Sunday afternoon

A bitterly cold grey day here in Peterborough for Valentine's Day the sort of day where you do not really want to do very much but huggle in the warmth, keep warm and chill. 

Missy agrees wholeheartedly and is often found assuming the laid back position.

It is on days like this that I really miss having a proper log fire or a Rayburn/Aga style cooker as they do keep the house warm.  I grew up with them as my grandmother had these and the first cottage I remember living in as a little girl also had a cast iron stove as well.  When we moved to Peterborough there was also a Rayburn fire in the house which was lovely and warm and really belted the heat out.  

I have a lot I could do and I should have been doing the kitchen but that will now have to wait until tomorrow.   I am choosing instead to take time out and potter.  My pottering has included thus far reading different bits and bobs on the internet for things I want to have a go at later in this year and doing some research for some other projects I have in mind from some of my numerous books.  I tend to work ahead a little wherever I can.  Those little bits of input gradually build up so that you have something viable to deal with at the end of the day little by little and bit by bit.  This includes sorting out some new to me recipes for making different preserves to what I am used to making later on, hopefully from my own garden produce this year, but if not from sourced alternatives.

We had the last of the pasties each for brunch and they went down very well; an unusual choice, but very warming.

I have tea to cook later on.  We are having a rib of beef, home made Yorkshire Pudding, peas, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. I may do roasties as well.  So that will be very much something warming to look forward to.

I am also recycling things such as jars where I can.  Usually recycle sauce jars from Dolmio and Pataks Pasta sauces or indeed Sharwood jars.  They all take a standard jar lid as supplied by Lakeland and are easily recyclable.  I always use new lids on my jars and do not reuse old ones at all.  I usually buy in Dill Pickled cucumbers for OH as he has a passion for them.  They are his sweeties and he goes through them quickly but the jars are a nice size and ideal for recycling home made pickled baby beets, shallots, pickled onions and smaller portions of pickled eggs.  I am hoping to grow enough Gherkins this year to do my own for him so that we do not have to buy in (I normally get mine from the Local Polish Shop.

OH is also rather partial to mushrooms with a fried breakfast and we seem to be going through no end of them at the moment.  I am recycling the trays that they come in for setting smaller quantities of seed in the greenhouse when I can get out there.  Might also look into seeing whether can grow some mushrooms at home the rate he is going through them at the moment.  I am particularly fond of Oyster mushrooms.

My crochet is slowly progressing.  I now have 47 completed squares.  I still have to keep at it as I am going to add some white ones to the blanket as well which will mean I will need to buy more wool and then recalculate how many white squares I need to work to complete it.  At the moment I am thinking that they are going to surround the main blanket itself as a plain border.

Some of the squares worked so far.

After that I have a couple of hot water bottle covers to finish off.

I will then start on the star blanket working the white centres.

And piggy back between that and another blanket that needs finishing off and joining together.

Once those are out of the way with, I will then concentrate on the odds and sods blanket that I am predominantly going to be making out of scraps and in reality will probably be a blanket that will be going on in the background for the best part of the year.  

I literally am just working the centres at the moment. The centres are a 

I try and have a variety of projects on the go as sometimes all I have time for is a few rows here and there and on smaller scrap squares if my tension changes it will not be as noticeable whereas on a bigger blanket it may well spoil the appearance.  I have also found that doing some crochet every day is helping to keep my hands moving and reasonably supple.

Right am off to potter a little more.

Catch you later.

Pattypan

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