Sunshine Jumped Boldly Through My Window Today

I woke at around 6 this morning to strong, hot sunshine blazing through the gap where I had not closed the curtains fully, deep joy, I was out of bed in an instant.
I have wittered on about making things and working my way through my fabric mountain, shown photos of bags and stuff. Last night I had a long look at the mountain and decided to throw myself a new challenge.

By the end of September I want to have 100 items sewn solely from the stash. That sounds like a lot so I am starting from last Sunday, the 6 bags and the baby quilt will give me a kick start.

I made this knitting/crochet bag yesterday and I am calling it number 8 from 100. It was in my book, Quilting In No Time by Emma Hardy that has been languishing on the book shelf for many a long month.It went together very quickly and I am really happy with it. I will use it for crochet it will hold several balls of yarn, and hopefully keep it under control.

This just jumped at me for the lining I will probably use the rest of the print in the same way.

These blocks were left over from a project 2 years ago at least, 15 blocks not enough for 2 cushions or a single quilt.

I found the border fabric in with my big yardage cuts, it was half price ages ago and is a Michael Miller print. The binding will be the red and white stripe from Marmalade by Bonnie & Camille for Moda. Both have been sitting waiting to be called to action. The blue print reminds me of the gum nuts from Australia and this is destined to be a small quilt for my SIL Sue in Perth WA. She will be able to lie on it next Australia Day, she is tiny and this will be perfect for her. It is in the obligatory Red White and Blue but does not look like a flag, it is unique and that will appeal to Sue.

I did not stop to eat much during the day so by dinner time I was really grumbling and growling. I had a big casserole in the fridge so ladled some into a saucepan. Then I whipped up a Yorkshire Pudding mix, while the oven was heating up I weighed out the ingredients for 2 Banana Cakes. The Yorkies went in, once they came out the cakes went in.

You need to see what  gannet that I can be.

My Yorkie filled with beef and root veg casserole and a small mountain of cabbage.

The Yorkie was 4 1/2" tall. and nearly as round as the plate, cooked in an 8" tin that is 2" deep. I did not mange it all, not quite, Ben was more than happy to find a wedge of pudding in his dish.

I did not think to take a photo of the Banana Cake but will share the recipe with you.

For a 2lb loaf tin I use:-

175 gms mixed brown and caster sugar.

175 gms soft buttery stuff.

75 gms ground almonds.

175 gms SR flour.

2 eggs.

This all goes in a bowl and I beat it up with a wooden spoon. 

Then I add a large soft ripe banana, I just pinch it into small bits with my fingers.

To that I add,

100 gms chopped Dark Chocolate, OR, 100gms roughly chopped Walnuts OR Hazel Nuts OR Toasted Almonds. Usually I add some of everything and sometimes I use 150 gms, sometimes only 50 gms.

I just tip it in and fold through the cake batter, turn it into a lined 2lb loaf tin and cook at 170 for 1 hour(ish) I check with a wooden skewer to see if it is done.

I never make less than 2 at a time and have made 4. they make very welcome gifts and keep well in the fridge. I have never frozen them as they do not hang around. I have used semolina in place of ground almond and chopped dried Apricots with Chocolate for those with an adversity to nuts. I have made it with cocoa powder replacing some of the flour for chocoholics. I give credit to the wonderful Nigel Slater for the recipe, even though I never fully follow it. The fact that no matter how I play with it and what I add it has never failed demonstrates how good his recipes are.

Reasons to be grateful.

1.  Sun glorious sun.

2.  A gift of some Raspberry canes.

3.  I put some Basil stems into a glass of water and they have rooted.

4.  Peppery radishes to add zing to my salad from a pot in the garden.

5.  Lots of sewing to do, love it.

I have decided to finish the current round of crochet on my Granny Blanket and then use the red to finish it off, it is getting too big and too heavy to handle. I had to stop and start last night as I was Glowing like the sunset. I hope to finish it tonight or by Friday night at the latest. I am going for some retail therapy with Fran on Saturday and we are going to Cardigan on Sunday and I would like it done and dusted before then.

I have potted up 2 of the little rooted Basil, I will be pinching them, out regularly so they make bushy plants ready to add summer taste to my winter meals.

