The musings of a philosopher savant

My 4th of July and the following 2 weeks

2009-07-22T16:02:00.000+01:00

On June 1st dad fell in his hotel room at Trump's Marina in Atlantic City due to a faulty drain (yes they are suing the hotel) unbeknownst to him he fractured his humerous and 2 ribs. He was in and out of the hospital and it looked like he wouldn't see the end of July. So Ben and I went to New Jersey on the 4th. Marla and Ken picked us up at Philly airpport and took us to the hospital to see dad. He was sitting up in bed and chatting. The next day he wasn't well. It seemed that he had a good day and then a bad one.

Ben had to go back to England on Monday night because he had to be at work Wednesday morning. Before we took him to the airport we made a mad dash around Best Buy and the supermarket.

What was nice was neffy William brought his guitar to the hospital and he and Ben took turns playing for dad.

Ben and William

Mom and Ben and Dad

Mom and her favorite doctor

Since dad seemed to pick up instead of him going to a hospice they were going to send him to rehab. He went to Innova on a Tuesday and to tell you the truth the nurses and aides were dreadful. They never came when we rang the bell even though they were sitting at the nurses' desk opposite dad's room. Plus they decided that we had to wear masks bcause they said that dad tested positive for MRSA even though when dad was in hospital we didn't. Marla in mask.

On Saturday dad started being sick and then complained of chest pains. The ambulance came and too him to ER. We were there from 4pm until 2am when they took him up to the 7th floor. During the time we were in the ER with him we thought we were going to lose him. He said goodbye to all of us. He started talking to is late parents and 3 of his siblings but they didn't answer back and he was upset with that. We guess it wasn't his time to go.

The nurses and aides were wonderful on the floor.

Dad slept alot but he seemed to have improved. His heart doctor said his heart was fine and could go for another 20 years.

While he was there Mom had a birthday so we had a party in dad's room.

My Aunt Marcie (mom's sister) came to see dad with her daughters Roz and Sandi. It's been so long since I've seen any of them although Roz came to visit me in England in 1980.

The day I was leaving for England dad came home. Mom arranged for a hospital bed to be delivered for him.

This is cool

2009-04-17T11:12:00.001+01:00

Do you like word clouds? I never did until I found Wordle. It's a neat little tool/toy.

You can enter the address of your blog and it will generate your cloud automatically, or punch in specific words that you want to appear. Now play some more with the look of your cloud. It's addicting :)

http://www.wordle.net/

DYFS is run by idiots or How I spent my 3 week vacation

2009-04-03T20:58:00.003+01:00

Names will be changed to protect the innocents, sadly DYFS has no concept of innocent until proven guilty.

In case you are wondering, 'The Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS) is New Jersey's child protection and child welfare agency within the Department of Children and Families. Its mission is to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of children and to support families.DYFS is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect and, if necessary, arranging for the child's protection and the family's treatment.'

How can they take serious an allegation of child abuse, in this case, a diagnosis of a spiral fracture, if it turns out that the so-called experts who read the so-called x-ray were so oh so wrong? Well, they did. Now in my family we have a very disturbed 2 and a half year old boy.

My great nephew and his mom were out playing ball when he fell backwards. His mom was concerned so she and her partner, my nephew took, we'll call 'A' to the hospital to be checked out. My nephew said that as soon as the x-rays were developed he and his partner were given dirty looks. These fine professionals, I imagine who were short of their tattle tale quota, called DYFS.

Meanwhile, my sister, her friend and I were in Atlantic City for a couple of days. My sister started getting phone calls from her son with what was happening.

The hospital released my great nephew so his parents took him home to my sister's house where they live. Then at 2am on a Tuesday morning, the blond storm trooper disguised as a DYFS worker stormed my sister's house with two policemen, like the coward she is. They took 'A' who was in pain and confused and put him in a foster home, location unknown.

My sister, 'A's grandmother got more and more upset, especially after her mobile hone died. To make a long night shorter by 3:15am we were on the road home where we arrived a little after 4. No sleep that night.

DYFS said that if my parents' home met their approval then 'A' could live with them but first we had to await a call about the court date which had to come within 72 hours.

On Wednesday my sister was over at our parents' trying to figure out things for our parents' 60 wedding anniversary luncheon. She called home to see if there had been any phone messages when she heard that the court case was to be heard at 1pm that day. So she rallied the troops and I found myself going too. We left dad at home. Mind you he had just got out of hospital the week before after suffering a heart attack.

So after going through security we went up to the floor where the case would be heard. My mother, younger nephew and I sat in one alcove with a young woman who was there for the same reason. My sister, older nephew and his partner went into a room where they met their public defender and to sign papers.

The young woman's lawyer came out, handed her some papers to read (must have been 2 inches thick) and he used twice the 'F' word, very unprofessional. She borrowed a pen to underline all the things that were wrong and according to her there were plenty.

My nephew came out saying that their lawyer said that he didn't understand why we were in court, that the hospital was wrong. Then my nephew started pointing out what was wrong in his papers. How about misspelling his son's name? The best was yet to come and for this alone the blond storm trooper should be fired, she had reported that my nephew was the biological father of 2 other children and gave their names.

At that the young woman looked up and said but that's my children's names. Yep, the blond twit got the 2 cases mixed up.

At 1:45 the guard ushered us in to the court room where we sat and listened to the judge mumbling at the divorce cases he was hearing. Should I mention that my mom knows his father? We sat there for 2 hours on those hard benches until the judge finished the divorces and he asked my nephew what his case was. Gee, the idiots ushered us to the wrong court room. DYFS gave us the wrong room number.

To make another hour short, 'A' would be returned to his mom and dad who have to live at my parents' until they deem that my sister's house was 'uncluttered' enough. Umm, you try living in 2 bedroom house with 5 adults, one toddler, and a Newfoundland dog and not find clutter. So we had to wait for 'A' to be taken from his foster house, taken to a doctor for a check-up and only then he would be brought to my parents. When the nice caseworker came over to check my parents' home (and she was nice), to make sure that 'A' would have his own room she actually asked if they had hot water.

So 'A' and his mom moved into my parents' home, in the room where I had been staying, I had to move into my former childhood bedroom.

DYFS never said a word how 'A' got along in the foster home except to say that he had just started to talk that morning. Nothing about if he had his medicines which he has to take for a condition, not a thing. Disgusting. The next day DYFS was to pick him, his mom, and my sister to a hospital to have his leg checked out since he only had a half cast on. She got lost driving them there. They returned with a full cast on his leg which he wasn't allowed to walk on. He quickly discovered that he could scoot around on his tummy to be mobile.

The disturbing thing was the way he wanted, in the evening, to be held and to stand in a corner so no one could see him. Yay DYFS for making this child scared and insecure. A bunch of incompetents in charge of the loony asylum. By the time I left he was more secure but he was still having separation anxiety if he couldn't see his mother. My nephew and his partner were able to work opposite shifts so at least one of them was with him all the time.

Hopefully, next week DYFS will give their blessing and let my nephew, partner and 'A' go home to my sister's. No apology nothing came out of DYFS' mouth. They should be ashamed of themselves and go and disrupt the lives of people who do abuse their children.

'A's doctor has agreed for a referral so a bone density test can take place. Apparently my nephew when he was young broke bones easily as does my sister. There is a condition, which I don't know the name of it, which causes bones to break easily. I wonder and am glad that I don't nor my children have it.

Oh why did I mention that the storm trooper was blond? A former classmate/friend came over for a chat and 'A' was scared of her. Why She's blond. Thank you DYFS for that too. I wonder if they will agree to pay for counseling for 'A' after what they did to him.

Probably not, of course they will say they were only following orders and protocol. Gee, where have we heard that before?

60th Wedding Anniversary

2009-03-28T14:41:00.000Z

March of this year saw my parents' 60 wedding anniversary take place. Now in this day and age when a couple reaches 60 years of marriage, well, it's rare. The party took place at a country club which was very nice except for the dead bird on the decking.

I saw cousins that I hadn't seen in over 30 years,I'm the eldest of 9, sadly one of them passed several years ago from cancer.

Here are some photos that I took.

The cake

The party favor that was on the table which was designed and made by my sister and nephew.

Chuck

Ruthie

Larry and Aunt Ella (his mom)

Dow, Howard (9 months older than me and the bain of my youth), Larry

Aunt Ella and her brood

Mom and Aunt Ella (her younger sister)

Uncle Richard (dad's younger brother and remaining sibling) with his wife, Shirley

Cake time!!

Susan

Cousins

Uncle Aaron, Barbara (his partner) dad, mom and Aunt Ella

Marla, dad, mom and me

Ayden and David

Ayden and Tiffany

Friends of the family

And let the dancing begin!!

Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was good to see everyone.

Time and a book that raised my hackles

2009-01-18T10:34:00.006Z

I can't believe that I haven't posted since September, it's not like life has passed me by.

The thing I want to discuss is a book I've just read, "Journal" by Helene Berr, translated by David Bellos.

The product description from amazon says:

"From April 1942 to March 1944, Helene Berr, a recent graduate of the Sorbonne, kept a journal that is both an intensely moving, intimate, harrowing, appalling document and a text of astonishing literary maturity. With her colleagues, she plays the violin and she seeks refuge from the everyday in what she calls the "selfish magic" of English literature and poetry. But this is Paris under the occupation and her family is Jewish.

Eventually, there comes the time when all Jews are required to wear a yellow star. She tries to remain calm and rational, keeping to what routine she can: studying, reading, enjoying the beauty of Paris.Yet always there is fear for the future, and eventually, in March 1944, Helene and her family are arrested, taken to Drancy Transit Camp and soon sent to Auschwitz.

She went - as is later discovered - on the death march to Bergen-Belsen and there she died in 1945, only weeks before the liberation of the camp. The last words in the journal she had left behind in Paris were "Horror, Horror, Horror...", a hideous and poignant echo of her English studies from "The Heart of Darkness". Helene Berr's story is almost too painful to read, foreshadowing horror as it does amidst an enviable appetite for life, for beauty, for literature, for all that lasts."

What the translator mentions and which I couldn't stop mentally yelling as I read the diary was Denial!!

It was horrible to read and I had no sympathy for her and her family. How arrogant were they to presume that since that they considered themselves French first and Jews second that they wouldn't suffer with the German or 'Kraut', as she called them, occupation? At no time she discussed any food shortage nor any deep down fear that they will be taken. Despite being Jewish and going to shul on Rosh Hashannah her observance was more Xian.

I couldn't believe that she was taking classes up to the last.I have to admire her though for working for the Jewish Agency helping to rehome Jewish children who became orphaned when their parents were deported or killed. But yet, couldn't she see that she and her family were doomed? And the stupidity of them not sleeping at home in case someone would come for them. Why not run and hide?

Then the one night that they did go home for a good night's sleep in their own beds, guess what happened? Yep.

This book really opened my eyes to French Jews during the Shoah and has me want to read more. I think deep down I resented the freedom she had compared to my family in Poland during the same time. They had the same horrific outcome but I am sure that my aunts and their families truly suffered while Ms Berr had her life go on with just a few adjustments.

I've started reading the biography of Irene Nemirovsky by Jonathan Weiss. 'Irene Nemirovsky: Her Life And Works'.

What I have read so far about Ms Nemirovsky I don't think that I would have liked her when she was young.

Other books that have caught my eye and will buy and read are:

'Beyond These Walls' by Jamina Bauman
'Mendel's Daughter' by Martin Lemelman
'Crime of my Very Existence:Nazism and the Myth of Jewish Criminality' by Michael Berkowitz.

Oh,before I end this, something, not sure how to describe it, happened to me last week. My town since the beginning of the government's decision to have a 'Holocaust Memorial Day' in January has always had some activity to remember those who died. (Holocaust Memorial Day is marked each year on 27January – the anniversary of the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.)

Last year we had a survivor to speak to us.Less said about that the better.

The beginning of the month I looked in the local paper for some notification that something would take place.I thought perhaps a rededication for newly planted trees. Last month I went to see the trees and plaque that the town placed near the lake at the edge of town. No trees and no plaque. I got touch with the council who ignored me until I wrote to my MP who got in touch with them and then back to me. Apparently some yabbos pulled out and killed the trees however some new trees in a safer position were planted and a dedication would occur.

So I emailed the council and received an email froma man who didn't know anything.Then I received a second one with him saying that nothing was planned this year.I told him that I thought that that was a disgrace. Then the somewhat funny incident happened. I received another email from him which I shouldn't have received, it was meant for a co-worker. In it he asked his cw what can be done to placate me. So I mailed him back asking if he thought that I should be placated. He apologised,He did say that the council was starting a fund to get the Anne Frank exhibition to come to town.We'll see.

Shana Tova!!

2008-09-30T19:41:00.000+01:00

Happy New Year!

It's going to be a strange beginning to the new year. My son has bought a house and will be moving out within 2 weeks. The cat is happy. I am very pleased for him. He'll be 27 this year and should be out on his own.

I thought that I would give ideas for a healthier New Year.

First Tip: Think Sampler Sizes

In order to taste everything at the Rosh Hashanah table, have a small amount of everything - like apples and honey and apple challah; have just one matzo ball in the soup; enjoy the brisket in moderation; and have the fruit compote instead of the honey cake.

Second Tip: Lighten up the dishes that are rich and at the same time particularly desirable and comforting (and easy to over eat).

A healthy recipe for tzimmes:

Carrot Tzimmes
(Carrots are sliced into coins and eaten as a symbol of prosperity and good luck in the New Year)

1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup seedless golden raisins
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Minced fresh parsley

Mix everything except the parsley together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently until the carrots are crisp tender, about 25 minutes. Remove the cover from the pan, raise the heat and cook the carrots until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thickened, about five minutes. Sprinkle the parsley on top and serve.
Serves 6

Per Serving: 125 calories, 2 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fat, .2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3.3 g fiber, 42 mg sodium (not including salt). Percent calories from fat: 17%

Light Changes: (In order to bring down the calories and grams of sugar a bit). Take out a tablespoon of non-dairy margarine and upped the orange juice by a tablespoon. You can also cut the honey and brown sugar in half (from 3 tablespoons to 1 1/2) and decreased the raisins from 1/2 cup to 1/3 cup.

Potato Kugel

1 large onion, grated
6 large potatoes, peeled and grated (about 1.75 pounds of potatoes before peeling)
2 eggs well beaten (higher omega-3 if available)
1/2 cup egg substitute (if you don't want to use egg substitute increase the higher omega-3 eggs from 2 to 4)
1/4 cup canola oil (in the old days this used to be schmaltz - rendered chicken fat!)
1/4 cup double strength or condensed chicken broth (low sodium chicken broth can be used)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grate the onion first. Grate the potatoes and add to the onion to stop the potatoes from turning brown. Further chop half of this mixture with the blade of the food processor. This makes the kugel less dense. Mix everything together. Pour into a 2-3 quart rectangular casserole dish that has been coated with canola cooking spray. Bake for about an hour or until very brown and crusty. Cut in to squares to serve.
Serves 8

Per Serving: 187 calories, 5.5 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 8.3 g fat, .9 g saturated fat, 53 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 91 mg sodium (not including salt to taste). Calories from fat: 39%

Light Changes: You can cut the oil in half (from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup) and specified canola oil which is higher in mono-unsaturated fats and plant omega-3s. You can add some double strength chicken broth to compensate for the moisture loss and to add a nice chicken flavor. You can also replaced half of the eggs called for with a nice egg substitute (like Egg Beaters) and suggested higher omega-3 eggs are used if available.

Not so healthy but very tasty sounding:

Sliced Lamb In Apricot Mushroom Sauce

4 pounds lamb, cubed
2 onions diced
3 cloves garlic, whole or minced
1 pound mushroom, sliced
2/3 cup apricot preserved
1 cup dry red wine
½ cup water
¼ tsp. Pepper
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 350.

Place vegetables, apricot preserves, liquid, and seasoning into a medium bowl. Mix until combined. Place meat in roasting pan and pour apricot mixture over it. Bake covered for 2 to 2 ½ hours.

Check meat during baking. You may want to mix it so that the flavor of juice gets well absorbed. When done, remove from oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300. Return meat to sauce and reheat for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Excerpted from Spice and Spirit, The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook, published by Lubavitch Women's Cookbook Publications

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.

May You have a Happy and Healthy Year.

The Olympics

2008-08-23T13:20:00.008+01:00

Has anyone else been glued to the television watching the Olympics these past 2 weeks? I swear I must have lost weight and voice with the straining, pushing and yelling as I urged the athletes on and I wasn't partial to any team. Well, okay, I'm fibbing. I cheered for the USA, Team GB (what a horrible name) and of course for Israel.

Taking Israel first. Mazel Tov to Shahar Zubari for winning Israel's only medal at this Olympics.

We still have today and tomorrow for the Games so I am sure that many more medals will be won by the USA and Team GB.

And hasn't the British team done well this time? So far they have won 18 Gold, 13 Silver and 13 Bronze.

Rebecca Adlington clinched her second gold medal of the Beijing Games in the 800m freestyle. I do hope that someone in power does recognize her with an award, OBE sounds nice. The cyclists Chris Hoy, Bradley Wiggins, and Rebecca Romero have done well also.

Sailor Ben Aislie did so well on the water.

It came as a surprise that Christine Ohuruogu win the Gold for the 400 meter. She has caused so much controversy with her lifetime Olympic ban for missing 3 drug tests. Should she have taken part? I think not.

Jamaica has been fantastic with Usain Bolt and the 3 women who won the 100 meter race Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart. Veronica Campbell-Brown won the 200.

Oops, excuse me for yelling but I had to yell for the USA team in the Women's 4 x 400 Meter Relay. Sandra Richards really had to work for it but she did beat the Russian. *happy dance*

So Michael Phelps beat Mark Spitz's record. *sigh* Congratulations to Michael, well done.

I remember 1972 and being glued to the tv then too. I had just come back from a year at Tel Aviv University. Cheering Mark on, well he is a nice Jewish boy, and then watching the horrible events of what was happening inside and outside of the Athlete's Village.

