Food fight in the building trade!

I’m thoroughly enjoying the CH4 ‘Food Fight’ season:

www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/the-big-food-fight/the-big-food-fight.html

but I can’t help wondering who is watching? is it preaching to the converted…?

After all, in the T.P. household we eat loads of fruit, veggies, wholemeal bread and pulses – consequently we probably produce more poo than most east Africans (see – eat to change your life) and it is possible that we are causing global warming through our own excessive production of natural gas!

Ch4 say: “With the worst diet in Europe, two thirds of Britons are overweight, and treating obesity-related diseases costs the NHS more than £3 billion a year. Experts fear that today’s children could be the first generation to die younger than their parents if nothing is done.”It is a shocking fact that most people in the UK eat worse food than people who live in far more impoverished conditions in other parts of the world – that the obese folk around us are actually malnourished.

Especially as what we eat then affects not just our life span but our ability to function and enjoy our life.

Saint Jamie Oliver’s programme Eat to Save Your Life certainly made an impression on some of the labourers that we work with, they did watch it.   They laugh at our vegetarian diet, and like many people, they find it hard to believe that Mr Tara Plumbing usually eats vegan meals every day at home (doesn’t he miss his meat?).  The labourers’ diets are typical of those on the TV programme – refined, processed, convenience food, meat and potatoes, absolutely no fruit or vegetables.

The long term consequences of such a diet were graphically shown, it was hard hitting.  A shorter life and increased chance of getting all sorts of disabling diseases.

Most important – I thought – was the increased likelihood of male impotency.  I guess we all have different priorities!  

The message was clear – eat fruit and veggies; wholefoods; simple home cooked foods; the best quality you can afford and a little indulgence will probably not hurt.

If you get chance to watch repeats I recommend them, if you can watch only 1, see Eat to Save Your Life:

www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/the-big-food-fight/eat-to-save-your-life-07-12-18_p_1.html?intcmp=homepage_box2

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Touch Me – I’m Karen Taylor

I committed the name of this funny lady to memory when I saw her in 1999, she was an unknown, doing 5 minute standup slots for no pay (she was also incredibly sexy and flirtatious – perhaps that’s why I remember her – see pic at bottom).  I’ve seen hundreds of ‘new’ acts and remember the names of very few.  I do remember Jimmy Carr from those days, too. He also stood out from the rest, from the start.

It was quite by chance that I found this TV programme whilst searching the BBC website for something else.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/karentaylor/ 8 years later, here she is appearing on plasma screens across the UK. 

 I have only seen one episode, it did not disappoint. Her comedy is funny, clever, original and up to date (I was thinking ‘contemporary’ but that word triggers sensitive reactions in East Kent).  I would highly recommend anyone with a sense of humour to see the repeat on Saturday – BBC3 or episode 5of 6 Monday BBC3 (10/10.30pm).

If you need or want to know more about Karen Taylor: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/02_february/22/taylor.shtml

Or this: 

http://www.paramountcomedy.com/comedy/comedians/comedian.aspx?id=387

To be honest, not all reviews are good, I came across this:

“Several sketches fall back on cheap sex/toilet humour.”
But that’s what makes Mrs Tara Plumbing laugh!

My man is hot stuff!

We were sweltering hot stuff in the bedroom last night!  No, we didn’t invite any special friends over for a private party in the boudoir.

Mr Tara Plumbing ~ you know 20 years of experience as a heating engineering ~ accidentally (he says) hit the wrong button on our idiot-proof boiler.

                        We had the heating on ALL night.

I thought it was too warm when we got in to bed. I asked Mr T.P. to open the window (I always open it, he always shuts it), we have an on going battle for ventilation.

He replied that it was open, I later found this was a blatant lie. I record the details here as I might latter use them in court, as grounds for divorce.    There is the small detail that we are not actually married…    That’s another story.

Into bed we get, I’m hot and bothered, it turns out so is Mr T.P. but opening the window was not on his mind.  Reminiscent of the late Mr Doubtfire (the film with Robin Williams) he uttered something like our favourite line, “brace yourself…”

Continuing with his sweet nothings in my ear: “I’m ready, I can’t wait for your to catch-up.”

If anything happened, I missed it, I was laughing so much.

We fell asleep exhausted (it was way passed our usual bed time) and we woke up feeling most uncomfortable at about 5am! But it wasn’t until 7am, when I finally dragged myself out of bed that I discovered the reason for my bad night.

            The heating had been on the whole time.

Think of the bill!

Mr Tara Plumbing believes I am descended from a Northern race of people who are well know for their thrifty, frugal ways.    I just think energy saving light bulbs and a warm blanket are all we need to be comfortable.

BTW – If you enjoy reading my blog, you can subscribe to receive it as a daily email by clicking at the top of this page on the right.  It will save doing a search on Mrs Tara, every day!

P.S.  A little up date, in case you are interested – I’ve done the stuff for the Inland Revenue – there was no crisis.

Sex education of children ~ in school & out

How are babies made? We have consistently told our son that we made him out of love. This answer is no longer sufficient.

Firstly, he wants to know if he can make a baby with me! Well, we do share special love, but I’m his mum and he is 5!

Secondly, did it involve lots of kissing? He wants to know – because he is very jealous – there is to be no kissing or cuddling between Mr & Mrs Tara Plumbing without our little Boy getting in the middle. You’ve heard it said many times – children are a great contraceptive.

Now more detail is required.

I’ve told him what goes where.

What does my little boy say – just two things:

“Mummy, did it tickle?” and “When I’m a man I don’t want to do that”.

A young girl, only 9 or 10 years old, should she be aware of contraception- what do you think?

Let me tell you what I think:

children should be informed with honest answers to their questions at whatever age;

sex education should be taught at primary/junior school age;

girls should know about sex and contraception by the time they start menstruation (which is often at around age 10).

In this country we have a terrible record of high teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. It is common for teenagers to have sex, their first experiences, whilst drunk and without condoms.

In a great TV programme, C4 show that things could be so different:

http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/L/lifestuff/content/up_close/letstalksex/?intcmp=homepage_box1

I find it totally amazing that a parent has complained that her daughter (who is approx. 10) has been discussing condoms with another child at a Canterbury school .

It was excellent that older children got a very FULL education in Holland which included practising with condoms – of course, they were in senior school when it got to that, and the condom practical was on ‘artificial’ objects!

I have been lucky enough to meet Chad Varah, the founder of the Samaritans. He told me that he was motivated to change things because MANY young girls were committing suicide when they started menstruating because, back in those days, they were frightened, they did not know what was happening to them.

Ignorance is dangerous and scary. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx