I ventured to Uppermill this morning, considerably later than I usually do on a Wednesday and travelling by bus rather than stomping my way there. Because of my later than usual timing I arrived at Uppermill just in time to see the fishman’s van departing. No fish cakes or other fish dishes today. So it goes!
I returned my overdue books to the library, feeling rather relieved that they no longer fine you for failing to return books on time. As it was, the system got a bit pernickety and didn’t want to let me withdraw more books. I had returned my overdue book but clearly the system was being slow at registering that. Still, it gave the librarian something to do!
I went on to the Co-op to lay in stocks of this and that, my brother-in-law having sent me a reminder that tomorrow is perhaps going to see the arrival of Storm Geretti. Today is another blue sky and sunny spells day, by the way.
As further proof that Christmas is over, the Co-op has Easter eggs on the shelves. Goodbye, Santa Claus, hello, Easter Bunny!
It’s also the time of year when I set about making small animals via the amigurumi crochet technique. (Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words 編み ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted", and 包み kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in 縫い包み nuigurumi "stuffed doll". Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions about size or look. While the art of amigurumi has been known in Japan for several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other countries, especially in the West, in 2003. There you go!) For several years now I have been producing pairs of animals for my two Chinese grandchildren in time for Chinese New Year. This year will see the arrival of the Year of the Horse and so I have been making tiny horses - by far the most complicated animals I have made so far!
Granddaughter Number Two graduated from the University of York last year. This year she has embarked on a MA, also at the University of York, although she is living at home and going to York on the train a couple of days a week. Earlier this week we sent her this link to an article about the strange phenomenon of so many Southerners electing to study at York that Northerners feel discriminated against. Granddaughter Number Two assures us that this discrimination is real.
Then yesterday I came across this article about the same phenomenon happening at the University of Leeds, where we studied more years ago than we care to remember and where everyone at the time just got on with the business of studying. Has something odd happened to the younger generation that makes them less tolerant of different accents and let’s them feel it’s fine to mock those with less that Received Pronunciation English?
Some years ago my English sister and I travelled to Andalucia to spend some time with our recently bereaved Spanish sister. Very occasionally we get the three sisters together. There my English sister discovered that Lays (the Spanish version of Walkers) sold egg and chips flavoured crisps. She was very pleased! I was surprised! Now, according to this article, French supermarkets sell the likes of blue cheese, falafal, Flemish stew and salted butter flavour crisps.
This is wrong. It’s akin to the range of coffees such as salted caramel latte, gingerbread latte, and the like. I would not be surprised to discover a mince pie latter! No! Crisps should be plain, ideally with a little blue bag of salt to add to the packer - or to bite into accidentally! At a pinch they should be salt and vinegar flavour or, actually my personal favourite, cheese and onion!
Okay! Rant over!
Life goes on. Say safe and well, everyone!
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