The Extraordinary Times by farnham maltings

THE

EXTRAORDINARY TIMES MESSAGES OF HOPE, CREATIVITY, CURIOSITY AND RENEWAL

SPRING 2021

Hang on to your hat

n 1973 a man sent a distressed letter to the author E.B. White, lamenting that he had lost hope for the future of the human race. White, famous for classic books including Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, took it upon himself to uplift the man’s spirits with this reply: Dear Mr Nadeau

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Daring to look forward BY ALISON FORD

here’s a theory suggesting that, perhaps unconsciously, humans have always looked to birds for reassurance. As long as the birds are singing, we know all is well in our world. When the birds fall silent, we have cause for disquiet and alarm. Over the past year or so, it’s true we’ve had much cause for disquiet and alarm. We’ve been in the grip of something never before experienced. Each of us has muddled through this uncharted territory day by day, for longer than we ever imagined would be necessary. Many of us have experienced loss, sadness, fear and isolation. We’ve all looked for different ways of coping – and different ways of picking up the pieces when the ‘coping’ has gone awry. Lately, little things have made the biggest impact. The warm scones left on your doorstep by a friend you’ve not been able to see for months. The friendly nod and smiley eyes of a stranger who obligingly offers you a

wide berth in the street. The picture taped to a wheelie bin, drawn by a child for the person who collects their refuse. It’s been a time when we’ve had the chance to reflect on who we are, and how interconnected we are. A time when it’s been more acceptable to admit vulnerabilities and frailties, and to ask for help. And a time when we’ve been more willing than ever to offer help. And so the little things became the big things. In Farnham this was demonstrated in so many ways: neighbourhood WhatsApp groups were started, two ‘share stores’ were established, numerous book swaps got underway, and over 500 volunteers delivered prescriptions and groceries to people who needed to shield. In the face of adversity the warmth and fellowship of humankind has ensured that we have much to be grateful for. Now that we are daring to look ahead, it seems important to hold on to hope. Not just hope that things will return to normal, but that when they do we will

maintain these connections with each other. According to research, feeling connected to our community – along with being active, taking notice of the world around us, continuing to learn, and giving – is what holds the key to our well-being and resilience. This newspaper takes its inspiration from that premise. We hope you’ll find your curiosity piqued and your spirits lifted by its stories of creativity, endeavour and renewal. Because the birds are very definitely still singing. O

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society – things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out. Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day. Sincerely, E. B. White This letter, along with other uplifting and thought-provoking correspondence is reproduced in ‘Letters of Note’ by Shaun Usher, published by Unbound.

Letters of hope to the editor a collaboration between Farnham Maltings and Farnham Herald As we move into spring and the world starts to open up we are encouraging people to write in to the Farnham Herald letters page with their hopes and ambitions for what comes next. We are keen to hear from every part of our community about how we might ensure that some good comes from the disruption of the past year. What have we learnt from putting much of life on hold? How might things improve? Mark your contribution ‘Letter of Hope’ and email it to news@farnhamherald.com by 30 April 2021. Published letters will appear in the Farnham Herald on 6 May.

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SPRING 2021

go for a walk with the purpose of seeing with new eyes, finding beauty in the unexpected… look up, down, sideways and round corners, noticing colours, textures, shapes, shadows and reflections

Looking for letters around Farnham Can you identify the site of these photos, taken around the town? Solutions are on the back page.

Wind comes in two parts: direction and speed. Aeroplanes (and their pilots) like to land into the wind as it results in lower speeds over the ground. Unfortunately, airports have spent decades building their runways pointing in the wrong direction. This means as the wind speed picks up we have to contend with a significant wind blowing at us from the side – a crosswind.

2. I close the thrust levers to reduce the aircraft energy. Forget to do this and the plane will continue to fly and we will miss the runway entirely. Embarrassing.

aircraft down. While this is happening, the wind, in conjunction with the geometry of thrust and brakes, is still trying to push the aircraft off the runway. It may come as a surprise that on the runway the pilot steers the aircraft with their feet. In a strong crosswind the pilot’s feet can resemble those of a Russian folk dancer as they wrestle hundreds of tonnes of aircraft along the centre of the runway at 150mph.

