25 | Jan | 2021

On a cold Tuesday there was nothing better than being welcomed into the kitchen of my Aunt Sal. “Tuesday Newsday”, as we called it – Aunt Sal was a fountain of information about everyone in town! On a Monday she would do her weekly food shop and bake a fruit cake. It was general knowledge that she liked to have visitors on a Tuesday because she had clubs and classes she attended every other day of the week. No matter how many of us dropped by, she always had enough soup heating in a huge saucepan. It would be accompanied by wedges of crusty bread with a thick lashing of salted butter.

Aunt Sal was warm and generous and hospitable…the perfect auntie in every way. I do wish you could meet my Aunt Sal. I want to tell you about the downstairs water-closet (or bathroom) at my Aunt Sal’s sweet little terraced house.

There is only one way to describe it. It was a pig-sty to be frank, a total pig-sty!

Literally…a pig-sty. She had a collection of hundreds of pig ornaments. She had been collecting little piggy ornaments for decades and this was the throne room for her collection. Whenever family members would go away on holiday they would bring back tiny pigs in their suitcase…and into the water-closet they would go. She had a truly international pig collection.

Sometimes we would invite a friend to come and visit Aunt Sal for the first time. If they asked to use the bathroom, Aunt Sal could never resist saying “Of course, but please forgive me luvvy, it is a bit of a pig-sty!” We would all look at each other smiling (Aunt Sal’s house was immaculate) and we loved seeing the reaction of our friends when they returned after their discovery of Aunt Sal’s impressive piggy collection.

I remember the pigs vividly…but there was one piggy in that water-closet that has had an influence on my life choices and I have remembered more than any other. It was a cross-stitch piggy wearing a tutu and in a pirouette pose. Next to the piggy in needle-work was the phrase “Once on the lips….Forever on the hips!”

Piggy

For reasons that I guess are fairly obvious…this has been a quote that has stayed with me for years!!! Arguably it is one of the more influential quotes on my habits and life choices. There is a lot of talk today about the pressure that glossy magazines, the fashion world, the entertainment industry and the media put on young woman to be super slim. Perhaps that is so…I have never let myself come under the yoke of the media and entertainment industry…and if you had a look through my wardrobe, I am sure you would agree I am in no way influenced by the fashion industry.

There are those who prefer to allow an inordinate quantity of dainty morsels to cross their lips and later to atone for their indulgences by zealous activity in pilates, zumba and nordic walking. However, I have to maintain a tight grip on my schedule and the size of my girth!

No…the quote that has prodded my culinary conscience and led me away from the path of cream cakes, doughnuts and crisps or chips or any other scrumptious snack…is from the piggy in Aunt Sal’s water closet: ONCE ON THE LIPS…FOREVER ON THE HIPS.

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Many of us are very sad at the news that First Fridays, Daily Prompt and The Community Pool are no more to be…We are all hoping there will be ways to keep the connections going. Well one way appears to be challenges bloggers can nominate each other for. So this post is Day One of the Three Day Challenge.

I was nominated for this audacious challenge by Mr Mark Anthony, as you can see from his post. Mark has recently completed this challenge himself. Thank you Mark Anthony…the nomination gave me some ideas regarding more lessons in life that Caramel has indeed learned. I am pleased to be able to share them on the Crushed Caramel site.

https://markanthonysthings.wordpress.com/2018/05/24/3-days-3-quote-challenge-day-1-1st-tag-be-inspire/?wref=pil&wref=pil

THE RULES:

• Thank the person who nominated you.

• Post a quote for three consecutive days (1 quote for each day).

• Nominate 3 different bloggers for each day.