Friday

The sun is shining, it is crisp and autumnal; it's going to be a really lovely day!

Yesterday was also a wonderful day.  We went to Lakeland as we had a list of things we needed - I needed some baggies and some loaf tin liners.  I had just three baggies left and I cannot manage without them, I really can't.  We had a lovely slow trawl around the place, looking, commenting and generally wishing we could buy up the shop.  I did get one extravagance - we bought a perforated quiche tin each because it was buy one get one half price.  They are small tins, just right for small families!

When we got home we set straight off for Hyde Hall, arriving just in time for lunch.  Curried parsnip soup and a delicious hunk of brown bread filled all the corners.  Then we caught the 'taxi' up to the top and meandered round happily for a couple of hours.  There were enough people there to make it sociable but not crowded in any way and there were quite a lot of little children so enjoying the space, the sun and a sit-on mower that was doing its duty with the broad swathes of lawn.  I took several photos but haven't uploaded them yet.

After an easy journey home, we had a cuppa and a rest before I made dinner.  Well, I say 'made' but, in fact, it was a lasagne that I had taken out of the freezer (home made earlier), a very simple salad and some garlic bread, followed by cheese and cracker (not that we had any of the latter).  I was really pleased that my new (first time of use, anyway) lasagne dish did the three of us very nicely.

We all slept very well!!

Today my guests are going home very soon - by the time most of you read this they will be there - and I have baked some bread.  I have some beds to sort out, some washing, drying and ironing, some tidying up and I want to enjoy the sunshine.  I think a friend is coming over for coffee.  I might take a trip over to Hobbycraft!  This afternoon the cleaners come so by this evening I will have a lovely clean, fresh home.

Because of having friends here, I missed the Bake Off final on Wednesday so I caught up with it on iPlayer early this morning.  Wasn't it lovely?  I think it was the nicest one yet and I am so glad Nadiya won.  She was my favourite from the word go.  I love her method for fondant icing and want to give it a go sometime.  Did you see it?  She just melted marshmallows in the microwave and added some icing sugar.

Also someone posted a recipe for slow cooker onion chutney and I want to have a go at that.  It looks dead easy, sounds delicious and I am thinking ahead to Christmas presents now.  Looking at what's in it, it can't taste bad and if the worse comes to the worst and it doesn't thicken, I can pour it into a pan and finish it off the old fashioned way!

I found, on Facebook (how did I manage without Facebook?) a 'method' for making gift bags.  It looks fantastic, dead simple and very clever.  I shall have a go (but maybe not today) and if it works as well as I think it will, I will make some to put my Christmas present preserves in.  A gift in another gift!

I've tried to post the video clip here.  Fingers crossed it works.  It's out in the public domain so, hopefully, having it here is OK.
Just in case it doesn't work, here's the URL.
http://24blocks.com/fabric-gift-bags/?utm_source=24b-24b&utm_medium=social-fb&utm_term=100615&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=fabric-gift-bags&origin=24b_24b_social_fb_link_fabric-gift-bags_100615

Food:
Breakfast:  toast and things
Lunch:  tomato soup and a titchy bit of lasagne that was left over from last night.  Not even enough for one proper portion but we were so full it didn't get finished.  There's also a bit of garlic bread to dunk in the soup.
Dinner: steak and salad, yogurt