Twitter Secret Santa

UPDATE! - The names have been drawn and I have sent you all direct messages with details of who you're buying for. Everyone's likes and dislikes are at the end of this blog. You do not have to buy something they have listed, the information is only there to give you an idea of the kind of things they like. The price guide is £5 excluding P&P. As somebody has already asked, if you want to spend more than £5 then you can but only if you're happy to.

What do people want to do about opening their presents? Do you want to open them as and when they arrive, do we want to wait until everyone is in receipt of their gifts and allocate a date to open them or do we want to wait until Christmas Day?

I will be organising a Twitter Secret Santa. This has come about after having the same discussion with three separate people and getting a bit caught up in the moment. Eek!

I will collate all the names of the participants by Thursday 15th November and will make the draw on Friday 16th November. I'm going to do it manually because I'm using an online draw for the Secret Santa I'm doing at work and it's proving to be a nightmare. You have to put in an email address for everyone and they have to click on a link to confirm they are joining. If even one person forgets to confirm then nobody can draw a name. Since I can't even get folk who sit three desks away from me to confirm I don't hold out much hope for hassling someone on the other side of the country. 

If you sign up you will have to give me a mailing address. This will be passed to one other person so they can post your present. It can be a home, work or PO Box address - whatever you prefer but if you're not comfortable with having 2 strangers knowing your address then please don't feel obliged to sign up. Your name would good to have as well although the postie will no doubt get a chuckle out of delivering a package to @MrsJustinBieberOMG.

The price limit on presents is £5 excluding P&P. Let's all try to be as creative as possible with the gifts - no cliched Dove and Lynx shower sets. Each person can give me a short list of particular likes and dislikes to aid their Santa if they wish. The post in December is erratic so I'm going to recommend we all post our gifts by Friday 14th December just to ensure it arrives safely. I would suggest getting proof of postage from the Post Office because if your gift doesn't show up to your intended recipient you will be named, shamed and *gasp* unfollowed. It's been suggested that in order to save on postage, if you're buying something online you could get it delivered directly to your assigned name rather than paying the P&P to your house and then reposting it to via Royal Mail. 

This is just a bit of fun, nothing to be taken too seriously. If you want to join in I will need you to do the following:

• Let me know you want to take part by tweeting me @romanyscarlett by midnight on Thursday 14th November. If you're a private account I won't see your tweet so I apologise if I don't pick up your participation request. I will be following everyone taking part (see the next point below) but I will also be listing all Santas in this blog so if you don't see your name, give me a nudge!
• You'll need to DM me your address so we'll have to be following each other. I will let you have your drawn name on Friday 15th November by DM. After that you're free to unfollow me if you wish - I won't take it personally!
• Tell me of any likes/dislikes you want your Santa to consider. This is optional, if you want a complete surprise then don't specify anything. The likes and dislikes are purely for information only, you don't have to buy somebody an item from their likes list - it's just to give you an idea about who you're buying for. 

I will send out a reminder to anyone who still needs to give me their address on Tuesday 12th November. If I don't have it by midnight on Thursday 14th then I will assume that you've changed your mind about participating. Listed below are all the participants, their likes/dislikes and confirmation of whether I've got their address. If you want to take part but your name is not on this list then please let me know. 

Any questions, leave a comment below or tweet me. Feel free to repost this or tell your followers. I'm using the hashtag #TwitterSecretSanta if you want to have a nosey at what other people are saying as the days go on. Since we started this project another group of people in America have attempted to hijack our hashtag (scandalous!) so try not to get confused. 

Current participants are as follows:

@scooshmeister - likes Spider-Man, comics, gadgets, gizmos, Lego - dislikes chocolate, small monkeys - address received

@lilliesandlove - likes cows, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis - dislikes nuts, spiders, shellfish - address received

@ogormless - likes true crime and cute boys, dislikes the Kardashians - address received

@rachel_2407 - likes girly stuff, animals, chocolates - dislikes sprouts, alcohol and nuts - address received

@phwoffy - likes cats, anything else with 4 legs, cake, chocolate, books, weird things that nobody can identify - dislikes peas - address received

@sophnina - likes owls and nail art - dislikes hair stuff - address received

@kerrieout - not an animal person - address received

@ianyorke - likes art, design, strange, quirky - dislikes pink, fluffy, common stuff - address received

