Category: Homemade

Easy soft-bake flapjack

This is a really quick and easy basic recipe that is perfect for adding in whatever you fancy as little extras.

Ingredients:

4oz oats milled or blitzed in a blender or just as they are (I use gluten free)

4oz ground almonds

5oz butter (melted)

3oz sugar (caster or soft brown, whichever is your preference)

Method:

Mix together the dry ingredients then stir in the melted butter.

Cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees (fan)

Little extras:

So far I have tried:

Orange zest and cinnamon

Cranberries and apricots

A layer of cooked apple in-between two layers of flapjack

Chocolate chips

Pre-baked Potatoes

I have become mildly obsessed with TED Talks and have to ration myself to only starting one when I know I have time to listen and watch many. Like others might binge a Netflix series, I can do the same for these presentations. And it’s not just about the interesting subjects, it also has to do with a strange fascination I have with confident speakers. As much as what they say, I am drawn to the gesticulations, expression, rhythm of speaking and the movement that goes unplanned with their words. It is something we all do, to a greater or lesser extent and I find it an interesting thing that when (in theory) words should be enough to convey what we are saying, our bodies give these impromptu extras.

Recently, when watching a news presenter giving a report while wearing a face covering, MOTH made a passing comment about the gesticulations looking odd without seeing the mouth moving too. My brain being what it is, I now can’t stop thinking about why and how our brains deliver these non-verbal expressions without our conscious instruction to do them. Have we always done it? Does everyone gesticulate? Do all cultures? What is the impact of not doing so? And so on. Perhaps there is a TED Talk about it. (I’ve just looked. There isn’t. Could someone do one please?) A moment to say, please, please wear a mask. No, none of us like it but we do things every day that are annoying, uncomfortable or we don’t like, so let’s all just crack on with this too, shall we.

Speaking of coverings (yes, exceedingly tenuous linking of thoughts – my mum will appreciate that) it is too blinking hot and I am longing to live in the lightest billowing cotton kaftan that will magically never actually touch my skin- does anyone have one I can borrow? I know I am most likely to be in the minority here, but I really don’t like this extreme heat. As someone who is cold ninety-nine percent of the time, you’d think I’d be happy when the sun was blazing. But it’s as if, when I finally get warm, my body doesn’t know how to cope with it. I literally swell up and ache and get very, very grumpy. (MOTH will attest to this with ‘help, get me out of here’ subtle eye movements.) I am longing for days of rain and snuggling up in a jumper. I am writing this in my study with the curtains half-drawn and a fan on while I am sure most of you are probably sunbathing and maybe even at the beach. The fan, by the way, is precariously close to the hanging tendrils of a flowering spider plant and I am aware that there may be a shower of little white petals blown my way at some point. Still, I usually have bits of garden in my hair or down the back of my t-shirt so it won’t make too much difference.

Speaking of the garden – it is wilting and crisping and we are hoping our main crop potatoes aren’t going to be pulled up pre-baked. We lifted our  onions recently and are still feeling abundantly smug about the haul. Quite possibly over one-hundred; and ten garlic bulbs as well. As ever we are running out of ways to eat excessive amounts of courgette, it is currently being added to pretty much every meal – and still they come.

Every year I say I am never going to make jam again. This usually happens when I have been cleaning and sterilising jars, prepping huge amounts of fruit and standing over a boiling pan of bubbling fruit and sugar – all in the hottest months (merely adding to the heat I already can’t deal with – yes, I’m still grumping). Well, I have been making jam. And there will probably be more to come. The first large batch has been greenage – it seems we have a bumper crop for the first time. Most years we barely get any as, just at the point of nearly ripe, every single one gets utterly devoured by wasps. So this year, I took my cue from the stripy sugar-loving beasts and at the first signs of them boring into the fruit, I picked a basket load and finished ripening them in a paper bag. Then realised I would have to do something with them all, now that they were picked. Next up; the plums. And damsons. And apples. And blackberries. Oh dear.

