TARRAGON & THYME

(I just don't know where the time has gone to this weekend I am just waiting for the Yorkshire Puds and then tea will be served.  I just haven't been on this planet this weekend head in the clouds not really being aware of time or place just simply being.) Since updated as we have now eaten tea which was delicious.  Have updated the Yorkshire Pudding Supper with the photographs. I have been busy as usual.  OH thinks I am  a bit of an embarrassment because I take the time to try and re-use whatever glass bottles, jars come my way when it comes to preserving etc.  The only thing I don't scrimp on is new lids for each and every separate bottle or jar.  Perhaps recycling should be my middle name  - well I try and do what I can. I found a load of beer bottles playing hide and seek with me earlier on which I must have put aside for recycling at some point and promptly forgetting about them, in readiness for  me going to do some home brew and al...

I think in many ways I am a tad old fashioned with some things.  For instance I always save good wrapping paper or little present bags, and always save little pretty paper bags, and decent pieces of string and ribbon.  Recycling as we call it now I grew up with out of necessity, having to be frugal and making things stretch that much further, were par for the course, and wastefulness was frowned upon (during the second world war you could be prosecuted for waste).  Our families had to go without during the second world war and for many years after the war things were tight. Today we are quite spoilt in comparison. My Nan was the one, she had a small kitchen table with extension flaps either side and two small stools that went underneath, and two drawers built into the table.  When we sat at the kitchen table things were snug, and we used to hit our knees on the undersides of the drawers, but that's where the paper bags, string, greaseproof that could be re-used aga...

I hate wasting things - especially if I can get a second use out of something that has already been used. Plastic pots - margarine tubs or butter tubs as long as they are sturdy enough I wash dry and then re-cycle as storage for apple sauce and fruit purees in the freezer. Also good for putting sauces in; home made ice cream and for putting excess food in for one portion meals rather than wasting anything. The sauces can be used in a variety of ways too, not just as sauces, but as spreads and also to incorporate within a cake. I also use the fruit puree on muesli breakfast cereal with some natural yoghurt and toasted sesame seeds. Very scrummy. You can also use the puree to make muffins or apple sauce cake. So there is a lot you can do with a variety of things. Margarine or butter tubs I use for putting in left over food that will make a meal for one and freezing or doing small amounts of ice cream for use in the week I re-use pop bottles as well. I cut the top part of the bottl...

Got some wallpaper lurking in the cupboard from that big decoration job. Don't know what to do with it. I use mine for lining the shelves to the fireside cupboard in the dining room. But you can also use to cover note books to put your own spin on and jazz it up a bit. I have also lined the shelving under the stairs with wallpaper to store my bottles of preserves there. I chose a bright green wallpaper and painted the cupboard out in white to make it look lovely and clean. . I have a small linen chest up in the back bedroom which I use as a sewing cupboard. I quite fancy painting it a turquoise/sea green and then lining it on the inside with paper to make it look good so it is both decorative and practical. That is one of the jobs on the list. You can also use to line the insides of old freestanding cupboards; give them a paint job on the outside and then give them a complimentary lining on the inside. sliding wardrobe doors, can also be covered. Makes nice lining for ch...

Silly question, but you can get a second life out of your toothbrush after its done cleaning your teeth. I store any I have to replace in an old jam jar under the sink - so that when I need one for a particularly fiddly job (my fingers are not as dexterous as they were as a result of the arthritis) and I find them really useful for applying leverage and pressure on a particularly fiddly items to clean. I recycle mine for use in cleaning nooks and crannies and places where I cannot get my fingers in like cleaning in the groove around the base of taps; and cleaning grouting and the seal around the bath. I also use them for removing any debris on the fridge and cooker seals. I also use them for getting into delicate pieces of jewellery. I use the brushes both dry and wet. Sometimes I dip the brush in dry salt and then use lemon juice as it helps eradicate lime scale from dripping taps. So next time you have to replace the toothbrush recyle it don't bung it

RECYCLING and PRECYCLING Just a few ideas of how to recycle products that our food etc comes in. I personally feel that there is far too much unacceptable packaging on a lot of items. I would like to see far less. I would like to see the return of the paper bag wherever possible. And of a jar/bottle return scheme whereby for returning the bottles/jars we get some money back. Like we used to with the lemonade and beer bottles when I was a youngster. Likewise if I give friends a gift of home made preserves I do make it clear that if they give me the jars back they will get a refill next time round which seems to go down very well. We all have a part to play PRECYCLING What is Precycling? Quote taken from Wilkpeadia “Precycling simply means reduce and reuse. It is a way of reducing our waste and thinking about our impact on the environment before we purchase. Precycling can simply mean reusing your coffee cup, or carrying around your own coffee mug to reduce waste. There are many th...

I don’t know how you all feel about packaging and how our goods are recycled, but I for one think that our producers do not necessarily take a responsible attitude to what they package their produce in or to what happens to it when it leaves their premises. Some items are ridiculous in the amount of packaging that they come in and where does it go straight in the dustbin. People don’t want to pay for something that is going to end up straight in the dustbin. Now forgive me if I am wrong but that ends up straight in landfill and I thought that was what the powers that be wanted to stop us doing. What happened to the good old paper bag. I remember my grandmother had a drawer where pieces of string, pretty bags, plain paper bags even good polythene bags that could be used again went and was stored until there was a need for a bag or some string. That drawer never disappointed and what’s more it’s a habit I have followed on. It comes under the heading waste not want not. I think people...