If you are looking for a B&B in London, then the Penn Club might be for you.
I came across this advertisement in the latest Church Times and decided to spread the word.
Disclaimer: I have not been paid by the Penn Club to promote them.
I came across this Waitrose advert in the Telegraph last week. I had seen it a couple of times in the past week but never paid any attention until last Thursday when I actually took the time to read what it said.
I expected a a little more from Waitrose but it looks like basic courtesy has gone out of the window even for Royal warrant holders!!!!
Since March, we have been unable to get to our usual dentist in Scotland. There is one in the nearby town but they are not open as they are still sourcing for PPE!!!
Anyway, the Mhinisteir had some work in the big city and so he decided to fix an appointment with a dentist there. They are private and expensive. However, we don’t have much of a choice at the moment.
According to him, he got a good service. They were not able to do any cleaning so he just got a comprehensive check as a new patient. The bill came up to just over £200 but we think it is worth it.
However, I still can’t get over the fact that he had to pay £30 for the PPE. Way too dear!!!
I had 3 bananas lurking in the freezer drawer. I didn’t want to make banana bread instead I fancied some Thai style banana fritters that I had in a restaurant here some time back. By the way, I have never been to the Land of smiles!
I am no expert but I am quite sure that the Thai style fritters required fresh bananas for they come as a whole fruit with the batter on the outside. It is usually served with honey.
I decided to experiment and came up with my own version using frozen bananas. They were quite yummy with dairy free vanilla ice cream served on the side
Ingredients
3 frozen bananas
100g Rice Flour
A pinch of salt and baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
Oil for deep frying
Method
Very unusually we were affected by both Storm Ellen and Storm Francis.
Storm Ellen
I knew that the forecast was for winds but I didn’t take it seriously. Surely, it will be nothing like what we used to experience in the Highlands of Scotland: blowing a gale all the time. Power cuts were common even in the summer. The moment I knew there was going to be gale force winds, I would swing into action. I would fill the thermos flasks with hot water; fill the hot water bottles; bring out the candles and kerosene lamps; prepare some food that is easy to cook over the fire.
However for Storm Ellen, I was completely unprepared. It was a Friday afternoon and the Mhinisteir was away for wedding rehearsals. I wasn’t feeling too great and so decided to have a wee lie down. I turned on the radio for company. The time was 2.58pm. The next minute, the radio fell silent. A power cut! I was convinced it will be back on in a minute as it always does in England. How wrong I was!
The Mhinisteir came back at about 6.30pm and the power was still off. According to him, a tree had fallen and that was the cause of the power cut. We decided to have some cereal and go to bed for there was nothing else to do!!!!! The power finally came back on at 8.38pm!!!!
Storm Francis
Yesterday, at about 4pm, the wind began to pick up. I wasn’t going to be complacent. I quickly whipped up a stir fry for our evening meal and kept it warm in the oven. Just after 7.30pm, the power went off. Thankfully, we had already finished our dinner. We like to have ours before 7pm. It was beginning to get dark so we couldn’t read. We had a quick bath and went to bed but thankfully the power came back on in under 2 hours but with intermittent cuts after that!
Do you fancy living on the remote Scottish Island of Rum?
For more details, click on the link below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-53904491
There is wedding fever in the Vicarage as the Mhinisteir is very busy with weddings and wedding couples.
I happened to be at a wedding myself and was utterly gobsmacked when the organist turned up. It was non other than our present Chancellor of the Exchequer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was my dream/nightmare(delete where appropriate) last night!!!! I honestly don’t know how dreams/nightmares are created but this was a super weird combination. A bit like Mrs Leticia Cropley’s (Vicar of Dibley fame) Orange cake with Branston Pickle icing!!!!!
The Bad
This week, we heard that one of the Mhinisteir’s clergy colleague’s wife is terminally ill. I was very disappointed and disturbed that we didn’t know anything about it until the Mhinisteir did a courtesy phone call. Have we all become so self obsessed that we no longer know what is happening right at our door step??
The Good
Again this week, we heard that two of our young friends are going to be first time parents! What fabulous news!
The Ugly
Unfortunately, it was the good news that tipped me over. I was genuinely happy for our young friends but a little sad that I never got the opportunity to taste motherhood. Friends our age are already grandparents so I don’t know where this ugly thought came from.
It is wonderful to be back in church. However, I am not too comfortable with our social distancing or the lack of it. The Church wardens are very good at implementing the rules but it is the individuals who are breaking it!!
People stand too close to me when chatting. Sometimes they are literally in my face. I try to increase the gap by politely moving a few steps behind but they move with me narrowing the gap!!!!😬
According to WordPress, the month of August marks Bean A’ Mhinisteir’s third birthday. Really? Have I been so diligent in blogging for three years????
I started blogging to distract myself from my health woes. However, I didn’t want to blog about my medical condition. I also wanted to be anonymous so that I will have more freedom.
What should I blog about? I realised that some people are genuinely interested to know about life in a Vicarage and what it is like being married to a Vicar. I sought the Mhinisteir’s permission to write about him and with his encouragement, Bean A’ Mhinisteir was born! I hasten to add that the Mhinisteir doesn’t read my blog!
Over these last three years, I have enjoyed blogging. I have made silly mistakes like unfollowing my followers as I didn’t know them personally! I also started spending too much time on the blog.
Thankfully those stages have now passed and I am pleased to say that I now have a healthy relationship with my blog!
Here’s to many more happy years of blogging!!!🥂
Secret Diary Of A Church of England Vicar's Wife 