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Mark Blazis
I had an unforgettable wild game dinner this week. While it didnt approach the perfection of the rare Arctic char or buttery Ora king salmon I recently reveled in at the Sole Proprietor, the pan-fried woodchuck was profoundly satisfying.
Woodchuck, despite being the very favorite food of our local coyotes, is probably not on your menu. But trust me, any animal that eats down to the ground all of your wifes garden lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, beans, peas and squash has to be nutritious, tender, sweet, juicy and deserving to die.
Yes, for the second year in a row, my wifes garden was a woodchucks dining room. I shared her frustrated emotions because I had helped plant that garden and was looking forward to many special meals from our mutual effort.
Woodchucks are problems everywhere in Massachusetts except on Marthas Vineyard or Nantucket. Since these big rodents are poor swimmers, they never colonized those fortunate islands. But everywhere else, they can be a pest, and sometimes a nightmare.
The havoc they inflict on property can be extensive, too. Woodchuck tunnels are normally deep just below frost line and about 40 feet long, complexly dug with several amenities: chambers analogous to a baby room, a bathroom and a bedroom. They even build an observation mound at their entry hole. With several escape holes, their home is difficult to eliminate.
If you can find and block all exit holes but one and put carbon dioxide in that remaining hole, you might be able to kill them all inside. Remember its illegal to use any poisons on wildlife. Unintentional secondary killings can result. Predators like foxes, coyotes, and owls that pick up poisoned rodents can later die as a result.
Trapping them can be a problem, too. If you live-trap them, as I did, remember its illegal to transfer wild animals from one area to another. That can spread diseases, like rabies. Sometimes youre just transferring your problem to someone else. Killing them is often the only reasonable alternative unless you can effectively fence your garden.
I needed a sure, simple, quick resolution and revenge. So, I immediately set out a live-capture cage trap baited with the woodchucks favorite food. These insatiable vegetarians cant resist the aroma and flavor of broccoli and cantaloupe.
I put a well-broken and highly fragrant head of it in the rear end of the trap and little fragments to linearly set a trail right into it. I finished the fatal attraction by smearing the cage with the juicy melon and putting a mashed, fragrant chunk of it at the far end of the trap, too.
I took note of our prevailing westerly winds and placed the trap where its alluring scent would carry a long distance over the stone wall and into my neighbors field from which it would surely come.
The next morning, I found the fat robber in my trap and felt the primitive joy of sweet revenge. I quickly dispatched it but couldnt bring myself to just waste it. I then went forth with the spirit, if not the skill of Julia Child, to prepare a gourmet delicacy out of a woodchuck.
I field-dressed it immediately to insure freshness. During the skinning, I made sure to remove the copious rump and thigh fat, and the seven scent glands on its back and front arms. I then proceeded to store it in my cellar refrigerator for four days to let it age and tenderize. Listening to advice that was then coming from all culinary directions, I soaked the meat one night more in a 50/50 solution of water and vinegar with a sliced onion, then drained and parboiled it in fresh water for an hour.
While most woodchuck chefs advise cutting up the meat into chunks for a slow-cook, low-heat, crock-pot stew, I wanted to experience the real, unembellished flavor of the meat. Since there was no significant back-strap, I coated just the hindquarters with egg, then Panko, pan frying them on low heat in coconut oil about 5 minutes on each side. Panko burns too quickly in hot oil.
I wanted to celebrate both the saving of our garden and the deliciousness of the animal, serving it with an appropriately elegant presentation reflecting all the complexities of bringing it to the table. I asked my much more qualified wife to arrange the presentation. Having a profoundly comedic sense of humor, she even designed a Woodchuck Wine label to place on our preferred Riesling and set our table in view of the garden from which our dinner had been richly nourished.
Our verdict was mixed. While the woodchuck was sweet, mild, and surprisingly tasty on its own without any sauces, its dark leg meat was just a bit stringy, much as what one might expect from any squirrel species.
If a second woodchuck raids our garden again, I plan to make a stew, creating a bed of onions, carrots, celery and green peppers in a crock pot, cooking it on low for about 10 hours. I would expect its sweet, tender meat to flake off the bones and take on the added flavor of herbs and spices.
Its a shame woodchucks are so destructive because otherwise theyre quite charming and even comically entertaining. Incidentally, woodchucks dont chuck any wood. Their name is a corruption of the Cree Indian word wuchak, meaning big squirrel. They are in fact our biggest squirrel and like their arboreal cousins can readily climb trees and short fences but with much less quickness and style.
Woodchucks definitely arent all bad, even though theyre costly to farmers, and occasionally their burrows result in leg injuries to cows and horses. They surprisingly can help agriculture, too. New York biologists estimate that these compulsive diggers annually aerate and excavate 1.5 million tons of subsoil, which they bring up to the surface and convert into valuable topsoil.
But you can be sure that if woodchucks move into my neighborhood again next year, Ill put out a live trap before we plant our garden and have another woodchuck recipe ready to try.
(Those who choose to shoot woodchucks must follow all hunting laws. You must be licensed and refrain from shooting without permission within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling or within 150 feet of a road.)
Contact Mark Blazis at email@example.com.
Read more here:
Mark Blazis: Save the garden, then dine well – Worcester Telegram


