10 Interesting, Honest Things You Didn't Know About Me???

Thanks Shakespeare's HouseKeeper for this tag...

Not sure how interesting you will find this but here goes..

I sleep on the right hand side of the bed but am left handed!!

I swing Poi for pleasure and fitness. This is my eldest daughter, Sally, performing expert fire poi spinning, she introduced me to this beautiful art.

In my early teens I was (I suppose still am) a Campanologist.

I have 4 children, ranging from 4 to 24 this year.

I am spontaneous, irrational and read deeply into peoples' words!

I have lived in Canada and had the most amazing time of my life.

Pet hate... Shaving! - that womanly thing we all have to do!

I make bath bombs, take photographs, blog, shop on Ebay.

From Photographic Food and Flowers

I adore good food, good company, my children and most of all my husband Eric.

From Photographic Food and Flowers

Lastly but undoubtedly not the least..I pray for peace in the Middle East.

Well that list was as spontaneous as it gets...just sat down and my fingers did the work. I could write alot longer but then you would know my blogging content ;-)... where would the mystery be then?

Milk, Milk and More Milk!

Time to give the bottle up Raffi!

Raphael is 4 years 4 months, and I think its about time to give up the bottles of milk he so eagerly slurps every night and morning!

Bedtime has never been a problem, I know I am fortunate, many are not. Raffi, bang on 7.00 pm will ask for his milk and to go to bed.

In the past, he would have taken his bottle with him upstairs and snuggled into bed with it and Tigger (his fav sleep toy) until his eyelids dropped and the bottle was finished.

Ok, wondeful until he starting falling asleep with a half full bottle that eventually leaked all over the pillows!!

We have talked about having milk in a cup at bedtime instead of his bottle but he wasn't that enthusiastic.

So all ready for bed, just out from his bath, skin sparkling clean.

"Mummy can I have my milk now?"

"Shall we have it in a cup...the Mickey Mouse one?"

.............silence.

"How about you have 2 straws?",

.....thinking thoughtfully

Yes pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease mummy!!

Phew! I needed no more encouragement.

Sneakily I got my camera out..

I need a bit of help with these straws mum!

Giving it super concentration
Oh no! She has her camera out!
Better show her my tongue then!
That was fun..but I still like my bottle!

We have managed for a week now with only one relapse, he was having a "sad" day on that particular day and really wanted his bottle.

But Raphael knows that,

*If Idrink my milk I will grow big enough to ride my big brothers bike!*

Written by Sue-Raphael's Mum

*English Girl in Beirut*

Lebanese Girls


Listening to this music this evening and watching the video reminded me of Lebanon in the Middle East….

Most of you know, but if you don’t, you need to know I am married to Eric, my ‘King’ my hero. We met online, he in Canada me in England chatting endlessly and getting to know one another. He told me he was Lebanese, from Beirut, a country I knew nothing about. He talked of Beirut, which embarrassingly I had to confess too later, to thinking was actually a country, not the capital!! Duh to me!

I was not alone in making that mistake, most of my family here in England had only heard of Beirut on the news in the context of war, death and poverty. News reports often referred to deprived areas of Hull (where we live now) as LITTLE BEIRUT! At the time I was livid and complained to our local newspaper that they could not compare run down slums in Hull with worn torn Beirut… their curt response was that the local residents had named it that!

I was very keen to visit Beirut, this city on the other side of the world that was so DIFFERENT to what I knew here in England. Eric told me numerous stories of his life in Lebanon, life in the war and how their culture differed so much to ours in the UK. I found it very difficult to believe, comprehend or understand the different way of life there.

My first visit, I was SCARED SHITLESS, walking into Beirut International Airport, I had never been outside Europe, never even thought of visiting a far off place in the Middle East. My eyes were immediately drawn to all the soldiers carry large guns!!!!…You got to remember I had never seen a real gun, no guns in England….well not then. I just felt incredibly intimidated. Silly really. I am used to it now when we visit.

