2011.10.09 My Day

I didn't rise very early this morning as I slept like a log.  I went over to check on Tiddles and stayed with him for about half an hour and had him playing, fed and watered him.  We then went for a walk down by the river.  It wasn't cold the breeze although gusty was warm although underfoot was damp and there was that peculiar damp woody smell in the air; but it was pleasant and it was good to get out in the fresh air to blow the cobwebs away.  We are going to get the horseradish this week and I am going to put this up in the freezer.  We are both partial to horseradish sauce but also put this into dips etc.   Autumn is really with us now.  Its a day for hugging the house and hopefully next weekend I will get to my mum's and also be able to go and get my crab apples for another preserving session.

Needless to say the washing machine has been in overdrive - due to my absence yesterday the soft rythmic swishing of the water in the machine greeting you each time you go into the kitchen.

The cats are hugging the house too today Demetri certainly doesn't seem to want to go anywhere, and Squeak where else is sprawled on the bed curled up fast asleep.

I am still tired but not as shattered so today I am not really doing much it is a day of pottering and attending to tasks that I have been meaning to do and get out of the way for ages.

One of these tasks involved me spending some time preparing the teasels that I have already dried and I have now stripped all the prickles off the stems with a very sharp knife just running it up and down the dried stems (the last big batch just got put to dry first but I normally take them off before drying - you can do it either way), so no injury can be caused to anyone's hands.  I have quite a few more of these to do for the decorations that I have in mind for later on.  Once I have obtained them and got them dried then the Teasels will get a gold paint job but all that will happen in a few weeks time.  Nearer Christmas I am going to have an afternoon playing and may well invite my friend over to join in the fun to get part of the decorations out of the way with whilst I can and before more pressing matters take precedence.

I have also made some celery salt (see separate post) for dipping hard boiled eggs or miniature quails eggs into - during the next week or so I will be doing my pickled eggs both hens and quails eggs.

We have had rib eye steak, done on the griddle, tomatoes, home made chips, and fried onions served with bread and butter for tea, followed with meringues and mixed fruit and cream (tinned cream) for pudding.  All out of The Pantry and the Freezers  - not a penny spent this weekend on any shopping, using up some of what we have  - it will be replenished again shortly.

Hope you have all had a lovely day

Catch up with you soon

Pattypan

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