Tuesday 31st October - Prospect Tower (2)

 It's been slightly tricky trying to be in the right place at the right time today - entirely because somehow coming back from the weekend away on a Monday has meant that the both of us oscillate between thinking today is Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday... but we've got to the evening without mishap. I've taught the right students at the right time, and my father has been taken to his bridge club and collected at the right time.

If we are not careful, the memories of the weekend break will be swamped by the everyday round of cooking, cleaning, washing, emails and so on; that's why I am blogging it in detail to make it last longer.

Prospect Tower - Saturday

The day began inauspiciously; I remember having a dream that I had a nosebleed in the middle of the night (why?) and ruined all the pristine white bedding. It was only a dream. But then - after I woke up I started a  nosebleed for real! Horrors! Luckily I was able to grab some tissues and nearly saved the sheets. There was just a small spot on a corner of the bedding and we were able to remove it without soaking everything. We left that corner draped over the wicker waste-paper-basket to dry. By the time we went to bed the spot had completely disappeared. 

This was one dream that I didn't want to come true!

.....  

The weather in the morning was very unsettled and cold. We spent the time before lunch sitting around, reading, drinking coffee, eating 'posh' shortbread biscuits brought as a holiday treat. I brought the flowers too.

After lunch we wrapped up warmly and went for a walk, heading up the Walnut Walk towards the house and gardens. It starts just outside the window in the picture above. Near the tower they are all sweet chestnut trees. The main entertainment was watching squirrels which were busy busy busy all the time collecting the the chestnuts for their winter stores. I find the way they move fascinating.

I don't have many pictures of the gardens on my phone; Best Beloved took quite a few on his proper camera but hasn't downloaded them yet. I'll post them when he's done that.

This map shows the layout of the gardens; the tower is in the bottom left hand corner. We walked up towards the vegetable gardens,

and through the Victorian greenhouses which were being used to overwinter next year's plants, and store onions. They had proper Victorian window opening and closing mechanisms - great levers and cogs to make them work. And just look at the size of those heating pipes!

There was a lovely stand of squash and pumpkins for sale outside. I think there had been lots more at the start of the half term holiday.

We walked on through the various parts of the garden, and then - I just ran out of steam. So BestB walked back to the tower, less than half a mile away and fetched the car! He arrived just as it began to rain, and we went back to the warmth and comfort of our holiday home.

Supper was pizzza (we had brought very easy 'just put it in the oven' meals) and then a long gentle evening. 

The light levels in the sitting room are very low, but fine for knitting. I cast on some socks before we left to get the ribbing over and done with (I do dislike ribbing!). The sock is coming along nicely. I like using these patterned yarns - this one came from Lidl, believe it or not. Another knitting blogger commented that she likes to choose bright colours at this time of year;

 

Saturday's knitting was the second yellow strip and zig zag afterwards. Sunday's knitting was the pink bit nearest the needles.

 
   

Monday 30th October - Prospect Tower (1)

 We've been away for the weekend! 

So exciting! This is the first time we've stayed away from home since the 2020 lockdown. You might think this level of caution somewhat excessive,  but my lung function is around 27% of normal, and I take immunosuppressant drugs (among the other harlequin assortment of pills), which means my immune system is less effective than it should be, and also vaccinations don't work as well. 

Also, we had to wait until this year as our cats were so ancient that they could not be put in the  cattery any more. At nearly ninteen years old they deserved cosseting, and needed four little meals a day... well, sadly they departed this mortal coil at the end of 2022 and although we do miss them we appreciate the freedom we have to make plans to take a break away from home.

We stayed at Prospect Tower, a folly on the Belmont Estate near Faversham, Kent. It's one of the self catering holiday properties restored and managed by the Landmark Trust. 

