Sunday 5th December - More unexpected consequences

 Such as changing the sheets on the bed today resulted in me discovering my missing sock tucked into a fold of the fitted sheet... 

presumably it hid itself there when it was in the washing machine, and stayed there while the sheet was hanging over the spare room door to dry, 

clinging to its hidey-hole while I folded the sheet and jammed it into the airing cupboard... dozing in the warmth and darkness until rudely tipped out when we used that sheet to make the bed.

Such as making rice pudding in the microwave because we were running over with spare milk, taking my eyes off the bowl so that in two seconds the milk al,l over-flowed and now the microwave was running in milk...

and as we cleaned it out it became apparent that the bearing in the bit that turns the turn-table is completely worn out and so ordering a new microwave (the old one is a ripe old age)...

Rice Pudding

1 tablespoon of pudding rice

1 tablespoon (not rounded) of soft brown sugar

1 pint of milk

A bay leaf and a couple of cardamom pods

All placed into a suitable receptacle and brought to the boil, then simmered until it is not quite as thick as you think it ought to be because it will thicken as it cools. This takes maybe 30 mins, and you should stir the mix quite frequently to stop it sticking and stop that horrible skin forming. Wait, you LIKE the skin?   

This makes enough for 4 portions - no, not really. Probably 4 'yogurt pot sized' portions. So He had a large portion, and I had a small one, and there was a small one left over for the next day. 

The best rice puddings were made in the slow cooker, we remembered. This had been banished to the cupboard under the stairs some years ago, but was retrievable, cleanable, and soon made ready for use. But where to put it?

The consequence - plastic storage containers sorted, and a new home found for them, all corralled into suitable canvas bag and put in the broom cupboard, the bread maker repositioned and cookery books reorganised. 

We shall bring it back into use next week.

That's quite enough for today - when the new microwave arrives on Monday the opposite side of the kitchen will have its chance to be cleaned and sorted...

Dress day 93. Just one week left of the 100 day challenge.

     

Tuesday 23rd November - Slow Down for Advent - HaHaHaNo

 What has gotten into me? I won't keep it up! And I don't really care if I do or if I don't.

So usually I re-read Stephen Cottrell's 'Do nothing, Christmas is Coming', but this year I think I will give it a miss.

I have already joined the usual facebook Advent group and bought the book;

which a random group of people join to read and comment on together.

And then a friend pointed me in the direction of this book;

who could resist a book where a duplo pig lands up in an Advent scene, and I'm dying to know where the buderigar comes in...

There's a knit-a-long which looks interesting - about 10 lines of pattern are released every day in Advent, I have already got enough wool and the needles for the projects - why not join in? I've already tried the tutorial pattern, to teach 'twisted stitches' - in fact I'm on my third version. I'm not Completely Insane; I haven't started going in for miniature knitted jumpers for doll's houses. I shall knit the adult version to make a cowl.

The tutorial is for a little Christmas ornament with a raised Christmas Tree pattern. The one on the left uses Shetland wool and twisted stitches, which do look better; I made the one on the right with a different yarn and ordinary knit and purl. I just wanted to check whether twisting the stitches was worth the effort. It is. I shall stuff them it with a lavender bag as a Christmas presents for someone. 

Finally, (no, probably not finally!)

I am trying to re-motivate a piano student who has gone completely off the boil by challenging her to match my own practices. Well - that's put me on the spot - I can't remember the last time I managed a regular piano practice regime. Anyway, here's my 'star chart' with this morning all filled in and star awarded.

She and I are both committed to scales, sight-reading (from a Grade 6 tutor called 'Right@Sight, harder than I expected!), a piece to study properly and a piece to fiddle with every day. I have emailed her my chart, and also what I did in today's study to show her how I mark up the music, dividing it into sections and then going through the chunk for today. 

 And here's today's 'fiddling about' piece; The plan is to play through this book, one piece each day, just for playing experience and repertoire. If I like the piece I migt put a bit more effort in...

She has got a similar set of things to go through; the Grade 4 Right@Sight, scales, a piece from the Burgmuller studies, a Kabalevsky 'Fairy Story' to learn, and any of the Grade 6 pieces from her exam book 'for fun'. 

Here's hoping that this will get both of us back on track. Actually, I am feeling pretty pleased with myself after this morning's practice session!

It's dress day 81. Still unwashed. The dress, that is, not me!

Saturday 23rd October - sequencing errors are creeping into everything

 I tried to make myself a cup of tea the other day - assembled a tray with cup and saucer, milk in the cup ready, boiled the kettle, filled the teapot. When poured the tea I discovered I had forgotten the tea leaves. 

