Friday, December 23, 2011

Christmas in a World Cup Kind of Way

There is a farming family a few kilometers out of Tirau who love to make a show in one of their paddocks by the main road.
Every year for quite a few years they to something with a Christmas theme and it brings a smile to my face when I see it

Last year was this

http://mumseysramblings.blogspot.com/2010/12/dairy-farmers-take-on-santa.html


New Zealand hosted and won the Rugby World Cup in September/October and this was their take on the build up and winning result




http://mumseysramblings.blogspot.com/2011/10/rugby-world-cup-2011.html

This year they have combined the two events and made an amusing display of Santa with the world cup.



One is always reminded when on the drive south for errands in the next town, you suddenly see the display, so know that there are only a few more days until Christmas.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mumsey's Christmas Mince Pies


The making of Christmas mince pies is an annual occurrence in our home that has developed into a tradition. The oldest child home tends to make them with me, and then when they leave they take the recipe with them and they try them on their own. Almost to bring a taste of home into their own home.

This recipe was given to me by a dear friend Helen and I have changed it slightly as I tend to do with a lot of my recipes.

You can make the fruit mix in advance and keep it in an air tight container in the fridge for when you would like to use it.

Fruit Mince

1 cup currants
1 cup sultanas
1 cup raisins
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup orange juice
1 tblsp grated orange zest
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tblsp Brandy
1 ½ tsp cornflour

Simmer all ingredients except a little of the orange juice (about 2 tablespoons), brandy and cornflour for 3 minutes.
Mix the cornflour and leftover orange juice to form a thin paste.
Thicken the fruit with the cornflour mix and stir in the brandy.
Allow to cool.
This may now be stored.

Christmas Mince Pies

125gr butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream the butter and sugar to a light colour.
Beat in the egg.
Sift the dry ingredients and stir in. (don't put all in at first as you don't want the mixture crumbly. Leave the last 1/4 cup and check to see if it needs it. - to dry and the pastry will crumble when cutting out)
Roll mixture out onto a lightly floured surface.
Cut circles and place into well greased pie tins. (I use some old curved base cup cakes tins)
Place a spoonful of fruit mix in the pastry base then top with a smaller circle or a star shape.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes - Watch them as they will burn quickly.
Allow to cool slightly then remove from the pans to cool on a wire rack.
If the fruit mix has oozed out a bit and you leave them too long in the pans they will be glued in!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

'A Little Art Makes A Big Difference'

Art on Main in Tirau is a gallery where eight artists display their work for sale .

Art on Main held a fund raiser offering a selection of miniatures by the artists of the gallery and all funds went to Hospice Waikato.
Entry was a gold coin donation and there were nibbles supplied by the Tirau branch of Rural Woman.



Each piece of art was displayed on its own little easel and they were arranged on a Christmas tree. These could be bought for $20.



I chose one that was by artist Lynnette Smallwood. I had first seen the piece of art on display and having a passion for all things purple it had caught my eye.



Looking over the tree I found the miniature and knew that was the one I was going to buy.



















As soon as I find out how much was raised for Hospice I will add it to the blog

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Morning's Refrain

Morning's Refrain is the second book in a series of three , The Song of Alaska, written by Tracie Peterson.

As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he's come to love, Dalton Lindquist must make difficult choices about the future. Dalton’s sister Evie must return to Kansas City to deal with her husband’s death, so he goes along to learn more about his heritage. To complicate matters, he leaves behind a budding romance with Phoebe Robbins, newly arrived in Sitka (as part of the third governor’s entourage) who falls into his life quite literally when Dalton rescues her after she tumbles overboard in the Sitka Harbour. He quickly loses his heart. But Dalton is not the only one who decides to seek Phoebe's attention - his best friend, Yuri Belikov, whose father owns the local boat-building firm where both work, decides to court her when Dalton must travel from Sitka. But when Dalton realizes the depth of his love for Phoebe and returns, there is an estrangement from his best friend and the two friends find that their battle for Phoebe's admiration is only the start of the problems that face them.

