Cooking up a storm!

Day 10

The weather today has been atrocious, with non-stop rain and wind... all day! It was horrible! I didn't wake up until just before 9am, and felt like I'd wasted half the day. I much prefer to be up by 7.30am at the latest so I can have an early coffee and ease into the morning!

Sophie and I went to Farndon Fields at lunchtime and I drove my Dad's car to give it a run. On the way, the roads were wet and muddy, and the leaves were flying about like mad things. There was a queue at the farm shop, and we huddled outside in the wind waiting to be let in. I did worry that we wouldn't be allowed in together, but my fears were allayed by couples in front of us going in to shop.

We wanted a bag of porridge oats, and also some treats to cheer us up! I bought a bottle of Christmas beer each for Keith and Mike, but we were alarmed by some of the prices being charged. I know they have to try and make up for the losses this year, but almost £5 for a small cake was a bit much, in my opinion!

We had a look at the Christmas decorations and chose a little grey star to go onto our white tree. Both of us have agreed that some of the older decorations might have to be retired this year to make way for the new ones, otherwise we'll run out of space!

Alas, there was no afternoon tea this afternoon, so after paying, we made our wet way home. We decided to tackle this evening's meal straight away - a tomato and orecchiette soup. I had bought two packs of sugardrop tomatoes in Tesco, and they're known for their sweetness, which is what we wanted. Sophie peeled and chopped two large onions, while I de-stalked the tomatoes. We then gently cooked the onions for almost half an hour until they were golden and soft, taking half out to sprinkle onto the soup later. We cooked the tomatoes and the rest of the onions, along with a handful of basil leaves, until they had softened up, and while this was going on, Sophie made a bread and butter pudding for dessert.

We then left the soup to cool and the bread and butter pudding to chill in the fridge and soak up the milk. I had promised my Mum I would go and "see" her this afternoon, so we drove over and parked outside her window. Standing there in the wind and rain wasn't pleasant, but I think it cheered her up and we had a good chat on the phone.

Back home we relaxed and played cards in the conservatory, all four of us, which made a pleasant change. Sophie and I did the last-minute preparations for the soup - blending it so it was smooth, cooking the pasta and heating the garlic bread. We all agreed the soup was delicious and very spicy!

It was perfect for a day like today! The bread and butter pudding was rather good, too!

A quiet end to the week.

 Day 9

This week has gone extraordinarily fast! In fact, this whole year has whizzed by and looking back, it feels like there's been a gaping hole when we were in lockdown, and when our lives were put on hold.

Today has been quiet again. I hurt my right arm last week cutting down the conifers in the front garden, so today, even though it was beautiful weather, and there were lots of jobs to be done in the garden, Keith and I decided to have a day off and give my arm a rest. I sat in the conservatory with Sophie in the morning and read a few chapters of a very interesting book about the Irish Potato Famine between 1845 and 1851. I think some of my ancestors came over at about the time so it was enlightening to read about the events leading up to the famine and the history of the Irish people in general.

For the rest of the day, we did very little, although I did put the hoover around and tidy up. In the afternoon, Sophie had a "Murder Mystery" meeting with her new work colleagues, with a Harry Potter theme. At least it gave her the chance to dress up and put some make-up on with her character in mind!

Dinner this evening was baked potatoes, so it gave us the chance to sit and play Scrabble. Sophie bemoaned the fact that she wasn't good at it, but she won this evening!

Mrs Angry, Part 2

Day 8

Sophie and I set off for Tesco at 7am this morning and I was surprised at how busy the roads were! However, the car park at Tesco was quiet, and there were very few actual shoppers in the supermarket. It was mostly staff shopping for online customers, and there were hordes of them! As their trolleys are much bigger than the ones we use, they certainly blocked up the aisles!

We did half of our shopping in Tesco and then drove the short distance to Aldi. It's not a good idea to shop this way around as if there's anything we can't get in Aldi, we've had it! I wasn't going to go back into Tesco for beef stock that we couldn't find!

