Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 3 - A New Beginning

crazy_cat_lady

Good morning!!! :coffee: :hello:
I was SO tired when I got in from work last night I barely had the energy to eat my dinner (the last of the meal I made the other night that the kids refused) - didn't get my laptop out at all but just sat in front of the telly and crocheted for a while. Not a hat. I had a look for a pattern online and found some cotton yarn in my stash. I suppose that if I intend to make a hat then I'd better get on with it as I don't really have long. May just leave it and get something over there.
I have already posted my list of things to do on a couple of other threads on here, so now I feel more accountable, but I am literally going to kick myself if I don't get my expenses claim in today. It's 3 weeks since I was in London and I have to claim within 30 days. I got my train ticket delay payment yesterday so I know it's been a while since I was there. Now I've written it in public three times I had better do it.
Also need to get a little bit of food in, but before I do that I'm going to insist that the kids tell me exactly what they will be eating between now and Friday. We are going straight to the airport as soon as school finishes and I don't want a lot of food in that's going to go to waste while we're away.
Also need to put a rocket up ds's backside with regards to him making a start on packing. I'm going to force him to spend some time with me going through his clothes and getting something started. He's awful for leaving everything until the very last second possible...
Bestie is coming over for a quick cuppa and a catch up in a little while - it'll be the last chance I get to see her before my hols so I'm going to make the most of it. Suppose that as I'm still sitting here in my pj's I should go and get dressed.
Have also just discovered a card for a parcel I'd forgotten about. Better make the time to go and pick that up - not sure what it is but it's definitely been sitting there since Monday as Saturday is the only day I can get to pick it up.
Onwards! I shall check in later tonight or tomorrow.

teapot2

Sounding organised, hope you managed to pin DS down - so to speak Not long at all till your holiday :j

crazy_cat_lady

Morning!
I am definitely considering yesterday to be a success. Got lots done including ds making a start on his packing :j If all else fails he has 6 t-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts and some pants in his bag. Still looks and feels a bit empty but it is at least a start.
Lovely catch up with bestie - we talked holidays (she's going away a couple of weeks after us) and got all excited, plus school and work stuff as usual. Just always feel better after speaking to my friends.
Didn't get the shopping done, but did pin the kids down to a plan and making a list so I'm going to do it today. I'm trying to get the washing done, but the weather is a bit unpredictable for drying stuff - we shall see. I'm ridiculously excited about only having 5 days of school and then holiday as well - it's been nice to have a bit of time to think about stuff other than work (although I do wish that my brain would leave off the self criticism as soon as I stop)
Today's plans are also fairly relaxed and quiet. Waiting for the kids to get up then we'll get this shopping done. A bit more tv and crochet. DD introduced me to Benidorm on Netflix yesterday - something I always intended to watch but never did - I was actually laughing out loud at it a few times so might watch more of that. Although I have loads of tv to catch up on that I recorded - and Life on Mars has arrived on box sets and I love that!

beanielou

Have a happy Sunday:)

crazy_cat_lady

Morning :wave: :coffee:
Well I have made it to the last week of term and things are looking ok so far. I feel really, really tired though and I'm starting to wonder if I should have had such a relaxing weekend because things seem to be catching me up now. I have 2 lessons left today then 4 more work get ups - I can hardly wait until Friday to get on my plane and leave the country for a short amount of time.
However, that means that this week I need to be mega organised. My cleaning lady is coming today - so when I get home tonight the bags go out into the bedrooms, with a list of things to be packed between now and Friday.
Also need to double check everything in terms of getting my kids early from school (fancy mine being the only school finishing early Friday).
Need to make a list of what to bring in hand luggage as well.
Print out the lounge menu for the kids to see before we go
Check the catsitter is still ok for catsitting
Stick to meal plans (including making something with my 44p ys meatballs from Mr M) and make sure that the fridge is empty before we leave.
I'm sure there will be lots more but I can't think of it at the moment.

apple_muncher

I'm impressed that you can even be making lists at this point in the term after all the marking you've done!

crazy_cat_lady

As if I spent almost 2 hours last night starting at 0000 and getting to 2232 on dd's suitcase padlock because she couldn't remember the combination. Very productive use of my time considering I have a PhD as well :rotfl:


So, got into work this morning and some lovely human being has left me 2 bags of gooseberries from their garden on my desk. I'm thinking they probably will make a lovely chutney and am wondering if anyone has a good recipe? I will google but always prefer tried and tested.

crazy_cat_lady

Hello :wave:


I have Googled and it appears that most chutneys are the same. Onions, sugar, vinegar, spices plus your chutney thing. The gooseberry recipes suggest raisins as well so I might have a look and see what I've got at home tonight - suspect I won't have enough vinegar to make it without a trip to Mr L in town but I'm definitely going to check first. It might just give me something nice to do this evening watching that bubble away...


I am on a free lesson now - have done my good deed for the day babysitting a class for a colleague so he could go and watch his kids in their school sports day. Also spent an hour working with my Head of Department putting new groups together for next year - my new timetable has finally been published and I've been very lucky indeed with what I've gotten. There's loads of chemistry in there (suppose that's the bonus of being the only full time chemist in my department) so I'm right at home, plus a bit of a mix of top and bottom from the younger year groups. Definitely not complaining because I don't think I've ever seen such a good looking timetable.


I have to go to assembly in a few minutes as well - end of year awards thing. It turns out my form class has won the attendance award! Obviously loads to do with me and nothing to do with the fact that they're a nice bunch of kids who don't get sick very often :rotfl:


As well as my gifted gooseberries today - I've also been gifted a massive binbag full of wool that someone at work doesn't want. She's asked that I use 1 ball of it to make her a hat, which I will, but other than that I have more lovely chunky yarn that I can put in the 'will last the rest of my life' stash in the loft. I started making another baby blanket last night - small enough to take on holiday with me, and as I have a couple of friends who are expecting then I need to be getting on really.

foxgloves

Great gifts, CCL. Yes, most chutneys are very similar. You can find one for a different fruit & just use it to get quantities of vinegar & sugar right. That's the important thing as they are what preserves it for long keeping. I've never made gooseberry chutney, as I have no source of gooseberries without buying them, so I can't help you by recommending a recipe. I have had good results with swapping fruits, though, so you should be fine if the vinegar & sugar amounts are right.
F x

DawnW

I don't grow gooseberries either - I used to in a previous garden but they got eaten by sawfly caterpillars and died, and I don't have room for them here
I have made gooseberry chutney back in the old days though, and used Marguerite Patten's suggestion that you simply take an apple chutney recipe and substitute the apples for gooseberries. It worked fine, as indeed do all of Ms Patten's recipes
Incidentally, her little book 'The Basic Basics Jams Preserves and Chutneys Handbook' is brilliant if you come across it (or there are loads of new and second hand ones on Amazon). She is old school but her recipes are simple to follow and always work