CHATTER

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

Well there were actually two that stick out and I still feel some guilt and some embarrassment.

Guilt you may ask?

Well you see my husband is a golfer and every couple of months four of his friends would get together to play golf and afterwards the wives would take turns to cook them a meal.

I had two weans. ( an Ulster Scots word for little children) and trying to cook dinner and watch them was trying to say the least.

The main course was fine but the apple crumble for dessert didn’t work out as well. As I lifted the crumble mixture to put on top of the apples, one of the kids started crying….

In my haste to see what the problem was I dropped the crumble mix on the floor. Sorted the kids out and came back and with little time to make another mix, I gathered the crumble from the floor ( which was clean) put it on top of the apples, baked it, served it to my guests and said nothing.

The other incident that caused acute embarrassment was on New Years Day when as a newly wed I decided to cook duck for my in-laws and my brother and his wife.

Now I’d never cooked a duck before and I don’t remember a duck ever being cooked when I lived at home

So I didn’t realise that there is very little meat on a duck and it certainly doesn’t serve 6, no matter how big it looked..

As a result there was only a tiny sliver of duck and quite big servings of roast potatoes and vegetables. No one said anything and I sat at the table mortified. I still think of it after all these years but now I can laugh about it and I did tell the husband about the crumble but only after he had eaten it.

Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.

None of us get through life without some regrets. It’s only when we get older that we realise we could have done things differently but we were influenced by others.

I wish I hadn’t worried so much about what people thought about me. I spent a lot of my life trying to please others and being influenced on what direction my life should go.

I could have been more assertive in my younger days. Being young doesn’t mean you can’t think for yourself and make the right decisions. But I was influenced by family members when I tried to do something I wanted but for whatever reason they didn’t agree. I was influenced by them and I suspect that there was a certain amount of ‘ well if I wasn’t able to do it, then you shouldn’t either’ Not all family and friends have your genuine interest at heart

I try to bite my tongue when talking to grandchildren and try not to impose my view on what I think is best for them.

As young adults they are entitled to make their own decisions and learn by their mistakes. A lot better than being denied the choice due to not standing up to others.

How often do you walk or run?

Unless I’m being chased by a man with a machete I don’t run anywhere.

I do however walk most days and usually for about 2 miles.

I’m lucky to live near lots of lovely walks, both by the sea 🌊 and in the mountains. ⛰️

Weather here is unpredictable so sometimes it’s like having all four seasons in the one day. At the moment it’s very autumnal and yesterday I walked along an old railway line near my home and collected blackberries. They made a delicious crumble.

As we’ve been looking after Luna, my son’s 🐶 over the last two weeks I’ve had a little four legged companion.

I find walking relaxing and the brisk wind along the Lough certainly blows away the cobwebs. Where else can you walk along by the sea 🌊 while a plane ✈️ is landing right above your head and a ferry ⛴️ is heading out to Scotland?🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Taking photos is also a hobby and I spent a lot of time taking photos as I walk. You never know what you’ll come across.

Picking blackberries

Do you see yourself as a leader?

Well if there was a situation that needed someone to take control I would be in there being proactive.

When I worked I was always the one who took a lead in organising outings, lunches to raise money for charities etc.

I did have a chance in the far distant past to stand for a public office ( a councillor) but other things got in the way and the moment passed. I was for a few years a director on the board of Open Government NI and I’d like to think I made a difference.

Not sure I’d like to be a leader of a country. The weight of having the future of a country in my hands would be much too daunting.

So I’ll stick to deciding what’s for dinner, how to spend the day and hope that the hubby wants to follow.

What are you doing this evening ?

For me evening starts about 6 pm. So tonight at 6 pm I was cooking dinner. A roast chicken 🐓 with roast potatoes, 🥔 vegetables, stuffing and gravy.

My daughter FaceTimed after dinner and we had a chat. Mostly about the grandchildren.

My granddaughter who is in Rhodes sent me photos of her visit to the island of Symi. Beautiful. Reminded me so much of Mama Mia.

Grandson No 2 sent me a video of the log cabin he is staying in. He is in the Scottish Highlands.

I wrote my diary for Facebook. I do one every evening.

I then settled down to watch the soaps with my phone in my hand trawling through Twitter (X). I also played Words with Friends and arranged an outing with 3 of my friends in October.

Headed off to bed to read my book just after midnight and will probably check Twitter before going to sleep.

And I wrote this.

Very boring I know but you did ask. I’ve added a couple of the photos my granddaughter sent.

What personality trait in people raises a red flag with you?

I have to say that anyone who doesn’t look me straight in the eye 👁️ suggests to me that the person is not sincere and may even be lying. They certainly will give the impression that they’re not saying what they are thinking. 🤔

Someone in a group conversation, constantly looking at their phone suggests that they aren’t interested in the company. Disrespectful.

Someone who gossips about others behind their backs. If they do it to others they’ll do it to you.

Watch how they treat others.

A positive personality trait is how they treat others. A red flag is being derogatory, unpleasant or simply just rude.

Choose your friends wisely.

Name the professional athletes you respect the most and why.

I am probably going to upset many of you by saying I don’t respect any professional athletes.

First of all I’m not a sporty person and therefore don’t follow any sports. I used to like tennis in the 70’s and eighties when there were genuine players who played for the love of the game. Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and others with real personalities.

From what I see nowadays the current professional athletes play for the rewards of fame and money. Let’s face it they spend their time doing what they enjoy and travel the world getting paid obscene amounts of money, some due to advertising and tv appearances, so what exactly is there to respect.

Maybe I am being unfair but I find it hard to compare a hard working doctor or nurse to the life of a professional athlete.

How do you relax?

I find it quite hard to relax.

When I sit down and put my feet up I feel guilty that I should be using my time in a more productive way.

I have an Apple Watch and it usually beeps to let me know when my heart beat is below 45. Yes I know that’s very low but I’m on a beta blocker. It usually happens when I’m on social media, twitter in particular so I obviously relax while scrolling and going off on many tangents.

Another way I like to relax is walking. I walk almost every day beside the sea, taking in the changing views, depending on the weather. I feel very relaxed when I get back home.

We all have our own ways to relax, for my husband it’s golf. but whatever yours is do it as often as you can, it will benefit you in the long run.

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?

‘Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words will never hurt me.’

I have to confess and this may put you off reading further articles but I have a swear word, which I do use on a fairly regular basis.

I only use it at home when something isn’t going right or there is a minor disaster.

I use it sparingly with friends and family but it is the first swear word that pops into my head.

When I was younger it was rarely used on tv 📺 or social media but now it’s in common use and most tv shows especially after the watershed are using it copiously.

My elderly aunts and my parents would have had a fainting fit if I’d uttered the word in their company.

Thankfully, as it’s just a word, it’s not a major blunder to use this expletive, and in fact it appears to be quite acceptable by some people.

So if you know the word I’m talking about and it makes you feel that I’m a bad person for using it, then you can fly away off 😂

Are you holding a grudge? About?

A strong feeling of anger and dislike for a person who treated you badly:

No I’m not holding any grudges.

I have in the past. I’ve been hurt by those close to me on many occasions, either by what they did or what they said.

After a breakdown which ended up in counselling I realised that holding grudges was affecting me and not those I was angry with.

So I let the anger go. It took a while but time is a great healer and when I look back now I’m so glad that I did.

No one can get through life being angry all the time. Not good for mental or physical health. You don’t have to forget but you don’t have to feel hate and anger.

So to use the old cliche ‘ Life is too short’ and that is why I can say while I haven’t forgotten I don’t hold any grudges.