Gingerbread Biscuit time!!

Here's the recipe for Great Nana Daisy’s
Gingerbread Biscuits
from Porthleven Cornwall.

1 pound plain Flour
half a pound Marg
half a pound Sugar
1 desert spoon Baking Powder
1 desert spoon Bi-carb
Half ounce Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Ginger
A pinch salt
7oz warmed syrup

- Mix dry ingredients.
- Rub in marg.
- Add warmed syrup

Form into walnut sized balls and dab top into sugar.

Bake in a hot oven 10-14mins.

Enjoy!

What if Immanuel? Ordinary people, ordinary place, extraordinary story

I've produced some artwork recently for a project portraying people from a local village in Leicestershire and relating them to characters in 'The Christmas Story'.
The local church identified 9 nativity characters and 9 corresponding pictures of people from contemporary village life. An interesting piece of creativity! It's to be on display in a shop window in Sibson Road in Birstall, for shoppers and passers by. Ordinary people, ordinary place, extraordinary story.

http://gallery.me.com/julesrichards#100291

It caused me to ponder various things... the obvious: 'what if a God was one of us?'
The seasonal: Immanuel, 'God is with us'?
"The Christmas Story" a curious story that I'm told differs in each gospel account and has had heaps tagged onto it over the years... to the point that I wonder if elves and reindeer were present in the stable? Oh and coke cola and red stuff.
God became man... ? We can wonder at the significance of the prophesied birth. Light and angelic hope...
I dunno...
The project above asks, if it happened today, "where would you (and I) be in it"?
Hummm... I can't imagine...

I'd like to think that I could sense the majesty and grace of such a prospective happening, but can't see myself as the chosen host, the visitors, the authorities or the worshippers... but I guess I am still one of the 'us'.
Immanuel, 'God is with us'?

Check it out anyway, it's produced by the Methodist Church in Birstall all credit to Rachel Parkinson and her team. It's on Sibson Road Birstall - from next week. Ordinary people, ordinary place, extraordinary story.

http://gallery.me.com/julesrichards#100291

Distant seasoning... drawing nearer...

That time of year again... when things hint at becoming sparkly, spiced and warming... (that's if you can find your way through the froth, the jingle-jingle and the plastic saturnalia).

But if you fancy something different in December and you're near Melton on 10th, come and listen to the unaccompanied sounds of Global Harmony in the seasoned setting of St Mary's Church Melton.

If you've not heard Global Harmony before check out; a bit of audio.  You get a taste from the above, but there's nowt quite like the real thing - if something a little different is your cuppa tea that is (with a hint of rooibos perhaps)!  I'm digressing and waffling again... or am I waffgressing... ?

Anyway... Global Harmony .