Find Window On Your World photos
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 (there are different photos on each link...the most recent ones are sent by mobile and so have no or very few accompanying descriptions)
Jump to more content from this blog
About this blog
PM The evening news and current affairs programme presented by Eddie Mair.
iPM The programme that starts with its listeners. Join the discussions online and contribute ideas for a weekly programme presented by Eddie Mair and Jennifer Tracey.
The PM Privacy Commission
Read the final report of the PM Privacy Commission.
- Full Audio and Transcripts
- Hugh Tomlinson QC
- Zac Goldsmith MP
- Max Mosley
- Stephen Abell
- Hugh Grant
- Sir Charles Gray
- Alan Rusbridger
- Helen Wood
- Max Clifford
- Marcus Partington
- John Kampfner
- Christopher Graham
- Louise Mensch
- Andy Trotter
- John Mullin
- Avril Sanders Royle
- Jimmy Wales
Meet the commissioners, view the terms of reference and hear the Commission Chair Sir Michael Lyons explain his approach.
RSS feed
Email us
Listen to PM
Just an amazing look at the everyday, routine worlds of others, whose proabaly only common factor is we all listen to PM. Makes me feel all warm inside to know so many took pics at the same time as me, felt like being part of some big group experiment (which we were, but not in a Moonies way).....is this the feeling those flashmobbers are always on about? Loved the pictures, particularly the ones of Bob the rabbit, Holly the baby, the depot in Snetterton and the chap who was on his way to the Morrissey gig - I don't know why - just did! Perhaps that's the beauty of this, it appeals to something in us all.
Excellent, Eddie! I guess you'll be keeping the techies busy for some time to come with all the photos to load. Will we get a breakdown by category (cooking, travelling, behind a desk, etc?) That would probably make a good demographic snapshot of the sort of person who listens to Radio 4 (or at least PM...)
Great photographs.
Nice!
Chris Mains' corridor looks very melancholy without people.
The star of the photos so far is definitely Bob The Rabbit!
(BTW, did no-one like my "fauxto" pun on the "How To Send..." thread? Really?)
Aren't there more than 29?
xx
ed
Eddie...
(Smile please, all smile. You too, Sir)
(I am smiling)
All lined up in a wedding group
'Ere we are for a photograph
We're all dressed up in a morning suit
All trying hard not to laugh
Since the early caveman in his fur
Took a trip to Gretna Green
There's always been a photographer
To record the 'appy scene.....
'Old it, flash, bang, wallop, what a picture
What a picture, what a photograph
Poor old soul, blimey, what a joke
Hat blown off in a cloud of smoke
Clap 'ands, stamp yer feet
Bangin' on the big bass drum
What a picture, what a picture
Um-tiddly-um-pum-um-pum-pum
Stick it in your fam'ly album
(Thanks very much, one more picture. Hold it!)
The same thing 'appened long ago
When man was in his prime
And what went on we only know
From the snaps he took at the time
When Adam and Eve in their birthday suit
Decided to get wed
As Adam was about to taste the fruit
The man with the cam'ra said.....
'Old it, flash, bang, wallop, what a picture
What a picture, what a photograph
Poor old Eve, there with nothing on
Face all red and 'er fig leaf gone
Clap 'ands, stamp yer feet
Bangin' on the big bass drum, W-e-e-a-ay!
What a picture, what a picture
Um-tiddly-um-pum-um-pum-pum
Stick it in your fam'ly album
(Thanks very much. One more picture, hold it!)
You've read it in a folio
Or seen it in a Shakespeare play
How Juliet fell for Romeo
In the merry month of May
And as 'e climbed the orchard wall
To reach 'is lady fair
As he tumbled, she began to bawl
As he floated through the air.....
'Old it, flash, bang, wallop, what a picture
What a picture, what a photograph
Poor young chap, what a night 'e spent
Tights all torn and 'is rapier bent
Clap 'ands, stamp yer feet
Bangin' on the big bass drum, W-e-e-a-ay!
What a picture, what apicture
Um-tiddly-um-pum-um-pum-pum
Stick it in your fam'ly album
(One more picture, hold it!)
King 'Enry the Eighth had several wives
Including Anne Boleyn
And he kept an album of their lives
With all their photos in
As Anne Boleyn was on her knees
Dressed in her very best frock
King 'Enry shouted, "Smile, Dear, please"
As 'er 'ead rolled off the block.....
