Singing Chicken

If I could count the number of instances in a year and charge a pound for each, I would be very rich. You get a file from one your support staff because there's one aspect of it that's too difficult for her. Fair enough, she's not qualified. You ask her what it is she wants you to do. "Ah" comes the answer "It's all in the file notes". Am I supposed to ready the file notes? Shouldn't she have given me the details of thos precise job she wanted me to do? Too kind, I go off and look at notes. Or look FOR notes, which are not that noticeable. I find the notes and they are clear as mud, saying "her sister" when the client had two sisters and "Mrs. X may wish". "May" is not "does". etc etc. You take the file back to the person and ask her to set out what you are to do and for whom and the person tells you you should phone the client yourself!
Whne you're a partner in a firm you can tell these people just where to get off but when you are an employed professional, you don't want the partner to think you are being heavy handed with the staff so you end up bending to the person's will. In this case, the partner doesn't give a damn but wouldn't like to hear an "it isn't my job" argument from his qualified employee - sounds so pathetic and unprofessional, so you end up meekly phoning the client youself. One to the staff, nil to you.
It partly has to do with being nice and wanting to be liked. You'd be disliked for putting up the resistance you are entitled to put up so you keep quiet.
Next time, before I even LOOK in a file I get from this person, I am going to send it back with a request for specific instructions and I intend to tell her that is what I am going to do. You don't spend years and money qualifying to get pushed around by people who are supposed to be there to assist YOU.

The News is not the news. The News is to a too great degree a report of what has been said to whom in a big old panelled room with green seats, with another report of what has been said to whom in another room far away with seats of a diffeent colour. The News rarely tells you about what has been happening; it tells you about what politicians are sayng has happened, will happen, would happen if this or that were the case. Sometimes an event occurs which really is news and then they stop reprting from the rooms with seats and concentrate on this big event. Then they get tired of it and one day no more is ever said about it any more and they go back to reporting what is just talk. Well, when they have finished with the event, why don't they just tell us there is no more news instead of pretending that this talking about talking is The News. And in August, when this seats places is supposed to be closed, well that's when The News can just occasionally get interesting and they tell you about the butterflies and things like that (when they are not showing you pictues of the men out of their seats pretending to be eco-friendly on their hols) and they go and call it "the Silly Season". Why is it silly?
And don't get me started on "celebrities" (why "celebrities"? Who's celebrating? Why is a newsreader or a politician or even an actor a "celebrity"?) or football. They are not News. They should not be a part of the programme that's called The News.

Aren't children and dogs similar? Both make too much noise, barge about showing no respect, don't do what they are told even when they have been well trained. They are a public and a private nuisance. If I go on a train and see any kids in the carriage I move to the next one. I won't sit anywhere in a cafe that is near a table with kids at it. Kids and dogs think everything is just all about them. Dogs smell. Some kids do too. To be fair, so do as many adults.

Anonymous blogging is so liberating. I couldn't do all these Jeremy Clarkson style rants if all these people who think I am so sweet (cos they do) knew it was me.

That "magic carpet" baking tray liner that can be bought from Lakeland is fantastic and brings and end to cakes stuck to tins but it seems to make them more greasy. It is so non-absorbent that there is nowhere for the grease to go so it stays on the cake. The oddly named "greaseproof" paper at least absorbs some grease. I wonder how it would work if there was a layer of greaseproof paper between the magc carpet and the cake. Probably would make the magic carpet redundant. What we need is a magic carpet which absorbs grease and still repels thecake, a bit like goretex for cakes.
The cakes? They were crumble squares. Short pastry base, put cold stewed apple on when pastry cold, top with crumble into which you've mixed in some chopped toasted hazelnuts. Very nice but I din't have quite enough apple to cover the pastry so I put jam on the remaining area - some strawberry, some damson. Lovely.

Other people's problems become one's own problems. I came in today to an office full of stuff that had been cleared out of another office. I was MAD. That other office used to be mine but most of the stuff in it had nothing to do with me and I TOLD the clearers two days ago what wasn't mine, and here it is in my room. And to top it all I've been told I need to clear what was mine out of the old room by the end of today because a colleague wants to move in tomorrow. How can I, when this office I am in now is full of stuff that shouldn't be here??? It seems to have become my problem to get rid of it other find places for it. I can't clear stuff from my old room either because it's too heavy and there's no man here today to help me. So I can only do what I can but that doesn't seem to be good enough. I should be content to leave that problem of mine to become someone else's, as it will, and as that person has done to me, but I feel too bad doing that. It's like I said before that you start feeling guilty if you speak up for yourself now and again. I wonder if it's better just to put up and shut up. At least people will think you are nice then. If I leave my problem for someone else they won't think I'm nice. It's so hard being a human.

It has proved almost impossible to buy a jar of capers. They were only for a garnish but they do make a contribution to a dish. No local shop had any. Grrrrrr!
They should have been next to the pickled gherkins. Now who on earth buys those things?!!!

