Just thought

… I'd do a mini series of posts on the topic of 

My Favourite at the Moment.

They will go in this order. Do join in if you wish.

1. teddy

2. mug and/or cup

3. drinking glass

4. pen, pencil or writing or drawing implement

5. plate for meals

6. shoes

7. hobby

The inspiration has come from Mac and Janet's posts about her teddies, which reminded me of my first ted which came to bed with me for many years. I then began thinking of other favourites of mine and why they are my favourite. I know my favourites change every so often as in the case of the mug I choose for drinks and the hobby I'm into at the moment and I wondered if others have the same feelings about a certain plate they want to eat off all the time or certain shoes that they want to wear all the time.

So I shall start a Friday Favourite (at the moment) post on …

Friday, of course!

I wonder if you have a favourite day. Mine's Saturday …

at the moment!

xx

PS - any other ideas for favourites?
PPS - A very warm welcome to my new followers.

Car Booty

Only one more week left of the big CB sale this year. Here's today's booty.

12 rather large Christmas bows. I think each bow must be made of a full roll of ribbon. One bow has the price tag of £4.99. I paid £2 for all of them.

Next were some knitting needles, straight and circular plus 3 crochet hooks and a ball of wool. The wool was 50p and the needles and hooks were £2.

Following the Christmas theme I spotted a Country Living mag for 20p, Christmas cards for 20p and more ribbon - all 5 for a pound.

It looks like I'm getting prepared for next year too as I couldn't resist these Easter cutters for 50p.

It was all smiles this morning and the sun shone.

I've also managed to weed and cut down in the front garden, clean the brass and wash down the front door and outside downstairs window sills along with the front step.

It says in my diary

'Day of Rest' so I'm off to sit in the sun room and read my mag. Hope you've had a good weekend.

xx

Sorry

I'm sorry but in the Dorset Apple Cake recipe I printed 280g Golden Syrup instead of 280 g Golden Caster Sugar. Thanks, Julie, for pointing that out. I have corrected the mistake. I hope no-one's had a spoilt cake because of it.

xx

:(

Shadows

The sun is lower down in the sky now but there are still shadows to be seen when there are not too many clouds.

No heating on yet but it's getting cooler. The back garden has been tidied some more with the sweet peas pulled out. There are not many more runner beans to be seen so they'll will be on their way soon. I'll just save a few seed. The courgettes have slowed down thank goodness and the fennel (had the seed, so had to plant) is looking beautiful.

I'm still in my flip flops and short sleeves in the house but I've a heavier duvet on the bed.

Happy Autumn!

xx

All is safely gathered in

Well the corn and the potatoes are anyway. We've eaten quite a bit of corn in the last few weeks but because the weather is a little cooler we harvested the remnants and I've put them in the freezer.

The one's that have not reached maturity are sill going in the freezer as 'baby corn' to eek out casseroles and concoctions.

I did keep 3 out, 2 for DH and me and one for a friend for his tea today.

The seed potatoes for this little lot came from another friend. Aren't we lucky!

Look at this giant and that's DH's hand.

Baked potato for tea.

xx

Mum's Apple Cake

For Julie who commented on the previous post.

Mum's Apple Cake

12 oz Self Raising flour

6 oz butter (soften in the microwave)

6 oz sugar (I used brown)

3 eggs

a little glug of milk

2 baking apples cut into chunks

Whizz up the above and spoon out into 2 lined small loaf tins. Bake in a moderate oven until done - approx. 30 - 35 mins

Here are 2 other variations from my here, there and everywhere recipe book. Enlarge the picture for this one which was cut out from somewhere.

Easy Apple Cake

This one must have been cadged from a friend. I'll type it out 'neatly' under the picture.

Dorset Apple Cake

450g apples

the juice of 1/2 a lemon for the apples

225g butter

280g Golden Caster Sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

350g SR flour

2 tsp baking powder

Demerara sugar to sprinkle

Turn on the oven to 180 degrees.

Line a 27cm x 20cm baking tin.

Put butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder in a bowl and mix. 

Put half in the tin.

Put in apples and then the rest.

Sprinkle sugar over the top.

I presume it's baked until it's done!

xx

Just finished ...

… preparing tom and courgette soup by cutting up tomatoes, a medium courgette, an onion and a small piece of garlic, mixing with a smattering of oil and putting in the small oven to roast. I've prepared a veggie stock cube with half a pint of water and the remnants of a tin of tomatoes are at the ready. Once roasted I shall whizz the lot for our lunch time soup. I can smell the garlic cooking already. (It stays on the fingers doesn't it!) The cat is sleeping on me while I'm on the computer. A quick crochet before I go down and the soup will be eaten with a wadge (the computer doesn't like this spelling) of homemade bread.

Here's a pic of our cheese on toast from yesterday. We'll eat through these tomatoes yet.

Our 'given' apples went into an apple cake - one to eat and one to freeze.

12.45

Just finished the soup served with grated parmesan.

I think we'll have it again tomorrow. Hmmm!

xx

PS I can taste the garlic now!

