So far, this week has been a blissful break from routine. Last night, as I lay in bed listening to thunder crash and rain that sounded like tiny pebbles against the glass, I decided that the one thing worse than a wet week off is a wet week at work! So although it has been pretty wet, it has been lovely to know I haven't got to splash to work through the puddles.
It has been a busy week so far. I have posted about some of it already, but we started with the Sparks Will Fly event to celebrate the Olympic Flame coming to Chelmsford, on Sunday we went to the Grand Prix, on Tuesday we spent the day at the CAMRA Beer Festival in the park. I don't like beer as a rule, but I do like Belgian Fruit beers. They are a little more expensive than regular beer but taste so much nicer! I enjoyed strawberry beer which is almost like jam, cherry which tasted of marzipan to me, and a delicious peach beer too. It makes me smile, as I don't really drink a lot, and when I do it is never beer, always wine or a cocktail.
I have been to the yarn shop to get some more wool for my ripple stitch Lyme Regis blanket, and I happily added a new ripple to it last night. I have really missed it! I am using the pattern from Attic24 and really enjoying the soothing rhythm of it.
Today we drove out to Goldhanger, a little coastal village not far from us, parked up and took a walk out along the sea wall. I just adore it down there. My Grandparents used to live on a houseboat, which is where my Mum grew up. It was permanently moored with a lovely garden, and I have lots of happy childhood memories there, although that was in the next village or so over. My great-great-grandfather used to race yachts in the Americas Cup, at one time captaining a yacht for the king of Spain. So being on the estuaries and salt marshes is really in my blood, and it calls to something deep inside me. It was more luck than judgement, but we arrived at low tide, so all the mud flats were exposed which is the most beautiful time to go. We walked out for an hour or so, in which we managed to reach a kind of beach hut, but built behind the sea wall, and on stilts so it was level with it. We sat and watched oyster dredgers at work for a while before turning back. It was then we noticed that the church we had parked next to was nothing more than a tiny dot in the background! Happily though, while it had been pouring with rain last night, today has been the perfect summer day. I had taken an umbrella just in case of sudden showers, but in the end I had to use it once or twice as a parasol for some shade!
I can't believe that it is Thursday evening already. The days seem to be slipping away very quickly. I have also found some time for some organizing, which has felt really good. I have put together a new skeleton for menu planning, a rhythm of themes for each day. Wednesdays are down as 'Burlesque Picnic' because on that night several of the girls gather at mine, and we all bring things to share such as bread and hummus and it is a really lovely evening in the week. I have down Souper Sunday and also 'homemade takeaway' for Fridays. I have done the same for lunches and breakfasts, and hopefully this will make menu planning and shopping much quicker. I have also put together a new set of housekeeping routines. I have a morning and evening routine to do every day, and then each day has its own task, and there are a few tasks to do fortnightly as well. It has been nice to have some breathing space to think about this kind of thing in.
It has also been a week of lovely visitors - the ever bubbly and enthusiastic Carla, and the ever inspirational Anna - and tomorrow I am off to see Mum for only our second proper day off together this year. Carl asked me earlier if this week had been special enough, exciting enough (we had been planning to go to Scotland)...and you know, it really has. Some big adventures mixed with lots of little ones, time to wake up when your body is ready to (about 7.30am for me, so not a major lay-in, but good, good, good!) and time to talk and think and plan.
I hope you are having a wonderful week,
love
Mimi
xxx
Showing posts with label Darling Days Off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darling Days Off. Show all posts
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Monday, 9 July 2012
Tea and Crochet
I was trying to think of a lovely title for this post, as it is a post about lovely things, but inspiration seems to be lacking today! Perhaps I should have called it lovely tea and lovely crochet!
Today is the first day of our week off properly, as we would have had the weekend off anyway. The Grand Prix yesterday was amazing, and as spectacular as the driving was, there was also a display by the Red Arrows which was breathtaking. The rain held off for the race, and we had amazing seats, but afterwards it did rain a lot and was very muddy, but it all added to the experience!
It took twice as long to get home as it did to get there, as a National Express coach had broken down on the M1, so we arrived home rather tired, and decided that today we would have a gentle day.
We had lunch together in town, and then got coffee to take away and took a long stroll through the park. The park in Chelmsford is really pretty and seems to go on forever. There is a small part near to the town, which is where the crocuses blossom each year, and then you walk along the river and under a bridge before you end up in the much larger park, where there is a really big pond. It is too small to be a lake, but too big to be a pond...I wonder if there is a name for it?! There were lots of ducks wandering about, some baby Cootes were peeping away, and the scruffy grey looking cignets we have been watching growing up are almost full sized swans now. We sat by a weeping willow and breathed the slightly cool, slightly damp air, and just felt really relaxed.
On the way home, we noticed new shops are springing up along the railway arches. We popped into the new delicatessen, and I was really excited to see they stock Tregnothan Tea. I enjoyed a pot of this a few years ago when we went to Claridges for afternoon tea, and I wanted to buy some to bring home, but they didn't have any. When I looked online, the postage and packing was more than the tea, so you can imagine how pleased I am to have a local source of it! At £3.75 for a little box it isn't a tea to drink every day, but is really, really lovely. It is refreshing and light, and is the only tea grown in the UK. We are enjoying a pot right now. It isn't quite raining yet, but it feels like it soon will be, so it feels like the perfect cosy afternoon.
While I was watching Three Go Mad, the new programme from River Cottage the other evening, I felt slightly at a loss as I have run out of wool for my crochet ripple blanket, and although I ordered more it has not come in yet, and although technically I am knitting Noah's Ark still, I have hit a dry spot for inspiration. I have been thinking that I need a small project to keep me amused, just something quick and easy that I can work on, but wasn't sure what. I finally visited www.themakingspot.com and downloaded a free pattern for a crochet necklace. One of my friends had made a crochet collar earlier in the year that I thought looked really nice, and I have some background thoughts about buying or making the same dress in a variety of colours, and then customising with different buttons, trims, etc, so I am going to sit and drink tea and crochet a collar necklace this afternoon.
I have also discovered a lovely new blog, and plan to make this for dinner tonight http://tastyherbalist.typepad.com/modernhousewifevoli/2012/01/smokey-meal.html with a few tweeks, as I have spinach but not kale at home today, and some River Cottage flatbread. That seems like the perfect overcast Monday food to me.
Blogger seems to object to putting paragraph breaks in at the moment, so apologies if this comes out as one big clump of text. I have tried telling it in html but it definitely seems to have its own mind!
I hope that it isn't raining where you are, and that you have a delicious pot of tea to drink, love Mimi xxx
Today is the first day of our week off properly, as we would have had the weekend off anyway. The Grand Prix yesterday was amazing, and as spectacular as the driving was, there was also a display by the Red Arrows which was breathtaking. The rain held off for the race, and we had amazing seats, but afterwards it did rain a lot and was very muddy, but it all added to the experience!
It took twice as long to get home as it did to get there, as a National Express coach had broken down on the M1, so we arrived home rather tired, and decided that today we would have a gentle day.
We had lunch together in town, and then got coffee to take away and took a long stroll through the park. The park in Chelmsford is really pretty and seems to go on forever. There is a small part near to the town, which is where the crocuses blossom each year, and then you walk along the river and under a bridge before you end up in the much larger park, where there is a really big pond. It is too small to be a lake, but too big to be a pond...I wonder if there is a name for it?! There were lots of ducks wandering about, some baby Cootes were peeping away, and the scruffy grey looking cignets we have been watching growing up are almost full sized swans now. We sat by a weeping willow and breathed the slightly cool, slightly damp air, and just felt really relaxed.
On the way home, we noticed new shops are springing up along the railway arches. We popped into the new delicatessen, and I was really excited to see they stock Tregnothan Tea. I enjoyed a pot of this a few years ago when we went to Claridges for afternoon tea, and I wanted to buy some to bring home, but they didn't have any. When I looked online, the postage and packing was more than the tea, so you can imagine how pleased I am to have a local source of it! At £3.75 for a little box it isn't a tea to drink every day, but is really, really lovely. It is refreshing and light, and is the only tea grown in the UK. We are enjoying a pot right now. It isn't quite raining yet, but it feels like it soon will be, so it feels like the perfect cosy afternoon.
While I was watching Three Go Mad, the new programme from River Cottage the other evening, I felt slightly at a loss as I have run out of wool for my crochet ripple blanket, and although I ordered more it has not come in yet, and although technically I am knitting Noah's Ark still, I have hit a dry spot for inspiration. I have been thinking that I need a small project to keep me amused, just something quick and easy that I can work on, but wasn't sure what. I finally visited www.themakingspot.com and downloaded a free pattern for a crochet necklace. One of my friends had made a crochet collar earlier in the year that I thought looked really nice, and I have some background thoughts about buying or making the same dress in a variety of colours, and then customising with different buttons, trims, etc, so I am going to sit and drink tea and crochet a collar necklace this afternoon.
