TARRAGON & THYME

..in Peterborough and has been for most of the day.  We have even had news that out Wisbech way there was a flurry of snow -that was this morning.  It turns out that we had a flurry of slow this morning in Peterborough.  We have also had a few flakes of snow whilst I have been in town.  I think the snow looks pretty but on a practical basis it makes it difficult getting around.  We shall see if we have any overnight.  Those of you who have the snow just take it steady and keep safe. I have a lovely thick jacket that OH bought me to keep me warm but today because of the biting wind it seemed to go straight through me.  I took my shawl that I keep at work out with me to try and keep the wind blowing through me when I finished work as I needed to go into town to look for a present for a friend.   So off I pootled phone in hand  - then it died.  The arrangement was that OH would come and collect me when I was ready and all I had to do wa...

Since the Sunday shennagins (when indeed I did cut my leg) things have been a bit quieter I hasten to add. Phew! I am still very busy here at home as I am at work but that is par for the course.  I am on holiday next week and I really have a heck of a lot to do to the house prior to Christmas and prior to an inspection which is due to take place on 18 December, when again I am off for the week before Christmas yay!  I also need to lick the first part of the back garden into shape.  I have plans to get a couple of small Christmas trees, some more bay trees - standards, and probably some outdoor cyclamen if I can as well as a couple of holly standards.  I have Ivy hanging baskets already although I could do with another couple of box.  I have two large white lanterns which I intend to pop some pillar candles into - to set the scene.  I also have the shed to stain - I chose Seagrass colour which should show up nicely if it snows but also go with the small...

About four months ago we had a house inspection where I gave the person who inspected the house a whole list of items that needed doing including that we needed a new toilet pan/bathroom as the toilet pan was cracked and the bath is rusty in the bottom (it was when we moved in and the Landlady the current Landlord's mum chose to do nothing about it - that was 30 years ago. Nothing has happened at all since that inspection and another one is shortly due. This morning I nipped to the loo, sat down there was a hell of a clatter and I sank looked to see what had happened and there was a large chunk of porcelain on the floor from the toilet pan.  The toilet pan had broken so that we could not flush it.  Major problem.  Sunday morning panic (late Sunday morning).  I came up stairs to report to OH  told him what had happened and tried to resist the need to bust into fits of giggles, but it was very clear he was  not at all happy!  I simply had not do...

I have been searching for this for yonks and as I had not found any I thought that with the take over of the company that I had sourced it from originally i.e. Fussells and there was another supplier as well, that with so many useful products that was it. However I was talking to a friend at work who completely out of the blue mentioned it and I remarked that I had not seen it for years and she said that her mum had got her it recently from B & M, but it is called something slightly different to what it used to be.  Knowing that some of you will also remember this very useful little product I thought I would share. So a trip to B & M was in order.  I subsequently went and I found it and snaffled seven tins for the pantry shelf as this is something that we always used to have with jelly and fruit for Sunday evening tea.  I am so pleased to have found it again, thanks to a friend at work. I had some last night with pudding the rest is in the fridge just...

For this year is today. The first Sunday in advent, the time to light the first Christmas candle and the day when Christmas puddings are traditionally made.  So if you have not made them yet now is the time to get cracking if you can and get them made so that they are matured in time for Christmas.  Do not forget to get the family all lined up to give a stir of the pudding (and make a wish) for good luck for the coming year (whenever you make it). There is nothing quite like a home made Christmas pudding. Full spicy, tasty and then there is the ceremony of pouring spirt over the pudding and flaming it on Christmas Day. Below are two previous posts I have written re the Christmas pudding including the recipe I use which is a Delia one.  The only real amendments I make are that  I use a combination of Guinnes and Cider to mix the pudding and I also add a grated carrot and and a grated apple. http://tarragonnthyme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/advent-sunday-stir-up...

Just a quick pop in.  B itterly cold here today.  Very much soup weather.  So rather than making my own like I usually do I gave in and bought some from the Co-Op. The only reason being I was so cold I did not want to end up with a cold and good warming food usually ensures that you keep healthy.  I bought Minestrone but we were not keen.  Even OH tried because it was Minestrone, but its not what he thinks of as Minestrone.  So I will not be buying that again and will be making my own from now on in.  The only reason I bought was that I needed a solution to an immediate problem.  OH informed me that I should carry on with my usual practice of adding in what I think rather than following a specific recipe as he thinks it is more flavourful that way on. (Back-handed compliment?  Not sure). Never mind I have bought two chickens; they will be roasted together. One will be for dinner the other together with the pickings from the first chicken...

I hate to be cold and you can in an old house get very cold very quickly so on the rare occasions I sit for any length of time I do get cold.  I went to TK Maxx today and found two lovely lightweight wraps to pop over my legs for when I sit.  They are in a beautiful cherry/Christmas red and lovely limey green; both Christmas colours.  I am extremely chuffed with these. I have also managed to source some white linen napkins with a gold star on each - I could not find anymore plain ones but I will keep my eyes open for those.  I think they will put in an appearance before long and then I will use them to embroider something on.  A good idea for some Christmas presents or a housewarming present once I get to grips with the embroidery machine. I must admit the more research I am doing the more beautiful designs I am finding and am excited at the prospect of actually doing some of these wonderful things for myself.  But that is for another time. I h...

I have a Paypal account.   Someone has tried to hack my account this account this week. It all started with what appears to be a simple email from Paypal.  "D ear, We apologise for the inconvenience but we don't recognise the device for your security, we need to confirm your identity. 1.  Download the attached document and open it in a secure browser. 2.  Follow the verification process to protect your account. I f y ou have bought a new computer or are using one you have not previously used.  You may have changed the settings on your browser or switched to a new browser.  You may have deleted your cookies. Your Internet Service provider may have changed settings on their system.  And remember you can always log in directly to Paypal in the profile settings areas. Yours sincerely Paypal" I suspected that it was not a legitimate email.  It invited me to download a document in order to contact them.  I have chosen not ...

