TARRAGON & THYME

Today has been a cooler day weather wise; not unpleasant slightly more breezy than yesterday and I have taken full advantage of that and got a load more washing out on the line.  I am going to have a big pile of ironing to do as I still have a load more washing to get done.  Weather Permitting it is quilts day tomorrow.  Told you was having a good old bottom out! I have also managed to finish off the Study/Craft room really setting about the corner table/sewing table and underneath it as well.  I had a load of books and magazines under there, including a load of paperwork. That has now been shifted and a miniature set of drawers together with one of my sewing stool/boxes has now been installed under there.  I intend to put my sewing tin on top of the stool together with some embroidery thread boxes as well in order that I can access my crafting and sewing stuff quite easily.  I have a load of different sewing needles and other sewing stuff in the tin. We wa...

Very hot night last night - we had to have the fan on until the early hours for the animals as well as ourselves.  I tend to have disturbed sleep these days in any event often waking  up around 2:30 to 3:00am and then around 5:00am or 6:00am.  Hot weather I tend to sleep less in.  It is very muggy again today although we do have a nice breeze. This morning started with OH deciding to tackle the front privet hedge.  Unfortunately even before my arm became dodgy I just cannot wield the hedge trimmer; I think someone would get hurt if I did!  Probably me!  Mission partially accomplished until his charger ran out.  I then went out to set about clearing up the mess he had left behind. I managed to get all the foliage up and into bags, and also give the front a good sweep up for what was there.  Also weeded out and trimmed under the hedge, swept in front of the house and the passage.  So have been out into the fresh air for a change. This is s...

After a glorious hot day weather wise yesterday (Saturday), I managed to sit for a couple of hours and do some work on my UFO neck shawls whilst listening to the TV. I know that they are not for this weather, but am taking the projects on how quick they will be to get done so that I can concentrate my time on the more complicated projects.  Bit like an exam paper in that you complete the easiest for you questions first so that you can give more time to the ones that appear more complicated. One  scarf shawl just needed a few rows knitting before finishing and the other one needed a bit more. One is at the stage where it can be fringed.  I have knitted 20 x 2 pattern rows tonight and still have another 31 x 2 pattern rows to work.  I am therefore pretty pleased with how things have gone on these little UFO projects. I shall fringe both together. Two nearly down quite a few more to go. As have said the next project after completion of the neck shawls will be the s...

Well the good sort out is paying dividends. I have had a couple of UFOs stuck, due to the lack of pattern.  Now I had saved the pattern, as I had had a previous sort out and located it, trouble was it was not with the garments I had started knitting.  I am speaking about a couple of neck shawls I started knitting some time ago, both are the same pattern just different wools.  So very happy to have found the pattern (which is now with the knitting) so I can recommence this, finish off and then get the fringing done and that will be two neck shawls done and dusted, and into the wardrobe in readiness to be worn. I had previously sorted out each project into a bag of its own with all the bits needed to finish it and make it up; therefore half of what was needed was done.  Just now need to complete them.  That is my mission for this coming week.  Then I can move on to the next UFO!  I think this will be the scarf, hat and mittens set which needs completing....

I decided in my infinite wisdom (on an extremely hot day), that my plans were changing for a couple of days as things are getting on my nerves in the house.  I intend therefore as I have to tidy up in any event decided to a deep Spring clean using copious amounts of vinegar and hot water.  I have started with the study/craft room and hopefully will get that sorted by the end of the day.  The vinegar combined with boiling water is a good natural cleaner  Needless to say am using my homemade Lemon vinegar for this purpose  The quantities are 1oz of 5% white vinegar to a gallon of hot water.  Also good for cleaning bread boards and general cleaning. I also keep a spray bottle on the kitchen windowsill with half vinegar to half water for troubleshooting and wiping down any spills and also grease and fingerprints.  The walls, skirtings, floors anything is being cleaned within an inch of its life.  Hard work on a hot day, but it needs to be done.  ...

