Wednesday, 05-08-26

Morning, everyone!

I'm a bit late today.  Excuses later!  😀

Yesterday went OK.  It started off fairly cool but by the afternoon it was very humid, a strong wind got up and the clouds rolled over and I really felt a storm was on the way.  No such luck - by evening the clouds looked less ominous, the wind had died down and the humidity had lifted (thankfully).

Sharon came, worked her magic and left again.
I popped to Morrisons to get a few things I had forgotten to get.

I made some chutney, not Alison's recipe but one with balsamic vinegar.  It was OK, I will enjoy it, but it's a bit bland.  Not one to make again.

I've not got quite a lot of tomato based stuff in the freezer and today I want to add to that with some peeled and chopped tomatoes.

This morning, I got my Facebook stuff done and then I went over to Lindsey's for personal training.  She asked me about things, adapted the exercises and finished off with a massage.  She thinks that, judging by my reactions to the massage, I have a bit of a trapped nerve.  It does feel a lot better now, even if the massage itself was a bit uncomfortable at times, so that's good.

When I got home, I watered the tomatoes and then set to cutting back some more leaves on the tomato plants.  If we do get rain (yes, please), it will help keep the plants aired and blight free.

They don't look nearly so nice now and are a bit top heavy so I will need to keep an eye on that, but 

the tomatoes will get better light and, as I said, better air through.

Then I sat down with coffee and have only just remembered my blog.  Ooops.

There's nothing else in the diary for today but I want to start packing for Friday and Five Lakes.  Only two more days, yay.
My lovely neighbour says she will water the garden which is so kind of her given the hosepipe ban.

So that's me for today.  Nothing very exciting but just plodding on is nice and peaceful, isn't it?  Have a lovely day yourselves too.  xx

Tuesday, 04-08-26

 Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to my blog.
It's a fine morning and the early sun is shining brightly.    I've done my watering - left handed watering is something of a pain but not as much as using the other arm!! - and picked the morning tomatoes.

Yesterday I made a big bowl of tomato, roasted red pepper and lentil soup which tastes gorgeous and will be perfect, not only for soup but also for pasta/pizza sauce and that sort of thing.  This morning I blanched and peeled some cherry tomatoes and they will also be frozen.

Peeling those little tomatoes is fiddly and, while I was doing it, I suddenly wondered if I could do anything more with the skins than just compost them.

So I asked my friend, Google, 'Can I make tomato powder with tomato skins?' and this is what I got.

Yes, you can make tomato powder from tomato skins. The process involves dehydrating the skins at low temperatures and then grinding them into a fine powder. This method not only conserves food waste but also preserves the flavour and nutrients of the tomatoes. The resulting tomato powder can be used in various dishes to enhance their flavour and colour.

My air fryer has a dehydrate function so three cheers.  When I think of all the skins I have discarded over the years . . . 
I might dry some of the bigger tomatoes and store them in evoo or even garlic infused oil - wouldn't that be good?

One half of the salt tablets arrived yesterday (they warned me in might come in two deliveries).   I asked nicely but the driver wouldn't take them round the back.   Oh, well, I managed, one bag at a time!  I'm hoping the other half will arrive today.

Thinking of today, I'm not doing Groove.  There's a lot of arm stuff and I don't think it would be sensible.  I'm going to ask Lindsey for some gentle stretching exercises I can do for when it aches - she's really helpful with things like that.  

BBC weather doesn't show any rain though for weeks - although there are flood warnings out for other parts of the country.  C'est la vie!!!

Have a lovely Tuesday, all.  Stay safe and well.  xx

Monday, 03-08-26

Good morning, everyone!  It's Monday, new week, the sun is shining and, right now, it's very pleasant outside.

I've done my first watering can watering this morning.  I'm not sure it needed it but, while the heat continues, I will be doing morning and evening, particularly the thirsty tomatoes!

Here you go - the mandatory photo!
I've done the morning picking and these will soon be ready to pick.  I'm really loving them this year; they are much happier than in pots and, assuming I feed the soil well, they should grow well next year too.

