Top 5 favourite (and not so favourite) childhood foods

Eating when you’re a child is a lot more fun when eating as an adult.

You can get away with eating all kinds of weird and wonderful concoctions, and nobody so much as bats an eyelid.

For example, take the first entry in my list of Top 5 favourite foods.

– peanut butter and sliced banana sandwiches

Which, technically, you can eat at any age, I suppose. It’s more acceptable when you’re a small child though. Adults sandwiches? Have a sun dried tomato with brie on a seeded baguette.

You don’t see so many peanut butter and banana or crisp sandwiches, do you?! Pffft.

– crispy pancakes

These were lovely. Folded over parcels with fillings such as mince, or chicken and bacon. Yum. With chips, it was the best dinner EVER.

– Angel Delight

Creamy, butterscotch or strawberry dessert. I recently saw these in a shop and got a wave of nostalgia, and bought it to introduce to my two small people.

They loved it. Unsurprisingly. As it was the first time I’d ever got it as a ‘grown up’ and had only ever had it as a pudding when small, I was seriously impressed with how easy it was to make.

Chuck the powder in a bowl, pour over milk, leave for 5 minutes.

Me:

“What, is that it?!”

Super speedy dessert. Bonus!

– Smash

“For mash, get smash!”

Not technically one of my childhood foods, but I used to like living on it back in my student days.

Instant mash for lazy people  (I include myself wholeheartedly in that sentence.)

I tried it again a while back.  I think my tastebuds must have grown up and become more sophisticated lately as it was, shall we say – bleurgh.

– cheesy chips

Ah, the nightclub days. A tray of chips, smothered in melted cheese at the end of the night.  Mmmm.

I do have some not so nice food memories, though.

– liver

Oh, I can feel the texture now, and I haven’t had any for about 20 years. It’s slippy, and squishy. Why, just why, would you voluntarily eat that?!

– kidneys

Same reason.

– Sprouts.

Something I still haven’t mastered the art of liking, even after all these years. I have however, progressed to actually putting one on my plate at Christmas dinner. Instead of trying to hide it under a napkin or smuggle it onto someone else’s plate.

To set an example to the kids, you see.

If I have to eat one, they bleedin’ well do too. 🙂

– semolina

I used to have this at school and can recall gloopy bowls of blah. Although that may have just been the school’s way of making it. It probably tastes nice really.

– Lamb

If Sunday dinners had lamb as the main meat, mine will just be a plate of vegetables and roast potatoes. Hold the meat. Yuk.

What foods did you like (or not like?!) This post has been added to the weekly nostalgia link up of Top (and Bottom) 5 Childhood Foods

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Learning to drive. Why should I?!

Although I usually get along in life just fine without being able to drive, this morning I was painfully reminded of the fact I’m a non driver.

Instead of being able to jump behind the wheel of the car and drive to pick a parcel up, which would have taken ten minutes at the most before I was back home again, I’ve just had an hour long walk and now have achy feet. (Waaah.)

Then I got thinking – why SHOULD I learn to drive? It can make you lazy. If I had a car at my disposal, I would have been and gone in ten minutes flat, picked it up and been back home again.

Instead, I’ve been out and about in the fresh air, getting my daily exercise quota and taking in my surroundings instead of zooming by in a car and missing it all.

The leaves have started to turn red and were fluttering to the ground on some of the trees. Would I have seen that stuck in my tin box hurtling along the road?

Probably not.

I can walk to the local shops. If I had a car, I’d probably get in it for what would be a five minute walk. (Yes, I know people who do this.)

OK, fair enough if you have to drive, but if a journey doesn’t necessitate a car, why not walk?!

That’s what my legs are for.

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A scenic autumn stroll

As the weather had a slight autumnal chill to the air this morning, and tree leaves had started to shed and flutter to the floor, I decided to go on a little stroll to make the most of the crisp air.

A little meander along the riverbank and the canal:

where two swans were floating along gracefully:

I was also eyeing up the abundance of elderberries waving in the breeze:

It’s amazing what’s out there if you decide to take the scenic route in life for once.

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A Big Night In

Once upon a time, there was a time I’d be having great nights out in the local pubs, followed by a stagger to the nightclubs for some cheesy music and dancing until silly o’clock in the morning.

Nowadays, two children and a considerably few years later, I’m more than happy having a cosy  night in in front of the tellybox with a bottle of El Plonko Gringo and a family sized bag of Doritos.

