Friday, 2 August 2013
Friday
. . . and I'm home after a few days with my mum and dad. It was supposed to be 'home, James', today but very good reasons (not bad ones) meant I had to come back yesterday.
It was quite an uncomfortable drive home. The air con needs topping up or whatever it is they do to air con, so it wasn't working very effectively and it was SO hot! Fortunately, there was little traffic and no hold ups and also it's not a long drive, only about an hour and a quarter.
It's been a lovely few days. I always come home from mum and dad's feeling refreshed and encouraged: they are really lovely people.
On Wednesday we took a trip to Old Warden, as described in an earlier entry, and yesterday morning we went to Chapman's, a fantastic butcher in Baldock. I have come home with bacon, sausages, chicken, pork steaks and some pork and apple burgers, which are delicious. Thanks, Dad!
Their garden is, as always, lovely and at its most productive right now. The cucumbers are producing more than they can eat, they have lettuce, radishes, carrots, runner beans (just starting to produce enough to eat), broad beans (now more or less over but we had a last picking on Wednesday) and tomatoes. The tomatoes may be more and bigger (dad has very green fingers and the ones in the photo are beefsteaks which can be huge) but they aren't ripening yet
and - wait for it - mine ARE!
I came home to find several beatifully orange ones on the tumbling tom in the hanging basket and, even better, there's a few ripening on one of the grow house tomatoes. The rest won't be far behind now.
I would like to say I picked one and popped it straight in my mouth but I didn't because Beth very kindly sprayed them all for me with anti-blight stuff while I was away (as you can see in the photo) so they have to be washed before eating. It was absolutely delicious, sun-warm and sun-ripened and I wanted another one!!!
I have lots of flower photos from the garden so will post some separately.
Today is a quiet day. I need to make bread, do washing, ironing, etc, and I have some knitting to be getting on with, so I won't be exactly lazy, but it will be quiet. Very nice too! No complaints from me!
And finally, if you are so inclined, you can pre-order Jack Monroe's recipe book, A Girl Called Jack, on Amazon. I've done that but it might be more frugal to wait and see what they want in places like Sainsbury's. Jack uses their value range quite a lot and says so on her very popular blog, so they might have it on special when it comes out. That will be next February but pre-orders alone have taken it straight into the top 100 which can't be bad and I am very glad for her. Talent isn't always recognised and rewarded as quickly and as emphatically as this but this time it has been. Excellent!
Edited later to add: RIP, living lettuces. They have bolted and the leaves have turned very bitter. Shame. Two and a half months of lettuce for £2 can't be bad, can it?
It was quite an uncomfortable drive home. The air con needs topping up or whatever it is they do to air con, so it wasn't working very effectively and it was SO hot! Fortunately, there was little traffic and no hold ups and also it's not a long drive, only about an hour and a quarter.
It's been a lovely few days. I always come home from mum and dad's feeling refreshed and encouraged: they are really lovely people.
On Wednesday we took a trip to Old Warden, as described in an earlier entry, and yesterday morning we went to Chapman's, a fantastic butcher in Baldock. I have come home with bacon, sausages, chicken, pork steaks and some pork and apple burgers, which are delicious. Thanks, Dad!
Their garden is, as always, lovely and at its most productive right now. The cucumbers are producing more than they can eat, they have lettuce, radishes, carrots, runner beans (just starting to produce enough to eat), broad beans (now more or less over but we had a last picking on Wednesday) and tomatoes. The tomatoes may be more and bigger (dad has very green fingers and the ones in the photo are beefsteaks which can be huge) but they aren't ripening yet
and - wait for it - mine ARE!
 |
| Evidence! |
I would like to say I picked one and popped it straight in my mouth but I didn't because Beth very kindly sprayed them all for me with anti-blight stuff while I was away (as you can see in the photo) so they have to be washed before eating. It was absolutely delicious, sun-warm and sun-ripened and I wanted another one!!!
I have lots of flower photos from the garden so will post some separately.
Today is a quiet day. I need to make bread, do washing, ironing, etc, and I have some knitting to be getting on with, so I won't be exactly lazy, but it will be quiet. Very nice too! No complaints from me!
And finally, if you are so inclined, you can pre-order Jack Monroe's recipe book, A Girl Called Jack, on Amazon. I've done that but it might be more frugal to wait and see what they want in places like Sainsbury's. Jack uses their value range quite a lot and says so on her very popular blog, so they might have it on special when it comes out. That will be next February but pre-orders alone have taken it straight into the top 100 which can't be bad and I am very glad for her. Talent isn't always recognised and rewarded as quickly and as emphatically as this but this time it has been. Excellent!
