Well, I'm not exactly fit... I hope I'll muster up some energy to do a bit of digging at the the allotment soon - if the rain stays away. However, in case I overdo it, it would probably be a good idea to have something to ease the pain. At least that's what I told myself while sewing this little thing this afternoon.
This rectangular thingy is filled with rice and after heating up in the microwave, it'll soothe my muscles. I hope. If not, it was quite fun to make, even though I now have rice on the floor and in my fabric basket. The fabric is cute as well. The back is cream coloured fleece from a cheap blanket I bought in The Range. Nice and soft.
Mrs. M.
It's been a very hectic weekend and I really don't feel ready to go back to work tomorrow. Our car broke down on Friday and has spent the weekend at the local garage. It's apparently the alternator that needs replacing and the mechanic won't be able to get one until Monday. Hey ho. One can live without a car for a weekend, can't one? This weekend wasn't the best one to be without the car but I was prepared to walk and get the train. Our mechanic didn't seem to be of the same opinion. When he called at 6 o'clock on Friday evening to tell us that he wouldn't be able to fix our car until Monday, he insisted that we got one of his loan cars. Hm, I could see pound notes flying away and was, in my head, prepared to give Little Miss M's Saturday flute lesson in the neighbouring town a miss. He kept insisting and when he said it would be free of charge I said yes. So I went to pick up the loan car yesterday morning and have really enjoyed driving around in a small car. It really makes a change from the estate we own. We're a one car family as I work ten minutes walk away and Mr. M works from home. This little Ford Ka has been a delight to drive. The children however were horrified when they saw the little thing. "How embarrassing!" they exclaimed. I can't understand why they would say that. It's a car! Admittedly it's quite old and not very clean and tidy inside, but it's really comfortable and nice to run around in. I've been very happy!
This afternoon Little Miss M and I drove to the local garden centre to pick up some potatoes. They're now positioned in the garage ready to chit. I had no idea about what type to buy so I did my best Mrs. G. I got Foremost for the early potatoes and then two types of late potatoes: King Edward and Romano.
They're supposed to be somewhere cool and light according to my book so I've placed them by the window in the garage.
As we took on the allotment in April, we never bought potatoes this early. Hopefully we'll get just as good a harvest as last year.
Today was also a day for baking . Having watched Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast on Friday I really fancied the Tosset Cakes. So I made some. Quite a few actually.
They were really easy to make and rather fun. They also tasted delicious! I now wish I hadn't eaten quite so many...
They were really easy to make and the recipe can be found here. Why not have a go? I've now got a whole tin full of them. It remains to be seen how long before the tin is empty. I don't quite get why they're called cakes when they really are biscuits?
I used my new oven glove to get the trays out of the oven. A little thing I decided to make this morning. The old one is still nice but needed washing so I decided that having two would make life just that much easier.
Mrs. M.
Yesterday was glorious and Little Miss M. and I went for a walk to the allotment. Several people were around looking very busy. The Little Miss and I walked around, picked some kale and looked at what needs to be picked and what needs to be got rid of.
In there somewhere are the parsnips. We need to dig them up! We had some with dinner last weekend and they were delicious.
The brussels sprouts are still a little bit on the small side so I think we'll wait for them to grow a bit more.
This is the spinach and it looks awful. We really need to get rid of this lot.
The kale is also looking a bit tiny but I pinched a few leaves and made some chips when we got home.
I suppose this is what the rhubarb should look like. I hope so anyway. I'm really looking forward to the rhubarb season. We picked plenty last year.
Looking back at what I've been writing about the allotment is going to be really useful when Mrs. G. and I start planning this year's planting. A lot of work needs to be done before then though. Today looks like another glorious day but it feels quite a lot colder. Is it too cold to dig? Not just for me but for the soil I mean. Dig up parsnips is probably OK but to turn over soil might not be. I had better consult my handbook.
Mrs. M.
I'm all alone, curled up in my favourite armchair with my breakfast on a tray next to me. The rest of the family is still asleep and even though I struggle to get up in the morning during the week, it seems to be easier to jump out of bed at weekends.
I'm sitting next to the patio doors and the patio outside is wet. It must have rained last night while I was fast asleep. Not now though. The sky is actually light blue and I'm hoping for a sunny day. It's been very mild all week and when we were doing PE the other day it really felt like spring time. In January! It's all very weird at the moment with flooding and storms all over the country. We've had our share of wind and rain but nowhere near as bad as in some places.
My sister's birthday has come and gone so now I can show what I made her.
A drawstring bag for I don't know what and a headband in case winter decides to turn up. I've finished the cardigan I've been knitting on and off for the past couple of months and will now take a break from knitting to put together a blanket from 56 big granny squares I've crocheted. I'm also keen to do some sewing. However, before that I think it's time to visit the allotment.
Mrs. M.
All gone! Several hours of putting Christmas decorations away and having coffee breaks and the house is now as bare as can be. For a while. It won't take long before the place is cluttered with school bags, PE kits, shoes etc. etc.
The weather is still grey and rainy. Mr. M and I bought a new duvet in the sales and believe it or not but it's too hot! And we sleep with the window open all night long! It feels like we've gone from autumn to spring in a very short while. I'm clearly not the only one who feels like this.
Daffodils at the beginning of January! I didn't get round to planting all
the bulbs I bought in September, so maybe I should put the rest in the
soil now so that we may have daffodils when they should be around? I
think I'll give that a go.
Mrs. M.
The penultimate day of the holidays is grey and windy. When I popped up to the local farm shop this morning it was ever so dark and the rain started pouring just as I made my way back to the car. Needless to say I'm staying put for the rest of the day.
These past two weeks have been very relaxing. I've managed to read the 5 books for the Library Service Book Competition that I take part in with some of the children at my school.
They're all good books and I can't wait to share them with the children. Knowing that we get to meet 2 of the authors is also quite exciting. However, it's always nice to be able to get back to reading adult books and I've just started reading this book
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I haven't got very far but it seems to be rather funny and enjoyable. Something to look forward to at bedtime!
I've also had time to do a bit of knitting (my cardigan is almost finished, just have to finish the second sleeve), crocheting, sewing and Little Miss M. and I've made some buttons, fridge magnets and earrings using shrink plastic - great fun. My sister will receive some of the above mentioned things for her birthday next week so I'd better not show any pictures in case she's reading this.
The new year started off with Little Miss M's birthday and we celebrated the day being very tired after a brilliant party the night before. We watched films and ate homemade cake throughout the day.
Sponge cake with two layers of custard and whipped cream mixed with cut up strawberries, all to the birthday girl's wishes. Yum!
Our Christmas tree has been fabulous this year and has hardly dropped any needles. I feel very reluctant to get rid of it so I've put off taking down any decorations at all in the house. However, tomorrow will be the day when the house will be stripped. I always find it a bit sad when the decorations are removed and it takes me a few days to get used to how bare the house looks without the tree, the gnomes and all the things red.
Never mind, it's been a good Christmas holiday and after tomorrow's wedding anniversary (we really didn't think the date through) we'll all be glad to get back to a normal routine. I for one will have to think about what I eat as all my clothes are way too tight!
Mrs. M.