Another thing I noticed immediately, yes there were lots of women covered… (Beirut is half Christian and half Muslim) but there were also LOTS of women dressed with a very Western taste… revealing a lot! I was a little confused. I was soon distracted however when we left the airport in the car where I FEARED seriously for my life!!!! Absolutely no regard to road signs, speed limits, rights of way, traffic lights OMG!!!! I shouted at that point….Eric said “don’t worry that is normal”!!

First observations… when I finally relaxed, was the startling beauty of this small country. The crystal blue waters to your left and too your right up, up, up the beautiful rugged mountains with snow perched on the tops. Yes there was poverty but these Lebanese people were genuine, happy with their lot and showed such unbelievable kindness, it was hard for me to believe they were so happy!

The Lebanese people have a raw deal, in the West, we are VERY fortunate… and don’t realise it …… Lebanon, with god’s permission, will become permanently peaceful, it does not deserve continual punishment. The people have nowhere to go when war breaks out, they live with it, but why should they have too??! Its making me angry, I need to leave this topic!

Since I visited Beirut, thanks to Eric, I have been introduced to a mass of interesting bits of historical knowledge, the cultural differences between us, some good some bad, I might add!…. some just AMAZING facts and some things I just couldn’t believe till I had seen evidence with my own two eyes!!

14th February 2005, I experienced first hand what it was like to live in a country surrounded by the threat of ‘instant death’!!

A massive car bomb exploded on the main highway killing the then president Rafik Hariri. We had Raphael with us, then 4 months old, oblivious to his surroundings and the anger, politics caused! Fortunately Raphael and I were at Eric’s brothers house, but Eric was not, he was out and about with his brother, quite possibly on THAT highway. It suddenly shook me so hard the reality of this life, I was SCARED again in Beirut… Eric’s family laughed at my neurotic paranoia. Eric and his brother were ok, and came home safely to my greatest relief!

Scenes from after the bomb went off, damaging buildings and creating a massive crater in the road.

It took a couple of years before it was reasonably safe for us to visit this beautiful country again. The incredible rich beauty of this land had drawn me back. How cool was it to visit the beach in the morning and play in thick snow in the mountains in the afternoon?? You needed a good RELIABLE CAR the roads REALLY were treacherous! I also suffered continually with ear pressure, the terrain was so mountainous, up and down, it felt like I was landing in the airplane all over again.

At the beginning of this year we took Raphael again to see his Lebanese relatives, fantastic to have guaranteed sunshine AND an opportunity to explore the Beirut nightlife. The bars were fabulous, the ladies ‘bathroom’ was a WOW ..and downtown Beirut was busier at night than during the day, with colourful street cafes and amazing shops selling top quality items. The food in the restaurants was divine and the company and service was exquisite. Highly recommended if you are a ‘people watcher’.

Lebanese people, particularly the women are BEAUTIFUL they take extreme care over their appearance. It was the first time I had seen lip lines… in Beirut. A couple of months later the trend began to appear in the UK! The elegant girls are immaculately dressed and spend BIG money on their beauty. I definitely felt the poor neglected relative when I looked around me! I quite often felt eyes on me whilst walking in Beirut… I am VERY white, unmistakably English and that’s before I even opened my mouth!!!

There was certain etiquette that Eric told me of beforehand, and I was thankful for the tips on the way a meal was conducted in the family home… women do, men just eat what us women do! I also had to understand that equality as it appears here in the UK is NOT the same in the Middle East… I still have a lot of learning, understanding and accepting to do on that one!

I am thinking I am quite ashamed that the majority of English men do not have the same regard for their wives as Lebanese men folk do, I have been married to a ‘typical English guy’ so I CAN compare, and for me, that marriage was not going to last for ever.

So coming to end of this blog and I still can’t think of a title, perhaps “English Girl in Beirut” or "Beautiful Beyrouth" as the locals call it. I have learnt alot through visiting this country and its people.

Written By

Cinnamon

Sue-Raphael's Mum

Money Matters - January 2009

Money Matters January 2009

At last I have something to be pleased about, the 2 suspicious looking envelopes that dropped through my door yesterday were actually bearers of good news for once. It would appear that my Child Benefit for Raphael, is to be increased to £20.00 weekly and very happily our mortgage payment is to be decreased, imminently.

I have noticed too that our telephone bill this quarter seems to be extraordinarily small at only £44.00.