You can just see a cropped pot of Parsley in the back, it will be split into 2 pots and will grow again, I have a pot of Thyme awaiting the same treatment, both came from the RTC section in the supermarket.

These poor little dwarf bean plants plus 1 in another pot were all that I got from about 20 seeds that I set, I have popped a few more in today and will keep my fingers crossed. Next year it will be climbing beans for sure, I have never had any issues with them.

I am off to walk Ben before getting some sewing time in and a visit to see Maggie later on.

                    TTFN                                                Pam

Melissa and Other Thugs in the Patio

True to my word the oven has been cleaned and the washing machine has been pulled out and cleaned under and behind,( there were spider webs but no residents) I did the same for the small fridge. The soak in washing soda and hot water left the oven shelves and the glass doors sparkling clean and the Bicarb paste lifted every mark off the oven floor.

The whole lot took less than half the time I had allowed so as the sun was shining I decided to have a quick wiz round the patio slabs.

It is not that long since I did them but there was a green haze appearing. Once down on my trusty kneeler I was surprised at the culprits, I had expected dandelions and there were a few, stinging nettles none were there, chick weed and there was a little. The main invaders were Lemon Balm (Melissa) and my pretty Aquilegias. The gaps between the slabs were filled with a dry mix of sand and cement when they were laid. Over time some of that has been eroded by weather and by my vigorous sweeping I expect, the gaps have been filled with soil and compost migrating from beds and pots.
I grew various Thymes in pots here and there in the hope and expectation that they would seed into the gaps, not a one to be seen.
Any way I have grubbed out hundreds of seedlings and all I can smell is the tang of Melissa. I have some Common and Lemon Thyme seed in a jar and once the patio has been swept I will mix some with some sharp sand and sprinkle it and water it in. I may not benefit from it but somebody will. 

Another mystery is my Mint, I have it in pots and at the start of the warm weather it sprang into growth, only to have given up the ghost and disappeared. I tipped a pot out and broke up the root ball and replanted some in fresh compost, the remainder has gone into the furthest corner of the garden behind the big glasshouse. I will leave it to meet it's fate. 

All in all a good mornings work, after a bit of cheese on toast for lunch I settled down on the sofa to find a back for my Ripple Cushion. I played with various ideas and was unable to make up my mind. I watched Horton Hears a Who, I was amazed at how much I had forgotten, and the St Trinians film with Rupert Everett on TV, it was frenetic and noisy but there were some bits that I found hilarious. 
I much prefer the original Alastair Sim, George Cole, Lionel Jeffries and Terry Thomas films, I have decided to look for them as a birthday present to myself.

I had no joy finding something that I loved for my Ripple Cushion until this morning. Reading my emails I read Little Tin Bird on Bloglovin and she shared some Elmer Granny Squares, BINGO, just the job, and she shared the tutorial. I scrabbled for hook and yarn and have made a start, I Love It. Once the ripple is finished I see an Elmer Cushion in my future, after Mr & Mrs Frank ( fingers crossed I can resist the lure of another cushion).

Reasons to be grateful.

1. A sunny day, lovely.

2. All the jobs on my list done.

3. My jeans are getting loose.

4. A pattern for a new Granny Square to back my cushion.

5. Rain today means time to finish the cushion and start Mrs Frank.

I do love the sun but am happy to see rain today now that I have the pattern to back my cushion, and a Brucie Bonus is that I will have enough yarn left to make a family of Franks.
Lambs liver in onion gravy with veg and dumpling for dinner today, easy, tasty and hassle free in the slow cooker. I do like one pot dinners, cuts washing up to the minimum. I put all the veg in with the liver, today it will be carrots, peas and spinach.

Time for tea and a quick tidy round the kitchen before sorting out what to watch while I hook away. If the rain clears I will have some time in the garden and of course Ben will have his usual 4 walks.