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subset: commoncrawl


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20 September 1996
Daily Mail
by Baz Bamigboye page 42
Get a little extra help
A television movie has the unexpected bonus of two star actresses - Tara Fitzgerald and Jennifer Ehle - as walk-on extras in its production.
The two performers were strolling across Barnes Common in South-West London last weekend, not realising they had walked into a crowd scene being shot for an unidentified drama.
Ms Ehle and Ms Fitzgerald, pictured here with her fiance and fellow actor Dorian Healy, after celebrating her birthday at The Ivy restaurant (he bought her a ruby ring), became firm friends when they worked together on Peter Hall's TV version of The Camomile Lawn.
The coming season will be good for Ms Fitzgerald. She co-stars with Ewan McGregor and Pete Postlewaite in Mark Herman's funny picture, Brassed Off, as well as the television adaptation of Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Monday, January 30, 2006
The Camomile Lawn Trivia
This article is already up on the fansite, but it doesn't hurt to remind those who don't read it, or don't read it properly. It's about Jennifer Ehle and Tara Fitzgerald being TV extras by coincidence.
Labels: miscellaneous, The Camomile Lawn
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Friday, 17 April 2015
The election for jobs
12 comments:
- Simon Fawthrop said...
Good to see you still on good form Mr FB, good points well made as always.
One minor quibble: "When push gets somewhere near to shove and they try to give an explanation they fall back on the very theory that seduced the moronic Gordon Brown. Spend more and the economy will be boosted thereby resulting in greater tax revenues that are self-sustaining and will allow accumulated debt to be repaid"
Gordon Brown relied on the con trick of calling all spending "investment" but never once did we see a cost benefit analysis on the "investment" or even a rate of return calculation. And now e have Ed^2 using the same con trick when they talk about their budget and heading towards primary balance, it excludes "investments". Why doesn't someone as them if those "investments" were so good how come we still have a large number of semi-illiterate adults adding to high unemployment? To give one example.
Anyway, rant over and I hope you are still enjoying your Indian restaurant.
- 17 April 2015 at 08:03
Like some ancient Californian prospector, I still pop over here every day.
I appear to have struck gold again...
A quick search on zerohedge.com for Richard Feynman on economics supports your statements. It became the fashion, after the event, to invoke Keynes to justify even more borrowing. But, try as I might, I cannot find Keynes telling us to borrow every year, ad infinium. Even Balls seems to have given up on this one. If borrowing is so good, why not go for a couple of trillion and solve all our problems in one fell swoop.
The real reason for the current insanity is that we no longer have "politicians", we have "tinkerers" and they do not practice "politics", but rather they practice "meddling".
I never thought to hear a leader of the Tory party
promise me that he would be there for me from cradle to grave.
- 17 April 2015 at 11:37
- Simon Fawthrop said...
John, set up an RSS feed, much easier. I use Feedly as it sinks across iPad and Windows.
The Free Exchange section of the Economist as an interesting and timely article about politicians meddling in the economy just before elections.
"INCUMBENT politicians know that if the economy is doing well, they are much more likely to be re-elected. When wages are rising and jobs are plentiful, workers feel happy. Small wonder, then, that many governments attempt to manipulate the economy to boost their political fortunes. New research, though, shows that however hard politicians try, shaping the economy to suit their electoral needs is a tall order.
In a paper* published in 1975 William Nordhaus of Yale University posited the existence of a "political business cycle" (PBC). He suggested that in the run-up to an election, politicians go on a spending binge. They may increase the generosity of unemployment benefits, for instance, or cut taxes. This, they hope, will give the economy a short-term boost, maximising their chance of re-election. After the election, though, they often have to cut back to stop the economy overheating and debt piling up."
Spoiler, it doesn't work.
Its behind a paywall so you'll have to dig out a copy if you aren't a subscriber.
- 19 April 2015 at 20:48
- Random said...
TFB, a few points here
1) The Greek government has introduced large austerity measures. You cannot directly compare the UK and Greece as Greece use a foreign currency - the euro and do not float so lose competitiveness and can face a sovereign debt crisis.
2 ) Austerity will not necessarily reduce the deficit. For example let us suppose the government cuts a teacher's wage. You will get less back in tax and NI. And the teacher may spend less leading to less VAT. A good metaphor for this is a credit card with cashback - when you spend at Tesco you will get a measly percentage back, but when the govt spends at Tesco it gets a % back (in fact 20), and when Tesco pays its employees it gets a % and when the employees go to the local pub and have a drink the government gets a %.
For the government it is a cracking deal - when it spends it gets 100% back as cash back.
Well why is there a deficit then you are screaming. Well, people may save money. This is what the deficit is - private savings. The government is not in control of the deficit.
And finally 3) Government spending works by crediting bank accounts. Govt checks don't bounce and are not "funded" from anywhere. Essentially all govt spending works by "printing money." Taxes debit bank account and make room for spending so it is not inflationary. They "unprint" money. Taxes also give the paper currency (£) value as you can't pay them in Bitcoin or Gold.
There are mechanisms since the gold standard to borrow back the savings the govt creates. Previously when currency was fixed to something (say gold, last time was until Black Wednesday in 1992 fixed to the German DM.) With a fixed rate you can't spend more than you tax or people would exchange it for the gold. So you have to borrow it back, issuing another (IOU) bond, not convertible to the gold (or dollars, in Argentina's case.)
But QE shows us we don't have to do that. We could QE the entire national debt with little consequences. Look at Japan - deflation, 200%+ nat debt, downgraded by the credit agencies, no default, low and falling bond yields. Japan shows us the mainstream is wrong.
It's impossible for the 'debt' to be a burden on future generations, as we can't sent stuff back in time, even if we wanted to. It makes no sense for the govt to save in £s as it can print as many as likes.
- 28 April 2015 at 15:21
- Random said...
You can't compare a tiny little developing country to the UK. But Zimbabwe's problems were due to the stupid land reform in 2000 where a bunch of people who knew nothing about farming stole land from the mostly white farmers who owned all the land due to the racist regime prior to 2000.
- 28 April 2015 at 15:26
- TheFatBigot said...
Thank you for your contribution Mr Random. Can you please tell me what is austere about our government spending £90,000,000,000 more this year than it will receive?
- 2 May 2015 at 04:04
- Random said...
Nothing at all. However, it is not really "debt" but rather a savings account.
A lot of it is "intergovernmental" (QE) and via
Personally I would like tax cuts combined with spending cuts.
Plus that £90,000,000,000 is because people (net) save money. The govt does not get all of its monies back because some is saved.
The "national debt" is really the national savings and will go up and life will continue as usual.
Look at Japan - they save a lot, 200%+ debt, no biggie.
It is only a problem if you don't issue the currency in which case it really is "debt."
If the population wants to save a lot then let them. Why do you want them to save less and borrow more? Don't you like well funded pensions?
- 17 May 2015 at 23:24
- Random said...
Here, from Mark Wadsworth:
"the government doesn't actually collect tax money and then spend it. The government creates money by spending it and then, to prevent hyper-inflation, destroys a similar amount of money by collecting taxes. "
The govt is a currency issuer not user so it is a
The government can spend as much or less as yesterday. It makes no sense for the govt to 'save' money for future generations.
It is useful myth in that it prevents politicians from spending like crazy (it also hides coercion) but it is just that - a myth. I thought you were smart enough to understand. Unfortunately the current crop seem to actually believe their own BS and have raised NI, raised VAT by 2.5%, and a bunch of other taxes as well as cutting wasteful spending.
Money is an IOU from the govt, a tax credit. £1 means it will redeem £1 in taxes. The govt imposes You-owe-mes then on you. Clever trick.
You can do this trick with your kids (if you have any.) You say you owe me 10 TFB dollars. If you don't pay I will kick you out. Then you offer to pay them 10 TFB dollars to do stuff around the house. Maybe they want to save some TFB dollars so you can 'borrow' back your own currency at say 5% to encourage thriftiness.
You can have savings without the spending. What this means is Kid A goes into debt to Kid B. Kid B has savings. Which is what the banking system does.
Steps are:
1. Govt requires you to pay taxes in its currency, say a property tax. Fees, fines, etc also create demand for the currency. It can be a foreign currency like the euro espc if you govt is run by morons.
2. Govt then spends on a bunch of stuff.
3. Government then voluntary borrows back the money. Otherwise, there are extra reserves in the banking system that banks can't get rid of so it drives the interbank lending rate goes to 0. Banks with not enough reserves borrow from banks with excess reserves or from the central bank at a 'penalty rate.' Banks don't loan out deposits. Banks loan and create new money and then back it up later.
Govt checks don't bounce.
- 18 May 2015 at 00:03
- Random said...
"At an interest rate of just 1% this year's overspend will add £900,000,000 to the annual interest bill. "
That interest not saved is spent and respent and comes back as taxes and is income for bondholders. The govt has full control over the interest rate.
Most bonds are held by pension funds. We could nationalise them and spend on 'state pensions.' Funnily, nobody seems to mind money spent on 'state pensions.'
- 18 May 2015 at 00:08
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text:
Every year Katie gets a new Christmas dress.
It has always been an easy task:
I find a dress I love for her,
I buy it,
I give it to her and she loves it.
Some years she comes with me and chooses,
but we always agree on the style.
This year, however, it was a bit different.
I had visions of something like this:
or this,
I loved this one, too!
Even this one wasn't bad.
My little Fashionista nixed every single one of them.
She had other ideas.
She said those were pretty, but she wanted something else.
What did she choose?
Something that didn't look like a sweet
"little girl dress".
It looked a bit more grown up.
In fact, it was way more grown up than I had in mind.
She chose this one.
My baby isn't a baby any more.


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This will be one fast post. We are off down the road to try find a commuter car for Dave. We've been a one car family for as long as we can, and now we really need that second car. Dance class, soccer, you know how it goes.
I finished Rori's Alchemist. She seems to like it, and both her and Isla have been taking turns wearing it. I should have knit the armholes one needle down, but I didn't, and that's ok. The yarn is Plymouth Encore.
Lastly, here is a long-overdue picture of Isla in her Tiny Tea Leaves. We forgot for ages to take a picture, and then the day we chose was freezing cold. We ran onto the porch, grabbed a couple of pictures, and then ran inside again. Brrrrrr, winter is here.
We definitely got the most from this pattern. Two pullover sweaters and two cardigan. Brilliant.
That's all from me for now. Happy New Year everyone, I hope that 2015 treats you right!


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text: Back to Home Look 1 Bonded Sponge Wool-Blend Jacket $2,790 Out of stock - Notify me when this product becomes available. Add to Wishlist The opening look on our Fall '17 runway, this sleek black jacket is constructed in a couture-like cocoon silhouette. It's made from bonded sponge wool-blend to hold the shape and crafted with ¾ sleeves, flap pockets and a concealed fastening for the most streamlined finish. We love how it was styled for the show with the gardenia belt. • All sale items are final sale and are not eligible for return or exchange • Concealed snap-front closure • Two pockets • 65% virgin wool / 22% cotton / 7% cashmere / 6% polyurethaneelastomere • Made in USA • Dry clean • Free ground shipping & returns on full-price U.S. orders Style# 17FN818BOW Share Contact us


text:
Now, first off, let's be clear: Obama was Goldman-Sachs' pick for president last time-- he's proven to be a fraud, now the big banks are running against his record supporting an even more vile candidate, and it's looking more and more like Romney will win. Watching the debates it's pretty clear why. Both men are running on platforms mostly comprised of fantasy and mythology, and the voters are choosing on the basis of which dream they'd rather dream rather than any basis of choice rooted in objective reality. Of the two delusional visions to choose from I find Romney's much more vile-- and it's worthy to point out some of the reasons his delusions are much more dangerous, at least in the near term.
First-- Romney's claim to fame, his resume, if you will-- is all based on the notion that he's some kind of businessman. He's got the talent for "making money" -- that's American, that's business oriented, that's practical. The fact is, however, he's no talent for making money at all. Now, sure as shit he's got a prime set of sticky fingers and he's pretty fine at taking it. . .but as far as I can see he's never, ever, created any real value on his own. This is an important distinction, and I'm surprised that more "pro-business" folk can't figure that out-- in fact Romney is very anti-business-- at least of the "creating value" kind, which, of course, is the only kind we of average non-richer-that-god sorts have available to us. Leveraged buyouts, offshore accounts, special access to legislators--ability to buy off regulators--key to Mitt's wealth. . .this is exactly the kind of behavior that has crushed small business: it's destroyed the economy, it's destroyed access to credit, it's increased costs of doing business(and promoted regulatory burdens--stuff the Mitts can ignore, but the little guy can't)-- and most dangerously and importantly, it's destroyed to competitive marketplace. You can't compete with Mitt. He's a taker, and he'll pay a buddy to write a law so he can buy you out, saddle you with debt, steal the companies value, bankrupt you, and personally claim the loss against his profits.
Let's be clear-- if you're a creator of value-- you're screwed in this economy-- and while the Mitts run the show(think big grabby hands when you think Mitt, it's a useful image) forget getting ahead. You could do something unbelievable amazing, like create a pill that magical cured cancer, aging, and loss of libido in one shot-- and you still couldn't make the kind of money Mitt's got. Why? 'Cause you're not going to get to go to school to learn the skills unless you pay off Mitt. You'll need to do your research at Mitt's company. Mitt will own the rights to your research anyway--as you're working for him, of course. Even if you could figure a way around that he'll just steal the research from you-- you can't afford to sue against him-- out of luck once again. Even if you got a Lesser Mitt to back you you'll still lose, as you'll pay more taxes, be forced to deal with more oversight, and eventually the Big Mitt will run you underground. No offense, nothin' personal, just business, right? Hardly. . .Mitt's business plan is no more brilliant than that of the average carjacker-- and that's written large in his life and his campaign-- from avoiding military service, to tax evasion and offshore accounts, to his double dipping business practices, his scammy relationship with politics all the way along, his sleazy peer-group--to now how he's run his campaign-- bullshit, deception, and expediency all the way through.
So, with that skillset, how you figure he'll handle the reins of the US economy?
Convert Freezer into Fridge - SUBHEAD: Solar power couldn't run the conventional fridge, but converting a bin freezer worked. By Kendra on 23 September 2014 for New Life on a Homeste...
1 day ago


