tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62691281856233667682024-02-07T09:16:08.199+00:00WasteladyN8In a world of waste, she treads softlyWasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-6504493467190658762020-04-25T19:39:00.002+01:002020-04-30T20:57:43.601+01:00For the love of scrubs8pm, Thursday evening. We open our doors, walk onto the street and clap for the NHS. It's not that special now but still it's an opportunity to check into a collective effort. A nod at our neighbours, maybe a quick conversation over the wall, across the balcony, to the other side of the street. It's little enough, but it's something.<br />
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This is a curious time when the most constructive thing we can do is not to do anything. Don't go out, don't embrace, don't linger, don't loiter, don't let your dog run free. Our compliance would seem to be working and we trust the virus is being somewhat contained. The success of our efforts translates into trends: a plateauing out of the pandemic, indicated by fewer cases, a dip in the daily tally of deaths.<br />
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Like many of us, I struggle with that daily toll. Numbers in thousands overwhelm the imagination and deceased celebrities who once would have merited a week of archived material, are mentioned, their achievements logged and then forgotten. It is an empty field in County Antrim, now requisitioned and cordoned off, which chills.<br />
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In my street, as elsewhere, a Covid 19 Mutual Support Aid group has been set up, where contacts, services and bananas are shared. At the same time, many of my social media groups have descended into bickering about the benefits of wearing face masks and avoiding sweaty joggers. Our household is privileged in that we have a garden, a park nearby and a dog to exercise daily, a useful pretext for leaving the house. On our walks, we forage safely in rediscovered corner shops, hunting down strong white flour and gathering caster sugar. We know how to bake, brew and make jam. We get by.<br />
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Lucky us. But it's hardly enough, this invisible compliance. I want to be seen to do something, other than depositing a few cans into the<a href="http://www.holytrinityfoodbank.org.uk/"> local foodbank</a>. Cruelly, reaching out to the needy and vulnerable puts them and us at risk. Self-isolation is lonely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPyuIrjo2HV6t2XXrXiGJZlvf2mSg9XHoJAjLlt-53A32W0_OQm8FHa6spQC5UuJ4TNUGd0Plx6oqe0k_AFYCkmMi2h2pIQ-CZ74fAhkQs_N6YwbMKF3lF6CLPH7ohtNX_NDleRPi1hs/s1600/uniform+wash+bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPyuIrjo2HV6t2XXrXiGJZlvf2mSg9XHoJAjLlt-53A32W0_OQm8FHa6spQC5UuJ4TNUGd0Plx6oqe0k_AFYCkmMi2h2pIQ-CZ74fAhkQs_N6YwbMKF3lF6CLPH7ohtNX_NDleRPi1hs/s320/uniform+wash+bags.jpg" width="320" /></a>So I want to tell you about a movement. Like many movements, it is currently under the radar (or if you like under the 5G mast) and it is momentous. All over the country, women alone in their houses are making things. They are crocheting <a href="https://www.silkelephant.org.uk/giftofaheart">pairs of hearts</a> to place in the hands of the bereaved families and to rest in peace. They are revisiting stashes of buttons to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04SZqSvOUyI">make bands</a> which alleviate the soreness caused by wearing masks.<br />
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I'm doing my bit as well. With friends, I have made and delivered over thirty <a href="http://www.northmid.nhs.uk/donate">laundry bags to the North Middlesex Hospital</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WhittingtonHealth/?__tn__=kC-R&eid=ARDScYm84rTiZEFJG6srCZBYTsQKEF7rO6_fHaDz-qNe3j_7NJ8kvN-Em2ypJ5Qd-84PySFjdWUqUqpD&hc_ref=ARRo3f23gPeSMXPSdmXRXx2TPt-Y7tp4df_gk-DBkl0KPFrLW-I3g8WlOM7nqsshI68&fref=nf&__xts__[0]=68.ARDdAUHA1xkG9m01e9upJbAky4sLSDRgFCqKDas-szO6pYcaP1kp8oX1uuf4YI4T4O5PoO0RiECkzzfavH5T33m1xJVLFE9BkldZ4e9UrwuS2HMQYQGEYWTqwL_QUBsZloJ5eT5TBd2Gm7xE2vhmDSGOyQUBDweChlybWTLlaYgp2eVjdd2M6m06j8F074i4ej-wZnEhssioUY0coPOzjgiZ-t3iWZCa6vxe6VF63Sms447JUMYPhMhgGMMjlu3k3DLZCrxzPaAkQHe-o9a_3yaCAtyuv-yWkZKsbMCCfB9rWO1nkfsp3Jro-c4DvNIuwRlAE96MzLEfoCGplX8HECiouQ">Whittington Hospital </a>for nurses to store, transport and wash their uniforms without fear of cross-contamination.. I like to see my little bag as an interface between work and home, where potentially harmful clothing is separated out and dealt with, keeping the healthcare worker and their family safe. <br />
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In a quiet, somewhat introverted way, I have enjoyed the meditative act of creating these bags, imagining the grateful recipient, considering the wear and tear to fabric being washed at 60 degrees. (You don't want the material to shrink or the colours to run.) I have constructed these bags with French seams to avoid raw edges, and finished each one with a little heart.<br />
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So yet again, I find myself one of many, but this time I feel I'm doing something useful I am channelling my spirit of Dunkerque.<br />
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If you too are interested in getting involved, there are links to the projects mentioned above.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPyuIrjo2HV6t2XXrXiGJZlvf2mSg9XHoJAjLlt-53A32W0_OQm8FHa6spQC5UuJ4TNUGd0Plx6oqe0k_AFYCkmMi2h2pIQ-CZ74fAhkQs_N6YwbMKF3lF6CLPH7ohtNX_NDleRPi1hs/s1600/uniform+wash+bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
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<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-55432485843601220132019-12-06T14:49:00.001+00:002019-12-06T14:51:27.139+00:00Meet your makers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH50LdQpNA6sjW1pFfzpvYvmfcioGEq6VWey9PauuPKpf1uRjHwM-Scvxco1oOJBayK4Fyaq9_hO5f1npeDko16zWre8z-P6LMbOxPJNX9yweBDbK3NIR58omMLGWcVMXURX1ZAsQoKA/s1600/Xmas_Crafts_v4.6_2019+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkH50LdQpNA6sjW1pFfzpvYvmfcioGEq6VWey9PauuPKpf1uRjHwM-Scvxco1oOJBayK4Fyaq9_hO5f1npeDko16zWre8z-P6LMbOxPJNX9yweBDbK3NIR58omMLGWcVMXURX1ZAsQoKA/s400/Xmas_Crafts_v4.6_2019+%25281%2529.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We now have 21+ local artisans who make, design and craft their wares. And they really are local - our sock maker and mosaic artist live in the road next to the centre; the Wasteladystudio duo live opposite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Others we had to find. We hiked up the hill to Stroud Market where we met one of our potters, a knitter and a maker of vegan skin care products. We trekked through ancient woods to find our honey maker in Muswell Hill, picking up a quilter on the way! Many of our makers do wonderful things in the community, providing cakes for a fundraiser at Mind or helping Hornsey School pupils create a sustainable garden. Other makers came to us; talented and experimental, they wanted to share their work in this exciting new venture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you will come too and support our community of amazing makers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A full list of stalls with appropriate links is given below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ceramics from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/fiona_mcelroy/">Fiona</a> and Nigel, glassware from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hilary_thom/">Hilary</a> and mosaics from <a href="http://thirdrockmosaics.com/">Rachel</a>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cushions, bags and quilts from Anita, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/heleneguojah/">Helene</a> and Zuz</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jams, chutney from Dick and honey from Manola</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cards and prints from Jane, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alisonlcsandifer/">Alison</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/afrogg1/">Anne</a></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gift wrapped cakes and cupcakes from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cake2theoccasion/">Cake2theoccasion</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hand made dolls from Stewart and hand painted dolls from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/calamushkas/">Calamushkas</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u></u><span style="color: #000120;"></span><u></u><span style="color: #000032;"></span><u></u><span style="color: #000050;"></span>Knitted socks from John and knitted scarves from Simon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Handmade jewellery from Jackie and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/joyceeparkes/">Joyce</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bughouses from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/briggsbughouses/">Briggsbughouses</a> and terrariums from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/enchantedterrarium/">Enchanted Terrarium</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sustainable living: fair trade goods from Poppy and Friends of the Earth; vegan skin care from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mama_aroma_tierra/">Mama Aroma Tierra</a> and plastic free and upcycled pieces from </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/wasteladystudio/">WasteladyStudio</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a not for profit event to support our local community of makers. There will also be a festive cafe and a lantern making activity for all ages. A donation will be made to Haringey Winter Night Shelter.</span><br />
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<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-40569933929098122862019-11-28T15:54:00.000+00:002019-11-28T17:22:50.600+00:00Why I don't buy from Amazon<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpb3IHqhyELKXTcwIAfbvf3aT4HmSSSFjIg5rrdhjttLICnJs862rSjqiBQio_uPBz8bWjUeLAwghDozydmhoMzyatI2nLQ18jOzLHeoFqvUQ2JJEllw6jg22Nl13U9H64y25S-DhQhs/s1600/Amazon+delivery+van.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="615" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpb3IHqhyELKXTcwIAfbvf3aT4HmSSSFjIg5rrdhjttLICnJs862rSjqiBQio_uPBz8bWjUeLAwghDozydmhoMzyatI2nLQ18jOzLHeoFqvUQ2JJEllw6jg22Nl13U9H64y25S-DhQhs/s400/Amazon+delivery+van.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I try to live a sustainable life. I have made a pledge not to fly; I eat meat only at the weekend; I try to avoid single use plastic; I don't buy from Amazon. Most of these demand a degree of abstinence, a sacrifice, a conscious consideration of the choices I make.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Except for giving up Amazon, nah, that's easy. Because although they purport to be a worthy, well-intentioned company, they are not. Let's have a look at some of their claims.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Amazon is a great place to work</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You've seen the advert. Employees enthuse about flexible working hours, the career opportunities, the camaraderie of cakes every Friday. Sure there are targets, but everyone has targets, don't they?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Amazon website explains the advantages of working four ten hours shifts with three days off every week: 'fast delivery for our customers' and 'another day for free time and social activities.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When journalist <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/hired/james-bloodworth/9781786490162">James Bloodworth</a> worked undercover at Amazon, he discovered that no-one he met managed to achieve the nine months' employment threshold to gain permanent status. Most were 'released' due to black marks allocated because of taking time off, or declining overtime, or being late back from lunch, or just not meeting targets.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bloodworth was employed as a picker: walking round the Amazon fulfilment centre, the size of four football pitches, he would clock up ten to fourteen miles a day No wonder that home at last, he would try to rest his 'heavy legs supporting suppurating feet which over the course of the day had puffed up half a size bigger.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A modern version of the Robert Frost poem might read:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The aisles are endless, dark and deep</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I have targets to meet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And miles to walk before I sleep</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And miles to walk before I sleep.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Amazon uses its money to do great things</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jez Bezos is the richest person in the world. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelauyeung/2019/11/22/the-richest-person-in-the-world-just-gave-985-million-to-help-the-homeless/">He has recently donated $98.5 million</a> to organisations that support homeless families in the USA, amounts which range from $1.25 million to $5 million. The day the new gifts were announced, Bezos stated an intention to donate 56,702 shares of Amazon stock, worth just under $99 million to non profits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm guessing that means the amount he donated was non-taxable. Amazon's record for paying tax is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/15/amazon-tax-bill-2018-no-taxes-despite-billions-profit">heinous</a>. And as Jeremy Corbyn tweeted at the time, $98.5 million is just 0.09% of his net worth. Not so great, then.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Amazon is a great way to research a product</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The consumer group Which? found 97% of its members used Amazon reviews when buying a product. They also found 30% of them were disappointed by the end result, despite the good reviews. Which? recommends a sceptical approach: if a product receives numerous 5* rave reviews, using the same glowing phrases, all posted on the same day, there's just a chance they are false.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/apr/05/amazon-shoppers-misled-by-bundled-product-reviews">Amazon</a> also buries 1* reviews in bundles of better reviews: the TV adaptation of Dirty Dancing (1* on Rotten Tomatoes) combined with the film version garnered 4.5* revews from over 1000 Amazon customers. Reviews for authors with the same name are lumped together because after all, 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wuthering Heights' are more or less the same book...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Amazon offer you great choice</b></span><br />
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I<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t is very hard to make a purchase online without using Amazon. Search for a book online and you have to wade through lists of links to Amazon. Hunt for a CD on an independent music website and you will be directed to.. Amazon. Join in a jolly Secret Santa at work, click on our wish list and it takes you to... Amazon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You may think you are an autonomous being when you follow a whim and elect to buy the latest gadget. You're not. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/21/how-our-home-delivery-habit-reshaped-the-world">Amazon</a> know you bought one just like it in the last three years. The gadget is waiting for you, waiting for you to make that click.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Amazon is so convenient</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Remember how Amazon justified those ten hour shifts: they ensure 'fast delivery for our customers. 'Every one of us who want a product next day, in two hours, this afternoon , who cancels an order because it takes two days to get to you, is complicit in those long hours and demanding working conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our desire to have things in the 'here and now' has far-reaching consequences. While the latest game may have made its way from half way across the world to a UK warehouse, the last mile to your house is the trickiest. Did you know that an average package is dropped 17 times before it reaches its purchasers? Parcels in half empty vans skid around or are crushed under the weight of other gods. No surprise that electronic device you ordered doesn't work so well. This explains the excessive use of cardboard and plastic packing (which by the way is not recyclable), all of which adds to Amazon's overall carbon footprint, equivalent to 44.4 m tons of carbon dioxide.</span><br />
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I<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">t make no commercial sense to transport a small number of parcels, so drivers have to deliver 200 a day in vans, packed to the rafters. They park in cycle lanes or on double lines, or double park to load and unload the contents. The infrastructure of cities cannot cope with this army of delivery vans and we look on helpless, stuck in traffic jams, or worse breathe in the fumes. One solution to this problem is 'beds and sheds' complexes with their own delivery systems and underground rail links shunting hundreds of packages every hour: one of these exists already. Dystopian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>So essentially, Amazon saves time and money</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Does it? To recommend you now go and buy your Christmas presents for family and friends and Secret Santa gifts for colleagues at your local makers' market (especially<a href="https://wasteladyn8.blogspot.com/2019/11/hornsey-vale-makers-market.html"> ours!)</a> might seem a bit hopeful..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And yet and yet, the twelve minutes saved by clicking online can be channelled into walking to the shops, saying hello to neighbours you meet on the way, browsing a few stalls, having a cup of tea, browsing a few more stalls, buying something that catches your eye. It might take longer than 12 minutes but it sounds like time well spent to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-32826366980293935112019-11-15T15:56:00.002+00:002019-11-15T15:56:53.894+00:00Hornsey Vale Makers' Market<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73puVPdwki2pEyMftKiFOedBjRafcEsLLdat3O8QWdGZ-dx2I3f1GiEMA4hnri52mJkSHF5TjL1d9XZD_dMfn_hhK_ChBzbyR70QiKdIPftvQfKsL2LpBpW3NX7GML4I1fCxkATVAgJ4/s1600/Xmas_Crafts_v4.6_2019+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1132" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73puVPdwki2pEyMftKiFOedBjRafcEsLLdat3O8QWdGZ-dx2I3f1GiEMA4hnri52mJkSHF5TjL1d9XZD_dMfn_hhK_ChBzbyR70QiKdIPftvQfKsL2LpBpW3NX7GML4I1fCxkATVAgJ4/s640/Xmas_Crafts_v4.6_2019+%25281%2529.jpg" width="451" /></a></div>
<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-55088923523860904652019-10-12T16:13:00.001+01:002019-10-14T15:00:06.871+01:00Makers' Market or Craft Fair/Fayre?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnwY4GBwwnW-H4EbUWPoDHgKu0cVt1yqQhIHZ3viF93QoegZENn_-JzrJkQM8hJbbG7GVsK0YZq8aKDF5W5QlRkm62AdYF-J34nd_XVYwdZVo2Axaf3hdjtsbycsdBvNQy4wZL3-PKNI/s1600/Makers+Market+Image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimnwY4GBwwnW-H4EbUWPoDHgKu0cVt1yqQhIHZ3viF93QoegZENn_-JzrJkQM8hJbbG7GVsK0YZq8aKDF5W5QlRkm62AdYF-J34nd_XVYwdZVo2Axaf3hdjtsbycsdBvNQy4wZL3-PKNI/s400/Makers+Market+Image.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knitters at Brixton Makers' Market</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mention a ‘craft fair’ and what comes to mind?</span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stalls, of course. A
delightful place to visit. Tea and cake. Scarves and earrings, all the stuff
you find in a National Trust gift shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Essentially a day out, to browse a few stalls, buy something nice for a
friend’s birthday and take a chance on the weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The heritage setting is key: look how the
Channel 5 show, The Wonderful World of Crafting chooses a charming place for each
programme:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.channel5.com/show/the-wonderful-world-of-crafting/">https://www.channel5.com/show/the-wonderful-world-of-crafting/</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From a business point of view, craft fairs are a great
way to make money. The fee for the stall can be used to fund other projects and
support worthy causes, and as long as the organisers attract enough punters, the stall holders should be happy. The more stall holders, the greater the profit;
the more stallholders, the greater the attraction, the more people come, the
greater the takings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everybody happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Makers’ Market I have in mind is somewhat different.