So in writing this article about the Olympics I have to mention what happened in Munich.

On the morning of September 5, with six days left in the Games, the worst tragedy in Olympic history hit. Eight Arab terrorists stormed into the Olympic village and raided the apartment building that housed the Israeli contingent. Two Israeli athletes were killed and nine more were seized as hostages. They demanded the release of over 200 Palestinians serving time in Israeli jails, along with two renowned German terrorists.

After a day of unsuccessful negotiations, the terrorists collected the hostages and headed for the military airport in Munich for a flight back to the Middle East. At the airport, German sharpshooters opened fire, killing three of the Palestinians. A horrifying gun battle ensued, claiming the lives of all nine of the hostages, along with one policeman and two terrorists.

The first 2 Israelis murdered were Joseph Romano and Moshe Weinberg.

Hostages killed at the airport

(middle row, L-R) wrestling referee Yossef Gutfreund, age 40; American-born weightlifter David Berger, 28; wrestler Mark Slavin, 18; and weightlifting judge Yacov Springer, 51.
(bottom row, L-R) weightlifter Ze'ev Friedman, 28; track coach Amitzur Shapira, 40; wrestler Eliezer Halfin, 24; shooting coach Kehat Shorr, 53; and fencing coach Andre Spitzer, 27.

At 3 a.m., a drawn and teary-eyed Jim McKay, who had been reporting the drama throughout the day as part of ABC's Olympic coverage, announced: “They're all gone.”

Five of the terrorists were killed along with one policeman, and three were captured. A little over a month later, on Oct. 29, a Lufthansa jet was hijacked by terrorists demanding that the Munich killers be released.

The Germans capitulated and the terrorists were let go, but an Israeli assassination squad was assigned to track them down along with those responsible for planning the massacre. According to George Jonas in Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team, eight of the 11 men targeted for death were killed. Of the remaining three, one died of natural causes and the other two were assassinated, but it is not known for sure if they were killed by Israeli agents.

Typical that the Germans let the murderers of Jews free. Even more disgusting was the fact that the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes was not considered sufficiently serious to merit canceling or postponing the Olympics. “Incredibly, they're going on with it,” Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote at the time. “It's almost like having a dance at Dachau.”

Would the Olympics have been canceled if another country's athletes been horribly murdered? I believe it would have. It's a shame that the German government has never outgrown it's 'It's only Jews' mentality.

A memorial ceremony was held the first Monday in Beijing to honor the 11 Israeli athletes.

The ceremony was organized by the Israeli embassy in the city and the Israel Olympic Committee at the Hilton hotel.

Hundreds attended the event, including representatives of Israel's athletic delegations, and Science, Culture and Sport Minister Raleb Majadele.

A significant number of foreign delegates, military attaches and Olympic officials were in attendance as well. Among the guests of honor was Juan Antonio Samaranch, International Olympic Committee president from 1980 to 2001, and Alex Giladi, Israel's delegate to the IOC.

For the past 36 years, the IOC has denied any culpability in the athletes' deaths. ON Monday Samaranch gave a heartfelt speech about keeping the slain sportsmen's memories alive, describing the massacre as the "blackest moment in the history of the Olympic movement."

While in office, neither Samaranch nor his successor, Jacques Rogge, made even the slightest effort to commemorate the victims. Those most hurt by the committee's inaction were the families of the slain athletes.

Since Munich, widows Anki Spitzer and Ilana Romano have tried to persuade IOC officials to erect a monument to the slain athletes in the city's Olympic Village.

On Monday, Romano pleaded with Giladi, who was present at the 1972 Games as a broadcaster, that the "next ceremony be held under the Olympics' five-ring banner."

Spitzer spoke in English about the families' desire not for vengeance, but for peace of mind, and of the difficulties the widows have faced in raising 14 children between them as orphans.

She also leveled damning accusations at Rogge and his predecessors.

"The sons, husbands and fathers who were murdered weren't tourists or bystanders, but part of the Olympic family. But the Olympic family doesn't recognize them," she said, receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

Despite the emotional pleas, the ceremony will likely remain an Israeli-organized event at the London Games in 2012, and indeed for the foreseeable future.

So now the Olympics will come to London in the year 2012. It should be interesting to see how this develops. I do want to go and watch some of the events in London. Apparently my town is applying to be one of the places where the athletes can practice before the Games.

Disgusted at Obama

2008-07-30T18:19:00.002+01:00

According to Arutz Sheva today:

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama's campaign seems to have purposely leaked the contents of the note that he placed in the Kotel, web magazine Israel Insider wrote Tuesday. While Israel's Hebrew newspaper Maariv came under fire for publishing the note, "it now appears that Maariv had collaborated with the Obama campaign in getting the 'private' prayer, with its 'modest' supplication to the Lord, out to the public, buffing his Christian credentials and showing his "humility," the web magazine said.

Last Friday, on the morrow of Obama's visit to the Kotel, Maariv published a close-up picture of the note written by Obama to G-d, supposedly after a yeshiva boy took it from the crack between the Kotel stones in which Obama deposited it. Maariv's competitor Yediot Acharonot slammed the paper for violating Obama's privacy.

Filched or released for publication?
In a statement issued following the public outcry over the leak, Maariv said that "Barack Obama's note was approved for publication in the international media even before he put it in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem." A third newspaper, Haaretz, quoted Maariv as saying that "Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem."

Based on these statements by Maariv, Israel Insider concluded that the Obama campaign "managed the event brilliantly, if deceptively, getting the double benefit of appearing to be victimized by the invasive Israeli press and prayer-thieving Jew while at the same time leaking out his humble Christian plea to the Lord." The report noted that by the week's end, "a (relatively) slick video appeared on [public video website] YouTube that blended Obama's Western Wall prayer with various church scenes, crosses aplenty, a dove of peace, and a soundtrack based on Amazing Grace. The video closes with a "vote" button and an invitation to visit the official campaign website."

Apparently unaware that the leaking of the note was coordinated by the Obama campaign and Maariv, Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz called the publication a "sacrilegious action" which "deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site." He stated: "Notes which are placed in the Western Wall are between the person and his Maker; Heaven forbid that one should read them or use them in any way. The custom of placing notes between the stones of the Western Wall is ancient and is used as a means of expression by a person praying to his Creator."

Maariv's editors, Doron Galezer and Ruth Yovel, are considered to be hard-core leftists. The paper said that it was "pleased" with its "journalistic accomplishment."

"In any case," Maariv added, "since Obama is not a Jew, publishing the note does not constitute an infringement on his right to privacy."

Campaign denies
An Obama campaign spokesman claimed that the campaign hadn't approved the publication of any kind of prayer note. "Prayer notes at the Wall should remain private," a campaign aide said.

Israeli Channel 2 TV reported Sunday that the note was returned to the Kotel. It showed an interview with an anonymous yeshiva student, whose face was not shown, who did not want to say how he got possession of the note and claimed that the note was filched from the Kotel by a yeshiva student as a prank.

Call for boycott
Jerusalem lawyer Shahar Alon asked Attorney General Menachem Mazuz Monday to order a police investigation into the removal and publication of Obama's note.

"By making the note public," Alon wrote to Mazuz, "Maariv violated the law protecting holy sites, several clauses in the penal code and also infringed upon the basic rights of a person's honor and freedom."

Alon also initiated a boycott of the newspaper. In a public letter, he called on all who felt that Maariv had desecrated the holiness of the Kotel to refrain from purchasing the newspaper.

And we are supposed to vote for a man who mocks the Kotel? Who thinks that our prayers to G-d is a way to get votes? If any American Jew votes for him then they should be ashamed of themselves. "The Maariv" should also be ashamed of themselves to have let this happen.

Heart breaking News Today

2008-07-16T16:27:00.008+01:00

The bitterly contested prisoner exchange has developed into one of Israel's most riveting and painful episodes, while Hizbullah and the PA celebrate victory and renew their threat to kidnap more IDF soldiers.

The conclusion of the prisoner exchange began Tuesday night with the release of child-murderer Samir Kuntar and four of his co-terrorists, and continued through Wednesday morning with the release of the coffins of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, all caught on camera for the nation and the world to see.

To the families of the two captured IDF soldiers, the news that their sons are dead is a tragedy, while to others in Israel the prospect of handing over alive-and-well murderers of innocent Jews in exchange for dead bodies is a travesty. For those who support terrorism, the release is being hailed as a victory for Hizbullah and the struggle to destroy Israel, coupled with an admission of defeat from the Jewish state.

As images of the coffins of Regev and Goldwasser appeared on television, cries could be heard coming from the Regev family home when they suddenly realized what they feared most: They would never see their son Eldad alive again.

Once the news he was dead began to spread, the area around the Regev residence became quickly crowded with family members and friends of Eldad, who gathered outside his home to show support for the grieving parents and to honor the memory of their loved one. The visitors began a vigil outside his Kiryat Motzkin home as they lit memorial candles for Eldad. Another vigil formed at the Goldwasser home.

Eldad Regev's aunt, Hanna, collapsed when she saw the images of her nephew's coffin, and had to be treated by paramedics who were standing by.

Shlomo Goldwasser, father of Ehud Goldwasser, had defiant words for those who killed his son. "If Hizbullah's great achievement is the release of Kuntar, who is nothing but a repulsive murderer, then I pity them."

The Regev and Goldwasser families have quietly accepted the fate of their slain sons and expressed gratitude for Israel's willingness to hand over the terrorists in order to get their boys back, dead or alive. However, there are many who have strongly opposed the swap, including top military and intelligence officials who urged Prime Minister Olmert's cabinet to reject the deal, considering it a big mistake for Israel.

Now what about Gilad Shalit?

Gilad Shalit (born 28 August 1986) is a soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on 25 June 2006 and has been held hostage by Hamas since.

And we mustn't forget Ron Arad

Ron Arad was born on May 5, 1958 in Israel. He is the son of Batya and the late Dov Arad, and is the oldest of their three sons. Arad, an air-force navigator in an F-4 Phantom jet, had just completed his first year of chemical engineering at The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa when he was called up for reserve duty. On October 6, 1986 Arad was captured by members of the Amal Shi’ite militia after bailing out of his crippled warplane over the Lebanese city of Sidon.

When negotiations for Arad’s release collapsed in 1988, Arad was “sold” by Amal security chief Mustafa Dirani to Iranian backed forces in Lebanon. Since that time there has been a great deal of contradictory information regarding his fate and whereabouts. Israeli intelligence sources have maintained that Arad is being held in Iran or Lebanon by Iranian backed forces.

The Iranians have never publicly admitted to holding Arad or to having any information regarding his condition or location. Over the years many foreign governments have pressured Iran on the matter. Particularly the German government has continually attempted to utilize its close relationship with Iran to broker deals for Arad’s release, but without success to date.

For years there have been rumors if he is alive or dead, the latest says that he's dead.

While it is good that our boys finally came home it is Israel's shame that the terrorists get off so lightly. Why should Israel give up so much and get little or nothing in return.

Olmert should be gotten rid of and a stronger pro Israel PM should be in office. He is a disgrace. I'm sure that the next heinous act he does will be signing away more precious Jewish land.

New York, New York! Days 2 & 3

2008-06-14T12:29:00.012+01:00

I was excited when I woke up because I knew that I was going to meet some of my fellow Hosts from Prevention plus Irina (Community Coordinator) and Linda (Community Manager). It turned out that I also met other members of the team which was really nice.

Due to wonky phones and missing calls I missed meeting up with sandwichmom and her daughter, Sara, before we had to be at the Rodale building. I caught a cab and must of had one of the drivers from hell. I got into said cab. He got out, went around and checked all the doors. He then got back in and because he faffed about we missed the light so sat there for ages. When we started he began to move around a cloth he had on the steering wheel. he then got a personal phone call. I couldn't place the language though. Phone call ended (isn't that illegal here in the states?) and then he stops across from a food vendor and motioned that he wanted coffee. Gee, I thought his job was to get me where I wanted to go. He gets his coffee and wow, we're off.

Driving up and down the streets I really hoped that he knew where he was going and...he did! Finally got to the Rodale offices in one piece a few minutes later than meet-up time.

I went in and I could see on my left some women sitting and standing and thought ah ha! I could guess who Linda was, she of the clipboard, and Molasses and Irina because they use their photos as their avatars, but the others? I have to admit that Iz and Boz looked so familiar although we have never met before. And guys, I am not a celebrity.

We waited for sandwichmom and her daughter. I expected SM to be short and have long hair. Surprise when this short woman with short hair came in. She had been threatening to cut it and did on Sunday. It really looked nice.

While we had been waiting for SM and her daughter we had a quick tour of the Prevention floors.

It was a very calming place with light green walls. They even have a yoga room which impressed me. As we walked around we met staff members and it was nice to be able to put faces to names. We all ended up in a conference room where Judi managed to call in to listen and to express her opinions. I really wanted to ask her how T's peas were coming along.

We sat around a round table and introduced ourselves and explained how we found Prevention . I had found it in April 2004 after I read about 'The South Beach Diet' in the Daily Mail, a British national newspaper which ran articles about it for about a week. I 'Googled' the SBD and found Prevention and have been there ever since, first as a poster and now as a Senior Community Host.

So we discussed what was happening with the Prevention message boards and what will happen in the future. We also got a goody bag with Prevention items in it. Love those goody bags. After the meeting we went to an Indian restaurant for lunch where we enjoyed the buffet. And yes some of us had dessert, a wonderful sorbet which actually came in the frozen fruit. Mine was peach and it came in a half frozen peach while the others had theirs arrive in a half of a small pineapple, really clever. I think Boz was the rebel and had rice pudding.

So here we are

Linda

Irina

Sara and Molasses

SM

Iz

After lunch some of us caught an air conditioned cab and the rest walked to their destinations. WALKED!! In that heat. I hear that SM and Sara gave up after a bit. It was just too darn hot and humid.

When I got back to my hotel room I was shocked to see that my window was open and a hose was running from the radiator to out the window. I got in touch with the electrician who said that the plumbing had broken down and that I had to change rooms. *sigh* So they got in touch with the desk and then they said to come down and get a new key for my new room. I was already there. So I got the key, thankfully the room was on the same floor. I packed up and moved. The room was similar but without the same view, it was closer to the elevator though.

I then decided to walk around the block and see what's there. I found the Manhattan Mall and wasn't too impressed with it so walked out and right across the street was 'Jack's 99 Cents Store'

It was crowded and I wasn't in the mood for the scrum so I left and continued around the block. I did go into one of those hat stores and bought a hat for Ben and a pink 'New York City Princess' tee shirt for a friend's granddaughter.

I ended back at Macys and since my dinner plans had changed I bought another salad and fruit for dinner. I ended up taking a shower, eating, and then fell asleep around 6pm and then didn't wake until the thunder woke me up around 2am. They had terrible thunderstorms during the night and there was a lot of damage in New York and New Jersey. I went back to sleep and then woke up at 6. I guess the heat and the humidity is killing me plus I haven't been having my naps.

Day 3

So woke up early and listened to the news where the damage in some parts of the 2 states was bad. Then they said that NJ Transit was having problems. I thought, okay, but that's not me, until they said that there were delays getting in and out of the city. I had arranged for my parents to pick me up after my dad saw the doctor so I had to time my arrival for theirs. Thinking that I don't know how the system works at Penn Station, nor the amount of people or how delayed I would be, I set off much earlier than I had originally planned. I thought so if I am early back at Hamilton then I can just sit in the air conditioned waiting room.

It was a breeze getting my ticket, waiting for the train, which wasn't late by much and getting back to Hamilton. Then the 2 hour wait started. Finally I saw my parents' car with my youngest nephew driving and dad in the car. We got back to my parents' home in about 40 minutes where my sister and her grandbaby were waiting.

And that's my New York City Adventure.

I have decided that I am going to sneak into Macys and live there. Why not? I bet there are others who already do. ;)

New York, New York! Day 1

2008-06-13T19:51:00.011+01:00

My kind of town, New York is.

When I planned this trip to the states I wanted to make sure that I met Norma, a descartesbabe that I have been writing to since 2004 at the Prevention message board, on The South Beach Diet forum. So to do that I had to go to New York City, somewhere I haven't been since applying to Beth Israel Nursing School in 1967 (oh they rejected me after taking their cockamamy psych tests. So I resent authority? Ha!)

I looked on the internet to see what hotels were around Penn Station so my sister, who originally was going with me, wouldn't have to walk far. I found the Hotel Pennsylvania and booked 2 nights for us. At the last moment my sister said that she couldn't go so I went alone.

Norma and I made plans that we would meet in the lobby of my hotel at 4:45pm after she finished work.

So on June 9th, Dad and I left the house about 8:55am and got to the train station at 9:45 - not bad for getting lost once. It was just Dad and me because Mom was still feeling poorly so we left her sleeping. I think that Dad might try to persuade her to go to the doctor if she is still feeling bad.

We drove to Hamilton New Jersey and a one way fare from Hamilton, NJ to NY Penn Station was $12. The Penn Station code is 000.

This was the local train stopping at every town but it was interesting. We left at 10:09. It was nice because the train was cool.

The ticket guy came, punched my ticket, kept it and then replaced it with another ticket which had lots of numbers and it was place under a clip in the seat next to me. I was sitting on a side seat with my suitcase.

We got into Penn Station and I had no idea of where to go. A nice conductor did carry my case up the stairs and directed me to the right exit. Wow! The hotel was literally right across the station.

So I went in and attempted to register. Thankfully they let me register early, it was only after 12 and normally the time is 3pm. So I caught one of 8 elevators (lifts) to room 1083. I was told that it was a bit of a walk from the elevator but I did have a view of The Empire State Building. Well, I did but not of all the floors.

The room was ok but no fridge, I guess I am spoiled by the casino hotels in Atlantic City. I figured out that I can place my Byetta pen on the sloping cold air vents to make sure that it kept cold. I hung up what ever and then went out to find Macy's.

The doorman (a miserable git) pointed the way. That was only a block away. I went into the building, it was so cool inside. Oh, did I mention that there was a heat wave?

