Barrow's own survival recipe books...

Hot cross buns...

When the restricitons were first in place I read an article from Italy.  It suggested we were a few steps behind them, both in terms of the suffering and in terms of our response.  It talked a lot about food, about how important it had become to people there, and about how important it would become in our lives.  How right the article was!!

So, the last few days we have had hot cross buns...not looking traditional but tasted pretty OK.

Chocolate choc chip muffins

Next came the standard chocolate choc chip muffins...along with the choc chip griddle scones they made a welcome elevensies today.

My little sister asked for the griddle scone receipe at the weekend. I am just waiting for the photo of the finished product.  They are bound to be a much improved, more artistic version so I await the the very professional photographic evidence that is also bound to follow.  Katy...take this as your hint!

Choc chip griddle scones

My daughter Cathy tried her hand at making pasta sheets (you cannot get them in the shops!)  and was very successful.  She made a very lovely looking lasagne which apparently also tasted rather delicious.  And when we are able to meet up again she has promised to make one for us.  That's good because my wild garlic pasta on Friday was a disaster!!  A large glass of wine fixed it...it doesn't always but on Friday it did the trick!

The pasta sheets as made by
Cathy the midwife

Cathy's finished lasagne with homemade pasta

More bread on the go tonight including some buns for bean burgers...mushed up tinned kidney beans, canneloni beans, chick peas or any others you fancy; fried onion, garlic, and any other very finely chopped veg; herbs and spices of your choice; breadcrumbs and an egg.  Bring it together with a little flour and shape into a patty (or burger) shape.  then gently fry.  I am yet to make mine so any tips and photos gratefully received.  If you haven't made any before why not give it a go?  My children were always so much more likely to eat something they had made themselves, so why not get them involved and let them make burgers!  We would love to see the photos and hear your receipes.  Maybe by the time the restrictions are over we will all have our own family recipe books with our own family versions of lots of receipes.  Barrow's own survival recipe books...great for students to take to university and for young people setting up home for the first time...and also for the rest of us who struggle to know what to make sometimes!

Well Italy was right, definitely in terms of my house, and probably in terms of my workplace, there is quite an emphasis on food!  I think we all may need to do Samuel's exercise video a little more... http://www.womenscommunitymatters.org/online-with-us/ and in the morning the next video will be posted.  A little less energic this time as it is a quiz!  Something to enjoy after the homemade burgers.  Don't forget to tell us who won in your house!

With love, Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Will anyone eat green bread?!

So, tonight there was a request for wild garlic bread!  It turns the dough very green...it is currently rising and so I thought I would make apple and cinnamon muffins.  We had lemon and blueberry ones today and they actually went down pretty well!

They don't look very impressive but the official taste tester is on her way...

Official verdict is as follows...

"..well they're nice but I don't like cinnamon so I don't like them!"

I love an honest reply.  Work colleagues we may get two each...

She doesn't like cinnamon...

So back to the bread it is...here's hoping that is more popular!  The colour of it whilst it is rising doesn't do it any favours but...

...looks can be deceptive!

A bit of a wait now...I don't usually start writing before I have finished baking but our server is being

The faintest of rainbows this morning...

switched off tonight, rebooted, reworked, re-something else.  The IT people said it with a sense of doom that made it sound like the world might also end.  Under normal circumstances I might have asked more probing questions but under the currently circumstances I just thought "oh well".  I mean, what could I do anyway.  And they are pretty good (Grahame's colleagues) so I am thinking I will just let them do what they are doing and see what the morning brings.  Because of the server situation I need not to be on my laptop or system in anyway by the time all things IT related are switched off!  10pm is the big moment and we don't find out until the morning whether it has worked.  So I am hurrying up the bread so I can add my last photo to this post in time to log out before 10pm...I am hopeful as there was a rainbow this morning which obviosuly means everything will be OK.  It was quite faint but there nonetheless and I am having all the luck it brings!

Less green now!

