Trundling

Another action packed Monday

Yesterday I went to visit the new Lakeland shop.   It's on an old garden centre site,  and there are a few businesses there: farm shop,  garden centre,  and some others that aren't really in our area of interest.  DH has been going a bit stir crazy, so he agreed to come along. 

I suggested he visited the car wash while I went in to Lakeland,  but he decided to come along and look at me looking at things.  I explained that I was likely to be a while and it would be dull, but he persisted.  He did well,   no signs of tedium or impatience. 

He didn't want to look round the garden centre.  He had to be dragged in to the farm shop where he did look, but couldn't be persuaded to buy anything.  It wasn't exactly as enjoyable as I'd expected,  but never mind. 

Lakeland didn't have the one thing I'd gone there for in the shop.  They offered to order it in for me and to have it delivered to my house, which was great.   I declined though, as I wanted to think about an odd gadget a bit more.    I bought some cling film and a jar of black garlic ketchup,  and they gave me a leaflet which had vouchers in valid from Thursday.  That turned out to be a result, so I think I'll place an online order then.

 The lady whose overlocker/coverstitch workshop I attented in Barton upon Humber started a FB group for Babylock owners recently.  A month ago she set up a zoom call one evening, which my brother and I attended.  It was less stressful than I expected, and I learned  few things.

 There was another one last night, and we did a Babylockalong,  making a tissue pouch.  In just a couple of minutes!    It was good,  We also shared some tips.    I'm going to try and make some more of the tissue pouches today, including maybe trying to use my piping foot.

The kittens are giving us cause for concern.   Shelby and one of the squirrels are at loggerheads.    It has resulted in Shelbyb climbing on to DH's workshop roof,  walking uncertainly along the fence (next door has a terrier) and climbing as high as possible in one of our apple trees.    It won't be long before she's over one of the fences,  and she will struggle to get back.  One side has a little terrier,  the other side has a staffy type,  and the end fence goes into a public space.    Both dogs are lovely,  but I can't imagine they'd be happy to have a feline interloper.    

Lewis has managed to work out how to orevent the catflap shutting.   The catflap is microchip operated, and is set up to let Izzy in and out,  but the kittens can only come in.       Lewis has managed to work out how to fiddle with it so it stays open.

It won't be long before both kittems want to extend their patch beyond the scope of our garden.

 

 

Autumn already

We had torrential rain last night, it woke me up.

I was pleased to be woken.  I've had some bizarre dreams over the last few nights - really weird.  I'm wondering if that my subconcious is listening to a story on the radio or something.    Normally, dreans are you brain sorting out its filing system.   Often, I can work out what has triggered a particular story in my dream,  but the last few nights..... I have no idea.

I'm also getting very hot during the night,   I guess it's the menopause.    One night I woke up and was convinced I had a Covid fever,  but I was back to normal temperature the following morning. 

Anyway.   I drfited back to sleep, only to be woken again by a fox.  It sounded like it was away from our garden,  and I wasn't 100% sure it was a fox. It wasn't the usual sound they make when calling or mating.  I did a cat headcount, just to make sure it wasn't one of our cats. 

 I got up and loooked out into the garden, I couldn't see anything.  I shone the torch, all looked OK.    I could see another torch in the distance, and heard a dog barking,  so I guess I wasn't the only one that was wondering whether there was an animal in pain somewhere.

I went back to bed.  I was woken again by one of the girls trying to crow.     I could hear a cockerel crowing in the distance, and I guess that she was responding.  I don't know which girl it was.

Later, I woke up for the final time, when Violet started demanding to be let out.  She starts and does not stop,  so I got up at 6.45 to let them all out into the garden.    I didn't go back to bed.  I made tea, fed the cats,  did stuff.

It was a busy delivery day today.  A friend, whose parents are downsizing, popped over to collect loads of packaging.    I took some stuff round to one of the village food bank drop off points .   I made dough for pizza, fried some mushrooms for my topping.

It's been drizzling most of the day.  I've packed the blinds away, I'm guessing we won't need them for a while.

It's already a bit dusky.