Which, is why I have jumped at the chance of entering this “Big Night In” competition by Two Little Fleas.

With £750 worth of John Lewis vouchers I could forgo the Doritos and splash out on something a little bit pricier.

For my ideal night in, I’m calling in babysitting favours and the grandparents are having the small people for an overnight sleepover. (Hey, it’s my fantasy party, after all… 🙂 )

I’m going to have someone to meet and greet the guests at the door and take their coats (ooh, get me) and show them in whereupon they will be furnished with a cocktail such as a Cosmopolitan or a Daiquiri, made by my own cocktail waiter who will be making like Tom Cruise in Cocktail all night, twirling shakers down his arm, throwing ice up into the air and making sure our glasses are never empty.

Look, I’ve even got a cocktail shaker already.

For tonight, I’m also in charge of the music. (The controls are usually wrestled off me, as apparently I have dubious taste, but no, not tonight.)

We’re going to have some Abba, some YMCA, and after a few of those cocktails we might even all do the Conga.

To soak up the cocktails, there’ll be a buffet table.

– breadsticks

– cheese platter

– crusty bread

– olives

– smoked salmon

– sushi

– obligatory bowls of crisps and cocktail sausages.

– maybe even a cheese and onion on a stick hedgehog 😀

or if you fancy something a bit more substantial, there’ll be a big vat of chilli bubbling away with basmati rice and tortillas to serve.

There’ll be a waiter on hand to ladle out the food.

I’m splashing out on a Playstation so we can sing karaoke on Singstar, because after all those cocktails we’ll be convinced we’re Kylie.

Sod the neighbours. (What’s not to like about my drunken singing?!)

In the early hours of the morning, we can all Conga off to bed to go to sleep.

Assuming we’re still awake and not snoozing under a table somewhere…..

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Children’s films, ratings and when to let them watch

Up until now, my 10 year old has been happily going through life watching things like Toy Story, where the most traumatic thing that happens is The Jessie Song, or a lot of holding hands toys as they slip towards an imminent death.

Or Finding Nemo, where Nemo’s mummy gets eaten at the very beginning. Gulp. (I can feel myself welling up just thinking about it…)

Not now though, as he’s recently started reading the Harry Potter books, and is loving them.

As I’m a huge Harry Potter fan geek myself, I already own all the Harry Potter films so he’s naturally wanting to watch them all.

Which is all well and good if you’re watching the first 3 films, as they’re rated a PG.

What happens if you get past watching them though, and then want to watch the next in the series?

The film ratings turn to a 12 when you get to book 4, and The Goblet of Fire, as scary old Voldemort (sorry, He Who Must Not Be Named) comes back to life and starts killing people willy nilly, with his Death Eater crones flying about and killing people too.

I’ve let him watch a couple of them, and he doesn’t seem traumatised. If he has been, it can’t have been too bad as he’s since watched them over and over again.

The 6 year old isn’t allowed to watch them though, which is tricky as he’s disgusted that’s he’s not allowed when his brother is. Although I’ve let him watch the first one as that’s not too bad, and a PG. He loved it.

One solution to the 12 rating and 6 year old not being allowed to watch is watching one on a Saturday night when there’s no school the next morning to get up for so can go to bed a bit later, and the 6 year old is snoozing away in bed.

There’s not a chance 10 year old is  watching anything scarier than Harry Potter yet though.

Maybe Spiderman next.

 

 

 

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Songs we used to sing at assembly in primary school

This week’s theme from the weekly Life’s A Journey Nostalgia link up is school songs.

Although I can’t remember having a particular school anthem/song, which we all patriotically sang with gusto, I do remember lots of singing in assembly.

We’d all file into the hall in a morning, and sit in cross legged rows, while the teacher stood at the front and addressed the masses.

There were lots of songs.

One of my favourite primary school songs was:

“Autumn days when the grass is jewelled

and the silk inside a chestnut shell………

So I mustn’t forget to say a great big thank you,

No I mustn’t forget.

Or there was this one, in which I can actually remember all the words to!

“At half past three

We go home for tea,

Or maybe at quarter to four

and ten pairs of feet go running up the street

and in at their own front door.

And it’s rough and tumble,

rattle and noise,

Mother and baby, girls and boys

Baby in the carry cot,

Cat by the stove

A little bit of quarrelling,

A lot of love!

Do you remember these? Or did you have some other favourites?

Let us know!

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Silent Sunday…. castle ruins

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