Monday 30th January - Busy busy busy...

 I've done this before - I start the week all full of vim and vigour and do masses of stuff on the Monday, and then - that's it for the week. We shall see...

Today -  

I refilled the bird feeders. The poor birds have been checking out the sad remnants in the seed holders and flying away disappointed for several days now. They are staying away at the moment; it always takes them a day or so to return.

Still on the garden theme, I had a go at using my Christmas present to make paper seedling pots;

 You wrap  strip of paper around the form, leaving the lower edge overhanging so it can be folded in to make the base. Then you push the former into the base so compress all the folds to stop it form coming apart. Finally you check the base to make sure you haven't torn the paper round the edge, discover that you have done exactly that, remove it and scrumple it up. If at first you don't succeed... As you can see I am winning - 9 completed pots and only 6 scrumpled sheets. I think I've got the knack now.  

I have started a tray of microgreens; a shallow dish of earth, thickly sown with seeds and kept on the windowsill. According to Huw Edwards (Veg in one bed) I should have delicious shoots to harvest and add to a salad in 1-3 weeks. 'The perfect way to use up last year's seeds,' he says, so I have used all the leftover kale seeds. Kale was a complete disappointment last year - unattractive in appearance and unexciting to eat. No more kale in the garden, and hopefully microgreen kale might be more delicious.

I made soup - investigating the fridge I found a selection of elderly vegetables. Some dodgy carrots, floppy celery and leeks well past their best. I put some butter and oil in the slow cooker on HIGH to melt while I chopped up the vegetables. Then I stirred them into the pot, added bouillion, salt and pepper and left it alone for several hours. I had some at supper time with croutons made in the Air Fryer and the rest is in the fridge for another day. This was inspired by an entry for January in 'The Kitchen Diaries' by Nigel Slater; he did something similar with some 'woody old carrots'.

I am enjoying dipping into the book. I bought it cheaply, second hand. It is interesting to see that it opens freely in January and February, and several pages show signs of have been cooked from, if you see what I mean, but its previous owner seems to have lost interest, or maybe lot the book, after about March. I haven't started 'Vaxxers' yet - that was another Christmas Present from my wishlist. 

I spent a long time on the 'Print and Post' February newsletter. It is one thing to think about what I might write, but another thing to get it all written down and the accompanying photographs added. I still have to add the 'BOOKS' section, and then it should be done. Just as well, as February is only a day or so away.

Finally, just before I started teaching, I finished marking out the fabric for the next stitching project. I'm in the process of transferring the pattern to tracing paper, which I will post to Ang tomorrow so she can get it onto her piece. Then we will be ready for the Off!