Little House by the Railway Line

2009 Goals

Learn to make yoghurt
Pickle walnuts
~~Make marmalade~~
Perfect my granola bar recipe
Grow green beans to eat
~~Grow spinach~~
Grow peppers and winter squash
Save seeds from peppers and winter squash
Knit lots of dishcloths
Finish my hidden stars quilt
Make napkin rings
Finish cardigan back
Learn how to do water-bath-canning
Knit a pair of socks

Preserved this Year

February: Marmalade, 10 1/2 standard jars, 2 tiny jars
February: Blatjang chutney, 6 jars
March: Caramelised onion chutney, 6 jars
June: Elderflower cordial, 5 jars
June: Strawberry Jam, 7 standard jars, 3 tiny jars
June: Elderflower cordial, 4 1/2 jars (2nd batch)

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

Scripture Memorised this Year

Psalm 8
Psalm 103
Romans 12
Romans 13

Looking after Mum

16:36, Friday 24 October 2008 .. Posted in Bits and Bobs .. 0 comments .. Link

I took the day off work yesterday, to stay at home with my mother and "look after" her while my father was working up north. To be honest, she doesn't really need looking after; it's more a matter of not wanting to be alone all day and a small amount of not quite being confident to go in the shower/go for a walk / lift things in the kitchen without there being someone around.

We had a very pleasant day together. I stayed the night before, which meant I got a lovely long lie-in in the morning and didn't have to get up until almost half past eight. We went for a long-ish walk (about a mile; long for Mum but rather shorter than I'm used to) and called in at the greengrocer, the butcher and the village library to buy things and chat to people, and then spent the afternoon chatting while I tried (with some measure of success, but a fair amount of failure mixed in) to bind some new song books for the hymn-singing/services we do at the old people's home. We cooked dinner together and then G came back to eat with us before he went off to ringing practice.

It was most peculiar, staying the night in my parents' house, because it's where I lived for most of my life (21 years out of nearly 26), and so it's home, and yet it isn't. I have a long history in the house, and yet I spent most of my time then in my room, which is now a spare sitting room / exercise room, so the most familiar places no longer exist there.

I managed to get the village butcher, which I've been wanting to do for some time (there isn't a butcher in the village where I live now), and bought some of his best sausages and a rabbit. I think "local wild rabbit" must be one of the most sustainable sorts of meat there is, and it was very reasonably in price, seeing as it'll make enough to have company round (always assuming people are prepared to eat it). I've never had it before and was intrigued to try it. I nearly bought some fish from the fish-van, but wasn't sure what G would like best, nor when we would eat it / how long it can be frozen for.
Leave a Comment

{ Last Page } { Page 138 of 202 } { Next Page }

About Me

Hello! I'm Jo, I'm 26 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 I'm trying to learn about the garden.

Links

The Cotton Patch
Sew and So
The World's Healthiest Foods
Daily Bread
Bible Gateway
E-Sword
The National Trust