The bedroom and shower room are on the ground floor, but the food, logs for the fire, and anything else wanted in the living room all had to be carried up a little winding stair. I did wonder if it would be possible to provide some kind of hoist system;

 

but no, up we went, round and round twenty steps to arrive here;

Another thirty steps took us to the roof deck with views across the countryside

The weather really was this good... for a short while... Back downstairs to the first floor, there's a tiny kitchen off the living room;

 fully equipped, and almost everything within reach without taking more than two steps. (Take a third step and you'd be back in the living room!)

So, once we had settled in, it was time for supper and a quiet evening before an early night.

More tomorrow...

Sunday 29th October - Trinity 21

 I use the old prayer book my godfather game me at my Confirmation service to find the collect, epistle and gospel for each Sunday.

Today is Trinity 21 - still in 'Ordinary Time', which is any period which is not Advent, Lent, Christmastide, Eastertide or anything else. Only another couple of Sundays to go before Advent, and we all know what that means - chocolate calendars and Advent candles! Christmas card lists and present lists and Christmas Day arrangements and - oh yes, getting ready to celebrate the Birth of Christ...

Ah well, reality does sometimes overtake spirituality...

Here's the collect;

See, whoever wrote the collect all those centuries ago, saw us coming...

...pardon and peace and a quiet mind...

I can think of a lot of places and people, nearer and further away who would welcome peace and a quiet mind. Praying that you too will have some peace and quiet where ever you are.   

Saturday 28th October

 I've kept going on the virtual Yosemite trail. The (virtual) weather is beautiful and the scenery takes your breath away.

I'm still managing to reach a total of 1600 steps on my step counter by the end of the day - that equates to about three-quarters of a mile. At this snail's pace it will take another couple of weeks to complete the 42 mile length of the trail - but I'm in no hurry!  

Friday 27th October

 Oh, the joy! Oh, the feeling of lightness! Oh, the brief moments of clarity, the sweet task of success!

 You see before you four bags of books, and there are another two besides, AND a bag of Christmas bric-a-brac I have been collecting ever since last January (because I am pretty certain NO charity shop wants to receive bags and bags of culled Christmas ornaments and decorations in the middle of January).

Yes sir, yes, sir, SEVEN bags full has left this house. We tend to take things to the British Heart Foundation, sinply because we can easily access the back door to ring the bell and deliver our stuff. (no sleeping bags, no CDs, no video tapes please).

This is all in addition to 9 bags of books taken to Cancer Research earlier in the week.

If that's sixteen in total, I'm feeling much better about one of my New Year Resolutions for 2023 which is 'two bags (any size, any amount) to charity every month' . I had been falling behind, but I reckon about six large bags were dispatched over the summer. So I've caught up at last, just a couple more to go. I doubt I'll have a problem meeting the target by Christmas. 

The bookshelves have been hoovered, a GIANT spider evicted (the shelves are over our bed - I won't dwell on the thought of a spider living just over my head for months and maybe even years - ugh.

All in all about 18 foot of shelf space cleared, ready for the next phase of The Great Bedroom Rearrangement Upheaval.

Thursday 26th October

Supermarket shopping! A little adventure for me, as I do my best to avoid all shops. For various reasons it was useful for me to join Best Beloved on his weekly prowl through the Supermarket when he does the weekly shopping for my father. This really has to be done in person, as we always buy six microwaveable ready meals for his suppers, and we need to check the dates so that they will last the week.

I went just for a change and also to help choose items for us to have a Japanese Feast as a treat over the weekend. We never get takeaways or deliveroos so the feast meals, and 'dine in for £12' meals are our equivalent of meals out or takeaway treats.

It's probably about five months since I visited a large shop; looking at the Halloween displays, the flowers for sale, and feasting my eyes on piles of lovely fruit and vegetables made a bit of a change. There was a tray of bergamot, labelled  'a culinary ingredient from Calabria'. I'm none the wiser; I've only ever encountered bergamot as a fragrant addition to eat grey tea and scented candles. They looked like large mis-shapen unripe lemons. I didn't buy any this time, but I shall definitely investigate further.

