Sunday

Good morning, everyone.  Happy Sunday to you.

Yesterday was a right gloomy day round here.  My electricity bill is creeping up again, now there's less sunlight and it's more diffused.  It's up £10 from last month but it's expected - and it will go up again for the next goodness knows how many months.  That's life!
I'm still waiting to hear how much the gas bill is going up by.

Well, yesterday!  I got the half past eleven bus into town and had a leisurely stroll around the centre before heading to Moulsham St.  

I dropped off a cross stitch I have finally got round to having framed - do you remember the quirky Christmas owls that I put up as one of my December banners? Where did I put the photo?  

Here it is!  The frame is just done on the computer but now it will have a real simple, red frame around it and it will have a stand up thingy on the back because it's part of a display, not going on the wall.

(I had fun finding this photo - it's on what was salvaged from my broken desktop and the route is not simple.  I think (hope) I have a link from the desktop to the photo files now, fingers crossed.)

Then I popped over the road (more or less) to Franklins where I bought the yarn to join and border my current blanket, a variegated yarn for a Christmas gift for someone - what I will make with it, I mean - and there was a bargain basket where I found a couple of balls of Stylecraft Special DK for a pound each - bargain indeed!

Then I went downstairs and looked longingly at the overlockers until it was time to go to the Sushi thing (just back over the road again).

It was such fun!

At the beginning, everyone was very quiet;  a bit nervous, I think, and unsure of what to expect.  Like me, pretty much everyone was interested but hadn't made sushi before.

The advisers (that's what the TM team are called) demo-ed making the sushi rice using the TM7 (but it would be the same for earlier models) and talked us through how to 'do it', so to speak.  I have to emphasise that this wasn't classic, traditional train-for-years Sushi making, it was how-to-do-it-easily-at-home sushi making.

At first we were all very quiet.  Then a few of us stood up to see better, then people edged nearer to the work station and by the time we were asked 'Now, who would like a go', it was all hands on deck, so to speak.
(I've blanked out faces apart from the advisers- it's only fair.)

By the time we had finished, we were all chatting and laughing and it was lovely.
This isn't the full assortment, there was plenty more.  I didn't get a photo of the full table, and any trained and qualified sushi maker would die of shame but we didn't care.  It all tasted amazing and, as people had used different fillings and sauces, it didn't all taste the same by a long shot.

This is some of the fillings, all nicely shredded and ready for us to use.  There was also smoked salmon.  No meat.

Ok, a mess, I know, but some of these were made using a silicon doughnut mould thing (such a clever idea) and some were free form to use up the last dregs of the rice.

And every bit was eaten, there wasn't a single piece left by the time we had finished,

And then we all went and left the lovely TM ladies to tidy up and clean.  Yes, I felt a bit guilty but not guilty enough to offer to help.
(and they would say no anyway because they know where everything goes and how it should all be left)

It was surprisingly easy and now I have a few things extra on my shopping list.  I'm just wondering if Alex might like to have a go.  I know he and Beth do like sushi.

Also, I could use the technique and adapt - how about some Christmas Sushi with chestnuts and avocado and cranberry sauce, turkey, smoked salmon, etc.
Someone said they would try with some slow cooked aromatic duck - now doesn't that sound good?

Moving on . . .
There was some wonderful dancing on Strictly last night but there was some dreadful stuff too.  No spoilers but I totally agree with Shirley's low score - it was terrible and I think she was rather cross because it shouldn't have been that bad.  It was almost like they didn't care although I am sure they did really and the public sympathy vote may very well 'save' them.

Today is, of course, a day for specially remembering my lovely Mum on her birthdate.  I think about her and Dad a lot anyway, of course, but she always made the Christmas cake on or around her birthday so I now do the same.

The fruit is soaked and I just need to get Delia's recipe up and printed out and we're good to go!

It's going to be hard on the old electricity today, isn't it?

I also have some leftover canned potatoes so I think I will make a frittata type thing with some chopped bacon, onion, peppers - you know the kind of thing.   Perhaps I could slow bake the frittata at the same time?  Yes, maybe.

And then the kitchen will need a jolly good sort-out.  lol

It's time to jump over to Facebook and do my social stuff over there so I will love you and leave you with hopes that, if you do have rain, you are able to stay warm and dry in your cosy home.  Take care, everyone, see you tomorrow.  xx