So, I started again; tipped out the watery milk, boiled some more water, ADDED THE LEAVES TO THE TEA POT and carried it through the to sitting room. Fail. I had used the filtered water jug instead of the milk bottle to prepare the cup. At least all I had to do was take the cup back to the kitchen, chuck the water and replenish with milk.

Today, with great determination, I managed to get it right first time, but only by actually verbalizing every instruction to myself, rather like when I am teaching or learning something really tricky - a bit of Chopin, the top of the second page of every Bach fugue I have ever studied.

Kettle. Tea in pot. Cup. Saucer. Milk in Cup. Boiling water into tea pot. Oh, the sense of triumph!

I have been dealing with admin today - writing up lessons from last week and sending out the emails, checking to see which parents have paid me for last week's lessons (none of the ones who are doing 'pay as you go' as opposed to 'half-termly in advance! - I shall remind them when I send out the next half term's emails of dates and information!) 

Half term got off to a good start this morning; Radio 3 (Mendelssohn's Octet on Record Review), breakfast in bed, tie to sketch out some ideas for the Advent project and some company.  

I've been fiddling around with some sketches in the mornings over the past few days before I get up; I'm not sure yet what I am planning to do. Lino prints? One for each day? Or make up a commonplace book using the sketches? Something will occur to me.

Yesterday I forced myself to go for a walk after a couple of lazy days. The sun came out part way round, and I starting picking up Autumn leaves and putting them in my pocket. I realized that I was encouraging myself along rather in the way that you would find interesting things for a grumpy toddler to try and persuade them to cheer up. It worked! Have I discovered my true level of maturity? And does this mean I am wise, or childish? 

It doesn't take much effort to press the leaves flat on a piece of kitchen paper and take a rather fuzzy picture of them. They are so pretty by themselves that one doesn't even need to be artistic.

I was also delighted to spot this!  

It is owned by someone living further down our road. He had to stop 'because the fuel pump is giving a bit of trouble'. It didn't seem to take long to fix it - he opened the funny little side access to the bonnet, tweaked the something or other and was going again in seconds.

We reaped the reward of my efforts earlier in the week. Those round red silicone baking dishes fit nicely into the Air Fryer, and I filled the four of them plus the metal cooking pan with macaroni cheese, with added kale, onion, and bacon bits, all topped with breadcrumbs and grated cheese. 

We had the contents of metal dish for supper - it makes quite a light meal for 2 - and the rest went into the freezer. So, one supper meal for each week is sorted. (We eat our main meal at lunchtime these days)

I had tried other containers for freezing the extra portions but they weren't satisfactory, or at least not for reheating in the Air Fryer.

I don't know why it is called an Air Fryer - it is more of a very small, very efficient electric fan oven, coming to temperature in minutes and perfect for two or three people. 

Today is Day 50 of the 'wear the Rowena Swing Dress for 100 days in a row' challenge. I had to wash the front of it on Thursday morning when I discovered some splatters of minestrone soup. Maybe washing the in the hand basin while I was wearing it wasn't efficient or practical or sensible, but I managed, also pressing the wet portion dry between two towels. The fabric dried remarkably quickly, but is a reminder to get on with sorting out an apron.

 

 

Wednesday 20th October - Maybe that was a bit unkind...

The phone rings, and I'm expecting a call that I'm looking forward to. 

'Hello. who's calling?' 

'Hello, my name is Anthony, how are you today?' The voice is pleasant, with a slightly American accent. And certainly NOT the friend who is about to call. So my reply is ungracious and peevish.

'Oh, not as well as I was a minute ago.' That's because I'm peeved that it is a cold caller and not the call I was waiting for. Anthony pauses for amicro-second, and returns to his script.

'I am calling from United Appliances we are conducting a survey into popular domestic appliances it will only take 50 seconds how do you wash your clothes?'

'I, err,'

'Which one do you use Bosch Miele Hotpoint Hoover?' he sounds patient in an impatient sort of way.

'None of them I wash my clothes in the river.' I'm rather afraid that is an untruth. Before he can get going again I carry. 'Look, I'm really not in the mood, why don't you call someone else goodbye'. And I put the phone down to start typing again.

Seconds later;

Knock-knock-knock-knock

The front door.

A youth in high viz with a clipboard mumbles

'I'm from Mumblemumble would you like a quote for getting your paving cleaned?'

'No thank you.' It is taking me an effort to stay even slightly civil.

'Not even a free estimate?'

'No thank you, goodbye,' and I close the door (gently) as he turns away.

Next? 

Knock if you dare....

Deep Breath.

