TARRAGON & THYME

Here's wishing all my family, friends, Internet friends and forum friends a Happy 2013. I hope it is filled with love wealth and happiness and would like to thank you for following my little blog and my frequent mutterings and for your support whether quietly in the background or posting comments. May this year bring you everything your heart desires Bottoms up and Happy 2013 Pattypan x

Well we are officially into the last full day of 2012.  It is cold here but not as cold as it has been but the wind is howling her head off and making wooden fences swing in her long exhales attempting to blow the flimsy panels into oblivion.  It is quiet in the house; the cats are asleep never far from me cosy and warm OH is upstairs fast asleep with Missy.  OH is working tomorrow and I am awaiting on the tumble drier drying his work clothes.  They will not be long and then I can put them to air. However whilst I am on my own it is  time to let my mind wander to look back on the past year which in parts has been very good although the drout then the torrential rain and its impact on our growing season has been quite immense and impacted on us all indirectly.  All  of us are suffering from the lack of sun as it does our bones good.  It gives us vitamin D although we do not need over exposure to her rays we do need her warmth for other benefits....

Hello everyone hope you had a good Christmas. It has been a lazy day here today - I am recovering from how not to do Christmas - everything went wrong at the last moment - but Christmas still happened even though not how planned and I nearly made myself ill in the process. But apart from that it wasn't too bad. Needless to say that is not going to happen again so I have decided to start Christmas early i.e. from the 1 January 2013 in an effort to get things done so that I can in future enjoy the run up to Christmas properly and take pleasure in the preparation work.  OH was not around due to his working commitments when he was needed and because at the moment I do not drive and have problems carrying things it became a bit of an unnecessary and sometimes painful  slog.  I have also decided to budget for Christmas and my preserving exploits from early in the New Year so that I have the pennies there to take advantage of seasonal fruits and also have Christmas paid...

Wants to wish you all a very Merry Christmas where you are safe, warm and dry and with your loved ones just simply being I wish every single one of  my friends in real life, and my followers here and my friends in blogland and the different forums I frequent a happy fulfilling time over this holiday period enjoying each other's company but also having a little compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves.  However you celebrate have a good peaceful holiday. From my home to yours Cheers Pattypan xx

. 'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment i...

Things have been a tad hectic round here this last week or so and in the past day or so I have started grocery shopping for ingredients not ready made things. I object to paying through the nose for items that I can quite easily make myself.  I love cooking and I am not one of these ladies who cannot cook.  Granted I am a plain cook but the more you practice something the better you get at it.  Bit like riding a bicycle you fall off your perch once or twice until you find your way around it and then its free wheeling all the way. I am no different to many other ladies and gents doing the shopping but I do not drive and this year I have not had the services of the OH to run around to either come and collect shopping from town or to run me down into town; due mainly to the shift pattern he has been rostered on to so I have to walk everywhere.  The walking does me good, but when you have some extremly heavy bags and you live over a mile from town (without going rou...

No, not me the dog.  Every so often we give her a freshen up in the sink tonight being the designated night  - it takes two of us to sort her out as she is none too keen at going in but not too bad once we have started.  Much as we love her she was getting a little too pongy to be bought out into company - so bath it was.  We got her in lathered her up rinsed her off (we use a gentle shampoo that can be used for the cats and the dogs). [ Think Demetri and Squeak might  be next].  Dried her off - they have their own towels as well and she stands and lets you give her a good rub down then it runs  - it goes stark raving lunatic material running backwards and forwards like a highly trained athlete, back wards and forwards then we will roll in mum's washing pile then off we go again into the front room slide along the carpet - you would think she was on ice skates.  She then stops starts licking her lips as much to say say where's me tea then.  ...

