I am very determined to get back on track

With the house, the paperwork, with everything.  I need to take control again and make the pennies work for us.  

Today has not been a good day.  I spent most the morning fine tuning the application.  Then sent it off.  I had intended having a break doing something pleasant but that did not transpire either and I ended up sorting out some stuff in the computer room.  I now have a deep stash of paperwork to work through. So that is going to be restored to order and sense made of that with it being stored appropriately.  I must get into better routines and time management at home especially if I am to return to work.

Whilst still in summer although autumn is lurking I am aiming to get as much of my washing out onto the line that OH has strung up for me. I will do this for as long as I can before having to locate to the tumble drier.  However as mentioned before I am hoping to have the drying rail from Lakeland at some point.  Probably after I return to work as the operating costs are somewhat cheaper. than the tumbler so this means planning the washing out better too.

Once the kitchen is restored I will set too and start doing things from scratch again.  I have plans to bake once a week and also to freeze an awful lot of stuff up in readiness for use and then we can cook them from frozen.  I am thinking meat pies, Cornish pasties, stews, cottage pie etc. that can be prepared in batch and then frozen ready for good meals during the week.  As I have said to OH, until we get ourselves really well and truly sorted we are going to have to go back to a bog standard monthly basics shop to ensure that we have what we need to survive the month.  I also this year want to put up an awful lot of stuff in advance in readiness for Christmas.  The freezers are empty at the moment and due to be stripped out as well.   That is a job for OH and for me together and is likely to be a weekend job.

I have a multi pot cooker and slow cookers as well as an equivalent to an Instant Pot which I have not used yet so time to get that out and get it into action.

I also want to get to grips with bread, soups.  Canning stuff on a regular basis and the Dehydrator.  I also want to have a proper go at making my own Charcuterie style products.  The wine coolers are in the shed and one of them at least is going to be turned into a "meat cave" the other could yet be turned into a "cheese cave".  Will see how things go.  I have been researching recipes and You Tube tutorials on different things as well.  So those are all stashed ready for use. Now to collate the ingredients.  Will be a lot easier to do this once the freezers are back in action and the pantry is sorted.

Organisation is the key to it all.  The slow cookers are definitely worth their weight in gold. However I am also a fan of traditional pressure cookers having nearly always had them although I need to replace the ones I have.

I love cooking in any event and it is not a chore for me but a pleasure.  Basically I am going back to my roots.  The way my Nan did it the way my Mum did it.  Got them through lots of tough times and will continue to get me through too.

One of the lovely things I have experienced this year is that "fingers crossed" I have not had too much fatigue this year perhaps because I have been out in the sun more and I don't feel too bad overall and I have not been working.   Occasionally I have been tired out and had to rest but not as much as I have been in the past.  I hope it continues.

So its going to be all systems go on all areas and fronts.  My main area to do though still is the kitchen.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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