Saturday 27 February 2016

Fish lovin'

Brought this lovely piece of fresh salmon for  £5 this week

Two chunky bits, baked with a chilli jam topping for tea. Yum, Yum.  One big fillet in the freezer for another day, and the tail bit and a trimming off the side in a bag to go with some other fish tails/bits in the freezer for a pie.

This nice long bit of cod was also just over £5,  divided into 4 portions ready for meals next week. last time I got haddock so cod is a nice change.  Also brought some expensive but giant prawns (£14 a kilo) as I love prawn dishes for the lighter meals of warm days (could they hurry up and come?).  I got some smoked mackerel too as someone was saying it was good for arthritis sufferers like my husband. 

I usually spend £15 to £20 on each visit to the fish market as it is a round trip of 12 miles and we combine the drive with other tasks to make it worth while. It is less expensive that the supermarket and I can chop it up to our size portions rather than buy ready portioned.  Also the guy knows me now and that I will buy a big fillet and not mess around with "bits" so I think he is a bit generous too!

Are you a fish lover?



WASPI

Have you heard about this campaign? Women Against State Pension Inequality.  It was mentioned on our local news and I went on line to check out the petition to Parliament and the articles. Mainly because something like the quote below from the Independent happened to me.

"the Government waited more than fifteen years to inform people personally: it recently admitted that the first time it wrote to women was between April 2009 and March 2011. That means a woman born in March 1953 could have found out for the first time at age 58 that she was not going to get her State pension until age 63. "

Luckily we had been working hard through selling house and downsizing to pay off mortgage and have no debts to retire together rather than wait till I was 65. I could have gone on, I had a good job and was wanted for my skills, but that extra 2.5 years I had to wait after I was 60 was  pain enough and I had no enthusiasm for working on. Apparently the main changes in 1995 were not communicated well, and I must admit if I had known more from 1995 I would have made very different arrangements.

What I enjoyed about the local interview was the lady of a certain age trying to explain to a "young" radio presenter the cultural difference in attitudes to women working in the 1950s generation. He struggled.

I don't want the compensation some MPs are talking about, apparently it would cost billions to pay the pensions of the 1950s generation, but I would like an apology or recognition that lots of us worked hard for many years to change this country and support our families. 

Sorry I am not usually political but this one issue is close to home!


Wednesday 24 February 2016

Rhubarb

Lots of lovely pictures of spring flowers have been posted but I think the pretty pink of these rhubarb stalks are the best thing so far this year. You may find me sat next to the fruit bed drooling on a daily basis for the next few weeks. Can't wait.  Even considered buying some forced rhubarb till I saw the price in the shops and decided I can wait.






I was carefully looking at the fruit tress last week as they are budding up now. I found three dead leave wrapped round some branches when I pulled them off there were lots of insect eggs nestled inside. No  idea what they were. So my husband took advantage of a sunny calm period to spray them with a winter wash.

We invested a lot in fruit last year and really looking forward to this year's crops.

I have been up and down the fruit bed weeding all week , in small doses when the sun has been out, as they are narrow and I can reach easily from the grass path. Just the blueberry and blackberry section to go. I am being careful as I do not need another bad back!


 The soil is slightly too wet yet for lots of work to take place but we had a go at the docks and thistles in the main veg bed. Three wheelbarrows loads went up to the bonfire ready for a suitable wind direction. Our nieghbours are not very careful but we wait so as not to smoke anyone out.

Saturday 20 February 2016

Winter veg crops

Still wandering down to the veg patch a couple of times a week to pull some veg for tea!

Not a lot, but helps fill out the menu. Probably all have to go in an Asda "wonky" box for quality. And what a good campaign against food waste that is turning into and it is now a mainstream topic. 

Talking of TV we found a treat on BBC4 late one night this last week. "The People's Liners" all about the steamers that used to go from pier to pier each summer. We have been on the Balmoral up the Bristol channel and the Waverley to Ilfracombe in the past so were delighted to hear about the history, the social changes and see all the wonderful footage. A brilliant progamme.

I am delighted to say the rebuild of our workshop outer skin is complete! Just the windows and doors to do and then I can start demanding work in the house be done! No excuse for not having the tools to hand now.

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Bargain shop

Popped into local co-op in way back from hairdressers just to buy a bit of fruit. This will put off any need to shop till Monday I thought. But then I found some good yellow sticker stuff!
The meatballs at 65p, combined with a tomato sauce using one of the last few bags of chopped toms from last summer, will now do for Monday's main meal. So won't have to shop at all till Tuesday!

