Another day

Good morning all I am a bit late this morning as I had a bit of a lie-in.  Yesterday saw the end of the stag embroidery which is pinned out and beginning to dry.  So I mounted up a new design which I will start today.  I have only just realised that because the work requires very close inspection it always looks messy but at a distance, it doesn't look so bad.  I also have to remind myself that I am new to this craft so perfection may take some time. And now for something very exciting I found that Amazon sells a very low carb bread, it costs a fortune but it is actually delicious so much so that all I ate yesterday was a ham sandwich.  And today I am going to have scrambled eggs on toast to see if it toasts ok.  When you haven't had bread for months it is quite a treat and coming off my water fast I was quite happy with just a sandwich.  I must say that I am amazed that people can do 21-day fasts when all I managed was 2 before I was prepared to rip t...

Good morning all. What a miserable day it was yesterday.  I broke my fast at the 50-hour mark and I am down a pound and a half, which no doubt is all water.  I got hungry at 24 hours but it passed easily however then I  began to worry that once I started to eat again I wouldn't be able to stop.  However, I didn't blow the carb budget.  I must say that I felt fine not at all what I expected my body adapted fine to having no food.  This might seem weird but this is the first time in history that there is enough food to eat not once a day but 3 times.  So a little fasting will not harm it is amazing how easily I have moved to just the one meal per day but I do sometimes split it into two portions.  I also know that I eat out of boredom more than hunger. Well, surprise surprise it isn't raining yet. it is very dull and overcast with glimpses of the sun slipping through the gaps in the clouds. There is a stiff breeze blowing which is bringing down yet ...

 Good morning all well it looks like a wet one today.  It isn't really a problem except I prefer decent light to sew by. As you all know by now physiology is a subject I am fascinated by so following listening to a lecture from a nephrologist I am trying out a water fast.  The last time I ate was Tuesday evening.  I must admit I was hungry for a little while last evening but have woken this morning feeling fine with no need or want of food. Strange indeed.  I know some  people do 21-day fasts but I will just chug along until I feel the need for food. I am taking care that my electrolytes don't  get out of kilter. Coffee tea and Bovril seem to be fine and of course, water. I am in no way recommending this but I will be interested to see how it goes and if I find it beneficial.  I believe it is the ultimate detox by just giving your body a chance to do repair work instead of constantly processing food.  Any way we will see how this pans out....

Good morning all well I had my audiology appointment and my hearing is no worse than the last time it was tested but it still warrants a hearing aid so next, I will have an appointment for having one fitted in a couple of weeks time.  The hospital was like the Marie celeste which is quite eerie and disconcerting I sat alone in the huge waiting room where there was a big sign saying audiology closed.  Then I spotted a sign saying to wait if you had a booked appointment.  I was pleased that I finally got on to the hamster wheel that is health care here at present. I have a letter for my GP which I may just throw into the post as far as I can tell they file letters so no doubt this one to will not see the light of day.  I know I shouldn't be so cynical but years of dealing and working with the health service have left me a little jaded, to say the least. Yesterday was a wet one it rained all day and the light was not good for sewing so I didn't get as much done as I had...

Good morning all my head still hasn't come to terms with the hour change I'm sure the older I get the more it affects me.  The dogs dislike this change as they get everything late but when the clocks go forward they think it is Christmas everything is early.  I must say I really don't see the point of all the clock changing. I remember being on nights you worked the extra hour but no extra pay or time off you were just expected to work for love, not money.  Sadly we had bills and rent to pay and money was actually important. Today I have an order coming from Tesco, my veg box arrives and so by tonight we should once again be fully stocked.  I have ordered a few goodies towards the feasting like a whole tin of sweets/chocolates.  Funny as it may seem I am quite happy to put them away in a cupboard as they don't tempt me a bit. I also have an appointment at audiology this afternoon at 5pm and now I have a road-legal car I can drive myself to the hospital.  I ...

