Another day

Good morning all and welcome to MAY.  I had a fairly successful day yesterday and got stuck into my sewing as the new yarn had arrived in the post.  Thanks for your comments the only thing holding me back from ordering both embroideries is the price. Both would cost £340 which I feel guilty spending on myself.  However, I can justify that sort of expense as I don't buy clothes or makeup or anything else personal except for my annual underwear renewal.  I must admit I begin to panic as I reach the end of an embroidery and I need something to look forward to. I was messing about on YouTube last night and stumbled across this film which brought back so many happy memories of days gone by.  If you are bored take a look and see what you can spot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TjRRZrMA8Q My assortment of cheeses turned up so we have a good selection to try.  It is fun finding so many cheeses I have never heard of I believe there are in excess of 800 for me to ...

Good morning all it is another bright sunny morning and still no sign of rain.  Can you believe that April has come and gone already?  The news here on the covid front is really good we haven't had any new cases for two days - painful though the lockdown was it seems to have done the trick and along with the fast roll-out of the vaccine. I just hope we aren't counting our chickens too soon.  James gets his vaccine next week so we will all be covered.  I have been filling in the ZOE tracker daily ever since it first came out and feel fairly secure that the information is accurate as they supply the government with the figures. We have now reached a quarter of the population having had both doses. James has plans for making a batch of bolognese sauce today which is always so useful to have in the freezer.  I am expecting two parcels today one of an assortment of cheeses and the other some yarn from the crewelwork company.  I have managed to do the second cush...

Good morning all.  We really thought we might get some rain last night but it is still as dry as a bone and fairly chilly. OK I prepared and cooked the cardoons - they were as bitter as hell and I have decided the best recipe for them is to compost them.  If you are tempted to try them my advice is don't. The only reason I can see to eat them is if you are close to starvation and have already eaten the grass from your lawn. Dan had another swimming session which leaves him completely knackered but he has successfully trained Dennie to give him biscuits.  She was confused as he kept pushing her toward the shelf so I explained that that is where the biscuits are and he felt entitled to a treat.  Dogs are much more successful at training humans than humans are at training dogs.  He gave her a demonstration of all he can do sit lie down and shake hand so a biscuit was definitely in order.  She also decided that one of the pot plants was in need of repotting and...

Good morning one and all, it's a fairly dull overcast sort of day at the moment but who knows it might cheer up later.  Keith the gardener came yesterday and basically there was little for him to do as with the lack of water nothing is putting on any growth So he spent quite some time watering things in pots which are really suffering. I had my vaccination yesterday and I was back at the car before the appointment time so that was pretty slick and what is more I had a security guard escort me to the car.  I was about halfway back to the car and was very breathless so I stopped and leant on a wall to catch my breath.  He appeared from nowhere asking if I was alright I assured him I was fine just out of gas so he insisted on escorting me to the car where James was waiting for me.  Some times it's nice being an old fart. It restores my faith in the basic kindness of humanity. Talking of which I was pleased to see the first planeload of medical supplies had arrived in In...

Good morning all well today is the day I get my second vaccine and given what is happening in India and South America I count myself very lucky.  James gets his first dose on May 7th so things are going to plan and hopefully the vast majority of people will be vaccinated by the July deadline.  Currently over half the population has had one dose and things are now opening up again after what has been a very long winter lockdown. This morning the sun is shining and the wind has dropped but it is still quite chilly.  A very nice plumber came yesterday and fixed the leaking toilet at a very reasonable price.  He and James got on like a house on fire as he too was ex met police who got PTSD and was duly thrown away so they had plenty of things in common. All the assorted back problems seem to be resolving gradually and with the three of us, there is usually someone to take up the slack if one of us is feeling under par. We have a leek and potato soup on the menu for lunch...

