Winter Wonders

KajiKita

When we took down the Christmas decorations this year we really felt the lack of the Christmas lights we put around the old pot arm in the big original fireplace in the dining room. It was really gloomy and made us both sad.
So I said to heck with it and bought two sets of white LED lights - one set like stems to go in a big vase that lives in that hearth and one set like little flowers on a string. We’ve arranged both of those this evening and they look lovely 😊
We have also swopped two pictures over so I can see my landscape watercolour painting and Mr KK can see his WW2 glider engraving from where we both usually sit. We’ve only been sitting in these seats for six years! 🙄😂😂😂😂🤷‍♀️❤️
A small but powerful quality of life thing 😊

KK

Rhyddid2026

I was worried when the dentist phoned to ask me to come in earlier for a longer appointment. I was only there for 5 minutes so I think she just wanted an early finish. No charge, phew!
I ate another potato for tea. I did some quick air fryer roasties to go with the minced lamb concoction, and added mint n peas.
I'm not sure I'm going to ever get through these potatoes!! 

SandyShores

Rhyddid2026 said:

I'm not sure I'm going to ever get through these potatoes!! 

Apparently you can freeze cooked potatoes.  Which makes sense when I think about it because I bought some frozen dauphinois in circle shapes from Aldi or Lidl before xmas - and they are really nice.  Now that its mostly the two of us we don't use a whole bag so I may try freezing the rest as mash circles or par boiled roasties to see how they turn out.

wort

I freeze almost anything, roast potatoes you can par boil put the goose fat on and freeze then you have your own version of Aunt Bess.
onions and peppers can be sliced and frozen if you use them for cooking, so if you think they’ll go off before you use them bung them in the freezer along with grated cheese to top pizzas or put in soups.

EssexHebridean

- Electrical work is making progress! The fault with the downstairs circuit has been identified and fixed and it is a joy to have lights again! Lovely Luke the 'Lectrician is back on Friday to deal with other odd jobs including fitting our new outside light, replacing two lightswitches and fitting a new transformer to the undercabinet lights in the kitchen as well which should mean those work properly again. 
- Grocery spending is staying low so far - I think we're on about £12 this week, and there shouldn't be anything else needed. 
- I'm keeping up with the yoga. I'm giving myself a day off each week as standard, and on any other days when there simply isn't the time in the day to do it, that's fair enough, but other than that it's a case of ensuring I prioritise it. I know from experience that it takes a few weeks then you suddenly feel the strength and stability gains, which act as their own incentives!
- Foot cream is being used and I am definitely feeling benefits of that already!
- Good progress on christmas veg - hopefully by Sunday I will have the freezer space to make some curried parsnip soup! 

Something I hadn't put on the original list was to sort out the application for the allotment - MrEH has already done one, but there seems to be no reason why I can't do one too, so I have done now. Good thing I looked too as one of the sites he had put down now seems to have been closed. 

Wednesday2000

I have some LED lights in a glass jar I bought from the charity shop recently. I might bring them downstairs to display actually as I don't sit up in that room that often and it is quite pretty.

I also freeze everything. Bananas that have been sliced up and frozen are really creamy in smoothies. 

I just had a class and dropped off my library books. I went to a book shop on the way home to buy the book for the book group and it was lucky I did as I had the wrong date and also realised I have tickets in London for a show on the day so I couldn't go to the group anyway! I managed to miss the heavy rain.

I had fun at my book group last night even though it was my last one. I missed the Christmas meetup when they had a book swap so I took a few books to take home. I think I now have about 20 books on my kindle to read and about 12 paper books. 

Someone gave me a link for a podcast for the "Walk for Peace" the Buddhist monks are doing at the moment so I will listen to that tomorrow on my walk.

PennysIntoPounds

Just the one vinted listing today but at least keeping up some momentum.

Almost at the end of a squeezy lipbalm which is so nearly the end I can't squeeze it hard enough and have to get Mr PIP to do it, but much as I'm trying to use bits up, I'm not being mugged of the remnants!

Did not attend build admin with a cheery can-do attitude but there's only so much enthusiasm one can have for P Traps (spoiler; it's none).

@Greenbee, where you at, I need your intimidating renovation achievements to shame me into mega build productivity 😁

KajiKita

@PennysIntoPounds, I can’t help with the building renovations motivation, but I can suggest that cutting the end off the squeezey lip balm might help access?

KK

greenbee

PennysIntoPounds said:

Just the one vinted listing today but at least keeping up some momentum.

Almost at the end of a squeezy lipbalm which is so nearly the end I can't squeeze it hard enough and have to get Mr PIP to do it, but much as I'm trying to use bits up, I'm not being mugged of the remnants!

Did not attend build admin with a cheery can-do attitude but there's only so much enthusiasm one can have for P Traps (spoiler; it's none).

@Greenbee, where you at, I need your intimidating renovation achievements to shame me into mega build productivity 😁

Recovering from Christmas/visitors...

I have written myself some AI prompts to help me getting going on my heatpump project though. I knew work would be useful for something one day... 

PennysIntoPounds

Thanks @KajiKita, it's an awkward shape/angle but will def do that when no more can be squeezed in the hopes of further remnants 

Good luck @greenbee, we just had to dole out the next payment instalment of our heat pump today 😐