Winter is a'comin in...brrrrr....

We've been lucky in England that tempuratures have been unusually warm this autumn, putting off the need to engage the central heating unit, gas fired - now extremely expensive, so wartime practises are being revived. Happily the majority of the population won't have experience of such frugal times, when a regular room warming method was to place a 6" terracotta flower pot on it's drip tray, put a night light candle inside, light it and invert another flower pot over it - hey presto, a mini heater ! The warmth created was sufficient to keep the frost at bay in a room about 20' X 20'. It was necessary to be careful not to set the house on fire ! I didn't hear of any such cases, but these days open fires are not a feature in most homes, so I don't recommend this method. It is a fact that in this country we keep our room temperatures much cooler than our European and Scandinavian counterparts. I always advise visitors of this before they arrive, and suggest they bring thermal underwear - ! Another economy to beat the excessive energy price is to use a cast iron chiminey in the garden to cook delicious meals - it always raises a smile from diners when I disappear out of the French windows on to the patio - and return with a
succulent roast chicken, plus all the trimmings - ooh, the delicious smell wafting through the air.... lip smackingly good fare..mmm...I was questioned about such drastic measures as we're 'enjoying peace' - until you realise that we do have at least two wars in progress which are bankrupting the countries finances, draining our resources for health, education, etc., etc., We can only pray for some Divine intevention to restore a sense of security in our troubled world...so, let's keep on endeavouring to respect and be kind to each other - k..p b.......g...Dear Readers...