 Good morning all. Question, is it possible to overdose on cheese? Answer yes I did yesterday and felt pretty rotten serve me right.   Anyway I feel fine today despite an uncomfortable night.  The short ribs were lovely and worth the effort of doing them properly.  I followed Helen Rennie on YouTube she is my type of cook and though she sounds to me as if she has a french accent I believe she is Russian. Today I think James has a leek and potato soup on the menu. The weather is dull and overcast and though it started out sunny yesterday the clouds soon rolled in and it was just dull and chilly.  My watering system in the green house seems to be functioning well which is one less job to do. I’m getting excited tomorrow is vaccination day and according to the latest figures over half the population has been given at least one dose.  Which has certainly relieved the pressure on the health service.  However I think there is quite a backlog of other patient...

 Good morning all it looks like another fine day with plenty of blue sky.  There is a bit of a breeze so an ideal day for laundry. I have already had a busy start and have just put some short ribs in the oven to braise for 3-5 hours at 150 degrees. Then once tender I can attend to the sauce and a nice big pile of mash. I feel really old as the DVLA has just sent me a new driving licence. The crazy thing is that it has the same photo and I look much younger in that.  It does make the photo rather a waste of time but I don’t mind looking 20 years younger.  So plans for today I have to push on with the sewing which  I am finding a bit boring having just completed one but it will be nice to have a matched pair.   I have just spent an hour on the phone chatting to my friend Angela and now I am in desperate need of coffee so I am off to the kitchen and I can check my braise while I am there.  Have a good day  and may your plans go well.

 Good morning all it is a sunny start but still quite chilly.  I managed to get the greenhouse leak sorted so hopefully that will not be a problem for the rest of the season.  I have set the watering system for 20 minutes every 48 hours which seems to be about right.  I must say the rest of the garden is looking very dry and in need of water but the forecast is for sun and wind.  We had so much rain earlier that I think it might just be the surface that looks so dry. Today I have plans to get a few hours embroidery done.  My cheese order arrived yesterday so I am happily munching my way through those.  I bought one each of sheep’s milk one of bufalo and one of goats. They all come from Somerset.  It is quite fun finding these obscure artisan cheeses of which there seem to be hundreds. As yet I haven’t found one I didn’t like but I am a cheese lover. I was watching the news last night and saw the French fishermen getting very upset however I am old...

 Good morning all another sunny day but we really do need some rain it has been been dry for ages.  It seems crazy to wish for rain but the garden really needs it. James made us a nice lunch with a concoction of aubergine with tomato and mozzarella and some chicken breast wrapped in bacon.  He is getting quite adventurous and has inherited my dislike of waste. With regard to the diet book that I have just finished it isn’t a diet book in the accepted sense of the word. It is a round up of the latest research. I have learned that I should continue to avoid anything labelled low fat.  Reducing red meat is no bad thing but excluding it is not a good idea.  In fact excluding food group is not to be recommended.  Fermented foods like real yoghurt [unsweeted by fruit] Kefir Kimchi and sauerkraut are all good and full of beneficial microbes, as are unpasteurised cheeses.Large numbers of assorted fruit and veg are good and these include herbs and spices nuts pulses...

 Good morning all its bright and sunny this morning and I have managed to get my watering timer to function but all the plastic connections have suffered during the winter so I have ordered some new ones and also a roll of PTFE tape so hopefully I can get everything working without leaks. James has discovered that you can make soup out of just about anything so he cleared up the vegetables which were on the blink and made a tasty soup which we had for supper. I finished the book on diet and have come to the conclusion that there is no commercial food which is good for you.   Despite the fancy labels at best they are inaccurate and at worst just lies so the moral of the story is make your own with real ingredients. Anyway well worth a read as it de bunks almost all diets and not all calories are the same so counting them is a waste of time not to mention not possible.  Much of what happens to what you eat is down to the microbes which inhabit your gut. They can make you th...