I have also discovered a lovely new blog, and plan to make this for dinner tonight http://tastyherbalist.typepad.com/modernhousewifevoli/2012/01/smokey-meal.html with a few tweeks, as I have spinach but not kale at home today, and some River Cottage flatbread. That seems like the perfect overcast Monday food to me.
Blogger seems to object to putting paragraph breaks in at the moment, so apologies if this comes out as one big clump of text. I have tried telling it in html but it definitely seems to have its own mind!
I hope that it isn't raining where you are, and that you have a delicious pot of tea to drink, love Mimi xxx
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
A Day Spent In Bliss
There are some days that just flow, somehow. Not necessarily special days, not birthdays or anniversaries, but just some days when you wake up, and everything just seems right. I was going to say that it is the kind of day where the sun is shining, but while there has been sunshine, there has also been torrential rain, and even that has been just right.
Firstly, I went to the Clarins Spa which is actually situated within a Debenham's Department Store. Now when I first visited last year I was a little hesitant about the location, but oh my, you soon forget you are in the middle of a shop. To be fair, you are in a room within a shop, and a proper one at that, not just a partition, but still, it is hard to remember there are people shopping just yards away. With the lights down low, tucked up in the cosy bed and soft music playing whilst you are massaged and pampered, it is easy to float off to a place of bliss. This Triactive Facial was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and I had been saving it up. I have had a facial at the Clarins Spa before, but this was my first Triactive one. I have to say that for me it was really effective, the products smell divine, the emphasis is on personalisation to your needs, lots and lots of massage and relaxation. I enjoyed the process very much, from the eye mask at the beginning, and being asked to breathe in deeply the scent of lavender to the scalp massage at the end, but I think my skin was more glowy after the facial I had there previously. After that facial, I had lots of friends at work stop me and ask me what I had done to my skin because it looked so good, which was really lovely. My skin did feel really smooth though, and it was a lovely way to spend an hour.
After that, the train to Witham, with the rain tapping lightly at the windows. Happily it held off while I walked to my destination, which was lunch with the lovely Angela and my goddaughter Lucy. We had a veritable feast - grilled halloumi, lamb koftas, falafel, salad, houmous and toasted pitta bread, washed down of course, with pots of tea!
Then back to Chelmsford where I ordered us Sky tv at last, at last! We have had no tv at all since we moved, and whilst on one hand it has been nice having a break from it, we are ready once again, I think. I ordered the package that gave us TCM as I love that channel and am looking forward to black and white films already! I had a voucher from Grazia magazine for a free trial set of the new skincare range from Benefit. It said that it was worth £10 and to be honest I was a little cynical, so imagine my delight to be given a little box that opened to reveal three samples in minature bottles big enough for at least a weeks use! I have taken a photo, which I will share when I do a review of the products. They are meant to boost radiance which is my main skin care concern at the moment. I will report back!
Then I walked home where I read a back issue of The Lady, painted my nails bright red, then poured a long bath where I soaked reading The Debutante by Kathleen Tessaro which is just delicious. It reminds me vaguely in atmosphere of The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, and I am enjoying it very much.
Next, a little light cooking for supper. One of my standby recipes, for tomato and lentil soup, although I seem to have overdone the dried chilli a little bit, so I am alternating sips of soup with dabbing of my nose!
I cannot remember if I have shared this with you yet...but I have a job interview on Friday morning, for a job within libraries. I am feeling strangely calm....I was before the last one, and that didn't work out so well! I am not sure if it is a good sign or a bad sign. I am in the same room as the last interview which I don't like, although I know it doesn't have anything to do with anything. Oh well, we shall see!
Love, Mimi xxx
Firstly, I went to the Clarins Spa which is actually situated within a Debenham's Department Store. Now when I first visited last year I was a little hesitant about the location, but oh my, you soon forget you are in the middle of a shop. To be fair, you are in a room within a shop, and a proper one at that, not just a partition, but still, it is hard to remember there are people shopping just yards away. With the lights down low, tucked up in the cosy bed and soft music playing whilst you are massaged and pampered, it is easy to float off to a place of bliss. This Triactive Facial was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and I had been saving it up. I have had a facial at the Clarins Spa before, but this was my first Triactive one. I have to say that for me it was really effective, the products smell divine, the emphasis is on personalisation to your needs, lots and lots of massage and relaxation. I enjoyed the process very much, from the eye mask at the beginning, and being asked to breathe in deeply the scent of lavender to the scalp massage at the end, but I think my skin was more glowy after the facial I had there previously. After that facial, I had lots of friends at work stop me and ask me what I had done to my skin because it looked so good, which was really lovely. My skin did feel really smooth though, and it was a lovely way to spend an hour.
After that, the train to Witham, with the rain tapping lightly at the windows. Happily it held off while I walked to my destination, which was lunch with the lovely Angela and my goddaughter Lucy. We had a veritable feast - grilled halloumi, lamb koftas, falafel, salad, houmous and toasted pitta bread, washed down of course, with pots of tea!
Then back to Chelmsford where I ordered us Sky tv at last, at last! We have had no tv at all since we moved, and whilst on one hand it has been nice having a break from it, we are ready once again, I think. I ordered the package that gave us TCM as I love that channel and am looking forward to black and white films already! I had a voucher from Grazia magazine for a free trial set of the new skincare range from Benefit. It said that it was worth £10 and to be honest I was a little cynical, so imagine my delight to be given a little box that opened to reveal three samples in minature bottles big enough for at least a weeks use! I have taken a photo, which I will share when I do a review of the products. They are meant to boost radiance which is my main skin care concern at the moment. I will report back!
Then I walked home where I read a back issue of The Lady, painted my nails bright red, then poured a long bath where I soaked reading The Debutante by Kathleen Tessaro which is just delicious. It reminds me vaguely in atmosphere of The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, and I am enjoying it very much.
Next, a little light cooking for supper. One of my standby recipes, for tomato and lentil soup, although I seem to have overdone the dried chilli a little bit, so I am alternating sips of soup with dabbing of my nose!
I cannot remember if I have shared this with you yet...but I have a job interview on Friday morning, for a job within libraries. I am feeling strangely calm....I was before the last one, and that didn't work out so well! I am not sure if it is a good sign or a bad sign. I am in the same room as the last interview which I don't like, although I know it doesn't have anything to do with anything. Oh well, we shall see!
Love, Mimi xxx
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Looking Back...
Suddenly, it is Sunday evening! The afternoon has melted into a darker sky and cooler air, and I cannot pretend it is afternoon any more! Half past six, time to think about dinner, and then a bath, and then my first day back at work after what has been a wonderful week off.
I have had more adventures than I have had time to blog about! I had the most amazing massage and facial at a day spa, which involved orange oils and herbal pommanders, have been to London for Stitch and Craft at Olympia where I bought the wool and pattern for a new tea cosy, and was given a pattern for a 'keep calm and carry on' cross stitch, which I hope to start later on. I have had dinner at my in-laws, and a day at the zoo. Today I have been to the cinema, and had brunch at Cafe Rouge.
After a slightly wibbly start on Monday and Tuesday where I felt the solitude stray into the 'lonely' area once or twice, I really hit my stride and have enjoyed filling my days. I have not watched as much Ballykissangel as I hoped, nor knitted as much as I thought, and I still have not got round to properly pinning down my ideas about menu planning, but I have had a lot of lovely adventures, and also discovered some lovely new blogs along the way. We have decided that we are definitely going to move this summer, and although we will be renting rather than buying, I feel really excited about that. We have outgrown our little flat and are ready to move on, and I am glad that I feel like this, because I was afraid I was going to be terribly sad! I have started to look at potential properties and places on the internet...isn't it a wonderful tool?!
I suddenly feel very 'homely'. I think that perhaps before my week off my mind was too much on my job and the uncertainties there. I feel like a bit of balance has been restored. All I want to do at the moment is create and care for my home, do my job at work, have happy quiet moments with friends, read, craft, cook, breathe, enjoy life.
Now, I am off to cook some dinner (chicken in a light curried sauce with vegetables, topped with a savoury oaty crumble, courtesy of the WI market!) and then it is a long hot bath for me, with the new edition of Sainsbury's magazine. Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely Sunday evening!
Love, Mimi xxx
I have had more adventures than I have had time to blog about! I had the most amazing massage and facial at a day spa, which involved orange oils and herbal pommanders, have been to London for Stitch and Craft at Olympia where I bought the wool and pattern for a new tea cosy, and was given a pattern for a 'keep calm and carry on' cross stitch, which I hope to start later on. I have had dinner at my in-laws, and a day at the zoo. Today I have been to the cinema, and had brunch at Cafe Rouge.