Good morning all and today we have sun well at the moment we do but things are very changeable so who knows if it will last. It is, however, a chance to sit in the sunlight with my coffee.  I also have a piece of the embroidery which I am unhappy with so I know I will have to unpick it and have another go. The hour change really threw me yesterday because I woke normally so that was an hour early and it just got worse from there and I was ready for bed at about 9pm worn out.  I had made soup for lunch with the remainder of the guinea fowl which was very light and then I was going to have my fried eggs and spam for supper but I ran out of enthusiasm and ended up with a kebab and salad which I consider to be fine for my dietary requirements as the pitta bread goes out for the birds.  Sadly the kebab shop is only 200yrd from the front door and there is a second one about a quarter of a mile away and they deliver.  We have more Indian,  Chinese and Thai not to menti...

 Good morning all we had a very stormy evening which will no doubt bring down tons of leaves.  I always think it is such a pity that the autumn storms put pay to the lovely colours of autumn as the world turns into a sepia print until the first green shoots of spring bring back hope.  It must have been very difficult to face winter after a bad harvest.  It is no wonder that I feel the need to conserve things.  Yesterday I got a small meat delivery which included a calves foot which spent 16 hours slow cooking I now have my own jellied stock and the dogs thought the we're in heaven when they got the meat for their supper.  In that delivery were some chickens feet so I gave one each to the dogs.  In a complete reversal of roles, Dan munched his but Tubby spat his on the floor and walked off in disgust.  I picked it up and put it on a low table the watched as Dan noticed it and helped himself.  He has never stolen anything in his life but this w...

 Good morning all so sorry to be so late but I had a computer problem which I hope is now solved.  It needed fixing as I couldn't get into my email.  I am rapidly running out of new passwords.  I love my computer when it does what I want and hate it when it doesn't. It was driving me crazy before the clean up now it's driving me crazy in a different way. I decided to risk the scales this morning and am pleased to see a small fall which I am delighted about.  I am still happy with the food so I will just keep going.   We have a lovely sunny day so I will be eager to get on with my sewing.  The men are sorting out their own lunch and I am roasting a guinea fowl for supper.  I think we may have to have it with a salad as I am out of most veg I may have to use frozen. Well having wasted so much time on the computer this morning I had better get a shift on and get my chores done. Hope you too have some sun it does make you feel better. I think I have ...

Good morning all the sun is shining this morning but I think it might be temporary but I will take my coffee outside and drink in both coffee and sunlight.  Dan came home from his day of trauma tired hungry and need of the garden facilities.  Tanks emptied belly filled he was ready for bed.  Tubby made the mistake of leaving his plate unattended and returned to find it empty, Dan had demolished his food and Tubbies was going begging so he finished that too.  Schoolboy error on Tubbies part. I had a take away for supper which didn't blow my ketosis as it was a kebab and salad the accompanying pitta bread was donated to the birds.  I don't know how they manage to get the meat so tender but they do. I have no idea what is on the menu for today I have some mutton chops which I think would do fine and I have courgettes which go with anything so they will do fine.  And of course, we have copious salad as usual.  James is having a go at using my new instapot ...

Good morning all it is still dark outside but I finally have my computer back.  It is going to take me some time to learn how it now works at the moment it is screaming at me for passwords for everything.  Which of course I can't remember. I hate passwords at least my iPad recognises my fingerprint as does my phone but this old thing is almost an antique 2012 which in computer terms is last century.  Anyway, I like typing on a keyboard and I like a mouse to manoeuvre around the screen. I suppose it is rather like a comfy pair of shoes they may not look great but they feel just right. Today's excitement is for Dan he is off to the groomers so I know he will return exhausted, smelling of butterscotch and very beautiful. Denzil is taking him as it is a longish run to shooters hill which is London.  The Medway towns are in an interesting position in that it is 30 miles to Dover and 30 miles to Marble Arch. Denzil will sort himself out for lunch so all I need is to prepar...