I acquired a couple of books about Christmas the other day for £1 a piece with some really different bits and pieces in.  One of these has a whole section for sweetmeats.   Originally and traditionally "sweetmeats" referred to a table with lots of little bits and bobs of "tempters" to tease the palate and in the Victorian age to tempt the gentlemen to linger over port.  A tradition that is carried on to this day although probably more better known in a different guise.  What exactly are sweetmeats, Fudge, chocolate rum truffles, pretty frosted fruits, chocolate covered tangerines or grapes, coconut ice, Marzipan fruits, Turkish delight, Turrone, Torrone Molle Peppermint creams, toasted almonds or hazlenuts, sugared almonds etc etc.  The tin of sweets on the coffee table that we all tuck into and nibble at whilst we are watching the Christmas TV (well that is the commercialised version) all constitute sweetmeats and come Christmas I always try and make a few...

I love Italian goodies like Panforte, Ricciarelli, Amaretti, Panetone, Torrone., Mostarda da fruita..... sounds very sexy before we realise what in actual fact we are eating and then it does not fail to disappoint. OH has received a lovely present from his new employer (apparently every member of staff gets this at Chrismas) a Pannetone and a bar of Torrone (Nougat).  The parent company of the firm he works for is Italian and apparently they ship in from Italy these items for every member of staff ( and its a large Pannetone in a lovely big box which is designated to be recycled into a hat box for my closet  with some additional decoupage additions -  everything has potential in an effort to waste not want not).   Pannetone can be used in several ways.  I intend to get a couple of pots of Christmas Compote from M & S to serve with this  (Next year I intend to bottle my own) and some cream but it also makes a delightful bread and butter puddi...

Have you bought your cranberries yet.  I always buy some at this time of year as I make my own Cranberry and Apple jelly to go ostensibly with the Christmas Turkey, however in reality what usually happens is that I make a lot of fresh cranberry and orange sauce/relish to go with the main event and then to be eaten up with cold cuts over the next few days and then when the Cranberries are reduced either just before Christmas or Just after I buy a load more and then turn them into Cranberry and Apple Jelly for the coming year as Cranberry sauce is used a lot in this household whether a smidgeon is popped into flavour gravy, used in sandwiches or an addition to a sauce lets just say I usually go through quite a lot of it. Its quite funny really as I was less than impressed on my first introduction to it as to my darling father was putting Jam on his Turkey.  It did not help that my mother was less than impressed at that stage too and a child always looks to its parents for r...

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 I nipped into town this afternoon as I was looking for a few small Christmas presents some of which I found but I was quite surprised to find an event on the Cathederal grounds.  Peterborough has just as much history under the streets as York if not more. We have a beautiful Cathederal and I have thought for sometime that we needed an event through the town and in the Cathederal grounds like the Christmas Market in Lincoln.  I came upon it by chance I had not seen any advertising for it and I am local.  So if I missed it quite a lot of other people have.  I had a quick wander round and everyone was in costume and there were lots of old traditional crafts as well. I must say I was very taken with it.  The event started Thursday night and is on until Sunday afternoon at 4.30 p.m..  Tonight and tomorrow night the event will be open until 9 pm at night with various things going on throughout the day within the Cathederal grounds.  I believe also tha...

The Bells of waiting Advent ring, The To rtoise stove is li t again And lamp-oil light across the night Has caught the streaks of winter rain In many a stained-glass window sheen From Crimson Lake to Hooker's Green The holly in the windy hedge And round the Manor House the yew Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge, The altar, font and arch and p ew, So that the villagers can say "The Church looks nice " on Christmas Day. Provincial public houses blaze And Corpor ation tra mcars clang, On lighted tenements I gaze Where paper decorations hang, And bunting in the red Town Hall Says "Merry Christmas" to you all. An d London shops on Christmas Eve Are s trung with silver balls and flowers As hurrying clerks the City leave To pigeon- haunted classic towers, And marbled clouds go scudding by The many-steepled London sky. And girls in slacks remember Dad, And oafish louts remember Mum , And sleepless children's hearts are glad And ...

I have had a rare treat in the past couple of days the December edition of  Country Living and the January edition.  Both have lovely things in. However I have spotted this recipe for Crystallised Pears in that said publication which I had hoped to actually make for this Christmas; unfortunately now I do not think I will achieve this as I got somewhat distracted with other things and also forgot to put this post up in time  However I pop this up now in order that you can pop it in your recipe list for something different to make for the cost of some fruit some sugar and a segments of time over a ten day period when you have not so much to do. I think from reading the article the recipe is by Alison Walker.  She has a book out called A Country Cook's Kitchen which I intend to get in due course, it is a bit pricy at £25 but it sounds like my sort of book apparently covering all aspects of the country kitchen.  And we all subscribe to that one way or a...