Edited later to add: RIP, living lettuces. They have bolted and the leaves have turned very bitter. Shame. Two and a half months of lettuce for £2 can't be bad, can it?
Thursday, 1 August 2013
Thursday
Welcome to a new month! August, no less. Not long before the first snow flies now!
First of all, Birthday Greetings to a very dear friend.
Happy Birthday, Sonja! Have a lovely birthday!
I said yesterday that I had no plans. It was therefore inevitable that we went somewhere so we did - up to Old Warden to look at the Shuttleworth Collection and to see a Birds of Prey display. It was supposed to rain and indeed it did first thing in the morning but it soon cleared up and stayed fine, if cloudy and breezy, for the rest of the day. I've never been to Old Warden but it is my father's favourite stamping ground, he having being a specialist in aero engineering with a degree in the subject from Loughborough (many moons ago when it was THE place to go for that sort of training). Now, I know nothing about old planes but Dad knows a lot and made the whole experience extremely interesting. For me, one of the nicest bits was when he showed me some engines that he worked on as a student - the actual piece of machinery, not just a similar thing!!
The bird display was also interesting and quite quirky too. Fun.
Then it was home for a delicious dinner of beef stroganoff (Delia style) with rice and runner beans fresh picked. Simply delicious. This isn't quite the same recipe but it's near enough.
To finish, here's a few photos from yesterday. Apologies for the poor quality.
First of all, Birthday Greetings to a very dear friend.
Happy Birthday, Sonja! Have a lovely birthday!
I said yesterday that I had no plans. It was therefore inevitable that we went somewhere so we did - up to Old Warden to look at the Shuttleworth Collection and to see a Birds of Prey display. It was supposed to rain and indeed it did first thing in the morning but it soon cleared up and stayed fine, if cloudy and breezy, for the rest of the day. I've never been to Old Warden but it is my father's favourite stamping ground, he having being a specialist in aero engineering with a degree in the subject from Loughborough (many moons ago when it was THE place to go for that sort of training). Now, I know nothing about old planes but Dad knows a lot and made the whole experience extremely interesting. For me, one of the nicest bits was when he showed me some engines that he worked on as a student - the actual piece of machinery, not just a similar thing!!
The bird display was also interesting and quite quirky too. Fun.
Then it was home for a delicious dinner of beef stroganoff (Delia style) with rice and runner beans fresh picked. Simply delicious. This isn't quite the same recipe but it's near enough.
To finish, here's a few photos from yesterday. Apologies for the poor quality.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
A good idea
. . . please go and read.
http://fooddiaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/what-good-idea-picnic-for-pound.html
http://fooddiaryofteacher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/what-good-idea-picnic-for-pound.html
Wednesday
Another cooler night after a lot of rain yesterday. At times it poured! It did clear later on, which was nice, but we could do with some more; the ground is so very dry and even the soaking yesterday will not have penetrated very deeply.
Lunch was lovely. I departed from my usual habit of having a small plate menu and had a Caesar salad with chicken. It was lovely but way, way too much. I must have left about a third, which went very much against the grain as it was waste, but I couldn't manage any more. They are very obliging there so next time I fancy something off the small plate menu I must ask for a small plate version. Even if it means paying the same, at least there won't be the waste. And it was so very nice (and simple), I must make it at home. I just have to find how to make the dressing. Google, here I come!
Liz and I had a jolly good chat about all sorts of stuff. It's always nice to catch up with friends and Liz and I have worked as colleagues more or less since I first moved to the area. Our sons were both in the same class. I took over her role as SEN support teacher when she went full time. We ended up as co-year 1 teachers for a couple of years before she retired. It's great to stay in touch.
I don't think I have any plans for today. That's good, it frees me up to make some! Have a good one, everybody!
Lunch was lovely. I departed from my usual habit of having a small plate menu and had a Caesar salad with chicken. It was lovely but way, way too much. I must have left about a third, which went very much against the grain as it was waste, but I couldn't manage any more. They are very obliging there so next time I fancy something off the small plate menu I must ask for a small plate version. Even if it means paying the same, at least there won't be the waste. And it was so very nice (and simple), I must make it at home. I just have to find how to make the dressing. Google, here I come!
Liz and I had a jolly good chat about all sorts of stuff. It's always nice to catch up with friends and Liz and I have worked as colleagues more or less since I first moved to the area. Our sons were both in the same class. I took over her role as SEN support teacher when she went full time. We ended up as co-year 1 teachers for a couple of years before she retired. It's great to stay in touch.
I don't think I have any plans for today. That's good, it frees me up to make some! Have a good one, everybody!
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Tuesday
It's much cooler again this morning and overnight I was able to sleep under the cover, thank goodness. There's quite a breeze blowing and that is keeping everything nice and chilled.
