TARRAGON & THYME

 I think the older I am getting the more I realise just how time for me is passing so quickly and yet I still have a whole load of living to do.  For each of us that "living" is very different and for me it breaks down into segments of things I want to do, things I want to make, things I want to achieve etc.  I think generally speaking we all make small steps day by day towards those goals and dreams without realising it and I think the New Year is really about re-setting your focus and your plans on what you hope to achieve within that year without overloading yourself. For me setting something in a statement, from past experience and knowing what I am like often results in me not achieving what I had set out to do.  I am learning that if I re-set my focus and work on things predominantly one at a time, with some preparation going on in the background for other things, day by day I achieve so much more. I also believe for instance that whilst I am working away at my...

Monday Meals on Monday were nice and simple.  We had poached eggs on toast for breakfast and then I set too and did some baking and made a load of Sausage Rolls some of which were served hot for tea, with a full cold pick and mix spread of coleslaw, salad, cheese, pickles, chutney etc.  I was in picking mode and so was OH.  However it went down very nicely.  Otherwise it was another quiet day where I got stuck in on a bit of knitting. Tuesday After all the cooking of the past few days, I am inclined towards simplicity and ease than to getting stuck in full throttle with the cooking.   We had a bought pie known as "Moo and Blue" Pie, with mash and gravy.  Comfort food after another long and grey cloudy day which has been a little warmer, but it is still damp.  Needless to say it went down very nicely. After all the richness of the Christmas eating I am yearning for simpler food. Wednesday We have had a pick n mix meal again using up the ham, pickle...

In the quiet time between Christmas and New Year when I try to catch my breath after the busyness of Christmas, I like to start making outline plans for the year yet to come.  This coming year I intend to try and make more of the time that I do have with what I have available to me.  I did not do too badly this past year, but can always do better. There is a large plastic box in my back room, which I have allocated to store handmade items  It is just an ordinary plastic box with a lid and it is empty at the moment.   Come New Year, it will be no ordinary box as I intend to start to slowly fill it with crafted items either for my home, myself, as presents for family and friends.  It is somewhere safe to put things so that I can locate them when I need them.  The size of the box indeed helps with that as it is one of the largest ones I have to hand.  As I recover space elsewhere, the things for myself and my home will go to "new storage homes" and t...

Was a nice quiet one in many respects, but as usual I was in the kitchen juggling as usual.  Fortunately this time round never dropped a ball once apart from not taking a photo of the cooked Turkey. I buy a lot of fresh veg.  I prefer fresh veg all round if I can. However that is not always possible.  One thing I do tend to do at Christmas is buy a stalk of Brussel Sprouts.  They keep marvellously fresh in this fashion as they are. They also provide a small "cabbage" at the top which can be steamed and served with a little butter.  One of the advantages of a fresh stalk of Brussels.  Also keeps the Brussel Sprouts fresher being on the stalk.  We love Brussel sprouts here and they soon get eaten. Leftovers are usually turned into Bubble and Squeak, which is why I always cook mashed potato with the Christmas dinner. Equally, a lot of preparation takes place on Christmas Eve.  A lot of the veggies get prepared in particular, including the chopped veg...

  I came across this on You Tube purely by chance and thought that would share with the inner child in all of you that is always looking for an opportunity to escape being an adult. For me this is still one of the most charming of stories to be read on Christmas Eve especially for the littlies. There are various versions available on You Tub, but this year I have chosen this one. If you can grab a child's attention whilst they are young you give them the gift of make believe and magic that will last a lifetime.  It helps their imaginations, and imagination is required to bring the best out of anything not just books. Just think of the potential and of the marvellous person they will become.  It does not do you any harm either.  Escapism is more than okay as long as  you do not forget to come back and check into your reality, which is in most cases a necessary evil!  Only joking. Here is Michael Buble reading Twas the Night Before Christmas. Link also at...

  Sometimes seamlessly traditions pass from parent to child, from generation to generation.  It may be in the form of story-telling, it may be in the form of a recipe, but most of all it is love transcending the generations, reaching out to those who by reason of being part of your family (and this includes blended families, blood family members and friends). Leaving a touch of their character and vibrancy behind, but as I say most of all love that is long lasting. It does not matter at the end of the day whether you have fallen out, and are not speaking as the underlying love never really dies. My brother and I were very fortunate to have loving parents' who wanted us and there was lots of laughter, but we were also corrected when needed.  They were not only our parents' but our friends too.  They also believed in teaching us themselves as well so we come from a place where we have been nurtured. From a very early age, before my brother was born, I remember the coun...

Things are a bit busy here as normal.  Turkey, Rib of Beef and sausage-meat etc. collected from the Butcher's yesterday together with the Turkey for Daughter and Rib of Beef for son.  Some shopping accomplished on the food front, although not everything and I may have to nip out tomorrow or Friday to get a few more bits.  Must say that the Butcher's was very well organised.  They had closed their Cafe in order to facilitate the collections in order that the main shop was not impacted.  Worked very well as we were then able to go around the main shop without it being overly packed with customers. We picked up a few extra bits and have some good eating to come.  As always though we will be sensible and a lot of cold cuts will be had.  I will make a lot of stuff myself such as potato salad, tomato and onion salad, mayonnaise, coleslaw, quiche (I have a Leek and Mushroom one planned a nice deep dish one) as I have plenty of cheese in the fridge with more t...