I'm already thinking about next year, as I am sure some of you are too.  Growing space is limited but I have bought some . . . well, they are called potato bags but they are sturdy and should do for plenty of other veg as well as potatoes.  I'm wondering about over-wintering some early broad beans (so I need to get the seeds soon) and then I can use the same soil for salad leaves, maybe, and so on.  I really would like to grow a bit more produce.

And here's that dahlia, looking very happy and healthy.  Definitely the 'wrong' colour but, dear me, let's not be too fussy!

I do like a survivor!

Today should be circuits but I've pulled out as my shoulder/upper arm is quite sore.  Annoying, but on this occasion I feel it is wiser to rest it than to push on through.  Lindsey said that she can give it a massage at PT on Wednesday - that should help.

When I went to top up the water softener, I found I was down to the last bag of salt pellets so good old Amazon is delivering some today.  With any luck, he will carry them round to the back for me but, if not, I will just have to be very, very careful!  I wonder where I put my trolley box . . .

Well, better go.  I may not be rushing out to circuits but I do have stuff to do so have a lovely day, everyone.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Sunday, 02-08-26

Morning, all.  Another cool and dry start to the day.  Mornings and evenings round here are really very pleasant, it just tends to get hot in the late morning and afternoon.

I made the first chutney I have made in several years, using a recipe from the ever-reliable BBC Good Food.  Maybe I shouldn't have added the optional chilli and maybe I overdid the ginger but I like a bit of spice in chutney, it's actually really nice and can be used straight away.
I halved the amounts and it gave me one big pot which is perfect as far as storage is concerned.
So that's 500g of tomatoes accounted for!

I meant to have some with my evening meal but forgot.  I've planned a burger this evening so it will be perfect for that!

I'll try Alison's recipe next although it won't be all Sungolds; I don't have enough of them and anyway I love them raw!  :-)

Last week, I got a message from Virgin telling me my TV box was on the way out (that wasn't news to me) so please to order a new one.  So I did, it arrived on Friday and yesterday I summoned up my courage and did the necessary.  It should have been easy and, to 99.9% of the population it would have been but me - I'm the original techno-twit and it took ages.  I got there though, finally, thank goodness.  Now I just have to return the old bod to them, everything provided including return label.
Of course, I lost all my recordings and settings, but it wasn't long ago I had to change the zapper and lost them in the process then so there wasn't much to lose.  To be fair, the new way to record is infinitely easier, once you get your head round it.

I've just unpacked the Oddbox, which is left on my doorstep overnight.  Lovely quality fruit and veg including a beautiful cabbage which I don't need but I will give it to Beth and Alex when I take come tomatoes over this afternoon.

This morning I want to spend a little time just tidying and sorting stuff and dealing with tomatoes (I might just skin and chop and freeze for chutney making at a later date) and then the day's my own.   I have absolutely no idea what to do but I'm sure I will find something.

In the meanwhile, I will love you and leave you with hopes for a good day for us all.  xx 

Saturday, 01-08-26

Good morning, everyone, and pinch and punch for the first of the month with no returns!  I think that covers it.  😁

So, here we are at the beginning of the holiday month as I always think of it.  I have vague and happy feelings of little children playing in the garden - swing, sandpit, tricycles, scooters, going for bike rides with Mum, going for walks with Pam, getting up early to bring the milk in before it went off in the sun and that overwhelming sense of freedom.  I was very lucky in my childhood; I'm sure there were less great times but I don't remember them.

Yesterday started nice and cool but by the afternoon it was hot again and I stayed in, appreciating the fans.  In the morning, I had done Slimming World and then went over to Morrisons to do the weekly shop although I do hope I won't need to do anything quite as big for a fortnight, just fresh stuff.  I'm away next weekend and that will help too!  I was able to take the money out of July's budget so today starts with a clean sheet and that's something else that feels good.  July was a very costly month, what with all the extra expenses plus paying for holidays and so on - August looks much plainer sailing (touch wood) one way and another.

