In this Miss Marple experience, I have noticed a few times when my life and Miss Marple’s fictional life have shared experiences.  In The Mirror Cracked, which I finished re-reading just days ago, Miss Marple has a fall.  I had a fall also – on a frosty step at my door.  Thank Heavens no serious injuries were sustained (in both cases).

One must consider carefully the steps (pun intended) to be taken to keep oneself upright during this holiday season.  Now is the time for inspecting, cleaning, and waterproofing  outdoor footwear.  Make a habit of wearing warm indoor house slippers with rubber tread to prevent indoor falls.

 

Whenever I see in my garden something which needs attention, I find myself wishing  that I had a gardener in my employ.   At times, it is just a strong nimble person that I need for a bit of tree trimming, or for lifting bags of lawn dressing.  Sometimes I need someone with knowledge- to ask if I need to move my hydrangea, or which rose spray is the best.

When I read Miss Marple stories that have gardeners in them, I feel a thrill- what I would do if I had a gardener of my own!!  I would set them to tasks such as water fountains, roses and other flowers, herb gardens, specimen trees, watering and fertilizing, mowing and trimming, vegetable plots and blueberries, oh my, I feel quite giddy….  perhaps a cup of tea and a lie down is in order….

Every time I attempt a little gardening without wearing  proper gardening clothes, I regret it.  Gardening in casual shoes sounds easy enough, until you step in mud!  The clean up is quite labour intensive.  A pair of easy-on wellies that can be easily hosed down or  cleaned in a utility sink would be a better choice.

Gardening without gloves is another time waster- thorns, dirt under nails, broken nails, skin injuries, etc.  Obtain plenty of gardening gloves and a nice pair of rose gloves (gauntlet style) and you will be able to tend your garden in comfort and without dirtying your hands.  I wash my garden gloves after each use and have a nice basket of them, as well as a pair of secateurs inside the front door.  It encourages me to get out and trim a little each day.

 

Agatha Christie’s character Miss Marple existed in the time before plastic was widely used in everyday life.  No plastic cups and plates, no plastic wrap or bin bags, and certainly no plastic shopping sacks!

I have been attempting to use less plastic and single use items in my home over the past few years.   Paper towels and napkins were the first to be replaced by cloth toweling and napkins.  Individual cleaning towelettes have been replaced by a small lidded bucket filled with cleaning solution and rolled up microfiber cloths- which can be washed and reused.

No plastic found in this amazing pantry-crockery, wood, and copper!

This morning, I tried a popular English breakfast of sardines and curry eggs.  Sardines are small Pilchards, and are commonly tinned as are tuna and anchovies.

This morning I drained the sardine fillets, dredged them in seasoned flour and tenderly fried them in olive oil.  My husband scrambled the eggs with curry powder, and made the toast.

It was a delicious meal, with our hot tea (with milk and sweetening) and lemon curd for topping the toast.  We agreed that our sardines tasted much like salmon, which we both enjoy.   I will try broiled sardines  the next time I wish to have a cooked breakfast.

For years, I found myself under the  misapprehension that I was feeding my finches and chickadees “real” thistle seed.  I remember frequently wondering why thistle did not grow under the bird feeders where feed frequently spilled.

The commonly called “thistle” used by  birders is actually nyger seed (related to sunflowers). The small black oil seeds are the favorite food of many songbirds, and as I recently noticed finches and chickadees visiting my garden’s many bird feeding stations, I added a finch feeder.

I have a connection to Scotland through my husband and the Scottish national flower is the thistle.  Although my birds are not feasting on this national treasure, I still in my own mind will call it thistle.

Here is a lovely thistle charm even Miss Marple would adore.

Marmalade is a sweet fruit spread used atop crumpets (English muffins to us), muffins, and toast.  Unlike jams and jellies, it incorporates finely (or not so finely, depending on one’s taste) shredded citrus peel into its sticky goodness.

I love marmalade- anyone who relishes a bitter note would enjoy it.  My favourite flavor is orange, but it can be made of any fruit of  the citrus variety.  My sad and only attempt to make homemade orange marmalade was MANY years ago, in which  I neglected to remove the seeds from the oranges prior to grinding,  rendering it  thusly inedible.  If you are interested in trying your hand at marmalade making,  you may wish to visit this site that I found:

http://www.steamingpot.com/homemade-orange-marmalade/

One of the classic British tea time treats is a Ginger Biscuit.  In America we call them Ginger Snaps- they are very hard, and therefore perfect for dunking but I cannot picture Miss Marple doing so.

Perhaps another English treat, Maids of Honour would be more appropriate- a delicate biscuit with jam, cream, and sherry baked in.

 

I personally love Shortbread.  Anyone who loves butter would love these melt in your mouth buttery wedges.  Once, as a girl I was making recipes for cookies that I had not made before and that did not have an accompanying picture.  When I followed the directions, I was left with what looked like an unbaked pastry crust and wondered what I had made.  I cut the “Pastry” into wedges per directions and baked it – I still remember how good it tasted.  It was not fancy like sugar cookies, but it was so tender and buttery.  What a memory!

 

Tea made properly must steep in its hot water for a period of  time- depending on the strength one wishes their tea to be.  Personally, I like a strong tea as I take mine sweet and milky.

While the tea is brewing, some of the heat is lost.  If desiring the tea to be hot for pouring, a tea cozy is commonly used to insulate the tea pot.  This can be knitted or quilted and looks to be a sort of “hat” or “bag” for the tea pot.

I have found the perfect cozy for Miss Marple- as she is always busy with her knitting and has beautiful china blue eyes (Joan Hickson).

In A Pocketful of Rye,  Miss Marple is invited to stay at Yew Tree Lodge to help solve some murders.  I wondered what a Yew was and investigated- and found that it is a common shrub of which I have multiple specimens in my own garden! We call it Taxus.

Yews are evergreen and produce berries (which are poisonous to people- and therefore it is the means of one of the murders in the story).   It was put into the marmalade.