After a slightly wibbly start on Monday and Tuesday where I felt the solitude stray into the 'lonely' area once or twice, I really hit my stride and have enjoyed filling my days. I have not watched as much Ballykissangel as I hoped, nor knitted as much as I thought, and I still have not got round to properly pinning down my ideas about menu planning, but I have had a lot of lovely adventures, and also discovered some lovely new blogs along the way. We have decided that we are definitely going to move this summer, and although we will be renting rather than buying, I feel really excited about that. We have outgrown our little flat and are ready to move on, and I am glad that I feel like this, because I was afraid I was going to be terribly sad! I have started to look at potential properties and places on the internet...isn't it a wonderful tool?!
I suddenly feel very 'homely'. I think that perhaps before my week off my mind was too much on my job and the uncertainties there. I feel like a bit of balance has been restored. All I want to do at the moment is create and care for my home, do my job at work, have happy quiet moments with friends, read, craft, cook, breathe, enjoy life.
Now, I am off to cook some dinner (chicken in a light curried sauce with vegetables, topped with a savoury oaty crumble, courtesy of the WI market!) and then it is a long hot bath for me, with the new edition of Sainsbury's magazine. Wherever you are, I hope you are having a lovely Sunday evening!
Love, Mimi xxx
Monday, 14 March 2011
Spring is in the Air!
I had planned to spend the whole day at home today, to knit as I cannot work on my crochet at the moment, to putter about and do nothing very much. We always sleep with the window open, even if it is just a crack on the coldest of nights. Well all I can say is that spring must have been in the air, becuase I was not in the mood to laze about!
Instead, a brisk trip into town, to return library books and run a number of small errands. In Marks and Spencer I discovered a wonderful scented candle called Cut Flowers, which smells exactly like a bunch of freesias. I treated myself to the candle, the room spray and the essential oil. I also bought the ingredients I need to make Rolling Pin Ravioli, a recipe from 'Less Meat More Veg' by Rachel de Thample. I will let you know how it goes! I was most pleased to see that all I needed to get (in addition to what I have in my store cupboards) was a butternut squash, some butter, and some sage! I will let you know how the recipe goes later!
Back home and all the windows thrown open to let the air in, although it has cooled down now. The bed clothes put on to wash, the hoovering done, and the bedroom mostly turned out.
As I brush my hair by the open window in the bedroom, a grey squirrel bounds across the garden. He used to be afraid, and any time I went to the window to watch his acrobatics, he would scamper away up the nearest tree. Now, when I go to the window and open it and take out my mirror to do my makeup, he bounds out and performs for me!
Maybe tomorrow will be a sit and knit day instead...
Instead, a brisk trip into town, to return library books and run a number of small errands. In Marks and Spencer I discovered a wonderful scented candle called Cut Flowers, which smells exactly like a bunch of freesias. I treated myself to the candle, the room spray and the essential oil. I also bought the ingredients I need to make Rolling Pin Ravioli, a recipe from 'Less Meat More Veg' by Rachel de Thample. I will let you know how it goes! I was most pleased to see that all I needed to get (in addition to what I have in my store cupboards) was a butternut squash, some butter, and some sage! I will let you know how the recipe goes later!
Back home and all the windows thrown open to let the air in, although it has cooled down now. The bed clothes put on to wash, the hoovering done, and the bedroom mostly turned out.
As I brush my hair by the open window in the bedroom, a grey squirrel bounds across the garden. He used to be afraid, and any time I went to the window to watch his acrobatics, he would scamper away up the nearest tree. Now, when I go to the window and open it and take out my mirror to do my makeup, he bounds out and performs for me!
Maybe tomorrow will be a sit and knit day instead...
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Pleasures Anticipated
When I am standing in my little library on top of the hill, chatting to my regulars and stamping their books, or when I am at my big library at the bottom of the hill, stock editing and and running staff meetings, I am very happy. I love my work, and I work with some wonderful people. However, it has been quite a while since I took any of my annual holiday time, and I am ready for it. The last few weeks have been exhausting. I am still enjoying my work, but I am tired all the time, and often have a headache at the back of my mind. I have been doing a lot of working late, having to go in early, missing lunches, which I know isn't good for me, and I know I shouldn't but sometimes, you have to, and that goes with being in charge.
So while I love it, equally, I am looking foward to being off next week. A whole week, to myself! Sadly Carl could not get the week off with me, but I am sure I shall amuse myself, and he can look forward to coming home to a week of dinner on the table! On Friday I am going up to London with a friend from work to go to the Stitch and Craft show at Olympia. We go every year and have done for maybe 7 or 8 years, and is definitely a high point in my year. We are taking workshops in making vintage bunting, and stump work bees! I plan to do a lot of baking and reading and knitting and crocheting, watching some films, going for walks, and general puttering. I might even take myself off for a swim or too. Oooh, and I want to try some embroidery too.
I know I am going to really enjoy my week off, but it has come round ever so fast, so I haven't really had time to plan it in my head, or make firm arrangements. I feel a bit like I have missed out on time to anticipate the pleasures to come, so I am making up for it by starting now!
Tomorrow evening I am going to see a comedian at my local theatre, and then on Friday it is up to London (twice in a week!!!) to see Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. What a whirl!
So while I love it, equally, I am looking foward to being off next week. A whole week, to myself! Sadly Carl could not get the week off with me, but I am sure I shall amuse myself, and he can look forward to coming home to a week of dinner on the table! On Friday I am going up to London with a friend from work to go to the Stitch and Craft show at Olympia. We go every year and have done for maybe 7 or 8 years, and is definitely a high point in my year. We are taking workshops in making vintage bunting, and stump work bees! I plan to do a lot of baking and reading and knitting and crocheting, watching some films, going for walks, and general puttering. I might even take myself off for a swim or too. Oooh, and I want to try some embroidery too.
I know I am going to really enjoy my week off, but it has come round ever so fast, so I haven't really had time to plan it in my head, or make firm arrangements. I feel a bit like I have missed out on time to anticipate the pleasures to come, so I am making up for it by starting now!
Tomorrow evening I am going to see a comedian at my local theatre, and then on Friday it is up to London (twice in a week!!!) to see Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. What a whirl!
Friday, 4 February 2011
Blowing Away The Cobwebs
Yesterday I was really very glum about my work situation, and today I did not expect to feel a lot better. Yesterday I needed not to wallow, but to feel bad and understand how I was feeling. I was so upset that someone close to me was trying to solve the problems...they were trying to help but it made me feel like my feelings were just being brushed away, under the carpet. I know that really he was just doing what men do which is solve problems, while I was doing what women do, which is just want to be heard and acknowledged. I was still slightly disappointed though...and then today he quietly put a parcel on my desk at work, and smiled. The hip flask that I gave him for Christmas! I told him that it was part of the gift (I had given them out filled with fruits of the forest rum) and he smiled again and said he knew, and there was something in it for me. Imagine my delight to find it not only filled with brandy, but finest armagnac! What a sweet thought, medicinal brandy!
From there on, today has got better. I still have my worries, but I feel better able to cope with them. It was my half day, and when I left work I was buffeted and blown about by the wind. Sometimes I find the wind tiring, but walking into it with my hair streaming out behind me and my coat flapping, I found it really invigorating, and felt my cobwebs being blown away. My afternoon proved to be a real tonic.
I hurried to the market first, where I bought a little bag of green lentils for an aubergine and lentil chilli mole (from my new cook book, Appetite For Reduction), a bunch of daffodils for the living room, sol narcissus for the bedroom, and from there to the grocers stall in the high street where I bought a bunch of pink baby rhubarb, and a single, huge, juicy globe of an orange. With my bag of parcels under my arm, I decided to have some lunch before I went home, and walked to Marks and Spencer.
Lunch was a little box of their selection of sandwiches and a pot of tea. The tea was perfect; steaming hot and fragrant. The teapot was a tiny bit dribbly but kept the tea hot while I sipped one cup, so the second was just as warm. As I sat and ate, I finished reading 'The Case Is Closed' by Patricia Wentworth. Just before work, I had got to the point where the heroine was hiding in a wardrobe as the villain threatened to murder his wife if she did not write a false confession to another murder! I was pleased for the chance to finish it off, and I will definitley be reading more Patricia Wentworth. If you like Agatha Christie, give her a try!
