Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Friday. As hoped, yesterday was another gorgeous day, a two load drying, water the garden twice day. Today doesn't look nearly so hopeful. The sky is quite dark, although there's no forecast of rain.
It started by taking Al to the station to catch her train after which Beth came round for coffee and a little chat. After that it was a quick lunch before going into school to hear readers in Y2. Tuition came next and then I was out for a meal in the evening.
I had forgotten about the meal out until C reminded me yesterday morning so the mince that was thawing went into the fridge and that's tonight's dinner all sorted and ready.
All in all it was a great day. It was lovely to see Beth. We're planning a craft week next week, she and I, and I have blocked off all the time except for the weekly commitments. We have a number of orders 'in the book' so to speak which we need to get going on and we want to plan the Christmas (sorry) offensive, so to speak!
Tuition went so well. I do plan these sessions very carefully and make sure all the resources are made and ready but a lot depends on the pupil's response and they can be tired after a long day at school. Yesterday it all came together and we both really enjoyed ourselves.
As always, C and I went to the Hare. It's never very busy on a Thursday so service was quick and friendly. One of the waitresses came up and said 'Are you Mrs Clark? I was in your class in year 1'. Well, I looked and looked at her but had to give in - it turned out she was only the daughter of Matt, my plumber. My goodness, she has changed. Well, she would, of course, but with some you can see the child in the adult. I remember her well. A very bright girl!
Today is going to be a great day. It's the day J and I go to Cressing Temple for the willow weaving basket making course. J is going to stop off here and we will do the journey together. I had a very weird dream about it last night involving being sent for some water, meeting some old pupils on the way and having a chat, getting back to the room and finding that not only had everyone started designing pottery vases, another fifty people had arrived, the room was heaving, the leader refused to tell me what to do and I couldn't get home because I didn't have my car. Weird!
I have to remember to take some secateurs with me so I hope I can find them in the shed! I also have to make some packed lunch. Last time, on the felting course, I decided to have lunch in the cafe and that was a mistake because service was very slow and the lunch break was short so I ended up having a scone, etc, because that was the quickest thing on the menu! I also need a notepad and a pencil so maybe there's some design involved. Nothing too creative, I hope, or I will be lost!
It should be a lot of fun and it is nice to be going with a friend this time too.
Today's food:
B: bran flakes with fruit, apple
L: tuna salad wrap, pear, strawberries
D: courgetti bolognaise, fruit salad with yogurt
Friday, 8 July 2016
Thursday, 7 July 2016
Thursday
Good morning, gentle readers. After waking at stupid o'clock (before four!), I've been watching day break and it looks like it might be another lovely day, fingers crossed. Yesterday was truly lovely - warm and sunny, not too hot, cool evening (I like cool evenings) and I had to water the garden! This lovely warmth is great for the plants which are all growing like pigweed!
So - yesterday, when we were ready, Al and I drove down to Lathcoats where we got a very convenient parking slot. After having our plastic tubs weighed, we set to and picked strawberries in a leisurely fashion. We're spoilt at Lathcoats: the plants are above waist height on trestles so we don't have to bend over at all, thank goodness, and, as the berries are dangling in the air, there are very few bugs and slimy things nibbling away at them.
Despite what they said, there were loads of ripe berries. We went along the side rather than up through the middle, as advised, and it didn't take too long to fill our tubs. We then popped into the farm shop where I bought some Dove dried yeast, some apples, half a dozen eggs and a few scoops of frozen broad beans. I love that - you grab a poly bag and scoop what you want. They have frozen fruits, mixed fruits, frozen veg, a stir fry mix, etc. Very handy indeed.
It's not a cheap shop but they do have some lovely food produce and I love that you can taste their apples before you buy. At the moment the choice is all imported but come the autumn they will have apples from their own trees.
Then it was 'home, James', to deal with the berries and now I have four 300g bags of berries weighed out and in the freezer for use later on, a maslin pan full of berries and sugar for jam and we did rather do ourselves proud eating some huge berries yesterday afternoon while watching the tennis.