 Good morning all, and yes it is a wet one.  I was very pleased with my shopping trip and saved myself £20 with Denzil's magic card.  I now have a very small bronze turkey and a small goose in the freezer my veg is delivered so we can sort out some feasting even if we are all locked down. Yes fresh is better than frozen but some is better than none.  And if the worst comes to the worst they will make a delicious soup.  Dennie came yesterday and she was in a bit of a state.  They had had a death in the family and she was very distressed.  What to do? Sod social distancing I wrapped my arm around her and she cried bitterly on my shoulder.  That was exactly what was needed once the flood was done a strong coffee and some tissues and off she went scrubbing my kitchen to within an inch of it's life.  She is the strong one in her family but she needed a safe place to really let go.  I'm thrilled that she felt able to let go of her emotions wit...

 Good morning all.  It's still dark outside but it is already drizzling with rain.  Good job I got most of the laundry done and dried yesterday.  I also decided finally to get my duvet out of retirement and back into service.  Now this is going to sound like a silly moan. I sleep with the balcony door open but I have folks on both side with log burners so when they light up all I get is the smell of the smoke, it's as if I have a big bonfire in the garden. In answer to your question about the mushroom so, it was a pure guesswork job. I had a punnet of mushrooms which were drying up and needed using up. So I chopped onion and a clove of garlic and sauteed in some oil and butter.  Meanwhile soaking in boiling water I had emptied my stock of dried mushrooms which included about 50/50 dried seps and dried shitake.  This was then added along with the fresh mushrooms and a knor stock cube (chicken) it then got 30 mins under pressure.  Finally, I blitz...

 Good morning all, it is another dull chilly day but at least it is dry.  It is the time of year thoughts turn to Christmas. Or perhaps we are still celebrating Sol Invictus as commanded by the emperor Aurelius in 274AD.  I'm not sure if I should sacrifice a goose or a turkey. I might go mad and do both after all if we are to be locked up for the holidays we might as well go full Roman and have days of feasting and general overindulgence. Denzil is the only one who likes Christmas pudding so I will probably buy a small one for him. I intend to abandon all thoughts of dietary restrictions and eat exactly what I fancy, so the roast potatoes will be cooked in goose fat. Yesterday’s soup was lovely and today I have some mushrooms that need to be used so I think mushroom soup is on the menu.  I also made some smoked salmon mousse's with my own gelatin, and lots of cream. I think Denzil would like to go shopping today as he has a double points card to use up so if I have r...

 Good morning it is dull and cold this morning and I have slept in very late but I had a bad night so I feel a bit wrecked today. I did have a successful batch of pork crackling but by the time I got the camera I was lucky to get this photo And no the dogs were not responsible for the rapid depletion leaving them to cool in full view was a big mistake. In the end, I decided to unpick my stitches and it was the right choice the section is much more to my liking now. Another lesson learned if you aren't happy it will bug you forever so bite the bullet and redo it. Today I have leftover turkey thigh which is not enough to eat cold so it is going to make some soup along with the bone broth I have already made.   So time to chop a few vegetables and get the soup on and of course the new toy will cook that in super quick time. The sun has just made an appearance so we may have a nice day.  Hope you have a peaceful day.  

 Good morning all. It is dull and miserable this morning but currently, it is still dry and not a breath of wind. Yesterday was a good day in the kitchen and I left the bone broth to depressurise naturally.  So it will be today's job to strain it off. The new toy is a nice upgrade on my old one so I don't feel too guilty.  On the menu today I have a turkey thigh to roast and I think I will do cabbage and leek by way of vegetables. I did a bit of embroidery in poor light and this morning it will be unpicked as in the cold light of day I am not happy with the results. Fortunately, they supply way too much yarn so redoing a section is not a problem. I am hopeful that the indicator light bulb will arrive soon and we can finally get the car back to a legal position.  I am still reeling from the shock of having to get a bulb from the USA. Well that's about it life is a bit on the boring side, to say the least. If you saw the film Groundhog Day you will know what I mean. Ha...

