Hello, Good Evening and Welcome

I know that it is not quite evening but it is certainly dusk, and I often use that famous phrase.

I would like to welcome Twiggypeasticks, Doo, Snitty Kitty, Linda and Sharon aboard, I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Mostly innocuous but I do get out the soap box for a rant on occasion.  
We had the bacon, leek and potato pie for dinner last night and very good it was too. I did change the recipe slightly, well quite a bit really. first I left out the pastry, neither Fran or I eat pastry and potato together, British Pear shape, so I used 6 small leeks, half a pack of Cooking bacon from Mr S. and a small handful of grated cheese, about 80 g. 

The leeks and bacon,oh and 3 cloves of garlic were sweated in a very little oil and then layered with finely sliced potato and a sprinkle of cheese.

I finished with a layer of potato and mixed half a tub of double cream with the same amount of milk and poured it over, salt and pepper on top and into the oven.

We had a massive serving and put some in the fridge for another day.

I had a small basin of the leek and bacon mix left as well and had a plan in place. Today Fran had a refresher lesson in boning a chicken, the breasts and thighs became a chicken Madras and it is in the fridge. The carcase, drumsticks and wings went in the stock pot with chopped onion, carrots, a few peppercorns and a bunch of herbs from the garden, I let this simmer for around 1 1/2 hours.

The stock is in the freezer, the gristley bits are in Ben and the meat went in with the leek and bacon and some cooked penne into a light cheese sauce and will be dinner tonight and again in the week. We do not mind a week of "samey" meals, it will be a while before I cook any of these things again.

Oven ready chicken!

I read an article somewhere, maybe on a blog about loneliness in the elderly population. It was to encourage good neighbourly behaviour.

We are only a small village and we have a fairly high proportion of older people, mainly due to the cost of property. There is an active "good companions" club and a luncheon club. Most people are well known in the community and see at least 1 person to speak to daily, any one who does not makes that choice.

But you know you do not have to be alone to be lonely, and you most certainly do not have to be elderly.

I am hardly ever alone except by choice and never if you count Ben. But I am sometime lonely in the sense of missing people from my life. Not just people but specific people, my son and parents, my Granny, my Brother in Oz and a few friends who have moved so far away that meeting becomes akin to a  military operation.

There are many many people in that position an no amount of good neighbours, family or friends can fill the void. 

I know that for me the black dog of despair is lurking round a corner waiting to pounce and I also know that I will not give in. Like others I fill my time with activity, I walk, I sew, I cook, garden, wash paintwork, I do whatever it takes until the darkness lifts. 

I count myself fortunate that it does lift, for many more it never does and they live a cramped restricted existence.

I am also fortunate that I have and have had people in my life who are and were so close that I can miss them so deeply.

Today has not been a good day but it is going now and as some one once said "tomorrow is another day"

( How could that silly girl turn down Rhett Butler)

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Memories, rich and powerful.

2. A Brother in Oz who wants me to go see his new house.

3. My kitchen, my haven.

4. Ben, ever loving, ever present.

5. Francesca, just because.

I managed to get the whole night off work last night but will be going in tonight, then I will work Tuesday to Thursday and then have 4 nights off. I have a little sewing to do, a whole heap of jobs in the house and if the sun shines some work outside.

Does anybody watch Duck Dynasty? I am not a big fan of "reality" TV but this makes me laugh so much. I record it onto the sky box and then we watch it at the weekend. Francesca loves it as much as I do. We also watch Haven but this new series is a bit lacklustre so far.

One of my favourite TV programs was Quilt in a Day, it was on in the afternoon several years ago and suddenly disappeared, I bought 2 of the books and made several of the quilts but never managed 1 in a day!

And so it is time for me to get a wiggle on with dinner.

                     TTFN                                Pam