On This Day in 1957............

.................. the very first Today programme was broadcast on BBC radio. 

It's on Radio 4 nowadays, Monday to Friday mornings from 6am to 9 am and from 7am -9am on Saturdays. I can't cope with music early in the morning so Radio 4 is usually on from the time I wake up until I change to Radio 2 at 9am. I find an hour and a half or so of politics, finance and world news is enough to know what's happening in the world without making me depressed. I am, apparently, one of 6 million people who listen at some time each week.

The Today programme has had a lot of changes of presenters recently after the elderly John Humphrys was presenting seemingly forever. I hated the way he interrupted everyone he interviewed. Mishal Husain is very brusque but Amol Rajan is much nicer and brings a sense of humour. Their newest presenter is Emma Barnett who was a Woman's Hour presenter and is younger.

People have said that if the Today programme is missing from your radio at breakfast time then you know something really terrible has happened in the country!

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 On Saturdays post  I forgot to mention that it was 'Clocks Back' weekend, I would never have forgot a few years ago because it was a much hated event. I'm getting so laid back in my old age that I can now embrace it rather than hate it!

And I forgot to say hello and welcome to some more followers, it was stuck at 817 for ages but now suddenly 820. 

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Sue 

The Last Saturday in October or Where Did The Week Go?

Last Saturday I popped out to where they have the Sunday boot sale to look at an Antique Fayre - it was raining so only a couple of outside stalls and not many inside either. I'm glad I waited until 9am so didn't have to pay to get in! It was open to dealers before 9 for £5 - I wonder if it was worthwhile for them. Didn't see anything of interest but did say Hello to my cousin who had a stall there.

I know someone in blogland likes this Hornsea  pottery, can't remember who. There was another stall with several pieces too and  a stall full of Portmeirion - which I thought had gone out of fashion as I'd found two bits at car -boot sales but the lady said some people are still collecting.

On Sunday DiL had booked a table at a local pub to celebrate Son's birthday. YD and EGD came over from the coast. Lovely to get the Suffolk parts of the family together for a few hours.

I've not been to Sainsburys for ages as it's the wrong side of Ipswich but as I was in town for the dentist ( just a check up - thankfully) on Monday I went a mile further  for some of their cheap 'cooking bacon'...the name amuses me as surely all bacon has to be cooked but their packs of offcuts and strange shapes are £1 for a 500g a pack. I split these up into 8 smaller amounts before freezing.

In theory Asda should have something similar, but in Stowmarket they never do.

After the wet Saturday and dull Sunday there was some good sunny weather during the week and I got some more garden bits cut back and half filled the garden waste bin - Yet Again but there's still a ton of Buddleia to tackle. Couldn't get the grass cut with my battery mower - too much moisture, if it stays like this I shall have to call up BiL with his motor mower as the blinkin' grass is still growing.

I moved the craft shelf unit in my bedroom to make a space for a table and got a hand to move it in from the garage to the corner so now I've got somewhere to put and wrap Christmas gifts out of the way. A smaller desk would have been nice but would have meant spending money - which is what I don't want to do as I've spent enough on the living room recently.

My reading this week  is the latest Whitstable Pearl crime novel 'Murder at the Allotment' by Julie Wassmer. I may be wrong but these seem to have got more 'cosy' since they were turned into a TV series. On TV I've been watching a little of very odd US series on the free Pluto TV channel called Scorpion which is about a group of eccentric geniuses who take on solving complex problems for the government. It ran from 2014 - 2018. 

It's the last Saturday car-boot at Needham today -  except for a special Christmas one in December - weather permitting -  so I'd better nip down there and give it a look.

Have a lovely weekend whatever you are doing and I'll be back Monday.

Sue

St. Mary, Rickinghall Inferior

 It's called Inferior due to being down in the village - lower than Rickinghall Superior on higher ground a mile or so away.

One of Suffolk's round tower churches and quite an unusual shape with a south aisle the same width as the nave.

It was a gloomy Saturday morning - the time I knew the church would be open- when I visited so the photos aren't so good except with a flash inside.

The porch is interesting with these open windows  

and seating inside

The view down the nave

The reredos behind the altar is medieval and Simon Knott in the Suffolk Churches site says it might have come from the rood loft as they are too short to be from the rood screen

The wide south aisle

The font has a very unusual cover.

The stained glass in this window is made up of small pieces saved from a much earlier time

A US Regimental flag given to the church in memory of the hospital situated in the village during  1944-45

The glass below commemorates the Millenium

The boards below tell the story of the recent restoration of the roof

Very few of the churches I visit have candles to light in remembrance but when they do I always light one

It's difficult to read who this memorial is remembering but I don't think it's a war memorial.

Here's the LINK to the Suffolk Churches Index for more details.

While I was googling to find out why there was a US flag in the church I came across THIS  "Village in the Wheatfields " about Rickinghall in 1949 from the East Anglian Film Archive. The narrators accent is definitely NOT a Suffolk one! and the people filmed were not always who they were supposed to be.

This is the site in case the link doesn't work    https://eafa.org.uk/work/?id=1829

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Sue

A Quilt Exhibition

 I've never had any wish to do quilting, I find the whole concept of cutting things into small pieces and stitching them back together again is beyond me BUT I can appreciate and love the wonderful designs, colours, skill and patience of the people who do do it.

So finding some information online about an exhibition by Diss Quilters I went up to South Lopham, which is just over the border into Norfolk, to have a look.

