TARRAGON & THYME

 I am not 100% again although the spirit is willing the body is screaming whoa - too much.  I was up early this morning, felt 100% when I got up as bright as a button.  By 11:00am I had run out of steam was feeling very wobbly and ended up going back to bed where I crashed out for about four hours. Think Duracell Bunny running out of steam that is literally what happens. The rest of today has been spent not doing much as a result.  With my recent episodes I am keen to stop any further ones. G has been fishing today and came back early as the waters were not fishing particularly well however he has come back with a load of Apples and Pears.  I am not going to say no to any kind of wildings.  Will probably be tomorrow though before I have a proper look at them (will see how I am) and decide what to do with them. So very grateful for these.  Since had a look and have decided to make Pears in syrup and some more Apple sauce. I have as a result been ta...

We had a rough night with Missy last night which ended up with us sleeping later this morning. Therefore not much achieved today.  However, we all have our little routines.  One of mine is that these days I split my shopping up into groups with the flexibility that if I come across bargains and I am able to take advantage of them I do.  It does bug me if I cannot take advantage, but you cannot have everything and maybe next time I will get a better bargain. Today we went to do a household cleaning products run.  I primarily use Home Bargains for this as they have good prices on toilet tissue, washing powder, fabric conditioner and stain remover.  I also get my washing up liquid and dishcloths from here as well. I had not planned on doing this run today but I ran out of soap powder.  This is one of the things I hate to be without as even if you are untidy you can still keep clean. I think this is why I go spare when the washing machine is not co-operating. I...

that I need to get out into nature and do a bit of a forage, not just for what I will find, but the space to think and potter quietly in this oh so busy world of ours.  I love being home, but being cooped up when the weather has been so foul especially for long periods of time has never been my forte.  I used to hate it as a child.  I do not do confinement well at all. Too much of the wild and the free spirit in me. Coupled with this awful windy and wet weather we have been experiencing for the last few days makes me long for the sunshine again.  It would seem that eventually I have my wish as today (Tuesday) the Sun has poked its head out from the clouds. This year I have not been foraging per se, but I need to go to forage items that can be primarily be used in Christmas decorations however some are also required for autumn decorations as well.  If I can find some wildings to use somewhere along the line such as Rosehips, Sloes, Rowan Berries or Crab Apples th...

Today started off as normal with G receiving a cooked breakfast.  I just had some toast and yogurt today as I did not feel too hungry.  Medication out of the way with and then time to get stuck in. I have started work on clearing the kitchen although progress is slow at the moment.  The other week I took a load of cake pans out and popped them into bags near the greenhouse - waterproof bags but it is time they were back in the house.  This evening I am going to have a washing and drying session (I dry them in the oven) and then will repack them into another box.  They will be going into the back bedroom in any event and if I need a cake pan or cake pans (apart from the basics) a lot of these tins are a bit fancier than normal I will just have to come and get it from upstairs.  This is what I am going to be doing this evening.  It will be a job well done.  There are more cake pans to come out of a cupboard in the kitchen and the current contents wi...

On Sunday I cooked a full Roast Chicken Dinner for our tea.  It has been a while since I made a full dinner like this with the roast potatoes, roasted shallots, mashed potato, peas, cauliflower and carrots with lots of gravy and it went down very well.  When it comes to cooking I can never quite get the quantities right (I tend to over feed everyone) and as we were only having dinner for last night and not our usual two meals I tried not to do as many vegetables.  Despite my best attempts I failed miserably.  So much so, that I have decided just to carry on doing what I know and then doing something with the leftovers.  Leftovers are often the best.   Today (Monday) I have managed to use up what mashed potato was left together with the remnants of the other vegetables and turned it into a Bubble n Squeak (minus the Brussel Sprouts although I do have those in the Freezer).  If I carry on with leftover vegetables here and there (as long as there is ...

This month I am intent in reducing the freezer supplies even more and having good eating in-between time. Once the Freezer is empty or as empty as it can be, then it will be defrosted and given a good clean down. Although I keep everything clean, like most things it needs the defrost to ensure that it is working efficiently and this for me is the most opportune time to do this.   During the winter months the freezer is more stocked with meat and some veg, perhaps a little fruit but the emphasis is on main meals.  The less we have to go out into the cold the better as far as I am concerned. The other reason for the Freezer overhauls is that  I also need room in the freezer to start gathering food items in readiness for Christmas and up until I started emptying the freezer. There was no way that this was going to happen without some housekeeping going on. I tend to "Squirrel" away all sorts of things and shove them in where I can. Sometimes nice organisation does not p...

This is the post that should have been published on Saturday night.  Real life sort of got in the way a bit but here it is now, just some of what I have been up to in the background of everyday life. Just to mention I started  working on these on Saturday 30 August 2025.  Initially instigated these projects to motivate myself in trying to get some lovely vintage items repaired/revamped/restored.  They are too nice to not do anything with at the end of the day and I hate waste. Plus as I do each room in the house it would be nice to have some of them out to use. I thought that I would try and do a weekly post on items that I am dealing with in the house either repairing them and giving them a little TLC, finishing the item off making sure it is strung and framed properly, glass being replaced in some smaller picture frames by purchasing cheap frames from the CS shop and then re-cutting the glass to fit.  All these things are being dealt with of an evening or when...