20-05-25

Good morning, again, everyone, and welcome to Tuesday.  The sun is trying to shine and today's forecast is good although tomorrow's says maybe a bit of rain.  We need a good, steady downpour, the farmers even more so, but we will see.  I won't complain, for sure.

I continued my Sungold hunt yesterday, trying Longacres and then B&Q but, sadly, no luck in either place.  I could buy online but they are phenomenally expensive so sorry, but no thanks.
I will try further afield tomorrow (or, maybe, this afternoon) and if there's no luck then I will do without.  I won't be short of tomatoes, that's for sure.

I did come home with stuff though - some bedding plugs, some larger flowering plants, a chilli pepper, some cucumbers, a curly leaf parsley and, yes, some tomatoes.  I will list the various varieties I have now another time but I have some photos so here we go!

Here we go with five in pots.  You can see the difference in maturity between the two from Grenville's and the three from Longacres but they all seem nice and healthy.

The ones I put in the bed.  Seven plants, all from Grenville and those specks are slow release food for them.

As well as those, Chris is giving me two Sweet Millions (lovely) and two Moneymakers.  Dad always said don't get Moneymakers - they are not that flavoursome and the reviews seem to support that, calling them 'mild' and 'not very intense' but no way am I turning down  free tomato plants and cooking in olive oil makes for a great flavour anyway, regardless.

And a couple of Tumbling Toms, one red and one yellow.  Tomatoes with character and it's nice not to have to pinch out the side shoots!  :-)

Not the best photo but in this bed I have planted a couple of Stocks (I love Stocks), another dahlia and a dianthus to replace the one that's all woody and ugly - they can flower side by side this season and I will have the old one out come the autumn and shift the new one slightly to fill that space.  That's the plan, anyway.

The plugs are Snapdragons, Sweet Williams and - oh, I forget - Salvia, I think and they are in smaller pots that I can move round for best effect.

Three cucumbers.  These produce all female flowers so we will see how it pans out.  

I've been saving washed and dries eggshells for ages now.  Some have been crushed very finely and have gone into the soil around the tomatoes.  I read somewhere that this helps precent blossom end rot.

And some, as you can see, have been roughly crushed and are there to prevent slugs and snails from scoffing my cucumbers.  Yes, there are a few slug pellets too - belt and braces, folks.

Sorry!

And, finally (for now), an Apache chilli.  I never have luck with the big, mild peppers but chillies seem to do very nicely and my experience is that one plant provides more than I can give away!!

Hopefully, this one won't prove me wrong.

I have some mixed leaves seeds which I will sow into sundry little pots from time to time - I ought to start that today really. 

Apart from tomatoes, I think that is pretty much it for this summer now.  In a little, easy-care garden like mine, there's a limit to what I can grow and how much.

So this year, I have, in no particular order:

blueberries (loads of blueberries)

raspberries

herbs - oregano, chives, mints, sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary and bay

cucumbers

runner beans

tomatoes

and leaves (when I get round to it)

Sadly, no pears and no apples.  Oh, well.

Plus some flowers and some leafage.

After coming home from the Governors' Training (very good indeed), I set to and spent the rest of a lovely, warm afternoon planting everything out, etc.  It was lovely.

Today starts with Groove (no Chris this week), then I MUST do the downstairs housework before gallivanting off to some more garden centres on my Sungold hunt.  I am tasking no bets on whether I come back with anything else or not!

I forgot to mention above that I got two loads of washing on the line and dried but no ironing so that is also on the list but I can do that while watching telly later.

Well, better get started with the morning Facebook duties and then get ready for Groove.  I'm expecting this to be a very satisfying sort of day and I hope yours is too!  xx

19-05-25

Good morning, everyone.  It's Monday:  did you have a nice weekend?

Yesterday turned out to be quite a busy day.
I got to Grenville's and came home with a selected of tomato plants - four for a fiver (I got eleven) and really nice and healthy looking.  I also got a perennial wallflower for the middle bed and a flat leaved parsley (which made up twelve for the offer) plus some six foot canes.

Oh, my - the traffic on the way home.  I had forgotten it was the Essex Young Farmers' Show in Roxwell, just down the road.  It took me ages to get to the Writtle roundabout where, fortunately, I was turning the other way from all the show traffic which seemed to be queueing all the way into town.  Dire!

My PC is having some serious issues so the lovely Eddie came over to see if he could help.  He used to work in computers and I know him because I had both his boys in my Y1 class in consecutive years ages ago.  He couldn't sort it out but he knows someone who can and will get in touch with him and get it sorted.  Bless him, good old Eddie.

Then I drove over to Beth and managed to get the Cook Key working but doing a reset.  Some old stuff was lost but that's OK, it was my stuff anyway, not Beth's.  Now she can access the recipes on Cookidoo.

And finally, the tomatoes are now planted out and the runner beans are in the blankety bed, well watered in so fingers crossed.

Chris has promised me some tomato plants that she doesn't needs - she does it properly and grows from seeds, bless her.  Fingers crossed the runners do OK so I can repay her with some veg.

Just one moan - they didn't have any Sungolds.  They had Honeycomb instead - they are nice but I like to get a few Sungolds in memory of my dear old Dad as they were his favourites.  I'll have to take a trip to Longacres and see if they have any, I think.

The clematis is now doing very nicely with eleven flowers and loads more buds.  Not a great photo, it was taken on a dull evening - they are a lovely, deep pink really.

Today is another busy one.  There's circuits first thing, then I would like to get to Longacres and in the afternoon there's some Governors' training at school.

The downstairs housework will have to wait until tomorrow.  

That should all keep me out of trouble anyway!

Have a lovely Monday, one and all.  xx

18-05-25

Morning, everyone, and welcome to a rather dull Sunday morning here in mid-Essex.  It doesn't feel particularly cold though, so that's OK.

