Sunday 4 March 2012

Z is flattered

Lunch was, as predicted, very jolly.  We had roast chicken - it so happened that Ro phoned when we were on our way there, asking about making more gravy than enough for two, as Dora's sister and her other half were going to join them for lunch and he was also roasting a chicken.  I always make thin gravy and never add flour, but Ro thought that thickened gravy would be the thing, so I explained how it's done, and I received a text a few hours later to say that it had been a success.

I had promised to take a pudding and we stopped to buy it, choosing a sticky chocolate and a sticky toffee pudding from the supermarket in Boringland, between here and Norwich.  They turned out to be jolly good - each was supposed to serve four, but between four adults, a little girl and a baby, we scoffed the lot.  Zerlina and Gus are easy to feed, it has to be said.  Little z will eat most things, including vegetables (lots of carrots for preference) and Gus looks to be going the same way.  His father had already given him his lunch by the time we arrived, but he accepted bits of carrot and so on to keep us company.  He sat on my lap afterwards and tucked into small spoonsful of my pudding with Gusto (see what I did there?)

There had been two small children in church this morning, a little girl slightly younger than Zerlina and her brother, who is at the fast-crawling stage.  They got about a bit (we're having services in the church rooms during the winter for warmth) and it was very entertaining, they're lovely little children.  The girl wanted to take a Communion wafer to her mother.  She had her eye on the chalice, I suspect, too, but that was kept firmly away.  During the last hymn, she came and fixed me with a beady gaze.  I found it hard not to laugh, which isn't ideal with a clarinet.  Afterwards, she said "More, more!"  So, after the service finished, I played another verse of the last hymn and everyone good-humouredly applauded.  "More, more," she said again, so I agreed to play one last verse.  She asked for more again, but I pointed out that no one could leave until I finished, so it would have to wait until another day.  In the kitchen, I rewarded her with a chocolate biscuit.  It was terribly flattering.  Two encores and asked for a third!

15 comments:

Tim said...

I can't keep up with you! But 'no one could leave until I finished' reminds me of something which I might report on tomorrow, if I remember.

Roses said...

We aren't a huge fan of gravy in this house. When I do I make it from homemade stock and jus and it tends not to be thickened.

Bravo with your performance on the clarinet. Your church sounds a very warm and friendly one. It's great the kids can feel part of the services.

Unknown said...

And isn't it nice to find so young a child with such excellent taste?

Pat said...

I would be much keener on going to church if all services were like yours. I'm not too old for a choccie biccie am I?
BTW apologies if it is my fault but I simply cannot get Scrabble towork.

Z said...

Oh good, Tim. It's all right, I don't expect anyone to read everything I write. I'll take a day off before long and let everyone have a break, though, to get the housework done and the bins emptied.

We like our gravy like that too, Roses, and a good dollop of wine or sherry in it too. Cooked off, of course.

Chocolate biccies all round and proper coffee. Too many churches offer pale brown tasteless instant. But as The Fellow (Dave, former churchwarden) once said, when giving up on a cup of just that, "good coffee is part of mission!"

Pity about the Scrabble, Pat, can't think what might be the problem. Can you not get it up on the screen, or doesn't it work when you do?

Christopher said...

I wonder what hymn you were playing? Cwm Rhondda, perhaps, with the line 'Feed me till I want no more'?

luckyzmom said...

Thanks for the much needed smile.

Anonymous said...

TILLMANN and YOUNG?
BERRIRO and LOUMANI?
WATT could they POSSIBLY have in COMMON?

Z said...

Er, no, Chris. 'Lord of our life and God of our salvation,' actually. It went jolly well on the clarinet. I recommend. Although frankly, I play the clarinet so much better than I do the organ that almost anything goes better in my windy version.

I need the odd smile too, darling LZM. I've been glad of the blog to remind me to count my blessings recently.

Z said...

I say, Anon, how intriguing. I hope that this isn't spam and that you'll come back and tell us, because I haven't the faintest idea.

mig said...

What a discerning child.

Roses said...

You mean you don't drink wine while making your gravy?! What?!

Z said...

She was delightful, Mig.

Of course I do, Roses. Not all of it though, some winds up in the gravy.

Tim said...

I meant your activity, not your writing - can't get enough of that!

Z said...

Tim, you do me good. Thank you.