moving in

It's almost like moving house. We have two whole rooms to play with! We ate our first meal in the new kitchen on Sunday December 23rd. It was rather chilly, as we had left the door between the sitting room and new kitchen shut, thus preventing any warm air from the sitting room woodburner from getting in to heat the kitchen. So we ate quickly and retreated back to the warmth of the old house. On Christmas Eve we left the kitchen door open and the kitchen warmed up nicely. It is so well insulated that the warm air stays in here. We are gradually moving furniture out of the old kitchen and into the new, and enjoying the way things are beginnining to look. Lots of people have dropped in and admired the height and size of the kitchen. The oak purlin in the vaulted roof has attracted many admiring looks and we have been told that the new back door is American oak. The floor is reclaimed Canadian maple, the slates on the roof are second hand Welsh and the music and cuisine are typically from all over the world.



Looks good, but very high maintenance

We were given a very pretty Victorian fire place by a neighbour from Dalston several years ago. It has been kept dry and clean in the shed since then and Steve was very keen to install it in the kitchen. We have lit it a few times and it draws well, but unfortunately most of the heat goes straight up the chimney. It also requires constant attention, so it is coming out and we will fit a small woodburner instead.



The wardrobe sits against what was the outside wall of the house. We have kept the original crazy tiling and rendering.

We have also spent four nights in our new bedroom. I love this bedroom. It is well lit and far bigger than we thought it was going to be. There is a gorgeous smell of oak from the window frame and Steve and Polly laid the maple floor in there too. Once they started on the floor they both found it very rewarding and enjoyable. They further tested their ability to work  together by taking the wardrobe to bits and rebuilding it downstairs. It is perfect and fits very snugly at the far end of our room. There is a spacious loft space above our room. Various options for this have been mooted, but we haven't decided what to do with it yet.

Window removed from thick clay walls

Looking into the kitchen through newly made doorway

And the window made its way into our bedroom.

The house has changed so much and we are really looking forward to welcoming you to it. So next time you are up our way, please come and say hello!

Almost December

It cannot be possible that a whole six weeks have passed since last I blogged. So many things have happened since then.

First, I have joined the newly formed Carlisle Community Choir. We meet to rehearse on Sundays in a warm and bright church on Wigton Road. We being a group of about 50 enthusiastic singers, men, women and children. The men and children are vastly outnumbered by the women and of the three tenors only one is a bona fide male. We are practising for a Christmas Carol Service in December. Our programme ranges from Away in a Manger  through In the Bleak Midwinter to Torches. And, most impressively, we are privileged to be led by Andrew Nunn whose Glasgow choir Les Sirènes won Choir of the year at the Festival Hall about a month ago. I think we are all expecting great things of him and ourselves now. You can catch him winning and get a sense of his exuberance if you watch Choir of the Year on BBC  iPlayer. It was shown this evening on BBC4 so will be available for the next 7 days.

Last Friday the school wholeheartedly embraced Children in Need. We dispensed with uniform for the day  - except for the staff who came dressed as overgrown schoolchildren for the day. St Michael's has Talent was held and Sam and his friends Josh and Max, performing as JMS, were selected for the finals in front of the whole school. Sam bravely sang on his own and impressed quite a few with his sweet voice. You can see pictures of the day on the school website. Keep scrolling down the page to see Sam.

Our building work is almost at an end. We have a fully tiled roof (at last) and the windows are fitted. Both rooms are almost fully plastered and we are waiting for a joiner to come and hang the doors - yippee! I will not tempt fate by mentioning any dates or deadlines. Rest assured I will let you know when we move in. Tomorrow I will be in the company of a paintbrush and some white emulsion while we still have a scaffolding tower in the new kitchen.

After running 3 times a week through the summer I lapsed in September. In October half term I treated myself to a little iPod shuffle and started running again. I am using a great little podcast from the NHS. Couch to 5K aims to get you running 5km in 30 minutes after 9 weeks. I'm now about to start week 4 and am coping okay. The lady with the friendly-but-firm voice talks you through when to walk and when to start running, but her input is fairly minimal and the rest of the time is filled in with music to run to and music to walk to. The mix of music is quite varied, and because you only listen to each podcast 3 times you don't really have time to get bored with it. Trying to find time to fit in a run is the hardest part really. It's dark when I get up but if I leave the house at 7 o'clock it is getting light by then. I ran past a field of slumbering sheep when I set out the other morning and came home half an hour later to a lovely rosy sunrise.

