Without either rhyme and reason would make no sense at all. I cover both in the introduction to my wife Julie's Corner.

The family have already secured a centre for our comfort in grieving and remembering her in a garden of remembrence adjacent to her church. It is within earshot of the congregations singing which can set your mood brilliantly.

What the corner is about is the hopefully long lasting virtual park bench memorial mentioned in the poem. It is a tribute to the housewife she was for large part of her life and later as identity fades might become a tribute to all following this underpaid and now unrevered vocation. 

It contains the recipes and thoughts relating to the housekeeping side of things as I contributed to same during her illness. One can imagine all housewife readers giving the observation. "Yes now they realise what it is like". Which of course I did as part of the they.

My recipes are an adaptation of hers to reduce my work to a minimum and are offered as a possible aid as a reader cooks for the demanding tribe of gannets, shortly to be taken on the school run or for a diabetic receiver of the offering or perhaps to someone cooking their meals for the first time. 

My diabetic target was without a nut allergy and able to stand for the occasional wandering from the completely desirable diet. I realise that every diabetic knows their own allowable wander in the cause of the odd treat and I try to highlight where I have been advised it was alright to wander in the cause. 

• Recipe I
• THE FACE

MY COOKING IMPLEMENTS

• A cup
• COMPONENTS ARE ATTEMPTED 5 A DAY TYPE
• 2 prunes………………………………………………….Eyes
• 1 peach slice (from in juice)…………………….Mouth
• 1 apple……………………………………………………2nd layer.
• 1 banana………………………………………………..1st layer
• 2 walnut or pecan halves…………………………eyebrows
• Frozen fresh strawberry………………………….Nose
• porridge or sugar free fat free yoghurt…….complexion
• porridge used for breakfasts or diet days
• yoghurt used for weekend desserts in the hope that gannets objection to healthy breakfasts are overcome by getting used to these as a treat to be looked forward to. Unlikely but worth a try.
• Take the breakfast/dessert bowl shown below.
• slice banana removing any sugary brown stuff and add as 1st layer
• slice apple from black bit to where you have removed stalk using almost blunt knife or serrated one, Breadknife will do, The main thing here is to prevent blood flow. It slows the whole process down and you havn’t got that much time of a morning when rushing is likely. unless done the night before. ( highly recommended 3or 4 at a time saves time)
• slice each half in two and remove black bits at top of each quarter peice, the bit containing stalk or indendation where stalk was.. (It is unlikly this bit of the apple as washed when whole)
• slice and dice apple using almost blunt Knife or dicing implement. My fishing meatloaf slicer would do if cleaned it off from bankside debris etc.
• add 2nd layer of apple and pour on complexion.
• For yoghurt there is a practical point. Having taken off the foil top you have choices as to removal of the yoghurt on it, If risking inch or so on the waistline is not a consideration then enjoy but if maximum transfer of yoghurt to complexion then use straight back of knife to scrape from lid and scrape onto plastic container’s top edge. As you spoon yoghurt onto apple you gather scraped yoghurt with the spoon and transfer all onto apple. (use a small spoonto clean off yoghort from larger spoon onto face yoghourt) to avoid tempting lick.
• .All that remains now is to add the features. There is one practical tip here. for the eyes if you press prune between finger and thumb the desired look of astonishment can be obtained.
• Rhyme

Resisting racist admonition

Use quarter pear

Corner first

Into complexion

Place nose there

For Chinese children’s treat

Like the english

From the eat

If the colour of complexion

Can be met

Facial feature

Better yet

Know the nation

From this eat

Yet another relates to the thought as i sit; in the garden of remembrance alongside our local church, looking at my wife’s name placed on the brick of a memorial wall to honour her as she now tells.

This bench seats within memorial garden
Set by friends and kin who know me well.
As in church the congregation voices swell
With hymns my presence to recall.

No need to know who bench is for
My name there carved on concrete wall
Informs those who Knew me well before.

This place for private contemplation
Is not as for park bench public situation
But to first sight and use it will closely relate
As my name is on shining bright new plate
And while this recently is etched
Ensures same kin are for comfort fetched.
But as time passes insect and weather make inroad.
I am not then defined as brass plate and fixings do corrode
But yet I do still give memorial to humankind sitting here
For resting there they may reflect, perhaps, recall
Not knowing name on that solid wall
The type of love that sincerely set me here.
To give comfort for any searching there.