JBarBlog

I am currently engaged in robust and lengthy discussions to get a “A Fairtrade Town” sign added below the existing “Welcome to Prestonpans” signs.  Whenever I feel dispirited I will think of a sign in southern Italy that reads “Ercolano, territory freed of extortion“.

Ercolano has become the first Italian town to stop paying extortion money to the Camorra.  It all started when one woman, Raffaella Ottaviano, a shopkeeper said “no”.  Others followed.  It takes guts to put your head above the parapet.

I realise that there is nothing glamorous about organised crime and that it is behind society’s most repugnant crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing and arms trade.  But I love gangster movies.  I adored The Sopranos.  I can sing the theme tune in a Yorkshire accent: “Ah woke up dis mornin. got missen er gun, me mam allus sez I’d be t’ chosen ‘un”,

Being from Up North, I can, of course, make perfect Yorkshire puddings so, theoretically at least, I should be able to make perfect pancakes but they are always, erm, inconsistent.   We all enjoyed our varied pancakes: thin, thick, cooked, raw, round, oblong.  For fillings we had spinach and soft cheese, leftover dahl and, my favourite, stewed apples and cranberries.

Lovely things in the post today included:

1000 Things to Make and Do

Wolf Won’t Bite!

Thanks Bookbabblers!

On the auspicious occasion of Mahashivratri, may Lord Shiva bless you with strength & peace.

I’m full of cold at the moment and a bhang ki thandai (without the bhang, obv) would go down very well.

It was a glorious day today – one of those mornings that promises spring is round the corner.  Unfortunately, I’m absolutely full of cold and feeling rubbish so could do little more than issue commands to everyone else.

Nigel was completely brilliant.  With my bow saw, he cut back the apple tree and the worst offending branches of the sycamores (so hopefully the raspberries have a fighting chance this year).  He also rebuilt my greenhouse (complete with paving slab floor) and nailed the polythene cover to the fence.

He also dismantled the rickety old swing set and jungle climbing thing.

Next job on his list is to install the pond pump.

Actually, cancel that.  The greenhouse has blown away and he is being a grumpy sulky eejit.

Once the scope of a project has been defined, the next stage of project management  involves putting together a project team.

This project team, either collectively or individually (depending on skill sets) will be responsible for such things as determining a funding strategy, undertaking an environmental review etc, and all the while conforming to best practice and ensuring compliance with various statutory regulations.

This, the longest (arguably most critical) and most labour-intensive phase of the project is known as the “Blue Arsed Fly” stage.

Key characterists of this phase: volunteers are thin on the ground.  Energy levels are moderate.  Initial enthusiasm for the project wanes rapidly.

A second phase is known as the “Talk to a Bloody Brick Wall” stage (often referred to as the Consultation Phase).  Opinions are sought on every aspect of the project – but no opinions will be given.

The “C.H.A.O.S” stage is when third parties start to draw up final plans, scale replicas, give presentations etc.  It is at this point that the project team will encounter Consternation (“No-one asked me my opinion“), Hostility (“Who do you think you are?“), Apathy (“Wouldn’t it be easier to do nothing?”), Objections (“It doesn’t include a helipad/we don’t need a helipad/the helipad must be pink“) and Silence (“…….”).  Surviving project team members are often quite literally underwhelmed by the offers of assistance.

The final stage of successful project management is the “Self-Congratulation” phase.  There is some correlation between the first and final stage insofar as the energy and enthusiasm which was required at the outset (and the existance of which would have secured the completion of the project in half the time) is now available in abundance, as everyone who was hitherto unavailable, is now free for press interviews and photo calls.

The Scottish National Portrait Gallery re-opened on the 1st of December 2011, following Portrait of the Nation, a 2 1/2 year refurbishment.  The project had 3 main aims:

• to restore and reveal much more of the building than ever before
• to show many more works of art, and introduce a new, regularly changing display programme
• to create first-class education and visitor services

There are now 60% more works on show than before, improved visitor facilities and an exciting new programme of activities and events.

Today was our first trip .

I liked the “Romantic Camera: Scottish Photography & the Modern World exhibition (1st December 2011 ? 3rd June 2012) which explores questions of identity in Scotland.   In particular, I liked George Washington Wilson’s  photograph of Women Washing Blankets, Skye; Mark Neville’s wonderful Port Glasgow Town Hall Christmas Party and Verena Jaekel’s photograph of Mohammad and Anas Sarwar and their family.

Lucy really liked doing the the Secret Nature trail (one of five trails, the others are: Situations Vacant; Catwalk Collection; Best Wee Nation & The World and, the fantabulously named Fur Coat an’ Nae Knickers).

We had lunch in the cafe which was very busy but the staff are very efficient and friendly.  It is billed as ‘child-friendly’ but don’t expect chicken nuggets on a special Kid Menu.  I really enjoyed my smoked fish and potato bake with side salads of bulgar wheat & pea and leafy greens.  The girls liked their BLT (once they had removed the L), scone and lentil soup.  Nigel opted for tomato, butter bean and chorizo soup.  I would have been happier if the coffee had been nicer and the sugar had been fairtrade but on the whole, it was a very nice lunch in lovely surroundings.