And the other thing I have been busy with is teaching myself Spanish. I am running a Spanish club at school and am about 5 lessons ahead of the children. I love the sounds of Spanish and am enjoying teaching it. I think it helps my teaching to be put in the position of learner again and because I am not fluent I speak more slowly and have to stop and think before I respond which is probably a good thing. Does anyone have any tips for learning Spanish for me?

Does anyone recognise this shop door?

autumn life

It has been a hectic few months. Work on our building progressed very steadily throughout July and August and we (Judy, Sam and Polly) spent hours in the garden. There were slates to move, pallets to split into kindling, logs to stack, windows to paint, plaster boards to fetch and carry and doors to buy. As well as all the normal routine things. Oh yes, and insurance claims to deal with after someone ran into the back of our little Fiat Seicento (RIP) one morning in August. Sadly it was written off. Sadly because we'd had lots of adventures in it and although it was showing signs of age we weren't quite ready to part company. However, the replacement Fiat Punto (also red) is a great car and the back doors are a godsend on wet, windy mornings as I don't have to queue up to get into the car any more.

At the beginning of term work stopped on the extension. We finally got an estimate for the work from Mally, and began the process of applying for a loan so we can complete the job! And then we're hoping to see more of Mally and the boys this month and next so they can finish slating the roof, put the ridge tiles and gutters up, add the chimney pot to the top of the chimney, seal a few leaky joints with lead, render the exterior and then finish plastering inside before hanging the doors and windows and finally making a doorway into our new kitchen so we can get into it! It is going to be lovely, lovely, lovely. Our new bedroom will have morning sunshine to wake us and there will be morning and afternoon sun in the kitchen as its windows look east and south. It will be good to have it weatherproof at last.

And I have started my new job. I love it. I'm kept busy and every day is quite different. It is a real advantage to be able to observe other teachers and I have learned a lot from seeing how other people teach, what they teach and how they manage difficult situations in the classroom. So the learning curve is quite steep and I haven't had time to do much other than eat, sleep, work and catch up on chores at home.

I hope you are all well - the blog has been quiet lately. Any news anyone?

windows ready to hang

Afternoon in the kitchen

You can see the shape better now the leaves are falling

View from the back

Way in to the kitchen

A sunnier look at the outside



putting the roof on

The roof is taking shape. Despite quite a lot of setbacks the builders are now making real progress outside and the shape of the roof is becoming very clear. All of the roof trusses over our new bedroom are in place; the kitchen roof is more complicated but even I can work out what I think the joiner will do next to put the valleys in place. The windows are made and paid for, stored in a neighbour's garage till they are stained and fitted. We only have a few concrete blocks left lying around the garden.

These pictures were taken on Wednesday. You can enlarge them by clicking on them.
Click here for more photos.

View from the back of the garden shows a neat peak. The cylinders are flue liners to go inside the chimney.

Roof overhangs corridor beside honeysuckle and cypress leading to back door into bedroom.

happy birthday, sam!

progress

We can finally give you an update on the extension. After a few months of stalling the builders have come up with the goods and the walls have started to rise around the back of the house. A scaffolding tower has appeared and the cat has started walking through the house leaving cementy footprints wherever she goes.

We are all mighty relieved. The building will not be ready in time for our Taiwanese guest who is coming to stay for two nights next weekend, but we are hoping to be warming the house before the end of the year. Tornadoes, monsoons and other unlikely weather permitting!



Five days ago a single skin went up.



Fireplace in the back wall of the kitchen

In addition to this I have a new job starting in September. I am continuing at St Michael's school in Dalston (where Sam still goes) as German teacher and will make up my hours as an HLTA (Higher Level Teaching Assistant) and receive a full time salary. I am really excited and looking forward to the challenge.

home made pizza

I came across a recipe for pizza by Gail Duff about ten years ago and have used it ever since. Some of the quantities have changed a little since then, and what goes into the topping depends on what I have in the fridge at the time. If you want a pizza in a hurry you might be better ordering a takeaway as this is not fast food but it is full of flavour and goodness. And who doesn't like flavour and goodness?