I didn't get to the Nursery yesterday so that's first on the list for today.  I did get over to Beth's though.  She has my old Thermomix 5, wants to start using it but was having some issues when she first got it from me a number of years ago now, so she just put it away.
It's working fine but the Cook Key, which starts up OK (green light shows), doesn't do what it is supposed to do which is to connect the Thermomix to Cookidoo, the online recipe portal.  While not being essential (the other recipe book chips work fine so it's not the actual connection), it is annoying that it doesn't work.  I've looked up a few things and will go over again this afternoon to try them out and if they don't sort it out, it's not a major issue, it just bugs me!  :-)

I am very glad my Thermione (version 6) doesn't faff around with Cook Keys, recipe book chips, etc!

While I was there, Alex started making some bean and veg tomato sauce like we did on Friday and it smelled amazing.  Well done, Al.  And he was using a super Ingenio pot that I now covet mightily!

The other news is that the 80% wholemeal flours loaf, while taking as long as the usual sourdough even with that bit of commercial yeast, turned out a very nice loaf.  It rose well but I didn't get the big oven spring but then I never do.  Something to ask about when I go on that course in a fortnight.  It has a lovely sourdough flavour too.  I'm happy with it.
It was supposed to be for Beth but there might not be a whole loaf in the bag now.  Ooops!  Oh, well, a good excuse to start another one and try it in a loaf tin rather than banneton shaped, don't you think?  

Today, I am definitely off to the nursery, then I will be planting the tomatoes out, sowing those runner beans, etc, and this afternoon I will be round Beth's again to see if I can sort out the Cook Key.  If not, no worries, it's not a disaster, but I'll give it another go.  She could get another one but they aren't cheap and not necessary, just as nice extra.

Time to get going then.  Feed the starters first thing, have my bath and get dressed and then the day starts.
Hope yours is a good one.  Happy Sunday, all.  xx

17-05-25

Good morning, everybody.  Welcome to Saturday.  After sunshine yesterday, it's back to being dull and dreary but not to worry, the sun will be back soon, I am sure.

I was so proud of Alex yesterday.  He did really well with making a bean and veg pasta lunch, coping well with the pressure.
I don't find cooking pressured, obviously, but it can be when you're learning.  Alex can and does cook but he needs some ideas for cooking heart healthy meals for Beth now when she has been diagnosed with type two diabetes and really does have to sort things out and get more healthy.

They take it in turns to cook meals and Alex asked for help with more healthy stuff, realising that shoving a pizza in the oven doesn't wing it really!

I am so glad I started eating the Mediterranean way last year as it's the perfect way to go and there's so many resources and sources of information around.

The above was my portion with some cheese on top and to the side is what Alex had - a slightly bigger portion with added chicken.

Beth is veggie and he isn't so we need to work on vegetarian recipes that can be adapted for him.

He went home with four portions for their freezer and wants to come again to learn another recipe.  I now have to get this one typed out for him although I am sure he will remember it.

So - very successful!

In other news, I started the much more wholemeal sourdough loaf.  I used 50g activated starter as usual and just added a pinch of dried yeast as well.  I had to shove it in the fridge overnight to stop the bulk fermentation because it was rising very nicely indeed.  Now, it is sitting on the side coming back to room temperature before I continue.  It's a nice dough, not heavy or stodgy so - so far, so good.  Fingers crossed.

Today, I am dithering about whether to go to Grenville's Nursery this morning or tomorrow.  I'll see how quickly I can get ready - they may have extended now but when I went in past years, there was limited car parking space and it does have plenty of customers.  Maybe they have extended the parking now, I will see when I go.
It's a proper nursery, not a garden centre, no cafe/shop/stuff like that but their plants are great and very reasonable indeed.  It is off the beaten track too so not somewhere to just pop to and visit really.

I've started working out a recipe for stuffed peppers - I've made some for tonight's dinner, it just needs reheating, and maybe that can be the next recipe to try with Alex.  We will see.

Better go - real life calls and, if I am getting to the nursery today, I need to start getting ready.  Thanks, everyone, and have a lovely day.  xx

16-05-25

Good morning again, everyone.    It felt a bit chilly yesterday and it's feeling the same again this morning so we're back to cold fingers again.  Brrr.  It might be a bit sunnier though - yesterday we had no sun until early evening.  If we'd had rain it would have been good but no such luck.

This is so much better now.  I can see where those gaps are.

Everything is definitely migrating towards the left hand side, the side facing the morning sunshine.  Now I know where I need to provide more somethings.  I will take a look when I go to Grenville's and maybe take a trip to Longacres too.

The lavender is looking much healthier than it did a month ago and the dianthus is sending out buds - nice.  And I have three dahlias, two down the overpopulated end.  Plus those foxgloves.

Thank you, Wendy, for the advice re the irises.

Poor cyclamen.  There are bulbs in the pot too which didn't do terribly well this year so I decided to have them out (no idea why I didn't apply this to the irises too!).  When I started the soil was bone dry (ooops) and the bulbs so impacted it was hard to pull them out.  I now have a whole load of them drying out for replanting elsewhere come the autumn.  I mag fill a few pots with them so they can be moved about into corners that need some colour.

I am carefully watering the soil and I think it it properly hydrated now  The next thing is to feed the poor thing and hope for the best.

That is not a healthy looking flower, is it?

Mind you, some things seem to thrive on a bit of healthy neglect, don't they?  This sage was a poor, wizened old thing over winter and just look at it now, sending out healthy growth all over.  I'm going to dehydrate some using Nellie's dehydrate function, I think.

As for the rosemary - no photos - which was promising to take over the bed, that's now been severely chopped back.  I don't care if it is the wrong time, I have never managed to kill a rosemary yet.

I've decided I can't manage without runner beans so that's what I am sowing in the blankety bed this year.

There will be tomatoes at the end and then there's room for a short row of beans.  I can stand on the wall to harvest so that won't be a problem at all.

Today, Alex is coming over for a cookery lesson.  He want's to learn how to cook more than bunging a pizza in the oven or opening a can of beans.  Also, he wants to cook more healthy stuff so who better than his old Nan to show him.  We're doing cheesy pasta bake (hopefully) today.

