Judith Johnson
  • Blog
  • About me
  • Poetry
  • Travels
  • Projects
  • SWM Extra
  • Miscellanea
  • Pen Portraits
  • Contact/To Buy

What I Did to the Turkey

30/12/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Every night, before I go to sleep, I write a diary page and a gratitude list. The latter helps me to practise being content with all the many blessings in my life, and helps head off the twin evils of restlessness and dissatisfaction. More often than not, my husband is on the list - and his kindness, tolerance and patience!

These were all put to the test on Christmas Day. Our son and daughter-in-law-to-be had come over for a jolly Christmas breakfast, and later we'd driven down to Hastings to visit my Mum and collect one of my brothers to stay over. Martin had left the majority of a beautifully-cooked (by his own fair hand!) turkey crown to cool in the oven. It would go in the fridge later ready for our Boxing Day friend-and-family lunch.

We got back home early evening, and while Martin parked the car, my brother and I went into the house. We were all hungry and all I could think about was getting the pizzas on. Martin took a good ten minutes to find a parking space, but when he walked into the kitchen he immediately spotted the oven was pre-heating, quickly whipped out its contents, now heating up nicely, and said, "Don't you think it's a good idea to remove the turkey before turning on the oven?"   

Well, the old man let me off lightly - just this initial barb of exasperated sarcasm (and, later, a degree of good-natured ribbing). But I suspect the man's good nature may have been over-stretched if we hadn't stashed the carefully prepared 4 kg honey-glazed gammon in the fridge. We fought with our consciences before quickly coming to the conclusion that we could not feed a potentially lethal partially re-heated turkey to our loved ones the next day, and, being fortunate enough to have a local branch of a well-known supermarket nearby, were able to buy a replacement cold cooked chicken.

If you require further proof of his forgiving ways -

Some years back, when we had a very large vegetable patch in our former home, and our gardening bible was Geoff Hamilton's Successful Organic Gardening, Martin laboured long and conscientiously to raise a wide selection of good things for the family table. He had gone up to London one day for a television casting, and I thought I would be a good woman and clear the brassica patch for him. I cheerfully dug up the tattered remains of the Brussel-sprouts, cabbage etc, and then went on to the next row of plants. As I was hacking them into manageable pieces ready for the compost, I thought to myself, 'Well, I don't know, this stuff looks good enough to eat...", but nobly carried on with a determined will.  Sgt Johnson, serving ranker in the gardening corps, nothing if not thorough.

Martin appeared late afternoon, home from the Smoke.

"Look," I said, beaming, "I've cleared the brassicas!"

 "Oh, good," said Martin, looking round. "Erm, where's the purple sprouting broccoli?"

Yes, folks, I'd bashed the just-about-ready-for-the-table crop of this delicious vegetable to bits. That which my husband had grown from seed, thinned out, transplanted, de-slugged, tied up, and weeded over a period of months ... and he didn't even shout at me!


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Lifelong bookworm, love writing too. Have been a theatrical agent and reflexologist among other things, attitude to life summed up by Walt Whitman's MIRACLES.

    If you would like to subscribe to my blog, please click on RSS Feed link below:

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Arts
    Books
    Family Matters
    History
    Miscellaneous
    My Fantastic Five
    Natural World
    People
    Running & Walking
    Travel

    Archives

    February 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    November 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010
    April 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    September 2009
    July 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009

    RSS Feed