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Little House by the Railway Line
Visit In The Space Of A Day...
2010 Goals
Concrete goals
- Cook and eat liver
- Learn to make soft cheese
- Grow potatoes
- Grow and can paste tomatoes
- Learn to make puff pastry
- Swim 20 miles
- Do an online food hygiene course
- Knit a pair of socks
Less concrete goals
- Work on my prayer life
- Make bread more often
- All yoghurt homemade
- Make some progress on cardigan
- Flowers and candles at home
Preserved in 2010
- January: Marmalade, 7 1/2 standard jars, 4 tiny jars
Projects in Progress/ Planned
- Navy and pink lap quilt
- Hidden stars bed quilt
- Sampler cardigan
- Amish Alphabet Cross-Stitch
- Knitted scrap blanket
- Planned: summer blouse and skirt
Journal for Thursday 4th February 2010
Weather: Damp and greyThankfulness: For all the signs of spring that are beginning to appear. There are lots of snowdrops out, the aconites and beginning to appear, and some of the daffodils are up. Just leaves as yet, but soon.... Actually, the farm shop is selling cut daffodils already, which seems rather early to me. We've seen buds on the Horse Chestnut trees, too, and the scented garden at the Botanic Gardens is beginning to recover from the winter and smelling pretty again. There's a little shelter there where we can sit and eat our picnic at lunchtime without getting wet, and I'm thankful that that's been unoccupied the last few times we've been, too. Also for the companionship and friendship of my husband, and the fact that he's so patient with me even when I behave like a complete idiot.
Prayers: We're going a Bible study series on people of prayer at Tuesday night housegroup at the moment (and, coincidentally - or not, the sermon we heard at our friends' church on Sunday when we were away was on Daniel's prayer, which we studied a couple of weeks ago), and this week it was Hannah, which I did not find an easy topic. Eventually I managed to get entangled in the text-and-grammar-issues, which was easier.
Health and Exercise: I managed to convince myself to go swimming yesterday, solely on the grounds that if I swam and washed my hair yesterday lunchtime, I wouldn't have to wash my hair today. Sadly, the showers were not working so I had to spend the rest of the day with chlorine-y hair, and still had to get up early to wash my hair this morning. Very annoyed about that. On the plus side, though, I swam 34 lengths of the pool, which must be good for me.
Cookery: We had a big dinner last night - sausages and gravy, roast parsnips, swede, potato, onion and beetroot, steamed kale, and ice cream and mandarins for dessert. We then ate a biscuit for supper - I'd made some snickerdoodle cookies I found a recipe for on the web, but I inadvertently left out the baking powder. Oops! Still, they're jolly nice, just a little firm. I'll have to make them again and see if putting the raising agent in improves it any.
Musical Interlude: I haven't done any practice this week yet. I thought about going to a piano recital yesterday lunchtime, but ended up swimming instead (wrong decision). We did listen to a whole load of Saint-Saens yesterday evening while G did the ironing and I drew round templates for Holiday Club. On Sunday evening I sorted out all my piano music, so it's much tidier now.
Household beauty: The yellow roses I was given are looking very sad now, and I shall have to through them out before Saturday. The orchid is beginning to die down, too - but I have had it since early November. Once all the flowers have fallen I shall put it in the back bedroom upstairs and wait for it to flower again. However, the white hyacinth on the bathroom windowledge looks beautiful still, and the bathroom smells wonderful with it.
I bought a tablecloth when I was in Tesco on Monday, because I really want one that's actually big enough for the table. I took the measurements of the table with me, and checked that it was definitely bigger than the table. It said it was for a 4-6 person table, which is exactly what we've got, so I was rather startled when I put it on the table and it trailed on the floor at all four corners. I suppose I'll have to do some hemming to make it fit, which is a pain.
Plans: Holiday Bible Club starts on 15th February, so that's pretty much consuming all my thoughts at the moment. I've got to prepare four teaching / story recap slots (they get a DVD of the story and some teaching centrally as well) and eight crafts/activities, to be done over four days. Last night I did a lot of tracing round templates, and I've got lots of cutting out to take with me to my mother's this evening.
Menu Plan 3rd-9th February 2010
Another vegetable box arrived last night. I took a photo of it, by my camera appears to have scrambled itself so I can't access it. It contained:Potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms
Green pepper, cherry tomatoes, 2 leeks, kale, 2 swede
1 lemon, 4 bananas, 3 oranges, 3 clementines, 2 apples
We have 2 parsnips, 1 beetroot (it was two but one went soft and white and furry) and a couple of potatoes left from last week.
Wednesday: Sausages, roast vegetables (potatoes, parsnips, beetroot, swede), steamed kale
Thursday: Out
Friday: Leftovers (macaroni cheese with leek)
Saturday: Leek and potato soup
Sunday: Fish pie with steamed leeks (mashed swede?)