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i almost forgot to post a CELEBRITY self-portrait this month! d'oh. good thing i found this one while packing. dave mckean, one of my all-time favorite artists, drew this self-portrait comic strip for a german magazine. you can click the pic to see a bigger version. it was his response to their question "where do ideas come from?" in a written post script to the comic, mister mckean added:
"usually i go to this great mexican restuarant i know. i sit in the corner all afternoon when they're empty. i doodle in notebooks, and eventually order a plate of mixed ideas with a side order of salsa picante.
"if i'm really stuck, there's this address in basingstoke i write to, enclosing a stamped addressed envelope, and they send me a small bag of ideas at a very reasonable price."


text:
Another win at football for my big grandson's team, today was a hard fought match but the boys played well together.
My darling was defense for 1st half and in goal for the 2nd. He let in a penalty but almost saved it, he had his hand on the ball but it just rolled over the top of the other hand bless him.
The middle one starts football training next weekend in the under 6's - he's such a tiny scrap but really fast on his feet. His first whole week of school has knocked him out poor mite.
Meanwhile the littly has had 2 days in Nursery and goes back for 2 more this week before starting all morning every day the week after, he's grumpy cos he can't go in sooner.
No crafting for me again, too busy trying to save mod roc masks that the children in my enrichment afternoon have been trying to make. Oh and making named leaves for the reading tree.
T stands for BoaTs and WaTer
9 hours ago


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Quick post. Just want to share this card that I made for Some Odd Girl tutorial post. The post went up on SOG blog last week, but since this puppy is one of my favorite, I just have to share it here as well.
I think so far, this is still the cutest pug stamp I've seen available.
Of course, the real thing is much, much cuter according to Eli, my pug puppy. ;)
And, this week Cath at Moxie Fab World is highlighting projects from the latest Paper Crafts special issue called Die Cutting for Paper Crafters and to my surprise, she picked one of my card. It's always excite me whenever my card gets picked. And I am always grateful when they do so.
Here's the card that was shown on Moxie Fab yesterday and you can also see this card on the magazine!
|Pic courtesy of Paper Crafts Magazine
I have several cards in this edition and on Friday, I'll do a blog hop with some fantastic card makers to promote this edition (and of course, there's a giveaway). So, stay tune and welcome to all the new followers. Excited to have you and truly appreciate you for choosing to follow my blog. Have a blessed day everyone.


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So I decided to skip the '10 Things that will change your life in 2011' or my '10 Social Media Trends That Will Make You Instantly Attractive' posts for something different at the end of 2010: my passion for coffee.
Coffee has become such an important part of my work life - it's a daily ritual. Having a somewhat nomadic work life and a bunch of demanding projects I rely upon a change of scenery to come up with ideas or solve business challenges. So the daily espresso and where I consume it has become just as important in my work life as the co-worker or office space might be to you. My Twitter followers will know I'm often tweeting about my latest coffee and one of them - @Stefidi - asked me to blog about my top
#1Market Coffee House, E1: What I like about this place is that it's 'old school'. Avoid peak times and you can find a quiet spot to sit and read the paper (at busy times, you'll be asked to put your laptop away). They usually have Radio Four on, and even if you can't hear it properly above the din of the coffeeshop, it sets a nice vibe, an old-fashioned contrast to the suits and the glossy office blocks of the City across the street.
#2 Nude Espresso, E1: I discovered Nude Espresso when an ex-client who was working at Habitat took me there a few years ago. It tends to be frequented by creatives and local agency types but has a nice vibe. It's a good meeting and thinking place. I like their tiered tipping system.
#3 The Luxe, E1: The Luxe often becomes my
East London workspace. The coffee is good, the staff friendly and I feel I could stay all day. If you're looking for a quiet space to get your head down then this place is not for you; but if you're after a stimulating environment, some people watching and a comfy sofa then this is your place. On most mornings you can work to an 80s, 90s soundtrack (they like their music loud here) and you can often spot locals like Gilbert and George here.
#4 Monmouth Coffee Company, WC2: If I had to rank these venues in order of quality and service, Monmouth would win (hey, I even wrote a post about it for BNET.com). The coffee, the price, the service is all good. This tends to be a pit-stop for me rather than somewhere I hang out and I drink espresso as it was intended - quickly. You can sit on the bench outside and people watch. The coffee here even attracts visitors staying at The Covent Garden Hotel across the street; I once spotted Jack Black in the queue behind me. When I take guests or friends here for the first time what they like most is the simple but effective ordering system. Once you request your coffee, the cashier shouts up to the barista on the mezzanine behind you, 'single espresso'. the barista shouts back 'single espresso' to confirm they heard. How's that for a damn simple system?
#5 Monmouth Coffee Company, SE1: Here at their Borough Market shop I tend to linger longer, they have a communal table, a small bar to sit up at and a tiny mezzanine which is great for people watching. I spent a great Saturday here once editing my second book. This is the view from that spot onto the market.
#6 Flat White, W1: In the bustle of
#8 Bar Italia, W1: This list would feel incomplete without Bar Italia. To be honest, I don't rate the coffee much but it remains a
#9 Rough Trade East, E1: If you like your vinyl or browsing CDs it doesn't get much better than Rough Trade's shop at the Truman Brewery. And there's a little coffee shop by the entrance for people watching, writing in the moleskine after being inspired by all that music.
#10 Albion Cafe at The Boundary Hotel, E2. This tends to be a morning spring or summer hang out for me, sitting outside and having a few coffees or a late brunch. Down a blink-and-you'll-miss-it alleyway from
Shoreditch High St, this is a great little street. In summer swap your espresso for a mojito on London's best rooftop terrace bar at the hotel.
Notes: i) I haven't included any chain coffee shops because I try and avoid them; ii) I haven't included member's clubs as that's elitist; iii) all photos by Ian Sanders.
Notes: i) I haven't included any chain coffee shops because I try and avoid them; ii) I haven't included member's clubs as that's elitist; iii) all photos by Ian Sanders.


