Bright Days and Box Jenga

 are the best at this time of year as when it is cold and grey it can sink the spirits somewhat.  I therefore prefer bright if cold winter days overall which lift the spirit.  It was an especially cold night here last night down to -5 I think.  Needless to say I kept under the covers for as long as I could.  It has been bitter here today.  Thank goodness we are returning to the light.  Seems even more important this year for no particular reason.  Just a feeling.

Yesterday evening I did not get to my patchwork template cutting as I ended up writing a couple of draft posts for future release whilst the inspiration was with me.  This is sometimes what happens for me when prepping posts for my blog.  Sometimes I am scratching around like a chicken in the dirt looking for something that I want to write about.  At other times, well the muse seems to come and its like buses arriving to pick up their passengers.  That is how it was for me last night.  Never mind will get back to the patchwork tonight as I have a target to meet for this week before being able to move onto the next phase.  Self inflicted, but I am trying to keep myself moving forward a bit at a time.

I am pleased to say though that yesterday evening I managed to empty two medium sized boxes of cake decorating stuff down into one box which is a good start. I am sure I have another box somewhere, but this is a big step forward to organising some of the unsorted stuff.  I figured that this way on everything that goes back into the Pantry will have been sorted and then it will just be organising different areas of the Pantry to house certain things.  Very much a game of Box Jenga - putting things in situ where they work the best for ease of access and safe storage for other items.  I can quite easily keep myself amused for absolutely ages.

I still have a few other boxes like this to do which are storing other items.  These will not necessarily go back into the boxes they are currently in.  Will also help me long-term to write out a list of missing items for the Pantry that will need replenishing and what items I should be focusing on for the coming year.  Hopefully after that I will be able to sit down and create a Pantry Inventory so that I can keep check on things overall.  This is not the only reason and sorting out things will clear up small storage boxes that will be needed elsewhere.  The next couple of boxes to deal with will probably be coffee and dried fruit boxes.  Ground coffee for the Cafietiere and whole beans.  I have some plans to make some coffee syrup and maybe some coffee wine somewhere along the line as well. I do need to get some more sugar in though for this.

NB: Both of these boxes have now been dealt with and a further box also sorted relating to pre-prepared mixes for puddings and sweets.

Tea tonight was planned to be a roast chicken, with mashed potatoes, asparagus, carrots, petit-pois, Broccoli, roasted onion, potato and parsnip.  That has now been deferred until tomorrow evening. G is having some chicken wings which I am not keen on and some chips.  I shall probably have some soup for tonight. We did enjoy the Prawn rings last night as well though.  They were delicious.

Tonight I will be getting back to the paper cutting.  I wonder if I can do two night's worth in one.  Will see what happens.

Please keep safe and warm wherever you are.  I have taken to wearing extra jumpers (I have two on with a fleece on at the moment) as I feel the cold so badly.  The extra layers are working for me though which is the main thing.  Heating is on as well.  G has the heating on, and it is on, but I need the extra warmth.  If he had it up much higher he would be sweltering.  These days I just layer up as a matter of course.

Have a lovely evening everyone.  Keep safe and warm.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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