I made some scones and we pigged out on a cream tea, which was lovely. The two left over scones are now in the freezer for couple of treats at other times. I am getting better at scones now: I think it is a case of practise makes perfect but I now have to work out how to make the second rolling out scones look as even as the first!
This morning I will be taking Al to the station before coming back to finish off the jam. This afternoon is Granny helping at school and then I have tuition. This evening I shall be watching the tennis again. A shame one cannot sort of burn calories in a deferred way while watching these athletes tear around in the heat for hours on end. I don't know how they do it!
A busy day but a very pleasant one, I hope.
The menu today is:
B: natural yogurt, granola and a mixture of strawberries and blueberries, melon
L: fish finger salad wrap, pear
D: courgetti bolognaise, fruit yogurt. I think I will add a few frozen veg to the bol mixture - some peas, sweet corn and broad beans, just a bit of each.
Hopefully this will counterbalance the calorie damage and comparative lack of a variety of f&v yesterday!
But first - more coffee.
So - yesterday, when we were ready, Al and I drove down to Lathcoats where we got a very convenient parking slot. After having our plastic tubs weighed, we set to and picked strawberries in a leisurely fashion. We're spoilt at Lathcoats: the plants are above waist height on trestles so we don't have to bend over at all, thank goodness, and, as the berries are dangling in the air, there are very few bugs and slimy things nibbling away at them.
Despite what they said, there were loads of ripe berries. We went along the side rather than up through the middle, as advised, and it didn't take too long to fill our tubs. We then popped into the farm shop where I bought some Dove dried yeast, some apples, half a dozen eggs and a few scoops of frozen broad beans. I love that - you grab a poly bag and scoop what you want. They have frozen fruits, mixed fruits, frozen veg, a stir fry mix, etc. Very handy indeed.
It's not a cheap shop but they do have some lovely food produce and I love that you can taste their apples before you buy. At the moment the choice is all imported but come the autumn they will have apples from their own trees.
Then it was 'home, James', to deal with the berries and now I have four 300g bags of berries weighed out and in the freezer for use later on, a maslin pan full of berries and sugar for jam and we did rather do ourselves proud eating some huge berries yesterday afternoon while watching the tennis.
I made some scones and we pigged out on a cream tea, which was lovely. The two left over scones are now in the freezer for couple of treats at other times. I am getting better at scones now: I think it is a case of practise makes perfect but I now have to work out how to make the second rolling out scones look as even as the first!
This morning I will be taking Al to the station before coming back to finish off the jam. This afternoon is Granny helping at school and then I have tuition. This evening I shall be watching the tennis again. A shame one cannot sort of burn calories in a deferred way while watching these athletes tear around in the heat for hours on end. I don't know how they do it!
A busy day but a very pleasant one, I hope.
The menu today is:
B: natural yogurt, granola and a mixture of strawberries and blueberries, melon
L: fish finger salad wrap, pear
D: courgetti bolognaise, fruit yogurt. I think I will add a few frozen veg to the bol mixture - some peas, sweet corn and broad beans, just a bit of each.
Hopefully this will counterbalance the calorie damage and comparative lack of a variety of f&v yesterday!
But first - more coffee.
Wednesday, 6 July 2016
Wednesday
How wrong can you be? Yesterday's " dull and overcast and rather gloomy" early morning turned into a gloriously sunny rest of day, not cool, not hot, just perfect for Wimbledon. Today has started off lovely so fingers crossed it doesn't change its mind later.
Yesterday was busy in places and lazy in others. I baked my soda bread which, as always nowadays, turned out lovely. Yogurt is the secret ingredient here; yogurt instead of buttermilk and, because I make my own, yogurt is always on tap here.
Then I pootled off to school to have a fab time with the very youngest of the school family after which I came home and got things ready for my visitor and the cleaner.