Argos impressed me when the VAT cut was announced. I had purchased my goods, instore, paid the price quoted and off I went. In the post a couple of days later I received a voucher for the discount earned from the VAT cut. Now that’s good customer relations. Thank you ARGOS.

Eric and I have been following the property movement in our local area and nationally and occasionally, worldwide. I find a certain fascination with owning or “dreaming of owning“, some perfect pad in a far off hot place.

A couple of times we have nearly made it across the water to become property developers but our judgement and research proved we made the right decisions by staying put. Property and land in Bulgaria looked EXTREMELY lucrative and profitable a couple of years ago. We were so excited that Eric even went to Bulgaria to research the country and its culture. He discovered that YES there was plenty of affordable land ...

A run down shack, unbelievably being sold as a dwelling in Bulgaria!

...but the country as a whole appeared to be rather corrupt and unstable. Bulgaria have since joined the EU, easy passage for all Europeans, and the builders. I read recently there are now to many half built apartment blocks, but insufficient buyers to snap the developments up.

But Eric did say that Bulgaria was a very beautiful country and this was one of the spectacular views he took whilst travelling through this wild country.


Spain is a country I have dreamed of moving to for years. As a family we have spent many holidays there and have toured most of Southern Spain, inland and costal.

Competa, Andalucia, Spain

We looked on the internet endlessly at bars, hotels, restaurants with a view to buying and running in our new dream life. Television programmes in the cold winter months in the UK show perfect couples going in search of a new life in the sun. It all sounds and looks very tempting. I bought books for learning the language, books for running businesses and spent many hours dreaming of our idyllic life in the sun. I had not really considered seriously how we were going to be able to afford everything. I did some sums and realised that maybe, just maybe we would be better off staying here in England. The only thing that seemed to be missing from my life here was sunshine.

I talked to Eric endlessly, bored him silly and in the end aggravated him to the point that he went off the idea completely of moving to Spain for good. I suppose I had more or less realised that it would have to remain a dream for now.

Nerja Beach, Costa Del Sol, Spain

My notes I had made giving reasons to stay and reasons to go helped me a lot, a lot cancelled each other out. I really did seem to have my head in the clouds. OK so England rains, we know that, but when it does get warm and sunny we all appreciate it 100%….then after 2 days of a heat wave we are all complaining!

Another plus for staying in England is that Eric likes it here, has lived here for the last 7 years and really APPRECIATES the cool weather. He is originally from hot hot Lebanon and can’t understand why I should ever want to move permanently to a hot country! I guess that’s the English in me and the perception that “The grass is always greener on the other side”. On hold for now.

I watch the currency falling…. No longer is it cheaper to go to the Continent as today the Euro is 1.110 to the Pound. I can remember many years ago, very clearly on our annual holidays to France, that the easy calculation was just to half the Euros to get the equivalent Pounds. Today the cheap cigarettes are no longer “cheap”. If you search you can find almost anything on your own doorstep.

So, just a few thoughts on the money front for January, lets see what next month has in store. Thinking…. property search here in the UK and the value of OUR home.

Back to Nursery School today.

Raphael So excited to go back!

Raffi was very excited this morning, we had wrapped up warmly to go back to Nursery School yesterday only to discover that term didn't start till today! He was naturally disappointed but soon forgot about it once home again. We did lots of fun things together to pass the time and because it was my fault he wasn't seeing his friends.

Happily he ran into the nursery today, anxious to see his friends, in particular Joshua......he seems to have a similar personality as Raffi and they get on well together. His teacher commented when I went to pick him up today "Raffi is lovely and is a credit to you" I felt so proud of him and told him so. Later in the afternoon, Raffi, informed me that Mrs B was very proud of him! I laughed, he does say some funny things.

Today, as term had really started, I enrolled on an Adult Education Course, An Introduction to Digital Photography, I am very excited about it. The course starts a week on Friday, for 2 hours a session, I am timed it so Raffi would be in the nursery school.

