Another day

Good morning all it is quite chilly this morning but still and clear so just about right for the time of the year.  I have just read Chrissie's blog and boy do I understand her I too am thoroughly sick and tired of the political stuff and I am now deciding how to show my disapproval of the whole lot of them. Yesterday I read "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity" and though my maths is not so good it made perfect sense to me.  It is just slightly terrifying but at the same time reassuring that what we are going through is just the way that things have always been.  Stupid people get into power and destroy the country.  The bit I found reassuring is that the numbers of stupid people are constant even amongst Nobel laureates.  So which of the stupid people do we vote for or against?  We are now going to drown in propaganda.   I rang the water people yesterday and gave them a piece of my mind I could ill afford and now have an engineer coming n...

Good morning all it is cold and very still here this morning not a breath of wind.  I finally got the bubble and squeak on to the menu for lunch along with some nice crispy grilled bacon but I still have quite a lot left so that is going in the freezer.  Fortunately, the cabbage which arrived in the box was only a small one so I should be able to lose that fairly easily.  I can't remember if I have ever told you about my real cabbage disaster which happened many years ago when the boys were toddlers.  At a farmers market they were selling cabbages at 6d each so as money was really tight I decided to buy the biggest one I could for that price.  I was delighted with my canny purchase and when I got home I put the cabbage on the scales just to see how well I had done.  It weighed 14lbs well you can imagine how difficult it was to try and get rid of all that cabbage we had it in everything and finally, in desperation, I rang my Mum and asked her how to make sa...

Good morning all yesterday was a day of waiting for the phone to ring and the water company to do as they promised.  Needless to say, they failed no phone call so we are none the wiser.  I would so like to return the compliment and make sure I am unavailable when they want me.  It is miserable just waiting for the phone to ring and not going out for fear of missing the call.  Right, that's got that off my chest.   It was a beautiful day if jolly cold having had a frost to start the day.  I did manage to get a photo of a red admiral who was gorging on the last remaining flowers of the buddleia.   This was no mean feat as butterflies are very aware of their surroundings but I did manage to creep up on it. Today I have a cooking day as I want to make lots of ragu for the freezer so I have a pound of minced beef and one of minced pork defrosted and ready to go.  Once it is done there are so many dishes that can be made with the re...

Good morning all we have the first frost this morning so winter is upon us.  That I am alive is a surprise as I thought my heart would give out watching the rugby.  It was so close and yet so far for Wales.  Anyway next weekend will see England in the finals and if they play like they did against the All Blacks they will do well.  However, I might need some valium to watch the match.  After the match to calm down I sat and finished reading the Bill Bryson and now I am going to post it off to Angela who is non-medical for an opinion.  It is difficult for me as I already knew a very large amount of what was in the book.  It covers a lot of medical history again a subject I did on the master's course so not news to me. As anticipated I have some cabbage and mash leftover so it is definitely bubble and squeak day.  I am now on tenterhooks waiting for the call from the water company to see what will happen next.  I also dug out the home insur...

Good morning all well miracles do happen after all if you didn’t watch the match you missed a real treat.  England won on merit they played brilliantly.  I must admit there were times I thought my heart couldn’t stand the strain. The Irish stew and cabbage went down well and today it will be oxtail and cabbage or maybe colcannon.  I have a lonely leek which might find its way into the mix. I forgot in all the excitement to tell you of the incident when the collared doves saw the mealworms for the first time.  Absolute terror - they flew backwards rather than land and eventually there were four of them gathered around all to scared to approach.  Finally a big fat wood pigeon just flew down and tucked in and didn’t die.  Then the others plucked up courage and joined in the feast. Needless to say I am glued to the TV and hoping for a Welsh win could it be an all UK final that would be a first.  Dan has come to join me to watch but I have tried to ex...

Good morning all well it has been a really windy night and I believe there is some nasty weather on the way.  However, I will be glued to the TV and the rugby so it won't matter to me.  The UK has two teams still in the competition so who knows we might get one through.   Yesterday I made the Jamie Oliver pie with loads of veg and a filo top which I am pleased to say got demolished for lunch and the leftovers were supper. I did the recipe with most of the ingredients however I did leave out the saffron as it would just have got lost in the amongst the harissa and preserved lemons and given the price of saffron I didn't want to waste it. I also have an Irish stew ready for lunch today and the oxtail needs a bit more cooking before it is really tender so that will just be set to simmer for a few hours while I am watching the TV.   Short and sweet this morning as the rugby is about to start and I need to turn a few knobs on the cooker before I settle ...