Monday: Leftovers (more macaroni cheese)
Tuesday: Pasta with tomato sauce (pepper, onion, grated carrot)
I may make a lemon drizzle cake as well. I made some snickerdoodles last night, just because I thought the name sounded fantastic and they were lovely. Unfortunately I forgot to put the baking powder in, but it doesn't seem to have harmed them too much.
Two Books
Over the weekend I finished two of the books I was reading in January.
However, the photography is beautiful, and if you can get past the patronising and pompous writing style there are some gems of information tucked in among the clutter.
I've now begun reading Could it be Dementia, which should be interesting, though it may, I suppose, be rather depressing in parts.
Simple Woman's Daybook for 1st February 2010
Outside my window... it was very icy this morning. I think it may have snowed over the weekend. No clouds, and very bright, but not at all warm.
I am thinking... about the Sunday School lesson I'm planning for this week.
I am thankful for... the fact that the snow didn't settle. Sunshine.
I am wearing... brown cordouroy trousers, striped turtleneck and beige cardigan.
I am remembering... all the things I have to do this week....
I am going... to Tesco this evening.
I am reading... I've just finished two books (The Gentle Art of Domestricity and Troubled Journey) and need to work out what to read next. It's a toss-up between Nella Last's War and Could it be Dementia? Actually, they're so different I may read both at the same time. Bible: Exodus, 2 Kings, Matthew
From the kitchen... tonight I shall make macaroni cheese with leeks for tomorrow's supper, and, if I have time, a malt loaf. G's out so we're both eating frozen leftovers for dinner.
I am creating... I really want to get some crafts out again. They've been hibernating for the last couple of weeks. I think the crochet bag is what I worked on most recently.
Around the house... although the three gorgeous blue hyacincths my mother-in-law brought at Christmas died last week and have been put outside till we can plant the bulbs for next year, I have a beautiful white hyacinth growing in water to replace it. It's flowered over the weekend and smells delicious.
One of my favorite things... rich milky hot chocolate before bedtime.
From my picture journal...
The inside of Winchester Cathedral, which we visited on SaturdayRead more daybook entries here.
Friday 29th January 2010
Weather: It's much less cold than it was, now. I'm hoping it continues to warm up. It's also noticeable that it's getting lighter. It's half past four in the afternoon now, and it is by no means dark, and it's light at seven thirty in the morning when we catch the bus, too. Soon I may actually get some daylight at home!Cookery: I get a weekend off as we're going away to visit some friends - should be a nice break, though it may mean there's a lot to eat next week.
Musical Interlude: I did a bit of practice earlier this week, but none since Tuesday. We were able to go to a lovely lunchtime concert yesterday, of piano duets. One of the performers was a friend of ours. There were two normal serious pieces (by Mozart and Brahms), and then a piece by Satie, which, like everything else he wrote, couldn't possibly be described as serious. The programme described it as "utterly ridiculous". It was really good fun.
Creativity: I've decorated the exercise books I'm keeping this year's Gardening and Preserving journals in, and bought some sticky backed plastic to cover them with. Forgot to take pictures though. Sticky backed plastic is one of those things I longed for as a child, associating it was Blue Peter "makes" that were a million miles better than anything I could produce. I remember being really excited the first time I saw it in a shop and realised you didn't have to be on the telly to have it (I think I missed the point of Blue Peter makes that everything was made out of easily accessed household junk).
Household beauty: I've watered the cut roses as much as possible in the (probably vain) hope they'll survive until Sunday night / Monday. But I expect they'll have to be thrown out before much longer.
Plans: Currently making plans for some friends to come round for tea next Saturday, which will be lovely if we get it arranged.
Menu Plan 27th Jan - 2nd Feb 2010
Kale, cherry tomatoes, 2 parsnips, 2 beetroot, leek
3 apples, 4 kiwis, 3 oranges, 4 bananas
Nothing left from before, just pickles. This is probably just as well, as we're away a lot over the next week. I'm working on the assumption that the root vegetables will keep fairly well till next week.
Wednesday: Eggs en cocotte with leek, boiled potatoes, sauteed kale and onion with chilli; currant loaf for dessert
Thursday: Out
Friday: Out
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Back late - freezer soup or tinned soup, probably
Monday: Leftovers from freezer
Tuesday: Macaroni cheese with leek
Journal for Tuesday 26th January 2010
Weather: It's beginning to get dark, now, but it's been very clear and cold all day. Much colder than last week, and I'm really hoping it doesn't turn to snow.Random Thoughts: I need a system for separating black and navy tights in my sock drawer. I discovered today (after I got to work) that I was wearing navy blue tights when I'd meant to put on black ones. One of the biggest failings of electric light...
Prayers: For my grandmother. Today is her wedding anniversary, the first since my grandfather died. I'll phone her this evening to chat.
Health and Exercise: None specifically since last Wednesday. We did a big shop at Daily Bread on Saturday, and all the shopping got left at my office as we had an evening function in town, and I'm slowly taking as much as I can carry home on the bus in the evening. I guess carting huge heavy bags full of peanut butter and washing-up-liquid must count as a smidgeon of exercise!
