I made the Herman mixture into two fruitcakes, and they have turned out well. When I took the two loaves out of the oven, I brushed them with a hot mixture of dissolved caster sugar with some orange essence/oil, so they smell gorgeous. One has been sliced and sampled, now residing in a tin, and the other is heading for the freezer.
Delia's mincemeat has sat in the oven for the requisite three hours, has come out "swimming in fat" as she puts it, and will now have to be stirred at very regular intervals for a couple of hours so that the fat coats the fruit and doesn't coagulate in to large lumps! Once it is cool, probably in the morning, I will add the brandy and pot it up. Smells lovely!
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Friday, 19 November 2010
Kitchen work today
The Fen Kitchen is a busy place this morning - another batch of Delia's mincemeat is doing its 12 hour soaking, the Herman cake has just been fed and will be shared out today and then our portion cooked tomorrow - and there is a second batch of Leek and Potato soup bubbling away in the Remoska on the side. We had some earlier in the week and the family liked it, so I thought I would use up the last remaining four leeks to make another pot of it. They may not want to eat it immediately but it will be fine in the freezer until they do!!
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Shhhhhhh! Don't mention it....
but I have to get some presents wrapped up tonight - it is the FH's birthday tomorrow! The YFG helped to choose one gift when we went to the shops at the weekend, and the EFG is giving him a regular birthday favourite of his - Maltesers! He will be going to his lunch club, but he will get a free lunch this week for his birthday. When the folks there have a birthday, the birthday boy/girl provides everyone with some sweets, so I got a tub of Celebrations for him to take to share. He has also asked for a lemon sponge at tea time, so I will be making that tomorrow too.
Today has been interesting - I got a bit of a panicked phone call from the school this morning asking if I could go along this afternoon on the regular swimming trip to the local town. One of the TAs was off so they were a person short. Luckily, it was the last session so the children were having a fun splash session, so I didn't actually have to do much at all except be there and a bit of supervision. It was lovely to watch them all having so much fun in the water!
Tonight we have been to gym, and then came home to a lovely stew that the FH had made. He didn't quite get as far as making the dumplings, which was a disappointment for the YFG but it was a good meal nevertheless.
The YFG is excited as she is going on a trip to London tomorrow to the Natural History museum. Her bag is packed and she is tucked up in bed, having booked her wake-up call for the morning. It is a big thing, going to London, so she is looking forward to it all.
Today has been interesting - I got a bit of a panicked phone call from the school this morning asking if I could go along this afternoon on the regular swimming trip to the local town. One of the TAs was off so they were a person short. Luckily, it was the last session so the children were having a fun splash session, so I didn't actually have to do much at all except be there and a bit of supervision. It was lovely to watch them all having so much fun in the water!
Tonight we have been to gym, and then came home to a lovely stew that the FH had made. He didn't quite get as far as making the dumplings, which was a disappointment for the YFG but it was a good meal nevertheless.
The YFG is excited as she is going on a trip to London tomorrow to the Natural History museum. Her bag is packed and she is tucked up in bed, having booked her wake-up call for the morning. It is a big thing, going to London, so she is looking forward to it all.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
What is happiness?
I've been asked tonight if I am happy.......told that I don't sound very happy.....it's a bit of a blow, to be honest. I don't know what the right answer to the question is, and I don't even know if there is a right answer. So I decided to think about what makes me happy, and here are some random thoughts about it, in no particular order:
I am happy with my lot, with my plans, with my situation in life right now. I am not a bundle of laughs right now, I admit, but I never have been. I feel positive about life, positive about the future, and not unduly worried about anything - so it's all good, as the EFG would say!
- Sunshine
- My family
- Being tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle!
- Listening to Classic FM
- Reading
- Being up to date with things and organised
- A tidy house
- Having time to listen to people and to God
- A long hot bath
- My chooks having a dust bath...........
- The sunshine - well, it has rained a lot lately...can't do much about that - can't afford to move to California!
- My family - yep, that one is doing OK, they are all here, well and healthy (or as healthy as they are likely to get in the FH's case - foot is still swollen, cough is improving)
- Bed with the hot bottle - I get that one some nights if I remember. The trouble with that one is that I am so tired when I get to go to bed that I have no time to lay there and enjoy the feeling before I fall asleep!!