I could only find the 'Men's Store' country mouse that I am. I walked around and then out thinking, maybe there's another store for women (are you laughing at me?). So I went back into the 'Men's Store' and finally found the board with all the departments. Aha! The department that I wanted was on the 7th floor. The store is huge!! Plus there were different eateries within the store. A MacDonald's in the kiddie floor?

There was also a 'Starbucks' and an 'Aunt Anne'. What saved me was 'Cucina&Co in the Cellar @ Macy's'.

So I wandered around the 7th floor and ended up buying 3 tops. I did realise that I left my discount card back at my parents so I went to the Tourist Information Center and got a tourist card with 11% off of my purchases. I went to one of the men's floors and bought Ben a shirt of a lizard smoking a cigar. I then went from floor 7 and hit each floor just to see what was what.

I went back to the hotel and got ready to go down to meet Norma. I went down to the lobby at 4:30 and went towards the benches that are there and I sat down next to an Israeli couple so I could listen to their conversation (Hey, it's good practice for my Hebrew) ;) As I sat down I heard, 'Hi Carol'. It was Norma on the other side of me!! She looks exactly like her photos. She is also a very sweet and caring person.

Us

We ended up at Lindy's over a glass of ice tea and talked and talked. Sadly she had to go earlier than she intended because she was worried due to a fire knocking out the power in her apartment. So she left and I went back to my room.

A little later I thought that I would go back to Macy's and to the cellar to get a salad from the salad buffet in 'Cucina&Co'. It was quite nice and I also bought some fruit for pud.

I ended up taking a shower, reading a book that i bought from Border's earlier and then went to bed.

End of Day in the Big Apple.

Moorestown Day!!

2008-06-08T15:11:00.016+01:00

Yesterday was the annual Moorestown Day and they had a street fair and a race going on. My sister rented a spot and we put up a tent and displayed her wares.

Shelia, our family's neighbor and like a second mom to my sister came along to help.

My sister has a tent which really came in handy because it was so hot and humid outside that it gave us shade. We had 3 tables full of products. It looked like we were the only ones selling animal tee shirts and towels (more about the towels later). We also had tees hanging.

Marla (my sister) putting out tees.

Tees

The jewelry table

Can anyone name this breed of dog?

My brother-in-law, Ken

My nephew William

The towels which my sister embroiders

As we sat there this tall guy came up and he looked very happy. It seems that we were the only ones selling towels and he was desperate for one because he was sweating so heavily. So he bought one.

One of the stalls I missed the actual contest.

Some of the runners

Some of the visitors

Rumor has it that the stalls that were further up the street and nearer the food did better than we did. One stall holder told my sister that she made over $300 and then we hear her tell her daughters that she did badly, so she told a fib to my sister.

We had take away from a new Japanese restaurant for lunch and then I went to get some soft pretzels.

We started packing up about an hour before the final time as did others.

It was an interesting 5 hours even though it was so hot and sticky.

My first tradeshow

2008-06-04T22:00:00.000+01:00

My sister has a new and up and coming company, Keep You In Stitches and she goes to different tradeshows for contacts and new information. So when she received notification that Promotions East was holding their tradeshow on June 3-4th she decided to go, and take me with her. And my parents.

So off we went at 8am on Wednesday the 4th to Atlantic City where it was being held. We had booked a room at The Showboat hotel casino for the night so we could rest our weary bones.

It was huge! 800 vendors were there talking about their products and giving away free samples. I now have enough pens to last me a lifetime plus bags. It was interesting and very tiring.

Mom resting with her free hard hat.

Dad on his scooter.

Some photos of the stands and people.

Some goodies in one of the bags. My sister came out of the show with a small rolling suitcase that she brought with her and 4 large bags (free) full of free things.

So after we were finished, around 3:30, we went to the hotel, The Showboat

There we had something to eat and then I went to play the slots where the first time I was a winner! Yay me!! Not a big winner but I left with more money than I started with.

On Thursday it was decided that we wouldn't have breakfast at the hotel but that we would leave and have breakfast at Dennys so Dad could have his 'Grand Slam'. Well, so did I. I had grits for the first time in years. We also stopped at Wal*Mart. I had to laugh when I got to the clothing department because I forgot that it was George!! We have George in our 'Asda' stores which is Wal*Mart in England. I did find a nice pink top for the winter on sale and then when you use the money converter, it was practically given away.

Leashes of Love

2008-06-01T12:43:00.006+01:00

No, this isn't a post on S&M but of a wonderful idea, Pet Therapy.

Leashes of Love is a group of people who have trained or are in the process of training their dogs to be ready to go to meet people who will benefit with the interaction of a well behaved dog. These dogs go through evaluations, training so in the end they get their CGC Certifications and Therapy Dog Certifications.

Today, animals provide many positive human health benefits:

Companionship, a friend to care for and to keep one occupied, something alive and warm to touch, a focus of attention, a reason for exercise, and to provide protection. Therapy programs using animals have evolved worldwide in many forms and names. Usually these programs are directed toward people with health problems requiring rehabilitation, such as elderly, physically handicapped, deaf, blind, emotionally or physically ill, or persons in correctional institutions.

The group I met yesterday is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

I went with my sister and a friend of hers to Posh Pets, a dog grooming salon which has Leashes of Love based there. My sister is the owner of Keep You In Stitches and she was measuring dogs for their vests. She'll embroider the dogs' names on the vests so they can wear them when they are 'working'.

She was also selling tee shirts and jewelry that she makes. More about her company on a later post.

This is Zoe and she's a beautiful dog who is being trained.

Therapy dogs come in all shapes and sizes. Unconditional love comes in all sized packages.

And of course I have to include this handsome chap who just happens to be my furry neffy, Varg.

Varg is a Newfoundland dog who right now is still growing and weighs a mere 146 pounds. He is so beautiful and even tempered.

He is also he figurehead for my sister's company, Keep You In Stitches.

If you want more information on dog therapy you can visit:

http://www.poshpetsgrooming.com/therapydogs/

Or how about information about The American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) Program?

http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm

Started in 1989, the CGC is a certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club.

Never read the obits you never know who you may find

2008-05-30T12:14:00.004+01:00

The other day mom was reading the obituaries in the local papers, making sure that she and my dad weren't in them, when she read out a name which surprised and saddened me. 'David Cipriani, age 58, of Atco passed away she read out loud. Little Davey Cipriani? My playmate when we were old enough to toddle around? The boy next door? I'll have to hunt our some old photos of us together and post them. They moved away and the families lost touch. I remember going to their house at Xmas, they had the best tree and decorations. He will be missed.

I was looking up his obituary on-line to see what he got up to after he left the neighborhood and never knew that I was looking on the wrong newspaper site, well, it's not my fault that my parents get 2 local papers, when I sat there and started reading in shock.

"Paul Eugene Fach, resident of Pitman, suddenly on May 23, 2008 at the age of 57". We went to high school together. I cried. Paul was a quiet really sweet guy. I was surprised to see that he had married the 'girl who lived across the street' who also was a fellow classmate, Cathy McKinley. Cathy and I were in the marching band and band together. They were married for 27 years and have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.

We are much too young to be dying. I wonder how many obituaries I have missed living in England? How many of my classmates and friends have passed without me knowing? I really regret that I can't go to our high school 40th year reunion this year.

Davey and Paul, you will be missed, rest in peace.

What a Day!! Part 2

2008-05-28T21:53:00.004+01:00

So there I sat waiting for them to announce that those who need assistance and people with children can board first. Nope, it was a free for all, everyone for themselves. So we went down a ramp which curved and walked and walked downwards with my heart sinking. Please don't put us on a bus, please. Oh shit. We had to board a bus! So there I stood on a bus amongst women, yes I looked hard to make sure, dressed in abayahs and head scarves.

So we finally drove to the plane and I did hear a woman comment that it looked like the bus was taking her home, lol. And there they were, the long, shallow and steep steps. I looked around for help and there was a man in his 60s who definitely avoided eye contact. So there I was dragging my carry on and my stick and having to stop so many times when I finally got to the top and said to the 2 stewards that BA must hate the disabled.

I was asked if I had asked for assistance and I said no, this has never happened before and I hadn't anticipated it. Then a very nice steward asked if I wanted a wheelchair at the other end. I thought, what the hey and said 'Yes please'. See, I can be polite when I want to throttle people. So I found my seat and asked a gentleman to help me put up my case.

I was smart and had another bag with the things that I really needed during the flight like my mp3 player. My stick, however, wouldn't fit in the overhead unlike the last trip so a stewardess put it in a closet.

Now, the me being nasty and then getting my comeuppance bit. I am being honest here. *sigh* The moral of the story is never judge a book by it's cover. As I sat there a large and I mean large girl in her 20s started down the aisle and all I could think of was, please don't sit next to me. She walked by and low and behold she was sitting in my row but her thin friend was sitting next to me. She/they started chatting to me and we had so much in common I did feel ashamed. But,and this is a very large butt. Another large butt(s) which belonged to a man and his companion who sat next to me on a not very full return flight once and I was squished sooo much that I hated the flight. They could have picked anywhere on the plane but not they had to sit next to me. I wasn't feeling too brilliant so didn't move, which I should have.

So back to this plane trip. None of the movies appealed so I listened to my mp3 player the entire flight, dancing a bit in my seat when a really good song came up. What was I listening to? All Israeli songs and all in Hebrew and all foot tapping.

Then with a sniff in the air, lunch was approaching or so I thought. I watched as the stewards handed out the 'special' meals. Just realised that they went to the abayah wearers. So when the stewardess headed back to get either fish or chicken I stopped her to mention that I had requested a vegetarian meal. Her reply was, 'Oh, she got them all out'. I don't believe this, so I sat and waited. She did bring me one and then I heard her say to another, we need more vegetarian meals. Great.

Oh, they could have kept that lunch. It was a vegetarian mousakka and horrible. The mystery dish was a tiny salad with something heaped in the center that looked like it belonged in a petrie dish and it tasted like it belonged to the lab. The best thing was the trifle. Then an hour before we landed we had sandwiches. I did get my veggie sandwich boxed. It was a schmear of red pepper hummus with spinach and carrot. Wish there had been more hummus so I could actually taste it. Oh, there was a tiny carrot cake too.

So there we were an hour before landing. Somehow that hour turned into another hour due to planes on the ground so we were 2 hours behind. *sigh*

As we deplanned I couldn't believe that there was a line of wheelchairs so I nabbed one and boy did we pass a lot of people. There is even a special desk, why again, are these desks so high, so people in wheelchairs can get through fast.

So got through and then the young guy pushing me said he has never seen it so busy, going through customs, but it was quick and finally I saw my sister and her grandbaby. She had made a sign with my name so the baby (now 18 months) could hold it and apparently he had been calling my name.

I was pushed out to the car and then we were off to my parents.

When we got there I was informed we were going to The Olive Garden for supper. I was tired and didn't want to go but was out voted and so we went. It was a nice dinner. I did manage to stay up to 10 which was 3am English time so I was exhausted. However true to form I was up at 4:45am today listening to the birds whom I swear sound different than the birds in the Home Counties. So that was my day. I will be writing to complain to BA, just for fun and to see what will happen.

And that was my day.

What a Day!!

2008-05-28T11:31:00.004+01:00

Well, May 27th was a very interesting day. I was going to the states, well, NJ, to visit with my family. And this is what happened. *sigh*

The taxi showed up early, which was fine, I was Virgo ready and it turned out I knew the driver. Well, it took us 2 hours to get to the airport. Unreal when it can take about a little over an hour but it was rush hour and the day after a Bank Holiday.

Since they are fixing up Terminal 4, I couldn't be just dropped off in front of the building. Oh no, I had to be dropped off and then struggle in. Oh, this is not what it looked like.

There was construction work everywhere.

Now there is a new fangled thang called 'bag drop-off'. You put in your flight info and then put in your credit card number. Wale, I don't have a credit card, I used my friend's, so I went into another line, behind a group of Koreans (just adding that to make it more colorful telling.

Got to the nice young man behind the high desk. (Why do they make these things so high? And why are the scales so narrow and high up?) He said to put the duffle on the weigher, couldn't so one of the nice Korean guys helped me almost pulling up my skirt to my waist. Oops. Then the not so nice young man told me I had to take it off, the duffle, not the skirt (ha ha) and take it to an elderly man sitting 3 seats away. Hokay, thinking of trying to pull the duffle off the weigher, I also asked him when I should and who I should tell about my needles, druggie that I am.

He said the guy in the green shirt when I went into security, *sigh* Now it is getting close to 10am when I wanted to jab myself with the lizard spit and take my meds. Went towards security and was stopped by another young guy and I mean young. He wanted to check if my carry-on was the right size. I thought please after all the Virgo angst I went through getting the right bag. It fit, just. *mentally stucking my tongue out at this pisher with authority.

So went through after flashing my board card to another guy behind a desk.

Saw the sign that said, take your shoes off. *sigh* Got to the front of the line and asked the woman about my letter of permission to take the needles on board. She said when I got to the machine. Which I did. The woman there didn't even look at the letter just said that it was fine and I put the shoes and coat in a tray, handed her the walking stick and she took the carry on and placed it on the belt.

Then the fun began. Everything came through except the carry-on with the laptock, which by the way doesn't have to be seen separately any more, at least for now, spit, other meds, all the rechargers and cords for the mobile, books, etc. Now that set off a buzzer. *sigh* So she passed it through again, same thing happened. She took it off and put it to the side saying that it would have to be searched. Damn it woman you know that there are needles and an injectable med in there.

Now it's getting to be 10:15 and I am not happy. Then I see that the guy who had been behind me also had his bag taken away. So we stood there until there was a change over and then the same cow who passed my bags through the machine started searching the other guy's bag first. He had 3 bottles of hand lotion taken away. Poor guy's English wasn't the best and how embarrassing for him that all his undies were in view to the world, well me and the other woman.

Then it was finally my turn, almost 10:30. Took everything out and ran this wand thingy over things. I had to open the mini cooler and that's what they thought the problem was, the ice pack, which if they had read the letter in the first place would have known was in there. After running the wand over my empty suitcase she put it in a machine and came back saying that it was fine. So we put things back in the case and I asked where the bathroom was. Went in and jabbed myself and then had to look for something to eat. I ended up at WH Smith for a newspaper, water (I was gasping by then) and something to eat, 2 health bars which were pretty good.

I walked around a bit, noticed where the departure gate was, moisied on down to there and sat playing with my DS until we were told that we could board.

End of Part 1.

Part 2. "What do you mean there's no Vegetarian Meal for me"

Ben and Louise at Chessington Adventure Park

2008-05-16T11:35:00.002+01:00

Ben, my youngest had the week off and so on Wednesday went to London Zoo with Louise, his girlfriend and then on Thursday they took the train to Chessington Adventure Park

Ben and the shark he won.

Louise, Ben, and the shark.

There are more photos and pithy comments by Ben on his web site, titiangamingradio.

http://www.titangamingradio.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=434

Hatfield House..Living Craft Fair..May 11, 2008

2008-05-11T15:22:00.014+01:00

What a wonderful sunny day it was! After last year's fiasco with me almost passing out after 20 minutes of walking around, if that, today was a pleasure. Why?? Many many thanks to Three Counties Mobility from St. Albans who provided free electric scooters and wheelchairs to the visitors. They were friendly and helpful and a laugh. See you next year!!

So there I was in a 4 wheel electric scooter going around the craft fair which was bigger than last's. It felt a bit dicey at times, like I was going to tip over but it was great fun.

This handsome fellow greeted everyone as they came into the craft fair. He is made of horse shoes. More of these shapes were found in front of a tent, such as:

There were more tents this year and more exhibitors. What was nice for the children and adults were tents offering hands on experiences, pottery throwing, drawing, painting a plate or cup. There were also lectures given.

Plus the Morris Men!! This group is the St Albans Morris Men. They were founded in 1930 and have been dancing in and around the city ever since.

I'm not sure if this was the 'Fool'. He did call out the dances.

Then fair is fair and there was a ladies group of Morris dancers, I believe from Bedfordshire. The leader of that group had pink hair and lots of pink on.

What was nice about both groups was there were all ages in them. There were ladies and men who were middle-aged or older while there ware some youngsters too, which shows that Morris Dancing will go on for a very long time.

We had an ice cream while watching the men dance. It got really hot and the sun was burning, but it was a welcome change to the weather we have been having.

One of the stalls had us asking ourselves if we have fairies at the bottom of our gardens. Here were homes fit for them.

I always love seeing how people use wood to make things. Here's some tables.

Here are some chairs made from wood, most looked very uncomfortable but cute since some of the backs were made from cricket bats or gold clubs. The next photo is a wonderful wizard.

There was also an Owl Society there to make people aware of the owls that are disappearing from the countryside.

And we had steam engines

Kathy stoking a donkey while insisting it was the heat that made the donkey 'happy to see her'

A thatcher who would make a small summer home for you on wheels so you can always face the sun. Cool idea.

And singers to entertain us.

So that's how I spent American Mother's Day. It was a great day. Full of sunshine and temptations. I can't understand why Kathy calls me a handbag addict just because I kept drooling when I saw the bags. *sigh* Just looked and didn't buy.

There was also a food tent where you could taste and then buy, which I did. I was very happy to see there, after a couple of year's absence, Sauces of Choice.

I love their 'Coconut, Lime & Coriander' sauce which is so great when cooked with Quorn. They now have new sauces for the gourmet. I stuck to the vegan ones. lol I also bought a sachet of their 'Sweet and Sour' sauce to try. Their products weren't in jars but in an easy open pouch which made less of a clink clank.

If you live in the UK, have a look at their site,
http://www.saucesofchoice.co.uk

I also gave in at the THORNCROFT CORDIALS' table. Great prezzies when going overseas on holiday to show the colonies what is in the Mother Country. They can be found at: http://www.thorncroftdrinks.co.uk

I wasn't too impressed with the curry stand and the dip people were, well the dip people, nothing new and exciting there for me.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

Yom haShoah..1 May -2 May 2008

2008-05-01T10:55:00.006+01:00

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

Beginning at sunset on Thursday, May 1, 2008 and
concluding at sunset Friday, May 2, 2008

Yom Hashoah is the day chosen by the Israeli Knesset in 1951 to mourn the millions killed in the Holocaust, often commemorated with speeches by survivors and the reading of names. In Israel, a siren's blast allows collective remembrance in a moment of silence.