The exhibition was in the church, which has an unusual and huge and very ancient tower in the middle between Nave and Chancel.

Small quilts which would make lovely cushion covers

Beautiful quilt for Remembrance

And some of the larger quilts

Two for Autumn

This one below is a copy of something much older

A four seasons quilt for a little girl

So many large quilts draped over the pews

I entered the draw to win a quilt but no phone call came.

For more information about the church Simon Knott, whose Suffolk church index gets used a lot for my Suffolk Churches posts, has also visited all the churches in Norfolk and HERE is his write up of St Andrew South Lopham.

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Sue

One Butternut Used

 The first recipe I came across while looking for other uses - apart from curry - for the butternut squash was on the BBC Good Food website and made a lasagne. It used squash and spinach and I swapped fresh spinach defrosted frozen, squeezing out the water; a white sauce, plus 3 cheeses - mascarpone, mozzarella and parmesan and pine nuts on top. 

Made 7 portions and 6 went in the freezer. It was OK but a bit of a disappointment. Not a lot of flavour as I didn't have enough sage or garlic. Something with a stronger flavour needs to be mixed in with the squash.

 When I reheat the other 6 portions I'll grate some strong cheddar on top before shoving into the microwave. 

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Sue

Be Prepared or What's In The Cupboards Part 2

I photographed the big store of various flours I use last week .Next is the other cupboard which is above the worktop space where I bake etc. 

I tend to arrange things so that those used often are on bottom shelves. The top shelf of each of the 9 wall cupboards is way out of my reach without steps.

On the right is a plastic tub with various packs of nuts and that's a pack of pine nuts (ready for using with the butternut squash in a lasagne) on top that should be inside. Porridge, sultanas and currants. Icing and castor sugar in their special tins that Youngest Daughter got me for Christmas last year. Cooking chocolate on the left in a plastic bag. Few raisons separated out from a pack of nuts and raisons in the jar. I don't know why I still have a  tub of Cream of Tarter, it was last used for making play dough about 4 years ago!  The empty space at the front was holding an open bag of granulated sugar until I moved it to remind me what was behind.

Other side of the kitchen .Top shelf needing steps to reach - 4 sorts of sugar, all new except the Jam sugar - only one of each. Silver Spoon  to Support British farmers.

Middle shelf - Tins of fruit, cocoa for baking, custard powder - rarely used since Colin died . Black treacle and golden syrup. Lemon meringue pie filling that's way out of date but will be OK

Easy to reach bottom shelf. Rapeseed oil in use, balsamic vinegar, tub with sachets of sauces, behind them is a started pack of noodles, rice in a tub and  Rice Crispies 

The other cupboard to the left of hob

Nothing edible on the top shelf as it's right in the corner and virtually unreachable even with steps. 

Next shelf down beans, mushy peas, couple of tins of potatoes - for emergencies, vinegars, coconut milk, carrots -just in case and probably way out of date as I always have fresh in the fridge. Most used are the canned tomatoes. New Pesto and in the tub is one tube of tomato puree - need another. 

Below this is a shelf full of all sorts mostly in use.............

Vinegar in use and soy sauce, mustard powder, gravy granules - kallo no salt for me and Bisto for when I cook for others. Bisto powder for thickening a stew and half a pack of dumpling mix. Table salt, Worcester sauce, milk powder which I use if making a sauce, lots of sardines, pilchards and tuna, various tins of meat - for when nothing but meat will do. There's some marmite - many years old as I don't eat it, and some vegetarian stock cubes at the back.

In the base unit corner swing out shelves. Bottom shelf, mostly new things. . Squash for visitors. Peanut Butter, New bottles store, tomato sauce etc and lemonades plus a couple of tins of cider for wassailing or visitors.

Top swing out corner shelf. Pasta in use in the big box. There's some Wotsits at the back. Jars of honey, random bottles of water from somewhere, new marmalade. Few potatoes wrapped in a tea-towel to keep out light.

The pull out cupboard bottom shelf - new rapeseed oils and vinegar plus wine won in raffles. I don't drink so really need to give this away somewhere.

New packs various pastas

Next pull out shelf  - new noodles and rice store and the other pull out drawer has the flour which was on the other cupboard post last week

Last cupboard bottom shelves - herbs and spices and biscuits sweet and savoury. The tub has essences and food colourings. Dark Chocolate for lowering blood pressure - so they say!

Next shelf up. New shortbread biscuits and savoury and chocolate biscuits for visitors, tub has cashews also there is a packet of nuts and raisons for when I make  peanut biscuits.

Over the kettle and coffee machine is the cupboard with mugs and coffee and tea

I have a half and half fridge freezer in the kitchen and a chest freezer out in the storeroom.  I can't be bothered to list and photograph all the food in those at the moment, maybe I'll get around to it another day............ or Not.

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Sue

October 21st - St Ursula's Day

 Here's a Saint I've never heard of until I read this in the Kate Greenaway Book of Days.

In the Book of Saints there is this very strange story about Ursula

And this is the accompanying picture

Martyrdom of St Ursula. A Miniature from the Grandes Heures d'Anne De Bretagne

I only know of one person named Ursula . The daughter of a lady who I worked with in the library. Ursula later went on to manage the same library for many years until she retired recently. Definitely not a name as common as Susan!

How many Ursula's do you know?

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Sue