Kosher foods are those that conform to Jewish law (kashrut, Jewish dietary law). For any adults reading these lines the word kosher could probably be counted as Universal Knowledge. Twenty years ago I used the word to mean safe (legit, on-the-level), in the way that Arthur Daley in “Minder” might describe a business transaction. Before… Continue reading Word of the week: kosher
Ten years ago I set up a wormery in the garden. Back then there were newspaper articles every few months advising us on how easy it was. You didn’t even need a garden. One journalist set up their wormery on the balcony of their flat, another kept one indoors. The principle is simple: a plastic… Continue reading Wormeries
Last month (March’s “Coincidence Corner”) I quoted something from Andy Miller’s “The Year of Reading Dangerously (How Fifty Books Saved My Life)”, his wife’s advice on how to read “Middlemarch”: “Just do what I did. Read fifty pages a day and leave it at that.” Since quoting those words I haven’t even found time to… Continue reading So much for fifty pages a day
Yesterday was the anniversary of my mother’s death. She died nineteen years ago. I was holding her hand as the breath left her body. Every year we commemorate the anniversary in the same way, a mass said for her intention, and a day spent doing very little. Once or twice I have gone back to… Continue reading An Anniversary Day
The other day (“Big Birthdays”) I wrote about having a superstitious reluctance to think too hard about the future, or indeed write about it. I plan ahead to a certain extent, though not as much as many other people. We had a party yesterday for my wife’s Big Birthday and there was some uncertainty about… Continue reading “What would you have done if it had rained?”
My wife has a significant birthday today, one that ends in a zero. I won’t tell you how old she is, but if I did you could repeat the words she has been hearing in the last few days, leading up to the big day: “Really? You don’t look it. How do you do it?”… Continue reading Big Birthdays
In 2014 I watched the movie “High Society” on DVD, the first time I’ve sat and watched it all the way through since the 1970s. As a family we have spent plenty of time and money on musicals and musical theatre in recent years, including theatre trips to “Mamma Mia” (twice), “Matilda” and “Charlie and… Continue reading Musicals for children, or not
Some things are high maintenance and some things are low maintenance. Maybe this doesn’t bother you. If you have a car that needs constant attention you might be the kind of person who enjoys tinkering with cars, so that’s just fine. I prefer it if things just work and don’t need to be tinkered with.… Continue reading Low Maintenance, High Maintenance: Baby Milk, Beards and Smoking
It’s okay to give things up, as long as you can find at least two reasons for doing so, and can work out what you’re doing as a replacement. Last autumn, just after her 9th birthday, our daughter gave up piano lessons. There were many reasons for this, but the two main ones were: a… Continue reading Giving things up, and replacing them
This is the only recipe you’re likely to find on these pages. It’s a dish that, for me, is steeped in memories. For day-to-day simple meals I believe that the time spent preparing the food should be less than the time spent eating it. This dish fulfils that criterion. I learnt it at university. It… Continue reading Friday Night Dinner (a recipe)
The Compartments 