                       TTFN                                        Pam

Working and Lazing, Enjoying Both

I have spent the last two days either busy in the cottage or the garden, if the sale goes through, fingers crossed, I want everything to be as nice as it can be. If the sale does not happen I will still be here and want it as it should be. I have forked over some of the veg beds, attacked the Ground Elder that creeps through from next door, pulled and cooked some Rhubarb and moulded up the new potatoes. There is still plenty to do, you never have to look for a job when you have a garden.
My summer curtains are up and the heavy ones will be washed today. The laundry is bang up to date and once today's load is done I am going to pull the machine out and check behind it, remove any spider webs and wash the wall and the back of the machine. I try to do this every few months, the cottage is very spidery.
Also on the list is a deep clean of the cooker, a job I loath so do it often, that way it does not take long. I have a deep plastic tub that holds the shelves while they soak and make it so easy to clean them. Soda crystals and hot water do the job, no noxious chemicals or acid cleaner here. Bicarbonate of Soda mixed into a paste with water takes every mark off the floor and the hob with very little elbow grease needed.
All the time I do these things I feel the shade of Granny at my side, this is much how she cleaned her house.

When I have not ben working I have been on the sofa with Ben and some hooky watching TV. Not my usual habit but when I realised that I could see Simon Ward as a young Winston and The Spiderwick Chronicles not to mention a few hours at Pearl Harbour I hauled my box of yarn over to the sofa, arranged cushions and throw, made sure the tea caddy was full and enjoyed my viewing immensely. I caught the odd episode of How I Met Your Mother, sometimes I love this and other times I hate it, some wonderful Big Bang Theory and one of the Madagascar films. I also managed to spend a while with James Martin in Saturday Kitchen and a quick visit to the Superscrimpers.
Ben still had his walks and I made a couple of mincemeat cakes, Marina had a house full of family yesterday so one of those went down a treat, still a little warm from the oven.
I roasted a small piece of RTC boneless rib of beef for Sunday dinner, plenty for a salad today and maybe a little for Ben. Who am I kidding, he had some yesterday, with Yorkshire Pudding but no gravy, it is too salty for him and I put onions in it.

I have finished the top for my Ripple Cushion and am going to decide what to back it with, I would like to use Granny Squares but I am itching to make a start on Mr & Mrs Frank, watch this space.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. Lots of jobs done and dusted.

2. Lots of hooky time done.

3. Oodles of escapism TV watching done.

4. Some baking of cakes happened.

5. The Sun has been shining down with abandon.

It is 7:20 and the sun woke me over an hour ago, I love it, I have had a stroll in the garden, in my PJ's and robe and it has all the promise of a warm day.

Today I will do the remaining jobs in the kitchen, focus my mind on the Ripple Cushion and possibly start on Mrs Frank, ahem, Ladies First, right.
While I am in the kitchen I have to ponder on the fridge freezer, it is large, over 6' tall and takes up a lot of room. I also have an under counter fridge and a chest freezer. The rental house has a fridge freezer and finding space for mine will be an issue.
I plan on locating, buying and moving into a property within 6 months, I already have a viewing list set up, and I intend to have a kitchen planned around my wants. This will in all likelihood mean the thing will not fit. The same model now costs nearly £500 new and mine is only 3 years old, do I sell it for what I can get for it or do I hang on to it and hope that I can fit it in when I finally buy.
Decisions, decisions, it is too early for my brain to function at that level. There is only one thing to do.....................Make Tea.

                   TTFN                                           Pam

Back home at last, but only for a while.

My weekend away with Jeannie was lovely, we spent the first day catching up , drinking tea and spoiling Ben ( that was Jeannie)
 Sunday it rained and blew up a storm so apart from nipping out with Ben every dry bit we lazed away the day. We looked at photos, and played "do you remember" along with more tea, much more. A leg of lamb was roasted and enjoyed with all the usual trimmings, pudding was not needed.
We watched a bit of TV, there were some good wildlife programs on we enjoyed them and so did Ben.

You can not see what he is gazing at so intently here.

This is his "who me" look, I think that is an otter that he was intrigued by.

Monday it was time to come home and the nearer we got the nicer the weather became. I managed to do the laundry and dry it outside and do a bit more in the garden.
Today the last corner has been cleared and the garden looks like a strangers.
I am up to my ears in boxes and bubble wrap packing up my china and glass. If the move falls through it will all stay packed away as I can not face doing it all again.
The last step in the process seems to be taking forever and I am getting twitchy. I have made phone calls and sent e mails in the hope of speeding things up.