I've fed Bubbles (my rye starter) and want to have a go at a more wholemeal loaf using activated starter and a pinch of commercial yeast (a sort of poolish thing).  My recipe is one fifth white and the rest is a mix of spelt, rye and wholemeal and it's really very nice indeed with a great flavour.  However, I think this mix would be too heavy for a sourdough starter on its own so let's give it a go.  It will end up as something, it won't be wasted and it might work really well.

As I discarded before feeding, I found I had loads of discard so some of that has become four crumpets.  Alex can take them home with him.

It's going to be a good day, I think.  Stay safe and be happy, everyone.  xx

15-05-25

Morning, everyone, and welcome to Thursday.

Where's the sun gone?  It looks almost like rain although I don't think any is forecast.  It's not going to feel particularly warm either, under 20C, but that's OK because I want to do some serious sorting out of my garden and that's much more pleasant when it is a bit cooler.

Yesterday and today have been times of disappointments.  Not great bit major ones, just a few little ones.

Dave and Anna have had to cancel Friday evening for very good reasons - isn't it lucky I didn't get any fresh special posh veg, just the frozen chargrilled veg?  That will keep.

Chris can't make our coffee and chat this morning - she messaged me this morning to say she needed to be with her mum who isn't feeling great.  Quite right too!

The last is my own decision.  I was going to the Civic this evening to see a local operatic society's performance of Carousel but I also got a message to say that the car park next door is closed.  Obviously, there are other car parks but none that I would feel completely safe walking back to later in the evening when it is dark, bearing in mind I would be on my own.  Nor would I want to take a late bus, assuming there is one, and taxis are too expensive nowadays.  So I made the decision to not go - a shame, but I have to go with my feelings here.

So I have a free day until early afternoon when I go to Lindsey's for Groove in the Garden (hopefully).  That will be nice; I love Groove.

And this is what I want to work on.  The middle bed, the flower bed.  All the bulbs have died back, as has the cyclamen, so that all needs clearing now.  Then I can see where/if I need to get anything to feel gaps.  

My irises didn't flower at all this year - they are very old so maybe they need replacing.  The foxgloves are doing well, I planted two bedding dahlias last year that are coming up nicely, the Japanese anemones look good and there are various other things showing.  The dianthus doesn't look great though - it's old so maybe I need to replace it.  I need something bedding-like for that pot with the single weed!

On Saturday I am going to Grenville's to get my tomatoes so I can get the pots organised and ready too.  Plenty to do, anyway.

Round the front, it's looking nice with the lily of the valley in full flower and the summer flowers growing nicely, despite the dryness.  Shame about the weeds between the slabs, isn't it.  Oh, well - back to ten minutes of scraping a day!!

Better go, have my bath, get dressed and get started.  

Wishing us all a happy and productive day.  xx

14-05-25

 Good morning, everyone.  It's another promising start to the day, the sun is emerging and it's nice and fresh.

Yesterday was a day of two halves - busy and then nice and chilled.

Chris and I walked down to Groove, chatting nineteen to the dozen.  As this block is a long one, eight weeks instead of the usual six, Lindsey had worked out what she called an 'interim playlist' with new sequences so it felt 'harder' (not the right word here) than usual.  Really good though.

I had breakfast early and then went a-shopping for Beth.  Without going into reasons, she is changing to a more Mediterranean was of eating, like me, and on Monday we worked out a shopping list which I worked through yesterday.  My table is looking remarkably healthy at the moment - nuts, seeds, avocado oil (she already has evoo), wholewheat stuff - fusilli, spaghetti, etc, quinoa, couscous . . .
You could almost see my halo as I pushed my trolley around!

I looked for my posh veg but it was a bit early - the fresh stuff has such a short life and the only remotely posh stuff was some frozen chargrilled Med veg which I got.  It gave me ideas though and I can easily knock up some mint buttered peas on Friday which will be fine.  So that's the veg sorted out.

I'm also going to help out by making freezer meals for her - for a start, she loved the lentil bake and I've started a batch of falafel (the chick peas are soaking).

It should keep me out of trouble!

Today is busy.  I have circuits (changed from Monday this week) first thing, personal training in the afternoon and an early evening Governors' meeting.  I'd like to start another loaf too as I know what I have given them won't last Beth and Alex all that long.  I want to try going proper wholemeal and add a pinch of commercial yeast to the starter, for a bit more rise.  I don't know whether it will work and it wont be authentic sourdough, of course, but worth a try.  So I had better get Bubbles activated, hadn't I?

So I will love you and leave you with hopes that we all have a very happy day today.  xx

13-05-25

Morning, all.  I'm having a very early start this morning - the sun isn't up yet and it will be nice to see everywhere get lighter and lighter.  I'm sure it must activate some hormone or other - it is so cheering!

I had a lovely time with Beth yesterday.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch (singing my own praises here!) and had a nice talk about this, that and the other!  She went home with a load of home made bread stuff - one and a half loaves, some crumpets and some bagels.  That's lightened the load in my freezer, for sure.  

The rest of the day was the usual stuff - housework, washing and ironing (all done now, yay!) and then some chilling in the sun with a book and my crochet.  Very pleasant.

Today, Chris and I will walk down to the hall for Groove.  That should be lovely in the sunshine.
Then I need to do a deep dive into all the governors' paperwork for tomorrow evening's meeting - not terribly exciting but it has to be done.  It will be nice not to have it hanging over me tomorrow, that's for sure.

I may pop over to M&S and Aldi at the Clock Tower precinct as I have some things to get for Beth and also I want to get some 'posh veg' for Friday evening - ready made sort of stuff which is naughty of me but nice and will save time and trouble too.  It's worth looking anyway.

Have a  great Tuesday, one and all.  May the sun shine for you.  xx

12-05-25

Good morning, everyone.   Here we are, back to Monday and coming close to half way through May already!

My May diary has pepped up a bit since I last checked.  Now I have:
Beth round for lunch (today)

all the usual fitness classes - circuits, Groove x 2, personal training and anything else I decide to fit in.

the usual chats over great coffee with Chris

Governors' meeting

Carousel (local society production) at the Civic

Dave and Anna round for dinner

TPP training for governors

Knit and Natter

lunch with Chris

Val here for lunch

There's an awful lot of food related socialising, isn't there.  Very Mediterranean!!  

