Category: Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories · Christmas · Family · Films · Music

Christmas Music – Stop The Cavalry

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Ok I’ve tried to hold off from being Christmassy but I can’t do it any longer – if I do I think I’ll burst!

Today in work we were talking about Christmas Films – I’ll keep that for another post ’cause Christmas really does make me smile so there’s LOADS to say about it.  Anyway back to office chat – the Muppets Christmas Carol was mentioned and after that the songs wouldn’t go away – can you hear it?  Does it feel like Christmas?

So I’m now at home playing with iTunes and I have my christmas music split into two – carols (church type music) and songs (chart type).  What I love about music is that there’s nearly always a story behind why you like songs – whether it’s because of a person, an event or a place – well for me the first christmas song that I want to post about is Jona Lewie – “Stop The Cavalry”  I can’t hear that song without thinking of Dad.  Specifically we’re in the car down at the traffic lights in Portmarnock village, we’re waiting for the lights to change, the song is after coming on the radio and he turns it up and we’re singing – Daddy has the same kind of singing voice as Jona Lewie and can hit the deeper notes – me?  I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket but that has never stopped me trying 🙂

Now press play and sing “duba-duba-dumdum duba-duba-dum wish I was at home…”

 

I know it’s mad but in my head I’m still singing it with Dad 😀

Hopefully this will be the first of many posts about all of the glorious things I love about Christmas

Childhood Memories · Family

Memories of Nannan

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This evening I was watching River Cottage Every Day and the topic of the programme was Breakfast. Hugh was singing the praises of oats and saying how he loved porridge.
I love porridge and it would be my breakfast of choice this probably stems from my grandmother (Nannan) She always made me porridge whenever I stayed over. However there was one morning that sticks with me and makes me giggle to this day.
Nannan and I were chatting while she was getting the porridge ready. Once it was ready, she got out the two bowls and sprinkled sugar on the bottom of them. So chatting away she started to pour the porridge into the bowls – however it was only after she had finished pouring into the first bowl that we realised it had all been poured into the sugar bowl!!!
I know that it’s not that funny and you probably had to be there but it still makes me smile – we had such great times and I still miss her. Some day soon I’ll tell you about walking on the beach – nothing funny just a happy memory.

Childhood Memories · Cooking

How Happy Am I?

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Very is the answer! Today we were out and about – we went to Dun Laoghaire (by mistake) so we went into Meadows & Bryne. Whilst browsing around – it’s was amazing the amount of gadgets that you just have to have! Anyway whilst browsing I came across a Pie/Tart dish with a swizzly thing that runs around the bottom to release it – I just had to have it!
I immediately rummaged through my cook books to find a tart recipe – that’s a lot more difficult than I thought. It would seem that all of the books seem to think that apple tart should be the french open tart whilst my grandmothers tarts were covered almost pie like. I did manage to get one recipe and now I’ll cross check it with one or two online (possibly adding a clove or two or cinnamon)
Now all I need is the time to make it 🙂

Books · Childhood Memories

Library Joys

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I know I’ve mentioned this before but I absolutely love going to the library – so much so that I’m a member in two different council areas (for locals it’s Dublin City Council & Fingal Council) It really is a great resource – I have one on my doorstep in work – all expressions aside it really is on the other side of the street from the office! – How cool is that!!! The only negative thing I can think of about it is it’s a bit dark but that’s only compared to the other two that I would frequent – Blanchardstown & Malahide. The Malahide one is that one I’d be pass by every week when I go to WW so last night we were a bit early so in we went! I Love Love Love it! and came out with two books (Rebecca Shaw) & two DVDs – A Very Long Engagement (himself loves Audrey Tautau & I missed the last 15mins of the film) and the other was a boxset of The Young Ones. Now that is what I consider a haul of opposites – gentle books about a village idyl, a french film & I’m not really sure what you could say to describe The Young Ones briefly – comedy?
I’m in seventh heaven when it comes to Libraries – you can go in pick out a book you want to read but don’t particularly want to buy or a book you’re not too sure about and give it a go – if you don’t have space for the books well that’s OK they have to be returned so no need to break out the Ikea catalogue to get more Billy bookcases. The same goes for DVDs, audiobooks, computer games and even magazines! Basically this stuff is all free so long as you give it back when you’re finished with it!
It’s funny – I remember when I was little going on the bus over to Malahide to the library – I would go upstairs to the childrens section and it was such a big day when I got my new ticket which allowed me to take things out of the adults library – the joy of that was that you could take out even more books if you were taking them from the childrens library 🙂 On one or two occassions (possibly a lot more) we went over to the one in Donaghmede SC but my overriding memory of that one was round – I don’t know why maybe there was seating arranged in a circle or something but anyway round it is!
So my next question is – what am I doing on here? I should put the kettle on and settle into the book I got the other day – Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – it really is lovely 🙂
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Childhood Memories · Cooking · Food · Weight Watchers