When I got home i threw open all the windows, and they were nearly rattled off their catches by the wind, but it was so lovely to fill the flat with fresh air. After a cup of tea, I baked a Battenburg cake. I have wanted to for a while, and with it being Dad's birthday tea tomorrow night, and having a spare afternoon, it seemed the perfect time. I am really pleased with it, although when I make it again, I am going to try very hard not to make it so lopsided, and whilst the instructions said to add plenty of red food colouring to make the cake very pink, I think I added a bit too much!
Puttering in the kitchen and baking put me in the mood to cook, so I set a pot of the aforementioned aubergine and lentil chilli mole to bubble away (it has cocoa powder in it!!) and then baked a loaf of bread too. Phew! Lots of cooking but I really enjoyed it. There is something really soothing about kneading and stirring and brushing with jam.
After that, I decided to put clean sheets on our bed, and although the duvet was terribly heavy I am really glad I did it. Whilst I was in Marks and Spencer, I bought myself a new duck feather pillow which I have put on the bed. I do like a nice fluffy pillow, and mine have been feeling rather flat of late. Carl loves a flat pillow, and doesnt get on with feather pillows, so I did not get one for him, which feels very odd!
Then an afternoon bath, one of my favourite things to do. Water scented with Johnson's Baby Bath and little tea light candles twinkling around the edge of the bath, and a new magazine to read. A happy hour spent amongst the bubbles, then just time for a cup of tea before dear Carl came home.
All in all, a pretty blissful afternoon, and restorative to the spirits. This evening holds a little bit of knitting, and a chapter or two of my new book, which I may not persevere with. I ordered a Denis Mackail, but it has made me worry about money, which I don't like at all. It is about a brother and sister who are forever borrowing from their father, and although that isn't me at all, it just set me to worrying. If I get the same feeling after another chapter or two, I will take it back to the library tomorrow, and get another Patricia Wentworth out!
I hope that wherever you are, you have had a similarly lovely afternoon, and have a weekend of happiness to come!
From there on, today has got better. I still have my worries, but I feel better able to cope with them. It was my half day, and when I left work I was buffeted and blown about by the wind. Sometimes I find the wind tiring, but walking into it with my hair streaming out behind me and my coat flapping, I found it really invigorating, and felt my cobwebs being blown away. My afternoon proved to be a real tonic.
I hurried to the market first, where I bought a little bag of green lentils for an aubergine and lentil chilli mole (from my new cook book, Appetite For Reduction), a bunch of daffodils for the living room, sol narcissus for the bedroom, and from there to the grocers stall in the high street where I bought a bunch of pink baby rhubarb, and a single, huge, juicy globe of an orange. With my bag of parcels under my arm, I decided to have some lunch before I went home, and walked to Marks and Spencer.
Lunch was a little box of their selection of sandwiches and a pot of tea. The tea was perfect; steaming hot and fragrant. The teapot was a tiny bit dribbly but kept the tea hot while I sipped one cup, so the second was just as warm. As I sat and ate, I finished reading 'The Case Is Closed' by Patricia Wentworth. Just before work, I had got to the point where the heroine was hiding in a wardrobe as the villain threatened to murder his wife if she did not write a false confession to another murder! I was pleased for the chance to finish it off, and I will definitley be reading more Patricia Wentworth. If you like Agatha Christie, give her a try!
When I got home i threw open all the windows, and they were nearly rattled off their catches by the wind, but it was so lovely to fill the flat with fresh air. After a cup of tea, I baked a Battenburg cake. I have wanted to for a while, and with it being Dad's birthday tea tomorrow night, and having a spare afternoon, it seemed the perfect time. I am really pleased with it, although when I make it again, I am going to try very hard not to make it so lopsided, and whilst the instructions said to add plenty of red food colouring to make the cake very pink, I think I added a bit too much!
Puttering in the kitchen and baking put me in the mood to cook, so I set a pot of the aforementioned aubergine and lentil chilli mole to bubble away (it has cocoa powder in it!!) and then baked a loaf of bread too. Phew! Lots of cooking but I really enjoyed it. There is something really soothing about kneading and stirring and brushing with jam.
After that, I decided to put clean sheets on our bed, and although the duvet was terribly heavy I am really glad I did it. Whilst I was in Marks and Spencer, I bought myself a new duck feather pillow which I have put on the bed. I do like a nice fluffy pillow, and mine have been feeling rather flat of late. Carl loves a flat pillow, and doesnt get on with feather pillows, so I did not get one for him, which feels very odd!
Then an afternoon bath, one of my favourite things to do. Water scented with Johnson's Baby Bath and little tea light candles twinkling around the edge of the bath, and a new magazine to read. A happy hour spent amongst the bubbles, then just time for a cup of tea before dear Carl came home.
All in all, a pretty blissful afternoon, and restorative to the spirits. This evening holds a little bit of knitting, and a chapter or two of my new book, which I may not persevere with. I ordered a Denis Mackail, but it has made me worry about money, which I don't like at all. It is about a brother and sister who are forever borrowing from their father, and although that isn't me at all, it just set me to worrying. If I get the same feeling after another chapter or two, I will take it back to the library tomorrow, and get another Patricia Wentworth out!
I hope that wherever you are, you have had a similarly lovely afternoon, and have a weekend of happiness to come!
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Aubergines and Union Jacks
A much looked forward to day off today. I have been struggling against a the latest bug that is doing the rounds at work, and have had a headached that has settled in my sinuses and feels like a giant bear is biting my head for three days now. So you can imagine what bliss it was to wake up at half past six and then realise I could happily go back to sleep again!
Lovely Carl brought me a cup of tea but I must confess that it was cold when I woke up again. I listened to radio 4 while I boiled some eggs for breakfast, and then played with some designs for greetings cards. I have got an idea for decorating some hot water bottle covers made from old jumpers, so I also made 2 Union Jacks out of felt. One was was the traditional covers, and the other in shades of pinks and purples. There is something really satisfying about snipping into felt with really sharp scissors!
After that it was time for a walk, so I wandered around to the local shop where I bought the makings of a moussaka. I have never, ever liked aubergines so had not even thought about making this before...but recently I have come to like them, and as I had time to spare, I really wanted something to cook that would let me potter about the kitchen, so moussaka it was!
Firstly I sauteed some lamb mince, and after it was brown I drained the fat off, and threw in a diced red onion and some grated courgette, cumin, coriander and oregano. I topped it up with some stock, and while it bubbled away, peeled and sliced some potatoes and put them on to par-boil. With two saucepans bubbling away, I sliced my aubergine and griddled them until soft, then put to one side. I put the lamb mixture in an ovenproof dish, topped with the aubergine and then the potato. Next I made a white sauce flavoured with plenty of nutmeg and some grated parmesan. On top of this I layed slices of tomato, and finished with a thin grating of cheese. It all went into the oven to cook while I got stuck into the washing up.
Certainly not the quickest of dishes to make, and it did seem to create and awful lot of washing up, but there was time to get it all done while the moussaka baked, and I did take a lot of pleasure from assembling it and then presenting the finished beast to Carl for tea. Even better, there are leftovers that we can have for a speedy dinner before book club on Friday!
I have spent a happy few hours going through cook books from the library, slipping little bookmarks into pages that I would like to copy from. I have also had a few books arrive from the amazon fairy recently...Nourish by Jane Clarke (although I keep wanting to call it Nurture), Appetite For Reduction (a fabulous vegan cook book which is said to be worth the price for the tomato salad dressing alone!) and last but not least More Veg Less Meat. I love cook books and often read them like novels, but just opening the pages of these let me know that they would not just be read, but used, and often. The best kind of book!
I have not given up on my library project, and plan an update this weekend. Although I do treat myself to books on amazon I am a great believer in the library service and would not be able to feed my reading habit without it! Sadly there are a great many libraries under threat of closure at the moment, although I am happy to say none in my county are in danger. However, wherever you are, if you do one thing this week, find your local library and make it your own! However small there must be something there for you. Cilip has a great 'save public libraries' campaign on at the moment, where they encourage you to twitter about why you love libraries, write to your MP, download an ebook, tell your friends and family to join, and to get down there and use your library yourself. You already pay for this service through your council tax, and the core service is free. Of course you can pay a few pounds to borrow extra things like cds and dvds, but the thought of all those books just there, waiting for you...what bliss!
Lovely Carl brought me a cup of tea but I must confess that it was cold when I woke up again. I listened to radio 4 while I boiled some eggs for breakfast, and then played with some designs for greetings cards. I have got an idea for decorating some hot water bottle covers made from old jumpers, so I also made 2 Union Jacks out of felt. One was was the traditional covers, and the other in shades of pinks and purples. There is something really satisfying about snipping into felt with really sharp scissors!
After that it was time for a walk, so I wandered around to the local shop where I bought the makings of a moussaka. I have never, ever liked aubergines so had not even thought about making this before...but recently I have come to like them, and as I had time to spare, I really wanted something to cook that would let me potter about the kitchen, so moussaka it was!