To make the dough mix 300g strong white flour, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 175 ml water together with ½ tsp dried yeast. Mix the ingredients together well by hand or in a bread machine and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile peel and slice 2 onions and peel and crush 2 cloves of garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide-based pan over a low to medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Cook slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should soften and change colour but should not brown. If in doubt turn the heat right down and cover the pan.

While the onions are cooking you can prepare the remaining toppings. I often add some mushrooms and thyme or basil to the onion mixture after 15 minutes with about 30ml white wine. If you use wine leave the lid off the pan at this stage to allow the mixture to thicken. This should take about 10 minutes. By now your kitchen will be filled with divine smells.

My pizzas usually have mozzarella on them these days but Edam cheese works really well too as it goes gooey and stringy when baked and tends to have a bit more bite than mozzarella. Cut up one piece of mozzarella into small bite-sized chunks. Halve about a dozen cherry tomatoes or slice 3 or 4 large tomatoes. A bit of grilled pepper is also a tasty treat to add to the top of the pizza.

When your onion mixture is cooked and you have prepared the cheese and tomato, the bread dough should be ready to roll or stretch out into a pizza shaped slab of dough. Use olive oil to grease a baking sheet and save a little to drizzle on top of the pizza dough. If you have the patience leave the dough to rise again, but if you are hungry you will not suffer any ill effects if you proceed immediately with adding the toppings and baking straightaway.

Tip the cooked onions onto the pizza dough and spread them out so the almost reach the edges. Then add the cheese (Edam sliced thinly or mozzarella) and a handful of olives. Finally arrange the tomato halves or slices on top of the cheese, and any other toppings you wish to use. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper before baking in a hot oven (Gas mark 7) for 30 minutes. You will probably find the dough has risen very well round the edges and formed a lovely crust, even if you skipped the second proving time.

This pizza is very filling and a hearty side salad will complement it very well.

I do not have any photos of this pizza. It always disappears too fast!

connecting classrooms: cumbria to taiwan

The application form was submitted a few weeks ago. This was followed fairly swiftly by an invitation to make a presentation in front of ten senior teachers explaining why she should be selected for a very rare chance to visit Taiwan on behalf of her schoool. Said interview took place on Tuesday afternoon and Polly reported that it went well and she came out feeling sure of herself and very smiley. Yesterday she was told that she has been picked to go next year for a fortnight to Taiwan.

Exciting news indeed. And there will be plenty more updates as the eight pupils who have been picked are expected to fundraise the majority of the costs themselves. Eight pupils are going from Polly's schools as well as pupils from schools in Cockermouth, Penrith, Brampton and Appleby.

Cliffs near Hualien where the group will spend the majority of their time

cub camp 2012



Flag-raising ceremony on Saturday morning

Pitching tents. Running around in the birch woods. Firelighting and toasting marshmallows. Go-Kart racing. Riding the zipwire. Following a blindfold trail. Laying tracks for other cubs to follow. Frying bacon for breakfast. Owls hooting in the frosty, starry night. Games of rounders and hide and seek. Campfire songs with the scouts. Crate stacking. Sunny Saturday. Woodpeckers drilling and squirrels squirreling. Dawn chorus. Laughing, cheering cubs. Tired, tearful, homesick cubs. Cuddles, hot chocolate and comforting hotties. Tent inspection. Lost wellies and wet socks. Sausages, fish fingers, pasta, beans, peas, ice cream and jelly. Noisy games, quiet chats. Can't wait till the next one!



masterchef flapjacks

Flapjacks were a big part of my childhood and I have long looked for a recipe to equal the one we used in the seventies. Until recently I had been very satisfied with a recipe I found in an organic cookbook. And then John Torode and Gregg Wallace's Masterchef Kitchen Bible found its way from the library into my kitchen. The book is due back today, so the recipe is being bookmarked here for future reference, with thanks to Gregg and John.