Peterson’s second historical inspirational romance set in late-nineteenth-century Alaska builds on the events of Dawn’s Prelude (2009) as they affect the next generation. Evie can move forward with her feelings for local mill owner Joshua Broadstreet, and Dalton will meet his other siblings in order to evaluate their temperaments and intentions for himself. Although critical readers may find some of the characters’ inappropriately modern sensibilities discordant, engaging descriptions of the Alaskan setting and cultural tensions and rapid pacing help the reader enter fully into the drama.

I enjoy the easy reading of this series and the content of Christian life.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Salmon Macaroni

With Christmas coming there are often pot-luck dinners we attend and so I have to make a salad and/or desert. This is an easy salad that can also be a main meal for the summer if you add all the vegetables. When adding the vegetables think about colour. Make sure the mayonnaise is a good quality one with a nice flavour.

There weren't enough peas in this salad!

2 cups of uncooked macaroni
1 ½ cups frozen peas
I dtsp olive oil
1 x 210gr can salmon
I spring onion, finely sliced.
1/3 cup mayonnaise

(optional extras) 1 large tomato, 1 each of yellow and orange bell pepper, 1 stick of celery – chop all about the size of a pea.

Cook the macaroni in boiling salted water for 12 minutes then add the frozen peas and cook for another 3 minutes or until the peas are coked.
Drain, toss in the olive oil and allow to cool.
Empty can of salmon into a bowl and mash so all the bones are crushed.
Add spring onion (and any other vegetables you may be using).
Mix together and add to the macaroni and peas.
Stir in the mayonnaise and chill before serving.

As a main meal you can serve this in lettuce leaves or on a 'bed' of mixed salad greens.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Christmas is Coming

You will notice I haven’t posted much on my blog over the last month or so but I found myself chanting this rhyme earlier this morning as December is moving along.

Christmas is coming,
The geese are getting fat,
Please put a penny
In the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny,
A ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny,
Then God bless you

The charitable words of the "Christmas is coming" poem were to associate the Christmas feast with geese which are eaten in traditional English Christmas feasts. The author of the lyrics is unknown but the popularity of this traditional rhyme is handed down from generation to generation in the form of a nursery rhyme. The meaning that is conveyed to a child is that the Christmas festival of celebration, is a time of plenty, but that in the festive period is where each should give to the less fortunate, according to the givers means... even if all they could give was their blessing (If you haven't got a penny...)

I saw this from one of my online friends. Please watch it.


I found the tears were falling when it had finished and I was reminded of how for most of us Christmas has become so materialistic and commercialised.
Do we really need all the “stuff” we spend up large on for one day?

For me the answer is “No” and I am reminded of the part in the story of Little Woman where some of the sisters give away what they were going to have for lunch to a family who had nothing.

Christmas day for us is celebrated with stockings being opened in the morning and going to Church after Breakfast. We come home to a hot roast lunch like they have in the Northern Hemisphere, even though it is summer here. Once all the dishes are done we gather around the tree and open the presents from each other and play games or with our gifts, read or fall asleep. Tea is a smorgasbord of nibbles to graze on as many are just too fill to eat.

This year, although we are a family of seven with Jennifer and Sarah married with their own children and Theresa engaged, (we are up to 13 with another on the way) lunch will only be Harry and I and our two youngest, Daniel and Katrina. I felt like, “Why bother?”

But then I knew it’s not about me it’s about Christ. We are celebrating His birth when He came as a baby to earth.


 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus at Christmas to then, about 33 years later, be crucified on a cross, the penalty for sinners. A man who was without sin did this for us, who are sinners, because God loves us that much that He wanted us to receive this gift of forgiveness so that we would believe and be allowed to go to heaven. There is no other way.
 
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins - 1 John 4:10

Who am I to not want to celebrate this beautiful gift? So not only will I be still doing a lot of what I do for Christmas, I am going to give some gifts to those around our community through different charities and overseas because we really do have plenty.

