Good News, Not so Good & Brilliant News!

photo borrowed from Google

The good news is that I dropped another batch of cards off at the Hospice shop, bringing the total to a satisfying 200 since the end of March this year.  There were just 4 left in the basket again.  As long as they keep selling, I'll keep on making them 😊

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Not so good news?  Son-in-Law has Covid again.  This is the third time 😕

Unfortunately, they are due to go on holiday in about a week's time and, if he passes it on to the family, then the holiday is in question.  Meanwhile he is being isolated in the bedroom and working from home.  We dare not visit.  It's a nasty strain with a razor-sore throat and cough.  

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The brilliant news is that our Grandson has a new job!  He's been looking for a while and finally found one that he really liked the sound of.  The employer was much nicer and gave him a test weld to do.  They were really pleased with the quality of his work and have actually waited for him to finish his year's apprenticeship with the other company.  He now has a proper contract and, on his first day, was given a full-face mask to wear when grinding, and proper PPE.  Fingers crossed that he'll be safer there 🤞They will also be paying him more money.

We are beyond relieved 😌

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Thanks so much for popping in.  Stay safe wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗 

Demise of the Sunflowers, Bloomin' Floris.....

 We fully intended to go out somewhere on Tuesday for a treat day, but the night before had been so windy that it had snapped the head off the biggest sunflower 😭 

 When we got up next morning a second sunflower had bitten the dust too so we spent the morning in the garden, clearing up the debris.  We tidied pots and trimmed plants, giving everything that needed it a good haircut.  It all looks much fresher now and should, hopefully, give us more colour for a few more weeks into Autumn.  Even the hanging basket has new buds on the Geraniums 👍

Lunch was a quick sandwich and tea (or dinner depending on what you call your evening meal) was cheese and leek omelettes with a big salad, utilising home grown tomatoes and yellow peppers 😜 It was absolutely delicious 😋 

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Adventures will have to wait....

Thanks for popping in.  Stay safe wherever you happen to be, 

Angie 💓

Home Cooked Sunday Lunch & Christmas in July?

I woke up with a thumping headache on Saturday morning which didn't shift all day despite taking painkillers.  I had slept badly on Friday night/ Saturday morning so that was probably why.  I still had it when I went to bed at 10pm so I was massively relieved to have a good night's sleep and wake refreshed and headache free on Sunday morning 😌

I was in the mood for cooking so took Kirsten's tip for a fish traybake;  potatoes, onions, peppers and the pesky Roma tomatoes, topped with cod fillets.  A few homegrown beans were steamed and sprinkled on top for colour.  It was so yummy....

Whilst the oven was on, I baked a couple of the windfall Bramley apples which we ate with ice cream (thanks Sue !)  They were scrumptious too and virtually free food.  All they cost was the cost of a spoonful of dried fruit and a bit of sugar.  The oven was on anyway.....

During the afternoon I felt ready for a little cardmaking but....is it too early to be thinking of Christmas?

Nah....I only just learned that Australians like to celebrate Christmas in July when it's cooler and more like proper Christmas anyway.  My Son has lived in Oz for 24 years and has never mentioned it.  As he was born on December 25th in the UK he's a bit Christmas-jaded anyway and mostly ignores his own birthday 😟 I daresay he doesn't celebrate in July either, but....I fancied a Christmas session so dug out my Christmas box.....

The weather was cool and dull, so I put on my Christmas music and began....

It was so relaxing and absolutely satisfying to immerse myself in the task for a couple of hours.  I now have 8 designs ready which I can replicate much faster now I know what I am actually doing.  I did ask the Hospice shop manager if she would like any Christmas designs later in the year, fully expecting her to say no because they sell their own packs of commercially produced cards.  To my delight she said "Yes please ! " especially if they had the wording ' To Both of You' or ' For The Family' etc 

I was quite surprised how many Christmas themed cutting dies I have left, as I gave away or sold a lot of them when I was thinking of giving up crafting altogether.  It will mean that I can cut my own shapes and cut down the cost of embellishments.  I still have plenty of Mirri card in gold, silver, red, green and purple.  I will just need to buy adhesive and I've discovered that The Range have, at last, begun re-stocking their craft section (after a long time of having very little to choose from) I'm happy to spend some of my £10 per week pocket money on things like double-sided tape, foam pads etc when I can now buy them for £1 per pack.  Hobbycraft is just far too expensive 😕

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Right....thanks so much for popping in. Oh, and thank you to everyone who commented on my last post with some great foodie suggestions.

 Stay safe wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗

First Peppers....Ever! Verdict on Roma....

We have never been successful in growing bell peppers up to now, so I was delighted yesterday to see two beautiful yellow ones on the plant, glowing bright and glossy like little suns 😃  I'll let you know how they taste.....

Our Roma tomatoes taste ok but nothing to write home about.  I guess they will all end up being cooked.  As we don't make much pasta sauce, I don't think we will grow them next year either.  The ones at the bottom of the plant were enormous and then the ones further up get smaller and smaller .....

Our most successful crop so far has been the French climbing beans.  We are picking some every other day and my freezer is getting fuller by the minute.  We should have enough to last us into the Autumn at least.   The raspberries too are ripening on a daily basis but we are eating them as soon as they are picked.  There is no shortage of people to share with either !

Speaking of sharing....we are getting lots of windfall Bramley apples again and they are spoiling before we can get to them.  Any that can be rescued, as well as any that easily come away from the tree, are being shared between us, my Daughter, my Brother, my lovely neighbours and any fellow allotmenteers who want some.  They are not, strictly speaking, ripe yet, but make delicious pies and crumbles, especially with blueberries or raspberries added to them.  Anyone for stewed apple and custard? 😋

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Thanks so much for popping in.  Stay safe and well wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗

A Quick Catch Up....