Good morning all, it’s another misty start to the day so I expect it will soon become sunny.  Actually what we really need is some rain but I would be be happy for that to happen over night.  It is amazing we had so much rain over the winter but the ground is as dry as a biscuit.   The sprayer for the hose has suffered over the winter and is now leaking all over the place so I think it is time to buy a new one. Nothing lasts for ever does it and there is always something in need of replacing or repair.  I have a watering timer in the green house but that too is playing up I hope it is just new batteries that are needed.  It does save a lot of time and makes sure the tomatoes get a good supply of water rather than the intermittent supply if it is left to me. I am not sure what we are going to have for lunch as yet nothing has been got out of the freezer if push comes to shove there is always bacon and eggs.  However, when I go to top up my coffee cup I will ...

Good morning all. so just to complete the weather set today we have fog.  Hopefully, it will burn off and we will have some sun later.  I finished the rabbit embroidery and have made a start on the second feather cushion cover.  Once I have them both done I will get them off to the lady who knows how to make cushions. James has decided he needs to lose some weight [which he does] as this will help his back problems so he is going on a keto diet as he lost lots of weight last time.  However, from my readings, it isn't that simple as so much depends on the bacteria in your gut. some bacteria can suppress your appetite and others make you hungry. The one thing I do know s that it is important to eat a variety of things especially things which have been fermented like yoghurt and cheeses especially unpasteurised. My weight seems pretty stable and after my course of antibiotics, I made a conscious effort to feed my gut the good stuff it needs.   Interestingly we had ...

 Good morning all no frost this morning and no sun either we are under a blanket of cloud.  Anyway a least it is a little warmer.   I cracked on with my embroidery and only have the edge and the habits eyes to do so I should be finished in a couple of hours.  Then I can get on with my second feathers cushion cover which will take a while. At which point does this stop being a hobby and become an addiction?  Anyway I don't care I enjoy it and all the time I can find people to take the results off my hands I am delighted. I had a purge in the kitchen and prepared an assortment of vegetables that we're on the blink. Once they are prepared they get eaten. I did some chard dressed with lemon and olive oil and son broccoli dressed with sesame oil and seeds.  Then some spuds I did as mash with a pile of diced and fried onions on the top.  Amazingly the lot got eaten and thus saved from the compost heap.  James is trying to rest his back as much as possib...

 Good morning all, it looks like it's going to be another bright day and the frost is melting fast. Yesterday was glorious but it was very noisy with both neighbours hammering and banging with assorted garden projects.  So much so that I had to close the windows so I could hear the TV.  I did watch the funeral and thought it was a lovely ceremony but the Queen really looked her age. She looked the frail old lady she is which only made me even more pleased that the wicked witch of Sussex stayed at home. James had made some turkey broth for supper which we followed with some rather nice cheeses.  I am trying a variety of artisanal British cheeses but we have so many it would take forever to try them all.  I tried the Sussex version of parmesan which is a pretty close match and also a sheep's milk cheese from Somerset.  I have yet to find one I don't like, it is really degrees of preference. I continued my book about gut bacteria and just how important they ar...

 Good morning all it's another frosty but sunny start to the day.  Yesterday went according to plan and James seems much better. Denzil has pursued work that his problems are largely to do with one type of lorry which has very uncomfortable seating he is now only driving the comfy seat ones so his back is much improved. The wolf fish was very tasty and I just seasoned and floured it and pan-fried it in butter. I always think it is better not to mess about with things you haven't tried before and go for simple cooking.  Supper was exciting as we were trying a new curry house though the food was more expensive it was very good so it was worth it.  It came with a good array of chutney and popadoms. We each had a different dish so we could make a judgement.  We have so many Indian takeaways and a good selection of Chinese some times it is difficult to choose. James has just gone off to the shops to stock up on salad ingredients and then he is making a mushroom riso...

 Good morning all it is another beautiful start to the day frosty but sunny. I have a bit of good news I finally managed to badger James into a visit to the osteopath he has been suffering from sciatica as one leg is marginally shorter than the other following his smashed pelvis.  Guess what he is feeling in less pain and is going back again this morning for some further work to relieve the nerve compression. Why do men need bullying to get them to seek help? He also needs a new insole which will help rectify the problem but that needs a doctors referral so will take weeks no doubt. Lunch today is some wolf fish fillets and a portion of chips from the kebab shop.  One portion is enough for the three of us and never having had this type of fish I am just going to dust it with flour and pan fry it. As I was feeling so much better I got stuck into my sewing and made some pleasing progress. Thanks for your kind comments I haven't a clue why I felt so rough but whatever it was...

