Welcoming the torch

I am not really a sporty person at all, but as the Olympic flame was coming to Stratford upon Avon this afternoon, and as this is one of my favourite places, we thought we would go and cheer it on its way through the Midlands.  It was such a fun day, there was also a River Festival happening, so more pics of that to follow when I have loaded them.  There were lots of canal boats on the Avon, decked out in bunting, and there was a wonderful atmosphere.  


We went into the Shakespeare Theatre, and I bought a copy of the script of a play the RSC performed last year called Written on the Heart, written by David Edgar.  It is about the making of the King James Bible.  I look forward to reading this in my own time and savouring the text, as sometimes you miss things during a performance.  

A day out

(google images)

Had a lovely day out today with my lovely husband to celebrate my birthday!

We had a good walk, (I wish I'd remembered my pedometer!) and had a very nice meal at Strada - with a two for one voucher!  I had chicken in a mushroom sauce with roasted new potatoes and roast onions.  There were not many people around, so it was nice and quiet, and not too cold.

I've been really spoilt! I've had an orchid from my husband, and of course my new coat; Body Shop toiletries from eldest son, flowery secateurs from my daughter, and a lovely personalised card from darling Poppy, with her smiley face on it; flowers from youngest son and a poem he wrote about me!  Ahh, happy times!

Hope you're all having a good day!

Indoor Barbecue

Here at Letters From Home, we are not really into barbecues.  In our part of the world, it is rarely warm enough to actually eat outdoors, at least that's how we feel.  So this weekend I have discovered I can do barbecue food, kind of, in my trusty slow cooker.

  

It was so delicious, I want to get it all down here before I forget what I did!  

Firstly, I browned some veggies, 2 onions, a sliced red pepper, 2 sliced courgettes, some sweetcorn.  I put all the browned veggies into the slow cooker, then I browned 8 sliced of pork fillet.

This meal was to serve 4 people, but I usually cook a double amount and chill or freeze half of it for another day.  I love the fact that I only have to cook about 4 times a week!

I placed the pork on top of the veggies.  I find that slow cooked meals always work best when the veg is at the bottom, otherwise the meal cooks well but the veg can be a little undercooked.

Then I heated about half a jar of barbecue sauce in my pan, along with a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of vegetable soup (Sainsburys cheapest, about 17p a can, probably not very nice taken as soup, but fine in the slow cooker.

I then tipped this sauce mix into the slow cooker, and switched the cooker onto High for about an hour, the length of time it took me to get ready to go out to lovely Stratford upon Avon for a shopping trip.

Then just before leaving the house, I switched it to Low.

About 5-6 hours later, i.e. the time it took us to go to Stratford, buy a new dress at Laura Ashley, some new shoes, have a coffee at Cafe Nero, just next door to Shakespeare's birthplace, etc. etc, I arived home and boiled up some rice and peas and served this with our "Barbecued Pork".  

I had never cooked meat in barbecue sauce before, I just used Sainsburys own brand of sauce, and it tasted absolutely delicious.  

That was yesterday.  Today, we came home from church and ate the rest of the barbecue pork sauce with pasta, which was nice and quick and just as delicious.  You could serve this with salad and crusty bread, maybe with a little crème fraiche on top.  With a little imagination you could do all sorts of things, maybe some tortilla chips alongside would be nice.

Here is the dress I bought from Laura Ashley.  There was a 25% discount on all clothes, so it was a bit of a bargain, although as I usually buy a lot of my clothes from charity shops it still seemed quite expensive, but it's beautiful and comfortable, and I'm sure I will wear it a lot, so well worth it.

 

We are all on tenterhooks here at "Letters", as we are expecting the birth of our first grandchild any time in the next week or so.  You can imagine how excited we all are.  This baby will create two new parents, four new grandparents, and three aunties and two uncles!  I'll let you know when we have some news.

I am currently reading The Book of Margery Kempe, the oldest known biography written in the English language.  I hadn't chosen it, it is a set text for my son's English Literature degree for this year, so I am reading it before he returns to university, and I am enjoying it immensely.  She was a Medieval Mystic, who had an extraordinary life.

I'll try not to leave it so long before my next post, although the new term starts at the University next week, so that means I will be back at work, but I am looking forward to meeting new people and taking on new challenges.

Enjoy your weekend!

In the Shadow

We must all go in the shadow sometimes.  The glare of the daylight is too brilliant; our eyes become injured, and unable to discern the delicate shades of colour, or appreciate neutral tints.  There are lessons that can only be learned in the shadows.  Seeds flourish and break through the soil in the shadows. 

"In the shadow of His hand has He hidden me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver He has hidden me."  Isaiah 49:2

I've taken some time away from 'Letters From Home', partly because of general busyness, but also because I needed some thinking time.  I've had decisions to make, thoughts to ponder upon, possible changes ahead to consider. 

Today, DH and I have had a day off work and went to Stratford upon Avon.  I love literature, drama and the theatre, and I love walking the streets of Stratford, the home of William Shakespeare.  It was a lovely sunny day, and we explored the recently opened refurbished RSC theatre, which took our breath away.

The main facade of the theatre remains, but inside it has been totally transformed.   There were images and quotes from Shakespeare projected onto the walls of the reception area.

The main stage is a very fluid space.  There is rigging for 15 metres above the stage, and a pit below the stage which is 7 metres deep, to allow for all kinds of amazing effects.  It is a thrust stage, rather like a catwalk.  The entire revamp has cost £112million.
There was a room with an exhibition called Squidsoup Why? where you can type a message into a computer and the words appear on a screen with other messages and swirl and twirl before your eyes.

The piece asks audiences to consider the ongoing influence and presence that Shakespeare has in the world today and to submit their thoughts. Messages then instantly become part of a 3D virtual sculpture made entirely of text based submissions, resulting in a running commentary, a series of instant snapshots of what people feel about the place, the event, their experience. As the sculpture moves of its own volition, the text can be re-read by audiences in any order.

We then went out into the sunshine and explored a little.  Here is a statue of Lady Macbeth.

And this is a picture of Ellen Terry, a Coventry-born actress who famously played Lady Macbeth.

(Google Images)

She was from a great acting dynasty, and her great nephew was Sir John Gielgud. 

This is Holy Trinity Church, where Shakespeare was baptised, and where he is buried.  It dates from 1210, and is built on the site of an old Saxon monastery.  It is Stratford's oldest building, and one of England's most visited parish churches.

And here is the River Avon, which flows through Stratford.  Can you see the quirky art gallery in the background, which is housed in a narrowboat?  We love going there and imagining we are off on a voyage!

 "He leads me beside the still waters.

  He restores my soul;

  He leads me in the paths of righteousness

  For His Name's sake."  From Psalm 23.