Red pepper risotto

Tonight, Imo cooked herself a vegetarian risotto (serve 1 person) so I thought that I would share the recipe for you.
First you need 50 gr of risotto rice. Then cook it with a little bit of water and balsamic vinegar. When the rice starts to swell, gradually add in some stock  (250 ml of vegetable stock, she used a quarter of a stock cube diluted with Provence herbs) then dice 2 medium tomatoes, a red pepper and to finish put in some calamata and green olives. Also, tomatoe puree, gound black pepper, soya cream or normal cream, you could also add parmesan cheese. Stay by and stir continuously till it is cooked. (i.e. if you are like me, you may want to take 1 or 2 grains of rice and check).
I am impressed by my daughter's culinary skills since as far as I am concerned, every risotto I ever tried ended up in a mini disaster!
What about you? Do you like cooking risotto? Have a blessed evening. 

The advantages of caravaning..

Don't worry, I am not going to advertise caravaning as one of the best way to go on holidays but it has its advantages.

First, mobility; though you have to book in most C L and certainly abroad, if the weather goes for the worst, you can just mention it at the office, pay your due and go. If you are in a hotel or if you have booked in a B and B, it is more difficult. The second advantage is cooking. As you are able to cook, you do not have to eat in the hotel restaurant or march in town wherever you are to find a suitable restaurant. Of course we do go to the restaurant during the week but it is nice to eat your own food. Thirdly, comfort; depending on the make and size of your van, you will agree or disagree. After the daily excursion, you come back to a nice hot cup of tea or a cold drink depending on the season and you have the freedom to do whatever you feel like, discussing, reading, watching a dvd.

Last week-end, we went to visit some caravans. 

Some of them had a microwave, some didn't, some had a fitted bed, others had bunk beds. So are you tempted? Let me know.

Where shall we have lunch?

 At Jamie Oliver, Bristol. On the menu, WILD RABBIT TAGLIOLINI Slow-cooked ragù with garlic

& herbs, mascarpone & lemon, SEAFOOD BUCATINI, Tubularspaghetti steamed in a bag

with crab, mussels, clams, squid, scallops, capers, chilli, garlic, white wine & juicy sweet tomatoes

This was last week when we moved Camille's stuff in her shared house in Bristol. The food, service and welcome were superb!

Buffalo or wild boar?

I am a very proud mother, Camille was offered a position for a company based in the outskirts of Bristol.She is over the moon and so are we! Now, she needs to find an accommodation and so far, nothing has come up yet!  Yesterday we set out there from Cheltenham and with the help of the GPS it was an easy ride. We had lunch in the Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Camille couldn't decide between the buffalo or the wild boar! After coffee, we browsed in Oxfam Bookshop, Queen's road where I found some excellent books including the  Traite ' de l'amour de Dieu (Treatise Of the Love of God, 1616) written by Francis de Sales (1567-1622) . 

 However, there was a small hiccup, with hindsight I should have parked in a car park, you have guessed, I got a fine for parking in the 'motorcycle bay'. I was not very happy as we made sure that we were back on time at the car ...anyway...

Camille took me to a flat that she considered to let and as we were waiting to hear if she could visit it again this time with me, I spotted this gorgeous cat, a youngster, very interested by birds up in the tree.
Later on, the odds were stacked against that room for all kinds of reasons so looking for a house or a flat is back to the drawing-board. Will you join us in prayers. Have a blessed evening.

Getting ready to fly

Getting ready to fly, originally uploaded by bryanilona.

This robin is so cute!

Psalm101

Psalm101, originally uploaded by traqair57.

I will sing of your love and justice
to you, O Lord, I will sing praise.
I will be careful to lead a blameless life
when will you come to me?
I will walk in my house
with blameless heart
I will set before my eyes
no vile things
The deeds of faithless men I hate
They will not cling to me
Men of perverse hearts shall be far from me
I will have nothing to do with evil
Psalm 101:1-4

School children in Nigeria

Untitled, originally uploaded by Hands at Work.

Discover Hands at work, a charity that brings a message of Hope for Nigeria and other countries.

Link4Life Youth Team (UK)

Link4Life Youth Team (UK), originally uploaded by Hands at Work.

Discover Hands at Work!

Competition: vote for the best 2012 photo!

 Picture A  Tim's beloved dog

 Picture B  A fawn seen in Titchwell reserve, Norfolk

Picture C Princess G.P.

 Picture D Anybody coming?

Picture E Red shank having a rest!

