Sunday 3 January 2021

Sunday

 Good morning.  An early start to today although I'm not sure why.  I was very tired yesterday evening and didn't go to bed too early.  Not to worry, it really doesn't matter two hoots.

It's still very cold outside.  I've just been to the shed to get some chicken stock (for once, able to put my hand straight onto it).  I've got some almost going over tomatoes which I am turning into tomato soup; it's all boiling away in Thermione as I type.  I do rather like an early start - one gets a lot completed.

I think the word that describes yesterday is 'satisfying'.  I did more ironing and more washing, I sorted out some Christmas stuff and, best of all, I got the freezer defrosted and sorted out.

Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be.  There was a lot of loose 'frost' but what was on the sides came off relatively easily with just a bit of warmth from my hair dryer and encouragement from my plastic fish slice.  Because it was so cold, I wasn't the last bit concerned that the food would start to thaw - in fact, the frost that I chucked out against the fence was still there quite a while after I'd finished and everything was safe in the freezer again.  See . . .

(it's still there now and it wouldn't surprise me if it were still there by the end of today)

I had bought some stiff sided bags with handles to put everything in.  I really wanted proper wire baskets but the only ones that fitted my particular model cost a king's ransom.  Everything's now sorted out into beef, pork and lamb, chicken and turkey and fish, and other with vegetables in the two wire baskets that came with the freezer.  The ready cooked and portioned meals are pretty much all in the upright freezer.

I haven't quite finished; it was so jolly cold, enough was enough and all that, but what I need to do now is just properly organise each bag so that, for example, all the chicken fillets are in one poly bag rather than scattered about.

I wrote everything down too so now I know exactly what I have and where it is.  Very helpful.  Now to keep it organised.
Actually, I was more than a bit horrified with how much there is there - I won't have to do much shopping for the next few months, apart from fresh stuff and dairy.

Today, I will get each individual bag sorted out but the main part of the day will be devoted to clearing most of the decorations away because . . .


. . . and more!
The tree is staying up, as is the bunting and the cushions will stay out, just until Twelfth Night.

If I have any spare time, I may brave the cold again and tackle the upright freezer.  The drawers are fine but there's ice at the top and if I don't deal with it soon, the top drawer will ice up.  I have to admit, it will be nice to have both in good nick at the same time.

Beth takes Alex back up to uni today.  I will miss him; it's been so nice to have him around.  He is keen to get back though; there's plenty of study and he finds he works better at uni than at home.  I'm a bit worried but he is very sensible about distancing, isolating and so on so should be as safe is it is possible to be.

And finally, the Twelve Days gift is a set of mini bottles of flavoured gins - plum and vanilla, premium pink and rhubarb and ginger.  It's a bit ooops because I'm now 'dry' until I get back down to target so these will go with the rest of the alcohol, well out of sight, in readiness for a bit of a celebration at some point in the future.  Something to look forward to.
Yesterday's coffee was delicious.  I had the Columbian coffee and it was lovely.  The tea was ginseng and raspberry and I was surprised how much I liked it.

So that's today.  Maybe I will have a more organised home by bedtime.  Wouldn't that be great?  
What are your plans for this cold and frosty winter's day?


16 comments:

  1. Today I put Christmas away, gave everything a good vacuuming, and made a very good beef stew with garlic bread from left over buns. It cleaned a lot of vegetables out of my fridge, and finished off the rolls!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That stew sounds absolutely delicious. I love fridge rubble meals!
      xx

      Delete
  2. My plan today is to keep warm!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Know what you mean. It's pretty chilly, isn't it?
      xx

      Delete
  3. It must feel good to be getting on top of things. I think I'll get the majority of my decorations put away today, as I'd like it to be tidy before school starts back again on Tuesday (if, indeed, it does). X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think 'getting' is the operative word here! I'll get there, I'm sure.
      Schools are closed here for now, Essex being pretty much in the centre of this latest spike.
      xx

      Delete
  4. Looks a bit brighter today. I'm out to lunch with my bubble!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good mornin' Joy. It sounds like you were really in the mood for organising. I love it when that mood hits me and I can get loads done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was. As you imply, it doesn't happen all the time and the nice thing about retirement - one of them, anyway - is that I can go with the flow quite a lot, especially when there are pretty much no other commitments whatsoever.
      xx

      Delete
  6. Hi Joy and Happy New Year. I was just thinking myself that I will make a start on the decorations - there is a bit of decluttering to do and tidying but I am actually looking forward to getting the house straight.
    Lovely that you had Alex home with you for a while. xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi!! It's going quite smoothly with breaks now and again. I'm taking the opportunity to chuck some stuff that is either battered or broken or not used for years. I'm glad they are collecting the bin rubbish on Friday.
      xx

      Delete
  7. You have more energy than me. I hope you get everything done that you want to and can relax at some point. My plans are to wrap up warm and find a comfy spot to sit and read. I don't feel 100% - it feels like the start of a cold.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry to read this and am hoping it comes to nothing or very little. xx

      Delete
  8. Gosh I can understand why it was such a satisfying day :-)

    Your neighbours will be wondering where your 'snow' came from!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lol - well, It's sort of tucked beside the shed so I doubt they could see it and it's all gone now, although there was a bit remaining this morning, despite the overnight rain. Persistent stuff!
      xx

      Delete