The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Greying, do you never photograph recipes and then write up at your leisure?

It's not something that I've thought of doing INOD - it could certainly work, but not something I've thought of doing. Mmm worth a ponder.

I was catching up with the R4 Food Programme last night and there was an interesting episode on..... let's call them, 'latest dietary phases', and the impact of social meeja. You certainly wouldn't have come across a plum crumble recipe amongst postings...... :rotfl:

I think I probably have too many recipes already

I probably need to bar meself from the library But then I did so enjoy reading that semi-autobiographical, non-cookbook book t'other week.

We've been for a pootle out and about. We made considered purchases, and a teeny bit of chocolate fell in the basket too I also started up another savings stream for BG, I figure that we'll work hard on their savings rate whilst they are too wee to notice it, in order to try to have something for when they are older and start wanting/needing things and experiences. I never quite know if I'm getting it right (or wrong) with the amount of 'stuff' they have - you see so many prams/buggies laden down with toys and rattles, books and squeaky things, and yet the children in said pram/pushchair is rarely playing with them anyway. We sing and talk and point and wiggle as we go along - trying to interract with each other and the world around us. And then BG has so much fun with simple things - including boxes, containers and magazines (the old TV mag etc) that they don't appear to miss having *proper* toys (more than they have) to play with.

We're currently trying to accommodate 'big' purchases within our own budgets, after all, BG didn't ask to be born, so it's only right that we as parents find the wherewithall for things like cots, car-seats and perambulators of various specifications - well, that's our thought on the subject, what others do is entirely their choice. And we have to be realistic, we don't have a raft of family lining up to buy 'things for the baby', so we're in this kinda on our own - not entirely, but we've not access to 'useful gifts/funding sources' that my contemporaries in ante-natal class mentioned.

It's actually been nice to see BG develop and learn to play with the toys that they do have. It's even possibly time to start letting some of the early toys go - the one that they learnt to pick up/hold for the first time, the same one that they learnt how to pass things from one hand to the other; the one they've learnt where to press to get it to 'quack'.........They are still in good enough order to pass onto a charity shop for some other family's benefit.

Tea this evening will be pasta & bolognese. Normally Wednesday is 'with rice', but i really fancy bolognese, and I've some parmesan that needs utilising, so I'll plump for a little deviation from the norm

Right, best push off and do a bit more.

Greying X

The_Arrowmaker

I wonder Greying whether you have a Toy Library near you. I loved ours when the small Arrowmakers were even smaller. Often the things *I* imagined the DC would get pleasure out of were entirely different to those that *they* chose from the Toy Library. It also provided an opportunity to meet other families who had neither the inclination nor the means to fill their homes with the latest toys.

There were of course books and toys that we brought, fell in love with as a family and played with over and over again which even now hold a special place in my heart. These really special things are actually few and far between, which is fortunate because I'm not sure I'll ever be able to let them go

Silver_Queen

Greying, I'm embarrassed to admit that for some reason, I found "right, mustache" absolutely hilarious :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

The_Arrowmaker wrote: »

I wonder Greying whether you have a Toy Library near you. I loved ours when the small Arrowmakers were even smaller. Often the things *I* imagined the DC would get pleasure out of were entirely different to those that *they* chose from the Toy Library. It also provided an opportunity to meet other families who had neither the inclination nor the means to fill their homes with the latest toys.

Good point, The Arrowmaker - I *think* there is. There was a very..... um, well-resourced and well run one nearby here a goodly while ago. One person was determinedly driving it in an area that...... lacked means. As I'm sure you'll concur, sometimes it takes one person..... I know that person has passed away (they lived a full and rich life - they irritated people, but did good too..) but I'm pretty sure the toy library lives on. Will check. Keep on thinking that all this stuff is for when BG is older, but d'yknow what? NOW is older.....

Silver_Queen wrote: »

Greying, I'm embarrassed to admit that for some reason, I found "right, mustache" absolutely hilarious :rotfl:

Silver Queen - we gotta have a larf - 'fraid I ain't original, 'taz been used many times afore. But if it made you larf, well then we :rotfl:wif you!

Greying X

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Urgh, feeling a little flat this morning. BG woke up twice in the night, and so I haven't had a lot of sleep. And as I mentioned on Pippi's thread, the 'inbetween' bits of being awake were taken up with 3 really random dreams! What is that all about? They didn't really have any connection with owt going on in RL. Mart1n Fr33man was in one of them! It was playing out more like a TV programme than a dream - I was watching not participating. Then the last one was a cook show for time-poor people. My MW was in it and was a little bit preoccupied/not bothered - which is not like her in RL at all. She's a credit to the health service I was presenting this prog :eek: and showing people how to cook - :rotfl: ME! :rotfl:

Right, things to do today;

Check out toy libraries and all things 'baby activities FREE'.

