Cooking today.

Cooking used to be a huge part of my life

Nothing fancy, just plain cooking. An evening meal cooked from scratch every day, home made bread, biscuits for lunch boxes. Cakes for bake sales,  coconut ice and apples dipped in chocolate and colourful sprinkles at summer fair's. Cheese straws for snacks. Everything cooked with an eye to the cost. I cooked for 8 to 10 people most days as I had lodgers, foreign students staying, my nephews when they needed somewhere to stay, my kids bought friends home sometimes just for a meal, some of them stayed for months.

I miss it sometimes, I still enjoy cooking but Steve prefers a takeaway or something from a tin or packet.

This week he has chosen his own food, lunch has been a Gingsters chicken slice or a packet soup. Evening meals have been ribs or flavoured chicken pieces, nary a vegetable to be seen.

I did cook steak and jacket potatoes one evening. I put the potatoes in to cook and Steve wanted to know why I wasn't cooking the steak at the same time. I know he likes his steak well done but that was ridiculous.

Today he was supposed to be going out but it has been postponed, I'd already made my plans, I made
lemon thumb biscuits, chicken and leek tray bake,
fish pie and roasted vegetables.

I enjoyed the cooking, some of the stuff will go in the freezer, some will go to DD for her freezer.

On the mend

I'm feeling a bit better, still a bit nauseous but generally better.

I took Beano for a seven mile walk with a neighbour, I've done the shopping and put it away and had my car resuscitated after it threw a hissy fit.

The fridge is full of fruit and veg, I bought an extra bottle of milk and a fresh loaf, if storm Ciara causes any problems we should be ok. By problems I'm thinking trees down etc, not snow drifts or anything serious.

It's now time for a bit of gently crochet in front of the tv. It will have to be very gentle too as my shoulders are painful. I couldn't work out why until I remembered playing tug with the other dog on the walk.

Poleaxed

I have been poleaxed by an attack of diverticulitis, I'll be back soon.

Toast

One of the benefits of having repairs done to the cooker and grill means I can now make proper toast.

It's a simple pleasure but one I really appreciate.

For the past year toast has meant a long wait whilst the bread under the grill dries out before it assumes any colour.

We now have toast where the bread is brown and the bread is still squishy inside, bliss.

Started

The plan for the next blanket was blue and white stripes, to use up some stash.

Only most of the blues were greeny blues, so I've added lilac and purple too.

Finished

And there it was

I drove Steve to Newbury this morning, an eventful journey as Steve kept telling me to get into the wrong lane, he also tried to get me to drive along a road that isn't there anymore.

I parked up and Steve went to a meeting that he'd arranged to attend. Beano and I went for a nice walk, just over a hour along the towpath.

We arrived home just in time to grab a quick lunch and then I rushed off to help at the jumble sale. As I was leaving Steve asked me to look out for a coffee pot. I arrived at the jumble sale and there was one on the table. I bought it along with a pretty black scarf with hearts on. At the end of the sale there was a single brown glove left, I grabbed it before it was binned as I lost one of my black gloves yesterday and it will do as a replacement.