- Classic FM - must sort the radio out in my car so it works again. In the house, I get to listen to the radio more during the day when the girls are at school, so I should get a decent fix tomorrow.
- Reading - mmmmm, time constraints. Reading is done in snatches, sometimes only in the smallest room!!!
- Up to date and organised - last week was manic so I am hoping to get somewhere with this one this week.
- A tidy house........a little boy commented to me yesterday that I should go and look at his room because he had tidied up and so it might give me some ideas. Apparently I am now notorious for my untidiness, so bad that I need to take lessons from an 8 year old. ;-) I don't think it is that bad, really, but I will try harder this week!
- Time to listen to people and to God - must try harder. The FH said he would take a photo of me the other day as it has been so busy this week that he had forgotten what I looked like.
- Long hot baths - I have had a couple this week - bliss!
- The chooks haven't a hope of a dust bath for months as they have just got mud, mud and more mud BUT I gave them lovely shavings and cut straw in their houses and they bathed in that instead and absolutely LOVED it. They are due for clean bedding again tomorrow so I will be able to watch them again.
I am happy with my lot, with my plans, with my situation in life right now. I am not a bundle of laughs right now, I admit, but I never have been. I feel positive about life, positive about the future, and not unduly worried about anything - so it's all good, as the EFG would say!
Saturday, 13 November 2010
The weekend is here - already
I can't believe how quickly the weeks are ticking along! Someone said to me today that it is only 6 weeks until Christmas - and it seems like only a few weeks ago it was January and we were wondering what 2010 would have in store.....once Christmas is here, 2011 will be just around the corner.
I have had to fetch the dehumidifiers from the shed - they have been stashed away for about 8 years, but I have been reading that some people are finding that they can get their washing dry more quickly by running a dehumidifier. I am quite desperate this weekend to get the school uniforms dry so I thought that I would give it a go. The verandah dries the washing well, but really only when the sun is shining, otherwise it takes a couple of days, which doesn't help at weekends when I need to get the things dry! Hence I have a couple of airers full of washing around a dehumidifier in the office.
Yesterday I went to Peterborough to the Christmas Festival at the showground. I took a friend and we had a mooch around for about 90 minutes, both buying some presents. I was a little disappointed at the stalls that weren't there - and had a good time catching up with several old friends who were there! Having had a stall at the show for about 5 or 6 years, we know a lot of the stall holders so there were a few catch ups to be had! I bought some more bags from the bag lady who was there in October, but she had a wider selection this time. I also got a couple of presents for the girls so they will have to remain hush hush for now.
Two weeks today the YFG will be reprising her gym routines for the regional final of her last competition - we have to go to Ipswich for that. It means that the five girls are still working hard at gym on those routines, as we know that the regional competition will be considerably stiffer than the county one was. It will be a valuable experience for them to compete on a bigger scale.
The Christmas cake was made yesterday morning before I went out - it was in the oven at 6am! The house smelled gorgeous. Now it has been poked with a skewer, enriched with a little more brandy, wrapped in greaseproof paper and tinfoil and put up in a tin in the cool of the utility room. The other cake in the house at the moment is Herman! We have been given some starter for the famous Herman cake - the YFG was quite disgusted at the thought of how old some of it may be, especially when I told her that my mum had a Herman cake about 25 years ago. It is sitting in a bowl, covered with a cloth, on the counter - the instructions seem to have changed a little as I think my mum kept hers in the fridge. The debate will be what to flavour him with - the FH is in favour of fruit, other opinion is in favour of cocoa, and it is possible that it would be lovely with a hint of lemon. Maybe we will be making more than the one.
I have had to fetch the dehumidifiers from the shed - they have been stashed away for about 8 years, but I have been reading that some people are finding that they can get their washing dry more quickly by running a dehumidifier. I am quite desperate this weekend to get the school uniforms dry so I thought that I would give it a go. The verandah dries the washing well, but really only when the sun is shining, otherwise it takes a couple of days, which doesn't help at weekends when I need to get the things dry! Hence I have a couple of airers full of washing around a dehumidifier in the office.
Yesterday I went to Peterborough to the Christmas Festival at the showground. I took a friend and we had a mooch around for about 90 minutes, both buying some presents. I was a little disappointed at the stalls that weren't there - and had a good time catching up with several old friends who were there! Having had a stall at the show for about 5 or 6 years, we know a lot of the stall holders so there were a few catch ups to be had! I bought some more bags from the bag lady who was there in October, but she had a wider selection this time. I also got a couple of presents for the girls so they will have to remain hush hush for now.
