TARRAGON & THYME

Friday 30 October 2026 It is about three months since I went shopping for cleaning materials at Home Bargains and as a result it has been a bit of a pricier shop than usual.  Mostly due to the fact that they had a lot of the bigger bottles of cleaning items on good offers and I therefore took the opportunity to take advantage and get a really good stock in-house with bigger bottles which equates to more or less double standard bottles. I bought a couple of Poly boxes - 9 Litre ones which I intend to use in the fridge for having a go at making some cured meats and fish for Christmas.  These boxes should be big enough without being too big and taking up all the space in the fridge when it will be needed for fresh items.  I may go and get another couple of these boxes for that purpose as well, and maybe even a few more for storing items under the sink.  Will see what is needed there first though. I have also bought some new labels for my preserves.  I get a pack of...

  Part Two Well it is a couple of weeks since I have been able to get to the CS.  I nipped in today quickly and managed to get a small basket and glass compote stand (I think that is what it is called) as it dips in the middle whereas a cake stand is predominantly flat) in a ribbed design.  Both items were £2.  Very pleased with these.   It is often the little bits that are the most useful.  Hopefully will get a chance to nip in tomorrow.  Saturday seems to find the shop with different bits and bobs to what it has normally during the week and you often find the Manager doing up individual pieces as they need it.  He is good at it and has a particular interest in restoring pieces that come into the shop to show them at their best.  The shop prices are not expensive for the best part. Well I managed to get 20 minutes in the shop on Saturday in which I managed to buy a new Chestnut Pan for £2.50.  It can also be used on a Barbecue....

On Friday I had a very good grape harvest this year.  The best ever harvest.  Although some of the fruits have not gone on to make grapes and are a bit patchy but ideal for making some Grape jelly which will be a useful preserve for the Pantry shelf.  I perhaps should have harvested the grapes a little sooner, but when I tasted them the other week they were still a bit sour and I therefore opted to wait a little longer. The plant this year has gone berserk just look at these photos below and also the grapes harvested.   Now that I have harvested the grapes, the vine is about to be tidied up and trained in for next year.  The vine really has taken off this Summer and the plant is now twice the size in length that it was.   In any event the Grape jelly has been started off this evening as it needs dealing with rapidly.  Although the bunches of grapes are small, their flavour is quite sweet and the fruits are bluey-coloured.  Unfortunately ...

I had a very enjoyable trip into town today.  I walked in it is a while since I have done so and it did me good.  Unfortunately if I walk into town these days, I cannot carry anything that I have bought back home,.  I grab a taxi and then get delivered straight to my door without any extra walking.  I will probably tootle in more to have a look before Christmas to see what bits and bobs I can find. Every year I gather a few crafting items together.  Sometimes I get to them another time they get used the following year, but they are safe and ready to use when I need them.  The older I am getting though, I want to add more handmade items to the tree and my decorations generally. I went into Flying Tiger today as they normally have some interesting pieces, but nothing that took my fancy today. It may still be a little early for their Christmas stock. B & M I then went on to B & M and had a walk through there.  Although I bought some items, I have ...