The Vortex

I see it coming down the road,
A small speck of whirling dervish.
As it gets closer,
I see the whirl and the colors
And I am curious.

The vortex looms before me,
And I see the whirl and the colors
And I am enamored.

And just for a moment,
I am caught up by the outer whirl of the vortex
And I whirl around
And excitement turns to fear and to horror.
There is no stopping, no calm, no stillness to embrace.
There is the movement that goes faster and faster.
The only purpose of the vortex is to keep moving
As quickly as possible.

Without the constant movement,
Faster and faster,
It is nothing.

I creep to the outer edge of the vortex
Going faster and faster.
I slip out.
The vortex is unchanged, because it moves only for itself.

And the vortex moves on,
Catching up everything in its path.

And I am safe now,
Standing still.



© 2019 Rebecca Burrington

Bloomer Bread

This crusty English bread is a favorite. The bloomer loaf is a cylindrical English bread with diagonal slashes on top. The term refers to the way the loaf is shaped - allowed to rise free-form.

I ordered a lovely duck egg mayonnaise sandwich on brown bloomer bread, served up with rocket salad and crisps, from the fabulous chef at Crowne Plaza Reading. Hearty homemade bloomer bread is quite common in England and I was lucky enough to find a recipe from a BBC Food recipes website. This recipe below comes to us from BBC chef Paul Hollywood, who reveals the versatility of breads from around the world.

Next was the smoked cheddar and pickle sandwich, made at the Cast Iron Bar & Grill in Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel in Derbyshire. The Priory was first established in 1266 by Sir Robert Curzon and dissolved in 1536 by none other than that rascal King Henry VIII, who removed over 800 monasteries in his quest to erase Catholicism from England. Through the years, the Priory was remodeled as as family estate, country club, and finally, a hotel, officially, the oldest Marriott in the world.


Recipe for White Bloomer Bread
Ingredients: 1 lb. 2 oz. white flour
pinch salt
1 packet instant yeast
11 1/2 oz. cold water
1 1/2 oz. olive oil
Extra oil and flour for kneading

Add oil and 9 oz. water to dry ingredients. Knead dough on oiled surface for 5 to 20 minutes. Place in an oiled bowl to rise, cover with cling wrap until tripled in size. Knead again, shape loaf into rectangle. Roll up the sides to create the bloomer shape. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper and let double in size, about 1 to 2
hours at room temperature. Lightly spray with water and dust with flour. Cut 4 diagonal slashes across the top. Bake loaf on middle shelf in pre-heated 425°F oven for 25 minutes. Place a pan of water on the lower shelf (this will steam the loaf as it bakes.) Lower temperature to 400°F. Bake another 10 minutes, then remove from oven and cool on a rack.

1) https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_bloomer_84636
2) https://www.bbc.com/food/programmes/b01rhdgt
3) https://savortheflavour.com/bloomer-bread/