….is a very lonely time for some people. I had to have this explained to me because Christmas Eve to me is the longest, busiest day in the calendar year. But, I was told, in the world there are those who are so organised that they have nothing left to do, and those who have… Continue reading Christmas Eve…..
Cookies for Hallowe’en
There are occasions when I want to go back to the age of innocence. Hallowe’en is one of them. When I was growing up, Hallowe’en was a beautiful time to be someone different – to dress up in any costume I felt like, to be anyone I wanted to be. Goblin or princess or cowgirl,… Continue reading Cookies for Hallowe’en
Yorkshire Pudding — Celebrating British Food Fortnight
check out my blog on lovebritishfood.co.uk. It’s called: Brussels Sprout Tops, the Buried Treasure. “Now I will teach you how to make Yorkshire Pudding,” said Dora Robinson, my soon-to-be mother-in-law. “And you can be sure it’s right, because you have been taught by a real Yorkshire lass.” My American heart sank. “This will be a… Continue reading Yorkshire Pudding — Celebrating British Food Fortnight
A Community of Bravery
Admiring Life’s Strong Ones I am sitting in a roof restaurant in Kensington on a warm August night. The balcony is framed in flower boxes. Between them I see the tops of red double decker buses flick by in the street below. Whiffs of specialty pizza, gnocchi, and polpetto di meinzo caress my nose as… Continue reading A Community of Bravery
A Community of Communities
What is the tie that binds people together? The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), an underground/overground system of transport for San Francisco and surrounding towns, runs smack dab through a whole set of long-established out-skirted communities of Berkeley. Instead of a searing scar of uprooted houses, friends wrenched apart from friends, shops from shoppers and… Continue reading A Community of Communities
A Community of Tasters
Maybe it’s my sheer joy in any aspect of Community that warms my heart and blossoms into a greater humanity than the sum of the individuals taking part. Or maybe it’s sheer under-confidence in my cooking. Whatever the reason, I do like sharing the things I cook. So, whenever a new recipe emerges I snuffle… Continue reading A Community of Tasters
God Save Their Gracious Queen
Delighting in a monarch is no bad thing. The Queen of England turned 90 recently. At the age of 21 she promised her people that, no matter how short or how long she lived, she would serve them until the end of her life. She has kept her promise. On her 90th birthday she walked… Continue reading God Save Their Gracious Queen
I’d rather be Quilting
Tap into the wealth of ideas from your nearest and dearest. Whee! Just back from a jaw-droppingly amazing Family Reunion in Florida. Six of us brothers and sisters, talking and talking. More next month when the photos get sorted. For now, let me introduce my younger sister Vicki. She’s the sixth and last child in… Continue reading I’d rather be Quilting
A Community of Activists
! This is Simon, literally breathing fire. We’ve known him since he grew up across the street from us– watching painfully as he hurled himself up and down our cul-de-sac on his monocycle, frequently crashing into fences, trees, and walls, then getting up and trying again. And again. And again. Until he could sail past… Continue reading A Community of Activists
A Community of Researchers
I recently encountered the most beautiful glass sculpture I’ve ever seen – a huge work of art that spanned two storeys of intricately blown glass in various shades of blue. Its sculptor Dale Chihuly calls it Tre Stelle di Lapis Lazzuli. Its 2,071 pieces of glass weigh 4,300 lbs in total. It’s breathtaking. And where… Continue reading A Community of Researchers
food that builds community 