'Old it, flash, bang, wallop, what a picture
What a picture, what a photograph
Comes the print in a little while
Lost 'er 'ead, but she kept 'er smile
Clap 'ands, stamp yer feet, Ye-e-a-y!
Bangin' on the big bass drum
What a picture, what a picture
Um-tiddly-um-pum-um-pum-pum
Stick it in your fam'ly album
(Thank you very much. One more picture, hold it!)
When Napoleon married Josephine
There was just the same to-do
He galloped home from the battle scene
All the way from Waterloo
And as he came from orf 'is 'orse
To the boudoir where she sat
She said to 'im, in French of course
As he took of his big cocked 'at
'Old it, flash, bang, wallop, what a picture
What a picture, what a photograph
There she was, with a big Hussar
All caught up in 'er oh-la-la
Clap 'ands, stamp yer feet, Ye-e-a-y!
Bangin' on the big bass drum
What a picture, what a picture
Um-tiddly-um-pum-um-pum-pum
Stick it in your fam'ly album
Stick it in your fam'ly
Stick it in your fam'ly
In your fam'ly album!
...I thenk you!
Thanks anyway for looking at my photos.
Hurrah! Well done Eddie, Lissa, Richard and the reindeer.
Out of interest. why do the photos need to be catergorised? I like looking at them all put together, it nicely shows the range of things that people get up to at 5pm and illustrates the differences in life-styles that people lead.
Dividing them up geographically or subject-wise (work, home, travel etc) will just..I don't know, take the fun out of it. Unless the catergorisation is needed to prevent the photo site from crashing under the sheer weight of photos of course.
You'll be pleased to know that I bought a disposable camera and I'm currently looking for ways of getting rid of the other 30 odd pics before I send the masterpiece in.
I did not mean it as sarcasm. The thing is I wanted to show photos of Miami Florida during Christmas to show that we are also a peaceful place.
I have great lability of affect. I find the photos bewideringly poignant.
I cried looking at them. I intend to look at all of them and I am sure I will cry each time.
Wonderful. A fascinating cross-section of Radio 4 listeners - and mine isn't even up yet!
I think though mine was mundane, the collective result is indeed going to be poignant JEm (1) moi SB 2, fine chance!
I absolutely love the pictures, so much so that I'm writing on the blog for the first time!
I'm most impressed by the rabbit - much more impressive than Stephen Bennett's number 52 which I think might just be showing off.
How often are the pictures going to appear? Maybe they should be seasonal so we can see how people's lives change throughout the year.
Well done all those snappers...
Roberto (1), we will publish them. We are only now realising how many weeks of work it will be for someone to get through them all!
Ermmmm Did I say something wrong? It appears none of my posts since about 9am this morning have appeared on any of the threads :(( I'm feeling rather un-loved now...
I can't get my mobile to talk to my laptop so I can't send my photo in. And I can't get the phone to send the photo itself. Bloody technology! Nice idea though.
From where I am, there doesn’t appear to have been much activity around here today - and some of my contributions (I think at least three) have not appeared. Is there some glitch in the system, or are message moderators few and far between?
an amazing look at the everyday lives of a group of people whose only connection is "we listen to PM". It give me a warm feeling to think so many people took pics at the same as me....feel like we have all been part of some great social experiment (which we have really I suppose - although not in a Moonies way). Particularly liked Bob the rabbit, Holly the baby, the Tesco roundabout and the depot in Snetterton - don't ask me why! I think that's what made this project so special, it affects many people on different levels. Thanks to PM for doing this.
KateH (6):
I agree about Bob The Rabbit - he's a star!
(apologies if another variation of this appears, I've had two posts in a row blocked, I'm hope I'm not persona non frogga).
Giuseppe Belli @ no.90 in the gallery can be also be found in the Saatchi online gallery where you can see another of his paintings @
There are so many with talent, but I like all the pictures, & love the rabbit!
No.52 is just amazing, just had another look after KateH mentioned it (SB 6).
(SB 1 & 3) Roberto Carlos Alvarez-Galloso,CPUR, I don't think we thought you were being sarcastic, & thanks for joining in.
With all this photo work going on the mind boggles about what will be in the show tonight.. will it just be EM describing the photos (well what else have they been upto today in the PM office?).
Regards
John
I think the photo's are all worthy and interesting.
