Not only is it still dripping from the sky (how much of the stuff can the clouds hold?) but Tricia asked what dripping was after I mentioned having it on toast yesterday. Dripping is the solid animal fat that is left in the roasting pan after cooking a joint of meat. (Traditionally it was collected from dripping off roasting meat on a spit – hence the name). As children, healthy foods were not necessarily high up on the list of priorities. Not because Mum didn’t care but because the harm of some foods was not fully appreciated – hence sugar butties (sandwiches of butter and sugar) and toast and dripping (with plenty of salt). Mmm, yummy.
One of Jo’s counselling students gave her a present earlier in the year – the Little Book of Complete Bollocks. Each morning we are dipping into it for its sage advice for the day. Today’s was:-
“Setting Limits
Your partner will only truly respect you if you set limits. Make your boundaries clear.
Explain to your partner that they must seek permission before touching you intimately.
Assert your need for personal space by painting a black line down the middle of the bed.
Affirm your specialness by asking your partner to look after the cat while you spend your summer holiday in a Zen monastery or inter-faith retreat.
If your partner feels threatened by your legitimate need for self-exploration, explain that you need to be at one with anyone else.
When you hear the front door slam, call out to your ex-partner, thanking them for understanding your need for personal space.”
Thank you Alistair Beaton for today’s complete bollocks!!
Nowadays we like to think of ourselves as the great recyclers. Every time we re-use a plastic bag we pat ourselves on the back and think about our contribution to the environment. But what about my parents’ generation? Cigars came in boxes which, even today, can be found around many a house. It only took me a minute to come up with these two in the study. The shed is full of tobacco tins, now happily housing screws and nuts and bolts. Biscuits came in tins which were designed to be re-used.
And, perhaps the classic one from that generation, shell cases sat on many a mantelpiece holding spills or on the desk holding pens. And the pens themselves were filled with ink from a bottle, not used a few times until the ink dried out and then thrown away.
I just wish Him up There would stop recycling the rain! (Though if it causaed Audrey Hepburn to appear I wouldn't mind!)
Oh my gosh! You make me laugh!!! The last little thing about giving a damn is hilarious!
ReplyDeleteWe do pat ourselves on the back for recycling a plastic bag, or using a cloth bag instead of plastic.
Boundaries, limits; what a nice thought. What's that book again?
I don't remember it in my family, although going back far enough would surely produce the same thing, but bacon fat or drippings from any sort of meat, is surely a part of all of our histories!
Great post!
I really enjoyed that post. I've never tasted bread and dripping but I remember being told as a child to be thankful I didn't "live in an orphanage and have to eat bread and dripping." We lived quite close to an orphanage and my parents used its proximity for all sorts of threats. Also, I love my fountain pen and ink (real ink) and use it constantly. I don't even like the feel of a throw away pen in my hand. I would just love to possess your Little Book of Complete Bollocks. I work in a very politically correct workplace and delight in shocking people by just coming out with what I really think. Today a colleague popped her head into the office to say she was really worried what (lets say) BT was plotting because he'd told her she was a pleasure to work with. I said, "Oh, he just wants to get into your pants." I've never such a quick exit!! If I were younger I'd worry about my long term prospects at this place but with retirement less than less months away, why not enjoy myself??
ReplyDeleteOne thing us English are good at is being humorous about the weather . I suppose it is the only way we manage to stay sane with the unpredictability of our climate!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved the extract from the Little Book of Complete Bollocks.
Re-cycling certainly isn't a new thing, the young of today seem to think it has only been invented recently. I regale my grandchildren with tales of how my parents taught me to save every button, pin, paper bag,etc, and how we cut up paper and threaded it on string for the only loo paper available... unless you were posh and rich.
Ahhhhh nostalgia.
Love Granny
ps I also used to enjoy dripping butties, and in the summer tomato butties with sugar on... the ultimate treat.
I usually enjoy your postings Bruv. But this one I enjoyed muchly.
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