I picked Al up from the station and we had a jolly good natter for the rest of the afternoon. I cooked the fish pie and it was delicious! Mixed cod and salmon so very simple.
Today we are going to Lathcoats for strawberry picking. I was hoping there would be plenty of fruit but, because of the teachers' strike yesterday, loads of families visited so there's not so much. However, their early email suggests it's still worth going so we will.
We talked about what to do/where to go this afternoon. Hyde Hall? Ingatestone Hall? Cressing Temple again? All very tempting but finally we decided to be totally self indulgent, stay at home and watch the tennis (well, it is the men's quarter finals, isn't it?) and I would make some scones to have with the home made strawberry jam and some clotted cream that somehow accidentally fell into my trolley the other day! Al was kind enough to call this idea 'idyllic' so there you go! It does sound nice, doesn't it?
Today's food, therefore is:
B: bran flakes, sultanas and some fruit
L: (which would normally be dinner) battered cod, wedges and peas
D: (tea really) Cream tea. Then, later on, some corn on the cob to nibble on if we're hungry.
Yum!
Yesterday was busy in places and lazy in others. I baked my soda bread which, as always nowadays, turned out lovely. Yogurt is the secret ingredient here; yogurt instead of buttermilk and, because I make my own, yogurt is always on tap here.
Then I pootled off to school to have a fab time with the very youngest of the school family after which I came home and got things ready for my visitor and the cleaner.
I picked Al up from the station and we had a jolly good natter for the rest of the afternoon. I cooked the fish pie and it was delicious! Mixed cod and salmon so very simple.
Today we are going to Lathcoats for strawberry picking. I was hoping there would be plenty of fruit but, because of the teachers' strike yesterday, loads of families visited so there's not so much. However, their early email suggests it's still worth going so we will.
We talked about what to do/where to go this afternoon. Hyde Hall? Ingatestone Hall? Cressing Temple again? All very tempting but finally we decided to be totally self indulgent, stay at home and watch the tennis (well, it is the men's quarter finals, isn't it?) and I would make some scones to have with the home made strawberry jam and some clotted cream that somehow accidentally fell into my trolley the other day! Al was kind enough to call this idea 'idyllic' so there you go! It does sound nice, doesn't it?
Today's food, therefore is:
B: bran flakes, sultanas and some fruit
L: (which would normally be dinner) battered cod, wedges and peas
D: (tea really) Cream tea. Then, later on, some corn on the cob to nibble on if we're hungry.
Yum!
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
Tuesday
What a contrast with yesterday's gloriously sunny morning. Today is dull and overcast and rather gloomy. BBC weather indicated no rain, for which I am thankful, but all the same . . .
I had a busy morning yesterday. I made the loaf (for a friend) and delivered it in the afternoon.
While sorting out the fridge, I found two wizened apples, five over-ripe plums and some nibbled strawberries so I turned them into a mixed fruit jam which was a great success so I blogged about it on Teacher's Recipes. These ad hoc jams can turn out brilliantly and this one certainly did!
I got all the washing done, thanks to the good drying weather, and also the ironing. I love an empty ironing basket, don't you? I just have to put everything away now.
Then, in the evening, it was the final of the Sewing Bee. Great entertainment and I am sure they chose the right winner but wasn't it close? I thought the alteration challenge was silly - who is ever going to chop up a good evening jacket to make a little black dress? All three finalists have shown great talent all the way through the series although they did make some silly mistakes yesterday and I winced over Charlotte's zip, that being a worry of my own too. Lumpy zips have featured all too frequently in my sewing past, as has over-ironing! And I wept for her when she made that seam 1.5 cms instead of 1. Why???
Anyway, that is the end of this series and I so hope there will be another one. I believe next week 'Eat Well For Less' restarts and that's another favourite and Bake Off should be back at some point soon. Then, come the autumn, it will be Strictly. All entertaining stuff!