I have a property list to see over the weekend so I hope the weather hold dry, nothing worse than traipsing around in the rain.

It is clouding over so I must dash and get the second load of laundry in, we had a downpour earlier just after the first load came in.


                         TTFN                                        Pam

Backache and other tales

Oh My what a few days I have had since I was last here. I have cleared most of my garden, my friends have had various plants moved into their gardens. My collection of pots has shrunk dramatically and even the wild garden has been dealt with
After having cherry picked my way down to the wild corner I had to admit to myself that it had been allowed to sprawl and spread to at least 6 times it's original area. As I chopped and slashed my way into it I felt a bit akin to David Bellamy. I half expected to find a tribe of forgotten people or a ruined temple. What I have done is clear a small mountain of undergrowth and dead and dying vegetation. The whole area is now back to the original size and the garden looks better for it.
I had let the reeds and marginal plants around the small pond spread and they were blocking out the wild garden, once the pond was cleared the true horror of the wild was shockingly obvious.

3 sweaty days and all is much better, 3 compost bins are full, the chipper has done an excellent job of reducing the woody stuff into mulch,much of which has been layered into said bins. There are still many small jobs to finish off. I have been spending a little time twice a day on my kneeler scraping out the weeds on the paved area, a job that I hate so limit it to 15 minutes at a time. 2 more days will see it done.
I emptied a water butt yesterday for Marina, a lovely job, the sludge in the bottom was very pungent so it had a quick blast of fresh water and some white vinegar, I let it stand for a while then emptied and rinsed it out before taking it next door. if I was staying put I would do all of them.
Today I will empty Marina's old leaky water butt and put the clean one in it's place. She is also going to adopt all the tubs of new potatoes, they take up too much room to go with me.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I am off to spend Easter with Jeannie.

2. I am doing a car boot sale with her in the next village.

3. The surveyor should be here on Tuesday.

4. My crochet squares are multiplying in a most satisfactory manner.

5. I have been working in glorious sunshine.

The inside of the cottage is showing it's neglect, there are dust bunnies in every corner and wisps of dead vegetation in the corners. 
I have earmarked a couple of hours today to sprint round with the vacuum cleaner and my vinegar spray and cloth.  The doors and windows have been open and Ben wanders in and out, every now and then I find a scattering of dust and seed heads where he has thrown himself down for a rest after playing in the garden.

Time for another cuppa before I go out to kick start my day.


Oops, I nearly forgot the backache, all this bending and stretching, swinging a sickle is causing it, mind you a soak in the bath with a glass of something red and fruity and a book helps enormously.


        TTFN                                                        Pam

Wednesday Dinner and Thursday Delights

I have been very busy in the garden, but am still managing to cook. I tried the AF mix as onion bhajis and it was very successful, I added a sliced red onion to the dry mix and then added enough water to make a fairly slack mix and then fried them in shallow oil.

They were very crispy on the outside and meltingly soft on the inside. They went down well with some Lamb Madras, Pilau Rice and Chapattis. I had intended to make Naan but had some Chapattis to use up.

I did manage another Bhaji and a Chapatti, then collapsed in a stuffed heap till I took Ben out.

We went round the field this afternoon and I just had to take a few photos.

The tight pink buds become pristine white flowers.

Damsons to be.

I just loved these tight gnarly clusters.

A Baby fir cone.

Next crop of  Bramleys.

Reasons to be Grateful.

1. 2 days in my garden, in the sunshine, free gymn.

2. 3 bags of compost delivered today.

3. Blossom billowing against an Azure sky.

4. The smell of bread baking in my oven.

5. Ben and Greg galloping around, happy to be alive.

I have spent part of the last 2 days working in my garden, this morning I heard a Woodpecker, he was busy tapping round one of the trees in the next field. There are a group of Rooks in the area and after an hour or so they returned and their numbers and the awful noise made him leave, fingers crossed that he will be back. There is plenty of room and he was nowhere near the Rookery.

Tomorrow I plan to spend in the garden again, this time I will be topping up my planters with fresh compost and what I rake out will go on the newly forked beds.

I have dug out some of the Autumn Bliss Raspberries, I had let them spread their runners out so I now have a row of "new"canes and the old ones are gone. They are greedy plants so I will leave the ground fallow with a thick mulch from my compost makers.