Join me in this special time and bless others. It makes you smile on the outside and the inside.

Luke 2:10-19

10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.


All scripture is from New International Version 1984 (unless otherwise started)

Monday, October 31, 2011

The Other Queen



This is the last in the Tudor series written by Phlippa Gregory. I didn't find this quite as consuming as her others but still a good read. And like all her books it gave such in insight into the history of that time that I feel a little more educated and interested in the monarchy of England.

The story is told through the eyes of the three main characters, Queen Mary and her two "jailers," George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife, Bess (Elizabeth Talbot) of Hardwick. This gives you a bit more understanding of their own position in this time of captivity.

The plot:
The Other Queen begins with Mary Stuart, cousin to Queen Elizabeth, arriving in England after having fled her country, expecting Elizabeth to restore her to the throne of Scotland. She has lost the love and support of her people by marrying the man believed to have killed her previous husband. Elizabeth, however, puts her in the custody of George Talbot and his wife Bess of Hardwicke as a result of Mary's repeated attempts to claim to English monarchy for herself. Mary is indignant at the captivity, repeatedly stating her claims to royalty, and is upset when she is given some of the reigning queen's gowns to wear, saying that they are "hand-me-downs." She is unafraid of punishment for any reckless or insulting behavior she makes to her cousin, believing that one would never execute a fellow monarch. Most of the novel centers around the first few years of Mary's Stuart's imprisonment, during which time she makes several failed escape attempts and almost immediately begins to seduce the earl. George slowly begins to feel his loyalty to Elizabeth fade, replaced by a strong attachment to the captive queen. This results in marital problems with Bess, who ultimately separates from him.

For an excellent book review, The Tudor Book Review site has in-depth article.

This website is excellent at listing and reviewing books of the Tudors and other books of history.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Rugby World Cup 2011

The desire for a competition to determine the pecking order in world rugby was realised following the International Rugby Football Board’s (IRFB) approval for an inaugural Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand and Australia in 1987.  

The final proved a match too far for France with New Zealand, who were unquestionably the best team in the tournament, emerging the 29-9 winners to allow captain David Kirk to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.

The Rugby World Cup is now established as the third biggest sporting event behind the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup, having achieved its goal of merging the traditional powers with new and emerging nations to make it a truly worldwide sport. 

Every four years the Rugby World Cup 2011 is held and this year it was in New Zealand.
Now I am not a rugby fan and the first rugby game I ever watched was with Harry and his father before we were married. We lived in Upper Hutt and went and saw the local rugby team play a game.
I sat and froze in the stand while Harry and his father cheered the team on yelling "Hutt, hutt, hutt!" along with the other supporters. It all seemed a bit odd to me.

Harry and I are now married and he is still a big fan of rugby but I still don't watch the game.

For over a year New Zealand has lead up to the Rugby World cup with countless news items and urging that the whole country get behind the event and our team, the All Blacks.
There were twenty counties in the running and games were held around the country.


And did New Zealand get behind it all?

You could not get away from it!

At first I just wanted to leave the country, as we were inundated by it all, but in the end I couldn't help but get caught up in it all and be impressed by the way New Zealand embraced, not so much the game and the All Blacks, but all the countries visiting and playing.

In fact in the end although I didn't watch any games (I still can't understand why grown men will fight over a ball!) I felt nervous as the All Blacks played; triumphant when they won and proud to be a New Zealander in the way we all joined in with the whole tournament.

And result?...


Sunday October 23 Full Time

France
New Zealand
7
8
T. DusautoirTriesT.Woodcock

PenaltiesS. Donald
F. Trinh-DucConversions
56%Possession44%
5Scrum Wins7
15Lineout Wins12
85Rucks/Mauls60
0/0Tackles/Missed0/0
4Turnovers5
9Penalties8
0Line Breaks0
850Pack Weight899
4Handling 3


Our Town of Tirau, although small, didn't lack in the festivities either.