The past few days have been busy with various things; tidying, sorting stuff out, cooking, despite not being 100% but I have not been on the treadmill all the time.  Of an evening I have been knitting my throw/blanket and I am now up to 37 inches in length.  I still have another 23 inches to work, but hey ho it is going well and it is the longest piece of knitting I have ever had a go at and the widest.  Will keep plodding on with it and when it is done it will be done. I have also managed to find Christmas plants that have been reduced by half price.  I will not pay full price for a plant unless it is something pretty special, but I have managed to locate two little fir type trees, a Christmas basket, and two Poinsettias. I like a bit of greenery around the house at Christmas not just with real decorations but also with plants.  Cheers the place up a bit. I also bought some fresh Sage plants which are going into planters outside of the back door.  Apparent...

Last night, I managed to do about 4 inches of knitting on my blanket.  It is now 31 inches deep and has to be 60 inches by the time it is finished.  I must say that this is the longest piece of knitting I have ever attempted.  Still a long way to go. It has been a quiet day today apart from the fact that my Facebook account was hacked.  Hopefully that is now sorted but we will see what happens.  Messages came through via Messenger but I have changed and updated my security settings.  Some people have nothing else to do.  They will get their cum uppance in the greater scheme of things. I am slowly plodding away in the background, with ideas and finding stuff.  I am missing however a load of baking equipment, the more specialised kind.  I know a lot of them were in a box but there are a load more Bundt Cake tin pans that are missing as well. I have found about half of them.  Some might be in the unit, but they will not be found before Chri...

 On this grey and cold winter's day where the wind is blowing a hooley and even the dog is not impressed.  When you travel into the Fens it is as if you can see for ever and today that was a big grey blanket that went on and on and on and it was not warm and comfy. We did not need much at the Butchery Department but have come away with two Steak Burgers, 1kg of Stewing meat, 1kg of Beef mince, some sausage meat for more sausage rolls., and old English Chipolatas and a potato chipper! We have the Steak and Chips for tea tonight and I am planning on doing a big double pot of stew later in the week, with a Cottage Pie and a Lasagna. The chipolatas will either get used for breakfasts or in a Toad, depending on how his lordship feels at the time. Sausage-meat is for some Sausage rolls.   All good solid warming and hearty meals for the rest of the week.  Something to keep the spirits up with this awful weather. Whilst out we stopped and had a meal at the Farm Shop....

It has been another horrible wet, cold and grey day here in Peterborough and I don't do grey too well.  When we first moved in here, the wallpaper in the majority of the rooms was grey.  We lived with it for a while, and then I went OTT on the colour scheme; just anything to lighten things up and add a bit more colour.  Although grey is a lovely blending colour, it is not a colour for me.  It means melancholy, coldness and despair and does not fit with my psyche at all and as a result I tend to steer clear of it. Things are at a bit of a standstill here and will be until the end of the week as we forgot to order something that is needed for the kitchen we just have to wait for it to arrive whereupon it will be all systems go.  These things are sent to try us. Today has been an interesting day.  I have managed to break another two teeth.  Not impressed, down to the medical condition and the Vitamin D deficiency not lack of care, but very embarrassing al...

Well today started early as predicted.  Up at 7:00am not firing on all pistons, but that's about normal these days. Out of the house for 8:00am. It was freezing and I could not find my gloves not good and I ended up with hot aches. Started tidying the Herb garden pavement so that the units ordered can be stacked outside of the back door which is the easiest place to put them bearing in mind everything is in the kitchen.  The largest item is the new worktop and that is quite heavy, so ideal location for it as it can be cut here too. ETA of delivery men 9:06am until 11:06am.  So in the interim I also set about the passageway and swept that, washed the dining room and kitchen windows, swept in front of the house on the street and cleared all the leaves and cobwebs from the front door and the pavement.  We have another visit to the tip planned, probably on Monday as we have the old units to take out and dispose of, plus some more stuff that is being disposed of.  Po...

 I have been in the kitchen again and I am getting there but suspect I will have to get up early in the morning in any event to finish off.  Our kitchen delivery is supposed to happen between 9:00am and 11:06am so if I am up for 7:00am that should allow for me to get it finally clear so that OH can get on. As part of the tidying of stuff to get it into the kitchen, I have uncovered a few boxes of Christmas decorations some of them are below. One of the Angel Globes.  I originally had three of these but managed to break two last year which I was quite upset about.  They change colour, photos show just two of the colours. One of my small Christmas Heart Vines. This is not a Christmas ornament but I use it as one.  It is a Hurdy Gurdy Musical Box which plays Brahms Lullaby.  However I use it as part of the decorations as when I was a child, there used to be a Chestnut Seller in town and there was always a Hurdy Gurdy playing just directly behind him.  It ...