Gardening: I spent my lunch break walking to the nearest Garden Centre and bought seed potatoes. Unfortunately I had to use real money as they didn't cost enough money to us the Garden Centre Tokens (we've still got a few of these - they were wedding presents). I've got 5 Colleen potatoes, and 5 Belle de Fontenay. I think that's as many as I'll be able to fit in bags on our little patio. I'll need to find some egg boxes to chit them in - this may be a problem as we always return egg-boxes to our chicken-keeping friends.
Musical Interlude: The trio-playing went rather better on Saturday than I'd expected, and was actually quite fun. I wasn't much good, but I wasn't massively worse than the others either. We'll probably do it again sometime. Now I'm working on practising some hymn music so I can accompany the singing in the old folk's home service we do.
Creativity:
Household beauty: We had guests for lunch on Sunday, and they brought flowers. We only have tiny vases (one of which we actually use as a drinks tumbler), so I had to put them in two different places. I think they look lovely, and it's really nice having them in the house. Every time I go downstairs and see them I smile.
Journal for Wednesday 20th January
Weather: It is much colder today than yesterday. I'm sure I head my boss mumble something about "snow" - I do hope that doesn't happen!Thoughts: I'm thinking a lot about holidays today. I booked our Norfolk Broads holiday this morning. No sooner had I done that than my husband emailed to say he'd heard there were a couple of last minute spaces on the Word Alive conference that we'd given up hope of going to this year. So, we're now contemplating having two holidays (of a very different nature) in the same month!
Thankfulness: I'm very thankful for the finances that allow us to suddenly decide we want two holidays, and I really want to not take this for granted. Also for the fact that I've been a lot less crabby at work today, which I think is a result of realising I was getting crabby and praying for help about it this morning.
Health and Exercise: I managed 40 lengths of the swimming pool today (1km), which brings my cumulative distance up to seven and a half miles.
Gardening: The chilli plants we grew from seed last year are still very much alive on the kitchen windowsill, and are starting to flower. I have no idea if this is normal or not, but am feeding and watering them to see if they set fruit again (we haven't actually finished harvesting the fruits from last year yet!). I've saved lots of seeds from them, though, so it would be sort of a shame not to need to grow more of them!
Cookery: I'm cooking leek, potato and cheese pasties, and serving it with savoy cabbage tonight. No dessert, so we'll just eat some of the fairy cakes I made on Saturday. I'm also going to make a raised pie we can slice and take in lunchboxes - sausagemeat, leftover roast pheasant, and cranberry sauce. Hopefully it will be as yummy as I'm imagining.
Creativity: Making pie and pasties. Lots of wintry pastry - good for the soul but not the waistline.
Housewifery: Not so much for today. If I have time I'll try and work on the accounts. I may measure the dining table, as I've seen a tablecloth I'm thinking of buying.
Plans: To not go out tonight. My BIble study meeting last night ended up being cancelled, so I was able to get the grocery shopping done yesterday instead of today. I'm hopinh this will make tonight less busy - though there's still plenty to do!
News of Note: A friend posted a link to this story about bees on Facebook. It makes sense to me - after all, I don't suppose I'd be very healthy if I only ate one thing, however good for me it was!
Menu Plan 20th-26th January 2010
Potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms
Savoy cabbage, 4 tomatoes, celeriac, 2 leeks, broccoli florets
2 large satsumas, 3 bananas, 4 kiwis, 3 apples
And I have nothing left from previous week's! A rare occurence, that.
Wednesday: Leek, cheese and potato pasties with savoy cabbage with chilli and garlic; fairy cakes
Thursday: Out
Friday: Leftovers (we've got one portion of vegetable stew and one of bulgar what with chestnuts and squash in the freezer)
Saturday: Out
Sunday: Pickled walnut and beef casserole, mashed potato and celeriac, savoy cabbage, broccoli; orange cream tart
Monday: Macaroni cheese with leeks (and any other leftover vegetable - peas if necessary); apple and blackberry crumble
Tuesday: Either leftovers from Monday or soup from the freezer; apple and blackberry crumble
Daybook for Tuesday 19th January
Outside my window... this morning's mist seems to have lifted somewhat now. It's been getting a lot warmer over the last few days, and yesterday we saw the first snowdrops (not quite open yet) at the Botanic Gardens.I am planning... We've got a holiday club at February half-term, and I'm doing the Sunday School slot immediately before it, so I need to get ahead on my lesson planning for that. I did manna and quail last year, but we've switched Sunday School material, and it's come round again, so I need to think of a new, different and interesting way of doing the same story with the same kids.
I am going... to run lots of errands at lunchtime. We need to go to the library, go to the bank, buy a few bits and pieces and get some photos taken for G's driving license (provisional).