It's a shame that technology has perhaps let this down a bit -- or am I being pedantic.
As Eddie pointed out none of the MMS messages have accompanying text which would have been added in some cases I'm sure.
Perhaps next year we can repeat the experiment with software which autoloads all the formats with text after approval ?
Anyway I'm cross and grumpy today, however it wasn't pointless and the Rabbit cheered me up.
Well, if anyone had ever doubted that the British are a nation of petlovers, they can doubt no more.
And this is only the first 250 or so .....
Is anyone else looking at these photos going "Gosh, I like that cooker/heater/table/window/chair/floor/wall colour etc. I wonder where they got that!"?
Actually, something I find quite comforting in all of this is that appears to show that life has not changed all that much throughout the years. Had this experiment been done 40 or 50 years ago, say, then the results would have been rather similar. The only major difference is a technological one which has aided the speed of communication, meaning we only had to wait a few hours to see the photos, rather than a few months!
I didn't realise what a great idea this was - the pictures are truly compulsive viewing and what a fantastic mixture. I was so engrossed I missed the opening sentences of tonight's show!
An interesting selection of kitchens too....
The car on No.70 on the 3rd link appears to have driven into a bush!!
agaghghgahghg
losing the ability to type...glad you're enjoying them. The texted photos are going up quicker because I can zip file them 20 at a time. Rosie is painstakingly uploading the emailed ones 6 at a time and will be doing so all day tomorrow too.
Welcome to the blog KateH.
L
Isn't it amazing what a difference the captions make?
I'm still hooked.....
It's going to take AGES to look at them all. Haven't seen mine yet.
They are terrific. How about sending them to University of Sussex as they have the Mass Observation archive? Just a thought.
Wonderful idea, and (sorry Lissa and Rosie) I think it should be done again, maybe in the summer.
I must admit though to being quite worried at the number of people who seemed to be taking pics while driving!
I sent my shot at 1 minute past 5, and it's not there yet... I'll sue!
No 12: Helen : Thanks for your comments. As for No. 14: Lissa: I still have not seen my photos. I am thinking that maybe the Digital Camera has not helped but they were taken at 5:00PM Miami Time.
Just looked through the second set. Marvellous. I love the one taken from the aircraft on the way to East Midlands Airport (no.63). Bit scared of Malcolm Stevens though (no.30) - take a look at his speedometer!
Hi Lissa! I hope your overtime bill is being met by Mr Mair personally and I also would expect him to meeting your bar bill at the ´óÏó´«Ã½ club for the rest of the year. If not decade. We all owe you - the photos are marvellous (esp the rabbit - can you get him on Cbeebies or whatever it's called?)
Just keep on taking the pills, my dear, & soon this nightmare will fade from your mind...
Can't see mine, but it appears that there were plenty of us glaring at computers at 5 so I don't mind that it's not there. It wasn't a very good shot anyway.
Dear Eddie, Why do you want all the comments to be complained about? Are your folks from Tunbridge Wells?
I'm very jealous of all these other cats getting fed at 5pm. I have to wait until ~5:45 to feed myself.
(Luckily stainless steel paws are ideal for opening tins!)
These photos are fascinating. I can;t wait to see if the ones captured on film tend to cover different subjects than the digital ones.
Comment I said - not complain, Myrtle (30)!
Why is it that everyone who has ADSL assumes that everyone else has it? I assume that everyone who is trying to look at the pictures has ADSL! It's taken me the last 10 minutes to review the first 15 thumbnails let alone the pictures. How long to review 4k? Unlike the UK we are the last subscriber on the end of a telephone line in very rural France where few have heard of 'haut debit' let alone have the facility. Perhaps categories? BTW please be quick because we are also the last user on the electricity line and as we haven't had a power cut in the last three days we will be due one very soon... C'est la vie en France - it ain't what it's cracked up to be by the TV Programmes!
I'm sure I'm being filtered today.
I made two postings which although complimentary hinted that it would have been better if the whole system had been thought out a little better as to uploading the pics and neither appeared.
Perhaps I've been banned from the blog.
Anyway I thinks it's a shame that NONE of the MMS text details filed along with the pics made it to FWOYWP
Can't see mine up yet, but also can't get two of the pages to work at all :-/
Hoping it's just through busy-ness, and will work soon!
It has been quiet today - all hands to the photo pump was it?
