Notes from the chair

~I'm adoring my newly vamped make-up. Icey blue eye shadow, paler powder and soft red lipstick. Bette Davis was right they do go well together. And she should know, having worked her way through a few husbands, some of them even her own.

She is my movie heroine, always has been always will be. Loved her in every film she made, especially her older works such as Jezebel, The Letter and Mr Skeffington with Claude Rains. When I was a mere nipper (18) a photographer told me I looked like a 'young' B.D. Thank God I didn't remind him of B.D. in Baby Jane....!!!!
My attention to her films was set.
Big eyed and wide mouthed. Bette and I.
A real woman's woman.

During her tempestuous marriage to Gary Merill she screamed so hard that a blood vesell burst in her neck. I love that! Her true love though was said to be director William Wyler. But he was married so...When in her later years she appeared on 'Wogan' she got icily annoyed with the Irishman when, after talking to her for a few minutes, he failed to mention her newly published book. Her slicing words I've remembered ever since..."Aren't you going to talk about my BOOK?". she bellowed.
The audience laughed, Wogan was put in his place. She spoke about the book.

Never seen B.D. in a bad film. There was talk that she was up for the role of Scarlett O'Hara but that went to the divine Vivien Leigh. Another beauty. But Bette did alright, even when the films dried up in the sixties she had the temerity to advertise for work..."professional actress with forty years experience needs a job".
And that is why she is my heroine. Balls and beauty she had both.

Anyway I'll always watch her films and imagine it's me looking up at the stars with cigarette in hand...X

~My glasses are broken. Again. Lost in the carpets are the newly acquired nose pads. Blast. Consequently the glasses are sitting awkwardly on my face and because of this tilting, am struggling to read and type. Will trudge off to Specsavers for some replacement pads. Methinks a chat about contact lens' is on the cards.
That's what I say now at least.

~Cooking tonight:
Chicken Pie a la Surprise! The surprise being the addition of a few chopped mushrooms. When mushrooms warrant a mention it's time to get out more:)


Ta ta!

Had a dinner party last night.
Well maybe not exactly a dinner party more like a few old duffers slouching around my old oak table woofing down Toad-in-the-Hole!

Went down well though I have to say, the sausages were super, very meaty with lots of cracked black pepper, the batter which held the snorkers rose beautifully, reminding me of something Greek or something. But this was English food at its plainest tastiest best.

As for the veggies, I plumped for steamed Sweetheart cabbage, which I dressed with pepper, salt and butter and jacket potatoes oozing with more butter. Now the wet accompaniment was a big jug of Rich Onion sauce. I really went to town on this, sweating lots of onions in, yes you've guessed it, butter..Then adding some flour to make a roux. I then poured in water, an oxo cube, oregano, Worcestershire sauce and a huge dollop of tomato ketchup. It brewed for half an hour while I prepared PUD.

As you know I love puds, and I especially love pudding-up friends. So I served my chums sliced bananas on mounds of Cornish Ice Cream with lashings of Butterscotch sauce* and Shortbread fingers.
They were silenced...
I was ecstatic.
Nothing pleases me more than feeding six or four or even just two, because I'm in my element when fussing.

Awful weather today isn't it? Still it is November so what do we expect. Had a natter with the man from SpecSavers and an appointment has been made for next month. Not for Specs but to see if I can carry Contact lenses. I'm really quite excited about this having been a four eyes for forty years, should be quite an eye-opening experience (Sorry, couldn't resist). Anyway the appointment is made.





Butterscotch Sauce Recipe

4oz butter
2oz light brown sugar
2oz dark brown sugar
4tsps cornflour
300ml Single cream


Melt the butter and sugars together over a very low heat.
Whisk the cornflour into the Single cream.
Very very slowly add to melted sugars and butter and then stir like the clappers till smooth and velvety.
Jug up and serve straight away.