On my home from enrolling I stopped at a Cemetery, got out with my new camera into the bitterly cold morning. The sun was shining, it was around 10,00 am, the first sun for many days, definitely the first of 2009. The Cemetery was very peaceful, only the rustle of the dried leaves made by the scavenging birds. The trees looked very cold without their clothes of green. I took pictures of things that caught my eye!

Obviously this is the entrance sign, I should have really taken a close up of the picture behind pinned to the tree. It informed me that the mean gates are closed on Hull City match days, and sorry for the inconvenience. Sayes alot about football fans doesn't it?

This is the first shot of a headstone that I have ever taken! I sort of felt a little odd.

This caught my eye, majestic, tall and framed by the trees.

This beautiful angel, bathed in rays of sunshine..

These 2 pictures, I took for this angels' elegant look and that little perfect smile, bathed in dappled sunshine surrounded by trees. The flower buds she holds suggests shes walking in a garden, beautiful.

The Flying Angel

and a close up of her

and finally

Looking up and down the paths

Thanks for joining me, have a great day.

All photos taken and published by:

Cinnamon 2009

Sue-Raphael's Mum

Our Home Crafts...Play Dough

Best Play-Dough Recipes Ever!

Play dough is a soft, squidgy material that have kept my children occupied for considerable lengths of time over the years. Even now as adults they like to mould the non-toxic brightly coloured dough into sculptures, playing with Raffi and the dough being creative to the extreme!

It is available in a rainbow of colours, but inevitably ends up as grey crumbly mess. Our current play-dough looks like that! Play dough is also available to buy under several brand names including

Play-Doh.

I recommend making your own it is much cheaper, and tons of fun.

Note to Toddlers

*Rubbing the dough into other people's hair is not recommended, however much fun it may be, as it tends to result in getting into a lot of trouble! hehe

One of the nicest things about play dough is it is very quick and easy to make...

Best Ever Play Dough

The Ingredients

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of salt

1 tablespoons of cream of tartar

1 tablespoons of oil

Food colouring

Method

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Add the water.

Mix until smooth.

Add the food colouring followed by the oil.

Cook on a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the dough leaves the side of the pan in a ball.

Allow to cool before use.

The process can be repeated several times, changing the food colouring, to make lots of play dough in a variety of colours.

Usage

Play dough can be messy stuff, so it is advisable to use it on a wipe-clean mat. If the dough accidentally gets trodden into the carpet, don't worry, as home made play dough can be quite easy to clean up. Warm soapy water should be sufficient to restore carpets to its original colour.

As well as simply kneading into different shapes, a bit of further creativity can provide for more prolonged enjoyment. Use simple tools such as cookie cutters and blunt knives to create more interesting shapes.

Life Expectancy

Like shop-bought play dough, this version will dry out if left exposed to the air for too long. To keep in good condition for longer, store in a sealed plastic bag, or container, and put in the fridge when not in use. If the play dough gets past its best, then simply make up some more as this is much easier than trying to revive it.

Another Note to Toddlers

*Mummy will tell you NOT to eat this play dough as it has a lot of salt in it and tastes yuk!!

Ask mummy to make this one…yummy J

Edible Play Dough

½ cup peanut butter
½ cup honey
1 cup powdered milk

Put all the ingredients together and mix up with your hands until it's fairly smooth. The oils from the peanut butter will keep it from sticking to the table and your children's hands.

Finally it is always useful to have a recipe that you can bake hard in the oven, this one is very successful. I have made many jewellery gifts and decorations with this dough to sell at school fetes.

Dough for Modelling

This mixture dries VERY hard great for making jewellery .

1 (1-pound) box baking soda
1 cup cornstarch
1 ¼ cups cold water
Food colouring

Mix baking soda and cornstarch together then add water.

Cook and stir over low heat until consistency of mashed potatoes.

Remove the dough from the heat and cover with damp towel until it is cool enough to handle.

Use for play dough or jewellery shaping or roll it out and cut with cookie cutter to make decorations.

Store in an air tight container.

There you have 3 recipes to keep you going and start those creative fingers working, don't just limit this for the children, it can also be used as a stress reliever for adults!!

Have Fun. Thanks for Reading.

Have a great day. :-)

Written By

Cinnamon

~Sue Raphael's Mum~

Is an Older Mum a Better Mum?

