Just A Quickie!!!

Just a quick post today as I woke up feeling rather human this morning and have been busy stripping meat from oxtail bones....what a nasty job......and sorting out computer problems.

I rashly promised Andy a roast dinner today so I need to get my skates on and get that started.
I'm actually looking forward to it too as I haven't eaten a roast dinner for a couple of weeks or so although Andy got his on Sunday as he, DD and Ruby went up to Carsington while I was nursing an upset stomach.
So pork chops with all the trimmings today....yummy.

We've given up on Glee as we don't like it. We'll need to find something else to watch for the next few nights though goodness knows what.

Ruby didn't come yesterday as she was spending some time with Daddy on his day off. The next time I see her will be next Wednesday after her first day back at school. It doesn't seem five minutes since she broke up. I don't think she is really looking forward to going back.

OK....on with the spud bashing and veg prep.

Hugs to you all.
Sheila-x-

It's All About The Food!!!

There has been a touch of Autumn around here for the last couple of days. Dull heavy skies, drizzly rain and mists and last night it was dark before 8:30pm. I have even read this morning that there will be some frosts this week.
This is all very good news for me as it heralds my most favourite time of the year......time for soups and stews and all manner of warming and comforting food for my family.

Today there is a pan of of spicy mince and beans bubbling away on the stove. Some for tonight's meal and some for the freezer.
There are also the ingredients waiting for me to make a pan of homemade oxtail soup once Andy has been into town to pick up a couple of things for me.
I need carrots. Once I just had to fight the dog for carrots but now we have Ginger and Skylar I am always running out of them.....lol.

The get together went very well and we all had an amazing time. Everyone really enjoyed the food and sitting round the outdoor table under the big umbrella while it drizzled with rain.
We sat out quite late with Ruby and Marlowe snuggled in the sofa quilts while we read story books. I think Marlowe will be as big a bookworm as Ruby.

DD and I started watching Glee last night but we are not over impressed with it. We'll watch a few more and see if we like it any better but if not will give it up as a bad job. No loss really as the whole of season one only cost £1.99 from That's Entertainment.

I've not managed to catch up with anyone's blog yet but I will do it either today or tomorrow. I'm not sure if Ruby is coming today for her tea but whatever happens I desperately need to go out and do some shopping tonight.

Rightio....that is my late coffee break finished so I'll go and tackle the mess I have made in the kitchen.

Have a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

I Think I Am Back!!!

Well that is a good old bunch of days that I wouldn't care to repeat anytime soon....or anytime in fact.
The migraine stayed with me for a long while and on some days got really bad making me feel very ill indeed. There has also been two bouts of a sickness bug and a summer cold so basically I have just felt like poop for days on end.

I wasn't feeling great when Ruby arrived on Wednesday for a slightly shortened holiday but her being here has certainly cheered me up and we have had some great fun baking, crafting, playing games, shopping....and best of all snuggling.
Her holiday was shorter than planned because the previous week she had been away down south and had a bit of a meltdown with homesickness and had to come home early. Mummy and Daddy decided maybe it would be best if she had some days at home before then coming to spend five days with us which actually worked out well as the plumber finally came on the Monday and Tuesday to do the bathroom walls and then a joiner came out on Wednesday to do the bath panel....which means that the bathroom is now finished and we just need to go and order the carpet and have it fitted thank gawd.

As you can imagine my being out of action means that the house ain't quite what it should be and I have a lot of catching up to do on the housework front. I was looking forward to having some time on my own this week to get those jobs done thinking Andy was on afternoon shift but he's not he's on nights which means I can't do anything noisy like ferreting in corners with the hoover until he gets out of bed.
Cue much gnashing of teeth and cussing as I really wanted to get caught up.
So convinced was I that Andy was on afternoons that I cooked his main meal at lunchtime and made plans for DD and I to just have beans on toast for tea so that we could slob in front of the tv and start on our new box set.....the first season of Glee. That won't be happening now as Andy hates musical things.

Anyhoo....that is a bit of a catch up from me....now I have to pay some visits and catch up with what you have all been up to since I last managed to visit your blogs which seems like forever ago.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Still Breathing!!!

So sorry again to be missing in action.
My health took a bit of a nosedive and I have been quite unwell.
I have Ruby here at the moment so I am taking the rest of the week for much needed cuddles and I'll be back at my blog on Monday next week.
Sheila-x-

Keeping It Simple!!!

The menu for Sunday is just about sorted I think and I have decided to keep it quite simple.
Chicken done in a couple of different marinades for those who like spicy and then plain for those who don't.
There will also be a few burgers and sausages but I won't go mad with those.
Hot potatoes in a fresh mint butter, beetroot and red onion salad in a balsamic glaze, coleslaw, a plain green salad and crusty rolls.
Deserts will be a choice of hot plum crumble or Eton Mess but I haven't given drinks a thought yet.....maybe elderflower cordial and some Bucks Fizz.
I have most things in already so there won't be much extra on the shopping bill this week just the fresh stuff.
I just hope it's nice enough to eat outside but if it isn't....well we've all squeezed inside before so I'm sure we can do it again.