As Sophie doesn't go shopping in Aldi very much, she was amazed at the way the checkout woman hurled our purchases down the conveyor belt. It took both of us to keep up with her, and we just chucked it all back into the trolley! My morning routine had been severely disrupted, and I hadn't had time to enjoy a coffee before we left so I was determined to have one when we finished at Aldi! We went over to the drive-thru opposite, but because there was a long queue of cars we actually went inside! I ordered a Flat White and a blueberry muffin, Sophie had a mocha, and we headed home.

Keith met us and he unloaded the car while I sat and enjoyed my coffee and muffin in the conservatory. Sophie had to start work immediately as it was now 9am, and I said to Keith that I wouldn't be going early again. He then volunteered to resume the job and go early when it's very quiet. He is better at doing it than me - I find it a complete chore, and if I had my way I'd have it delivered! However, I doubt very much whether there are any slots available at the moment! Judging by the number of online trolleys in Tesco, I think everyone is ordering over the internet!

It's been a gorgeous day today, and Keith and I went to the care home to pick up the jumper and trousers I'd bought my Mum for her birthday. The jumper is too big, and she couldn't get the trousers on, so I did really well! They were waiting in reception for me, and we headed off to Next to take them back and get a refund. The care home is situated on a new residential estate that's still being built, so the roads around the care home were full of mud. My car looked like I'd driven it through a field so I planned on taking it through the carwash at the Tesco garage before going home.

At Next, I had to queue for a while, and when it was my turn and I explained I was returning clothes I'd bought in the shop, they said I'd have to wait until the 6th December when the shop re-opened to return them! I was flabbergasted! All they'd needed to do was take the bag back, and bring out a card machine to refund my payment, but this was obviously impossible with the pandemic raging all around us... Now it means I'll have wait for almost a month, and my poor Mum doesn't have her gifts! I was going to re-order online!

Muttering angrily, I drove to the Tesco garage, and while Keith put some diesel in, I went into the shop to ask about the carwash. One of the women on the till said that they weren't allowed to have it up and running, so that was that! I find it amazing that this morning I went into Tesco and Aldi and bought a coffee in Costa but I couldn't take my filthy car through a fully automated carwash! I was furious! Common sense seems to have gone out of the window!

Before going home Keith and I went to the chemist at Brixworth to get some eye drops for Keith's eye. It looks like he has a little stye in his left eye, and he had a pleasant chat to the pharmacist who gave him something to make it better.

Getting home was a relief but it was nearly lunchtime! I re-heated the spaghetti bolognese from the other evening and cooked some pasta we had hanging about in the cupboard. It makes a change from the sandwiches I normally have!

Keith and I spent the afternoon in the garden raking up the fallen leaves and tidying up the summer bedding plants. I moved the geraniums to a sheltered part of the garden in the hope they'll last the winter again. We ventured down to the gravel garden, and I was amazed at how much the ivy had grown. It's very bushy in places, and I suspect our little sparrows roost in it at night. We made the decision to cut down the Virginia creeper when the weather is dry again, as it has become overgrown and messy. In fact, this part of the garden is totally overgrown and we need to make a decision about what to do with it. We hardly ever go into this part, and I feel the space is wasted.

It was lovely to be out in the garden as the sun was going down but I think the birds were a bit miffed with us, as they sat in the trees on the other side of the fence waiting for us to finish, and leave them to have their supper in peace!

A little research

Day 7

Today has been another quiet day with not a great deal going on! I pottered about in the morning and managed to listen to Pop Master with Ken Bruce at 10.30am. I love his radio show and normally don't do well on the quiz, but today I scored 9 for the first one and 15 for the second! I was amazed!

Sophie and I had another bowl of Mulligatawny soup for lunch along with some spicy naan bread I'd bought yesterday. The soup had thickened overnight and was very filling!

After lunch, I decided to resume my research into my family tree. When we cleared everything out of my Mum and Dad's house I took home all their important documents, such as family birth, marriage and death certificates, and a lot of paperwork including my Dad's old school reports, which make for hilarious reading!

It was lovely to upload them to the Ancestry site so I have documented proof of births, etc. I have lots of gaps to fill, and then there is Keith's side of the family to look into as well, so that should keep me busy! 

Keith and I went to get Mike from the golf club and he'd had a busy day maintaining the greens. He is still starting at 6am for some unknown reason, and it's a source of irritation to us all. There are no golfers going out early so why he has to start at that ungodly hour is beyond me!