It is amazing how much time it takes dealing with a mass of homegrown produce to make sure it is kept well enough to last into winter and beyond. My grandparents had the most amazing cellar which was full of jars upon jars of bottled fruit (as well as Grandad’s home-made wine – of varying successes) and I can only imagine how much time Grandma must have spent getting everything picked, prepped and stored because I don’t remember there ever being a time when there weren’t fruits to choose from, whatever the season. The exciting feeling and glorious scents of going down into the cellar I don’t think will ever leave me. It was the place where the surplus cake tins were kept, the extra cups, jars, large sieves and all manner of not-quite every day items – including (we found when sorting their estate) a teacup, with a special lip to guard the drinker’s moustache from getting wet. (Here is a
terrible picture.)

Back to the courgettes, because, as any vegetable gardener will attest – they are too numerous to ignore. One approach to use a good amount while being able to hide the quantity from those who are not so keen, is to make courgette potato cakes. Make your mashed potato as usual and let cool. Grate as many courgettes as you think you can get away with and wring them out in a tea towel to get rid of as much moisture as possible. Add the courgette to the potato and season: salt, pepper and chives works well, then squish down into a pastry cutter to create the ‘cake.’ Alternatively, make the mixture into balls and roll in flour. Both of these freeze brilliantly and cook from frozen and you can totally deceive doubters by not telling them they contain large quantities of courgette – especially if they are served with a runny-yolk poached egg on top.

Observations on a week including athleisure and cake

I find I have been regularly wearing my running leggings – with absolutely no intention of going running whatsoever. Let’s face it, with the way things are at the moment, no one is going to see me, I could just as well be wearing a shark costume and party hat for all anyone would know. But they are comfortable and there is always the possibility that I could, if the spirit took me, spontaneously launch into exercise (pause whist taking a moment to haul self, up off the floor from laughter at this idea.)

A year or so ago we saw the spread of athleisure and I, like many, scoffed. But frankly, right  now I see the appeal. Clothing, athletic in its heritage, but worn for leisure and comfort. It reminds me of a black and white tracksuit I had when I was about eight, I loved it. I don’t know why as, although obsessed with ballet, I wasn’t exactly sporty even then.

The odd thing is, even though I have in the past been out running in my sports leggings, I still wouldn’t conceive of just popping out casually in them. Why? Surely jiggling about, wobbling uncontrollably in them would be worse than just wandering down the high street (ok, a notion not on the cards right now anyway) and yet it feels as if it is okay to show every bulge and bump, as long as it looks like you are making an effort to do something about it.

I am also at this juncture, once again marvelling at the truly frightening way advertising manages to hack right into life because, of late I have had many adverts turn up anywhere I log on line all luring me to buy leg sculpting, bum lifting, waist restraining sports leggings How? I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I’ve haven’t written or looked at any before now, but merely mentioned them in passing to MOTH who wondered if I might be about to do something dangerous, like jog. And, as much as I would like a pair (for the aforementioned possibility of spontaneous sport or for ignoring such) this is not a time for frivolous shopping. If any companies spot this blog and want to send me some for free, fair do’s otherwise, it’s the old faithful pair and stop showing me things I am not going to buy. Stop it!

But I am also hankering after a house coat for completely the opposite end of the wearing clothes spectrum. Before we went into lock down, I was making a concerted effort to wear some of my nicer clothes more often, particularly dresses. But I am a clumsy person, to say the least. Despite craving clear surfaces, calm rooms with no clutter and an easy way around the place to just ‘top-up’ clean – I am, by nature a creative mess maker. And clumsy. Very clumsy. Hence, the fancy for a housecoat. But a nice one – with pockets. Something I could feel almost as glamourous in as a nice dress underneath. Actually, I’ve always been quite taken with 1920’s fashion and so a pair of flouncy silk day pyjamas under a fabulous housecoat (with pockets) would be ideal especially now it is a rare occasion to leave the house.

Speaking of housework. With us all in lockdown and the weather flip-flopping between spring and winter, it feels as if it is the perfect time to have a good old sort out of the house. Overflowing cupboards, wardrobes and drawers could be purged and the house given a jolly good spruce up. But, there is one huge flaw in this plan. What to do with all of the things you decide to get rid of? We can’t take things to the recycling centre or to charity shops and unless you are lucky enough to have a spare storage shed sitting empty to stash it all in, the only option is to have it hanging around in boxes and bags getting in the way – or just putting it all back where it came from.

