Restaurant in my garden

I have been a busy bee for the past few days, most of the garden has been cleared and bare soil covered with compost, manure and weed proof fabric. I hope that the worms will take all the additions down into the ground and in the spring it will just need a quick once over before planting.
Most of my bulbs are in troughs, there is just a pack of Narcissi and 50 Muscari bulbs to go in, I need to contain the Muscari or they will take over.
One of the new raised beds now has Spring Cabbage and Curly Kale in it, and a jacket of fleece to keep the cabbage whites off.

The 24 plants are spaced out so I can plant garlic between them, I still have to get that.

This is the new restaurant, all I need to do is buy a stock of wild bird food and make some fat balls, well cubes really as I set the mix in a square tin and just chop it up. I add meal worms for added nutrition when the weather is hard. The little square sticking out in front is for fresh water.. I will hang nets of food under as well.

The Oca that Dawn, Doing it for ourselves in Wales, gave me have flourished. In the bright sunshine they open their very pretty little flowers.

I am looking forward to tipping them out and seeing what I have, I plan on saving some of the tubers to grow next year.

I have been knitting in the evenings, as well as crochet, this little scarf to go with the beanie that I made last week.

This one in a different colour, and will be starting a beanie tonight to go with it. I need to find a new glove pattern, mine has taken itself off somewhere.

I had a nasty turn on Sunday morning, I came into the kitchen to get the kettle on. I did not bother with the light, just pulled the curtains and in my peripheral vision saw this.

I froze, it did not move, I took a step, it still did not move. I turned the light on and hey presto the mouse became a leaf, phew.

Once my heart rate went to normal I made the tea and took it back to bed for a while. 

I have been given a subscription to Mollie Makes, lovely, this was advertised inside, but as I had not taken it out myself did not give it another thought.

Well today it arrived, a pretty little machine, just the job for a learner.

I am going to thread it up tomorrow and try it out, if it works well it may become a giveaway.

I feel that I must ask my benefactor if they want it, I will keep you informed.

Did you look at my huge baked beans on my other blog, this is what I did with the left overs.

I layered them up with thinly sliced raw sweet potato, three layers of each finishing with potatoes. Dabbed a little butter on the top and cooked in the oven for 30 minutes.

Served with steamed greens it was an amazing meal, very filling and soooooo tasty.

I have a new recipe to get on the other blog so.

                        TTFN                                            Pam

An unexpected gift.

I had a lovely surprise in the post yesterday, I told you how much I like my new magazine. Well they sent me a little gift.

This was by way of an apology for the delay in publication. I will enjoy making some of the patterns up. It will wait until I have made a few more butterflies though.

I had an early start this morning, woke at 4.30 and could not get back to sleep. The bread is made, a Wholemeal loaf and a batch of Rosemary and Black Olive rolls. Let me tell you that they are very good with a slice of cheese in while still hot. I had to wait for 5 minutes as I burnt my tongue the other day.

 Another version of Mum's Apple Cake is in the oven, this one has mixed dried fruit and flaked almonds and mixed spice. It was going to be walnuts but I have used them all.

I aim to make another batch of the mix up and try in muffin cases.

I had every intention of making Apple Butter in the slow cooker last night, but fell asleep on the sofa. When I woke up I went straight to bed, so fingers crossed I get it done tonight, I have never made it before and have no idea what it is like but it looks and sounds good.

There is a new post on the other blog, I did enjoy my dinner last night.

                 TTFN                                                   Pam                                                           

What would you do?

I support a Welsh Charity, it provides help to children and young people, and am happy to do so.
Yesterday I received a pack of Christmas Raffle tickets in the post. All quite acceptable, nothing unusual about that, I expect that many charities do the same.

                                           

BUT

When it came to paying for them I was dismayed and then quite angry.

The only option is to pay by post, they require all your bank details including the security code. This then goes into an envelope, with the ticket stubs, that has Christmas Raffle emblazoned on both sides. This advertises to all and sundry that it is worth a quick look. 