Snails Pace

Gradually I have been reducing the piles of Room Contents that were strewn around upstairs.  The little room is now in good shape,   the new shelves are up - most of them -  and most of the stuff has been put away.  

We used some old flooring to make the extra shelves in the end.  DH said it was a temporary measure, but I think they are fine as they are. 

I'm expecting a few bits and pieces to arrive over the next couple of days, to finish it off.  Well, to nearly finish it off.  Some of the bits I need would like are out of stock everywhere (everywhere online, anyway).     I was going to take a trip to somewhere like The Range, or Dunelm,   but won't be able to do that until the end of the week.   I don't want to wait, in case they don't have what I need anyway.

I've managed to relocate some bits from elsewhere into the small room, freeing up space in the sewing room/spare bedroom  and the landing.  Every little helps.   I think I might be able to relocate my card making stuff from the sideboard in the living room as well, but I'll only know for sure when the few bits and pieces have arrived and are in place.

Some stuff has gone up into the loft,  put away properly by me.    There's another pile waiting to go up.

The bathroon is now clear,  our bedroom is now clear (apart from the box of "stuff to sell/give away", DH's study is now clear.    There are a few bits in the  sewing room/spare bedroom,  and a few piles on the landing, but it's manageable.  If you walked in, you'd still wonder what all the mess was.

Alongside this, in the last week we've done more apple juice,  DH did more tomatoes, and  I've taken apart, cleaned out,disinfected and put back together four chicken coops, in the blazing hot sun.   I've been for a mammogram,  we've both been to the dentist,   I've been to the Chiropracter, we've done Pilates.  I've spent an inordinate amount of time online looking for certain things (bits for the filing cabinet no longer sold, other items that are on my long-term list of things to get)....     I thought my list of "also achievements" was going to be longer than that.    Either I've forgotten some,  or perhaps  the rest of the time was just made up with normal domestics.

I've got a huge A0 sized box to break down s (could my life be any more exciting?) so I can use it as dividers for the piles of A0 patterns which now nestle in shelf built by DH underneath the A0 desk top.  When that's out of the way, I might be able to get to my sewing machine!.   I'm planning to bring the overlocker downstairs to have a go at sewing a few things.  Of course I've completely forgotten what it was that I wanted to sew, but I expect it will come back to me. 

Will DH be cross that the overlocker is on the table?  Or will he be pleased that I'm using it?

I guess we'll find out.

 

 

 

Choctails and a bomb

My friend Y, my lovely stepdaughter C, and I met up in Camden a little while ago to do a Choctail workshop.

We'd originally had this booked for a few months ago, but had to postpone due to - what else?! - Covid.  When restrictions were lifted, we'd been advised that we needed to book before year end.  I didn't fancy going too early,  but I didn't want to be going in the depths of winter either.      We eventually agreed upon a date,  and that date was last week.

My ex-daughter in law, D, was also due to join, but she was unwell on the day and couldn't make it.

We met for lunch in a nearby pub.  It was well organised, we sat outside in nright sunshine, food was OK.

The workshop was a really good experience.    There were only 3 groups (3+2+2), and it was well organised.     Our tutor had a delivery style in the mould of Tom Allen.  He did a good job.

We made two chocolate cocktails. The first was a Chocolate Mojito,  which tasted OK but looked a bit gross. I've since discovered that it's possible to buy clear chocolate syrup liqueur, and that might make the finished cocktail more appealing (or less unappealing)  The second was a chocolate espresso martini,  and that was also very pleasant.

Part way through the session,  a policeman knocked on the canalside door.  That was a bit of a surprise as we weren't on the towpath side,  and it wasn't particularly easy to reach there from the outside.  We let him in, and he asked us all to move back from the windows, as they'd found some "unexploded ordinance" under the canal bridge.

We moved the tables, and carried on. 

We made some truffles,  which I enjoyed (and I worked out why my last attempt at christmas pudding truffles failed). I'm not really very keen truffles, but these were OK.  I bought them home for DH to eat.

The people on the workshop were reall kind, and gave me some chocolate for DxDIL,  so I'll keep that for her until I next see her.  

 

Winter. Summer.