 Picture F My sister Victoria all the way from the States keeping company to Steven

 Picture G Charles visiting Lichfield

 Picture H  A visit of Shugborough

 Picture I Look at me

 Picture J Glamour (my brother's dog) and Im in Niort

 Picture K Steve playing 'Great is the darkness..' in a French music shop in Niort

Picture L My brother Denis-Romain looking for a guitar!
To vote, choose the photo (only one) you like the most and use the comment form, leave your blog's name or website. Nicky

True joy at Christmas in Mid-trent Churches

Sunday 16th December
All Saints, Sandon - Carol Service 11.15.am
St. James the Less, Fradswell - Christingle and Carols followed by sherry and mince pies starting at 2.30.pmSt. James the Great, Salt - Carol Service at 4.00.pmAll Saints, Milwich - The Village Nativity. The congregation goes around the village starting at 4.00.pm in Church
St. John the Baptist, Stowe - Candlelit Carol Service at 6.00.pmSt. Rufin, Burston - Carol Service 6.30.pm followed by Mulled wine and mince pies
Monday 17th December
St Andrew's, Weston & Weston Methodists - Carols in the Woolpack 8.00.pm
Friday 21st December
St Andrew's, Weston -  Ingestre Singers Christmas Concert at 7.30.pm Tickets £5 pre book - 01889 200002 / 270594
Sunday 23rd December
St Peter's, Gayton - Team Carols Service and Communion 10.00

St Peter's, Hixon - Carols at the Inn at 7.00.pm where the 'Inn' is the Bank House
Monday 24th December - Christmas Eve
All Saints, Sandon -  Christingle at 4.00.pm.
All Saint's, Milwich - Crib Service 4.00.pmSt. Peter's, Hixon - Christingle 5.00.pm
St. Andrew's, Weston - Christingle Service 6.00.pmSt. James the Less, Fradswell - Christmas Communion 8.00.pm
St. Peter's, Hixon - Midnight Communion 11.30.pmAll Saints, Milwich - Midnight Communion 11.30.pm
St. James the Great, Salt - Midnight Communion 11.30.pmAll Saints, Sandon - Midnight Communion 11.30.pm
Tuesday 25th December - Christmas Day
St. Rufin, Burston - Christmas Communion 9.30.am
St. Peter's, Hopton - Christmas Communion 9.30.amSt. Andrew's, Weston - Christmas Communion 11.15.am
St. Peter's, Gayton - Christmas Communion 11.15.am
St John the Baptist, Stowe - Christmas Communion at 11.15.amSunday 30th December
All Saints, Milwich - Team Service at 10.00.am

First place in our hearts

'The bible was written to help us know God better.
God doesn't hide who He is and what He has done. We can clearly see Him if we will open our eyes with humility. We see Him in His Word, We see Him in His creation.
Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened Romans 1: 20-21
God must always have first place in our hearts. He says ' You shall have no other gods before Me' Exodus 20:3. We must be very careful that we not allow anything or anyone to usurp his position. The better we know Him , the easier that will be.
Tonight, after a long day at work, I needed to meditate so I flicked through The Prayer that changes everything written by Stormie Omartian and stumbled on that chapter. This is powerful stuff. It reminded me of all the arguments put forward by the many atheists I have encountered in my life voyage, those who denied that God exists because they say that they cannot see Him. In those days when I was not a Christian yet, I was taken aback, and even though I believed that God was there (though for some time I did not want to), adding to this that I was not reading the Bible then, I did not know what to answer!  This is why I do like this passage that Stormie quotes in Romans...'clearly seen'...Every day when I drive to school, I see birds flying up in the sky, trees, cows, horses, beautiful nature, pure blue sky; or lately grey clouds... And God revealed himself in Jesus, our saviour, our king and redeemer. How awesome! Just thinking about that is filling my heart with joy and peace, knowing that Jesus through his death and resurrection has allowed us to be reconciled with God, his father and also our father. This is just mind-blowing! Don't you agree?
Have a blessed evening. Your sister in Christ. N.

Changing your diet

Changing Your Diet To Prevent Uric Acid Crystals

If you notice uric acid crystals in your urine and it’s in the beginning stage, you can alter your diet to ensure the levels don’t rise. Below is a list of foods that are both safe to eat and harmful to your body:
Reduce the amount of protein in the food. Limit or avoid consumption of dairy products, fish, poultry and red meat.
Don’t consume alcohol, bread or any product that contains yeast.
Limit the intake of beans, broccoli, mushrooms or spinach. You should also avoid eating cauliflower, carrots and onions, which are loaded with purine.
Mix water and a tad bit of baking soda together and drink it. This will dissolve any uric acid crystals you have inside your body.
Cherry juice is also helpful for folks who have high levels of uric acid.
Consume fiber-rich foods.
Sip on lime juice and include more citrus fruits in your diet.
Drink lots of water and fruit juices to reduce the uric acid crystals in the body.