AS TOLD BY CAPTAIN CHRIS

torms come with many aspects that catch a pilot’s attention. Low cloud and turbulence make for a rough ride. Heavy rain reduces visibility and makes runways slippery, but the element most likely to get a pilot’s interest is the wind…

Crosswinds make things interesting: if you point directly at the runway the wind will blow you off course. I counteract this by pointing the aircraft slightly into the wind. We are now ‘crabbing’ down the approach: the aircraft is moving toward the runway, but pointing in a different direction. I continue this until I’m over the runway, but my plane, wheels and passengers are actually pointing towards the grass. Several things now have to happen in quick succession: 1. I pull the nose up to reduce the rate of descent towards the runway and avoid slamming it in and spilling the passenger’s G&Ts.

3. I push the rudder pedal to align the plane with the direction of the runway and to avoid an excursion towards the greenery. 4. I need to make a further control correction as now that I’m pointing down the runway the wind is starting to push me towards the edge of the runway. Also, the rudder input to align the plane has caused my upwind wing to move forward relative to the downwind wing and gives me a bit of bank in the same direction. I need to correct this to prevent excursion to the greenery on the other side of the runway. At this point the aircraft gently returns to terra firma. But to all those folks applauding at the back… this is not over yet. Various devices need to be activated (thrust reversers, spoilers, brakes) to reduce wing lift and slow the

The aircraft slows sufficiently that the elements reluctantly release their grip. The aircraft gives up its heavenly bonds and it joins the earthbound majority. I ease my craft onto the runway exit. I take a deep breath and notice my pulse is quick. A job well done! O Chris is looking forward to the return of passengers to his flights. He says flying freight-only services doesn’t have quite the same glamour.

‘the clock ticks on. the dials, the radio lamps, the various hands and needles go though their invisible alchemy. . . . and when the hour is at hand the pilot may glue

Learning the art of self-kindness BY JANE ASKEW MBACP

s children we create a personal narrative, where we are the protagonist of our own story. This narrative is based on early experiences, experiences that we possibly do not remember. The child learns how to live in the world and how to adapt to others. It is the adjusting to others that can isolate us from the idea of who we are and force us into a place that relies on expectations of others. This version of who we are is linked with how we think we should be. Have you ever heard yourself being less than compassionate to your own needs? Ignoring the fact that you would never speak to a friend in the same way as you talk to yourself? Self-awareness empowers us to listen to ourselves. We become aware of our own self-worth, beginning to see and treat ourselves differently. The antidote to unhappiness and overwhelm is self-compassion. But how do we define self-compassion? Is it about chocolate and wine and material pleasures?

I don’t believe so... although chocolate and wine have a place for many. It feels important that we accept that.

humanity and a shared human experience. This connectedness reminds us that we are not alone.

Mindfulness

Self-compassion becomes a source of strength and resilience.

Self-compassion involves recognising our own stress and sadness without judging or overreacting to life. We can use our breath to become aware of what’s going on inside, without judgement. If we can acknowledge the discomfort we feel, rather than avoiding, distracting or immediately seeking a solution, we become more aware of our own needs in the here and now.

Self-kindness Being kind requires us to be supportive and understanding towards ourselves when we are having a hard time, rather than being harsh and self-critical and believing we should ‘snap out of it’.

Connectedness When we lose connection to others, we become isolated. Being connected reminds us that everyone makes mistakes and experiences difficulties at times. We can recognise a common

How can we use breathing to calm us down? When we breathe deeply, it sends a message to our brain to calm down and relax. The brain then sends this message to the body. The things that happen when we are stressed, such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure, all decrease as you breathe deeply to relax. By breathing deeply our breath becomes focused and slow, helping to reduce anxiety. This can be done from a sitting or lying position in a quiet place. · Observe how it feels when you inhale and exhale normally. · Think about your body in this moment. Do you feel tension in your body that you are normally unaware of? · Take a slow, deep breath through your nose.

· Notice your belly and upper body move and fill. · Exhale in a way that is comfortable for you. Perhaps end with a sigh or forced release of air. · Repeat – whilst paying attention to the rise and fall of your belly. · Focusing on a word or intention can also be useful here: “I want to feel calm”. · Our imaginations can also help to keep focused – feel your breath washing over you like a gentle wave. · Some find it useful to exhale imagining that the unhelpful or upsetting thoughts and energy are moving through and out of us. · Distraction is inevitable, we are human! No need to worry, this is normal. Bringing our attention back to the breath, intentions and words is all that is needed. O Jane is an integrative counsellor with a deep focus on what it is to be human. She doesn’t have the answers, because therapy is not about that, but she loves to listen and to discuss the question. www.carersconnected.co.uk/counselling/

