Thursday evening

Things are so busy in the mornings at the moment, I don't seem to get the time to think about the blog update. Today was no exception, but I did get all my assessments finished and entered into the appropriate format. Phew . . . And Handy Andy did a good job with the lasagna, heating it up beautifully. I think it's going to have to be chicken on Sunday, a full roast chicken and maybe some roast tatties as well. That'll be a good test! Now I'd better go and do some house work. It's the usual Chinese and Chat here tomorrow and the place needs a tidy up (as usual).

Wednesday evening and Handy Andy

. . . aka the halogen oven. OK, so this evening I cooked four chicken thighs (free range, organic, happy chick ones) for about 35 mins at 200 C and they were scrummy. They were cooked in a glass bowl, no cover, and in an ordinary oven they would have dried up in that time. In Handy Andy they were succulent and moist, with a crisp skin that tasted wonderful! That's two eaten and two for lunch tomorrow! Where does the 'Handy Andy' come from - well the oven is an Andrew Jones make but the wonderful Cottage Smallholder calls hers Andrew, so Handy Andy seems the next best thing. Tomorrow is a simple re-heat of a lasagna. Must try a roast at some point.

Wednesday morning

I have no idea whether this will all come out as one huge wodge of text or as paragraphs. Here's hoping.

After seeing the video about icing in a rose effect I had to have a go, of course. The photos are what the results look like. Quite pretty, I think, although a bit ragged around the edges. These will freeze nicely and be there when needed.

The halogen oven has started its tests. Last night I cooked a jacket potato: quicker than an oven - and cheaper - but, obviously, not anywhere near microwave speed. However, as I don't like microwaved jacket potatoes, that's OK. This morning I tried 'boiled' eggs. No water, hence the inverted commas. I now know it makes nice hard boiled eggs! Oh, well, that's how we learn! The instruction leaflet and the accompanying book are both a bit rubbish so I'm going to have to trawl around the Internet and think about adapting my own recipes.

Now, what shall I try tonight?

Tuesday morning

I really need to apologise for the lack of formatting in my last message. I did put the contents into paragraphs, really I did, but they don't seem to have come out in the finished product which looks rather solid. Hopefully, today's will come out OK. I've been watching some YouTube videos showing cupcake icing techniques. Some of them are so very clever and look beautiful. Nothing fancy with sugar paste, just creative swirls with an icing bag and nozzle. I particularly like the one that starts from the middle and ends up looking like a rose. As I'm hoping to have friends for lunch on Saturday, I must have a go and see if I can do it - I think I have an appropriate nozzle. And I must also find some alternative recipes for frosting. Plain butter cream is all very well but somehow it doesn't have the smoothness and glossiness that looks so attractive. I was bad over the weekend and bought a halogen oven after seeing some very positive recommendations from friends and acquaintances. It should arrive today (at school) which is most exciting. No, I have absolutely no idea where I am going to keep it: I think I will need to start a serious declutter before the house explodes! OK, well, I've put in paragraph formatting several times and each time it disappears again. I'm so sorry for the solid block of text (assuming it is still a problem when I publish) - it looks most unattractive in preview but I think the problem must be Blogspot end, not this end.

Monday evening

. . . and it was back up! I don't feel comfortable when the connection is down. It's amazing how even a techno-twit like me has come to rely on my Internet. This has happened before, pretty infrequently, to be fair. It's usually overnight and I probably only notice it because I go online so very early! People with sensible sleep patterns would never realise! I was glad to get to school and find that there were no problems there. So - after a really great weekend, it was back to work. The children were obviously affected by the hour less sleep - they were yawning and looking weary. No, it wasn't my boring teaching, what an idea!!!!! How could you suggest such a thing? This afternoon I was on the last of a four session course on senior managers and the early years. It was about transition and was very interesting although it could be highly depressing if one didn't realise that the course leaders are painting the ideal picture. I reckon we do OK really. So, we're now into the last fortnight before the end of term. It's been a long term, unusually, as generally this term is shorter. Easter being so very late this year means that the first half of the summer term is very short - just five weeks. Only two of them are complete weeks too. The first week is three days (Easter Monday and that Wedding), the second week is four days (May day) and the last week is four days (INSET). And then it's not so far off the end of the school year. No, I haven't started counting the days . . . Yet . . .

Monday afternoon

I'm writing this quickly from school before the caretaker chucks me out. My internet connection was down this morning so no blog - sorry! Fingers crossed it's back up again now.

Sunday afternoon

Even later today than yesterday. So sorry, those readers who came along expecting an update this morning. My visitor has now gone, heading towards her own home courtesy of what passes for British Rail nowadays. Hopefully the journey will be easy, trouble free and speedy and I will hear of her safe arrival this evening. It's been a lovely weekend, thanks for coming.

Apart from that, what a glorious day it is today. Sunny, mild, fresh. And have you noticed how suddenly green tinted the hedges and trees have become? Wonderfully invigorating. If Easter was earlier, tomorrow would be holiday. because it's as late as it can be this year, there are two more weeks, as I have said before, but, with such lovely weather, I can't help but feel most holiday-ish right at the moment. I probably won't feel quite so free and easy tomorrow morning, but when spring stirs the blood, who can resist? Not me.

Photo: Spring springing in the garden.