Good morning all yesterday the weather was foul but it didn't really affect my day.  I had a rude awakening when I got a call from the water company to check why we had used double the amount of water this year - well we haven't so there is a problem somewhere.  I was asked to check the stopcock and wait for another call on Monday.  Well, the stopcock works fine and I don't see what that tells you except that the stopcock works any way I am going to look out my home insurance just in case the problem is on my land, not a waterboard problem.  This could be an expensive problem.  That said there is nothing I can do until I hear back from the water company. Shiona arrived in a bit of a meltdown as on leaving home she had forgotten her handbag and it had been left in her porch.  The chances of anyone actually stealing it were slim but we did try to phone her neighbour to see if they could check however they were not at home.  Then, of course, could we...

Good morning all it is quite warm this morning and in double figures but apparently, we are due for rain and lots of it. James and I made the Jamie Oliver aubergine dish yesterday for our supper - it was easy enough and quite filling but it was essentially just an aubergine curry.  I must say of all the dishes you can do with aubergines there are others I prefer.  The all-time favourite is melanzane parmigiana closely followed by mousaka.  I did one medium-sized aubergine each which was quite adequate.  We had had a bowl of the pea soup and a fishcake and salad for lunch so I didn't bother with any rice for supper as nobody was really that hungry.  The dogs came to investigate what we had and gave it a resounding thumbs down.  Dan is really funny if you offer him something he doesn't like he sniffs then violently turns his head away to reinforce the point.  He is not fond of any vegetables and as for crisps, you would think he had been offered poi...

Good morning all I had a really rough day yesterday I think I was just very overtired what with several broken nights.  Dennie took one look at me and sent me straight back to bed and I slept like a log while she polished the downstairs to within an inch of its life. Today is chilly with light cloud cover but it is dry for the moment.  The ham hock was nice for lunch and the stock was perfect for soup so in went the last of my yellow split peas.  Lunch today will be soup and fish cakes and I will spend my time making the aubergine dish for supper.  Tomorrow I am out with Shiona so I will pick up something for supper at Macnades as that is where we are going for lunch.   I have almost finished the Bill Bryson book which I am going to post straight off to Angela who fancies it.  I must say it is mostly historical stuff of how we have arrived a what little we do know about the human body and the statistics make me glad I am not an American. ...

Good morning all I am up at stupid o'clock thanks to two things first I fell asleep early and then next doors dogs started barking which woke me and all I could think about was hot coffee so in the end I got up and made coffee.  I had obviously had enough sleep but it is difficult when you have others asleep in the house so I have to creep around.  I would like to make a start on things in the kitchen but I really don't want to be banging pans and dishes about.  I put a ham hock in the instapot to cook yesterday and that needs to be dealt with.  I am hoping that the stock from the hock will not be too salty to make some nice soup. I think I am due another savoy cabbage in my vegetable box so if it is salty I can use it to boil the cabbage in.  Then I would like to make a batch of individual bubble and squeaks to put in the freezer.  They always come in handy with all the cold meat that is due over the Christmas holidays. The wonderful Dennie is due tod...

Good morning all it is raining here but at least it is marginally warmer just into double figures.  I did a very good impression of a sloth yesterday and sat glued to the TV watching some fabulous rugby.  Though it is a game it really is quite brutal and how there are not more serious injuries is a mystery to me.  There have been the odd red cards but if I were the referee there would have been many more.  The nice thing about watching at home is you can scream abuse at the TV without the risk of being lynched.  I was sorry to see Japan out of the competition as they have produced some of the most beautiful rugby to watch. We had a very light lunch of scrambled eggs on toast and then fell into the takeaway trap for supper.  Today I have some duck legs which I cooked yesterday and a large savoy cabbage.  I blasted the legs in the pressure cooker and today they will get another blast this time in the halogen to crisp up the skin.  I have pu...

Good morning all it is pitch dark as I am up early this morning but that is because I fell asleep early last night.  I was exhausted from all the excitement of the rugby. England made it through but sadly Ireland lost to the All blacks, who we get to play next and given their current form I don't hold out much hope.  Today there is another feast of rugby with Wales v France followed by Japan v South Africa.  Sorry Remi but I have to support Wales for Stella and for Tak I will be supporting Japan [Tak and Stalla are both my nice neighbours]. Denzil is back to work today after his fortnights holiday so lunch will be just James and I so it is likely to be something on toast and then I will prepare something decent for us all for supper.  My meat from Heal's farm arrived yesterday so my Christmas large chicken is now tucked in the freezer.  I have cabbage and cauliflower to use up so perhaps a nice stew which I can make quickly in the instapot [pressure cooker]...