Adventures with a 1960s sewing machine named Nadia BY MICHAEL FORD

’ve been watching more television lately, and some of it has been very good – such as the Netflix mini-series ‘The Spy’ which is about the life of Israel’s top spy, Eli Cohen. Whilst Eli established himself in Syrian high society and adopted the lifestyle that went with ministerial office in the 1960s, his wife Nadia sat at home in their modest flat, sewing and growing increasingly suspicious about the true nature of her husband’s job. As I watched I became consumed with envy: not for Eli’s extravagant lifestyle, but for Nadia’s beautiful sewing machine. I didn’t know anything about sewing machines of the 1950s and 1960s, so I did a bit of research and this is what I learnt: · they are mechanically quite simple · most were made to last forever · millions were made around the world to a basic Singer design. I also learnt that older machines have a huge following among experts, with online communities dedicated to particular models. Their followers claim that most modern machines

cannot sew a straight stitch as perfectly as a well-maintained machine from 60+ years ago. In fairness, that’s partly because of the compromises that are necessary to engineer the modern machine to enable it to sew all of the stitches that the older machines can’t do. But anyway, I was sold – I wanted a machine just like Nadia’s. It didn’t take me long to find a lovely example online. Like Nadia’s, it was made by Alfa in the Basque country somewhere between Bilbao and San Sebastián. It cost me £69 – pretty much exactly what it cost when it was brand new. £69 was a great deal of money in the late 1950s, the equivalent of well over £1,000 now, but the machine did come with a 25 year guarantee which you probably didn’t need. At this point I discovered my purchase was made of cast-iron and weighed 28kg – so it cost half as much again to have it posted to me. The seller, Brian, made such a good job of wrapping it that I was tempted to name it Brian, but somehow ‘Nadia’ sounded more inspiring.

I trace my curiosity in sewing back to seeing my school trousers being altered more than 40 years ago, but the interest lay dormant until about a year ago so I’m still a beginner. That’s partly because I let myself be distracted by the machines themselves; and by the great books there are about sewing; and by sewing ‘notions’ like rotary cutters, shears and tape – never mind glorious fabrics like canvas, denim and calico. But it’s all good: sewing is an unspoilt pastime, and the people who do it are nice. Although it should have, my rookie status has not stopped me trying to make a pair of trousers. I took a favourite pair of chinos and transferred their outline to squared paper and added seam allowances. Then I cut the pieces out in a stable fabric and sewed them together using long stitches that I could easily unpick. I couldn’t believe how good the fit was, or how neat the pockets looked. However, the zip was completely beyond me. Zips are closures, and closures are important, so I decided that one must be in place before ever

wearing them. But closures aside, progress is definitely being made. There is a moral I would like to offer from all of this, but anyone who still plans to watch ‘The Spy’ would not thank me for sharing it. Perhaps I could just say: be wary of giving a sewing machine as a gift... O Michael works in adult social care. He likes watching films, walking, sewing – and trousers that are properly finished.

his forehead to the window with perfect assurance. out of oblivion the gold has been smelted: there it gleams in the lights of the airport.’ antoine de saint-exupery

the wind is sewing with needles of rain. with shining needles of rain it stitches into the thin cloth of earth. in, in, in, in. oh, the wind has often sewed with me. one, two, three – from ‘two sewing’ by hazel hall

THE EXTRAORDINARY TIMES · 3

SPRING 2021

AS TOLD BY SEBASTIAN WARD TURNER

he approach to painting a sunset in oils depends on many factors, including the amount of cloud in the sky and the terrain of the landscape in the foreground.

SEBASTIANWARDTURNER.COM

Titanium White

The colours I generally use for sky are Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue and Phthalo Green. These are blended and mixed to create the right ‘values’, but it’s important to keep certain colours separate when starting out because a mix of blue and orange, for example, can turn ‘muddy’ and you don’t want a brown hue in your sky.

Cadmium Yellow

Yellow Ochre

Cadmium Orange

If I’m painting a simple sunset with no clouds and a flat horizon, I use a lot of white in the sun and warm colours such as yellow and orange around it. If you blend these colours well you create a ‘glow’, making the sun look more realistic and giving depth to your sky. To create atmospheric perspective, the blue of the sky nearer the horizon should be lighter than the blue closer to the top of your canvas. Happy painting! O

Seb enjoys painting still life, portraits, landscapes and seascapes. He has a particular fascination for the everchanging colours in the sky and clouds.