My desk (alias the dining table) is out of control - I have the books from four lessons and the write ups to put away, and I have two or three new projects fizzing around in my brain and I am really, not, in, the, mood!

So maybe my response to these hapless folk working in call centres or tramping round the streets in the cold wind was less than optimal, but I was still more civilized than I might have been.

I am embroiled in Projects.....

The apron project

I made a dress this Summer

and although I'm quite pleased with it, I'm not in love with it. The fabric is rather stiff, and hasn't softened with washing. So, my plan is to turn it into a 'Japanese' or 'studio' apron, those aprons with cross-over shoulder straps that you sort of wriggle into, and all kinds of crafts women wear (especially on The Repair Shop) and look so purposeful in. It should help protect my 100DayDress too.

Seasalt do one for £27.50

Seasalt studio apron

It has taken me several days of eyeing up my summer dress and working out how to cut the back to achieve this, but I think I've just about got it sorted out in my mind. I should be able to cut it in such a fashion as to create one strap all-of-a-piece with the front and back, and then cut a sort of patch to make the other strap. I'll use the hem to do that, and also to make pockets. It will take me several more days to work up the nerve to start cutting. When it has all gone wrong I'll cut what's left into a smaller, ordinary apron and put the Seasalt on on my Christmas List and be happy with that. 

The Spring Bulbs Project

The apron seems a good idea for when my tulip bulbs arrive - I've just had an email to tell me that they are on their way. I've ordered some from Sarah Raven but then I discovered that they would be delayed, maybe, so I ordered some more from Farmer Gracy and these are due by next week. Sarah Raven discusses 'lasagne planting', where you layer up the different bulbs in the same pot and I thought I would have a go. An apron seems a good place to start.

from the Sarah Raven catalogue

 The only thing is that I don't want to have the big patio tubs full of 'gone over' spring bulbs when I want to put something else in. Sooo, I wonder if it will work if I use some tall deep flower pots, and layer the bulbs in those, and then sink those pots into the big wide patio tubs? Then I can lift them out and leave them to their own devices at the bottom of the garden. 

The Advent Calendar Project

Oh, I start thinking about this every year, but whether I manage to put one together is another matter. Still, it's half term next week, and then there's rest of November. The questions are still not resolving into answers; what form, how, what materials....

Knit myself a chunky jumper

I should take a reality check here - I have a scarf, a tea-cosy and two crochet blankets on the go. 

But a chunky jumper... would that really take so long to make?

The O Antiphon Projects;

This is the one I am actively working on  - a short Advent course for me and some friends... It has more or less come together just today, and I am beginning to rough out the sessions, gather the information and work out how to run it.

And the 100DayDress challenge? Today was day 47. I'm still in love with the dress. I had to do some spot cleaning at the weekend as I discovered an number of grease spots. They cleaned off easily enough.

  

 

Friday 8th October - Going, Going, Gone!

 It's been a wonderful week - we have cleared about a quarter of the loft into a neighbour's skip (with their permission - he said we could use it after his builders finished with it)

Such a load off my mind, such a load off the bedroom ceilings. We've still got twice as much to go. 

Public Service Announcement Number 1- don't put all the baby stuff into the loft - make your save/skip/recycle/give away/sell to someone else decisions before you consign things to the oblivion, grime, dust and damp of the loft! 

But I expect all you sensible people out there knew this already.

We have rediscovered hundreds of photographs going back to when - when - we don't know yet, as we haven't been through them.

Public Service Announcement Number 2 - deal with photographs sooner rather than later. Photograph albums. Storage Boxes. And write details on the back! 

Also my old Sindy and Madge (Barbie's best friend) dolls and clothes, a collection of dolls in national costume, books, trinkets, unused wedding presents, cookery books, all to be sorted into crates ready for their next destination. Regrettably that will be recycling or bin for very many of them, but I will salvage and redistribute whatever can be saved.

As you can see, McCavity is deeply unimpressed with the piles on the hearth rug. It's tough, being a cat and having so little say in the running of the household.

It is so true, that accumulating clutter becomes overwhelming in time, and induces a feeling of helplessness at the very thought of doing anything about it. 

Well the skip has gone. I'm regretful about somethings we skipped, embarrassed about others, which should have been recycled or moved on before they were ruined, but mainly relieved that we have made so much progress in dealing with a task that I was dreading.  

Dress day 35

I am still so happy with The Dress! Sixty-five more days to go. I bought some new tights - finally gave in to all the 'wow' reviews of 'Snag' tights and bought some - they certainly live up to the hype. 

