Get a grip woman!

foxgloves

That is some list, @Suffolk_lass. Imagine how good it will feel getting big swathes of it crossed off! I don't write a daily list any more, but I always do one for holidays, big projects, particularly busy times, etc.
Onwards,
F

Suffolk_lass

foxgloves said:

That is some list, @Suffolk_lass. Imagine how good it will feel getting big swathes of it crossed off! I don't write a daily list any more, but I always do one for holidays, big projects, particularly busy times, etc.
Onwards,
F

I've got a separate camping list on file I will review shortly.

Big interrupt. My neighbour who fell on Saturday while out with me has asked to be taken to A&E. It seems she has hurt her upper arm. I rang yesterday to check on her and said I would take her anywhere, any time, collect stuff or whatever. Happy to help and I don't feel guilty - much. It is usually me that falls having tripped over a 1cm BT plate ridge on the pavement

beanielou

That's a big list!

beanielou

Hope your neighbour is ok   

Suffolk_lass

My list came to a bit of a halt as the hospital trips took out an hour and a half and an hour and a quarter. Thank goodness there is not a fracture and her thumb is probably a ligament, they think. She has been referred to the hand clinic but at the moment, cannot drive and cannot fasten her bra. I will give her a call this morning to see if she wants a hand. She isn't one to like a fuss but also not one to go out without her bra fastened. I know she is OK for food this week as she mentioned in the car that she had batch cooked and frozen several meals that she is now working her way through. I'm going to have a word with another neighbour about picking fruit and veg here while we are away and ask her to make sure the damaged neighbour is OK

I did do my (currently daily) watering in the greenhouse (vegetables), cold frames (perennial flowers) and grow bags (extra runner beans) and I picked (and eat gooseberries) a punnet of blackcurrants, French beans and courgettes. That has reminded me... just got a couple of large chicken thighs out of the freezer (having bought three of the humungous 2 kilo packs for the community lunch, they were so big that I split and froze the third pack with 13 thighs in) - anyway, we will have some grilled chicken with homegrown veg for supper. Already harvested potatoes to go with grilled courgettes and French beans. Nothing better than simple, homegrown food. 

I also managed to make one batch of ice-cream and this morning I have made the custard for a second (the first is 1.5 litres of strawberry mashed them with the potato masher) and the second will be gooseberry (I need to cut these and cook them very gently without sugar - good dessert berries; delicious!)

We had reheated chilli for supper and I emptied the bottle of rosé left from Saturday between two glasses, only for DH to drink mine and then leave his! I would have swapped but he only 'fessed up when I was going to bed and it was warm and I was tired   

The people we gave a swarm of bees to have now paid us for the frames we provided - I topped them up to ten so they could move them into a full sized box (enabling our brand new poly nucleus to be returned) so £12.50 moved to the much-depleted emergency fund and £30 left to make a round number on the account.

I also bought most of a tank of diesel on my way back to collect my neighbour - £75 at £1.95 a litre it had actually dropped in price a bitand this was maybe a penny more a litre than the last tank. That has lasted a month thanks to electing to take DH's smaller, petrol car to our party in Leamington. I think a second tank of diesel may be purchased this week for the motorhome, ready for the trip at the weekend.

Enough for now, my list awaits me...

themadvix

Good luck with the list today SL. You are such a gem in your community - always helping out where its needed. I'm sure your neighbour really appreciates your assistance.

Couldn't agree more about homegrown food. 

Do you use an ice cream maker or do you churn it by hand? And what variety is your gooseberry, do you know?

Suffolk_lass

Hot news here this morning! The postman just delivered a small package and (amazingly), it is four small bubble-wrapped packages of 9x12 First class stamps - so 36x12 packs - all x 95p first class  (£410.40 face value for £120.80 spend). I'm speechless. (nearly) 

@themadvix she was my partner in the roving supper thing on Saturday and so I was with her when it happened. I've popped round now and she is starting to feel better with a bit more movement in that thumb. She is happy to go commando (or whatever you call bra-less) as she isn't going out today and the other lady I was going to speak to about when we are away has already rung and is getting her some bread today. It's a wonderful community, not just me.

I do have an ice-cream maker, one where you freeze the bowl. I always forget with the first batch of making any that less is more. The right recipe is 3 large egg yolks, three tablespoons of vanilla caster sugar, just over half a pint of whole milk and topped up with a but of cream (under a pint in total). I add a heaped teaspoon of cornflour to the yolks and sugar whisked together with a bit of milk to slacken the corn starch and it stabilises the custard and stops it being scrambled egg, and helps it thicken a bit. Then it and whatever fruit goes in the frozen bowl with the electric paddle on top for around 30 minutes or until it clicks in protest because the required solidity is reached. No ice crystals and works brilliantly and smaller than many, it was about £90 about 20 years ago. It is a Magimix Gelato 1.1 the same as this one on the Bay. I can recommend.

I think the dessert berry is Leveller and these people sell it. I have ordered two for this Autumn as my experience of trying to move them is poor. I researched dessert berries and this site and the other one seemed good to me. The other one I have I might still have the label for. They start green and you can pick them then to cook with, or you can leave them and they go crimson and sweet. I'll go and look when I pick more currants this evening

Karmacat

The whole community just sounds amazing, including you, SL - and hey there, the stamps arrived!?  Is that right?  Woooo!  

Brilliant 🌈

themadvix

Wonderful news about the stamps!

Thanks for all the info about the ice cream and the gooseberries. My mum had an ice cream maker when I was a child but it a) didn't make much and b) tended just to take up space in the freezer and not get used. Perhaps it is time to revisit the idea. I'll keep a look out for one in charity shops to start with I think. (Also a dehydrator - both wants rather than needs, so maybe not yet). Sweet gooseberries also sound like a revelation (and also something to challenge my mum's thinking!).

I'm sure it's not just you, but you're definitely a key part of such a lovely community!

Baileys_Babe

Fantastic to hear your stamps have arrived.

Our ice cream maker uses the same principle but is unbranded, we were very lucky a friend passed theirs on to us after deciding a single person with virtually unlimited access to ice cream was unwise 🤣

When possible we store the bowl in the freezer, we store the made ice cream in a large yoghurt pot inside the ice cream maker bowl 😉

Thanks for sharing your recipe and tips.

I have never made frozen yoghurt, have any of you? Is it easy? Any hints or tips?