Buns and small loaves out...are the big ones ready?  They are looking less green now they are cooked which has got to be a good thing.

All out of the oven and cooling and it's 9.21pm.  I am going to be done by the IT deadline.  I can't help wondering what my Uncle Colin would make of this "green bread".  He would be very puzzled.  Once we are able to go out and about again I will owe him a fair few loaves.

Anyway, it will be tomorrow before it is cooled and ready to be eaten...I will let you know whether it is worth a go at making some.
Good night for now.  Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Kind Barrovian paramedics and some cakes!

Well it has been a busy couple of days (and night)...with a visit from two lovely paramedics and a trip to Furness General.  No-one from my house and not Covid 19 related, but very worth a mention just

Jam tarts with a Barrow heart...when this is over maybe I will
drop some off at the ambulance station

because of how kind and caring the service was from start to finish.  The call handlers, two different ones a total of three times, were calm, patient, clear, and kind.  The paramedics (maybe one ambulance technician but I am happy for you to be promoted!) were professional, calm and very kind.  That was what struck me most of all.  Everyone was kind.  Now I didn't go to the hospital with the ambulance because of current restictions but it felt OK.  My friend was in good hands and you will be pleased to know, received the usual excellent service from our hospital and is now safe at home.

Barrovian people are kind, the people working in the different parts of our NHS are kind, and the world is better place because of it.  And I was lucky enough to witness it first hand.

More knitted dogs whilst waiting for my friend...

And what do you do when you are waiting for someone to come back from the hospital...you knit dogs obviously!  Now some have already found their new homes...Cathy, I think there is a particular one you need...otherwise others beware, you may receive one as a gift!

Work friends you may get a lemon and blueberry muffin instead!  They came out OK and there are still some left even after the locusts swept through the kitchen.

Lemon and blueberry muffins

A photo that 'needs improvement' but it does show all the cakes!

So tonight has been a little less eventful and so I baked some cakes.  Barrow jam tarts (because of the hearts obviously and in case anyone is at risk of forgetting how much I love Barrow!), maids of honour which proved very popular and not all made the photograph, and some lemon and blueberry muffins.  Some work needed on the photographs here...I can sense some constructive feedback from my children on its way!


Lastly mum, here's a photo for you...doillies in all my tins and tubs ready for the cakes.  No doillie free tins here!








Back to the month end accounts tomorrow and finishing our end of financial year accounts.  I can't wait!  Luckily my input is limited and by the time I 'have a look' the very wonderful Mary (who makes the most delicious scones and cakes) will have done it all.  She is kind too.

Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Barrow is doing it!

I went out for my daily walk today and it is at this point I realise I should have taken pictures of the empty streeet to demonstrate my point....the only thing is, I'm not that good at living in an online world!

I am trying this blog world but the photos are limited to my house and garden as I rarely remember to take photos when we go anywhere or do anything.  Currently that isn't much of a problem since we are all staying in but there are only so many knitted items and cakes I can take photos of!

Or are there....

A small knitted dog!

Today we have...a small knitted dog....

3 small knitted dogs next to an egg!

Katy - you asked me how big these dogs were...well here they are next to an egg if that helps!

I would like a knitted giraffe but they are way too complicated and would take far too long to knit.  I like things that can be made out of small squares or rectangles and which take very little time to complete.  If we are inside for 3 months I might opt for something more complicated but for now I will stick to my small square items.

My mum emailed after the photo of my tea towels.  She told me it was "not too bad an effort" and that "we could work on it when all this was over".  Mmm!  I thought she may have been more pleased than that but it does sound like I might get some new tea towels as a gift very soon!  And I am the kind of person who is pleased to receive such a gift.

Chives for the next batch
of flatbreads

So back to the photos...

Mint for the gin or the ice cream

Sage for some pasta

The lemon balm that reseeds everywhere

Oregano for the flatbreads, the pasta and the
herby bread. 
Ooo and maybe for the homemade pizzas

Some lovely herbs from the garden that I spent a bit of time with this morning.  I tried to remember all the tips my daughter gave me about taking photos.  I think I need some more tips about positioning the photos on this page...I cannot make them go where I want...it is a bit of pot luck and making do!!