I had thought not to include the above photograph but then I thought why should I? Why shouldn't people see what happened to the innocent; the young, old, disabled, women and men. My thoughts when I see one of the photos like this is, is one of them my family? Are my grandmother's sisters and their families in that photo? It should be seen.

I'll be lighting a memorial candle for my family who died in the Shoah, in the Warsaw Ghetto and Treblinka.

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah in Hebrew) is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized. It is a solemn day, beginning at sunset on the 27th of the month of Nisan and ending the following evening, according to the traditional Jewish custom of marking a day. Places of entertainment are closed and memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country.

The central ceremonies, in the evening and the following morning, are held at Yad Vashem and are broadcast on the television. Marking the start of the day-in the presence of the President of the State of Israel and the Prime Minister, dignitaries, survivors, children of survivors and their families, gather together with the general public to take part in the memorial ceremony at Yad Vashem in which six torches, representing the six million murdered Jews, are lit.

The following morning, the ceremony at Yad Vashem begins with the sounding of a siren for two minutes throughout the entire country. For the duration of the sounding, work is halted, people walking in the streets stop, cars pull off to the side of the road and everybody stands at silent attention in reverence to the victims of the Holocaust.

Afterward, the focus of the ceremony at Yad Vashem is the laying of wreaths at the foot of the six torches, by dignitaries and the representatives of survivor groups and institutions. Other sites of remembrance in Israel, such as the Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz and Kibbutz Yad Mordechai, also host memorial ceremonies, as do schools, military bases, municipalities and places of work.

Throughout the day, both the television and radio broadcast programs about the Holocaust. In recent years, other countries and Jewish communities have adopted Yom Hashoah, the 27th of Nisan, to mark their own day of memorial for the victims of the Holocaust.

The link to Yad Vashem:

http://www.yadvashem.org/

Passover and Gilly

2008-04-25T22:44:00.007+01:00

Well, there's only 2 more days left of Passover and that darn lizard is taking all my enjoyment out of the holiday.

I love fried matzoh, but Gilly decided that it wasn't for me.

In case you forgot, Gilly is short for Gila Monster who has the original spit that I have been taking via injections for diabetes.

Oh, so one night I had the fried matzoh with marmalade for supper and the next morning around 4:40am I was sick as a dog. Gilly wasn't too happy and neither was I.

I also had some matzoh ball soup. That was a bit iffy too but I think I can have it again.

I had bought the ingredients to do a shiitake and leek kugel, I can't even face the thought of it. I'll try to make an omelet out of the mushrooms. I am enjoying though pizza made from a board of matzoh, layered with kosher le Pesach spaghetti sauce and then the top has grated cheese. It's put into a hot oven for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

The nausea has lessened which is great but the lack of appetite and taste buds going flooey is still weird. I've lost about 8 pounds since going onto Byetta. My blood glucose numbers are great so I hope that Gilly eases up a bit and lets me enjoy my food again.

Chag Sameach!! Happy Passover!!

2008-04-18T15:02:00.006+01:00

Pesach starts tomorrow at sundown. It gets tricky this year because it is also the Shabbath.

This year I was brave and made my own Chrain (horseradish). My son always complains that the horseradish with beets I always buy is never strong enough. I bought the root at Golders Green where I go for all my Passover items. I was in a bit of a pickle though. The recipe called for wine vinegar, which I could not find. I did find one type but it had malt in it. So I got the bright idea of buying jars of pickled onions and using the vinegar from that, which worked out perfectly. I can't stand pickled onions.

So I cut the root up and then put it in the food processor and covered the tube holes. I thought this is easy, no fumes...Yeah right until I took the top off and placed it in the sink to soak and then wash. Dummy me then stood over the topless food processor and I swore I went blind. The fumes were so strong. I added the vinegar and managed to put the entire concoction in the jar without too many tears.

Will my son complain that it is too weak? I don't think so.

The Seder plate will be on the table as will the cups, one for Miriam and one for Elijah.

Miriam's Cup is a new ritual for the Passover seder. Its purpose is to honor the role of Miriam the Prophetess in the Exodus and to highlight the contributions of women to Jewish culture, past and present.

Miriam’s Cup originated in a Boston Rosh Chodesh group in the late 1980’s. Based on the Legend of Miriam’s Well, Stephanie Loo Ritari created a new ritual. A member of the group led a guided meditation during which women gained inspiration and renewal from the Mayim Chayyim (Living Waters) of Miriam’s well, and the group drank from a special vessel called Kos Miriam (The Cup of Miriam).

Members of the group found the ritual so empowering that they adopted the idea of using Kos Miriam on Shabbat. The idea of using Kos Miriam at the Passover Seder was a natural progression because of Miriam’s central role in the Exodus story.

"Zot Kos Miryam, kos mayim hayim. Zeikher l'yitziat Mitztrayim.

This is the Cup of Miriam, the cup of living waters. Let us remember the Exodus from Egypt. These are the living waters, God's gift to Miriam, which gave new life to Israel as we struggled with ourselves in the wilderness. Blessed are You God, Who brings us from the narrows into the wilderness, sustains us with endless possibilities, and enables us to reach a new place."

A few years ago I realised that the Haggadahs we were using were getting too tatty so I decided to make my own. So using the ones we had used for years as a base I added things that I thought would make the Seder more meaningful. I like it, my son thinks it is too feminist. Oh well.

Oh food? Well, this is really lovely.

Vegetarian Chopped "Liver"

Serves: 4
5 hard boiled eggs
1 cup of walnuts
2 chopped medium onions, sautéed (in a little oil)
salt and black pepper to taste

Put the eggs, walnuts and onions (with any remaining oil left) in a food processor.

Taste to season.

Serve warm or cold.

Byetta and me

2008-03-11T15:50:00.002Z

Yesterday I called the diabetes nurse to see what was going on with the possibility of me going on to Byetta. Apparently she left a message a few days ago which I didn't get but I had a doctor's appointment in about 2.5 hours to see if I fit the criteria to go onto a Byetta trial.

I went and yes I now take 2 injections a day of lizard spit.

What's Byetta I hear you mutter.

BYETTA (bye-A-tuh) is the first in a class of medicines for type 2 diabetes called incretin mimetics. BYETTA is an injectable medicine used to improve glucose (blood sugar) control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It can be used with metformin, a sulfonylurea, or a thiazolidinedione.

Since I take the highest dosage of Metformin I do fit the profile.

One good side effect is Byetta is that it may reduce appetite and the amount of food that is eaten so I can hopefully lose weight too.

So I took the first painful jab last night right before I had supper. Why was it painful? Because I held the stomach too tight (wasn't going to write held the fat). That caused pain. This morning, it was painless. Yay me!

As soon as I could I pre-ordered David Mendosa's 'Losing Weight with Your Diabetes Medication' from http://www.amazon.com. I highly recommend this book for those on Byetta or on any diabetes medication. It's really helped me in these few hours since I've been on Byetta.

So far I haven't had any real nausea, which is apparently, the main and major side effect.

This month I will be on 5 micrograms and then I will be switched to 10. Should prove interesting.

I'll let you know how I make out.

Purim is coming!

2008-03-06T14:27:00.005Z

Thursday - Sunday
13-16 Adar II, 5768
March 20-23, 2008

Just a brief explanation of Purim and then the recipes begin!

The Holiday of Purim includes the fast day called Taanis Esther, the day of Purim and the day of Shushan Purim.

On Thursday, the 20th - We fast from 3 hours before daybreak until after nightfall.

On Friday the 21st Purim Day

* The Al Hanisim prayer is added in the Amida.
* Special Torah Reading
* Megilla reading
* Giving of Mishloach Manot - food gifts
* Matanot L'evyonim - Charity to the poor
* Festive meal in the afternoon after Mincha services.

Sunday, the 23rd is Shushan Purim
This day is celebrated as Purim Day in Jerusalem.

In case you're wondering Saturday is the Shabbath.

Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm "lots", related to Akkadian pūru) is a rabbinically ordained Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from Haman's plot to annihilate all of them in the ancient Persian Empire as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther.

The Jews were in the Babylonian captivity because Babylonia had destroyed Solomon's Temple and dispersed the defeated Jews of the Kingdom of Judah. Babylonia was in turn conquered by Persia.

Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Book of Esther, giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, and a celebratory meal (Esther 9:22); other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration. Queen Esther was a vegetarian.

What are hamantaschen?

Hamantaschen are 3 corner pastries with a filling.

There are two possible origins of the name. The most popular theory is that the name hamantash (המן־טאַש), which literally means "Haman's pocket," is a reference to Haman (also known as Homen), the villain of Purim, as described in the Book of Esther.

A more likely source of the name is a corruption of the Yiddish word מאן־טאשן (montashn) or the German word mohntaschen, both meaning poppyseed-filled pouches.

Over time, this name was transformed to hamantashen, likely by association with Haman. In Israel, they are called אוזני המן (Oznei Haman), Hebrew for "Haman's ears."

My mom cheats when she makes hers, she buys already made fillings. I, on the other hand, make my own, which are easy to make. There are so many different types of doughs and fillings and I will try to give a good variety.

Here's my swear by recipes.

Hamantaschen..makes 24

5oz/125g/2/3 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 eggs (reserve a little for gilding hamantaschen)
4 fl oz/100ml/1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla essence (extract)
Grated rind of 1/2 orange
12oz/300g/3 cups flour (half plain, half self-raising) or 12 oz/300g/3 cups plain flour and 1 1/2 level tsp baking powder

Whisk eggs until thick, then whisk in the sugar, oil and seasonings.
Finally stir in enough flour to make a rollable dough.
Roll out pastry 1/4 inch thick and cut into 3 inch circles.
Put a spoonful of filling on dough, then draw up to form a triangle and pinch the edges firmly together.
Brush the tops with a little beaten egg.
Bake in a moderate oven, Gas Mark 4/350F/180C for 30 minutes.

Apple Filling

1 lb peeled, cored and sliced apples
Juice and rind of a small lemon
3 oz/75g/1/3 cup sugar

Butter a pan, put apple, sugar,and juice in layers.
Cover and cook gently until tender.
Uncover and cook longer to drive off any excess liquid.
Cool.

This is surprisingly easy to do and it is really nice.

Prune Filling

1/2 lb/200g;/1 1/4 cup tenderized prunes
3 oz/75g/1/2 cup raisins
2 oz/50g/1/2 cup walnuts
Juice and rind of 1 lemon
4 oz/100g/1/2 cup sugar

Soak prunes and raisins overnight.
Remove stones.
Chop or mince with remaining ingredients.

That's it. Add to dough.

Taken from Evelyn Rose's 'The Complete International Jewish Cookbook'.

Beans are also traditional eaten so here is my friend T's recipe for Roasted Chickpeas.

Crispy Chick peas from Tubby or Not Tubby

First, open the can, drain and rinse. The rinsing will lead to less gas and fewer embarrasing excuses that invariably involve an old and innocent family pet.

Now take an old fashioned Baggie, not the pricey kind with ziplocs, but the big old fellows that need a bag tie.

Dump the peas into the bag and throw a TBLS of oil in after them. You can use olive oil if you wish, but since the peas are going to be subjected to a lot of heat, I prefer canola oil.

Puff out the bag so it resembles a balloon. Twist the top to keep the peas from escaping and shake the life out of it.

Stop shaking when every pea is coated with oil. Sample one or two to be sure; now stop snacking and add more oil if needed and resume shaking.

Now stare into your spice cupboard scratching your head until inspiration strikes. You may settle for (yawn) salt. I chose the Mrs Dash spice blend. Go crazy here and share your discovery.

Take a tsp or two of your selected salt/spice and throw it into the baggie. Sample again and add more to taste.

Shake up any peas that still remain after your wanton snacking and sampling. Shake till they're speckled with spicing.

Cover the pan with a sheet of foil. I like Release because nothing sticks to it. These likely won't stick to ordinary foil anyway, unless you like a lot of spice and totally cover up the film of oil on the individual peas, in which case,you're pretty well on your own...

Put the pan on the lower rack of an oven preheated to 400 degrees. If you've used the Release and precoated the peas you won't have to turn them.

When the first peas start turning black, don't panic. There are always a handful of wimpy chickpeas in every can that will discolor before their canmates. This is their futile bid to escape being eaten. At my place it doesn't work. Eat the suckers anyway and teach 'em a lesson.

Now put the other chickpeas back in till a few more start to blacken.

The remainder should be more or less uniform in their goldenness.
And every last one will be crisp.

I mention this to emphasize that, while chickpeas may seem to be dull and insensitive creatures --no doubt resulting from their identity crisis -- they're never quite sure if they're chickpeas, garbanzos or cicis -- they are in fact extremely sensitive and often appear to have a mind of their own.

They will demand your full attention during the latter stages of cookery. You'll know you have it right when you sink your teeth into one and it snaps in two like a peanut. If it's the least bit chewy, it's undercooked.

I should also add that these were canned peas. The procedure may or may not work as well with dried and soaked chickpeas. These things are just so damned tasty that I prefer to limit myself to the fixed quantities in the can.

Besides nibbling on them I add them to salads.

This is my favorite challah recipe, also taken from Evelyn's cookbook.

Easy Challah Recipe (Evelyn Rose)

It makes 1 very large plait or 2 medium plaits

1lb (4 cups) 'bread' flour
2 level tsp salt
3 level tsp superfine sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/2 oz fresh yeast or 2 level tsp dried yeast
1 large egg plus 1 yolk; or 2 standard eggs
8fl oz warm water

Heat the water until it feels as warm as a baby's bottom. Put into mixer bowl.

Add one third of the flour, all the sugar, and the yeast.

Mix until smooth, cover with a tea towel and leave for 20 minutes until it looks frothy.

Now add all the remaining flour, the salt, oil, and egg (saving the yolk or half of one standard egg for glazing the bread)

Mix with the dough hook at minimum speed until a dough forms then knead with the hook at low speed or 3 minutes.

Tip the dough on to a floured board and knead with the hands for 30 seconds to shape a ball - it should have a scone texture. (By hand alone, the dough should be kneaded 5-6 minutes or until smooth)

Put this ball into a greased bag(large enough for the dough to double in size). Fasten bag loosely.

To rise:
Put the dough at the bottom of the refigerator for 12-24 hours, whichever is more convenient.

To shape:
Take the risen dough from the fridge and leave in the kitchen for about half an hour or until it loses its chill.

To make one large plait:
Divide the dough into 3 or 6 pieces. Knead each piece into a round, then roll into a sausage about 12 inches. Press the strands firmly together at one end, then plait tightly (the 6 strand plait makes a better shape). Put the plait on a greased tray.

To make 2 medium plaits:
Divide the dough in 2 and work on each half in exactly the same way.

Then;
Put the loaves into a greased plastic bag and leave until they regain their lightness, springing back when touched with a floured finger - about half an hour in the kitchen. Brush over with the reserved egg, diluted with 1 tsp water and 1 tsp salt. Scatter with poppy seeds.

To bake:
Put in a hot oven 475F degrees for 15 minutes, then turn down to 375F for a further 30 minutes for the small loaves and a further 45 minutes for the large loaves.

To test:
When the loaves are cooked, they will be a rich brown and will sound hollow when the base is tapped.

To make rolls:
The risen dough can be used to make approximately 16 rolls, depending on the size. When at room temperature, divide into 16 pieces.

Raw Food

2008-02-16T18:31:00.002Z

Thanks to my friend Elaine I've become interested in eating raw foods.

The definition of being a raw foodist is eating unheated and unprocessed fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds.

As a vegetarian for the past 25 years I thought that it would be easy to just jump into it. Not so. Also being a diabetic has given me some problems if I just want to eat fruit. I'm afraid that my blood sugar would go up.

I found Shazzie.com and that has helped me immensely. She kept a fantastic food diary when she began and I've been checking out what she ate. While reading raw food 'cook' books, reading what a raw foodist eats so much better, in my opinion.

http://www.shazzie.com/

Also Karen Knowler, the Raw Food Coach, has a fantastic site for information.

http://www.therawfoodcoach.com/start_here.php

Karen puts food into different groups:

"Fresh fruits; Vegetables; Salad vegetables; Leafy green vegetables; Herbs and wild greens; Nuts; Dried fruits; Beans, pulses and legumes (sprouted); Grains (sprouted); Seeds; Sprouting seeds; Indoor greens; Vegetable seeds (sprouted); Edible flowers; Mushrooms; Sea vegetables; Algaes; Oils; Stimulants (e.g. chilli, ginger, onion); Spices; Superfoods; Flavourings and natural sweeteners (e.g. agave nectar, stevia)."

I already have at least 1 salad a day so I am on my way. One huge problem is I'm going to visit my parents in May/June and I can't eat raw foods when I am there. After all these years my mom still can't understand my vegetarianism.

A great vegetable nutrition chart produced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can be found at:

http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/issues/Issue%20400/Vegetables%20Nutrition%20Chart.pdf

I never knew that onions were that high in carbs.

You know those little Chia animals that you can buy and then 'grow' their hair? You can eat the seeds.

Information on chia seeds (Salvia hispanica) and recipes:

http://www.naturalnews.com/022468.html

Chia Pets are grown by applying moistened seeds of chia (Salvia hispanica), the sprout-like plant from whose common name the Chia Pet gets its name, to the grooved terra cotta figurine body. After three to five days consisting of filling and refilling the Chia Pet with water as well as discarding water that has accumulated in the provided drip tray, the seeds sprout, having formed a gelatinous coat that adheres to the Chia Pet's body. At this point, little effort is required to maintain the Chia Pet, whose plant counterpart grows into a verdurous covering.

Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food that is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, since it is the vegetable source with the most Omega 3 content, specifically α-linolenic acid or ALA. It also adds antioxidants and a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Here's Garfield as a Chia Pet

So come Monday I will start to eat 3 meals as a raw foodist. I'll keep you up-to-date about it.

The books I've bought so far are:

'Raw Living' by Kate Wood

'The Raw Energy Bible' by Leslie Kenton

'Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People' by Jennifer Cornbleet

Alissa Cohen's book, Living on Raw Food comes highly recommended as was Natalia Rose's Raw Food Detox Diet.

~Senior Moments~

2008-01-25T18:45:00.000Z

Boy did I have a huge senior moment today.

There was a knock on the door and it was the postman with a large bag. He said that it was plants. I thanked him and thought that's early since my next delivery was in February.

To my shock, it was 5 Alstroemerias (Peruvian Lilies). They were ugly with their bare roots. They looked like spiders.

I don't remember ordering them. I then realised that I have 5 more shipments coming!! Bulbs and more bulbs and I think plants.

All I can think is I did take up the offer from a national newspaper. I honestly don't remember ordering them.

So I'll have to go back to the shop and buy more pots and more compost. There won't be any room in my small garden by time everything arrives and has to be planted.

So I planted the roots, 3 in one pot and 2 in another. One paper said to plant them horizontally. Strange. I just stuck the roots in the compost.

And why can't compost bags be lighter?

Oh, I just hope the summer will bring sun and lots of flowers for me.

Happy New Year!!

2007-12-31T20:57:00.001Z

Another year has just about gone and where am I?

I've lost some weight, I'm in more pain, can't walk as far with my stick as I could last year, discovered I was really anemic, haven't been able to control my blood sugars, and became a Senior Community Host on the Prevention site. So it was a mixed bag.

The good news was a friend and her husband had a healthy baby boy. Yay Rio!!

My son got a job and seems to like it.

My parents seem to be in good health but my sister isn't.

We discovered this year that some of my paternal grandmother's step siblings died in concentration camps or in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.

So what will 2008 have in store for me? Well, my 40th high school reunion. Am I that old? I haven't been to any of them and would love to go to this one. Sarah!! Send me an invite please.

I'm planning on visiting the states again in 2008, in the late Spring, early Summer. I hope to visit the Prevention office in New York City and meet some of the descartesbabes. Spend a night or 2 in NYC so other Babes can come up/over so we can finally meet.

I want to get my blood sugar down so I will feel better and keep my vision and feet. I want to lose weight too.

I signed up for 'Choose to Move' with the American Heart Association.

http://www.choosetomove.org/

12 Week Overview

Whether you're a busy mom, a career woman, or enjoying your golden years, Choose To Move can help you become more physically active. This step-by-step program takes you through simple exercises and offers great tips for increasing your physical activity and reaching your goals.

Over the next 12 weeks, you'll learn new strategies to improve your health. Each week, you'll focus on developing new skills that will help you accomplish your objectives. You also can download charts and worksheets to help you track your progress. It may be helpful to keep these documents in a special binder so you can refer to them throughout the program.

It's important not to skip ahead since Choose To Move uses a one-step-at-a-time approach.

Week 1: Choosing to move

Week 2: Creating a plan of action

Week 3: Strengthening your resolve

Week 4: Accentuating the positive

Week 5: Avoiding traps and trip-ups

Week 6: Reaching for more

Week 7: De-stressing the stressed out

Week 8: Finding community resources

Week 9: Lapsing and snapping back

Week 10: Staying motivated

Week 11: Planning for the future

Week 12: Keep moving, keep choosing

I'm going to download the charts tomorrow and really start in earnest with this.

I'll also be following The South Beach Diet, which is good for diabetics and vegetarians to use.

So I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

Happy Xmas!!

2007-12-25T16:39:00.000Z

Happy Xmas everyone!

No snow as usual. The weather person said today was either going to be foggy or soggy. Where I live turned out to be foggy.

Tomorrow is Boxing Day so most shops will be closed, buses and trains won't be running.

I hope that you and yours had a wonderful day together. Those traveling a safe journey.

My son finds the most unusual and funny sites. Have a look.

http://www.scroogeyourself.com/?id=1780730337

Happy Hanukkah!!

2007-12-05T21:15:00.001Z

Chag Sameach!!!

It's the second night of Hanukkah and I thought I would share some recipes.

Latke..serves 5-6

4 large potatoes (2 cups when grated)
2 beaten eggs
4 level tbsp self-raising flour or 4 level tbsp plain flour and 1 level tsp baking powder
1 level tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Grate potatoes so finely that they are almost a pulp.
Leave in a sieve to drain for 10 minutes.
Put in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
In a heavy frying pan put enough oil to come to a depth of 1/2 inch.
When it is hot, put in tablespoons of mixture, flattening each latke with the back of spoon.
Cook over steady moderate heat, 5 minutes on each side, until a rich brown.
Drain on paper towel and serve at once.

*After it is grated I put the pulp in a J cloth (sturdy paper cloth) and then squeeze the stuffing out of it. The drier the pulp the crisper the latke will be.

Matzoh Meal Pancakes (kremlach)

2 eggs
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp superfine sugar
2/3 cup of warm water
6 level tbsp fine matzoh meal

Beat the eggs and 2 tablespoons of the water until thick.
Gradually, add the meal and the sugar and enough additional water to make a thick batter that just drops from the spoon.
Fry in oil 1/4 inch thick or a mixture of 1/4 cup butter and 1 tbsp of oil until golden and puffy.
Turn and cook the other side.
Serve hot off the pan plain or with cinnamon sugar.

Serves 4

These 2 recipes came from an Evelyn Rose cookbook.

I made this today to go with tomorrow's latkes. It was easier and quicker than I thought it would be.

CHUNKY CINNAMON APPLESAUCE

2 pounds sweet or tart cooking apples
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 to 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, or to taste

Peel, halve and core apples. Cut them into thin wedges or slices. Heat butter in large, heavy, deep saute pan or flameproof casserole. Add
apples and saute over medium-high heat, turning pieces over from time to time, 2 minutes or until they are coated with butter. Add lemon juice.
Cover tightly and cook over low heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes or until apples are very tender.

Stir in cinnamon and 4 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until mixture is thick and nearly all liquid in pan evaporates.
Taste and add more sugar if desired. Heat briefly to dissolve sugar.
Serve warm or cold.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

French Market in the rain

2007-12-05T12:42:00.000Z

After going to a German Market in the town several months ago, the photos are here,I couldn't wait to go to the French one. Sadly, it was raining so the photos might not be that great.

I was hoping that there would be a great olive stall but there wasn't one. It shared tables with other bits and pieces but I did buy.

Tis the Fromage Man!!

A stall where you can learn your onions.

Biscuit (cookie) stall

Pain Stall

The Bonbon (candy) Stall

These continental markets appear to be very popular especially before X-mas. I just wish that there were more choices. There is supposedly a Gala Weekend in Hitchin this weekend so I might go and see what's going on. I am also on a quest for kosher vegetarian burgers.

Live from Germany: The Jewish Service Heard Around the World

2007-12-01T18:05:00.000Z

My cousin sent me this.

With Hanukkah fast approaching I thought that this would be appropriate to post.

Hanukkah means 'Dedication' and we should never forget our past.

A Raptor Treat

2007-11-17T14:49:00.000Z

I went into town this morning to get the papers when walking to the post box to post something I noticed a stall that was put up in front of hmv, the music store.

When I got to the stall I noticed some owls and other birds sitting on tree stumps.

The stall was put up by the Cambridgeshire Raptor Foundation which is a Bird of Prey Sanctuary and Hospital.

It is located in 30 acres and it is home to over 300 raptors and more than 44 species, many threatened or endangered. Among the birds are Owls, Hawks, Falcons,Buzzards, Vultures, and Eagles.

I took some photos with my mobile phone so apologises for any dark photos. I think for now on I will be carrying my camera with me.

I also got permission from 2 of the displayers after explaining what a blog was to publish this.

The Raptor Foundation, Cambridgeshire:

*Provides rehabilitated birds to the wild.

*Provides sanctuary for unreleasable raptors.

*Provides research into environmental problems and conservation matters.

*Breeds from injured raptors so that the offspring may take their place in the wild.

*Provides visitors an opportunity to meet and learn about birds of prey.

At the Centre is a Tea Room, Gift Shop, Bed & Breakfast, Raptor Kraft Shop, Exhibition Room, Camp Site and Guided Tours.

Contact the Centre for admission charges or look at their website.

All proceeds contribute to the care and rehabilitation of injured birds of prey.

Membership, adoption, hunting days (of the birds) and meet the bird days forms available on request.

Open 7 days a week, 10:00am to 5:00pm
Flying Displays, 12 noon, 2pm, and 4pm (weather permitting)

There is also Twilight Flying.

The Raptor Foundation
The Heath, St Ives Road
Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3BT
Tel: 01487 741140
Email: heleowl@aol.com
Website: http://www.raptorfoundation.org.uk

It's November so it must be Santa's Grotto time!!

2007-11-13T16:00:00.000Z

The lights are up around the town center but they won't be turned on until the 22nd. I saw the huge tree that will be decorated.

Last Saturday in the little mall we have in the town center a Santa's Grotto was put up so I went to take some photos. I had to go early so I wouldn't take photos of the kidlets.

The tariff to see Santa, to have your photo taken with him and if you want a prezzie from him.

When I was standing there a young couple came up, looked at the price list and said that they couldn't afford it because they had 3 children.

Right now with the rate of exchange an English pound is 2 dollars. So the £4 is roughly $8.

November is America's Diabetes Month

2007-11-08T20:57:00.000Z

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. The cause of diabetes continues to be a mystery, although both genetics and environmental factors such as obesity and lack of exercise appear to play roles.

There are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million have been diagnosed with diabetes, unfortunately, 6.2 million people (or nearly one-third) are unaware that they have the disease.

There are 3 major types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Most Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed because many of its symptoms seem so harmless. Recent studies indicate that the early detection of diabetes symptoms and treatment can decrease the chance of developing the complications of diabetes.

Some diabetes symptoms include:

* Frequent urination
* Excessive thirst
* Extreme hunger
* Unusual weight loss
* Increased fatigue
* Irritability
* Blurry vision

If you have one or more of these diabetes symptoms, see your doctor right away.

So you've been diagnosed with diabetes, either type 1 or 2.

Take a deep breath.

Don't panic.

It is a scary disease and a worrisome one.

You can control your blood glucose and live a good life.

The way to do that is to learn all you can about your diabetes, how it affects you and how to make sure that your A1c and daily numbers are in the accepted range.

You will come across the letters..YMMV, it means that Your Mileage May Vary. What works for one person may not work for you. In my case, I can't eat oatmeal, but others can and enjoy it. (and I love oatmeal :()

The more you know about the disease and how it affects you and how you can control it will give you more confidence.

In the beginning (May 19,2004) I think that I joined more diabetes' forums and boards than you can shake a stick at. lol Now after 18 months I have only 3-4 of them to look at. I know what I can and can't eat and I do enjoy the occasionally 'forbidden' thing.

You don't really have to deprive yourself of everything you love. An occasional treat won't make you blind or make your toes fall off.

Make sure you get your eyes tested every year, see your foot doctor, see the dietican, and go to diabetes classes.

Oh, another thing. Test yourself as much as possible. Living in England I am lucky to get all the testing strips I want/need, while I have heard in the states it depends on your medical carrier and how much you can afford.

Testing: first thing in the morning, before and after meals, and before bed. Now some people say to test 1 hour, 90 minutes, or 2 hours after a meal. I'll leave that up to you. When approaching a new food, make sure you test yourself before and after. That way you'll know if it can be added to your future menus.

One other thing. You might have heard of the 5 Steps of Grieving. It happens when someone close to you dies or you suffer a great loss. This might happen to you. A part of you is gone forever but in a way, losing that part might just make you healthier in the long run.

Developing diabetes makes you stop and reassess you life.

You will be eating healthier and despite the diabetes you can live that long life.

5 Steps of Grieving

DENIAL --- "No, this can't be right. There's no diabetes in the family. I watch what I eat. Okay, I'm a little overweight. I can't be a diabetic."

ANGER --- "What?? I can't be! I'm not fat, I exercise and I eat well'. 'Redo the test!"

BARGAINING -- "Please G-d, if I am good I won't be diabetic any more."

DEPRESSION --- "Oh G-d, what am I going to do. I can't eat my favorite foods any more. I feel like a pin cushion. I have to watch everything that goes in my mouth for the rest of my life. My meds don't seem to work. I don't want to go onto insulin. I wish I was dead."

ACCEPTANCE --- "Ok. I have diabetes.I'll read all I can and live a good longlife."

Book suggestions, please feel free to add your own favorites, the more educated we are, the better control we will have.

****Gretchen Becker, The First Year—Type Two Diabetes: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed. (The best book for newbies)

Richard K. Bernstein, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution.(a big book, full of information)

Alan L. Rubin, Diabetes for Dummies.

Jennie Brand-Miller et al., The New Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index—The Dietary Solution for Lifelong Health.

Web sites:

I love this guy. He has created, I feel, the best diabetes web site.

http://www.mendosa.com/diabetes.htm

Joslin Diabetes Center (a lot of good information)

http://www.joslin.org/main.shtml

American Diabetes Association

http://www.diabetes.org/home.jsp

For those in the UK

http://www.diabetes.org.uk/

For those in Australia:

http://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/home/index.htm

Children with diabetes:

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/index_cwd.htm

Other diabetes sites that might be of interest:

http://www.diabetesnet.com/

http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/

For those with One Touch meters

http://www.lifescan.com/care/

For those with Accu chek meters

http://www.accu-chek.co.uk/gb/

I'm adding this link to help ease any confusion between mmol/L used in Europe and mg/dl used in the states.

http://www.diabetestoolbox.com/convertingbloodsugar.asp

So a 7.0 in England is 126 in the U.S.

Converting glucose readings to A1c:

http://www.geocities.com/diabeteschart/bloodsugarchart.html

Here's another for those who use mmol/l

http://www.rajeun.net/HbA1c_glucose.html

Ignore his comments, they are his own opinions and as you can see not quite what the ADA nor diabetes-uk would agree with.

I found a great chart to convert US and International Lipids Measures for Cholesterol, LDL, HDL .

I find that I need this to explain to Americans what my total cholesterol number is so they can understand it. People who speak a common language still have problems.

http://heart.kumu.org/cholcomp.html

You can live many years if you keep your blood sugar at the recommended levels.

My motto is: "I want to die with my feet on".

I love my Gorilla

2007-11-08T20:52:00.000Z

A friend on a message board posted a link to a site that talked about a Gorilla Sandwich. My friend, Elaine, eats only raw foods and the thought of this sandwich really appealed to her.

So I tried making one after reading about it on the site.

http://gorillasandwich.com/

You get a cucumber, I got a half just to try it out, and then hollow it out. It was a Spanish cucumber which seemed to have a thicker skin. After the innards are out and all the liquid, you can start layering the good stuff in.

I got an avocado and shmushed it up with some spring onions (scallions) I then put a layer of it in the cucumber. Then a layer of small diced tomatoes and then some sliced black olives and then another layer of the avocado. That's all I had room for.

Discussing it with friends we thought that tuna or chicken salad could be added if you eat meat. Any type of food that you like would do. Fresh fruit would be good too.

It would be a perfect cool snack in the summer.

Hitchin, an old market town

2007-10-15T11:11:00.000+01:00

In 1978 I moved to Hitchin with my then husband. In 1979 I gave birth to our first child, a lovely daughter. We lived in a flat that was in Garrison Court, virtually across the street from the market square.

Although now best known for it's weekly market Hitchin's history stretches far back in time.

The earliest part of Hitchin's history begin with King Offa of Mercia, who founded a religious house in AD792 on land occupied by the Hicce tribe. This was the beginning of Hitchin's parish church, second only in size to St Albans Abbey in the county.

In the Domesday Book of 1086 Hitchin is recorded as a Royal Manor and by medieval times it was a thriving town on the banks of the River Hiz. Today it still gives an air of peace and prosperity.

The present church dates from the 13th century and was built with money from the wool trade. The surrounding lands favored the breeding of sheep on the hillsides, while the flat land grew excellent crops of wheat, barley and lavender, and trade grew rapidly.

St Mary's Church taken across the River Hiz

After the 17th century, Hitchin became a frequent staging post for London coaches and many of the inns from that time, with their picturesque courtyards, can still be seen in Hitchin's narrow streets.

One of the old coaching inns that still exists. It is now a pub and a B&B. In fact my parents stayed in The Cock once when they visited us.

By the middle of the 19th century the railway had arrived, and with it a new way of life for Hitchin. The Corn Exchange was built in the Market Place and within a short time Hitchin established itself as a major center for grain trading.

The latter half of the 20th century has also brought great changes in communication to Hitchin. Motorways have shortened the journey time and brought Luton, a few miles away on the Ml, and the Al(M) even closer.

Some photos of the town.

I'll be taking more photos of Hitchin and will add them here.

In 1981 we moved to Stevenage. We had another child, a son.

I'm still in Stevenage

The Baby Loss Awareness Campaign

2007-10-13T17:32:00.000+01:00

Today in Hitchin's Market Square there were several charity stalls and activities for the kiddies.

One of them was North Hertfordshire's SANDS. SANDS stands for Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society

.

SANDS supports anyone affected by the death of a baby and promoting research to reduce the loss of babies' lives.

I went today because they were having a balloon release in memory of babies who have died during pregnancy or at/soon after birth. I wanted to release a balloon for a baby that touched my heart even though we had never met.

I became friends with Hayley through a message board. She became pregnant and I was honored and privileged to be included in the updates of her bump.

Phoebe Jean came early and sadly Hayley and her husband were told that they wouldn't have Phoebe for long. Six weeks after Phoebe was born she passed peacefully in her parents' arms.

So I got a pink balloon, wrote Phoebe's name on it and let it go to the heavens so she could play with it.

On Monday October 15th at 7pm where ever you are in the world, please light a candle that will burn for at least 1 hour.

