Ouch!!

I had the first of two injections in my back this morning and it was painful to say the very least. The good news though is the doctor seems to be a common sense person and said if this one works well enough, I could skip the second one even though it's normally done two weeks apart. We shall see.

Sand art on the Thames

Proponents of clean beaches made this sculpture to dramatize pollution in the along the shores and in the river. Water from the Thames washed all their hard work away just a few minutes after this photo was taken.

Duck, duck, goose?

Our girls having fun at the park. Ducks and geese seemed to be enjoying it too.

Baby goslings huddle together at Piedmont Park

These Canadian geese babies were huddled together early one morning last week. Three more made their own huddle nearby.

English Journal Installment 3

This is the third installment from my journal. It should have run this week but paper is late getting to Atlanta (as usual).

Excerpts from an English Journal,
Part Three

March 7: Another sunny day! We went into Chelmsford and shopped for food this morning. Sainsbury’s Supermarket is amazing. I think they must have the largest variety of sweets, wines, fresh fruit, berries and produce I’ve ever seen in one store. I suppose being so close to Israel, Spain and the various countries in Africa that grow so many different items allows them to have such a vast array from which to choose. Chelmsford is a Fairtrade Town, meaning it is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods, and you see labels noting Fairtrade on many imported items, especially fruits and vegetables.

Not only does this leading grocery retailer have an amazing variety of food and other items typically found in supermarkets, it houses a pharmacy too. They also sell books, newspapers, magazines, CDs, clothes, toys, flowers, petro and so many other items I can’t remember them all. It’s like a one-stop for almost everything.

After we returned from marketing, ******* cooked Scottish salmon and new potatoes for lunch while I made a salad from fresh cos, cucumbers, carrots, celery, and tomatoes and topped it with shredded cheddar. Having such fresh ingredients made the salad turn out well but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the salmon (I am not known as a big fan of that particular type fish.). It was baked in sunflower oil with just rock salt and freshly ground pepper and served with fresh lemon. Easy and delicious. And I accidentally learned that I really do like it if properly prepared.

We stayed in this afternoon to let him catch up with paperwork and mail while I rested. Chelmsford itself is an interesting place. More than 100,000 people call it home, many of whom take the half hour train ride into London to work in the financial sector. Interestingly, the number of commuters coming into Chelmsford to work balances the number working in London, just different type jobs.

It’s also the site of the world’s first wireless factory, opened by “father of radio” Guglielmo Marconi in 1899. The Marconi Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company was the location of the first official publicized sound broadcast in the United Kingdom, credentialing Chelmsford as the "birthplace of radio."

Most of the cars here are on the small side and there seems to be a lot different Ford vehicles on the road. (******* drives a Ford Mondeo Zetec but I would know it better as Ford Contour or Mercury Mystique.) I learned that Ford had its British headquarters in Boreham, a village in the borough of Chelmsford. After WWII, runways left there from an airfield that housed B-26 Bombers during the war were adapted into a roughly triangular motor racing circuit that hosted competitive meetings between 1949 and 1952. Ford Motor Company purchased it in 1955 to use as a development test track and Ford Motorsport continues to use the remaining track surface for testing.

March 8: We walked to All Saints Church for services this morning. It’s a beautiful old church about half a mile away. The services were nice, not at all unlike those I’ve been accustomed to in McRae and Atlanta. Afterwards, we walked back with across-the-street neighbor *** and stopped in with him and his wife ***** for a short visit before having a light lunch at home. We spent the afternoon relaxing. (I think I still have a touch of jetlag.)

Tonight we had dinner with ******, *****, ***, ****** and ****** at The Six Bells Pub in Boreham. It was fun to see the children eat like grownups and enjoy it so much. They had roast lamb with fresh vegetables, as did some of the adults. I had Vegetarian Nut Loaf with roasted potatoes, parsnips and seasonal fresh vegetables (cabbage, carrots and cauliflower). Except for the potatoes and parsnips, the vegetables were served on separate platters and each one took what s/he wanted. It was my first for parsnips and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

There was so much food on my plate that I, unlike the children, skipped the fresh veggies from the table. Of course, I had room for a dessert sundae. The nut loaf wasn’t bad but I feel reasonably safe in saying it will not to be the culinary highlight of my trip. Tomorrow, it’s off to London for sightseeing and a play! I’m really looking forward to all the day has to offer.

**********

Sharing: When ******* roasted parsnips, he simply chopped them into uniform sizes, dropped them in boiling water for about 3 minutes, wrapped them in a single layer (with butter) in foil and baked them for 35 minutes. He opened the foil and baked them an additional 10 minutes until they were crisp and browned. All he added was salt and pepper and they were wonderful.
I’ve done them this way since I’ve been back in Atlanta and also added carrots. (You can add potatoes too if you wish but all veggies should be about the same size for uniform doneness.) This way is simple and they turn out sweet and delicious but you can go a more complicated route if you wish. The following recipe is just another way to enjoy this much under-praised root veggie.