I would consider myself as an older mum. I have 4 children, Raphael the youngest age 4, giving birth to him when I was 43.

From On Being an Older Mum in the 21st Century!

I have 3 older children who were born within 4 years of each other. All are adults now and leading independent lives. At the time having 3 children under school age was tiring, sleep deprivation effecting me the most.

Looking back the children grew up very close together, shared the same interests and we all had lots of fun. I truly enjoyed watching their development and have some very treasured memories.

My life changed in my late 30's when I met Eric. We married and desperately wanted a child together. When I was 42 , I conceived straight away. Sadly we lost the baby early in the pregnancy through miscarriage. We tried again, and had to bear the trauma of a second loss. Finally God was kind to us and Raphael was born in September 2004.

Now I can ask myself "Is an Older Mum a Better Mum?" I have been a young mum and an older mum - although I didn't consider myself old at 43 until I had my first ante-natal appointment. The girls surrounding me with push chairs and toddlers all appeared to be under 18. I felt rather strange when my name was called and I stood up and had to walk across the room to the watchful gaze of the chattering girls. I felt like a novelty. Did I really look that old to be having a baby?

I read an article in a baby magazine discussing this issue and put myself in their scenarios. The article stated that pregnancies were more likely to be planned (true we wanted Raphael very much) with the mother and father having a degree of financial security(we did). The article also stated that children of older mums tended to do better on ability tests (Raffi has yet to be tested) and that older mums were more likely to be educated( diploma level!?) and of a higher social class (not sure about that!). Interestingly older mums are more likely to breastfeed (yes I did that to).

The main disadvantage obviously being increased fatigue, running around after a baby (especially at night), then toddler (across the floor) then teenager (I expect I will be taxi again)!
On a practical level older parents like us, may well be paying for Raphael’s education into our pensionable years (true but worth it). Mixing with younger mums during pregnancy and early childhood IS difficult because of the lack of things in common. Sometimes it’s a lonely experience for an older mum.

So that’s what the magazine said, I say this:-

From On Being an Older Mum in the 21st Century!

Yes, I am an older mum but I am not geriatric. I can still play football, charge around the garden, yell nursery rhymes at the top of my voice, laugh with Raffi till we roll on the floor, you know all the usual stuff!

I have more time to 'play' with my son one to one because I only have one child to care for not 3.
As I know what my other 3 children liked and then watched them grow and develop into fantastic adults, its surely sensible to use the same 'play' activities they liked for Raphael. I consider this the advantage of age and experience.

I am older and wiser at the ripe of old age of 47 and know when I read conflicting opinions on any sort of child care/development that times have changed and what was good for baby then (22 years ago) is not necessarily good now. I tend to go with my knowledge but am happy to accept and even try other methods.

So I say yes in my experience an older mum IS a better mum through her knowledge, practise and experience but that doesn’t mean to say that young mums are bad mums! If you are young and in an environment full of the 'same' its easy to ask for advice, help and information. The knowledge comes fast it has to.

Older and younger women have been having babies for years and will continue to do so. Advice, opinion and methods will change over the next 20 years for our children's generation of new mothers. Good luck to every mother expecting their first babies and remember have fun whatever your age.

Written by

Cinnamon
Sue Raphael’s Mum
2009

New Year - New Thoughts

Raphael, my youngest son.

I know, I am late...today is the 2nd January, I suppose I have had a day to think!

I resolved NOT to make any resolutions as I have done in previous years....and then broken them almost immediately!

It was not good for my morale....instead I am going to list some thoughts and dreams that ARE achievable and perhaps make me a better person.

1. I am just toooooooooo stressed out by trivial things... if I keep reminding myself there is ALWAYS a solution, I just might believe it.

2. I am not a patient person (although others say I am), I find I want things done IMMEDIATELY and not several hours, days, months later. Could I help in any way?? ....yes probably, so thats my "good thought" for the year. Help where help is needed and stop moaning!

3. My mind usually touches on physical issues, improving health, increasing fitness, perfecting the perfect lifestyle etc at this time of year. They are on my agenda.

4. Good relationships need good communications.

5. My hobby, photography will be a big feature in my life this year. I plan to enrol on courses to improve my virgin photography skills.