I took a few photos in the garden just now.

One of the foxgloves Val gave me from her garden.   I know they are a week and invasive but I love them and as I have no pets and no children I thought 'why not'.  

I love this - it has come up year after year after year.  So pretty.  

Phlox Candy Stripe.

One of the new raspberry canes.  It is supposed to be autumn fruiting but, given that they spent the whole winter still in the box they came in (bad me), I'm happy to get anything at all.  They will go autumn when I prune them properly and at the right time.

Oh, dear!!

I'm sure I can use the canes for something.  Poor bamboo.

Finishing with a positive - my most successfully risen half and half sourdough to date.  I'm so pleased.

It's for Beth but I tasted a bit when slicing and before freezing and it's nice.

Today, Beth is (hopefully) over for lunch so I had betted get started with a few preparations, I suppose.  I hope you had the best weekend and have a lovely day today.

Stay good!!!  xx

09-05-25

Morning, all.   I think I am in a grump this morning - the BBC says we have bright sunshine all day so I look out and what do we have here - gloom and cloud.  Mutter, mutter!

Good start, isn't it?

Yesterday was pleasant.  After SET online and the chat with Chris (great fun), did my shop for the week, put everything away and then I baked the not-sausage rolls (you can bake them from frozen which is very handy) and buttered the spiced fruit loaf.

It was lovely round Beth's.  Very quiet - none of us do big, noisy birthdays and Alex positively dislikes candles and songs so there was none of that, just some nice food, great company and some present opening.  

Once home again, I just chilled and did some crochet.  Nice day!

Today is the usual Friday - Slimming World and then back home, as I did the weekly shop yesterday.

I will be starting a sourdough loaf for Beth and I think I will also make her a yeasted mixed grains and seeds loaf too as it's delicious.  Thank goodness bread keeps well in the freezer!

I think I will be taking a couple of days off blogging this weekend as there is precious little happening.  I'll keep up my food blog as it keeps me accountable and makes me plan but I'll be back on Monday in here.

Have a lovely day and weekend, everyone, and may the sun shine on us.  xx

08-05-25

Morning, everyone.  

The sun is starting to shine and it does feel a bit cosier this morning, thank goodness.  My fingers are not cold - always the best indicator!  :-)

I've just popped out the back to take a few photos.

The herbs are doing well.

There will be blueberries this year - as long as the birds don't take them all first!

Better than last year.

The fig's best angle.  I really need to stand this behind another pot as the lowest three quarters is bare stem.   I guess figs are trees, not bushes, so I could prune the branch growing sideways and just leave the vertical one to grow into a nicer tree shape.   Must check with RHS when the best time is.  

It's Alex's birthday today - how on earth can I have a twenty seven year old grandson?  

We're having a celebration afternoon tea - well, late lunch really.  I am contributing some hot cross bun loaf and those Delia sausage rolls plus some Schloer.  It will be good fun, I am sure.

There's quite a bit to do so, again, a shorter post (no need to cheer at the back!!).  To be fair, apart from today, there's not much happening at all this week.  May seems quite empty apart from the usual things - fitness classes, etc.  I'm good with that!

Have a great Thursday, everyone.  Enjoy the sunshine.  xx

07-05-25

Good morning, everyone.   After another chilly day yesterday (winter jumpers and heating) I'm really hoping things will start warming up today.  I ended up in one of my close knit polo neck tops with a jumper over which was lovely and cosy.

It doesn't exactly feel warm this morning so it is still fluffy dressing gown and slippers time but fingers crossed.   The forecast is optimistic and, after today, it looks like wall to wall sunshine.  Bring it on!!

I didn.t get all that much done yesterday.  Well, I did, but not what I ought to have done so today's the day.  In between morning circuits (to replace the class that is usually on Monday) and personal training, I need to get things done, I really do.

So I'm keeping this short and, after doing my Facebook stuff, I will be starting on stuff, probably a good old tidy up.  It's hard to clean when there's a mess.

Have a great day, everyone.  Take care and stay warm.  xx

06-05-25

Morning, lovely people.  The long weekend is over and life gets back to normal again.  As we all said in yesterday's comments, it was flippin' cold and my heating clicked on through the day.  I think I said in another post, I decided not to get my tomatoes yet as there's a bit of a danger of frost at the moment.  Maybe next weekend.

The highlight of yesterday was catching the RAF fly past as it went overhead.  The various sections were sometime apart - they all have different speeds, of course, and need to be in convoy by the time they reach London - but it was fun standing in the street with neighbours waiting and chatting and it was pretty impressive.  We are lucky to be on the flight path and also that the clouds were high with plenty of blue sky showing.

I didn't feel like I was doing all that much yesterday but most of the things have now been crossed off my list so I'm happy with that.  Because of the gusty winds, the washing dried quite well on the line, which I was great, and I got all the ironing done too in dribs and drabs.  That feels really good.

Today is back to normal so starts with Groove and the walk there and back, wearing a warm coat!  We're not predicted any sun today but it should feel a bit warmer as the day goes on.  As the week goes on too, I hope.

Then I have the Monday housework to catch up on as well as the few things on my list that I didn't do.  It's enough to keep me out of trouble anyway.

I hope you had a lovely long weekend, whatever you did and whether it  was a holiday or not.  Take care, everyone, and be safe.  xx

05-05-25 - Bank Holiday Monday.

Good morning, everyone.  Just a quick one today as it's Bank Holiday and there really isn't much to write about (is there ever? 😊 ).

I'm slowly and comfortably working through my list of things to do, crossing them out as I go.  I had tomatoes on the list but, given that it's turned so cold (the heating came on yesterday evening!!), I think I will wait a week or so.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday Monday, everyone.  xx

04-05-25

Good morning, everyone.  We have sunshine again but it is very noticeable cooler today and I have resorted to wearing a dressing gown again.  No rain overnight though, as far as I can tell, and none forecast.  That's not good.