Linguistically, with a bit of alliteration, it puts the makers at the centre of the event<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is to encourage conversation
with the seller about their craft, the origins of the materials they use, and
their passion for making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A maker is
always happy when they sell on the day, but they are particularly delighted
when they engage with a customer and take on a commission. Co-production of
this nature is less wasteful of energy, time and materials; no-one wants a pile
of unsold items...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how great to own
a piece of work, made to your requirements from someone you know!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So for our Makers’ Market, yes, there will be tea and cakes
(and mulled wine too).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The setting is
<a href="https://www.hornseyvale.org/">Hornsey Vale Community Centre</a>, whose architecture is more 70s than heritage,
but which is convenient for Crouch End and the W3 and W5 bus routes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There will be a range of interesting items
for sale, lovely gifts for Christmas and beyond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The majority of our stallholders will have
made the items they sell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will have
sourced their materials, decided on a design, and spent hours, working on their
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Come and talk to them!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Makers Market is not for profit event at Hornsey Vale
Community Centre, on Sunday 8 December, 3-6 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you would like to sell at this event, please email me at: <a href="mailto:Wasteladyn8@gmail.com">Wasteladyn8@gmail.com</a> and I will send
you further details.</span><br />
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-91478696478083942042019-05-02T17:03:00.002+01:002019-08-25T10:04:47.261+01:00A Vintage Life - Ways to Avoid Single Use Plastic<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">One billion elephants! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Or 8.3 billion tonnes. That's how much plastic has been produced when the plastics industry really took off in the fifties. Of that amount, 9% has been recycled, 12% has been incinerated and the remaining 79%? Well, you've seen the pictures on TV...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the fifties, our grandparents reeling from war-time shortages and post-war rationing, kept everything. (I know that from having taken over a year to clear my mother's house.) They bought their groceries and meat from small independent shopkeepers who wrapped their purchases in paper. They sat down to eat at the family table and had two sets of cutlery: one for everyday, one for best. They had tea parties for special occasions with tea-sets and tea-pots and tea leaves. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They tucked handkerchiefs in sleeves or pockets and gave pretty embroidered sets as presents. At the same time, they embraced this new extraordinary material which could be used to store food safely and they loved the affordable jewellery that sparkled and gleamed and looked like real thing: amber, pearl, ivory and coral.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWo-vDgFMkW1L2Ygga6TJ_B-KmK8khUCzoXVO6oQVHt7omvFYgANVYsuDLGmdGW8xpm2ZTJriWvwL99DOM4ew_pB6435I4kYrwUyZgxdNnvPavFECga9ZHmoSA-XAHsXWYnFPlsRePGQ/s1600/plastic+beads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWo-vDgFMkW1L2Ygga6TJ_B-KmK8khUCzoXVO6oQVHt7omvFYgANVYsuDLGmdGW8xpm2ZTJriWvwL99DOM4ew_pB6435I4kYrwUyZgxdNnvPavFECga9ZHmoSA-XAHsXWYnFPlsRePGQ/s400/plastic+beads.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A random selection of beads from my mother's jewellery box</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks to their careful curation of these precious things, many of them are still around. So can revisiting the past, help us reduce our plastic waste and create own plastic free legacy? Here's some ideas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">1) Use tea leaves (and tea-pots!) Almost all teabags contain a plastic sealant, polypropylene, to stop them disintegrating. Contrary to popular belief, they won't biodegrade in your compost.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F3NnJ4Yf_Czgk2fyYSGKbGHjqw_Smo0q9276UJI6v9XapeEGMVtdxhimesNpfG6gdIagvEGAbKpYHHqBNt_N8Xk7xtg8ZbgToj9uBmGfBGffePl7TeCMaVQ4QvUGmFhGYifbNn-19no/s1600/Tea+caddies+and+teapot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1F3NnJ4Yf_Czgk2fyYSGKbGHjqw_Smo0q9276UJI6v9XapeEGMVtdxhimesNpfG6gdIagvEGAbKpYHHqBNt_N8Xk7xtg8ZbgToj9uBmGfBGffePl7TeCMaVQ4QvUGmFhGYifbNn-19no/s400/Tea+caddies+and+teapot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J G Meakin Studio teapot and vintage tea caddies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">2) Use handkerchiefs. Tissues are 100% paper but they can't be recycled or flushed away and they come in plastic wrapping (even the boxes).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">3) Bring your own cutlery (and napkin) to work.) Each year in the UK we get through 16.5 billion pieces of disposable cutlery and we are among the biggest users of straws on the planet: 42 billion per year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">4) Use soap and shampoo bars and display them on pretty vintage ceramic dishes. These are Poole, made in the sixties, hand painted, each with their individual maker's mark. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2BZkL9WK3Y5cHgybLmwWnIhWNmF5ceozYPd53ID080buVK7wDbPpGlD_5Te4zJazMi0xnRwHT9oUgkg2RIZ5ziyrTLvu4oxqZIkYXa51AGr5EZCGitWEdJUAaMZ4jyPcHVD6Ico3RyQ/s1600/poole+dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2BZkL9WK3Y5cHgybLmwWnIhWNmF5ceozYPd53ID080buVK7wDbPpGlD_5Te4zJazMi0xnRwHT9oUgkg2RIZ5ziyrTLvu4oxqZIkYXa51AGr5EZCGitWEdJUAaMZ4jyPcHVD6Ico3RyQ/s400/poole+dishes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand painted Pool pottery from the s 60with vintage soaps</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq2BZkL9WK3Y5cHgybLmwWnIhWNmF5ceozYPd53ID080buVK7wDbPpGlD_5Te4zJazMi0xnRwHT9oUgkg2RIZ5ziyrTLvu4oxqZIkYXa51AGr5EZCGitWEdJUAaMZ4jyPcHVD6Ico3RyQ/s1600/poole+dishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></a>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviooSydGLP44Tf_vHAWKrRFxLFOuCt80lCn1P8wj29qPgV0WP1KWGpn1nkotgYc0V7U5q9ciYx78uCRp1Eqo3kapu9ZOECcyj3BNXxgEHwWAhQXnZJO4Fp5p-8dhSWoMcYzGmsQtEabQ/s1600/tupperware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviooSydGLP44Tf_vHAWKrRFxLFOuCt80lCn1P8wj29qPgV0WP1KWGpn1nkotgYc0V7U5q9ciYx78uCRp1Eqo3kapu9ZOECcyj3BNXxgEHwWAhQXnZJO4Fp5p-8dhSWoMcYzGmsQtEabQ/s400/tupperware.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">70s Tupperware in various sizes</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">5) Use Tupperware. You can take it to your friendly local shopkeeper and producer and avoid plastic bags and food trays. An estimated 2.26 million tonnes of plastic packaging is produced in the UK each year, of which three fifths ends up being dumped)</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">6) Avoid clingfilm. In the UK we love cling film, 1.2 million metres every year, to be exact; that's an annual 44m per household. Switch to beeswax wraps.</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA63hjFs4u9EWagpAE8zxAv1nlHJpqWidme5f9SFjest3XK8z_uSnp5qAm5ICuvBLt4v9p-XyvYBd0X-1nI3e436Vp1brqprMX3oLwiDrR8eZFKtfLAa03khao5waKezwJbW5zPJ5lUho/s1600/Wraps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: right; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA63hjFs4u9EWagpAE8zxAv1nlHJpqWidme5f9SFjest3XK8z_uSnp5qAm5ICuvBLt4v9p-XyvYBd0X-1nI3e436Vp1brqprMX3oLwiDrR8eZFKtfLAa03khao5waKezwJbW5zPJ5lUho/s400/Wraps.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">50s fabric turned into beeswax wraps</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Beeswax wraps are a brilliant way to wrap food stuff (although avoid meat) and can be shaped into pockets and boxes. My beeswax wraps are !00% vintage cotton infused with a blend of beeswax, anti-bacterial jojoba oil and pine resin (to make the wraps cling). In future I plan to use beeswax from local beekeepers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The wraps can be wiped or rinsed in lukewarm water; they should last at least a year and can be refreshed by putting them into a warm oven for a few minutes. Once they finally reach their end of life, simply put them in the compost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-41861084193457335272017-12-16T11:22:00.003+00:002017-12-16T11:22:53.254+00:00WasteladyN8 Studios<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At WasteladyN8 Studios, the material comes first.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every sample, off cut, discard, charity shop reject, discontinued line,
junkshop find, however bent and battered, biffed and buffeted, frayed and
friable, is interesting to us. We squirrel, and hoard horribly.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every find is a project. Before we stash, we explore possibilities: it
is not what to do with the material, but what <i>not</i> to do with it.