 Good morning all it is another bright sunny day here and though we had a sharp frost the sun is dealing with that.  Dennie did a fantastic job of my room when she does a room she starts by washing down the walls so as you can imagine it is sparkling clean now all I need to do is sort out the cupboards and drawers.  As it happened I felt rubbish yesterday nothing in particular and everything in general but I feel fine this morning.  Who knows why it makes no sense to me I couldn't even be bothered to do my sewing I just wanted to sleep so I did.  That has to be one of the great bonuses of being retired you can do exactly as you please when you please.  I did pod and cook some broad beans which we can have for lunch with our faggots which arrived yesterday.  They are proper hand made ones and about twice the size of the commercial ones you can buy so one is ample for a meal but you do have to make your own gravy.  James makes a lovely onion gravy s...

 Good morning one and all a lovely sunny and relatively warm morning. Brightness certainly makes for a better start to the day.  Dennis is due any minute and I am going to ask her to give my room a birthday clean it hasn't been given a good clean in ages.  I hope she will be pleased with her embroidered picture which has now been framed. Elaine has found a lady who makes curtains who is willing to do her cushions and hopefully mine too.  However, I have elected to wait until the second one is ready to she can do both together. I think it may take me another month before I am ready.   I will keep this short as I need to get my room ready have a great day .

 Good morning all another late night and late start, but it doesn't really make any difference as long as I get the sleep I need.  I find I get rather crabby if I don't get enough sleep. Now I must tell you about my poor dogs last night for their supper they had turkey meatballs sauteed in some olive oil and some cabbage with crispy bacon.   The cabbage was leftover from lunch and the turkey meatballs cost Denzil 10 pence in the staff shop so they were bought for the dogs.  It's a hard life being a dog in this house.  As you can imagine they were very enthusiastic about having human food and licked their bowls clean. After the few snow flurries the sun came out and it was a lovely afternoon and I got started on my next embroidery.  I have discovered a way to keep my yarns in order while I am working by using a pasta drying rack.   It saves them from getting in a muddle and I only have the relevant colours for the piece I am working on. As you can imagi...

 Good morning all, it's a dull overcast morning and it's snowing, only tiny flakes but snow, not rain. It has been bitterly cold for the last few days so not really unexpected. I finally finished my embroidery and I am quite pleased with the results. I have mounted up the next one which I am doing for Elaine. I have already done two rabbit ones and this will join the set. On the menu today we have cabbage and bratwurst and maybe some spaetzle as the new toy has arrived I know people complain about Amazon  but I hate to think how much shoe leather I would have had to use to find some of the strange things I have been able to buy with just a click of a button. well I am gasping for some coffee so I am heading downstairs to fill my mug. Have good day and let's hope we can soon put the winter clothes away and we get some warmer weather.  I think Dan is feeling the chill now he only has his underwear on.  He is in and out to the garden in double-quick time.

 Good morning one and all.  We have lovely sunshine but it is bitterly cold.  What a historic couple of days we have had.  I watched the 41 gun salute from all around the UK and ships in the gulf and Gibraltar.  Australia and New Zealand have also marked the passing of the prince. Then later was a landmark win for the first woman jockey in the Grand National. I am not a fan of horse racing but I usually watch the National and the Derby and of course, you have to watch the boat race. Anyway, I then got to thinking about the funeral which will be within covid rules not a big state event.  I just wonder if Megan will have the brass neck to look the Queen in the eye after what she did knowing full well Philip only had weeks to live. If I had done something like that I would want to crawl into a hole and die. I must admit it did raise some painful memories for me. Ok now on to brighter things James is making prawn cocktail for our lunch and the main meal will be...