Today I am giving the kitchen a good old scrub out and as I am busy the freezer has come to the rescue with a tub of spicy mince and beans. I'll just shove some sweet potato jackets in to go with that....easy peasy.

Well that's me five minutes break done so I'll get back to it....if I really have to...lol.......maybe I'll just read a couple of blogs first.

Hope you're all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Now Begins The Catching Up!!!

I seem to be pretty much back to normal today apart from some aching left in my neck and shoulders but I can cope with that.
I have been having migraines since I was eleven years old and I must admit to being quite tired of them now after forty nine years.

There is a lot to catch up on in the house because I have been totally out of action but that will soon get sorted out and we'll be back to being clean and tidy.
Andy does his best bless him but housework isn't really his thing.
Back to cooking too and another pretty simple meal tonight of homemade pork and pepper burgers in a Brioche roll with corn on the cob. This was decided on last night after DD arrived home proudly bearing green peppers that she had grown at work so I wanted to make use of them.

I managed to venture off into the rainy evening and go and do a small top up shop picking up some bargain posh breads from T***o. Cornbread, a 3 cheese bloomer and a brown bloomer all snuggled in the freezer now ready to have with soups.
B&M also came up trumps with some bargain slippers in the sale at £1 per pair. DD and I had two pairs each. I get through slippers like nobody's business so I now have a spare pair in stock.

I took a little walk round the garden this morning to see if anything wants tidying up before we have our visitors on Sunday. So much has gone over now but I was really surprised to find.......

The Chalice Rose having another bash at flowering. The blooms are smaller than the first flowering but beautiful all the same.

Our Agatha-(panthus) hanging on for dear life. Looking a bit tatty in places but she has put on an amazing show with eleven flower heads this year.

A beautiful Sedum just waiting for the right time to burst open.

So some things are really done and need to be trimmed back, some things are hanging on and some things are yet to come. It's been a lovely summer in our back garden. I just wish we could have had the get together a little earlier when everything was at it's best but Miss Ruby's social calendar didn't allow for that...lol.

Is anyone else finding the nights chilly?
Last night I went to bed in long pyjamas and fluffy socks......clutching a hot water bottle.
What is all that about?
It's not even the end of August yet.
Mind you I never complain......I am always up for snuggling 😄

Anyhoo....I will go and make these burgers and do a bit more titivating around the house although no hoovering until Andy gets up.

Tara for now and thanks for stopping by.
Sheila-x-

Slowiy Coming Round!!!

I think this will go down as possibly the worst migraine I have ever had. 
I didn't feel on top the world for most of last week and then I went out shopping with Andy on Friday and took ill in the middle of Asda of all places. 
The zig zag aura I usually get was replaced with what looked like water cascading over the front of my eyes and I could barely see and then things just went downhill from there.
Most of the weekend has been spent lolling about in a great deal of pain and although I feel so much better today I still have pain in my arms, legs and shoulders with a bit of a headache hanging around.
I think what triggered it was the light. That really weird light you get when it's cloudy and sunny at the same time and it makes you squint. 
Don't know what else it could have been.
Anyway let's hope it's on it's way out now so I can get on with some things.

The bathroom is still not finished.
The plumber texted this morning....only after Andy texted him to see what's going on.....to say that the panels will now be in mid week. I'll not hold me breath.
Why do I feel like we are being taken for mugs?

No Ruby this week to give her achey Ganma cuddles and kisses. She is away down south hopefully having a whale of a time but I do get to have her for the whole week next week.
I love the school holidays.

Just doing some gentle pootling about today and planning a simple tea of something with chips so that it will be quick and easy as I need to pay a visit to town this evening if I don't feel too bad.

Hope you are all OK and had a good weekend.
Sheila-x-

One Word!!!

Migraine!!!

I will be back when it has buggered off and left me in peace.

Hope you are all OK.
Sheila-x-

Is It Autumn Already ?!!!

Gosh it's miserable outside today. Very damp and cold.
I have put the heating on to take the chill off inside which I wouldn't normally do at this time of day but Miss Doodle will be here shortly and I don't want her to be cold.
Andy has picked her up from home and taken her to the garden centre to choose her sweetie ration for the day as she will probably want to snuggle up and watch a film for a while after lunch.....if it's Nim's Island again you will hear me screaming....lol.

I'm glad I made the pie filling yesterday. It will be just the thing to warm tummies on this very Autumnlike day.

.......and here she is....I'm off for cuddles and kisses.

Hope you all have a fab day.
Sheila-x-

All Awash!!!