Supermarket shopping! It used to be such a chore for me; today it was a real treat.

Wednesday 25th October

 Cheat's Egg Fried Rice. Serves 2.

I expect Jamie Oliver did something like this on his 30-second meals or whatever...

This is my version.

I use one of those microwave pouches of rice. They aren't expensive, are a handy store cupboard staple and mean I can serve rice within minutes.

Yesterday I used an 'egg-fried rice' pouch, a couple of rather limp spring onions,  half a packet of sliced ham and a handful each of frozen peas and sweetcorn for a speedy meal;

Heat a bit of oil and start cooking the chopped spring onions. Chop up the ham and add to the pan. Follow the instructions on the pouch to heat the rice in the microwave and while that's happening add the peas and sweetcorn to the pan.  When the rice is cooked, add it to the pan with a bit of water if it seems too stiff.

Serve with soy sauce.

Today I  finished off the ham by making a similar meal, using a 'lime, chilli and coriander' pouch. For vegetables I used a little diced onion, the stalks of some chard chopped, with the leaves added right at the end, and half a red pepper cut small. I heated the rice, and beat together two eggs in a mug.

Once I had stirred the rice through the vegetables, I pushed everything to one side of the pan and tipped the eggs into the space. When the eggs were just beginning to set I mixed everything together, breaking up any bigger bits of egg. Finally I mixed in the sliced up chard leaves. 

That was pretty delicious too!

The variations are endless.... I think this is going to become a regular supper dish.

Tuesday 24th October

This morning started promptly,  delivering nine bags of books to the Cancer Research charity shop. We discovered the missing tenth bag in a dark corner of the hall when we got hone. Ah well, there will be many more trips to charity shops in the next few months!

I've shortened the another pair of trousers. I said it before, but I need to learn not to think of this as such a chore. It took me an hour in total from laying out and measuring the trousers, cutting, pinning and hand sewing. Time to stop making such a fuss.

I've also finished retrofitting hexagons to the back of the quilt

I am pleasedthe result; it's a bit untidy in places but I'm still learning the processes and  getting caught out from time to time. I still have to quilt most of the hexagons so that the fleece padding stays put. Fleece is HORRIBLE stuff to use for the padding as it stretches in two dimensions. I'll carry on until it is used up, and then switch to a proper wadding with some relief.

Like I said, I'm learning as I go along.

I am really pleased with the look of the front. It's about 10 inches square at the moment and won't be growing much until I have created a load more patches first.

 I've done too much sewing today. My fingers, hands and wrists are warning me that it's well after time to have stopped!

Monday 23rd October

Those pesky squirrels have been burying their acorns so vigorously in the agapanthus pots that they have exposed the roots! I hadn't been out in the garden much, so only spot the mischief today. We've added some earth, and put a cloche over one pot, and an upturned empty hanging basket from over the other. 

It's been entertaining watching the squirrels defend their buried acorns from the magpies - surely the magpies have no interest in acorns?

It's been so tempting to add books to the 'keep' pile rather than charity bags or ziffit boxes. I have put 'the Quiet Gentleman' by Georgette Heyer, '84 Charing Cross Road' by Helen Hanff and 'The Theatrical Tapes of Leonard Thynne' by Adrian Plass to one side. They are all old favourites; once I have finished them I'll probably send them on their way... although I'm wavering over '84 Charing Cross Road'.

I have fond memories of the second hand bookshops there. When I was getting ready to start university a pianist friend went with me to help buy the huge quantity of music recommended by the tutors and I've still got most of it.

We've nearly completed phase 1 of the Great Bedroom Upheaval, which was completely clearing the four packed bookshelves running the full width of the bed. Now the shelves just need to come down, ready for Moving The Wardrobes.....

Meanwhile, it's quiz night (Only Connect and University Challenge) followed by Masterchef. Perfect for relaxing after all that hard work.