 I have had a couple of appointments to make today.  The first was to book my Covid Booster jab and the second is that I have received an appointment (telephone appointment) to speak with a Physio about my arm and the rotor cuff issues.  That will be a couple of weeks away, but at least it is an appointment.  I have been doing some upper arm exercises in any event, but not sure I am doing the correct ones.  However it is exercise. Some more washing dealt with today and have got it dried.  Weather was overcast this morning but this afternoon the Sun has come out to play.  The forecast for Bank holiday weekend also looks good so hopefully I will get back into the garden again and get things sorted a bit more.  Unfortunately due to a lack of energy have not been able to do much; not that I have  not wanted to; I have been willing the body has not co-operated! After the large meal we had for tea last night, I decided that tonight was going to do ...

We took Missy for a walk this afternoon and the thermometer on the car showed 22 degrees!  Fortunately we have air-conditioning not that I get to appreciate much of it as I have Missy in front of it keeping cool!  We always take a bottle of water with us as well, just in case she gets a little too hot. I picked up some of the Cleavers to try the tea today.  I did not get many just a small bunch which I collected before we left for home.  They wilted in approximately 5 minutes but I made Cleaver tea as soon as we got in for myself. Popped into the strainer within the Herb Tea pot.  This is something I have had for many years and it was bought as a Herb Tea pot.  It has over the years been used to make all sorts of different Tisanes .  More often referred to as "Tisanes" rather than being a true tea.  A good way of getting good nutrients into your system and it also gets you drinking more water.  I particularly like fresh lemon, fresh ging...

 One of the long term problems I seem to be having since my Gall Bladder operation is milk.  I am down to semi-skimmed milk (cannot abide the red cap at all), but every so often my system throws a wobbler and I end up not being too well.  I am not drinking copious amounts either. I think one of the reasons for this is that sometimes we are late in eating and at other times I tend to have a hot drink at least an hour before I go to bed.  Usually tea.  Only because I am thirsty!  So last night I experimented and I had a mug of homemade lemon and ginger tea; dried lemon slices and some candied ginger in hot water.  It seemed to do the trick.   The other issue is that if I am not at the right height on the pillow this can trigger problems as well.  So fingers crossed I may have found a solution.  After the operation itself I was having mint tea on a regular basis.  However at the moment I do not have any and my mint plant in the ga...

It has been a glorious day here weather-wise. After gathering the cones yesterday, I popped them into a basket with the ones collected from last year.  I really need a large jar in which to store them for crafting and practical uses later in the year. I have all sorts of projects planned with wild items in the latter part of the year.  Until then, I am busy stockpiling specific items to use then as and when I find them. I also gathered Cleavers and some of these are currently in the Dehydrator as I intend to use these for a green powder to add into stews etc. during the winter months.  You can make pasta with fresh Cleavers and I may well try this in the week to give it a whirl to see what it is like and whether it is worth making again and possibly drying.  I believe it is just the juice from the Cleavers that is  used in the recipe I have located. I am gathering fresh Cleavers that have no seed pods or flowers on them.  The plants and growth are still you...

Some days (most in reality) I am lost for words to verbalise and sometimes I am dreadful in that I have the word on the tip of my tongue but can I remember it. Nope!  Today has no t been one of those days and has been one where I have just written sporadically, started posts, have not finished them.  Just gone with the flow as it were, put the words down that came to me probably to be finished off for another day on several different subjects.  I think the Muse has been with me today!  I put it down to the nicer weather! Like most things though when I start researching them and learning more for myself than anything else.   I end up going away from my original subject down a Rabbit hole from subject to subject and that is how today started off for me.  This has subsequently ended up with me having ideas which I have had to get written down on paper before they disappeared into the ether. The weather has been glorious today as well. I have managed to ge...

 Has been a relatively lazy day.  Weather mucked things up a bit as it has been drizzling on and off all day.  Guess who left the washing out last night because the forecast was for a warm and bright day.  Think this forecast was terribly off! We are getting to the point in the month where things start getting a little tight so economies come into play and I start thinking more about what I can actually cook with the ingredients I have to hand, with the addition of a few other ingredients. I needed a few things from the shop.  Got what I really needed which was not much, milk, sausages, cheese, ham, a few veggies i.e. leeks, carrots, broccoli, some Asparagus which was on offer to top up some veggies I have left over.  Morrisons have an offer on for two packs of sausages for £5 that are okay, so I have bought some ordinary ones and also some more Italian style sausages to use in a couple of different meals.  Also bought buns, trialling a buttery spread ...

