Sod's Law or Adventures in Northern Climes (with Computer Simulation)
I recently took a FutureLearn course called Radical Spirituality, about George Fox and the beginnings of Quakerism. In 1652, Fox, 'moved of the Lord', climbed up Pendle Hill, which, he said,
Click to see panoramic view by Joe Haythornthwaite.
'I did with much ado, it was so very Steep and High. When I was come to the Top of this Hill, I saw the Sea bordering upon Lancashire: And from the Top of this Hill the Lord let me see, in what Places he had a Great People to be gathered... At Night we came to an Inn... Here the Lord opened unto me, and let me see a Great People in white Raiment by a River-side, coming to the Lord: And the Place that I saw them in, was about Wentzerdale and Sedbergh.'
So he walked to Sedbergh,
where he preached from a tree in the churchyard and, on the following Sunday, preached again to hundreds of people on Firbank Fell.
From there he walked to Ulverston,
Picture from the 'Visit Ulverston' website ;-)
where he interrupted a church service in typical early Quaker fashion, standing upon his seat and preaching until he was evicted, and then he continued preaching in the graveyard. What he said had such an impact upon a local woman, Margaret Fell, she later described how 'it cut me to the heart ... I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly.' The Puritan minister told her husband, Thomas Fell, that his wife had been bewitched. Fortunately, though Thomas never converted to Quakerism himself, he stood by Margaret. Their home, Swarthmoor Hall, near Ulverston, became the headquarters of the Quaker movement, and Margaret Fell's pastoral, theological, and administrative skills proved crucial to its success.
Pendle Hill (also famous for its witches) is less than an hour's drive from where I live, Sedbergh is England's Book Town, and Ulverston is where I spent many happy family holidays as a teenager, so I thought it would be 'fun' to go on a little pilgrimage, following Fox's route (by car).
Then I thought, "I could take my brother and sister-in-law..."
[My brothers are fraternal twins. P1 was born 20 minutes before P2. He's married to T and lives about 10 minutes' walk from me. P2 is married to K and lives near Cambridge. A few months ago, P2 + K were supposed to be coming to stay with me, but P2 phoned at the last minute to explain that they would have to cancel because of something work related, and asked whether I could go to stay with them instead. I had already sterilised the house from top to bottom, bought in enough food for an army, etc, etc, but I said, "Of course." Then I phoned P1 to let him know that P2 wouldn't be visiting. A few minutes later, P1 phoned back to ask whether I would mind if he and T came with me to P2's. I have been driving for almost 35 years, but you could count the total number of passengers I've had in my car... well, certainly on your hands and feet (and that includes taking a car full of writerconners to Kenilworth Castle), so I'm always a bit nervous when I have passengers, but I said, "Yes," (at a much higher pitch than normal). Still, it turned out that having other people in the car (all of us eating chocolate) was fun, even when the fog was so bad we almost missed the turning from the A1 onto the M62, so...]
I thought, "I could take my brother and sister-in-law!"
We decided on a date, I booked a day's holiday, I made some delicious veggie pate (see recipe below), a quiche, rice salad, potato salad, Bakewell tart (for the first time; I'll cook it a bit longer next time) -- in short, I made enough food for two armies -- I bought some folding chairs, because you can't have a picnic without folding chairs (though I did draw the line at buying a Thermos flask), I packed everything in the car, and I went to pick up P1, T, and little M (my great nephew).
Unfortunately, little M had not been so well during the night, so P1 + T -- being considerate people -- had decided that, given I'd not only taken a day's holiday but would undoubtedly have cooked enough food for two armies, P1 would go with me and T would stay at home with little M, though she'd keep in regular contact with us by text.
...begin computer simulation...
It didn't take us long to throw away the maps I'd printed out but, eventually, P1's phone got us to the foot of Pendle Hill. Apparently, there's a local saying: "If you can see Pendle, it's about to rain; if you can't see Pendle, it's already raining."
We couldn't stop, because there was nowhere safe to park, so we turned north and set off for Sedbergh. Some time later, having driven round in a big circle, and been at least twice down some of the most hair-raising roads I've ever seen,
we turned north again and, eventually, we got there.
We had our picnic in the car.
Then we went into several of the bookshops (though we never found the really big one because we were both wearing glasses). Being a joiner (or a carpenter, depending on which part of the country you come from), P1 bought a book about the de Havilland Mosquito (a WW2 bomber that was designed to be built in wood by furniture companies like Parker Knoll), and I bought a book on the history of writing. I also bought some brown Kendal Mint Cake :-)
Back on schedule, we headed to Ulverston, and were very excited to see some traditional Gypsy caravans parked by the roadside, with Shire horses tethered on the opposite verge.
Not long afterwards, we came up behind another traditional Gypsy caravan...