We didn’t manage to see the Contemporary Gallery on the ground floor today, so will definately make a return visit  – hopefully before the Hot Scots exhibition exhibition ends.

Frugal tip: look out for large carafes of water and glasses beside cutlery if you don’t want to fork out for cold drinks.

Wednesday

We had lunch at The Goth (scampi and half a pint of Porter for me).

Whenever I’m in The Goth, I always take a look at the book shelf.  It never has any children’s books so I left Postman Pat’s Cat-up-a-tree Party; Rosie and Jim at the Seaside); About the Zoo; Im Still Important; Maisie Comes to Morningside; and Maisie Goes to Glasgow – all registered with Bookcrossing of course.

The roots of the laburnham in our front garden are causing a paving slab to be wobbly.  Georgie has already tripped over the raised edge so today we lifted it up with a crowbar, smashed it with a sledgehammer and replaced it crazy paving style.  It looks a little odd but I tell myself it will be fine when moss grows in the cracks.  It was nice to see Rosemary who was out delivering the Pans Post.

Thursday

I spent much of Thursday reading Nicholas Nickleby.  It is absolutely brilliant!

I came to this fabulous blog rather late, but it is wonderful: Allotment 2 Kitchen.  The trials and tribulations of being a plotholder on a private allotment are worthy of a prime-time soap.

Friday

Today I found that I’m going to be a World Book Night ‘giver’.  I’ll be giving away copies of Pride & Prejudice.

I got an email from Instructables letting me know that my Coffee Mug Snout April Fool joke is going to be included in an e-book of Fun and Easy Pranks. Yes, a Pulitzer Prize would be good but Instructable kudos is, well, Instructable kudos.

Despite being full of beans this morning, Lucy was unwell for much of last night. As I was up with her, I was quite tired this morning so wanted a quiet day at home (I think we are all coming down with some awful lurg).

While Nigel and the girls were watching the Robin and The Big Freeze in the Brunton Theatre, I was watching the freezer defrost in the kitchen (a job I dislike intently but it had to be done).

They returned with a big bag of books having been to the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf shop: The Last Song of Dusk; India: a million mutinies now; A Book of Modern Studies; The Year 2000 (as mentioned in blogs passim); The Guardian Review Book of Short Stories; The Bone People; My Revolutions A Novel and Modern Computing Methods.

Today is course St Valentine’s Day. Many people think it is just cynical and commercial. Personally, I don’t give it too much thought. I don’t do soppy and sentimental and prefer Kenneth Fearing’s poem “Love, 20 cents the First Quarter Mile” to anything you might find on a Hallmark greeting card (not that I ever buy Hallmark greeting cards). I can appreciate ‘love’ songs but love ‘non-love’ songs more:

If you don’t like St Valentine’s Day. Ignore it. Or make an anagram of it (my preference is Sty Lane Deviants as it sounds like a band that might feasibly have played CBGB’s).

The Priests’ Toun geocache (or GC12C49 to give it its official name) is a short historical multi-cache.  In order words, you have to solve a few clues based on local monuments e.g.

How many barred windows are there on the east side of Preston Tower?
How many drainage spouts are on the Mercat Cross?

These, and other answers, when coupled with the information on the geocaching website will give you the coordinates of where I hid a 35mm film canister and log book.

It’s one of several geocaches in Prestonpans and one of my favourites, not least because it takes the visitor to the prettiest parts of the town that they might otherwise be unaware of.

We had a run around in Tower Gardens today and, even with the laburnham chopped back, it really is a lovely place.

We are having our loft insulated for free as part of a scheme run by Energy Saving Scotland advice centre, Changeworks and  Everwarm (our timber frame house isn’t suitable for cavity wall insulation else we would have got that done too).

Before the works can go ahead, we have to completely clear the loft and today was spent doing exactly that.  We built up our strength with some homebaking purchased at a nearly new sale of baby clothing that was being held in the Community Centre.

Most of our baby clothes have long since been recycled but the few items we still have will shortly be handed on to someone else.  It’s great living in a neighbourhood of frugalistas.  We recently swapped the old guinea pig hutch (which is now being used by the neighbouring chickens) for some home-roasted coffee beans (and mighty fine they were too).

We took bags full of curtains and other textiles down to the Rag Bag bin (it’s proving a good fundraiser for the school playground, raising approx £80 each month).  The more theatrical outfits (spangly ballgowns, sequinned cocktail dresses, jewelled waistcoats, feather boas etc) were added to the childrens’ dressing up box, and moved everything else into the garage.

Nigel and I are both hoarders but for every copy of Harpies & Quines I’ve kept, he has about ten non-working pens, 200 comics and an empty beer can.  This mini flit has reminded me that I don’t want to move house for a long, long time.

On Friday, Charlotte and I visited the High School to talk to S1 about Fairtrade Fortnight.  I say ‘talk’, but it was more like ‘squeak’ – I was quite nervous at the prospect of standing in front of a full class.

On Friday evening, I attempted to make a wee mouse.  It was too small to make on my sewing machine and was quite fiddly by hand.  Next time, I will make it bigger and the ears will be made from felt.  And I’ll give him whiskers (Georgie likes him but thinks he looks like a pig).