SouthseaScene

This evening we craved something wholesome and bought a couple of good looking rib steak. Usually 150 grm is about the right amount per person. We thought we would try a new sauce and mushroom sounds just the ingredient for an autumn evening. Ingredients: 1 shallot thinly sliced 150 g mushrooms 2 cloves of garlic chopped finely 25 g butter 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 500 ml stock 150 ml Marsala wine We fried some shallots, garlic and sliced Chestnut mushrooms in some butter and olive oil. Once it has been frying for about 5 minutes, add a tablespoon of plain flour and mix well. Next pour 500 ml of stock slowly into the pan, making sure everything is blended well. Continue stirring and then add the 150 ml Marsala wine into the mixture. Simmer and stir until the sauce is reduced to 1/3 of the original quantity. This should take about 20 minutes. Serve with the steak which has been grilled for 5 minutes on each side. A jacket potato and some steamed carrots are good com...

As we walked around Southsea this afternoon we were basking in bright sunshine, but the air was crisp and cold. The evenings are darker and longer now. This Sunday, the clock will move back an hour.  It's time to wear a thicker coat and turn on the heating. I was quite attracted to the thicker jumpers and coats on display in the shops on Palmerston Road. My cooking has also moved into the thicker and warmer stews. Last night we had the rather moreish Lamb with Apricot Sauce.  The change of season is a reminder to take the slow road after the activities of the summer months. Especially this year with the good weather over the summer when we were able to take full advantage of the great outdoors and picnicking in the sunshine without fear of the English rain. It's time to grab yourself a good book and snuggle up in a comfortable blanket. Take time to slow down and savour the joys autumn has to offer. 

The University of Portsmouth presents public lectures by leading academics. From Rural Rajasthan to Urban Khartoum: Women’s Stories of Violence, Agency and Resilience Inaugural lecture by Tamsin Bradley, Professor of International Development Studies, University of Portsmouth In this lecture Professor Tamsin Bradley explores how women in different parts of the world experience and respond to violence. Specifically it will reflect on how, even in the most challenging of circumstances, women use agency to challenge and build what resilience they can. Violence against women and girls is a global epidemic. Resilience to the constant presence of violence in everyday life for many women comes through strong peer networks and role models. This lecture will offer stories and reflections from a number of powerful change agents whose determination to see an end to violence against women has brought greater understanding into how and why it persists. They have also demonstrated what can be ...