Information found in the webdoctor.com

Cutting down on red meats

Some time ago, during the summer holiday, I woke up with the words puric acid in my mind. That day went and I did not talk about it to anybody. The following morning, those two words were still in my mind and this time, I checked them up on the internet as I did not have a clue. I was so surprised at what I found. I thought that I would share this with you... Knowing how to reduce uric acid levels will directly alleviate severe inflammation of joints and the discomfort of gouty arthritis.
Foods high in puric acid that you should not include in a low purine diet are:



Anchovies, baker’s and brewer’s yeast, animal organs, sardines, Boletus mushrooms and gravies—more than 800 milligramsper three ounces.

Researchers now understand that gout occurs as a result of the body being unable to eliminate uric acid, or making too much uric acid. Uric acid forms as a result of break down of puric acid, which can be found in abundance in meats. In people with gout, uric acid forms sharp crystals that collect in the joints and soft tissues (especially the big toe), causing inflammation and excruciating pain. High levels of uric acid can also cause kidney stones.

Foods that have large quantities of purines, in addition to red meats, include certain types of fish like herring and sardines. Alcoholic beverages also increase uric acid in the system.

Gout attacks are brought on by several factors including:
some foods with a high content of protein and purines – such as liver, kidneys, sardines, and anchovies
being overweight
haemorrhages in the gastrointestinal canal
bodily trauma with extensive tissue destruction
major surgery

overconsumption of alcohol, especially beer
conditions in which there's a high rate of cell turnover, eg leukaemia,lymphoma, psoriasis.

Good advice
Cut down on alcohol consumption and also soft drinks containing fructose.
Avoid food that you know can cause attacks – conversely some items may be helpful and protective eg cranberry juice, coffee, dairy products.
Watch your weight (losing weight, if overweight, will help).
The uric acid crystals can be secreted in the urinary system as calculi (stones). Therefore you have to drink plenty of water, preferably 10 to 12 glasses a day, in order to wash out the urinary system and prevent any stones from developing.

Interestingly enough, it appears that 'the alkaline mineral in the green and brown tea (manganite is destroyed by complete fermentation and hence not found in black tea), enlarge the fat digestion, a function which -in cooperation with the coffeine's functions- stops the raising of the puric acid (purine) to prevent gout.' 

Have a blessed Sunday. N.

Special week-end with my sister Pauline

Today, we had a lovely day, the weather has been gorgeous. Steven got up earlier than me, I got up at ninish, then my sister Pauline and I had a coffee, and we had a relaxed time over breakfast looking at the birds, mainly the starlings and the prince nut-hatch devouring the seeds in the garden. It seems ages since I hadn't talked to Pauline though of course it is not. The postman delivered my engagement ring (the replacement for it) however it did not fit! There must have been a mix-up at the jeweller's since the actual ring was completely different. Four weeks ago, I lost the stone probably in school but it could have been anywhere, in the car park, the yard or even the dining-room. So my darling Steven rang the jeweller but they were engaged and as time was ticking he left a message. 
At lunch time we took Pauline to Stone for a latte and a beer, we read and discuss the news on the I newspaper and had a tour round the charity shops and the craft market where they had lots of hand-made gifts ready for Christmas. Back home for a bbq, as you would have guessed, beef and courgettes, as Pauline likes her beef well cooked, Steven sliced it up and it worked.. 
Imogen just came back from work and though she likes her new job, she confessed that she had to wash up plates and pots of mushroom soup, and they stank. Bless her. Though she is supposed to do her washing-up at home, I end up doing it for her out of sympathy..I know that I should not but still..
She was upset because a friend let her down, however, another friend invited her for a sleepover tonight so I took her there, just 10 min at the end of the village. 
Then, time to decide what to watch on tv, we started with Strictly dancing, Pauline's favorite programme and I must say that I could get used to watch it. Steven went to bed at about eleven while Pauline and I talked non stop until early morning. 

Before we went to Rome, I picked up this book, Song of a stranger, Daniel, in a charity shop. I have started to read it and it is so good, I know that I am going to enjoy that book so much. This is what it is about: (let me quote the publisher) This 6-week study guide written by R Tice, P. Maiden, E. Duncan, D. Richards, and E. Mc Quoid looks at Daniel's life.

How can we be faithful to God in a non-Christian society without compromising our beliefs? How can we resist the pressure to conform? The story is set in a time when the Israelites were in exile in Babylon. They were wondering how they could still be God's people in a foreign land; how could they serve God when all the props their faith relied on had been removed? 
We face a similar dilemma in the twenty-first century. Daniel's story reminds us that we can make a positive contribution to society and preserve the integrity of faith. I thought it was a novel when I picked it up..but on the contrary, this sounds even more interesting..If you have read that book, let me know. Blessings in Christ. N.

Just a few photos of Rome

We had a lovely time in Italy...it only rained on one day. Blessings. N.