Given that many pieces of mail go missing,

 Not everybody is able to resist temptation,

There is obviously the probability of cash/ bank details inside,

Would you have filled it in and popped it into the post box?

What I did was go to the website and using the "contact us" option sent an email expressing my concerns.

I had been listening to the news earlier about concerns regarding the ways that charities go about their fundraising. This was primarily about how aggressive they have become, and the fact that they seem to target the elderly.

I will continue to support them and when I am near their shop I will go in and see if I can pay for these tickets there. If that is not an option I will return them and ask to be removed from the mailing list.

On a lighter note, my hat is finished, I made it a little shorter than the pattern and it fits perfectly, is very warm and I wore it when walking Ben after dinner last night.

On the subject of Ben, he tidied his bed when we returned and shuffled his toys around. He likes to lay with his tail in the corner and his muzzle resting on a toy so that he can see the room. This toy used to be one of  a pair of fat bumble bees, that has been hidden under the bureau and the polar bear now has pride of place. All of these used to squeak, but he is quite enthusiastic in his play and they are all silent now. I do not mind in the slightest.

I was given 2 large bags of cooking apples earlier in the week and handed over a jar of the sandwich piccalilli and an apple cake as a thank you.

I have 4 slabs of frozen apple puree tucked away and another bag full to process today. There have been 4 cakes made, 2 of which were gifted and I will be trying a different variation of the recipe tomorrow. The original came from Mum and is very very good.

I turned a good haul of runner beans into pickle to enjoy in a few weeks time, some of these will be gifts and I spiced enough vinegar for 2 jars of cucumber.

2 loads of washing done and mostly line dried and got my 13 granny squares in yellow done.

Not a bad day really.

Ben is off to the groomers this morning whilst  take Maggie shopping. I only need 5 things, which is a relief, after last weeks stuffing the pantry full

I added it all up last night and was horrified to find that I spent £217!!!

 BUT, I went to the Fig Tree and stocked up on nuts, seeds, spices and dried fruit for muesli and baking, enough for well over a month.

I took advantage of a Lidl half price offer on beef and I have all the cider vinegar* that I need  from Morrisons. I also included my granny heated shoulder cape and Francesca's birthday present in the total. I spent just over £40 on shampoo and ear cleaner for Ben, enough for several months, and as I said the pantry is full.

I have fabric and thread, most of a full roll of batting for quilting and plenty of yarn for crochet and knitting.

The library has enough books to keep me going and I have most of the seeds for next years gardening.

The only household item I need is thin bleach and I will pick that up today and it will do the rest of the month.

* By the time I have used all that vinegar I hope that my homemade apple cider vinegar will be ready to use.

Now I am off to get the kettle on, I have been up for over an hour and only had one cuppa.

                            TTFN                                              Pam

Snuggle Bug

I found a wonderful gadget(?) in Lidl, it is a bit Grannyish but I really do not care IT WORKS a treat.

.

It was on their Monday Special Buys and for £14.99 worth a try. Boy oh boy it does a great job. I have used it twice now and my shoulders, back and neck feel so good.

The dark beige is not pretty but I can live with that, I would love one in Cerise.

I had to sit around and wait for a couple of hours yesterday, in Neath. I did a quickstep round Morrisons , see the recipe blog, and had a little walk round the town. Then I parked myself in the car with my crochet.

The yellow squares will be finished today and I have to decide what colour next. I also need to decide what to do about the big squares, use one colour or traditional style with a different colour for each round. More decisions.

I am stuck in the house today, there is a delivery coming. No nothing lush for me, but a money saver for Ben. His special shampoo is very pricey so I did an online search and found it for just over half the Vet's price and the ear cleaner to boot and free delivery for a £40 spend. Win Win.

I still have bulbs to get into 4 troughs, it is touch and go whether I have enough compost. It is shopping day tomorrow so I can get them in and then if I run out top them up when I get back.