Yesterday was a funny old day, weather wise. There was hot sun, there was some rain, there were some cool and couldy bits and all through there was quite a stiff breeze blowing. When I came back from Fibre-East on Sunday I was greeted by the sight of a blown over grow house and the pots of tomatoes had been knocked over onto their side. After getting it all back upo again I did what I should have done when I first put it up and fastened it down with the rope provided. Pegs are also provided but there's no convenient soil or grass to use for that so it is fastened to the fence. It seems to have worked because even the large gusts of wind didn't move it in the least. Phew!
I have more tomatoes ripening now, but none in the grow house yet, which is a surprise. The tumbling toms in the hanging basket are definitely turning orange now though. There's loads of very tiny tomatoes on the hundreds and thousands now but none to pick yet. Also there are plenty of flowers on the runner beans but none are setting yet. They need more pollinating insects! And I have a chilli pepper!!!! Just the one, small and immature, but definitely a chilli!
As for today, it's out for lunch with a friend and generally being idle and enjoying the holiday again. I'm getting extremely lazy!
Yesterday was a funny old day, weather wise. There was hot sun, there was some rain, there were some cool and couldy bits and all through there was quite a stiff breeze blowing. When I came back from Fibre-East on Sunday I was greeted by the sight of a blown over grow house and the pots of tomatoes had been knocked over onto their side. After getting it all back upo again I did what I should have done when I first put it up and fastened it down with the rope provided. Pegs are also provided but there's no convenient soil or grass to use for that so it is fastened to the fence. It seems to have worked because even the large gusts of wind didn't move it in the least. Phew!
I have more tomatoes ripening now, but none in the grow house yet, which is a surprise. The tumbling toms in the hanging basket are definitely turning orange now though. There's loads of very tiny tomatoes on the hundreds and thousands now but none to pick yet. Also there are plenty of flowers on the runner beans but none are setting yet. They need more pollinating insects! And I have a chilli pepper!!!! Just the one, small and immature, but definitely a chilli!
As for today, it's out for lunch with a friend and generally being idle and enjoying the holiday again. I'm getting extremely lazy!
Monday, 29 July 2013
Monday
After some rain overnight, it's lovely and cool this morning. The sun is trying to break through as I type but it looks as if there's a bit more rain to come yet.
Yesterday was lovely. I went, with a dear friend, Jen, to Fibre-East 2013 which is, according to the leaflet, 'a celebration of British fibre crafts'.
Well, it was certainly that. Sheep sheering, weaving, felting, knitting, crochet . . . wool, silk, cotton . . . so many wonderful colours and textures. Of course, being a 'Miss', I was on the lookout for ideas for school and I found some too. Ever heard of a 'peg loom'? I hadn't, until I saw someone demo-ing. I've no idea how old or historical it is but it looks to be something my children could manage for very little effort . . .
. . . so I'm looking out for one to buy! Or to make one!
I came back with all sorts and spent rather too much but never mind, it is holiday time and I need a few projects. I now have to teach myself how to spin fleece with a spindle!
AFter such a day I was very tired in the evening but decided to wind up one of the hanks of yarn I bought. Oh, dear, what I nightmare. At 11:30 I gave up and went to bed and as soon as I've finished here I will resume the struggle. I'll get there, somehow, some day!
As for today, I have a few bits and bobs to do but intend to get the ironing done and then to focus on my acquisitions from yesterday.
Thank you Jen, and thanks you K for driving us there and back again!
Yesterday was lovely. I went, with a dear friend, Jen, to Fibre-East 2013 which is, according to the leaflet, 'a celebration of British fibre crafts'.
Well, it was certainly that. Sheep sheering, weaving, felting, knitting, crochet . . . wool, silk, cotton . . . so many wonderful colours and textures. Of course, being a 'Miss', I was on the lookout for ideas for school and I found some too. Ever heard of a 'peg loom'? I hadn't, until I saw someone demo-ing. I've no idea how old or historical it is but it looks to be something my children could manage for very little effort . . .
. . . so I'm looking out for one to buy! Or to make one!
I came back with all sorts and spent rather too much but never mind, it is holiday time and I need a few projects. I now have to teach myself how to spin fleece with a spindle!
AFter such a day I was very tired in the evening but decided to wind up one of the hanks of yarn I bought. Oh, dear, what I nightmare. At 11:30 I gave up and went to bed and as soon as I've finished here I will resume the struggle. I'll get there, somehow, some day!
As for today, I have a few bits and bobs to do but intend to get the ironing done and then to focus on my acquisitions from yesterday.
Thank you Jen, and thanks you K for driving us there and back again!
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