Friday October 1st - A week is a long time

 I've been on the new tablets for about three weeks now, and the difference is staggering. It's not just that I can walk further when I do the 6 minute walk test, but it's the whole experience of steeping out along the pavement. At the end of 6 minutes I have walked nearly half as far again, and although I am breathing hard - too hard to talk - I'm not gasping like a fish out of water, struggling to get the air into my lungs.

I can now walk fast enough to keep warm! There's a novelty! I used to make sure I was wearing enough layers in order not to get cold.

The new blood pressure tablets are also doing their job - too efficiently, it seems. Gone are the puffy ankles that I was getting in the afternoon - hurrah! - but I am constantly feeling just a little bit woozy - as though I was in a boat, gently rocking on a calm pond. Luckily I take another blood pressure medicine as well, so, following a quick telephone consultation with the clinic I am experimenting with reducing it over the next couple of days. 

It is an extraordinary feeling, this sudden return to walking freely, no longer preparing for changes in gradients along the almost flat roads around where we live. Going for 'a walk around the block' takes thirty minutes instead of nearer fifty minutes. If I sound excited, it's because I am!

Anyway, enough on that topic - what else?

I have hopefully averted a minor domestic crisis - running out of yoghurt - by making a batch of home-made. Reading the Tracing Rainbows blog today reminded me (that apple loaf recipe looks good too!).

Here's the recipe I use followed by a couple of recipes.

 I now have a food vacuum flask full of the cooled milk and yogurt mixture hopefully doing what it is supposed to do; I shall look inside tomorrow morning. Another excellent topping for yoghurt is brown sugar, the darker the better in my view.

These pages come from a book called 'The Crafty Cook', written by Michael Barry. I have just googled his name, and discovered that he died in 2011; reading his obituary  I find that also had a career as one of the founding members of Classic FM - well I never did. We always watched 'The Crafty Cook' on television. It is where we first encountered Jilly Goolden and her enthusiasm for wine.

The state of the dining room table has been a recurrent theme in this blog; on Monday it became truly spectacular when we woke up to discover the boiler in the kitchen had been leaking overnight, and the work surfaces and floor and under the washing machine were all properly wet. Everything was decanted to the dining room all in a hurry and the engineer called out. Meanwhile the carbon monoxide detector started its plaintive beep - I'm sure that was just a coincidence.

He appeared later that day, took one look, stuck a 'danger, do not turn on appliance' notice on the boiler and started ordering parts. He came back the next day and spent the morning dismantling the boiler, fitting great complicated contraptions and then testing everything. Success - all done and he left by lunchtime taking his notice with him. We couldn't persuade the detector to stop beeping so banished it to the shed, pending the arrival of the replacement.

While the engineer was roaming around between the loft and the kitchen and everywhere in between, I stayed out of the way in the dining room, turned my back on the chaos and did some messing about with the paints. 

If all works out these will be greetings cards, once I have sorted out the splodges of colours using pen and ink. I'm hoping I will have a seascape, flowers, and autumn leaves, but I won't know until I have finished whether I like them. That's kind of annoying, freeing, and interesting, all in one go. 

I'm still doing the 100 day dress challenge... today is day 28. I've put on an extra layer because it's Autumn - just enough to not need a fleecy jacket. 

It certainly makes getting up in the morning simple; fresh underwear, current 'legs' and the dress. I have ordered some tights from Snag tights to make a change. I can't tell when they will arrive because I suspect I mistyped my email address on the order form. I very nearly succumbed to the idea of  the 'care bear collection' and also to the 'duo collection' where the legs are wildly different colours... 

 

 

  

Sunday 19th September - Another week...

 It's been a funny old week, but I think it is often like that at the beginning of Autumn, when Summer seems reluctant to end, and yet the sun rise is later, dusk is earlier.

I can remember as a youngster shivering along to school wearing Summer uniform in the morning, and sweltering home in the afternoon as the sun had burned through the Autumnal mist and brought Summer back. Or, even worse, mooching along comfortably in winter uniform and sweating home wearing coat, felt hat and brown knitted gloves (it was that kind of school - blazer and straw hat and white cotton gloves in the summer, and woe betide you if you were not wearing hat and gloves.)

The air has seemed somehow 'thick', or maybe 'dense' might be a better word. I have been beavering away at my step count, but on a couple of days I have struggled to motivate myself. Today, for example, it is well into the afternoon and I've only notched up 550 steps from pottering about house, and I've already promised myself that I can have a Sabbath Rest today. At least I have found a way of switching off those pesky 'motivational messages' that kept popping up all the time.

The Book Club choice for last month, as I think I have mentioned, was 'Precious Bane' by Mary Webb. In another frame of mind I might have read it, but I gave up three pages in, unable to plough through the admittedly beautiful but archaic language. Instead I have been reading several books in the 'light romantic style', all reprints of popular novels of 60 or more years ago.   