Cadmium Red

Alizarin Crimson

instagram.com/sebwardturner

Ultramarine Blue

Cobalt Blue

Phthalo Green

Surrey dialect wordsearch Search left to right  top to bottom  and diagonally  to find these words: bait

foundrous

peart

bannick

gratten

picksome

an afternoon meal to beat or thrash

baulky

boggy or marshy stubble left in a field after harvest

brisk or lively pretty or dainty

platty

said of a person who tries to avoid you

hem

beazled

innardly

to talk innardly is to mumble

a faint noise indicating fear

beatle

leastways

runagate

befront

lief

scrow

beleft

lippy

shatter

bettermost

market fresh

shifty

bly

messenger

shuckish

middlin

swimy

mixen

tidy

mothery

timmersome

notation

uppards

tired

a mallet in front of past tense of “believe” upper-class people a likeness, eg. “he has the bly of his father”

burden

a quantity

clung

moist or damp grass

comb

the moss that grows on church bells

dryth

drought

fail

to fall ill

fly-golding a ladybird

a lot or much

otherwise

rather, eg. “I’d lief not” rude

drunk

small cloud

reasonable or average a heap of dung or soil mouldy

making a fuss

uneven

quirk

good for nothing to scowl sprinkling untidy

unsettled, showery giddy

good or well timid

nurt

towards London or in the north

ornary

brave

to entice being unwell (from the word “ordinary”)

venturesome wift

quick

S U T U D W A C T X G J E G F L B H I E X M V B A I T F R I D B F K H C A D E X Q U A M I X E B I J D E F O U N D R O U S I B P V A H V U A G Y B U I C K T R E H H A P I E G T S H B U R E F O R N A R Y A T C I C S H U C K I S H A T W O F K J L T U K I K F J T G I O V R I T M B O T A Y O H P T S R S I B E S P E A R T S E T E L I Q D R O N U T E F K E O E Q P E C A T N O M U U M S L Y L E A S T W A Y S N K T O E Z P O E W S L E I E U U Z B T N O R M L A N P B T I T P F G W T I O Z M B I U D Y E J A V E M H Z T I M M E R S O M E S H I G N R T A Y Q F G N I M J F I T O H F X Y Q U D O S O B R F N I C D O J H L T O R L U O S E A C O S H A T T E R I E N A B R O G H E R Y T R W I R B Z E O H R R E F E H N I C K F J A O X D C O B B L Y U L M C A I T A P A M B I W L K D E A M F B N I O T Z E B O P L A T T Y T V D U G E F E A K R H L O X C A N Y E L C A O L G A M C O G I G R E T S B N F O Q U I R K U L E F T F A I L D D U E I T A U T F L Y G O L D I N G T X F U D T C W O M Y B O L Q U I A Q D L H E M S A T K L I L I P P Y K L T O T R E V T A L C I S W U S T E D O Q O I R K Q U W X R Y O Y L O T N K N I B U U M E O N P I Q K W M E S S E N G E R E C A I T F C K F U E O B I G H A G E S B E T T E R M O S T O T X D B O D I L E A R S E N P P Z Y I T T F Y C L N I O F U V E N T U R E S O M E T R X F O U S J R T A I Y M O W T B F U B L E Y J Z R S H O M Y K O T N O T A T I O N S Z A I T B M I D D L I N H A K T Q D T U H I C V Y E F R A H I L O G R M I X E N T O X E B U R D E N M O T N A E O B U P I R A T

this is the land the sunset washes, these are the banks of the yellow sea; where it rose, or whither it rushes, these are the western mystery!

night after night her purple traffic, strews the landing with opal bales; merchantmen poise upon horizons, dip, and vanish with fairy sails. from ‘the sea of sunset’ by emily dickinson

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That time I built a bamboo bicycle and rode it 200 miles BY MATT FIELD

Steps 1. Design the type of frame you want. I chose a classic mountain bike frame design, nothing fancy. 2. Assemble the jig. 3. Cut the bamboo with the strongest parts on the downline and top tube.

never set out to build a bamboo bike or ride 200 miles in a day – let alone both. It just began with a curiosity about bikes, and that led me to research how to build one. First I toyed with the idea of a traditional steel frame, and then I considered carbon. After more research I came across a German guy who had built one from bamboo. I was intrigued and just had to give it a go.

What you need · Bamboo: I bought a bunch on eBay from a Scottish garden centre and picked out the best bits. · Dropouts, bottom bracket, head tube, forks, wheels, headset, handlebars, brakes, cranks, pedals, seatpost and saddle. I got most of these parts secondhand, and I asked a local metalworker to modify the dropouts. · A jig: This was almost the hardest part. You need a jig to hold all the components together while you’re building. I made my jig from aluminium profile. · Hemp fibre: this looks a bit like a horse’s mane. · Resin: to bond it all together.