Good morning all they are playing the national anthem as I type so this is going to be really short as the Rugby is about to start and I will be glued to the TV.  I made todays lunch yesterday so I can have the morning off.  My coffee cup is full so I am off. Have a good one and please keep your fingers crossed for the England boys.

Good morning all it is another of the rain and sun days which is fine so long as you time your outside expeditions correctly.  I went out to the freezer last night to get some chicken thighs out and no sooner was I back indoors than the heavens opened and down came a deluge.  It is definitely getting colder and my thermometer is reading single figures.  I always hoped for a cold snap at Xmas so I could use the garage as an extra fridge. Yesterday's lunch was very germanic with sauerkraut and frankfurters which really upset the dogs who looked on in amazement as we tucked into a plate of dog treats.  I have used cheap and nasty frankfurters as dog treats and training aids as the dogs would turn themselves inside out for a piece of the sausage.  You can only imagine the look of complete bafflement on their faces and needless to say they were given a piece each.   On the menu today is a chicken curry which will include the newly discovered wonder...

Good morning all so sorry to be so late but I had a wakeful night and finally fell sound asleep when it was time to get up and had the phone not rung I would still be blotto. It is a beautiful morning here this morning with lovely sunshine. We were all delighted with lunch yesterday which was herrings in oatmeal fried in bacon fat and served on a slice of toast along with the soft roe which came with the fish.  It was a real blast from the past which even the men enjoyed despite their initial misgivings.  We pushed the turkey pie on until supper time which worked out really well.   Today I have frankfurters and sauerkraut for lunch and I intend to add onions and apples to the kraut just to brighten it up a bit.  I think supper will be fish fingers which are nice and easy and we all love them. I will keep this short as I am now so far behind schedule I really do need to make some headway in the kitchen. If you have this lovely sunshine do enjoy it....

Good morning all it is a bit of a damp and dull morning here though it is not actually raining we have obviously had some overnight as everything is dripping. Yesterday was a very successful day not only was the roast turkey thigh delicious but there is sufficient leftover to make a turkey pie today with the addition of lots of mushrooms which came in my box. The other success was the chutney which made three and a half one pound jars.  Note to self breathing boiling vinegar is bad for the chest!!! the half jar we ate with some cheese for supper last night. The recipe called for putting the chilli and ginger in a muslin bag then smashing it and fishing it out at the end.  However, in the smashing process, the muslin split and so I decided to pulverise the ingredients and leave them in.  What with the chutney boiling and the thigh roasting it smelt like Christmas lunch in the house.  I was delighted with the chutney even without standing to mature it was lo...

Good morning all well it rained on and off yesterday and looking at the forecast it is set to continue for the rest of the week.  At one point yesterday evening I noticed splashes in my water glass on the bedside table yes it was rain the wind had changed direction and it was raining in my room - time to close the door.   As you know I have been thinking of changing my car but I think I will wait and see what happens following, sorry for the swear word, BREXIT.  I don't want to make a mistake and buy German or French manufactured and then find I have problems later.  Which kind of leaves a quite reduced selection to choose from.  I think I will have to look at Japanese cars or at least look where the cars are manufactured.  I had a Peugeot at one time and it took over two weeks to get a new key from Paris I could have walked there and back in less time.  So as you can imagine I am nervous especially as I got a diesel car on the government's r...

Good morning all it is still dark here but it isn't cold, in fact, it was quite warm yesterday and I am dithering about when I should bring in the not so hardy plants which spend the winter indoors.  I have a kafir lime leaf which is struggling but has had a good summer out of doors then there is the ginger that I decided to plant which has taken off rather well.  My big pot of basil will just have to stay outside as I have nowhere to put it and it has now gone to flower and seed.  I then swap over the window boxes which have provided me with herbs through the summer for the boxes with the spring bulbs which I usually put a few winter-flowering pansies in for a bit of colour. Yesterday was a very lazy day as I discovered that there was rugby to watch even though the planned England France match was cancelled due to the typhoon.  Wales got through by the skin of their teeth but Japan made mincemeat of Scotland.  I was delighted for Tak that her country was d...

Good morning all believe it or not the sun is shining this morning but I don't expect it to last as I think there will be more rain on the way. Yesterday's meal plan for once ran according to plan and all I have left today is some cabbage which doesn't really go with the fishcakes I have on the menu.  They are Thai fishcakes so perhaps I can dress the cabbage with some sesame oil and soy sauce.  I also have some broccoli which will be treated similarly so at least it is all oriental tasting. I did sit and watch the rugby which was a resounding win for Ireland even though they were a man down for most of the match.  It is such a physical game that it is a wonder more players aren't seriously injured.  Anyway, we are now at the quarter-final stage of the competition so it is getting very exciting. I found a Turkish recipe which rather appeals to me it starts off with some boiled beef cubes which once tender are then shredded and to this is added chickpeas,...