Two weeks today the YFG will be reprising her gym routines for the regional final of her last competition - we have to go to Ipswich for that. It means that the five girls are still working hard at gym on those routines, as we know that the regional competition will be considerably stiffer than the county one was. It will be a valuable experience for them to compete on a bigger scale.
The Christmas cake was made yesterday morning before I went out - it was in the oven at 6am! The house smelled gorgeous. Now it has been poked with a skewer, enriched with a little more brandy, wrapped in greaseproof paper and tinfoil and put up in a tin in the cool of the utility room. The other cake in the house at the moment is Herman! We have been given some starter for the famous Herman cake - the YFG was quite disgusted at the thought of how old some of it may be, especially when I told her that my mum had a Herman cake about 25 years ago. It is sitting in a bowl, covered with a cloth, on the counter - the instructions seem to have changed a little as I think my mum kept hers in the fridge. The debate will be what to flavour him with - the FH is in favour of fruit, other opinion is in favour of cocoa, and it is possible that it would be lovely with a hint of lemon. Maybe we will be making more than the one.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Round up of the week
I've been mindful of not spending too much time in cyberspace, hence the lack of posts this week. I took the FH to the hospital on Monday about the prostate diagnosis; it was a very hit and miss affair. The consultant is a lovely chap, who did a scan and an examination (ouch!) and declared that yes, the prostate gland is slightly enlarged but that in a man of almost 73, that is sort of to be expected. Apparently, about 40% of men his age would be walking the streets with prostate cancer and never know. He said that in most cases, it is a condition that one dies with, rather than from. He is reluctant to do any more at the moment, because even if it was diagnosed as cancer, there is little that he could offer the FH because of his heart health and medication scenario. A biopsy is the only way to actually diagnose it properly, and that would introduce an infection risk, and given that there is no treatment on offer, it seems a pointless risk to take. So, for now, we wait. The doctor at the local surgery is to repeat the blood test in January and the consultant will see the FH again in February to reassess the situation.
Monday afternoon saw me at the optician with the EFG who now needs a new pair of glasses. At this practice, I have to pay for the frames, so she chose wisely and is only costing me £40. She's rather fed up with the current pair as she has had them for two years, so it is time for a change!
Tuesday afternoon I floated around the school for a couple of hours, being available to any parents who might want to talk to me whilst they were there for Parents' Evening. I shepherded them around the extension, and generally made myself useful, before taking the girls and going to gym for the second session.
Yesterday I went back to school to go and help out in the Y3/4 class for the afternoon - we did experiments with magnets and Newtonmeters for science and then some art work on William Morris. I really enjoyed that!
Got to go now as lunch is ready - back later!
Monday afternoon saw me at the optician with the EFG who now needs a new pair of glasses. At this practice, I have to pay for the frames, so she chose wisely and is only costing me £40. She's rather fed up with the current pair as she has had them for two years, so it is time for a change!
Tuesday afternoon I floated around the school for a couple of hours, being available to any parents who might want to talk to me whilst they were there for Parents' Evening. I shepherded them around the extension, and generally made myself useful, before taking the girls and going to gym for the second session.
Yesterday I went back to school to go and help out in the Y3/4 class for the afternoon - we did experiments with magnets and Newtonmeters for science and then some art work on William Morris. I really enjoyed that!
Got to go now as lunch is ready - back later!
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Reflecting
We really are back from Scotland, but you would be forgiven for thinking that we had gone away again, because I haven't posted here all week. In some ways, there has been so much to say that I haven't known where to begin, so I just didn't; in other ways, life has been too busy this week to allow me time to sit here and cogitate my thoughts about the week; and a leftover from the week's holiday has been a slight reluctance to lose the relaxation we enjoyed at the cottage - I just haven't wanted to get back into the same routines of reading forums and blogs. I am trying to be more selective about the things I give my time.
I kept a diary at the cottage, but I am not going to put it here because it will interrupt the flow of this blog. I think that I will have a holiday blog and put the days and photos on there - when we got on another holiday, it can be updated. The photos have made it from the camera onto the computer, but they still need to be edited and named, and some must be deleted because they are out of focus!!
