out the shops advertising the biggest discounts and looking at the quality of the pavements so one can get a good pitch for queuing, preferably under a shops awning or where the puddles don't collect. Getting involved with the Black Friday frenzy is not for me, as there is nothing I would like better than to sit on a cold damp pavement on a November night waiting with a load of other people so I can get a couple of quid of a 'Teasmaid'.

I have considered alternatives such as Yellow Monday or Grey Wednesday. Yellow Monday being for those who want a colourful or arty shopping experience, wearing bright cloths such as mustard chinos or willow green and sun burst red shirts, and Grey Wednesday could be for the depressed who just want to buy pan scourers and wine gums. Do these days need a colour? how about Largesse Tuesday, where the shops put all there prices up by say 25% and give the extra cash to local food banks as it is coming up to Crimbo.

Be Nice To A Seagull Today

During my life I have lived in many places that have a thriving seagull population. I like seagulls and I think they add a liveliness to seaside towns that otherwise could be quite dull. Their ability to pinch chips, raid dustbins and give a raucous orchestral cacophony is quite touching. But it's not everyone who appreciates the gulls' talents. It has been known for locals and excursionists to be disgruntled by their habits, but eating el fresco can have its disadvantages as Beaky and his mates are quite partial to chips and fish, ice cream and pies and are capable of taking such edibles when one is not looking. So seagulls do get a bad press, with some councils in East Coast fishing villages calling for culling as well as putting up signs. One of which read 'SEAGULLS PLEASE DO NOT FEED'. I know the gulls are clever but I am not sure that being conversant with the English language is one of their strengths!

We have many dates in the calendar dedicated to special days, such as No Smoking Day, Walk To Work Day, Be Nice To A Person On A Mobility Scooter Day, so why not have a day when people in seaside towns are nice to seagulls. To that end, I have drawn this reminder that we should be nice to seagulls what ever day it is.  This original illustration is available to purchase in my ARTFINDER shop.

 

 

Southwold - Some History About Bins.

Bins and Southwold go back a along way, probably as far as the late Victorians who were conscious of rubbish and public health issues. Before this time bins may not have existed as they are not mentioned in early Charters or the Domesday Book. During 1086 when  Big Bills Commissioners were compiling the great book they didn't find, or forgot to mention , various items , such as; The Pier, The lighthouse or the various Fish and Chip shops and Coffee Emporia. But old St Edmund and his monkly followers did hold Southwold as a manor which supplied the monks with various comestibles and 25000 herrings per year. So I assume from that many of these herring would be cured in some form and other fish that were caught could well have been used by the locals to enhance there income, selling the fish battered but with out the deep fried potato products as the common spud hadn't been invented yet.

Seagulls are not mentioned in the Domesday entry for Southwold which is perhaps why bins are not mentioned ; as gull proof bins would not be required. The animals listed are 30 sheep, 3 pigs, 4 cattle and a neddy which probably did not require bins for foraging. Also at this time the local rabbit population are lying low as they are not mentioned in Domesday either. But I can imagine they were there quietly digging away under the hill and in the woods and thinking about how they could cause angst amongst the population to come.

Southwold - Starving Seagulls Force Council To Buy New Bins.

For those who are unaware of the location of Southwold, it is on the Suffolk coast, between Lowestoft to the north, Sizewell and its nuclear power station to the south and lots of swamp to the west. Oh! and the North Sea to the east. It has a raised elevation giving great views and at very high tides the town becomes an island which probably suits the residents as visitors can be a bit of a nuisance.

But recently it has come to my notice that tourists and other rough excursionists are not the only problematic visitors to Southwold. The seagulls who also like to visit and are a part of the seaside landscape have been troubling the towns overseers, by redistributing the rubbish from the bins and dropping it untidily onto the prom, leaving fish skins, deep fried potato products and other unspeakable nasty's draped over cars, hedges and flower beds, also a sausage in batter was found floating in the vintage boating lake. All of this has produced an action plan by the towns overseers to purchase ten new bins which are designed to stop old beaky and his mates from getting at the rubbish.

The new bins will no doubt put the seagulls scavenging rights into jeopardy and hopefully worthy town dwellers will be moved to start an amenity group on the gulls behalf to protect there eroding right to scavenge. The new bins have been welcomed by the Akela from the local Scout group as their lads are always looking for something that can be used as temporary cricket stumps. Also a spokesperson from the Southwold Dog Walkers Society has welcomed the move as it will give extra stopping places and smells for Fido to investigate.

Gas Attack By Lentil

 

GAS ATTACK BY LENTIL !!!!!!!!

Twelve & A Half Weeks Till Christmas

At 2am this morning, I woke in a mild sweat. What was worrying me was that I have all the ingredients for the Christmas cakes camping downstairs and the fruits had been sat in Brandy for several days already. I realised that there's only 12 1/2 weeks to go till Christmas. Unable to sleep, I ventured into the cool ambiance of the kitchen, recipe in hand, and I started on the Christmas cakes, helped by next door's cat, who has a habit of scratting on the back kitchen door at odd hours. 

The recipe that I use is very much a standard, but with a few Wuffinga tweaks. As well as the mixed peel, I also use an equivalent amount of glace ginger as well as using a small amount of cocoa powder which gives the cakes a lovely rich, unctuous, flavour.

I managed to get them in the oven for about half past three, and they had finished baking just before breakfast. Here are the two cakes which resulted. After cooling these will be wrapped and will not see the light of day except for when more Brandy is added (I call this doping) during the run up to Christmas.