Purple PawPaw

Did you know it flowered?

If yours does cut it off immediately – apparently it stops the plant wanting to grow and therfore the end of your source of a delicious crumble!

This past weekend we went up to Edinburgh. I have been studying at the University for the past term and this was my final study weekend. Gordon came too to spend time with friends.

We had a lovely time with Ally, John. Rachel, Matthew and Andrew. We didn’t see a lot of Rachel as this was a key weekend for her – a rite of passage, the weekend when she bought her first boyfriend home – it was my job to keep her Mum calm!

Ally had heard about a cake shop which sold enormous cakes…

[caption id="attachment_285" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Gordon tucks in!"][/caption]

We also went out to the Falkirk Wheel – what an amazing thing…

You may have heard on the news that the UK Youth Parliament has been given permission to hold a debate in the House of Commons this summer. Last year a debate was held in the House of Lords and some of the young people our team work with attended, it was an historic occasion.

More information, plus some footage of the debate by MP’s as to whether this should happen is available on  the UK Youth Parliament website.

It was interesting to hear some of the negative comments- but then when you see the vote it was overwhelmingly supportive.The member of staff who covers this piece of work will be on maternity leave during the time when this event happens, maybe I’ll have to attend..I’ll have to take loads of tissues as there is no doubt at all that I will cry!!

We have new neighbours, actually we have had them since October but over the winter we don’t spend too much time outside, plus the way our house and theirs is positioned means that we rarely would bump into them.

Anyway – we did meet them today and they seemed very pleasant and lovely – but most especially as they have felled quantities of trees in their garden and saved the wood for us – even though they hadn’t met us before – what amazing kindness!

We are now the proud owners of a new and glorious woodpile!

Here I am at Edinburgh Airport on my way back from Orkney – photos can be seen on www.thefriers.co.uk

Its fab – working on my Acer Aspire One, listening to the radio with the headphones from my ipod – even the delay to the flight doesn’t seem quite so bad…

It’s been so many months since I posted that a whole new person has arrived since I last wrote

Here is Emilie Fiona updating her blog…see it on www.thefriers.co.uk

A couple of weeks ago I was out in Spain with my travelling companion Bettina. We are both feeling poorer than we have previously but wanted some sun, something a bit different and a bit of exercise. Bettina can always be relied on to find a bargain, sometimes to the detriment of having a good time, but this time she came up trumps!

We went on a 3 day break with Inntravel, a company I hadn’t heard of before. However all the people we met while we were away on similar packages have sworn allegiance – many return to Inn Travel again and again – so they are doing something right.

We flew to Malaga individually, as I left from Exeter and B from London, met and moved onto Seville by train. Our first evening was in a smallish hotel (that we had booked) in town, but we were able to wander around until fairly late and get going on Tapas – which along with coffee kept us fuelled throughout the trip.

Day 2 we got ourselves to the train station and picked up our car, part of the deal, a Seat Leon (diesel). We made our way out of Seville, following the excellent directions supplied by Inn Travel to Alajar and the Poseida de Alagar (full trip here). The room was clean and adequate but would not have been great if I had been planning a luxurious break away, but that was not the purpose. Excellent ,meal on the first night, as part of the package and breakfast everyday was also provided.

We walked for two days, one day out of Alajar on a circuit taking us into the hills, around the red cork oaks and through pig territory and then back to the village. I was very taken with the area. Maybe the warmth at this time of year, but the food was marvellous, an area where people are concerned about the provenance of food. Having seen the pigs we felt we ought to see the museum of the ham – we possibly lost a bit in the translation, but it was still an interesting place, We were delighted with the smellorama which gave us the scent of the hams drying. After 3 days we could smell it on the air, not to mention seeing pig legs (with hooves still attached, and daintily painted in gothic black) in every hotel, bar, shop, meal….

Our second walk was around Almonaster an intriguing town with a Islamic past, still evident in the church which was converted from a mosque, next to it the towns bullring.Our route back to Seville took us via a lovely last meal, shopping for treats to return with and wonderful Show caves in Alajar.

A few days more would have been lovely to fully relax, I would certainly go back, an unusual situation for me who rarely wants to return, but I think the full blast of summers sun would be too much. I would love to see the olive season and the chestnut season and there are bound to be fabulous foods around during the citrus season.

Have a look for more photos in Spain Oct 2008

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most signed up to Convention in the history of the world (as we know it). Article 12 which says that children and young people have the right to have their say about decisions that affect them is the statement upon which the last 10 years of my career is predicated upon. It is something about which I am passionate.

While eating crispy toast and talking this morning I thought I heard a snippet on the radio about how the UK was going to pull out of the Convention. I was surprised about the feeling of panic that gripped my stomach and in my head groups of young people were already marching on Downing Street.

Such was my dismay that husband recognised the pointlessness in trying to enagage me in converstaion and I dashed to check on BBC. Relief and joy…

The UK has only ever partially signed up to the Convention – this has meant that there has been a loophole for children and young people who were asylum seekers or migrants. It has meant that our country has been allowed to lock these children up without judicial scrutiny.

Now we are completely obliged at all times, with all children to put their needs first, thus protecting all children, but some of the most vulnerable who were previously not protected.

This is a happy day for workers like me – and for all children and young people in the country.

When I was in my teens I used to cycle to school pretty much whatever the weather. Today I cycled to work – only a couple of miles across Exeter – but it was in the rain!

Somehow the rain penetrated every pore and I sat steaming for the next 2 hours. I don’t remember any of this happening to me as a young person. I don’t believe that waterproofs were better, or that rain was less wet…so maybe my brain has edited out the grimness of it all, or maybe I just didn’t care.

Either way if I want to continue bicycle commuting I either need to get up earlier or find a way not to get so wet!

So said Keats – it seems Autumn is proving to be slightly a season of disappointment – at least in the garden – tomatoes all green, butter nut squash not yet ready, apples small and wasp ridden.

However despite this we are managing to forage for things and live contentedly. We have squashed apples to make cider (an exciting experiment) and apple juice (sharp bu lovely) and have stewed loads for apple sauce through the year. Our beetroot are lovely and the PSB looks like it might do some good.

We have been offered a 1/3 of  an allotment to share with our neighbours. This is quite thrilling and I hope will give some more balance to life in what could otherwise be an entirely work orientated life.