It's not how much you do . . .

"Yet not low my aspirations;
High and strong my soul's desire
To assist my toiling brothers,
Upwards, onwards to aspire."
~Janet Hamilton

I bet there are not a lot of you who have heard of Janet Hamilton, and really, I am not surprised, for, although she was a fairly prolific Scott's writer from the 1700's, as worthy of recognition as the great Bard himself, Robbie Burns . . . through circumstance and nature, she did not start to write her beautiful prose until she was in her fifties.

Born in Lanarkshire in 1795, to a poor family . . . a family that worked as land labourers on a farm, she was considered to be largely illiterate for most of her life. She did learn to read at the age of five, and although she could also write, she didn't write in earnest until she was in her fifties. Married at the tender age of 13, she went on to have ten children and lived her whole life in straitened circumstance. And yet, this woman of low means was able to turn out poetry in both Scots and English, which was greatly admired by leading figures of her day.



Her words reflect the stark reality of ordinary lives and the urban hardship that existed during her lifetime, much like Burns . . . and although her words may reflect her lack of formal education and the sophistication of greater poets than she, there is an intrinsic integrity in her prose that cannot be denied. Through her poetry, she encouraged others to strive to better themselves through education and hardwork. Who better to teach a lesson on these things than someone who has had to struggle with low means and education their whole life . . .

In her words I see humility, a great love for others and a remarkable spirit. Her works reflect her many thoughts and remembrances of her childhood in rural Scotland, and articulate the values of a nineteenth century culture that is now mostly lost to our modern day memories.



During her last eighteen years of life she was completely blind and needed her husband and son to both read to her and to put down her prose, and indeed during those last years she was visited upon by many notable people. Never having lived or travelled more than 20 miles from her birthplace, she was able to make a mark upon her world, that lingers even today, which seems remarkable to me. There is a memorial fountain placed across from the cottage that she lived in, in Coatbridge.

I wonder . . . did she ever reflect on what influence her words might have in future generations as they trickled on down through the years . . . Did she know when she penned her words, that somewhere in the depths of a Kentish morning, some two hundred years later another woman in her fifties would read her words and let them touch her heart??

I often wonder what will my legacy be. Will I be largely forgotten, or will some of all that I have created from my mind and heart be left behind and valued in generations yet to come?? It matters not, I suppose . . .




What really matters most is that I can, in however small a way, make a difference in the lives of others while I am still here to do so. I like to think that I can . . . and then . . . I am reminded of the words of another humble woman . . .

"It's not how much you do . . . it's how much love you put into the doing."
~Mother Teresa

May I be able to put as much love into the doing that I can today. Indeed some of the most beautiful things in life spring from humble beginnings and intention.

Oh, you are in for a real treat today folks! Blueberries were on offer at the shops this past week and I took advantage of that and bought myself several punnets. I used some of them to make these lovely muffins, which went down a real treat with Todd!




*Blueberry Upside-Down Muffins*
Makes one dozen
Printable Recipe

If you like blueberries, then these muffins are for you. A deliciously moist muffin that end up with a deliciously fruit topping, well . . . once you flip them out of the pans that is! You'll love these!

2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
3 ounces butter
finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup (approximately) brown sugar
the juice of half a lemon



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Generously butter a 12 cup muffin tin. Pat 1 1/2 tsp of brown sugar into the bottom of each. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of lemon juice over the sugar in each cup and then cover the bottom with a single layer of blueberries. Place a sheet of foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any drips.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a bowl. Melt the butter together with the lemon zest. Beat in the buttermilk. Allow to cool to tepid and then beat in the eggs and vanilla, whisking well together.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the butter mixture overtop and stir gently together with a rubber spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few lumps are fine. Spoon over top of the blueberries in the tin, dividing the mixture equally amongst the cups.

Bake for 18 to 29 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

To remove the muffins from the tin, place a platter or baking sheet on top of the muffins and then flip the pan over. Be very careful as the juice from the berries will be rather hot. Serve warm or at room temperature.



I also cooked us some tasty meatballs the other night as well. Made of Chicken mince, and nicely spiced and glazed, they were simple to make and quite, quite delicious. You can find the recipe HERE.