Holding On and Letting Go 🎈

Fortune_Smiles

Creative Space

I took myself off as planned yesterday and did some writing. Mr F was bewailing watching the rugby so I snuggled up in bed with the electric blanket on and the bedroom door firmly closed.  I've been working on a short story for ages and feel as though I'm starting to get to the end of it now.  I'm a very slow writer... partly because I don't sit down to it often enough 😆

An afternoon snack of some mixed nuts added a further 4 varieties to yesterday's total.  Not much more to add today though.  Mr F was out with his off roading buddies so we had leftover frittata for breakfast for speed.  He took a packed lunch so I had a sandwich made with wholemeal bread (wheat, oat, barley and soya flour - who knew) with cheese and cucumber followed with a banana and a couple dates.  Supper will be yesterday's Cheesy Cauliflower, Potato & Fish Gratin but I'll find a different veg to serve it with - possibly broad beans as I think I have some in the freezer.  So that will add 11 to the total making 29.75.  Blimey!  I'm almost there already 😁.  I can't imagine I'll be adding much more to that though as many of the ingredients are repeated in this week's meal plan.

This morning was dry and sunny and significantly warmer 🌞 so I took the opportunity to prune the non-stone fruit trees in the orchard.  The conditions are far from ideal as we're expecting rain for the next couple of weeks.  However, I'm already late getting round to it as I was waiting to attend the pruning course.  The course has made so much difference - I was able to confidently and quickly snip and trim and the results look quite professional 😊

This afternoon I did some further work on the wedding portrait. I maybe have another three or four sessions to go now before I'm finished.

So quite a creative weekend.  I've been trying to keep weekends free for leisure activity as, otherwise, the housework expands to fill the gap and I don't get a break from it.

I hope Mr F gets home soon... I'm starting to feel hungry.

Happy Sunday all

Fortune x

savingholmes

Well done on the writing and the painting. I hope your arm heals quickly. 

Impressive ironing too!

Those temperatures - so grateful I didn't have those. 

Glad Mr F on the mend.

I doubt I'd get near 30 plants. Porridge/Oats. Peppers. Onions. Carrots. Peas, Sweetcorn. Mushrooms. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Those are my staples. Occasional broccoli and cauliflower and leeks and parsnips. Citrus fruit. Occasional bananas, apples, strawberries, nuts, pasta/wheat. I can perhaps get to about 18-20 - but not every week... 

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Well done on the writing and the painting. I hope your arm heals quickly. 

Impressive ironing too!

Those temperatures - so grateful I didn't have those. 

Glad Mr F on the mend.

I doubt I'd get near 30 plants. Porridge/Oats. Peppers. Onions. Carrots. Peas, Sweetcorn. Mushrooms. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Those are my staples. Occasional broccoli and cauliflower and leeks and parsnips. Citrus fruit. Occasional bananas, apples, strawberries, nuts, pasta/wheat. I can perhaps get to about 18-20 - but not every week... 

Thanks SH.  You probably have more than you think - herbs and spices count (1/4 point each) plus whole grains, legumes and dried fruit.  Mixed packs help - salad leaves, nuts, seeds and berries.  I just thought I'd count his week out of interest.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Regrets

I am very much regretting pruning yesterday - we had a huge storm overnight with high winds and torrential rain 😲  The forecasts are all over the place at the moment.  Will just have to keep my fingers crossed that any bacteria and fungus around is still dormant.

Breakfast this morning was granola with grapes and clementine.  I've already counted the grains and nuts but dried fruits count and there were 3 of those... although all grapes so I'm just going to count 1 for all of them.  That's 2 to my total and coffee counts too (a quarter point) so that's 32!

I'm quite surprised.  Although we're largely vegetarian in the Fortunate household with maybe meat and fish once a week so that helps.

Still no sign of my sewing machine.

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Rain, rain go away

It was bright and sunny here in the Shire this morning but by late afternoon the rain had returned... with a little snow mixed in for good measure.  Which wouldn't be a problem except the forecast is for more of the same for at least the next two and possibly three maybe even four weeks - meh 😐  FDawg isn't happy either as he's getting very muddy on his walks and having to be showered after and not the warm, shampoey, massagey type of shower that he enjoys either 😆  A quick hose down in the courtyard from the outside tap which, to be fair, is not something I'd enjoy either 😆

I've spent today cleaning and tidying ready for the estate agent's visit.  He was a lovely chap and was the guy who acted for our vendor when they sold the house to us.  He put the value of the house where we thought it would be and gave us an idea of where the market is at the moment (still strong) and whether we should sell off our paddock separately (really bad idea).  Also what we would be looking to pay for the type of house we'd want to move to.  So we have all the information we need for the moment.  Neither of us is inclined to move but who knows what might happen in the next year or so.  The last three have taken us by surprise after all.  At least we are now armed with all the facts should the need/want arise.

