Just an ordinary day on the chopping block in the kitchen

There's a lot going on here. Firstly the remains of the homemade soup cooling down ready to be put in the fridge. I will add to it each day until it is all eaten. It started out as tomato soup (most of which was eaten), then courgette surprise leftovers were added to it along with a tin of tomatoes and a stock cube. It was whizzed and most of it was eaten. The picture shows what was left. I shall add leftover veg from the roast today to it ready to be whizzed tomorrow for lunch.

The Ildi tomatoes were picked because DH is mending and painting some windows in the greenhouse and wanted a bit of room so I trimmed a few plants. The cucumbers keep coming. My drink today is not just lemon and hot water - I've included a wedge of lime aswell. (It was left over from a tray bake which was for the Virtual Teaparty.)

Here are some real kitties.

PS Delia, click on this link to find Sambo's story.

Back for more ...

... lunch at our current, favourite pub.

This time the tide came in over the road and cut us off from the rest of the world.

Nothing for it but to have lunch and a drink...

or two!

Still couldn't leave the car park so we had a siesta in the car.

The chap in this lorry was also having a siesta and didn't realise the tide was coming in.

When he woke up he skedaddled in a hurry.

We also called in at our favourite walking place. The tide was going out to so we could cross over the causeway. 

We had to stop here to rescue a stranded creature.

Good deed for the day done and off to have our walk and pay our respects and give some flowers to Sambo.

Tea time

I thought I'd try Rhonda's recipe for Impossible Quiche but I altered it slightly. 

I used leeks, tomatoes, courgettes, garlic and parsley from the garden and Rhonda's eggy mixture to make mine. It was very tasty.

Hello to my new follower. I hope you enjoy visiting.

My dad grew chrysanthemums ...

... so I always buy some every year. These will last over a month and will brighten up the autumnal days.

 It still feels warm here, cotton frocks and flip flops are still the order of the day.

Collections - Conkers

I found the conkers today on my walk back from the shops.

Can't leave them.

They have to join the others.

I also found discount bread at B&M Bargains. Can't leave those either as they'd just been marked down.

I had to have 2 carrier bags full. 

Now I've got to find some room in the freezer.

Kitchen window - September 2011

Can you see the conkers? It isn't a brilliant
view from the window but it is looking
inside the other way.

Hydrangea found abandoned in the street - I
gave it a good home.

Bunch of flowers reduced to £1 and
wilting rescued with water!

Happy Autumn

Beautiful whispy seed heads are forming on the clematis ...

... and DD brought home 2 conkers. We always pick up the first conkers we find in Autumn, brown, shiny, tactile seeds which will be displayed and played with throughout the season.

Happy Autumn.

It's "Winds-day" ...

... and a Blustery Day. A sunny but extremely windy day for a walk. It blew me there and I battled back.

I measure my walks in time - an hour out and an hour back. This time it could have been three quarters of an hour out and one and a quarter hours back.

There was a little bit of shifting sand going on down on the beach it was so blustery.

It certainly blew the cobwebs away.

Happy Winds-day.

Now I really must finish the mending.

I'll do that another time

What's that? 

The mending!

My comfy cushion pile has seen better days. 

I've found cushions within cushions, torn covers, insides that weren't 'all right after they'd been washed' and a jacket that needed to be revamped as a cover. (Rhonda will be proud of me.) I also needed to type up some tray bake recipes found in magazines. (Hmm, might bake one for the Tea Party.)

There were also various bits of paper to sort out - receipts and lottery ticket - no I didn't win! Look at all this recycling - paper pile destined for the compost and Tusal pile destined for the rag bag at the Charity Shop. (Rhonda will be pleased.)

Can you see the quilt that needs mending?
I keep putting my foot through it.

Here's a cover made from a cardigan.

Hey ho, hey ho, it's off to mend I go! 

I seem to have stopped now to type up this blog and the weather looks good enough for a walk. Mending? I'll do the that another time.

Just look up ...

... and see

... a rainbow.

Not a very big one and it didn't last long but it was there and it gave us joy.

Short Walk

Only a short walk today seeing as it's pouring down - from the car park into the pub. This hostelry is quite often cut off by the tides.

Food and friends today.

Turn round and you'll see the river.

Look closely and you'll see the gulls.

Look closely round the back of the pub and you'll see the swallows.

Ahh! Their mum kept swooping in and out to feed these little ones.

More people have joined out Tea Party. Would you like to come? See you there.

Mum's Virtual Vintage Tea Party

Ooh - I do like playing. (Purely for medicinal and fitness purposes of course. This will be another mental workout in the home gym.)

Who is invited?

Anyone who wants to be invited. At the moment we have  Missy and Anne.

When shall we have it?

What about the beginning of November. That will give plenty of time for preparation of posts, won't it. If you would like to come please leave a comment and I'll post a guest list up at the beginning of November so that you can join the party.

What do I have to do?

Anything or nothing at all. Let's start a list.

List:
 - Make dainty sandwiches and put on your blog.
 - Make scones and show your recipe.
 - Make a cake. (Missy would like a Victoria Sponge but I think any kind of cake or dainty pastry would add variety, don't you think? Show your recipe on your blog.)



 - Pick a favourite table cloth and show on your blog.
 - Pick out favourite napkins or serviettes. Maybe napkin holders as well.
 - Pick your favourite china to put on the table.
 - Add interest to the table with a table setting or place holders - flowers (real or artificial). What about knitted or crocheted flowers?
 - What about a jug for the milk and a bowl for the sugar?
 - How shall we decorate the room?
 - What about etiquette?
 - Perhaps you could invite a friend to join us.
 - Oh, and we'll have to dress up too, I think.
What else do you think we could do for the tea party? (I've got a tea-cosy already.)

Shall we have a good time?

This depends on you really. I shall have a lovely time looking at your simply delightful blogs on the 1st November, imagining tasting all the treats, collecting all your recipes, having a go at making your table settings and looking at all your decorations.

Does anyone else want to come and play?

Bung it all in soup

This is what you do ...

Pick it

I chose things growing in the garden - leeks, carrots, tomatoes, courgettes, chives and oregano, plus a couple of old potatoes found in a sack in the garage.

Chop it

Chopping by hand is very therapeutic. I must add that to my 'gym' list.

Add a slosh of secret ingredients

I also added 3 stock cubes. Boil it all up until it's mushy and then whizz it and eat it. Three '2 portion' lots went in the freezer and 3 portions eaten today. It was quite a thick soup so each batch could be doubled with added ingredients 'bunged in' at the reheating stage.

Collections - China

I figure I've done enough de-cluttering for a bit. Let's bring something 'new' into the house. This pretty saucer was 10p from the junk shop.

I'm making up 'trios' ready. Once I have enough of them we'll have a tea party.

Hello and welcome to new followers. We'll soon have enough people for a tea-party.

Down by the Sea

Fish and chips, ice-cream and a seaside walk today. (After I'd tidied up, cat walked, hung out washing, picked tomatoes and cucumbers, cut back the grape-vine, cut back tomato plants, tidied greenhouse and made bread. Oh, and mopped the floor.)

Off to the theatre tonight.

Hello and welcome to my new follower. I hope you enjoy your visits.

xx