Bake A Cake

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My mother used to make the most gorgeous boiled fruit cake but unfortunately returning to work, time constraints and losing the recipe put a stop to that. I remember you would nearly have the mixture eaten from the saucepan even before the flour went in – totally yummy! So can you imagine my joy of joys when I bought a cook book that had a recipe for boiled fruit cake in it – and it looked vaguely familiar! Over the weekend I decided I’d give it a go and boy was it good. I’d have taken photos but I was too busy scoffing the lot – ok maybe not all of the cake but a fair amount of it. I found it crumbled a bit when I cut it but to be honest I’m not overly worried. I brought some in to work and it went down well or at least nobody was out sick 😉 Following hot on the heels of this success I’m eager to try more baking (I tend to go through these phases) so I think I’m going to retire to bed with a mug of hot chocolate and my copy of Cherry Cake & Ginger Beer by Jane Brocket. I have a feeling that my next two baking forays will be more boiled fruit cake and some banana muffins – I saw the recipe in this months Weight Watchers mag and remembered I really liked them.

I have a feeling I’m going to be dreaming of cake – bliss!

Childhood Memories · Food · Life

Jam Sandwiches

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We were at a BBQ this afternoon and it was lovely!! Great to see folk, eat some really lovely food – there was one particular salad there that was just yummy and I could have taken the whole dish 🙂 so it’s a light tea this evening – I was thinking boiled eggs and soldiers and then I starting thinking about childhood foods – take that egg and make it egg in a cup – I never really did figure out what Nanny did to it that made it so special but I might just try – so while I’m figuring that out I’m after polishing of bread and jam!! Raspberry Jam – Love Love Love it followed closely by Rhubarb & Ginger – num-nums!
So my question is do children these days eat jam sandwiches?

Childhood Memories · Cooking · Food · ikea

Brand New (Rolling) Pin

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This morning I was reading an article by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall about cooking with children. Please put that old joke down! I know we all like children just couldn’t eat a whole one! Anyway now that that’s out of the way – cooking with the aid of children – when I was little or younger (which ever term you prefer) Nan-nan (my grandmother) was always baking apple tarts. There was nothing I loved more than getting the remaining core of the cooking apples and dipping them in sugar to make them yummy and slightly crunchy. One year I insisted on getting a rolling pin – I don’t know if it was for a birthday or christmas present – because I tend to have cold hands a lot of the time it means I’m a dab hand at pastry. So to have my very own rolling pin was just wonderful! When I moved out of baking and home the rolling pin magically disappeared. I was living in a flat but I still wanted a rolling pin – it could come in handy!!! but I couldn’t find one that was just like the one I had – still handles and a rolling middle/barrel – no the one I got was an all in one 😦 Don’t get me wrong it worked it rolled out my shortbread biscuits to a treat but it just wasn’t the same. Anyway yesterday we went to Ikea and as we were walking around down stairs there was a random rolling pin lying about in the pictures section – I don’t know where it came from originally but I just had to have it.
So now I have my rolling pin and Hugh is cooking with children there is something that is telling cook an apple tart – all I need now is a tart dish and I shall be away in a hack.
Sorry but now that I mention the plate – I’ve just remembered the thrill of shaving off the excess pastry from the edges – I loved doing that. Ok my mission is now to get that plate and put it all to good use – I’ll post pictures if it doesn’t get eaten before I find the camera.