The best way to use a resource is to experiment with it, but what if, there
is no more of it to be had? </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">No matter -
limitation inspires creativity. Everything we produce has been crafted, not
just in its execution, but also in the thinking behind it. The outcome is
an item, that is unique, a one-off, never to be repeated, because the material
we have used no longer exists.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn_53lvaeZv3fVdAuxZokqYK6hZWd8YzHJ_-4DpnWVqHYymV-2MkzlYlTIKYnY-heZaInm9XYrauoHrNQ-Gj-Ca5hARlRtNwbJsLA4-gUzrC5-KAJMK8_XkZMhLMnmRQwYFjIY2pEIdo/s1600/Small+purses+in+red+suitcase.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn_53lvaeZv3fVdAuxZokqYK6hZWd8YzHJ_-4DpnWVqHYymV-2MkzlYlTIKYnY-heZaInm9XYrauoHrNQ-Gj-Ca5hARlRtNwbJsLA4-gUzrC5-KAJMK8_XkZMhLMnmRQwYFjIY2pEIdo/s400/Small+purses+in+red+suitcase.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small purses made from Donegal tweed offcuts - material no longer available!</td></tr>
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</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The wasteladyn8 blog is not just a showcase of items we have made. It
is also a discussion of the journey towards the finished product, the twists
and turns and glorious dead ends we encounter. It is about finding
material and rediscovering it.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLjEm2OZXG2ULwORXPQ-BDrbKZ0Yw3B9t5J3v45QMbdqJncPIAdJ8IdBPKbSQlffupQmPdGpUHqQUg0mjquZWPppBd8NKPn0IuoIknSQXYI7nbSkfK625kUjfDqtvJmuN5etur67Jgv4/s1600/Brooches+Blue+1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrLjEm2OZXG2ULwORXPQ-BDrbKZ0Yw3B9t5J3v45QMbdqJncPIAdJ8IdBPKbSQlffupQmPdGpUHqQUg0mjquZWPppBd8NKPn0IuoIknSQXYI7nbSkfK625kUjfDqtvJmuN5etur67Jgv4/s400/Brooches+Blue+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Brooches made from Paul Smith silk samples, sold at a pop-up shop.</span></td></tr>
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<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-20615240681567560612017-10-23T23:19:00.001+01:002017-10-23T23:22:58.371+01:00Robin Livingstone 1920-2017<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsmPKwD6nJwDXVDcx34kZ2Or6grdJ1iDHE-cET-XDHXTasX-qfk7pNZ3HJ3h4CrnClyhuKzJS3DbGOKHKNWFn-ydKx2gfIOM4gzXNR-1CrA4kIbz9jlwOY89srlBfSGWm4WmHVeaKLcg/s1600/Robin+Rocks+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1347" data-original-width="1156" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsmPKwD6nJwDXVDcx34kZ2Or6grdJ1iDHE-cET-XDHXTasX-qfk7pNZ3HJ3h4CrnClyhuKzJS3DbGOKHKNWFn-ydKx2gfIOM4gzXNR-1CrA4kIbz9jlwOY89srlBfSGWm4WmHVeaKLcg/s640/Robin+Rocks+cropped.jpg" width="547" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My mother, Robin Livingstone passed away on Wednesday 11 October 2017. In 2013 she won First Prize in an essay writing competition for the Ulster Countrywoman Magazine. The piece was read out during her funeral on Saturday 13 October and is reproduced in full below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From My Kitchen Window</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The theme for my story is taken from the film, <i>Casablanca,</i> the lovely, sad song: 'As Time Goes By...' </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As I sit at my kitchen window the scene changes by the hour. The post-man in his 'little red van' is the first to arrive. Disappointing, no letters! Only circulars about great deals from supermarkets and letters from charities asking for donations for worthy causes. Today, nobody has time to write; it's all texts and emails.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The afternoon is quite exciting. I see businessmen home for lunch. Wives drive to supermarkets. Nobody walks to the local shop with a shopping bag today. It's all trolley, plastic bags into the boot of the car and home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vapour trails in the sky mean the plane is on time as it flies towards City of Derry Airport. The bus passes bringing children home from school. The lady walks her dog and the neighbour's big ginger cat takes its afternoon stroll around the garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the evening I watch for the crows on their way to roost in the tall trees, and keep warm near the road's lights during the night.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, there is a spectacular sunset. I stand in awe as the sky glows with colours - red, gold, yellow and primrose - a scene not even David Hockney could paint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The road light outside my window has come on. It's time to draw the curtains and call it a day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Days of the week are known by what is happening outside my window. There's the bin lorry, so it must be Thursday. Sunday means neighbours drive off to church - men in tailored suits, ladies with freshly styled hairdos. Sunday is no day for jeans and anoraks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As the seasons roll by I enjoy my garden. Spring brings flowers - snowdrops to cheer cold January days and daffodils at Easter. May brings life to a my cherry tree. I watch it from bud to leaf to blossom and sadly, it forms a carpet of pink petals on the grass. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I look out of my window and listen as a pair of doves coo a duet on the telephone wires while a blackbird searches for worms to feed its chicks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I welcome the swallows, and the butterflies feeding on nectar from the buddleia bush. Summer is here at last.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Autumn, although a season of fruit and Harvest thanksgiving services, fills me with a kind of melancholy. I watch the leaves on my cherry tree colour yellow, then gold and drop off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's not much to see during the winter. The only interesting thing was the arrival of a large flock of redwings. They stayed for three days feeding on the little apples on my crabtree. Redwings are beautiful birds with black cap and red wings -they are a delight to watch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today I am glad to be sitting in my warm kitchen looking out. Overnight, a snowfall has turned my garden into a sparkling Christmas card. I'll stay indoors. Too old to throw snowballs or make a snowman.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Over the years I have seen babies in prams become toddlers, teenagers, adults and parents themselves: life, full circle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To conclude, I must confess I have idled away too many hours sitting at my kitchen window. I have never finished my 'Things to Do' list. I just say like Scarlett O'Hara in the fil<i>m, Gone with the Wind</i>, - 'Tomorrow is another day!' </span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-27535863599686817182014-05-19T15:14:00.000+01:002014-11-24T10:40:50.195+00:00Giro d'Irlanda?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAMYiTR0EgOJXZGUam5ybGnLVvJBAyrAqKAKcaWDCkLZ2YDUcC3JkocuNQ0MOc8cHu3PYY9xCjed858_HTiZVMh4ScGqoguN847hIPDJQAatgIuHb_ESDbIGoLOaMKf4_IG81g1LUZhw/s1600/Giro+break+away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCAMYiTR0EgOJXZGUam5ybGnLVvJBAyrAqKAKcaWDCkLZ2YDUcC3JkocuNQ0MOc8cHu3PYY9xCjed858_HTiZVMh4ScGqoguN847hIPDJQAatgIuHb_ESDbIGoLOaMKf4_IG81g1LUZhw/s1600/Giro+break+away.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Break Away Group appears</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foE3ZdVgnEk" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Traffic commercials</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in Northern Ireland are usually grim. Coffin
shaped glasses of lager, a mashed up profile, howling parents punch home the
message: driving is dangerous. You are
only a second away, a momentary lapse of concentration away from a horrendous pile-up
of smoking metal and mutilated limbs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But a more recent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXXwtP0MWKo">DOE information advert,</a> broadcast before
and after the Giro d’Italia, is different. The refrain is ‘Don’t Forget’ as
cyclists and motorists bat back and forth advice on how to share the Road. ‘Don’t forget I need a least the space of a car when you pass me.’ ‘Don’t forget it’s dangerous to pass me on the inside.’ The
final image is of a motorist and cyclist at a junction saying in unison, ‘Don’t
forget, I’m human too,’ followed by the banner, ‘Share the Road. Respect
Everyone’s Journey.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Not forgetting’ is something of an issue in Northern
Ireland. ‘Remember, Remember the 5<sup>th</sup>
November’ children may intone in England but here we have a litany of dates to
recall and commemorate, triggered by location-specific insignia. A tour around the Sperrins Mountains or the
Glens of Antrim will take in a succession of villages, which offer different
coloured flags: Green, White and Orange ceding to Red, White and Blue. When I was growing up in the seventies, even
the graffiti oscillated from FTP to FTQ where the P stood for the Pope and the
Q for the Queen. The rest you can guess.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So it was a stroke of genius for someone to suggest that
instead of murals, grim-faced election posters and tendentious flags, Northern
Ireland would welcome the Giro d’Italia with ...pink. Not a sugary, girly, Princess pink, but a
school dinner blancmange, cherry blossom, boozer’s nose pink. Ostensibly
marketed to celebrate the Maglia Rosa (or Pink Jersey) worn by the leader of the
Giro d’Italia, Northern Ireland embraced
Pinkness with pride. Yes, the Northern
Ireland community found it could do ‘camp,’ and very well, as it happens. Resulting in pink sheep, pink phone boxes,
pink horses, pink tractors, pink gnomes, pink fish and chips. Even the Grand
Master of the Orange Order welcomed the Giro d’Italia, although as far as I
know, he declined to wear a pink sash.
And everywhere streets and roads were lined with pink bikes and a
festive flutter of floral flags.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the different stages, the spectators wore pink, even
if it was only a magenta rain poncho thoughtfully (and presciently) provided by
the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. The
Board had bid £4.2 million to entice the Giro d’Italia to come to Ireland and had
beaten their nearest rival Venice, a curious place for a cycle race. The Board’s slogan ‘Discover NI’ aimed to market the cities and coast to a global audience, who enchanted by
the scenery would come in droves. That
didn’t quite work out, alas. What the world
wide audience actually saw on their screens was cyclists crashing on dangerously wet streets and not the
iconic features of the coast, which swathes of rain made impossible to film.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtXZz5AiYu4SQ9sC1i4GLflW6XfuA8QWaCPtAiSH6qhh2VwDO15rmdrFdSV0MVMbs3cxk7b9fc4bbACZE7BOHFR6-QH4tR2pOtYgCiQxc-LCItydmsRgYzqzZ2PiBFwpRsVz5dmVvpw4/s1600/bikes+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtXZz5AiYu4SQ9sC1i4GLflW6XfuA8QWaCPtAiSH6qhh2VwDO15rmdrFdSV0MVMbs3cxk7b9fc4bbACZE7BOHFR6-QH4tR2pOtYgCiQxc-LCItydmsRgYzqzZ2PiBFwpRsVz5dmVvpw4/s1600/bikes+015.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The audience did discover something, however.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They knew that many in Northern Ireland like a procession. They
probably knew that Ulster men and women are resilient, somewhat confirmed by
the sight of hundreds of thousands standing in the rain, for four hours
to see four and a half minutes of action.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But did they know we could be fun? Like the riders on pink horses chasing the
race until they ran out of beach. Or the
water skier keeping pace until he tried to wave at the cyclists and fell into the water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I discovered something too. I am a frequent visitor to
my homeland and I would often remark to my husband on the potential there for
excellent cycling. How wrong I was.
There is no potential. People are doing it
now. On the day of the race, we were impressed by the proliferation
of cycle clubs,. We encountered numerous bike riders on the narrow roads, moving as one </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">like flocks of birds, heading to</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> their favoured viewpoint</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We chose to coincide with the race at Cushendall, a small
coastal village.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z27aULJYot3P8EchfkbWBi2T1d-wIPcRknEw00B0STfv6ET7iKfXf8zVRWYH46SbVq9GgdDZeHJzmuwTFvtChoUWuq_1GBTgWqo45W-2WyQ_tYY32Ei8XrstkTfhcIMno7pVONRfYes/s1600/Bored+spectator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5z27aULJYot3P8EchfkbWBi2T1d-wIPcRknEw00B0STfv6ET7iKfXf8zVRWYH46SbVq9GgdDZeHJzmuwTFvtChoUWuq_1GBTgWqo45W-2WyQ_tYY32Ei8XrstkTfhcIMno7pVONRfYes/s1600/Bored+spectator.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what was the race actually like? In the end it was brilliant! We positioned ourselves on the bridge over the River Dall, able
to see the bikes as they came round the sharp corner by the Curfew Tower. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We waited a long time, standing around in the rain,
observing the crowds, checking our cameras, checking our watches.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Until s</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">uddenly, we could hear the honking of a
police bike.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It ushered in a host of
pink taxis joining in the cacophony and waving huge pink foam hands out the
windows. They were followed by a lull.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quite
a long lull.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And then the bike
outriders were back, beeping madly to tell us the race was coming. It is easy to miss the leaders of the race,
the breakaway group, and take them for a bunch of stragglers. But you know that very soon afterwards (in
this case, four minutes) the peloton will appear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Watching the pack of
cyclists on the television, you notice how they pedal together, so fluid they seem
to be coasting. They juggle jackets, no hands on the handlebars, poised like
accomplished circus performers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the
flesh, they were hard. Fast. Pumping like
a piston engine. And then they were gone....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our journey home, we retraced the giro route, now bathed
in sunshine and photographed moments of pink.
I hope too visitors will look at the Giro and see Northern Ireland in a
different light, not just as a confection of sweet spots to touch and go. I hope they would like to come and experience
the community of cycling, just as we did.