6. I have finally decided to stop blogging on MySpace... I am truly grateful for finding that site but as time has gone by, I have realised there are other superior blogging sites for me to display my photos and write my journals. I am in the process of transferring blog entries over to Blogger before I close my account at MySpace.

7. My children, all 4, I love equally but in different ways, for what they are. Each one can make me cry with proudness and happiness, shout with anger and despair, but all I love unconditionally, this year will be no different.

8. To Eric, my husband, words are not enough to express my love for him. Our family is now complete, we have our precious son Raphael, life is good. God Bless them both for 2009.

Those are just random thoughts. Perhaps I will revisit this entry in a few months to update.

Thanks for reading, I hope YOU have a peaceful New Year in 2009 whatever your plans are.



Cinnamon
Sue-Raphael's Mum

Me and Libraries

In Praise of Libraries

This story illustrates a trait that runs in our family and I dearly hope it continues for generations to come.

What are you talking about I might hear you ask?

I'm talking STORYTIME, that quality time we spend with our children reading and helping them develop. I love that special closeness I get to my child, the cuddling and the laughter whilst we read together.

I need to thank one person in particular, to thank her very sincerely for showing me that first book to read.. ohhh eh how many years ago?! That person is my mother… her enthusiasm for books and reading has rubbed off onto me and I am grateful for that.

Remembering fondly now, my frequent outings to the local library with my younger brother and mother. We loved the colourful books and the stories that we knew we would be taking home. My brother and I were also lucky enough to have a magazine delivered weekly, we always waited for it eagerly to drop through the letter box. Then fighting to see who got to read it first! I remember it well "Once Upon A Time".

By the time I reached 13, I had become a precocious teenager, I was reading less, and my English wasn't that great either. There were more interesting things to get my teeth into than reading!

Time passed, I married and 3 of my 4 children were born, Sally, Peter and Lizzy. As my mother had done before, I took my crew to the local library for fun times and borrowing books. Each child could borrow 5 books for 3 weeks. You can imagine the chaos trying to find 15 library books on the day they were due back, searching everywhere and always loosing just ONE that seemed to have hid itself very well!
The girls loved reading and being read too, Sally read anything you put in front of her and still does today, (don't you Sally??)….Peter was not so enthusiastic, at quite a young age the only thing that he would selectively read was the sports pages of the newspaper, or the Ceefax pages on the television! I suppose it didn't matter what he read, as long as he read something!

When the children were growing up we took a daily newspaper, The Guardian, it often went astray before us parents even saw it, Peter for the sport, Sally and Lizzy for the TV guide and front Page. I am glad the whole family got good use out of that newspaper.

Getting back to the story, ….when Sally was 4, Peter 3 and Lizzy just a wee baby, I had a bright idea!

I had heard of an organisation called 'Play Matters' http://www.natll.org.uk/ and had read some articles relating to Toy Lending Libraries.

"What a fantastic idea, I thought, now to investigate if there was such a thing in Hull." I was very disappointed, to find no Toy Lending Libraries existed in Hull.

My bright idea…to set up a Toy Lending Library for the local community in Hull, so not only would my children benefit but also others in the area.

At the time Telethon funding was available to small voluntary projects, I was fortunate and was given a large grant to buy toys for the library.

I had a close friend, also a mother of 3 small children as my partner, she had the same enthusiasm and motivation as I did for this project. With 6 pre-school children between us and setting up the library life was like a rollercoaster …up and down all the way!!

Eventually, The See-Saw Toy Library was opened in a room within the Adult Education Centre across the road from where we lived. The then serving Lord Mayor of Hull provided an excellent opening ceremony for us and the local press recorded our proud moments in print. A superb cake was generously donated by the local baker in the shape of a seesaw. All the children loved it. Volunteers came forward and we developed and promoted the library for birth to pre-schoolers, charging £1.00 for membership and a token lending fee to pay for additional toys.

By the time both Sally and Peter (the two older children) were in school, it became very difficult for me to juggle all three children, school runs and the toy library effectively. My only option was to find a replacement for myself. I was sad to leave, but extremely happy that another mother volunteered to take my role. Later I heard the library had moved to the local school and was still very well attended.