 Good morning it is dull and grim-looking this morning.  I am a bit late again but I have to admit that as my new toy arrived yesterday evening my first port of call was to get the broccoli soup on.  My main computer is still away so I had to wait until the soup was underway before legging it back upstairs to the iPad.  Once the soup is done, I have some oxtail ready to go in the pot next and then all my saved carcasses are going in to make stock.  So I have a good day in the kitchen today.   The embroidery is coming on well but the really difficult stuff is yet to come. Wish me luck! It was lovely to see Len and Margaret yesterday and as usual, we have cured all the worlds problems.  Margaret seems to be much better her gout seems to have been helped by copious doses of cherries.  True or placebo doesn't matter she feels better for it, so fine. Well, the toy is bleeping so I guess my soup is done so on with the oxtail. Oh and while I'm down in t...

 Good morning all yesterday was a good day as finally, my yarns arrived.  However, so did a polystyrene box the kind you get meat in if you order online. I have an order due next week so I was surprised.  Anyway, I opened the box and it was full of fresh air. So job one, take a photo then contact the farm now everyone is befuddled they have no idea how this happened and neither do I my order is still on track for next week so it is all a mystery. I was very naughty with the Amazon sale and decided to upgrade my instapot.  I used it almost daily and also for making bone broth and stock. this newer version has sous vide facility and bread proofing as well.  I did resist upgrading my iPhone or iPad which though tempting was just too much money to waste. I intend to move the old instapot to the garage where it can sit making bone broth which takes about 12 hours and it will be out of the way.  Today Len and Margaret are coming for coffee it will be nice to see...

 Good morning all. Yesterday was a washout weather-wise it rained for most of the day. We got the shopping done and decided on celery soup and then smoked mackerel and salad.  I then thought I would try an experiment.  The calves foot jelly is how the Victorians made their spectacular jellies so I wondered if you could make panna cotta so I heated some double cream and added a dessert spoon of the jelly. I added no sugar or flavouring just to see if the cream would overcome the slight beef taste.  Well, that was a great success you wouldn't have known it was not a packet of gelatin.  So flushed with success I am going to make one with smoked salmon as my starter for supper. My main computer has been driving me crazy it is very slow so yesterday an engineer came and collected it and hopefully he will get it running a bit more smoothly.  I am using my iPad instead which I prefer. Well the sun is shining and I am going wrap my warm dressing gown round me and ...

Good morning all.  This is a photo of my lovely yellow tree who's leaves are already falling.  The section of my kitchen roof is both a bird table and my coffee in the sunshine spot.  What you can't see is a very heavy aluminium chair which is solid enough to stay put even in high winds. From this perch, I get a good view of the garden.  I may be a bit premature but since I have started my dose of daylight I do seem to be sleeping better. Today Denzil and I are going to hit the shops and have a bit of a restock and hopefully find something nice and easy for supper tonight.  The only take away I can have is a kebab and salad without the pitta bread.  All the others seem to shovel sugar into their dishes so I steer well clear. Sorry to be a bit short this morning but I need to get a move on I have made a list and who knows I might even take it with me!  

Good morning all.  You will be pleased to know that I managed to stay verticle and slept well without any falling out of bed.  I am still a bit sore from the previous night's escapade and I still have no idea how I managed to land on my face.  I had intended to make broccoli and stilton soup but the broccoli I thought I had in the freezer turned out to be leeks so it was leek soup instead. I only used half the bone jelly for the soup so I am not sure whether to make more soup or freeze the jelly for some other time.  It is no wonder that they used calves feet to make jelly I can't believe how solid it is. Denzil has two weeks of holiday so I do hope he takes himself off for days but if he is happy just staying at home that's fine too.  As he drives all day every day I guess maybe just not driving is a holiday.  Dan will be delighted as he is the one that sits on the stairs so he can see through the half glazed front door waiting for Denzil to return.  ...