I finished the blanket and I'm really pleased with how it looks.  It's the perfect size for a lap blanket and thank you all very much for your suggestions.  I now have several 'outlets' for these and, as I have a bagful of granny squares, I think I will make several because - well, why not!

I think I am going to donate this one to the Knit and Natter group - there's a raffle in aid of charity.  I've won something a couple of times and would like to give back.  We're all ladies in this group, many of whom are older than I, so a lap blanket should be a useful prize.

I love turning my stash/bits and bobs into something useful and attractive.

I've been slowly working through my list of Things To Do.  I popped over to Beth's yesterday bearing loaf, crumpets and focaccia (she was very pleased) and stayed for an hour to have a chat.  I missed Fred so much - he would have been purring on my lap within minutes.

Today looks much the same apart from seeing Beth.  I shall work slowly through my list and see how far I get.  There's only one definite - Alex's birthday is on Thursday, Beth is doing an afternoon tea and I am making some Not-sausage rolls.  It's a family tradition to have them for out family celebrations.  I have pretty much everything I need, even some home made rough puff pastry in the freezer and loads and loads of bread for the breadcrumbs, so it will be very straightforward.

This is the recipe:  they are so delicious.

Have a lovely Sunday, everyone.  Stay warm and be happy.  xx

03-05-25

Hi, all.  welcome to Bank Holiday weekend here in the UK and, nice surprise, the sun is shining brightly.  How long will that last?  No ice, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Photo updates on that not-an-olive-bread-after-all.

The basic back-story is that I over-proved the dough during the bulk fermentation so I made focaccia instead - thanks, Elaine Boddy, for telling her readers what you can do with what seems to be a disaster!  Throwing it out would have been awful.

My, goodness, it was active - Just look at those bubbles after the second, shorter rise.  You could see the thing moving like the slow motion contents of a cauldron.

At least now I know what an over proved dough looks like and feels like.

After baking.  It smelled lovely.  I did dimple it, honest but it was so lively the dimples just sprang back up again!

I had fun getting it out of the oven tray!  

Here you go!  Doesn't it look great!  It tasted just wow.  Lovely, crunchy crust and soft and fluffy inside.

I had to exert great self control - thank goodness it cooled quickly.

I shall take some over to Beth's this afternoon, with her loaf and some crumpets (I have plenty of Squibbles discard again).

Three things I have learned:

1.  if in doubt, shove it in the fridge (unless you actually want focaccia, that is)

2.  chop the olives finer - it was hard to get them incorporated into the dough

3.  line the tray with parchment - I truly thought I was never going to get it out at one point

Next time I will also add some seeds and sun dried tomatoes and, fingers crossed, make a proper loaf.  I need an excuse a reason now!

I mentioned last week that I was using some granny squares I made ages ago to have a go at a shrug type thing.  Well, I did and, sadly, not my sort of shape.  It worked, it just didn't look great.  So I unpicked the seams and am now just doing a ribbed border to turn it into a rather attractive lap blanket.

I don't need another lap blanket.  Would it be worth offering it on here as a sort of give away?  Would anyone like it.  I'll finish it off today and take a few photos and then, if you're interested, just say in the comments and I can do a raffle type thing.

I have a Little List - actually quite a big list - of things I want to get done this weekend ranging from finance stuff through sharpening my knives to 'bedroom'.  That last is a necessity!!

Time to get started.  Have the best day, everyone.  xx

02-05-25

Morning, everyone.  
Wasn't it hot yesterday.  A bit sticky and stuffy too although it did cool off later in the evening and we didn't get any storms.  It feels fresh right now but should be very pleasant without yesterday's heat. 

To be fair, it probably wasn't all that bad yesterday, we've just got to get used to it.

Val gave me these flowers a week and a day ago and they are still looking beautiful.  

I'm copying some of my reply to Jackie here and adding to it - relating to my attempts at an olive and rosemary sourdough.

I came down this morning and the olive bread had risen so much it had tried to escape from the bowl!  

I did dither yesterday evening about putting it in the fridge overnight but decided not to.  That was a mistake, wasn't it?  It's so soft it's only good for focaccia (it should make lovely focaccia!) but I am out to SW this morning so it is in the baking tray, covered, and in the fridge where I hope it will be OK until I can bake it.  Fingers crossed.  

I'll try again another day.  I hope Beth and Alex like focaccia!

Today - this whole weekend, in fact, is looking totally blank apart from Slimming World and a (hopefully) very small food shop.  It's a chance to get things sorted and organised, go for a few walks, maybe, and I need to audit my freezer and cupboards again because after Spendy April comes Not Spendy May and to enjoy the garden, weather permitting.

I've had a flick through my diary for May and there's not loads on really.
It's Alex's birthday next week, Dave and Anna are round, I can go to Knit and Natter this month, Val is here right at the end of the month and that, said John, is that!! (recognise the quote?).

Then June starts in with a bang - sourdough course, trip to London and a weekend at Potters, all in one week!!

So May gives me plenty of opportunity to make the most of what I have and shove some good stuff into my holiday savings!

Have a lovely Friday, everyone.  xx

01-05-25

Good morning, everyone, and happy May Day to you.

Yesterday was just lovely.  It was so good to see Diane again and we so enjoyed looking around the Freeport shops.
I bought some shoes (a planned purchase) and then, in the M&S outlet, a couple of vest T shirts (to wear under my crochet things so I don't feel uncomfortable about the holes (!!) and they had summer pjs at around 40% off - I rather regretted getting another pair last week at full price but that's life, isn't it?

We had lunch in Pret and I polished off the leftovers for dinner.

I finished the plain flour bread experiment and the answer is, yes, it does make a half decent sourdough loaf.  It took absolutely ages which, I suppose, is not surprising, and I baked it in a loaf tin as there was no way it would keep its shape as a freeform loaf.

I had to slice into it, of course, and yes, definitely sourdough.  Quite soft but delicious and the crust is great!

It's all bagged and in the freezer now!  

What next?  Well, as I have just opened a big jar of black olives, I think some sort of olive and rosemary bread would be a good one to try!  A smaller one to start with, I think.  I know Beth would like to share it.

