Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

Let's hope you don't open your front door to the whole kitchen Caronc  unfortunately the under 25s were the ones finding it hard to get work before this   hopefully something will come up for him

Nothing much going on here, I went to the garden centre lunchtime and pick up what my mum called cotton lavender (can't remember its proper name) as it's a Mediterranean plant so I'm hoping it will survive the arid patch in the front garden I've also brought a variegated mint in the hope that as you're not meant to be able to kill it I can let it fill the gaps as I just want something other than bare earth and I'm hoping it will spread.  my last hope is the goldenrod which is still coming up where I've planted my beans so I may stick some of that in as it's no cost and if it takes spreads like mad   we just need some rain  ☔️  🌧  

Im trying to persuade my sister to let my eldest nephew trim her fringe as her cuts his brothers' hair, I want her to be his guinea pig if she doesn't need to wear a hat afterwards he could do mine before I reach for the scissors myself  ✂️ I can cope with the grey breaking out and it looking like a mop but my fringe is driving me mad and my provisional hair appointment is not until 25th July 

lunch was a quick scrambled egg when I got back from the garden centre, dinner was pan fried salmon, new potatoes and French beans

candygirl

Hi guys:) 
I've felt really hot, sick n tired for the past few days , so have been nibbling crackers n celery. 
Don't think it's covid related though, n I'm deffo not preggers 😂😂😂

Farway

candygirl said:

Hi guys:) 
I've felt really hot, sick n tired for the past few days , so have been nibbling crackers n celery. 
Don't think it's covid related though, n I'm deffo not preggers 😂😂😂

I think you can get a free covid test just in case, wise to know if only for other peoples sake and not spread it about

On similar tack, today was my first time in a shop since lock down. I had a prescription to collect, walked to chemist and in. It's only a small local chemist and I was the only customer in there.

Being a Covid shopping virgin I never looked for or spotted the arrows on the floor, and naturally went the "wrong" but direct way to the counter.

No problems as it was only me in there, at least now I know to look down if there is a next time, don't fancy trying a supermarket yet awhile though

Bit muggy weather wise, maybe thunder storms due but hit & miss according to forecast

Lunch, I think I'll pick some strawberries, raspberries, cherries and maybe a goosegog or two just in case it pours and make fresh fruit salad for lunch

Dinner, ??? maybe frozen breaded cod fillet & HM chips? Or CBA MFO stab & ping?

Brambling

Afterrnoon all and I'm delighted to say it's just started to rain  hopefully it will be enough to make it worth while and to give me a break from watering tonight

Farway I tend to stick to the small shops T Express, farm shops/ farmers market and M & S foodhall which is a small (not sure what it will be like now the rest of the shop is opened) I've been to Sainsbob and Lidl once since the lock down and was uncomfortable in both as far as the number of people in there and in the case of Lidl definitely a lack of social distancing and no one on the door when i went in.  I also go to the little local chemist rather than the supermarket pharmacy 

The dwarf blackberry plants i ordered at the beginning of June were delivered this morning and were very sorry looking specimens, looking at the company reviews they started to received bad reviews recently, i think they just haven't coped with the demand and rather than doing what some companies have and switch off orders have carried on.  Give them their due there was an offer of new plants or a full refund with no quibble I had taken photos which i was going to email if need be but they weren't requested and I was notified within the hour that Paypal had received the refund and were crediting my CC.  I'll stick them in a pot and see if they recover and will probably go back to the Scottish company i got my raspberries from as they were big healthy plants and see what have I think they have one container blackberry.  

I picked up a small olive focaccia from the farm shop at the garden centre yesterday so on the assistants' recommendation i used half of it lunch time to make a pizza, using the last of the opened pesto as the base rather than a tomato sauce added sliced spring onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and peppers and topped with mozzarella a naughty but nice lunch .  Not sure what i'll need for dinner as it was a good size,  I took two skinless and boned chicken thighs out of the freezer so they could be crumbed and airfried and stuck back in the fridge for cold if I'm not hungry or can't think what else to do with them.  I also made a crustless vegetable and blue cheese quiche lunchtime for the next few lunches so some may have some with salad instead