@chellington24 - no dislikes, address received

@sammyislost - likes chocolate, useful things, photos, things for the house, about to have a baby boy - dislikes alcohol, sweets, books - address received

@romanyscarlett - likes Discworld, crafting and nail art - address received

@mitch_uk - likes geeky toys, gaming, comics - dislikes eggs, bananas, nuts - address received
@charleynew - likes sparkles, leopard print, dachshunds, owls, milk choc, nail stuff - dislikes orange flavour choc, jigsaws, cats - address received
@amyjayne - likes socks, Star Wars, dancing, gin, Downton Abbey, surprises - address received
@missliquorice - likes guinea pigs, yoga, home stuff, reading, nail art - dislikes liquorice, pink - address received
@xmjox - likes MMA, comics, gaming and gadgets - dislikes alcohol - address received
@sazzlejay - likes creatures (esp foxes & hedgehogs), cowboys/cowgirls, glitter, gloomy iconoclastic guitar based rock, poetry and Patagonia - address received
@beckycheeks - likes crafting, knitting, sewing, beads, nail art, food - address received
@ladykrw - likes milk/white choc, nuts, mint, owls, jewellery, accessories, Japanese, reading - dislikes, choc orange, liquorice, twilight, marmite - address received
@_MissH_x - likes green things, bracelets, scarves, stationery - address received
@___amy - likes tea, cake, anything cutesy and fun - address received
@jacquiesce - likes most things, dislikes nuts - address received

Blackberry Pastilles

Blackberry Pastilles

I've adapted this recipe from one I found in the Home Made Sweet Shop book. I had to make a few changes because I didn't have liquid pectin or liquid glucose and I wasn't convinced the recommended 800g of blackberries would give me enough juice. I've also used cup measurements rather than grams because the battery in my scales helpfully decided to die without warning. 

The ingredients you will need are as follows:

1,050g blackberries (I used 3 packs of 350g frozen blackberries from Asda)

2 1/2 cups preserving sugar (I used Silverspoon)

5 tblsp golden syrup (the original recipe asked for liquid glucose)

150ml water

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 sachet powdered pectin (I used Silverspoon again)

2 tsp lemon juice

100g granulated sugar for coating

The equipment you will need:

Clingfilm

15x15cm tin (I used my standard square brownie pan)

Sugar Thermometer 

Large saucepan

Two large glass bowls

Seive

Spatula

Large tupperware container

Chopping board

Sharp knife

Here comes the science.

1. Line your tin with clingfilm. I sprayed a few squirts of Frylight between the tin and film to help it stick.

 

2. Put your blackberries in the pan and heat gently for a few minutes without stirring. This will release the juices.

3. Put your sieve over a glass bowl and press the blackberries through the sieve so you get all the juice and can discard the pulp. You'll have to do this is stages because of the volume of berries.

4. Eventually you'll be left with a bowl full of juice. The original recipe said you should have 2 generous cups of puree from 800g of blackberries but I used 1,050g of blackberries to get the full 2 cups. It was more of a juice than a puree too, it was completely liquid. Mix in 1/4 cup of the preserving sugar and set aside until later.

5. Wash and dry your saucepan. Add the water, golden syrup, cream of tartar and the rest of the preserving sugar. Give it a quick mix. Try to ignore the resemblance to yellow snow (teehee!)

6. Put the sugar mixture onto a very low heat and stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved. This was the first time I've ever used preserving sugar and I was surprised at how long it took to fully dissolve. Once your mixture is no longer grainy, stop stirring completely and turn the heat up to medium. As soon as you start to see bubbles around the edges turn the heat up to high and boil until it reaches 130 degrees C. Do not stir!

7. This step runs almost concurrently to step 6. While you're boiling the sugar and waiting for it to reach 130 degrees C you can stir your sachet of pectin into the blackberry juice. I added my whole sachet at once which ended up being a nightmare as the powder clumped together forming hard to dissolve lumps. I almost missed the correct boiling point because I was distracted for so long. Next time I will add a little at a time and sprinkle it over the surface. I'll also be making a trip to Lakeland to buy some of their liquid pectin!

