This article was originally published in Hubpges in November 2009. Ready to eat in under 30 minutes! When you want food which is hot, tasty and quick to make, give Irish Potato Soup a try. It is easy to make, very tasty and filling, and also economical. It can be made in under half an hour - which is why this traditional Irish meal has proved so popular for so long. Potato soup can be served either as a filling starter or as the main meal. Serve with crusty bread, garlic bread or French toast. Add a knob of salted butter, if you wish. How to Make Irish Potato Soup Ingredients Potatoes (3 or 4 large potatoes per person) Big onion (or use leeks if you prefer) Garlic (optional) Pinch of salt Herbs and pepper to taste (cayenne pepper, tumeric, mixed herbs and spices are all good additions) Cheese Bring a pan of water to the boil (or use hot water from the kettle to save time) and meanwhile peel and dice the potatoes and onion. Add everything apart from the cheese to the pan and bring ...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in June 2009. Delicious home-made jam, cooling on the rack and waiting to be labelled. Reasons to Make Your own Jam! Walk along any preserves counter in any supermarket, and you will see a huge range of economically priced jams. Before you feel tempted by all those jewel-like colours, read the labels. What percentage of the contents is actual fruit, and exactly which synthetic chemicals have been used as sweeteners? And why would artificial preservatives be required by a product which is supposed to be, in itself, a preserve? The answer is less than wholesome. Turnips are regularly used as a cheap way of adding bulk to commercially-made jams, and the fruit used is often of such an inferior quality that without the addition of artificial preservatives it would quickly decay. Consider also that some artificial sweeteners have been suggested to be carcinogenic, and that the link between various artificial colorants and a variety of be...

 This article was originally published on Hubpages in August 2010. Stored properly, unopened jams can be safely set aside for years. Home-made Jam Making jam is easy and economical. This traditional method of preserving fruits has been in use for centuries. But flavours needn't cling to familiar themes, as this delicious kiwi fruit and apple jam recipe demonstrates. Equipment: sharp knife chopping board two large pans wooden spoon sieve glass storage jars with screw-on lids baking tray cooling rack wax-proof paper Recipe: apples (any variety, or a mix of several varieties) kiwi fruit preserving sugar The quantity of fruits to be used is up to you. Use whatever is to hand, or purchase whichever apples you like. It's not important. The weight of preserving sugar should be approximately half the weight of the prepared fruit. Exact measures are pointless as by the time you've pressed the cooked fruit pulp through a sieve the weight of the fruit will have altered anyway. Apples ...

This article was originally published on Hubpages in July 2010.   Why Make Jam? Preserving fruits is easy. It is a traditional kitchen skill which can create a store of long-life foods which taste delicious, look good, and are totally free of artificial colours and synthetic additives. Add a pretty cloth lid over the metal one, and a pot of homemade jam can make a handy last-minute gift. Harvest fruits from the hedgerow - away from roads, to avoid fruits which may have absorbed toxins from exhaust fumes - or grow fruits in your own garden as we do, and the only financial expenditure will be sugar and whatever fuel you use during the cooking process. Making jam is a great way to save money. Re-cycle old glass jars with screw-on metal lids. Wash jars and lids thoroughly, then rinse in clean water. When you start your jam-making session, spread them out on a baking tray and put them into a cold oven. Raise the temperature to 100 degrees and leave them like that for half-an-hour to ste...

Gentle Waves and Tranquil Days; watercolour,2018. Eagle-eyed regulars have already noticed that I've changed the name of my online merchandise store from Spooky Cute Designs to something more direct.  There was nothing wrong with the old name, as such, but had become rather misleading.  The store's earliest designs tended to be teddy bears wearing a witch's hat, or the ever-popular Beelzebear designs or similar, and while many of these items are still available, (printed onto T-shirts, bags, household furnishings, posters and more), the majority of the store's merchandise now derives from my art and photography, plus the range of items for writers which remains popular.  Therefore the old store name was misleading to new clients.  I only changed its name recently but sales are already improving. One of my nieces recently posted on Facebook that she was thinking of combining her two YouTube channels into one.  As I said to her, a hazard of having any kind o...

Here's a short video slideshow made from some of the rapid sketches I'd done during 2016.  The location is Birkenhead Park, and all but one of the sketches were done with an ordinary fine-line ink pen.  I used a small pad which could easily be tucked inside a jacket pocket for convenience.  When I describe the sketches as rapid, I mean it.  Many of them were completed within a few seconds.  I hope you all enjoy the video.  You can find my other videos by using the menu above, or at my YouTube site. As I type this, rain is pattering loudly against the window beside me.  It's a sound I've always enjoyed; I find it strangely comforting and restful.  Rain has its own musicality. The rain will also help to water-in the loganberry and thornless blackcurrant canes I planted in large tubs yesterday.  I also potted up two wall baskets with three tiny strawberry plants in each.  As they grow, these will happily dangle down and provide a sp...