Now, Raphael,



my youngest son, is 4 years old and is following his siblings reading habits. History is repeating itself, books and reading figure very highly in Raffi's "favourite activities". We read books daily and he constantly asks questions, and is beginning to recognise words. We do have a lot of fun but he is at the age where he likes a book read to him over and over again, I often find myself yawing after reading a particular book several times!

About 6 months ago, I thought it was about time we joined the Central Book Lending Library in Hull. I was totally bowled over by what I found when I arrived. I had not been in this library for many years and things had changed dramatically. No longer was it just books, but now there is a wide selection of toys and games available to play with as well as many different activities for Raffi and I to do. The children's library was warm, comfortable and welcoming. I noticed the large carpeted areas with plenty of floor cushions and the many piles of magazines for the adults to read. All very inviting. A wide variety of musical instruments sat in a corner of the room…..Raffi paradise!! Tables with colouring books and crayons sat between the aisles of books and DVD's. They even had computers for the use of the children, how times have changed.

Raffi usually makes his own choice when borrowing books, even at this age he is quite selective. A book I think he would like, might not necessarily be what he wants. I am aware he is young and only influenced by the front covers of books, so sometimes I do intervene. But on the whole it's his decision.

Going to the library is a super adventure for any small child, I am grateful that I am able to offer Raffi this pleasure and I know he thoroughly enjoys it every time, like I did as a child.

Just curious to know…

Do you visit the library and does your library have toys to play with?
What sort of books does your child like?
Do you read regularly with your child/children?

Finally I found this interesting fact whilst researching this blog…

There is approximately one library book for every person on earth!

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend J

Cinnamon
Sue-Raphael's Mum

SCONE as in CON or… SCONE as in Cone?

Some Words About Scones

Brought up "properly" by my middle-class mother meant elocution was important.

A scone was pronounced S-con-e not S-cone, as so many of my friends called them. I always thought this was a dialect peculiarity, particularly as my mother was adamant that the "Northern Hull accent sounded common"!!

Checking out the internet, reading several forums (yes forums on scones!!) it appears, that the majority of people in the UK living North, tend to call scones, S-cones, and the remainder, in the South, ("quote" - the posh people") generally say Scon-es!!

I am sure readers in the North and South of the UK will have their own opinion and way of saying scones, I guess it all depends on what our parents taught us... One thing is for sure, I call them Scon-es, so I guess that makes me posh!!

Well this posh mum adores freshly baked split cheese scones, filled liberally with butter and eaten immediately.

Get cookin!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Easy, Cheesy Scones

Makes 8 - 12 Savoury Cheese Scones in no time!

8oz/225g Plain Flour

2oz/50g Butter

2-3/50-75g Grated Strong Cheddar Cheese

4 Teaspoons Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon Salt

Sprinkling of Cayenne Pepper
150ml/5floz Milk

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.

Sieve together flour, salt and cayenne pepper into a large bowl.

Gently rub the butter into the flour, lifting the flour to incorporate maximum air.

When the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, mix in the grated cheese and then the milk until you get soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured work area and knead lightly.

Pat out to a round 2cm/¾ inch thick.

Using a 5cm/2in round or fluted cutter, cut out the rounds and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Knead together the rest of the dough and cut out more scones to use up all of the mixture.

Brush the tops with a little milk.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen, golden and smelling delicious!

I love these served straight from the oven, split and filled with just butter.

