#plum duff

[70sscifiart]

Ray Winder, "Plum Duff in Outer Space," 1974. Via John Coulthart

[ofliterarynature]

Final showing for the January ReReadathon! (not pictured- A Conspiracy of Truths)

My Libby holds kind of came for me, so I didn't get through as many books as I wanted, but I did have a few bonus rereads - Plum Duff (carried over from December) and Exit Strategy (book club). I also finally managed to read A Choir of Lies, sequel to A Conspiracy of Truths. It's probably the book that's been on my physical tbr the longest and I'm happy to finally check it off!

(Also - I haven't read Watership Down since 2010 and was a little worried, but it is SO good. I will definitely be investing in a nicer print copy).

[little-cute-pink-horrible-being]

Thinking about how Jemis really is the best person to send on a quest searching for the Lost Lord, because he is a unique position to not freak out about. Just imagine if an angel came to a follower of any monotheistic religion in our world and told them: "Hey. I know that you've been a follower of a religion that preaches that there only one God, but guess what? There is another one! We just don't know where he is! You have to find him!" You can imagine how everyone would react to that person's claims, or even worse, how everyone would react if that person did, in fact, find evidence of a second God (god?). Jemis, however:

Is not very religious and, therefore, doesn't think too hard about the theological implications of it (or anything, really)

Has met the Lady and considers getting a message from her a perfectly reasonable thing

Has seen so much weird shit that his sense of what is normal is atrophied by this point

Boy, I can't wait to see what Marcan will think about all this. He is going to have a fit.

[agardenandlibrary]

when Jemis asks Basil "what is your island"

me:

[ltwilliammowett]

Plum Duff - Spotted Dick

Something fine from the galley again, my dears. And something sweet, because it's just too warm and every now and then sailors need something sweet to lift their spirits, for example after an exhausting battle or a storm.

And that's what the Plum Duff, also known as Spotted Dick, was for and to lift your spirits here's a recipe from Sandra Oliver’s Saltwater Foodways (Mystic, Connecticut, Mystic Seaport Museum: 1995´ for you. Oh and by the way, this dish has been known since the Middle Ages, but it only became really popular in the middle of the 18th century. So and now to the recipe:

Ingredients

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

¼ cup melted shortening

¼ cup sugar

2/3 cup currants

2/3 cup water

1 pudding bag or cloth

Preparation

Put on a large pot of water and bring to a boil.

Sift together dry ingredients.

Stir in melted shortening, sugar and sultanas. Dip pudding bag or cloth in boiling water and dust generously with flour.

Add the water to the batter and mix well; the batter should be quite thick but not stiff. Pour into the pudding bag, tie the bag shut and leave room for the dough to expand. Or place in a greased pudding mould.

Place the pudding in the boiling water, tying it down with a spoon if necessary so that it does not touch the bottom of the pot.

Boil for four hours in a bag or steam for five hours in a mould.

When it is ready, turn it out of the cloth onto a serving dish. Leave to stand for a moment so that it can set.

Slice and serve with molasses.

Have fun trying it out and enjoy.

[taryo88]

Breaking News: local man faces even more trials and tribulations

[shsenhaji]

📚 December Reading Round-Up 📚

I was able to read a good amount of books this month, and I also had a lot of fun tearing through the Greenwing and Dart Series by Victoria Goddard (I re-read the books I’d already read and finished the ones I hadn’t gotten to yet). I also continued my foray into the Vorkosigan Saga (though I skipped ahead in the chronological reading order). I also finally got around to reading At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard (the sequel to The Hands of the Emperor, which I highly recommend)!

- Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (an amazing fairytale retelling, lyrical, haunting, great characters and themes, loved the ending, achingly beautiful)

- Stargazy Pie (re-read, delightful, emotional, made more sense the second time around)

- Fullmetal Alchemist Fullmetal Edition Volume 4 by Hiromu Arakawa (hilarious, fun, understated and dark humour, Izumi being awesome, the parallels!!!)

- Labyrinth by Lois McMaster Bujold (not as stressful as I’d initially thought, beautiful at times, Miles being Miles)

- Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (gripping, emotional, funny, a little tragic, loved the outsider POV, great characterization, loved the ending)

- Bee Sting Cake by Victoria Goddard (re-read, hilarious and heartfelt, healing, loved all the clues and allusions to future books and past relationships)

- Whiskeyjack by Victoria Goddard (fun, cathartic, almost cried at the end, very emotional, loved the references and allusions)

- Blackcurrant Fool by Victoria Goddard (half of a re-read, funny, emotional and compelling, great character work, fun plot twists, loved the last quarter, much of the foreshadowing paying off, fealty!, the ending!!!!)

- Love-in-a-Mist by Victoria Goddard (Beginning made me laugh, cozy murder mystery, many reveals, characters coming into their own, loved the discussions of fashion)

- Plum Duff by Victoria Goddard (A bit more quiet but in the best way, still a lot of adventure, many revelations, more mysteries, characters fully coming into their own, lots of promises for future books)

- At the Feet of the Sun by Victoria Goddard (Brilliant, funny, starts off with a bang, all the connections and feels, emotional and made me cry, doesn’t wrap everything up, some Thoughts but overall very positive)

[little-cute-pink-horrible-being]

Spoilers for the entire Greenwing and Dart series and At the Feet of the Sun!

I am rereading some Stargazy Pie moments and in the scene where Violet walks into Elderflower Books to apologise to Jemis, Jullanar has very interesting reaction.

Now, this could be just surprise from seeing a woman in men's clothing, or is she has already heard Violet's conversation with Roald about her plans, but...

There is also this line from Plum Duff:

"Smiled mistily as mention of Violet often made her do"? In the series known for its absurd amount of mysteries, I don't think those two moments are coincedences or have a simple explanation. Jullanar knows something about Violet.

Violet is the daughter of the lady of Alinor. We can reasonably assume she looks like her mother. Do you know who also looks like the lady of Alinor? That's right, magistra Aurelia Anyra of Tara, who is also probably Fitzroy's and the Moon's daughter. Jullanar has met the moon before and she probably remembers what she looked like, right?

So, my theory: The lady of Alinor is the daughter/descendant of the Moon and Jullanar knows, or at least suspects it.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, can't wait until someone disprooves this in the comments, or in the next Greenwing and Dart book.