I thought I’d found a perfect thing to crack on with sorting out that wouldn’t cause too much excess to get rid of. That was to finally gather up all my hand-scribbled recipes, together with those I have torn out of magazines or printed off and get them sorted and all in the same place in some discernible order. And that is what I did. Or rather, that is what I started. Two recipes written up neatly and then a glance at the huge pile to go and I gave up. And wrote this instead.

But, one of the two recipes I did manage to write up was for what I am calling, ‘Molly’s Muffin Loaf.’ For the recipe and to find out why it is called that, just click on the link here.

Molly’s Muffin Loaf

It was my niece’s birthday recently but with us all in lock down we were, of course, unable to be with her. But, that did not stop cake in our family, oh no. It merely increased it. We held a remote family bake off with the theme of ‘fruit’ chosen by the birthday girl. We shared pictures of ourselves with whisks and spatulas held aloft and aprons donned as the start time approached and then many, many more as the baking continued. In all, seven bakes were made – one even all the way in New Zealand. The thing we all came to realise though, almost a week later, was that not being able to share our cakes with each other, we had to eat them all by ourselves. Oh well.

Here was my contribution which only seemed fitting to be named after the birthday girl.

Molly’s Muffin Loaf: An orange, blueberry and cinnamon muffin cake with orange glaze – gluten free

Ingredients:

170g (6oz) gluten free plain flour

50g (2oz) gluten free oatmeal

170g (6oz) butter

170g (6oz) soft brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tbs flaxseed

1 ½ tsp gluten free baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Zest of 2 large oranges

Small punnet of blueberries

 

Method:

Cream the butter and sugar together

Beat in the eggs, one at a time

Fold in the dry ingredients and then the orange zest and the blueberries (I like to slightly crush the blueberries to make sure some of the juice mixes with the cake.)

Bake in a oven pre-heated to 160°C (fan) for 45 minutes, or until knife comes out clean

While the cake is baking, simmer the juice from the oranges with some brown sugar until it is thicker. Remove cake from oven and prick all over with a fork then spoon the glaze over. Leave in tin for ten minutes to really soak in.

Tales from the kitchen: Not-at-all Cottage Pie

This week, I found myself one morning in my pyjamas waiting for potatoes to come up to the boil and pondering upon the difficulties of naming food. I don’t mean pointing at a long yellow fruit (or rather more botanically accurately, herb) and pronouncing it to be a banana but rather giving dishes/meals a name.

I was in my PJ’s cooking because my singing group, The Kettle Girls, would be round that evening for tea and practice and due to being back at the hospital in the afternoon (once again to the Pain Clinic – a name I still find bemusing and think perhaps the word ‘Management’ really does need to be added into the middle), and various other things, there wouldn’t be time to cook later.

After wandering in from heading down the garden to open the greenhouse, MOTH said, “Smells good, what is it?” The only reply I could think of was, “Not-at-all Cottage Pie.”

Cottage Pie is an iconic dish, we all know what it is and despite there being some variants, the main constituents are, as standard. What I was making was Quorn mince, mushroom and chickpeas in an herby vegetable gravy with sweet potato mash on top. Similar enough in end-result-looks (apart from being quite a vivid orange), but if you were to put ‘cottage pie’ on a menu and then serve this up; I think there would be rather a lot of grumbling.

Short of listing all the main ingredients and how they will be presented or put together, it seems tricky to come up with meal names. Growing up we had variations of ‘slop.’ This sounds terrible but it is a term I have continued to use, forgetting that from the outside, it could be considered the least appealing of descriptions. In essence, it just means, something, in some sort of gravy or sauce, for instance: chicken and vegetable slop, mince slop or perhaps, sausage and bean slop. Then, it was either a gravy or tomato choice for the wet part. These things are then accompanied by rice, pasta, cous cous, bread or whatever suits you or the meal best.

And here’s a question: if you have come up with a name that is quite accurate and descriptive, what happens if you change an ingredient? Is this a new meal? Do you need to give it a new name? I am always swapping things about and I more-often-than-not, don’t measure anything, so amounts change each time I cook – this means the dishes I make are often never the same.