I have 2 things to ask you:-

1. Do YOU say S-con-e or S-cone??

And

2. Talking baking here….what do you like to eat straight from the oven?

~~~~~~~~~~

EGGS and The Atkin's Diet - Good or Bad??

I have lived most of my life in the UK, brought up in an affluent neighbourhood in the suburbs of Kingston Upon Hull. Eric, (my husband) on the other hand, has lived in several different countries around the world, but spent his childhood years in his home country of Lebanon, in the Middle East.

I have come to realise, over time, that we have both been brought up very differently. Culturally we are both quite diverse but over time have learnt to become quite accepting of one another's different "quirky behaviours and customs".

We are both fairly liberal minded and can accept most things that are culturally different or unusual in our marriage. However, when it comes to foods there are several things that I cannot bring myself to do. Perhaps its because my parents influenced my mind so strongly when I was a child, but I cannot bring myself to eat RAW EGGS, like Eric does, raw meat, or various parts of chicken offal!

Now the reason for this blog is that, by chance I came across an article about the humble egg. It got me thinking about the amazing versatility of this food, its never ending debate about its health effects and the many ways that it is used and eaten.

I asked Eric about eggs, his reasons for eating them raw and why he had such an EGG FETISH??!!

The story goes:-

As a child he and his brother adored eggs (still do). At their most prolific egg eating, his brother could eat 15 eggs in one sitting!… Eric not as many.

In Middle Eastern families it is usual to keep livestock, usually hens and chickens for their daily eggs. This means always knowing exactly what the hens are fed. Free range, organic and a way of life. Eggs are plentiful and very nutritious particularly eaten raw.

Eric only eats raw eggs straight from the hen, still warm. He insists that they are extremely healthy and this practise is quite normal in the Middle East.

 

Living round the world, it would seem Asians like their eggs too and have them regularly as side dishes.

The British traditionally eat eggs at breakfast time, usually fried with thin cut bacon, sometimes smoked.

The Brits also seem to enjoy pickled eggs, traditionally served in pubs with a pint…..like these!!

In Canada several eggs with thick cuts of fried ham are served with hash browns and mushrooms.

Bizarrely, in the UK, the famous saying "go to work on an egg" has been banned by the Broadcasting Advertising Clearance Centre as it is said to encourage people to eat an unvaried diet!! I think that is ridiculous!

Are eggs that unhealthy anyway? Eggs are a good source of protein, rich in vitamin B12 and are regarded very highly by Atkins diet users.

Another reason for this blog I suppose is to CELEBRATE the humble egg, I have a lot to be thankful for, let me explain.

Last July Eric started the Atkins Diet, he had a hell of a lot of weight to loose. Life was tough for him. Together, and I say together, because I think I know more about the Atkins diet than he does, we planned our weight loose route!

Basically he only ate what I gave him, only drank what I poured him and didn't cheat….to my knowledge!

The basis of the Atkins diet is to cut very dramatically carbohydrate (carbs) intake. This was Eric's second attempt at the diet so I had a good idea what to expect.

It REALLY does seem to work, he followed the diet and he did loose the weight. He still is loosing weight…

The theory behind the Atkins diet is that eating meat, fish and EGGS suppresses hunger, in conjunction with cutting down on carbs like potatoes, bread and pasta.

So I am here to say Eric eats 4 eggs daily, 3 slices of bacon fried in butter, sometimes a mushroom. He absolutely LOVES his breakfast and would be devastated if he had to follow the UK guidelines…….7 eggs maximum a week.

Since following the Atkins diet, Eric's blood pressure has come down considerably,

his cholesterol has returned to normal (contrary to the egg theory) and the weight continues to drop, I am positive due to the ATKINS diet.

I cannot speak from experience here because those who know me will know I have no need to diet - I never have, but I can certainly FEEL this diet suits Eric. He is happy in his dieting, I am happy because I am supervising his food intake, he is so positive with the rapid weight loose, I am very proud of him.

For those who are dieting… keep going with what's right for you, try ATKINS and promote the EGG

For those who are not…..LONG LIVE THE EGG!! And be thankful you do not have to diet!

So when I read back this jumbled blog, I think what I am trying to say is:-

I don't think eggs are bad for you….of course you need to observe cooking instructions and use a little common sense but all in all a PERFECT nutritional food.

Secondly, I think the egg is very valuable in the Atkins diet, but the media have done a nice job of discrediting its value. Shame really as Eric is proof that eggs work to his advantage in this diet.

Third - I would like to know your thoughts on eggs, do you like eggs, do you eat them raw, do you think 7 eggs a week is too many? Do you have a secret egg fetish??

Finally, those who know me, know that I DETEST eggs, but I cook them lovingly for my darling husband every day! J

Thanks for reading, have a great night.

Cinnamon, Sue Raphael's Mum