Sunday 22nd October

 Clear skies this morning; and that made such a difference. Long before sunrise I could see the dark sky becoming lighter, like the colour of blue-black ink when you gradually dilute it until it becomes a pale blue-grey.

I have started a new notebook 

No, we are not moving house! But the various things we have been discussing off and on for years may now be about to become a reality...  and shuffling the layout of the bedroom is the start. Currently the bed head is against the north wall, the wardrobes on the west, chests of drawers on the south. The bay window is on the east. We have decided to return to our original layout (the lower of the two sketches). Life is complicated by the number of books in the room, the number of clothes in the wardrobes and chests of drawers, and the piles, heaps and boxes everywhere else.

We are hoping to make the room feel more spacious, clear a load of junk and clutter, and also improve the view from the bed in the mornings.

We've made a good start on the books...

Five bags ready for the charity shop.

I'm conscious that our upheaval at home is by choice, and designed to improve our lives. Unlike so many, many people here in the UK affected by floods, and people overseas affected by war, weather and chaotic conditions. Somehow it's always the weakest members of society; the babies, children, elderly, disabled, and women who, in the end, bear the brunt of the struggles.

I'm praying for them all, that their need for food, water, shelter, medicine and any other aid, may be met, and they may find peace.

Saturday 21st October

 Dawn at 0734 hours, sunset at 1957 hours, and don't I know it. Especially this morning, which began grey, overcast, and wet. Very wetly wet, in fact. 

The day ended similarly in reverse, going from dark leaden clouds to dusk to darkness.

In-between, however, there were some brighter moments, and luckily these coincided with when we were out and about on various trivial errors.

Otherwise the day was consumed in sewing (but not cross-stitch!).

I have always made huge a fuss about having to take up trousers, sighing, procrastinating, leaving them lying around stuck full of pins for days, even weeks...

In the last month I have shortened three pairs - two for my father and one for me - and a fourth pair for my father is waiting for its turn. Actually, it's really not too much hassle. Once I have marked them up, and summoned the courage to wield the scissors it's quite quick. It's just a question of settling down with a cup of tea, and needle, thread and thimble;

I use a leather thimble as I just couldn't find a metal one that fitted comfortably. All my metal thimbles (I kept buying different brands and sizes, but to no avail) are heading for the next charity bag.

I've ordered a second leather thimble, as this one lives in my 'general sewing' tin, pictured above, and I need one for my patchworking tin;

or rathet, tins; the little tin holds needles, thread, etc and just fits nicely inside the bigger tin with pieces waiting to join the main piece.

I made a prototype pukka 'quilt-as-you-go' patch today;

Front, with a simple row of quilting round the edge

Back, with the right side folded over to the wrong side and hemmed (and cobbled where the backing fabric was threatening to escape)

Sewn in place into the quilt - front

And the back. It's more usual to fold the back over to the front so each patch has a border, but I'm not doing that this time as I've already pieced about 40 patches.

The back will look a bit rough and ready because of the retrofitted patches and then the bordered patches, but hey, it's the back, innit!

Friday 20th October

 Another 'take it easy' day. 

I have got a lot done, but all of it accomplished without stirring myself from the settee except to make a pot of tea or fetch a book. Oh, and answer the door once...

I'm impressed that I managed to assemble a tea tray with teapot and cup and saucer twice without missing anything, like the tea or the  hot water or the milk. We have a 'captain's chair' instead of an ordinary office chair beside the settee, and it makes a handy place to put the teatray. I can turn it away from the computer desk to use it asa side table.

I watched a very happy dog being taken for a walk;

It was beginning to rain; the dog looked much more cheerful than its owner,

And I'm halfway through 'retrofitting' quilt-as-you've-gone patches. 

Twenty hexagons stitched in, sixteen more to go. Then I need to quilt them to make sure the padding stays in place,

The quilt has stopped growing while I add the backing hexagons, and then I need to redo the forty paper patches I had prepared. I want to turn them into proper quilt-as-go hexagons, with the padding, backing and quilting all complete. It will be worth the effort, though. Once a piece is added, nothing else needs to be done in the way of finishing.

