A Change is as good as a Rest
Eleven thirty pm on a Sunday evening. Who would have thought I'd now be writing up Monday's blog? Well I am, and suddenly it feels right. What better time to write about the day when fresh in my memory than trying to remember what I did the day before?
So from now on I'll write my blog late evenings, hopefully publishing it after midnight so it is actually published on the correct day. This also gives me a bit of leeway as if I am tired and decided to write the blog first thing in the morning (as I have been doing for the last seven or so years) the almost daily blog will still be appearing.
So - what have I been doing today? Enough to make me realise that allowing myself more time in the morning, then things can get done. Made several pounds of lemon and lime marmalade, and already weighed out the sugar for making orange and ginger marmalade tomorrow. Also baked B a loaf plus 8 baps. He chose chilli con carne for supper (had one in the freezer so only needed to heat that up), served with a salad, avocado, some sour cream and a pitta bread.
My supper was salad with seasticks. Plus a couple of oranges for 'afters'.
Still sorting out the kitchen, and as B has now screwed in some cup-hooks for me will now be able to hang things up instead of stuffing them inside big stone jars, hopefully leaving me more room on the unit tops.
Thanks for the comments sent in. More may come in overnight, so will reply to these in my next blog (written Monday Night for Tuesday reading).
Understand what you mean about preferring to eat 'coloured' vegetables Les, but don't cut out all 'whites' as both onions and garlic are very good for our health.
Am hoping to have a read of Jack's new book jane, and when scanning her ingredient list (on her web-site), am pretty sure - as she always shops at Sainsbury's - even cheaper prices could be found elsewhere (Aldi?). But not if extra money has to be allowed for transport (Jack lived within walking distance of S, so it made sense to shop there. This is always the interesting thing when the price of foods are shown (esp in mags) as we then have that lovely challenge of seeing if we can cut the cost even more.
Thanks so much Margie for sending your basic larder list. As is bound to happen, some things we all have, some others we don't. Peanut butter surprised me (I do have it in the larder, but would not have it as basic), but I do know in America that peanut butter is a great favourite, so probably the same in Canada. Certainly I'll be giving some more exotic recipes if you can let me know which type of ethnic stores you use. Here in the UK we have many, but these usually only in areas where there is a large ethnic population. In Morecambe don't think there are any. There should be an Indian one in Lancaster but have yet to find it. There is a Thai one in Lancaster. A Polish grocers in Morecambe, and would love to find a Chinese store.
Was told by some Jewish guests we once entertained that they had to go to Manchester to buy kosher chicken. But the lack of said stores does not prevent me giving recipes, even though I - myself - do not have all the ingredients.
Thanks also go to Sarina for sending us her basic list. As soon as a few more lists arrive, I'm going to jot down everything so that I can find the common ground, and then base recipes around these, including (as an optional) ingredients that we don't all choose to keep, but - in future - might wish to.
Sorry to hear you have not been well Ciao, what you said sounds similar to something one of our daughters had, she had to have her heart zapped to get it to beat steadily. She's fine now.
Although 'officially' Spring has now started (1st March), it is the spring equinox on 21st (when the days/nights are the same length, and the time we put the clocks forward an hour from Greenwich Mean Time aka GMT to British Summer Time aka BST) that sometimes fools us into thinking spring has only just then begun. Mind you, it might still be like that as over the next few days the temperature again is going to drop, approx. 9C in the daytime, but 1C at night. Even the change of some snow in the south west and Wales. Day-time temperatures are due to rise to double figures by the weekend. But even then the weather forecasters aren't quite sure, it all depends whether the high pressure settles over the south or moves further down towards France. After that we might have more winds, more rain. Or maybe a heatwave!!! They do say that we are known for always talking about our weather (we casually wave to someone we see, calling out 'lovely day', or 'looks like rain again' etc.. whereas other countries would probably say something else.
There was a lovely snippet in the paper today about our manner of speaking, as - when in the US - we are likely to be ignored if we respectfully ask 'could you possibly help me by telling me the way to the railway station' (as we do), but is we just snapped out 'where's the station', we would be instantly told.
When we visited our daughter in New York State, we once needed directions, so I suggested we ask a policeman (as we do here), and when we did, the only help we got was told to 'go and buy a map'. Trying to be objective about our country and way of life, it must often seem very quaint and a bit effusive(is that the correct word?) when it comes to the way we speak/ask for things etc. Certainly we tend to be extremely polite, although the tendency is for the youngsters nowadays to forget their manners. "What's the magic word" we say when they ask for something. They won't get it unless they first say 'please' and then' thank you'.
It's after midnight, so as it is now Monday anyway, will press the 'publish' button and the blog will be up and ready for all to read with no waiting until lunch-time (as sometimes happens). With the whole morning in my kitchen to play with, quite a lot could be accomplished - maybe even doing a bit of spring-cleaning in other rooms. At least giving me more interesting things to write about than I have been doing lately.
Am telling myself this is an early start to my Lenten sacrifices, giving myself more work to do, but like all sacrifices, these usually end up improving us in some way, so really they are more help than a hindrance. Would it be more of a sacrifice if I stopped trying to lose weight and decided to have six weeks of stuffing myself with chocolate and every other food that I shouldn't be eating?
I know what would be a sacrifice. Not watching any TV for six weeks, and just haven't the will power or strength of mind to do that. But if I did this, then I would have more time to do spring-cleaning etc, and that would be a good thing so I would have benefited, and Lent isn't about benefits. So it's OK to watch TV. Gosh that's a relief.