Good morning all it is still pitch dark but Denzil has gone out with the dogs for an early walk.  Yesterday was a bit of a non-day I did very little but read and watch rubbish.  What a shame there is no rugby to watch this morning I guess I will have to do something else.  I am feeling very lazy at the moment and don't really want to do anything much.   I did try my kimchi which is actually delicious but I managed to breathe some chilli which sent me into a coughing and choking fit which was very scary.  Especially so as I had just read the figures for choking deaths in the Bill Bryson book.  Anyway, no lasting damage was done but I will be a bit more careful in future.   I was delighted to see that not only do I have my robin who is looking fat and plump but he has been joined by some blue tits and coal tits who have now discovered the food.  Hopefully, I can keep them fed over the winter when things get really tough for the birds....

Good morning all it is blowing a gale today and really feels like the autumn storms have hit.  Keith cleared up the garden and tidied up the leaves but you would never know as the wind had scattered leaves everywhere.  I suppose it would just have looked worse if he hadn't been so we must be grateful for small mercies.  Yesterday's lunch was a bodge job I had one portion of onion soup left so I browned off some mince then tipped the soup over it and put it in the instapot and gave it a good blast.  I had a savoy cabbage and butternut squash so I served those as accompanying vegetables.  Today I now have another dilemma as I have one portion of yesterdays lunch which I think I will have and the boys can have some homemade pizza which should be fine as I don't really like pizza and they really love it.  I must own up to having bought the pizza dough which does at least allow us to make them nice and thin and crispy rather than the thick pudding you can e...

Good morning all it is bright and clear here this morning which is great as it is Keith's last day of the season so I have to be here and have cancelled my trip to Shiona.  I had a busy day in the kitchen yesterday peeling and pickling onions as well as making the lunch and James continued the onion theme by making a french onion soup for supper. I also picked all the remaining tomatoes ready to either ripen or to make chutney Actually, I am amazed at how well the tomatoes have done given that they were started so late and survived in rather small pots for the size of the plants.  I can only imagine how much better they would have faired if they had had the benefits of the greenhouse.   I have woken up this morning exhausted from a terrible frustration dream I was searching Trieste for Sandie who was lost and in need of medical attention.  Thank goodness I woke up and realised it was just a dream but it has left me feeling very tired....

Good morning all it is a dull start this morning and we did have a good downpour yesterday but not until the afternoon so it was not a hindrance to us. Dennie came as usual and Denzil and I set off for Macnades and a statutory breakfast I am only glad it is not any closer or I would be in Queer street in no time.  I treated myself to a rarebit as mentioned in the Sunday times supplement and was delighted.  I restocked on coffee and then in a moment of madness I bought some pickling onions.  So guess who has many happy hours peeling onions?  Anyway, I intend to make the onions in the Italian fashion which is a sweet pickle and I have tracked down a recipe which seems doable.  I also got some pink grapefruit with which I intend to make squash.  The lemonade has really increased in bitterness after being left for a couple of days so with the grapefruit I am going to assiduously avoid the pith. I had a lovely surprise in the afternoon when Marjorie ran...

Good morning all still dark here at the moment but the light is just creeping over the trees.  Yesterday was peaceful and calm and Dan looks gorgeous and smells like a bouquet of flowers, however, he is completely exhausted an afternoon at the groomers really take it out of him and he is always ravenously hungry when he gets back then once fed he collapses in a heap and just sleeps.  Sadly there is no way to explain to Tubby that Dan is at the groomer not out for a fabulous walk.  Tubby just cries because he has been left behind. Lunch was late at about 2pm but I had done all the prep work so it was just a case of turning a few knobs and waiting.  There is nothing quite like a lovely plain roast chicken with piles of assorted vegetables and lashings of gravy.   Supper was cancelled as we were all still full from lunch and I have one breast and one leg left to make sandwiches with today.  I will get that all sliced up and get the carcass into the i...

Good morning all it is still pitch dark so I have no idea what the weather is like.  Yesterday turned into a drama and the chicken got put back in the fridge.  I think it must be rutting season!!! Anyway, all is quiet now and Denzil is off to take Dan to have his hair done but as yet I am not sure what time or when to do lunch or should I postpone the chicken for supper time so in the meantime, I will get the vegetables ready.  If I get everything ready then all I have to do is turn a few knobs and a meal will appear. We had a very wet morning but it brightened up in the afternoon and was quite pleasant I still have tomatoes on the vine which are struggling to redden, I foresee a pot or two of green tomato chutney on the horizon.  Tomorrow I would like to go to Macnades as the coffee supplies are very low and I need a restock then on Wednesday I am off to lunch with Shiona and Sue which will be great.  Shiona has lots of apple trees so I may gather a few to...