Nothing else spring to mind so I am off to put the kettle on.

                TTFN                                              Pam

A New Blog is Born

I had a suggestion that I should add a page to my blog for recipes. Well I tried, I read 2 tutorials and huffed and puffed, drank tea, had another go. The air grew quite warm and vaguely blue and after 2 hours I threw the towel in. 
I did get a page, and I added it, but could not manage to get the right option to be able to add to it.
Anyhow there is now Pam's Random Recipes. The question is do I try to link it here, if so will I delete all of Blogger, maybe I will think about it for a decade or three.
I am off now to have a little play and see what I can do with it.
The first post is my Sausage Balls, wrapped in bacon, lovely and tasty, lovely and cheap and oh so moreish.

(there may have been more before I found the camera)

The Granny Squares are progressing, I have started a new colour. I will post pictures tomorrow, I have had enough bloggy stuff today.

I have been looking for some trellis for the garden, just cheap and cheerful for a screen not plant supports. Bu**er all out there, wrong time of year, I may make bunting just for fun.
Pictures tomorrow.

             TTFN                                                 Pam

PS I may have a bald spot from hair tearing and a gappy grin from gnashing of teeth.

WOO HOO the link is in the sidebar. I did it all by myself. This calls for more tea and maybe Mum's Apple Cake that I made yesterday.       With Cream.

Yellow is the colour....

And it isn't mellow, at least not yet.

2 Kg of veg, salted, rinsed and drained and into the yummy spicy sauce and brought back to a boil, then into pots, lidded and left to cool.

This will be ready to pile into rolls and sarnies by November and is eagerly awaited. 1 pot has gone to a new home and 2 more will be going later, I got 4 x 450gm jam jars and 4 x 700gm jars. Very nice, piccalilli is an easy going preserve, the veg can be varied greatly according to what is in season and it can be made all the year round. The only things that I always put in are  cauliflower, cucumber and onions. 

I have filled 6 more troughs with bulbs and have 4 more to go, rain stopped play.

Dinner tonight is lamb and chickpea something, it has some North African spices and also a dash of worcestershire, soy and chilli sauce. I will be serving savoy cabbage ( after yesterday this will now be called "prinkly cabbage")

I was thinking of making flatbreads but they would be a step too far.

I have a bag of windfall apples to puree and think that an open top apple pie may just appear on the table later, or maybe just an Eve's Pudding. I have cream and can always make custard, decisions decisions. Both?   No far too greedy. Pie it is, just roll out the pastry into a rough circle, sprinkle with a little semolina to soak up the juice, pile with sliced apple, a sprinkle of sugar and a shake of cinnamon then pull the pastry up to nearly meet in the middle. I do this on the baking sheet and brush with a little milk. Into a med to hot oven for around 35 minutes. Sometimes I throw some sultanas in, I have dolloped jam or cranberry sauce in, depends on how the fancy takes me. A couple of bits of preserved ginger sliced up is lovely, just replace the cinnamon with ground ginger.

 On that note my tummy is rumbling so I must do something, the sun is shining again so I will go and play in the compost.

