Another day

Good morning all this morning it is dull and overcast but yesterday we had lots of sun and showers which was lovely so long as you didn't get caught in one of the downpours.  I had a little walk around the estate and took some snaps of plants that are doing well first is the Korean pine which is putting out lots of lovely pale green new growth   The choisya is in full bloom   The pittosporum is also putting out new growth which is pale green against the almost black mature growth And miraculously the wisteria has decided to put out some flowers instead of the usual multitude of leaves and sprouting branches.  It is not exactly a spectacular show but at least it has some flowers which makes a change and sometimes it can be as long as 10 years before wisterias flower. My tomato plants in the greenhouse are still alive and I also interplanted some coriander as the seeds have arrived I also had a kit of seeds which are sort of cut and come again leaves which I have also ...

Good morning all.  Well it was a day of mixed showers yesterday and today looks much the same the sun was shining five minutes ago and now it looks dark and like rain.  I did go to the greenhouse and planted up some coriander seeds which I thought I would stagger I will plant the next lot once this lot is sprouted and that way I hope to have a never-ending supply. On the Sandy front, she sent me an email saying she had had a bad night because she spent it comforting a fellow sufferer who was due to go home and then at the last minute they found a problem and he has to stay.  Typical of Sandy to help someone else but good news because it means she is well enough to do that so I am delighted.  Pulmonary embolisms are a known problem with anyone who is bedridden for any length of time hence the push to get people up and moving as soon as possible.  Anyway, it looks like it is just going to delay her discharge for a while I believe her other half took in 15 packets ...

Good morning all well as promised yesterday we had a wet day it rained continuously all day.  However, I am not complaining as the garden desperately needed it.   This is a photo of my apricot coloured lily which has reverted to green this year most peculiar I know that variegated plants sometimes revert to plain green but I have never seen this before. Not exactly vase worthy!!!! Yesterdays Sunday lunch went according to plan and I treated the skin on the belly as the Chinese do and it came up beautifully crisp and crunchy.  As I had new potatoes I just scattered them around the joint for the final hour in the oven and we had creamed leeks to accompany it.  Supper was nice and easy I made a tomato couscous with a sprinkling of garden herbs and we had it with slices of cold pork for supper.  As there is still a load left I think it will be on the menu for lunch today but with some meatballs which I made and froze.   I must admit I was quite happy ...

Good morning all and good news for the garden it is raining at last.  I must remember to check the greenhouse as it doesn't rain in there.  Yesterday I did very good impressions of a sloth and apart from making a nice couscous salad I did virtually nothing.  A bit of knitting and a lot of TV watching I have got hooked on some scandawegian thriller and I have 8 episodes recorded but as they are subtitled I have to pay attention and can't really knit well while reading. Today I have a lovely piece of belly pork which is going to be slow roast and hopefully have lots of crackling and I have a jar of apple sauce to accompany it.  My vegetable box is due today so it depends if it gets here early I can have a selection of vegetables as all I have left are carrots onions and potatoes.  I still have salad ingredients and stuff in the freezer but I think I will use up what I have before I start on the stores. I was very touched by a couple of stories of losses on the new...

Good morning all it looks like a gloriously sunny day today so I think I might have to water tonight but when I checked yesterday the pots still held some moisture as did the greenhouse.  I got my act together and sorted out the meat which had arrived beautifully packed in polystyrene and ice packs.  The only thing I noticed that was unusual was that the chicken thighs were cut differently including part of the backbone.   Anyway, I put them in the freezer as is but I will have to remember when it comes to cooking that they might be better boned out.  For lunch, we had a jumbo steak which did the three of us perfectly and as Denzil was home that made it easy.  I was really worried first thing when I saw he was still in bed and I thought he had slept through his alarm.  However, he had taken a days leave which I didn't know about.  The dogs were over the moon as they were taken swimming for their outing.  Dan is a real water baby and loves to ...

Good morning all yesterday was very dull and overcast I thought we might even get some desperately needed rain but no such luck.however just as I was serving lunch Keith the gardener turned up caused chaos as the garden has to be cleared of any messages left by the dogs and that is usually done before he comes.  It was really inconvenient however at least the clematis which was threatening to engulf my washing line has been cut well back.  My box of meat arrived late so I decided to leave it until today to sort out.  I didn't want to rush the job and mess it up and I know I am much better in the morning that I am in the evening. I worked hard yesterday morning and gave the kitchen a good clean including the cooker and ended up with the floor by which time I was poleaxed.  For some unknown reason, my nose was running like it was going out of fashion despite the antihistamines so I don't know what is causing that. I then became very breathless so I packed it in and wen...