I don't know what to write today but want to put something or else this will drift away like Foody's last blog did.
Will be singing tonight. How can there be so many different types of voice? The squawkies, the smoothies, the wobblies, the growlies, the thickies, the thinnies, the wailies, the sliders, the shouters, the huskies, the ones that always sound out of tune even when they aren't. What a good thing a "nice voice" is so subjective. There is hope for just about anybody. Somebody said on the radio lately that Maria Callas did not have a good voice but because there was passion in every syllable it came across as beautiful. It was worth trying so I am trying it. It helps with violin. Last night for the first time at a lesson I thought less about intonation than about expression and for about the first time ever in a lesson I actually played the piece in tune. Well, so it sounded to me anyway. It's soooo hard to stay in tune; it's especially I think when you are an adult learner to get things right. I think the strings are too slippery and I should change to a different brand, but stickier ones would squeak when you moved. Ah well.....

I haven't mentioned chickens or singing. Chickens are gaining ground in greetings cards. A few years ago it was all bears, bears, bears, particularly the most nauseating ones with those seams down their heads. Thank goodness they have gone out of fashion. For another few years it was cats. I love cats. That was a good phase. The fluffy kitten ones are a bit wearing though and cute but yet so sugarly sentamental that they aren't cute. But now chickens are gradually on the increase. Watch to see if they dominate the cards. It's fine by me.I haven't seen any sugary ones yet.
There's a shop somewhere called the Gingham Chicken. I think it's somewhere in Shropshire. Lovely, homely name.
Remember The Iron Chicken from The Clangers? Lovely haunting call from high in the stratosphere. She seemed like their equivalent of God.
I might talk about singing another day.

I haven't mentioned food much again. I did make that jam and coconut pudding. It basically was a steamed sponge recipe so I decided to use my Bero book instead. I made a puuding big enough for 6 but it was really big enough for 8 or 9. I split it between 2 basins and there was enough for Saturday and Sunday. More than enough for 2. Much, much more than enough. Back to the trying to keep weight off on Monday.
The sponge was a bit stiff but I think it's because the basins weren't big enough to let it rise as much as it wanted to. I made a pleat in the foil but it was still stretched to almost bursting.
Fish is a great low fat food so I will try another recipe this week. It's a bland food, I think, so needs a tasty recipe to give it "pep". Think I will try something from Rick Stein's Mediterranean Cookery.
Have a breast of lamb in the freezer. Roll it and stuff it, they say, but you get a fatty layer through the roll, even if you trim it as much as possible. What would be the simplest and least fatty way of enjoying it? I think I'll try something with apricots and cumin.

Radio 4 invited people to email You and Yours so they could join in a debate about how the government is handling the financial stuff that's going on just now. I have no view. I don't understand politics and have no interest in them but I know that I care about how people are affected by this financial stuff. I'm not joining in any debate - wouldn't have a clue what to say - but took the opportunity to have a moan. Well, people who want to retire early and were hoping they might have saved enough by then are not going to be able to afford it because they've stopped our accounts getting any interest - or almost- so if not having to work is one of your greatest dreams, the dream will remain just that. There's no pay rise on the horizon either, unlike in some jobs (you know the one I mean - the one in which they constantly complain about how badly off they are) where they are often automatic every year, and only a rubbish private pension which too won't be earning any interest either.

btw I tried to put "moan" as a label but the box kept changing it to "moaning" I want moan, not moaning. Moan, moan, moan! Grrr, grrr, grrrr!

Weather not good enough to ride at the weekend but kept the ponies in hay. That contented munch is such a lovely, comforting sound. I forgot to put the mare's biotin and pink powder in her bucket and she noticed. She came chortling to the fence after she had finished, as though asking for more, which she never does. She never seeks affection either, but after a big hug and lots of rubbing of her afce and neck she walked off to the hay quite happy. One day without supplements is not going to make a difference. It's a long walk back to the big shed to get it.
Back to work this morning and as soon as you get in the door there's a list of phone messages and a heap of stuff that came in over the weekend. Oh, joy. How some people thrive on work I will never fathom. I have known a few and worked for a few. These people love being busy. Quite a lot of people love being busy. No thanks.
Person I was counting on today is off sick. It's Monday too. What a coincidence. Was counting on her to do something urgently. It's always the way.

Going back to Tuesday, tt is not the sheep who are nicking the ponies' hay. I watched yesterday. The ponies are just hungry because it's January and the grass isn't growing and they are devouring it at an unprecedented rate. They have finally had to accept that they must stand on their new hardcore bed to reach their hay. This bed was laid in an effort to prevent them getting hoof abscesses, especially the gelding who seems to be more susceptible. They both have a biotin supplement every day so here's hoping....

For a foodie's blog, this has been quite unfoody so far. It's probably because Foody is tryng to knock off 4 or 5 pounds since Christmas came with its price - but one very worth paying.
Looking at The Pudding Club website www.puddingclub.com , it strikes me that the pudding of the month is often a very basic one on a similar format, or so I've found. This month's is a jam and coconut steam pudding which I think I'll make this weekend.
The effort to maintain a lighter weight is only in force Monday to Friday and this does work - for Foody anyway. Three weekly visits to the local gym and frugality on working days is what I've done for the last two years and it is effective. When holidays come it's best just to pig out and enjoy them then return to the regime afterwards. What would a holiday be without eating and drinking whatever you want? The regime is a very enjoyable regime too, with a high proportion of tasty fruit and veg.