Good morning all it is anything but a Sun-day it is hosing down with rain.  Denzil is on holiday for a week so that will be nice and I don't have to work out how many for which meals.  Today I have a chicken which I will roast very simply and then do an assortment of vegetables to accompany and I hope it is big enough to have sufficient left for supper this evening and soup tomorrow. The rugby was very exciting yesterday so I sat an watched but I am too much of a fidget to just sit and watch so I chopped vegetables.  I made lots of diced carrots to freeze quickly before they went soft and I sorted two bunches of spring onions into white parts and green parts and got them into the freezer.  I made an interesting salad for lunch which was red radicchio some radishes, spring onions and a nectarine.   The nectarine was needed as otherwise, it would have been very bitter. Anyway, while I was in vegetable preparation mode I decided to make a jar of kimch...

Good morning all.  Sadly I read your good advice about a crustless pie after I had braced myself and made the pastry.  However, I wasn't quick enough to get a photo of the pie before the mice got at it. I was actually quite proud of myself as the trimmings of the pastry were made into dog biscuits and the tiny knob that was left went out for the birds and the egg wash was microwaved into a dog omelette so absolutely zero waste. The tomatoes were made into a tomato sauce half of which I sent to the neighbour who gave me the tomatoes.  Having discovered that the leaves of the tomato plant are not poisonous I added one leaf to the sauce for added flavour which made quite a difference.  Especially as these were British tomatoes so largely skin, pips and water.  So for lunch today we will be having that sauce with some chorizo bits and some pasta and probably a big salad to go with it. I am intending a very lazy day today as I have the rugby to watch ...

Good morning all well yesterday was not quite as expected I shot out bright and early and had my nails done and have gone back to my "Cruella Deville" red which I really like.  I then drove over to Len and Margarets but they had decided that they didn't fancy going out so Margaret had made lunch.  Bless her heart she is the first one to admit she hates cooking so some tinned soup and a Sainsbury's cottage pie were on the menu which was fine and in fact worked out well as there was some pie left and I caught her about to throw it out but rescued it for the dogs.  It was good to have something delicious for them as I was going to mix their worming powder in with it and hope they didn't notice.  Of course, they did notice but ate it anyway but not before I had received a few dirty looks about the strange taste of the meal.  In my ridiculous way, I explained it was a commercial pie that's why it didn't taste right.  I find myself having the most stupid one-wa...

Good morning all, yesterday was actually a lovely day with lots of lovely sun and no rain and I believe today is going to be much the same. We finally finished the roast pork in sandwiches last night for supper and today I am out for lunch but first I have to get my nails done.  My appointment is early which will make parking a bit easier. I have been meaning to take a photo of next doors balcony as it has had a lovely display of flowers throughout the summer. They are on the wain now but have been a joy. I’m going to keep this short as I need to get going and get to the nail place.  Have a good one!

Good morning all it has been a very chilly night and mostly dry but I believe there is more to come from the storm.  This is a buddleia which is self-seeded into a spare pot it was looking so healthy and happy I didn't have the heart to dig it up.  It is now in full bloom and the insects are loving it.  It is going to get a severe prune in the spring but I will just let it do its own thing. Yesterday was Sunday lunch and we had a nice piece of pork shoulder to roast along with all the trimmings.  I did potatoes, creamed sweetcorn, leeks and broccoli to go with it as well as stuffing and apple sauce made from some windfalls from my neighbour's tree.  There is enough leftover for a meal today so I won't have to do much this morning. I had to chuckle while I was watching a program about archaeology I had the subtitles on so as not to have the volume too loud.  They were describing finding human remains in a medieval SYMMETRY they don't often make...

Good morning all can you believe it is already October where has this year gone?  It seems only 5 minutes ago that I was typing that we had at last reached double figures on the thermometer.  Yesterday was dry for the most part but it did start to rain around 6pm however it was not heavy and it did go on overnight but nothing dramatic. Today being the first of the month it is ears day in this house as Dan has thornit powder put in both his ears to keep him ear mite free.  He then gets a biscuit as a treat for being a good boy so of course, Tubby wants to join in too so we just pretend to put the powder in his ears so he can have a treat as well.  Tubby doesn't need the powder as he doesn't have big floppy ears like Dan.  I also check the bank accounts, read the meters and check the salt level in the water softener then I sharpen my knives and that is my once a month set of jobs done.  It is also our Sunday lunch day as we are all here and I have a nice...