And I hope they look forward to tapping into the culture of fun, which is so
much part of the national character, and which we paraded in pink in the pouring
rain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwjPOlEM8-5TcCPSqxPpcf3BDsNJjTB7R69UugVfAHAXgOYwp671pD5FHv7kj8c1mN-KZr2hBZsMc7AFtzFa7smikNVxpzoy9AgBnD52Hrb-LSORSpXPrRqWBQhrQV-OJQ1g09zNgUIM/s1600/Icecream+in+the+rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZwjPOlEM8-5TcCPSqxPpcf3BDsNJjTB7R69UugVfAHAXgOYwp671pD5FHv7kj8c1mN-KZr2hBZsMc7AFtzFa7smikNVxpzoy9AgBnD52Hrb-LSORSpXPrRqWBQhrQV-OJQ1g09zNgUIM/s1600/Icecream+in+the+rain.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-85653350130531678762013-02-25T11:45:00.000+00:002013-02-25T11:48:08.572+00:00The Alternative Clothes Show 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaognt2brsfB3-ykX4YndrwL6qeiGAusu7lq3Sa1a8vVpOrulXFV2HU5R6I0IFnW7IDg9zjOVmVRsfu6X4QugDm84WGfQf7vkuXI4dnn0CwLKvUf_-tYPAwRnv7QbVIJ5s1WGxAGVdAU/s1600/capri-sun-dress-bag-fashion-handmade-photo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyaognt2brsfB3-ykX4YndrwL6qeiGAusu7lq3Sa1a8vVpOrulXFV2HU5R6I0IFnW7IDg9zjOVmVRsfu6X4QugDm84WGfQf7vkuXI4dnn0CwLKvUf_-tYPAwRnv7QbVIJ5s1WGxAGVdAU/s1600/capri-sun-dress-bag-fashion-handmade-photo+(1).jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4f5855; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Strike a pose on the catwalk at the Alternative Clothes Show 2013. This is a chance to showcase clothing that is precious. Maybe it's handmade, or upcycled, or it could be treasure from your granny or the local charity shop! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #4f5855;">The Alternative Clothes Show is on <b>Sunday 17 March, 2-5pm at Hornsey Vale Community Centre, 60 Mayfield Road, N8 9LP. </b> </span><span style="color: #4f5855;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4f5855; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; line-height: inherit;">We are also looking for people to come and display or sell handmade items, upcycled clothes or locally sourced textiles. Prices for tables are as follows:</span></div>
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<li style="line-height: inherit; list-style: square; margin: 0px 0px 0.4em 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Display: Free</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="line-height: inherit; list-style: square; margin: 0px 0px 0.4em 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Traders: £12</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="color: #4f5855; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: inherit; list-style: square; margin: 0px 0px 0.4em 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Private Sellers: £8</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For further information: <a href="mailto:info@hornseyvale.org" style="color: #258dad; text-decoration: initial;" target="_blank">info@hornseyvale.<wbr></wbr>org</a> or ring Tanya 0208 348 4612</span></div>
<div style="color: #4f5855; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.75em; min-height: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">This is joint event organised by Transition Crouch End and Hornsey Vale Community Cente We will be promoting clothes that are ethically sourced, local, or recycled. We want to raise awareness about the ethical, environmental impact of the mainstream clothing industry. And we want to have fun!</span></div>
<div style="color: #4f5855; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.75em; min-height: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;">For more information: www.transitioncrouchend.org or www.hornseyvale.org</span></div>
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-44846305756634735112013-01-21T10:56:00.001+00:002013-01-21T12:20:29.115+00:00Seville Marmalade for 55p a jar<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unfortunately I can't do that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I tried. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I bought 2 kilos of granulated sugar at 99p each and a kilo of Seville oranges for £1.99, from my local greengrocers, the Broadway Fruiterer in Crouch End (lovely old-fashioned name). Plus two lemons for 60p.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used River Cottage Pam the Jam's method and boiled the whole fruit for two and a half hours in two and a half litres of water </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at a steady simmer</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. I halved the now softened fruit, poked out the pips, and sliced the peel into fine strips. Removing the pips was a bit of a chore, but handling the tender, squishy pith was quite pleasurable.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then I topped up the water to 1.7 litres, tipped in the pulp and peel and poured in two kilos of warmed granulated sugar. Plus the juice of two lemons to ensure the right level of pectin. (I added in a little extra, because when I did the <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Test-the-Pectin-Content-of-Fruit">methylated spirit test</a> for pectin, the liquid didn't clump.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I placed the temperature probe in the preserving pan and waited for the alert, knowing that when my concoction had reached 105 degrees C, the setting point of 104.5 had been reached. This made for a rather relaxed marmalade making session: the probe meant I could actually leave the pan for half an hour, confident that the resulting marmalade would set.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It did and this is how it looked.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKMwwXENYT_vq8bRBiT9Dcnzb0Y8QHRq4s6BN_Wj-b1HqVzflXWtUH36ZQEVTegATwqKldR4bSwH_G8y7F27ju_HNj6SPZXl77xpG6P0KtIVfS6vxeecCjJINnQThlA5_vwyyCwm_QP8/s1600/Marmalade+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKMwwXENYT_vq8bRBiT9Dcnzb0Y8QHRq4s6BN_Wj-b1HqVzflXWtUH36ZQEVTegATwqKldR4bSwH_G8y7F27ju_HNj6SPZXl77xpG6P0KtIVfS6vxeecCjJINnQThlA5_vwyyCwm_QP8/s400/Marmalade+2013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then there was the stress of working out how much it cost. In the end, I made 3040g of marmalade and spent £4.57. Or to put it another way, each 100g of my marmalade cost 15p. But that's still more than Waitrose's Essential Fine Cut Seville Marmalade which at 55p a jar, costs 12.1p for every 100g.</span><br />
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<a href="http://duetogsaij514.cloudfront.net/images/products/10/LN_004501_BP_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://duetogsaij514.cloudfront.net/images/products/10/LN_004501_BP_10.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">How can they do that?!! My costs didn't factor in the three hours' use of gas or the considerable labour, and that was using the whole fruit method. (Cutting up the peel before being softened is even more effortful and time-consuming.) The jars were free, since they were recycled. I hadn't included the industrial chemicals in the Waitrose version:<b><i> </i></b></span><span #675c54;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>citric acid, gelling agent pectin, acidity regulator sodium citrates, firming agent calcium chloride.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However looking at their ingredients, their marmalade contained 26% fruit, whereas mine contained 33%, and while their sugar content at 63% was roughly equivalent to mine, this included glucose-fructose syrup, or corn syrup as it is known in the USA. Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar and is a much used ingredient in processed food; it is not so easily digested by the body and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jun/11/why-our-food-is-making-us-fat">research</a> has suggested that excessive consumption can lead to obesity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm not saying that consuming large amounts of Essentials Waitrose Marmalade will make you fat; that is the nature of sugar! But I feel more reassured, pleased even, that I failed the budget marmalade challenge. All my ingredients were natural and my citric acid and pectin came from the fruit itself. Moreover I did not have to resort to cheap, potentially harmful substitutes and I know my marmalade will not go off, because of the way it has been prepared. That's why it is called a 'preserve.'</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Or to put it another way, for well under a fiver, I made over eight jars of delicious marmalade, with complex flavours and a lovely consistency.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And with a bit of tweaking and little extra cost, I can add a splash of whisky or a few grams of stem ginger to make my own Wastelady speciality.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that's a premium product.</span><br />
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<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-516402653934146582013-01-12T19:07:00.006+00:002013-01-13T19:42:29.208+00:00Wassailing Time Again<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last year we wassailed the trees in Harold Road Garden and this is what we sang.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhyBWENr5q1ca0bRwXUnJTTUxzuTAzUEDP6Ia0vhPdf49FikUhgwFB9vlWttesrvTedB4RQKMW1iRvmgShpKZHEA9YIX0UR-wwSiPjGB4YizCrGopajJ3Fv18lknl2kjgoMfh6T1fCig/s1600/apple_tree_wassail+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhyBWENr5q1ca0bRwXUnJTTUxzuTAzUEDP6Ia0vhPdf49FikUhgwFB9vlWttesrvTedB4RQKMW1iRvmgShpKZHEA9YIX0UR-wwSiPjGB4YizCrGopajJ3Fv18lknl2kjgoMfh6T1fCig/s640/apple_tree_wassail+%25281%2529.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCok4NhXoaqP-SZjIm6tNnd4yiiOz-ZQ1C1FfzTwfKG___ErohK_NboJL8-Bv3xHPXEvEo2sQjb4cdICycfaJcbBnPeJxR3Xez-p-O-Sep15KkOG9AbSoODY3pOJ-SCJnI8kl39X3ddM/s1600/IMG_3131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQCok4NhXoaqP-SZjIm6tNnd4yiiOz-ZQ1C1FfzTwfKG___ErohK_NboJL8-Bv3xHPXEvEo2sQjb4cdICycfaJcbBnPeJxR3Xez-p-O-Sep15KkOG9AbSoODY3pOJ-SCJnI8kl39X3ddM/s400/IMG_3131.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Our little song honoured the lovely apple trees in Harold Road Garden, including the splendid specimen donated by Blackmoor Estate on Apple Day: we'll be expecting hatfuls and bagfuls and barn floors of apples in summer. A little bit of Wassail Punch and soggy toast at the foot of each tree followed by a communal sup from the Wassailing Bowl all helped combat the winter chill. The brew was a mysterious punch made of baked apples, ale, sugar, Christmas spices and just a dash of Pimms. Afterwards we sang our song, and no-one seemed to mind, certainly not the Police Station next door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks to everyone who came and to Bethany who taught us a Cornish Wassailing Carol, lyrics courtesy of her smart phonb, and her friend, David who accompanied our dowsing with his melodeon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Here's Bethany's version -j</span><span font-family:="font-family:" ms="ms" rebuchet="rebuchet" sans-serif="sans-serif">ust a taster - there are ten verses... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1. Wassail! wassail! all over the town,<br />Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;<br />Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;<br />With the wassailing bowl<sup><b><a href="http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/wassail_wassail_all_over_1.htm#Note01" style="color: #993300;">1</a></b></sup>, we'll drink to thee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. Here's to our horse, and to his right ear,<br />God send our master a happy new year:<br />A happy new year as e'er he did see,<br />With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. So here is to Cherry and to his right cheek<br />Pray God send our master a good piece of beef<br />And a good piece of beef that may we all see<br />With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. Here's to our mare, and to her right eye,<br />God send our mistress a good Christmas pie;<br />A good Christmas pie as e'er I did see,<br />With my wassailing bowl I drink to thee.<sup><b></b></sup></span><br />
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-33840126747205245942013-01-02T16:10:00.001+00:002013-01-03T14:20:57.116+00:00Glamping in Almayate, Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A pair of earplugs is not usually part of a welcome pack but
it certainly proved useful that first night at our ‘glampsite’ in Almayate, on
the Costa del Sol. Our hosts, Richard and Carol apologised
in advance for the <i>feria </i>that rollicked
until 4am in the morning. Perhaps it
did, I don’t know. I was sound
asleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A Mongolian yurt in Andalucia suggests remoteness and
retreat. This wasn’t really the case
here. Arriving at 10pm, we were assailed by the heady smell of bougainvillea
and oleander and the tick, tick, ticking of the automatic watering system. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6RIbEDUw0rRgK_nUwitzT_8UK8Ev0dKJ139BK6CI7TkNCDQJWOseN0BvtrD2jkoXFqNVeIoNMbPtvzCDIp_LmJZ1xTx65rhK-JHU2VQCdU5NvcmCg5vG9DzMYn0cjL0117uK5JyV0A8/s1600/2012-08-03+11.07.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW6RIbEDUw0rRgK_nUwitzT_8UK8Ev0dKJ139BK6CI7TkNCDQJWOseN0BvtrD2jkoXFqNVeIoNMbPtvzCDIp_LmJZ1xTx65rhK-JHU2VQCdU5NvcmCg5vG9DzMYn0cjL0117uK5JyV0A8/s400/2012-08-03+11.07.00.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The yurt was positioned by a gate with
parking space for two cars and a path to a wooden structure, comprising a
kitchen and bathroom and dining areas outside. At the other end of the garden
were two pools, one a water feature housing carp, the other an oversized
paddling pool, which our hosts would tend lovingly during our week long stay.
Nocturnal excursions to the loo were easily achieved as the path flooded with
light on passing.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Inside the yurt was
dominated by a fine double bed, underneath a circular gap in the roof, which
revealed the stars at night, although for more sublunary souls there was Sky TV
and Wi-Fi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In the distance, you could hear the rumble of traffic streaming
along the coast. I relinquished the idea
of silence, punctuated only by the cry of vultures and the clanging of goat
bells. Instead early the next morning we
were woken up by a rhythmic ringing sound, as Pepe, the local farmer trundled
his oxen cart to the local market.