Firstly I sauteed some lamb mince, and after it was brown I drained the fat off, and threw in a diced red onion and some grated courgette, cumin, coriander and oregano. I topped it up with some stock, and while it bubbled away, peeled and sliced some potatoes and put them on to par-boil. With two saucepans bubbling away, I sliced my aubergine and griddled them until soft, then put to one side. I put the lamb mixture in an ovenproof dish, topped with the aubergine and then the potato. Next I made a white sauce flavoured with plenty of nutmeg and some grated parmesan. On top of this I layed slices of tomato, and finished with a thin grating of cheese. It all went into the oven to cook while I got stuck into the washing up.
Certainly not the quickest of dishes to make, and it did seem to create and awful lot of washing up, but there was time to get it all done while the moussaka baked, and I did take a lot of pleasure from assembling it and then presenting the finished beast to Carl for tea. Even better, there are leftovers that we can have for a speedy dinner before book club on Friday!
I have spent a happy few hours going through cook books from the library, slipping little bookmarks into pages that I would like to copy from. I have also had a few books arrive from the amazon fairy recently...Nourish by Jane Clarke (although I keep wanting to call it Nurture), Appetite For Reduction (a fabulous vegan cook book which is said to be worth the price for the tomato salad dressing alone!) and last but not least More Veg Less Meat. I love cook books and often read them like novels, but just opening the pages of these let me know that they would not just be read, but used, and often. The best kind of book!
I have not given up on my library project, and plan an update this weekend. Although I do treat myself to books on amazon I am a great believer in the library service and would not be able to feed my reading habit without it! Sadly there are a great many libraries under threat of closure at the moment, although I am happy to say none in my county are in danger. However, wherever you are, if you do one thing this week, find your local library and make it your own! However small there must be something there for you. Cilip has a great 'save public libraries' campaign on at the moment, where they encourage you to twitter about why you love libraries, write to your MP, download an ebook, tell your friends and family to join, and to get down there and use your library yourself. You already pay for this service through your council tax, and the core service is free. Of course you can pay a few pounds to borrow extra things like cds and dvds, but the thought of all those books just there, waiting for you...what bliss!
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Bright Days
Today was my day off, so I took myself into town for lunch with a friend and my god-daughter. It was such a lovely day that I decided to walk home, and I am so glad I did! The January sun was so dazzlingly bright, I really needed sunglasses! I love it when the air is crisp and the sun seems to make the air almost brittle.
On my way home, I visited the Vintage shop (Truly Madly Vintage) and came out with a pretty chiffon scarf...it is the colour of a very pale lilac crocus, and printed with pretty flowers and a lilac border. I also found a little pile of magazines, amongst which was a little booklet called 'Helen Temple's Guide To Summer Beauty'. I had to have it...Helen Temple offers beauty advice in a great many of my vintage magazines from the 50's. When it gets a bit warmer and springlike, I will share some of her beauty tips with you!
Do any of you read Making magazine? I bought the first and second issue, but my interest was not as caught as it could be, so I did not buy any more. A friend at work lent me issue 3, which had a vintage theme, and it was wonderful! I am now in a dilemma though...there was an article on making pretty headbands, and the model had a really pretty fringe. My side swept fringe is almost grown out now, so I am thinking 'to fringe or not to fringe?!'
On the morning news, I heard about a community whose library was threatened with closure, so the residents went in and borrowed every single book on the shelves! While a little part of me thinks that if they had used their library a bit more often it may not have been threatened with closure, I do think it is a wonderfully subversive and genteel way to make a protest! A bit like the elderly residents of a village who protested about a lot of traffic being routed through their village by taking it in turns to press the traffic light button all day long!
Talking of villages...I am a big fan of the Village series by Rebecca Shaw, set in the fictional and wonderful village of Turnham Malpas. I was really pleased when the latest installment arrived at the library for me, and devoured it, finishing it this morning. I was a little tiny bit disappointed though....they are generally very cosy happy novels, but in this one there was a bank robber, a murder and the rector behaved in a thoroughly unlike-himself manner. (He is usually compassionate and wise and generally wonderful, but instead behaved like a spoiled child!). I will carry on reading, and look forward to the next one, but I do hope they return to the more familiar pattern soon!
Oooh, and before I go, have you seen the new range of shoes in Marks and Spencer? I bought a beautiful pair this morning, low heeled court shoes in black patent, and a bow on each toe, for under £30!
I hope that the sun is shining on you just as brightly as it is me this afternoon!
On my way home, I visited the Vintage shop (Truly Madly Vintage) and came out with a pretty chiffon scarf...it is the colour of a very pale lilac crocus, and printed with pretty flowers and a lilac border. I also found a little pile of magazines, amongst which was a little booklet called 'Helen Temple's Guide To Summer Beauty'. I had to have it...Helen Temple offers beauty advice in a great many of my vintage magazines from the 50's. When it gets a bit warmer and springlike, I will share some of her beauty tips with you!
Do any of you read Making magazine? I bought the first and second issue, but my interest was not as caught as it could be, so I did not buy any more. A friend at work lent me issue 3, which had a vintage theme, and it was wonderful! I am now in a dilemma though...there was an article on making pretty headbands, and the model had a really pretty fringe. My side swept fringe is almost grown out now, so I am thinking 'to fringe or not to fringe?!'
On the morning news, I heard about a community whose library was threatened with closure, so the residents went in and borrowed every single book on the shelves! While a little part of me thinks that if they had used their library a bit more often it may not have been threatened with closure, I do think it is a wonderfully subversive and genteel way to make a protest! A bit like the elderly residents of a village who protested about a lot of traffic being routed through their village by taking it in turns to press the traffic light button all day long!
Talking of villages...I am a big fan of the Village series by Rebecca Shaw, set in the fictional and wonderful village of Turnham Malpas. I was really pleased when the latest installment arrived at the library for me, and devoured it, finishing it this morning. I was a little tiny bit disappointed though....they are generally very cosy happy novels, but in this one there was a bank robber, a murder and the rector behaved in a thoroughly unlike-himself manner. (He is usually compassionate and wise and generally wonderful, but instead behaved like a spoiled child!). I will carry on reading, and look forward to the next one, but I do hope they return to the more familiar pattern soon!
Oooh, and before I go, have you seen the new range of shoes in Marks and Spencer? I bought a beautiful pair this morning, low heeled court shoes in black patent, and a bow on each toe, for under £30!
I hope that the sun is shining on you just as brightly as it is me this afternoon!
Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Wonderful Week
…hello, hello and hello! Do pour yourself to a cup of tea in your prettiest cup, and sit with me while I tell you all about my wonderful week off!
As you know, Monday saw me having lunch and a thoroughly delightful day with my dear friend Anna, and you know, such a delicious day really set the standard for the whole week.
Tuesday was a hot, hot day, and I went into town early so I could get all my little errands done before it got too hot. I started the day at Café Rouge, where I breakfasted on a Croque Madame and a latte (how I wished for an iced coffee, but alas, they do not do them) to the gentle sounds of French Café Music. As I read the paper, I noticed a coupon for £1 off Grazia magazine. A nice trashy magazine for cheap? Of course I had to buy it! Imagine how pleased I was when I found in Grazia a coupon for a jar of Salt Body Scrub by The Sanctuary from Boots, free! And happily, I had found out early enough to be able to go and get one. Other purchases for the day included a new purse (apple green! I spotted it right away amongst a sea of serviceable black purses. I felt very much like Mrs Miniver when she bought her diary) and also a new dress (a simple blue patterned summer dress from Peacocks) and some soft-dried pears that are oh-so-squishy like a fudgy toffee. After all that shopping, I was very hot, so I had an iced vanilla latte before catching the bus home again.
Wednesday was a day that dear Carl had been looking forward to very much indeed- a day at Thorpe Park, courtesy of the Tesco vouchers that I have been hoarding. I was pleased because it was a free day out (which should have cost us £70 in entrance tickets!) and he was pleased because he got to go on all manner of fast and scary rides. It will probably come as no surprise to you to know that I am not such a fan of big fast rides, so there were quite a few that he went on while I had a cup of tea! One ride that I did like very much was one aimed at older children- a log flume that was set in Pioneering American times, and it really made me feel like I was in the middle of little House in the Prairie!
Thursday was one of those delightful days of drifting happily together. We wandered into town and enjoyed a coffee together. On the way home, I tried to buy some fabric for an apron, some wool for a hot water bottle cover,and some sugar paste to make icing flowers. Alas, despite being in the county town, I was thwarted at every turn, and went home empty handed. However, there was time to drop into a charity shop, where I found a wonderful 'make and do' book from the 60s. There is a fabulous idea for a 'get well train' that I want to try my hand at!