Keith and I indulged in a couple of episodes of The Fall in the late afternoon. I normally don't watch television during the day, but as there wasn't much going on, we sat and enjoyed the drama. It's getting very interesting indeed!

Dinner this evening was a delicious beef casserole and afterwards, Keith and I watched an episode of Berlin 1945. It made for harrowing viewing, and the film footage of our favourite city in ruins was terrible to see. We all think we've had it bad this year with coronavirus, but seeing people lying dead in the streets, the devastated buildings and scenes of war, it made me realise that although this year hasn't been the best, it doesn't come anywhere close to what our grandparents and great-grandparents endured during the two world wars.

It was an early night tonight as Sophie and I are going shopping tomorrow morning at 7am!

A souper lunch!

 Day 6

Today has been less busy than the previous few days, thank goodness! I had a slow start to Tuesday and sat with Sophie in the conservatory, reading the paper and having breakfast. Outside, we had flocks of sparrows feeding, and a magpie came down to snatch at some old bacon I'd put down. 

Throughout the morning I did various little jobs and also cleaned the house, including the bathroom, which was in dire need of a good scrub! I love it when the house is tidy and clean, but alas, it doesn't last long, I'm afraid!

For lunch, I re-heated the Mulligatawny soup I'd made yesterday, added some rice, and served it with naan bread. Sophie and Keith said it was delicious, and I have to admit I was very pleased with how it turned out. It was sweet but spicy, and very warming. I'll definitely be making it again!

After collecting Mike from work (the only time I went out today) I settled down in the conservatory with my Kindle Fire and started watching a film called The Man in the Hat. It was set in France but was a bit strange, with hardly any dialogue! I tried to get Monty to curl up with me on the sofa but he has been very restless today, wandering about (we now call him Wandering Willie), and he kept wanting to go in and out of the conservatory all the time, for no real reason. I do wonder if he has been unsettled by the change in our routine? Normally I am out until the late afternoon, and Sophie used to spend at least two days in the office so he might just be reacting to that.

The weather today has been disappointing, with mainly grey skies and little sunshine. While I sat in the conservatory I looked up and noticed that there were leaves covering the roof. We really must try and get out into the garden at some point and clear them all away as I am sure they are blocking the guttering. That will be a lovely job!

In the evening Sophie made spaghetti bolognese from scratch and spent over an hour on the preparation, bless her. She said it didn't have a lot of taste, but I thought it was lovely and will be great for lunch as well!

Mrs Angry!

Day 5

We awoke to another grey and gloomy day, and with the change in weather, came a change in mood. It's my Mum's birthday today, and for the first time ever I won't be able to see her or take her out. She is understandably upset, and even though I asked the care home to give her another test, they said she would have to stay in self-isolation for two weeks, and away from my Dad. Apparently, she is the only person, residents or staff, who tested positive, and doesn't have any symptoms! It's madness!

Therefore, I was in a right "fouly" when Keith and I went over to the post office at Brixworth to send a parcel off to Sophie's boyfriend. The row of shops in this large village is always busy, and traditionally when you wait for a car parking space, you pull forward so that another car can sit behind you and not clog up the surrounding roads. I turned into the small road leading to the shops but the car already waiting hadn't left enough room behind him for me to tuck in, so I was forced to sit in the road outside the car park, like an idiot! 

After a minute or so, another two cars joined the queue which now meant they were in danger of blocking the main road as well! I moved forward and tooted my horn to get the inconsiderate driver in front of me to move up a bit! He didn't move so I wound down my window and shouted at him to move up! I mean, it's hardly rocket science! He must have seen the queue behind me!

He eventually moved forward so that I could fit in, and then went and parked himself, but I was fuming about his lack of consideration for the others waiting to park. At the moment it feels like people are in their own little "bubble" with no thought for others! This was demonstrated when I was walking out of Tesco later, and a couple in front of me just stopped dead in the doorway to take off their masks! Get out of the way!

So, it was a bit of a fraught morning! I had to go shopping and get food for the next three nights and bumbled my way around Aldi again, not able to find anything I needed! No wonder Keith doesn't like going! At least we don't have the one-way system in place any more, though, which is some relief!