As always, I really enjoyed personal training.  It's always nice to have a good old chat as I work.

And that was my day.
Today is going to be pleasant.  Coffee and chat with Chris in the morning and then she's coming to Groove in the afternoon as she missed the Tuesday one last week.

And housework - there's always housework.  And crochet!!

Have a lovely day, everyone.  xx

30-04-25

Another Good Morning to you lovely lot!  More sunshine, the early morning chill has retreated and I have warm fingers.  Perfect!

Wasn't yesterday lovely?  Warm but not too hot, humidity was fine and the windows were wide open.  Lovely end of April weather.

The sun made the walk down to Groove even more pleasant than usual and everyone was smiley and energetic - a great class.

The trip to Marriage's Mill shop paid dividends.  They have pretty much all the flours I would want to get and so much better value.  I got two 1.5K bags of their super strong white (nearly 15% protein) for under £2 a bag (that amount will make three big sourdough loaves and I will have a think about some of their other flours too.

Talking of loaves, I finished one for Beth, sliced it and popped it in my freezer until I can get it round to her and I took the white loaf round to Lindsey who was really pleased with it.

Currently, I have a dough going that I have made with ordinary plain flour, just to see how that works.  So far - nice feeling dough but slow to rise - unsurprisingly!  It wasn't sensible to start it anyway because I'm out most of the day so it will be playing hokey cokey with the fridge.    The long time might improve the flavour or it might just not work at all, in which case - flatbreads, aka shove it in a hot pan and see what happens!!!

Today, I'm off to Diane's and we are going to Freeport.  I particularly want to look in Pavers for some summer soft shoes but I bet that's not all I will come home with.  Oh, well, back to the low spending tomorrow, first of May.

Better get going, I suppose.  There's plenty of time but there won't be if I dither.  Have a grand day, everyone, and enjoy that sunshine.   xx

29-04-25

Morning, everyone. Another warm and sunny day starts - it's already sunny, anyway, and it will feel warm soon. Yesterday, by half past nine, doing circuits in Lindsey's garden was a warming experience, for sure.

The garden is certainly sending out loads of growth.

The Autumn fruiting raspberries are doing nicely.

Look at all those buds on the clematis.  It's covered this year!

The flower bed looks a right mess hut nothing there is weeds (at least, I don't think so) - this is the early spring bulbs dying back while the summer stuff comes through and where there aren't growing up or back stuff, there's cyclamen leaves as ground cover.  They're going to die back soon too.

.

Now I can see which are white bells, I MUST have them out.  I should never have put them there in the fist place.

On the other hand, my lovely English bluebells are gorgeous round the front.  They aren't invasive hut they're well established now.  They've been there well over a decade and a few years ago I split the clump so there's some at the edge and a little clump the other side of the bed.

My photo doesn't do the colour justice at all.

And here's the lily of the valley.  Mum loved this flower and she gave me a small clump from their garden at least twenty years ago.  I had them in a pot for ages before planting them round the front.  Now, they ARE invasive, but I dearly love both the sight and smell of them and they are a constant reminder of my lovely mum so, so far, I have let them be.  I might have some out and into a pot after this year's flowering though.  I don't want to throw any away if I can help it.

And this year there's going to be enough for picking too.  How lovely.

I have someone else to make sourdough for now - Lindsey says she loves it! So that's me, Beth and Lindsey. Opportunities to practise.
(I wonder about Diane. Must ask.)

I'm still not getting the loaves with wholegrain flours quite right. Like Carole said, they are delicious but they don't rise enough during the baking. Perhaps I should use a loaf tin rather than freeform or it could be that my shaping is not great yet. Something to ask about at that course, if I remember and get the opportunity. I'll keep trying!

Anyway, I am in the middle of a white loaf and I didn't have quite enough strong flour so I added some ordinary plain white flour to make up the amount and now I am wondering how a loaf made just with plain flour would work out - or even half and half.
Beth and I once did a sponsored challenge to eat for a pound a day and as part of it I made bread with the cheapest white flour we could get. While it came out very soft, it was perfectly edible, quite nice in fact, and rose fine (it was yeasted) so I just wondered.
Maybe I will give it a go with half quantities and see. Just for fun.

I did my end of month reckoning. Oh, dear, what a very spendy month April has been, what with teeth and glasses and holidays and deposits for outings and goodness knows what unnecessary but nice stuff (like yarn) and rather more necessary stuff (like replacing my broken mini-chopper).
Time to rein it right back. Well, after tomorrow anyway.
Come on, premium bonds, show me some love 
(Only joking!  I know I am very fortunate and I totally appreciate that.)

Today, being Tuesday, is Groove day with the walk there and back. This ensures that I go over 10,000 steps for the day, pretty much the only day it happens. I have one load to bake (the rest is done and it's in the fridge for its final proof), I have a couple of loaves to deliver (yay) and I have remembered that we have a local mill, Marriage's, that has a shop so I want to pop in and take a look. I've looked online and their prices for excellent quality flour, are pretty good.  Postage is horrendous though so if I can avoid that . . .

I think housework has to take second place today.  Oh, what a shame.  :-)

Have a great day, everyone.  Enjoy the fine weather (if you have it).  xx

28-04-25

Morning, one and all.  A new week starts, the sun is starting to shine, all the washing and most of the ironing is done and I have just started a loaf.  All is well in my little world!
(Actually, of course it isn't, there's always something, isn't there, but the things I can manage or control are all well).

I managed to get load after load of washing out on the line yesterday, one load being dry by the time the next was ready.  Only the very last lot, pegged out quite late, was just slightly damp when I brought it in and the bits that need ironing will take just a very short time.  That was  the highlight of the day, getting the washing done - oh, and clean sheets.  Getting into a bed with fresh, clean sheets is always a pleasure.

Today is a usual Monday.  
Circuits, first, then home for breakfast followed by the usual downstairs housework, finishing off the ironing, possibly witnessing a signature in the afternoon and making a loaf of sourdough for Beth and Alex.