You can add endless ingredients to these chewy bars, from a pinch of cinnamon to a handful of dried fruit, chopped nuts or chocolate chips. Or substitute honey or maple syrup for the golden syrup.

225g butter plus extra for greasing
225g light soft brown sugar
2 tbsp golden syrup
350g rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 150 C (300 F or Gas mark 2) . Lightly grease a 25 cm square cake tin. Put the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large saucepan and heat over a medium low heat until the butter has melted. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the oats. Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and press down firmly. Bake for 40 minutes, or until evenly golden and just beginning to brown at the edgres. Leave to cool for ten minutes, then cut into 16 squares, or 20 rectangles. Leave in the tin until completely cooled.

spring blossoms

Spring has come early this year! Despite yesterday's snow and an unwelcome drop in temperature over the last few windy days the flowers in the garden are doing very well. Double blossoms on the Japanese flowering cherry, plenty of daffodils up the drive and even the tiny little daffodils which I forgot to plant until a few weeks ago are showing plenty of bright spring colour.

signed and sealed

The groundworks are just about complete. Having put the drive back together after installing all the drainage pipes, it was all systems go again two weeks ago when Rob came round with his mini-digger and dug another deep trench to house the pipe carrying mains water to the new kitchen. We laid a drawbridge across the gap outside the front door for a few days and I spent hours riddling stones out of the pile of rubble that was dumped on the drive. Then re-laying the drive with the stones and topping them off with the sifted topsoil. All was looking fairly presentable and I was quite chuffed with my first efforts at landscaping.


And then along came Mally with spades and a pick. And the trench with the drainage pipe in was dug up again. He has poured in a covering of concrete to protect the pipe from vehicles using the drive. Lately there have been none, but it is undoubtedly wise to take this precaution, as the previous drainage pipe collapsed because of traffic on the drive.

So we are another small step nearer to our kitchen and bedroom extension. It has been a sunny week this week and the whole area out there has been absolutely flooded with sunshine. The cherry is about to burst into blossom and I found some forgotten daffodil bulbs in the shed. They have tried to grow and are very poor stunted little specimens. About three inches at the most, and without leaves, but still on the point of flowering. I've planted them, in the hope that they will do better next year.

spicy chickpea pilaf with yoghurt and cucumber sauce

This is slightly adapted from Kate Percy's excellent recipe book Go Faster Food, a tastebud-tingling treasure trove of high energy recipes. I served it up with spicy grilled chicken and it was really tasty. Lots of flavours in the rice and the chicken marinade, and surprisingly simple tp make.

For the pilaf
2 tbsp groundnut or sunflower oil
1 tbsp garam masala ( or crush 6 pods cardamom, 8 cloves, 1 tsp coriander seeds, ½ tsp allspice and ½ tsp cumin seeds)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes
handful sultanas
½ tsp dried chillis
300g basmati rice
450 ml stock
400g canned chickpeas
squeeze of lemon juice
fresh mint or coriander, chopped, to garnish
handful lightly toasted cashew nuts
small piece ginger root, peeled and grated

Heat the 2 tbsps oil in a large pan with a tight fitting lid and gently fry the pilaf spices for a minute, stirring all the time to prevent burning. Add the onion, garlic and bay leaves and sauté gently for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften and become brown.
Add the tomatoes, sultanas and chilli and cook, stirring, for another two minutes.
Add the rice, gently turning it round in the onion mixture for a minute to coat it, and then pour in the stock. There should be enough liquid to just cover the rice. Bring the stock to the boil, then cover and simmer on a really low heat for 10 minutes.
Stir the chickpeas into the rice and heat for two or three minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Sprinkle with chopped coriander or mint and cashew nuts and grated ginger.

For the yoghurt sauce
½  tsp cumin
½  tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ small cucumber, chopped
handful fresh chopped mint or tsp mint sauce
250g natural yoghurt

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl.

