Tuesday 18 January 2011

Surviving In A Literate Society


from "Fiet Wil Rennen" by Bibi Dumon Tak
& Noelle Smit

Sonata:

Only two days into the week and I'm kapot! Next year , think long and hard before you have the 'flu jab . Before long at work , you may be The Last Man Standing .

And for the next three days , it being National Reading-Aloud Week , we're having a special breakfast for each group of pre-schoolers in turn , with guest readers , usually a Mum or Granny . Each morning will close with someone from the library and a special whizz-bang show . Last year's included tentbuilding and boogy-woogy dancing . This year's book involves an ostrich who runs through the wind . We're rather expecting an industrial wind machine and sound effects . As long as no "thunder" is involved . It makes some small children hide under the table .

So I need PEACE this evening .

Button tidying is an undervalued relaxation technique . Even a pile of perfectly ordinary buttons looks so much better in a nice jar




I have a basket full of Bonne Maman jam jars ( de riguer in button circles )



full of various colours and a jumbly overflowing tray of plastic , glass , celluloid , mother of pearl and metal treasures to sort out and "file" . That and a Margery Allingham whodunit on audiobook should help me unwind .

But first food , and Easy Supper # 26 :

chicken legs ( again , I know! I buy them by the dozen from a good local poulterer and , putting some jolly music on , skin them all and freeze them in pairs . Ideal for scratch meals during the week ) . Anyway , as I said , chicken legs and whatever comes to hand . Tonight it's leek , garlic , pumpkin , chick peas , chili , stock and some spinach thrown on top at the last minute to wilt before stirring through . A one-pan , one bowl , dip-your-bread-in sort of meal . That and something orange for pudding




should keep me upright for a couple of days more



oh , and a glass of wine . My apologies if I shown you this label before , but I like it .... and the wine's very nice too .

And early to bed . The baker will be delivering all the breakfast goodies each morning at 7.45 .


P.S. The first day was a great success . We were all there , large amounts of breakfast were consumed from bread and cheese to yoghurt and fruit , the best librarian came to read to us and his games were fun and not scary ( you can do a lot with a hair dryer and long strips of crepe paper when your audience is young ! ) and the mother who started the morning off with a well-loved kangaroo story was brilliant . The ostrich book was good too !

Roll on tomorrow !

13 comments:

mountainear said...

Sounds like my sort of meal...lamb chops and butter softened vegetables for us tonight - but I'll be considering your chicken legs for tomorrow.

Friko said...

I'd rather have the jab than the flu any day.

Last man standing can do as s/he pleases until the rest of them get off their beds of woe.

Doesn't sound like a bad day you're having at all. They'll all be back before you know it.

Deborah said...

Reading slightly too fast, I saw 'bottom tidying'. I can see how applying that to buttons could be very soothing. Trance-inducing, almost.

And the next time I skin chicken bits, I'll be putting on some jolly music. Your Scottish accent warms my Canadian heart.

Rattling On said...

I am the only one at work who hasn't been off ill. I got a chocolate orange this Christmas from the headteacher for full attendance!! The staff hate this tradition. I don't think it's meant to be a compliment to me, more of a bit of finger wagging at the others.
Love the sound of your dinner menu.

Planet Penny said...

I had the flu jab a week before Christmas. No reaction at all and then my son, d-in-law, two grandsons and the Swine Flu came to stay and I was SO glad I'd had the jab! your chicken dish looks delish, and will probably work like the proverbial Chicken Soup!

Anonymous said...

I love your wine label - but we are being very good and are now more than halfway into our annual four weeks' abstinence, so I can't join you in enjoying a relaxing glass! I've never had a flu jab, and I'm not going to tempt fate by saying I haven't had flu for years!!

Carolina said...

Had to laugh about your 'I'm kapot', which has me wondering if you genuinly made a mistake mixing up languages, or you whether you deliberately wanted to confuse your readers. I'm confused :-)

Last year (or was it the year before that?) I found 'Fat Bastard' rose in the local Albert Heijn. Had to buy the bottle just for it's name and the hippo on the label. The wine wasn't too bad either.
Love 'your' label too! Irresistable. I'd buy it immediately.

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

sounds delicious....and i LOVE that wine bottle :-)

happy to see you at Farmhouse, my friend

kary
xxx

Liz Hinds said...

What a fabulous thing to celebrate! When my children were in junior school I organised a book week and we had all sorts of events. Since then I've also been in to schools to read stories. But your event with food and a 'wind tunnel' sounds brilliant.

AS does your dinner.

Cate said...

Happy New Year Sonata!

I hope your feeling less tired and that the button sorting, sorted you out.

Cate, x

Tattieweasle said...

I used to love ordering my Mum's jar of buttons...all mine are higgedly piggedly all over the house in pots and jars and in drawers...never where they should be!

Tania said...

Dip-your-bread-in dinners with legs simply cannot be beaten when up to the eyeballs in Last Man Standing.

Val said...

Great idea for storing buttons. The spares that come with new garments have always had a traditional home tossed onto the top shelf above the coathangers!