All suggestions for what we can do with all the lemon balm welcome.  We don't eat fish so no fish recipes for us.  Maybe I should drink more gin then I could freeze them in ice cubes?  I might give it a try and if it works they will be good for the summer parties.

Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Mum, you will be pleased with with me!

My mum has always been a little keen on cleaning.  For all those who know her, yes I know she is obsessed rather than just keen, and that she is now repeating over and over again, "I told you so", in reference to all manner of things but particularly the washing of tea towels separately, the washing of hands before and after every task, and washing parcels as they arrive in her home!  I am not kidding about the washing of parcels and if you ask the MPs office they will tell you that when a neighbour took in their parcel she washed it with carbolic soap before handing it over to them!




So today mum, here is the evidence that I have washed my tea towels separately!  And yes I washed them on a 60oC wash and yes I washed my hands before I hung them out and after handling the dirty ones. 

...and yes I have a votes for women tea towel :-)

I really need my daughter to take the pictures for me!

Now while I was in the garden I had a little look around.  I watched the birds, I listened to the birds.  I am in the middle of town and the birds are always here but today there is no background traffic noise.   That makes me happy because the better we all are at staying in and staying safe, the sooner the spread of this virus will slow.

Then we can all go back to seeing our mum's and dad's, hearing them tell us, "I told you so" about many many things!

Bread rising and ready for the oven...

So, today.  What else?  Well obviously more bread!

Some garden appreciation?  And I might do a bit of cleaning and organising...maybe the book shelves or maybe the baking cupboard!  My mum will be pleased. 
"But mum, if I had followed your advice and done all this cleaning and organising already, what would I do now?!"

This is the teenager in me having the last word!!  I win!  And if we stay in, we all win.  Our loved ones will be safer, our NHS will be able to manage, and we will come out of this the other side.

Stay in, tell your mum (or dad) that it is a good job you put off the cleaning, and stay safe.

Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Tonight I made nana's Barrovian pies!

Barrovian pies!

So last night I had a rest....tonight I made pies...Barrovian pies! 

I once asked my nana what made them 'Barrow pies' as opposed to 'just pies'.  She said it was because they were really nice!  So tonight I made really nice pies!

Cheese and onion with a little bit of very small pieces of potato...maybe that's the Barrovian bit? 


Who knows but my nana's word was final and who wouldn't trust someone wearing sunglasses such as these?!

Nana making us all laugh in her borrowed sunglasses!

 My nana was also the star of a selfie!  This photo was towards the end of her life and she was very impressed with my daughter's #nanaselfie which was a storm on twitter!

#nanaselfie

My nana also helped start our With Love from Isabel  fund.  When the Centre first opened she used to give me money to 'put in my drawer for people who need it', 'for whatever they might need, especially something nice or a treat'.  She gave it with such kindness that a few years down the line we thought that when people are in difficulties and need a little bit of extra help, we should give them help with love and in the form of a gift.  We have got some lovely envelopes, gift cards and paper so that when people need extra help they receive a gift rather than money from a 'crisis fund'. 

So nana...your Barrovian pie explanation may be a bit lacking but your help to start our With Love from Isabel  fund means we will accept it anyway!

Another french knitting mat whilst I was resting last night

I really don't know what I am going to do with all these knitted mats! 

I need to keep busy baking rather than watching box sets on TV (this is when I knit the mats) as I think friends and colleagues might appreciate the bread and cakes more than a knitted mat!

A big hello to Kerry tonight who I know is still recovering at home.  Looking forward to seeing you again in a few weeks/months when you are well and everyone is back at work.

Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Today Grahame is my favourite person

Grahame at Connexions was my favourite person today but before that....

Some coasters made out of french knitting!

...I am trying moving pictures!  This is what happens when we all stay in...learning new skills that may or may not be useful!

