Sunday 14 June 2009

Delia Day


Wow, I do really think we should call 13th June "Delia Day". Delia Smith has been awarded a DBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. That makes her Dame Delia Smith, and not before time too!

For international friends who don't know how this goes, 'Dame' is the female equivalent of being 'Sir' somebody. Dame Delia has been showing peple 'How to Cook' ever since she herself was a young woman and there's many a decent home cook who owes her skill to Delia. Her books are for everyone, at every level, and the great thing is her recipes WORK. Yes they do! If Delia says leave somethng to stand in the fridge then do it because it'll be important for sure. Follow any recipe of hers to the letter and you just cannot go wrong.




We had a lovely day out yesterday, in Grantham which is in the south of Lincolnshire, our home county. It's only about 70 miles away but it was such a lovely day and there was a Farmers' Market on and an ordinary market and a Salvation Army Band visiting from Northrn Ireland. The band had a parade to the Guildhall, where they were received by the Mayor and Mayoress for a 'Welcome' reception. Afterwards they congegated on the green in front of the Guildhall and played a short concert. It was all so very very English, I can't tell you - my dear friend in Germany would move mountains to see that. The main object of our tripwas to visit the museum which was next to the Guildhall and just as a bonus admission to that was free.
And look what we got! A full day out, with entertainment included, and all it cost us was two cups of petrol (gas) and a pub lunch.


Guess what? I didn't take any photos because I forgot the camera! WOOPS! The birthplace of Sir Isaac Newton and Margaret Thatcher and I didn't take the camera.


I could show you where we went this afternoon though and it was ony 5 minutes away! Just around the corner, we went to the park.


It was the Steelworks Children's Gala across the other side but we didn't go there becase we were enjoyng the peace and quiet. That's what they call it now, Steelworks Children's Gala, because there's only one steelworks now. Practically everyone's dad will have worked there at some time or other because in its heyday we had 3 steelworks. Sadly the very existence of the remaining one is on the line now, with all the financial shenanigans going on in England.
It was on the day of one of the galas (we always pronounced it 'gayla'), June 1st 1974, that the worst tragedy ever to befall this area took place. The Nypro chemical works exploded, killing 29 people, causing the destruction of almost an entire village , wreaking havoc for miles around and prompting the mass exodus of families with small children who were too traumatised to stay.

At the time we lived in the bungalow I've been telling you about recently where we were accident prone, though we never saw it at the time. It was a very hot day, Keith was changing the front windows of the house. One was done and another has half in- half not and Keith was chatting to his brother, who lived next door at the time. I was hoovering when suddenly I felt - or thought I did - a little bit giddy, as if the floor had moved. I called out for Keith and he came running in shouting about a ball of fire at Nypro. They could see it clearly because our house was in the very flat Trent Valley, as was Nypro. What we had felt - all of us - was the massive air movement of the explosion across the plain. It was the worst peacetime disaster ever to have happened here.


As years went by it became the yardstick by which people recalled things: "well, it was before Nypro" or "Mrs Jones was a widow so it must have been after Nypro" - you know? It's rarely mentioned nowadays except in history books but everyone who was alive at the time can remember where they were and what they were doing on 'the day Nypro went up'.


Well, I never started out to tell you that but, as I have and it was such a tragedy, I can hardly go showing you my park pictures now can I? Next time eh?

xxxx

8 comments:

Grammy Staffy said...

Dear Angie,
I vaguely remember hearing about Nypro. I imagine that it was terrible living in the area at the time. I am sure that lives were changed forever for those living there.
It sounds like you had another lovely trip.... and how could you forget your camera???? You must have been thinking as Marie would say..."What am I like?".

Speaking of Marie... when are they going to make her "Dame Marie" for all of the great ricipes and inspirational messages she shares with us each day. Maybe I should call up the queen and ask her to put Marie on her Birthday Honors List. (Do you think she would listen to me?)

Have a great week. (((hugs))) Lura

RoeH said...

I wish I'd had her cookbook when I was a 'younger' cook. Maybe I'd have been better than I eve got to be. Here's one American who thinks that's mighty fine.

Joyce said...

So very tragic. It is like I remember the day PresidentKennedy was shot here when I was still in middle school. Tragic things have a way of marking time for people. Thanks for commenting on my banana ice cream. Yes do make the roasted banana and serve it over vanilla ice cream. Just watch the cooking time the last 10 mins as you do not want it to burn. It is delicious and simple and your company will enjoy it.
Joyce

Blessings each day said...

Thank you for being so informative...I tried enlarging the photo of the books and I got a royal blur of letters!
Too bad you didn't have your camera as you do such great photography, Angie...oh weel, tomorrow is another day for more opportunity! Glad you had such a great day.

Sorry to here of the trauma of Nypro...remind one of Hemingway's quote, "Ask not for whom the bell tolls...it tolls for thee." We are all impacted by what happens to each other and that is a good thing IF we let it be!

blessings and hugs,

marcy

Andy said...

I went to Grantham many years ago and I can not remember a thing about it. Congratulations to Delia on her DBE. A friend of mine was awarded an OBE a couple of years ago and since than we have called him Old Big Ed.

Andy x

Kath said...

Good posting Angie.Thouhg as you know my cooking dayd are over.Keep Motherhens kitchen clean is my motto now :- EAT OUT (is the sign I have up above the oven in mine) lol!!I remember to take my camera but then the probs start when I come to put the snaps in my blog Grrr.Glad you are getting out and about.I am looking forward to our weeks break on Saturday too.The camera is packed LOL!!As to if I'll get them in the blog later is another thing.Then again I can always ring PC Miller and ask him if he can help,he did state he would should I need any help with anything LOL!! Haaaa!!.Take Care God Bless Kath xx

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Unknown said...

Hi Angie, just reading about the Gayla! App ford was at Brumby Hall where my cousin used to rune the soacial club until his sudden death, his wife still has it I think. The Nypro explosion was extra sad for me as an ex-boyfriend died in it leaving 4 little ones behind, I often wonder if jane Fleming was still at home then as she used to live at Flixborough. I was married by then and was living in Somerset, still remember seeing it on the TV.