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In this blogposting…
* AGM XXX
* Mulled Wine With A Kick
* A Warning To Us All
* Feed the Birds
* Seasonal Arrivals
* A Fable From France
On Donner, On Blitzen….


AGM XXX
Our AGM took place as planned, despite the admitted awkwardness of the date and the comparative inaccessibility of the venue.  And we loved every minute of it.

I’m pleased as punch that Kev is finally able to say that he has attended one of our AGMs - and that we held it at his workplace (South Tyneside College).

There was much seasonal good cheer; as you can see, even the lasses behind the coffee-bar counter joined in.

Thanks to Vivienne, Hildie and specially Kev for keeping the truckshunter flag flying so raucously!

Anyone who can suggest what Vivienne might have been thinking when her picture was taken - get in touch!

MULLED WINE WITH A KICK
This recipe for mulled wine was sent to me by my old friend Brian.  I dare you to try it.

If you do, get back to me with a description of the taste - and the treatment you needed to recover.

Pour one bottle of red wine into a heat proof jug.   Add a wine glass of port and a wine glass of cointreau.   Then some brown sugar and the juice of a lemon.   Place the heatproof jug into a saucepan of simmering water in order to heat the wine.  Whilst it is heating, shove in a cinnamon stick (cinnamon, good for lowering cholesterol).  Then when the mulled wine is really warmed up, kick your shoes off, put your feet up and imbibe.

I love the line about cinnamon being good for your cholesterol.  Honestly - any excuse! 

A WARNING TO US ALL
Another near-perfect example of human frailty sent to me by Eric and Jean…

The people in the blue car had a 25-litre bucket of paint on the back seat when they had the accident.

The ambulance driver wouldn't let the female paramedic out of the ambulance because she couldn't stop laughing; he said it wasn't professional.

He was able to treat the sad-looking driver, who was apparently overcome with emulsion.

FEED THE BIRDS
Today is the first day of winter and now that the colder weather has arrived with a vengeance, please don’t forget to feed the birds, many of which will be having a rough time of it right now.

You can buy food for wild birds in most supermarkets, or just make do with crushed stale bread, a few peanuts or half an apple.  Improvise.

Two things to remember, though.  Firstly, if you start to feed the birds, please remember to keep on doing so.  They will come looking for food.

And secondly...if you use fat balls, which are very popular with garden birds, please remove them from the mesh netting first.  Birds can get tragically trapped in it by their beaks or feet.

SEASONAL ARRIVALS
Speaking of birds…

At this time of year, on the Blue Bus programme, we always received calls from listeners telling us that the redwings had arrived from Scandinavia and were flocking somewhere locally - including, usually, the car park at the RVI!

I miss those calls very much.  Can someone tell me if they’re here yet?

A FABLE FROM FRANCE
Largely thanks to the diligence and enthusiasm of 17th-century writers Charles Perrault and Jean de la Fontaine, France is undoubtedly the home of the fairytale and the fable.  They spent years collecting old French folktales and transforming them into stories that are told and re-told all over the world at this time of year; La Petite Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), Cendrillon (Cinderella), Le Chat Botte (Puss in Boots) and many more - including the story behind Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty - all originated with Perrault or de la Fontaine.

So, to rouse you from your over-indulged seasonal torpor, here’s a short rhyming fable sent to me by Serge recently.  It was written by Jean de la Fontaine in 1668.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to make a stab at translating it.  It’s called Le corbeau et le renard - 'The Crow and the Fox'.

Maître Corbeau, sur un arbre perché,
Tenait en son bec un fromage.
Maître Renard, par l'odeur alléché,
Lui tint à peu près ce langage:
‘Hé! bonjour, Monsieur du Corbeau.
Que vous êtes joli! que vous me semblez beau!
Sans mentir, si votre ramage
Se rapporte à votre plumage,
Vous êtes le Phénix des hôtes de ces bois.’
A ces mots le Corbeau ne se sent pas de joie;
Et pour montrer sa belle voix,
Il ouvre un large bec, laisse tomber sa proie.
Le Renard s'en saisit, et dit: ‘Mon bon Monsieur,
Apprenez que tout flatteur
Vit aux dépens de celui qui l'écoute:
Cette leçon vaut bien un fromage, sans doute.’
Le Corbeau, honteux et confus,
Jura, mais un peu tard, qu'on ne l'y prendrait plus.


Good luck.

Wherever you may be or whatever you plan to do, have a good and peaceful Christmas.

CONTACT ME
Post comments on this blog or email me:  truckshunters@googlemail.com

9 comments:

Vivienne said...

Hi Ian,

I was thinking, 'What a prat I look, and I don't care!' Yes, we had a great laugh as usual, and it was lovely meeting Kev at last. xxx

Sid said...

Vivienne you do yourself an injustice, I though you had an air of mystery about you in that picture.
Having said that, you are such an adventurous person if you said you were climbing Everest next Friday I wouldn't be surprised.

Vivienne said...

Hi Sid,

Everest never!!! I'll leave that for my sister. She's got as far as base camp, and would love to go higher.
xxx

Ellie said...

Drat! Was working so missed another AGM.
There is a flock of redwings near Belsay. I see them from the office where I work.
I have a super recipe for birdballs to treat our feathered friends.
Melt half a pound of lard in a large bowl (in the microwave) and when liquid add wholemeal plain flour, suet, sugar (or honey) then keep adding flour until you have a really thick mixture. You could add grated cheese or sultanas or peanut butter at the beginning if you really want to treat our feathered friends. Take a tablespoon of the thick mixture and work it into a ball. When you have done this and all the mixture is used up, put the birdballs in a cool place to harden up. Watch the birdies go mad for their treats.
Anyway have a happy Christmas everyone x

Vivienne said...

Merry Christmas everyone.

Lots of love,
Vivienne xxx

Nev said...

Merry Christmas one and all!

Sid said...

Merry Christmas folks, and may the peace and quiet of my allotment shed be with you all.

Hildie said...

Happy Christmas everyone, I hope you've all had a lovely day. You'll never guess what .....
I've actually managed to win the "Sprout Draw" ..... despite the fact that I'm in
Manchester and the sprouts were in Dipton! I'm sure I don't have to remind you all about our game of guessing the number of sprouts that my brother-in-law, Tony, is cooking for the Christmas lunch. You remember, don't you?!!!!! We all pay £1, look at the sprouts, and then guess how many are in the pan. the person who guesses the nearest number of sprouts is the winner. This Christmas I am in Manchester staying with my daughter, Kelly, at her new house.
My son, Liam is also here. Because we were not in Dipton to see the sprouts, Tony posted a photograph
of them on facebook so that we could see them here in Manchester and be able to have our guesses.
My guess was that there were 73 sprouts in that pan. It turned out that there were actually 71 ....
but that I had made the nearest guess. Strangely enough, Kelly, Liam and I seem to be quite good at this game ..... but I already have told you that last year. Anyway, I've won £16!
Nev , Viv, Ellie, Sid, Ian, Serge .... hello
from me. Nev, I was half--expecting to see you at the AGM last week ..... I hope you didn't get lost trying to find your way there! Ah, also was hoping Maureen might have made it. Funnily enough, I had an email from Maureen this afternoon ....
and she was asking me if we still did the sprout draw.
I have to dash off now .... I'm on my daughter's computer and she's asking if she can have a look on facebook.

Ian Robinson said...

How wonderful it is that we are all still together and in touch.

Merry Christmas everyone - and Thankyou for being such good friends during a difficult year.

With love from Serge and me in deepest France...

PS BIG thanks to Ellie for the fatball recipe...

PPS And yes, well done Hildie!!!
XXXXX