I might have to learn to type quicker next as the moving images catching my eye as I type are either making me sea sick or causing some mild hypnotism.  Either way I am starting to sway!

Tonight I have made more bread...

...and just like that I have remembered it is still rising!!!  

Phew...just in time to put it in the oven.  Any longer and it would have been ruined.

The remembered just in time bread!

And back to Grahame.

Me this morning, "Grahame, I need 4 laptops, preferrably in the next hour".

Normally this would not be a problem for any supplier who would be very happy to supply such goods (and probably charge extra for the 'rush job').

Today Grahame said, "Oh!"  What he meant was, "You have to be joking, they are currently as available as hen's teeth".

Me, "it is so more of our staff can carry on working from home! And I have another 4 things on my list I need!"

20 minutes later, Grahame calls, "I have reserved you 4 laptops.  I am not sure how I found them and they are within your budget and the price of them is not inflated (apparently some stockists are inflating their prices because they are in such demand)".

Me, "Yippee!"

And that is why Grahame is my favourite person today.  Because tomorrow they will help another 4 of our staff continue to support women and young people who are currently at home and in need of help and support.

Today I remembered...there are lots of Grahame's in this world...tomorrow I hope you all find yours.

Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Just stay in and make bread!

Just stay in, just stay in, just stay in...and make bread maybe?  Or something more interesting!

Tonight's bread and buns...

I'm not an interesting person...I don't do exciting things...I like being at home.

I am staying in as much as possible...and making bread!

A traditional loaf shape, a big cob, a small cob, and some buns.  It's a simple kind of night, I'm kept busy, and I am not infecting anyone else...that's because I am staying at home and making bread.

Corona virus is particularly infectious.  If I have it and wander around, shopping for things I don't really need, meeting up with friends, catching up with acquaintances, I may be passing it on to lots of people.  They can then wander around passing it to lots more people and so on. 

A very clever virologist explained on the TV today that if 1 infected person wanders round then very quickly they can infect 10,000 people.  Now those numbers sound a bit too big but he was very clear.  He explained how one person infects 3, then those 3 each go on to affect 3 more each, and so on, until the 10th time it is passed on 10,000 people have been infected.

You can heear him here on Facebook explain it in more detail  https://www.facebook.com/Channel4News/videos/205334644027351/

Now I might not be interesting but the bread smells good and I will not be that 1 person that starts the infection of 9,999 others.  Don't let it be you either.  Stay in and make bread!

Chocolate chip griddle scones :-)

...or you could make chocolate chip griddle scones.

...or knitted cats.

You could learn a new skill.

You can catch up with friends and family on the phone, on social media, on Instagram or Snapchat (if you have a young person to hand), or even by writing a letter or email!

What you cannot do is meet up.

Remember 1 person can easily infect 9,999 others.  Do not let that person be you.




One of the special people in my life is a midwife.  She and her colleagues are working.  They are looking after new and expectant mums and dads.  On her days off she is staying at home...she might make bread, she might do something more interesting.  What she will not do is wander around infecting others.

This is Cathy the midwife doing something interesting

This is Cathy.  She is a midwife.  This is her enjoying a pom pom creation.  If anyone doesn't know what to do whilst staying in I would love some of these!

So, stay in, don't infect others and see you soon.

Love, Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Doing as we're told...

I am not one for doing as I am told...but...today and tomorrow and the next day and the next are where that changes.  I am absolutely doing as I am told. 

• I am staying in at home
• I went out for a short walk away from other people (and picked wild garlic)
• I am washing my hands at least every half an hour (although whilst cooking it is more like every 3.5 minutes)
• I don't have any symptoms...but if I do I will most definitely be self-isolating...and so will my family

So...I have made the commitment to do as I am told and now I can do loads of things I like...

Homemade wild garlic pasta with wild garlic and cream cheese...

...the wild garlic we picked earlier we made into wild garlic pasta.  It is the first time in a long while I have made my own pasta.  Now there are improvements I think could be made but my family thought it was the best pasta ever...I'll take them at their word and they may get it for every meal for a while!