8. As soon as your sugar mixture is at 130 degrees C you can pour in your juice/pectin mix. Stir gently to combine and then leave it to boil back up to 103 degrees C. Now add the 2 tsps of lemon juice and continue boiling until you get to 106 degrees C. Then give it a little stir.

9. At this point the original recipe said to transfer it straight to your clingfilmed tin but I had a few lumps floating on the top of the mixture so I poured it through a sieve into a clean glass bowl. I'm glad I did this because as you can see below, the remnants left in the sieve are not pleasant!

10. Pour your sieved mixture into your tin and leave to set uncovered overnight. I noticed that as soon as I poured it into the tin the top started to solidify. 

11. Once your pastille block has set you can lift it up using the clingfilm and transfer it to a chopping board. Using a very sharp knife you can start to carve it into squares. Coat each square with the granulated sugar. Ensure your fingers are also coated in sugar as this will stop the pastilles sticking to you and breaking apart. 

12. Keep going.

13. Eventually you'll have a whole chopping board covered in sugar coated pastilles. 

14. Transfer your pastilles to an air tight container. I lined the bottom of the tub with clingfilm just to be on the safe side but I don't think this was actually necessary. I stacked half of the pastilles in a small glass bowl to take a photo and none of them stuck to each other. 

This recipe made 56 dice sized cubes. My tin has fluted sides and I had to cut the edges off to get proper cubes so if you didn't have to do that you could easily get another 7 squares. The original recipes suggests either cutting into squares or using a small cutter to create shapes such as hearts or stars. Personally I wouldn't like to use a cutter as the uncoated pastille is incredibly sticky and I think the shapes would break apart. 

I wouldn't say these pastilles were expensive but they weren't cheap either as the blackberries alone were £6 although if I'd been more prepared I could have picked some from the hedgerows. 

The pastilles are delicious but incredibly rich. You wouldn't be able to eat more than 2 in a row but that's not a bad thing as it means there are more to share around. They're wonderfully soft and the sugar gives them a bit of texture. They remind of those York Fruits but a bit softer and with a more intense flavour. 

You could easily adapt this recipe for any other berries as all you need is two generous cups of juice. I will absolutely be making strawberry versions next summer. 

Religion is great but it's not for me.

I'm not religious nor am I what you might call 'spiritual'. I would describe myself as agnostic - I believe in something but I have no idea what that might be. I know that I wholeheartedly do not believe in the Gods worshiped by any of the major religions. I'm pro-choice, support gay marriage and know that men and women are equals. I can't say that I only believe in things that can be irrefutably proven because whilst due to all the evidence I obviously accept evolution as being true, I also think that there are aliens out there somewhere and yet I have no hard evidence of this.

It usually surprises people when they find out that I was a deeply religious child. For reasons I'd rather not go into now, my childhood was not a happy one. I don't want to go into it because somethings need to be kept private and once you put something on the internet, it's hard to take it back. Anyway, my parents are not religious at all (although my biological father does come from an Irish Catholic background) but this didn't stop me. When most kids were asking for dolls or teddy bears, I wanted a bible and a statue of Jesus. I'm not joking, I actually asked for and received these items. I insisted on going to Sunday school and rather than being Christened as a baby, I was 6 years old when it happened.

My lack of faith now is attributed to what can only be described as the systematic destruction of my beliefs by the things I experienced in life. It became increasingly evident that if there was indeed a God then he certainly didn't like me very much. Oh, and my education had a hand in it too. As a kid I believed that god made the world, people and animals. At school you learn about the Big Bang, evolution, fossils, other planets and just how incredibly vast the universe is.

There are too many plot holes in religion for me. Like a badly written book (no pun intended) that doesn't make any sense. Why are whole nations starving or sick while others aren't. Why are prayers for a sporting victory answered while prayers for food aren't. I'm not naive enough to think that everything should be some kind of crazy utopia with no heartache or pain but I can't help but wonder why such terrible things are allowed to happen to good people every day. There are also some odds rules. Leviticus bans tattoos, eating various animals and drinking alcohol in holy places. Not too sure how that translates for Catholics when it comes to taking Holy Communion. Jewish men have to be circumcised. Jehovah's Witnesses would rather die than agree to a blood transfusion. Muslim women cover their entire faces. Sikhs can never have a hair cut.