I am reading... The Gentle Art of Domestricity by Jane Brockett. I got this from the library last week, and I'm not enjoying it as much as I'd expected. After a while, the style sounds patronising and grating, I think, and for a book claiming to be about beauty at home is remarkably derogatory about most of the activities that take place at home
I am hoping... to be able to book our holiday soon. We're planning to go to the Norfolk Broads in April, but the internet wasn't working last night to sort it out.
On my mind... I need to do some piano practice! I've agreed (I think. It's possibly I didn't, and G just volunteered me, I can't remember) to play piano in an informal trio with some friends who play cello and violin, and we're practising on Saturday. I'm starting to fret about it.....
Pondering these words... God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5b)
From the kitchen... I've got a hotpot in the oven on the timer, made of the vegetable stew we had on Saturday with some sliced potatoes on the top. I shall grate some cheese on it and brown it off when I get home. I made meringue at the weekend, too, with more success than last time, and we'll probably have tinned fruit, ice-cream and meringue for pudding. I also made some fairy cakes with pink icing (probably inspired by the gorgeous photographs in the book I'm reading) and some pastry cases filled with jam and sponge mix and iced with stripes - various leftover bits and pieces combined into a nameless and totally delicious snack.
Fairy Cakes and Jam Tart Sponges
Meringues - still not perfect, but so much better than my previous attempt that I begin to think Pavlova may happen one day after all.Around the house... I cleaned the bathroom this morning, and tonight I need to do the menu plan and the shopping lists.
One of my favorite things... children's drawings. I was in the post office yesterday evening, posting some packages for work, and pinned to the notice board inside the post office was a Big Bright Red drawing of a letter box, which made me smile.
Gillygate Casserole
I had a lovely comment the other day asking for the recipe for this. I have no means of contacting the commenter, though, so I hope he manages to find this post. Anyway, herewith the recipe for Gillygate Casserole, which is absolutely delicious and I recommend everyone try.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gillygate Bean Casserole
8oz (225g) haricot beans
8oz (225g) black-eye beans
(both soaked in lots of cold water overnight or for at least 12 hours)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons chutney
1 large onion (chopped)
2oz (50g) butter or margarine
2oz (50g) wholemeal flour
1/2 pint (275ml) milk
1/4 teaspoon dried ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
1 level teaspoon each of oregano, thyme, sweet basil
salt and freshly-milled black pepper
For the topping
2oz (50g) grated Cheddar cheese with chives
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1 heaped tablespoon wholewhat breadcrumbs
First of all, cook the beans by straining them in a colander, then covering them with plenty of cold water. Bring them to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes or until the beans are tender, then strain them in the colander again and return to the pan.
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4, 350F (180C).
Make up the sauce by first melting the butter in a saucepan, then gently sweat the onion for about 6 minutes or until soft. Now stir in the flour, mustard and ginger and then gradually stir in the milk, a little at a time until you have a smooth sauce. Season with salk and freshly-milled black pepper and at this stage add the herbs.
Pour the sauce over the beans, mix well and transfer to a 3 pint (1.75 litre) baking dish or casserole, then stir in the sauce plus the brown sugar and 2 teaspoons of chutney, and mix everything together thoroughly.
Finally, mix the cheese, parsley and breadcrumbs together and spirnkle these all over the surface of the beans and bake the whole thing in the oven for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbling. This is good served with a tomato and onion salad in a sharp lemon dressing.
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I've copied the recipe out verbatim from the Food Aid Cookery Book, which is regrettably out of print. My mother had a copy I used to use before I married, and when G and I got engaged she found a second-hand one for us as an engagement present. It's a very good book, and well worth getting hold of it you can find it. Other particular favourites in there are the orange and coriander chicken, the orange and brandy pancakes, and the Burmese Spiced Fish in Coconut.
I should add, that I generally serve it with greens and sweetcorn, and jacket potatoes, that I always use regular Cheddar cheese as I don't have the stuff with chives in (just add chives as well), and that more chutney is always better! It freezes well in a pyrex dish, and goes down a treat at church shared meals. I expect you could use tinned beans instead of dried ones if you can get them, though they may not be that easy to find in the supermarket in England.
George, if you find this recipe - and I hope you do - I hope the recipe lives up to your memory of it!
Menu Plan 13th-19th January 2010
Potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms
Purple kale, celery, tomatoes, fennel, turnip
4 bananas, 3 apples, 2 pears, 6 clementines
Leftover: courgette (c. six slices), 1/2 onion, 3 carrots
Wednesday: Pasta with kale, courgette, onion, chilli and cheese with garlic bread
Thursday: Out
Friday: Leftover lentil curry with couscous
Saturday: Vegetable stew (kidney beans, mushrooms, celery, carrot, turnip and chutney) with poppyseed dumplings; orange cream tart
Sunday: Roast pheasant, roast potatoes and onions, roast fennel, peas, spiced tangerine slices; orange cream tart
Monday: Onion and pea risotto with smoked mackerel; orange cream tart
Tuesday: Vegetable hotpot; tinned mandarins, ice-cream and meringues
Simple Woman's Daybook for 11th January
Outside my window... the snow is melting rapidly.