I am off to have a soak under the shower before dinner.

    TTFN                             Pam

Purple Porridge Oh My!

Yesterday while blog hopping I read that someone ( I am so sorry I did not take in who's blog, it was early) had added brown sugar and coconut to their porridge and made it with milk.
I love porridge and have it for breakfast most days, I make mine with water and a good pinch of salt. It is lovely but a bit boring this morning I rebelled, I used half and half milk and water, a pinch of salt and 2 Tbsp of desicated coconut, half way through the cooking time I added a handful of blackberries that I had defrosted and a grated  apple, oh boy was it LOUD. Now I have to 'fess up that I did not stop to take a photo (I will tomorrow). It was delicious, I am also going to try it with some of my lovely pink rhubarb. I do like to eat a rainbow every day and purple is an expensive colour to buy, think plums, blueberries and cultivated blackberries, good job I have lots in the freezer. This will also help towards eating my way through the chest freezer.

On  different note, did you see Crufts last night? Ricky was a star performer, his personality shone out plain and clear to see. I did think that Colin was a cutie and my personal favourite was the little American Cocker, I have met the breed many times and they are hard working little dogs, of course only the show dogs have that amount of coat, think of getting mud and brambles out of that after a days work. Just like their bigger English cousins they stop for nothing, if they can not get through the tangle of undergrowth they just back up and take another rush at it.

All the dogs were superb and I am looking at Ben and remembering that not that long ago I had 3 ESS, a puppy of dubious ancestry and 2 cats. I have to add that all but my very first ESS have been rescue dogs.
Oh and what about the Collie dancing, I love that part of Crufts equally as much as seeing the dogs.

I spent most of the morning out in the garden clearing and digging over a large raised bed, this is in the shadiest part of the garden and the soil is wonderfully friable.
Of course Ben and I managed 2 walks as well, by lunch time I had most certainly worked off my porridge. I had the last of a batch of soup in the fridge so heated that up and threw a couple of lumps of frozen spinach in.

It was very tasty and just what I needed . I am making Felafels tonight, not the standard recipe though. I will be using a Tomato, Red Pepper and Quinoa mix from AF, I do like Quinoa and thought it would make a change. I have salad and wraps to have with them.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I gardened in bright sunshine.

2. The soil was lovely and crumbly.

3. Ben had fun playing while I worked.

4. My washing whirled round and dried in 2 hours.

5. The ironing is done and put away.

I am hoping to spend most of my mornings this week out side, it feels as though I have sat in and watched the rain for ever. I am sure that most people feel the same. I need to sort through my seeds

tonight and make a list of anything that I ought to buy. I will only be growing for the summer as I hope to move by October. 

I started to crochet another hat but half way through decided that I didn't like it and unraveled it. I will have to look for a pattern book I think.

The sun has just burst through the clouds so I think Ben and I will make the most of it for a quick walk.

                   TTFN                                    Pam

Finally Friday

Ooh I am so glad that Friday is here, the last three nights at work have been manic, to say the least. I read in the newspaper the other day that manufacturing is growing and that is certainly true for us. By now we would be slowing down for a couple of months before the Christmas Party season kicked off. The opposite is happening, we are not only maintaining but increasing our level of production ,year on year it is an amazing jump but then the last two summers did not happen. We seem to be coming out of the dark days of recession.

The growth factor is much the same as these Lilies, I had 5 corms, they each grew and gave me weeks of glorious colour, lapping up the heat and sunshine. Nature ran her course and they died back. When I emptied the pots yesterday I found that I had a good handful of baby corms ( I am sure there is a proper name for them) If half of these flower I will have more than three times my 5. How about that for "growth" percentage. I can see why so many farms round here grow corms and bulbs. Ther is a Lily field on the edge of the village and when they harvest the corms I will have a little wander and glean some of the leavings to start the cycle over again.

The weather report is for 2 days of rain which is annoying, even though we need it, as Michael and I planned to push a mountain of hard wood prunings through the chipper today. You can not do them wet as it just bungs up the works.