I'm halfway through the dreaded ribbing of the sock, before doing the fiddly-diddly stretchy bind-off. After that is picking up the stitches for the afterthought heel, and knitting that shouldn't take too long.

It's half term this coming week; no teaching, hardly any admin, so lots of time for knitting and sewing, and even cross stitching!

Thursday 19th October

Some days, not a lot happens.

This was one of them. 

I painted a few flower petal shapes, copying from the same water colour book as the leaves I did the other day.

I carried on adding backing patches to the 'quilt as I've gone', rather than 'quilt as you go' hexagon patch. No picture, as it is pretty much the same as yesterday.

I'm still walking down the road on my virtual Yosemite trail hike, there's about a mile before I return to the trail, I think, and I'm only doing less than a mile a day at the moment.  

The trees look impressive. I wonder if I would be hearing any birdsong if I was really there?

Wednesday 18th October 2023 - Bits and Pieces

 Or in other words, mostly patchworky stuff.

But before I start on pins and needles and what have you, did you know that thinking burns calories and energy? They did scientific experiments getting mathematicians to were special sensors all over their heads while they were pondering imponderable theorems and stuff, and discovered that thinking made their heads hot.

Well, I've been thinking, I mean Really Thinking, about this hexagon quilt I'm making. Ye back of it looks horrible, because it is all the edges of the seams everywhere, and it will need backing. And preferably a layer of something, call is wadding or batting or padding, they all come to the same thing, to cover the raw edges and give it some kind of substance, even some warmth.

My days of grovelling on the floor pinning and basting large quilt tops are OVER. Been there, done that, and it is jolly hard work. So I was wondering/worrying how to finish the quilt top, and then I watched this video;

  The quilting bit starts at 2' 40" after she's finished promoting the special lamp company that is sponsoring the video.

After I had watched just 5 or 10 minutes I realised that this was the answer.

However.... I already have about 30 hexagons hand sewn together with 10-12 stitches to the inch - unpicking is not a happy thought.

So I am investigating 'Quilt as you've gone' rather than 'quilt as you go' until I have fixed the patches that are already sewn together.

First, find some batting or similar - I've quite a few scraps of fleece lying around. The idea thing, a rather thin and unlovely fleece blanket - has unfortunately already been dispatched to a charity shop quite some time ago. Fleece is NOT ideal because it is quite stretchy... but one goes with what one has got.

I've been saving a 'retired' duvet set for a quilt backing, so fetched down the scraps of felt and one of the pillowcases.

Here we go; green fleece cut to the size of the finished hexagons, and covered with a piece of pillowcase, and pinned together

I made 7, thinking that would be one 'rosette' as a first trial. Then I slipped stitched the padded hexagons to the back of ones on the quilt. Somehow, the idea of a rosette escaped; various hexagons were dropping their paper inserts before I was ready for them to do so, and some of the seam allowances of the patches I was covering were a bit narrow, to I tended to go for expediency rather than pattern. 

I have quilted round a couple of the patches with quilting thread to secure the padding more securely  (perhaps there's a better way of putting that?) and that does seem to make things tidier.

Doing this, including sewing and unsewing a patch that seemed to be attached to my trouser leg, suddenly remembering at half past eleven that I was supposed to be teaching a piano lesson from eleven (she's an old friend and luckily very forgiving - we just ran half an hour late) and various other mishaps along the way has taken most of the day, so apart from essential admin nothing else got done. 

Tomorrow is another day.

Meanwhile, here's what was running through my head watching the rain in the garden;

You tell from the cover that it's a golden oldie; The Move 'Watching the Garden Grow'

  

Tuesday 17th October

 A couple of pages of leaf shapes, following the method one of my watercolour books.