Another reason for having ear plugs.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQyusyccSniHr81zDUzmtww34gbT5S8h_TT0ahiYgYj9epRjK5ZJfh8Mc0Z6ee3zSFOpdF9WvAp6qsd75b2b1bNeSvd5lo19cgZqkl2OewCM8gKL04h_v3JJTeuyelrWgg7ZVkhSefNE/s1600/2012-08-03+16.14.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQyusyccSniHr81zDUzmtww34gbT5S8h_TT0ahiYgYj9epRjK5ZJfh8Mc0Z6ee3zSFOpdF9WvAp6qsd75b2b1bNeSvd5lo19cgZqkl2OewCM8gKL04h_v3JJTeuyelrWgg7ZVkhSefNE/s400/2012-08-03+16.14.52.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNRWWLJ8y-7hardQXzH6qiOKj4iO4YADPlvCH5580Jw74XY9SqsW9kj7I8z4R3NTFMPJlVs2zZnmsIvAor11mu6KZKNdiGBYXZA2Wj9tNJaANsGBw7Nua7GiX6vhagno3ynczBa4C10c/s1600/2012-08-03+16.29.48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNRWWLJ8y-7hardQXzH6qiOKj4iO4YADPlvCH5580Jw74XY9SqsW9kj7I8z4R3NTFMPJlVs2zZnmsIvAor11mu6KZKNdiGBYXZA2Wj9tNJaANsGBw7Nua7GiX6vhagno3ynczBa4C10c/s400/2012-08-03+16.29.48.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was intrigued by the juxtaposition of tourism and agriculture:
apartment blocks beside a field of goats; a vegetable patch that merged into a
site for billboards. It was easy to
avoid roads and in time the traffic sounds faded into my unconscious. As the July temperatures crept up into the
high thirties, we wanted to bathe. The
back way took us past <i>acequias</i> which
irrigated fields of cucumber, courgette and pepper, and a simple smallholding
with two chairs, a radio and a skittish kitten. We found the beach eventually
with its basic<i> </i>beach bar and two
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Carol and Richard told us how they had escaped
the rat race to live a simple life. Here
it was all around us in abundance.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImmvB5qFnRUK-wMet8X6GIoBekYxA5VpoEk0GAi6E4pIHEgG0N5lx_nCpRVz-8ILfAS-z2sTx0qCKXNjMByld3HXZTOJC60UQewLixQmu2hphZQepxeUWij2miOeMzNatuLNicZLyAzI/s1600/2012-07-30+18.16.04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImmvB5qFnRUK-wMet8X6GIoBekYxA5VpoEk0GAi6E4pIHEgG0N5lx_nCpRVz-8ILfAS-z2sTx0qCKXNjMByld3HXZTOJC60UQewLixQmu2hphZQepxeUWij2miOeMzNatuLNicZLyAzI/s400/2012-07-30+18.16.04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can find out more about Glamping in Almayate on Carol and Richard's website: <a href="http://www.glampingspain.co.uk/">http://www.glampingspain.co.uk</a></span></div>
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-31161327879555040662012-12-10T23:14:00.000+00:002012-12-11T12:50:47.765+00:00Wreath making in Hornsey Vale Community Centre<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEDrqJRmvyNjQxYu0-sndCt2iIR5-z3yhIEc_GPuPl6CzfQuFD_zNM_QVDSEkUtAsyvxLOq1E-YJXPmPZ00VXpQKBUFZXR9Fl6ipOgX6zCqC60SLlnojDbcju_f_FbXahyphenhyphen470PlxhE08/s1600/1980-01-01+00.02.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghEDrqJRmvyNjQxYu0-sndCt2iIR5-z3yhIEc_GPuPl6CzfQuFD_zNM_QVDSEkUtAsyvxLOq1E-YJXPmPZ00VXpQKBUFZXR9Fl6ipOgX6zCqC60SLlnojDbcju_f_FbXahyphenhyphen470PlxhE08/s400/1980-01-01+00.02.43.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To this...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_GvZnw4K7oYf040UHicCLcNzMT2J7Akct09w0Jub1G5amNXBROx2Yf63PkFYvKvfBvnqTRB2_aE2wIDxO1-lYIV2XGa9E8K3Es8Yn-lVlpiBvXAzY7pLasoaRfRYw9IF1XE3StG-Bv4/s1600/1980-01-01+00.05.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_GvZnw4K7oYf040UHicCLcNzMT2J7Akct09w0Jub1G5amNXBROx2Yf63PkFYvKvfBvnqTRB2_aE2wIDxO1-lYIV2XGa9E8K3Es8Yn-lVlpiBvXAzY7pLasoaRfRYw9IF1XE3StG-Bv4/s400/1980-01-01+00.05.14.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIS7n-TfiSUCdA89RBEouQ-HG3OqjHcXUWRiI1lc9t8OWl0G0U0VGd5T2AwAXdi67ptZc2sz8Us7DvJxYChl_Ijw003LW42jC-l0DLMilxn9T2ZL1zajeGLuZdH4QpKNPSGGVxn4y9E4/s1600/1980-01-01+00.02.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIS7n-TfiSUCdA89RBEouQ-HG3OqjHcXUWRiI1lc9t8OWl0G0U0VGd5T2AwAXdi67ptZc2sz8Us7DvJxYChl_Ijw003LW42jC-l0DLMilxn9T2ZL1zajeGLuZdH4QpKNPSGGVxn4y9E4/s400/1980-01-01+00.02.02.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGFpqXxZaCVnUSjtsZsUfPclebDynJk56_8ayJgOi6NE9TOBaOqRr4u16YIQfh0HF8i0sjXYXteUEKZLkuuxd03lnfz4ERovPu6xZ8hlqRNRLkmyBUZfQ1YXB_h-o5ZXML49PVrL38zs/s1600/1980-01-01+00.04.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGFpqXxZaCVnUSjtsZsUfPclebDynJk56_8ayJgOi6NE9TOBaOqRr4u16YIQfh0HF8i0sjXYXteUEKZLkuuxd03lnfz4ERovPu6xZ8hlqRNRLkmyBUZfQ1YXB_h-o5ZXML49PVrL38zs/s400/1980-01-01+00.04.37.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyiWcSacnEPE_wMAvy80vo33kuzcyCJ9XY1IQue7hdt_MyooEPsaU-Typu4e9Hu_mYzMdA881zaXSpwtFHEHIhyphenhyphenB2KUtmwn3huKVthXm68ctoFaoRmZhyPMt2SzdFW7qctK28fe9rauw/s1600/1980-01-01+00.02.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJyiWcSacnEPE_wMAvy80vo33kuzcyCJ9XY1IQue7hdt_MyooEPsaU-Typu4e9Hu_mYzMdA881zaXSpwtFHEHIhyphenhyphenB2KUtmwn3huKVthXm68ctoFaoRmZhyPMt2SzdFW7qctK28fe9rauw/s400/1980-01-01+00.02.46.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZo6-ndVjdZfNeb5L8F_JXlvAANavVVscT2DtX5l904CPeAecDVv2NCGFxVi5BQDwftcuf6xn_QrEuSjVfYjdPSiMSfv9xe2Lj_q8HWAlkflQWCU-xJmdfDC6YrPCpyGPYF5FZfLJOEw/s1600/1980-01-01+00.00.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqZo6-ndVjdZfNeb5L8F_JXlvAANavVVscT2DtX5l904CPeAecDVv2NCGFxVi5BQDwftcuf6xn_QrEuSjVfYjdPSiMSfv9xe2Lj_q8HWAlkflQWCU-xJmdfDC6YrPCpyGPYF5FZfLJOEw/s400/1980-01-01+00.00.36.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vK1EvJUZG-MKm67N911ByVqStCDCqANxaBxuwvaYI4CpR7T1ZDJ42mw7wEk6k8rueWHmMyiMFOn9fLsMUhpurqkRCbEKThv9aCBQfZUtf_SWweO64FQcmkLtougOnfEfGUihDfWXA30/s1600/1980-01-01+00.03.47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vK1EvJUZG-MKm67N911ByVqStCDCqANxaBxuwvaYI4CpR7T1ZDJ42mw7wEk6k8rueWHmMyiMFOn9fLsMUhpurqkRCbEKThv9aCBQfZUtf_SWweO64FQcmkLtougOnfEfGUihDfWXA30/s400/1980-01-01+00.03.47.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e_ggCp4zw0JLjqSdwV-1J9XdTYJ6fdmxHGJR_MYXwEXrEguA8YPjWfKUbJr3zaBfTVlHY5PXerepaw5XUBXBVvELtZJ2cQSLyyZ0svmLIhB-Q6XG6OeGfRndwerkn1EcytNP06AbGyg/s1600/1980-01-01+00.05.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6e_ggCp4zw0JLjqSdwV-1J9XdTYJ6fdmxHGJR_MYXwEXrEguA8YPjWfKUbJr3zaBfTVlHY5PXerepaw5XUBXBVvELtZJ2cQSLyyZ0svmLIhB-Q6XG6OeGfRndwerkn1EcytNP06AbGyg/s400/1980-01-01+00.05.36.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And this...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut34dlgnzCI68c65F5FgwZWab3yaLX2mpeL07k1K8-35qzouWPVSp4GDD-z35xgIZ1vvyrNv9HE1QqfJ5ctzLbr3v6vYbce3BsboRlQ2g4EQh9JK_9y8ewYPVQ7-ohAZBQKOntU8C1bU/s1600/1980-01-01+00.02.00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut34dlgnzCI68c65F5FgwZWab3yaLX2mpeL07k1K8-35qzouWPVSp4GDD-z35xgIZ1vvyrNv9HE1QqfJ5ctzLbr3v6vYbce3BsboRlQ2g4EQh9JK_9y8ewYPVQ7-ohAZBQKOntU8C1bU/s400/1980-01-01+00.02.00.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Approximate materials used: twelve daily lens foils (at least), eleven bottle caps, ten cardboard rings, nine bits of jigsaw, eight Christmas cards, seven metal studs, six mince pie cases, five felt strips, four wraps of twine, three baubles, two serviettes and a sparkly, charity shop scarf. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And of course, the people who made them: Lynne, Michele, Alex, Pamela and Gillian.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The wreaths will be on display in Hornsey Library Cafe until Sunday 16 December. They look even nicer in real life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Next event: Make a wreath for your front door in Stationers Park on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 December 1.30-3.30 pm. </span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-73208814291933742582012-12-02T11:58:00.000+00:002012-12-02T17:17:31.160+00:00Wreath Week Sunday 9- Saturday 15 December<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdCdAC-8YAyfG0T_5QlyMt1PZdGMSXDhf3oIUCKfI_j6uhxUGoFWCxZ-uoXJKvlscfuR4jSZ4XxqP8zh-lDfR38vbhgrkO7B_tNmsb3-GiXIyF29_k3bRgR0pfZY_mTDcsIhHlqcbmFo/s1600/Paper-Laurel-Wreath1A-300x266.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdCdAC-8YAyfG0T_5QlyMt1PZdGMSXDhf3oIUCKfI_j6uhxUGoFWCxZ-uoXJKvlscfuR4jSZ4XxqP8zh-lDfR38vbhgrkO7B_tNmsb3-GiXIyF29_k3bRgR0pfZY_mTDcsIhHlqcbmFo/s400/Paper-Laurel-Wreath1A-300x266.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looking through the Metro and the Evening Standard, I was struck by the array of wreaths available at the moment. Christmas wreaths are obviously in this year. They do cost however, from £7.50 for a twig wreath from Tescos to a lovely felted ball creation from www.notonthehighstreet.com</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But you can make your own! There will be two opportunities to make an indoor and outdoor wreath during the week of <b>Sunday 9-Saturday 15 December</b>, which is now designated <b>'Wreath Week'.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2YW9u0PNQw27KU8xA4NltRblsYvyr9NLKk_W2WDnCIGcqzYnT3huiRNAd8EJE9Gs6XpWLGh4tWwoV8tRRrKf3Hi8m-BSHDzgXAlIVKfE0Ty5SQtPZNSeV_QLbeBz1Y51eLSlMae30lk/s1600/holly+leaf+wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2YW9u0PNQw27KU8xA4NltRblsYvyr9NLKk_W2WDnCIGcqzYnT3huiRNAd8EJE9Gs6XpWLGh4tWwoV8tRRrKf3Hi8m-BSHDzgXAlIVKfE0Ty5SQtPZNSeV_QLbeBz1Y51eLSlMae30lk/s320/holly+leaf+wreath.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sunday 9 December 7.30 pm -9.30 pm </b>at Hornsey Vale Community Centre, in the Small Hall where we'll have two hours to make an indoor wreath from recycled paper and card. We will </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">provide the cardboard, if you bring cards and magazines to cut up. The end result will be lovely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want to bring your own WIP (work in progress to the uninitiated), please do. There are lots of ideas on the internet - - just google 'recycled wreath'.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Something to drink as an aid to creativity is always welcome. There will be snacks to nibble - just email me know if you're coming so I know numbers: wasteladyN8@gmail.com</span><br />
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday 14 and Saturday 15 December 1.30 pm-3.30pm.</b><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> These two days are run by the Stationers Park Volunteer Group, which has been </span><a href="http://wasteladyn8.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/picking-up-leaf-litter-in-stationers.html" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">active every second Friday in the Park.</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> On Friday a winter pruning will produce lots of lovely twigs, which we will be turning into outdoor wreaths and then decorating with berries and foliage. We will be there on Saturday as well. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFIsxYHup5PyiPlL49oSpd5K34LZFY50bmsMQGBlR85-RCXfTA59bu1Y8rJCkxZZR1AI-OjnS6zGRUe2z4sCzUbbLNId_-INaO6MW78H33m9kRVKoe5sQL9wqedHtdWyHmsTsF3U3bIU/s1600/red-berry-heart-wreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFIsxYHup5PyiPlL49oSpd5K34LZFY50bmsMQGBlR85-RCXfTA59bu1Y8rJCkxZZR1AI-OjnS6zGRUe2z4sCzUbbLNId_-INaO6MW78H33m9kRVKoe5sQL9wqedHtdWyHmsTsF3U3bIU/s320/red-berry-heart-wreath.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be lovely if all the houses on Denton Road and Mayfield Road had wreaths made from cuttings from Stationers Park? And all for nothing but a bit of time and creativity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, Robin from the IF cafe in Hornsey Library would love to exhibit our recycled wreaths, the week beginning Monday December.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-65729161458825210232012-11-27T10:29:00.002+00:002012-11-27T12:37:11.089+00:00Sometimes the eye is bigger than the belly<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the last ten days, I've been taking part in the Recycle
for London Food Waste Challenge. Last weekend I managed to chalk up over 3
kilos of food waste. I appreciate that
the challenge is not about creating as much waste as possible, but I was very
happy with the total. Here’s why. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The problem with a challenge like this is it tends to be
self-selecting: the people who sign up are probably already very aware of
eating sustainably and rather pleased with the way they manage food and
leftovers economically and creatively.
My blog persona (WasteladyN8) is such a one. So if anything my aspiration
for this fortnight has been to produce a zero result, not just reduce my waste..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But then I went to stay with my elderly mother in
Ireland. My mum is 92 and lives on her
own. She is part of a kindly village
community and is well supported by friends and local services. Every Friday she rings through her food order
to the local Spar who deliver four or five bags of groceries (plastic bags, I’m
afraid, but we will see what happens when the ban comes through in Northern
Ireland). My brother and I come to see
her regularly and then there are usually twice as many bags!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">During my visit, one of my jobs is to clean out the fridge
and the vegetable rack: hence the shameful total in this week of Food Waste
Challenge. So what kind of things
featured in the list of shame? Sausages,
pies and dairy products, now out of date; bruised or mouldy fruit and vegetables;
stale bread; and a pie case that had lost its crispness.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJN8XOGdU0miRSZ5C50DaDxPGu8w-dr26TwcffQ-mhR0mAyg6QWh6j_unvBDi10eQhFNw8t1s3lWnFqLk-ZKSe0wksF3Jne7RNuxvlzLJnRBxZ5h0UM8U38FPZPrncYpLlbiiY87_rBM/s1600/IMG_4322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJN8XOGdU0miRSZ5C50DaDxPGu8w-dr26TwcffQ-mhR0mAyg6QWh6j_unvBDi10eQhFNw8t1s3lWnFqLk-ZKSe0wksF3Jne7RNuxvlzLJnRBxZ5h0UM8U38FPZPrncYpLlbiiY87_rBM/s400/IMG_4322.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually although I used the word, ‘shame’ (twice), I don’t
want to be judgemental. For one thing,
some of the items were mine, mostly the fancy ones, such as the pie case and
the apples I was going to make into chutney.
