Textiles and Tea 100th, Sheila Hicks, gloves, socks and pancakes

Yesterday's Textiles and Tea celebrated its 100th program, with a coup, a visit with internationally renowned painter, weaver and writer, Sheila Hicks. 

Still active in her late eighties, she's still exploring her art. She wrote a book "Weaving as Metaphor" on the theme of the discoveries in thread and fibers, relationships and shapes. She loves to invite people to experience her installations, sometimes even designing them for touching.  I'll just invite you to Google her, and let her work speak for itself.

Back on earth, Christmas has started here chez Boud. First this exquisite cross stitched card complete with Canadian moose, arrived from Mary Anne, whose blog you know as Magpie's Mumblings. It's now a permanent part of the decor, along with other artworks from her.

Then the prospect of fruitcake from dear e. Prospect of Fruitcake sounds like a short story title. Anyway, lovely. Can't wait to have a cup of tea and a slice.

And, back on earth, veggie pancakes. I used the green peppers from Gary's  garden, scallions and onions. Just guessed at the pancake ingredients -- egg, milk, flour, baking powder, no measuring

and had these for lunch. Enough for a few breakfasts or lunches left.

And, speaking of unexpected Christmas gifts happening,  here's a lovely shout out yesterday from the Knitting Ministry, showing the tiny part I get to play in a marvelous program. Turns out the Hope One van is part of a county outreach program, bigger than I had realized. 

They go out three times a week in the streets fully professionally staffed, with medical, social and physical help for addicted people on the street, and my little offerings are in great company as you see from those color-worked hats. I'm glad I have a bigger picture now, all the happier to take part.

Then the jigsaw puzzle turns out to be missing a piece. The top left butterfly has a hole in her wing. Oh well. I searched everywhere in case I'm the culprit, but nope. I guess it's inevitable, in a library borrowing process, . I bet there's a sermon there..but I'll refrain. It was a nice puzzle for a butterfly lover.

Happy day, everyone, we'll accept the missing bits, yes? because the rest is lovely. 

Oat flour pancake, the all purpose food

This morning's breakfast, since I was low on eggs, was an oatmeal flour pancake, with a honey drawing on the plate.

Then this evening, I diluted the same old pancake mix -- oat flour keeps developing and thickening as it goes -- and added it to a stirfry of red bell peppers, onions and little celery chunks, with a curry leaf and a big knob of homemade pesto, sorry don't know which, frozen hands couldn't get far enough in to see the label, and there was a cascade of frozen food falling all over me at the time.

Anyway, made the stirfry, which smelled wonderful, and added in a pancake's worth of batter to continue cooking, ending with a nice supper, remembering to remove the curry leaf before serving -- they work like bay leaves, give flavor, you remove them before eating since they're a bit tough.

 
Here with my ancient Lenox wineglass, all ready to go. My food stylist failed to report to work today, so this is Food Adequate, Tastes Good, Just Eat It.  It's a crepe aux veggies.  Serving for One. Avec vin tres ordinaire.

 And I'm starting to wonder what other uses this all-purpose pancake mix can turn to.  Clafouti, yes, I can see this appearing several times.  And there are lovely granny smith apple chunks and other apple stuff in the freezer, too, for an apple clafouti.

Gosh, they could send it to Mars with astronauts, they'd never run out, just dilute it when it gets low,  guys, it's good and it's gluten free! I can imagine how that would cheer them when they're trying to repair the extra terrestrial walkabout thing..