Today is definitely busy. I will make some soda bread as soon as I have finished this entry so it cools and I can cover it before going to school for reading. When I get home I am expecting a guest so there will be a few bits and bobs to do and I am also expecting the cleaners this afternoon so there's a bit of tidying up to do. You see, I want them to clean and they can't if my mess is in their way, can they?
Today's food plans:
B: yogurt, granola and fruit (strawberries and blueberries), apple
L: hummus, carrot and celery batons, mixed salad, pear
D: fish pie, peas, yogurt
Right - kitchen, here I come!
I had a busy morning yesterday. I made the loaf (for a friend) and delivered it in the afternoon.
While sorting out the fridge, I found two wizened apples, five over-ripe plums and some nibbled strawberries so I turned them into a mixed fruit jam which was a great success so I blogged about it on Teacher's Recipes. These ad hoc jams can turn out brilliantly and this one certainly did!
I got all the washing done, thanks to the good drying weather, and also the ironing. I love an empty ironing basket, don't you? I just have to put everything away now.
Then, in the evening, it was the final of the Sewing Bee. Great entertainment and I am sure they chose the right winner but wasn't it close? I thought the alteration challenge was silly - who is ever going to chop up a good evening jacket to make a little black dress? All three finalists have shown great talent all the way through the series although they did make some silly mistakes yesterday and I winced over Charlotte's zip, that being a worry of my own too. Lumpy zips have featured all too frequently in my sewing past, as has over-ironing! And I wept for her when she made that seam 1.5 cms instead of 1. Why???
Anyway, that is the end of this series and I so hope there will be another one. I believe next week 'Eat Well For Less' restarts and that's another favourite and Bake Off should be back at some point soon. Then, come the autumn, it will be Strictly. All entertaining stuff!
Today is definitely busy. I will make some soda bread as soon as I have finished this entry so it cools and I can cover it before going to school for reading. When I get home I am expecting a guest so there will be a few bits and bobs to do and I am also expecting the cleaners this afternoon so there's a bit of tidying up to do. You see, I want them to clean and they can't if my mess is in their way, can they?
Today's food plans:
B: yogurt, granola and fruit (strawberries and blueberries), apple
L: hummus, carrot and celery batons, mixed salad, pear
D: fish pie, peas, yogurt
Right - kitchen, here I come!
Monday, 4 July 2016
Monday
Good morning, gentle readers and welcome to a gloriously sunny early morning in mid-Essex. The sky is clear and blue and it's so cheerful it makes me feel bubbly inside.
Yesterday was lovely and sunny too. It warmed up so I threw both French windows open and set to, putting together a pedestal fan I got a few weeks ago. Ever since I have been walking round the box muttering 'Must put this together' and now I have!
After feeding the cats yesterday I went round to Aldi. If I go on Sunday I like to get there about fifteen minutes before opening because by ten the car park is usually heaving. By the time I came out I was heartily thankful that I didn't have to back out of my slot and one poor lady who had to stop to have something loaded into her car by staff caused an almighty blockage which really wasn't her fault at all.
The rest of the day was spent generally idling my life away, one way and another. So very pleasant!
Today is another day with no firm commitments but I shall try not to be so lazy. There's always something that needs doing and maybe today is the day it gets done. There's washing, for sure, can't waste a lovely day like this, which means ironing later on.
I've thought of one commitment - I have to make a loaf of bread so I can deliver it later on so I'd better shut up and get that started off. I also have to make soda bread for tomorrow's visitor but I will save that until tomorrow so it is totally fresh.
Today's food plans are:
B: bran flakes and blueberries followed by some fruit
L: feta salad wrap, yogurt and strawberries
D: filled yellow pepper, broccoli and new potatoes, fruit
Yesterday was lovely and sunny too. It warmed up so I threw both French windows open and set to, putting together a pedestal fan I got a few weeks ago. Ever since I have been walking round the box muttering 'Must put this together' and now I have!