These are the cakes that I made from the Jane Asher Victoria Sponge mix. I used the wrong size tin so they were a bit thin and also a little on the dry side. However the mix held the fruit well and it did not sink to the bottom, I managed to tip most of the crumble topping off the plain cake as I put it on the wire rack. Note to self, next time remember to press it GENTLY into the cake before baking. I forgot to take a photo of the crumbles, Nev said his was delicious, I gave it to him straight out of the oven, and we had ours with some custard and it was very good.
I rate the sponge mix at 6 out of 10, next time I will use the right size tin and stir a spoonfull of melted buttery stuff in, and the crumble gets a 10 it was really as good as homemade. I put the packets into the freezer, both to keep them fresh and also to save space in the cupboard, by heck it is full.

Reasons to be grateful.

1. I made it through the week, in one piece.

2. My shrubs are not taking over the garden any more, letting shed loads of light in.

3. We are having a FREE meal tonight.

4. We had a FREE supper come breakfast this morning.

5. One of my colleagues has found her dream job.

I should explain 3 and 4. One of the factories in the group makes Pizza and these come into the staff shop every week. I never buy them, even at 50 p as I prefer to make my own. Last night we had a massive amount that were out of date today so they were giving them away. Ditto some pillow packs of salad, well I could not resist. Cheap is good FREE is better. I know that it will not help my Use It Up challenge but it would have been rude not to. 3 Pizza,s and a bag of baby leaf herb salad are now sitting in the fridge, it will not be quite free as I have to heat the pizza and put a dressing on the salad but still the cost will be tiny.
We have vending machines in the canteen and 2 of them hold filled rolls, sandwiches, cakes and cookies. Every morning the supplier refills them and removes any on their last use by date, this morning he took out 2 long rolls filled with Cheddar and salad just as I walked through and he gave them to me. We had one each with a cup of tea when we got home. As we had both been running all night they were very welcome and quite tasty, they were in white bread which we hardly ever have and it made a change. I am never sure whether this is supper or breakfast, it is the last meal of our day, but we do not eat at work so we are "breaking the fast", any way it was fast, free and filling.
Now it is gone 2 and I am more than ready for another pot of tea.

                                      TTFN        Pam

Sunny Saturday

My word how fast the weather changes, when I got up it was cold, grey and raining and looked set in for the day, out came the sewing machine and I got my apron sewn together.

 I had to do some last minute changes as I have mislaid 2 pieces, the waistband and 1 of the ties. I had a piece left over and managed to get a narrow waistband out of that and had to cut the remaining tie in half. It just means that instead of wrapping round and tying in front it ties at the back, no big deal there. I put 2 small pockets in as I prefer that to a single big one and I lined all but the skirt. I am quite pleased with how it turned out.
 This was just a way of using a random yard of fabric, that I love, with too big a print for my patchwork and I have a new apron to wear.

My second win from the April Showers Blog Hop arrived this morning, the embroidery pattern.
It is very pretty but too advanced for me. I have got a book from the library and am practicing but it is early days yet and I do not want to try to run before I can walk.

If one of you clever needlewomen out there would like this let me know and it is yours.

I have a batch of cinnamon wholewheat scones just out of the oven and a coffee sponge just in,and that will be the sum of my cooking today.

We are out tonight at a farewell dinner for a work colleague, Fran has a chicken and vegetable pot pie defrosting for her dinner. To be honest I would rather have that but I want to be at the "do" tonight to say goodbye and good luck.

Michael is in his man cave making sawdust, he is so. He is cutting up scrap wood for a friends open fire and killing 2 birds with one shot by tidying the yard as well.

.Both dogs are snoozing in the sunshine and I can not fault them, it is glorious. I will have a wander round the garden once the sponge is out of the oven.

I have new potatoes planted in tubs to check on and some trays of seedlings to fuss over, I hope to clean out the small greenhouse on Monday ready for my chilli plants and maybe an aubergine or 2 if they make it.

I have to buy tomato plants this year, I just did not make the time to search for seeds early enough but several people in the village will have plants to sell soon.

The Rhubarb is doing well and we will have some in a crumble, with some stem ginger, tomorrow for pudding.
The cake is out of the oven and I am off to tootle round the garden with the dogs, they both woke up when I shut the oven door.   TTFN    Pam