...more pancakes.  Small ones with butter, jam and whipped cream.
Bigger ones with syrup and butter for breakfast tomorrow...

Anyone else made any pasta?  I would like some tips as mine wasn't as stretchy and smooth as I was after.  I've seen the cookery programmes and obviously was after it looking just like that.  I have had no culinary training but obviously expected some magic to ensure mine came out perfect first time!  Well....I will have time to practice over the next few months.  

"Are you planning on cooking and baking your way through this?", my husband asked.

"Yes!"

More pancakes....and some chocolate chip griddle scone mix in the fridge until it is ready to roll and cook.

Now what next?

Well I thought I had better have a break from cooking...I have washed my hands approximately 50 times whilst I have been cooking...as we have been told to do...and all is well.  Cooking is done in the usual amount of time, everything tastes as expected (pasta even better than expected apparently) and I have done as I am told.

Mother's Day daffoldils

I spent some time looking at my Mother's Day daffoldils.  they are really very nice...and I am doing as I am told...and all is well.

So...today we all do as we're told and those people who are more vulnerable than us, who need us to do as we are told to help protect them, they will be OK too.

I can stay in for a bit to help with that...I can do as I am told to help with that...and I bet you can too.

See you all soon.  Love Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Hello to all our volunteers

This hyacinth really is in my garden!  

Our volunteers went home last week and mostly had to be coerced into going.  

"What about all those people who need our help and support," they said. 

"We and all those people need all you wonderful volunteers for the many years to come.  We can all manage for a few weeks...we'll have to.  And then when the peak of the Corona Virus has passed, you will all come back and continue to be your wonderful selves."

For now we all have to heed advice and remain at home and away from others as much as possible.  For the good of everyone we need to take the advice we are given and follow it to the letter.  When all this is over we will have lots of time to be together and give each other real hugs.  For now virtual hugs are good, and good old fashioned telephone calls work a treat to stay in touch!

This is my mum's effort at a knitted bear...

When the peak is over it will almost be time to hear whether or not our volunteers have been awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.  They have been nominated this year and whether they get the awaard or not I cannot think of any more wonderful people to work alongside every day.  Thank you to every one of you, stay safe, and I look forward to seeing you all again when the advice changes and it is safe for us all to get out and about.  

So what are we all going to do with ourselves?  Well I thought a bit of craft/knitting is always good.  My mum knits and sews and crochets and stuff mum's and grannie's are good at.  She made the bear to left.  It looks pretty impressive...how hard can it be.  Last year I got a 'making knitted animals out of squares' book.  I decided the cats looked easy enough and started clacking my knitting needles.  The results below are a little less creative than my mum's efforts but they really did make us laugh.  

...this is my attempt at knitting cats!  I did finish the faces but
they are not really as cat like as I was after! 

They are possibly the worst knitted cats anyone has ever made but it was good fun making them, we laughed a lot and it means any cats you knit will definitely be an improvement!  

So, my challenge to all you knitters and non-knitters, do you fancy knitting an animal whilst you are at home?  Crocheting one is also acceptable!  

When we are all back we will think of something fabulous to do with them all that reminds us of how important it is to be kind, how important we are to each other, and how care, compassion and love are what helped us survive Covid -19...oh, and doing as we are told which includes social distancing, hand washing and self-isolation if we have the symptoms!

Love to all you wonderful volunteers who give your time so generously at WCM and for other equally wonderful charities and groups.  

See you all soon, Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

 

Our funders are the best!

I love snowdrops.  For me they are always a sign of good to come...

Arts Council England were the first to send a very lovely email letting us know they understood what was happening, knew we would be worried and wanted to offer us some reassurance.  "All grant conditions are removed with immediate effect for the next 3 months".  What did they want in return?  Just that we looked after each other and looked after our communities.  We can definitely do that.  Thanks Arts Council England.

Some mini knitted pockets we offer people to keep small treasures
and use to help them at tricky times. 