When I asked my mum why she ordered so much, she explained that she
followed the list she always used, because it was easier to do this '</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">automatically.’</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bending down, checking
the fridge, planning meals ahead is an effort.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her diet is very simple and healthy but she never actually eats all the
cauliflower, carrots and head of celery she orders every week.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I suspect the vegetables are really an
aspiration, one she never quite lives up to, and she is not alone there.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It’s a bit like having a gym membership and
never going.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In my mother’s case, buying food is just another chore which
she needs to make as easy as possible, relying on a trusted formula which is
not responsive to different situations.
I have tried putting systems in places, such as lists and inventories,
but in the end, it is up to her. Asking
her helper to put away the groceries and write a list for the coming week might
be the solution, but Mum needs to be involved in the process. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another factor is the guests. When my brother, wife, son and new wife came
to stay, Mum ordered three of everything, except for the chicken. She ordered two of those. Help! They were so full afterwards, they
could hardly stand. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My mother’s attitude to food is not atypical in Northern
Ireland. Surprising for such thrifty,
down-to-earth people, the helpings in restaurants and hotels are enormous and
the best compliment you can bestow upon a restaurant is, it gives you ‘a good
feed.’ The carvery is the meal of choice,
always difficult for me, because of the compulsion to balance a bit of
everything on one plate, return to the table and then struggle to finish. A local hotel introduced a similar system for
desserts, but that proved uneconomic: a waitress is now employed to stand guard
over the array of sweet temptations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For me the challenge of food waste is not just to reduce or
reuse it creatively but to explore the psychology behind it. The upside of waste is to see it not as extravagance
and poor management, but abundance, a perception which is deeply embedded in
our culture and indeed psyche. We know
we are hardwired to eat high calorie foods for fear of famine and starvation,
and to feast on surplus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By the same token, appearing stingy is inhospitable and so
we overcompensate by being overly generous with portions and choice. And just as the provider does not want to appear
stinting, the recipient does not want to seem ungrateful or ungracious. I suppose the solution is to desist, to say a
gentle and firm, ‘No thank you,’ which will establish boundaries and set
precedents, but that is not always easy in social (and family) situations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reducing food waste should be fun, a challenge to meet and
cherish, not another opportunity to feel less than perfect. In a world of abundance and opportunity, we all
slip up. As I go into the second week,
I am curious to see what my results will be and I'm hoping to finally get round
to making that chutney!</span></div>
WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-59259221002084285172012-11-12T21:58:00.000+00:002012-11-16T18:00:35.167+00:00Picking up leaf litter in Stationers Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsB0hrgDSzTnxQ4xttNfWYXIDR9_INbx3-T-SNOhGu97gOzbDEWRV3ETMghZ9Irso3RJGlXb2JnFYNZJwCzDlihMEn3D0FQS4mayMv9asVzTns-kVzg_KwBmPY272qmbjn7xs8nZehDc/s1600/PB090033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsB0hrgDSzTnxQ4xttNfWYXIDR9_INbx3-T-SNOhGu97gOzbDEWRV3ETMghZ9Irso3RJGlXb2JnFYNZJwCzDlihMEn3D0FQS4mayMv9asVzTns-kVzg_KwBmPY272qmbjn7xs8nZehDc/s400/PB090033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Our newest recruit h</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">elped us gather this much leaf litter.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kq1GTc4lUaEeMWFNIqUex3qzUVzcDpDKuNsJhZmTVWayfDJk7B4XnZSSgn5yJ5Pfv_YV69Y8iXm7DvP_9pX5VtMRcL2fugJfD7kudu0VAIpl2wIE9Ixg_lSwl55NOhTF8owf-O-9XSQ/s1600/PB090041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsdV3OJKITURjDS-sM-eT8KRC_k1iSy6aoIetkMp2nIq4BmzOyYvndVimV0PkSG9u-yx4cPju0UpcLkpg48lCEoPkBRy0E2Gg1sioifuSkRIcTiRVtEzfCeBpQp94GWwOOZbsqbUtzHg/s1600/PB090043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsdV3OJKITURjDS-sM-eT8KRC_k1iSy6aoIetkMp2nIq4BmzOyYvndVimV0PkSG9u-yx4cPju0UpcLkpg48lCEoPkBRy0E2Gg1sioifuSkRIcTiRVtEzfCeBpQp94GWwOOZbsqbUtzHg/s400/PB090043.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But if four people (and two kids) can collect twenty nine bags of next year's leaf mould in a couple of hours, how much could ten achieve?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qpn5-4_lCTWalZAOjikX-MsgUCHKpncLmwuoc2CALEajULIVaRjr8yaXyjvWEGYKJOCS4f_XYgY1_h1jnHMz06bvgfaI0630ZD1diBCAQ-b7ZD7G-H75Lrd_OA4g49oPf377icI4bWY/s1600/PB090039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Qpn5-4_lCTWalZAOjikX-MsgUCHKpncLmwuoc2CALEajULIVaRjr8yaXyjvWEGYKJOCS4f_XYgY1_h1jnHMz06bvgfaI0630ZD1diBCAQ-b7ZD7G-H75Lrd_OA4g49oPf377icI4bWY/s320/PB090039.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And did we make a difference in Stationers Park? Check out the before and after pictures.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kq1GTc4lUaEeMWFNIqUex3qzUVzcDpDKuNsJhZmTVWayfDJk7B4XnZSSgn5yJ5Pfv_YV69Y8iXm7DvP_9pX5VtMRcL2fugJfD7kudu0VAIpl2wIE9Ixg_lSwl55NOhTF8owf-O-9XSQ/s1600/PB090041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kq1GTc4lUaEeMWFNIqUex3qzUVzcDpDKuNsJhZmTVWayfDJk7B4XnZSSgn5yJ5Pfv_YV69Y8iXm7DvP_9pX5VtMRcL2fugJfD7kudu0VAIpl2wIE9Ixg_lSwl55NOhTF8owf-O-9XSQ/s320/PB090041.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For more of my thoughts on leaf litter, see my previous blog, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6269128185623366768#editor/target=post;postID=3088520602973359199">Leaf Litter - Pick it up!</a></span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-55262043699703582052012-10-30T13:29:00.000+00:002012-10-30T13:50:17.225+00:00There could be plums...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMX4sHZmpBwmn4SVt9Dgu6BCnaZBq5c01yGRSc2u55qAS5xlVxUwITVwk97rakGtuiNkMY6VK8CygAld3uI4XCTGROz4MQP3jQeKqnGA4Hrz13UXEcBANhaOPPOBScRCXoJ0R97zY6B4/s1600/1980-01-01+00.00.34-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMX4sHZmpBwmn4SVt9Dgu6BCnaZBq5c01yGRSc2u55qAS5xlVxUwITVwk97rakGtuiNkMY6VK8CygAld3uI4XCTGROz4MQP3jQeKqnGA4Hrz13UXEcBANhaOPPOBScRCXoJ0R97zY6B4/s400/1980-01-01+00.00.34-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It might have seemed an odd concept to be selling plum produce on Apple Day last week. But you see, even though the apple harvest has been the worst in fifteen years, it has been a very good year for plums. And I am very impressed by our local independent greengrocers who have introduced a pick and mix approach. You can end up with a assortment of plums, purple, golden and blue, with even the odd damson and greengage sneaking in: a bursting bagful of luscious jewel coloured fruit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For the plum mincemeat recipe, I needed russet which again both Broadway Fruiterer and the Clock Tower Stores in Crouch End were able to provide. This is the first of three recipes which honour three long standing divas of the kitchen: Pam the Jam from River Cottage, Delia and Mary Berry. I had a slight problem with marketing my chutney as 'Delia's Plum Chutney' since several people asked me, if I was Delia. My mother always used to say Delia was my father's other woman, so you can see how monumentally she featured in my family life. Mary Berry, precise,pleasant and seriously picky, is now a legend due to the Great Bake-Off.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyhow here's the recipes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Delia's Plum Chutney</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since this comes from an old cookbook with a youthful page-boyed Delia on the cover, here's the original. She attributes the recipe to an unknown great-grandmother, all part of its mysterious provenance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_3GgAP-j-ZcKrXJ-CPjj555TEGI2za9GxAtIOdsEWqzIAo-vRhuKjb2xe1WfvGgV1I_FtLQPQAmKMvoD7-bF6gscx1BjmPAxwInHBDw5GPHM50cOuGG8IANnb2xBjK4EDKWctSWfudk/s1600/2012-08-26+14.17.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI_3GgAP-j-ZcKrXJ-CPjj555TEGI2za9GxAtIOdsEWqzIAo-vRhuKjb2xe1WfvGgV1I_FtLQPQAmKMvoD7-bF6gscx1BjmPAxwInHBDw5GPHM50cOuGG8IANnb2xBjK4EDKWctSWfudk/s640/2012-08-26+14.17.06.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:"><b>Pam Corbin's Plum Mincemeat</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">1 kg plums</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">zest and juice of 2-3 oranges</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">500g Russet apples, peeled, cored and chopped </span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">200g currants</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">200g raisins</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">200g sultanas</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">100g orange marmalade</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">250g demerara sugar</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">1/2 teaspoon ground cloves</span><br 16px="16px" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">2 teaspoons ground ginger</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">1/2 nutmeg, freshly grated</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">50ml ginger cordial, optional</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">100g chopped walnuts</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">50ml brandy or sloe gin</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" white="white" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">Makes 4 x 450g jars</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" white="white" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">Stone the plums, and cook them with the orange juice until tender. Blend in an electric processor or push through a sieve - you should end up with around 700ml plum puree.</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">Put into a large bowl with all of the other ingredients except the brandy or sloe gin. Cover and leave to stand overnight or for 12 hours.</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">Bake in a large baking dish for 2 to 21/2 hours at 130 deg C or Gas Mark 1/2. Remove from the oven, stir in the brandy or sloe gin, then pot into warm, sterilised jars, making sure there are no air pockets.</span><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><br 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:" /><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">Store in a dry, dark place ready for Christmas. Use within 12 months</span></i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:"><br /></span></span>
</i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span 16px="16px" color:="color:" justify="justify" line-height:="line-height:" text-align:="text-align:">From Pam Corbin's Rivercottage Preserves Book, and published on www.jamjarshop.com</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: #efefef; color: #333333; font-family: arial, 'myriad web pro', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final recipe follows on from the previous because let's face it, why make mince pies when you can buy them so cheap? (No! No! No!) But if fiddling with pastry cases is too much then use the mincemeat to make Mary Berry's mincemeat loaf cake. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary Berry covers all bases here by calling her recipe a loaf cake, a good tip because if the cake is too dry, stick some butter on it and call it a loaf! She also reckons the ingredients will produce two cakes, but I found they turned out rather small. This is certainly because they didn't rise and you might want to add teaspoon of baking soda, when you sieve the dry ingredients.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I would also suggest committing to baking one cake and use a larger tin.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mary Berry's Mincemeat Loaf Cakes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>MAKES 2 LOAF CAKES</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="thinCenter" style="margin: 0px auto; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px; width: 470px;">
<div class="thinArtSplitter" style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<div class="splitLeft" style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<ul style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>150g soft butter</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>150g light muscovado sugar</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>2 large eggs</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>225g self-raising flour</i></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="splitRight" style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<ul style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>225g mincemeat</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>100g currants</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>100g sultanas</i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>50g blanched split almonds</i></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
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<div style="min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<ol style="margin: 0px; min-height: 1px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Grease two 450g loaf tins (top measurement 17cm x 11cm) and line with baking parchment. </i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></li>
<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Measure all the ingredients, except for the almonds, into a large bowl and beat well until thoroughly blended. Turn into the prepared loaf tins and level out evenly. Arrange the almonds on top of each cake mixture.</i></span></li>
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<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Bake in the preheated oven for about 1¼ hours or until the cakes are golden brown, firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.</i></span></li>
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<li style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Allow the cakes to cool in the tins for a few minutes, then loosen the sides with a small palette knife, turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool. </i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">TIP </span>Making 2 loaf cakes at a time means you have one for now and one to freeze – often a life-saver when friends arrive without warning.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-weight: bold;">PREPARING AHEAD</span> The cakes will keep for up to one week if wrapped tightly in clingfilm and stored in an airtight container. Or wrap the cakes and freeze for up to 2 months.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">First published in YOU, Mail on Sunday</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px;"><br /></span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-30885206029733591992012-10-27T10:10:00.002+01:002012-11-04T16:50:24.333+00:00Leaf Litter - Pick it up!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Through Autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You always loved this time of year</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cause you're not here.. </span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At this time of year when I see piles of leaves on the footpath, I often hum these few lines from the Moody Blues. Sometimes I even kick the leaves a little. Yet they are only the 'golden gown' of the song for a few days. After festering on the street, they become sodden, brackish and manky and they stick to the soles of your shoes, and you check to see, if perhaps you stood in something very unpleasant, which you've now brought into the house, but you haven't.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxjT7fp1KQjjiGbjIt_PVMzMSDp-ALY3EgbdkyNMBCJERtrwhS35syzrwyhnZYjQbQpGSZDbCHQ0F5eTwpRUGftnjemy92WaccmdQxP-c8xVtGjytApKTXyb_iUZ96DU6SnrbTCBAkMU/s1600/compost+hands_202x198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxjT7fp1KQjjiGbjIt_PVMzMSDp-ALY3EgbdkyNMBCJERtrwhS35syzrwyhnZYjQbQpGSZDbCHQ0F5eTwpRUGftnjemy92WaccmdQxP-c8xVtGjytApKTXyb_iUZ96DU6SnrbTCBAkMU/s1600/compost+hands_202x198.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually the whole process is very good, even the dog dirt (not in your house obviously). Because the leaves are a supreme source of nourishment and in a year's time if stored nicely, you will be plunging your hand into your hessian bag and coming up with a fistful of dark, rich compost which crumbles like chocolate fudge cake. Yum. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The leaf mould can now can be scattered on beds and around trees which love this kind of mushroomy mulch, because it reminds them of the forests where they once grew. And of course it's all free.