The upstairs upheaval continues, as I now need new shelving to store some of the stuff that no longer fits anywhere else.  Piles and piles of DVDs, music books,  books,  bits...

I managed to buy yet another used set of Really Useful Drawers, and I think I should win an award for how much drawer based storage I'm managing to get under that mahoosive desk. 

The end is in sight, but it's been in sight for ages and doesn't appear to have got any closer, despite efforts from both of us.  It's because every move requires something else to be done first.  My DB dropped some adjustable shelving struts and shelf supports off yesterday (I'm giving him some unicorn fabric in exchange).  I hate them, but there is one wall where only that sort of shelving will do.  And it's hidden, so that's OK.

I've cleared out some stuff, some in the bin, some in a pile to be donated or sold, and some has been properly stored in the loft.  The 2 extra filing cabinet drawers up there are fantastic, and I'm seriously wondering about getting more filing cabinets up there in place of some of tthe IKEA shelving.  I haven't mentioned that little idea to DH yet.   One thing at a time.

I can't actually use the desk yet, as that currently has piles of reams of paper on (waiting for the adjustable shelving) and piles of DVD (wiating for the fixed shelving).

Downstairs, I continued my clearout after the previous post, and cleared out quite a lot.  I sold a little,  gave a lot away, binned a small amount.  I'm in danger of having a bit of space to put something so I've walked away to give me time to think about how to utilise the space.  I'm not bringing anything else in.

Weatherwise, it was so cold the other day and night that I brought the log basket in from the shed and filled it with logs ready to light a fire.   Isobelle, our old arthritic cat,  curled up in front of the stove in anticipation.  I didn't light it, and it t wasn't as cold the next day.    I also thought about putting the winter duvet cover on, which is a bit more of an effort than you might think.

And now we have 33 degree heat!  Where did that come from?

 Of course I didn't finish doing the blinds aftert the last hot spell. I was so sure that we had seen the last of the awful hot weather, that I put them in my "do later" pile.

On the plus side, I had finished the blinds for the french windows in the living room, and I've just stuck them up. They work really well! despite me putting them the left on the right (the glass on the two sides are very slightly different widths).    The room, which is south facing at that end.  is now protected from the glare of the sun, but the blinds don't trap the heat behind them so it's not too stuffy..

The awning over the south facing kitchen window is also out, and that's helping with the kitchen.

I'd get on and finish the bedroom blinds, but I can't get to my sewing machines.

Well, time to get back to it.

 

Fail, fail, epic scale

It wasn't going well.  

It started OK,  I reorganised the cat food shelf and a food shelf.  I found a half bag of dry kibble that we won't be using, so I advertised it on our local freebies FB page.   That was snapped up quickly and I slipped in a box of expensive cat food pouches as well. 

I also advertised a few other bits that I'd got out of the loft a few days ago, and they've all been taken (subject to collection).

I then reached The Shelf I Actually Wanted to Clear.  I was expecting a box of yellowing, unappealing, Tupperware type stuff.      It wasn't quite that.

Firstly, I found the egg carriers in there.  They are such lovely things, I think they are aimed at campers or caravanners.  I haven't used them at all, so there was no reason why they should be kept.  Except... well they are just lovely.  I could imagine putting hard boiled ggs in there for a picnic.  Or putting wggs in them when we go boating. 

I put them on the "I'll look at you again in moment" pile.

Then there was the Massala Dabba tin, which I had actively gone out to get (rather than buying it on impulse.   I've never used it.   I reminded myself of this fact as I opened it.  I've never used it, so I could give it away (or sell it).  But it's not just a tin with useful mini tins in.   It also has a little inside lid. It's so cute.    It's the sort of thing I could use if I was weighing out ingredients and prepping for a curry, instead of using the (stack of) little dishes in my cupboard.

I put it in the "I'll look at you again in moment" pile.

I started writing this post, as I could see this wasn't going to go well.  You can see from the title how it was going.   Writing this, helped strengthen my resolve, and so I decided to try writing as I went.

Next out was a (once expensive) shaker bottle thing.  Looking at the "I'll look at you again..." pile,  I hardened my heart and put it in the "Disposal" pile.    And a round "Lock n Lock" bowl with lid.  Once part of a set of 3, no idea where the others are. That went int the disposal pile.