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Latest Book: "Owned By Rome", Ellora's Cave Legend Line.
Buy Link: Ellora's Cave/Jasmine Jade http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8348-50-owned-by-rome.aspx
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4kDkIaLYG0
BIO: I love to write and paint. The butterfly is one of my acrylic paintings. For many years I was primarily a painter. I started writing several years ago when I felt the need to fill a larger canvas and tell bigger stories without actually taking up more space! lol
I bought my first Ellora's Cave book in 2005. It was Jaid Black's "The Empresses' New Clothes". I just fell in love with it's sexy naughtiness. I immediately ran back to the bookstore to buy more Ellora's Cave books. When I decided to begin writing erotic romance, I didn't even consider submitting my work anywhere else. I knew I belonged at Ellora's Cave and fortunately they felt the same way.
My editor is Mary M and I'm so grateful to have her advice and guidance. I encourage any aspiring writer of erotic-romance to approach Ellora's Cave and become a cavewoman or caveman! lol
Q: What's the first thing you did when you received word you'd sold a book?
A: I gasped and read the email carefully a second time to make sure I wasn't mistaken about Ellora's Cave offering me a contract! I immediately told my husband and my friends… They didn't have to wait Very long to hear the news!
Q: What part of the book is the easiest for you to write? Why?
A: Believe or not I love writing the erotic scenes the best. If I'm not squirming in my chair, I revise. I love getting lost in the deep POV, emotional nitty-gritty. I get so carried away in the work if a family member or friend approaches my work area I jump up in alarm or cover the computer screen with my hands!
Q: What part of the book is the hardest for you? Why?
A: Hands down the blurb is the hardest part and it should be the easiest. I blow it every time.
Q: Do all your heroes and all heroines look the same in your mind as you "head write"?
A: No, no, never, never! All my characters exist as distinct individuals in my mind. I know and love them all differently and each has taught me something important about myself that I was grateful to learn.
Q: Who is your favorite character in you book and why?
A: I never write about any character that I don't love. I tend to really love my villains and bad-hats. I always want to redeem them and give them all the best lines! For months now I've been a little obsessed with Atellus my Roman magistrate from "Owned by Rome". That guy is really sticking with me. Emotionally, he gets put through the wringer and comes out the better for it. "Owned by Rome" was the first book I've written where the main POV is male for more than half the story. I loved writing the male POV and seeing the world and women through Atellus' eyes. It was a treat for me.
Q: You're on a remote island with a handsome man, a computer, and a "mysterious" source of electricity to power your computer. What do you do?
A: The obvious answer is turn off the computer and go coconuts with a handsome man! The honest answer is I've been completely alone on a desert island with a handsome man and I can tell you-it's not easy. My husband and I were great fans of the explorer Thor Heyerdahl in our teens. Before we were married we took a tramp steamer through the South Pacific with very little money and two backpacks. Sometimes we worked, sometimes we starved. We both got chased by horny old salty dogs. One day we ended up stranded on a sand atoll on the edge of the Cook islands, no food, no people, no idea how or when we were going get home. My husband got bitten by a poisonous spider, which left a crater in his arm the size of a half dollar. He was delirious with pain… It was a big adventure and not necessarily a romantic one.
Tell us where to find you
Please visit my website: http://www.katalinaleon.com
And Blogs at http://katalinaleon111.blogspot.com
Seven Sexy Scribes (Of which you are one Marianne!) http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com
Ellora's Cave Publishers/Jasmine Jade Enterprises
Youtube channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/KatalinaLeon
On the edge of the Roman Empire, Queen Boudica's rebellion has ended and a time of great tragedy has passed.
Atellus, a Roman magistrate living on the western frontier of Gaul discovers he's no longer sympathetic to Rome and must now question every facet of his life.
A cunning Celtic woman with golden-red hair arrives in the slave markets defiant and angry family: a danger to anyone foolish enough to purchase her. As punishment for her willful destruction of Roman property she is to be offered as a sexual favor to guests at a lavish feast and put to death for their entertainment.
For Atellus it's love at first sight. He rescues and takes ownership of her. Together they embark on an erotic and turbulent journey through a lonely Celtic forest. He soon discovers his beautiful slave is harboring a painful secret and must never again speak her true name. Suspicions rise that she is Celtic royalty and the last of her kind.
In the heart of the forest, two strong-willed lovers clash, fall in love and catch a glimpse of what the future can be if both can learn to trust and forgive.
Chapter One
Belgica, Western Gaul, late August, 64 AD
Atellus' lashes flickered erratically in his sleep. She's near and this feels like home. Tonight, as it did every night, the most beautiful sensation descended from above and washed over his sleeping body. The nocturnal visitation was purely feminine, loving and filled with desire. The sensation floated over him as if it were a spirit haunting the night, yet it felt so real it set his body afire. It called to him from the past, a painful reminder of all that was not present. He tossed fitfully on the. His body ached in his sleep, both from longing and exhaustion. He struggled to wake and pursue her. His lips parted. He tried to form words and call to her, but she moved away from him with astonishing speed. His heart raced as his eyes fluttered open to glance around the stark but practical cubiculum where he slept alone, sprawled across an empty bed. His calloused fingertips searched the woolen that covered his bare skin. She was not there. She was nowhere near. He came to the painful realization she was merely a creature of vapor and had not actually visited his bed. His mind had tricked him once again. The visitation's warmth and softness, even her dark, perfumed ringlets had been nothing more than a compelling illusion of Morpheus, the god of dreams. His tense fingers dug deep into the blanket as his heart sank. A moment of disorientation swept through him to realize years had passed and he was in his compound in Belgica. A moment ago he had been convinced he was once again a young man living in Rome with her.
His body stirred uncomfortably on the bed. His hip hurt from riding all day and falling asleep on his side. He plopped onto his back, fully awake with his aching, hard thrusting against the lodix. The inevitable moment had arrived as it did every night. He found himself alone, hard and needing release. He longed for her but his hand wrapped around the shaft of his dolon instead. He took hold of his only intimate companion. His hand stroked its hooded head until the skin pulled tight. His palm slowly squeezed the shaft, making the blood rush. It felt good to ache so strongly for his one true amare, but she was more than a loved one. She was his pietas, his devotion. No woman compared to her. She was perfection in body, spirit and mind. She was his dove.
He took a deep breath and stroked. He could depend on waking in the darkest hours before dawn, thinking of her lush hips, soft eyes, and find himself desperately needing to do this. His fist grasped tightly as he thickened and grew warm in his hand. His testes rose and pulled tight. His fingers reached lower and gave them a harsh tug downward. He winced. The moment of pain sobered his thoughts. His adult life had been nothing but pain, so what was a little more? His desire for her was so strong he knew he could not stop it; he could only slow it. He wanted to go painfully slow and think of her. He wanted this act to last at least as long as he might spend with her, though he had never had her.
He forced himself to stroke at a leisurely pace, stopping often to tug down on his testes and grimace. He wanted to prove to himself he had some control over the passion that washed over him whenever it pleased. He had no control over his separation from her, but that would change. His hand took on its own slow, steady rhythm, broken only by the occasional brutal squeeze or the rough slap of his fingertips.
It was a warm night in early autumn, a sliver of moonlight poured through a slatted window. The harvest season had been grueling but productive. His reward was within sight. All rewards were within sight. Soon he would be with her. Revenge and his heart's desire would be fulfilled. After years of waiting, longing, plotting and dreaming, she would finally be his.
He thought of her. His hand lazily stroked himself as he drifted into the twilight realm between waking fantasy and dreams. Dark, voluptuous Columba, regina of doves. She was the purest, gentlest most beautiful dove to ever flutter to earth and take the shape of a woman. Her eyes were liquid compassion. Her lips were rose petals, opening only to loving words. Her hair was a rippling night sky highlighted with sparkling stars. She was everything lovely about womankind and so much more. The gods had made her solely for him and life had been unjust to steal her away, but that too would change.
For all the betrayals and dishonesty committed against him, surely the god Jupiter would take his side and revenge would be granted. He was owed a lover for his bed, a companion, a wife and a mother for his future children, and he wanted them all in one woman. He had been lonely and patient for far too long. Tomorrow, he was leaving on a journey to fetch her and bring her home. Soon she would share his bed and his future. His fist sped as he thought of her smooth body surrendering beneath him. Once he possessed her, he would take her slowly and with great care. He loved her. He gritted his teeth and groaned softly as spilled into his palm. "Columba."
Anything else you'd like to add?
Yes, "Owned by Rome" is close to my heart because it's really a tale of two conflicting cultures learning to see the strengths and beauty in each other. I researched as many letters from Roman legionnaires as I could find trying to get a feel for what it must have been like to be stationed far from Rome and yet charged with imposing Roman order on people who didn't want it. Most letters were mere snippets from buried garbage heaps but they were very telling. I feel every human story is a divine story filled with desire, learning and compromise. I really enjoyed losing myself in this metaphoric tale. If Russel Crowe, Hugh Jackman, or Clive Owen ever feel a burning desire to play the part of Atellus in the thrilling epic film version of my book... I hope they'll contact me directly or better yet fight for the part on my front lawn! lol