The bacon (80p) will pep up some lunches towards the end of the week, I may do a flan and/or a pizza - I will pop it into the freezer. The pancetta (80p) will pep up the left over Breast of chicken dish from last week's whole chicken cook, and any left will go in the freezer.

I wanted some fruit but bulked at the price of any "luxuries" on the mains stand. Then in the reduced chill cabinet were a bag of pears for 42p. That would do nicely!


Monday 15 February 2016

Potatoes -something warm




After spending the weekend in an easterly blast straight off The Wash completing Wall 3 of the workshop rebuild (below) we needed something warm. Above is becoming a favourite in our house, it is a receipe my daughter in law did for us at Christmas.


Curried potato chunks? (that's what I call it, may have a fancy name elsewhere)
Par boil your potatoes (best to use quite firm variety).
Meanwhile in a tablespoon of olive oil gently add quarter of a tea spoon of turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam marsla and paprika. As the spices begin to darken and add some onion and garlic. When softened add the drained potatoes and toss well. I add a bit of water and semi poach the mix till potatoes are ready and then stir in a handful of peas.  This cheers up any plain meat or fish tea!
No real expense as the spices are in the cupboard and there are always potatoes, onions and garlic around.

I was reading someone's blog the other day of the stand by puddings. It was very like our own. Our go-to pudding when I just can't be bothered, and the husband is the only one really wanting a pud, is good old fashioned semolina! Ready in 5 minutes and ingredients are on stand by from the fridge and cupboard (semolina 50p for 500gms, quarter pint of milk and spoonful of sugar). I dont offer him jam to put in it, as the sugar content is high enough without any extras. 



Thursday 11 February 2016

Welcome to new followers, I do hope you find my ramblings interesting!

We planned our veg patch in November and decided we needed to double our potato harvest. Eight rows of about 25 ft this time and went off to buy the seed potatoes. We could have done this on line and earlier but we wanted to touch and inspect the different varieties. (And of course there was the significance of the treatn of a wonderful special hot chocolate at the Garden Centre Cafe to be considered). So with a raging over the top choc headache we approached the stand. Bit disappointed not to find more sold loose we decided to go mad and get premium brand.

Potatoes

Swift 1st Early
International kidney/Jersey  1st Early
Charlotte  2nd early
Nicola 2nd early
Maris Piper  Main crop
Desiree x2 bags Main crop
Does anyone have any recommendations on varieties for east Anglia?  It is very dry here but the soil is lovely. Potatoes grown commercial quite a lot in this area.

Hopefully we will get some earlies in 10 weeks time and then be self sufficient in potatoes to Xmas and beyond.   We are concentrating on things we eat a lot of and spreading out the harvest period by succession sowing. Our experimental growing this year will be in variety of tomatoes ( which I will write about another time).

I have started to stand them out to be chitted in the shed and am keen to get the veg garden in the field rotovated soon.  Unfortunately, instead of gardening we are back rebuilding the workshop as the weather is calm and sunny. We demolished the third wall which was the most waterlogged and mouldy. It was also the one my husband has completely rebuilt so the spacing between uprights is nice and regular making the planking a lot easier. But we were so tired yesterday there was not one measurement we did not mess up and had to kept re-cutting the boards.
Having the morning off to sew seeds, do my Sainsbury order on line (saves going in the car to shop) and get his haircut and then back to it this afternoon as we have only two more reasonable days forecast before the next low hits us.


Wednesday 10 February 2016

Wind flowers

Coming round the side of the house over the weekend I found we had quite a few of these flowers sheltering under the hedge and the buddleia tree in an area we have been gradually cutting back and reclaiming from moldering overgrown shrubs.
Anenome blanda

Grecian anemones apparently. Someone, many years ago who lived here, must have been a good gardener as various little treats keep popping up when we clear out the overgrown corners.

Very appropriate flower this week as Storm Imogen raged through. It was dry but very windy, probable no more than other storms, but I think we have had enough windy weather now and I found myself looking skyward and muttering "Come on now, you have got to be joking, give it a rest please!".  Today we have a bright blue skies and hardly a breeze so perhaps someone was listening after all. In fact it was a strange day for things flying by - a couple of hundred noisy Brent geese heading inland first thing, a couple of nosier RAF Harriers mid day and then late afternoon a silent barn owl swooped past the house along the line of an overgrown field ditch opposite.