Its been a bit busy here again this week; do not seem to have five minutes to myself so I am grabbing these few moments just to pop in and let you know I am just about in the land of the living. Its very rough with the wind outside at the moment blowing a right hooley yet it seems mild - no heating on in the house at the moment will probably go on a little later, but not for the moment. I popped into B & M at dinner and ended up bringing home a few bits and bobs.  I think I will be popping back for a couple more bits and bobs over the next few days or so.  Its good for foodie bits as well so some more supplies for the pantry have also found their way home.  The Ferrero Rocher chocolates are the cheapest I have seen them so far this year at £6 a tray (the larger tray) at the moment.  I have also bought some little artificial candles in a pack of 12.  I might get some more as I might be able to make some embroidered candle holders to go around the out...

But boy has it been cold.  I have been busy in the kitchen sorting out a lot of my preserving stuff.  A lot of it does not live in the house as a rule but lives in the shed.  I am talking preserving jars, and large pans, the stuff that clutters you up but not the expensive equipment.  It has all been sorted ready to be transplanted back into its original home and then I can start to get a little tidier in the house.  Everything has a home and everything a place.  This has entailed an awful lot of washing and drying by hand.  But it needed doing. We then walked Missy - Not a lovely sunset like last night not a flicker of one all overcast cloudy grey and orrible. I was glad I had my lovely thick jacket on and my gloves.  We gave her a good run in any event she is like a rocket when she is let off.  She frightened herself tonight as without realising it she put a rabbit up - it startled her  but she ended up going in the wrong directio...

I nipped into the Charity Shop yesterday and picked these two meat platters up for £2.  They are in  excellent condition and I am very pleased with them.  They will be put to good use over Christmas and will blend in well with the Ivy crockery I already have. Then there were the silk flower decorations.  They match well with some items I had already bought. These are for the front room/lounge -  some have missing flowers but I should be able to save those to make a good set. I also managed to source another four gold glasses with twisted stems.  I bought a few of these last year but I collect gold coloured glasses in particular especially for the Christmas table. It is an ongoing collection.  I did find some nice new ones in Dunhelm but I am not paying £28 for four glasses. I also found two amber/gold matching serving dishes with a pretty fluted edge for £2 the pair during the week as well so it will all blend in well with th...

Was absolutely stunning but I fear my pictures taken on my  mobile do not do it justice. Catch you soon. PP

I have been out again today and not doing what I should be doing.  Big sigh!  This time to The Range and I have come back with some goodies. I like The Range.  As usual I have a couple of things on the go and I am busy collating bits and bobs towards those things. I have even this year sent for a Christmas bedding seen in golds and creams. I am very much a collector.  The bedroom will get sorted and probably decorated after Christmas but as I have a couple of large mirrors in the bedroom I have been looking for something to accentuate said mirrors.  I have come away with two turquoise butterflies which will do what I want them to do.  I have a few more decorations as well ranging between country folksy and Victorian decorations and some very large jingle bells to hang off some of my garlands.  I have also bought some crafting items.  I have plenty of  Christmas style stamps already and I thought that some of my brown wrapping paper cou...

Well I managed to get up on town and walk to the Station and I even  managed to get on the right train.  According to the time plan when I first booked my ticket online train should have arrived at about 10:30 am.  Then when I checked up which platform I had to leave from it said arrival 10:00am.  In reality we arrived at around 9:50am and I was waiting for my cousin to arrive outside of the station. I have had a fantastic day with my baby coz.  We started off in the coffee shop with a bacon buttie and coffee each, then had some cheesecake and then another coffee and then caught a taxi back to hers.  In reality when we were younger we used to leg it around the City but a few years have passed since then and muggins is not as able as she used to be and my cousin sustained hairline fractures to both feet last year and since then has had difficulty walking with her right foot.  We had a quick shifty around the indoor market which has changed so m...

By the time that you read this post I should hopefully be in full swing in respect of operation Christmas.  I have the radio on and am working away downstairs trying to create order of our chaos. It is going to be a bit of a busmans holiday i.e. that I am going to be working most of my holiday apart from one day.  But there we are.  It does not look as if I am going to get time to do any crafting apart from my day with my cousin, but hey ho nonny no the work I have to do needs doing. So perhaps it is a good thing that I have booked an away day.  At least if nothing else to get my jelly roll quilt started.  So it is just a brief nip in. I have determined that I need to get up with OH and do normal hours otherwise I will still be asleep instead of being able to get on. I have to be disciplined about this and despite me wanting to crash it just cannot happen.  I am not firing on all cylinders this morning in any event as I had another bad sicky attack...

A further update on some of the bits I have managed to pull together in readiness for Christmas/New year.  Still some bits to get. Items acquired so far for the Christmas food stash (Updated12.11.2017) Pantry Items 8 bags of sultanas 8 bags of raisins 8 bags of currants 6 pots of cherries 6 pots of mixed peel 2 jars redcurrant jelly (Waitrose own) 2 Jars cranberry jelly (Waitrose own) 2 jars mint jelly Two bags of whole almonds (needed for Dundee Cake and Christmas cake) Four bags of ground almonds (these I use a lot of so may add some more bags yet) 4 tins of Strawberries 6 tins of Pineapple rings I should add that the majority of the above items should take me through to the New Year as the bulk of them are for baking and I do not bake fruit items every week.  I would rather make my own cakes than purchase them. Drinks 1 bottle of Delaneys Irish cream liqueur 1 bottle of port special reserve 1 bottle of green ginger wine. ...