Then there was a  strainer thing, which I knew must have a tub to surround it.  I found one tub, two more insides.   It occurred to me that this might work well for Kefir,  assuming Keffir could be kept in plastic.  It would be so easy to just lift up the little strainer basket.     I rummaged looking for the lid.   No lid.   I went and looked in my actual airtight container storage drawer (ATCSD), and I could not find a lid.  I did find a complete container though, which made me realise it was a KlipIt container, and the ones of those I've had haven't been great.   One of the strainers can go in there, and I'll add the other two strainers to my disposal pile.

Next out, was an Oxo Good Grips square container.  This was not a cheap item, but it's an awkward-to-hold size. I hardened my heart, and put it on the disposal pile.

A selection of lids. I looked at them, and I knew that some of them belonged to some really useful glass bowls, but I couldn't recall where and when I'd last seen said bowls. Broken probably.      Others - well, I've no idea what they were for,  I didn't recognise them at all.  DIsposal - probably bin pile.

A large, rectangular, Lock and Lock tub.  Too big for my ATCSD,  a stupid shape for storing almost anything.  It might be an OK size for envelopey type things... so I used it to store some of the dry food stuff in the utility room.

Some small square containers, the sort used for a couple of tablespoons of baby food.  Infinitely useful tubs for stationery and all sorts of things.  These were only in here because I had a huge heap of them in the ATCSD.   I tried to fit them in the drawer, and found one which was from a different set.  I reunited the orphan with one of the lids, and put it in the disposal  pile. 

Next up, a pile of stacking, lidded, puree pots, which we used to use when making cheese.  I think we stored some of the cultures in them.   I looked at the stack and it reminded me.... I was remembering seeing....a brand new set, complete with tray and box, in a drawer somewhere.    In fact, it turned out that there were two unused sets.   The unused sets are now sitting in the Disposal pile.



Writing this post has really helped, it's given me the deterination to get rid.  I've advertised on our local freebie group as I've been going along, and several of the items have already been collected. All (that I've advertised) are now spoken for.

I haven't decided about the egg things. nor the spice tin.

I guess I should change the post title really.  Win Win, And Not in the Bin, perhaps?

I hadn't planned to spend all this time doing this today I'd hoped to do some sewing while DH was out.  Still, I might as well carry on for a bit.  I'm going to move on to seeing what empty jars are on the other jar shelf.    That shouldn't take too long, as it's mostly going to be a case of labelling boxes rather than disposing of anything.


Thank you for reading.

Saucy

DH is on a roll.   Another batch of passatta,  11x500 ml jars this time.   

He always does the prep himself, but util this year, I've always done the canning for him.  He's done the canning himself so far this year (perhaps me laminating the instructions gave him the boost he needed).

The preserves spaces are filling up, so I'm having to seriously consider a bit of brutal clearance in the utility room.     I know it's easy really.    Except it isn't.  I'm fine about it until I'm not.

I don't undsertand why it is that, with most things, I can be unsentimentally ruthless: they're gone - sold, or donated, or binned.    

With some things,  where I'm not sure,  I  put them  in a box in the loft, date it,  and then if I haven't used it or thought about it in a year or so,  it goes.   

And some obscure things,  I just can't do it.  Stupid, random,  things....like odd shaped tupperware, spare lids. .....   It's not even particularly expensive things that cause the issue.   

Well, I need to make space, so the stuff is going to have to go somewhere.

Let's see what happens.

Cabinet reshuffle

Oh god, what a painful few hours!

DH got the two drawer metal filing cabinet down from the loft, with the help of a pulley system we'd rigged up years ago when he wanted to get a lathe up there.  Getting the four drawer up wasmore of a challenge and involved butchers hooks being reshaped,  a loit of grunting and shifting,  and a fair bit of eye rolling from both of us as we poohpoohed each others suggestions.

But that isn't the painful part.