For a long time I have had a recipe for a fortified Orange wine which was published in the Aromatic gifts book by Stephanie Donaldson and a smashing book it is too.  This first recipe uses red wine and sounds all very scrummy to me and was first introduced to her by a French Au Pair who had been living with them.  It is traditionally opened on Christmas Eve (reveillon).  Ideally should be made at least two months before Christmas but once made will keep for three or four years.  Might be one to make and put up as Christmas presents. The second recipe I found in January's edition of Country Living but this uses white wine.  The methods and ingredients for both recipes use the same ingredients and have different curing times and just a slightly different process between the recipes in producing this home made liqueur. Here are both recipes for you to decide to make one or the other or both.  I thought I would make a couple of batches of each version in Ja...

Well that's all the brass cleaned for the lounge.  Still have a load to go through for the dining room.  £3 a tin of Brasso sacrilege.  I have problems with my hands in that I cannot grip or hold anything for too long and if I am continually scrubbing at things it hurts my hands.  I have found that Brasso is the best for cleaning all my ornaments what I do is put it on with tissue rub it in well until it is going  black then take off any excess with another cloth.  Tonight I have used a couple of microfibre cloths I had to finish it off and I am extremely pleased with the results.  The lounge itself is more or less done apart from the carpet which will get cleaned tomorrow night after I come home later on.  I am going to a friends tomorrow evening which I am quite looking forward to so it will be a bit of a rush when I get in tomorrow, but hey its that time of year. Then once the carpet is done it is just the cushion covers to be washed and th...

Its a bit like playing sardines here at themoment.  We have the Christmas decoration boxes in just and this morning have been to get a new TV stand for the television; which OH promptly built up; as a knock on with that we have had all the cables out from under the TV cleaned them and retied them; I have polished the Video and DVD shelfs behind and sorted out everything tickety booh. It looks quite smart.  I will have to put some of the brass and copper ornaments out of the way as with the new TV stand it has taken up more room than I anticipated.  We are having to move very gingerly and carefully.    Hopefully it should look nice once I have finished.  Have just stopped for a tea break am hoping to get the lounge completely finished tonight and then another night I can start on the Christmas tree and decorations.  Will post piccies when all that is sorted out. Fortunately I sorted the bookshelves out the other evening.  That is the front d...

Hello and good evening everyone sorry I have been away for so long I had hoped during this week off that I would have been able to get on more regularly and pop some posts up, but the best laid plans of mice and men.  This week was ostensibly to get the house ready for Christmas - I have another week off commencing this Friday coming, but I had hoped to be well along the line with the Christmas preparations than I am and it is not because I haven't been bogging in and not working. I haven't stopped.  I have been getting up at normal time all week!  We have had one fly in the ointment though OH has been very poorly with this Novo virus infection - lets just say he has spent quite a bit of the week closeted somewhere!  Excuse the subtle pun.  Trouble is when you have this you have to stay in and not go anywhere so that the infection does not spread elsewhere.  You cannot even go to the Doctors.  OH had a telephone appointment with our regular GP who con...

Well its been a busy few days here  and I still seem to be no further forward although I have located my fancy cake pans (well a couple of them at least) and I have found my chocolate moulds, and ginger bread cutters and snowflake cookie cutters so I am well chuffed about that.  Mind you we nearly had a cave in with the boxes locating them. Earlier on today I paid a visit to the charity shop round the corner from where I live and I have managed to pick up quite cheaply three  flat sheets which will be very handy for backing a quilt(s) in the future. A yellow double sheet, a willow coloured single sheet and a double peppermint green sheet together with a very colourful tea towel, and about four tray cloths which are going to be re-found and turned into something else in due course.   I also picked up a gorgeous gold coloured tablecloth, the tray cloths and tea towel were 50pence each and the double sheets £2 each and £1.50 for the single I have lots of ideas for ...