Friday was utterly fabulous. Despite the rain, Mum and I had a great day together. There is a marvellous craft shop a few villages away which is a veritable Aladdin's Cave, and there I found very easily the perfect fabric and trimmings for my apron, the exact wool that I wanted, and a whole host of other little bits besides! We had lunch together at a plant nursery, which is one of my favourite places to eat. There is a conservatory you can sit in, and look out over the fields. It is picturesque even when, perhaps even especially when, it is raining, and there is a tiny house nestled behind some trees which you see as a flash of white that I like to imagine living in one day.
Once home, we made the first of many cups of tea, and I set out to make my first apron. When I post pictures, I will also look out the title of the book, because the pattern came from a wonderful book full of apron patterns, that I found in the library. The apron I chose to make has polka dot fabric, a little heart pocket and a frill all around the bottom, which according to the book will call to mind the passion of Andalucian Gypsies dancing the polka!! I found some parts tricky, such as gathering the long ruffle by hand, and making the heart shaped pocket. Once or twice I felt like giving up in vexation, but with Mum on hand to help me, I kept going, and I am so proud of my apron I have even taken it to work to show the girls! While I was making a celebratory cup of tea downstairs, Mum whipped up a little lavender bag out of some left over fabric, which just fits in the pocket! I really felt so snuggly and at peace, sitting in my old bedroom which is now the craft room, making something with my Mum while rain spattered at the window pane.
On Saturday, I could hardly believe that I had only 2 days left of my wonderful week. I had invited a friend for dinner with the intention that he should stay the night, so I spent the afternoon getting ready for dinner. I took the opportunity to do some real cooking, and when evening came we had quite a feast laid out! We started with strawberry bellinis and some little bruschetta, topped with brie and caremelized onions, tomato mozzarella and pesto, or home made guacamole. For our starter I made lemon and rosemary risotto, then we had spaghetti bolognese. We finished with a cake that is so simple but looks stunning. I have to find a good name for it! You make a victoria sponge mixture, but bake it in a pudding basin, and when it is cold, pour over a cup of hot sweetened coffee laced with brandy. Then when that is cool, you turn it out, and cover it with slightly sweetened whipped cream! Definitely calorific, but so lovely, especially when served on a glass cake stand and eaten with vintage cake forks, you really dont mind! Before you think we were terrible gluttons, I did serve teeny tiny portions of each course!
After a much later night than I have had for a long time, I made smoked salmon scrambled eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast. We waved goodbye to Adrian at lunch time, and then set about our few little chores. Washing was done, the place was straightened up and aired out, and then we spent our last hours of the weekend knitting and reading (me) and reading and computering (my lovely husband). Oh yes, although I had not mentioned it in my daily summaries, somehow I read 8 Hamish Macbeth novels this week!
Well that is my wonderful week, over and done. I am definitely not going to leave it so long again!
As you know, Monday saw me having lunch and a thoroughly delightful day with my dear friend Anna, and you know, such a delicious day really set the standard for the whole week.
Tuesday was a hot, hot day, and I went into town early so I could get all my little errands done before it got too hot. I started the day at Café Rouge, where I breakfasted on a Croque Madame and a latte (how I wished for an iced coffee, but alas, they do not do them) to the gentle sounds of French Café Music. As I read the paper, I noticed a coupon for £1 off Grazia magazine. A nice trashy magazine for cheap? Of course I had to buy it! Imagine how pleased I was when I found in Grazia a coupon for a jar of Salt Body Scrub by The Sanctuary from Boots, free! And happily, I had found out early enough to be able to go and get one. Other purchases for the day included a new purse (apple green! I spotted it right away amongst a sea of serviceable black purses. I felt very much like Mrs Miniver when she bought her diary) and also a new dress (a simple blue patterned summer dress from Peacocks) and some soft-dried pears that are oh-so-squishy like a fudgy toffee. After all that shopping, I was very hot, so I had an iced vanilla latte before catching the bus home again.
Wednesday was a day that dear Carl had been looking forward to very much indeed- a day at Thorpe Park, courtesy of the Tesco vouchers that I have been hoarding. I was pleased because it was a free day out (which should have cost us £70 in entrance tickets!) and he was pleased because he got to go on all manner of fast and scary rides. It will probably come as no surprise to you to know that I am not such a fan of big fast rides, so there were quite a few that he went on while I had a cup of tea! One ride that I did like very much was one aimed at older children- a log flume that was set in Pioneering American times, and it really made me feel like I was in the middle of little House in the Prairie!
Thursday was one of those delightful days of drifting happily together. We wandered into town and enjoyed a coffee together. On the way home, I tried to buy some fabric for an apron, some wool for a hot water bottle cover,and some sugar paste to make icing flowers. Alas, despite being in the county town, I was thwarted at every turn, and went home empty handed. However, there was time to drop into a charity shop, where I found a wonderful 'make and do' book from the 60s. There is a fabulous idea for a 'get well train' that I want to try my hand at!
Friday was utterly fabulous. Despite the rain, Mum and I had a great day together. There is a marvellous craft shop a few villages away which is a veritable Aladdin's Cave, and there I found very easily the perfect fabric and trimmings for my apron, the exact wool that I wanted, and a whole host of other little bits besides! We had lunch together at a plant nursery, which is one of my favourite places to eat. There is a conservatory you can sit in, and look out over the fields. It is picturesque even when, perhaps even especially when, it is raining, and there is a tiny house nestled behind some trees which you see as a flash of white that I like to imagine living in one day.
Once home, we made the first of many cups of tea, and I set out to make my first apron. When I post pictures, I will also look out the title of the book, because the pattern came from a wonderful book full of apron patterns, that I found in the library. The apron I chose to make has polka dot fabric, a little heart pocket and a frill all around the bottom, which according to the book will call to mind the passion of Andalucian Gypsies dancing the polka!! I found some parts tricky, such as gathering the long ruffle by hand, and making the heart shaped pocket. Once or twice I felt like giving up in vexation, but with Mum on hand to help me, I kept going, and I am so proud of my apron I have even taken it to work to show the girls! While I was making a celebratory cup of tea downstairs, Mum whipped up a little lavender bag out of some left over fabric, which just fits in the pocket! I really felt so snuggly and at peace, sitting in my old bedroom which is now the craft room, making something with my Mum while rain spattered at the window pane.
On Saturday, I could hardly believe that I had only 2 days left of my wonderful week. I had invited a friend for dinner with the intention that he should stay the night, so I spent the afternoon getting ready for dinner. I took the opportunity to do some real cooking, and when evening came we had quite a feast laid out! We started with strawberry bellinis and some little bruschetta, topped with brie and caremelized onions, tomato mozzarella and pesto, or home made guacamole. For our starter I made lemon and rosemary risotto, then we had spaghetti bolognese. We finished with a cake that is so simple but looks stunning. I have to find a good name for it! You make a victoria sponge mixture, but bake it in a pudding basin, and when it is cold, pour over a cup of hot sweetened coffee laced with brandy. Then when that is cool, you turn it out, and cover it with slightly sweetened whipped cream! Definitely calorific, but so lovely, especially when served on a glass cake stand and eaten with vintage cake forks, you really dont mind! Before you think we were terrible gluttons, I did serve teeny tiny portions of each course!
After a much later night than I have had for a long time, I made smoked salmon scrambled eggs and freshly squeezed orange juice for breakfast. We waved goodbye to Adrian at lunch time, and then set about our few little chores. Washing was done, the place was straightened up and aired out, and then we spent our last hours of the weekend knitting and reading (me) and reading and computering (my lovely husband). Oh yes, although I had not mentioned it in my daily summaries, somehow I read 8 Hamish Macbeth novels this week!
Well that is my wonderful week, over and done. I am definitely not going to leave it so long again!
Monday, 1 June 2009
My Wonderful Week Off, Part The First
Before I start, I love my job, I really do. I love the bustle of working in the county library, and I love the responsibility of running my own little branch library. I love the staff, the customers, the books....but it has been a long time since I had a proper break. I don't think I have had a whole week off since Christmas...and as it is now June (how I love starting a new month on a Monday!) I am really ready for a break.
And how scrumptiously it has started! Now summer is not my favourite season- I burn easily, wilt in the heat, and find myself longing for the crisper days of autumn. But the sudden glorious sunshine and excellent clothes-drying weather we have been enjoying has been a balm to my spirits. I find I have a spring in my step, and an overwhelming urge to wash everything I can get my hands on, and put it out on the line to blow dry.