Social media regularly throws out images of ridiculous trendy menus which now leave the customer having to guess at not only the price (it would seem it is not ‘cool’ to use the pound sign or decimal points and so you get a generic numeral hovering somewhere about the menu), but also, the food choices are written in such sparse form it’s a bit of pot-luck what you may end up with. For example: Chicken 11. This is the extreme-end far removed from the thorough listing of all possible ingredients in a dish.

I really enjoy cooking but I think that if I were to appear on Masterchef, the only round I would stand a chance at would be the invention test and I’m not sure that presenting John and Gregg with a dish called ‘beef slop and rice’ would cut the mustard. But, unless I ever decide to release a cook book; in our household, we will continue to have meals with names that do a job, even if they are not the best.

Click here for my recipe for, ‘Not-at-all Cottage Pie’

 

Not-at-all Cottage Pie: Recipe

Not-at-all Cottage Pie: a vegetarian alternative

Serves 4

Ingredients: (for the base)

  • 300g Quorn mince
  • 300g tin of chickpeas
  • 8 medium sized mushrooms cut into chunks
  • 1 small (or half a large) brown onion, diced
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 oz (30g) butter (or butter alternative) to make a roux
  • 1 dessert spoon of flour (I use rice flour, but plain is fine) for the roux
  • 600ml of vegetable stock

For the mash:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Mixed herbs

Method: (for the main)

  • Melt the butter and soften the onion, add the garlic and cumin and fry for around a minute
  • Make a roux by adding the flour then gradually add the stock until it is all incorporated and smooth
  • Add all remaining ingredients and cook gently for 10-15 minutes

Method: (for the mash)

  • Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and boil them until soft (around ten minutes)
  • Drain and mash with around 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkling of mixed herbs

Put the main mix in an oven proof dish and spread the mash evenly over the top, using a fork to rough the potato into peaks.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 190°C (fan) for 30 minutes and serve with fresh greens.

This recipe can easily be gluten free and vegan by using rice flour, checking to make sure your vegetable stock cube (if used) is gluten free and vegan (you’d be surprised how many aren’t) and by using a dairy alternative ‘butter.’

 

Click here to read my short blog on how the name for this recipe came about

 

 

Lentil, tomato and spinach soup with popped pumpkin seeds

Makes 2 large bowls

Ingredients:

  • 150g red lentils
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/2 brown onion
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes (around 200g)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • Salt and pepper to taste (I prefer lots of black pepper and only a little salt as the stock cube will have salt in too)
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 large handful of spinach, finely chopped

Method:

  • Heat the oil gently and soften the onions
  • Add the paprika and turmeric and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring
  • Add the garlic and tomatoes, cook for 3-4 minutes then blitz/blend and return to pan
  • Add the stock, lentils, salt, pepper and oregano, cook until the lentils are soft – around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally (lentils can have a habit of sticking to the bottom of the pan).
  • Add the finely chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes
  • Serve with popped pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top

Popping pumpkin seeds:

  • Heat a non-stick pan on a high heat, dry (no oil or butter)
  • When hot, add the pumpkin seeds, stir or flip regularly so they don’t burn, until they stop popping
  • Put the popped seeds in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. (You can add other spices such as paprika or chilli for extra flavour and heat.)

 

To read my blog about cooking this in deep winter, click here

Tales from the kitchen: The Beast

As I write, we are in the clutches of the beast; that is, The Beast from the East, as the very cold weather we are having this February and March has been dubbed. I admit to being cynical about just how bad it would be, let’s face it, it wouldn’t be the first time something was over-hyped, but for once, it seems the predictions were correct.

We are currently snowed in. Not into our house per se, but the small rural village we live in is inaccessible from either side, residing as it does, at the top of a hill. Despite the efforts of the local farmers going out to try and clear the roads, the wind is continuously blowing banks of snow back again This has resulted in a tailback of stationary cars at the bottom of the hill, unable to proceed.

As lunchtime approached, let’s face it there was only one thing to be done: soup. I fancied something thick and hearty and with a good bit of flavour – if only to try and penetrate through the horrible cold I have been sneezing my way through for nearly a week.