caronc

Good evening everyone, 
Hope you are feeling better CG, as Farway says might be worth getting a Covid test done so you know one way or the other.
Your lunch sounds lovely Brambling, shame the plants are poorly but hopefully they recover. Good the refund was hassle free.
I've literally not been anywhere since lock down started but both my sons noticed a marked difference in SMs etc. locally between the situation in Cardiff and Newcastle. Here folk are mainly observing social distancing in shops and all the shops are enforcing it where needed. In Newcastle on Saturday my son said it was a free for all and he felt very uncomfortable, quickly got what he needed and left as quickly as he could. Apart from having to buy diesel he aims not to visit another SM/shop before he comes back up the road on Saturday. While the politics up here are far, far from perfect I do think the messaging re what is expected has been much clearer and consistent which must help folk understand what is expected of them.
Torrential rain here overnight, some of my baby plants on the deck got quite drowned but I think I've rescued them quickly enough. Time will tell. It was lovely late morning and I got an hour in the garden planting pots before the skies darkened and we had a thunderstorm for a few hours. It feels much fresher since it moved on. After her work my sis popped round for a cuppa and a vent, I didn't have to do anything except murmur and listen. I think she felt much better afterwards. She was just going when my elder son and his fiancée arrived, I had missed a text from them saying they were near by so it was a nice surprise to see them. 
Tesco arrived earlier so my much depleted fresh stuff is restored , lunch was corned beef and pickle on crackers with fresh peas and peaches. For dinner I've boiled the last of the Ayrshire spuds (hopefully I get some more at the weekend ) which will cover a couple of meals. Tonight I'm having them with salmon, green beans and spinach. 

Farway

Woke to delightful sound of rain, smells lovely outside, fresh summer rain

Yesterday's dinner was peel back & bake, Ice£and veg lasagne.

Not bad for a quid, maybe a tad too garlicky for my after taste but ideal standby in the freezer

And now Caron I fancy corned beef.

I think I'll bin the last of the well expired BBE soft cheese, it has a bit of a tangy bite to it , and have corned beef & piccalilli sarnie at lunch time

Today is harvest some of my fresh peas day, I've been sampling them of course and now there's enough for a proper meal sized picking

One FR lamb chump leg steak out defrosting, that's dinner, plus summer cabbage, carrots, Jersey Royals and my own peas.

Brambling, shame about the BlackBerry, I've been following forums with lots of complaints about poor plants, if it's same company beginning with T a common problem it seems, at least you've got a refund unlike some

I noticed a couple of my blackberries, not dwarf, are getting a bit of a tinge on them.

Bit early especially as they don't look plump or juicy enough yet, hope they don't go same as last year, cooked & frizzled on the plant before they plumped up

Fingers crossed this rain will help

greenbee

We've got rain too! I've also had a Waitrose delivery which was very exciting (the slot came up when I randomly checked on Tuesday night) but I'm not used to that amount of plastic and packaging. 

It's quite chilly (not helped by the fact that I have someone here fitting two blinds - in one room - and they seem to need to go in an out all the time) relative to the last few days, so lunch will probably be an omelette with lots of peppers. 

caronc

Good afternoon everyone, 
No rain forecast for us today, it's lovely out though a bit to hot to for planting up just now. I'll head out later when the sun goes over a bit.
Corned beef again for lunch and tonight it's pie, veg and Ayrshire's as I cooked the spuds yesterday minimal cooking will be needed just some veg to prep.

candygirl

Don't worry guys, it's not COVID, just a recurring problem I have 😊
FARWAY I've got an ICELAND veg lasagne in the freezer, so might have half with salad later .
Have found loads of wild strawbs on my garden! So cute , but Bon has been nicking them all 😂

caronc

Wild strawberries are gorgeous, when I had the pooches I ended up trying to grow them in baskets, the dogs used to sit underneath them plotting how they might get to them! 
It's been really warm here today but obligingly got a bit overcast later in the afternoon so I got some more planting up done. While watering tonight I noticed I have a few baby french beans and two baby cucumbers.
It's to be warm again tomorrow but showery, in the morning I really ought to have a hoover and mop through as my floors are a disgrace but if it's dry I might just "not see them" for a bit longer
Dinner just needs a few bits doing and left to it, it's not really pie weather but I'm looking forward to it. It's a beef and mushroom from the bakers and if it is as good as their savoury slices should be tasty.