A bit of research

I thought I'd look up a couple of my Grandmother's relations on the interweb last night and turned up something interesting, (to me at least.)

My Grandmother was born in the West of Ireland and her Maternal Grandmother was the first school mistress in that village when they opened a school in 1880. That much I found confirmed on the 1881 census for that part of the world.

They also had a connection over at least three generations with a religious order. It was this order of nuns who educated my Grandmother and her sisters after their Mother died in 1919. In fact, Grandma was with them from age two to twenty as she went to one of their teacher training colleges in Manchester.

Anyway, back two generations from Grandma on her Father's side was where the connection with that order started and her Great Aunt, went to Canada in 1880s, into what was then mission territory and set up some schools, all before the age of thirty. The place was very anti-Catholic, to the point of the nuns being taunted in the street and sounded pretty tough. Also interesting (because this is a theme in the family,) is the fact that she was very good at languages, speaking French and German, something that was very useful with all the different immigrants from Europe, including French nuns who presumably had been kicked out of France in one of their periodic religious expelling sessions. She rose to be Mother Superior General (which I knew and not something Grandma was fussed about,) which explains why she was mentioned by name in the article I was reading. It set me thinking how bold people were in the past, striking out into foreign lands and with the support of their order and the local hierarchy, doing all sorts of things.

Anyone else got any interesting rellies of a religious sort?

My Mum was taught by one Mother Ethelburga who was related to St John Rigby and I once went to a talk given by a Dutch Priest who was a third cousin of Bl (St?) Titus Brandsma.

Plums Plums Plums

'Tis a good year for them.

On Sun, a friend offered me some from her garden.
Yesterday, Colin, allotment neighbour offered me some of his.
But, I have my own glut, thanks to Ruby next door.

Feeling like a snack? Pop out and pick a plum.

So this am, trying to keep my freeze or bottle something daily plan I picked a kilo and made jam. Looks like it's setting too. four jars, this time. Will have to see if Ruby would like a jar.

Tales before the stave

An interesting post-lunch prog yesterday, talking about the sqiuggles in The Winchester Troper.

Here on iPlayer.

Needless to say it had to have the,' 'how the English got there first, ' spin which is a shame because it would be interesting to know if the musicians in Winchester had any contact with the people across the water who were doing the same at about the same time. At one point one of the contributers even says that the script is similar to what was being used in France. Sigh.

Anyway what was very interesting was how the m/s ended up in Cambridge as part of the the Reformation plot to make England the centre of the universe. The prog said they wanted stuff pre-1066 and this book fits the bill.

Also, post-Solesmes, it was interesting to hear their take on the notation being an aide memoire and how the pitch is inaccurately notated (to our minds,) as Dom Saulnier siggested the making of books was not necessarily for people to sing from. Also, some of the stuff in this book appears to be for the Coronation of Edward the Confessor.

One wonders how many m/s were lost at the Reformation anyway. I once asked the librarian of one of the oldest Oxford Colleges what they have by way of music manuscripts of the Middle Ages and the answer is none.

Jam Sugar

Having made five jars of blackberry slop, I invested in some jam sugar and made three jars of jam today. Magic pectin!

The blackberry slop is pleasant enough with yogurt or added to apples as a pie/crumble filling, but does not do the job of jam.

The allotment site has a vast patch of blackberries, so I may make some more tomorrow. Time to squirrel away food for the Autumn/Winter.

When things get busy at work I console myself that at least I have home cooking.

Pizza sometime

with school friend. Actually, we knew each other when I was 9 and she was 8 and we played (scraped) in a String Orchestra. Although she only lives a few miles away we only see each other about twice a year as she works in the high octane world of CGI (my friend in Soho! I have seen her name in the cinema,) and is always at work, or so it seems to me, holiday rich teacher.

And so tonight we meet in our Pizza Express to catchup.

She too shares my interest in things home grown, though has little time for it, so I shall take her a few things.

First, the delights of the Shoulder Class, which is really aimed at the elderly.
As I joke to my Mum, the walk there and back is the best bit.

Seven Things

I have been tagged by Ches.
Seven ordinary things that I like.

1 Coffee (it is breakfast time.)
2 The smell of linen dried outside on the line.
3 Mountains (OK, so not so ordinary in Kent.)
4 Coal smoke - evokes memories of tea at my Grandparent's in Wales as they lit the fire at 4pm...Wales Today on the telly, homemade cakes and blackcurrant jam.
5 Growing things from seed.
6 Laughing at a good joke.
7 Playing Brahms 4.

As usual, everyone has already been tagged, but if you missed out, then now it's your turn.

Home again again

Back from the land of my Father.


The weather was great. Lots of mountains and seaside and Wednesday's visit to Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru.

Did some celebratory spotting and queued up to get in behind Dafydd Wigley, former leader of Plaid Cymru. See how egalitarian Wales is? We all queue up together to gain entry to the Maes (field.) 25 000 people went the day we did and they still had plenty of ice creams to go round. Heard some great singing of course. The highlight of the day for my parents was the University of Bangor tent (they met there), where they found some photos of people they knew. Of all the universities in Wales it had the best and biggest stand, which pleased them.

The weather brought out people for ice creams all over the principality and when we went for a walk along the coast one day and stopped for refreshment, saw a very elderly couple tucking into huge ice cream sundaes.