 Good morning all it is very dull and cold this morning.  We had some lovely sunshine yesterday and I sat and soaked it up while I sewed. Sad news about Prince Philip but it is the Queen I feel for even though it has been expected it is still a shock when it becomes reality. We are currently waiting for a plumber to come and fix the downstairs lavatory cistern which is leaking.  There is always something to go wrong which I guess is the price we pay for modern convenience. Fortunately, it is leaking into the bowl and not on the floor. I was hoping to finish my current project but I got sidetracked with a parcel of cheeses.  We tried a goats cheese which is very tasty and James described it as Philadelphia on steroids.  It is so creamy and I had to read the label to check it was a goats cheese. So far everything we have tried has been delicious but we all love cheese so that isn't a surprise. On the menu today we have chicken with white wine and mushrooms which w...

 Good morning all I am up late but that is because I didn't get to sleep until late as I had slept in the afternoon. Today Dan is off to the groomers for his summer hair cut and will no doubt come back exhausted from all the pampering. So we will have to do him a special supper, perhaps he could have the rind off the Brighton blue cheese which came yesterday.  Having bought it on speck I must say it is very nice it is like a mature cheddar with a mild hint of blue if that makes any sense.  Tubby doesn't like cheese but Dan is an aficionado. The sun is shining and it is markedly warmer so a very nice day.  James has made a fish pie for lunch and as the fishmonger was selling bags of prawns very cheaply the pie has a good quantity in it. I believe this is a celebration week we are due to reach herd immunity which should make us all a little safer.  I don't know about you but I am hopeful that the worst is over and we can get back to some kind of normality. With sh...

 Good morning all it's still chilly but a bit overcast with no brilliant sunshine.  I finally got stuck in to my sewing and now I only have one feather to do and I am finished. Of course, the temptation is to rush the last one but it needs a bit if self-control I don't want to ruin it for a happeneth of tar.   Obviously, it's a bit crumpled but hopefully once blocked and ironed it should look ok.  Then I will have to look for someone who can make it into a cushion.  I would think somewhere that makes curtains should be able to do that.  I would do it myself but I am rubbish at setting in zips and I haven't used my sewing machine in years. James has shot out this morning to buy me some good streaky bacon to have with my later bread.  It is so long since I have had any I hope I still enjoy it.  His lamb shanks were lovely and he is getting the hang of the instant pot pressure cooker. It is really quite pleasing when he compliments me on my choice of...

 Good morning all it is another freezing cold start and the kitchen roof had a good layer of frost which looked like sparkle paint when the sun hit it. Now it has melted and roof is just wet so not so attractive. In my drive to buy British, I spent some time researching for a cheese that can rival Parmesan.  I had tried it at some tasting years ago and been very impressed and I knew it was made by a lady in Sussex.  Well, I found it and a supplier so I have some on order and we will see if it is as good as I remember. Needless to say, they had a minimum order so I bought a selection of cheeses as I know they will get eaten.  We often have a biscuit and cheese supper and interestingly when I drove out to Italy to visit my sister she asked me to bring some good cheddar. My fish order is due at lunchtime today so we will see if it is any good.  I must admit I have a great liking for anything out of the sea.  James seafood pancakes with sweet chilli sauce were ...

 Good morning all sorry to be so late but I had a rough night and went back to sleep.  When I woke a 7 I looked at my clock which which has a thermometer which was reading 23 degrees which was rubbish it was freezing then I looked more closely and it was reading 2.3 degrees no wonder I was cold. So only one thing to do and that was cuddle back under the duvet and I fell sound asleep. The sun is now pouring in and it is 24.8 much better.  I know I like a cold bedroom but that was just ridiculous. Today James is making some seafood pancakes for lunch. With a plethora of eastern ingredients which should be interesting. He bought some lovely lamb yesterday as of course it was all heavily reduced. They always over stock before a holiday the sell-off the leftovers at knockdown prices.  It is like mothers day flower prices rocket if you can wait a day or two the become much cheaper.  I seldom know what day it is so it doesn't matter to me. I have a fish order coming to...