Yesterday's lunch was creamed feta with spinach and tomatoes in pitta bread (no new varieties there) and supper was Creamy Mushroom Pasta (3.25 new varieties) although I halved the enormous amounts of cream and parmesan in the recipe.  Breakfast today was boiled eggs and marmite toast (0 new varieties) and lunch was Winter Vegetable & Lentil Soup (1.25 new varieties).  The soup was very tasty and easily adapted to use up other veg, however, the recipe isn't quite right.  It say it will serve 2 so I doubled the ingredients and ending up with 8 servings.  Not a problem as my home-made ready meals in the freezer have run a bit low so 6 portions are now in there for another day.  I used two carrots and a large parsnip which worked well and used 2 x 1.5 litres of water instead of 2 x 3 litres as suggested.  I'm glad I did as the result was a very thin soup.  I whizzed everything up with the blender which helped but we definately needed a cheese sandwich to go with this one.  Next time I'd use even less water and read the reviews before starting 😆  Supper is on the stove now - Beetroot, Halloumi & Cashew Curry.  A favourite recipe which always surprises me as I'm not a big beetroot fan.  Plus it gives me 2 new varieties to add to my total which is now...38.5!

And... my sewing machine was delivered yesterday 🥳  I haven't had a chance to even get it out of the box yet but hopefully will do later.  I'm hosting a WI meeting tomorrow as it's time to start planning our entries for the town's country show so I'll need to bake some cookies and a cake for refreshments.  Will see how the time goes.

Hump day tomorrow folks!

Fortune x

LadyWithAPlan

Suffolk_lass said:

My old sewing machine was my Grandmother's before she bought one that she subsequently gave to my Sis for her 18th birthday (we are both in our sixties now). It is a converted manual Singer with an old electric motor bolted on. With a bit of manual reading it does most things, as long as it is cleaned and serviced (oiled) before it is used. My Mum still has hers from the 1960s but I don't know when she last used it. I know she took a school job to save and pay for it (initially as a dinner lady, and then as the welfare assistant, and in MSE related comment, she receives a small pension from the LA associated with that latter role). It has never occurred to me to do a course. Plastering, yes, sewing, no. 

Your sewing machine sounds fabulous, I love the history of it. 
Actually I did do a sewing course years ago but tried to do a complicated jacket rather than an easy dress to start so gave up. I am planning to do another one again - I still have my sewing machine and dressmakers dummy.
Plastering is fun and my plumbing class is AWESOME - this week we are laying pipes to then put in a working sink

savingholmes

Glad the valuation went well. 

On the herbs and spices - I might do better - garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, nutmeg regularly - occasionally rosemary and other things like curry spices too, turmeric etc. Does coffee count? Cacao beans for chocolate!

Fortune_Smiles

savingholmes said:

Glad the valuation went well. 

On the herbs and spices - I might do better - garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, nutmeg regularly - occasionally rosemary and other things like curry spices too, turmeric etc. Does coffee count? Cacao beans for chocolate!

Oh that's loads of herbs and spices SH - they all count as a quarter of a point as does coffee.  I think some people count dark chocolate - each variety is only counted once though 😆

Fortune x

Fortune_Smiles

Still counting 🙂

I spent Wednesday baking and tidying the house ready for the Show Meeting - Lemon Curd & Blackcurrant Cake (as we still have lots of blackcurrants in the freezer from last year) and Mincemeat Cookies (to use up some mincemeat leftover from Christmas).  As a little bonus the blackcurrants in the cake count as another variety 😁  Fuelled by this feast we had a good meeting and made lots of decisions.

I spend the evening typing up minutes and sending out emails about all of my outstanding WI commitments.  I'm up to date now but there is a lot going on this year.  I'm not complaining - it feels as though we are properly back to normal after the pandemic.

Yesterday I took myself off into the market town for a solo date 😁  My plan was to go to the big fabric shop and pick up supplies to make my first project... but, when I got there, I found the shop closed on Thursdays!  I traweled the charity shops instead and found some L@ur@ @shl£y fabric which looks as though it's been cut from a duvet cover.  It's in good condition and has washed well but I paid £8 for it!  If I'd bought all four pieces it would have been £16!  Looking round this particular charity shop the prices seemed very high to me - is this the norm now?  I popped into our local independent supermarket on the way home which furnished me with thread so I think I'll be able to get started.  I stopped off for lunch at a favourite venue and read the next story for Book Club - it's a raunchy one this time 😊  Then went to my hair appointment.  The costs for the day will come from my personal spends budget.

Breakfast was syrniki (made as my Ukranian guests used to do them) with redcurrants and raspberries from the freezer (2 new varieties), lunch was Shaksuka with crispy chickpeas in one of my favourite venues in town (1 new variety) and supper was prawn salad with coleslaw (1 new variety) and potato salad.  So that makes 41.5 varieties.  I don't think they'll be anything to add to the total today though.

I've some chores to complete this afternoon but may have a play with my new toy after that - so far I've got it out of the box and read the instruction manual 😆

Happy Friday everyone.

Fortune x

Swayingseaweed

That lemon curd and blackcurrant cake looks very nice might make that for Sunday to use up our blackcurrants. Yep charity shops have got very expensive.
Seaweedx