I fed both starters on Saturday afternoon and then again Sunday morning and evening.   They both had a strong aroma of paint stripper (normal for a hungry starter, I gather) so a good feed or two sorted that out (and I made crumpets with the discard).
This morning I used 200g white and 100 each of wholemeal wheat, rye and spelt flours plus 60g starter to start off the dough so it is not quite half and half and we will see how the dough reacts to that on a warm day.

I'm pretty sure all the payments are now made for April so it will be good to get that all finished and closed.

And that's about it at the moment.  If I have the time and the inclination, I will do stuff in the garden but it is more likely that I will get on with some reading and crochet.  At the moment, I am re-reading Katherine by Anya Seton (yet again)q so it will be nice to get on with it.

Happy Monday, everyone.  Have a lovely day.  xx

Sourdough stuff

 In comments, Carole wrote:

You have inspired me to try making sourdough again unfortunately I’ve made a couple of loaves but not good I looked at Elaine Boddy and bake with jack and I’m doing what they say but my bread doesn’t seem to rise enough ..any tips please.

A caveat.  I'm a beginner, right at the start of this whole sourdough thing.  I know hardly anything but I'm learning and happy to pass on anything that might be helpful.

Do you mean it doesn't rise during bulk fermentation, during the second rise or in the oven?

1.  Has the ambient temperature been a bit on the cold side?

2.  Is your starter strong and activated?

3.  Have you over or under proved during the bulk fermentation?

4.  How about the shaping?

5.  Are you scoring deep enough?

6.  Is the flour you use strong (look at the nutritional info on the bag - does the protein bit say around 14%?)?

I've learnt to ignore the clock and just go with the dough.  I have found it tends to take longer to ferment/proof than the recipe says but that's the nature of the beast really.  Give it all time.

I could expand on each of the above but you know what I am like when I get going and too much info is as bad as too little.  However, I am happy to give more if needed.

However . . .

What is the flavour and the crumb like?  If everything else is lovely but the baked loaf just doesn't have the height, I wouldn't worry too much.
The bottom line is, if we end up with a delicious product, that's all we want.

(And finishing this reminds me - I need to give Bubbles and Squeak their weekly feed!)

27-04-25

Morning, everyone.  Sunday has started a bit misty but the sun is breaking through and it looks as if we have a glorious week of sunshine ahead of us so no complaints whatsoever!

Apologies for yesterday's non appearance.  I slept badly Friday night and didn't feel 100% through the morning of Saturday and just didn't get down to it.  

Back to Friday which was had one up and two downs.

The up was that I lost two pounds through the week and now I'm right back to target again, where I intend to stay (more or less).  They all sang happy birthday to me (it was Thursday) which was nice and slightly embarrassing in equal measure and a good old clap for getting back to target.

The first down was that I was right to feel unsure about the meds review blood tests because, while everything else came out fine, sadly the LDL cholesterol readings hadn't changed much.  The info hadn't been put on my NHS app (it's there now).  

Ho hum.
Having said that, it was a good session with a very pleasant man who answered all my questions and asked sensible ones himself - I thought they were sensible anyway - regarding diet and lifestyle.  He understood my reluctance to take more meds, showed me the potential for this impacting via a stroke or heart attack in the next fifteen years (about four percent up from the expected for my age) but said that it was offset to a great extent by my good weight, fitness regime and very good diet.
We discussed my blood pressure meds and, as my readings are so very good and give plenty of wobble room, I'm going to trial cutting down on what I take and monitoring regularly, unofficially at first (it's recorded but they will not change my prescription for now) with the option of making it 'official' if there are no negative effects.  I was pleased about that.
As for the statins, no pressures at the moment but I'm not daft; I will look into it all a bit more and, while I don't want to take more meds, I'm not ruling statins out.
And I'm sticking with the Mediterranean style diet because it is delicious and I love it!  

Still - disappointing.  

I am very glad I checked my phone messages before going to M&S because Anna wasn't well on Thursday night so they wouldn't be coming for dinner.  That was the second down.  So instead of M&S for posh veg and nibbly bits, it was Morrisons for a usual (cheaper) shop.  Anna is now feeling OK again and we have fixed another date.

I have just remembered a mini-up - my bags of potting stuff arrived and I managed to carry six 50l bags (one at a time, obv.) from front to back without doing my back in of needing a rest.
Go me!!!  😉

That was Friday.

On to yesterday and Doctor Who was good, wasn't it?  

I took things very easy because I wanted to feel better by the evening.  I did, thankfully, and very, very much enjoyed the Phantoms concert in town.  Some wonderful singing and amusing banter between the three of them, all of whom have performed leading roles in West End theatres.  It was around two hours, plus interval, and it could have gone on much longer and still been fantastic but they did look weary by the end and this tour looks more than a bit unrelenting - all over the country too, so lots of travelling.

I'm so glad I got a ticket . . .

After all that, today is washing day because I have a right pile plus bedding and the weather is good.  In between all of that, I have a kitchen to sort out (when don't I?) and some meal plans to put together.  My mind is a bit blank at the moment so I need to look in a few of the many recipe books I have for some ideas.

First of all though - coffee . . .  I need coffee.

Happy Sunday, everyone.  Have a lovely day.  xx

25-05-25

Good morning, one and all.

Firstly, thank you so very much for your lovely comments yesterday.  I've just done one reply at the bottom rather than individually and I send much love to any of you who have lost a dearly loved pet.

Yesterday was very pleasant.  The chat with Chris was, as always, great fun - how we manage to keep going non-stop is beyond me, but we do and it's great.

A bit later I set off to Val's - very easy journey - and she drove us further up to Halstead where we had lunch and then visited Sconch, the yarn shop that used to be at Blake Hall Craft Centre.

We went to the Little Book Café for lunch.  I thought it was a book shop with a coffee corner but it wasn't, it's one of those lovely cafes in a very old building, offering wonderful meals and, as a plus, second hand books that one can borrow, read there or buy.

http://www.littlebookcafe.co.uk/

These were the cookery books and, yes, I was sorely tempted but I do NOT need any more books, I really don't.