This Saturday (to labour a point, my first Saturday off in three weeks!) I was not initially thrilled to hear that we were going to spend it with dear Carl servicing our car with his Dad...but it turned out to be a wonderful day. My lovely in-laws live in the middle of the countryside in a tiny village, surrounded by green fields and other little villages...you could be in the middle of Midsommer Murder country! We took our washing with us, and I pegged everything out to dry in the warm breeze as Carl and his Dad saw to our car. I sat and sipped tea and chatted with my Mother in Law, and then we shared a lovely lunch in the conservatory (she does a lovely thing where she puts out salads and dressings and french bread, crackers and cheese, pate and ham, and other such goodies from the fridge, then lets everyone help themselves). The afternoon disappeared as we caught up on family news, planned gifts to take to an up-coming family wedding, talked about outfits and so on.
When the men came in, rather tired and hungry, a plan was formed- to the pub for a quick drink, then off to get a Chinese takeaway, then home for a film. The local pub is in the next village, and is called The Swan. It is a lovely little pub, all oak beams and cask ale, and the very essence of what a country pub should be. I sipped half a perry, as I am not much one for drink, and we spent a happy hour listening to some music they had playing, and trying to remember who it was. (No, not Michael Buble...the one that is like him but not....has brown hair...YOU know, the one that isnt Buble....oh you do know, you DO....) As we drove to the next little village (dear Carl never drinks and drives...his tipple was a grapefruit juice!) it suddenly came to me, and I shouted 'Jamie Cullum' which somewhat startled everyone else in the car!
After our Chinese dinner, we watched Red Eye together (I should have spent more time enjoying the tense atmosphere of the film, but I was actually wondering where the lead actress got her gorgeous cardigan from, and which brand of eyeshadow she was wearing, and which shade of lipstick!) and then Carl and I left for home....tired but happy.
Yesterday seemed to just fly past. We went into town together, and had a picnic lunch in the park. I am amazed still at how summer seems to be winning me over. I love how the dappled shade of the trees shifts and shimmies in the breeze. We purchased a wedding gift and the newspapers, then returned home where time just seemed to slip away, and suddenly, it was time for bed....
Today has been blissful. My lovely friend Anna came for the morning, and we chatted nineteen to the dozen, exclaiming over the loveliness of Miss Pettigrew Lives For The Day which we had on in the background, ate lunch, and I unwrapped some utterly delightful birthday gifts. Amongst them was a red and white polka dot oven glove- I hadnt mentioned it (but Anna and I share such close taste, we always seem to be in synch!) but I have a real thing for polka dots recently, particularly red and white ones! I have been coveting a toadstool money box that I spied in town a while ago, and have an urge to make fairy toadstool salds, like my Mum made for me when I was a little girl.
Fairy Toadstool Salad
Tie on a polka dot pinny, and flick on some toe-tapping music
Pick out a pretty vintage plate for each person
Boil one egg for each person
Hopefully you will be having 2,4,6 or any other multiple of 2 guests for lunch, as you will need to cut a tomato in half, and use one half for each guest.
Shred some lettuce finely, and strew over the plate to be the grass (you can dress it before you strew it should you care to)
Peel the hardboiled egg, and slice a tiny bit off of the fatter end, so that it will stand up on the plate.
Make a little clearing in the salad 'grass' and place the egg there.
Squeeze some tiny dots of salad cream, mayonnaise, or primula cheese over the tomato half
Sit the spotty tomato half on top of the egg to make the toadstool
If you like, you can make a little clearing from the toadstool to the edge of the plate, and fill it with grated cheese to make a path
Depending on how much time and inclination you have to play further, you could make cucumber flowers or radish roses or carrot curls to sit in the grass.
Enjoy!
I have to confess that I did not serve up Fairy Toadstool Salads for lunch today, instead I whipped up a little lunch dish of my own invention, and was rather pleased with how it turned out:
Summer Salmon Lunch Dish To Share With A Good Friend
Tie on a pretty apron, and play some Harry Connick Jr
Put a handful of Jersey Royals on to boil, until they are just tender. I like to rummage through the bag and pick out the tiniest ones.
Meanwhile, lightly poach a little salmon fillet in a pan of simmering water
Finely chop one spring onion, and mix with the cooled potatoes and flaked salmon
In a blender, mixer, or food processor (or you could use a bowl and fork) mix together a big dollop of cottage cheese, and a smaller dollop of mayonnaise, and several sprigs of parsely. You want enough to coat the potatoes and salmon, but not so much that it is swimming in it, so use your own judgement here.
When it is mixed together, fold into the potato-salmon-spring onion mixture, and put in the fridge to chill
I served this with a serve-yourself salad of watercress, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and celery.
Enjoy with a friend, serve with several cups of tea, and lots of gossip!
I hope that the first of June brings you sunshine and happiness and the start of many happy summer adventures!
And how scrumptiously it has started! Now summer is not my favourite season- I burn easily, wilt in the heat, and find myself longing for the crisper days of autumn. But the sudden glorious sunshine and excellent clothes-drying weather we have been enjoying has been a balm to my spirits. I find I have a spring in my step, and an overwhelming urge to wash everything I can get my hands on, and put it out on the line to blow dry.
This Saturday (to labour a point, my first Saturday off in three weeks!) I was not initially thrilled to hear that we were going to spend it with dear Carl servicing our car with his Dad...but it turned out to be a wonderful day. My lovely in-laws live in the middle of the countryside in a tiny village, surrounded by green fields and other little villages...you could be in the middle of Midsommer Murder country! We took our washing with us, and I pegged everything out to dry in the warm breeze as Carl and his Dad saw to our car. I sat and sipped tea and chatted with my Mother in Law, and then we shared a lovely lunch in the conservatory (she does a lovely thing where she puts out salads and dressings and french bread, crackers and cheese, pate and ham, and other such goodies from the fridge, then lets everyone help themselves). The afternoon disappeared as we caught up on family news, planned gifts to take to an up-coming family wedding, talked about outfits and so on.
When the men came in, rather tired and hungry, a plan was formed- to the pub for a quick drink, then off to get a Chinese takeaway, then home for a film. The local pub is in the next village, and is called The Swan. It is a lovely little pub, all oak beams and cask ale, and the very essence of what a country pub should be. I sipped half a perry, as I am not much one for drink, and we spent a happy hour listening to some music they had playing, and trying to remember who it was. (No, not Michael Buble...the one that is like him but not....has brown hair...YOU know, the one that isnt Buble....oh you do know, you DO....) As we drove to the next little village (dear Carl never drinks and drives...his tipple was a grapefruit juice!) it suddenly came to me, and I shouted 'Jamie Cullum' which somewhat startled everyone else in the car!
After our Chinese dinner, we watched Red Eye together (I should have spent more time enjoying the tense atmosphere of the film, but I was actually wondering where the lead actress got her gorgeous cardigan from, and which brand of eyeshadow she was wearing, and which shade of lipstick!) and then Carl and I left for home....tired but happy.
Yesterday seemed to just fly past. We went into town together, and had a picnic lunch in the park. I am amazed still at how summer seems to be winning me over. I love how the dappled shade of the trees shifts and shimmies in the breeze. We purchased a wedding gift and the newspapers, then returned home where time just seemed to slip away, and suddenly, it was time for bed....
Today has been blissful. My lovely friend Anna came for the morning, and we chatted nineteen to the dozen, exclaiming over the loveliness of Miss Pettigrew Lives For The Day which we had on in the background, ate lunch, and I unwrapped some utterly delightful birthday gifts. Amongst them was a red and white polka dot oven glove- I hadnt mentioned it (but Anna and I share such close taste, we always seem to be in synch!) but I have a real thing for polka dots recently, particularly red and white ones! I have been coveting a toadstool money box that I spied in town a while ago, and have an urge to make fairy toadstool salds, like my Mum made for me when I was a little girl.
Fairy Toadstool Salad
Tie on a polka dot pinny, and flick on some toe-tapping music
Pick out a pretty vintage plate for each person
Boil one egg for each person
Hopefully you will be having 2,4,6 or any other multiple of 2 guests for lunch, as you will need to cut a tomato in half, and use one half for each guest.
Shred some lettuce finely, and strew over the plate to be the grass (you can dress it before you strew it should you care to)
Peel the hardboiled egg, and slice a tiny bit off of the fatter end, so that it will stand up on the plate.
Make a little clearing in the salad 'grass' and place the egg there.
Squeeze some tiny dots of salad cream, mayonnaise, or primula cheese over the tomato half
Sit the spotty tomato half on top of the egg to make the toadstool
If you like, you can make a little clearing from the toadstool to the edge of the plate, and fill it with grated cheese to make a path
Depending on how much time and inclination you have to play further, you could make cucumber flowers or radish roses or carrot curls to sit in the grass.