Everyone seemed to have flags on their cars or fences.










Shops in Tirau had flags and supported a country.


And one farm on SH1 just south of Tirau won the prize in my heart.

With each game the All Blacks played they added more to their display. And wasn't the only one stopping to take photos.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

BreastScreen Aotearoa



BreastScreen Aotearoa is a free national breast screening programme for eligible women aged 45 to 69.
It checks women for signs of early breast cancer by using mammograms.

Mammograms are the only proven way for finding breast cancers early enough to reduce your risk of dying of breast cancer. Regular mammograms reduce the chance of dying from breast cancer among women aged 45-69. But the benefit is greatest for women aged 50-69.

Today I have had my third two yearly mammogram. As I waited the lady next to me asked if I had had one done before. "Yes" I replied.
"Is it really painful?" she asked.

Now there is an open question!

I answered that I didn't think so. Yes it is uncomfortable but if you relax your shoulders and really lean into the machine it lessons that a bit. I hope I put her at rest.

I realised that I had felt like that the first time.

A gas leak has affected a major pipe line in the upper North Island of New Zealand, so hospital laundries (along with many other consumers) are not working so I was asked to use my own cardy. This was a pleasant result as mine was thick and warm so I felt more relaxed.
The actual positioning of the breast and 'gentle' coming together of the plates for the x-ray only took about 30 seconds. There are four x-rays taken and I was in and out of the place in 15 minutes. This included filling out a form, chatting, stripping to the waist and redressing.

For me this is really important especially as my mother has just had a mastectomy because of a lump she found.

October is breast Cancer awareness month so my appointment was quite appropriately timed.

I know its a thing that is joked about but it isn't as bad as they may say for we wouldn't go back for another!

Mammograms

Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need
to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the
exam and doing the following exercises, you will be totally prepared
for the test and best of all, you can do these simple exercises right
in and around your home.

EXERCISE ONE:

Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast in door. Shut the
door as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure.
Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first
time wasn't effective enough.

EXERCISE TWO:

Visit your garage at 3AM when the temperature of the cement floor is
just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the
floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a
friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently
flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat with the other breast.

EXERCISE THREE:

Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a
stranger into the room. Press the bookends against one of your
breasts.
Smash the bookends together as hard as you can. Set up an
appointment with the stranger to meet next year and do it again.

YOU ARE TOTALLY PREPARED!

AND, just a thought for all the women out there........

MENtal illness, MENstrual cramps, MENtal breakdown,
MENopause............

Ever notice how all of women's problems start with men?.........And

When we have real trouble it's HISterectomy!!!!

Send this to all women to have a laugh AND, don't forget to have a
mammogram!!!!!!

A Friend Is Like A Good Bra....
Hard to Find
Supportive
Comfortable
Always Lifts You Up
Never Lets You Down or Leaves You Hanging
And Is Always Close To Your Heart!!!

MEN, please don't take this personally... we still love you all!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Banoffee Pie


I have never made this before but Jennifer requested Mumma Burgers and Banoffee pie for her birthday tea the other day.

Hmm I thought this may need a bit of prep, so I searched my cookbooks and couldn’t find a recipe. It must be a recent invention, so I sought the internet for instructions and the best way to make it.
The first finds were so straight forward I couldn’t believe it. How come I had never made this before.
Then I discovered different flavour combinations.
I stuck to something I could easily make using a combination of a couple plus my own addition.
So this is my recipe.

Base
I x 200g packet of chocolate wheaten biscuits.
100g butter.
1 tbsp instant coffee

Filling
1 x 395 g tin of condensed milk
4 bananas
300ml cream
Dark chocolate

Place the can of condensed milk in a pot of water making sure it is COMPLETELY covered with water. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for three hours with the lid on the pot and checking it to make sure it is always covered in water.
Be warned - if it is not covered with water it will explode.

