Presentation

 

Presentation

A gift handed to a recipient in a paper bag is still an acceptable gift, but how much pleasanter it is to receive it nicely packaged.

Eyes feast on expectation. The tin above is an example of attractive presentation. I came across it while looking for ginger biscuits. It appealed to me instantly. Sometimes the contents of striking containers do not live up to the expectation, but these biscuits did. Heart-shaped and pleasantly gingery, they were a delight.

In the 15^th century, German monks imported ginger biscuits to Sweden. Ginger biscuits had been known in England and Germany for many years before this.

In 1929, sisters Anna and Emma Karlsson established a bakery in Östermalm, Stockholm, to produce thin ginger biscuits. The legend is that a wish will come true if a biscuit held in the palm of one’s hand breaks into three when gently tapped. Don’t tap too hard or there will be a handful of crumbs!

Nyåkers Pepparkakor are also attractively packaged. They were introduced in the 1940s by two brothers, Bengt and John Åström, in the village of Nyåker. This area became known as the ‘Promised Land of ginger biscuits.’

I could make my own biscuits, of course, but I’m pretty sure they would not stand comparison with either of the above products, neither of which are always readily available. 

Scaffolding

 

Scaffolding

Shortly after being photographed, the amaryllis fell over. Scaffolding was erected hastily. Earth was added to the pot and it looks much happier now.

Meanwhile, the sitting room bulb continues to push forth its green shoots. The one in the conservatory is far behind.

Birthday

 

Birthday

6 o’clock gin started about thirty years ago as a small enterprise. Sloe gin is just one of their products.

February kicks off the birthday year in my family. There are just two in the second month. Melia, our third great-grand-daughter, will be three at the end of the month. It’s wonderful to see her developing skills and independence.

Barry, who set the whole train in motion, has his birthday at the beginning of the month, and is rather more than three years old. Our children have stopped asking what he’d like for his birthday, as I certainly don’t know. In any case, he has more than enough of everything he could possibly need, apart from youth, and that’s not available. As is so often the case, he decided on something he’d rather like – a miniature DAC (don’t ask!) which has arrived and been declared ‘superb.’ The larger, older DACs are still in service and still pleasing the discerning ear.

                            No. 1 sloe and elderflower gin is produced for Waitrose.

I couldn’t let the occasion pass without a gift from me, one which we will both appreciate, I’m sure. After the passing of 2025 during which neither of us drank anything alcoholic, we opened the bottle of ‘6 o’clock sloe gin’ which had been languishing in our dining room for two or three years. It was a smooth and warming liqueur, and one glass slowly sipped was quite sufficient.

Berkshire Botanicals

In addition to the above Rhubarb and Raspberry gin, Berkshire Botanicals offer Honey and Orange Blossom, Dandelion and Burdock, Sloe, Morello Cherry, Orange and Grapefruit, and Navy Strength gins. They are all created in Berkshire at the Yattendon Estate Distillery.

St Germain French Elderflower Liqueur

 That gave me an idea, so I looked to see what was available online. I’m no connoisseur, so easily satisfied, and quickly selected three which looked interesting and different. Judging by our usual consumption, they should last us about six years.

I added a box of Monty Bojangles Choccy Scoffy Dusted Truffles – very rich, very moreish.

Developments

 

Developments

Things are moving fast in the USA. It looks as though the administration is about to be overhauled and some elements removed and potentially imprisoned, Pam Bondi, for one.

One of the most astonishing things is that Trump is set to sue the Treasury for $10 billion dollars, to compensate him for the distress caused by the leaking of his tax return information. Extraordinary! American presidents are expected to declare their tax returns and always have done so. Trump’s naked greed is rampant.

Watching the breaking news on Thursday evening, I expected to see it making headlines in all the papers and news outlets on Friday morning. It didn’t. I began to think I had imagined it.

I note that more Epstein files have been released. The cynic would suggest that such a release is a means to distract attention from current events. Will the 25^th Amendment be invoked, or will Trump survive to stumble and ramble through another day, week, month, year?

Great Britain’s politics pale by comparison and seem very parochial. We seem to be grateful to be acknowledged by more influential countries as they continue their rise to the pinnacle. Our time in the spotlight has passed.

Answers

 

Answers

1:  Mr Robinson wanted a house in which all the windows in every room faced south. How did he achieve this?

He built a house at the North Pole, so everything faced south.

2:  John and Jim were swept out to sea on their air beds. John was nearly saved and Jim was nearly drowned. Which of them donated a week’s wages to the lifeboat institute?

Jim. Jim was nearly drowned but actually was saved. John was nearly saved but actually was drowned.

3:  One man has three sacks of corn on his back, and another man is carrying four sacks on his back. Which of them has the heavier load?

The three sacks of corn are heavier than four empty sacks.

4:  What is the difference between an old, crumpled, torn £10 note and a new one? (Adjust your currency according to your circumstances.)

The difference between a £10 note and a one is £9. (We have £1 coins rather than notes, but I suppose it still works.)

5:  Which would burn longer – a short, fat blue candle, or a tall, twisted yellow candle?

Neither. Candles burn shorter.

6:  An electric train travels north at 75 miles per hour. The wind is blowing from the east at 40 mph. In which direction will the smoke from the train blow?

Electric trains don’t produce smoke.

7:  A donkey was tied to a six-yard rope. How did it manage to eat a pile of hay seven yards away without biting through the rope?

The other end of the rope wasn’t attached to anything.

 

Time for some more nonsense

 

Time for some more nonsense

More groaners for you clever people. Answers tomorrow.

1:  Mr Robinson wanted a house in which all the windows in every room faced south. How did he achieve this?

2:  John and Jim were swept out to sea on their air beds. John was nearly saved and Jim was nearly drowned. Which of them donated a week’s wages to the lifeboat institute?

3:  One man has three sacks of corn on his back, and another man is carrying four sacks on his back. Which of them has the heavier load?

4:  What is the difference between an old, crumpled, torn £10 note and a new one? (Adjust your currency according to your circumstances.)

5:  Which would burn longer – a short, fat blue candle, or a tall, twisted yellow candle?

6:  An electric train travels north at 75 miles per hour. The wind is blowing from the east at 40 mph. In which direction will the smoke from the train blow?

7:  A donkey was tied to a six-yard rope. How did it manage to eat a pile of hay seven yards away without biting through the rope?

 

Snow globes

 

Snow globes

Snow globes originated from glass paperweights in the late nineteenth century. The first person to patent a design was Erwin Perzy, an Austrian inventor and maker of surgical instruments. His descendants still produce Schneekugeln.

My globe is glass, but many modern globes are made of plastic, and are often produced as souvenirs. Some include musical boxes and moving parts. The ultimate may be the ones with electric motors which mean that the owners no longer have to turn the globe upside down to initiate the ‘snowfall.’