And this was my lunch (I nearly forgot to snap it) which was lovely!  Their own salad with leaves, tomatoes, onion crispy bits, olive, avocado, mozzarella and goodness knows what else with a honey and mustard dressing on the side.  MUST look up honey and mustard dressing - it was scrummy.

It was all washed down with a very nice coffee.  Perfect!

Then we wandered round the corner to Sconch.

https://www.sconch.com/

Of course I did - I'll show you what for when I make it, OK.  
It's a really lovely shop and if you live near Halstead, well worth a visit, assuming you like that sort of crafting.
It's a bit further than Blake Hall is but I am already planning a return visit to Halstead.  I know where to park now and there were several interesting looking shops and a church that might be worth a visit and I can combine it with a return visit to Hedingham Castle.

Val also gave me a wonderful bunch of flowers - thank you so much, Val, they are beautiful.

Once home, I chilled for a while and, in the evening, joined an online chat with friends from the Slim Win group.  It was a laugh.

Today, it is Slimming World, of course, and then I am off to the surgery for my medication review.  I know all is well but I'm still nervous and very glad that they won't be taking my blood pressure (results already send to them) because it will probably be way up - white coat syndrome!!

Once that is over, I will stop off at M&S on the way home to get a few bits and bobs and, once home, I have a meal to prepare for Dave and Anna.  Shepherd's pie (gotta use those leftovers) with fancy veg (hence the trip to M&S) and, probably, nice fruit.

It's all go today.

What are your plans for this Friday?  xx

Goodbye, Fred, and rest in peace . . .

 Fred had cattitude.  He was the most friendly and generous cat who loved a good fussing and tickle.  He would sit on my lap, upturn himself and guide my hand to where he wanted me to scratch or stroke and, when he had had enough, he would gently push my hand away again.  He had a purr so loud that even I could hear it and absolutely loved having his chin tickled.

I loved Fred and, as Beth said below on Facebook, his passing was a real shock.  As far as I know, he was OK over the week, wasn't well over the weekend, Beth took him to the vet on Tuesday and he was lovingly put to sleep on Wednesday morning, the last and kindest thing that Beth could do for him.

We're going to miss him so very much.

This is what she wrote on Facebook with some photos.

Goodbye Freddie, aka Indikon Friedrich, Freddie boy, Teddie, Ted-Teds and a host of other pet names. Fred passed away today after a short and unexpected illness. We are all shocked and sad at his passing.

Fred was born at our home, second born of Indigo's second litter of Tonkinese, seven kittens all named after the Von Trapp children from The Sound of Music. Fred experienced an injury to his leg, possibly while being born, which was not picked up for a week or two, by which time it had set, wonkily. Nature is very clever though and it was amazing his well he adapted, with very powerful, muscular front legs, to make up for the weakness in the back ones, and when it was cold, or when he was tired he walked a bit like John Wayne. It didn't slow him down any, and he could run about with the best if them. He was super friendly from the start, even for a Tonk who are known for their sociability anyway, and would greet everyone as though they had come especially to see him.

A special cat needed a special home and we found one; a foster family where Fred's insistent but nondemanding friendship helped several children in distress find peace. He was happy there but inclined to wander, on one occasion getting stuck in a greenhouse in a heatwave, and rescued by some intelligent person responding to a search with 'Ooh, let me just look in my greenhouse' and there was a very thirsty Fred who leapt away immediately to come and shout about his adventures at home. That was not the first or the last time Fred would get shut in somewhere; they say curiosity killed the cat and Fred certainly went through all nine of his lives. 

When he was 5, through no fault of his own or indeed his family's, he lost his home. The time wasn't right for us to take on a loud, dominant boycat; we had just lost Sofia and Theo had been unwell, so I found another home. This was pretty disastrous for poor Freddie, within weeks he was missing and there was some suggestion he may have been sold to fuel a Christmas drugs bender as the person I rehomed to also stole off my friend, and indeed did not reregister Fred's papers, despite me giving them the money for this. Whatever happened, Fred was AWOL and extensive searching proved fruitless and it was assumed he had passed away. 

He turned up six months later, having been living in a barn in the countryside and raiding nearby houses for food. He befriended an older lady, who brought him in for scanning, and I made the long trip to pick him up, then weeks of integration with my other cats. He was a bit wild, had a lot of food trauma, was worryingly  underweight and hypervigilant, but in one piece and I told him he would never need to find another home again. He also struggled with the other cats but over time he and Theo became besties, with Fred's sleek grey frame often followed about by Theo's fluffy white bottom

In time, it became apparent he wasn't going to be happy with an indoor only home, so my cats became outdoor cats. Fred was still a wanderer, and he needed options and he had several further episodes of being missing for days where we think he got stuck in a garage- he returned dusty and shouty, and was soundly thwapped round the head by his Mum Indigo. He also found his sister Lucy when she got lost/ stuck in a hedge... its fair to say Lucy does not have the street smarts Freddie had, nor the intelligence- you couldn't fool Fred, he was three steps ahead at all times.  

For some years we think he had several homes he would spend time at, but in particular the two elderly gentlemen next door and, in time, after Theo had passed, he pretty much moved in there, only coming home for a quick cuddle and - thanks Fred - to use the litter box. It used to upset me a little bit, but Fred always needed more freedom than the others do, and I loved him so gave it... but I didn't like it.

When one of the gentlemen next door passed, during Covid, Fred moved back in and over time became more settled, a portly older gentleman quite content with life. When Peter came to join us, he was incredibly patient with him, and they built a strong bond. Until a few days ago they were having their nightly tussle up and down the cat tree. Fred made peace with me being his person and started to upend himself in my arms as he did when he was a baby, while I sang Lennon's Beautiful Boy, as well as other Fred songs to him. He became a bit of a peacemaker between the scuffles of the other cats too and settled down to indoor life again. He met Ree and adored her- Fred's girlfriend, obvs. And when my mother came over, Fred was on her lap within minutes of her sitting down. 

And now he has gone. I don't think any of us have absorbed it yet. Thank you, Beautiful Fred. I hope we were able to add to your life as you did to ours.