I've reached the ribbing on the sock. I'm beginning to think I might finish it soon. I added nearly 2 inches yesterday so couldn't do much today as my fingers were tired.

The rest of the day went well too. I finished 'Mrs Harris goes to Moscow' - totally ridiculous but great fun. 

I'm in the ridiculous position of having 

four books in progress (three now!),

and

three in the 'to be read' pile, 

and a few that I dip into, as they fit with the days and seasons of the year

• 'Nature's Calendar, or the year in 72 seasons' 
• Nigel Slater's 'Kitchen Diaries' 
• 'The Kitchen Cabinet', a spin off from the radio programme 
• 'One Year through the Psalms', a chapter for every day.

I need to stop buying books!

Monday 16th October

Deep joy! One of the cardoons is flowering!

I was a bit concerned for the bee which was not moving. Could it have been asleep? It had gone when I went back later.

Damaged, diseased, dead or duplicated. My gardener recited this list when I asked her some time ago how I should go about about tidying up plants in the garden. This list gives me a handle on how to approach the job. Duplicated applies to branches growing close together in the same direction, taking the light from each other.

I have been applying the rule with some success to my chard, potato and spinach plants. I thought I had picked off all the leaves showing signs of pest damage, but every time I wander out there I find a few that I missed. The remaining plants seem to be surviving this rather drastic treatment,  even the spinach which was looking very sorry for itself after my initial assault.

Cross Stitch Collaboration 

I'm very pleased with myself for charting the next cross stitch piece today. I had thought of this idea some time ago, and once I had photocopied the fabric ("what!?" I hear you say) it was just a matter of fitting the design to the chosen area. Here is last month's;

I photocopy the area at 140%, mark out the stitch area and start charting in pencil until I get too impatient and reach for a pen. (I've used last month's design as we like to keep them a surprise until they drop through the letterbox when we swap at the end of the month.)

Books

I'm quite happy that the bookclub book hasn't arrived yet ('Becoming Eve' by Abby Stein) as it mea ns I can continue reading 'light froth' for a while longer. I've just started 'Mrs Harris goes to Moscow' by Paul Gallico; there are four books in the Mrs Harris series. The film, 'Mrs Harris goes to Paris', which I haven't seen, was based on the first one. I read the book though, and on the strength of it bought the others.

I enjoyed 'Death in Delft' by Graham Brack, set in 17th century Delft, home to the artist, Vermeer, and the scientist, Leewenhoek, who both appear in the story. They are very much in the same genre as C J Sansom's Shardlake series (but not so many pages!)

Next up might be 'The Book of Beginnings' by Sally Page, who also wrote 'The Keeper of Stories ' which I remember enjoying some time ago. It was on offer on Kindle for 99p; less than a cup of coffee at a garden centre!

Sunday October 15th

 

The trouble with the past is that sooner or later it comes back to haunt us.

What caused the conflict in Gaza and Israel?. 

The roots are buried in history, centuries ago. Injustices will always resurface sooner or later, usually more violent than before,  fuelled by anger, rage, hatred, revenge which can overwhelm any feelings for the people embroiled in the consequences. The essential humanity of people becomes lost; the casualties are real men and women, the aggressors are real sons, and, no doubt daughters. All were babies once.

What can I do from my cocooned life here? I  can pray. But how shall I pray? I have no words.

A friend let me know how helpful Canon Angela Tilby, Rev Dr Sam Wells, and Vishvapani were on BBC Radio 4's  'Thought for today' last week I'm glad I went and found them to listen to, and you can hear them if you search on BBC sounds. 

Ang also has an interesting post on her blog today. 

Kyrie eleison - Lord, have mercy

Saturday 14th October

 After three days of 'getting things done' I've had a day of 'not getting things done'. Once I'd accepted that this was how the day was going, I was quite happy.

