Darragh had a very sweet post yesterday about elopement.

I once left home.

I didn’t elope.

I accidently split my little brother’s head open with a garden hoe.

While mammy took him to Temple Street Children’s Hospital, in Dublin; I packed my bag and went next door and asked our neighbour if I could live in her house! She has now moved on to the next life and I am sure she is still laughing!

That same little brother got fed up with living at home, and who could blame him? He announced one day that he was running away, when asked where he would go; he said “I’m going to get the 72 Bus!”

Very ambitious family we were…. The 72 bus only went to Oxmantown Road.

He did eventually move away. He made sure the hoe could not reach him.

Little brother now lives in Melbourne, Australia!

Now that the festivities are over it is time for some simple plain cooking.

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6 Preheat oven to180°C

1 lb Minced Beef

1 large Onion chopped

2 sticks Celery chopped

2 Carrots chopped

1 Parsnip chopped

4ozs mixed Peppers chopped

1 lb canned Plum Tomatoes

Few mushrooms sliced

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Salt &Black Pepper

2ozs frozen Peas

2ozs frozen Corn

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

1 oz Sunflower Oil

1½ lbs Potatoes *

Crushed potato Crisps

Peel cook and mash potatoes and set aside. Heat the oil in large pan fry onion until soft. Add the celery, carrots, parsnip & peppers and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef and brown slowly, then add Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, black pepper and tomatoes and stir well. Add the mushrooms, peas and corn. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Pour mixture into an ovenproof dish even out and spread the mashed potato on top. Sprinkle with crushed crisps and bake for 25 minutes.

* I sometimes use half potatoes and half Swede cooked together and mashed.

Yesterday was a fidgety day. I often get them nowadays. Unable to settle to a single task, I flit like a butterfly from one thing to another. I cleared a cupboard, sorted some washing, ironed some knitwear and listed the batteries I needed to purchase…. several are not holding their charge as long as they should. More than 20 batteries are needed at first count.

You know how it goes – keyboard, mouse, camera, condiment set, clock and the one place I almost forgot. My safe! Of late I noticed that when I keyed in my pin no. for the safe, that the door would not open. It took at least five tries yesterday. So I found the instructions and as I read through it I noticed something about batteries It works on batteries and not fresh air. I removed the old ones and they were not rechargeable. While checking the details I noticed in small print; for expiry date see base. I turned it over and right enough it had a date – December 2004. What year is this? I hope I don’t need my crown jewels before Monday.

Oh dear, I forgot another one…..

Relax!

I tested the most important battery – the one in my smoke alarm and it works. Here in Norn Iron we have or did have a TV Campaign to remind everyone to test their smoke alarms. ‘Thumbs up its Monday’ was the slogan chanted by a group of Fireman in full regalia. So this week I am a day early.

In the cupboard I cleared I came across an old folder with a spring spine, it had stickers on the cover both inside and out. There are six in total and I will share them with you over the next few weeks.

This is the first:

If we wait long enough a little sunshine will come into our lives!

A little sunshine peeping through one morning back in October.

Over the past few days Steph wrote about the perils of drinking and driving. Alas the total number of road deaths in the south of Ireland for 2008 has now reached 276. All the TV and newspaper advertising is geared towards not drinking if you are going to drive a car.

Yesterday the Gardaí named three teenagers killed in a road crash in Tipperary on New Years Eve. They were young men aged 14, 16 and 17 all from the County. Two others, a 15-year-old boy and a 16 year-old-girl, were injured. They remain in a serious condition in hospital in Limerick. The five teenagers were travelling in a car at around 7.30pm near Nenagh. Gardaí said the crash happened when the car left the road, mounted a ditch and hit a tree.  The report did not say who the driver was. The oldest of the group was 17 years old and that is the legal age to learn to drive. This all made me think…..

Most young learner drivers practice in small low powered cars. They are, or should be accompanied by a qualified driver. The process involves learning the rules of the road, how to read road signs, speed limits and using the manual controls of the vehicle. So you learn how to signal, Parallel Park, reverse and three point turns and most important how to make an emergency stop. All this is very laudable and grand. Even when the person sits the test there are only two people in the car – the tester and the testee.

At no point that I am aware of, does the Highway Code cover driving a car full of giggling passengers. Does it tell you how the extra weight of passengers in the back seats or a heavy load in the boot can affect how a car moves when brakes are applied or when going around a bend? I think that part of the learning process should take place in a simulator that covers all weather and load conditions. Pilots use these type of simulators as part of their training so why not road drivers. Are there not more road deaths world wide than aircraft fatalities?