I took mine with the phone, and it turns out it doesn't speak to the pc yet, because it needs a new suite of something loaded.....should have lugged the Box Brownie Digital along Princes St with me after all.
I haven't been able to listen to PM for a few days as work has been intruding, so at 5pm today I very carefully took a picture of what I was doing.
Just realised I managed to do it a day late.
Argh!
Hope the team are able to publish it anyway, perhaps in a "late arrivals at the PM ball" section?
What a wonderful idea....it's great to see what others are doing as the same time as yourself. We all lead such different lives, but share the love of "p.m."
Great stufff Eddie!!!! thanks..
Are we supposed to play pelmanism with the last lot of texted photos? Obviously everyone is getting tired because there are lots of duplicates. Are people working overtime on this?
Gill T (46) - probably Lissa & Rosie, but not Eddie, who appears to have gone home.
I've just thought - perhaps this whole photo idea is a cunning plan for PM to achieve network domination? They'll have to take on more staff to cope with the massive response. And more staff must equal a more important programme, surely?
Am I right, or am I right (or a meringue?)
One thing I didn't expect was the extent to which the addition of comments by the photographer would add to the viewing pleasure. The galleries mostly containing photos with text are quite fascinating. The galleries containing photos with no comments are much less interesting. If you do this again can you ask that everyone gives at least basic information - location, what they're doing etc., if not more?
Fascinating and moving; and not necesarily in obvious ways.
I have kitchen envy! I have PENCIL envy! I am mesmerised by the range of jobs we all do. And deeply envious of the people who are cooking by 5.00pm.
I've put links to some highlights on my blog, because I know that not everyone who reads mine will have the time or the inclination to wade through the hundreds of photos here.
Thank you Eddie, Lissa and everyone for this.
AB
Absolutely brilliant. Big thanks to Eddie and everyone on the PM team for allowing us to participate in a project that brings about a feeling of togetherness and that hundreds of people are linked, if only because we listen to the same radio programme on Radio 4. I've just found my pic too, so I'm feeling quite chuffed at the moment. The rabbit is the undoubted star of the show.
Thanks again to everyone involved, including fellow pic takers, the computer boffins and the PM team.
Thanks. :-)
To say that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ were always the epitome of great grammar and pronunciation, some of the presenters have let their command of the English language slip very badly. We have some of them saying things like iss yoo, instead of ishoo (issue), plitical instead of political, pleece instead of Police, guvverment instead of government and claps instead of collapse to name but 5. Is it just laziness on the part of some, or is it that the standard of the people employed by the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has dropped (even though the licence fee keeps creeping up)? Sorry for whingeing, but it bothers me that the English language is getting so badly mangled by people that purport to be professionals.
Number 14: Eddie and Lissa: Thanks for your patience. I understand the work that you have to do. I also want to thank you for a great programme which I have heard this year. I also want to thank you for the post card thing. Excuse me if I felt like I was a pain in this letter asking for publications, my problem has to do with the fact that I was recently in a car accident and my left arm hurts bad. Cheers and Happy Christmas to all of you in ´óÏó´«Ã½ PM [including listeners] who are like my family. Roberto
David. (51)
I, too, "tut-tut" at some (mis)pronunciations but I have to take ... erm .. I'll rephrase that, I cannot agree with your "issue" example:
"We have some of them saying things like iss yoo, instead of ishoo (issue),"
For 60 years I have been saying "iss-yoo" and hadn't really thought to condemn those who couldn't manage that possibly tricky combination of sounds and produced "ishyoo" instead. Now that you have raised the matter, I've checked the "Compact Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary". (It's two huge volumes of very small print.) It provides phonetically for both pronunciations.
I am somewhat relieved that I did not judge harshly those who didn't share my preference.
ps
You're not the David Jones who was once a trade union branch organiser, perchance?
Quite agree with those who say the comments make a differenced, I love them, however brief. Somehow they really add colour and personality to the image.
Isn't there a bit missing from the strapline? Shouldn't the next bit say "Thank goodness"?
David Jones (51) Obviously the standard has dropped. Look at that Eddie Mair, for instance. He's rubbish. 3 million people think so. Every night. Except Saturdays- (they get someone good in then)
You're web site is a bit puzzling. btw. Just seems to be selling things. Where are you?
Roberto - sorry to hear about your car accident. Hope you're feeling better soon.
Re: Aphra Behn
Well done and very interesting to get the reactions.