Good morning all.  It looks quite dull here this morning but the sun might make an appearance once the clouds are burned off.  I aborted my shopping trip when I saw the queue at Tesco's which seemed to be a mix of old and young.  I don't know if they have stopped the hour for older folks I will have to have a look at their web page.  Anyway, suffice to say I swung around in the car park and headed home.  Well, at least I got to drive for 10 minutes which was some form of entertainment. James took my list and headed to Morrisons where there was no queue.  We are extremely fortunate we have Tesco, Aldi, Iceland, Asda Morrisons and Sainsbury's all within a three-mile distance so we can pick and choose.   We do have to make a journey if we want a Waitrose or something a bit fancy like Macnades.  Apparently, we are going to get a Lidl soon and they are putting it right opposite Asda.  I can't see all these supermarkets staying in business as ...

Good morning all well here we go another day in the lockdown not that it has much effect on my life which is centred around the house anyway.    I watered the garden yesterday and found that it had not dried out as much as I had anticipated so it didn't take too long.   James made a lovely chicken curry for lunch which we had with plain boiled rice but for supper, we pushed the boat out and had a mega prawn cocktail.  Shane, the fishmonger, delivered a kilo bag of ready to cook prawns and we ate the lot however it felt very extravagant but actually when I thought about it it was cheap.  £10 for supper for three people isn't bad at all.  Tomorrow I have a meat delivery coming from a catering company who are selling meat very cheaply - I think they are suffering from all the restaurants being closed.  I hope the quality is good it is all British farmed stuff so I hope so.  The quantities are larger than I would usually buy so I will have to spe...

Good morning all well I had a busy day yesterday.  I think I successfully dirtied every utensil in the kitchen but in the end, I did end up with a nice cold lamb salad, some roasted beetroot, 5 individual shepherds pies, a dish of melanzane parmigiana and a pot of scotch broth. Well the pies are in the freezer and the salad was eaten for lunch and the aubergines for supper so today I am left with some beetroot and a pot of scotch broth which will have to do for lunch and supper I will have to think about.   It was a beautiful day yesterday but we still had a very cold wind blowing which made it too cold to sit outside and besides next door were dismantling the scaffolding and making one hell of a row.   I did get my sheets on the line and I really do love bringing in lovely dry washing that has had the sun and wind on it.  I don't know if it is my perception, but somehow it feels cleaner than when it comes out of the tumble dryer, or it has been dangling ar...

Good morning all well the weather seems to have picked up, at last, we have sun and no freezing wind so it may well be a nice day to sit outside.   The leg of lamb was lovely and I have loads left so I am going to make a cold meat salad for lunch and the shepherd's pie for later.  As yet I haven't decided whether to make a big pie or individual pies to put in the freezer.  I have some aubergines and quite fancy making "melanzane parmigiana" which is a lovely dish and very filling.  I still have a good supply of salad ingredients and yesterday I found a butcher online who is selling meat at really knock down prices so I have put in an order which will refill my freezer.  It is due to arrive on Saturday so I think I will have to spend some time organising it into sensible portions for freezing.   I was feeling a bit rough yesterday so I spent quite a lot of time knitting and watching rubbish.  I did, however, have a purge on the bannisters whic...

Good morning all.  According to the weather forecast, it is due to get a bit warmer.  It has been sunny but there is a cold easterly wind keeping it a bit chilly.  I got round and watered the greenhouse and the tomato plants are not looking any better there are still two which look all but dead but I will wait and see some times they make miraculous recoveries.  Today we are due to have our Easter Sunday lunch with a nice leg of lamb which I am going to simply roast and serve with peas and carrots and silky smooth mash and gallons of gravy.  Then hopefully this time there will be enough left over for a shepherds pie.  I hope yours turned out OK Marjorie?   It is peculiar with this lockdown the days don't seem to matter at all and I just organise things in keeping with Denzil's shift pattern. He is off duty both on Tuesdays and Fridays so those are the days I chose for weekend food as there are three of us for each meal.   I'm not quite s...

Good morning all I didn't do any watering yesterday so today it is a priority as it is still very dry.  It never ceases to amaze me that following such a wet winter it only takes a few weeks for the ground to dry out completely. Presumably, all the terrible flooding has gone as we don't hear anything about it since the only news is virus related.  So far I have no personal experience of the virus killing anyone. It must be devastating I am sure.  However, with my purely pragmatic hat on it seems to be solving the ongoing problem caused by an ageing population who are also unwell.  The latest statistics I have seen show that those who die have an average of 2.7 comorbidities so they are already quite sick.  It also seems logical that care homes would be hit hard as they have a very vulnerable population.  Is this natural selection in action "survival of the fittest" and all that.  It is a golden opportunity to make significant changes in the way we live...

