Roast tomatoes.

One or two people have asked me about roasting tomatoes.

I first skin them, by covering them with boiling water and slipping the skins off.

Then cut them in half and place on a baking tray. I use baking paper then they don't stick to the pan.

Get your oven up to 200 degrees.

Sprinkle a little olive oil on each tomato, a touch of sea salt and plenty of torn up Basil.

You can add a little garlic if you wish.

Place them in the oven and leave for about an hour until the skins are blackening slightly around the edge.

Then cool and freeze, or just eat cold in a delicious salad, or make soup.

You get all the flavour in a very concentrated fashion, and the smell in the kitchen is gorgeous!

(Talks continue with our insurers about the hallway. It sounds hopeful, but we can't do anything until a surveyor has been.)

Drip, drip......

No photo today.

The electrician came to put a new socket in a bedroom.

While he was burrowing around under the floor he heard a running water sound.

We checked the taps in the sinks, the bathrooms, the outside tap, the laundry room.

He discovered that an old pipe had rusted and was slowly dripping happily away.

But.....

to get to the pipe for a plumber to repair it

meant that my beautiful new hall floor had to have a hole cut in it.

There was no other way.

The plumber (he of nibbitor fame), comes on Monday.

We wait for the Insurance people to find a hundred reasons why they can't possibly pay for the repairs.

We are a little sad here.

Tomatoes, tomatoes......

This is just today's picking!

The freezer is filling up with tomato sauce and soup.

I'm going to slow-roast these. You get all the concentrated flavours that way, and it makes a very good soup using a recipe from Delia's Summer cooking.

Overload of photos.

 I have so many photos of our week away, but I've only put eight on here. Maybe that's too many!

We have had a wonderful week, learned so many things and been so very impressed by the care and commitment of all the staff at the Brighton BVUK Centre.

Below is the view from our very comfortable bedroom, with Brighton in the distance.

The pool, heated gently, was so inviting, and I went in several times. There was always someone on duty, big fluffy towels were provided, and there was even a chair to lower incapacitated folk into the water. Nothing was impossible.

There were well fitted out work and craft rooms, woodcarving, woodturning, Art, ceramics, pottery, and a Computer room for training people who wanted to become more proficient.

Below is some of the Art work displayed.

Archery, bowls and shooting were on the curriculum! You wouldn't think it possible, but many of the people with almost no sight had a go at this with the instructor. My husband was delighted that he got a bulls eye!

 A quiet spot in the sunny gardens.

The staff loved running an entertainment evening. A keyboard player was on duty one night, and you can see that the staff enjoyed making it possible for even wheelchair bound people to be part of the dancing.

 Here is the extremely well equipped gym, available for use by visitors.

I took a short trip into Brighton, using the Centre's transport which gave me a couple of hours. I was a little disappointed somehow. This is part of The Lanes area, which was attractive, but the main part of the town was just like so many others with chain shops etc.

What remains in my mind on return is the attitude of opportunity and possibility that permeates the Centre. The staff are all delightful, Watching them dealing with people was touching...an arm around a lady's shoulders, a quick clasp of a hand, an enquiry as to how they were feeling, never anything but kindness and compassion. The courage of some of the older folk amazed me. I had conversations with 90 year old ladies who had been in the WAAFs, one on a Troopship during the war, all with interesting stories to tell.

I hope I haven't given the impression that this was like an Old folks Home. It wasn't. It is alive with promise for people who have lost all or most of their sight.

We will be returning!

A note from Brighton.

Just a short note from Brighton.

The ethos here revolves round the three As

Acceptance

Adjustment

Achievement

The staff are determined that everyone who comes to them for an assessment week will be given opportunities, will be shown technology and gadgets to help them live an independent life, and will be sent away feeling that they can do what they previously thought was impossible.

I'm taking photos, but don't have the camera lead, so will show you more next week when we get home.

Off to Brighton

We're off on a sort of 'adventure' this coming week.

My husband has been invited to a week at the Blind Veterans Centre just outside Brighton.

This is a purpose built centre for partially sighted and blind people who have at some time in their lives served in the Forces. (RAF in my husband's case)

There will be some assessment, some activities, and for me some swimming in the indoor pool!

The amazing part is that the Centre send transport for us, so I  don't have to think about a long drive.

I'll tell you more next week.

Now I have to get the house ready for our house-sitters.

The plumber came.

The plumber came today.

Puffing in, with a bag of tools nearly as big as himself, he settled in to work. 

The radiator was drained, and with mournful glee he showed me the brown soupy mess in the bowl.

And talked at great length.

About nibbitors.

(I had visions of small things living under the floorboards)

'Needs it', he said, 'or you'll have trouble (darkly) with yer eating'

So I called in the technical member of our family, my husband, who translated this arcane language.

We need an inhibitor in the system to stop the radiators clogging up. 

Otherwise we will indeed have trouble with the Heating.

I understand now.

Quilt exhibition.

A local Quilting group took over our church this week, with a stunning display of their work. They exhibit every two years.

Beautiful Baltimore design below.

A collection of Autumn themed smaller quilts.

This one was one of my favourites, simply because I love blue and white.

There were many more that I could have shown you,

but these were the only photos that I took. I was so busy talking to the stitchers, discussing their methods and colours, that I didn't take any further photos.

School assembly.

You may wonder why there is a 'sheep' lounging in my husband's chair today.It looks tired already. It obviously felt it needed  rest, I suppose.

We are beginning a new series of 'Open The Book', presentations by our church for school assemblies. It's nice for me to be involved with as we go to the school where I taught for many years, in the village.

Now, on to the sheep.

The story for next week is David and Goliath. I am the only person from the last team, but thankfully we have a good new team. One of the new group brought Shaun to me yesterday and suggested that as David was a shepherd boy he should have at least one good looking sheep. Do you think it will add a touch of reality??

The bag contains costumes, all lovingly washed and ironed by one of our group.

There is a helmet for Goliath, a crown for the king and a shepherd's stick for David, amongst other things.

'Goliath' had us roaring with laughter at our rehearsal this morning, as he is not the tallest of men, but very good at bellowing.The story begins "Goliath was a VERY big man." 

I think he needs a stool or something to raise him up above the rest of us!

It is so good to bring the Bible stories to the children in a new way. 

Changing colours.

Colours are changing.

The hydrangeas, which have been a beautiful blue, are gradually turning pink. 

Wouldn't this make a lovely fabric?

Summer is coming to an end.