          TTFN                                                     Pam

Alo Nanty Pam

Just after 9 this morning the phone rang and the title is what I heard, closely followed by a dirty chuckle and " betcha dont know who Iyam"
Of course I played along and went through several names, including Daffy Duck.
He shouted his name and almost deafened me, it was the small grandson of a friend, he said that he was staying with Gu and had not seen me for lots of days ( a few months) and could he come for dinner and could it be chicken with roasties and sausages and yorkies. Then he stopped to breath. Gu came on the phone and said that his first waking thought had been to come and see me as he was in Wales, of course I threw all my plans out and said yes.
Oops, chicken in freezer so at 9.45 I was off to Lidl, first through the doors, scooped up chicken, sausages and off home.
Dinner was lovely although I am not used to having a cooked meal during the day and now can barely breath never mind move. Gu and hubs are washing up, the monster is having a nap curled up with Ben .
I am sorry to miss the Boar Festival but it will be there next year, and it has been overcast and grey here.
I plan on going to Lampeter on Wednesday, I want to visit the quilt museum and I will have a quick look round Calico Kate's while I am there. I am not looking for anything in particular but it is a lovely shop, an old building with little rooms and stairs and landings running hither and tither. Of course I may find something that I can not live without.
I had workmen here yesterday shoring up my fence, 2 of the posts had started to rot and the fence was starting to lean at an alarming rate, all sorted now. I plan on having sweetcorn along there next year and the raised beds are  2 ft in front as it is a sunny spot.
The opposite fence has been cut down to 3 ft and now lets much more light in, that bed is due to be cleared this week and will be veg and some fruit next year. 
Some work to be done in the greenhouse area, but that can wait. I have been planting troughs and pots with bulbs, these are going where the sweetcorn will be, they will give a splash of spring colour and can be moved to make room for planting. I have put weed proof fabric there and some pots are in place already.

I hear footsteps coming my way so I am off to be sociable.

           TTFN                                                     Pam

The Time Has Come, The Walrus Said

To speak of many things, but not ships or shoes and no cabbages or Kings.

I did not make it to the Boar Festival today, a bad night being the main reason, I am going tomorrow.
However I have not been idle, 2 Kg of veg has been chopped small and put into salt, this will make sandwich piccalilli.

A jar each of sweet pickled cucumber and fine sliced onion and garlic pickle have been made.

I used black peppercorns and whole Allspice Berries to flavour them.

Then I chopped up some of the smallest apples off my trees and got a batch of  Apple Cider Vinegar started, this was straight from Dawn at Doing It For Ourselves in Wales. I have never made it before and as I use lots of cider vinegar it should save me a pretty penny.

My hat is coming along nicely, nearly ready to start the shaping.

I have made 6 of the crochet squares, I aim to make 15 in each colour.

As you see, I have plenty to go at, this is an Attic24 wool pack, the third that I have bought. They are very good value and saves me anguishing over colour choice, I just buy a couple of extra colours to change it slightly.

When I was at the Festival of Quilts, I signed up for a suscription to a new quilting mag, I got the first one today, I LIKE IT.

It came with a supplement about Kaffe Fasset, I remember knitting some of his patterns years ago, brilliant patterns in glorious colours. His fabrics are just the same and so are his quilt patterns.

Gorgeous quilts and a few pages of templates to photocopy and they are all the right size, none of this "Enlarge by 133% squit!"

There is a BOM to make, I like this block but it will have to join the queue.

Finally I thought I would share my Lilies, I bought them last weekend in Tesco, reduced to 20p, there was 1 bloom open then. The leaves that look as though they are reaching out to hug them belong to a Banana, it is meant to be a slow growing miniature, but I think it is a Triffid in disguise. The rate it is growing at it will be too big for the house within a year.

That,s it for now, I am making Kofta Kebabs for dinner, enough for 3. It was going to be Shepherds Pie, then I watched Rick Stein making these and I was done for.

                       TTFN                                            Pam

Boaring, not Boring.

Each year in Ammanford a Boar Festival takes place, there are stalls and lots of fun things for children to take part in. I found it by chance last year and this year it is in my calendar for Saturday.

If anyone is near enough it is well worth a visit, the park is located down a lane near to the library.

This chap has been made from clothing donated to the charity shop, I have it on good authority that, in the interests of economy and recycling, the apples were scrumped. There are two cheeky robins joining in the fun.

Hiding behind the boar is a little blackbird.

I managed to get several rows of my beanie done and 4 Granny Squares, mostly while watching Night at the Museum 3, I understand that the critics did not rate this film. Well I enjoyed it, entertainment of the family kind, no gratuitous violence, the nearest thing to a "sex scene" was a hand holding moment between "Teddy Roosevelt" and "Sacajawea"

I did feel that Rebel Wilson's character was more of a caricature but did not let it spoil the overall effect. Ricky Gervais was sublime as usual.