Looks like even in the wee small hours of the morning I can't stop rambling on. Really must stop doing this. Could be the sacrifice I'm looking for. Anyway, now off to bed. TTFN.
So from now on I'll write my blog late evenings, hopefully publishing it after midnight so it is actually published on the correct day. This also gives me a bit of leeway as if I am tired and decided to write the blog first thing in the morning (as I have been doing for the last seven or so years) the almost daily blog will still be appearing.
So - what have I been doing today? Enough to make me realise that allowing myself more time in the morning, then things can get done. Made several pounds of lemon and lime marmalade, and already weighed out the sugar for making orange and ginger marmalade tomorrow. Also baked B a loaf plus 8 baps. He chose chilli con carne for supper (had one in the freezer so only needed to heat that up), served with a salad, avocado, some sour cream and a pitta bread.
My supper was salad with seasticks. Plus a couple of oranges for 'afters'.
Still sorting out the kitchen, and as B has now screwed in some cup-hooks for me will now be able to hang things up instead of stuffing them inside big stone jars, hopefully leaving me more room on the unit tops.
Thanks for the comments sent in. More may come in overnight, so will reply to these in my next blog (written Monday Night for Tuesday reading).
Understand what you mean about preferring to eat 'coloured' vegetables Les, but don't cut out all 'whites' as both onions and garlic are very good for our health.
Am hoping to have a read of Jack's new book jane, and when scanning her ingredient list (on her web-site), am pretty sure - as she always shops at Sainsbury's - even cheaper prices could be found elsewhere (Aldi?). But not if extra money has to be allowed for transport (Jack lived within walking distance of S, so it made sense to shop there. This is always the interesting thing when the price of foods are shown (esp in mags) as we then have that lovely challenge of seeing if we can cut the cost even more.
Thanks so much Margie for sending your basic larder list. As is bound to happen, some things we all have, some others we don't. Peanut butter surprised me (I do have it in the larder, but would not have it as basic), but I do know in America that peanut butter is a great favourite, so probably the same in Canada. Certainly I'll be giving some more exotic recipes if you can let me know which type of ethnic stores you use. Here in the UK we have many, but these usually only in areas where there is a large ethnic population. In Morecambe don't think there are any. There should be an Indian one in Lancaster but have yet to find it. There is a Thai one in Lancaster. A Polish grocers in Morecambe, and would love to find a Chinese store.
Was told by some Jewish guests we once entertained that they had to go to Manchester to buy kosher chicken. But the lack of said stores does not prevent me giving recipes, even though I - myself - do not have all the ingredients.
Thanks also go to Sarina for sending us her basic list. As soon as a few more lists arrive, I'm going to jot down everything so that I can find the common ground, and then base recipes around these, including (as an optional) ingredients that we don't all choose to keep, but - in future - might wish to.
Sorry to hear you have not been well Ciao, what you said sounds similar to something one of our daughters had, she had to have her heart zapped to get it to beat steadily. She's fine now.
Although 'officially' Spring has now started (1st March), it is the spring equinox on 21st (when the days/nights are the same length, and the time we put the clocks forward an hour from Greenwich Mean Time aka GMT to British Summer Time aka BST) that sometimes fools us into thinking spring has only just then begun. Mind you, it might still be like that as over the next few days the temperature again is going to drop, approx. 9C in the daytime, but 1C at night. Even the change of some snow in the south west and Wales. Day-time temperatures are due to rise to double figures by the weekend. But even then the weather forecasters aren't quite sure, it all depends whether the high pressure settles over the south or moves further down towards France. After that we might have more winds, more rain. Or maybe a heatwave!!! They do say that we are known for always talking about our weather (we casually wave to someone we see, calling out 'lovely day', or 'looks like rain again' etc.. whereas other countries would probably say something else.
There was a lovely snippet in the paper today about our manner of speaking, as - when in the US - we are likely to be ignored if we respectfully ask 'could you possibly help me by telling me the way to the railway station' (as we do), but is we just snapped out 'where's the station', we would be instantly told.
When we visited our daughter in New York State, we once needed directions, so I suggested we ask a policeman (as we do here), and when we did, the only help we got was told to 'go and buy a map'. Trying to be objective about our country and way of life, it must often seem very quaint and a bit effusive(is that the correct word?) when it comes to the way we speak/ask for things etc. Certainly we tend to be extremely polite, although the tendency is for the youngsters nowadays to forget their manners. "What's the magic word" we say when they ask for something. They won't get it unless they first say 'please' and then' thank you'.
It's after midnight, so as it is now Monday anyway, will press the 'publish' button and the blog will be up and ready for all to read with no waiting until lunch-time (as sometimes happens). With the whole morning in my kitchen to play with, quite a lot could be accomplished - maybe even doing a bit of spring-cleaning in other rooms. At least giving me more interesting things to write about than I have been doing lately.
Am telling myself this is an early start to my Lenten sacrifices, giving myself more work to do, but like all sacrifices, these usually end up improving us in some way, so really they are more help than a hindrance. Would it be more of a sacrifice if I stopped trying to lose weight and decided to have six weeks of stuffing myself with chocolate and every other food that I shouldn't be eating?
I know what would be a sacrifice. Not watching any TV for six weeks, and just haven't the will power or strength of mind to do that. But if I did this, then I would have more time to do spring-cleaning etc, and that would be a good thing so I would have benefited, and Lent isn't about benefits. So it's OK to watch TV. Gosh that's a relief.
Looks like even in the wee small hours of the morning I can't stop rambling on. Really must stop doing this. Could be the sacrifice I'm looking for. Anyway, now off to bed. TTFN.
posted by Shirley at 12:16 am
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