 Good morning all.  Sorry to be so late but I managed to fall out of bed and have pulled a few muscles I never knew I had.  Don’t ask how I managed it I haven’t got a clue I was going to the bathroom half asleep and the next thing I knew I was on the floor draped in skeins of embroidery yarn. I have therefore had a bit of a lie in.  Any way I am un damaged just a bit of wounded pride and a couple of sore spots. So far nothing has been organised for lunch but I’m sure we can put some thing together from my well stocked larder and freezer. Plus I have some lovely calves heel broth which has cooled and set like concrete. Perhaps today is a good soup day. It’s lovely sunny day and I am going to get a coffee and sit in the to drink. Have a good day and try to stay upright 😂😂😂

Good morning all. I was really fed up yesterday it was lovely and sunny so I prepared all the food for the day and then decided that not only would I have my coffee in the sun but I would organise to do lots of stitching.  I got myself all organised, chose the next bit to do then discovered that I didn't have the correct colour yarn.  At this point, I checked the rest of the colours and discovered there were many missing so I emailed the company who will send me the correct colours next week. They asked for a photo of the colours that I have which I assume must be for a different kit.  Needless to say, I was madder than a wet hen! This is the set of yarns I have and only one of the greens is correct and that of course is the one I started with.  I never thought to check before I started.  So I have a long boring weekend.   I have wracked off another half litre of vinegar and I still have another batch on the go. I must say that of all the fermented things I...

 Good morning all.  It has rained overnight but now the sun is shining and it looks like a lovely day.  Fingers crossed it stays that way.  Yesterday while I was stitching two magpies landed on the kitchen roof.  There were about 10 chunks of stale cornbread for their delight.  However, only one piece was worth taking so a massive fight ensued.  Both birds tumbled off the roof and flew off still fighting and the precious piece of bread was soon scooped up by the pigeons.  There must be some sort of moral involved in this story but it was interesting to watch. For our meal I did the chops with cabbage but I added a leek to the cabbage. As I had shredded everything it only took moments to wilt down in a large knob of butter.  I must say the two veg together were greater than the sum of the parts and this is something I will be doing again.  I like cabbage but it can get boring in quantity. We are still waiting for our light bulb to arrive ...

Good morning all.  I got two loads of washing dried on the line yesterday it was dry all day but this morning we are back to blustery drizzle.  Yesterday, we had the roasted butternut squash soup which was made with my bone broth which had had 8 hours of pressure cooking and the big knuckle bones went to the dogs so it is really quite economical but I now have acres of crunched bone all over the house but nothing the hoover can't cope with and I have two very delighted dogs.  As the broth was beef I had a bit of cooked beef left which I chopped into bite-size bits and added to the soup, sort of interesting croutons. I also have 500mls of beef dripping in a jar ready to make Yorkshire puddings when they return to our menu.  I must say that the nicest chips I have ever eaten were at a chippy on a campsite in Norfolk and when I inquired I found that they were fried in beef dripping. Today, I have some pork loin chops and a small savoy cabbage, which I think will make a ...

Good morning all, yesterday I managed to get one load of washing dry on the line and today there are still two loads of whites to go and it doesn't look very hopeful outside it may be a tumble dryer job just to get it out of the way as quickly as possible. I made a bit of a mistake yesterday for lunch we shared 2.5 kilos of mussels for lunch it was a real feast they were simply cooked with oil parsley and garlic and a splash of cider vinegar and a good splash of double cream at the very end.  That was not the mistake but by supper time we were all hungry and James suggested a curry from the takeaway.  No rice but sag paneer [spinach and cheese] so it looked ok for us but the first taste told me it was sugar ladened - I had never noticed before but not having anything sweet for 2 months you certainly notice its presence.  I hope it is not enough to knock me out of ketosis so today I must be very strict to make up for that little error.  I have made some bone broth and...

Good morning all I know this is hard to believe but we had a dry day yesterday and we even saw some sunshine too.  It has rained overnight but it is currently dry however I'm not hopeful for the rest of the day as it is very blowy and cloudy. Good news my new embroidery has arrived and today I hope to get started.  Yesterday was spent organising the yarns and reading the instruction manual so hopefully, I can get underway today.  Dennie is here already and I really need to get myself dressed and showered probably best the other way round showered then dressed. James is talking of going to buy lots of mussels for lunch which sounds good to me but as yet I have had no other ideas I do have some good bone broth which I made yesterday and I know I have a butternut squash coming in my veg box so soup may be on the menu. Sorry to be a bit brief but I am running late so I had better stop scribbling.  Have a good day and stay safe.