I can only base my beliefs and opinions on the things I have personally experienced. I have found that a lot, and please note I didn't say all, of the religious people I meet to be overbearing and hypocritical and sometimes they have perhaps a little streak of delusion. I feel it's important to stress that I'm not saying this as a way of being insulting. The word overbearing comes from feeling the need to push their religion on others. The word hypocrisy comes from adhering to the parts of the religious text they like whilst considering others to be an interpretation, from not being forgiving and from being prejudiced. The word delusion comes from following with blind faith the writings of other human beings from thousands of years ago in long dead languages.You can choose to believe in whatever you want just as I can choose to believe in something else. Yet this concept is lost on some people. I have never had a Darwinist knock on my door to tell me about the word of evolution. I've never had an atheist tell me they will pray for my soul. I've never had a fellow agnostic credit one of my hard won achievements as being part of God's big plan for me. I've never had a humanist set up a soapbox in the town centre and tell me I'm going to hell.

We're living in an age where the media reports on religions all around the world on a daily basis and sadly people are becoming increasingly prejudiced against religion. We rarely get to read the good news stories and are instead presented with the negatives. We forget that for every suicide bomber, pedophile priest or homophobic protest there are people doing incredible deeds. Religion can be a wonderful source of comfort for people. It can bring a sense of inclusion, safety, security, happiness and love. I don't think people are aware of how important places of worship are to local communities. Sikh temples will offer shelter and food to anyone regardless of faith. Churches are used across the country for countless community events with smaller charities being given the free or low cost usage of halls. Without this help many of them wouldn't be able to carry out their work.

I get quite sad when I hear people being so derogatory about religious people. We complain about being tarred with the same brush and stereotyped if we drive a BMW (road-hog), wear a hoody (thug) or own a pair of gold hoop earrings (chav) but we're all too happy to call all Christians 'bible bashers' or 'god-botherers'. I think a great deal of tolerance is needed from both sides if anyone is ever going to be happy. Nobody deserves to be persecuted because of their beliefs but that includes those of us who choose not to believe in a particular deity. I don't want anyone to pray for me because I don't have god in my life just as the person doing the praying doesn't want me wishing on a star that they change their mind and lose their faith. I don't want to answer the door to find people trying to tell me about god. I don't want to come home and find flyers from the local Scientologists posted through the letterbox.

If you're religious and happy then good for you. I'm not religious and I'm equally as happy. If we're all happy then what's the problem? Live and let live and all that jazz. I won't come to your place of worship or home and try and read On the Origin of Species to you so how about we agree that you won't come to my door to preach.

Get a life? Stop being judgmental and get your own.

Twice in the past few weeks I've been told to get a life. Once indirectly, the other directly. I suppose the first doesn't really count because it was by a person expressing their opinion about everyone who watches a certain popular weekend song based reality tv show. But the second one did make me think.

It came about because I said I was going to return a book because the shop had put 3 huge stickers on the cover and they wouldn't come off without damaging the book. For this I was told I need to stop complaining and go out and live. I've thought about it for a few weeks and my conclusion is that living is exactly what I am doing.

Anyone who knows me is aware I had a scary couple of years of ill health, goodness knows I bang on about it enough. In that time I almost died 3 times and the simple fact is that I am lucky to still be here. Obviously I'd much rather not have gone through this ordeal but there is an upside to it because I truly appreciate everything I get to experience from the mundane to the exciting.

I wrote two letters each time I was due to have an operation. One to Rich and one to my mum. I won't go into the emotional content as thankfully neither of them ever had to read them and they never will because every time I came home safely, I destroyed the letters. There's something about writing a final goodbye to the people you love that makes you appreciate them that little bit more. There's also something to be said about putting your life on paper. Your bank pin number, passwords, where you keep the car documentation, the phone numbers of people who will need to be told if something goes wrong. I know people write Wills but they're usually made on the assumption of being used a long time in the future. It's quite a humbling experience.