4. Ensure you have a sympathetic partner and set it up on the kitchen table.

The parts laid out with the jig

5. Soak the hemp fibre in resin and wrap it around the joints.

AS TOLD BY PAUL JAMES BLOWZABELLA.CO.UK

6. Let it all set. 7. Sand to a good finish. (I skipped the ‘good’ bit as I wanted to ride it.) 8. Add the other standard parts: forks, wheels, headset, handlebars, brakes, cranks, seatpost and saddle.

T Hemp fibre wrapped around the joints

The maiden voyage went well – but unfortunately the bike broke on the second ride. Luckily no injuries were sustained and I decided to try again – this time a road bike. With reinforcement in key areas this worked well. I must admit it took some time to regain confidence, but after more test rides and training I successfully completed the inaugural ‘RideLondon’ event on it. After that there was no stopping me. I took the bike to Mallorca and rode it in the ‘312’ event: 200 miles round the island in one day; and the following year I rode in the Étape… but those are other stories! O Matt’s bike building career ended after the second successful attempt and he moved on to build a pair of carbon fibre skis which were a complete failure but he had fun in the process.

The frame sanded and ready for components

Matt (second left) on the second bamboo bike

he thing about bagpipes is that once started, they won’t shut up. All other instruments you can stop and start at will. Not the pipes. Once inflated they roar continuously and all you can do is to move your fingers around to try and make what’s coming out sound like… err… music. You blow in the bag, the bag inflates under your left arm, you apply a bit of pressure with your elbow to keep a constant airstream flowing to the drones (the long tubes which play one fixed note) and the chanter (the one with the finger holes). Best to stand straight, shoulders back and let the pipes sit comfortably. Look straight ahead. Ignore the looks of pity and shocked disbelief. Try and imagine that someone out there actually likes the sound you are making. They are just too shy, or ashamed, to show it. Oh yes – the Scots didn’t invent them. There are quiet and loud pipes all over Europe to choose from. Have fun! O Paul is a saxophonist, bagpiper, singer and composer who makes music influenced by English and other European folk/folklore traditions.

A recipe for success BY SUE GOATER

erhaps there’s a birthday in the family, or some good news to celebrate. Maybe you nailed a task that’s been hanging over you all week. Or perhaps today was simply a day where nothing went wrong and it deserves to be saluted for that. Whatever the reason, this dessert will perfectly mark the occasion.

Lemon Syllabub Serves 6 • 300ml double cream • 50g caster sugar • 50ml dry white wine (chilled) • Zest and juice of half a lemon

1. Whisk the cream and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture forms A syllabub is an old English dessert that is quite indulgent but deliciously very soft peaks. simple to make and simply delicious 2. Stir in the wine, most of the lemon zest and the lemon juice. to eat. It’s perfect as a finale to a special meal and can be prepared 3. Spoon the syllabub into 6 small and chilled several hours in advance. glass dishes or ramekins.

4. Cover with clingfilm or beeswax wrap and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours. 5. Depending on how special you’d like this dessert to be, or what you have to hand, decorate with the remaining lemon zest, small red berries or be creative with edible flowers, gold dust and popping candy. Homemade or shop-bought lavender cookies are a nice finishing touch. Congratulate yourself for rounding off your successful day with another small triumph! O

other celebratory foods to revel in: knickerbocker glory · posset · soufflé · eton mess · arctic roll · profiteroles · fruit fool · cranachan · crème brûlée · pavlova ·

other uses of bamboo: house building · bridge building · clothing · food · fuel · scaffolding · furniture · rugs and textiles · paper · utensils and tableware · musical instruments · fishing rods · helmets · toys

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SPRING 2021

more english idioms: twist someone’s arm · stab someone in the back · start from scratch · lose your touch · face the music · let off steam · keep your chin up · find your feet · bring home the bacon · eat like a horse

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n the face of it this may actually be the easiest thing to do and therefore require little to no instruction. After all, we’ve all heard the age-old simile “It’s as easy as falling off a log”. This observation is often made by someone – who may or may not have prior knowledge and experience – to a novice who is about embark on what could be an extremely challenging and potentially life-threatening task. Let’s say for example throwing oneself from an aeroplane with nothing but a parachute for company. This is something I have done, albeit a very long time ago…

AS TOLD BY DAVE STRUDWICK

I remember the adrenaline rush, the excitement, the feeling of achievement and I also recall the instructor saying, as the light turned green: “Don’t worry! It’s as easy as falling off a log!”