You will then be taking part in the global 'Wave of Light' in memory of all the babies who lit up our lives for such a short time.

Did you know that 17 babies are stillborn or die within the first 4 weeks of their young lives - that's over 6,2000 babies in the UK!

SANDS offers support to anyone affected by the death of a baby and works with health professionals to improve the quality of services provided. It also promotes research into the causes of stillbirths and neonatal deaths and changes in practice that could reduce the loss of babies' lives.

For more information in the UK go to: http://www.uk-sands.org

In the USA go to: http://www.babyloss-awareness.org/

And ibs wins again. :(

2007-10-03T17:11:00.000+01:00

Sad to say I had to give up the cabbage soup diet due to a bout of irritable bowel syndrome. So I decided then to go back to the South Beach Diet, which is tried and true and good for diabetics. All went well with that until the pistachios decided to do a tap dance on the above said bowels. What have I ever done to pistachios that they would hate me so?

So I am doing what I did before and did lose weight. Please don't tell any of my SBD friends. lol

Oh, what am I doing? I have a small bag of crisps, salt and vinegar as a snack. It's 25 grams,131 calories,the carbs are only 12.5 grams but with the fiber of 1.0g, it lowers the carbs to 11.5. The fat content is 8.3 grams. More importantly it satisfies a mouth hunger and a tummy rumble.

For my main meal I have something vegetarian, natch, around 1:30pm, so you can say I just have 1 meal a day. I might snack with the crisps or have an avocado, or something that might have take my fancy in a supermarket. It works for me. Before the diabetes decided to reside in me I would only have 1 meal a day, so this way of eating makes me happy.

2007-09-26T12:30:00.000+01:00

This says it all.

Despite everything that happened to them, they still had Hatikva (The Hope)

2007-09-25T16:50:00.000+01:00

This came to me via email from my cousin Gerald and my sister Marla. And now it comes to you. Make sure you have a tissue by your side.

Scott Simon of NPR reports on a rare recording of "Hatikva " from almost 62 years ago. If this doesn't give you goosebumps I don't know what will.

It was recorded by a British reporter on April 20, 1945 in Bergen-Belsen when the British army liberated the few thousand survivors in the concentration camp, half of which were Jewish, most of them at the extremes of their strength. It was recently discovered and apparently was loaned to NPR by the Smithsonian Institute.

The British priest organized prayers for Kabbalat Shabbat for the Jews. It was the first time after six years of war and after more than 10 years of persecution. With a lot of effort the Jews organized themselves and, knowing they were recorded, sang " Hatikva".

As you can hear they sang the original version as it was written by Naftali Imber.

Picturing them in the midst of the concentration camp singing afterall they had been through renders this a very moving scenario.

Put Your Speakers On.

http://genealogy.org.il/BergenBelsenHatikva.mp3

Experimenting with the Cabbage Soup Diet

2007-09-24T11:11:00.000+01:00

When I was taking courses to become a counselor one of my classmates came in one day saying that she found a great detox diet and she had started it. I looked at the copy she had and was interested. At that time I was over 300 pounds and not very healthy. Okay, about 356 pounds, see confession is good for the soul but oh so embarrassing.

When I got come from college I went straight to the computer and 'googled' Cabbage Soup Diet. I found pro and con articles, simple versions and more detailed versions. I did find one site that I liked.

The site was owned by an American dentist and his version of the CSD was good. So I copied and then started it. A funny ending to that site is the dentist realised how many hits he was getting, the CSD was big then, so he closed it down and you had to pay to get the diet. My timing was superb.

So in the first week I lost 17 pounds. Oh yes I did. Okay, it was mostly fluid but it did give me boost. According to the instructions I then had to go off the diet for 2 days. My body really missed the way I had been eating.

In 4 months doing this way of eating I lost 54 pounds. The rest dropped off as I tried other diets. I gained weight on Weight Watchers.

As a diabetic my big problem is really day 1 and day 4 when fruit is mainly eaten. I decided to find low GI fruit to do it and see how I go. So I picked pears, apples and mangoes. The mangoes, hopefully, will be ripen by the veggie and fruit day so I can add it to salads.

So here is my version of the Cabbage Soup Diet. I know that a book has come out, 'The New Cabbage Soup Diet' which allows you dairy and other foods but I'm sticking to something that I know works.

So if you want to join me, then please let me know so we can support each other.

Basic Cabbage Fat Burning Soup Recipe

Soup

6 medium onions
2 green or red peppers
6 carrots
1 parsnip or celery root
4-6 stalks celery
3 whole tomatoes or one 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
1 large head red or white cabbage
2 cubes Vegetarian or Chicken Bouillon

Possible seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic, Italian seasonings, curry, hot sauce, parsley, dill, soy sauce, ginger, or other dried spices, as desired.
Consider dividing the basic soup into half during preparation and seasoning each half differently to allow you a variety of taste possibilities at different meals.

Preparation:
1. Cut the vegetables in small to medium pieces place in an 8 quart pot.
2. Add the seasonings and add the water/stock almost to the top of the pot.
3. Bring to a boil and boil briskly for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce to a simmer and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, about 30minutes.
5. Taste soup and adjust seasonings to your preference.
6. Let the soup cool and store in several containers, freezing half if you wish.

General Guidelines: the soup can be eaten anytime you are hungry. Try to eat a bowlful at each meal and as much as you like, whenever you want.
This soup will not add weight. The more you eat, the more weight you will lose.

For best results, do not substitute anything to the diet plan below. No popcorn, nor pistachios etc. If you ‘cheat’, your results will not be as pronounced. However, if you do slip up, forgive yourself, promise to do better, and immediately go back to following the plan.

Eat a big bowl of soup and think about how great you’ll look and feel at the end of the week.

Weigh yourself at the beginning of Day 1, Day 4, and Day 8.

Weigh yourself at the same time of the day (preferably in the morning before you have eaten anything) and wearing the same clothes or no clothes at all.

Record your progress on those days, but don’t worry about weighing yourself on the other days.

Concentrate on following the plan and be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Allowed drinks: Tea or coffee (unsweetened) and 6-8 glasses of water daily.

Avoid diet sodas. Positively no alcohol permitted.

Day One: Fruit Day
Eat as much as you like of any fresh fruits except bananas. No dried unpreserved or tinned fruit. Cantaloupe and watermelon are lower in calories than most fruit and are particularly good choices.
Eat only the soup and fruits.
If desired, you may have 8 ounces of apple or cranberry juice on this day only, however, it is more satisfying and less caloric to choose a fruit instead.

Day Two: Vegetable Day
Eat until you are stuffed with all the fresh, raw, or tinned veggies you like. Try to eat green leafy veggies, broccoli, spinach, kale, etc. Have a big salad for lunch and dinner, along with your soup.
Do not eat dry beans, peas, or corn.
At dinner time on this day only, reward yourself with a big jacket potato and 2 tsp butter or margarine plus, if you wish, vegetarian bacon-soy bits.
Do not eat any fruit.

Day Three: Fruit and Veggie Day
Eat all the soup, fruit, and veggies you want. However, do not eat potatoes, bananas, beans, peas, corn.

(TIP) Make a BIG bowl of salad, lettuce, and combine it with pre-washed pack of mixed greens. Then you can cut up apples and grapes and it to the bowl. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the apples so they won’t dis-colour. That way when you are hungry you can nibble from the bowl at any time.

If you have eaten for 3 days, as above, without cheating, you will find that you have lost 5-7 pounds.

Day 4: Banana/Peach/Pear Day
Eat up to 6 bananas or peaches or pears, and three 8z glasses of skim milk. Drink as many glasses of water you can on this day along with the soup for lunch and dinner. Bananas are high in calories and carbohydrates and so is the milk, but on this particular day your body will need the potassium and the carbs from fruit, and proteins and calcium to lessen your cravings for sweets.

(TIP)Cut up 2 bananas, put into blender, along with 4 ice cubes, and cover with skim milk. The ice cubes add an extra coldness so you won’t care what you are drinking.

Day 5:Tomato & Meat/Meat Substitute Day
Today you will consume 1-20 ounces of grilled or baked beef, skinless chicken or fish and tomatoes. The tomatoes can be tinned, juiced, or fresh. Your goal is to eat an equivalent (in whatever form) of 6 medium fresh tomatoes. Try to drink at least 6-8 glasses of water to wash away the uric acid in your body. You can broil fish.

Vegetarians may substitute 2 large Portobello mushrooms sautéed in1 tsp of butter and garlic or 6 ounces of marinated or BBQ tofu. Flavor with salt and pepper.

Eat the soup at less once this day.

(TIP) You can get mince , add the tomatoes, some lightly cooked broccoli and sort of have a pasta sauce without the pasta. Or I get a packet of Quorn cubes. Stir fry them in 2 tsp of oil, add the tomatoes, and some lightly cooked broccoli. I divide the Quorn pack into 2 for lunch and supper.

Day 6: Veggies & Meat/Meat Substitute Day
Again you will consume 10-20 ounces of beef, chicken, or fish (see above for vegetarians) and unlimited greens, leafy vegetables. Be sure to eat the soup at least once a day.

Day 7:Brown Rice &Vegetable Day
Eat up to 2 cups (16oz) of cooked brown rice, unsweetened fruit juice of any type (not cranberry) and unlimited veggies.
Be sure to have the soup at least once today.

(TIP)Make a risotto or a stir fry.

At the beginning of the 8th day, if you have not cheated on the above diet, you would have lost 10-17 pounds. If you have lost more than 15 pounds, stay off the diet for 2 full days before starting the diet again at Day 1. (When I had to go off it for the 2 days, I missed this way of eating)

General Notes: This 7 day eating plan can be used as often as you like each month. As a matter of fact, if correctly followed, it will clean your system of impurities and give you a feeling of wellbeing as never before.

This diet is fast fat burning and the secret is that you will burn more calories than you take in.

This diet DOES NOT lend itself to drinking ANY alcoholic beverages at any time because of the removal of the ft from your system.

Stay off the diet at least 24 hours before any intake of alcohol.

Because everyone’s digestive system is different, this diet will affect everyone differently.

After Day 3, you will have more energy than when you began if you did not cheat.

After being on the diet for several days, you will find your bowel movements have changed.

(TIP)Others have used a bit of bran, if you are a bit ‘bunged’ up, it does go away.

Make sure that you are drinking a lot of water, that really helps.

No fried foods or bread.

(TIP)Careful if you use an oil-free dressing. I find that the sweetener in them triggers off a craving so I use lemon juice.

Any prescribed medication will not hurt you on this diet.

Getting Ready For Rosh Hashanah

2007-09-10T12:57:00.000+01:00

"L'shana Tova -- Ketivah vi-chatima Tova!"

"For a good year -- You should be written and sealed in the Book of Life."

Rosh Hashanah starts on Wednesday night so I have searching for new and interesting recipes for the holiday.

In the end my menu for Erev Rosh Hashanah is:

Vegetarian chopped liver (to die for)

Golden lemon chicken (for the meat eater)

Mushroom strudel

A warm baby potato salad

Lightly steamed broccoli and salads

For dessert, wild blueberry cheesecakes.(bought, holding hands up)

I have to admit that since being diagnosed as a diabetic in 2004 I haven't made the honey cake I used to make and it was so good. I had to make it 2 weeks before the chag so it could meld all the spices together. It's a recipe from Evelyn Rose.

Tomorrow I will put together the challah dough and then place it in the bottom of the fridge to rise overnight and then will form little round challahs on Wednesday morning and bake them.

The chicken recipe came from the woman, who to me, was the most wonderful Jewish cookery writer, Evelyn Rose. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago.

You can tell that her cookbook, 'The Complete International Jewish Cookbook' is my most used thanks to the stains and matzoh meal crumbs. lol

It was the first book I bought when I moved to England, 30 years ago, and it is still used.

GOLDEN LEMON CHICKEN BREASTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serves 6.
Leftovers keep 3 days under refrigeration.
The breasts take on a beautiful golden glaze as they and the lemon halves bake in the exquisite lemon syrup.

9 oz. (250 g) caster [superfine] sugar
3 large lemons
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 grinds black pepper
6 partly boned chicken breasts, unskinned
fresh parsley to garnish

Place the caster sugar in an 8-inch (20 cm) saucepan with 1 pint (575 ml) water and slowly dissolve over a low heat. Bring to the boil and bubble for 3 minutes. Pierce the skin of the lemons with a fork or skewer, place in the sugar syrup, then cover and cook at a slow boil for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven at gas no. 8 (450 F, 230 C).

Remove the lemons, then halve when cool. Bubble the liquid over a medium heat for about 12 minutes or until reduced by half (approximately 10 fl oz/275 ml) and a golden caramel color. To check the color, take the pan off the heat, then allow the bubbles to settle.

Season the chicken breasts and place skin-side down in a roasting tin that is just large enough to hold them in a single layer with the lemon halves.

Pour the sugar syrup over the chicken and lemons.

Place the tin in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, turning the breasts over half way through cooking. Nick a breast to make sure that it is cooked right through to the center. The chicken can now be kept warm at gas 1 (275
F, 150 C).

Alternatively, if the chicken is cooked before your guests arrive, take out of the oven, then return to a moderate oven while you are eating the starter. Garnish with the parsley before serving.

Note: the inside of the lemon is delicious to eat.

The mushroom strudel comes from Nigel Slater. I haven't made it yet but someone I know, another veggie, loves it. Instead of the puff pastry, I'm going to use filo, it's lighter.

5 medium-sized onions
enough butter or oil to cover the bottom of a medium-sized shallow pan
350g of any firm variety of mushrooms, or a mixture
chopped thyme, lemon thyme or oregano (just enough to sit in the palm of your hand)
about 200g crème frache
425g puff pastry
a little beaten egg or milk to glaze the pastry

Peel and roughly chop the onions and let them cook slowly with the butter or oil over a low heat for 20 minutes or so, until they are golden, soft and almost transparent.

Tear or slice the mushrooms into large, bite-sized pieces and add them to the onions, adding a little more butter or oil if they soak it all up. Leave them to turn golden and tender but stir them from time to time so they do not stick and burn.

Season them with the chopped herbs and stir in the crème frache, grinding in a little salt and pepper as you go. You want a mixture that is creamy rather than runny, so let it bubble for a minute or two to thicken.

Heat the oven to 200 C/gas mark 6.

The pastry needs to be rolled into two rectangles about 35cm by 20cm (conveniently the same measurements as the ready-rolled frozen stuff). Lay one piece on a lightly floured baking sheet and spread the mushrooms and onions over, leaving a good finger-thickness of bare rim around the edge.

Brush a little beaten egg, milk or even water around the rim, lay the second rectangle of pastry over the top and squeeze the rims together to seal. It is worth being zealous about pinching the pastry - there shouldn't be any possibility of the filling escaping.

Brush with more of the beaten egg or milk so the pastry will take on a rich golden shine in the oven, then cut a few little holes in the top to let out the steam.

Bake the pie until it has puffed up like a cushion and is the colour of honey. This should take about 25 minutes.

It is worth sneaking a look at the bottom to check if the pastry is crisp underneath (it should be fine, because this is not an especially wet filling).

The Vegetarian Chopped Liver is so good when warm. I normally make it for Pesach but since my meat eating son loves it so much, I'm doing it for Wednesday.

5 hard boiled eggs
1 cup walnuts
2 medium size onions

1.Saute the onions until nice and brown.
2.Chop the walnuts in a food processor.
3.Add the still hot eggs and the onions, including the oil that they were fried in.

That's it. How easy is that?

I just want to add a salad here.

BRAZIL NUT SALAD

1 crisp lettuce, separated into leaves
4x15ml spoon French dressing/4 Tb French dressing (see below)
3 bananas, peeled and thinly sliced
1x15ml spoon lemon juice/1 Tb lemon juice
100g Brazil nuts, finely chopped/4oz Brazil nuts, finely chopped

Arrange half the lettuce leaves in a shallow salad bowl.
Shred the remaining lettuce into a mixing bowl and pour over the French dressing.
Toss to coat well.
Sprinkle the bananas with the lemon juice.
Add half the bananas and the Brazil nuts to the shredded lettuce and toss to combine.
Pile the nut and banana mixture on top of the lettuce leaves in the serving bowl.
Arrange the remaining banana slices around the edge in a ring and serve.

FRENCH DRESSING

2x15ml spoons wine vinegar/2Tb wine vinegar
1x5ml spoon salt/1tsp salt
1x5ml spoon freshly round pepper/1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6x15ml spoon olive oil/6Tb olive oil

Put the vinegar, salt, pepper, and oil in a screw-topped jar.
Shake vigorously until well mixed.
Used as required.

Makes 120 ml or 4 fl.oz

I think that it will be okay for me to make these, it is getting more difficult for me to stand and cook with the arthritis. I have to chose recipes that won't make me stand for hours.

I miss not going to shul. I live in a non Jewish town and to get to the nearest shul would be such a schlep. So I have the prayer books and will do my own thang.

Then I will worry about Yom Kippur and what to make for my son before and after the fast. The diabetes makes me unable to fast. I have just about gotten over the guilt of that.

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2007-09-01T13:39:00.000+01:00

Yup, so there I was thinking, I'm going to be 57 on the 1st and not feeling very good about it. Then my quirky sense of humor came into play and thought that I was a Heinz!! (Geddit? No? Think about it).

So I emailed Heinz and said that on the 1st I was going to be a Heinz. A couple days later I received in the mail a Heinz birthday card signed by the office workers (I guess). I also received a Heinz pen and postcards. U thought that that was nice of them.

Then a friend, Neets, told me that I had better stay in on Saturday because I was getting a delivery, so I did, and this came.

Apparently she threatened them that they had to be pink and they are.

One of my favorite dishes

2007-09-01T11:48:00.000+01:00

Being a veggie I am always looking for a new and different recipe that won't raise my blood sugar too much.

Several years ago I went to 'The Good Food Show' in London and was lucky enough to see Antonio Carluccio make 2 of his dishes.