Please keep the comments with the MMS photo's if it's possible even if it means it all takes longer. However you are all doing an amazing job, all very interesting viewing and not at all pointless.
And what am I doing up at 06:30 -- bucketing down outside in Bournemouth :-(
Jonnie (41) you make a fair point re the lack of text. have checked with Lissa and it seems most people didn't send any ID with their camera stuff. And yes, yesterday WAS odd on the blog wasn't it? Some of my comments took hours to appear.
As for not being better organised - well, guilty as charged. As I said on previous postings, we really were doing this organically - inspired by the froggers...who always take us in new directions. We didn't know how many pictures we'd get - we REALLY thought that there would utlimately be about 500. As it is, five hundred have been emailed to us over Wednesday night into Thursday, on top of all the thousands we're already sorting.
Yesterday we had lots of emails from listeners anxious to see their pics and/or more pics. So we set about doing what was quickest. Ultimately we may re-sort things. But the volume of pics means, we estimate, that several people who already have full-time jobs, might have to spend many many days publishing these shots! We also decided not to edit the pictures - except perhaps for rudeness - as we wanted everyone who took part to see their handiwork.
So yes, we are still feeling our way - as we did in the early days of the Blog. But all suggestions are still welcome. In the meantime...we plough through the thousands!
It's a huge project Eddie and has attracted an awful lot of interest. It'll be fascinating looking back in years to come.
Apologies for any negativity in the wee small hours.
I posted a few comments on the Newsnight website a couple of weeks ago and they took TWO DAYS to appear!!
Umm, Eddie:
"we really were doing this organically - inspired by the froggers"
Is this a reallocation of blame, perchance?
(And I do sympathise - you've probably already read about the book club .... not to mention the Beach!)
"the volume of pics means, we estimate, that several people who already have full-time jobs, might have to spend many many days publishing these shots!W
So, leave has been cancelled, as I suggested elsewhere?
(As the undemocratically elected unofficial secretary of said book club, I also sympathise on that one!)
It's truly inspiring that what may have started as a bit of a 'daft' idea has been espoused so earnestly by so many, and that clearly the end results are proving both interesting and, oddly, moving.
So, Eddie and Team, hats off to you all!
If I didn't have a 3 year old at home, friends coming to lunch and school runs to do I'd offer to come in and help.
It's a great idea and I can't wait to see the rest of the photos.
gm (59) that's because Jeremy has to do them all himself. I'm not kidding.
David (51) ·
I, too, am also frequently noticing most of the irritating examples you mention - and a few others...
EM (63)
"that's because Jeremy has to do them all himself. I'm not kidding."
Tell him it will be good for his character.
That's what "they" used to tell me.
I'm not sure it worked though.
The photos are all wonderful, I felt quite homesick for those dark cosy UK winter evenings. Bob the Rabbit is definitely the best so far, it almost made me cry, he looks just like the Bob(tail) I had as a child...;-)
luv Caroline /São Paulo
"That’s because Jeremy has to do them all himself. I'm not kidding."
Gossipmistress (60) I think perhaps Jeremy was gallivanting around on his book tour when you posted. Perhaps he should have been concentrating on your comments and doing less chatting about royalty!
It is always funny to find out how things are in big places (the ´óÏó´«Ã½ for example) where one might imagine slick operations & staff a plenty.
Mrs Naughtie (65) are you married to James?
em (63) Clarkson or Paxman..?
Bless you, Miss Sparkles, you young people and your questions!
We don't speak of Mr. Naughtie. In fact we've been not speaking of him for so long now that I'm not sure whether I ever knew his first name.
I do for his lairdship. No not that one, the one in The Big Hoose; although, given half a chance ...
Sorry, where was I?
I do have an often absent son, James, who is in London being paid to annoy people. I seem to remember that Mr. Naughtie did the same sort of thing without payment. Most evenings, around 10.30.
Must dash, Dearie. The haggis will be done by now and I must hang them out to dry.
While several photos seem to appear more than once, mine has not been shown at all. It's only another food preparation snap, but I thought it might be there.
Rosalind (30) "It's going to take AGES to look at them all. Haven't seen mine yet.
They are terrific. How about sending them to University of Sussex as they have the Mass Observation archive? Just a thought."
So pleased Eddie thought it was a good thought, I did too, and am now listening to the lady from the Observation Archive, WELL DONE!
