Sunday

It looks as if it might be another April shower type of day today, as yesterday was.  It's so very cheering when the sun shines but it really isn't warm enough to sit out yet, which is a shame.  It can't be long now, thought, before the sun gets going properly and we all complain of being too hot.  We're never satisfied, are we.  It's too wet or too dry or too hot or too cold . . .

I tried three new recipes yesterday.  I know that sounds extravagant, but it wasn't so bad really. 
The first one was a dip for lunch, creamy garlic and herb dip.  It was very nice but too sloppy and would have done best as a salad dressing.  It was low fat - philly light and my o% yogurt with garlic, chives from the garden and some seasoning.  Without the yogurt it would have been stiff enough but it would have been higher in calories.
Next I made turkey meatball korma.  Well, I say I made the recipe but, in fact, I adapted it pretty considerably in that I added extra  veg, some lentils and goodness knows what.  I didn't see the point of having meatballs though, especially as I zizzed up a piece of turkey breast as the minced turkey was sold in too large a quantity for my needs.  It was OK but not one I would do again: I wouldn't bother with the meatballs, just use diced turkey.
And then I started making the vegetable lasagna for dinner today when DD and DG come round.  Now, I know the idea is to reduce the calories and so on, but really, boiling veg and then draining and adding passata is not my idea of a flavoursome tomato mixture so, again, it was adapted: lentils to add both texture and flavour, extra veg, herbs and some marigold stock seems to have resulted in something a bit more likely tasting.  I have decided I won't use the suggested so-called cheese sauce made with medium fat soft cheese and skimmed milk whisked together, but will use Heston's cheese sauce made with some good flavoured cheese but not loads of it.  Hopefully that will do but if not, too bad, I just won't make it again, that's all!  That's the trouble with some low calorie recipes.  Taste is sacrificed for calories.  I'd rather have the taste and eat a little less.  OK, so eating less involves some self control, but that's always easier when there are guests.

I do love my yogurt maker.  It's something I would really miss, odd as that may sound.  I eat a lot of natural yogurt one way or another.  I always have a good dollop on porridge, muesli or bran flakes (with fruit), I always make my own fruit yogurt now, it goes into milk jellies, cheesecakes, etc, and it's actually jolly nice all on its own.  And it's so easy to make.  Using long life milk takes away the need to scald the milk and bring it back to room temperature and the only problem is when I forget I'm making some and leave it in the machine too long - and even that isn't usually a problem.  I'm of the drinka-pinta-milka-day (remember that?) generation, born not too long after the war when Britain was still in austerity measures and when your pint of milk mattered!  I've never been a great milk drinker, have my coffee black and rarely drink tea, so yogurt is a great comfort to my inner child conscience!

So, on to today.  It's going to be a 15 on, 15 off day until upstairs is ready for my guests.  Wish me luck!!

Saturday

Weekend!!!!!  Yessssssssssssssssssssss . . .

Yesterday was SEN day and I got things done that have been hanging fire for ages so that was a great relief.  Particularly good was the afternoon when I had an informal 'meeting' with one of our LSAs to discuss and write an IEP.  I felt it was highly successful and we came away with a very useful and relevant piece of paperwork, which isn't always the case although I do try very hard to make it so.  Education is obsessed with bits of paper, you know.  Yes, it's all worked out on screen but then you have to print out multiple copies of everything to scatter around.  Paperless office?  Huh!!!  They don't believe you unless it's all on a bit of paper!

One of my little dears gave away a secret.  She was chatting about her holiday (her family is going away for a few days over the weekend) and suddenly segued into talking about a surprise for me on Tuesday - 'a nice surprise, Mrs Clark, do you like nice surprises?'  I almost said 'I like naughty surprises' but remembered to whom I was talking and did the conventional thing.  So I have that to look forward to, whatever it is! 

There's nothing specifically planned for today, thank goodness.  George is coming, unless it rains, in which case he isn't coming. 
The snails are crawling back from wherever they went to over winter and have started to attach my hostas, so I'm afraid I will have no mercy!  Slug pellets!  You think they'd learn, wouldn't you?
I'm trying a couple of new recipes, which I will tell you about if they are OK.  One's from one of those freebie mags I mentioned earlier and the other is from BBC Easy Cook.
I hope to finish off R's sock which means lots of sitting with the telly on.  Oh, the hardship! 
And I suppose I need to do some housework at some stage.  I have guests next weekend so I can't procrastinate for much longer.