I should tell you that I watched this in bed and munched my way through a generous handful of Pretzels and some fresh coconut (10p from Tesco) just chiseled out of the shell and the dark rind cut off.

I had some grated into my muesli this morning, love it.

The rain hammered down at 5 this morning and woke me, Ben elected to block it out and snored away. I will be tackling the ironing today and then just a quick waltz round with duster and polish, not forgetting a foxtrot with the cobweb brush and a quick step with the vacuum. 

What made you think that I watch Strictly? 

            TTFN                                                        Pam

A day in the sun and a new swap to join.

Such excitement, Jo at Through The Keyhole is hosting a 12 Days of Christmas Swap. The idea is that you source 12 gifts, max value of each £2, and wrap all separately. Go and have a look for the details.
 You can do a bit of lurking round your partners blog ( you need a blog to take part) to chose things your swap partner would like. The idea is that one is opened on each of the 12 days, I have opted to swap worldwide but you can just keep to the UK. I love choosing gifts and wrapping and tarting the parcels up. 
BTW I am knitting the Blackberry Beanie in her sidebar, it will be my third. Very easy and quick to knit and lovely to wear. I started my crochet last night, just little 4 round solid colour squares, when I start to sew together I am planning on making a few 4 times as big to dot around here and there. Well I plan to try anyway, if I fail I may well contact Lucy at Attic24 for help, she is a whizz at crochet.

Now to food.
My cheese whirls take;
6 cups of plain flour with 2 tsp instant yeast, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 
1 tsp mustard powder. I just dump it in the mixer bowl and give it a quick whisk to mix thoroughly. Then put the bowl in the mixer with the dough hook attached, set it going on 1 and gradually add warm water and 4 oz melted butter till it forms a dough. Leave to knead for 5-10 minutes. I then turn into a bowl, cover and leave to double in size.
Turn out onto a board and punch down, roll out to an oblong as thin as you like, melt a dollop of butter and brush over the top then sprinkle enough grated cheese to cover, a shake of paprika or cayenne is nice, sometimes I mix a little whole grain mustard in with the butter.
Roll up like a swiss roll as tight as you can and cut into slices, no wider than an inch. Place in a lined tin with room to spread a bit, leave to prove and then cook at 180c for around 15 minutes. I brush with a little melted butter and garlic powder when they come out.

The cinnamon rolls are very similar, I make a half batch, too moreish for a whole one.

So, 3 cups plain flour, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 heaped tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp yeast, a quick whisk and into the mixer with warm water and 2 oz melted butter. Knead and prove till double in size.

Roll out as before then spread with a mix of;
4oz butter, 4 heaped tsp cinnamon, a good glug of maple syrup or 2 oz soft brown sugar, enough dried mixed fruit or sultanas to cover the dough. I am guilty of not weighing this out, I just chuck it in a bowl and mix till it looks right, spreadable but not runny.
Roll up and slice, into a tin and prove, then cook at 180c for around 15 minutes. The timing depends on your oven and how thick the slices are.
When cooked I brush with more maple syrup and sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans then back in oven for about 2 minutes.
Sometimes I make a glaze of icing sugar, cream cheese and maple syrup and pour over but this takes it in to the realms of fantasy.

These do open freeze well and microwave wonderfully, I can assure you that a warm cinnamon whirl with a scoop of good ice cream is sublime.

I do change both nearly every time I make them, herbs and or finely chopped onion in the cheese ones, different spices and or fruit in the sweet ones.

Now I have made myself hungry, so am off to make some muesli.

                 TTFN                                                    Pam

On the Mend, at last.

Yesterday I had the all clear to drive for short distances, YIPPEE, so tootled off to Ponty.
A pop in and out at Tesco, quick visit to Lidl and then into Poundstretcher for some cheapo Aran yarn.

