The Oven! 18.00pm

1st May, 2006 - (Sunday)

I think I've just made the most random casserole ever. Yes, I am a culinary devil, as in I can't cook but would like to think with a bit of imagination, I might one day succeed.

It started with soup making ... I confess I followed a recipe for Carrot and Coriander and it was yummy and ever so easy to eat, I mean make! From there I went from strength to strength and started my evil plan of potted madness. I tasted Courgette and Mint at Howie's in Edinburgh and thought ahhhhh, promptly went to Tesco's and bought 3 Courgettes, 2 big potatoes, fresh mint and two vegetable stock cubes (as if!) Anyway, it is simply magic and I make it whenever I get the inclination.

So, the casserole ... this week I started thinking I am so unorganised with meals, I freeze when I look at the freezer/fridge and haven't a clue. Seriously, it's as close to panic attack as you can get, without the panic. Just total emptiness of ideas.

We do eat a lot of predisposed meals, in their nice shiny packs ... which really annoys me with the recycling but I'll leave that story until Tuesday. I wanted to make a difference, cook real good home fresh stuff and make it at the weekend so that it can be served in a hurry on Monday night. Life is such a hurry these days, and everybody on different timescales trying to get somewhere or other.

I bought some chicken thighs and veggies and well, stirred up my brew tonight without a recipe! Uh oh. I rapid fried the thighs in garlic and lemon ... but then the plot changed and after fast frying the carrots, onion, fresh tomatoes (because there were no tins in the never empty cupboard) tomatoe puree ... I chopped some basil and added that.

Ha ha! I need to know how long to cook in the oven my concoction, when I stumbled upon a sherry and chicken casserole recipe ... Hmmmm? Okay, unopened bottle of sherry, (I won't tell you how long we've had it!) one glass mixed with tomatoe puree as they said ... adds to pot, with 1 pint vegetable stock (cubes) ... a little fresh peppercorn and salt, not too much. Stick in oven for 1 1/2 hrs. Okay, it smells alright, doesn't it? After said time I had a teaspoon of the liquid and it was a little bitter, so I added a small level teaspoon of sugar ... that I think that might do the trick.

I won't know until Monday night so if we're all still alive and kicking on Tuesday I'll tell you about the rubbish. If not, you'll know what did it heh heh ;-)

Edinburgh, Cineworld - C.R.A.Z.Y

26th April - (Wednesday)

So, it's my Orange Wednesday ... anybody else seen this film yet?

It's very touching and follows the story of a young boy who is different - here's a link to an excellent website review http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/crazy.html

Rather then tell you more about the story ... I want to just tell you how warm this film is, if you have seen Amelie, you will have wondered at the quirky moments, the timing and the way you catch your breath. There is so much in this film, a journey of anybody's life, especially if you've struggled with convention, religion and purpose. The imagery is beautiful. The music well placed too.

You will find yourself laughing, smiling, empathetising and it will also place a tear in your eye.

My Neighbour Totoro - at home, huddled round the telly!

24th April, 2006 - (Monday)

Today I finally managed to buy a copy of an anime film recommended to me nearly two years ago now by a friend on a forum I live in.

My Neighbour Totoro - I had seen all the lovely fluffy toys for absolutely ages but the dvd seemed out of reach (pricewise) Saw it in Glasgow at the weekend but still thought it was a bit too much. Anyway, today I found it in town and almost raced home to my little one, and two lovely, not so little ones, big grin on my face!

We had our tea and settled in front of the telly, the room with filled with bright eyes, and ahhhh's. Ghibli has this wonderful talent of capturing every special emotion there is around:

... of a young girl - heavily plodding along the path, determination set upon her face as she follows the wispy like timid wee white bunny type creature, as it checks it's feet and tries to disappear out of reach.

... the shyness of a young boy with the new girl in town, who runs to hide, pretends he doesn't care for girls, cannot speak, but becomes her friend in her hour of need.

Totoro himself ... the huge towering bunny like creature with a grin that will melt your heart ... he stands nervous below an umbrella offered up by the older sister Satsuki, (who is really a little nervous of believing in such a large creature) at the bus stop as a single drip off a tree hits it and makes a noise, suddenly he has a thought, and his eyes get bigger and his wide grin so big you think his face is going to explode with joy and he takes a leap into the air and the whole tree, earth shakes to allow a valley of raindrops fall...

The Japanese language - so sharp and beautiful - please don't turn off the subtitles to hear the English version!

I could sit and watch this film, over and over ... it captures so many emotions and hopes. ...

What touches me most about this film is how it conveys that there are times in our lives when we need to escape ... the two young girls are worried about their mother who is sick in hospital and each week drags by, each week they hope she will be home soon, ... Totoro is their hope, their refuge, where they feel safe and know things will be alright eventually, no matter what.

Location - Borders, Glasgow around 8ish

22nd April, 2006 - (Saturday)

So, I've finally found a few moments to myself after a busy day shopping with my lovely girls. My reward is a look in Borders, the place I'd like to be locked in at night - books, films, food, coffee, comfy chairs - ahhhh bliss.

So, we're together at the beginning looking at the stationery, I'm about to take my leave for a few minutes in the computer section (it's so big!) and the store is playing a tune ... it starts off with a kind of western whistle, with dischords, beautiful. I've heard it before but I don't know what it is? I ask my oldest who says why don't you ask? It's off an advert or it might be Massive Attack? I'm not brave enough so I go off on my book hunt. Then I hear another tune I've heard before, a soft woman's voice, and I like it. I really want to know what this is now, and it distracts me from my book hunt, so after a couple of tracks I wonder down to the music deparment ... only to find they are playing something different! So back I go the stationery section where the music has now changed to Blondie. I pluck up all my courage and ask the man behind the information counter ... "excuse me, can you tell me what you've just been playing, I know it's a stupid question but ..." he goes under the counter and comes back up and says, "it's Vashti Bunyan". "Who?" I says, never having heard of her, let alone pronounce her name. He kindly shows me the cd and tells me it's in the music department if I want to buy it... No more need to prompting, "I tell him I really like it, and zoom off" texting the girls I am now in the music dept - should they want me.

I got it home, and well it doesn't have the whistle song, I wish I knew what that was? Perhaps you can tell me. Hubby is away for only the second weekend ever ... so I put this on the stereo next to the bed, switch off the light and listen in the darkness. It is so beautiful. This is how it makes me feel:

... like lying in the grass of a wide open hill or field, on a warm summer's day, sun on your back and your hair, warm, gentle breeze, the smell of fresh grass and flowers, outstretched hands and feeling the space between your fingers...

Yes, the first track is from an advert - the t-mobile flex advert. I love the music but I hate the advert ... I say to my eldest, (we are talking about it as we walk down the town the next day) it encourages young people to think if you jump out a window from high up you will be okay - and you won't be. She says, 'mum - you'd have to be on lsd to think that', 'I still think it's wrong' I say, we grin as she thinks of me starting up a society for the protection of lsd users...

This is the first of many moments, I'd like to share with you.