Here in Northern Ireland once a person has passed a written test and a practical one they graduate from ‘L’ plates to ‘R’ plates for six months. The ‘R’ is for restricted driving. With ‘R’ plates the driver may drive unaccompanied but must not exceed 45 miles per hour on any road. It may not prevent all deaths but it does help.

Today we open the book.

A book of blank pages!

Each day will begin a new chapter.

The book of life and opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

Vow to do some of the things you’ve always wanted to do.

Drop an old grudge, and replace it with some pleasant memories.

Try not to make a promise you don’t think you can keep.

Call up a forgotten friend.

Walk tall, and smile more. You’ll look ten years younger.

Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I love you’. Say it again. They are the sweetest words in the world.

Make the year special

Santa has returned once more from whence he came and half the countryside is now hoarding away their booty, making stock with the turkey carcass and stuffing overflowing refuse bins with wrapping paper.

Meanwhile the other half, are busy making resolutions for the new year ahead. With recession all around us we need to be careful with our spending and look after the things we have.

I am sure there are plenty of cool new t-shirts being blogged about and sported at all the ‘IN’ places and parties this year. So what is the best way to look after them? Most care labels will tell you to wash dark colours separately, and you should, otherwise the whole wash will soon become a dull grey or the pure white shirt will look like it had the Batik treatment from a red item added by mistake.

To Fix a strong colour (read reds purples and black) and prevent it from bleeding into other washing, Fill a bucket with cold water and add 1 tablespoon of salt, give it a stir and add the coloured item! Leave it for several hours or overnight. Then wash in the normal way.

The normal way for black items & that includes socks, or indeed any strong colour is to turn the item inside out before putting in the machine, then if fading occurs it is on the inside of the garment.

Worried about losing socks in the wash… Put them in an old pillow case and tie a knot in the end of it before putting in the machine. This method also works for underwired Bras.

To store Christmas tree lights, wrap them around an empty paper roll – one from wrapping paper is perfect. Cut a notch at one end of the roll and tuck the end of the string of lights into it. Then roll the lights round the tube working slowly along its length. When you come to the end make another notch and tuck the end into it.

Remove rust from a knife or kitchen utensil by sticking it in an onion for about an hour. Move the blade back and forth to help the onion juice do its work.

You better watch out!
Better not cry!
Better not pout!
I’m telling you why,
Nominations are open for IBA ‘09.

I’m making my list
and checking it twice.
I’m checking out who’s naughty and nice.
Irish Blog Awards are coming to Cork.

We read you when you’re sleeping.
We knows when you’ve a post.
We knows if it was bad or good.
If we laughed or cried or both!

You better watch out!
Better not cry!
Better not pout!
I’m telling you why,
The Awards are coming to Cork.

The Musical blogs are playing with drums,
The cooking Blogs are teasing our tums.
Photogbloggers are clicking their way round Town.

Specialist Blogs and Political too,
There’s Sports & Fashion, all waiting for you.
So cast your votes right now.

The boys and girls in blogland
will have a jubilee.
They’re going to come to Cork,
to shout & clap with glee.

So you better read up!
Better take note!
Better go vote!
I’m telling you why,
Nominations are open for IBA ‘09.

UPDATE: There are some changes to the categories this year and you can check out the changes and rules Here

Confession: I stole the Logo from Phil.

I am being lazy at the moment and going through my photos from back in the Autumn.

So today we have another picture of Graiguenamanagh.

My selective dementia means I conveniently forgot to mention to Elly that Graiguenamanagh has a Spring Book Fair and becomes Graiguenamanagh Town of Books in September.

The inspiration for the ‘Town of Books’, came from Hay-on Wye in Wales and Wigtown in Scotland. During the Fair unused shops are opened up and filled with books for sale. They include books of every type: old and new, bargain books, second-hand and antiquarian books. So if you are searching for a special book, out of date and out of print, a first edition or one signed by an author, then September in Graiguenamanagh is the time and place.

Enjoy

German Cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 160°C

Base:

24ozs Cream Cheese

5 Eggs

1 cup Sugar

Pinch Salt

¾ teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Topping:

1½ cups Sour Cream (1 pt)

2 tablespoons Sugar

1½ tablespoons Vanilla Essence.

Soften Cheese. Beat eggs and sugar. Add cheese and vanilla and salt. Pour into ovenproof dish 8” x 13”. Bake for 50 minutes.

Combine topping ingredients. Pour topping over cake and bake for 10 more minutes. Allow to cool, when cold cut into squares. Serve from dish.