Cook up a batch of chickpeas - they've dun soaking.

Press tofu - no idea what's for tea, but Tofu is featuring!

Get some exercise - don't you hate it when you fall into the age-category that news stories are aimed at.........

Stay awake.

That'll do to be going on with.

Ta for popping by. Appreciated.

Greying X

in_need_of_direction

It'd be worse if you were falling out of that age category!

Greying_Pilgrim

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

It'd be worse if you were falling out of that age category!

:rotfl:Fair point INOD, fair point!

Well, we've made progress today. BG is definitely under the weather, but it's a snuffle, so uncomfortable for them, as much as anything. They've gone for another snoozette. Sleep, along with a breath of fresh air earlier, is probably the best medicine.

I've cooked my chickpeas, they have drained and cooled.

I have put my tofu on to press

I have found out some things about children's facilities locally - people have been very kind and responded to me 'out of term time', but unfortunately the local toy library is no more I don't know what happened, it didn't look like it lacked volunteers, and had 'clients', but perhaps it is a victim of the times. I don't recall a single person - health professional or fellow pregnant mum mentioning the toy library as an activity/venue/*thing*. I do recall plenty of mentions of private nurseries, *chain/franchise* baby activity centres and intention to join baby activity groups that were paid for in advance. Perhaps if we don't have to pay for something (or only pay a nominal fee) we don't value it as highly. Ah well, I'm glad that I looked into it - it was a good idea, thank you The Arrowmaker.

Me & BG wandered out earlier. I walked very quickly and got all hot and bothered, so I think I did it right! :rotfl:We bumped into my MW (no, I didn't.....) so it was lovely to see her, get a hug (MW hugs are the best - as are their cups of tea!) and have a quick catch-up.

Right, best get on.

Greying X

The_Arrowmaker

Oh what a shame about the Toy Library. I have such fond memories of returning the huge plastic toddler play kitchen that took up far too much room to ours. Although having to part with their new favourite toy after just two weeks has probably left the young Arrowmakers deeply traumatised :rotfl:

Sorry to hear Baby Greying is under the weather. Hope you have a better night tonight Greying although the account of your dreams was highly entertaining. How funny that you bumped into your MW today. I wonder what she'd have said if you'd announced that you'd been dreaming about her only last night :rotfl:

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Ay ay ay. Sleep. What is this strange thing of which you speak?

No complaints, it's what you sign up for . And is just the same as it was with night feeds. It's nowt new.

The Arrowmaker - my friendship with my MW is 'relatively' new. And realising that friendships in adulthood are quite difficult to make, I decided to not mention featuring in a dream I had had...... :rotfl: Thinking about it though, the uniform was the wrong shade of blue in the dream. She was in civvies y'day and it's not such a leap in some ways - as I'm in regular contact with her as a friend, see her about Greying Town etc. What's more puzzling, is what the lass - who said nothing, but who's flat we were using for the filming, was all about. I don't even know anyone with a glass fronted flat! :rotfl: She was not very happy we were there, and wasn't bothered what I was trying to show her how to cook (a common theme of the dream?) - perhaps no-one told her filming was scheduled for that day :rotfl: And as for the Mr Freeman business - totally lost on me.

I didn't dream last night :j

Tea last night was a bowl of stuff with tofu plonked on the top I pressed the tofu, then marinated it in lemon juice, sesame oil, salt and pepper - then put a cornmeal crust on it. Served up with brown basmati rice, (overcooked) broccoli, chopped tomato salsa (put a spot of toasted sesame oil in - took the flavour in a different direction, I liked it), then did my usual citrus (lemon), miso, tahini sauce. Sesame and sumac sprinkled over. pic here;



Tea tonight should be pizza and oven chips. It is likely that the pizza will be tomato, as the mrL tomatoes are finally red!

We will definitely get out and about to gain some fresh air and exercise today. BG is currently catching up with their Zzzzz's. I'm breaking my one coffee a day rule and having a second cup......

We're guilty of letting the car insurance slip over into auto-renewal There's been too much going on of late, and I'm afraid that doing comparison sites has been the last thing on my mind. DH won't even contemplate doing it. The renewal had gone up - not by too much - but given that there were no claims, no changes...... We'll just have to try harder next year BG is more important than anything at the moment.

Right, coffee finished. Best jump to it.

Ta for popping in. Appreciated.

Greying X

System

Greying I don't think I have commented on your diary before even though I read what you have been cooking.

Thanks to some of your recipes I have a very happy veggie friend who comes to dinner a couple of times a month. I borrow your recipes and cook them. Having a photo tells me if I have done ok !

Love hearing about your BG , and your adventures.