After feeding the cats yesterday I went round to Aldi. If I go on Sunday I like to get there about fifteen minutes before opening because by ten the car park is usually heaving. By the time I came out I was heartily thankful that I didn't have to back out of my slot and one poor lady who had to stop to have something loaded into her car by staff caused an almighty blockage which really wasn't her fault at all.
The rest of the day was spent generally idling my life away, one way and another. So very pleasant!
Today is another day with no firm commitments but I shall try not to be so lazy. There's always something that needs doing and maybe today is the day it gets done. There's washing, for sure, can't waste a lovely day like this, which means ironing later on.
I've thought of one commitment - I have to make a loaf of bread so I can deliver it later on so I'd better shut up and get that started off. I also have to make soda bread for tomorrow's visitor but I will save that until tomorrow so it is totally fresh.
Today's food plans are:
B: bran flakes and blueberries followed by some fruit
L: feta salad wrap, yogurt and strawberries
D: filled yellow pepper, broccoli and new potatoes, fruit
Sunday, 3 July 2016
Sunday
What funny weather we are having at the moment! Yesterday we had sun, rain, wind and a mixture of all three at times. Despite the sunny times, it still feels very cool for July. Usually we're in the middle of a heatwave and we teachers (and the children) swelter in the classrooms with the fan on full pelt, even though it blows the papers everywhere.
This morning it is light and bright so I am hoping . . .
Yesterday was another very pleasant day. I started off by finishing the strawberry jam started the day before and I made those buns for my two garden helpers. My cake making can be erratic but those cupcakes looked good and disappeared quickly. I popped over to Beth's a couple of time to feed the cats. I made a batch of Jack-burgers, one of which I had last night and very nice it was too. I fed the tomatoes as the fruit is just beginning to set. It was just really pleasant.
Proof:
I also fixed a date to have dinner with a friend and, really nice, someone contacted me to say she'd heard I did tutoring and would I have room for her daughter. I'm meeting her next week but how nice is that, eh? It looks as if, slowly, word is getting around.
Today ought to be a quiet day - but you never know. I'm not planning to do anything, just be lazy, take life easy and go with the flow. Happy times.
Today's food plans:
B: oat bran galette with natural yogurt and strawberries and blueberries
L: home made broccoli soup, natural yogurt and fresh fruit
D: peanut butter chicken noodles with a side salad, fruit yogurt
And finally, my friend posted a photo of that dress I wrote about on Friday. It's very sixties-girl and looks a lot better on than hanging. I'm sure Mum made me a dress like that at some point.
Time for another coffee, I think.
Have a lovely day.
This morning it is light and bright so I am hoping . . .
Yesterday was another very pleasant day. I started off by finishing the strawberry jam started the day before and I made those buns for my two garden helpers. My cake making can be erratic but those cupcakes looked good and disappeared quickly. I popped over to Beth's a couple of time to feed the cats. I made a batch of Jack-burgers, one of which I had last night and very nice it was too. I fed the tomatoes as the fruit is just beginning to set. It was just really pleasant.
Proof:
I also fixed a date to have dinner with a friend and, really nice, someone contacted me to say she'd heard I did tutoring and would I have room for her daughter. I'm meeting her next week but how nice is that, eh? It looks as if, slowly, word is getting around.
Today ought to be a quiet day - but you never know. I'm not planning to do anything, just be lazy, take life easy and go with the flow. Happy times.
Today's food plans:
B: oat bran galette with natural yogurt and strawberries and blueberries
L: home made broccoli soup, natural yogurt and fresh fruit
D: peanut butter chicken noodles with a side salad, fruit yogurt
Time for another coffee, I think.
Have a lovely day.
Saturday, 2 July 2016
Saturday
Morning, all! The sun is starting to shine, I have jam resting on the oven and all's well with the world. Nice!
Yesterday was, thankfully, a little less intensive than Thursday. Matt came round, re-lagged some stuff in the attic, repaired a leak in the airing cupboard and serviced the boiler. That's the good news. The bad news is that the boiler is pretty well knackered. Ah, well, thank goodness I am, at the moment, in funds.