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Aircraft Review : Carenado C208B Grand Caravan v2 HD series
Stephen posted a topic in General Aviation Aircraft ReviewsAircraft Update and Review : Carenado C208B Grand Caravan v2 HD series Route - KEYW (Key West) to MYNN (Nassau Intl) The Grand Caravan from Carenado was their first larger, one size up aircraft for X-Plane. And right from the start at the release in Mid-2012 everyone knew this was something special. It was a sensational success and really cemented Carenado's already formidable reputation of creating the very best aircraft in General Aviation. Over a year later it has now been finally updated to 64bit and moved over into the HD series. So what does make the Caravan C208B so special. What are the core ingredients that makes it stand out a little above the rest of so many other really good aircraft. Why time and time again it was always the Grand Caravan that you of choice would to choose to fly again and again. I think I know the answer to those questions and this review is a way to explore them and highlight the qualities that made this aircraft so good and we can also see the extra features and update changes to v2 . The Cessna 208B Caravan is a short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft with a single turboprop engine. It uses a fixed-gear undercarriage for reliability and for rough runways and the aircraft is built by Cessna in Wichita, Kansas in the United States. The aircraft typically seats nine passengers with a single pilot, although with a FAR "Part 23' waiver it can seat up to fourteen passengers. The 208 Caravan I prototype first flew in December 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984. Since then, the Caravan has undergone a number of design evolutions, and working with FedEx, Cessna produced first the Cargomaster. (utility cargo version). Cessna offers the 208B in many configurations and the basic 208 airframe can be outfitted with many various types of landing gear, and allowing it to operate in a wide variety of environments. Some common adaptations include skis, enlarged tires (Tundra) for unprepared runways and also floats on the Caravan Amphibian model. The 208B Grand Caravan is a 4 feet (1.2 m) stretch of the Caravan I. The 208B also features a more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-114A engine (built in Canada). Cost is US$2,022,450 (Base price) and over 2000 have been built. Cruise speed: 197 mph (171 kn; 317 km/h), Range: 1,240 mi (1,078 nmi; 1,996 km) with max fuel and reserves, Rate of climb: 770 ft/min (3.9 m/s) To a point the Grand Caravan is a niche aircraft with a wide scope of different roles, It fills the need of an aircraft sized larger than the standard General Aviation aircraft and is still smaller than a commuter aircraft of 20 seats and above. So it is ideal as a regional feeder aircraft or in its most popular role as an Island hopper in transporting around 9 to 14 passengers over short distances (200nm to 500nm). This is a typical route that we will fly today is from Key West to Nassau Intl which is 245 nm. To set the aircraft up for its flight you have three sets of menu options on the lower left of your screen. (D) is for Doors and this pop-out menu allows you to open and close the aircraft doors, which in include the Pilots and Co-Pilots door(s) (with a great swing down ladder), a passenger door (right rear) and a double (upper and lower) Baggage door, and when you open the passenger door if you have the cargo pod attached under the aircraft the four smaller baggage compartments also open. (O) is for Options and this second pop-out menu allows you to stow the Static Elements (Chocks, Tow Tractor, Pivot Cover and engine and prop covers. You have a choice of two seating configurations in eight Single seats (8 Pass) or a singe and a double seat per row (and two single seats (11 Pass). the Co-Pilot's seat can be used as either a passenger or a pilot. I am here going for the 11 passenger configuration for this flight. You can also on this menu select either Clear or Tinted windows (VC Windows), I like the dark green tinted. You can choose if you want the under-slung extra (baggage) cargo pod on or off, It adds weight to the aircraft and so if you going for range or flying a considerable distance it is better left off. (C) The top Menu item is "Camera", that gives you the standard Carenado view system with a zoom function. This has been extended in v2 to add extra programmable views. Settling into the Pilots seat is time to get the C208B ready to go, the panel is clear, unfussy and well laid out. The main engine and power/electric switches are on your left on a tall box structure, and the lighting switches are arranged (grouped) on the left lower part of the panel. The centre upright pedestal has an emergency power lever, single throttle lever, Propeller RPM/Feather Lever and a (clever) gated conditioning/cutoff lever. On the far right is the gated flap lever (3 positions). A huge pitch trim wheel on the side and another rudder trim wheel lower down in the pedestal box. The Bendix/King weather radar has been updated in v2 with a rainbow activation screen. It is quite bright and can either (thankfully) be turned down or you can select the "on" position that gives you the standard screen. The system is just limited to the standard X-Plane weather screen and is really just on or off. You don't turn a key but push a switch to start the huge Pratt & Whitney PT6A, So after setting the RPM and condition levers to right up high you then just sit there. Nothing happens at first but then deep in the nose something stirs, it cranks and whines and finally rumbles into a sucking whiny loud turbine roar. One of the highlights of the Caravan is its noise, 3D stereo sounds are all around you, but in reality it is so noisy you can't really tell which direction it is coming from anyway. It is mega great though as nothing else sounds like the caravan, on the ground you get those whiny sucking air turbo sounds and in the air it just roars. The propeller animation in v2 has had a revision and it was pretty good in v1 but now in v2 it is more refined. Let off the brakes and you have to control the power. The Caravan was always hard to taxi as it has so much thrust. I found adjusting the RPM doesn't work? The only way could reign in the power was to pull the condition lever back into the gate (to far back will kill the engine) and finally you can taxi out at the right speed (and with a bright "low oil Pressure" light in your face). It may not be the right thing in a real Caravan to do but, it was the only way to reign all that thrust in? Power is the problem on takeoff as well. Push up the throttle on 10º Flap, and the asymmetric thrust will pull you hard to the left. So you have to be aware right from the moment you let the brakes go to give only a little thrust until you can lock the nose-wheel straight and then give it full power after a certain speed. It works with a little deft right rudder and once in the air you can quickly straighten the airframe up. Even with a full fuel and passenger load the aircraft has the power to climb easily and you soon find the aircraft settled into a 800fpm climb to 10,000ft. Watch you speed though, if the C208B starts to struggle then half the pitch. But otherwise it will climb quite high, you are not pressurized but have a ceiling of 27.700 ft (8.443 m). You have real C208B weight and balance dialed into the aircraft and that gives you a realistic feel for the aircraft empty or fully loaded. I don't know if you could call the Grand Caravan a beautiful aircraft, it is functional and utilitarian rather than pretty. But Carenado's work here is exceptional, the textures are now in the HD (High-Definition) series, and the detailing is excellent. All the riveted panels are there to be seen and the detailing is exquisite in noting the flap runners and pitot probes, and the rubber trailing edge aerials that feel and act with realism and movement. Wire mesh in the engine intakes and a beautifully crafted tricycle undercarriage, that springs and claws together when not under-load. A final piece is the large horn of an exhaust that billows smoke under-load. The windows and glass is perfection in realism. In the air the panel is very functional. The white background on black dials looks modern and distinctive, The Standard Six set of instruments is well set out, but the yoke (removable) can hide the radar height and turn indicator. I like the voltage switch, you can switch it to different aspects of the voltages in four modes. There is a full set of alert lights that can be in two modes in that completely dark or a night setting, which illuminates the panel slightly to see them at night - It works well in the day also to see what their different functions are. The equipment stack is not large, but you still have everything you need. Radio, A Garmin GNS430 (Comm1/VOR1), Bendix King KX165 (Comm 2/ VOR2), Garmin GTX 320 Transponder, Bendix King KR67 ADF and an excellent KFC 150 Autopilot with pitch hold (V/S) and height ALT on a separate panel (push button to switch to either "select Height or V/S" (Vertical Speed) ) The Co-Pilots./Passenger side only has the Standard Six instruments with lower Air-Conditioning and Cabin Heat controls. The panel lighting is excellent with small over lights on the dials, switches and with no background dial lighting, and so at night it is spectacular and still very functional. Overhead is your fuel supply switches and oxygen supply. Overhead lighting works in the front but not in the rear? The front window blinds work in being very adjustable, but still odd in the way you move them into position, and get it wrong and they can be hard to store away again, They are just tricky to use but essential for the pilots in flying directly into the sun. Cabin detail is first rate and can't be faulted, worn in parts but still a modern flavour in cloth seating for the pilots and rear seats. The two pilots up front are fully animated and realistic... Wouldn't it be great to have the same animations as passengers in the rear?... As it looks pretty empty back there without anybody sitting in the seats. In v2 the lighting has been brought up to HDR standards, the new flickering strobes are excellent, as is the wing light (left side only). The taxi and landing lights are both set in the wings together and are very good, the tiny detail attention by Careando is shown here by them (Taxi/Landing) being noticeably different up close. The standard Nav/Beacon lighting is also more noticeable though the upgrade. Now way out over the water it is starting to feel empty out here, The engine is feeling strong and purring along, but you have to watch those flickering dials. This engine feels like a tractor engine and you can run it hard at full throttle until the pressures start to show you that you should back off a little. You get a white (paint/default) livery and five other HD liveries, (Clockwise) Executive (Blue), E Arab, GoTrop, Brazil and Executive 2 (Red). GoTrop is my favorite, but there are over thirty others available on the .org As Nassau Island popped up on the horizon it was time to descend. I was happy the VOR (ZQA 112.70mhz) finally kicked in and on the Caravan it gives you your speed and distance to the Nav-Aid. In many cases you pull back on the throttle and slow the speed. But in the C208B it can cause you to stall without the power on. So it is a little throttle back and set the V/S to -700 to start the glide down and then adjust the throttle to match the right speed. If you get it right dropping the flaps to 10º and then 20º to reduce the speed down to 80knts, but don't forget to give the aircraft a little throttle to balance the drag - as the flaps do create a lot of drag. The Caravan is very stable on the descent and it is very easy to turn-in and line-up with the runway (RWY32). Using the throttle to find the right speed is also very easy and a final flap down to 30º is setting the aircraft up easily for landing. Lowering the speed (throttle) smoothly till you get to the right place to slightly flare it down. As quiet as it is in the air. The Caravan suddenly becomes noisy on the ground. First is the noise of the Reverse Thrust of the Propeller, and noisy and powerful it is. This action can give you almost STOL (Short TakeOff and Landing) capabilities. The sounds of the engine reving up high here is simply amazing as in "goosebumps" territory. But then you suddenly have duel issues to contend with, 1) holding it straight on the centerline (keep the front wheel locked until the speed is right down) and 2) that powerful engine is pulling you hard as you move into the taxi speed zone. I have to jump on the condition lever to get it back to the first gate position as soon as possible to quell the speed. Otherwise set it on the approach ready. This can be problematic if you need power on a missed approach and really not advisable, but it does give you a better transition from your landing speed to a sedate taxi speed. As you taxi the 3d sounds change with every turn as the high whine returns. Find your parking position and pull back the condition lever to "Cut-Off" and revel in the winding down of the turbine. You just love these sounds and never get bored of them and that is a big part of the attraction to this aircraft. Hit the menus to open doors and get the baggage out. I personally would like the lower pod baggage doors on a separate button option from the opening passenger door, as they droop down even if you just want to let a passenger out. The C208B is a complex aircraft but frame-rate is not a problem, I rarely get the shudders and rarely go below the 20 frame-rate mark. Conclusions Why is the Grand Caravan 208B so good. First off is the sheer versatility of the aircraft. Any situation or idea you can dream up in a short distance flight, can be usually done in the Caravan. Pickup passengers, island hop, deliver mail, short regional airport to regional airport delivery flights, tourism flying, hub shuttling and delivering cargo or small freight. The Caravan can do anything that you can put together in flying 8-11 passengers (or Cargo) in a 500nm circle. The Carenado Caravan was my "Aircraft of the Year 2012". Many other aircraft that were released were better like the Boeing 777. But I flew more hours and went to more destinations in six months in the Caravan than any other aircraft over the whole year. It is challenging to fly in all that power from one engine, it has brilliant sounds, It is beautifully crafted by Careando and fully featured and detailed, and you can also configure the aircraft in many different ways... and most of all you just fly and watch your course and hum along to that turbine sound like you are in heaven. At 10,000ft in a C208B Caravan you are as pretty close to heaven that you can get. Follow on from this review to the "Expansion Pack" Version of the Caravan with a review the If you have the v1 of the 208B Cessna Caravan then the v2 update is now available at the X-Plane .OrgShop... or if you want to buy: Price is $29.95 : C208B Grand Caravan HD Series Documents: Technical Requirements: Windows XP , Vista, 7 or 8 (32 or 64 bits), MAC OS 10.3.9 (or higher). Linux X-Plane 9.7 , X-Plane 10.22+ . 32 and 64bit compatible Pentium 2 GHz - 4GB RAM/512 MB VRAM. 1GbVRAM Recommended Download: 291.60mb - 252MB available hard disk space Current version: v2 (last updated September 25th 2013) X-Plane10 is required for HDR lighting effects and the HD textures are rendered to maximise the low frame-rate. updated store# Developer Site: Carenado Review By Stephen Dutton 27th September 2013 (note: the engine torque enhancements are included and ignore the C208B service pack on the Carenado site.) Full List of v2 updates: -32-bit and 64-bit Mac, Windows, and Linux support. -X-Plane 9.7 and 10.22 acf files included. -Updated SASL to official v2.0.1 release, which contains optimizations that benefit from Laminar's X-Plane 10.22 release. -Overhauled lighting system. Lighting halos for nav and strobe lights are now more visible under certain viewing angles. -Landing light features tightly-focused "glare" effect when viewed from the right angle. -Landing lights optimized to work better under v9.7 lighting, as well as v10 HDR-off and HDR-on lighting -Nav lights have been improved for a more realistic appearance. -Strobe lights have been re-programmed to follow a strobe flashing pattern, determined by the plugin. -Improved ground handling -Optimized objects -Improved weather radar, -improved stereo sounds -Improved interior and exterior graphics and visualizations -No longer has inverted fuel and oil systems. More realistic. -Optimized various menus, to use less memory. -Tweaked turning radius on ground to compensate for new v10 no-toe-brake-with-rudder setting. -Adjusted trim time from centre to max for v10, as this setting, left un-addressed, will cause the same plane to take twice as long to trim. -tweaked gauges, such as fuel and oil pressure, vacuum, etc. to conform to v10's new way of calculating "Nominal pressure/temperature" as opposed to "Max pressure/temperature". -Programmed default camera snap points for v10 (on top of existing ones via "Cameras" pop-up menu) 2 Different .acf files: one for v9 and one for v10. -v10 .acf features optimized objects. Interior/exterior shading is applied only where needed, saving resources. -v10 .acf has further optimizations to objects that don't need the background (clouds, skies) to be drawn through them, if they're not transparent, saving further resources. -v10 .acf also protects certain textures from resolution degradation at low rendering settings. This guarantees that the panel instruments and text are always crisp and clear, no matter what rendering settings are chosen for the sim. -v10 .acf is optimized to make use of HDR rendering, especially in terms of lighting. This includes spill lights, which illuminate the surroundings, coming from Nav and Strobe lights. -When HDR mode is turned off, care has been taken to optimize the appearance of the plane without the enhancement benefits of HDR. Review System Specifications: Computer System: - 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i5 iMac 27" - 6 Gb 1067 Mhz DDR3 - ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb Software: - Mac OS MountainLion 10.8.2 - X-Plane 10 Global ver 10.22 (final) - ExtremeSceneryMAXX Addons - Saitek x52 Pro system Joystick and Throttle Scenery - KEYW - Key West International Airport V1.0 - fletcherj - MYNN - Lynden Pindling International (Nassau Intl) - mhayling