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVVKl9kl_6vwKaDNR_s0LUg3ZhJ5qLPpzqL5e1o_2H7pzSRDbGFVTdafxGHGcsFZC3sqXySMNZvaSEj1lDlYHEz7dTZB1AoEMj8RloYgGG2f67dKsiHeQtORS1G-IRkWATvzoRorhS4k/s1600/P1050654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVVKl9kl_6vwKaDNR_s0LUg3ZhJ5qLPpzqL5e1o_2H7pzSRDbGFVTdafxGHGcsFZC3sqXySMNZvaSEj1lDlYHEz7dTZB1AoEMj8RloYgGG2f67dKsiHeQtORS1G-IRkWATvzoRorhS4k/s400/P1050654.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mulching trees in Stationers Park</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Which is why I am sorry that all those lovely piles of leaf letter that Veolia leave in their jolly purple bags to be collected will end up.... in a furnace. From ash to ash. The reason is that once the leaves are combined with the effluvia we find on the streets (plastic wrappings, sweet papers, metal ring pulls, road grit), they are considered contaminated. Regrettably a natural resource has now become a waste product.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JU47fs1oe_N_5W0o6NUnjWANbhpDCJAcvVT-Na-GBFP9Hun2EBZ_u56MZpMGOSH6IcNGp0TPXK9Duyh_mxjD24umLOG_1dapgL0OG0e0Z3v4QF65fBD7V_4-aXbdrjFVF2-I-ZRzmck/s1600/1980-01-01+00.00.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2JU47fs1oe_N_5W0o6NUnjWANbhpDCJAcvVT-Na-GBFP9Hun2EBZ_u56MZpMGOSH6IcNGp0TPXK9Duyh_mxjD24umLOG_1dapgL0OG0e0Z3v4QF65fBD7V_4-aXbdrjFVF2-I-ZRzmck/s400/1980-01-01+00.00.12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don't blame Veolia in this. The Environmental Agency are conducting trials into using street sweeping of leaves to make compost, but not in an urban context. In general the advice from the EA is clear: 'leaf fall has always been classified a non-recyclable waste.'</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;"> <a href="http://www.mrw.co.uk/news/leaf-litter-guidance-sparks-landfill-fears/8637331.article">(www.mrw.co.uk)</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There again, it is our fault that we leave litter on the street and it does not make sense for large companies to employ people to scour piles of leaves to remove small items. It is a question of scale. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However on a small scale, we can do something local. The next work day for the <b>Stationers Park Park Volunteer Group is on Friday 9 November, 1-5pm</b> and we will be collecting the fallen leaves, bagging them up and storing them for next year. We will also be combining them with grass cuttings produced when <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152189981825184&set=a.181508250183.259403.141528380183&type=1&theater">Richard scythed the borders </a>of the water feature. The grass cuttings accelerate the process, as the leaves rot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This will be in a couple of weeks so let's hope we get lots of lovely leaves before then. (And we'll be celebrating the re-opening of Reg the park keeper's hut with a cup of tea and cake!)</span><br />
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<br />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-16601400176757864812012-09-25T23:43:00.001+01:002012-10-27T10:11:40.525+01:00The Badger Cull - the clue's in the name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two weeks ago the government decided to go ahead with a pilot badger cull in two areas of England, namely the districts of West Somerset and in the Forest of Dean. The intention behind the cull is to control bovine tuberculosis in cattle, a pernicious disease which once discovered can result in whole herds being destroyed, and the farmer's livelihood with it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are so many reasons why this campaign is insane: an online petition to Number 10 has already garnered over 100,000 signatures, with the intention of triggering a debate in parliament. The main reason is the terrible waste of life. The cull could see badger populations decline by 70%, with healthy badgers being slaughtered as 'collateral damage.' There is no question about this. If less than 70% are eradicated, according to research undertaken over nine years, the spread of TB might even increase, and so it has to happen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While it is true, marksmen have been hired to exterminate the badgers, there is no guarantee that that every shot will be effective, since they are likely to flee in terror, creating a difficult target. A charity whose sole purpose is to rescue badgers is expecting to receive many wounded and distressed animals in the coming months. They will be the lucky ones: others</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> will hole up somewhere, mutilated and maimed, consigned to a slow and horrible death.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The dispersal of the terrified creatures, faced with this ruthless and senseless onslaught, is the second reason why the pilot is a complete waste of time. Perturbation' is the technical name for the badgers' flight from danger and so instead of containing the disease, the act of culling actually spreads it. This was the conclusion of the research carried out in 2003 and analysed in 2007 by Lord Krebs, one of the government's most respected scientific advisers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His view of the cull is very clear. He calls it a 'crazy scheme' and suggests instead instituting a vaccination programme for the badgers and vulnerable herds of cattle. But there is a problem here. Countries in the EU will not accept beef from cattle that have been vaccinated, especially after the BCE scare in 2002. And so the Farmers Union have given the cull their full backing, emphasising economics over ecology.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So what are we left with? On the one hand we give our children story books with animal characters, ('The Wind in the Willows', Beatrice Potter) and fully rounded personalities (a little gruff, but warm hearted and charismatic). And on the other, we sanction the demonisation of these elusive creatures, leading to their wished for extinction. The wording is extreme but intentional. Remember the word <i>cull </i>and <i>kill</i> have the same root.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-19448164797273240482012-09-23T23:06:00.002+01:002012-09-25T22:08:06.091+01:00Cyclists - Take Notice!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a sunny day in September, for the first time ever, I cycled all the way home from work. From Holborn to Crouch End to be exact, a journey of about six miles. Poised at the traffic lights at High Holborn, and a little breathless, my overriding emotion was one of... excitement. All round me were cyclists, a troop of <i>cyclisme</i> in all forms: hard-muscled, fashionable, quirky, armoured, youthful, grizzled, the occasional spiderman without the mask, and me (and my guide) on Bromptons. To be part of this bunch reinforced my sense of entitlement to be on the road. We were a posse and we were going home.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am not a complete cycling novice. True, I only learned to bike as a student at St Andrews and I never quite mastered using brakes downhill. (I thought that was what knees were for, to disastrous and scarifying effect.) My first venture into urban cycling was in Rome. Not my idea I assure you and after being swept into a tunnel on the Appian Way, I beached myself on a traffic island, threw the (hired) bike on the ground and burst into tears. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Later I became a cycle commuter, hopping on and off trains but not really owning the road. However, to support my partner, Richard currently qualifying as a cycle trainer, I agreed to be his pupil. Here's what I learned from the first three sessions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. Gears are very useful and you shouldn't have to struggle and pant up hill- get to grips with them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. It is better to bowl along at a constant pace than to build up speed and then coast (although it does mean fewer opportunities to shout out, 'Weee', one of the perks of biking in my book).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">3. Road positioning, surely my most important lesson. Don't stay in the gutter or the occasional ghetto of the cycle lane. If you want to turn right at a junction, you've got to be in the middle. If you want to turn left at a junction, get into the middle, and so avoid being overtaken by the car behind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4. And the final thing I learned (which kinda I knew already) is my sense of direction is dire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On a bike however, you can take notice and that is how I navigate my route. <a href="http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/five-ways-well-being">Research into happiness</a> suggests that 'taking notice' is one of five ways to create well being: cycling opens up your whole being to the world around you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So on my journey to work, I have noticed the enticing Cafe Vintage on Finsbury Park Road, that marks my turning to the right. I have enjoyed the smell of sausages and toast as I pass Thornhill Primary School, which probably explains their prestigious <a href="http://foodforlife.org.uk/Default.aspx?TabId=117&ArticleId=633">Food for Life Partnership award</a>. I have noted the bunch of boys, all in hoodies, having a confab in the tree cage in Arundel Square Park, the top level safely fenced in. I have spotted tree pits on Barnsbury Road, planted with rudbeckia and pansies.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Guerilla Gardening on Barnsbury Road catches my eye.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have learnt to notice other cyclists and to extend the same courtesy I accord to drivers, letting them know I am moving out and demonstrating clearly an intention to turn. Last week I observed a woman on a bike upbraid a motorist for coming out in front of her. But I wonder if she was just a bit complicit: she was hesitant and uncertain and the driver took advantage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally I notice myself, how I balance on my bike at the traffic lights, deliberately relaxing my shoulders which hunch when I'm tense, my mind alert, waiting for the light to change, ready to wobble off with those few moments of advantage. I was </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">breathless and flushed the first time I rode into work but I'm getting stronger. My homeward journey ends with two hills, one a slow incline in Finsbury Park, the other a fiendish pull up before the final whiz ('Weee') home. I would like to say that each day I ascend a little more but that would not be entirely true. I notice my state of mind, my stamina at the end of a long day at work and sometimes I let myself off the hook. And that's ok.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These sunny September days are a delight and they are particularly precious as the light begins to angle and fade. It has been a good time to learn and wintry rainy days may prove a greater challenge. Nevertheless I am convinced that the pleasure in observing and noting is one that will always entice me back on to my bike.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-15963258480365976232012-09-03T18:51:00.000+01:002012-09-05T23:19:06.017+01:00Is it Goodbye to the 'More than a Box' Scheme?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It seems that </span><a href="http://www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Church Farm, Ardeley</a> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">is considering ending the </span><a href="http://wasteladyn8.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/church-farm-ardeleys-more-than-box.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">'More than a Box'</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> scheme and this Thursday is likely to the be the last delivery to Crouch End and other drop-off points in North London. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk/images/churchfarm/page_images/farm-box-scheme/whole-team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.churchfarmardeley.co.uk/images/churchfarm/page_images/farm-box-scheme/whole-team.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of smiles and delightful produce on display but the slogan, 'Farm Store to the Door' <br />
is proving problematic for the Crouch End 'More than a Box' scheme.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The reasons for this are clear and understandable. The scheme has only recently started to make a profit and while it has been brilliant at promoting the idea of sustainable food, it has not proved to be sustainable in a business sense.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Driving a van to London once a week is expensive and daunting for those unused to the city's traffic: it requires a high level of commitment from the volunteers on the farm. The scheme has worked until now because of the enthusiasm of interns, Sam and Laura who have seen the value </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">of giving an urban community access to food straight from the producers. But with both these individuals moving to different roles, the continuity of purpose is likely to go with them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fwoWXbELhPxw-YG10E-ZSygxXgNiw6VAu5rkTqNXHxQmfA0biDx0ONkHY5QFzSDpC4c8R_1NFAh2QU1T-OJrLWB8GajTcrwWNswjYQQujjXCL10tnjujTz4Im8PSCLQV6-_LzmHRWtE/s1600/slide-8-728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fwoWXbELhPxw-YG10E-ZSygxXgNiw6VAu5rkTqNXHxQmfA0biDx0ONkHY5QFzSDpC4c8R_1NFAh2QU1T-OJrLWB8GajTcrwWNswjYQQujjXCL10tnjujTz4Im8PSCLQV6-_LzmHRWtE/s400/slide-8-728.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was Sam's idea to bring the farm to London. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> He is the</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> co-founder of the </span><a href="http://www.agrarianrenaissance.co.uk/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Agrarian Renaissance</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, a movement which aims to reinvent farms as 'multi-faceted rural hubs with sustainable food production, and direct distribution'. He was and is passionate about the idea of connecting the farm which provides the food, with the people who consume it, particularly in an urban context, where most of our access to food is mediated by supermarkets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Working with <a href="http://www.transitioncrouchend.org.uk/">Transition Crouch End</a>, the scheme began in July 2010, then a parked van with boxes for people to pick up on a Thursday evening. Issues with street trading led to a move to the Haberdashery, a vibrant local cafe which was becoming a hub of the community. Since then the drop-off points have expanded to a local community centre and to other parts of North London.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Members of the 'More than a Box' scheme have appreciated the fresh seasonal food and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">exceptional range of meat and vegetables. Direct communication with the farm has led to a more </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">streamlined</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, customised service which may have benefited members of the scheme outside London. (In the beginning the meat box contained sausages, mince and a joint, and was very difficult to get through in one week!) Members have appreciated the ethics of the source of their food: the high level of animal welfare, the support for an enterprise committed to mixed farming and the concomitant rejection of supermarket hegemony.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But more than that (hence the name) have been the visits to the farm, to stay or volunteer or just hang out with the animals. The farm is a </span><a href="http://transitioncrouchend.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/bluebells-and-lambs-at-church-farm.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">magical place:</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> two of my favourite visits were when we took part in the Supermoon Walk in March 2011, and when we caught the wave of bluebells in the wood in April. It may even be that the London contingent of the members' scheme appreciate the farm more than the local members: it is an escape.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the scheme has also developed a local presence in Crouch End. Members and farm representatives have featured in the local press several times, promoting the box and explaining its values. Sam has represented the farm at two AGMs for Transition Crouch End and the farm provided the catering for the Muswell Hill Sustainability Group's meeting on sustainable food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Livestock from the farm were a star attraction in the Crouch End Festival, appeared in the local press (twice) and are now enshrined in the festival publicity. The day the Church Farm lambs came to Stationers Park may well be the box scheme's finest moment. They inspired a raft of wool-themed activities in the local community centre and delighted the local children, and the scheme gained two more customers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I write, the blog begins to feel like a valediction to an initiative that has been running for just over two years. It does not seem likely to continue in its present form, but as a loyal member from </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the beginning I would like to keep a few doors open. </span><a href="http://www.harringayonline.com/forum/topics/ally-pally-market-organisers-threatening-harringay-market" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alexandra Park Farmers' Market</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> attracts between 30 and 50 producers every Sunday, as well as 1,500 to 2000 visitors but it is not the only market in town. </span><a href="http://harringaymarket.co.uk/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harringay Market </a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> was launched on 24 June and takes place every Sunday at North Harringay Primary School and on 1 September, another </span><a href="http://www.boundsgreenmarket.co.uk/" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">market </a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">opened up in Bounds Green School. These small ventures may be a foothold for the farm to maintain that special relationship with North London, forged in Crouch End.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And members would be able to support a local enterprise in a neighbouring area. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I for one would be happy to go the extra distance to keep the box scheme alive.</span><br />