And then another...
And another...
In all, there must have been about ten of them. Fortunately, they were quite well spaced out, and we were able to get past (though I don't think the cars behind us were so lucky). I said to P1, "I never thought I'd be annoyed to see a traditional Gyspsy caravan!"
...end computer simulation...
By the time we reached Ulverston, it had more or less stopped raining. We'd chosen to go on market day but very few stall holders had braved the weather, so we went into the Market Hall, which hasn't changed much since the 70s, though, sadly, the little antiques shop where P1 used to spend his pocket money on bits and bobs, and I used to buy some really old, obscure and smelly second hand books, had been demolished. But the traditional 'cheeses, bacon, cooked meats and provisions' stall was still there, so P1 bought T a selection of local cheeses, and I bought a bottle of Damson Ketchup.
We wandered round the town for a while, remembering the toy shop, the model shop (Dad's favourite), the wool shop...
Ulverston in the 70s.
and we found another bookshop, where P1 bought a book about conspiracy theories ('Are the Royal Family alien, shape-shifting lizards?') and I, after some um-ing and ah-ing because I didn't want anyone to think I was a Shakespeare-denying nutter, bought a biography of the Earl of Oxford.
The bookseller said, "Two very different books..."
Later, P1 noticed that the Earl of Oxford has a chapter in his book, too.
We texted T to let her know we were coming home, and that we'd be bringing back enough picnic for supper. I was overjoyed to be driving in bright sunshine(!), on a proper motorway with some rather spectacular services, shown here in their glory days:
Lancaster Services
I do love concrete architecture! I also spotted a jay, sitting on a fence, but P1 missed it.
T enjoyed the picnic. And little M, having been fine all day, had his first curry (baby food) and, proving that he's his grandad's grandson, he loved it!
...
Lentil and Walnut Pate
Originally from The Vegan Health Plan by Amanda Sweet, but I use butter ;-)
50g red lentils, washed
50g ground walnuts
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp yeast extract
Black pepper
Knob of butter
1 Fry the onion and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
2 Add the washed lentils and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and skim off any froth.
3 Add the yeast extract, thyme, pepper, and simmer for about 15 mins until the lentils are soft and have absorbed the water. (Add more water during cooking if necessary, but you don't want it to end up too wet or the pate won't 'set').
4 Cool the mixture slightly, then stir in the ground walnuts.
5 Be amazed at the texture, which is suddenly just like meat!
6 Tip into a bowl and smooth with a fork.
7 Chill. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Click to see panoramic view by Joe Haythornthwaite.
'I did with much ado, it was so very Steep and High. When I was come to the Top of this Hill, I saw the Sea bordering upon Lancashire: And from the Top of this Hill the Lord let me see, in what Places he had a Great People to be gathered... At Night we came to an Inn... Here the Lord opened unto me, and let me see a Great People in white Raiment by a River-side, coming to the Lord: And the Place that I saw them in, was about Wentzerdale and Sedbergh.'
So he walked to Sedbergh,
where he preached from a tree in the churchyard and, on the following Sunday, preached again to hundreds of people on Firbank Fell.
From there he walked to Ulverston,
Picture from the 'Visit Ulverston' website ;-)
where he interrupted a church service in typical early Quaker fashion, standing upon his seat and preaching until he was evicted, and then he continued preaching in the graveyard. What he said had such an impact upon a local woman, Margaret Fell, she later described how 'it cut me to the heart ... I sat me down in my pew again, and cried bitterly.' The Puritan minister told her husband, Thomas Fell, that his wife had been bewitched. Fortunately, though Thomas never converted to Quakerism himself, he stood by Margaret. Their home, Swarthmoor Hall, near Ulverston, became the headquarters of the Quaker movement, and Margaret Fell's pastoral, theological, and administrative skills proved crucial to its success.
Pendle Hill (also famous for its witches) is less than an hour's drive from where I live, Sedbergh is England's Book Town, and Ulverston is where I spent many happy family holidays as a teenager, so I thought it would be 'fun' to go on a little pilgrimage, following Fox's route (by car).
Then I thought, "I could take my brother and sister-in-law..."
[My brothers are fraternal twins. P1 was born 20 minutes before P2. He's married to T and lives about 10 minutes' walk from me. P2 is married to K and lives near Cambridge. A few months ago, P2 + K were supposed to be coming to stay with me, but P2 phoned at the last minute to explain that they would have to cancel because of something work related, and asked whether I could go to stay with them instead. I had already sterilised the house from top to bottom, bought in enough food for an army, etc, etc, but I said, "Of course." Then I phoned P1 to let him know that P2 wouldn't be visiting. A few minutes later, P1 phoned back to ask whether I would mind if he and T came with me to P2's. I have been driving for almost 35 years, but you could count the total number of passengers I've had in my car... well, certainly on your hands and feet (and that includes taking a car full of writerconners to Kenilworth Castle), so I'm always a bit nervous when I have passengers, but I said, "Yes," (at a much higher pitch than normal). Still, it turned out that having other people in the car (all of us eating chocolate) was fun, even when the fog was so bad we almost missed the turning from the A1 onto the M62, so...]