So, I set abut a lentil, tomato and spinach soup (a link to my recipe is included below) but, distracted by Big Cat, who is momentously bored due to being stuck indoors because of the snow, I had a false start. Perhaps I should begin the recipe instructions as follows: once you have set your onions softening, do not get distracted trying to find various bits of string, elastic, beads and the such to make further impromptu cat-entertaining toys to hang from various door frames etc – because your forgotten onions will burn and you will have to begin again.

Big Cat is a very amiable fellow and will often spend hours during the day running around the garden chasing mainly leaves and insects. He is not a natural hunter and when he does catch something, he tends to wander around with it in his mouth, unharmed, looking at you as if to say, ‘This is mine. I don’t know what I do with it  now, but it’s mine, yes?’ The general rule of thumb in our house is, if we manage to get a caught critter from Big Cat, it will be happily and healthily released back into the wild. If Small Cat (who is quite possibly 89% evil) catches something – there is no hope for it, whatsoever.

Big Cat has been mooching about, following me around for the last two days, shouting at me as if I were deliberately not clearing the snow away so he can go out and play. Small Cat just sleeps, demands food and occasionally pulls drying washing off the rack to attack it before chasing his brother around the house.

As the soup steamed up the windows and filled the house with gentle spice aromas, it was time to pop the pumpkin seeds. If you have never done this, I suggest you give it a go. Not only does it result in a tasty snack or topping – but it is fun too. As they heat, puff and then split they tend to jump skyward, left and right as they pop. Enthusiastic errant seeds can zoom across the room a good couple of feet if they are feeling particularly feisty. When the outer layers have split and you put them in a bowl with a little seasoning, they make a wonderful crunchy popping, sizzling sound as they cool.

It may be -14 out there with the wind chill today, I may be wearing six layers, plus three pairs of socks, scarf and hat in the house and had to scrape ice off the inside of the windows earlier, but it is all worth it because it made me make this lunch. I love it when food is a pleasure and is somehow fitting to the occasion. There would have been no satisfaction eating this on a hot summer day, but today, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

For my lentil, tomato and spinach soup topped with popped pumpkin seeds recipe, click here

Taking Control

 

There is nothing like being given the diagnosis of having cancer to make you feel that you have absolutely no control over things. There you are, pootling along with normal life and suddenly, without warning your world is turned upside down. I have spoken before about the whirlwind of appointments and treatment that steers you along whether you feel up to speed with what’s happening or not and this is a good thing in a way because things need to be done and at this stage, you are most certainly not in much of a position to make decisions.  But, all this can leave you feeling rather helpless and that this big, nasty thing is being done to you. I found that one of the things that made me feel more positive, was to take control where I could.

The first thing I did was to cut my hair short ready for the impending hair loss. It felt like a defiant moment of, ‘well, if it’s going to go, it will go on my terms.’ Okay, so it was horrible when it fell out, but I still believe it would have been worse if I had not taken my own steps beforehand.

I then had a fun/not fun shopping spree for various things I had read about other people amassing to help lessen symptoms and side effects. This accumulation included such items as: hand sanitizer gel, mints, travel bands, lip balm, vinyl gloves, ginger biscuits, skin oil, Milton and a baby brush – which I am using now as my hair grows back. I bought hats and scarves, cotton rich clothing and many other things: most of which did indeed prove useful, a few of which perhaps not so – but the main thing was, I felt like I was preparing and by doing so was tackling things head on.

Knowing that my body was about to take a severe beating from all the drugs, I went to see an herbalist for some gentle natural help to support my poor organs through the process. This made me feel I was doing something kind for my body and whether other people believe in it or not, I truly think it helped me immensely. Yes, I had all sorts of horrible things happen because of the chemo, but I didn’t get any infections or other illnesses on top of it all and my recovery has been good.

On the subject of drugs: I made myself a pretty bag to keep all my medications in; perhaps an odd thing to do, but it meant I could hide all the nasty stuff away inside something pretty – which felt nicer. Speaking of bags; MOTH and I have Cancer Bag, something people have either been shocked or laughed at hearing us say, but it was a bag put aside for all the cancer related paperwork (and my word, you end up with a lot). I wanted to do this so ‘cancer’ did not encroach, hanging around in visual reminder throughout the house. It was all put away ready to grab and go for each appointment.