I spent...I don't know how long... crouched in a stress position on the hard loft floor, trying to put those bl**dy CDs back in the filing cabinet.     They hadn't been in alphabetical order when I extracted them.  I realised this part way through the extraction process and started putting them in alpha order from then.  But the first box, and part of the second, were not in alpha order.

Eventually, I got them all in, and I was susprised that I managed to get them all in one drawer instead of 1 and a half.  I'd taken out some video cds and some cd-is,    but not that many.  However, the old cabinet had been a Vickers Trimline so I assumed the Trim meant it was a bit smaller somehow. 

I got together bits that were coming downstairs, and went to pick up the dividers that had been plonked on a neearby table (we have all sorts of stuff up there).   

And then I saw the last box of CDs.

And of course it was an unsorted one.

I contemplated leaving it, or chucking the CDs away.  But I knew it would only bite me on the b*m, so I decided to just knuckle down - or squat back down - and do it.

It was painful.  Literally.   I was scraping my knuckles trying to shuffle the CDs along.  I had to take a wodge out and put them in another drawer,  and then they kept falling over because the filing cabinet has an excellent anti tilt mechanism (only one drawer can be open at once).   SO I took a huge amount out and put them in the second drawer,   and then started shuffling.

It took several more handfuls to create the necessary space, and then to move things around.    I had a whole load of spoken word CDs, and I just stuffed these in the ends to stop the rest of them from falling over.

Eventually, it was done.  It's a loose alpha order.   The A-Z is (mostly) correct,  but the second letters are a bit haphazard.  Eric Clapton ended up next to Cream,  for example. I didn't care about that particular one  because they are more or less the same thing.   Others were a but more erratic, but  I don't care.  I really don't care.  I really don't care.

I can't start filing downstairs because we need to put something under the cabinets first.  

I spent some time trying to locate some metal plates to go in the upstairs filing cabinet to help separate the drawer.   I have plenty for the Bisley cabinet now in the loft and I was sensible enough to make sure the second 2 drawer cabinet I bought was also a Bisley so can use them.    I realise now that I should just habbe ought a 3rd Bisley and got rid of the Vickers,  but it has sentimental value.    

I can't believe i'm letting my life be run by filing.   The sooner the room is sorted, the better.

On the plus side, my velvet pegs arrived.   I threaded 32 of them onto a denuded trouser hanger,  and went upstairs to get the zips.  Except I literally could not get to them.  I sighed and lobbed the hanger on to the bed.

My legs - specifically my glutes - were aching like mad from the stress position.    I walked to the Chemi

st to collect a prescription, but that didn't help.   I did some Pilates stretches. that did a bit.   I've got a Pilates class at 7pm. so hopefully that will help.

On the other plus side, DH bottled and water bathed 16 bottles of apple juice!   He used the big pasteuriser with the sensor control from the Codlo (sous vide) for the bug bottles, and we used the sous vide function on the large Instant POt for the small (250ml) bottles.   This meant that everything could be done at the same time, so that was excellent.

And I didn't have to do it :-)

 

chA0s

I've been looking for a second hand A0 desk, a particular make and model, for some time.  I've been trying to store my printed A0 patterns, and it's not easy.    I'm very tempted to just not bother.....but the time may come when my A0 printer no longer works, or it's not possible to project the pattern,  so I am trying to print an A0 copy of each pattern I buy for safe storage. 

 A couple of days ago I saw an A0 desk advertised very cheaply.  It was like a very rickety, one drawer,  version of the one I've been waiting for  and it was so cheap I thought we could chop it down and put it on a set of electric desk legs.         We went and collected it on Friday.

In order to try and get it in, the whole of the small bedroom has to be reorganised.   The small bedroom houses several bookcases, rammed with books and DVDs.  One of those cupboards had to come out,  so I ended up with bags of books and DVDs all around the top floor of the house.  This was expected, and planned, but still a shed load of effort to do.

And then of course there were some unanticipated potential issues,  so the Alternative Options had to be trialled.   This meant that everything else that occupied floor space had to be removed from the room so that the large items could be shuffled around and solutions evaluated. 