 Good morning all this morning it is blowing and still chilly but we did get some sun yesterday and i caught the eveninglight as it hit the magnolia. It made it look quite spectacular by rights Magnolia are acid lovers and my garden is alkaline but some how it has managed to survive and flourish. I have ordered some tomato plants for the greenhouse as I am too lazy to grow them on from seed.  James has already made the soup du jour which is butternut squash and I am going to make an egg salad to follow primarily as we have lots of eggs as both Denzil and I bought eggs. I have all but finished feather 6 so I hope to start the last one today, for once I am pleased with the results. There are mistakes but they don't show and my mother always told me that us mortals cannot achieve perfection as it would anger the gods.  If you look closely at the mosaic floors of the Romans there is always an error for just this reason.  Well, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it. I ...

 Good morning all and happy Easter.  It is another very chilly day today not a day for a picnic at the beach more a day for winter woollies.  Denzil has the day off so we are all here for meals.  I know that James has made a big pot of butternut squash soup but other than that I have no idea what is on the menu.  I made the salmon pate correctly according to the recipe and was delighted with the results. My embroidery has 7 feathers and I am on number 5 so I am making progress.  My friend delivered the last three I have had framed.  One I like, one is for Denny and I don't know what to do with the third.  No doubt I will find a home for it. I had a chat with Margaret and she is very unwell her haemoglobin levels are so low that a transfusion would be in order but she is going to wait for an urgent appointment with a haematologist. Of course, she is very tired and fortunately, her sister has come to help her out.  This has been an ongoing prob...

 Good morning all, another very chilly start to the day I can't see hoards of people heading for the beaches which is no bad thing. Dan has nicked my warm spot in the bed so I am perched on the edge. Denzil is out to work but the doctor has ordered 3 months of light duties.  Given that he sifts 3 tons of shopping daily I think that is a very sensible idea. Although he is no longer in screaming agony he has been left with patches of numbness which is not a good sign. James made a lovely lunch of roast chicken, glazed carrots, petit pois Parisien and mashed potatoes with gravy made from the giblets.  The carcass went into the stockpot so nothing was wasted. For supper, we had boiled goose eggs and toasty soldiers.  Today he is doing pork cops and chard and for supper, we are having the salmon pate on sourdough toast. With two of us who like cooking we eat rather well. Next door have started erecting the fence but it was so cold they we're all bundled up in thick jacke...

 Good morning all late again but I was eating hot cross buns at 12.20 so it was already Friday morning and I was bouncing around still sleepless however it was my fault I slept for 4 hours after lunch. I seem to sleep really well in the afternoon so I am not complaining.   Tubby had his stitches out but he is now quite disappointed as he was getting two chunks of pate to disguise his antibiotics which have now finished. James is roasting a chicken for lunch and I am making the salmon pate for supper. It is absolutely freezing this morning and my bedroom was a miserable 8 degrees but I sleep well in the cold and only feel it when I get up, under the duvet, I am toasty warm. Next door are hard at work erecting the new fence which I am delighted about. Technically it is my fence so it saves me the bother of doing it.  I put up the fence on the other side which belongs to the other neighbours so I feel honours are I am now doing the 4th of 7 feathers and this is the most diff...

 Good morning all it is much colder this morning and apparently, we have snow to look forward too for Easter. Time to put the bikini away and get out the fur coat.  The garden is looking lovely with lots of shrubs in full bloom. Denny decided to completely redo the bathroom my efforts we below standard and it has now been scrubbed to within an inch of it's life.  She is spring cleaning each room which is fine by me and she enjoys doing it that way.  Once it is all done then it should just need a lick and a promise to keep it clean. Tubby is off to the vet this morning to have his stitches removed and his wounds have healed beautifully. I am amazed he hasn't needed the cone of shame as he isn't interested in the stitches and has left them well alone. I am going to make a batch of the salmon pate now I have all the right ingredients.  My goose eggs have finally arrived so I think it will be boiled eggs for supper. Well, my plan for the day is just to keep going wi...