The last thing I did before treatment started, was to dedicate a space to be my recovery room for the days I couldn’t be up and about much. I very specifically did not want to just stay in my bed and I certainly did not want to call it a ‘sickroom.’ I made sure it was comfortable and clean with all the things I might want or need and as such, it became a place of recuperation and recovery.

As treatment went on; from chemo to surgery, new things came up for which I felt the need to take charge of. Because of having my nerves blasted with poison, I have peripheral neuropathy leaving me with pains in my feet, knees and legs which makes walking difficult and painful at times; add to this loss of balance some days, shuffling about can be rather difficult. BUT, there was no way I was going to start just lying on the sofa so – I bought walking sticks. Yes, I am 35 and have walking sticks and I don’t care. (I thought I had ordered sleek black ones but when they arrived they were dazzling with a silver sparkling pattern – not exactly my cup of tea: they are now referred to as my ‘bling bling go-faster sticks.) They have been a means for me to get out when otherwise I couldn’t – a tool that gave me ability to still go for a wander or mooch around the shops and so, odd as it feels, they are great. In a similar vein, I have old lady shoes – comfortable and with Velcro straps because there were times I couldn’t manipulate fastenings because of the pain in my fingers. Velcro shoes and walking sticks – hot to trot!

After my surgery, I had two drains stitched into me. These were very long tubes with bottles on the end which drew out lymphatic fluid and blood from around my wound areas. What a pain they were! It was completely ridiculous and annoying to have to carry around two large bottles with long flopping tubes 24 hours a day for eight days. I was sent home from the hospital with each bottle in a bag that hung precariously from each shoulder and fell off at the slightest movement. After a few days, I started carrying them in a small hessian bag – a slight improvement but still meant I always had one hand I couldn’t use. So, I made myself panniers which I wore round my waist and left me ‘hands free.’

All these things I did because I needed to feel I had some control over the situation. It was a way of coping and feeling less of ‘a victim – whereby stuff happens to them,’ than a person who was proactively dealing with a situation. But here’s the biggy and the thing I have been learning and expanding upon as time goes on – the best thing to take control of is the mind.

From the start, I knew I didn’t want to be passive to the cancer. I was angry, which helped and my aim was (as my best friend and I have constantly said) to kick cancer’s arse. Of course, I have had days where things have been too overwhelming to not give in to a big cry and a feeling of ‘this just feels too much.’ I always made sure though, that I didn’t let these times last for long. I couldn’t afford to be down, I needed all my energy to go in to getting better. This is hard work. It is full-time work. Being ‘up’ and positive can, at times, be difficult but I truly believe, worth it. I don’t think I’ve said ‘why me’ at any point; I know I’ve said ‘oh, for £*@%’s sake’ and ‘%^$* and perhaps at times ^&!*^^£@&$^@^^&$@^$@^*$^@&^$*&@^$^***@^& but I couldn’t give in to feeling ‘done to’ rather than ‘dealing with.’

I am learning that we all say the right words: ‘we must slow down,’ ‘life is for living,’ ‘don’t hold on to grudges’ etcetera, but saying them and really feeling and doing them are different things. I have been blessed with the impetus for a new outlook on dealing with life. Old habits are hard to kick, but bit by bit, with meditation, affirmation and a whole lot of stubbornness, I am learning to take control of my life through a positive mind and it is oddly liberating. This is my new beginning.

 

My homemade hip panniers to carry the surgical drains

Sing a song of – well, anything

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I was pursuing the peppers in the veg aisle of the supermarket recently when a lady next to me said, ‘you sound in a good mood.’ A nice thing to say but it did make me realise that once again I was singing to myself – out loud – in a public place; and not for the first time either. When I worked in an office it was often pointed out that as I wandered from the photocopier to the kettle, from one desk to another etc I would be humming or singing.

I don’t notice that I am doing it most of the time and wonder if it perhaps stems from when I lived on my own and it was either a case of – talk and sing to yourself or find that you have a gone a whole day – or sometimes more, without even uttering a syllable out loud.

