<<<out of cheese error>>>

Sun_Addict

The trip to France sounded great and cost-effective too I'm afraid I'm one of those people who need to resist wine bargains as I'm just tempted to drink more.

redofromstart

Considering it was all a bit dregs of the cupboards we ate rather well. Discovering OHs stash of uneaten fruit in his work bag helped :cool: His wrinkled apple went into waldorf salad - I forget how much we like this - just simple chopped apple, walnut and celery with value mayo mixed with a good squirt of lemon. Perks up wilted celery nicely.

Yesterday we had Leg of lamb from the freezer (as per earlier recipe, onions, garlic, pint of beef stock, herbs, cover with foil loosely, four hours low then foil off and heat up while the potatoes roast) served with my mothers grated roast carrots (grate, splash of water, sugar and butter, cover and bake for 20 minutes), peas and roast parsnips from the freezer. While the oven was on I made the scurvy cake with his squashed orange and banana, but substituted a half and half mix of ground almonds and semolina for the flour so that I can eat it, which made more of a pudding than a cake. Topped it with an orange syrup, its very nice in a dark marmalade style. Microwaved the orange for ten minutes, but it didn't blitz very well. Will do for longer next time.

The trouble with running the cupboards down is that sooner or later everything runs out, and generally all at once. Today was that day and I have spent more than usual as a result. Looking at what I bought it was all valid, needed, or in season and full of vitamins. £7 on two huge galia melons, one watermelon and 1kg of British strawberries is luxury rather than essential but I'd far rather the boys ripped through that than they filled up on sweets and cheap carbs. Mind you, we were out of cereal, pasta, lentils and couscous too!

MrL had some RTC diced chicken so I bought a few packs for the rather empty freezer. I also got some on offer and then RTC sea bass fillets. Yum.

MrM had the frozen garlic/ginger cube packs on offer at 2 for £1.50 which worked out well as I had run out of both. £1.56 got me 8 wonky avocados, and I will follow the idea GP mentioned about keeping a few out to ripen in turn rather than leaving them all out to be ready on the same day.

Everything is growing well. Soon we will be dreading yet more blasted courgettes :rotfl:

doingitanyway

You ended up feasting when you were worried you might not have what you needed to get through the weekend.

You have reminded me to buy frozen ginger and garlic. So handy

redofromstart

Where does the time go? Its not like I have a job that steals time, yet here I am surrounded by mess and chaos

This morning I have done a secret survey, and ordered a SB voucher and not a lot else. I need to start making myself use the child free stretch between 9am and 3pm productive. Its too easy to just drift. Today's excuse, I'm cold and have a headache. Both would be improved by some positive movement rather than wallowing.

Its really not very warm so I think I will get sausages out for sausages, mash and gravy for dinner. The MrM wonky potatoes are Desiree again happily.

DIA - I think the frozen blocks like that are such a useful thing to have in the freezer, even if I had a tiny freezer I would buy them.

[Deleted User]

Hi Redo,

Hope that your headache subsides.

It is rather chilly today, hope that the sunshine comes back out to play.

redofromstart

Thanks purplemum, coffee and tablets, the breakfast of kings

I've given myself a good talking too and made a start. Back door scrubbed, and the outsides of two green mould encrusted windows, and the glass washed. I'm thinking of taking photos so I can see what I have achieved like I do with the garden. I tried flylady again but its not helping at the moment, this is real crisis cleaning and I need positivity or I'll sink into the black doom and chaos.

Tales of the neglected...

• garden
• home
• self
• kitchen
• children

that'd be a great idea for a blog wouldn't it (drinks coffee, and waits for greenbee )

EssexHebridean

I'm considering trying with Flylady again Redo - I need something to keep the chaos at bay during the summer when I'm so much busier - and I know it does work!

HairyHandofDartmoor

I find it very hard to motivate myself to do cleaning. The only thing that really galvanises me is to invite someone around :rotfl:

greenbee

redofromstart wrote: »

that'd be a great idea for a blog wouldn't it (drinks coffee, and waits for greenbee )

I hope you're not still waiting. Some of us have work...

redofromstart

EssexHebridean wrote: »

I'm considering trying with Flylady again Redo - I need something to keep the chaos at bay during the summer when I'm so much busier - and I know it does work!

Yes, I agree with the need for a routine, and I like the whole ethos but it only works for me once it is clean. The original deep clean on the old house was back when we did head to head photo challenges, which really worked for me.

HairyHandofDartmoor wrote: »

I find it very hard to motivate myself to do cleaning. The only thing that really galvanises me is to invite someone around :rotfl:

Eight weeks until the house sitters I wouldn't want a cleaner as such, I just need someone to come once a week and tut at the mess.

greenbee wrote: »

I hope you're not still waiting. Some of us have work...

Can you imagine just how much coffee I'd have drunk by then?

I made a start on the deep clean - end window frames, back door, back hall and the cloakroom done. Looks much better, and the back door is the most used route into the house. I also sorted the cardboard mountain (from clearing SSs old bedroom) and filled both green waste bins as its nearly three weeks till the next collection. All gone now at least.

This effort was sadly enough to set my stupid aches off so I need to go gently today, not my preferred bull in china shop approach. Might take yet more tablets, and then lie on the bed and admire the cobwebs on the ceiling for a bit actually, and see if that stops the back ache. Bath hasn't helped sadly. I think the aches is another cold starting, but fibro magnifies it.

Chicken cubes out defrosting for curry later. I went the long way round back from school and picked up mushrooms and another £3 for a kilo pack of strawberries from MrM. 'Sweet Eve' this time, and much better flavour than the 'Mailing' something or the other ones in the last pack.