Tales from the Kitchen

Do you like cooking? I have to admit that for years I absolutely hated it. If I ever tried to follow a recipe it never came out looking anything like the appealing photo accompanying it.
When I first got married (too long ago to tell you just how long!) there were a few cookery books giving practical advice for family meals. They were geared to the woman who stayed at home (mostly) and involved a lot of elbow grease to prepare - at least as far as I was concerned. Nowadays, of course, you have your "meals in 30 minutes" recipes and loads of idea for unconventional ways to prepare food. And you have far more aids to cooking in the local supermarket.

My mother made her own almond icing and I still think it is the tastiest part of the Christmas cake. She had no weighing scales as far as I remember. I think she used a particular sized cup instead.  She had no electric whisk and spent ages beating the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon. We all had a turn and I remember how my arms ached after so much work. The Christmas cake was rich in raisins and currants and mixed peel. The Christmas pudding was equally rich and here she added Guinness and whiskey as well. The aroma filled the kitchen and stayed for days and was part and parcel of that feverish anticipation of the feast to come. We were all allowed to stir the Christmas pudding and to make a wish. I don't remember if my wishes ever came true, I think not.

All of these memories came back to me when I started writing my Christmas novel. Christmas was and still is my favourite time of year. It is family time, a time for sharing. So when I started writing Christmas Wishes (that's the provisional title or working title as writers call them) I conjured up all those feelings I had about coming home for the holidays. In my novel, everyone has a secret wish or a problem to be resolved. As so often happens, a character intruded on my story and changed the original plot somewhat. That is the fun of writing. Once you have started, the characters come alive and go their own way. I have finished the first draft and I have many revisions and edits ahead of me before I am finished. I always think story writing is like opening a door in your head and there is a completely different world with all these people whose tales need to be told and who contribute their own share to shaping your story. Writing is magic.

Romancing the Royals

I paid a visit to the Big City today. Not for shopping, I'm afraid.  I needed to collect my orthopaedic insoles (you can't get less romantic than that!). Well, to be honest, I did buy a pair of trousers in a beige colour which will go with just about everything in my wardrobe. In order to do so, I had to make a pact with myself to donate a pair of grey trousers to the charity shop which I will do tomorrow, word of honour!
Anyway, while I was trekking around I stopped in front of the magazine rack in one of the department stores. Nearly every magazine had a picture of a smiling Meghan Markle on the front cover, sometimes with Prince Harry, sometimes on her own.  It got me thinking (beginner's luck, I can hear you chuckle), but no, seriously. What is our fascination with royalty? The days when we believed that once Cinderella was safe in the arms of Prince Charming, she was going to be happy, happy, happy seem like a long time ago.  Do we still believe that? Isn't it far more likely that the princess-to-be will be hounded by the papparazzi, criticized if she makes what is perceived as a mistake in her choice of wardrobe, and watched like a hawk for any breath of discord between her and the royal family. In my opinion, Meghan Markle has to be one of the bravest women this year.

Yes, I'll be watching the wedding on television and wiping away a tear (perhaps). I've watched all the European royal weddings over the years and wallowed in the glamour. And isn't it nice that, just like the rest of us, even the royals have aunts and great-aunts who are a teeny bit eccentric?
I wish Princess-to-be Meghan and Prince Harry all the happiness in the world.