I am thinking... about the elderly people we visit in the nursing home on Sunday afternoons, several of whom have some form of dementia. One old lady was terribly confused, wouldn't go back to her room because of the two animals fighting in there (I looked, the only "animal" I could see was a toy dalmation, which looked rather sweet). She wanted her bag, and when A lifted up an imaginary, invisible bag and gave it to her, she accepted it quite happily, complained it was heavy, and gave it to me so I could put it on the seat beside her. It's funny, but it's also very sad.
I am thankful for... a reasonably quiet weekend. Especially the bit at 7:30 on Saturday morning - I caught the first bus out to the next village to go to the butcher, and walked back between 7:30 and 8am, as the sun rose. The early light of dawn on the snow covered fields, with the view of the windmill appearing on the hill, and all the little birds singing the dawn chorus - it was absolutely beautiful.
I am wearing... brown cord trousers, pink jumper
I am going... to a meeting tonight, unfortunately.
I am reading... Hearing the Grass Grow by Katie Thear; Troubled Journey by Faith Cook. Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Matthew
I am hoping... to get more sleep tonight
On my mind... how to calm down my life and schedule so I don't feel permanently stressed.
From the kitchen... Salmon steaks, rice and steamed broccoli tonight, followed by mince pies. I'm also planning to make some yoghurt tonight.
I am creating... All creative energy this weekend has gone into darning and mending socks and jumpers. Hopefully I'll find the bottom of the mending heap soon and be able to do something fun.
Around the house... Christmas decorations are all down and back in the loft now, and we've been chopping up the cards to use as gift tags
One of my favorite things... Parcels in the post. My vegetable seed order arrived today: Paste tomatoes, basil, radish, mange-tout peas, and giant Guatemalan groundcherries. Never mind that the chances of actually growing the last are perilously slim; I want to have a go, and if I never try it I'll never know if it works.
From my picture journal...
The seeds that were delivered todayRead more daybook entries here.
Menu Plan 6th-12th January 2010
The first vegetable box of the new year arrived yesterday, full of green veggies.
Curly kale, savoy cabbage, brocolli, courgette*, celeriac
4 bananas, 2 oranges, 4 clementines, 3 apples, 2 pears
Wednesday: Sausage casserole (sausages, bacon, carrots, onions, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes and chutney) with boiled potatoes and steamed kale
Thursday: Out
Friday: Risotto with bacon and peas
Saturday: Pizza with courgette, onion, mushrooms, and peppadew peppers, served with steamed cabbage
Sunday: Game (? I'm going to the butcher on Saturday and hoping to get a pheasant or similar) with potato and celeriac mash, steamed cabbage and sweetcorn
Monday: Salmon steaks with brocolli and golden carrot bake
Tuesday: Buttercup squash and coconut soup (from the freezer)
I'm a little concerned that we have to go out on Friday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, and it's always rather tight getting a proper dinner cooked in the time. Risotto and soup is fine, but the salmon may prove more tricky. Hopefully I'll be able to manage.
* Courgette is zucchini in America
Goals for 2010
At the start of the New Year, I thought it would be a good time to look back at the goals I set for 2009, and set some new ones for 2010.Goals for 2009:
- Learn to make yoghurt
I managed this one, and it was much easier to do than I expected it to be. My first efforts at yoghurt making were recorded in this post. - Pickle Walnuts
This one was pretty simple, too, just rather time consuming. Considering the relish with which they were consumed over the Christmas festivities, I think I can say it was a success. I'll try and make more of them this year, possibly in slightly smaller jars, and I think I'll try a sweetened vinegar as well as the plain. Here's how I did it. - Make marmalade
Another success, this one, and one that I hope soon to repeat. This year we'll cut the peel a bit smaller, as it was a little too chunky for my taste, and try and make more so I can use it in cooking as well as on toast. - Perfect my granola bar recipe
This one I didn't even touch all year. Haven't made any of the very yummy but rather crumbly granola bars. The reason, probably, is that I found an amazine oatmeal cookie recipe in the Simply in Season cookbook G bought me for Christmas last year which has rather taken it's place - especially once I discovered that they freeze well uncooked, and can then be baked from frozen. - Grow green beans to eat
We managed this very well last year. We were eating green beans like they were going out of fashion, and even managed to blanch and freeze a fair few of them. I hope to be able to repeat this - though I may reduce the number of plants to make space for something else. - Grow spinach
This was more successful than the attempt in 2008. In 2008 the spinach bolted almost immediately, and we got nothing. The plants in 2009 did bolt, but we had several baby leaves first. I think I need to thin them more effectively in order to get nice big leaves. - Grow peppers and winter squash
The squashes we grew last year were amazing. We finished off the last over Christmas (actually, there's some leftover soup in the freezer, so technically there's still some left), and I'm definitely going to grow those again. The peppers were delicious, but rather small and there were only three, so I'm hoping to increase my success on that front in 2010. - Save seeds from peppers and winter squash
Succeeded. I also saved seeds from the chilli peppers and the tomatoes. - Knit lots of dishcloths
This was successful, but not quite in 2009. I finished the dishcloths right at the beginning of 2010. I used one for the first time this morning, and I'm very happy with them. - Finish my hidden stars quilt
I didn't manage this. The project is still, sadly, on the back burner - Make napkin rings
I got as far as saving sufficient kitchen-roll tubes to begin this, but have got no further - Finish cardigan back
This, too, is still on the back burner - Learn how to do water-bath-canning
This I did manage to try out, and successfully bottled two batches of elderflower cordial (unfortunately in jars rather than bottles, owing to the depth of the deepest pan I could find). - Knit a pair of socks
This still hasn't happened - largely because I haven't been able to find a sensible pattern. All the patterns on Ravelry seem to need 5 needles, which I find inexplicable because they're always sold in fours.