Good morning all it was a horrid cold and damp day yesterday but there was nowhere near enough rain for the garden - to quote Tesco "every little helps".   I didn't fancy outdoors so it was an ideal opportunity to make some kimchi which while not difficult takes some time.  I now have two jars which have been left in the warm to ferment then they will go in the fridge.  The lids of the jars are not fully tightened as I would rather not redecorate the room if they explode.  So far I have made quite a lot of fermented things and I have not had one explode on me yet but I am very aware of the problem of gas building up.   When I woke this morning I was so determined that it must be the middle of the night but sadly it was morning and I was awake and try as I might to get back to sleep there was no chance.  Another long tedious day to fill.  I found some yarn and in desperation, I am knitting a hot water bottle cover isn't that exciting.  Th...

Good morning all well this morning it is cold and damp and though we have had rain overnight it looks like there may be more to come.  Yesterday I did a shopping run to Tesco during their old peoples hour and very well organised it was and I must say it was lovely to shop in a really peaceful atmosphere no screaming kids running up and down the isles bashing trollies and generally driving their parents crazy.  I managed to get everything I wanted most of which was salad stuff but I did manage to get a leg of lamb at half price so I was pleased with that and it may well be on the menu on Tuesday which we often treat as Sunday as Denzil is off duty.  I think I now have the ingredients to make some kimchi which I have run out of so that will be on my todo list today.  I did mess about yesterday and made the dalgona coffee which is essentially an upside-down cappuccino.  It was fascinating to see the coffee whip up into stiff peaks which takes quite a while but work...

Good morning all.  It is bright and sunny at the moment though it is still quite chilly however the forecast is for rain and we really do need it so I am hopeful.   Many thanks to Annabeth for the on line coffee advice I will have a look around and see what I can find.  Fortunately, the machine will take ground coffee if necessary so that is a possibility both Lavazza and illy do nice ground coffee.  Yesterday we did a bit of fridge clearing and ate up the bits and bobs that were languishing.  Today I have a bunch of chicken drum sticks which I am going to marinate in soy sauce and garlic while I decide what to have with them I have potatoes rice and pasta so I am well stocked.  I think rice would go best and perhaps some broccoli or a spinach salad.   Then for supper, we can have some of the fish I have in tins so maybe sardines on toast or a tuna salad.  I must say that salad items are what I run out of the quickest and sadly they don'...

Good morning all well we are almost at the end of another week and let's hope the death rate starts to drop as we see the benefits of the lockdown.  I am down to my last bag of coffee and I am wondering if it is against the rules to go and get some more.  Given that it is a bit of a drive I think it would be frowned upon and I might just have to do without.  This looks nice and it is made with instant coffee so I might have to give that a try.  Slightly more calories than my usual black coffee but there is no doubt a diet will be needed soon.  dalgona coffee Not sure what is on the menu today we have lots of bits and pieces to finish up so I think it could be three different meals there is some of the Toulouse sausage casserole left and one chicken Kiev and a small quiche so I think it is going to be a fridge clearing session.  Then I will look for something sensible for supper.  I have leeks and ham and cheese so I could wrap the leeks in ham and cove...

Good morning all the sun is shining and it looks like another beautiful day but it is still quite chilly at 7 degrees.  Yesterday we got a few jobs done and I got round to watering the patio plants.  I moved my ginger and turmeric plants outside only for them to be hit by the cold snap so I hope they will survive.  My vegetable box arrived with a bag of wild garlic and so I set to and made a batch of cheese and wild garlic scones which eaten hot out of the oven with lashings of butter are really rather nice. I made large scones so that we could eat them all in one sitting rather than store them or watch them go stale.  I find scones need to be eaten quickly and are best still warm.   I'm not quite sure what to cook today I will have to have a rummage in the freezer and see what I can find.  I quite fancy a curry and I am sure I must have some chicken bits frozen.  I will have to see if I have any coconut milk or if not I can go down the tomato rou...

