TARRAGON & THYME

 Been a full on couple of days at the house.  It is a bit clearer but we still have a long way to go.  Now have some space and going to start going through bags and boxes bit by bit, sort out what I am going to keep and then pass the rest either on to a charity shop or sell it.  I pulled a late one last night it was 2:00am when I eventually got to bed and then I was up for 6:00am and it has been non-stop ever since.  Tomorrow I am not doing much but I am definitely having an early night tonight.  My body feels as though it does not belong to me; lots of cuts and scratches little niggly ones and my hands and knees are now swollen so I do need to rest up, however as I have said I will do some other jobs.  After tomorrow it will be all systems go again.  I am very committed on getting things sorted.  I did pop around to the Charity shop this morning with a few bits and bobs of crockery and some China which I no longer have a use for. Yes I was g...

As a result of sorting out the bottom of the Dresser the other day, I also found a load of china items, dinner crockery and glass ware. Now china and glassware are firm favourites around here and I have a lot of it.  Cake stands are brilliant used as tea light or candle stands and of course you can always pretty them up with foliage or fresh plant material.  The above dish was picked up from a CS for £3.  The Lemon Meringue one below as £1 and the M & S one £1.50.  So all bargains. This was a dish that I bought in the 70s when I got married.  It is I believe an Arcopal dish.  I also had the brown glass storage containers etc. which were very popular at the time.  Sadly I did not retain them however I have seen them online to buy. This is a Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady Soup Tureen and is one of two together with decorated Ladles.  I found this in a CS for about £5.  I also have 12 soup dishes to match and a couple of other pieces in ...

And so we have a new week, a new page to fill and more of the same type of work that we had last week.  Sometimes it seems never-ending, but I am determined to get things under control here this year.  As I said at the beginning of the year I am starting the year off as I mean to go on. We had to go and get the electric and gas topped up today as we are on a card meter for both. These were the Plans for Monday (Reconvened to Tuesday) I hope to get the kitchen done today even if it means me pulling a late night to get things back under control.  Then I can start the bathroom on Tuesday. Clean and gut the cooker; needs G assistance because the glass needs to come out of the oven doors.  Want all this done as I plan on making some more bread in the next few days; Sort out and clean top two cupboards with baking tins in; Sort out the smallest wall cupboard and get Sterilising tabs, winemaking bits and bobs and  Finish off sorting out the condiments cupboard; Rest of...

I have over the years acquired and collected various things for my home.  I have a particular penchant for older vintage items, most notably my Great Grandmother's and my Nan's crockery the remains of which I have inherited.  The story behind this is that my Granddad (known as Pop) got himself a regular paper round and as a result of that decided to pay out for a proper full dinner service with Tureens, platters, ceramic ladles (all in the pattern of the service) for his Mum. From what he told me he paid into a weekly club to purchase it for her.  When my Great Gran passed the service came back to my Nan and Pop.  Nan used that service everyday for a good 45 years or so until the plates were spent.  The Tureens and the meat platters though were in excellent condition. Even though the plates are well had it with the constant use, I did retain them to keep with the good bits.  Not sure why but I did. That service is over 100 years old.  I have written ab...

Started in the early hours for us and although a lot of wind, Hooleys and a colder breeze, at the moment it does not appear to have affected us very much for which I am grateful.  However I have not been into the garden as yet.  Not sure if my little PVC greenhouses have stood up to the power of nature or not. I hope so.  The wind is still blowing but not tot he extent it was and the last of the daylight is fading slowly into dusk. We had a rough night with Missy again which culminated in little sleep.  As a result as I did not feel too clever this morning decidedly dodgy (I know the signs) and I got my medication for my epilepsy down me pretty promptly.  It is always the mornings that are my weak point.  I get what is known as the aura with potential fits.  Not everyone gets this, but if this starts off I mention it to whosoever I am around and I make sure that I sit and am in a safe place.  It results in me having mini-absences or petit-mal wher...

Slowly starting to organise things and addressing issues and items that irritate me to high heaven. Cutlery Issues One of the problems I have is with my cutlery trays; up until now I have had three green poly ones which I will use for other items in the kitchen.  These trays are very practical but periodically I catch the edge of it and it upends the contents of the cutlery box usually just after dealing with the washing and drying up.   I have been looking for something that I can ideally put on one of the Dressers in the dining room and I have come across this box with a drawer and a clear lid which I think will do the job and keep all the cutlery in the dining room.  It will be good to get this particular item sorted as it does annoy me. Cutlery tray arrived today and I am pleased with it.  Not large enough for all my cutlery, but that does not matter as I will keep the blue handled set in the kitchen and the main dinner cutlery in the dining room.  I wa...

Yesterday I went shopping and added more things to the fridge which was sorted out first thing this morning. Lots of good eating to be had, but it is nice to have the fridge back under control again. Monday We had fresh Sweetcorn on the Cob with butter for tea and that was followed by a Panini each with cheddar, onion and Wiltshire Ham for the filling.  Went down very nicely indeed. Tuesday Tonight we were supposed to have Peking Duck in Plum sauce with pancakes for tea.  G however came back from the shop with a cucumber and some Spring Onions as well as some Langoustine which were on offer. The Langoustine needed using up quicker. Tonight therefore we have had Langoustine with Bread and Butter for tea. G went shopping and came back with a bit of a bargain.  Four packs of Four large Langoustine for £2.03 per pack (reduced from £4.05 per pack).  They were lovely and went down a treat.  That was followed up with a Strawberry and Custard tart for pudding.  Not...

 ..... is the name of the game around here! Always so many balls in the air, trying to maximise the time I have and trying out new to me things and projects.  Always upwards and onwards and yet I do find time to stop to smell the Roses as the saying goes.  I tend to compartmentalise things as I am working on them so that I get a good run at what I am doing and it saves a lot of "Bitting" and "Bobbing" which I am not fussed with at the best of time.  Need to be able to focus and concentrate on the job in hand so that I get the best out of my concentration and time. Take today for instance.  It was supposed to be a kitchen day. However the electric going and needing re-loading for the month put paid to that and as we had to go out anyway for that, I added in a trip to Aldi. I had seen an offer on at Aldi for a palm sander which I need for rubbing woodwork down in readiness for painting for £16.  It also has a collection unit on it and I thought anything is be...

This week is going to be a busy one.  It will also be a kind of sacrificial week to start with as I will be working away focusing on getting the house sorted and more specifically the kitchen, toilet, bathroom, and starting to sort the back bedroom.  I will also be attempting to get more in control of organising meals and getting them prepared and also implementing a new routine for me.  I am therefore choosing to concentrate all the house dealings in this particular post which will hopefully be published on Sunday evening or first thing on Monday morning.  If I can keep up the momentum it will mean that I can focus and possibly get ahead of where I currently am and also get some other items that I want to get done out of the way with.  It is going to be a concerted effort.  I am just hoping my stamina holds up. Monday Not as much done as I had hoped.  Not a good start. Cooked breakfast for G and a mug of tea; Breakfast for myself and a mug of tea; fed...