So, back in the Fens, what's to do? The garden has been tidied up a little whilst we were away as UJ kindly dug over two of the veg beds. He also made a trough to feed one of the runs of chickens, and the chicks seem to have doubled in size! I needed to clean out the pens when we got home but I was unable to find any small bales of straw locally so in the end I bought a bale of horse bedding from the feed shop - it is chopped straw and woodshavings - and it is very good stuff. It may even be better than the straw as I think it will break down for the composting bin more easily. I have now found a source of straw and hope to get some next week, and then I will decide which is best. We definitely need some straw to put down in the runs as there has been so much rain that they are very muddy indeed. There are too many chickens here now and some will have to be dispatched soon - some to the freezer and some to the auction!
The house has had a bit of an autumn clean - I was inspired by the cottage as there was no clutter there and it felt so much easier to tidy up! I will be joining Wannabe Sybil on her clutterbusting missions this week and really making an effort to get rid of some "stuff".......
And Christmas is on the horizon - plans to be made, cakes to be baked! I have a favourite Christmas cake recipe from the old Family Circle magazine which I have been making for years, and will be doing so again this year - I usually do it at half term, so I had better get on with it this week. The mincemeat I made the other week has developed nicely! The FH came home from Scotland with a craving for a mincemeat pie, so I made some pastry last Sunday and made a big pie for here and one for UJ to take home as well as some small coconut tarts for the lunchboxes. Each of the pies took a whole jar of mincemeat, but they all said how much they liked it, so I will be making a little more!!
The FH and the EFG are both on Amoxicillin for their chest infections, the YFG has pulled a ligament in her hip and I have a sore throat tonight, so we are a right lot here. The FH's ankle and foot are still swollen too. AND he has to go to the hospital on Monday for investigations into his prostate gland. He has absolutely no symptoms of any trouble, but a routine blood test has picked up some marker in his blood so we have to go and have it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.
I'm going to spend some time organising those holiday photos now, so I'll be back!
I kept a diary at the cottage, but I am not going to put it here because it will interrupt the flow of this blog. I think that I will have a holiday blog and put the days and photos on there - when we got on another holiday, it can be updated. The photos have made it from the camera onto the computer, but they still need to be edited and named, and some must be deleted because they are out of focus!!
So, back in the Fens, what's to do? The garden has been tidied up a little whilst we were away as UJ kindly dug over two of the veg beds. He also made a trough to feed one of the runs of chickens, and the chicks seem to have doubled in size! I needed to clean out the pens when we got home but I was unable to find any small bales of straw locally so in the end I bought a bale of horse bedding from the feed shop - it is chopped straw and woodshavings - and it is very good stuff. It may even be better than the straw as I think it will break down for the composting bin more easily. I have now found a source of straw and hope to get some next week, and then I will decide which is best. We definitely need some straw to put down in the runs as there has been so much rain that they are very muddy indeed. There are too many chickens here now and some will have to be dispatched soon - some to the freezer and some to the auction!
The house has had a bit of an autumn clean - I was inspired by the cottage as there was no clutter there and it felt so much easier to tidy up! I will be joining Wannabe Sybil on her clutterbusting missions this week and really making an effort to get rid of some "stuff".......
And Christmas is on the horizon - plans to be made, cakes to be baked! I have a favourite Christmas cake recipe from the old Family Circle magazine which I have been making for years, and will be doing so again this year - I usually do it at half term, so I had better get on with it this week. The mincemeat I made the other week has developed nicely! The FH came home from Scotland with a craving for a mincemeat pie, so I made some pastry last Sunday and made a big pie for here and one for UJ to take home as well as some small coconut tarts for the lunchboxes. Each of the pies took a whole jar of mincemeat, but they all said how much they liked it, so I will be making a little more!!
The FH and the EFG are both on Amoxicillin for their chest infections, the YFG has pulled a ligament in her hip and I have a sore throat tonight, so we are a right lot here. The FH's ankle and foot are still swollen too. AND he has to go to the hospital on Monday for investigations into his prostate gland. He has absolutely no symptoms of any trouble, but a routine blood test has picked up some marker in his blood so we have to go and have it checked out. Better to be safe than sorry.
I'm going to spend some time organising those holiday photos now, so I'll be back!
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