better a mile wide than an inch deep

The Orange by Wendy Cope

At lunchtime I bought a huge orange-
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave-
They got quarters and I had a half.

And that orange, it made me so happy,
As ordinary things often do
Just lately. The shopping. A walk in the park.
This is peace and contentment. It’s new.

The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all the jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I'm glad I exist.

♥

/squee

Jack Klugman, actor and star of Quincy, died recently.

I didn't know that he used his fame to get some good stuff done on the quiet. I admire him all the more.

It's Remembrance Sunday today.

Sean Bean reads Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen. I've read this poem a zillion times but this reading gave me a new appreciation for and of it.

This is part of a series of short films featuring actors reading poetry from the World War One period. In the same video, Gemma Arterton reads a poem by Wilfred Owen too, and Sophie Okonedo reads one of Rupert Brooke's.

One fine day in 1974, when I was three or four, my mom and grandmother went into Dublin to do a couple of errands. My brother and sister and I were in the car's backseat, along for the spin. My mother did the first errand, going to the solicitor's office, and then couldn't remember what the second errand was. So she didn't go to Talbot Street to see the tailor like she was supposed to. Instead, she turned the car for home, and by chance and by seconds saved us all from dying or being seriously injured in the bombings like three hundred other people that day.

We drove down the street parallel to Talbot Street, and a sobbing woman ran out in front of our car. My mother missed hitting her by inches. But only when we got home to find my dad pacing the driveway did we find out what had happened.

It's the anniversary of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings today. So I'm remembering all the people affected by the bombings and the whole sad history of the Troubles, including my relatives who weren't so lucky on other days. Mostly I'm feeling gratitude for the peace process and, not least, my mom's imperfect memory.

My family and I held a coffee morning to raise funds for the hospice that provided nurses to look after my dad while he was dying. Thanks to the generosity of the people who showed up, we raised well over a thousand euro. :)

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 banana, peeled
quarter cup soy milk
1 tbsp sugar, optional
handful of strawberries or other fruit to serve
maple, agave, or golden syrup to serve
oil for frying

Put the flour, baking powder, banana, soy milk, and sugar in a blender and mix until smooth.

Heat a frying pan and drizzle it with sunflower oil.

When the oil is hot, pour half a cup of batter onto the pan for each pancake. It's quite a thick batter so it's possible to cook two or three pancakes at a time.

When the pancakes are bubbly and glossy on top, flip them over and brown them on the other side.

Serve with syrup and fruit.

Makes four to six pancakes.