Good morning all.  Surprise it's NOT raining but from what I have been reading Europe is having flash flood and landslide problems from all this rain. We here are just wet and miserable.  The rain has not been constant there have been short breaks but just long enough to dash to the garage and grab stuff from the freezer or a quick run to the washing machine which is also outside in the shed.  I was trawling about through my photos last night and came across this one from 100 years ago when I wore a mask every day and thought nothing of it. If you wonder why I look so chunky it is because I have a lead apron under the gown. I must admit though we worked hard and long hours we were happy as we knew it was worthwhile. Sadly I have a large bowl of salad left from yesterday so I think I will do burgers for lunch and hope someone helps me out with the salad which has lots of radicchio rosso so it has stood up to being dressed and hasn't collapsed completely. There is no sign o...

Good morning all well it is still raining nothing dramatic but enough to make life miserable.  First the saga of the bulb we have managed to get one on eBay and would you believe that it is coming from the USA on fast postage which cost me £17 but it is better than waiting for 6-8 weeks.  We did thorough research of the UK and there is not a bulb to be had.  I know coronavirus has caused some industrial upheaval but this is just a bit ridiculous. Anyway, it is under control now so we just have to wait.  Thank goodness for eBay and Amazon who have got me out of many a problem.  I had a fairly lazy day yesterday as it was wet and nasty so I ended up watching loads of rubbish on the TV and I have a confession to make I had breakfast yesterday.  There was half a ladle full of oxtail left and I demolished it I did apologise to the dogs who were convinced it was for them. Tubby has been a bit off-colour for a couple of days and turned down his dinner but when he ...

 Good morning all guess what it’s raining again I don’t think we have had a completely dry day this week.  But on the good news front I am down another kilogram so this diet is definitely working and I know you will be gutted that I only had a lovely oxtail stew with cauliflower purée and shredded cabbage cooked with bacon for my supper.  I must say that in its simplest form it is meat and two veg only one isn’t potatoes.  I thickened the stew by blasting the celery and onions and passing it through a sieve.  Normally I would have also had some carrots but they are quite high in sugar. Anyway it was sumptuous.  Today is lamb leg steaks creamed leeks and buttered cabbage.  I think we need hot food at the moment with the weather so nasty. So that was the good now for the not so good.  The boiler packed up and we had no hot water.  So we rang the plumber and got instructions on how to reset it and bingo it worked and no call out fee.  Then ...

Good morning all although there is nothing good about the weather it is bucketing down and pretty chilly.  I was very good at Macknades and only purchased a couple of bits extra one was a funny card for my chef friend which was very appropriate and I also bought an oxtail which has spent hours in the slow cooker and will be on the menu today along with the magic mash and some cabbage all nice and low carbs. I bought 4-kilo bags of my favourite coffee which should keep me going for a while in case they suddenly have a major lockdown and stop us travelling any distance.  I must say I worry for my sister as she is a prime candidate for covid however she lives in the sticks in a village of 70 people so her risk I hope is lower than most.  We are no longer in contact since my services are no longer required so I hope no news is good news. Today I have the incredibly exciting expedition to have someone look in my ears for wax.  Surely this could be done by a chemist with a...

 Good morning all, oh my what a nasty wet day it was yesterday.  Today doesn't look much better at the moment.  I am off to Faversham to buy coffee and I think I will buy lots a lockdown is coming. No doubt I will come out with more than just coffee. I did laugh yesterday evening when I had my supper of salad a smoked mackerel with a nice 50/50 dressing of mayo and Greek yoghurt with a chopped avocado in it.  Well, I gave it my best effort but couldn't finish it neither of the men was interested so finally, it went to ”I don't eat fish Dante”.  Not only did he eat the fish but demolished the salad minus the cucumbers which were a step too far he did, however, suck off the dressing before spitting it out. I found an old hair conditioner and stupidly decided to use it well my hair came outlook worse than before I washed it.  So there was nothing to be done but reshampoo. Lesson learned to throw old conditioner away. Well, time for coffee and then off to Fave...