Giving Back

I love people, I love everything about them: their quirks, foibles, anything really. I truly enjoy meeting new people and discovering who they are, and I am frequently told I ask far too many questions (if any of you dear readers have been subjected to one of my interrogations then you have my deep felt apologies). The truth is I am just genuinely interested in anyone I meet and would gladly spend hours chatting and getting to know them. So together with my love of people, I have always had an overwhelming desire to help people, even if it only means making a difference to one person. Now this may sound trite but it is a big part of what makes me me. As most of my previous posts have discussed my nutty experiences, I thought I would share with you some of my more serious adventures.

Every Wednesday afternoon I volunteer at a centre for adults with learning difficulties. I help run a life skills and numeracy class for the service users. I will be the first to admit that this role is both frustrating and heart wrenching, but it is also highly rewarding. Every week there are around 6 of us including the teacher and we gather around a table together for the 2 hour class. Each week the teacher aims to improve some of their life skills such as using money, counting, reading etc. The ages of the students range from 25-50 and they have varying degrees of learning difficulties.

Last week we were working on telling the time and I took over for some of the lesson. Our aims were for them to identify the time when it was on the hour, half past the hour and quarter past. I spent 30 minutes up at the board working on these concepts over and over again but I was hitting a brick wall and I felt totally useless. No matter how I tried to explain it, I felt their was a barrier I just could not overcome. You see, it is exceptionally hard to teach concepts that come so naturally to you such as telling the time. I mean, think about it, how do you tell the time. You don't. You just know. So I drew 3 clocks showing 1:00, 1:15, and 1:30 and explained that when the big hand was on 12 it was on the hour, when the big hand was on 6 it was half past the hour and so on. But I felt they didn't understand me. The teacher told me that it wasn't how I was teaching and that all I can do is try, but I felt like I wasn't making a difference. It makes you realise how all those little things that you do every day such as speaking, paying for things, telling the time and getting the bus are barriers for so many people.

On one occasion I was helping out with the concept of using money and I put an array of coins out for one student and asked her "okay lets make a pound", but it wasn't possible for her without me showing her how to do it. I worry that she will get taken advantage of when she goes out to buy things. Similarly, I remember having a lovely chat with one lady while reading the paper and at one point in the middle of our conversation, she turned to me and said "it's so great that you canread like that, it's such a great thing to do. I wish I could read". All I wish is that I could teach her to read.

On a positive note, I love working there. When we are in class everyone is having fun, we love it! We have parties, discuss our weekends and what we enjoy doing and we have a great time. Even if I can't teach them everything, I hope I have made a little difference. I like to think that the fun we have in class is worth just as much. In the meantime I will continue to try and break down those barriers and maybe just maybe I will.

Now I encourage you all to cuddle up with a cup of something hot and read a great book, for the simple reason that you can and we should be grateful for that.

So in honour of my classmates here is a photo I took with my new lens which I will introduce you to later. What I love about this lens is how you get this mushy, sloppy background you could just dunk your chips into! You get this by using a lens with a wide aperture, this was at f 1.4, as it gives you a really narrow depth of field, which I love. It makes your subject pop!

If you're struggling with dinner ideas , have a crack at this amazing rice dish. Now obviously you need to have something with your rice. But this recipe takes rice to a whole new level. Rice will never be boring again! Saffron is an expensive spice, well expensive for a spice, but you only need a pinch and it really adds great colour and fragrance to dishes, in particular Middle Eastern or Spanish ones. This recipe is an adaptation of a recipe in Nigella Lawson's book "Forever Summer". She is my cooking hero!

Saffron and Lemon Rice

Serves 4-6 generously

500g basmati rice

1 litre of chicken stock (I use Knorr Touch of Taste Chicken Stock Concentrate and add to hot water according to the instructions)

Good pinch of Saffron

20g butter

60g pine nuts

Zest and juice of 1 big lemon or 2 little ones

1. Let the big pinch of saffron steep in the chicken stock for around 15 minutes

2. Heat a saucepan and gently melt the butter

3. Add the rice to the pan and stir for a minute

4. Pour in the chicken stock and saffron, the lemon juice and the zest (make sure you only zest the yellow part and not down to the bitter pith)

5. Turn the heat up and bring the rice and stock to the boil, once it's bubbling turn the heat down to low and bang on the lid.

6. While the rice is cooking, heat a frying pan and toast your pine nuts in the dry pan (no oil). Keep turning them as they can burn very quickly. They are done when they are nice and golden

7. Cook for around 15 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked

8. Stir through the pine nuts

If you have anything you'd like to share, or any great recipes please do leave comment!

xx