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No really it was. Once.
And now it's not. And it's not tea either.
What a waste.
No really it was. Once.
And now it's not. And it's not tea either.
What a waste.
I was surprised recently to learn that 'eating clean' wasn't just about green juice and limp leaves. After discovering this rather cool little website called The Kitchen Shed I've been educated that you can eat cleanly (if you so desire to) and still enjoy meals that seem to be rather at odds with such a notion. Such as Cheese Stuffed Meatballs – no really. Look!
As a big fan of both CHEESE and MEATBALLS (and of course TRYING TO BE HEALTHY) I had to give them a go. Look, this is basically turkey mince, bound with a little pesto and rolled into meatballs into which you press a little square of feta cheese. Easy, even for me.
I cooked these in the slow cooker with some homemade pasta sauce, I optimistically dusted with a little flour so they would hopefully keep their shape. I don't know if flour is 'eating clean' I just wanted my little meatballs to stay that way.
I'm very happy to report that – whilst a little dry – they remained as meatballish as possible (with only a small amount of mushiness).
Don't get hung up on the presentation I know it looks like dog food. But they tasted pretty good and the cheesy inside was a nice little surprise.
This is eating clean I can get on board with. No leaves in sight.
Another classic Pancake Night round Alice Can't Cook Towers.
It's the same every year so I won't elaborate but the pictures tell the same old story:
Not sure why I keep bothering, why I think every year might be different? But I have to, I love pancakes, really love them. One year will by MY year…
For the full terrible pancake story read about the night I live tweeted Pancake Night 2014 from my kitchen with the usual results here!
Regular readers will know how much I love a cooking kit – from little cakes to a full menu – not being a natural cook I thrive when every tiny thing is written down and weighed out for me.
So I was more than happy to try out a curry kit from Hari Ghotra. I chose a Xacuti Kit because I liked the name, but I should have done a little research first as this was one hot and spicy dish.
Anyway – the kit is a tiny bundle of spice sachets with an easy guide – you just add the meats and vegetables you like. I decided on lamb and here is mine waiting to be curry kitted:
Add the first little bag of tumeric to the lamb and let it sit while you get on with making the paste. Now this is a little fiddly as you have to toast the spices from the second bag (but how do you know when they're done? I trusted my nose and stopped just when they started to smell lovely and… toasty!).
You grind this concoction up and add it to water – et voila your very own curry paste. Aren't you clever?
Then there is the very small matter of mashing up some tamarind in hot water while you cook your meat and paste together. Just add this sieved water near the end with the final bag of spices (some lovely nutmeg which I never think of adding to a curry) and you're done!
It tasted incredible, although I did add maybe a little too much water and this particular curry choice was a little hot – but hey you've got to live a little right?
The sauce was more than enough for two people, reasonably easy to make and absolutely a far better bet than buying a ready-made sauce full of stuff that has no place being in a curry. Or ordering in a takeaway obvs.
Plus it makes your house smell completely wonderful and had my family considering the very unusual fact that I might actually be doing some 'real cooking' for a change.
No, I didn't make the bread.
PLEASE NOTE: This curry kit was provided to me free of charge for an honest review from someone who can't cook.
You know I love jumping on a bandwagon, I feel left out if I'm not giving the latest thing a go. And so this week I was eager to trial the new cauliflower pizza that everyone is so keen to talk about. This is a gluten free, carb less, low calorie version of the classic pizza just using cauliflower as the base – no really it's not a joke, if you haven't heard of it then where have you been? (Probably enjoying real pizzas from Dominos?)
Anyway my friend at work Kate had made one with much success and I enjoyed a cold slice of it myself in the office. If mine could taste half as good as hers then I could be onto a winner. And maybe even save myself a few calories and some wheaty bloating whilst still getting to enjoy pizza goodness.
You use cauliflower rice (yes this is also a thing) which is just washed florets whizzed up into crumbs. OR you can buy ready made pots of it in Tesco…. don't judge me I don't own a food processor (and probably with good reason). You heat this 'rice' up, squeeze out the moisture (which takes forever and really burns your hand if you use kitchen roll) and bind it with eggs and some cheese and seasoning. This makes up some kind of dough mixture that you can spread out into your pizza base:
Simply put your 'pizza dough' onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven until crispy. Here is mine going in and I'm feeling reasonably confident at this point. And I still was when I pulled it out because it looked round and golden and edible. Could I have made my first pizza base? With cauliflower?
I eagerly went to lift it from the paper so I could cool and spread my toppings over it – I had even made my own tomato sauce (don't be impressed – tinned toms with mixed herbs).
BUT I hadn't counted on this happening:
The base had stuck to the baking paper! I mean how does that even happen? Doesn't this paper have one job to do? Apparently you are meant to grease the paper first? But how do you know how to do that? Where do they even teach you to do that? Did I miss that day at life school?
I was appalled but desperate not to waste all I had already worked so hard for. so I tried to scrape what I could from the traitorous paper and this was my base.
I didn't have high hopes for my pizza after this. Look how anaemic it looked. I baked it for a bit longer and ended up with this:
That is not a pizza base by anyone's standards. CAULIFLOWER CAN GO TO HELL! Or at least back into some cheese sauce where it belongs.
Still… I'm nothing if not tenacious (and I hate waste) so I spread my homemade tomato sauce over it followed by some grated onion and carrot (as I said I hate waste) followed by a whack load of cheese because that could only help right?
Of course the pizza base was so depleted by this point the overflowing toppings (made for a far larger and more robust base) remained raw whilst the bottom turned into a vegetable crisp.
I could have cried. It actually tasted of very little indeed, cardboard maybe? With some raw onion. Not sure. Suffice to say I won't be trying this again and would much rather get that number for Dominos off you. Cheers.
Liked that? Did you read about the time I made spaghetti with courgettes? Courgetti? I know right. That was crap too! Maybe these healthy alternatives are not for me. Sigh…
I've always said that there are SOME things I can do. I can turn out a reasonable fry-up and my roast dinners aren't too bad.
Actually, apart from the fact they are usually far too large and not presented that well, my roast dinner is probably my best cooked dish.
As long as the meat is something nice and easy like a chicken, rather than a slab of beef – which I would overcook and serve in dried out hunks.
But a Roast Chicken Dinner I CAN DO. Look:
Admittedly I've given up trying to make my own Yorkshire puds and my vegetables come ready prepared and easily steamed but still, it's not bad.
I also make quite a good gravy using the meat juices. See, you'd never think that about me would you? Using meat juices.
I can also make roasties, I use the Delia par-boil method, give 'em a shake and straight into hot oil. Works for me.
Also a roast dinner HAS to have stuffing – either in slabs, balls or direct from the chicken's arse. Also bread sauce is a deal breaker. I won't eat or serve without.
However – and of course there is a however – I absolutely destroy the kitchen. I use every single pot and pan and usually something ends up on the floor.
Sometimes the whole family wonder whether a roast dinner cooked by me is worth the absolute devastation. I know I should clean as I go but I find everything kind of comes together all at the same time and pans, knives, serving spoons, jugs are all needed all at once and so kind of get left.
For which I get… a right roasting.
The idea of a recipe that only need THREE INGREDIENTS appeals to me. Because there's obviously a lot less chance of me mucking it up. And so I was keen to try these Nutella Brownies that only need: Nutella, Eggs and Flour – that's right, just three things.
How hard could it be? Well not very is the answer, in fact even though they were rather basic they were easy and delicious and worked for me. So how did I manage to find a way to ruin it all? Read on…
Nutella, flour and eggs mixed in a bowl. I know – so far so good right?Mixture spread into a greased dish and baked for 15 minutes:Delicious brownies as a result. Soft and springy and edible.
I am QUEEN OF THE WORLD!
Buoyed up by my success and the surprise of my family who actually ate them. I made some more the very next day but – of course – thought I would add to them. Maybe try and make them a bit healthier. I replaced one of the eggs with mashed banana and some of the Nutella with oats.
Thinking I would still have the basic success and taste of the Nutella brownies but with a hint of oaty banana goodness I made this unappetising looking mix to start:
My son thought it looked like bird spit and I have to say I didn't disagree with him. However I was still reasonably confident at this stage.
After 15minutes in the oven sadly I didn't pull out the same sweet and delicious brownies I thought I had mastered and made my own. They were tasteless and damp and quite dense. How could such innocent tweaks make such a difference?
Well I suppose if you already have a recipe that's as simple as only having three ingredients then maybe you shouldn't muck about with it?
They're still in the cake tin, no one wants them. I shall stick to the originals next time. If there is one.
If you've even got a passing interest in food you'll have heard of Spiralizing! I've been dancing around this new trend for a while now and even invested in my own contraption a few months ago. It has sat dusty and unused in the kitchen and became the cause of many rows over the use of space.
Anyway… I saw the Champions of Spiral Foodstuffs – the Hemsley sisters – on the telly this week and after their demo on how easy it was to replace spaghetti with courgettes (and how no one would even notice the difference) I decided to dust it off and give it a go myself…
Regular readers will know I'm a slave to the bloat and while I love the wheaty pasta stuff it doesn't love me back so I was keen to see if I could indeed replace it with what is now called 'Courgetti' – so ubiquitous is this word now it even comes up on predictive text on your iPhone, try it.
And so taking care not to slice my fingers off with the blades – me and my mandolin fell out a long while back – I duly pressed my well endowed courgette into the vice like machine and off we went:
Look – it works. Actual spirals of food. I was rather amused and excited by the whole process! Like a much easier to work mangle and just as satisfying.
The sisters suggest you clip the stuff with scissors to make it easier to eat – remember the strands are much longer than the actual courgette itself (physics and maths note to self).
You also can't help but smirk:
Apparently the rod that is left behind is called the 'Chef's Bonus'.
Enough of that. Now the recipes tell you to just stir it all through a hot sauce – which is enough to cook and soften it – but of course I had to do something else. And so just to make sure it was edible I put the strands into some boiling water for a minute or so. Look at the fresh, steaming loveliness:
I had a jar of pesto already (and while you should probably make your own I'm not quite cut out for that yet so don't judge me) but thought I could at least add some toasted pine nuts. Maybe I could just about stretch to sorting that out?
But while I was taking the very photo above they managed to burn – wow those little sods don't need long in a hot pan do they?Still, what's a burnt pine kernel when you have COURGETTI?
Well they did manage to dye everything a rather nasty shade of brown and so my bright and lovely spirals turned into a seaweedy mush when added to the hot pan of black nuts and shop bought pesto:
Also the addition of a pan of boiling water to the process created this kind of slime lake in the bowl. I really never learn do I?
But this is not the Spiralizer's fault at all, I claim all mistakes for my own. It's rather a nifty little machine and I shall certainly be making more vegetable based pasta substitutes, and crispy curly sweet potato fries, and apple spirals for my son, and all the other stuff that will make me into a kitchen goddess.
Well hope springs and spirals eternal…
I love risotto – who doesn't? But how on earth can anyone actually make it, at home, themselves, without going to a restaurant or getting it out of a packet? It just does NOT COMPUTE.
Anyway – I have a history with this favourite rice dish, in that I just can't make it. My previous attempt turned into cement that you could actually hold above your head in a pan without it moving a millimetre. You can read about that poor slice of sludge here!
My most recent attempt wasn't much better, this was another try using chicken and this time some red pepper too. Despite doing the recommended pouring and stirring I still managed to miss the sweet spot when you can reasonably call your dish a risotto before the rice sucks up ALL OF THE MOISTURE IN THE WORLD and turns into porridge.
It actually made a rather good chicken fried rice though. So all was not lost.
Although I managed to kill yet another poor pan. I worry they're all going to leave home one day. Look at what I do to them here and here!
The pan just about survived to live another day – my desire to perfect a risotto however is DEAD. I'm done.
How do you make fried bread? Or even how do you fry bread?
I thought it would be simple just add a slice of your finest white to a frying pan of hot oil. Doesn't the name kind of give it away? Fried Bread?
It's a breakfast staple and I assumed as easy opening a tin of beans to go alongside it but apparently not. I'm not usually a fan of such a greasy unhealthy item – which is why I probably have no idea how it's made – but thought I would give it a go.
Anyway apparently it's not as simple as I assumed – silly me. Because judging by the dry, faintly scorched slice I managed to create you probably need a deep fat fryer? Or probably a LOT more oil than I used which means I really probably will never eat the stuff again, let alone try to make it.
BUT if you want some oily toast then I'm your gal:


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The other thing that comes to mind first is pancakes. Girl is obsessed and would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if we let her. "With siiirrrrrup" of course. Every now and then we still have special mommy and Maddie breakfasts where we get chocolate chip pancakes, which is pretty much like heaven for Maddie Brynn.
This is her take-the-pic-already face
Other foods she likes a lot right now: fruit snacks, apple sauce, yogurt, mac & cheese, french fries (which she expects at any kind of drive thru we enter, like the pharmacy), and lollipops (which she thinks is the only reason we go to banks).
More faves include dress-up (big time) and getting her toes painted!
Cooking is big too, both in her play kitchen and helping mommy, especially where there are sprinkles involved.
Maddie LOVES to sing and right now her fav is Doc McStuffins "I feel better" which I am treated to all day long. This goes along with her love of giving everyone "check-ups" with her doctor kit, asking for band aids constantly, and coming up with hilarious diagnosis also a la Doc McStuffins. That is whole 'nother post though.
What I especially wanted to share are the things she says that never fail to make us smile. She enjoys the Peanuts gang and likes to talk about "Snoofy" (Snoopy). She calls the freeway underpasses "choo-choo tunnels" and always inquires when we will go under one. She enjoys playing with her kitty toy piano and refers to it as "peño" with the rolling n. Her favorite phrases include, "what goin on here?", "what happennned?", "wanna cuddle?", "you 'nember?" and "ONE more book!" which is her bedtime rallying cry.
When she wants you to do something with her, she uses a special, enticing tone and says, "wanna go do thaaaat?" She says "drishus" for delicious and "under" for thunder, which really scares her right now. And mommy might be frequenting one store a lot lately too because Maddie knows and points out "p.j. maxx" on sight. She also points out any McDonalds that we pass by, which she calls "Old MacDonalds."
Maddie used to request "baby songs" in the car, which refers to one of the kid CD's we have, but now she asks for "mommy songs," which means songs that I like to listen to. The concept of radio is very hard for her to understand, and even more difficult for me to explain. She heard Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" once and frequently asks me to play it for her: "Po Po Face mommy!" When I try to tell her that it was a song on the radio and I can't just replay, she just doesn't get it. Disappointed every time :/. Not enough for me to buy Gaga music though lol.
She continues to love bath time and her favorite activity is lining up all of her ducks, admiring and counting them, and then pushing each back into the water.
I cannot forget to mention that puzzles are also BIG right now. We do several floor puzzles a day and she also loves a puzzle app on my phone. She does them so fast it makes my head spin!
Last but not least, Maddie Brynn is always up for a game of hide & seek. I call it "bossy hide & seek" because she tells you exactly where she wants you to hide. Her own hiding is not what I would call polished, and sometimes she just goes ahead and tells you where she's going to go. So considerate. And hilarious. She never fails to be surprised when she finds you, or you find her though. Giggles ensue!
I'll wrap this up with some stats. At 30 months, sweet girl is almost 30 pounds so she's caught up and hit the 50th percentile. She's 35 inches tall, still 25th percentile there, so still taking after mommy in height. And she wears size 4 diapers although we've started working on potty training now. Ok maybe not working so much yet, but she thinks it's a fun game! It's our next big milestone.


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I recently had a conversation with my son, Josh, who told me he was weary of people asking him where he attends college. When he tells them that he is not in college but works full time, they look at him expectantly and ask, "But you're going to go to college, right?" Josh goes on to explain that he has taken several college classes, but with his various learning challenges it has been much harder and more time consuming for him than it is for most people. Given that experience, he does not want to take more classes until he is sure of what he wants to do so that he can make every bit of effort count toward a goal. The people who are talking to Josh share the expectation that bright, young adults who can go to college will go to college. Josh told me that for him, going to college seems like jumping through burning rings of fire to get a little piece of paper at the other end. Stop and think about that for a minute. If you know something is going to be that difficult and potentially painful, you think long and hard about whether it's what you really want before you go forward. Furthermore, you consider other options and devise strategies that increase the likelihood you will succeed. Josh is doing exactly that as he works, writes science fiction novels in his time off, and stays away from the burning rings of fire until he is sure he cannot attain his goals unless he moves through them. I think that's pretty good problem solving for a young man who knows himself and his strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps he will take more college classes someday, but for now Josh is making the decision to put that on hold and develop himself in other ways. A lot of people would benefit from taking such a thoughtful approach to why they do what they do, and to what end.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Burning Rings of Fire
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For example, let's taker a gander at Chapter 6 of The God Delusion, which Dawkins entitled "The Roots of Morality: Why Are We Good?" In particular, let's zero in on a section labeled "If there is no God, Why be good?"
Dawkins tells us he often hears this question from bumpkin believers. Then he attempts to point out how bad this argument really is. But instead of making his case, he hoists himself with his own petard.
To address the alleged speciousness of this simpleton's argument, Dawkins writes that only charity prevents him from humiliating the purveyor with a crushing retort:
my [Dawkins's] immediate temptation is to issue the following challenge: 'Do you really mean to tell me the only reason you try to be good is to gain God's approval and reward, or to avoid his disapproval and punishment? That's not morality, that's just sucking up, apple polishing [etc.]' (The God Delusion, p. 259.)
How did Dawkins hoist himself? Because he labeled the section with the believers' "foolish question" If there is no God, why be good? The answer to Dawkins's errant critique is simple: Professor Dawkins, you have missed the boat. No, it has nothing to do with seeking to obtain reward or avoid punishment. No, it has nothing to do, as your counter-argument assumes, with the fact that we are under 24/7 surveillance from a lidless-eyed God. It has everything to do with the fact that the source of my moral compass and the source of your moral compass is God. The question is not, as you conveniently assume, "If you think God is not watching you, why should you, as an atheist, do anything good?" The question is "If there is no God, then why should any of us doing anything good?" It has to do with something we are born with, a congenital morality of right and wrong provided by God, not a trivial reaction to being watched from above.
Dawkins's should have labeled his strawman argument If you don't believe in God, why be good? Then, at least, his in-his-own-mind slam-dunk retort would have been a bit more apropos. However, as he posed the question, his answer is incredibly weak. Now it would be one thing for Dawkins to answer a random question in a way that was less than satisfactory. Not everyone is quick on their feet. However it is quite another matter for him to construct the question, place it in the mouths of make-believe believers, set his inescapable trap, only to provide such a silly reply.
With the Atheist Of Our Age we always expect more, but we always come away disappointed.