I remember making a mental note during my descent, if I survived the ordeal, to ask the instructor how he came upon the knowledge and how he could, with what appeared at the time to be quiet confidence, affirm that the two tasks are of a similar nature. He must, I mused, have had a previous log experience. As I have also fallen off a log I thought perhaps the two of us could exchange log anecdotes over a pint in the airfield bar… The single thing I remember about my one and only falling-off-a-log experience is that there was no conscious effort involved, and from that I conclude that falling off a log should not be confused with throwing oneself from a log – which some people are apt to do. So how do you fall off a log? I’ll start by saying that your chances of falling off a log correspond directly to the number

of times that you are on a log; the weather conditions (assuming, as I am, that the log is outside); the footwear you have chosen for this, shall we say adventure; and of course your ability to balance. So let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that you are on a log of unspecified circumference. Probably the first thing to do is not want to fall off. If you do you probably shouldn’t be on it. The next thing to bear in mind is not to over-think falling off. It will happen, perhaps when you least expect it – and speaking as I am with limited experience on the subject, generally there is very little you can do to prevent it. It is, as they say, as easy as… well, you know the rest. O Dave is a former firefighter who, having developed a reluctance for woodland walking, now divides his spare time between music and cycling.

A recipe for disaster BY SUE GOATER

Leek & Potato Soup Serves 4; ready in 30 mins • 1 small or medium potato (washed but no need to peel), roughly chopped into sugar cube size • 2 medium leeks (washed and sliced into 1cm discs) • 2 tbsp olive oil • 750ml hot vegetable stock • Single cream and chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

erhaps it’s a broken heart, some bad news, or a disappointing set of exam results. For whatever reason, it’s not been a good day. This is not the time for complicated food with yet more potential for disaster. You want something simple, reliable, comforting and ultimately cheering… This heartwarming soup is the perfect solution for a wholesome lunch or supper. It’s quick, easy, filling and economical – and with the addition of fresh crusty bread or warm cheese scones you’ll have an irresistible feelgood feast. Your day may not have begun well, but it’s about to get better!

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the potato and stir a few times to prevent sticking to the base, until it just starts to turn golden. 2. Add the leeks and stir to mix well with the potato. Cook gently for around 5 minutes until the potato and leeks are softened. 3. Add the vegetable stock, stir, and place a lid on the saucepan. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 4. You now have soup! If you are happy with quite a thin consistency and the veggies in bits, that’s fine but my preference is to let the soup cool a little and then ‘blitz’ with a stick blender or place in a liquidiser or food processor to make it smooth, creamy and even more delicious.

5. Check the seasoning (some vegetable stock is quite salty so you may not need to add more). 6. Pour into warmed bowls and garnish with a swirl of cream and chopped parsley. For extra comfort, rustle up some scones to go with your soup. Spread with a little butter, or cream cheese and eat them whilst still warm from the oven, although you can freeze and reheat later if there are any left.

Cheese Scones Makes 6 to 8 Pre-heat oven to 220°C/425°F or Gas 7. Before you begin, weigh out the ingredients and assemble your utensils – this will avoid a trail of floury fingermarks around the kitchen! You’ll need a rolling pin, 6cm fluted scone cutter, pastry brush and baking tray. If you don’t have a rolling pin you can improvise with a bottle; and you can use a small jar or glass if you don’t have a scone cutter. Lightly grease or line a baking tray • 50g wholewheat flour • 100g self-raising flour, plus extra for rolling out • half teaspoon mustard powder • quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper • a pinch of salt • 25g butter

How about listening to some uplifting music while you cook? Look for Farnham Maltings on Spotify and check out the High Hopes playlist

• 125g mature Cheddar cheese, finely grated

• 2-3 tablespoons milk, plus extra for brushing • 1 large egg 1. Mix the flour, mustard, cayenne and salt in a large bowl. 2. Add the butter and rub into the mixture using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 3. With a fork, mix in most of the cheese. 4. Break the egg into a measuring jug and gently whisk in the milk to make 150ml. 5. Pour into the bowl and combine with the dry ingredients. Continue gently mixing and kneading until you have a soft manageable dough. 6. Place onto a floured surface and with extra flour for dusting at the ready, use a rolling pin to press or roll into a thickness of about 2cm. 7. Cut into rounds with a cutter. 8. Place the scones on the baking tray, brush with the extra milk and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese. 9. Bake for 10–12 mins, until golden on top and lightly coloured underneath. Sit back and enjoy your meal. Maybe, just maybe, today wasn’t such a disaster after all! O Sue has been eating and cooking for as long as she can remember. For 7 years she produced the recipe cards for Waitrose. She is looking forward to being able to cook for friends again.

other comforting dishes: kedgeree · casserole · stew · colcannon · jam roly-poly · treacle tart · spotted dick · bread & butter pudding · trifle · apple cruble · custard ·

Wear this page

Remove this sheet from the rest of the paper, and lay it out so that it is folded only once.

