As we all know, it’s always a case of all or nothing!  This past couple of weeks have been full-on in many ways, but perhaps the backdrop of Covid19 has made it feel somewhat out of kilter too.  Certainly, at work the imminent threat has afforded daily 8.00am COBRA-like meetings, and there is an underlying feeling of unrest throughout the school sites.  Outside of work a few upcoming events such as AGMs and exercise classes have been postponed.

You may know this but I didn’t (not exactly surprising) but COBR refers to the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms which are meeting rooms in Whitehall, London.  The meetings held here are usually in response to instances of national or regional crisis, or during events abroad with major implications for the UK.

We also held a Winchcombe Together Association [WTA] AGM recently (again in the White Hart) and that was a queer kettle of fish!  It was an ‘open’ meeting and one member of the public was in attendance… and what a rude, ignorant and unpleasant person she appears to be!  wrote up the minutes (which will be approved at the next meeting so are not yet available) but suffice to say this woman’s reaction to the fact that the WTA’s remit was not to necessarily represent her business concerns with the local council / police / highways agency was rather obnoxious,  In actual fact at the end of the meeting she swore colourfully at us – so much so that all six volunteer members were stunned into silence!  Considering that we are all volunteers and our hard work for the Christmas Festival alone generates a lot of attraction and visitors to the town, as well as raising a lot of money for local charitable cause, I was a tad incensed to say the least!

Needless to say, the committee has pretty much decided that, as the constitution allows it, the next WTA AGM will be held in private.  Hey ho.

See:  https://www.winchcombe.co.uk/winchcombe-together/  ​

Below: batch cooking in the more humble kitchen at home

Recently, as you know, the Diabetic Nurse and Dietician decided that they would take me off all medication and I should have a go at a very limited calorific diet.  Well, as you can imagine that lasted a matter of days as breakfast porridge sometimes makes me retch, and working full-time and rushing about needed more energy, and I was getting so hungry that I found myself raiding the the fridge at stupid-o'clock in the wee hours of the morning! Therefore, we are now attempting to follow more of the Soup diet (i.e. the very low calorie diet) and the 5:2 / 800c recipes.  SO, isn't it typical that this week I attended a Lebanese Kitchen cookery class ... utilising plenty of good healthy vegetables and pulses, but also involving generous glugs of olive oil, scoops of strong, white bread-flour and large pats of butter?*!

Check out:  https://www.foodworkscookeryschool.co.uk/
​
"Lebanese food - or Levantine cuisine - conjures up thoughts of Arabian nights full of Eastern promise.  With exotically named ingredients such as Za'atar and Sumac now readily available it is relatively easy to add this style of cuisine to everyday cooking.
We will make a feast of sharing plates to include grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts, which are so popular in dishes all over the Middle East.  Very little animal fats are used so this type of cuisine is perfect for a healthy balanced  diet.
kills covered:

• A lot more than a great hummus
• How to make the perfect flat-bread
• Labneh making
• How to work with Lebanese spices
• Kofta making
• Pudding making
• Various cooking techniques 
• Flavour combinations and textures
• Presentation skills

Example Dishes:

• Lebanese cauliflower
• Harissa yogurt
• Pistachio dukkah
• Flat bread Kibbeh
• Sweet smoked paprika hummus
• Zaatar
• Tomato, feta and sumac salad
• Lamb Koftas
• Burnt aubergine
• Flat bread
• Muhallabieh
• Bazarek

In May 2019 The Book of Mormon had already played its 3,389th performance at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, becoming the 15th-longest-running Broadway show – surpassing the 1972 original Broadway production of Grease.  So, seeing it yesterday at The Birmingham Hippodrome, proved to be an excellent evening’s entertainment – and understandably recognising why it has won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

As long as you’re not too easily offended, then I would definitely recommend it!

See:  bookofmormonbroadway.com

Fancy this colourful edition at the bottom of the garden?!
​
The BBC ‘big picture’ recently featured a photograph of this greenhouse constructed from salvaged 18th and 19th century stained glass.  The glass depicts animals, insects including grasshoppers and rabbits, squirrels and lions.  Entitled Sacré blur, it’s the work of artists, Tony Heywood and Alison Condie.

See:  Sacre Blur Greenhouse

I know I can be a bit precious about my greenhouses, but I'm not sure that I would have the patience - or skills - to create something along these lines!

Greenhouse 2: seedlings and sad looking geraniums

There has been no chance to update recently, it always seems to be manically busy at work, and then by the time I get home the last thing I want to do is look at another “device” whether it’s a mobile phone, computer… or even the TV!!  Then to complicate issues I left my phone at a friend’s house in Germany and – four weeks later – it still hasn’t arrived in the post! However, I do have a new phone and have retained the same number.
 
The other things that seem to be taking over my life in recent months are my ‘volunteer’ roles in Winchcombe.  The thing is, you get involved in one thing and then seem to be absorbed into more and more.  For example, over the past two weeks I have attended a FOSPA (Friends of St Peter’s Association) committee meeting as a representative of the Winchcombe Open Gardens event, as well as the Winchcombe Together Association AGM – that’s the one that runs this Christmas Festival.  I've also met up with some people who are willing to open their gardens in June - including one 92 year-old lady - and have recruited two volunteers to help with on-the-ground organisation and administration Phew - I was beginning to panic!  I have also designed a new Open Gardens website but it's not yet 'out there' until I feel that some of those associated are comfortable with it all.  Soft;y, softly and all that jazz.

By the way, more to come on the various committee meetings - just hold 'Vicar of Dibley' in mind and you get the picture!

It’s all good stuff but working full-time and all of the above as well as 'real life' takes a bit of juggling.
 
Still, I have spent some time in the garden, and even more time in the greenhouse to avoid all the horrible wet weather and various storms that have been battering the UK lately.  A lot of my seedlings are coming along and some are even being ‘hardened off’.  This is a new direction for me as usually I just plonk the plants in the ground and hope for the best!  However, checking out both Geoff and Monty’s advice, this does seem to be sensible.  I have also started sowing more seeds – runners, peas, tomatoes, feverfew, hyssop, chilli-peppers, asters, nasturtium and calendula. 

’m also working on my 2020 ‘veg patch design’ and trying to accommodate all the various rotation and companion planting rules… it’s all a bit complicated sometimes!!
​