I may not be achieving incredible deeds or changing the world. I'll never parachute to Earth after leaping from space. I'll never run a marathon. I'll never develop a cure for the common cold. But what I will do is be happy and that is what I am - truly happy. I get to spend extra time with the people I love. I get to hug my dog, bake a cake and walk through a forest. These little joyful things are so beautiful. I see things differently now, it's not just a drink in the pub with friends, it's a chance to listen to their stories and share their lives. I went to a friends 30th birthday party recently and it wasn't just an opportunity to catch up with people I'd not seen for years, it was a chance to see people I thought I'd never see again. It's like winning first prize in a contest you didn't even know you'd entered.

And the whole thing that started this off was a bitter person judging me for wanting to return a book. But it's not just a book. The book in question was the latest Terry Pratchett novel. I've already written about why he's one of my heroes. It's not just words on paper. It's a chance to appreciate a story from a writer I have loved for over half my life. It's a chance to escape to a glorious world created by an exceptional mind. It's no secret that Terry is ill himself so every book he writes is that little bit more delicious. It's a treasure you weren't expecting to find.

It's sad that this person would be so dismissive. I need to go out and live because something I hold so dear to my heart wasn't quite right but was easily rectifiable? Being so derisive seems silly when you get the context behind it. I might think that their life isn't much to write home about. Letting your newly set up business fail so you can stay at home in your pyjamas stuffing your face all day in front of the telly while your partner goes out to work to support you and your baby. I could think that but I don't. I know better than to tell someone to get a life without knowing all the facts.

You might look at somebody's life and think it's not how you'd spend yours. That's fine. Don't spend it like them. Spend it how you want and focus your energies onto enjoying it rather than worrying about what other people are doing. Take the time to do something you love instead of commenting on how you don't love what another person is doing. The old cliché is 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone' and as ancient as it is, it doesn't stop it being true. If you spend your time looking out the window and judging what other people are doing, your own opportunities will be gone before you know it.

Ignoring X-Factor does not make you better than me

It's that time of year again, the live shows have started and the X-Factor machine is in full motion.

Anyone who watches it is fully aware that the 'competition' is far from serious. We know that the show creates characters such as the cheeky chappies portrayed as a lovable chimney sweeps who couldn't catch a break, the earth mothers who are "doing it for their kids" and the shaky-handed, terribly nervous young supermarket workers just trying to live their dream. We know it's a load of crap because the internet tells us it is. We know that the chimney sweep from this year was in fact in a successful duo that played at major festivals such as V and Wireless. We know the mother who is finding it difficult being parted from her kids as she wasn't expecting it to be so tough knows fully what would be expected because she had a record deal with EMI and has provided backing vocals for popular artists such as Kasabian. The shaky-handed, terribly nervous supermarket worker can been seen on YouTube busking in the street singing in front of a crowd and he has confirmed the producers invited him to audition.

I have all the facts and I still choose to watch it anyway. But it hasn't always been that way. I used to be like these people.

I used to say things like that. I couldn't believe that people actually wasted their time watching such nonsense. While everyone at work would be discussing the show I'd be scowling, scoffing at them and muttering insults about their stupidity. Friends would have X-Factor parties each weekend (back when the results and exit was the same night as the singing) and I wouldn't go because I wouldn't be seen dead watching something so far beneath me. It's quite hard to look down your nose at someone when you're only 5'3" but I gave it a bloody good go.

But where did that attitude get me? It got me nowhere. All it did was isolate me from conversations and I'd miss out on a good time. And for what? So I could feel intellectually superior over a tv show? What a monumental waste of time.

I'd come to realise this and although I was still loathe to give in and join the masses in 2009 a friends step-son was on the show and she wanted everyone to watch and support him. As it turned out he didn't make it past boot camp but by then I was already into the program so I carried on watching. For once I was able to join in with the fun, and that's all it is - a bit of fun. 

Sorry Fred but I could mention Mensa, grammar school and assisting with the management and legal work on £1billion (yes one billion pounds) worth of property in London to prove my worthiness at being valued as a human being of intellect. 

Apologies to Iain for holding down a job, running a household and not having any credit cards or a penny of debt because in my humble opinion that eliminates me from the idiot category. 

CJ, you've never met me but thanks for the sweeping generalisation. From your timeline I can see that you spend all your money on alcohol and weed, you posted a photo mocking the disabled and you've got your phone number listed on your public profile. But yes, it must be me who is the "fucking gimp". 