I've actually got two lists for 2010: concrete goals (that I'll be able to know when I've managed), and more "vague" goals, that I guess are more like regular New Year Resolutions.
Concrete Goals for 2010
- Cook and eat liver
I actually sampled some liver when my father-in-law had it in a pub in the summer, and it wasn't too bad. Trying to improve my health here... - Learn to make an easy soft cheese
I'd like to learn to make hard cheese, ultimately, but will start with baby steps. I think a yoghurt cheese and a lemon-curdled ricotta would be good places to start, like these.
- Grow potatoes
I've learnt that it's possible to grow them in a heavy bin bag - or the bag the compost comes in, by rolling up and adding more compost as they grow, and I'd like to try this. Just need to work out where to get seed potatoes (without having to buy them in huge quantities and pay a fortune in postage). - Grow paste tomatoes and bottle (can) some
I've ordered some seeds for the "Amish Paste Tomato" on this page, and I hope that if I can grow them with any success, I'll be able to bottle some to use in the winter months. - Learn to make puff pastry
Puff pastry is one of those things I'm terrified to make, and always end up buying frozen. I'd really like to learn to make it, even if I can't do so on a regular basis, just so I can say I've done it. - Swim 20 miles
I've swum just over 5 miles since I started keeping a record at the beginning of September, and I'd like to bring this up to 20 miles by the end of 2010. Only 15 to go! - Do online food hygiene course
This would be useful for camp. And probably church and a million other places too. Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long. - Knit socks
Starting with finding a sensible pattern on four double-pointed needles (I actually have some on two needles, but I really don't fancy walking on a seam all the while).
- Make bread more often
We buy our bread from some friends who run an organic bakery, so it's not like I'm battling low-quality bread - I just want to do this because I enjoy it. I sometimes make quick breads (eg soda bread), and occasionally things like (english) muffins and pikelets (crumpets), but I'd like to make more of a habit of making yeast-raised bread. Pizza dough doesn't count, I make that all the time. - Get into a habit of making yoghurt so we don't have to buy it
I've recently discovered that it is possible to make it overnight, which makes this a more plausible goal. - Make some progress on my cardigan
Even if it's only two rows! I really would like to finish it before I'm old, grey and fat in fifty years time! - Flowers and candles at home
I've really liked having the Christmas decorations in the house over the last few weeks, and would love to be able to make the house look beautiful more of the time. Decor is NOT my strong point - I'm almost oblivious to it (I didn't even decorate the church for our wedding) - so this may not be that easy. I've got some houseplants, which I'm really enjoying having (an orchid and some hyacinth bulbs, and there's a pointsettia but I don't think it's going to last much longer), which I hope I can keep alive. I'd like to have cut flowers in the house sometimes too, and maybe have candles lit more often. I'd also really like to get some hanging baskets and/or windowboxes set up on the front of the house, because it looks so drab at the moment, but that may require more kit, and we need to buy other things for the garden which may well take precedence. - Work on my prayer life
Although this is at the bottom of the list, it's by no means the least important! Bible reading and study I don't have much difficulty with, but prayer I find really hard. I have a tendency to fall asleep and daydream a lot. I'd like to get into a habit of having some alone prayer time, and hopefully I'll be able to find a time of day when I'm not so dozy that my brain interprets it as naptime. I'm also wondering if I might start going to the church prayer meeting, simply because my mind doesn't seem to wander so much if there are other people about at the Evening Prayer and Praise services. I suppose I ought to also aim to manage to pray out loud at a prayer meeting at some point - I've got to the point where I'm comfortable praying out loud with my husband, but that's as far as it goes. If there's anyone else around, I'm silent (partly owing to extreme shyness, and partly because I have bad hearing and can't always work out who else - if indeed anyone - is currently talking and what about).
Simple Woman's Daybook for 4th January 2010
Outside my window... Frost. It looks as white as if it had been snowing, but it's just frost. Pretty slippery, though.