Fold the top sheet of the unfolded edge to the edge of the triangle. Fold again, over the triangle, so a cuff is formed. Leave the bottom sheet as it is and turn the paper over.

Fold right-angle corners on a slant towards the cuff to make small angular flaps.

Now fold the whole flap up over the cuff. Crease in half and tuck into the cuff.

Turn the corners in from the closed end to the crease at the centre of the page.

ou’re never lonely with a newspaper. Once you’ve finished reading it there is almost no end to its uses, and a hat is just one of them. In years gone by when printing was a messier business than it is now, pressmen would fashion themselves a hat such as the one shown here, to protect their hair from ink.

AS TOLD BY PETE HAWKES

ne balmy evening I was walking along a seafront, free to wander alone for an hour, with nature as my inspiration. The sunset was breathtaking, with colours ever-changing from gold to shades of pink, reflecting on a calm sea. I stood mesmerised as the sky gradually turned into darkness, and it brought me to the conclusion that nothing on Earth is permanently beautiful or perfect; everything is transient. Even on an ordinary day, when we might be weighed down by the burden of life, we can find beauty when we look for it closely. Perhaps it requires a stillness of mind and a receptiveness to unexpected treasures… a kind look from a passer-by, a child’s laugh, dew on a spider’s web, the smell of a pine forest through an open car window, static in the air before a storm, or the smell of rain falling on a dry pavement. A piece of music may move us, the unfolding of a new flower might uplift us, a moment in a film has the potential to draw our powerful emotions, the silence at dusk after the turmoil of the day can bring us peace. In these fleeting moments beyond the routine and the mundane you might acknowledge that a similar rare beauty is also to be found inside you.Each and every one of us has treasures disguised in many forms and these are always worthy of sharing with the world. O

There’s evidence of tradespeople wearing paper hats as far back as the end of the 18th Century. These would have been made from plain white paper with a high linen content which made it strong and flexible – perfect qualities for a hat. Added to this, the hat band was fashioned from several layers which could absorb a decent amount of perspiration. It would have been quite usual to see carpenters, chandlers and painters wearing such headwear to keep sawdust and paint out of their hair (which would not have been washed with today’s frequency).

Open the hat wide like a boat and two ears (or peaks) will stick out at the sides.

Make a fold across the ears and tuck into the cuffs.

Fold the sides of the triangle into the centre crease. For a larger hat, fold short of the centre; for a smaller hat, fold over the centre crease.

Fold the peak of the triangle to make a rectangle. Tuck the peak into the cuff.

Square the hat, creasing the corners – and you have a traditional paper hat.

Pete is a nature enthusiast. He has written and published ‘The Best of Chilterns Wildlife’ and works as The Good Earth Gardener, promoting gardening for wildlife, especially bees.

other uses for this page: cleaning windows · lining shelves · papier mâché · fire starting · shoe deodorising · fruit & vegetable drawer lining · tomato ripening · insulation ·

stain protection · cat litter lining · gift wrapping · book covering · barbecue cleaning · draught proofing · potting seedlings · carpet underlay · compost material · car wheel traction · passing on to a friend

THE EXTRAORDINARY TIMES · 7

SPRING 2021

8 · THE EXTR AORDINARY TIMES

SPRING 2021

fifteenth of may. cherry blossom. the swifts materialize at the tip of a long scream of needle. ‘look! they’re back! look!’ and they’re gone on a steep controlled scream of skid – from ‘swifts’ by ted hughes

pan bimbo. This is pre-sliced, snow-white bread, all goodness taken out of it and even a touch of sugar added.

Looking for letters: solutions

En una cafetería – in a café

This metal sign is fixed to the wall of Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe in Downing Street, which was RH Foster the cobbler from 1952 until 2007.

This painted sign is on the wall above Bill’s in Castle Street, and relates to Tily & Brown who had a workshop in Long Garden Walk.

This is a detail of the lintel at the entrance to The Victoria Garden in Brightwells Road, off South Street. Until 1981 this was an open-air swimming bath, and is now a beautiful little garden open to the public and maintained by volunteers.