The jam is now in jars. That's the third lot of jam I have made with my own strawberries and, as they are now slowing down, it is likely to be the last unless there's another rush of them. I'm ignorant about strawberry growing but I read somewhere that if you religiously cut off all the runners, you might get another lot of berries. As I don't intend to produce more plants, that is what I will do, I think. It won;t hurt and if there's another rush of berries that's all to the good!
I got an email from Lathcoats during the week, informing me that the PYO is now open. Weather permitting (it really hasn't this week) I will take a trip down there and pick strawberries for jamming and for freezing - and some for eating, of course. I believe the gooseberries and the raspberries are also ready so I might get some of them too. Raspberry gin/vodka is absolutely delicious!
After waxing lyrical about the Hubble and Rose fabric J and I used to make her dress, I went online and found a place where they sell H & R 'pretty' fabric. I thought of my Building Society savings and went for it so now I have some very pretty fabric winging its way to me for stuff. I think a skirt and a bag and - oh, whatever.
Today I intend to bake rolls, make Jack-burgers and bake some buns for my two young gardeners. I find a one-egg mix is just right. I weigh the egg in its shell, crack the egg and then add the same weight of SR flour, sugar and Stork. Never fails (tempting fate there but never mind) and makes four good sized buns, two each, with a drink to wash them down. I have some chocolate icing left over from Wednesday which will be perfect to top them. I like to give them something home made and knocking up a few buns or a small batch of biscuits takes no time at all. There's never any left anyway!
My food plans today do not involve cake!
B: bran flakes with sultanas, some water melon
L: chicken salad with coleslaw and a honey and mustard dressing, natural yogurt with the jam skimmings
D: Jack Monroe's carrot, kidney bean and cumin burger in a roll with a side salad, chocolate yogurt (natural yogurt with some instant chocolate powder stirred in - delish)
Yesterday was, thankfully, a little less intensive than Thursday. Matt came round, re-lagged some stuff in the attic, repaired a leak in the airing cupboard and serviced the boiler. That's the good news. The bad news is that the boiler is pretty well knackered. Ah, well, thank goodness I am, at the moment, in funds.
The jam is now in jars. That's the third lot of jam I have made with my own strawberries and, as they are now slowing down, it is likely to be the last unless there's another rush of them. I'm ignorant about strawberry growing but I read somewhere that if you religiously cut off all the runners, you might get another lot of berries. As I don't intend to produce more plants, that is what I will do, I think. It won;t hurt and if there's another rush of berries that's all to the good!
I got an email from Lathcoats during the week, informing me that the PYO is now open. Weather permitting (it really hasn't this week) I will take a trip down there and pick strawberries for jamming and for freezing - and some for eating, of course. I believe the gooseberries and the raspberries are also ready so I might get some of them too. Raspberry gin/vodka is absolutely delicious!
After waxing lyrical about the Hubble and Rose fabric J and I used to make her dress, I went online and found a place where they sell H & R 'pretty' fabric. I thought of my Building Society savings and went for it so now I have some very pretty fabric winging its way to me for stuff. I think a skirt and a bag and - oh, whatever.
Today I intend to bake rolls, make Jack-burgers and bake some buns for my two young gardeners. I find a one-egg mix is just right. I weigh the egg in its shell, crack the egg and then add the same weight of SR flour, sugar and Stork. Never fails (tempting fate there but never mind) and makes four good sized buns, two each, with a drink to wash them down. I have some chocolate icing left over from Wednesday which will be perfect to top them. I like to give them something home made and knocking up a few buns or a small batch of biscuits takes no time at all. There's never any left anyway!
My food plans today do not involve cake!
B: bran flakes with sultanas, some water melon
L: chicken salad with coleslaw and a honey and mustard dressing, natural yogurt with the jam skimmings
D: Jack Monroe's carrot, kidney bean and cumin burger in a roll with a side salad, chocolate yogurt (natural yogurt with some instant chocolate powder stirred in - delish)
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