Serve with grilled chicken, pitta bread and mango chutney.

moving the earth

We managed to press-gang a couple of kids into helping out this afternoon so now the back drive is usable again. It was dug up in January for a drainpipe to go the full length of the drive, as in the last few years there have been quite substantial puddles up there on rainy days. Steve and Polly riddled the pile of rubble that was standing on the new kitchen floor. Polly barrowed the finer soil out and raked it out. We now have a lovely tilth where I used to park the car and I am tempted to throw a packet of wildflower seeds over it. Sam's job was grading the stones in the trench, putting the big ones at the bottom and the smaller ones on the top. They both did a good job and I think they enjoyed being involved, once they got stuck in. They are now watching The Golden Compass and about to tuck into a helping of treacle tart. Deservedly so.

Click here for more pictures from our afternoon's work.

a trio of films for half term

Another offering from those clever people at Studio Ghibli, Arrietty is an adaptation of The Borrowers by English writer Mary Norton. Like other animations from the Japanese film studio, Arrietty is beautifully drawn and humorously observed. If you already know the story of The Borrowers you may not be surprised by turns of events, but you might be utterly captivated by the tiny world inhabited by Arrietty, Pod and Homily. The diminutive but feisty heroine gamely waves a pin to scare off a bug, as she and her taciturn father explore the house. And the scene where she first meets Sho, a convalescing boy, is delightful. We have seen a good half dozen of these films now and Arrietty is up there with Spirited Away, Only Yesterday and Kiki's Delivery Service.

We first saw Coraline about three years ago and I was blown away by the spooky story and the amazing stop-motion animation in the film. Directed by Henry Selick and based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman. Coraline moves to a new house in Oregon with her parents who are too busy with their web business to pay any attention to her. She is free to explore the huge house and gardens and unlocks a little door and discovers a parallel family who appear to be all that her own parents are not. All is not what it seems and Coraline soon realises that she is in danger and so are her parents. A great film for older children.






Finally a short word about The Muppets. I took 7 thirteen year old girls to see this on Saturday as well as an eight year old boy. They all gave the film a resounding thumbs up. As for me I almost fell asleep during the first half hour (well, it was the first day of the holidays) but rallied once the old muppets began to appear. By the time the credits came up at the end I was joining in with the mahna mahna song. Miss Piggy (or Mademoiselle Cochonnais as she now calls herself ) and Kermit have not had any makeovers and remain much the same as they were way back when. There is a strong whiff of the late seventies to the dialogue and it was a fun film for this family.

drains

After what seems like the darkest, gloomiest January, I am so glad February is finally just around the corner. The last of the Christmas chocolates have been evicted. They are now out of temptation's way in Steve's shop. There are just way too many of them and all my good work last year has been undone in the last six weeks. But it will soon be light enough to get up and go for a run in the mornings.

On the bright side our drains around the outside of the newbuild have been completed and passed by building regs. The mud has subsided a little and the outside is looking more Brighton beach and less Weston-Super-Mare. There is still a bit more drainage work to do up the drive and the newly laid drains need to be covered with concrete so they are not damaged by passing vehicles. When all this is done we may be able build some walls!

Neat and tidy

The wheelbarrow is going to be busy moving all this lot

Francis family Jan 2012 update

Hello cousins. Thank you Judy for keeping us entertained with your blogs,and for galvanising us into making more contact - in this surprisingly easy 21st century way! - we really look forward to hearing everyone's news.

In Lewes: Alex is working hard for a new boss. Trudi Styler still runs the company he works for - Xingu Films, now re-branded to Maven - but has handed over the day-to-day running to a tough New Yorker, who is going to be a hard taskmaster, but hopefully will get lots done, so Alex is guardedly optimistic about how that will work out! He's not got any films in production at the moment, so is pushing hard to get 1 or 2 through the starting gates in the next few months. I am looking for work - not especially hard - so I need to step it up! I've had several offers, but I'm looking for that elusive part time job, locally, that pays a reasonable amount and isn't mind-bogglingly dull - not a small ask during a recession!