I thought anytime he wants to leave his wife, I was his.

It was great watching him especially when he showed he was as human as the next cook. He forgot to add the cheeses to the dish below which made us laugh and him well, can't imagine.

So I got the recipe and tweaked it for myself because I couldn't find the exotic Italian cheeses he used. You could use any cheese that is flavorsome. I like using a really strong cheddar and a mozzerella that will be stringy and luscious.

He also used cubes of stale bread reconstituted with water instead of the matzoh meal that I add. The beauty of the matzoh meal is that it helps bind the veggies helping the egg but more important this dish can be used for Pesach.

I usually double the recipe so I have enough for an evening snack or for the next day's lunch.

Stuffed vegetables

1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 eggplant
2 zucchini
5-6 tbsp fine matzoh meal
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5 oz strong chedder cheese, cut into small cubes
5 oz mozzerella, cut into small cubes
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil for drizzling
salt and black pepper

1.Preheat oven to 400F
1.Cut the peppers in half. Clean out the seeds.
3.Cut the eggplant and zucchinis in half, lengthways and carefully scoop out the flesh, leaving a boot shaped vegetable.
4.Add the matzoh meal to the veggie flesh, egg, parsley, garlic, cheeses, and salt and pepper
5.Fill the cavities of the veggies with the mixture, packing it loosely.
6.Place the stuffed veggies on an oiled baking tray, drizzle each generously with the oil.
7.Bake for 35 minutes, until the veggies are tender and the filling is brown.

Can be eaten hot or cold.

Going a curryin'

2007-08-23T13:04:00.000+01:00

On BBC2 there has been a new chef, Anjum Anand. She's being called the Indian Nigella Lawson. She takes traditional Indian recipes and makes them healthier. Her book, 'Indian Every Day' is very good. I got mine from amazon.co.uk.

So I am now into making curries.

This morning I went to our indoor market where there is an Asian stall. There I found all the spices that I need except for the dried mango powder. However, they are expecting a shipment.

There are very large bags of rice.

I'll try some of the recipes this weekend and let you know how they were and will share the recipes with you.

The Seligsons, my paternal grandmother's family

2007-08-03T20:29:00.000+01:00

For as long as I could remember I thought that my family escaped Poland before the Shoah (Holocaust) began. Earlier this year I was shocked to find out that I had lost members of my family in Treblinka and the Warsaw Ghetto.

But let me start from the beginning.

My great great grandfather was Paltiel Seligson or Zeligzon. He was born in 1840 in Grajevo Poland. He married Hinda. Their son Yankel married Bryna and they had 5 children:Sheina, Sam, Mayer, Rubina, and Mirchie (Mary). Mirchie was my grandmother.

Before his death, Paltiel arranged for the marriage of his granddaughter Mirchie to Mendel Rosenberg in Grajevo because both he and Mendel's father were Gerer Hasidim from Bialystok who had settled in Grajevo.

Mirchie and Mendel lived in Bialystok where their two daughters were born, Beatrice and Edith (now both deceased). Mendel decided to go to America to seek his fortune. He left Mirchie and the girls behind in Bialystok. Mendel served in the army where he was wounded. After WW1 he was trained by the government to be a watchmaker.

The Red Cross helped Mirchie and the girls to go to the states. They settled in Philadelphia where their sons Paul (now deceased), Samuel and Richard were born. Samuel married Goldie Ellis and had me and my younger sister Marla.

Great grandfather Yankel married twice. He married Bryna (my great grandmother) and when she died he married her sister Rivka and they had 5 children: Goldy, Esther, Hymie, Chai Sora, and Dvora.

Goldy married Mr. Weinberg and had 3 children. Goldy died before the war. Sadly, the rest of her family lost their lives in the Shoah.

Esther married Mr. Kaimsky in Grajevo. They had one daughter Elfreda. Esther died in the Warsaw Ghetto after she refused to go to Brazil in fear that she would jeopardize Elfreda's chance to leave the country with a Youth Aliyah group. Elfreda got to New York and then settled in Texas.

Chai Sora married Shlomo Zuckerbraun. Before the war broke out they had 3 children. Chai Sora gave birth to a little girl whilst living in the Warsaw Ghetto. The entire family was sent to Treblinka where they all perished.

How do I know all this? One of my cousins found some of our cousins and discovered that Hymie had dictated what he could remember about the family. Hymie would be my great step-uncle.

The sad thing is, my really don't know anything about Mendel's family. We know that he had brothers but not sure how many. We know that his father owned an inn in Bialystok and was unkind to my grandmother.

Here is, I think, the only photo of my grandfather Mendel and one of his brothers.

"Race for Life"

2007-07-15T13:29:00.001+01:00

Every year there are races for women held everywhere in the country for Cancer Research. It was a 2K race, which for us oldies is 3 miles.

It was today for Stevenage. Over 2,000 women ran or walked and the estimated amount raised was £350,000! Well done!

I went with my friend Kathy to cheer on her 3 daughters who were running. Tara, Sonya and Gina did well with the latter two coming in exactly with 40 minutes with Tara just nipping in front of them. (In photo it's Sonya, Gina, Kathy, and Tara)

Here are some photos of the day.

The starting and finishing line

Chiltern Radio was there and getting the women all ready to run.

There was also a warm up exercise run by one of the Rosemary Conley groups.

Gina

Sonya and her fiance Danny

Tara and her friend going to the Finish Line.

Gina and Sonya going to the Finish Line.

After the race with their medals

Avast Ye Mateys!!

2007-07-14T16:46:00.000+01:00

Yep, it's Carribean Pirate Day here. OOO AAARRRR

I went into town and saw the 'Skull and Crossbones' up on the clocktower.

Shiver me timbers!!

There was a stall with a hog roast. And one of the hog roasters himself.

We had a chat and he thought it was funny that I was a vegetarian!

One of our local radio stations put up a stage where we had different performers and in front of it dumped some sand so the children could play in it.

And then the Pirates showed up. *shivering in me timbers*

It got dangerous when 'Jack Sparrow' heroically defending himself lost his wig!

And then they all sailed away to Hitchin to find the lost buried treasure.

There was face painting for the children and prizes for the best dressed pirate. You could join in the raffle and win a convertable for the weekend and a trip to Alton Towers for the entire family.

The kids really enjoyed themselves.

Being discharged from diabetes clinic doesn't mean I'm cured

2007-07-12T21:25:00.000+01:00

I just got back from my yearly visit to the diabetes clinic which is held in my local hospital.

I got there early due to buses that don't run on time.

I gave my appointment card to the receptionist. She looked and checked the print out and said, 'You don't have an appointment, it's been cancelled, in fact you have been discharged from the clinic'.

Praise the whatever, I'm cured!!!

No, the clinic will now be for only insulin users and we pill poppers will have to go to our own gp for now on. A Dr. saw my chart and said that I was discharged. This new Dr will be in charge of pill poppers in a general way. If my gp thinks I should go onto insulin, as she did in March, then she could send a letter of referral.

They did say that they will see me. However, my charts were not there. Thankfully I had printed out all my A1cs and other blood results.

Why wasn't I told that my appointment was cancelled? Oh, your gp should have told you. I wonder if she knows.

Good news, my A1c is down. They agreed that I don't have to take the Avandia even though my daily numbers are in the 7-8s. They think the 2000mg of Metformin is doing the trick.

Bad news, I have to take an aspirin a day and a statin. I pleaded and begged not to have to take the statin but was out-voted. :( So I am on simvastatin, 40g a day, taken at night.

Oh I should also be finally be getting a letter for my eye test. And maybe to see the foot man.

No wonder my blood pressure was up.

I won't take the statins until I see my gp. I can't take penicillin so I am always given erythromycin. If you take them then you can't take this statin. Big Grin

Varg CGC, STD, B&BTD

2007-07-12T21:13:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday evening, Varg, my sister's Newfoundland service dog, took his Certification Test to become a Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dog. Needless to say, he passed! He has more letters after his name then my sister, his owner, does!

He is now allowed to go into nursing homes, visit organizations to help spread no, not his floogers(the long drools that he can produce so well!),but cheer to those cooped up and unable to get out. He passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen test when he younger than a year old, and now he has this certification.

You can read about the organization at their website www.golden-dogs.org

My sister is going to look into getting him registered for a program that will allow him into public schools for the children to read to him.

When I met Varg in February he weighed in at 115 pounds and was just a year old. He's now heavier and older.

Oh, Varg means 'Wolf' in Old Norse.

It's been awhile

2007-07-04T16:43:00.000+01:00

I'm trying to stay off the computer/internet and get some kind of normal life back. I'm failing.

The weather in England has been terrible with flooding oop North. This wet and warm weather makes my arthritis worse.

Today I had to go for a fasting blood test to check my diabetes. I would normally go to my gp's but really didn't want to fast until noon. So I got the 6:44am bus to the local hospital where the pathology lab is. I knew that it opened at 8 so I hoped I would be among the first. I got to the hospital at 6:50 and there were 2 men in line ahead of me. The doors opened at 7:30 and I was in and out by 8:15.

Next Thursday I go to the diabetes clinic to find the results and to see, hopefully, a doctor that speaks English.

Stevenage's Park

2007-06-16T11:53:00.000+01:00

While I had the camera when I was in town and it wasn't raining (it did bucket down after I took the photos) I thought I would take some photos of the town. Here we have the museum and the park.
Stevenage Museum

It was funny as I was taking a photo of the sign a woman passed by and then she turned around to see what I was taking a photo of.

A metal elephant guarding the entrance

The entrance itself

There's a small park on the edge of the shopping center with a stream going through it. There you can cross it by a lovely wooden bridge. You also have to be careful due to the hungry swans, ducks, pidgeons and other birds that live there.

At the end of the lake there is a statue of young girls

A few years ago these trees were planted on Holocaust Day in memory of the 6 million killed in concentration camps. The plaque that was there has disappeared. I'm going to write to the council to find out where it is.

European Market Day

2007-06-16T11:10:00.001+01:00

I had to go into town today and in the back of my mind a little voice said, 'Take your camera'. What did that know I thought and left the camera at home. Well, I shouldn't have.

Today was a European Market Day in the town center.

So I did what I had to do and then went home and then back to town with my smirking camera.

A hot mushroom stall.

A German sausage stall

Olives anyone?

Nuts and dried fruit

Chana Dal

2007-06-02T21:27:00.000+01:00

As a diabetic I am always looking for things that I can eat which won't raise my blood sugar. Thanks to David Mendosa and his site I discovered Chana Dal.

This bean looks just like yellow split peas, but is quite different because it doesn't readily boil down to mush. It's more closely related to garbanzo beans, or chickpeas. The differences are that chana dal is younger, smaller, split, sweeter, and has a much lower glycemic index. But you can substitute chana dal for garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in just about any recipe.

My favorite way of cooking them is to:

Rinse and pick over 1 cup of the chana dal to make sure there are no little stones amongst the dal.
Place the chana dal in a crockpot on low.
Add 2 1/2 cups of very hot water or stock to the chana dal.
7 hrs or so later, the chana dal will be nice and soft.

The nice thing about this approach is that there is no pre-soaking, no foaming, no boil over, no sticking, and no stirring. I usually start it around 5pm, before Shabbat, and it is ready for Saturday lunch. If I have to make a pit stop during the night the smell that wafts up the stairs is incrediable.

Before I eat it, I will saute some onions and mushrooms and add them to the dal. Really nice with a salad with a dressing that has a bite to it.

Recommended seasonings for chick peas would apply to chana dal as well. These seasonings are chili peppers, coriander, cumin, curry, garam masala, garlic, ginger, lemon, onions, parsley, and turmeric. The source of this recommendation is Prevention's The Healthy Cook, Rodale Press, 1997, page 182.

I've bought chana dal in the local supermarket but it is not as nice as the dal I buy from the indoor market.

SPINACH AND CHANA DAL

(serves 4)

1 cup chana dal
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
1 tbsp mustard seeds
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp asafetida
2 dry red chilies
2 green chilies
10 oz/285 g canned spinach, drained
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp ground cumin
salt to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil
fresh green chili to garnish

Wash and soak dal for 3 hours.
Boil the dal in 4 cups of water with salt, turmeric, until the dal is soft.
Chop the onions, ginger, green chilies.
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan.
Add the mustard seeds, after 30 seconds add dry red chili and onion and cook, stirring until golden brown.
Add green chilies, ginger and the drained spinach to the pan.
Mix in a chili powder, coriander powder and cumin.
Stir - fry the mixture for 7-10 minutes over low heat.
Add the dal to the pan and blend into the spinach mixture, stirring gently. so that it does not break up.
Transfer the mixture to a serving dish. Garnish with green chili.
Serve immediately with rice or bread.

I haven't made this yet, it looks so good.

Chana Dal Halwa

250 grams Chana Dal
250 grams Jaggery (grounded)
5 Cloves
½ cup Coconut(grated)
3 tbsp. Poppy Seeds
1 cup Clarified Butter(Ghee)or Cooking Oil
50 grams Cashew Nuts(sliced)(for garnish)
50 grams Sultanas(for garnish)

1) In a dish soak the chana dal for at least 1 hour. Add 4 cups of water to it and cook it in the pan until it is soft. Set it aside and let it cool.

2) Powder the poppy seeds and the dry coconut. Heat 2 tbsp. of the ghee or oil in a non-stick pan and deep-fry the cashew nuts and sultanas. Drain out the ghee or oil and set aside.

3) In the remaining ghee or oil, while it is still on the fire; add the cloves and the boiled chana dal with water. Add the powdered poppy seeds and the dry coconut. When it starts boiling add the jaggery. Keep stirring until it turns dark brown. When all of the water evaporates, it will come to a soft consistency. Garnish with cashew nuts and sultanas.

4) Finally garnish with the cashew nuts and sultanas.

note: Jaggery is a coarse, unrefined sugar made from the sap of certain palm trees, and is popular throughout southern and Southeast Asia.

Jaggery is most often available in cake form, and ranges from fairly crumbly to nearly rock-hard. There are some versions available that are much softer, like brown sugar. It is available in Indian markets.

Me and the 'biased against Israel 'BBC

2007-05-27T14:36:00.000+01:00

Here's my first email to the BBC:

Here we go again.
Your bias is showing and no words you can spout can deny that
you are so anti-Israel.
For weeks missles have been fired into Israel and this past week people have been injured.
Does the BBC report on these missles coming from Gaza?
No.
However, when Israel fights back, then the BBC reports on it's
activities to protect themselves.
Hamas has been the instigators but nothing about them has been
reported by the BBC.
It is a disgrace that you get away with this prejudice.
You should be ashamed of yourselves, but you won't be, you
terrorist lovers.I do want an answer but none of your 'We do report the news fairly'.
Well, you don't. You are just like Blair's government, you see
and do what you want and never mind what the people who pay your
salaries think.
The BBC is disgusting.

Their reply

Thank you for your e-mail.

I fully appreciate your concerns about the reporting of recent
attacks on Israeli citizens.

In our interviews and reports on the conflict we have tried to
explain how the current situation started and has since
developed and given air-time to representatives from across the
political spectrum. The BBC does not seek to denigrate any view,
nor to promote any view. It seeks rather to identify all
significant views, and to test them rigorously and fairly on
behalf of the audience.

Equal representation is not always possible or practical within
individual programmes and account also needs to be taken of the
way a subject is covered over a period of time. Individual
reports may give more time to one particular incident, but we
regularly report the suffering felt by both sides. Not every
television, radio or web report can include all aspects of the
conflict, but this does not constitute bias. Perfect balance is
difficult to achieve on every single occasion but overall it is
a more achievable goal.

Nevertheless, I do realise that you hold a different view on
this matter, Therefore, please be assured that your comments
have been fully registered and added to our daily audience log.
This is an internal document that is made available to all BBC
staff, including the BBC News production team and senior BBC
management.

Thank you again for contacting the BBC.

Regards

Erika Graham
BBC Information

My reply

Dear Ms Graham,

I fear you missed one of the most important points of my email.

You had neglected reporting any missiles strikes in Israel. You
only started reporting missiles when it was the Israelis
striking back against Hamas.

Fair? Unbiased?

Did you fully report why the Israelis fired back? No, of course
not. Did you mention the injuries caused by the Hamas missiles?
Of course not. But yet you report the injuries and deaths caused
by the Israelis.

Give me one good reason why I should continue to pay my license fee when you
are not a news program/station which is not giving equal time to both sides.

For once why can't you show actually what Hamas is still doing
and will continue to do because it has the backing of
people/organisations such as you.

In disgust.

And their cop out reply

Thank you for your further e-mail regarding the BBC's coverage
of the Middle East.

While I appreciate that you continue to have concerns on this
matter, in order for us to issue a comprehensive reply, could I
ask that you provide some specific details of the reports you
are referring to; for example, transmission dates and times.

You should submit any further information via the BBC Complaints
website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

In the meantime, rest assured that your further comments have
been fully registered on our daily audience log. This internal
document will be made available to BBC News teams and Senior BBC
Management.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact the BBC.

Regards

Paul Wheeler
BBC Information

Umm, transmission times and dates?

Would I be petty by complaining that today one of their newsreaders kept misprouncing the Prime Minister's first name? Or misprouncing Sderot, the town that is being attacked almost every day and in fact had one man killed there today?

I think no matter what I complain about or how often, they will just brush it aside in mock concern with a gleeful smirk inside.

Rain, rain, and rain

2007-05-27T14:27:00.001+01:00

Well, tomorrow is a Bank Holiday so there must be rain.

I've ordered 3 more blueberry bushes and now await their arrival next month. I've set out the pots to collect rain water because tap water can't be used to water them. I now have a squirrel coming into the backyard stealing the seeds that I have put down for the pideons and whatever other birds who want to eat on the ground. I bought some nuts for him and found that the birds were eating them too.

With his glowing eyes I call him Maury, the Squirrel of the Damned

Knitting surgery evening

2007-05-25T19:00:00.000+01:00

The library for Adult Learning Week decided to put on a 'Knitting Surgery Evening'. This is where people could get together and discuss patterns, what they were doing and if anyone needed help.