I think 'Business as Usual', recommended by a friend, was the most successful of this bunch, and enjoyed it very much. 

I may be ready for something meatier, or maybe not. I have started this one, by the same author as the 'Shardlake' series. There's a sense of foreboding -  I have a horrible feeling things will come to a sticky end for several people and only a quarter of the way through... 

 I didn't go to this month's Book Club meeting as we are now meeting indoors again after a year of zooms and a couple of 'in the garden' meetings. This month's book is by Graham Norton, called 'A Keeper'. According to the 'blurb' is it 'creepy, atmospheric, and impossible to put down'. 

Maybe I'll read a few Mary Stewarts first and build up to it?

The 100 day dress challenge continues; I'm still not bored with wearing the same dress, I've still not had to wash it as it still looks and smells clean. This is only day 16 - so far, so good.

One bonus is that I scroll past all the advertisements from favourite companies without a qualm - no point looking, because I won't be wearing anything different for another twelve weeks!  

Sunday 12th September 2021 - Autumn is underway

 I have survived the PCR test, and the trip to London for routine clinic appointments and tests. A friend drove us in her campervan, so that social distancing and avoiding public transport could all happen without any stress - so appreciated. At the hospital 'proper' mask wearing was almost universal - obviously more relaxed near the coffee shops (how else can you drink your coffee and chomp on a sandwich?) and it felt - safe.

Attempting a 6 minute walk test (where you walk as many times as you can up and down a measured length of corridor in 6 minutes) should never be done while wearing a FFP3 mask. Trust me. This could be why the result of that test was lower than expected, and generally oxygen readings were lower. I did peel off that mask and replace it with an ordinary one, the same as everyone else, after that experience.

The results were all slightly lower than last time, which was back in 2019, and could be down to any, or all of, wearing the FFP3 mask which is significantly harder to breathe through than the ordinary one,  ,  change in heart or lung function, or just generally becoming unfit from having stopped work and being sat sitting around in a state of sloth for 18 months. The cardiologist relaxed somewhat when I showed him the walk tests and so forth that I had been doing at home, and prescribed '5000 steps a day, but work up to it, not all at once'. Ah. That is quite a lot of walking for me... 

Talking of masks, I have made this; 

a short crochet strap with a button at each end. You fix the over-ear loops of the mask over the buttons instead of round your ear, which massively simplifies things when one already has hearing aids and spectacles hooked over your ears. The tab in the middle is because this is the prototype and was a little too long. I shall make another in due course. (I'm not the one with hearing aids!)

The walking and paying attention to regaining fitness is continuing, with a blip when I had to isolate for a few days between PCR test and going up to London, and another blip yesterday when I decided to have a day off. Although I have discovered a pulmonary rehab exercise video made by NHS Scotland, which is very good.

I have finished the slipover I have been working on for ages. The yarn is much thinner than anything I have every used before, and progress seemed very slow. I'm pleased with the result, and, as you can see, I am persevering with the 100day dress challenge. The dress if brilliant, so far, in hot weather and in cool.

I know it is the second half of Summer when these yellow flowers appear. They are humming, buzzing with bees. 

I was given some cucamelon seeds for Christmas, and the other day I discovered that the vine is covered in them. I tasted one, and was not impressed; rather sour, I thought. Perhaps it wasn't ripe. 

Nope. This is the size they should be, and it turns out they are meant to taste sour, so I have been looking information on what you are supposed to do with them. Apparently they are a 'superfood' and 'packed with anti-oxidants'. So I will have another go at eating them. Somehow.  

Saturday 4th September - Some drawings and a new dress

 I'm  still plugging on with walking a decent distance every day. And every day I'm  surprised that I'm doing it again. It's mostly rund the same couple of streets near the house; it's surprising how different the front gardens look when you walk past from  the other direction. So, that's another mile added to the running, or rather Walking total. 

I'm really pleased with yesterday's drawings;

The lesson was on volcanoes and mugs; I added the cup and saucer and the jug. They didn't take long. It makes such a difference when you find the how-to-do-it book that is right for you. 

I've been wondering about the Rowena swing dress 100 day challenge for a while. I remember an Australian newspresenter (male) admitting to wearing the same jacket for a whole year, while his (female) co-presenter's outfits received constant comments from the viewers, especially if she wore the same clothes.

 Can you really wear the same wool dress for 100 days in a row?

After a year of mulling it over I bought the Rowena dress and have started the challenge today. I tried the dress on when it arrived and it is supremely comfortable.

I'll let you know how I get on.