Next came a public announcement from a number of funders including Lankelly Chase, and then followed the very lovely email personalised with a lovely message from Joe.  Look after yourselves he said, we are hear to support you so you can support your community.  We will keep in touch so we can work things out together, and let us know if and where we can help.  We will indeed.  Thank you Lankelly Chase.

A rainbow in Barrow March 2019.  

Next came a number of messages and emails from the National Lottery Community Fund who are our major funder as we are a lucky recipient of one of the Women and Girls' Initiative Grants.  They offered reassurance that they are ready to be flexible, and told us that there won't be any pressure in relation to targets and timescales.  Clair let us know she would be around if we needed her or had any questions.  Thanks Clair.  Emails like this mean we can concentrate our efforts on doing what we are here to do and remove so much of our worry.  Thank you to all at the National Lottery Community Fund.  When this is over we are looking forward to catching up with you all.

Lastly, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner who were checking we were all staying safe, and Barrow Borough Council who are working hard to make sure services will still be in place when this is all over.  Thank you.

Thank you to all these funders and to the others who are encouraging us to get on with things.  Your support means such a great deal and here is a very big and heart felt thank you for all of here in Barrow.

Love, Rebecca and all at WCM xxx

Barrow is my favourite place!

Well it has been a very long time since we posted on our blog as we moved to having a website www.womenscommunitymatters.org and social media became easier to post on.  Blogs were much more popular when posting to Facebook involved a few sentences/a link rather than the plethora of options we have now!

I felt the time was perhaps right for us to return to the blog world and share something about our week.  Life feels uncertain for us all and the start of the Corona virus outbreak saw thousands of posts about fighting over toilet rolls.  This week has been a whole different experience.  And I think that is because I live in Barrow.

Monday...one of our staff is off work at the moment and we urgently needed to get in her desk drawer.  In the middle of all the difficulties, "break it open" I said.  Rachael with a much more reasoned response said, "I've called Tom".  Would he come out to open a desk drawer?!  Very soon he arrived, opened the drawer with a smile and then also fixed a door that wouldn't stay shut, gave us some advice on a couple of other things, and went on his way.  Our new member of staff, Katy, said, "who was that lovely man?"  "Tom Burrow", I said...."from Burrow's on Dalton Road.  We like to stay local and always get excellent service."

Tuesday came and we realised we needed lots of stationary.  It is is the time of year when we restock lots of our stationary ready for the start of a new financial year, setting up new files and getting organised.  Things have been a bit busy and we were a bit late with our ordering...I thought we might have to wait for things.  Wednesday arrived and Phil arrived with his trolley and all our stationary.  He brought it from the car park, along the corridor, up in the lift, through 3 sets of doors along another corridor and stacked in under a table in the staff office.  He made a lot of trips and the 12 boxes of paper looked particularly heavy.  After his 5th trip I asked whether there was any chance of having the invoice quicker than usual to help with staffing here.  (I don't want much!!)  Seemingly he knew that was what I would ask and whipped it out of his shirt pocket.  More staying local and more excellent service from Heaths on Dalton Road. 

It is not just the very speedy service (which being a fast kind of person suits me perfectly) it is the friendly, happy to help Barrovian way of doing things that I love so much.

Wild garlic wraps tonight

It's hard to know how to respond to the changing world we currently find ourselves in.  I have lots of plans and actions plans, but it doesn't feel quite enough.  Yesterday I made cakes, tonight I made wild garlic flat breads and big little pancakes (so named by my children) and sharing them with others, things feel a bit better.

I think baking might be what I need to do.  What about you?

...and some 'big little pancakes' ready for breakfast

Tomorrow I want to tell you about how very lovely and wonderful our funders have been.  Not just a bit good....but very good.  I will tell you about it then and I might make bread!

We are going look at sharing some stories and bits and pieces on here...this was the practice!

For now I wish you all good night and lots of love from all at Women's Community Matters.

Love, Rebecca xx