Boy, did I need help.

My grandmother was a knitter and crocheter. She knitted clothes for all 9 grandchildren and when I got married she presented me with an afghan that she crocheted. The marriage is long gone but I still have the afghan.

I can crochet a scarf but really wanted to learn how to knit especially how to cast on.

Two years ago I when I went to the states a certain craft store was having a sale on wool so I bought some and a beginners kit to learn how to knit. I bought extra needles, I was gung ho. Could I cast on? Could I heck.

I bought the book, 'Stitch 'n bitch' by Debbie Stoller. I tried following the instuctions but still couldn't do it. I watched videos on the 'net, still couldn't do it. So when this knitting evening came around I thought 'go for it'.

So I got 2 tickets and then called my best friend Kathy and told her that we were going. lol

We arrived early and there was food to nibble on, lots of library books to look through and best of all we all got a free skein of wool to play with. There were also containers holding knitting needles.

There we were and I tried. It wasn't until Kathy realised what I was doing that the lightbulb came on. I was trying to cast on as a leftie! All the instructions I had been reading were for a right-handed person.

After awhile I got the hang of it and I was knitting!!!

Some of the women there had brought their knitting and we watched them. One of the most interesting women was German. She showed us how she knitted in the German style which is different than the English way.

All in all it was a very good night.

Kathy found a teddy bear pattern that she liked so we photocopied it and she's going to make it for her new granbaby.

Here's me the fat blueberry listening to a very patient Kathy.

Damn the BBC

2007-05-21T10:31:00.000+01:00

What is wrong with the BBC?

They are so biased against Israel it is unbelievable, or is it?

The other day they showed a clip after Israel sent some missiles into Gaza after Hamas,who for days sent missiles into western Israel.

In Israel, two students were lightly injured and others traumatized Thursday morning when a Kassam rocket slammed into an unfortified second-story classroom in a high school in Sha'ar HaNegev. Graduating students were studying for their final exams on the floor below at the time. One classroom sustained heavy damage.

By midday, 13 rockets had exploded in the area, including one that hit a building, traumatizing a woman and her 9-year-old daughter. Another rocket slammed into a yard next to a house.

At least 30 rockets were fired at Sderot on Wednesday, although an IDF spokesman claimed that only 15 actually made it out of Gaza. Nonetheless, those that reached Israel were effective; three people were wounded in direct hits on houses. One of the victims was a 70-year-old woman, who suffered serious injuries. Another rocket ignited a fire in the city’s industrial zone.

Where was the BBC coverage of these events? There wasn't any. Why not?

On March 27th The BBC went to the High Court in an attempt to overturn a ruling that a member of the public has the right under freedom of information laws to see an internal report on its Middle East coverage.

Critics of the BBC want to know if the Balen Report, believed to run to 20,000 words, includes evidence of bias against Israel in news programming.

The BBC won that court case.

If BBC were not guilty of bias, they would have no problem if the report is known. The fact that BBC tried by all means to block the release of that report shows the network does know the report has a point.

Why do I have to pay a tv license for the anti-Israel BBC to spew their bias around the world?

So far I have written to them 3 times complaining and 2 of their replies is just a pat on a head with their denial of bias. Do they think I am stupid?

Now I wait for the 3rd reply. In my email I told them that I didn't want their usual lies and denials. I wonder if I wil get an automated reply of thank you and no we aren't or a real liar will answer me?

Blueberries

2007-05-20T17:39:00.000+01:00

The other day I received in the post my packet of rocket seeds. Now I just wait for my 2 blueberry shrubs.
The thing is...in 'The Times' on Saturday they had an offer of 5 free herb plants for only the P&P which is £2.99. You can then take up an offer of 3 blueberry shrubs for £14.99 which is cheaper that the 2 I already bought. So tomorrow I'm going to order the herbal plants and the 3 shrubs.
Hopefully this week I'll be able to get to a garden center and buy the pots and compost needed for the shrubs. I'm not sure when they will arrived.

The sun came out today so I enjoyed reading the Sunday papers outside.

I also completed my quest in finding pink wellies. I know I know..pink but they are cute and I need them due to the brambles in the garden which has to be cut back. Now I have no excuse in not having a tidy garden.

Who's been doing a rain dance?

2007-05-14T18:36:00.000+01:00

Rain
Rain
Go away
Come again another day.

I feel like I should be building an ark. I have to giggle a bit because I remember the Bill Cosby routine of G-d and Noah with Noah asking what a cubit was.

I have been taking the irbesartan (hypertension med) at tea-time and feeling so much better than before. I did ask the Tesco pharmacist if that is okay and she said yes as long as I keep taking it at the same time so my body can get used to the time change.

Apparently Mar is going to start using rennet from dead animals now in some of their chocolates. So there goes my Snickers and Malteasers. Mars can't seem to give a reasonable reason why they are switching.

Hatfield House and almost passing out

2007-05-11T13:09:00.000+01:00

Well yesterday I and 2 friends went to the annual Hatfield House Living Craft Fair, which is really good.
Sadly, after going in and out of several tents for about an hour, I felt faint, things were going black but objects had like a white shadow behind them. We stopped for a drink and snack but I felt worse. We ended up going home. What a disappointment. This is something that I look forward to all year and I missed 80% of it.

We agreed that it sounded like low blood pressure. I do take irbesartan for high blood pressure and am thinking now that it might be too strong for me.
I haven't taken it this morning, went shopping and feel fine. I'll take it at tea-time when I take my other meds.

I only managed to take 1 photo at the Craft fair, but it's not that great.

I did buy another picture of a cat that is glued to slate. It's cute and it goes with the other 2 I have.

Next year I think I'll buy a patchwork handbag. I saw one I fancied but was too ill to go back.

Went to Lloyd's Pharmacy and bought a bloodpressure machine for £9.99, which is a great price. So for the first test you have to test on both arms and the only test on the arm that has the highest systolic reading, this means it's my left.

My left was 157/88
My right was 151/72

Higher than I wanted but I had just gotten back from shopping and I had a snack. Should have waited an hour but at least I know what arm to test on.

My links

2007-05-07T17:03:00.000+01:00

I thought I would explain my links.

There is a link to David Mendosa's site. David, a diabetic, has produced and maintains one of the best sites for information on diabetes and the Glycemic Index. When you read it you will see that you can also sign up for a free monthly newsletter, I would recommend you to do so. David highly recommends channa dal to eat for diabetics. It is low in carbs and perfect for us. I'll include a little more information on the dal and recipes in a bit.

The next one is the ibs group. I've had ibs since 1968 and was on my own with my problems for decades. I found this group and they have really helped me with advice and support.

'SparkPeople' was a pleasant surprise. It is like FitDay, another site I would recommend, but SP has groups so there is much more support.

'butyoudontlooksick' has let me realising that I am not alone with my silent chronic illnesses. If you have any chronic disease that is not noticeable or even if it is, please go and check out the site and the message board. Learn about the 'Spoon Theory' and then you will say to yourself why hadn't I thought of this to explain why I can't do things.

Prevention. I have been a member of their boards since April 28, 2003 and have learned much and have developed friendships that will last forever. It is a health site where you can find just about anything you want to know on how to stay healthy, find a diet that suits you, and how to exercise the right way. I post mainly on the South Beach Diet forums. The South Beach Diet is one of the best ways to eat for the rest of your life for diabetics and if you want to maintain low cholesterol numbers. It is a 'good' carb way of eating.

Stevenage

2007-05-04T13:42:00.000+01:00

An English mailbox with my shopping trolley to the left of it
St Nicholas Pub, my local
Path that goes by the front of my house

Stevenage

2007-05-03T17:35:00.000+01:00

My bus stop
Town Library
Clocktower in town center

Campbell and me

2007-05-03T15:06:00.001+01:00

Gardening

2007-05-03T14:46:00.000+01:00

Thanks to a national newspaper I got the gardening bug. I bought some bulbs and planted them. I do market research on-line and one of the rewards was tokens from my local garden center so I bought compost and pots.

I got slightly carried away. lol

2007-05-03T14:40:00.000+01:00

I've been to the states, February and March and will be posting photos.

New bookcases!

2007-04-27T17:13:00.000+01:00

I ordered some new bookcases and they arrived today. They are the type you have to put together yourself.

The sad thing is, I couldn't do it. I've put together other bookcases, desks, cupboards, etc with no problem, but today? No. I had even taken 3 Tylenol before attempting to start the first but the pain was bad.

My son came downstairs to help and just standing there holding a board was so painful.

So tomorrow, I'm nipping out and buying a power screwdriver, that should help with the painful wrists.

Not a good day

2007-04-19T13:14:00.000+01:00

Sitting out in the sun usually is good for my arthritis but today sitting out, it turned out to be one of the most painful days I've had in a long time.

Sitting out on the chair I moved an inch, I could hear and feel my neck crack and then the pain started. :( Despite taking painkillers every 4 hours I really hurt. Just sitting has me in pain.

I hate the thought of going to bed. It will be more painful than just sitting.

Sunny England

2007-04-16T14:15:00.000+01:00

Can't believe that we've had a few days of sun and warmth and meanwhile my family in New Jersey have rain and wind. They say that we should expect frost by the end of the week.

From the library I took out a diabetes diet cookbook written by a well know chef here in England, Antony Worrall Thompson. I was so surprised to see the high amount of carbs per serving in most of the recipes and so I emailed him telling him that.

I received an email back from him today. He said that DiabetesUK gave his recipes the nod of approval as well as several nutritionists.

I feel that DiabetesUK and the American Diabetes Association both give wrong information about food choices and suggest too high carb foods. I could never eat the things that they suggest.

I'm going to have to take the book out again from the library so I am armed when I write back to him.

Beautiful Day

2007-04-14T17:16:00.000+01:00

Since I knew I was going to be picked up at 7 this morning I was up and down all night. Saturday is the only day that I can stay in bed later than 7:30 because I don't have to start a thread on another board but I needed to get a few things.

So I went food shopping, came home, put things away and then started reading the newspapers and reading the boards on another site and my emails.

By 11:30 after Saturday Kitchen I went outside to sit in the wonderful sunshine. Okay so I fell asleep. l blame that on me, *shamefaced* finishing the Peeps my sister bought me when I was in the states. That's what put me to sleep due to high blood sugar.

The weird thing is though, I came in after waking up, and tested and I was 5.4 or 97 for the Americans reading this. I cannot remember the last time my blood sugar was that low. I was mentally happy dancing.

I tried some Dreamfields pasta for the first time but couldn't get a true reading because I had a few slices of garlic bread, a rare treat. But the pasta was nice unlike some stuff I had when low carb pasta came out.

Tomorrow night I start a market reseach project. I have to keep by my bedside a survey so first thing in the morning I can write how I slept during the night. I have to do this for 4 days, writing it down and the transfering it to an email, and then they will send me a hot chocolate drink to have befroe bed.

Then again write down how I slept for the 4 nights. For this I get £15 or almost $30! Not bad.

ibs and me

2007-04-13T15:19:00.000+01:00

I've been reading others' posts and thought I'd tell my story of ibs and me.

ibs wasn't called that when I was diagnosed. It was mucosa colitis.

I was in nursing school in Philly when I started to feel sick. I never had a funny tummy so this was strange. School was hard. We were guinea pigs for the school since we were the first year that was going to have a BA after our names besides R.N.

The school put us in with pre med and dental students at Temple University. They loved us because we brought the grading curve down so low that you couldn't fail.

In high school I had chemistry and biology so i felt sorry for the girls who hadn't.

We sometimes ate in the hospital staff canteen and I think that that was the start of it. I got food poisoning. All I remember of that night was clutching my stomach and waiting for the elevator. The housemother wasn't very concerned so I suffered that night.

I believe that that bout and the pressure of nursing school gave me ibs.

I went home at Christmas, told my parents, and then saw the family doctor who ordered tests. I won't go into them. :)

During this time I had the worse stomach pains and was throwing up dried blood.

So I was diagnosed with muscus colitis. I was given Donnatal and Librax.

I wasn't given any specific diet, just to stay away from foods that might cause a bout.

The problem with that was, my trigger foods changed. Milk was okay then it wasn't. Water caused problems too when I was suffering.

Through the years it came and go due to stress and eating foods that triggered the bouts.

I still get bouts and am now on Colofac. I've tried peppermint capsules but I kept burping peppermint.

For nausea, which for years I just accepted as part of the whole thing, I now, when needed take Motilium. My gp says to take them only when really needed because too many of them can cause liver damage.

I now have arthritis and have been given paracedomol, which is like Tylenol in the states, with codeine. This sometimes triggers a bout of ibs. My gp won't give me anything stronger because of the ibs.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in May 2004. I was given Metformin. Oh boy. For healthy people they might get a slight side effect of runnng to the loo. For those with ibs, well, my son kept his Gameboy in the downstairs toilet and my scores for Tetris really improved. This went on for 3-4 months but it has settled down.

Another problem came up and that was unexpected bouts of diarrhea. One minute I was fine, the next oops. It is very embarassing when you are walking around a store or in town. Thankfully I belong to the ibs group bulletin board and they helped me.

http://www.ibsgroup.org/

I hope this might help someone else realise that they are not alone. And that they can ask me questions, which hopefully I can answer or set them on the path to the right answer.

To walk or not to walk

2007-04-11T17:19:00.000+01:00

It may be getting warmer here but the sun does not like coming out. With the warmer weather and the prospect of rain I am in for more pain this week.
Warm and wet weather does not go with my arthritis. :(
Mentally I want to go and walk but my body is saying, whoa, wait a minute.I don't go out. My pedometer is still in my handbag and I keep forgetting to put it on.
Tomorrow, I promise I will put it on.

sigh

2007-04-07T13:20:00.000+01:00

Well, I have a case of rampant ibs. After 'talking' to others on the ibs board I've realised that the chest twinges is from the ibs. After I get them I feel sick and very ibsy.

I had to go to fill my prescriptions so I dropped them off and then walked to a department store, looking for a couple of tops. I love their kitchen stuff. I ended up with 1 top to wear in the garden, socks for DS, candles, and 3 new bowls.

Walked back to the chemist and got my meds and then got the bus back home. Talk about being tired.

I managed to make 2 meals for me, today and tomorrow and was in pain and exhausted. Took a nap amongst the newspapers with the cat on my lap. When I woke I felt better and started my DS' dinner. Now I feel okayish.

I have to remember that Spring is the worse time for my arthritis.

My new yoga dvd came today. Can't wait to watch it and hopefully be able to try to do the poses.

No insulin

2007-04-03T17:21:00.000+01:00

I've seen the diabetes nurse and she says that I am still producing insulin so she wants me to up my oral meds. I wonder how my gp is going to react?

It's Campbell's birthday and he's 12. And yes he's the cat.

My son has an audition for The X Factor which is similar to the American Idol program. This happens towards the end of the month so this should be interesting. He has to sing for the producers and if he is picked then in front of, yes, Simon Cowell.

oy

2007-03-30T17:23:00.000+01:00

So I went to the gp yesterday and yes she said the I word, Insulin.

She can't give me a prescription so I had to call the diabetes nurse who will arrange things. When I called the hospital the switchboard didn't answer twice, on the 3rd time I got lucky. Then, sod's law, I got the answer machine.

I called again today and then the D nurse got back to arrange a meeting on Tuesday morning.

She was a tad surprised that the gp didn't suggest other meds instead of just saying Insulin.

We'll see.

Tomorrow is a cat show in town which I might go to see. Maine Coons will be there.

Sunday I go at 6:30am to Golders Green to get my Passover things.

Introduction

2007-03-03T16:24:00.000Z

I was born in Philly, south Philly to be exact and then when I was 2 my parents upped and moved to the sticks, as one of my cousins would constantly tell me for years, south Jersey.

There I remained until I got itchy feet.

When I was 17 my paternal granfdather took me to Israel for a 10 day tour with the Jewish War Veterns. That was it. When I was 20 and graduated from the local community college I did a year at Tel Aviv University.

Came back to the states and couldn't settle down so went back to Israel as counselor for a Jewish youth group for 7 weeks. Then I got home, still couldn't settle and went back in 1974 to learn Hebrew on a kibbutz Ulpan.

I moved kibbutzim and then when I was there, over the hill came my Prince Charming on a bike with a friend of his. He was one of 4 California lads cycling around the world. We fell in love.

Sadly he was killed in a road accident in 1975.

I left Israel but swore that I would go back, which I did 6 months later as a member of a Garin. A Garin is a group of Jewish people who would go to the 'parent' kibbutz to learn Hebrew and to discover what we would be good at and then 9 months later go down to our permanant kibbutz.

I never got to that kibbutz. I met another man, English, and I left the kibbutz in 1977 to marry him in England. We had 2 children and then divorced.

So I now live alone except for my cat and my son who moved back in with me several months ago.

Back in 1969 I was diagnosed with ibs. Then in 1999 I was dx with cervical spondalyosis with arthritis in my spine (it's now everywhere) and then in 2004 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. *sigh*

Tomorrow I go to my gp to see if she wants me to go onto insulin. I have been on oral meds but they don't seem to be doing the trick anymore. :( I am hoping that she does say insulin, I feel horrible and hope that insulin can make me feel better.

Edinburgh

2006-07-26T12:00:00.000+01:00

So my best friend Kathy suggested one day that we go on a day train trip to Edinburgh so I said why not?

Kathy on train.
The train trip was longer than the time we had in the city but it was good.

The best way to learn about the town was to take a tour bus which we did twice.

It was a warm and sunny day and the town was teeming with tourists.
It was also the town's turn to have the Cow Festival. Dotted around the town were life-sized cows all decorated differently by people and were going to be sold in an auction.

Kathy and cow
Me and cow

I thought we got lucky and would see Dr WHO.

January 2nd, the adventure begins

2005-12-28T20:59:00.000Z

Everyone says that they will start dieting or begin their New Year's resolutions on the 1st of January.

Me? I have always marched to a different drummer so I shall begin on the 2nd. Plus that gives me extra time to get my act together.