I thought, "I could take my brother and sister-in-law!"
We decided on a date, I booked a day's holiday, I made some delicious veggie pate (see recipe below), a quiche, rice salad, potato salad, Bakewell tart (for the first time; I'll cook it a bit longer next time) -- in short, I made enough food for two armies -- I bought some folding chairs, because you can't have a picnic without folding chairs (though I did draw the line at buying a Thermos flask), I packed everything in the car, and I went to pick up P1, T, and little M (my great nephew).
Unfortunately, little M had not been so well during the night, so P1 + T -- being considerate people -- had decided that, given I'd not only taken a day's holiday but would undoubtedly have cooked enough food for two armies, P1 would go with me and T would stay at home with little M, though she'd keep in regular contact with us by text.
...begin computer simulation...
It didn't take us long to throw away the maps I'd printed out but, eventually, P1's phone got us to the foot of Pendle Hill. Apparently, there's a local saying: "If you can see Pendle, it's about to rain; if you can't see Pendle, it's already raining."
We couldn't stop, because there was nowhere safe to park, so we turned north and set off for Sedbergh. Some time later, having driven round in a big circle, and been at least twice down some of the most hair-raising roads I've ever seen,
we turned north again and, eventually, we got there.
We had our picnic in the car.
Then we went into several of the bookshops (though we never found the really big one because we were both wearing glasses). Being a joiner (or a carpenter, depending on which part of the country you come from), P1 bought a book about the de Havilland Mosquito (a WW2 bomber that was designed to be built in wood by furniture companies like Parker Knoll), and I bought a book on the history of writing. I also bought some brown Kendal Mint Cake :-)
Back on schedule, we headed to Ulverston, and were very excited to see some traditional Gypsy caravans parked by the roadside, with Shire horses tethered on the opposite verge.
Not long afterwards, we came up behind another traditional Gypsy caravan...
And then another...
And another...
In all, there must have been about ten of them. Fortunately, they were quite well spaced out, and we were able to get past (though I don't think the cars behind us were so lucky). I said to P1, "I never thought I'd be annoyed to see a traditional Gyspsy caravan!"
...end computer simulation...
By the time we reached Ulverston, it had more or less stopped raining. We'd chosen to go on market day but very few stall holders had braved the weather, so we went into the Market Hall, which hasn't changed much since the 70s, though, sadly, the little antiques shop where P1 used to spend his pocket money on bits and bobs, and I used to buy some really old, obscure and smelly second hand books, had been demolished. But the traditional 'cheeses, bacon, cooked meats and provisions' stall was still there, so P1 bought T a selection of local cheeses, and I bought a bottle of Damson Ketchup.
We wandered round the town for a while, remembering the toy shop, the model shop (Dad's favourite), the wool shop...
Ulverston in the 70s.
and we found another bookshop, where P1 bought a book about conspiracy theories ('Are the Royal Family alien, shape-shifting lizards?') and I, after some um-ing and ah-ing because I didn't want anyone to think I was a Shakespeare-denying nutter, bought a biography of the Earl of Oxford.
The bookseller said, "Two very different books..."
Later, P1 noticed that the Earl of Oxford has a chapter in his book, too.
We texted T to let her know we were coming home, and that we'd be bringing back enough picnic for supper. I was overjoyed to be driving in bright sunshine(!), on a proper motorway with some rather spectacular services, shown here in their glory days:
Lancaster Services
I do love concrete architecture! I also spotted a jay, sitting on a fence, but P1 missed it.
T enjoyed the picnic. And little M, having been fine all day, had his first curry (baby food) and, proving that he's his grandad's grandson, he loved it!
...
Lentil and Walnut Pate
Originally from The Vegan Health Plan by Amanda Sweet, but I use butter ;-)
50g red lentils, washed
50g ground walnuts
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp yeast extract
Black pepper
Knob of butter
1 Fry the onion and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.
2 Add the washed lentils and enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and skim off any froth.
3 Add the yeast extract, thyme, pepper, and simmer for about 15 mins until the lentils are soft and have absorbed the water. (Add more water during cooking if necessary, but you don't want it to end up too wet or the pate won't 'set').
4 Cool the mixture slightly, then stir in the ground walnuts.
5 Be amazed at the texture, which is suddenly just like meat!
6 Tip into a bowl and smooth with a fork.
7 Chill. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.