I find that I am not discriminate about what I sing along to either. In shops, where they blare out awful music at far too loud a level (and yes, I am aware I sound like a grumpy old woman here – but I don’t care) I will realise that I am singing along to whatever the latest pop wailing awfulness is – whether I know it or not, and rather multi-taskingly will be muttering about how much I hate it too.

Even our cats get their names sung (I’m not sure how impressed they are neither have provided feedback as yet). Our big cat, Marshall gets his name sung to the tune of Macho Macho Man by the Village People, replacing Macho with Marshall and the small cat, Gibson gets, Gibby Gibby Gibby Gibby – to the tune of Ruby by the Kaiser Chiefs. (I wonder if perhaps MOTH will have me committed but I think while I still cook lots of good food he’ll hold off.)

Singing has been an ever-present thing in my life though, along with all of the usual nursery rhymes that we hear at home and in pre-school, our lives, as children, were full of an expansive range of songs because of the folk world in which we grew up. To this day I can still sing, ‘eeenymeenymingmongpingpongchoweasyveeseyvacaleesyeasyveasyvoweenymeenymacaracarareeyechickarackadominackalollipoppaompompush*’ without even thinking about it. (This, believe it or not was the chorus to a very strange song about a family with very long legs and small feet – puts supercalifragilisticexpialidocious rather to shame don’t you think!)

But it’s not all insane randomness – I do do structured singing too in my singing group The Kettle Girls. There are three of us and we sing three-part close harmony a cappella across a range of styles from folk, to jazz, from blues to comedy. Rather excitingly we are writing our own songs now too (why it took us so long I don’t know considering we have all written songs in other outlets over the years). More excitingly than that though – we have finally got round to making an album – and yes, I am plugging it here and am rather proud that two of the tracks on it are songs that I have written. When you get to the end of this piece there is a link to hear a snippet of some of the songs we have recorded – and you know – if you feel inclined (christmas fast approaching christmas present idea alert) – they are available to purchase.

If I’m honest, I’m never really sure how we, The Kettle Girls, learn or retain new songs because our practices sometimes seem to be equal parts singing to drinking tea, eating biscuits or cake and chatting. We do WI talks and one of the things we always mention is that actually, we are not just a singing group but a support group too. I couldn’t count the times one of us has been feeling down, tired or not well and by the end of the practice feels significantly buoyed – and I think this is an important thing about singing – it is a mood lifter. I would fully recommend to anyone feeling low, put on your favourite album, turn it up and sing along.

And what an opportunity we all have coming up to get our voices into gear – Christmas. Whether it’s carols or the Christmas pop songs – I love them all! From the warm beauty of midnight mass to the fun of buskers or the brash office party caterwauling, it is a moment when we can all join in or listen and enjoy the sound of voices together.

My current repetitive madness is The Twelve Days of Christmas. I am making a lot of christmas stock at the moment and after knitting a couple of ‘calling’ birds I seem to be wandering around vaguely singing this christmas song – completely out of order as I can never quite remember it – and lets face it – the bit we all love and know the most is ‘fiiiive goooold riiiings’. (Incidentally, after years of singing this song and always thinking ‘what are calling birds?’ I finally looked it up. It seems the prevailing thought is that ‘calling’ is an Americanisation of the word ‘colly’ and colly birds were perhaps those of the rook, raven, crow, jackdaw, family or the blackbird – some kind of black bird anyway. Considering some of the other gifts given in the song – a blackbird would not be so unusual.) This does rather put pay to the knitted ‘calling’ birds I have been making, for they are rather more colourful than black, but if you can’t add a bit of colour at Christmas – then when can you!

If you find you are now singing the last five verses of the Twelve Days of Christmas repeatedly then why not get rid of the festive ear worm by having a listen to the Kettle Girls on the link below.

Listen to The Kettle Girls here

My knitted christmas gifts will be available to purchase on my etsy shop soon. Click here  to see other things I have made and keep and eye out for the upcoming christmas decorations.

*spelling of this bonkers word/phrase may not be strictly accurate as has been written by memory.

**MOTH (Man Of The House)