TARRAGON & THYME

 It would appear that I have pushed my luck with my back.  It is in spasm at the moment, yet I have a lot to get on with.  Everything keeps going wrong in the sense that each job is taking a lot longer than it should do due to something happening or finding more problems to deal with as I go along and it is a case of having to deal with them otherwise they cause further problems.  Nip it in the bud as they say. Yet more stuff has gone to the Charity shop again today.  There will be more to go tomorrow.  I intend to have tomorrow night off and then if I am up to it on Saturday start sorting the kitchen out.  I have a couple of large plastic containers which are getting on my nerves which are full of top up foods that I have bought a bit at a time.  They really need to be ensconced in the pantry and so do the bread bins. I have a large roll top Bread Bin, a large Box Bread Bin, a Terracotta Bread Crock, and a Large Enamel Bread Bin. However I do ten...

 Today with cleaning in the Dining room.  Partial work yesterday, but still a long haul ahead.  You would be proud of me I have sent a load of stuff to the Charity shop today which I have decided that I no longer want or have a need for.  So that has been a bit of a success and I feel positive about that.  There will be more to go there tomorrow. There has been lots of washing and cleaning going on as well.  There will be more work to do in here next week.  I have the Pantry to sort out on Saturday so it may be that I will go back to the dining room after the Pantry has been all sorted. OH got the doors sorted in the bathroom and will be tidying that up tomorrow. Still an awful lot to do, but as have said before it is only the depth that varies. It is bitterly cold here in Peterborough tonight.  No doubt it is with  you too. Please keep warm and safe wherever you are no matter your circumstances. Hopefully will have more of a catch up tomorro...

I saw this article on The Guardian site on You Tube. https://youtu.be/0GFzZE-1DJ8 I know I posted about getting our Christmas dinner sorted earlier on.  I had not seen this video then though. This made me feel very humble and very grateful.  It is only because of the grace and kindness of local ladies that people are getting by.  That says a lot about them as individuals. Bless them.  However, this should not be down to the kindness of others. This should not be happening in this country at all.  It is about time the Government helped instead of hindered people in this country and put them first.  Get rid of the red tape and start acting quickly and providing where it matters.  It is funny that during the Covid pandemic (I know it is still not gone), emergency testing units were cropping up everywhere.  Why cannot emergency accommodation where it is needed be provided in the same vein or indeed help across all sectors be given.  Gov...

  We have ordered our Christmas Dinner for this year from the Butcher. I feel lucky to have been able to do this, although we have cut back drastically on what we normally do, but then I usually have visitors. We are trialling a different out of the area Butcher who we have heard good reviews about down in Cornwall.  Delivery will be by courier.  So that is the main meal sorted and paid for.  We are having a Rib of Beef.  There will only be the two of us this year so that should do nicely.  As OH likes his Christmas cuts after the main event, I also intend to source a large Chicken, piece of Ham and a couple of Pork Pies and that should do.  Can always add a Quiche in as well to liven things up a bit or a bit of fish or maybe some pate and a salmon mousse for a change. Might get some sausages and bacon (which tend to be constants here) and cook a tray full as we eat them with the cold cuts as well.  I will also make a dozen or so Sausage Rolls and...

That is apart from OH doing some decorating in the bathroom. Now that the kitchen and the bathroom have been scrubbed out.  Off into the dining room tomorrow.  In fairness this room is more untidy than unclean as it was not that long ago that I set about it.  It is the middle room and does tend to be used as the "dumping room" where things get put down and not picked up! Then it will be onto the front room. I am hoping some Christmas decorations will go up sometime next week once I have retrieved them from the back bedroom and the tree from the attic. Need to get the front room ready first though. Primarily get my books into some order in there as well as the cleaning. I have a full set of William Caxton Red Vellum with gold blocking Encyclopaedias.  My Dad bought a set when I was tiny, and I used them a lot.  Mum and Dad got rid of the books - I think they were sent to the Charity shop.  I loved those books and have sourced a set of my own. ...

 Busy day again today in the kitchen again.  Getting there very slowly.  Have also cooked a substantial stew to be served as always with mashed potatoes and dumplings.  Very much needed today as it has been cold here again.  I decided to cook the dumplings in the Ninja pressure cooking facility.  Just a warning- do not do it.  My dumplings disappeared.  I have made a second batch not using the pressure cooker function and they seem to be bobbing around okay now.  They have grown which is something. All I am bothered about really on the food front is getting at least a good couple of days meals out of the stew.  There is plenty that has gone into it as usual, and it tastes quite promising at the moment.  I continually taste as I cook in any event. Stew, Dumplings and mashed potato were very tasty and has done the job in warming us up from the inside out.  Good couple of days of meals left.  I know will have again ...