So, I didn't do much housework- flicked my lovely real ostrich feather duster around some shelves and cobwebs (bought from lakeland a few years ago) and emptied the top two tiers of the dishwasher. (The bottom tier needs far too much 'bend and stretch' and therefore breath to be a comfortable proposition).

Yesterday I had cut a kohl rabi from the veg patch. They are weird looking things!

You cut off that bulbous bit once they are between golf and tennis ball size. If you are wondering if that really is a walking stick ferrule bolted to the side of the tub, well, your eyes do not deceive you. I used to have a home-made samba drum set andvtake it round to schools, and two large tubs were my bass drums. They needed feet to lift them off the floor to get that lovely great booming beat. When I stopped teaching samba we drilled holes in the bottom and used them for veg instead.

Anyway, back to the kohl rabi. It was so different to the shop bought one; I tried a dmall eaw chunk as I was peeling and dicing it to add to somevmixed vegetables. It  had a mild flavour like shredded cabbage, but like a juicy radish. Not peppery or Brussels sprouts at all. The shop one was much larger, drier, like swede, with a pronounced sprout flavour, and although it was OK, it didn't enthuse me.

I've had to put my trainers away until next year.

When the concrete hardstanding in and around the veg area gets damp (as in all the way through Autumn, Winter and early Spring these shoes become lethal. I wondered if it would be an idea to scrub the concrete (in other words for Best Beloved to scrub the concrete) but agreed that changing my shoes was a more convenient approach. 

Anything else to report?

 I ran out of patches for the hexagon patchwork oh no! Yesterday and today I cut and tacked about 30, so I'll be OK for a while.

I'm still hiking along the Yosemite trail. I've gone past Mariposa where the really giant sequoia trees are. It's well worth looking them up on the Internet for really good pictand videos.

Here's where I was yesterday,  at the top of this 4 mile switchback descent;

And here's where I've got to now; (I was wrong about that red marker, I thought it showed where I started each day from, but no, it shows where I need to be to keep up with the schedule I decided upin at the beginning)

The path looks most alarming; that's a sheer drop to the bottom on the left...

Just don't look down and stay away from the edge!

Friday 13th October - a good day for experiments

 Planting out my garlic wasn't an experiment. I did the same as last time; ordered some organic garlic from the supermarket, split the best one and planted the best cloves. I've put a clothe on top because those squirrels are still busy busy busy in the garden.

It's more peaceful in the garden now that the magpies have finished struggling and fighting over the suet balls. That's because they have eaten them. I shan't be replacing them too soon!

Now for the experiments;

Slow cooker ginger cake using this recipe. It seemed the most straight forward; mix it up, and then tip it into a lined slow cooker pot, (the china dish insert, not the heated base unit,). Put a folded towel across the top under the lid, and walk away. Three hours later, cake!

I noticed t hat one side was well overdone; that must be where the base unit gets hotter. There's no issue with the flavour!

I'll change two things when I make another one (which I definitely will be doing)

I shall double line the pot, and cook it for 15-30 minutes less as it is just a little on the dry side. The recipe is for what I think of as an 'ordinary' slow cooker, and mine is a small one;

Being completely round instead1of the more usual oval shape I could also give the pot a turn from time to time.

Experiment number 2;

Boiled eggs in the air fryer. Seriously?

'Put your room temperature eggs in the air fryer, just straight in the basket' says the recipe, and cook at 200°c for 

Dippy egg 8 mins

Medium egg 9 mins

Hard boiled 10-11 mins.

When time's up, plunge them into cold water to stop them cooking and make them easier to peel.

Really?

The eggs are cooking (I can't say 'boiling'), the toast is being buttered, the egg- cracking contraption were give 20 years ago is all ready;

Now, once you put the hat on the egg and let the heavy weight drop it should be possible to lift off the top of the egg

And here we go!

I did 9 minutes this time; I think 8 minutes would be better as the egg was on the harder side of medium; just perfect for an egg salad but too well done for dipping the soldiers.

There will definitely be a next time!