Role Playing
Am annoyed with myself this morning, got out of bed a couple of hours later than intended, and this now leaves me time only to reply to comments as today I have again to go to the surgery for my appt. with the diabetic nurse and after that have 'other commitments' so won't have time to write later.
Also a reminder that is is Norma the Hair day tomorrow, so unless I get up early enough (doubtful), won't be starting this blog until later in the morning.
There was a time - like you Catriona - when I did try to keep high standards with my household work. It was never easy and completely unnatural for me to do 'housework'. This may have been because I was brought up in a home where my mother employed others to do it for her. She did cook though, albeit only 'plain food'. It was true she used to nag me (when a teenager) constantly to keep my bedroom tidy, and I always promised I would "but want to finish this book first"etc., and then never did tidy up. In the end my mother (or help) used to do it, so perhaps I got away with it too easily.
When B and I had our own home, did manage to keep some semblance of order, not always easy with four growing youngsters, but having discovered that if I had a 'role play' (sometimes acting as 'cleaning lady', 'nursemaid', 'cook'.... then really got stuck into the work. Will now start role-playing again from today, for despite my good intentions, as I did little (if anything) yesterday, from now it will be role playing just about everything (although think by now I can do 'cook' without having now to don the uniform (blue/white striped chef's apron), to get into character.
Your Saturday shopping spree sounded fun Lisa. Do know what a pound shop is (well here it is everything sold at a £1, in the US perhaps everything is sold by a pound (lb) weight?). Don't think we have 'big box' shops here, is this where everything is sold in bulk?
Your mention of the many birds singing in your garden made me wonder what birds you have in your area of the US. Many we have here are constant, they don't migrate, so maybe the US birds are similar but slightly different (we have sparrows, blackbirds, robins, wrens, bluetits, magpies, crows, starlings, chaffinches.... (and here in Morecambe several different kinds of seagulls of course). Plus many other birds that don't seem to come into our garden, because we don't grow their favourite plants. Sadly, many of the birds I remember from my childhood (bullfinches, cuckoos, thrushes, wagtails, goldfinches...now seem few and far between, even the sparrows are on the decline).
Doing chores in 15min bursts is a good idea Alison. I once wrote down a whole day of 'household chore activity', timing everything and aiming to reduce the time spent the next time I did it. It was amazing how much could be achieved in such a short time. I even managed to grab half an hour to sit down with my feet up with my mid-morning coffee. But then I was wearing my 'Hilda Ogden' wrap-around pinafore, role-playing like made at that time.
I remember getting into character was SO important for it to work properly, so I used to leave the house by our front door as Mrs Goode, walk down the side of the house to our back door and then enter as 'Hilda O'. Reversing the process after my work was done, pocketing the £1 that kind Mrs Goode had left for me by the back door as 'payment for services'. Do you know, that £1 was mega-important to me, for I'd really 'earned' it, and it was all mine. Not part of the 'housekeeping' that would otherwise have had to be spent on the family.
Hope you managed to 'potter' yesterday to your satisfaction Sarina. Just wish I'd tried harder, but from now on I'll be 'in character' a lot more. With Hilda Ogden now long gone from our screens, who can I now use as a role model?
Checked on your website Campfire, and those photos you mention had appeared. Thank you for those. Amazing how high the tide was at that time. Think since then some of the road has been lifted, and dyke cut through to drain the excess sea-water away, as the really high tides don't now reach as far as the inn.
Do keep writing your blog, for however much we feel you have nothing much to say that will be of interest to others, I personally enjoyed reading your blog. So keep it up.
You mentioned using your Remoska Campfire. I've often wondered whether this would be worth buying, but as it would only add to my kitchen 'collection' of 'cookers', feel that at my time of life it might be a waste of money (and I'd have to find space for it), but younger readers could find it extremely frugal in the amount of electricity it uses. Are there any limitations as to what it can (or can't) cook? Also what is the range of heat that it can rise (or lower) too?
After a really lovely day yesterday (as far as sunshine went), today it is even more blustery and we have heavy rainclouds over all the sky, so would prefer not to venture out today. The trip to the surgery will be enough for me, although B will probably wish to drive elsewhere before we return.