This painted gable in Long Garden Walk is an advert for Tily’s (see No.2 above). They used the adjacent footpath as a rope walk for making twine for the hopfields.

The Farnham Institute at 13 South Street thrived for many years as a social centre. Its associated charity was created in 1890 by George Trimmer who was also the benefactor of Trimmer’s Cottage Hospital, the predecessor of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.

This is a tie bar afixed to the East Wing of Farnham Maltings. The embossed name reads ‘Corcoran, Witt and Co’, who were makers of rice shelling machines, millstones and grain separators in the 1800s.

This inscription is at the site of the former Farnham Grammar School, at 25 West Street, now Farnham Adult Learning Centre. In 1906 the school moved to newly-built premises in Morley Road – now the home of Farnham College.

This painted sign for Farnham United Brewery is near the corner of Red Lion Lane and Bridge Square, on what was once the Red Lion pub. The brewery itself operated from West Street.

In the morning you can enjoy some freshly made pan by asking for: Tostada por favor – toast please Please don’t expect it to be served with mantequilla (butter) but depending on the region of Spain in which you find yourself it might come with aceite de oliva (olive oil), tomate (tomato) or even ajo (garlic). You can of course ask for some mermelada (jam). Try any of these: · mermelada de fresa – strawberry jam · mermelada de melocotón – apricot jam · mermelada de naranja – marmalade AS TOLD BY PENNY HARDCASTLE PERFECTOSPANISH.COM

ctually, one should never even try to ask for peanut butter in Spain. It simply isn’t a thing. But you can have a delicious experience with pan (bread). You might need to go to: · · · ·

la panadería – the bakery el supermercado – the supermarket una cafeteria – a café un restaurante – a restaurant

En la panadería – in the bakery In Spain, the bakery is very much dedicated to making and selling bread. Very little else. It opens early and sells out quickly so please don’t even consider trying to buy some fresh bread from the panadería in the afternoon ¡No, no, no! And what to buy? · · · ·

una barra de pan – a stick of bread (ie. a baguette) pan integral – wholemeal bread panecillos – rolls rosquilletas – bread sticks (quite different to a stick of bread: these are crunchy sticks eaten as a snack, rather like a bag of crisps).

En el supermercado – in the supermarket Here of course you can find pre-made bread including the wonderfully named

Alternatively, treat yourself to a delicious bocadillo (sandwich). Ditch all expectations of two slices of bread with a filling, and get ready to enjoy half a stick of bread filled with any of these most popular delicacies: · · · ·

bocadillo de queso – cheese sandwich bocadillo de jamón – ham sandwich bocadillo de jamón y queso – ham and cheese sandwich bocadillo de atún – tuna sandwich

En el restaurante – in a restaurant Nothing to learn here as pan is a given. Any decent (or not so decent) restaurant in Spain will give customers some pan and quite probably some acietunas (olives) with their meal too. Other useful vocabulary to help you enjoy some Spanish pan includes: · · · · · ·

Hola – hello Me gustaría – I would like Por favor – please Gracias – thank you ¿Cúanto es? – How much is it? Adiós – goodbye

¡Que aproveche! (Enjoy your meal!) – but please don’t ever ask for mantequilla de cacahuetes (peanut butter)! O Penny teaches Spanish to children and adults in Surrey and Hampshire. She is looking forward to being able to visit her beloved Spain again.

Nominate someone for a gift box Would you like to spread a little joy to a friend, neighbour or someone special within your local community? As part of the High Hopes project we are creating gift boxes containing activities and surprises which will be delivered to 200 people who are in need of a pick-me-up. Do you know someone who might benefit from this small act of kindness?

Thanks to Chris Shepheard who compiles the ‘Peeps into the Past’ section in the Farnham Herald.

‘The Extraordinary Times’ is part of High Hopes – a series of creative projects designed to reconnect our community after the isolating events of the past year. The ideas have been shaped by research from the New Economics Foundation which suggests we can improve our well-being by building five ordinary actions into our lives: to connect with the people around us, to remain active, to be curious, to keep learning and to give. High Hopes has been developed by Farnham Maltings with investment from Arts Council England.

It might be someone in your street, a relative who is living alone, someone who has struggled with the past year or just someone who you think would enjoy the thought. To find out more and to make your nomination, visit farnhammaltings.com/take-part/community-projects/high-hopes

the extraordinary times was compiled and edited by alison ford · design@emspace.co.uk · www.emspace.co.uk

hand drawn titles: sara@letterg.co.uk