 I can't believe it's been a whole week since I lasted posted on here 🤯 Things have been pretty mundane and we've not been anywhere special for a day out. These last few days have been a bit damp and drizzly and so we haven't done a lot.  I've caught up with the ironing while the weather has been cooler, and otherwise just been pottering in the garden doing the dead heading and harvesting a few tomatoes and cucumbers (14 so far off just one plant) Of course, we have also had to visit the allotment to water.  It really doesn't matter how much drizzle we get, it just doesn't soak into the ground 🤔

We are still harvesting:

Raspberries

spring onions

tomatoes

cucumbers

&

harvesting and freezing:

Runner beans

French climbing beans

The peppers in the greenhouse are turning yellow so will be ready to pick soon and, at the allotment, our sweetcorn is still standing despite other allotmenteers having had theirs eaten by the badgers 😓 Gray has built a metal 'cage' around ours and they are growing in a raised bed to deter the animals from digging underneath to get in.  We can only live in hope that we can harvest at least some of them before they get in......

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Our Grandson reached the dizzying age of 18 yesterday and we all went out for a meal last night to celebrate.  We went to one of those 'Fusion' type buffet restaurants where they serve all kinds of meals;  Chinese, Tai, Curries, English, Italian etc   The choice is amazing but we couldn't eat until 7.30pm which is far too late for us oldies.  The food was hot and tasty but poor Graham had indigestion all night due to eating so late.....

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This morning we had fully intended to have another day out at the Black Country museum but Gray felt  a bit 'not right' so we didn't go.  Whilst he was watering the allotment, I took another batch of 15 cards to the Hospice shop, making 190 to date.  Two were sold before I'd even left the shop....  

Thanks for popping in. Do stay safe and well wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗

Feeling Sluggish, a Treat, & Another Donation

 We have had a very sluggish start to the new week.  My motivation has completely flown out of the window 😟 but a couple of sleepless nights this week haven't helped either.  I'm still worried about my sister and brother-in-law ( who is very poorly) but, at least, our son is on the mend, thank God.  Small steps.....

Gray decided that he should treat us to a cooked lunch at our favourite pub today.  There wasn't another soul in there when we arrived, so it was quite restful.  Gray ordered home cooked faggots, chips and mushy peas, and I chose brocolli and cauliflower bake with salad.  The meals were delicious as well as piping hot and came to £26 with a drink each.  Not too bad for a special treat.

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Before we went to the pub, I had a few errands to run in the village so took another batch of cards to the Hospice shop.  Wow! Just 4 were left in the basket again 👍Today's batch makes 175 to date.

A sample below:

For men:

These three were again made from the free Hunkydory member's club gift:

The 'gift envelope' cards sell really quickly, apparently.  I ensure that the envelope on the front (which I fold myself) is capable of holding a folded banknote or a gift card; a card and gift in one!

I must make a few more of those as well as men's cards like these below, as they sell well too....

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I took a large bag of allotment produce across to our lovely neighbours as soon as we got back.  There were new potatoes, runner beans, tomatoes, a cucumber and a bag of cooking apples.  We are starting to get a lot of windfalls again so I'm removing the ones which come away easily to save them from hitting the ground and spoiling.  I made a delicious blueberry and apple crumble with some on Sunday 😊

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I think I told you about our 17 yr old Grandson and his awful employer, didn't I, well...yesterday he had a tiny piece of metal fly into his eye when he was grinding something off.  He thought he'd removed it but, as luck would have it, he had an optician's appointment after work and she spotted the metal embedded in his cornea 😨

This morning his mum took him to the local eye hospital where they scraped it out (it wouldn't wash out) and he's now on antibiotic drops.  I'm squeamish about eyes anyway but it sent shivers down my spine to think what could have happened.....

That's all the news for now.  Thanks so much for popping in.  Do stay safe wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗

Hiding in Plain Sight! & Going Potty

At the allotment, the butternut squash plants have been thoroughly enjoying the heat and now the rainfall we've been having too. Yesterday, I glimpsed these hiding under the foliage...

They are looking good. I actually found 6 and more to come 😁

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A while ago, our lovely new neighbour gave me 3 sunflower seedlings in a pot. They were about 4 inches high. Just look at them now!

Don't look at the grass though 😐 it has really suffered in the heat we've been having.  I know it will come back so am not unduly worried but it does look awful right now.  

Anyway, we have now decided that we have too many pots.  With summers becoming drier and hotter, it takes too much water to keep things alive and we need to prioritise food production.  Some of the plants will be planted into the borders instead, and some will just have to go.  Any annuals will not be replaced next year.  I do, however, want to keep the Rosemary, Sage & Mint in pots.  The lily has suffered badly with lily beetle and will be ditched after flowering.

From the allotment we are picking:

French climbing beans 

Runner beans 

Brocolli

Early carrots

Radishes

Spring onions

New potatoes

Windfall cooking apples 

From the greenhouse:

Sungold tomatoes

Roma tomatoes

Cucumbers (12 so far)

Lots of bloggers seem to have lost their appetites in the hot weather and are eating simply.  I sure as heck haven't fancied cooking. There have been lots of sandwiches and things on toast eaten in our house, but it's forecast to turn cool and wet over the weekend so I can feel an apple crumble coming on!

What have you got planned for meals this weekend?

Thanks so much for popping in.  Stay safe wherever you happen to be,

Angie 💗