Yawn Yawn Wakey Wakey 2024

Good morning everyone!

Not sunny but bright-ish. It's big puffy clouds and rather grey. Not too cold.

When my last girl Wally, died @Obelix-Vendée I decided not to get any more hens. The last of my trio - Polly, Wally, Doodle. Yes, they certainly kept the weeds down - except nettles.

What about those downward slanting slattered doors @Goldenlily26 to let the air circulate? Curtains are a good idea, but they get grubby quite quickly at the top. I agree with @AuntyRach to try and sort out the initial problem - a stitch in time....!

Funnily enough @AuntyRach riding along on my bike with Fizz running sentinel yesterday, I felt really positive - as if "things" are getting crossed off the list. I like to look out my kitchen window and see a tidy garden. I always sing when I ride along, so yesterday's song was quite gay!! I finished off the rest of the digging and a bit more - then I cut back a ginormous Salvia. Hip behaved and I didn't overdo it.

That's a pretty low thing to do @Blue arbour especially from a church and especially at Christmas. I hope it was someone really needy not just someone who fancied the prize. Good takings for your charities.

I have a set of 3 Le Creuset oval baking dishes - wedding present 46 years ago!! Also a frying pan and a oval casserole dish - still going strong and in regular use. Although the frying pan is a bit of a "stickler" !!! I also have a Le Creuset substitute @Penny_Forthem in the shape of a round smaller casserole oven dish. Good for baking smaller sourdough loaves in!! I must add - they are getting heavier and heavier as my wrists and thumbs get weaker from arthritis.

Glad to read that you are back home safely @Busy-Lizzie you'll get the house warmed up in no time!! Now to prepare Christmas!!!

Well - quite an epistle today!! I expect those of you making special dishes enjoyed them.
First of the month of December - have a pleasant one!

 

Good Morning all and welcome to December.

As I’m off for a few days, I won’t have to do my Sunday routine of uniform ironing and lunch box packing! I will still do a chicken dinner though!

Have a lovely Sunday all.

 

My induction hob is one of the best things I bought last year. My sis introduced me to them in France where she has one at her caravan. I like the fact that the surrounds of the cooking area stay cold and once switched off they cool down in no time. Economical to run and safe. Enjoy your Christmas Fair today @Busy-Lizzie if you do go.

 

Good news about the hip @Tui34. @Goldenlily26 I do have to say that I am in the same court as @AuntyRach and @Tui34 in that the damp problem should be addressed first.

 

Good morning all,
Mild but damp here today. It’s trying to brighten a bit so perhaps the rain will stop later.
Off to church shortly then I must get on with some jobs when I get back, including setting up the Advent ring - Christmas is on its way.
Well, I hope you all have a good day today.

 

Fund raising is always hard work for small groups of people. I have been staggered with my club which with loans, grants, donations and fund raising events has managed to raise the £65,000 to buy the club and land in less than 12 months. It has been an unbelievable amount of time, effort and paper work for some dedicated members because we had to make the club into a registered charity to benefit from a lot of grants etc. But we have done it, now we have to continue to be able to pay for ongoing costs etc.People have been so generous with their support, it is very humbling to be on the receiving end.

 

December already? How? Thank you @Tui34 - I enjoy the French 'workout'!
My new oven is a single built in electric one. It managed to cook the casserole without switching itself off! I will learn today how to set the timers etc.
@Ladybird4 I can recommend AO. Used them a few times. In our 'yoof', we'd think nothing of installing big white goods, but not any more.
Right, off to the hills to give the pooches a good run. Enjoy your day everyone.

 

Hello everyone!

Constant rain here since I left church, so I'm concentrating on transcribing more of my dad's wartime letters. His writing was tiny and not always legible - so I keep a magnifying glass in the box of letters. It's worth preserving these for the family, I think.

This house came with a ceramic hob, the first time I've cooked on an electric stove for 30 years. (There's no mains gas here.) It took a while to work out how to fiddle the controls so that I could continue to use the pressure cooker to make stock, but I've got used to it now. It's very easy to clean, providing I wipe up any spills straight away. But I'm interested to read people's experiences of induction hobs, since eventually, no doubt, we'll need to replace our old one - it's still working well, but was bought second hand by our predecessors, so I don't know how long we should expect it to last... my main reason for not wanting to change to induction would be the cost of replacing a lot of pans, including the pressure cooker and my much-loved and often used aluminium jam pan...

