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![]() Visit In The Space Of A Day... 2010 GoalsConcrete goals
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Preserved in 2010
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Journal for Thursday 4th February 2010Weather: 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 2010Another 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 BooksOver the weekend I finished two of the books I was reading in January.
The first one was Troubled Journey: A Missionary Childhood in War Torn China by Faith Cook. This was a lovely book, partly a biography of her parents' life as missionaries in China (and then Malaysia, although that wasn't covered so much), and partly her own story of being a child growing up separated from her missionary parents in China - and later England. I am very thankful that the assorted people we know who are missionaries now are not forced to send their children away to boarding school at the age of six, after reading of her distressing childhood. Of course, it probably wouldn't have been as distressing had there not been a war and political problems that necessitated the escapes. Overall, a very interesting little book, and quite short and easy to read as well. I've read one of her books before, about the lives of various hymn-writers, and that was good too, so I'll be on the lookout for more of her books.
The second was The Gentle Art of Domesticity, by Jane Brocket. My mother bought me one of her books for Christmas, called Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, all about the food mentioned in classic children's literature and recipes to make them - it was marvellous and fascinating, and I loved it. So when I discovered she'd written this book, and that the library had a copy, I thought it would be wonderful. I was rather disappointed by it, though. I expected it to be something of a celebration of the beauty of home, but found it was very half-hearted in that. As long as something is inherently decorative and largely purposeless, Jane Brockett approves of it (for example, embroidery and making ridiculously over-decorated cakes). But she is very scathing and derisory about most of what I would term domestic arts, and regards things that are generally useful (for example, cooking dinners as opposed to cakes, maintaining a level of cleanliness and tidiness in the home) as beneath her (and any other woman). Despite pretending to overthrow the tyrannies of feminism that forbid a woman to enjoy homemaking, in effect it just compounds them by denigrating almost all aspects of that. She only really has time for things that happen to be done at home but she feels are more "artistic" than important. 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... Read more daybook entries here. Friday 29th January 2010Weather: 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 2010Kale, 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 2010Weather: 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 JanuaryWeather: 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 2010Potatoes, 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 JanuaryOutside 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. 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 CasseroleI 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. --------------------------------------------------------
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 2010Potatoes, 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... Read more daybook entries here. Menu Plan 6th-12th January 2010The 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 2010At 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:
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
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... Read more daybook entries here. Dishcloth Project Wrap-UpOne 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 ChristmastimeHere 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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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. Given 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. { Last Page } { Page 1 of 14 } { Next Page } |
About MeHello! 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 HomeMy Profile Archives Friends My Village Signs Photographs
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