I am thinking... about the seeds I've just ordered for the year. I need to do some garden planning before spring arrives.
I am thankful for... the unstressed Christmas we were able to enjoy with family. My mother remarked in amazement when we sat down for dinner that I didn't look at all flustered. I think we managed to do all that was needful and not go overboard, and it was lovely.
I am wearing... Brown trousers and a new fluffy red cardigan my mother bought me.
I am remembering... All the wonderful birds G and I saw on our walk on Saturday.
I am going... to the Botanic Gardens at lunchtime today.
I am reading... Hearing the Grass Grow by Katie Thear and Troubled Journey by Faith Cook. Bible: Exodus, Genesis, and Matthew
On my mind... Fellow-believers in countries where they are unable to celebrate Christmas owing to persecution.
From the kitchen... Tonight we're having "Parrot Pie" which looks interesting, braised cabbage and leftover roast potatoes. I may make a syrup pudding too.
I am creating... I'm going to make chicken liver pate this evening, as a birthday/Christmas present for a friend who's coming round on Wednesday. I hope to have some crafting time on Saturday to work on my crocheted bag and maybe a new project I'm dreaming up.
Around the house... We need to take the decorations down on Wednesday (twelfth night). Other than that, I just need to get back into my regular cleaning routine, which sort of got left by the wayside over Christmas.
One of my favorite things... Having all the dinner already made and just having to heat it all up.
From my picture journal...
Not a brilliant picture, but this is the blackbird pie funnel my husband bought me for Christmas. I haven't used him yet, but I'm making plans!Read more daybook entries here.
Dishcloth Project Wrap-Up
One of my goals for 2009 was to replace all the old tatty dishcloths in the house with new homemade ones. I was a little late finishing the knitting, as I didn't finish the last one until New Year's Day, and I sewed in the ends yesterday, but I nearly managed it.
Menu Plan for Christmastime
Here is the vegetable box that arrived last night:
Sprouts on a stalk, cavalo nero cabbage, 2 parsnips, 1/2 swede, 2 leeks
5 bananas, 8 apples, 2 oranges, 5 clementines
We also have 2 buttercup squashes, 1 butternut squash, some carrots, potatoes, and onions
This menu plan assumes all will go as planned. At this stage we're still not sure whether G's parents and brother will be able to make it for Christmas, given the state of the roads. If they can't come, we may have to rethink a little, or invite some other people round to eat the 13lb goose. Also, from Monday 28th December onwards, the meals are semi-movable depending on how much is left or whether we end up going out instead.
I did the menu plan last night, and bought a few extra potatoes, parsnips, and onions, and a lovely red cabbage this morning. (Also two beautiful pointsettias, but we won't be eating those!).
Wednesday 23rd: Jacket potatoes with leeks and cheese
Christmas Eve: Buttercup squash and coconut soup; bread, ham, cheese and pickles; Stollen and mince pies
Christmas Day dinner: Roast goose with stuffing, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, buttered sprouts and chestnuts, extra stuffing, boiled carrots; Ice cream, granita and cafe curls; Panettone and stollen
Christmas Day tea (if anyone's hungry): Cold meat / cheese, bread and pickles; Panettone, stollen and mince pies
Boxing Day lunch: Cold meat, mashed potatoes (colcannon potatoes if we have sprouts leftover), steamed cavolo nero and plum sauce
Sunday 27th: Salmon steaks / cold meat / cheese, pickles and bread, cheese biscuits, savoury cheese palmiers with olives and preserved peppers, mulled apple juice, panettone, stollen and mince pies
Monday 28th: Sprout stalk, onion and curry powder soup
Tuesday 29th: Butternut squash and parsnip gratin, braised cabbage
Wednesday 30th: Swede and lentil curry with rice and greens
Thursday 31st: Toad-in-the-hole with greens and pickled beetroot
Friday 1st: Leftovers
Saturday 2nd: Onion and pea risotto with smoked mackerel
Sunday 3rd: Parrot Pie with braised cabbage and pickled beetroot
Monday: Pigeon breasts with fruity couscous and rowanberry sauce
Tuesday: Leftovers
Somehow, I imagine that not all those meals will get cooked - I expect most of them will make too many portions and we'll eat leftovers more often. But it's good to have a plan.
Desserts may or may not include:
Stewed fruit
Microwave apricot cornmeal custard puddings
Blackberry clafoutis
Apple and blackberry crumble / pie
Apple and mincemeat slices
In fact, having done the menu and realised just how much food is currently in the house, I realise we could last a jolly long time before needing to buy any.
Simple Woman's Daybook for 21st December 2009
Outside my window... The snow is brilliant white, and people are building snowmen on the green outside the office window.
I am thinking... about what I need to buy from the supermarket this evening.
I am thankful for... the council workers gritting the pavements over lunchtime.