All that stuff ended up in the spare bedroom, which  is now like a room in one of those hoarders houses that you see on TV.   I can barely get in the door, and I certainly can't get to my sewing machines. Prior to this, I was part way through reorganising my extensive zips collection (I know how to push the boat out!), wth many, many piles of sorted zips organised into rows on the bed.  (I'm waiting for some velvet pegs to arrive so I can hang them up, it wasn't one of my butterfly-attention-span projects).    

I hope that I didn't disturb themtoo much as I was lobbing stuff in from the doorway.

The desk is now in, and everything else is still everywhere else, while I think about electric desk legs for it.  

The 4 drawer filing cabinet, which is a casualty of the Alternative Option will have to go in the loft and be swapped with the 2 door filing cabinet, currently in the loft, that currently houses all our CDs.  

I spent a short time today emptying the contents of the 4 drawer cabinet on to the top of the A0 desk.  I then spent a huge amount of time trying to empty the CDs out of the other cabinet.  It holds a surprising amount,  they were tightly packed,  and I discovered part way through emptying that they were no longer in alphabetical order. And they'd been put in so that the titles couldn't be seen.  It was only because I was turning them round as I unpacked them that I realised what had happened,  and I lost the battle of trying to ignore it.      I lost the battle after emptying one crate out,  so that first crate is still in disarray,  and I'll need to rectify it when I put the CDs back in later. 

I also found some old video CDs and some CD-i's (our CDi player was stolen in 1997 when our previous house was burgled, but they didn't take the discs) amongst the audio CDs.    I was tempted to throw them away, but they are a part of history so I'll put them in a labelled box.   

And of course, I had to clear a path so that the exchange can take place later.   It was like one of those little pizzles with one empty square that you have to move around until you get the whole picture.   I did manage to throw a couple of bits out, while I was at it, so that was a win.   A small one, but still a win. 

I did find other things that I could chuck or donate,  but I really struggle with overcoming my family trait of but it might come in handy.  I used to be very good at being ruthless,    but I'm finding it harder as I get older.  I have to be in the right frame of mind.

 I've bought another 2 drawer cabinet and I'm just making arrangements to collect it.  Both cabinets will fit underneath the new desk, which is just as well.   I'm resisting the temptation to drag everything back into the room and put it underneath the A0 desk space, because it will just need to be hoiked out again. 

I'll see what it all looks like when I've got the cabinets in place and loaded.

Juicy

DH has been busy preserving tomatoes.  He also has 2x12 litres of apple wine on the go,  and today he decided to do something with a load more apples.  

After a lot of debate, we agreed on apple juice.      We've just processed I don't know ohow many kilos of apples.  So many that it would have been worth getting the Shark mill down from the loft to scrat them.  We used out Hurom slowjuicer,  and now we have many litres of juice sitting in bowls in the fridge, waiting to be strained, bottled, and pasteurised.

The pulp from the juicer was quite dry - which is what we're looking for - and I was tempted to put it in the dehydrated to dry it and then grind to a powder.  No idea what I'd use apple powder for,  but i've read that that's what some people do.    Dh hadn't realised, as I hadn't mentioned it until well through the process,  and it turned out that he'd been putting the bruised bits and cores in with the discarded pulp.  No good then,  and I don't mind, I'll just try and remember next year.  

Or next tree, perhaps.

The quinces are still on the tree,  and are not yet ready to be picked.    I've bookmarked some recipes for membrillo.  And I'd like to make some quibce jelly, as the shop bought stuff just isn't a patch on home made.  I tried to buy some from the Quince Lady, over in Henley,  but it turns out she's packed it all in.  

 

In a pickle

It's been a month since I pickled some cucumbers, and I've been impatient to try them.   Today has been marked on my calendar as the first day that they should be ready to eat.

I took two of the small pots out of the cupboard, and opened the first.  It smelt OK.  I got a fork out and tried my first mouthful...and it was vile.   The flesh was mushy like marshmallow. The skin was tough like chewing leather.  The brine wasn't particularly good.    I spat it in the sink.

Jar contents drained and into the food waste, har in the dishwasher, tried the second jar.  That was the same.

Yuk!

I'm going to try one o fthe differently shaped jars next, but I need to wait for a bit.

Epic fail.   

Need a better recipe next time.