Friday 16 January 2015

SHE AIN'T BAKING SAVOURY BISCUITS WITH WHEAT FLOUR AGAIN.. THAT'S FOR SURE!

It was a sunny day in London town.. so with a spring in her step off she went to walk up to Charles Street, she was heading for her club, The English Speaking Union. Oh, she surely loves this place, for it pleases the eye, Dartmouth House is an extremely fine building and it pleases her brain.. when she gets to use it at some do or other.. they organise a lot of do'es.

She received the programme of events for the London Region and put it down somewhere safe.. not clever, fatal in fact.. for she found it again only this morning and realised that she might have missed going on a great tour to.. The Whitechapel Bell Foundry!

But she squeaked in under the wire and sent off her cheque to pay for the tour and the dinner, yes, she still uses those old pieces of legal tender occasionally and very useful they are too.

Then went looking for her ESU Membership card.. drat.. it is only a piece of paper and I rather think it got jetisoned when she did her monthly clean-out of her wallet.

The nice secretary laughed and said "I will leave it at the front desk for you, when will you be coming in?" Hence her walk up to Charles Street and back. It was a grand day to be out in the fresh air, dry under foot and sunlight in her eyes.. a good day to take the air.

Her route rook her along Pont Street and into Belgrave Square. On the side street leading to the square is a department of the German Embassy. They have a little garden inside their railings, there are lots of Cyclamen in flower and what are those? Three pretty ladies in bell-like white dresses! Can you guess who they were?

Did you say "Snowdrops", well, you'd be right! Isn't that a bit early? They were not in bud either but fully formed on long stems, does nature know something we don't OR are they in for a nasty shock?

Through the square, and along the crescent where the British Red Cross Head Quarters used to be, left into the giant area known as Hyde Park Corner, and up to where St.George's Hospital used to be.

Which, in April forty years ago, was the scene of hours of dramatic surgery to save her life, bless that hospital and those wonderful medical crews. We get wet eyed just thinking about it and in the same hospital, but a different branch, are the teams who are taking such care of Sharon.

You remember Sharon, who was hit by the speeding motorist. Yes, she is still in hospital and will be for many, many months to come whilst she is being rehabilated and all those broken bones mend.

All because a man drove his car too fast and lost control. As we have written before.. just because your car can go at a hundred miles an hour.. YOU don't have to try and do it.

She stopped to read the plaque on the wall. Currently covered in scaffolding it is now a hotel called The Lanesborough. She read on to discover that the hospital, built in 1831, was built on the site of an old mansion called Lanesborough House. Now you know another titbit of information about 'our' city.

Through the arch and onto Park Lane, down and under the road and out up onto the other side, down Curzon Street, past those fancy casinos where people go to lose their money.. willingly.. no-one drags them up the steps, do they?

In the very olden days, she had a great friend who was the manager of one of the more famous ones, she would go there with his wife, they would dine like Empresses and then wander into the actual casino. It never ceased to amaze either of them as to the amounts of money that slid, usually only one way, across the baize covered tables.

Cutting up a side street she came into Charles Street, through the double doors and up to the desk and sure enough, there was her new card, she scribbled Shika a thank note, said "have a happy week-end ladies" and turned to retrace her tracks.

She came home via MailBoxEtc, they had laminated both of her British Library cards which stay safely in her wallet and her ESU card needed the same treatment. The nice smiley man said "I have a package for you, the card will take 15 minutes". And there.. was a bottle of Nettle Tincture!

From Christine. She is the nicest Herbal grower in Kent and who grows almost everything herself in a wonderful, very old walled garden. She supplies 'herself', as you would say if you were in Ireland, with Swedish Bitters, which is the magic potion which stopped all that silly medical problem she had for so many years.

GRANARY HERBS LTD,
TEL: 01622 737314.
www.granaryherbs.co.uk
Email: granaryherbs.christine@gmail.com.

They produce both creams and tinctures.

Her ESU card was laminated and home she came, to give me tea and to make some Savoury Biscuits.

She had promised Debbie Goat some and tried a new recipe using hard goats cheese and substituted spelt instead of wheat flour, no more swollen fingers thank you, she smiled like a wolf at me, it gave me a bit of concern for my safety I have to admit, and said "no no no.. no more wheat flour in our biscuits or cookies GeeGeeBugBug, let's try Spelt Flour instead". They look wonderful.

However, the cheese was not strong enough, it will have to be Parmesan and the amount of the seasoning, cheese and fresh herbs all need to be doubled, at least.

She sent a message to Debbie Goat telling her that they need more of everything but that this lot would be ok with a cup of hot black stuff, aka coffee, and received back the following.. which made her squeal with laughter.

"You had better bring some to PG (Parson's Green Farmer's Market) or you wont see your trolley again"..

Did you read that! Debbie didn't put an apostrophe after the n in won't!

With that, Dear Readers, I am off to watch some television.. of course, she will give you the recipe for these Savoury Biscuits, but not today, she will fiddle, as she always does, with the quantities of all the goodly ingredient things, for a chilli flake or two might not go amiss we think.

Off we go.. rootie-toot.. it's television time!

GeeGee Parrot.
January 16th, 2015.

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