A new multi coloured hat is on the pins, I love bright hats and have made this pattern a few times. It is simple and keeps my head warm and my hair under control in the wind.

My EPP project, little hexie butterflies.

This one is nearly completed, I plan on machining these onto pocket squares for my Dress a Girl project.

Before I went to Ponty I decided to do some baking, a batch of Cheese Whirls and a half batch of Cinnamon Buns(no frosting)

There was another tray of these, some are in the freezer and some have gone to friends

The Cinnamon Buns were tested as soon as I could pick one up without getting 1st degree burns, Oh Yum.

4 have gone to friends and the rest have been open frozen and wrapped.

I can put up the recipes if anyone is interested.

When I was in Ponty I picked up 2 big Avocado Pears for 10p!!, Guacamole here I come.

Onion, Green Chili, Garlic and Lime juice, a little ground cumin and a sprinkle of cayenne, the flesh of 2 Avocados and there it is, Heaven in a dish.

A look in the fridge and oh yes, salad, lots of it for a crisp, fresh tasting dinner. 

Very healthy you think, well yes and so did I. Then I looked at the Cheese Whirls, had another look in the fridge and Oops. just look what happened.

Warmed and sliced.

A home made burger, then I added a dollop of guacamole and had a mountain of salad, 2 people full to the brim for very little outlay, both in cash and time.

I was thinking along the lines of a warm Cinnamon roll with ice cream for pudding, but no way could I squeeze it in. About 3 hours later I managed 3 plums and a few grapes.

I managed 5 hours unbroken sleep last night and feel much more chipper this morning. I plan a trip to the library and (fingers crossed) some bulb planting into pots today.

 Maggie and I spent a pleasant hour with a bulb catalogue a few weeks ago, and armed with a 25% off voucher we did some crafty shopping, of the buy 2 get one free variety. I now have hundreds of bulbs in boxes looking for homes.

I better get a wiggle on.

         TTFN                                                         Pam

Apologies and Thanks

I do like to reply to all comments but at the moment typing hurts, so please accept my apologies. I have read them all and I thank you all for your commiserations and good wishes.
Sarina, many thanks for your offer of a book, it is not necessary I am glad that you wanted it. Mostly I pass patterns on to the local library, they have a sale on a regular basis and it pays for paper and toner for the photocopier and tea and coffee etc. I often manage to go in when the kettle is on :-).
Dawn, as soon as I am able I would love a felting/crafting session. Not to mention a visit with the new arrivals, specially the goats.
To all who are interested in making a pillowcase dress, just Google Dress a Girl UK and all the details are there. I downloaded a shorts pattern and a peasant dress one. I think that I will be making shorts, both for boys and girls in various sizes. I am also going to look for some multi pack cotton tee shirts and just make a gathered skirt to attach to them, then put a fancy shaped pocket on and make a little cross body bag, I will pop 2 pairs of knickers into each bag as they are also needed and are dirt cheap to buy.
My EPP has been on hold but I only have a little more stitching to do and will have something to share. My crochet hooks and knitting pins are calling to me, I have lots of luscious yarn under the sofa. 
I am going to try having a little of everything on the go, and hope that the different crafts will ease any repetitive stress.
I can drive again, but only for short runs, so Pontardawe and Ammanford are within reach.
Now I have to rest, I sound like a Southern Belle ;-)