Roasted Potatoes, Parsnips & Carrots

3 large baking potatoes, peeled; 3/4 lb. parsnips, peeled; 3/4 lb. carrots, peeled; 4 T. vegetable oil for coating; A few springs of fresh rosemary or thyme; 1 T.; Kosher salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375º F. Cut potatoes, parsnips and carrots into large, uniform chunks and toss them in a large bowl with oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Turn them out in a single layer on a shallow roasting pan and cook about 45-50 minutes or until tender. Toss vegetables about halfway through cooking for uniform cooking and browning.

If you’re also preparing roast beef, you can skip the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. About 50 minutes before the beef is finished, drop the vegetables into the roasting pan, coating them with beef drippings, and bake till roast is finished.

I don’t know if this recipe for Veggie Nut Loaf is the one used at the pub or not, but it is similar and also British in origin. (It sounds tastier to me personally.) The first version used eggs for binding instead of peanut butter and you may make those changes if you prefer.

Vegetarian Nut Loaf

1 c. peanuts, raw and unsalted
1 c. sunflower seeds, raw and unsalted
1/2 c. almonds, raw and unsalted
1/2 c. cashew nuts, raw and unsalted
1 med. carrot, finely grated
1 med. onion, finely grated
1 med. Cooking apple, finely grated
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
3 T. peanut butter
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (see note)

Preheat oven to 350º F. Arrange nuts and seeds on a baking sheet and dry roast in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until light golden in color. Remove nuts from the oven and let cool but leave the oven turned on. To save time, you may purchase nuts and seeds already roasted but be sure to get the unsalted ones.

Transfer cooled nuts and seeds to a food processor and pulse until well ground and a coarse meal forms. Transfer meal to a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined and mixture is thick and sticky.

Lightly oil a loaf pan and scrape the mixture into the pan. Smooth the top before returning to hot oven to bake 30 minutes. Cover top with foil if it begins to brown too much before the end of baking time.

Remove loaf from oven and allow loaf to set for 15 minutes before unmolding. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the loaf to separate it from the pan, place a large plate upside down over the loaf and invert loaf onto plate. Slice and serve with marinara sauce or mushroom gravy. Makes 8 servings.

Note: Worcestershire sauce traditionally is made with anchovies but vegan versions are available at most natural food shops.

"Saturday in the Park..."

Chicago had it right when they said every day in the park is like the fourth of July. It's amazing how many different things you see all time in Piedmont but it seems Saturday brings even more to watch and/or enjoy.

The usual runners, walkers, bikers, and the Saturday green market with items from craft to free chair massages to plants, eggs, and prepared food were present as usual, all contributing to the colorful panorama.

When I first stepped into the park this morning though, I heard very loud voices counting down from 10-1 over and over. As I drew closer, I saw the source. Close to 100 people on the still very wet grass were being led in boot camp style exercises. (I know this because "boot camp" was part of the inscription on the leaders' t-shirts.)

Just a little further down the path was the much quieter, weekly yoga class being held on the dock this time. I'm pretty sure it was to escape the wet grass but what do I know? I have to admire all those people getting up so early to work so hard, especially on weekends.

I stopped at the edge of the dock for a few minutes where a mama duck was standing, looking out over the lake. She didn't move more than a couple of inches when I walked up beside her. The reason became apparent when all of a sudden, baby ducks shot out from under the dock and started looking for food. Some of this flock was missing from when I last saw them on Thursday. I'm guessing predators might have gotten to them. Further down the side of the lake, there were more babies being guarded by several adults this time so that makes me think something is definitely searching for fresh baby ducks for their menu.

The eight Canadian goslings I see on a regular basis were still intact, not only being guarded by the three regular adults this morning but several more were on sentry duty too. When I see this, I think it would be wonderful if everyone looked after their children as well. It really does 'take a village.'

Getting There?

The last couple of days have seemed like long ones. Today wasn't as bad as yesterday but after Monday perhaps they will all be easier. I'm scheduled to have an epidural at the pain clinic Monday morning so maybe that will help with the back problems that seem to be going downhill much too fast lately.

I've got too much to do and not enough time to do it all! I want to be ready for my guest. We have reservations in Asheville and I really want to keep them. I haven't been there in ages and it was always one of my favorite places when I had a chance to escape "Podunk." Seeing it with someone who has never been there is sure to add a new dimension to it and I'm definitely looking forward to that.