I knew we couldn't escape the hosepipe ban much longer and, yes, Essex and Suffolk Water has announced one starting Monday.  Ho hum but fair enough.  I will make the most of this weekend and give the beds, especially the tomato bed, super long soakings and I'm thankful that I have no tomatoes in pots this year as they are a bit of a pain to keep damp and there's so much more evaporation.

And, talking of tomatoes, I have loads including some larger ones and will be making some chutney today.  I have a few big jars and don't want to make loads but, unlike jam, I do eat chutney regularly so it won't be wasted.  And there's always Christmas gifts to consider.

I'm glad that I have that because this weekend, for the first time in forever, I have no one to bake bread for.  Lindsey has plenty and so does Beth.  I feel bereft (well, a bit sad anyway) as I love making bread.

The other thing I want to do today is deal with the hanging baskets which are really past their best now and looking straggly. and not terribly attractive.  They've been great though and, obviously, I will be keeping the pots and dumping the contents in the compost bin.
There's always dead heading too plus weed scraping although they are wilting in the heat and not nearly as aggressive as usual.

Have a lovely day, everyone.  Stay happy and be safe.  xx

Friday, 31-07-26

Morning - welcome to the last day of July which is starting out dull here.  However, no rain forecast which is not great.  We actually had a few drops yesterday evening, great bit splashes, but wherever the rest fell, it certainly wasn't round here. 

A quick one as I have an early start.

Yesterday was a pleasant day, just pottering around doing this, that and the other.  I finished my latest crochet thing, one of those things that go across the bottom of your bed, mainly to look nice, I think, but it swill help keep my toes warm come the colder weather.

Today starts with Slimming World, as usual, and than I have the weekly shop.  And that's about it.

The next Broomfield Trips newsletter landed this morning and I've asked for places on two trips for next year, Milestone's Living Museum and Live Aid the Musical.

How about you?  What have you been up to?  
Have a lovely Friday, everyone.  xx

Thursday, 30-07-26

Good morning, everyone.  

I trundled off into town on the bus yesterday, laden with a list, water, sunhat, TV connectors and, most important, my bank card!
The bus was quick so I was able to wander along to Grape Tree first and found not only the required mixed seeds and pumpkin seeds (there's never enough pumpkin seeds in a mix so I always add more) but also some beetroot powder that someone in one of my Facebook pages recommended.

I picked up my glasses and had them fitted before popping over the road to Pret  - I rarely eat breakfast out but, on this occasion, I decided I wanted to - so I did!  I had a 'big apple bowl (not so big but very nice) and my usual black Americano and really enjoyed the experience.  I do like Pret food.

I wandered into Holland and Barrett where my eye was caught by a bag of carlin peas (dried peas) which, says the bag, are sometimes called pigeon peas and which have a chestnutty flavour, nice in curries, with roasted veg and in salads.
Looking forward to giving them a try!

And then, the main event.  Back to Specsavers for my hearing aid appointment where the audiologist took great care with tuning them, linking my TV connectors (the sound Bluetooths straight into the aids which is absolutely brilliant) and updating the app on my phone.  It's amazing what you can get to help nowadays.

I paid the ouchy amount and that was that - until the check up in a month's time!

Now I can do a final check and close my accounts for July.  Good!

Just as I got home, up rolled the window cleaner.  Good timing there.  Poor chap, he was baking hot and gratefully accepted a big glass of iced water, following up with a second big glass.

Today is a nothing in the diary day.  Chris can't make coffee and chat this morning.  It feels quite nice to have nothing scheduled first thing - every week day usually has something - fitness class, PT, coffee and chat and Slimming World.
I've picked another load of tomatoes including some big ones so I need to deal with them.  I think I am just going to peel the cherry sized ones and freeze them whole and I might make some portions of soup with the bigger ones.
I'm having a lot in meals at the moment as well.
Happy days!

Have a lovely Thursday and let's hope it's a bit cooler today - yesterday was an absolute scorcher!  xx