What shall I take with me ...

… when I visit a friend who has had a stroke and who is still in hospital?

After a little research this is what I came up with - a variety of items in small pouches with explanatory tags.

Confetti - to add sparkle to your life and remind you to have fun

Paper Clip- to help keep things together when they seem out of control

Plaster - to help you through the rough times

Ribbon- to remind you to tie things together when everything falls apart

Stars - to remind you to shine and to do your best

Cotton Ball - For the rough road seek the cushioned support of family and friends.

Free Hug Vouchers

Rubber Band - A reminder to stretch your body and soul

Tissue- a reminder that suffering is part of life and so is reaching out to others

Choc Bar - to help you take a break

Small Smooth Stone-  to remind you that the rough times help to refine and polish

A Sweet Treat - to remind you that someone cares for you (No picture for this as I haven't bought the sweets yet).

At the bottom of the box I've put some Free Hug Vouchers which she can redeem when my other friend and I visit her. I hope we'll have some fun taking each bag out of the box and maybe we'll have some sweetie eating and a bit of hugging thrown in.

Please take one of these virtual vouchers and accept a virtual hug from me. If you'd like to pinch the pic to put on one of your own posts you can send some more virtual hugs around to all your blog buddies.

Take care all.

xx

Bus pass day out

I thought the powers that be would scrap it before I was eligible for it but no they didn't and it arrived in the post. Well what could I do but go out, catch a bus and see if it worked. It did!!!!

And it worked on the trams.

Hey, hey, hey!

The only downfall is the wanting to rush up to a bus stop to catch a bus that's approaching (not a really good idea as with my luck I'd fall over) and all the waiting around for buses that are late.

My only mistake so far is missing the stop where I was supposed to get off!

xx

Be prepared

Before I put away some summer clothes I've decided to put together 'outfits' so I'm not frantically searching in drawers for a top that matches. (How organised is that!)

Now should I note this down in my Filofax? :)

All my winter clothes in the wardrobe now seem to be either black or brown.

Good idea ...

… while it lasted. I thought these Apricot Bars would make a nice, last minute present for Christmas so decided to try out the recipe now so I would know how to 'knock them up' at short notice. The ingredients are just mixed together with no baking and it did say that they just take a few minutes to make - Ho, Ho, Ho!

An hour and a bit later after cleaning up work surfaces, bowls, and floor I decided that it was …

back to the drawing board.

xx

Fruit Harvest

5 plums and ...

3 apples.

I don't think my cordon pruning was quite correct!

:(

PS The apples are big ones though.

Corners

One five minute whizz round and 12 corners clicked.

Juke box remote!!!!

Music mag rack

Today we will be eating beans!

Crockery cupboard

Calendar

Broad beans drying

Harvest today

DH's unusual plant collection

Tidy gardening drawer

Tidy top drawer with cat toys and batteries

Gardening rest time

Puss rest time

xx

Harvest Hunkering

Our New Life in the Country is busily freezing, bottling and preserving food for the winter and has a challenge of eating for free for as long as she can. It's a worthy challenge which will save money in the long run. I've found that in the summer months we live off home grown veg. and fruit rather than buying it in. I thought I'd call the preserving, freezing and bottling of this bounty  -

Harvest Hunkering,

saving our excess to use up in the winter months as opposed to buying in produce. I am joining in this challenge and for myself I shall endeavour to use up the harvest in the freezer though out the cooler seasons.

Hey that's more organisation for my Filofax - now I need a shopping section and a freezer section in order for my Harvest Hunkering to work smoothly. :}

xx

PS 12 more plum crumbles have been cooked and frozen along with 2 bags of plums for the making of jam. Now I'm off to cut up those prolific courgettes and bag them for the freezer.

Happy Hunkering!

PPS Now what can I do with grapes? I've tried freezing them whole but I didn't eat all of them.

A little bit of sitting, contemplation and observation

When sitting and contemplating on the loo, observing pussycattos and bits on the floor I often ask myself the question, "Who is it that is responsible for picking up the said bits?" Aha! I know the answer - me.

When brushing my teeth and observing the gunge around the basin who is it that is responsible for getting rid of the grot and making the sink sparkle again? Me!

While getting dressed in the morning who is it that is going to rid the skirting boards of dust first?

Guess who? Me.

Now with my super, duper Home Organisation in my Filofax these subjects could be a thing of the past. Just a little bit of time each day doing one or two tasks could open up the subject choices of my daydreaming. No fretting over cleaning for me - I have a system - not proven yet, I know, but going well so far.

Forget Fly Lady, here comes Miraculous Mum, who will take sitting and contemplating on the loo to a whole new level. Fret not now about bits on the floor and dusty skirtings and wonder at the sparkling beauty of the rooms around you.

xx

PS The old toothbrush is my special service tool number 1 for getting into small crevices around plug holes, taps, windows and skirting boards. Works a treat.

PPS Is it only me that contemplates the room around me while sitting you know where?

:}