Take a leaf out of this book

I would be a happy bunny if I only got books for Christmas - piles and piles of lovely books - but what I really love is a second hand book where you find something interesting left by another owner nestled amongst the pages. I just love it when you find an old train ticket which marks a page and you can imagine the reader hunkered down from Newcastle to London reading Great Expectations and drinking extortionate and quite revolting coffee - Pip kept him going on that journey for sure. Or a shopping list on the back of an old envelope - bleach, gorgonzola, tin of bears (let's hope that the writer just has appalling handwriting), balsamic vinegar, plums. Imagination running wild.

Anyway, I know not everyone has my love of second hand books, but I do love to give them away to friends and family almost as much as I love to receive them. The libraries in my area do this really great deal where you can fill a carrier bag with books they no longer lend out, for a pound - yes £1. The best thing about it is the eclectic mix you pick up - classics and cowboys, thrillers and theology - stuff you might well not pick up from the normal library shelves and would definately eschew if paying full (or charity shop) prices. I have had some real crackers and if you can get a little collection together of similar style stuff, they make great stocking fillers. Check out your own library for these great bargains (also wonderful if you want to find books on the best B&Bs in 1974!)

May I also draw your attention to a wonderful website where you can sell your own old books and buy other second hand ones - www.greenmetropolis.com is a real find for the bibliophile and the browser alike -you pay £3.75 for a book and receive £3.00 for selling your own - plus for every book sold they make a donation to the Woodland Trust - take a look sometime.

Go second hand - you never find a crumnpled postcard of Bridlington in a new book do you!

Say Cheese

I am an official artisanal cheese maker - well it's official in our house. I cannot beieve how easy it is to make some paneer type cheese. All it takes is whole milk, lemon juice, muslin and a certain degree of excitement.


Bring 2 litres of WHOLE milk to the boil (good size stock or jam pan is perfect), remove from the heat and slowly add about 5 tablespoons of lemon juice - watch with amazement as the curds seperate from the whey. Cover the pan and leave it for about 2 hours to allow full seperation. Line a colander with muslin and drain all the liquid from the curds - then gather the muslin together and tie into a bag - hang this bag over a bowl so that all the liquid drains out - I left this bag for about 3 hours. Mould the cheese to however you fancy it (great big dollop shape in my case) and stick it in the fridge - it lasts for about four days and is just superb in a chickpea and squash curry.

I have to travel a substantial distance to buy paneer so this has got to be a green way to make my favourite curry - and quite a giggle too.

By the way, Greg's pheasant casserole was well worth having to have the bin emptied!!!

Fresh air is FREE

Just spent the most wonderful short break in Scotland. We had 3 nights in the Trossachs and the scenery took my breath away. We climbed a heck of a big hill (still not big enough to be classed as a MOnroe or a Corbett thought!!) and the view at the top was one of the most spectacular I have ever witnessed -lakes and mountain in a 360 vista - goregous. It's called Ben Venue for anyone who fancies having their breath taken away.
I was a slow learner when it came to walking, especially in an up-hill manner, but now it has to rank as my number one activity. All that wonderful exercise and for nothing more than the price of some decent kit which should last a very long time indeed if you invest wisely.
I have so enjoyed holidaying in the UK this year - I have particularly loved not having any airport hassle and being able to decide for ourselves when we want to set off and come back. That's not to say i'm not going to have foreign holidays any more, but a nice balance.

Bit of a disaster on the bin front - a friend has very kindly given us a brace of pheasants, so all the gubbings has had to go in the bin -so looks like I should get rid of that before it attracts unwelcome guests - never mind, I am sure the casserole will be worth the guilt.

Bingo and drums

Not much to do with being green, but felt the need to share this great experience I had on Saturday night. A local venue put on a 'gig' which consisted of a Bingo night where the caller is accompanied by a percussion artist. She calls to the refrains of what sounded like someone pulling teeth without anasthetic (that was the desired effect!!)It was a brilliant night - priceless entertainment - thanks to all at The Shed.

I say that it hasn't got anything to do with being green, but that's not the case really. While I try to reduce my consumption of STUFF - I replace shopping with real and different experiences - well this one took the biscuit - actually I took the biscuit, being the very proud winner of a packet of custard creams - oh yes, jealous now eh? I also won a box of tumblers - it just gets better and better.

check out www.theshed.co.uk for more ideas of great nights out

Bin still empty!!