Family, Theatre,

Yesterday we had a nice surprise, a parcel of photos and DVDs from daughter #2 and her husband, Mike the artist (Scolopax Chronicles). It also included school results for their daughter, our only granddaughter. She is an excellent student and we are very proud of her. In fact we are very proud of all the grandchildren, three of them are now teachers and one of them has just entered university in the hopes of becoming a teacher. On the DVD was film of our granddaughter in a concert, dancing for the most part, but the most impressive thing was her solo of Castle on a Cloud from Les Misérables. She sang it beautifully. It is a sad little song by a young girl, Cosette, who's parents are no longer alive and who is in the care of a grasping and cruel innkeeper and his wife, she is dreaming of what it would be like to be loved. I wish I could share it with you. There are lots of songs from Les Misérable on YouTube, if you want to listen. OK I have stopped boasting. Tonight I am going to see "All I really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" by Robert Fulghum. It is being produced by Galt Little Theatre Group and one of the producers is a friend of mine. She is very involved in Little Theatre and by all accounts the group is very good so I hope the performance will be relatively professional. I haven't been to an amateur dramatic performance in many years, although at one time I used to be very involved myself. Not since I have been in Canada though. I really don't know why as I used to love the theatre and was very keen on acting. My first husband was a brilliant actor. Matt couldn't be less interested. Funny isn't it? I am going with a friend from Cambridge - same town as the theatre. I then have one more theatre visit this year, a pantomime in December. I have finished book 2 of the Arrandin Trilogy, The Treason of Dortrean. The author, Marcus Herniman, commented that it is sometimes frustrating that something which takes so long to write can be read so quickly. I do read very quickly, but then I frequently stay up late reading, particularly if I am enjoying a book, which I was in this case. I was up til late last night reading the third book in the trilogy so it shouldn't take me long to finish it either. Although I guess I won't be reading this evening. I very often read books again if I find them particularly good. Here's a nice easy recipe for dessert. Once again from the Three and Four Ingredient Cookbook by Jenny White and Joanna Farrow. Baked Bananas with Ice Cream and Toffee Sauce Bananas make one of the easiest of all desserts, just as welcome as a comforting winter treat as they are to follow a barbecue. For an extra sweet finishing touch, grate some plain (semisweet) chcolate on the bananas, over the sauce, just before serving, if baking on a barbecue, turn the bananas occasionall to ensure even cooking. Serves 4 4 large bananas Scant 1/2 cup light muscovado (brown) sugar 5 Tbs heavy (double) cream 4 scoops good quality vanilla ice cream Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the unpeeled bananas in an ovenproof dish and bake for 15-20 minutes until the skins are very dark and the flesh feels soft when squeezed. Meanwhile, heat the light brown sugar in a small heavy pan with 5 Tbs water until dissolved. Bring to the boil and add the cream. Cook for 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and is toffee coloured. Remove from the heat. Transfer the baked bananas in their skins to serving plates and split them lengthways to revel the flesh. Pour some of the sauce over them and top with scoops of vanilla ice cream. Serve any remiaing sauce separately. My Note: I think if you are handling the bananas to cut them, I personally would try and get the flesh out of the skins, but maybe they would break up too much. Have a great day.