Scrimping and saving, ranting and raving. Past retirement age.
My bread still resembles hockey pucks, I used to be able to make nice bread.
I've ordered some new yeast to see if that helps.
The grandchildren seem to have received their desired gifts. These included a dolls house, two guinea pigs and some painting by numbers sets made by a talented older sister.
I received two gifts, two pairs of fingerless gloves, I'm delighted with both of them.
Wendy, thank you so much for your kind comments in glad you enjoy my blog.
Much as I love Beano I have to admit he's not a pretty dog so I hadn't thought of theft when I said about leaving him outside. He gets very scared if he's left alone, even if he's on the back of the boat and I'm just the other side of the gate. He would be terrified if he was tied up outside. He can easily slip his collar as his head is narrower than his neck. He would run away as he's be too scared to stay put. So leaving him outside is definitely not an option.
If Steve came with me Beano would stay with him but it's too far for Steve to walk so Steve is having Pot Noodle for lunch for the foreseeable future or until he runs out of them. The next food delivery is due on 27th I think. I shall continue to make bread for myself.
Chinadogs, unfortunately I don't have a microwave but thanks for the suggestion.
Marlene my oven has two temperatures off any very high so I can't use it to prove the bread.
Siobhan, thank you.
Chris, that's a good idea.
Ellen, I stood it on the hearth beside the fire but it was still not warm.
The bread took all day to prove as it's so cold on the boat but I eventually baked it at about 7:30 it was perfectly edible.
From now on I'll start the bread just before I go to bed, leave it to prove overnight and bake it in the morning when I get up.
I shall tweak the recipe a little until I get the flavour how I like it.
Steve doesn't like home made food he prefers fried, beige or shop bought. He wouldn't eat the parsnip soup and had a Pot Noodle instead!
We've run out of bread so his choice is to eat it or walk three miles to the nearest shop. No doubt he will eat it for a few days until our next supermarket delivery arrives.
I'm happy to walk to the shop but I can't take Beano as he's not allowed in the shop and I won't tie him up outside
I was up just before 8 am, I turned the heating on for an hour, boosted the fire and had my breakfast of shredded wheat.
Beano and Steve were still in bed so I decided to make a loaf of bread and some curried parsnip soup.
I'm not sure if the bread will be any good, I'm trying the no knead recipe and the bread should rise in a couple of hours but the boat is so cold I'm expecting it to take a lot longer. I'm hoping it will rise by tomorrow morning.
Beano has had two walks, one before Steve got up and one after. We delivered gifts to the marina staff.
Steve wants chicken chow mein for tea, I shall eat the parsnip soup, it's delicious.
I bet that confused you.
I know it's not Tuesday but Steve finally has an appointment on Tuesday to get his hearing aids repaired. The local audiology department closed down at the beginning of the first lockdown, we were told to send hearing aids in for repair by post. This proved expensive, £14 each time and the hearing aids had to be sent separately as Steve couldn't manage without them both.
The postal repair service was discontinued some time ago and there was no information on the website at all. Eventually after some months had passed the website was updated and informed us that although some parts of audiology would reopen repairs could only be accessed via phone or email.
Very bloody useful!
The drop in repair clinic was always full of elderly people, most of whom were at unlikely to have email and if your aids don't work now can you make phone calls!
Steve sent an email and eventually received a reply, he has to go to a different hospital but fortunately it is on a bus route.
As the saying goes.
Cheeky of me to use names actual dishes such as Dirty Rice but it sounds better than leftovers with rice.
I've been out!!
DD1 and I have been trying to meet up for a few weeks but what with the schools sending children home if they cough. One is asthmatic so coughs every time he goes out at play time.
Endless visits from social services, each of the three fostered children has their own social worker.
Also each child gets family visits with parents and siblings.
Medical appointments to deal with epilepsy and diabetes on top of any usual ones.
As I don't drive any more our meetings all depend on DD1's availability.
We went shopping, DD1 had it planned like a military operation a list of shops she wanted to visit starting at the one furthest away from the car park. we visited Lush, The Entertainer, Primark among others. We worked out a system, I carried the basket and she threw things in. All of her six children will receive two pairs of pyjamas each, one in their Christmas Eve box and on one Christmas day. They will have plenty to open Christmas morning, most of it either useful or consumable.
The last stop before the car park was for lunch, we ate at Yo Sushi, it wasn't busy and I really enjoyed the meal.
One thing she was desperate to buy was a replacement teddy, the 9 year old had a specific toy, cheap but greatly loved, this had been thrown away by the previous carer as "he was too old for it now".
Chris, I served my camembert simply, I drizzled a little garlic infused olive oil over it and served it with toast and baby leaves.
Dirty rice is basically dry fried rice with all the fridge leftovers added and then seasoned.
Yesterday's contained onion, mushroom, some scraps of beef left from the Sunday roast along with a few peas carrots and fine beans.
I boil the rice, soften the onion and mushroom, chop everything else fairly small.
Then I add the drained, cooked rice to the onions along with the chopped veg a fry it all together I don't add any oil as there is some in with the onions. I add an assortment of spices. If I add Cajun spice it's Dirty rice. If I add star anise and soy sauce it's special fried rice.
