How to describe how I feel at the moment? Cold, boggy, marshy. With a dollop of cat trying to cheer me up. Trying to keep my thirst topped up as a drizzle of germs escape my pores.
The cold is in my house, November is wet and drear now, the snow melting into puddles, possibly around my feet. A muddy, gritty, sloppy mess. My central heating works downstairs, but I can’t sleep in heat so the radiators remain off upstairs. The cats are clothed in fur so are OK. My clothes are warm enough with a brown dressingown to top it off. I need scrooge’s nightcap and a candle to make it perfect.
Hands increasingly wrinkled, my ribs a sheet of ice that crackles under the skin. Stretch too much and it pulls on the margin of the cartilage. I’m feeling my age, and slowly seeing it emerge from my mess of greying hair.
I don’t normally like to be too descriptive, but today I’ve just tried to give it a go.
This was for my sisters birthday, a few days ago. Decorated with glace cherries and chocolate buttons.
It’s jelly with raspberries and port, strawberry blancmange, and whipped cream on top. This is something I usually make for birthdays ot Christmas. It is indulgent, but I use sugar free jelly and I use sweetner in the blancmange.
This can serve up to eight portions, so sometimes I make about half the amount if there are only a couple of us having it.
I won’t go into detail but I’ve lost 3kg over the last couple of days. I think I have caught a virus, and that and a damaged rib has made for a painful few days. I’ve not been out of the house in a while. Luckily a relative visited but I wasn’t on my own. But I ache all over and she made me small meals to keep me going. I’ve slept in an armchair because I couldn’t get upstairs or lie down. I just hope I’m feeling better soon.
If you could meet a historical figure, who would it be and why?
Thinking about this prompt was hard. If I wanted to meet one of my favourite people it would be likely to be an artist. My first thought was Leonardo Da Vinci. I admire not only his art but also his inventivness. In the renaissance he could be said to be the renaissance man. Full of designs for flying machines and war tanks and other ideas as well as his beautiful art.
But my problem is I wouldn’t understand my surroundings, I certainly would not be able to understand the language, and being a woman would demote me to a basic life. How would I get his attention? I don’t know.
I think when asked if we could meet an historical figure people would choose the most famous, not the one we could connunicate with. Choose wisely!
Mid November and the snow is falling. Not deep, but palpably real. Very early for this time of year, it usually doesn’t happen till January if at all. I’ve had the central heating on for three days now and it might keep going till the weekend. I’m waiting for the morning as it is forecast to get worse before it gets better. Sorry it’s not a more exiting view!
A working pottery at Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, England. It also includes a museum, with lots of industrial archeology. They sell various tableware in the pottery shop, there is a large selection of patterns for sale. There is a good cafe that overlooks the Trent and Mersey canal. There are small studios for artists and potteries, and a row of shops opposite the entrance to the pottery with small galleries and crafts for sale.
There is also a handsome bottle oven facing the canal that was covered in bright red ceramic poppies to commemorate Rememberence day a few years ago. You only have to pay to go round the museum section. Tucked towards the far end of the site is a working steam engine which runs at various times. I’m not sure exactly when? Worth taking the time to visit if you can find it (it’s tucked down some narrow side streets.
It also hold pottery classes and was also used for the great pottery throw down a few years ago to before it moved to the Gladstone pottery in Longton.
I’ve been dozing, waiting for a visitor. I’ll get there late she said, but I wasn’t sure if it would be this late. It’s a long drive through the countryside and the forecast was for fog, so I’m trying to be patient.
She’s driving alone. I haven’t called her but just sent a text. I want to sleep but I’m pushing myself to keep awake. Fingers crossed she will be here soon.