Meet The Real-Life Grinch

Sunday 24th December 2017
Much as I enjoy kneading bread dough, I would make a lot more bread if I had a machine to do it for me. We used to have a bread machine, but I didn't like the blocks of bread it made. But I have now gone and got me a proper food mixer and it makes kneading a cinch. It does a better job than I can by hand too.
So today I knocked up this multiseed nutty bread for a special breakfast tomorrow. I don't know what's happening tomorrow.

Monday 25th December 2017

I don't do Christmas but unfortunately everybody else does, which means that nothing's open and the TV is rubbish. Two reasons I don't do Christmas. The first, I don't believe in any of the Christian stuff. But then nor do most of the people who do Christmas. In fact, I wouldn't mind betting there are a fair number of people who don't even know what they are supposed to be celebrating. The second, it has been completely taken over as a means to indoctrinate young children with commercialised consumerism, the must-have society. It is the ultimate weapon of consumer capitalism.

And the grown-ups have already been indoctrinated. The social pressure to take part in Christmas is huge.

What's craziest is that the whole thing stems from pagan solstice celebrations such as exist all over the world. It stole many of the traditions from those ancient festivals. Yet now, try to celebrate solstice instead and you are considered some sort of weird outcast. I don't do superstitions or rituals of any persuasion, but if I am going to celebrate for any reason then it will be the passing of the seasons.

I grow my own food. I rear animals. I wonder at nature. Christmas has no relevance to my life. The passing of the shortest day is hugely relevant.

Having said all that, the turkey meal still happens and some presents are still exchanged, as I am not strong enough to totally resist all pressure. But this year our most special meal, with friends, was on solstice night and I even dared give a couple of presents for solstice.

The dogs took advantage of the lie-in that was on offer today though.

With the stuffed turkey in the oven, we ventured out along the river with the dogs. The weather was not the perfect winter weather demanded for Christmas day. Instead it was cold and windy with rain threatening. Fortunately the elf hood that I bought for Sue came in very handy, as did Arthur's Christmas jumper. Arthur loves dressing up.

Then it was time for the dogs' presents. It would seem that the dogs have somehow become indoctrinated into the ways of Christmas.

Sue was well-pleased with her Secret Santa present, an egg collecting apron (and even more with the fact that I managed to make her look tall in a photo!)

But in the end it was all too much for everyone.

Tuesday 26th December 2017

Boxing Day. I didn't go to the sales. I didn't go to a football match. I most certainly didn't go fox hunting.

We did go for a walk along the River Welland. And I did watch Jurassic World.

So that's it. Christmas done for another year.

I'm Not A Pheasant Plucker

Friday 22nd December 2017
I'm Not A Pheasant Plucker
I have previously made my thoughts about shooting perfectly clear. I'll just say wannabe aristocrats terrifying and blasting a helpless quarry! That should give you some idea!
I wouldn't be allowed to rear my sheep only to release them into a strange woodland, have them chased out into the open and then shot so that a few people can have a right old jolly in the countryside. So why is this an acceptable way to slaughter gamebirds?
A few genuinely wild birds taken to supplement a country dweller's diet might be more open to debate, but that is not what we are talking about.

Anyway, the people who do the shooting can't even be bothered to show enough respect to their 'quarry' to actually take the time to prepare it and eat it. And so, every year, a load of pheasants come my way and I am very happy to accept the free and tasty meat which they provide. In no way does my accepting this gift promote or support the shooters, but at least the birds didn't die for nothing.

Sue is in charge of skinning and taking off the heads and feet. We had a dozen brace to process and this is by far the quickest way to do it.
Once they are processed this far, they begin to look like supermarket carcasses, but they are not yet cleaned.















It is then my turn to finish the processing. I take off the legs and the breasts. Doing it this way means that you don't need to take out the insides, which is a messy and smelly business. Hardly any meat is wasted as the wings are really not worth processing and Arthur is most willing to accept any scraps which I pull off the processed carcass.



Saturday 23rd December 2017
Get Stuffed!
The year has come round so quickly, for on 23rd December 2016 I was writing about how we went to see Santa to show us how to bone out and truss a turkey.
Well guess what.



Paul is a veteran butcher who is always happy to share his time and his skills. He is brave too, for going within several feet of Sue when she is wielding a freshly sharpened knife is not for the feint-hearted.
Paul was involved in the smallholding movement way before The Good Life was screened and is a goldmine of information. Time spent with him and his wife is always most pleasurable and enlightening.