Need to bake another loaf today, also do a pile of laundry in the washing machine, so will have to fit that in sometime today, and I have to sit close to the washing machine to switch it on to the next cycle as it sticks - once it has got past the first two (now manually controlled) it then carries on all by itself to the spin, but then carries on spinning so have to be there to switch it off. At least, being in the kitchen for a good length of time gives me a chance to role-play both 'cleaner' and 'washerwoman', with the conservatory being close enough for me to be 'gardener' for a short time as well. If I play my cards right, this cleaning lark could end up as being fun.
Yesterday took the easy route and made B a Thai Prawn Red curry for his supper. Well at least thawed out the prawns and set them aside. Fried an onion in the omelette pan, then stirred in the Thai Red Curry paste, added some coconut cream (diluted with water), and cooked this until thickened. All B had to do when ready for his meal (after returning from the gym) was to put a pack of 2 minutes Thai Sweet Chilli Rice in the microwave, meanwhile bringing the curry sauce up to the boil and slinging in the prawns to heat through. Dump the rice on his plate, pour the prawns/sauce over the top and eat (and hopefully enjoy).
I'd made B a Butterscotch Angel Delight for his afters (well, I felt like serving 'retro' for a change), and topped this with some EasyYo coconut yogurt that I'd made with some diluted evaporated milk. Also had made an orange jelly, so B certainly was not short of 'treats' he could work through during the rest of the evening. He never seems to stop munching once he starts. Wish I could do the same. Maybe if I went to the gym three times a week I could burn off enough calories to allow myself to eat more.
B seems able to be active in short bursts, but the moment he finishes (or returns home) and sits in his chair, he immediately falls heavily to sleep. Think I've said before adding all his 'naps' and night time sleep, he has over 12 hours of sleep a day, often as much as 15. Me, I seem to be able to get away with five hours (or less) at night, and probably half an hour 'cat-nap' twice a day (whilst watching TV - and it's always when the adverts come on and my concentration drops when I nod off). The reason I woke late this morning is because I didn't go to bed until 3.30am this morning.
Time for me to take my leave, with the reminder that tomorrow this blog will we written later than usual (unless I go to bed very early this evening and so get up early enough to write before Norma arrives). Have a few interesting recipes I want to try out and then pass on to you, so hopefully will be able to pass a few of these on to you tomorrow. Make sure you don't miss tomorrow's blog. See you then.
Also a reminder that is is Norma the Hair day tomorrow, so unless I get up early enough (doubtful), won't be starting this blog until later in the morning.
There was a time - like you Catriona - when I did try to keep high standards with my household work. It was never easy and completely unnatural for me to do 'housework'. This may have been because I was brought up in a home where my mother employed others to do it for her. She did cook though, albeit only 'plain food'. It was true she used to nag me (when a teenager) constantly to keep my bedroom tidy, and I always promised I would "but want to finish this book first"etc., and then never did tidy up. In the end my mother (or help) used to do it, so perhaps I got away with it too easily.
When B and I had our own home, did manage to keep some semblance of order, not always easy with four growing youngsters, but having discovered that if I had a 'role play' (sometimes acting as 'cleaning lady', 'nursemaid', 'cook'.... then really got stuck into the work. Will now start role-playing again from today, for despite my good intentions, as I did little (if anything) yesterday, from now it will be role playing just about everything (although think by now I can do 'cook' without having now to don the uniform (blue/white striped chef's apron), to get into character.
Your Saturday shopping spree sounded fun Lisa. Do know what a pound shop is (well here it is everything sold at a £1, in the US perhaps everything is sold by a pound (lb) weight?). Don't think we have 'big box' shops here, is this where everything is sold in bulk?
Your mention of the many birds singing in your garden made me wonder what birds you have in your area of the US. Many we have here are constant, they don't migrate, so maybe the US birds are similar but slightly different (we have sparrows, blackbirds, robins, wrens, bluetits, magpies, crows, starlings, chaffinches.... (and here in Morecambe several different kinds of seagulls of course). Plus many other birds that don't seem to come into our garden, because we don't grow their favourite plants. Sadly, many of the birds I remember from my childhood (bullfinches, cuckoos, thrushes, wagtails, goldfinches...now seem few and far between, even the sparrows are on the decline).