I am wearing... black trousers and a pink jumper
I am remembering... previous church nativity plays. Maybe I'm getting old and grouchy - I wasn't very impressed with yesterday's
I am going... to clean the church this evening
I am reading... Dewey, by Vicki Myron, The Message of Romans. Bible: Zephaniah, Luke, Revelation.
I am hoping... the weather is good enough on Christmas Eve for my parents-in-law to make the journey from Shropshire.
On my mind... wondering whether it is as normal in America to use paper plates for meals as some of the blogs I read suggest - they're almost never used here in England.
Noticing that... the box of chocolate biscuits on the sideboard in the office is more tempting than I would like
Pondering these words... For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
as the waters cover the sea. (Habbakuk 2:14)
From the kitchen... Leftover cottage pie and bulgar wheat with squash and chestnuts tonight, followed by leftover treacle tart. We need to empty the freezer a bit before the Christmas bread arrives.
I am creating... still working on the dishcloths I planned to knit 12 of this year. I'm half-way through number 10, and suspect I won't be meeting this goal. (Actually, I don't think I've got enough wool to do 12, so may change it to 11, and then I might just manage it by the New Year)
Around the house... We cleaned on Saturday, and the kitchen and sitting room are cleaner than ever before. Other than that, there are some very unsightly wellington boots by the door whenever we're home, because neither of us like wet feet.
One of my favorite things... four-day weeks!
From my picture journal...
The birdfeeders in the garden, sagging under the weight of the snow. We have a very bossy little robin who has taken possession of the feeders - any other birds get chased off.
Read more daybook entries here.
Snow!
09:36, Monday 21 December 2009
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.. Link
Most of the time, snow in my part of England is limited. We don't normally get any till January or February, and it's normally just a light dusting. Plus, it almost always starts to melt very soon, and turns to grey slush, which is horrible.This year, the weather has surprised us, and on Thursday evening it snowed like crazy. There were terrible winds, too - my Dad said there were trees fallen down in the road, and because the Council is clearly half-asleep, none of the roads were gritted, despite there having been snow warnings all day. Actually, I don't think anything has been gritted yet at all, which is hopeless. Last year there were rumours there would be a shortage of grit, so perhaps there simply isn't any rock salt in the country?
Because the weather on Thursday was so atrocious, and the roads so slippery, G and I ended up staying with my parents that night. The next morning my Dad drove us home so we could get suitable footwear (wellies), and we walked in to work. It was decidedly safer walking in wellies than trying to drive on the icy roads. The snow still hasn't melted.... I wanted to take pictures on Friday but my camera was flat, so I took some on Saturday morning instead.
View from the front door, looking right.
View from the front door, looking left.
View from the back door
The cotoneaster near the back door. We had a marvellous view on Saturday of a blackbird sitting right by the glass gorging himself on these berries.
The pyracantha in the gardenGiven the weather, it was just as well that our plans for the weekend invovled staying home. On Saturday we cleaned the house more thoroughly than I ever have in the two years I've lived here, washing out all the cupboard shelves and scrubbing limescale off the taps with a toothbrush (moderately, though not entirely, successful). G did a grand job of vacuuming, pulling out all the furniture to get behind it, and then got sidetracked and starting hanging pictures and fixing the bit of plastic on the side of the bath that keeps falling off. All fixed now! I hoped to get more done than I did, partly because I underestimated how long things would take, and partly because I got roped in to manning the overhead projector for the nativity play and had to go to a rehearsal at four o'clock, wobbling along to church in my wellingtons with extra socks stuffed in every pocket.
On Sunday we had the nativity service at church, which went better than I'd expected after the rehearsal, though I don't think it was a very helpful nativity play, since it didn't actually present the Christmas story. Still, the little girls who were being recorder-playing-angels all looked impossibly cute and were clearly enjoying themselves, and it's only once a year. Once home, I started the Christmas baking, and made twenty four mince pies (and a treacle tart for tea with the leftover pastry) and a round of scottish shortbread. Why do I even bother trying shop-bought mince pies when the home-made ones are so much nicer?
I also spent a fair amount of time this weekend reading - I finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (very good, thought-provoking, but possibly too decidedly American to be useful), read the whole of The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (which was profounding disturbing, possibly because I found it rather too easy to identify with both Kitty's and Esme's motives), and then read the first half of Dewey, (doesn't strike me as particularly well-written, but it's very aimiable and pleasant).
The house is cold, though. I need to bake more biscuits, as that's the only way to warm the house up. I think I'll do some savoury ones, next, or maybe gingerbreadmen.
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About Me
Hello! I'm Jo, I'm 27 and I live in a small house in England with my husband. I work full time in an office, and in my spare time I help out with Sunday school and the church youth group. When I have time, I enjoy reading, cookery and crafts, and a bit of gardening. We don't have any kids, but would really love to have some one day. Thanks for visiting me here!
Some words are different in England and America, so if you're American and I use an unfamiliar word, it might be in my little dictionary
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