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** Due to Hurricane Irma, the 6th Annual Brazilian Beat festival
scheduled for Sat, Sept 9th will be cancelled. **
** Due to Hurricane Irma, the 6th Annual Brazilian Beat festival scheduled for Sat, Sept 9th will be cancelled. **
Get ready for the 6th Annual Brazilian Beat on Saturday, September 9, 2017 from 6-11 PM (doors open at 5:30PM). Come hear the sounds of a popular Brazilian artist and Samba drummers, see beautiful costumed dancers in a Rio-style parade, and enjoy savory Brazilian cuisine and cocktails. As an official celebration of Brazilian Independence Day, Brazilian Beat brings together the art of music and dance in one mesmerizing cultural event in the heart of Downtown Boca.
Headlining the event is Latin Grammy winning songstress, Vanessa da Mata, one of the biggest stars in Brazilian music today. Her highly anticipated performance at Brazilian Beat will kick-off her US debut tour. Vanessa's album, "Essa Boneca Tem Manual", really pushed her into the limelight, aided by the strength of the single "Ai Ai Ai." Her third album "Sim" won a Latin Grammy for "Best Album" and featured appearances from the acclaimed pianist João Donato and American rocker Ben Harper. The hit song "Boa Sorte" (Good Luck) with Harper reached the top of the charts in Brazil, South America and Europe.
Opening for da Mata will be Batuke Samba Funk, mixing rhythms from Afro-samba and Brazilian big band with classic 70s funk. The goal of Batuke is to "Brazilianize" American sounds, and "Americanize" Brazilian sounds in a perfectly balanced fusion. The band is formed by several of Miami's top Brazilian musicians including bassist and composer Diogo Brown, and singer Mari Mac.
The SambaLa Samba School will perform a vibrant Rio-style parade with beautifully costumed dancers and Samba drummers. Attendees of the event will also enjoy a Zumba showcase, Capoeira circle, street dancing, and much more. This is a FREE community event. The SambaLa Samba School will perform a vibrant Rio-style parade with beautifully costumed dancers and Samba drummers.
Attendees of the event will also enjoy a Zumba showcase, a Capoeira circle, street dancing, Brazilian food and drinks and much more.
All Main Stage acts are produced by The Rhythm Foundation, a non-profit cultural organization celebrating 30 years of presenting outstanding international music in South Florida.
This is a FREE community event. Limited seating will be available on a first come first serve basis. This is a FREE community event. STANDING ROOM ONLY. NO OUTSIDE CHAIRS ALLOWED.
Free parking for Brazilian Beat is available at City Hall (201 W. Palmetto Park Road), the Downtown Library (400 NW 2nd Avenue), Building Administration (200 NW 2nd Avenue), and other locations downtown where event signage is featured. For convenience, free trolleys will be available to and from the Mizner Park Amphitheater.
Brazilian Beat is presented by Downtown Boca and City of Boca Raton, FL Government, in conjunction with the Rhythm Foundation.
2017 Sponsors:


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I remember years ago hearing about two twenty something Anglican Christians who as part of their church's outreach ministry visited homes in their parish in order to invite people to their up and coming Easter Services. On one occasion they encountered an elderly lady and when the pair introduced themselves and told her that they were from the local Anglican Church she responded saying:
"What? What church? Anglican? What sort of church is that? I am not interested in you Fang-dangle Anglicans or whatever you call yourselves. I have my own church".
When they asked her what church she belonged to, with pride in her voice and quick as a whip she said "I belong to the Church of England".
Working hard to contain their laughter, the pair informed the lady that Church of England had changed their name to Anglican. "What!" When did they do that?" She piped up? And so they told her, "1981". Her response was one of shock "Well I don't remember that! No one ever told me".
This is a funny example of what I believe is an encounter with a nominal Anglican, that is, with an individual who identify as being Anglican but is for various reasons is disconnected from the church (be it physically, relationally or doctrinally). Nominal Anglicans may believe in God, or they may not. They may be good living people. They may see the church as belonging to them even though they may rarely if ever attend. They may define being a Christian as being good to one's neighbour, or say they are Christian, even though they don't know or read the Scriptures, and the Lord Jesus is more like a distant great Uncle than a close intimate friend. They may even attend church regularly but interpret committed Christian discipleship as extreme.
Judging by the latest census results here in Australia[1] fifteen percent of the population identify as Anglicans, which suggests that there are a large number of Nominal Anglicans.
But as interesting as it is to ponder the question of how many people there are in our diocese (or your diocese) who identity as Anglicans yet never attend church, the more important and (if may be so bold to say), urgent question that we do well to ask is this:
How do we reach them with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ?
While I am absolutely no expert on reaching nominal Anglicans, here are some thoughts to that question:
- Keep preaching the whole Counsel of God – If you have a preaching ministry. Preach through the Bible, the OT, the NT, The Gospels, The Epistles. All of it. It will not only serve to ensure that your people don't become nominal Anglicans, God has given us his promise that his Word will not return empty. If you don't have a preaching ministry, encourage your minister to do this
- Keep preaching the Cross – We preach the Cross because it God's power to save, we preach the cross because we should not assume that everyone in our parish is saved; we preach the cross because we don't know whom may come to one of our services on any given Sunday. And we preach the cross because it will give your people confidence to invite their non-church going friends to come to church knowing that if they do come they will hear the life changing message of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus! Again, encourage your preachers do this if you do not have a preaching ministry.
- Don't assume that all non church goers are rabid secularists or athiests – Yes, there are rabid secular athiests out there, but for every rabid secular atheist, you will meet people who identity themselves as Anglicans, (whether it be due to family history, a baptism, a funeral, a good experience with a previous minister or member of the Anglican Church), whom may believe in the God of the Bible and have a high regard for the Lord Jesus. Because of this, you have a point of connection.
- Don't assume that your church does not have nominal Anglicans– while the majority of nominal Anglicans don't attend church. Your parish will have nominals who dutiful attend, ranging from twice a year Easter and Christmas, to monthly, and perhaps even weekly. Some may come out of duty, guilt, some may even come because they simply enjoy church and it is something that do out of habit. This is where morning tea and supper are so helpful (and important). These are wonderful opportunities to talk with nominal Anglicans about the Lord Jesus, about our faith and we are in church so we should not be shy to talk about our love for God, his Son, and/or how and why we were challenged or encouraged by the sermon, or how we moved by the taking Holy Communion. Nominal Anglicans don't usually talk about such things, but your conversation with them could be the seed that God uses to germinate a saving faith in their heart.
- Connect without Compromise – Build bridges, our parish has a church fete which I believe is a great point of connection in our community. We also have a very large Op-Shop. There are many opportunities in which we as God's people can connect. There is of course the traditional means, Weddings and Funerals, and Baptisms (though this is a tricky one). There are also events such as having services designed to invite those who identify as Anglicans, Come to Church Sunday Services, or Back to Church Sunday Services or a Welcome Back Sunday service. Perhaps some thinking out of the box is in order. I am working on starting something within our Op Shop called Op Chop where those who are in need can have a hair cut for $5 or $2 or $1. Even nominal Anglicans need a haircut! (I used to be a hairstylists before going into full time ministry).
- Don't Hide Anglican Quirkiness – This may seem rather contentious, but there is the false theory out there that says we must make our services as appealing, as palatable and as 'normal' as possible in order to win the outsider. As if we are saying, "We promise this experience will be exactly what you're used to." If you were dating someone and your pitch to them was constantly that you were unfailingly average and totally a good fit for anyone! Your partner would never feel like you were a good fit for them specifically. And our denomination has some delightful quirks that not everyone will enjoy–but a sizable portion of the population will be able to connect with and even like and enjoy. And if we reveal those quirks boldly, well, that's when people fall in love. Sure, some will walk but some won't.
- Pray – This is the given, the non negotiable, yet so often is the one activity that we forget to do. Pray that God will enable us to build bridges with those who identify themselves as Anglicans, and that in his grace God will open their eyes to the truth that a true Anglican is one who loves and trusts in Jesus, and that they will cross the bridge.
[1] http://stat.data.abs.gov.au/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=ABS_CENSUS2011_B14
which says that 3, 679, 907 people identify themselves as Anglicans.