Crush the biscuits finely. I used the kitchen whizz but you could pop them in a sealed zip bag and crush with a rolling pin or put them in a deep bowl and use a glass base to crush them. My mum used to do it this way using a small cream bottle back in the days when milk and cream came in glass bottles.
Add the coffee and mix.
Melt the butter and mix into the biscuits and then press into a lined tin.
Cool in the fridge.

I used a spring base tin so that I could remove the pie easily. I lined the sides with baking paper so it was folded out to the outside of the tin. I then inverted the tin the right way up and put the base in making sure the base didn’t ‘catch the paper. (I had the spring catch open then closed it once the base was in place.)

The pics on the right show the tin upside down and then looking in from the top so you can see how the paper comes out the bottom.
This means when you are removing the pie from the tin to serve there is as little mess as possible.

I greased the base then pressed the mixture in letting it come up at the sides slightly.

Open the COOLED can of condensed milk VERY CAREFULLY and spread over the base. Warm the opened can slightly to spread if is it is too thick.
Cool in the fridge.

This can all be done sometime before the meal.
Peel and slice the bananas. I cut them in half then sliced them lengthways in to thirds and placed them close together over the caramel.
Beat the cream until soft peaks are formed but not too stiff.
Spread carefully over the bananas so they don’t move.
Grate chocolate over the top.
Remove the spring tin and paper and slide off onto a plate to serve.

Now the reason why I have typed in capitals in the making of the caramel is because I had a nasty burn.
I opened the can of condensed milk after I had boiled it, too soon after taking it from the pot.
Now I was concerned it might explode so I made sure the tear tab on this can was facing away from me. I used a towel to hold it as I carefully used the handle of a spoon to leaver the lid open.
Just as the first bit opened up shoot a spout of caramel like a fountain.
And plop it landed on my hand and my head and shoulder.
Silly me quickly wiped the caramel off my knuckle only to take the skin with it.
I held it under the tap for a while but the removing of the skin had done the damage.
Needless to say it is going to take a while to heal and will probably scar.
So be warned don’t open the can while it is hot.

The funny bit was that there seemed to be quite a stream of caramel come out of the tin and there didn’t seem to be all that much on me. However later that evening I looked up and discovered where the rest of it was!! Just shows you the force it came out at.



The ceiling above the sink!!

Friday, October 21, 2011

The Help


I went to the movies again this week with a couple of friends.
It's so nice to spend a day out with some girl friends, having coffee, catching a movie and chatting on the journey there and back.

This time we saw the movie The Help.

What a really good movie.
It brought one or two tears to my eyes (and some of those around me) and even more moving as you know it is based on a true story

The Help is based on the novel of the same name, by Kathryn Stockett .

Set in Mississippi during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, a southern society aspiring author returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a small Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to write a book detailing the African American Maid's point of view of the White families they work for, and their hardships they go through on a day to day basis. She tries to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen, Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say.

This movie has made me put the book on my list of reads.
It certainly gave me an education into the lives of southern Americans in the 1960's I wasn't aware of.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Let Your Spouse Know

A few days ago one of the readings in my daily reading The Word for Today, was about husbands and wives.

We have been married for 33 years and we have had more than our fair share of ups and downs, in fact times when it would appear that the marriage was over but when it all boiled down to it there was something deeper than what we even saw that made us fight for who we are and to not let the marriage come to an end.
It didn't mean just ignoring and accepting what was pulling us apart but that we had to take stock on what we wanted and make the stand and get help to stay together becoming stronger after each near fall out.

Some people have not understood why we have stayed together because of what was going on (the last earlier this year) and seemed to suggest that they would walk away and would even support me if I did.
Now that is of some comfort but like every other time something deep was making me want to keep what was sacred - our marriage - and so with God on our side we have come through this dark valley.

The study said this:

Song of Solomon 8:7
(AMP)
7Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.