Rapid sketch of moorhens; 2016. I'm enjoying a spot of annual leave this week, which began with a lively and well-attended writers' event at Bebington Library on Saturday the 19th.  This featured members of Wirral Writers , Bebington Bards , the 3Ls Creative Writing Group and Riverside Writers .  I'm no longer a member of Riverside Writers due to constraints of time, but I had been invited to join in anyway. Due to there being so many writers and poets wishing to read, a strict time limit was imposed and so the audience only heard half of my 1,600 word story, Fame, which is about an obscure, ageing rock singer who has turned up on Facebook.  It's a story about reminiscing and unachieved ambitions which still tempt. My sister Evelyn came to the library event, and afterwards she and I travelled to my home with my friends Tim and Nigel, where we all socialised for a couple of hours and caught up on news. I've been generally tidying up the house.  It is now ...

Left to right: Adele CB, Freddie, Sharon and Adele H. The last time Freddie, Adele, Sharon and I all had lunch together was when we were still in high school, so when Sharon suggested a get-together we readily agreed, and it was a fabulous day.  Here we all are, in the photo, ready to dine at the Oxton Bar & Kitchen. As teenagers, we all lived in Lowton , a small village in Lancashire.  Life revolved around school, Lowton Youth Club, listening to music and the usual teenage preoccupations.  Adele's recently bought the house she grew up in, Freddie lives just outside Nottingham, while Sharon lives in Orange County, America, where she works as an artist. We had great fun catching up on news, of course.  After a good lunch, we meandered round the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum then returned to my house for coffees.  Naturally my dogs joined in the fun, being spoiled for choice by having three extra people to demand cuddles from. Adele didn't parti...

An avenue of apple trees outside Gilroy Allotments.   Sign encouraging people to freely enjoy future apple harvests!   Gilroy Allotment site, a thriving community project.   Gilroy Nature Park, a few short steps from the allotments.   Click on the pictures to view them larger.      A new avenue of apple trees lines the narrow public footpath which leads from Gilroy Road in West Kirby, Wirral, and passes the Gilroy Road Community Allotments site and the entrance to Gilroy Nature Park.  The young trees are of mixed varieties, supported by stout wooden posts, and have been planted on both sides of the path.   There is a large sign, shaped like apple leaves, which declares:  "Incredible Edible!  When ripe feel free to pick some fruit!"  Another 'leaf' on the sign reads:  "The apple avenue is an invitation to consider where our food comes from and how we can reduce our food ...

A rugged path leads to the summit of Caldy Hill. This morning promised a glorious spring day, and so I went for a walk over Caldy Hill.  My two dogs kept me company, of course, as the likelihood of any human member of this household being able to head out for a walk without taking Emily and Ygraine along too is pretty slim.  Not unless you'd want to endure hours of grumpy yapping and sad-eyed sulking, that is.  The light wasn't too good for photography, really - Wales, on the opposite bank of the River Dee,  was totally obscured by haze - but the golden-yellow gorse is looking too lovely for me not to attempt a few shots.  It's a pity readers of this blog can't share the gorse's perfume...  Think of warm honey, with a dash of sharp lemon and you'll have a reasonable idea of the fragrance hanging on every slight breeze.   Most of the trees here are deciduous and it's still too early in the season for leaves, but every branch is covered in...

Penny, Felicity and Joyce enjoying the spring sunshine. Last night I discovered a flavour which I hate even more than aniseed, and that is cardamom.  Big pods of the stuff were in the curry which I had been really looking forward to, as I love a good curry.  Then I was attacked by what surely has to rank as being amongst the most vile flavours on earth.  People like this stuff?!!   Wikipedia describes it as having a "strong, unique taste".  I agree.  It's also revolting; spectacularly so, even. Each to our own, of course.  This body of mine has always had a strange relationship with some foods, which seems to run contrary to average reactions.  For example, peppermint tea, which is supposed to settle upset stomachs, actually makes me feel nauseous.  Salad, beloved by millions, gives me excruciating indigestion, as do certain dark green foods.  Echinacea, which is supposed to boost the immune system, gives me spli...

My two young silver-laced wyandottes, Felicity Kendal and Penelope Keith, both laid their first eggs this morning!  The third, smaller, egg in the dish was laid by my older hen, Joyce Grenfell, who is an ISA Brown. You can watch them on this video:   

Last night we watched Nell , which stars Jodie Foster, Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson.  This is a story about a young woman who was found living in a remote shack without modern amenities.  Nell had been raised by her mother, who spoke poorly due to the effects of a stroke, and consequently Nell's version of English was at first assumed to be the nonsense of a severely mentally handicapped person. Jodie Foster's acting in this film was extraordinary.  I've been an admirer of her work for years anyway but this intense performance was fascinating.  The film occasionally strayed into sentimentality, and there were a few little holes in the plot.  Where was Nell's mother getting money from (which she exchanged for groceries delivered to a rock near their home, the money being left in a purse there).  If the mother - who died at the start of the film - had needed to buy food so would Nell, an issue which ...

Freshly harvested from our four-year old tree - and not one drop of insecticide was used.  We lost two apples to wasps but the rest are ours.  They even smell sweet! It's as well we're not relying on this small harvest to support us through the coming winter.  Richard's already ear-marked them for an apple crumble, anyway.