The kids are doing well at school. Miranda (5) started school in September. She got a headmaster's award yesterday for 'kindness' which was gratifying - although frankly a surprise to her parents! However, M and I have had a tummy virus for the past month (recovering now) and neither she nor I have been on our best behaviour, so I shouldn't criticise!!  Miranda's reading is going brilliantly and she is already up to stage 3 on the reading scheme, so it won't be too long until she can read by herself.  Amelia (8) is doing well on guitar which she started in Sept, and she's continuing with ballet and swimming (with Miranda), and is starting to gain confidence on the football pitch. She plays football with boys (there's usually only 1 other girl) so it's quite hard, because they don't always pass to her - so I think she's being pretty brave. Alex is determined to get her interested in football so he can have someone to kick around with in the field behind the house.  Amelia's got a steady circle of 6 friends with whom she has play dates, and the play dates are starting to spread onto the weekends too, so she is becoming more and more independent.  I am starting to get her to do more things by herself - making phone calls, going to the corner shop. Miranda's getting the hang of socialising, but is happy in her own company and is not yet very good at sharing, so we need to work on that a little.  The girls are very good friends - Amelia's patience and calm are very reassuring to little Miranda, who is more sensitive and flighty - although invariably entertaining! They both love imaginative play and playing with Sylvanians and Playmobil. The house has tiny items permanently strewn all over the floor as a result!!  I could make a New Year's resolution, but I won't.

The pussy cats Audrey and Brodie (inherited from Sarah A's friend Ali, formerly of Brixton) are still with us but the sisters are showing their age at 13. Brodie is at the vet's today for a check up after having a seizure last night. Fingers crossed she will recover well (Audrey had a similar thing 2 years ago and is OK).

That was an exhaustive update - hopefully not too exhausting! It will be great to see how everyone else is doing... Lots of love Adams family,
Francis family xxx

Co-authors

I've made a slight change to this blog. Up till now I've been the only blog author, but have now sent invitations to Valda, Christopher, Jo, Justine, Dan, Toby, Ruth, Will, Sarah and Clara to become co-authors. This means that you will be able to post photos, news and so on. I have changed the privacy settings so that the blog readership is effectively restricted to its authors. You should all have received an invitation to contribute to this blog and I really hope you do as I'd like to open it up a bit and swap news with you all.

Check your inbox for a message from me!

the firework maker's daughter in keswick

Keswick on a cold January morning, shivering in thin winter sunlight. A short walk through Ashness Wood where we look down at the bright waters of Derwentwater before a  hearty picnic of cheese sandwiches, Christmas cake and fresh pineapple chunks.

Then a brief drive to the lakeside and we buy tickets to see The Firework Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman at the Theatre by the Lake. We take our seats at the very back of the auditorium and look at the assortment of bronze gongs and xylophones at the sides of the stage that make up the gamelan orchestra. Despite the distance from the stage our lofty perch allows us to see all the action, although seats at the front would certainly mean we would  see the actors' expressions more easily. The house lights dim and we watch expectantly as the gamelan players start to create an oriental setting with their instruments. Young dancers shimmy across the stage and we are transported far away to Indonesia where Lila is trying to wheedle the secret of firework making from her father Lalchand. Her quest to find Royal Sulphur takes her on a long and dangerous journey to the Emerald Lake and the volcano at Mount Merapi. Along the way she is helped by Hamlet, a talking elephant, and a motley crew of would-be pirates who provide plenty of comedy.

Two hours later and we are discussing our favourite bits over chips on the way home. We love the shadow imagery at the back of the stage - tall umbrellas, pagodas, palm trees, Chinese lanterns all conjured up in light and shade.  The funny pirates. And the soundtrack of discordant  gongs and cymbals as well as barbershop harmonies and the gentle vocals made by the actors visiting the lakeside home of the Goddess. Sam is still singing snatches of "A Million Rupee Idea" as we get home. All in all a very good start to 2012 and a lovely way to spend a bank holiday Monday. Who needs the West End?

Ashness Bridge

Looking across Derwentwater to Catbells

ecofan

We are the proud owners of an ecofan! We are basking in the radiant heatwaves of this neat invention even as I speak, while outside the wind is blowing itself up into a frenzy. The small fan sits at the back of the woodburner, and when its base is warm enough the propellers start moving. As they turn they push the warm air away from the woodburner and out into the room. We know that warm air rises, so the ecofan reduces the amount of heat lost to the chimney and we benefit from its displacement into the living room. So if any of you have a woodburner and are thinking about maximising its efficiency I would seriously look into getting one of these.

Happy New Year!