Tales from The Shire

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

Take care xx

Cheery_Daff said:

Good idea to have a routine Fortune! I've been thinking about one but not quite got there yet. Trying to be a bit more consistent with housework and standing up from my desk... it's a start...

Love the idea of having a little bit of something with your tea!

rtandon27 said:

Fortune - loving your list - structure is always good in uncertain times!

We as well had a little something to sip yesterday evening & probably will again today!  Took the edge off and left us feeling a bit more mellow
Also found some cake in the freezer - had even forgotten it was there, so tomorrow it will be cake with our afternoon tea

Hello all

I feel as though I need a little structure at the moment - although it's not the most exciting of schedules    It's definitely improved by cake and a small glass of something though. I find I'm really looking forward to the little treats.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Eggs

I put my on-line grocery shop in today and realised that T£$co are, again, very unlikely to be bringing me any eggs or toilet roll     So, much of this morning was dedicated to finding an alternative source.  Happilly the local deli, baker and bookstore in town are joining forces to make deliveries.  So I've ordered four books, two as an early birthday present for Mr F and two for myself plus bread, eggs, cream, butter and toilet rolls.  They'll have to confirm the grocery order tomorrow morning so I'll keep my fingers crossed for the eggs.  I'm using a lot at the moment as we are largely vegetarian, I'm making cake for our morning treat and it looks as though I'll have to learn to make my own pasta soon 

Otherwise, lots achieved except I didn't manage to get to do the gardening.  Mr F and I delayed getting back to work this afternoon so we could take advantage of the sunshine and have a long lunch outside.

Lunch was Honeyed Carrot Soup and supper, Roasted Cauliflower & Hazlenut Carbonara, both leftover from yesterday.

I ordered the paint for the dining and utility rooms so that's another job to keep us occupied.  The seeds and trays arrived so that will keep us busy in the garden this weekend.  I've never been so productive!

Missing getting out and about and seeing friends though but it's a small sacrifice.  I have friends and family on the front line and it's very hard for them.

• Today I am grateful for all those who are working to keep us safe and well
• happy to be able to feel the sun on my face
• and my moment of joy came on this morning's dog walk when we heard a new bird call and found it was a pair of nuthatches in an old oak.

Hope you're all safe and well

Fortune x

beanielou

Hope that you get the shopping that you need 

Cheery_Daff

Wishing you lived closer Fortune - I'd drop a box of eggs round in the middle of the night and leave it on your doorstep! Our ladies have started ramping up production again now the days are getting longer. I've got out of the habit of using them though so they're piling up! Need to have a few omelette lunches I think. Trying to avoid making cakes - I have no 'off' switch and can rarely only eat one slice.... 

How lovely that you spotted nuthatches on your walk! Most jolly. 

rtandon27

Cheery_Daff said:

...Trying to avoid making cakes - I have no 'off' switch and can rarely only eat one slice.... 

Precisely why ours ended up buried in the bottom of our cheese drawer in the freezer...
...mind you it does have zucchini, carrots & bananas in it made from the summer glut so I'm going with 1 of our 5 a day as a justification! 

Fortune_Smiles

beanielou said:

Hope that you get the shopping that you need 

We won't starve Beanie.  It's just I meal plan to make the best of what I already have so missing items do mean a bit of re-jigging.  I shall think of it as a challenge - 'Mystery Meals' 🤣

Cheery_Daff said:

Wishing you lived closer Fortune - I'd drop a box of eggs round in the middle of the night and leave it on your doorstep! Our ladies have started ramping up production again now the days are getting longer. I've got out of the habit of using them though so they're piling up! Need to have a few omelette lunches I think. Trying to avoid making cakes - I have no 'off' switch and can rarely only eat one slice.... 

How lovely that you spotted nuthatches on your walk! Most jolly. 

I would love that Cheery 😙 I still don't know who left a carrier bag full of plums on my doorstep the year the plum moths noshed all mine.  I used to make this recipe when I had a glut of eggs - it is much nicer than it sounds, honest 😉  I am making the cake then slicing it and freezing to remove any temptation.

I'm not sure whether we have more nature here at the moment or the same amount which we're noticing more.  I suspect the latter - without the usual time pressures, we are dawdling and looking around more on our walks.

rtandon27 said:

Cheery_Daff said:

...Trying to avoid making cakes - I have no 'off' switch and can rarely only eat one slice.... 

Precisely why ours ended up buried in the bottom of our cheese drawer in the freezer...
...mind you it does have zucchini, carrots & bananas in it made from the summer glut so I'm going with 1 of our 5 a day as a justification! 

No need to justify cake in the current climate RT - we all need a little cake in our lives right now 🤣😂🤣

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

So far so good

Ok, I may have been a little ambitious expecting to do some gardening every day, however, I am still getting up and getting on.

• We saw the nuthatches on our walk again this morning so I think they are nesting nearby 😁
• I did some yoga after our walk using a video I found on Y0uTub£... with varying degrees of success.  My laptop screen isn't brilliant so I found I had to re-adjust it for standing, sitting and lying in order to be able to see it.  Also it's quite a small screen so hard to see anyway and I had to get up if I wanted to pause things.  Not ideal.  I did, however, really enjoy the session so I have bought the DVD.  I had good intentions of saving myself some money but a bigger screen and a remote control to hand are a must if I'm to do things properly
• lunch was Hash Browns with Gruyere & Pancetta.  Just on its own as we followed up with a crumble made with the leftover fruit from the pineapple rum I made 🙄  Mr F loved it but it was rather too boozy for me.  And we had it instead of cake today so not too naughty
• gave FDawg a bath in the courtyard.  It's south facing so nice and warm for him.  He needs a little convincing but, once you start shampooing, he loves it 🐕
• I got some housework done and experimented a little with decorating techniques for the mirror I'm upcycling.  Ran out of time for gardening though
• the local deli delivered eggs and toilet rolls today which made me very happy 😁 Also the books from the book shop next door to them.  The cream turned out to be £lml£a which I'm not a big fan of - it's milk and vegetable oil, who wants to pour that on their fruit? 🤢  We caught the delivery lad before he left and he said he'll check and bring us proper cream tomorrow if he can.  I tried to give him back the faux stuff but he said to keep it so I'll probably use it in cooking.  I will definitely be using the fresh baked granary bread they brought from the bakery across the road from them.  Mr F have decided to have it with cheese and pickle for our supper tonight... along with a glass of red 😋

I'm planning another nice, hot, bubble bath after supper then a night in front of the telly catching up on emails.

Today I'm grateful for:

• local shops looking after their communities
• delivery drivers
• messages from kind friends.

There's another day of sunshine on the cards for tomorrow and... it's my birthday.  It will be a strange one but there's no reason why it can't be a good one.  I heard today that two of my cousins have the virus - one in Hampshire and one in South Wales.  They have mild symptoms so far so we're not too worried about them.  Another cousin is currently in Peru and waiting for the UK Government flight to arrive to take her home.  I am safe and well at home, the cupboards are full, the sun is shining and I have eggs and toilet roll.  I couldn't ask for any more right now 😊

Take care

Fortune x

rtandon27

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Fortune!
🎈🎈🎈🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎈🎈🎈

maggiem

Happy birthday Fortune, 🎂 hope the sun is continuing where you are. 

themadvix

Happy birthday Fortune! Hope you get to enjoy sunshine and cake today! (Who'd have thought being grateful for toilet roll would be one of your gratitudes for your birthday this year back at the New Year?! Strange times indeed!)