Finally, it is with regret that I inform you, DJ, that I did in fact 'get a life' just over a year ago when I had my kidney transplant and guess what, I still want to watch X-Factor.

Being wrong is never an easy thing to admit but I'm happy to do it. Being a judgmental cow was pointless and all that time I thought I was better than my friends and colleagues because I didn't watch it, it was really the other way round. They were better than me because they didn't judge me for not watching it. 

If I choose to stay at home on a Saturday night and watch a tv show that half the country is also watching, why does that give you the right to decide that my status in humanity has become void? I know it's not real, I don't take it seriously and I have never voted for an act. 

Instead of worrying about what I'm watching you should be worrying about the hatred and vitriol you feel the need to put out into the world. You're reacting like that to a tv show about singing. Really? You should take a moment to think about how utterly ridiculous that is.

You think you're above everyone on the moral high ground but you forget, it's lonely at the top.

Who are your heroes?

I have three heroes. There isn't a single day that goes by when I don't think about or thank one of them. It could be a split second thing, a quote, something about them could come up in conversation or I'll recall a specific topic. Whatever the reason, for over half my life I've thought about these people daily.

Some may think that heroes should be historic figures who have drastically improved the lives of many whilst making sacrifices in their own. Perhaps the Suffragettes who bravely campaigned to get women the vote or maybe Martin Luther King who fought for civil rights. Others might say that heroes should be people you know personally. A grandparent who was in a war, a relative who has overcome illness or a friend achieving their dream.

My heroes may not have changed the world and I might not know them but each one has had a huge impact on my life. They might not be your first choice in terms of who you admire but they are so deeply ingrained in my existence that I would be a completely different person if I hadn't discovered them.

My heroes are an author, a comedian and a playwright. Terry Pratchett, Eddie Izzard and Richard O'Brien.

Between the ages of 13-14 years old I read Witches Abroad written by Terry Pratchett, watched Glorious by Eddie Izzard and saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show penned by Richard O'Brien. It was love at first sight.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is my favourite film of all time. Yours might be something by Hitchcock, a timeless classic, have a gritty script or a bunch of heavyweight actors but mine doesn't. Mine has music, transvestites, aliens, glitter and Meatloaf. I stopped counting how many times I'd seen it when I reached the 187th viewing. Watching it with friends and us all singing along and laughing away has created some great memories for me. For years I wanted to be a Criminologist because of this film. It's shaped my love of all things sparkly. It doesn't try to be something it's not and it's completely unapologetic about it.

Terry Pratchett has single-handedly shaped my sense of humour. His Discworld books will always be the best books I will ever read because they make me laugh. When I read one I feel like it's written it just for me as I fall in love with every character, the good ones and the bad, because they are simply perfect. Their dialogue, their reactions, everything. I will stay up all night devouring page after page. When I turn a page and see one of his hilarious occasional footnotes at the bottom it's almost torture stopping myself from reading it before I get to the piece of text it relates to. I react to everything with humour, especially the serious stuff and it's all because of Sir Pratchett. In the last few years I've been told by many medical staff that my attitude to life in the shadow of serious illness is very refreshing and I have Terry to thank for that.

I don't know where to start with Eddie Izzard. Glorious was on tv one night and after watching it I was obsessed. A friend at school had watched it too and for weeks we reminisced about evil giraffes, being covered in bees and Sean Connery as Noah from the bible. I eventually bought it on VHS (remember those?!) for £17 from HMV. Over the years I've watched everything he's made, spent a fortune on collector edition box sets and been to see him live. I used to have a terrible phobia of needles and after seeing the size of the ones used in dialysis I was convinced I'd die before they'd be able to get near me with it. The psychologist offered me hypnotherapy and I had to choose somebody I admired as part of it so I chose Eddie. She used him during the hypnotherapy for me to relate to when I next needed to be brave because he was able to get on stage and make thousands of people laugh without getting stage fright. It worked. I'm completely cured. I can hold needles, even if they're in my arm. I haven't cried, thrown up or had a panic attack after seeing one on tv for over 2 years now. The change is incredible.

My heroes have shown me how to be myself, to have a sense of humour and to be brave. Three hugely important life lessons and what a wonderful trio of people to teach them.

Who are your heroes? I'd love to know.