Enjoy!
I have to confess that I did not serve up Fairy Toadstool Salads for lunch today, instead I whipped up a little lunch dish of my own invention, and was rather pleased with how it turned out:
Summer Salmon Lunch Dish To Share With A Good Friend
Tie on a pretty apron, and play some Harry Connick Jr
Put a handful of Jersey Royals on to boil, until they are just tender. I like to rummage through the bag and pick out the tiniest ones.
Meanwhile, lightly poach a little salmon fillet in a pan of simmering water
Finely chop one spring onion, and mix with the cooled potatoes and flaked salmon
In a blender, mixer, or food processor (or you could use a bowl and fork) mix together a big dollop of cottage cheese, and a smaller dollop of mayonnaise, and several sprigs of parsely. You want enough to coat the potatoes and salmon, but not so much that it is swimming in it, so use your own judgement here.
When it is mixed together, fold into the potato-salmon-spring onion mixture, and put in the fridge to chill
I served this with a serve-yourself salad of watercress, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and celery.
Enjoy with a friend, serve with several cups of tea, and lots of gossip!
I hope that the first of June brings you sunshine and happiness and the start of many happy summer adventures!
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Cup of Tea Catch Up
Sometimes when I sit down to write a post, I have a specific topic in mind, and it feels almost like I am writing a mini-essay. Sometimes though, I just want to get out my tea pot, pour us a cup of tea, set out the cupcakes, and catch up on all the little things.
The first thing isn't such a little thing really, but a big one- a big thank you to all of you who are kind enough to come and visit me here, and especially to those of you who leave such kind comments for me. I really feel like I know you from our little writings here! Please, if you havent already, do leave me a comment with your email address, as I have been busily putting together some little thank you packages to send out!
Now, on to other things- and some forthcoming pleasures. I am really looking forward to a trip to our local theatre soon. It has a cinema screen, and they are showing 'houswives choice' which is a programme from the BFI which includes cinemagazines, documentaries and adverts from the 20s to the 50s. We are not sure if they are going to serve refreshements or not, so I shall be taking along a flask of tea and some battenburg to hand round. A litte more information (and booking details should you live close enough!) here:
http://www.chelmsfordbc.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=16900
Talking of tea, have you seen the lovely adverts for Twinings recently? There are tea leaves scattered about, and a pair of hands draws patterns in them, to gentle music. My favourite is the Lady Gray one. You can see them here, on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HBCTSsYyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC6qZKO8YnE&NR=1
I am also looking forward very much to next week- because I have my first proper break from work since Christmas!I have the whole week off, and am planning some adventures- I am having a lovely friend visit for lunch, and I am going to make bread, sew and apron, bake cupcakes, go swimming, and play!
Tonight I am going to have a little adventure in the kitchen, trying a Rose Eliot recipe for Red Bean Lasagne. I am going to tweak it a little bit, using taco seasoning, and then have a violet scented bath before bed.
The first thing isn't such a little thing really, but a big one- a big thank you to all of you who are kind enough to come and visit me here, and especially to those of you who leave such kind comments for me. I really feel like I know you from our little writings here! Please, if you havent already, do leave me a comment with your email address, as I have been busily putting together some little thank you packages to send out!
Now, on to other things- and some forthcoming pleasures. I am really looking forward to a trip to our local theatre soon. It has a cinema screen, and they are showing 'houswives choice' which is a programme from the BFI which includes cinemagazines, documentaries and adverts from the 20s to the 50s. We are not sure if they are going to serve refreshements or not, so I shall be taking along a flask of tea and some battenburg to hand round. A litte more information (and booking details should you live close enough!) here:
http://www.chelmsfordbc.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=16900
Talking of tea, have you seen the lovely adverts for Twinings recently? There are tea leaves scattered about, and a pair of hands draws patterns in them, to gentle music. My favourite is the Lady Gray one. You can see them here, on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HBCTSsYyQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC6qZKO8YnE&NR=1
I am also looking forward very much to next week- because I have my first proper break from work since Christmas!I have the whole week off, and am planning some adventures- I am having a lovely friend visit for lunch, and I am going to make bread, sew and apron, bake cupcakes, go swimming, and play!
Tonight I am going to have a little adventure in the kitchen, trying a Rose Eliot recipe for Red Bean Lasagne. I am going to tweak it a little bit, using taco seasoning, and then have a violet scented bath before bed.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Baking and Knitting
My Wednesday off work today felt both indulgent and totally necessary. Indulgent because it is a day off work midweek, and beyond washing up, I decided to do no housework, not to go out, not to bustle, just to relax. And totally necessary because I am just so tired right now. Although I love my new job, the travelling and hours have left me more than a little sleepy of late.
Last night, we decided to watch a film over dinner. (Burn After Reading....I was so looking forward to it, and it was such a disappointment!) I saw the first part while I ate, but after that, I was sound asleep.
This morning, I had the utter luxury of being woken up just before 7:00 with a cup of tea, and dear Carl telling me that I didn't have to get up as he was going to sort out his own breakfast and lunch today. I lay back down, snuggled amongst the feather pillows and duvet, listening to radio 4, and gently drifted in and out of sleep for a while. When Carl came to kiss my goodbye I sat up and drank my tea, while reading Country Living Magazine.
After a while I decided that I needed another cup of tea and some breakfast. I decided to have boiled eggs in my vintage egg cups, as I really wanted to use my new felt egg cozies. They came from Tchibo, and look just like flowers, dropped over the top of the eggs! Boiled eggs, soldiers and steaming tea is one of my favourite February breakfasts, especially when taken in the peace and quiet with a vase of daffodils for company as it was today!
My day has passed very restfully. I sewed up the slippers I crocheted for myself on Sunday, and made pom-poms for the toes, and then sewed up the hot water bottle I knitted myself a few weeks ago. Then I sewed the buttons on, and went and found my hot water bottle to go in it, so I could see it all finished. I have been reading my new book 'Food To Come Home To: Wholefood For The Family' by Jude Blereau, and knitting a new hot water bottle cover (a friend at work asked if I would make her one).
I have also baked a batch of raspberry oat bars, which have the most heavenly fragrant raspberry scent which is wafting through the flat as I type. I already make most of our food from scratch, but recently have been wanting to concentrate more on wholefoods and making even more from scratch...these are such a good thing to make for lunchboxes, or nibbling on instead of a cereal bar. They are basically whole meal plain flour and regular plain flour stirred together with porridge oats, and some butter rubbed in. I pressed half into a square tin, scattered some frozen raspberries over, and then pressed the rest of the mixture on top, and baked for an hour in a medium oven. Bliss!
Only three days to go until another day off...and best of all, I get to share that one with Carl!
Last night, we decided to watch a film over dinner. (Burn After Reading....I was so looking forward to it, and it was such a disappointment!) I saw the first part while I ate, but after that, I was sound asleep.
This morning, I had the utter luxury of being woken up just before 7:00 with a cup of tea, and dear Carl telling me that I didn't have to get up as he was going to sort out his own breakfast and lunch today. I lay back down, snuggled amongst the feather pillows and duvet, listening to radio 4, and gently drifted in and out of sleep for a while. When Carl came to kiss my goodbye I sat up and drank my tea, while reading Country Living Magazine.
After a while I decided that I needed another cup of tea and some breakfast. I decided to have boiled eggs in my vintage egg cups, as I really wanted to use my new felt egg cozies. They came from Tchibo, and look just like flowers, dropped over the top of the eggs! Boiled eggs, soldiers and steaming tea is one of my favourite February breakfasts, especially when taken in the peace and quiet with a vase of daffodils for company as it was today!
My day has passed very restfully. I sewed up the slippers I crocheted for myself on Sunday, and made pom-poms for the toes, and then sewed up the hot water bottle I knitted myself a few weeks ago. Then I sewed the buttons on, and went and found my hot water bottle to go in it, so I could see it all finished. I have been reading my new book 'Food To Come Home To: Wholefood For The Family' by Jude Blereau, and knitting a new hot water bottle cover (a friend at work asked if I would make her one).
I have also baked a batch of raspberry oat bars, which have the most heavenly fragrant raspberry scent which is wafting through the flat as I type. I already make most of our food from scratch, but recently have been wanting to concentrate more on wholefoods and making even more from scratch...these are such a good thing to make for lunchboxes, or nibbling on instead of a cereal bar. They are basically whole meal plain flour and regular plain flour stirred together with porridge oats, and some butter rubbed in. I pressed half into a square tin, scattered some frozen raspberries over, and then pressed the rest of the mixture on top, and baked for an hour in a medium oven. Bliss!
Only three days to go until another day off...and best of all, I get to share that one with Carl!
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