"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

Baileys_Babe

greenbee said:

Baileys_Babe said:

greenbee said

I've made black bean, beetroot, and prune brownies (no sugar)

They sound delicious, could you share the recipe 😋

It’s based on the black bean brownies on the Zoe instagram but I scale up to use a whole pack of beetroot (so roughly 3x) and replace the sugar with prunes (if you’re transitioning away from sugar, start with dates and gradually change the proportions of dates to prunes I until it’s 100% prune!). I also bung in nuts (usually brazils). I also use 100% dark choc. I guarantee no one will pinch them 😂

https://www.instagram.com/zoe/reel/Cpuwttio0Yq/

Thanks for both the link and tips regarding transitioning from sugar to dates to prunes

greenbee

I've realised that I used to run out of dates regularly, but now it's prunes, so the transition is definitely working!

I'm currently ordering fabric samples in the hope that I can find a headboard for my bedroom. I also need to decide on paint colours for the hall, landing and stairs. Hall and landing could be different colours if I can find a transitional colour for the wall by the stairs. Both hall and landing are fairly dull and dark at this time of year, but get plenty of light in the summer. Hall has light from the south (panels either side of the door, and from sitting room windows if the sitting room door is open). Landing has a north-facing window, and light from the south if I leave the upstairs office/recording studio door open (and more north light if I leave my bedroom door open).

I also need to think about topping up the oil tank fairly soon. I'm not using a huge amount of oil - although the heating has taken to turning itself on without instructions from the programmer which is annoying me. It has ALWAYS done this (and the controller has been replaced), which adds to the incentive to get a heat pump installed!

greenbee

Overcast here and the battery is almost drained. Not much electricity generating, so it looks like i’m going to be able to avoid doing laundry for another day!

I need to get to grips with my very long list and prioritise it so that I don’t get overwhelmed and end up doing nothing. I probably need a @Cheery_Daff-style plan. Let’s see if I can manage it…

• Wash up - kitchen and utility (pet food)
• Get dressed
• Take out recycling
• Walk dog
• Plant comfrey
• Check planted veg beds
• Clear more beds and plant garlic, onions, shallots, broad beans, and peas
• Detatch connecting hoses in veg plot and put away
• Start clearing veg plot paths - they need cardboard and wood chip
• Clear greenhouse (toms, peppers, aubergines, chillies) and pack up irrigation system
• Scything
• Sort out strawberry bed
• Sort out bedroom curtains (they need hanging the other way round due to how the hooks are placed)
• Pack away gym kit in bed and move more stuff back in from back bedroom and landing
• Move landing CoD into spare room
• Put up spare room and front bedroom pictures
• Check oil prices and consider ordering top-up 

So clearly that’s NOT what Cheery does as she’s better at planning the timing. But it’s a start. The dog deserves two walks as it’s the weekend, so I’ll start with washing up/dressing/walking the dog and plan the next lot of activity when we get back. We are due rain at some point (probably when we’re out walking!

rtandon27

A list of Epic proportions - I'm a fan! - sometimes just writing ✍️ it down makes the headspace needed to get on with the doing.

greenbee

I’m still in bed…

rtandon27

😆 - Satuday morning, I'd expect nothing less!

greenbee

Cats and dog don't appreciate it. While the dog can't come upstairs, the cats form a delegation and sit by the bedroom door looking disapproving!

Dressed in walking clothes, washing up done, smelly catfood tins in the recycling, robot hoover deployed in the sitting room, dog taken out (dog poo deposited in bin), met another neighbour (with a holiday cottage so only part time, which explains why I haven't met them before) with two yellow labs one of which is a recent rescue, came home, dried the filthy dog and trapped him in the dog bag, gave him his flea pill, gave stripey cat a sardine, emptied the robot which hadn't actually picked up all to dog hair so will be redeployed once recharged, made coffee, and am sitting down.

Tomorrow looks like being better weather than today so I'm tempted to focus more on indoor stuff today (although that needs to include shifting yet more logs from hall to sitting room and log store to porch as well as prepping more kindling).

greenbee

Took some cardboard up to the veg plot, went round to the compost area to discover that some of the leftover sand from the paving/trellis had been bagged and the rest dumped in a pile in front of the shed water butt. So moved that into a back between the hedge and fence. Soil has unfortunately been scattered in various different places, as has the turf, so need to decide where I'm going to compost turf and start the pile. Not sure it's worth trying to salvage what was actually very good topsoil as it's been spread out too much... I asked for it to go in a bag like last time as I use it to mix with compost, but obviously I wasn't there to supervise (if I had the time to do that, I'd do it myself!).

Also tipped the rest of the grass clippings that the gardener bagged up onto the compost bins - for some reason he won't fill them beyond the top despite the fact that stuff rots down, and I can't get him to use ONE bin at a time either. So I have two half-done lots of compost rather than one done and one processing. Still, I wouldn't get as much done without him.

Then went to the veg plot with a plan to put down more cardboard and start clearing the next bit... but remembered that the 'weeding' that has been done seems only to have involved clearing the surface, so I need to go through with the weed puller to get perennial weeds out and a fork to get nettle roots, ivy, and an elder stump out. One barrow of weeds from one and a bit raised beds collected and ready to go in the garden waste bins (which I'll bring into the garden for the weekend). The cleared bed will have compost dumped in it and I'll plant some garlic.

The other thing I need to sort out is a hospital trip to Hampshire. I've got minor surgery on a Friday, so will get the train down and stay in a hotel on the Thursday night, getting a taxi over to the hospital for 7.30am. What I need to work out is how I can get out of the hospital as they expect you to be collected, and none of my local friends are going to be free on a Friday afternoon. I can't take my mum with me as the trip would be tiring for her and she has the decorator with her that week anyway. If I can work out a way to escape, the plan would be to spend Friday night in a hotel and then get the train back on Saturday. Technically there's supposed to be someone with you for 24 hours after the anaesthetic, but I've been through this numerous times, so I'm not worried. It's just how to escape... 

badmemory

The person picking you up can't find anywhere to park so is hovering around the entrance

debtfreewannabe321

Your lists make me feel tired just reading them greenbee 🤣

I'd also use same excuse as bad memory on the escape plan! I've used it before successfully and said I needed to hurry up as they're double parked somewhere just to make it sound more convincing 🤣. Then I went out and got a bus home 🤭.