Author: artbychristinemallabandbrown

I'm an artist based at the Spode factory site in Stoke on Trent. I paint, draw and create digital art. Contact me at mallabandbrown@aol.com

Just making a trifle

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I usually make a trifle at Christmas, but I’m doing it for New Years Eve and Day this time (so it will be a two year old trifle!).

This is only the start, but it looked so pretty. I’ve put a pint of sugar free rasperry jelly (made up with half a pint if boiling water and a quarter of a pint of cold water and a quarter of a pint if sherry. (jelly is not the American version of jam, but is it called jello). I added chopped strawberries and whole blackberries to the liquid. Any slightly mouldy ones are going on the bird feeding table tomorrow, they have been washed and are back in the fridge.

Tomorrow I will add strawberry blancmange (a type of flavoured custard), as I don’t like custard which some people use. I make that up with a pint of milk and sweetener ( I avoid putting sugar in). Finally I whip double cream, (heavy cream?) about three quarters of a pint till it makes stiff peaks. I might add spare blackberries for decoration. I might take a photo tommorow when it’s finished. X

Staying home

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What can I do now? We are going into tier four from midnight. We are expected to stay home unless we are going out for exercise or going to get essential shopping. Thus means the majority of the British population are virtually in lockdown again, nine months after covid started.

Basically there is a new, more infective form of corona virus. They are saying there are not more symptoms, but that they can be contracted more easily.

Sadly the level of infections has gone up to over 70,000 today and the deaths are over 900 today. Where will this all end? I can’t wait to get vaccinated.

Snowy walk home

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A half mile from home along slippery, icy streets. The air was getting colder, falling below zero, ice crystals making Frost on the road surface. Not enough gritting? They were out later.

When you walk with someone with long strides and you only have little legs you have to move faster to keep up. That’s OK in normal weather, but in snow and ice its difficult. I got over it by holding hands and telling him not to pull me over! We got home safely.

Silhouette

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A view across the snowy allotments from yesterday. The posts of the gateway and metal spikes on the top protruding up into the darkening sky. The pathway through the allotments is visible because the metal dars are bent at the top.

The year turns

Soon old man will be gone

Baby year will renew

Shadows of the old year

Still overwhelming…..

Commandments for today.

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Thou shalt not

Meet more than one person from another household.

Travel from your tier to another tier

Visit relatives in nursing homes

Have a party for New Year’s Eve

Visit non essential shops

Buy too much toilet roll

Go out without a mask

Thou shall

Wear a mask

Wash your hands

Maintain a social distance

Buy just enough toilet roll

(well it has been a s***** year!)

Apologies if this is offensive.

He gave me flowers

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A sweet bunch of flowers from hubby. I don’t know why, but nice to get. I couldn’t find a vase, so I put them in an old glass jar. We use it outside with a tea light to brighten up the garden path in the summer. Then the flowers are outside, blooming and pretty. I’m making plans of what to plant next year. Not long to go now.

Allotment blues

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Cold allotments, hard earth, dormant plants, frozen in time. Sheds and greenhouses closed up, with spiders and butterflies waiting patiently for new warmth.

Bare branches holding new life inside. Till sun and heat restore them. Sharp angled fence may be covered in blossom one day. Overall a freezing sky, cloudless, caps the earth with the universe. Infinite and awesome, while we here are held on our bubble world. Sliding through space on our journey around the sun.

He comes home when I whistle

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The outdoor cat is now more of an outside cat. I call his name (he remains anonymous here) and whistle him and he comes in. I have to wait a few minutes while he mooches round the garden. He woke me up this morning by lying on me in bed for a cuddle, then up he got and slipped downstairs. I followed to let him out ( my indoor cats) also anonymous, have been out a couple of times but end up hiding under garden benches. They are a lot smaller and I think would get picked on by the ginger Tom who also patrols our garden.

After half an hour and a decaff coffee to warm me up, I whistled him about three times and he came back in from the cold and dark. He’s eating biscuits at the moment, having his fill. Next? He might go out to mooch again, but I hope he stays in.

By the way, I don’t know how many people whistle their cats, but it seems to carry better. I’ve done it since I was a child I developed some notes along the line of a ‘cat where are you?’ tune….ah he’s gone back upstairs…. Bye

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