Doing chores in 15min bursts is a good idea Alison. I once wrote down a whole day of 'household chore activity', timing everything and aiming to reduce the time spent the next time I did it. It was amazing how much could be achieved in such a short time. I even managed to grab half an hour to sit down with my feet up with my mid-morning coffee. But then I was wearing my 'Hilda Ogden' wrap-around pinafore, role-playing like made at that time.
I remember getting into character was SO important for it to work properly, so I used to leave the house by our front door as Mrs Goode, walk down the side of the house to our back door and then enter as 'Hilda O'. Reversing the process after my work was done, pocketing the £1 that kind Mrs Goode had left for me by the back door as 'payment for services'. Do you know, that £1 was mega-important to me, for I'd really 'earned' it, and it was all mine. Not part of the 'housekeeping' that would otherwise have had to be spent on the family.
Hope you managed to 'potter' yesterday to your satisfaction Sarina. Just wish I'd tried harder, but from now on I'll be 'in character' a lot more. With Hilda Ogden now long gone from our screens, who can I now use as a role model?
Checked on your website Campfire, and those photos you mention had appeared. Thank you for those. Amazing how high the tide was at that time. Think since then some of the road has been lifted, and dyke cut through to drain the excess sea-water away, as the really high tides don't now reach as far as the inn.
Do keep writing your blog, for however much we feel you have nothing much to say that will be of interest to others, I personally enjoyed reading your blog. So keep it up.
You mentioned using your Remoska Campfire. I've often wondered whether this would be worth buying, but as it would only add to my kitchen 'collection' of 'cookers', feel that at my time of life it might be a waste of money (and I'd have to find space for it), but younger readers could find it extremely frugal in the amount of electricity it uses. Are there any limitations as to what it can (or can't) cook? Also what is the range of heat that it can rise (or lower) too?
After a really lovely day yesterday (as far as sunshine went), today it is even more blustery and we have heavy rainclouds over all the sky, so would prefer not to venture out today. The trip to the surgery will be enough for me, although B will probably wish to drive elsewhere before we return.
Need to bake another loaf today, also do a pile of laundry in the washing machine, so will have to fit that in sometime today, and I have to sit close to the washing machine to switch it on to the next cycle as it sticks - once it has got past the first two (now manually controlled) it then carries on all by itself to the spin, but then carries on spinning so have to be there to switch it off. At least, being in the kitchen for a good length of time gives me a chance to role-play both 'cleaner' and 'washerwoman', with the conservatory being close enough for me to be 'gardener' for a short time as well. If I play my cards right, this cleaning lark could end up as being fun.
Yesterday took the easy route and made B a Thai Prawn Red curry for his supper. Well at least thawed out the prawns and set them aside. Fried an onion in the omelette pan, then stirred in the Thai Red Curry paste, added some coconut cream (diluted with water), and cooked this until thickened. All B had to do when ready for his meal (after returning from the gym) was to put a pack of 2 minutes Thai Sweet Chilli Rice in the microwave, meanwhile bringing the curry sauce up to the boil and slinging in the prawns to heat through. Dump the rice on his plate, pour the prawns/sauce over the top and eat (and hopefully enjoy).
I'd made B a Butterscotch Angel Delight for his afters (well, I felt like serving 'retro' for a change), and topped this with some EasyYo coconut yogurt that I'd made with some diluted evaporated milk. Also had made an orange jelly, so B certainly was not short of 'treats' he could work through during the rest of the evening. He never seems to stop munching once he starts. Wish I could do the same. Maybe if I went to the gym three times a week I could burn off enough calories to allow myself to eat more.
B seems able to be active in short bursts, but the moment he finishes (or returns home) and sits in his chair, he immediately falls heavily to sleep. Think I've said before adding all his 'naps' and night time sleep, he has over 12 hours of sleep a day, often as much as 15. Me, I seem to be able to get away with five hours (or less) at night, and probably half an hour 'cat-nap' twice a day (whilst watching TV - and it's always when the adverts come on and my concentration drops when I nod off). The reason I woke late this morning is because I didn't go to bed until 3.30am this morning.
Time for me to take my leave, with the reminder that tomorrow this blog will we written later than usual (unless I go to bed very early this evening and so get up early enough to write before Norma arrives). Have a few interesting recipes I want to try out and then pass on to you, so hopefully will be able to pass a few of these on to you tomorrow. Make sure you don't miss tomorrow's blog. See you then.
posted by Shirley at 7:41 am
<< Home