Good morning all.  I was just thinking its a good job I type the day at the beginning of each blog or I would have no idea what day of the week it is.  Denzil's shift pattern helps and he has decided that he will not do overtime so that they have to get more drivers and there are plenty of people needing a job at present, Tesco has employed 2,500 new drivers as the demand for home delivery is vast.  It is interesting to see the important people getting recognition You don't hear anything about hedge fund managers or merchant bankers these days as nobody seems to care about them.  I just wonder how much the world will change after this pandemic is over and will people remember those who were really important when the chips were down.  What happens when we are all bankrupt and every country is on its knees?  Wouldn't it be nice to reset the clocks to zero for everyone and wipe out all debt all overdrafts and everyone start again with a fresh slate?  A bi...

Good morning all well what a change it is chilly and blowing here and looks like rain which would actually be very welcome for the garden.  Yesterday was warm and sunny and as luck would have it I managed to get the lamb cooked OK with one bit in the oven the other in the halogen.  With it we had sweet potatoes tossed about in harissa and some carrots and a tin of peas.  It is ages since I have had tinned peas they are really not anywhere near as nice a frozen but tolerable.  Sadly we munched through most of the meat so there is not enough left for a shepherds pie.  Denzil is working today so he is going to look and see if they have any legs of lamb - they certainly had hundreds when I walked around Tesco but that doesn't mean they will have any in the staff shop. I think Joy might be right when she thinks my aches and pains could be due to tension.  I know I am very tense all day and find it extremely difficult to relax now I don't have my friend to keep m...

Good morning all yesterday was a nice day weather-wise and  I got the little jobs done that I had on my never-ending list.  My mood has somewhat lifted and I don't feel so terrible which is also good as it makes life more pleasant.  I am however riddled with old injuries right knee and shoulder and left elbow.  None of it is significant but just a nuisance.  I can't understand why these things have come back to haunt me as I have done nothing strenuous and I really haven't exerted myself in any way. On the menu today I have two pieces of lamb one is a rolled breast and the other is a sirloin so this is going to take a bit of thinking about as the breast wants long slow cooking but the sirloin will need much less.  I deliberately got out two bits as I want to have enough left over for a decent shepherds pie.  I much prefer shepherds pie made with lamb which has been roasted rather than lamb mince.  Anyway, that is the theory so let's hope I get my ...

Good morning all it is very misty this morning but as I got out of bed I saw a heron sitting on the fence eyeing up next doors pond.  I grabbed my phone and through the window managed to get a pretty poor photo before it flew away. Anyone with fish ponds around here has heron problems as there is a heronry at Allhallows which is quite close by and they like to come fishing in the ponds.  Our pond has straight sides and is a meter deep which means they cant stand and fish. It was built that way deliberately to avoid problems with the herons. Yesterday went according to plan the tomato plants and two pots of basil have been planted in the glasshouse so now it will be a case of watering daily until they get established.  I have a sprinkler in the glasshouse and so it is just a matter of turning the tap on and then remembering to go and turn it off again.  I have made a sign which I can put by my chair which says "water on" so that it reminds me to switch it off and I am...

Good morning all.  I have been moaning about the tiles in my bathroom so last night I took a couple of snaps.  The first is of a dirty tile and the second is one I have managed to clean but you cannot believe the amount of elbow grease it takes to get the dirt out of the embossed pattern.  Scrubbing with vim and toothbrush seems to help but it is still very hard work. Yesterday I spent some time in the morning making a big batch of bolognese sauce which today will go in the freezer.  I also had some ransoms to deal with so I made soup with some put some in a salad and the stalks were blitzed and frozen in the ice cube tray.  On the menu today I have some pork chops which I have coated with sage and onion stuffing mix and then I will need to do some veg to go with them I think a salad probably.  I must admit I had completely forgotten that it is Easter and for once Denzil will not be working on Sunday so perhaps we should have a proper Sunday lunch.  Th...

Good morning all.  Yesterday was busy what with the early start and my foray to Tesco.  Once home I made the miso soup ready to go in the freezer which I hope I can tip out of the ice cube tray today as I have some ransom stalks which I am going to freeze in the same way.  I took my tomato plants up to the glasshouse together with two pots of basil and gave the whole lot an hour of watering.  The soil in the glasshouse is very dry as it has been sheltered from all the rain.  I think it will need daily watering until it is damp enough to plant out the tomatoes. miso soup mix ready to freeze I then set too and made a large fish pie which did us for both lunch and supper and today I think I will get out some minced beef and some minced pork and make a big batch of ragu bolognese which is always handy to have in the freezer.  Hopefully, that will keep me busy as I do need to be constantly doing something as sitting down relaxing is not possible I just get anxio...