  I have been back in the kitchen today pottering about.  Lovely drying day and I had more washing to do.  Have achieved four loads, and managed to get three of them dry out on the line.  Just one more wash to do and will be up to date on the laundry.  Supposed to be good weather tomorrow so hopefully will get the last batch out onto the line to get dry.  I feel better than what I have done today, although I was not good last night.  Just one of those lack of energy sessions that gets in the way! I have also been playing about with my food. The other day, on Instagram on  https://www.instagram.com/mrswarrscountryhome/   "Mrs Warr" popped up a post on a simple meal that her girls love.  It was baked stuffed potatoes which had been stuffed with bacon, leek, cheese, butter and the mashed potato from the baked potatoes.  In the past when I have made stuffed potatoes (It is a while since I have made them),I usually make them with cheese ...

Has been another quiet day.  Relatively warm and although despite sleeping well I am still not firing on all cylinders therefore just going to take it steady; not by choice but by listening to my inner voice for a change.  Some more washing and some more drying has been achieved.  Other than that though, not much done. I decided to use the time getting to grips with tackling a UFO project; I have been struggling with it and it seems to be one step forward two steps backward. It is known as the Virus Shawl.  So much so I changed the tutorial and pattern that I was using, however that was not a naff pattern it was me being difficult in not processing the information correctly. I think because I had been tired and spent longer than I should have in tackling the project.  There will be a post on this later in the week, but it has not been the easiest of UFOs to tackle and it has been pulled down at least three times.  The pulling down though is all part an...

 Well I slept the sleep of the dead last night completely crashing out.  Mind you I was awake at 6:30am its just I fell back to sleep again.  Needless to say I feel a lot better today for the early night I had.  I have had a couple of disturbed nights due to animals in the past week and I think things just built up.  Now feeling much more balanced and I have less of a headache.  Needless to say I have not done very much today.  I have heeded the "Bishop's" Warning as it were and I have not done very much at all.   Have been doing some research for another post which involves embroidery/cross stitch where I have lost the threads and the instructions and legend.  Internet to the rescue again and I have been able to locate what I needed; would like to find the original threads they are safe somewhere.  This particular project is one of my oldest outstanding UFOs so it would be nice to get this one sorted.  I am organising my "Duck...

 It is some 12 hours since I woke up properly and much as I loved waking up and seeing in the New day, I am now totally cream-crackered.  As a result I am not going to do too much, apart from sit and watch some TV.  There are a couple of programmes that I watch on a Monday night and once they are done and dusted I shall have an early night which will be a novelty but I cannot do late nights and early mornings.  Something has to give somewhere along the line otherwise I will end up being unwell which I do not want.  I may tackle one of the UFO's whilst I sit.  Cannot just sit have to do something. Despite being a relatively nice day and warmer than yesterday I have felt cold and have had a jumper on which I have only just taken off. Maybe I am sickening for something - I hope not.  Could really do with a glass of cider not happening though as I think that would finish me off.  Maybe at the end of the week. I have had a couple of boil washes on toda...

The original title for this post was "Weekly Roundup", which sounds like a weed killer! As the subject content changed, I thought it had better have a different title. Oh well.  It has been a busy old week.  I have popped up several posts on my progression with the garden.  We are not there yet, still a way to go.  My energy levels are a lot better; my arm is kicking off again so better to be in the house and having  a rest day so far as the arm is concerned.  I am still waiting to hear about physio, but in the meantime, I am doing a few upper arm exercises each day to try and increase my upper arm strength but also to increase my flexibility a bit more.  Chosen time is when I am on my own in the kitchen listening to the radio.  If anyone saw me they would think I am an absolute Loon.  Mad as a Hatter!  That is par for the course around here and part and parcel of what I get up to.  Life is for living no matter how disgracefully! Su...