We got home at 1pm and had a quick lunch before I started on making my Mulligatawny soup. Keith went to get Mike from work, while I chopped up lots of vegetables and added beef stock to the carrots, onion, apple and swede mixture. I then let it simmer for about half an hour with curry powder, mango chutney and some mixed herbs, while I cleared away the almighty mess in the kitchen!

I had an appointment at the care home at 4pm, and the plan was to Facetime my Mum, so I could have a chat. My Dad appeared and we talked for a while but I found it extremely difficult to hear him through the thick plastic screen. I chatted with my Mum, which was great, and I saw the staff bring in a lovely chocolate cake for her and sing Happy Birthday!

I stayed for half an hour and felt upset that I was unable to chat with my Dad like the old times. When I think of how he used to be, I find it heartbreaking. He was always so active and enthusiastic about life, and it's brutally unfair to see him as he is now.

Back home I used my new stick blender to smooth the soup and then poured it into a jug to chill in the fridge. That's lunch tomorrow taken care of! It was then time to relax for a while before dinner, and Sophie and I started watching The Undoing starring a very beautiful Nicole Kidman, and Hugh Grant, who to me seemed a strange choice for this kind of drama. Normally, he's a rom-com type of man! We enjoyed the first episode and couldn't wait to see the second after dinner!

Grey and gloomy.

Day 4

The beautiful weather of the last few days disappeared this morning, to be replaced by thick fog and overall greyness. I had a longer lie-in than I would have liked and felt groggy this morning, so it was a slow start to the day. My Mum called before 9am with the bad news that she'd tested positive for Covid... how this had happened when she hadn't been anywhere was a mystery, especially as my Dad was negative. To my dismay, she said that because of this she will have to self-isolate for two weeks, even though the care home think it's a false positive result! It's her birthday tomorrow, and I was planning on seeing her in the afternoon!

Keith and I went over to the tip with the garden waste and had to wait ages to get in. Obviously, this weekend people have been out in their gardens! We were eventually allowed in, and spoke to one of the regular men who always addresses me as "Darlin'" as in "Whatcha got, darlin'?" We heaved our waste over to the huge skip, and I managed to get a lovely, itchy rash all over my arms as I was wearing a top with three-quarter length sleeves. It was horrible!

Before heading home we popped to the Co-op, and Keith bought the newspaper. I asked him to get a Chicken Chasseur sauce mix but they didn't have any so I planned on getting it from Beckworth where Sophie wanted to go later in the day.

Back home I sorted out my Mum's cards and presents, and Keith tried to get Mum and Dad's petrol lawnmower working. I had offered it to Lynn yesterday so she could mow the greens on our estate, and she had jumped at the chance of having it. Our garden is not big enough to warrant having a petrol lawnmower, and I wanted it to go to a good home. Keith couldn't get it to start so I said I'd go and get some petrol when we went out.

Everything felt damp and gloomy today - what a difference from the gorgeous weather of the last few days! Sophie and I headed to the care home where I dropped off some shoes for my Mum, and a card and present I'd bought from my Dad. We stopped outside her window, and I managed to have a chat with her on the phone. She was a bit tearful, and I felt terrible.

Sophie wanted to send a box of treats to Zain, so we went to Beckworth to do a bit of shopping. The restaurant wasn't open, so all we could do was shop. I bought some goodies for lunch, a new Christmas gonk, and a very expensive Chicken Chasseur sauce for our dinner this evening. 

We headed home, and although the sun tried to make an appearance, and I caught a glimpse of blue sky, the weather didn't really improve much at all. We enjoyed a late lunch, and I gave Keith the can of petrol to see if he could get the mower working. Even Mike tried! However, it wouldn't fire up but Lynn said she would still have it as she was confident her husband could fix it.

Sophie and I prepared the evening meal - the sauce smelt delicious, and I added a splash of wine and chicken stock as well before letting it marinate for an hour. Sophie had peeled all the vegetables, and it was time to relax for a while! We played Scrabble again and enjoyed a glass of white wine in the conservatory before switching to cards. I prepared some dumplings and finished off the dinner which was smelling lovely, although there was a hint of a herb or spice in the mix that I couldn't identify. We all agreed the meal was a success, and I fished out the packet to discover the mystery ingredient was mace, something we don't normally use in dishes!