Started to read a library book whose back cover introduction to the hero detective starts "He's fallen from grace in Cardiff and exiled to be the catch-all detective in the big bit in the middle that God gave to the sheep". Having once lived in that bit, in fact on the furthest edge of that bit, which my children always described as "where the map says beyond here be dragons"; I was bemused and amused.  Its turning out to be quite comic and a good cheerful read and not too much like the dark stories of Hinterland (BBC4/S4C).. Author Ewart Hutton "Good People".

Saturday 6 February 2016

Enjoying the American Railroad

We always enjoy the Michael P's programmes on BBC 2 following his Bradshaw's round the UK and Europe and now he is going round America by rail.  We record these and treat ourselves on dull days to half an hour of history and social change.

We have just started recording the new SEA CITIES series of programmes too. Again a lot of social history and in this series some ports we are not so familiar with like Tyne side.

We have had a bit of rain today, first for some days, so we retired to the back room and ordered some seeds. We have promised ourselves a garden centre day out to choose some seed potatoes. We are going to plant twice as many as last year - 8 rows of about 25 ft which should keep us in supplies to December.  I prefer red potatoes like Desiree but I think we will need a few rows of heavy croppers.

Our sons have decided to drive us to distraction with worries - one's kitchen is ruined when the washing machine flooded; one's car has been written off when someone drove into the side of him; the other has taken up carpentry with sharp instruments and no natural abilities in practical things (loads in complex computering).  Our support by text and emails has been called on a lot this week - we seem to be the font of advice and guidance!

Friday 5 February 2016

Spring in the Village

Is that title a little too much like a "Miss Read" saga? Do you remember those, they were popular gentle early 20th century village tales so time ago.

Anyway, it was time for the car's MOT so the husband took it to the village garage at 8 am and walked home. I went back at 10.15 to collect it. Passed so only expense was the stinging £45 fee.  On the way through the village I was trying to discreetly take some pictures of the village scene by the Victorian primary school, church, vicarage and manor house where there are a row of lovely cherry trees just coming into bloom.
This is the only one that came out as it was difficult to be discreet when wearing a bright red coat. There are so many rules about public photography especially around schools  and just as I got there the secondary school where doing some street project! I will try again, perhaps on a Saturday.

As I wandered on I saw a notice board for someone running a sewing studio behind the ironmongery store so went in to chat. A very nice set up and a lovely lady running classes and doing some work on vintage materials. We have similar backgrounds and tastes so I hope I can go along sometimes.

Back home tidy B one side is mowing his grass and market gardening D the other side has got his old tractor out and is ploughing in his sprout and brassica crops.  I must change and get back out there. Yesterday I tidied the two rows of autumn sown onions and added a new row, hoed up the baby leek row and dug up more of the new crop of leeks for the kitchen. I put in 4 more short rows of early carrots in the poly-tunnel and checked this morning they were still damp. You have to keep them well watered for the first 14 days.

Spring is definitely coming!

Wednesday 3 February 2016

Four dry days in a row

Well, except a pathetic dampness for 5 minutes. Its been dry, sometimes sunny, and we have had a really dry and fierce wind. So no time to hang around indoors I have started to weed the flower and fruit beds. They look all tidy and neat and the wind has dried the top surface within a few hours. Our soil is lovely to work at present, soft loam, and you can plunge a trowel right in and "pop" out those dandelion roots.  Such a lovely feeling - taken two seasons to rid one bed of giant dandelions.

I am not going to look at the veg bed this week as it  is  in desperate need of a lot of digging over to get the large weeds that just have not died over the winter before the rotovator can cultivate it.

We came indoors later in the afternoon to sow some seeds - mostly tagettes which we grow among the veg and around the place to deter biting insects in the summer. It seemed to work last year so we are going to repeat but have gone for a bright yellow this time. Last year they were 80% dull orange/red - pretty but not really bright.

I have divided up all the meat and fish purchased fresh yesterday into 200/250g parcels - which is about right for an evening meal for two of us.  There are 14 parcels in the freezer so no shopping trips to the next village but one, which has the best butchers and fish market, needed for nearly 3 weeks. My count includes the two legs I cut off the whole chicken before cooking it tonight. I like to cook the leg meat in chicken stew type dishes from scratch and you don't get quite the same taste if it is roasted first. This meant the rest of the chicken roasted more quickly this evening - we had two slices of breast meat each and I will use the rest during the week.  Luckily the spinach has re grown in the tunnel so with some soft cottage cheese in the fridge I have quite a few chicken dishes I like in mind. I will be keeping some chicken just for me too as I have been brave and brought the husband some liver.  He loves it. I hate it and hate cooking it but tough it out every few months just for him.