 

@Goldenlily26, that is a phenomenal amount of money and a lot of hard work will have gone into the fundraising of whatever type. Lets hope you can get that covenant issue sorted now. Thanks @Penny_Forthem and yes I have used AO before too and found them absoluely excellent. Did the pooches enjoy their run? It has been quite a pleasant day here today. @Liriodendron you are right about the pans but luckily when I tested mine with a magnet they were all fine to use on the hob.

 

This morning I pruned 12 shrub roses and 2 hybrid teas, pulled up some weeds and cut down some brambles.

Then we went to a Christmas market in a village, all the usual craft stalls, some run by English people. I think I heard more English voices than French ones in the village hall. The chips, burgers and hot dogs were cooked by English and there was a Moroccan food van. Drinks were French. We had samosas and chips and I had mulled wine. It was warm enough to sit outside, though we had our coats on. I bought some Moroccan patisseries to take home, very nutty.

We have just been to a C of E Advent carols service in another nearby village. There must have been about 40 - 50 there, all English, most of whom I knew. Stollen and mulled wine were served afterwards in the cottage they rent for social occasions and coffee after the services. There is also a large supply of English books, we all swap books and pay a contribution for a charity.

 

Evening all. Had another night awake from 3 till 7 and then slept late. Being sewing since - new frock finished and fits very snugly. I like it and so does OH but Possum - Capricorn hat on - says too snug so I'll wait another kilo to wear it. Now busy cooking dinner and making confit limquats. Smells wonderful. Love lemon.

@Tui34 we haven't named these hens as they're all white with no distinguishing features. Not as friendly as the speckled hens we had first time so they've taken a long time to learn to trust us and do now come running when we appear and like to help when we're weeding and planting. We rescued 5 but one died within a few days andanother just a few months ago. The remaining 3 are in fine fettle but moulting so the polytunnel, where they go in the wet, looks like someone's been having a pillow fight.

I like my new induction hob too @Penny_Forthem - easy to clean and no more grease from burning gas. @Busy-Lizzie have you tried sliding your finger instead of pointing? @Liriodendron I bought mine in the July slaes for half price so got a better one than I would have afforded at full price.

I have 2 Le Creusets from 1983. One is a shallow oval roasting dish I use for things like parsnips and the other is deep and oval and just right for a whole chicken if I'm making Chinese silky chicken or Jewish penicillin soup. Neither goes in the dishwasher but the enamel is now almost non existent.

All day patch tomorrow and I'll be learning embroidery with ribbons to make an embroidered, stuffed star. That'll be interesting as they all think I can only do machine sewing despite the evidence to the contrasry - swiss embroidery, sashiko, hitomezashi, even classic embroidery now and I always finish the binding on patchworks by hand.

Talking of crafty stuff - Possum was inspired by some wreaths yesterday to say she wants to make on for Xmas. That'll be interesting.

 

Mouth is watering at the thought of tartiflette. I’d love a good recipe if anyone has one?
I love my induction hob. After 15 years of using a gas hob, I’m in awe of how clean everything is since we changed over. I find it very responsive. Turning the ‘heat’ up or down is almost immediate, and I find the built in timer really useful. No danger of boiling a pan dry, a previous failing of mine if I get distracted. My sister has had induction hobs for years, and her ‘foodie’ son, a very enthusiastic amateur chef, highly recommended them. We got ours from AO, we’ve been very satisfied with them, although OH has done all our installations.
We did get out this morning, the sun came out for a while and we had a lovely walk. The rain started just as we got back. Lunch was roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, and pigs in blankets! I’d bought bacon and chipolatas, so I made some to eat today, and put 16 in the freezer for the 25th. Feeling suitably virtuous!

 

Well done @Ergates - it’s good to plan ahead. I made my red cabbage and par boiled the parsnips a la Delia the other day. They’re now safely in the freezer ready for the big day.
I’ve used induction hobs when on holiday and they seem quite good, but I’ve got a gas hob at home and as long as it keeps behaving itself, won’t be changing it any time soon. I’ll never say never, though .

 

@Busy-Lizzie, it sounds like you had a lovely day. @Ergates I used this one to make mine - not quite as fabulous as that I had in France but still delicious:
Tartiflette

 

I am off to watch Strictly now - bit of a shock for the dance off - no spoilers. enjoy your evenings.
See you all tomorrow.

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