Good morning all.  Well, I have just got back from Tesco and have a cup of coffee while I relax a bit.  I was there at 5.30 so I was in the first group let in to the shop at 6am.  I did have a chuckle there was one guy who very carefully cleaned the handle of his trolly and then promptly cross-contaminated it as he obviously had no idea what he was doing. It was lovely standing in the queue as I got to enjoy the smokers sadly there were none really close so I couldn't get the full benefit.  I felt quite nostalgic for the days when I was a happy person.  Anyway, I managed to stock up on the items I wanted and I managed to get the miso paste and spring onions so I can make the miso soup I have been enjoying.  I also got some potted basil plants to go with the tomato plants which arrived yesterday and are looking a bit sad and in need of some TLC.  I will not plant them out just yet as I think they need a chance to recover from the postal journey before I...

Good morning all yesterday was a bit dull but it looks like the sun is going to shine today.  I did get out in the garden and did a bit of chopping of a clematis which has taken my washing line prisoner.  It is a bit of a hooligan and the whirly washing line is quite close so this is a recurring problem.  This is the second attempt I hope this will publish this time.   This is the hellebore I found hiding at the back of the flower bed and though it looks pretty washed out it is, in fact, quite a strong purple colour.   Today I am waiting for deliveries the fishmonger is delivering eggs and fish and then Riverford is delivering my vegetables.  On the menu for today there will be a fish pie but much depends on when the items arrive.  I don't think I have enough potatoes left to make the topping but I will get what I have on to boil and if necessary add to them.  I do have a secret stash of smash which I could augment the topping with. Sadl...

Good morning all.  It was a lovely sunny day yesterday and I managed not only to sew on a button but I took Denzil's curtains down and got them through the washing machine.  Then Keith turned up and pressure washed my hard standing in the garden which was a surprise.  I think he thought I was mad as I was labouring to get my parsnip puree through a fine drum sieve.  Well if you are going to do it, sometimes it's nice to do it right!!!  So yesterday was a relatively productive day and what was so nice was hearing that Sandie was off her ventilator and though it is very early days it was something positive to cling on to. It would seem that a corner has been turned in Italy the death rates are falling they are still dreadful but getting fewer and I believe Spain too is seeing some improvement.  Hopefully, in a week or two we too should start seeing the benefit of the lockdown.  There are still morons who are flouting the rules personally I would book the...

Good morning all.  It looks like it is going to be a nice day and it is already quite pleasant in the garden as I have been out and hung some tea towels which had been in soaking overnight.  I have no further news on Sandy's condition and I don't want to be a nuisance phone her other half.  As soon as I hear anything I will stick it on FaceBook.  I have been watching Dr John Campbell who puts up a blog every day with the latest information and figures from around the world.  I was very interested to see that they now have some idea about the transmission of the virus.  Apparently, you are infectious for three days before you have any symptoms and that then drops off significantly several days after the symptoms occur.  They have also found that the test is showing false negatives which is really bad news. I saw pictures in the papers of people in Regents Park and in Brighton do they not realise they are killing people just because they feel fine doesn'...

Good morning all.  Today looks dull and misty but it is supposed to get much warmer. Yesterday I managed to get my prescription from the pharmacy and now that I can order online things will be much easier.  I hope this is an improvement from the surgery being put in special measures as they were so abysmal.  I then drove to Tesco but when I saw the queue I realised that I would be lucky to live long enough to get into the shop and I decided there was nothing so urgent I was prepared to queue that long to get.  Apparently, it was taking about 2 hours of queuing to get into the store. I have put another meat order online which will be delivered on May1st by which time the freezer will be run down a bit.  Denzil cleaned the inch I couldn't reach in the bathroom and I must say I am delighted you have no idea how irritating that last dirty inch was.  I ran the hoover around and did the stairs and then washed the dining room and hall floors.  Of course, this...

Good morning all.  Sorry about the absence but though I wrote the blog I didn't post it as it was full of misery which none of us needs at the moment. I find early mornings very difficult as I am at my most depressed as I have to drag myself through yet another day.  I suppose it might be better if I wrote in the evenings when I have come to terms with things.  I have been trying to rationalise my feelings which really dont make much sense to me.  I have a long list of the things I dont want and nothing in the list of things I do want. My sense of smell and taste are still not right and I find that I don't want to cook because nothing tastes nice.  I made a mutton stew yesterday for today's lunch and had to get James to tell me if it tasted OK as I was ready the throw it in the bin.  He thinks it is fine so I will do some mash and peas to go with it but I can't say I fancy it as it tastes awful to me. I am hoping that Denzil will go to the pharmacy for me t...