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-69652578701871596852012-08-29T16:21:00.000+01:002012-08-29T16:29:06.329+01:00Little silk brooches<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Earlier this year Paul Smith opened a pop-up shop on Kingsway, Holborn for a couple of days during the week. This has become an annual event and the shop attracts its custom through casual passers-by and word of mouth. The items are inevitably delightfully eclectic: vintage brooches, buttons, a fifties milk bottle stand (I think), guides to touring the UK as part of the Festival of Britain, fabric maps and tatty recipe books.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWiaXMsFde-9QqWhGaSFNc3MH7YBMuEVLwK4MsoeR2SemBaWcjP3gM6-tFfkJ9y8bgRhtealb7amYQeoRcRO9JwZOaVlwaNen_HDLyrVYpWLFlov2i9XPXQtZWJ2SMQVt9oaVF5gaefg/s1600/Silk+with+cut+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWiaXMsFde-9QqWhGaSFNc3MH7YBMuEVLwK4MsoeR2SemBaWcjP3gM6-tFfkJ9y8bgRhtealb7amYQeoRcRO9JwZOaVlwaNen_HDLyrVYpWLFlov2i9XPXQtZWJ2SMQVt9oaVF5gaefg/s400/Silk+with+cut+out.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Heaped in a corner was a pile of beautiful silks sourced from Thailand, shimmering materials with subtle graduations of colour, their only defect a square cut out to provide a sample for the finished product. I collected an armful and came back to buy more. I was greedy but I was right to do so; if the pop-up shop had not existed, all the fabric would have been incinerated.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The silks are an inspiration and a delight. My first project was to use some as lining for a Kindle cover but I decided it would be a shame not to celebrate the rich interplay of colours. The textile also has an interesting quality: it is not particularly stretchy (not so good for a lining where measuring is not my forte) but it is quite malleable. Hence the decision to create the brooches below.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU4kbLggetU2fQQABfcXwOgk4LRQd9B1_QXduWjcmh7RCl2I8ha9Q-k0SyQ_oH7oKroTbUvuzWsro_aJkWznoPg2R0hL3rjIuchAEyU8vUgTS2444VLPsmGZZTU2vi-3sYr-3x1J5dbQ/s1600/Brooches+Blue+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU4kbLggetU2fQQABfcXwOgk4LRQd9B1_QXduWjcmh7RCl2I8ha9Q-k0SyQ_oH7oKroTbUvuzWsro_aJkWznoPg2R0hL3rjIuchAEyU8vUgTS2444VLPsmGZZTU2vi-3sYr-3x1J5dbQ/s400/Brooches+Blue+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The flower petals bunch beautifully and the addition of the felt disc at the front and back creates a solid little brooch. The fibres of the silk retain the tension of the running stitch (and fortunately don't seem to fray), resulting in an interesting organic shape that can also be sculpted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every piece of craft has a story. My buttons are usually sourced from second hand shops and vintage fairs. The blue button</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> that provides the centre of the flower her</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">e however was in a end of season box in a haberdashery shop in Coleraine. At 75p it was a bargain, because this was a fashion button made in Spain or France. The seller also showed my shopkeeper buttons at £25, a snip, but m</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">y canny Coleraine businesswoman was not tempted. Apparently the UK no longer make fancy buttons...</span>WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-81523942508478436202012-06-10T17:22:00.002+01:002012-06-10T17:22:52.824+01:00London Green Fair and Apple Day<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many thanks to Lewis from the London Orchard Project for an interesting and informative talk at this year's London Green Fair.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I already knew a fair amount about the Project, having attended one of their training events at Camley Road Nature Park in 2009. I learned a lot then from the splendid Wade Muggleton about apple trees, and how they can come in different forms (for example, espalier, step over and fan), and even featured in a Permaculture magazine photo. The main outcome however was the decision to run our own Apple Day as part of Transition Crouch End, which is now in its fourth year</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amber, the other Project Manager has actually been to one of our events and remembered the talk by <a href="http://transitioncrouchend.blogspot.co.uk/2010/10/apple-day-2010.html">John Selborne</a> on the origins of apples. It seems to me this is a golden opportunity to revisit that connection.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There are three initiatives that the Project currently offers. One aim is to create thirteen community orchards every year, working with local groups such as Friends of Parks and Housing Associations. They will plant eight fruit trees and offer one's day training, with a visit six months afterwards to check how the plants are doing. For their part, the community association guarantees four 'orchard leaders' who will take responsibility for the trees, including weekly watering during the first year. The trees are planted carefully, which means choosing a suitable location; lawns with their bacteria-rich soil are not ideal for apple trees. Because they are essentially edge of forest plants, they prefer a soil rich in fungus, which is facilitated by a mulch of vegetable matter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Experience has shown that the new trees can be vulnerable to theft, vandalism and dog training, and so each new plant is protected by a fairly substantial guard, dug about three feet into the ground. These may not be pretty to look at but will be reduced as the tree establishes itself. The orchard is there for the duration. By the same token, the choice of apple tree may be surprising: exotic varieties, rather than traditional. Why is this? The sad fact is that climate change means that delightful Victorian varieties such as the Peasgood Nonesuch, need chilly winter days to prosper, and these can be rare in an urban southern setting. Foreign varieties fare better.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The second activity offered by the London Orchard Project is restoration of old orchards. It is striking how many of these exist in London, several of them interestingly linked to mental institutions, founded in the nineteenth century. (I wonder if St Annes Hospital in Tottenham is a case in point.) The reasoning behind this seemed to be that tending the orchards was viewed as a kind of occupational therapy, something we would now regard as ecotherapy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The orchards can be seen on old Greater London Authority maps but the Project needs people on the ground to confirm this. The Project will then attempt to restore old trees that may be overgrown and in need of care and attention. Pruning out extra branches in the centre will recreate the goblet shape which is most productive, in that it allows pollinators to access the flowers and the fruit to benefit from light. O</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lder orchards are rich sources of biodiversity and e</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ven damaged trees are fruitful as excellent habitats for insects and birds.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.woodfordfestival.org.uk/cms/images/stories/artists/London%20glider%20Ciderpg1thumb250x350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.woodfordfestival.org.uk/cms/images/stories/artists/London%20glider%20Ciderpg1thumb250x350.jpg" width="236" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The final service on offer is the harvesting of fruit. The Project now own two cargo bikes, provided by the London Cycling Campaign, one in North London, one in South. The Project appreciates that there are several groups already involved in collecting urban fruit. There is the Organic Lea Scrumping project; Transition Kilburn to Kensal Rise have been offering fruit to schools for three years now and of course, our Apple Day would not exist without the input of the Urban Harvest and Gemma. Nevertheless Lewis did mention one exciting development: the London Glider cider created by a group of enthusiasts in Epping and now stocked by six London pubs. It even gained the accolade of a Camra award.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In terms of our Apple Day next year, it might be worth pursuing some of these ideas. We already know about the iniquities of 70% of supermarket apples being shipped in from other countries, but did you know we could feast on a different English apple every day for six years? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It would be great to invite London Orchard members to the Day to tell us more about their work. They could also advise us about planting more apple trees in local green spaces, Stationers Park being a prime location. Lewis is a keen permaculturist and wants to explore the possibility of creating a forest garden around apple trees, where the formation of guilds would reduce infection and increase yields. And of course they could give us feedback on our own apple produce, especially the liquid kind. They have already conducted a successful experiment with cider-making and may be keen to share their expertise.... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's never too early to start planning for Apple Day! </span><br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269128185623366768.post-50642190324514039222012-05-12T23:47:00.002+01:002017-12-16T10:58:35.671+00:00The Crouch End Festival 2012<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What have I learnt about being creative during the Crouch End festival?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There have been a few</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> opportunities to explore my creativity during the last nine days: the Craft Trail, May Day in the Park and Crouch End in Cardboard. Here are my thoughts as Waste Lady, a woman who can't let go of anything that might be construed as useful or beautiful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But first of all, let me go backwards and say, well done to Claire and the Makers on the extraordinary and wonderful thing that is guerrilla bunting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the run up to the festival, bunting, normally associated with jubilee parties and vintage tweedom, became an act of defiance, a blazon of civic entitlement to drape the landmarks and iconic buildings of Crouch End. (Hornsey Town Hall, we had you in our sights.) This was a wonderful collaborative effort, not just by the Makers Group at the Bunting and Bubbles Party when fuelled by prosecco, we pinned and sewed....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">..but also by children in schools and playgroups who created their own flags and emblems with paint and hand prints. (And thank you to the artist who wrote 'Croch End Festival' on one - it cheers up the W7 commuters no end.) It was crafted by invisible, nameless makers who sewed their squares with beads, boats and butterflies, handed them in, quietly pleased with their effort. and hoped to find their work sometime during the festival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But back to the Festival per se, and the Craft Trail. Although a missed opportunity for me, the stash of upcycled crafts is accumulating and will be on display at some point. That particular day was all about chairs, tables and vans, and toasting the Trail with prosecco (again) at the end of the day, and washing clay off a table used for sculpture at the beginning of the next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">May Day in the Park was glorious, though not the weather.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHv1ZE59Yjc9J9PyG3TGJWm5oxYjxFjVo5c-UL1vbZ10e6ECC3ZOtjFKNi-hXrgYvt35WFOLWv0Eyi-lq-cJZ5ODQg_hYRRYbyWE92M7uSPEoYiJBBBJql2QzNaoipzlhkBunIB_v6_4/s1600/Chilled+lambs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHv1ZE59Yjc9J9PyG3TGJWm5oxYjxFjVo5c-UL1vbZ10e6ECC3ZOtjFKNi-hXrgYvt35WFOLWv0Eyi-lq-cJZ5ODQg_hYRRYbyWE92M7uSPEoYiJBBBJql2QzNaoipzlhkBunIB_v6_4/s400/Chilled+lambs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dear Church Farm lambs, thank you for coming to London and looking so cool. Thank you for inspiring so many woolly crafts through all the stages of spinning, weaving, knitting, and felting. And thank you for being happy to appear as paper plates, iced biscuits and soft toys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">May Day in the Park was a phenomenal success. Visitors to Stationers Park were enchanted by the bizarre sight of farmyard animals in an urban setting, and Elvis the resident border collie was deeply confused. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On a miserable, wet day parents herded their hyperactive little ones indoors to be comprehensively entertained by the activities mentioned above. The aura of success lingers, as parents list the lovely ovine objects their children have made and brought home to sit resplendent in kitchen windows and bedrooms, (for a little while).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And last but not least, the Crouch End in Cardboard. Now in one sense, it was the least. It was not very well attended. In the beginning, there were considerably more adults than children, many of whom will struggle to justify time bank credits they 'earned', as they created little people out of corks and pipe cleaners. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But once the steel band had packed up in Weston Park's Spring Fair and the bar had closed, children did come and they joined in. No-one told them what to do. This was </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">an activity that did what it said on the box, a reconstruction of Crouch End, using boxes, packing tape and buckets of ingenuity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The construction expanded from the striking clock tower created by Alex to a panorama of Crouch End. There was the macro: Park Road swimming pool, Rokesley School with climbing frame and pupils, Waitrose (although other supermarkets were available, namely Budgens) and the micro: trees, sheep and of course, the poet in the phone box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For me, this was the most successful, because it was the least stressful. I looked around and everything was mess and chaos, not an easy feeling because I teach English to adults. My lesson plans (ideally) should have learning objectives and outcomes, and every moment, every second is a step towards achieving them, with me as tutor directing the group. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> 'Crouch End in Cardboard' on the other hand was creative mayhem. I</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">t was ephemeral. Some people took their little cork people home, but most left them to live on in this virtual village, just as no-one made off with Lynne's sheep or hens in her superb knitted landscape, on display at May Day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Crouch End in Cardboard is now folded away in a shed. I'd like to bring it out again at the Festival Evaluation meeting on 21 May and solemnly, ritually burn it, as a formidable farewell to Crouch End 2012, but it may just moulder along with other HVCC craft experiences, (although being biodegradable, this might not take too long).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And the lessons learnt? Please, I won't be so didactic, tendentious or hectoring. All I would say is there is something to be said for space. Space to make a mess and find your own creativity, where you don't take anything home to treasure, other than the experience. What you made may well sit in a shed, but your mind and hands have been shaped by the experience. And at the same time, you have made friends.</span></div>
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WasteladyN8http://www.blogger.com/profile/14423813977404638591noreply@blogger.com0