The pictures up so far are great, this is a brilliant idea. Some of us Flickr users have pooled our photos in a Flickr group where they can be viewed until they make it onto the pm site.
re Rosalind (30)...thanks for the suggestion - hope you heard the prog tonight...we interviewed the lovely lady from Sussex and voiced up your suggestion. Inspired.
First looked yesterday. Surprised by how strongly the pics touched me. It brought home to me the fact that radio is a shared experience. I'm downloading all the thumbs, so I will have a personal momento.
Perhaps the comments should be saved too (seventy so far as I write)
Anyway, hello fellow listeners.
I've spent a large part of this evening viewing the photos. I haven't finished looking yet, but some reflections.
How organised many folk are. They don't just cook tea, but they are tidy with it. They have wonderful homes and all looks so cosy.
It's a good job I wasn't cooking tea. It would have been messy and put people off eating for a long while!
Fascinating stuff though!
Mary
I think you should put the whole thing on a CD Rom ... an amazing archive. Brilliant idea.
How lucky we were that no lavatory attendants seem to listen to PM at work.
As someone who sent in one of the many oncoming cars photos, I felt very jealous of the people who were in a house, often with delightful children and controlled chaos. This is a truly inspired idea!
mmary, I too have been charmed/envious about the apparent cleanliness and allround organisation of Other Peoples' Kitchens. Mine tends to look, if anything, inventive and hopeful - a bit like someone having emptied a Ready Steady Cook bag but with a less obvious outcome.......
Still, I enjoy it!
I'm also fascinated by the comments and hope every single bit of the experiment can be preserved. I'm still struggling in the bowels of my pc, trying to instal the new stuff which will let me extract my photo from my phone. Maybe this time next year?
I've gone through all 92, as of right now, and I counted at least 5 doubles (same photo twice). Aren't you consuming a lot of bandwidth with the repetition? Personally, I get charged for excess bandwidth used, so I am very careful.
That said, I had a few chuckles over some of the shots, particularly those involving animals. My cat did not choose to cooperate, but I am looking forward to see my contribution nonetheless. Excellent idea and it should be at least an annual thing. Cheers!
Very much enjoying the photos taken at 5pm. Wondering why is it that the ones sent via mobile do not have their comments or names added? Found them all strangely comforting, it's nice to know that we're all very similar in our habits. Love that rabbit one by the way.
A big thank you to all of the pm listeners who sent in photos... as Lissa's husband (and Mr Enos Knibb's co-owner) the blog, and in particular the 1000's of photos, keep her so occupied that many of my failings that she is normally so sharp at picking up on are slipping under the usually infallible radar. Keep up the good work (comments along the lines of categorising the photos are particularly good) and I'll be able to sneak a new bike in without her even noticing
Nik circa 82
Oh no you won't!
We sense newly acquired toys through the soles of us feet..... or perhaps it's the way you fidget when you've done it?
Nik circa 82
Oh no you won't!
We sense newly acquired toys through the soles of us feet..... or perhaps it's the way you fidget when you've done it?
Hello Lissa's husban
By posting about your bike on the frog I think you may have alerted Lissa to your ploy! Still good luck.
I have just finished looking at the new pictures and I'm so envious of all those people who work at home (in lovely homes) and can finish work at 5pm walk to the kitchen and start cooking amazing meals midweek. I spotted a few pictures from people who don't live too far from me, a lovely picture of Birmingham University (where I graduated), and a picture of a butternut rissotto which I suspect might be based on a recipe I've been wondering whether to try from my favourite shop Waitrose.
My last go at a rissotto (mushroom) was dreadful. So can the person who was cooking butternut rissotto at 5pm on 5th December please tell me if it tasted nice.
Mary
Nik, thank you for sharing Mr Lissa, but it isn't that she isn't noticing, Lissa could just be banking the information for future reference when she has time to deal with it... Err please rethink the new bike venture, it might just prove to be a bit of a catalyst; causing her to re-focus her attention on you & neglecting us... methinks that is something neither of us would want!
madmary, I think it was Nigel Slater's butternut squash risotto which was delicious last time I had it, & a pretty enough colour to be worth a try! I think butternut squashes are very good for one, but have no idea really. I love making risotto, but suspect I shouldn't risk serving mine to visitors, I think we make it a funny way in my family & they would laugh & tell me it wasn't risotto at all!