Marriage is God's idea, and it's a good one. But if you're looking for someone who can be everything, you'll be disappointed! When you marry someone you take on their weaknesses as well as their strengths. It's a package deal. By expecting perfection, you're asking for more than either of you are capable of giving. However, when you get into trouble you can count on your partner. Marriage is having someone to curl up with when the world seems cold, who's as concerned as you are when the children are ill. It's having a hand that keeps checking your brow when you aren't well, and a shoulder to cry on when they lower a loved one into the ground.

To the one you marry you're saying, 'When my time comes to leave this world, it's your face I want to kiss goodbye. It's your hand I want to hold as I slip into eternity. I want to look into your eyes and see that I mattered. Not what I looked like, or how much money I made, or even how talented I was. No, I want to look into the eyes of someone who loved me and see that I mattered!' 

If you've been too busy lately, or just forgetful, take a moment and let your spouse know how much you appreciate them.

This was part of what I felt deep down.
We all have our "crosses to bear" but in the end it is Harry who I want to have there for me and me for him, for the things mentioned above.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Corned Winter Stir Fry


I really like corned beef but the rest of the family aren't that keen so a piece lasts awhile and there are also always left overs

I make a corned pasta and this is another recipe with lots of veges. It has a lot of preparation of the veges but its all happening while you are cooking it.

You can vary the recipe to suit what ever you have or want to use. Being corned pasta there is no need to add any salt.

The vegetables are semi cooked so they retain their flavour and the chewing means you take longer to eat it and so get fuller quicker (yes that is right)

Olive oil
Onion
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Carrot
Celery
Broccoli
Tomato Paste
and of course the corned beef

Heat a large frying pan (I use my electronic frying pan) and add a little oil.

Start chopping the veges into the same size - about 1.5cm cubes.
Fry onion pieces first. Stir. (1 large)
Peel and chop potatoes. Add, stirring as you do. (3 medium)
Peel and chop pumpkin. Add. Stir. (about a cup fill)
Chop carrots. Add. Stir. (1 large)
Allow these 'slow cookers' to fry for awhile stiring them to stop them sticking and allowing even browning.
Chop meat and add. Stir. (about 1 1/2 cups)
Cut up celery and add. (2 sticks)
Chop broccoli and stalks and add. (about 1/2 cup)
Stir and cook for a few more minutes.
Add a good dessert spoon of tomato paste and stir in well to make sure it is dispersed through all the veges and not in 'clumps'.
Taste a little to test if the vegetables are cooked enough and the meat is heated completely.
Serve.

Now this is such an easy dish it just means working all the way while it is cooking but it only takes about half an hour

Friday, October 7, 2011

Jane Eyre


I am part of a group of over 50's ladies basically from our church but others are welcomed and do join us in our activities.
We are called the "Aunty Pearls"
Anything that one of us would like to do or go to is mentioned and the word goes out from one of the three Duchess's to invite us all to join in.
It could be a lunch, a charity walk, a movie, fashion parade or concert, but what ever it is we have a wonderful time of friendship and laughter.
One of the specifications is to wear our pearls

The latest event was to go and see the new movie Jane Eyre.

I had heard that this movie was one of the closest in adaptation to the time (1847)  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was written which made watching it quite enchanting with an insight into the secenery, props and costumes.

The film did miss some of what I would have considered crucial parts but it still was a wonderful movie, one I would like to collect on DVD. It is two hours long but you did not feel like it was dragging, however the parts near the end that I knew seemed to be missed though they are talked about.
As the reviewer I had listened to said it is a story that is best filmed as a series rather than trying to condense it into a movie.

The actors chosen for the parts did an awesome job portraying their character.

Mia Wasikowska - Jane Eyre
Michael Fassbender - Edward Rochester
Judi Dench - Mrs. Fairfax

Jane Eyre  flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester . As she reflects upon the people that have defined her, it is clear that the isolated and imposing residence – and Mr. Rochester’s coldness – have sorely tested her resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. Jane must now act decisively to secure her future and come to terms with the past, and the terrible secret that Mr Rochester is hiding...

I would definitely recommend viewing this if you are at all interested in classic movies of this era.