                  TTFN                                                     Pam

More pootling

In my world pootling is just whiling away the hours, usually I manage to get loads done without it registering. At the moment the hours are weighing a bit heavy.  There is still enough pain in my shoulder to restrict me but it is getting better. I managed to get all my various parcels sent off today, I walked back in from my trip to the Post Office, only to see the small pile of cards that should have been in the parcels on the table.
Rats, Rats and double Rats.
I am itching to get busy, I even miss housework. I did manage to clean some glass this morning but pushing the vacuum around is a no no.
My home has never been so tidy, I can not sit and see clutter right now so steadily it is being sorted and either disposed of or put away.
I have printed some patterns off for the Dress a Girl drive, I am intending to make as many pairs of shorts as I can, both for boys and girls, once I am able. I have pulled a pile of fabric ready and there is a drawer full of elastic to hand. 
I looked at the pillow case dresses but decided to sew skirts on to tee shirts, I read on the website that these cover the shoulders and this is a bonus for the girls. I will be putting pockets on the dresses and hopefully will make a bag to go with each one.
I have made quilt blocks and sent off  disaster areas in the past but want to do something just for children.
 I do send clothing to  Swansea  for the homeless when I have a turf out but that is obviously for adults.
Despite the painkillers which normally knock me out I am still  wandering around half the night.
Typing also hurts so I am cutting this short and heading for bed.

                         TTFN                                            Pam

Still Pootling

A whole week has not so much slipped by, more it has lumbered along wearing lead boots and belt weights.
I managed to wrench my right shoulder, arm and neck somehow, the week has been spent popping pain relief pills and doing just about nothing. There is still residual pain and stiffness but at least I can move my arm and turn my head without squealing like a stuck pig.
No crafting, cooking or gardening has been possible, on the bright side there has been no washing up, laundry, dusting etc.
Thankfully Ben has had volunteered walks and all the necessary jobs in the house have been taken care of.
Of course just as I am able to move, albeit gingerly, insomnia has reared its head. I have gone through a stack of books, waded through an ocean of telly, I discovered "Alaska, The Last Frontier" and have followed the families tribulations and triumphs. 
Imagine 8 months of winter and just 4 months to grow, harvest and preserve enough food for the year. 
I could just about manage the reverse, but having said that several months crafting non stop sound great, not to sure about trekking through snow to the outhouse though. 
I aim to ease myself back into routine so telly will once again go on the back burner, I have read myself sick of books so am looking forward to some normal activity. How some folk sit and watch telly all day and night is beyond me, I am literally aching to move about and do things.
It is Lidl say tomorrow, Maggie and I are being collected and chauffeured, I am not allowed to drive till next week. I was escorted into Ammanford yesterday, a quick visit to 2 shops and home again.
 I stocked up on a few basics from Wilkinsons and picked up new nail brushes for 50p each. The food industry do not allow them, they can be breeding grounds for bacteria, I just spray mine with a debac mix of white vinegar and water every day.
Now I am back off to bed to see if Morpheus is waiting for me.

                      TTFN                                            Pam

A Pootling kind of day

I was up and about this morning to take Maggie shopping, I did not need much. Oats and nuts for muesli, milk, fruit and veg basically.
The plumber was here to finally sort out a problem, hopefully that will be the last time I see him. The chaps to look at the roof have also finished, I just have to wait now to see when the work will be done. 9 will give you 20 that the day will dawn and it will hammer down with gale force winds.

All is not lost though,

The next table topper is well under way.

A small EPP project is under way, keeps my hands away from chocs when watching telly.

Some prickly cucumbers, there will not be many more but they have been good.

A mixture of ripe and semi ripe toms, there are red, orange and yellow varieties in there. All the seeds were either free or reduced, I have never grown any of them before and I am not impressed enough to grow them next year. I will go back to tried and trusted ones. The round courgette was waving at me so I had to pick it.

Lovely squeaky fresh runner beans, the top flowers are not setting, too much rain or not enough insects to pollinate?

A small batch of veg chopped and in salt for piccalilli (thanks to Dawn for prodding my memory)

Dinner tonight was a meatloaf from the freezer, mustard sweet potato mash, runners, cabbage and should have included these little toms and garlic cloves. I sprayed them with this rapeseed oil and roasted them, the spray is much nicer than frylight and a bit cheaper.

I filled my plate so there was no room for the toms, lunch tomorrow I think.

I did not take a pic of dinner as I was too hungry and my plate was piled high, mainly with veg but it looked very greedy.

Now I am on the sofa, Ben snoring beside me, ready to start making hexies.

                       TTFN                                                           Pam