Working at home puts such a temptation in one's path to do everything but work, especially when work is quiet, like now. Not so long ago things were soo frantically busy that the fear of not being able to keep up with the volume of work was enough to keep one hard at it all ay and into the evening. These times will return, unfortunately. Not a pleasant way to lead one's life, or 7 sevenths of it. (Sometimes 6 or 7 sevenths of it when times are really bad).
See, teachers are not the only ones who find themselves working 50, 60 etc hours a week and unsocial hours. Had to get that in. And most in my profession in small high street firms get paid no more than a teacher of only a few years' experience. In "the City" it's different of course. And we have to deal with intolerable behaviour and abuse too, well as staff insubordination. This topic will return as it's one of Foody's soapbox topics.
Must try to think of topics for posts that aren't questions or complaints.

My ponies are eating their hay very fast and I suspect the sheep next door are helping themselves. I would like to get a 6foot by 2 foot sheet of something weatherproof like perspex or polycarbonate to put as a backing in their manger to keep those cloven-hoofed fence-damaging, bank-eroding pirl-dropping menaces off. Don't know where to get that without buying something really huge whoch won't fit in the car and noboby will have the tools to cut down to size. Must ring the builders' merchants to find out.
I'd like to put up a sign "Sheep keep off" and send them all to sheep school to learn reading and manners but they'll be off to the slaughterer before the first sheep school term finishes so there's no point.
Sign seen on a gate in Herefordshire "Sheep keep shut"
Seen in a mag quoting from another mag "Man wanted to look after cow that doesn't smoke or drink".

(Should that be two posts? It's two topics. Don't really know how you are meant to run a blog)

The boss gave me a job to do today. A typical job from him is one which he was supposed to have started months ago and hasn't. He tells the clients it's all going swimmingly and then gives the file to me to start. After months of ringing him and getting empty promises, I have now to deal with it all. Unfair. Infuriating. How does one kindly tell these people to get off one's back? They want immediate action; I want time and no flack. How can you be kind to them and kind to yourself both at the same time?

This was the darkest morning of this winter when I went to feed my ponies at 7.15. Got to work and a load of moaning letters were waiting for me. Are people getting more likely to complain and getting ruder? That's what I've heard.
People are shying away from being kind according to somebody speaking on the Andrew Marr "Start the Week" programme. Being kind means getting involved with other humans, which apparently we don't like.
Something annoys you so you sound off about it, then you feel guilty about sounding off and you hate yourself. But the thing you were annoyed about gets put right so you get the benefit of having sounded off. It pays to grumble then, because you get your own way. In this case, it wasn't my own way, it was just how things should be. Somebody messed up my room so I spoke up - not unkindly but there was emotion in my words- then felt guilty about it. Now my room is tidy and clean but I feel guilty. Daft. The person just shouldn't have messed my room in the first place.

The last remaining master cooper in England was interviewed on Radio 4 this morning. He talked about his job, saying it involved multi-tasking and went on to list some of the many tools used. Is that multi-tasking? - using many different tools to make one product? It sounded just like coopering to me. Would multi-tasking not mean he had to be doing coopering, cooking a meal, taking a phone call and rehearsing a song all at the same time (or not ALL at the same time, but that's what multi-tasking is, I thought).
He said blokes are supposed to be no good at multi-tasking. Most men I know say that they are good at multi-tasking but might that be because some of them (NB I did say "some") think of it in the way the cooper does, and they are not truly multi-tasking?

Bad cat caught a Jack Snipe today.

Grrrrr. Why did they decide to shut down the electricity for 8 hours on a day in early January? It was freezing. Coal fire very nice but you have to sit almost inside it to feel really warm.

I tried to create a profile and it asked for my IM username. What is one of those and why doesn't it explain the meaning of IM? I looked at the dropdown list and didn't know which to choose. Can anyone tell me how I decide?

This blog is called Singing Chicken because the blogger (that's me) loves singing and food and some say she is mad about chickens but that isn't the case. She just likes tasteful toy and ornamental chickens.
All help on how to operate this blog would be appreciated because the blogger finds the terminology difficult. For example, have I given myself some name or ID apart from Singing Chicken? How do I find out if I have?
I wish to remain anonymous.
My cat (pictured)
Christmas [So today, 7th Jan, is a sad day. Thirteenth Night was yesterday when Christmas ended. (If anyone can send me a convincing explanation as to why Thirteenth Night is actually called Twelfth Night, I would be grateful)]
Travel and holidays, including lovely scenery, particularly mid Wye Valley, Exmoor and Venice
I was a Classicist once but have forgotten all I knew. Now a lawyer.
I don't know how to, or if I want to, link to other blogs, because I don't want my identity known, but I frequent Forest Murmurs and A Spoonful of Sugar
Any comments relevant to my interests are welcome, although I don't know who on earth will look at this blog except for my pals.
When it says "labels for this post" am I supposed tp put all the things that browsers might search under? I'll try a few. So does that mean that, ideally, I should onnly publish one post per topic and is that not going to be tedious?