It has been very wet outside this morning although it is drying up now.
The same cannot be said of inside where Andy has constantly got the kettle on and I am awash with tea and coffee......and that won't be drying up until he goes back to work on Monday.
I may well have drowned by then....lol.

Smudge enjoyed his walk in the woods yesterday but the poor little mite is totally whacked and has done nothing but sleep since.
He is currently belly up on the sofa with his legs akimbo and snoring like a little piggy......so cute.

As much as I love chicken I can't stand the smell of it when it's being poached.....and that is what I am doing at the moment ready for Ruby's pie.......but it will taste lovely once it is mixed with a thick leek sauce.

Ruby will be going away for another week this coming weekend with London grandparents and when they get back the next Sunday everyone will be piling round to ours for either a barbecue or an inside buffet.....depending on the weather. The food will be the same whichever so I am enjoying planning that at the moment.
Love it when we all have a get together.

With Andy under my feet there isn't much going on in the crafty department but he'll be back at work next Monday and then I really have to get my finger out and get some sewing done.......Christmas stuff...yay....I am so looking forward to that.

Hope the weather is being kind where you are.
Sheila-x-

Sick As A Dawg!!!

So sorry that I didn't blog yesterday.
Firstly I was quite busy in the morning before we went up to the pub for lunch and then afterwards I went a bit down hill with a nasty headache. If it was a migraine then it was a bit of a sneaky one as it didn't let me know it was on it's way as it usually does.
Anyway....I am much better this morning. I've already been out to the docs for results of my blood test. Blood sugars are a bit of a mess which I'll need to work on but my blood pressure was good for about the first time in seven years and no sign of vitamin D deficiency thank goodness.

Some jobs done this morning so I am just about to make myself a cuppa while I wait for a load of washing to finish.

Andy has taken Smudge out to see if he will have a gentle walk in the woods. He's not over keen on going out anymore now he's an old man and if Andy tries to take him round the field at the back of us he just turns round and comes home...lol.

There is some chicken marinating in the fridge ready to cook and serve with a salad and I will be ready for mine as the lunch I had at the pub yesterday was not nice at all.
I ordered the pork and when it came it was just slices of pure fat and totally inedible so that put me off the rest of it and I didn't eat much at all either then or for the rest of the day.

The Doodles are back from their holiday and I can't wait to see Ruby on Wednesday when she comes for tea. I think I remember her asking for chicken pie so I had better get some more out of the freezer and make a batch of filling else I shall be in big trouble come Wednesday....lol.

Anyhoo....the washer has beeped and I have to decide if I should hang out or tumble dry. It keeps raining on and off but is nice and sunny in between the showers and there is a breeze so I might chance the hanging out.

Hope you have all had a good weekend and that you have a good week this week.
Sheila-x-

Saturday!!!

Today may be the first day of DD never having to work weekends again but I have not let her rest on her laurels...lol.
I have taught her how to make a beef stew and dumplings from scratch just standing by and giving her instructions so that she gets to be hands on. I think you learn better that way.
It is smelling beautiful and will be served up before long.
I am so proud of her.

Once the stew was on and cooking we took a little trip up to the garden centre as I needed to visit Cotton Traders for a new shower jacket....sort of like a kagoule but a bit posher with a full length zip and side pockets instead of an under the bust, side to side pocket that makes you look like the Hunchfront of Notre Dame if you put anything in it...lol.
Navy blue with a red trim...perfect. I am now sorted for all this rain we keep getting.

The Doodles will be travelling back from Cornwall to London today so I hope they don't get the rain we have had here while they are on the road. Torrential is an understatement but now we have blue skies and sunshine although it is quite chilly.

The timer has gone so that means tea is ready to be served and I am so ready for it today.

Are you all having a lovely weekend?
Sheila-x-

Gawd Give Me Strength!!!

Well that is five hours of me life I will never get back....lol.
A very uninspiring trip to Ikea who seem to be ripping the whole store apart.
Andy is dreadful to go browsing with but he was showing some very unusual interest in kitchens and sofas....should I be getting excited or what?
Lunch at a pub we have been going to on and off for forty years was OK but the portions were so big that I couldn't finish mine.
....and a quick trip to Hobbycraft where I could have spent a fortune but didn't. I just came out with two metres of thick white cord for my bathroom bunting and a pack of jar labels.
Home to yet another puddle on the kitchen floor but thankfully not on the carpet.

As we have had lunch out I won't be cooking a meal for us so it's pizza and coleslaw for DD.

I think I wore the wrong shoes for trolling around Ikea and my feet are killing me so I'm going to do meself a nice foot soak and put some fluffy socks on.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

Technology And Household Pottering!!!

There has been a lot of pottering going on here this morning.
We have been catching up on those little niggly jobs that always get pushed to the bottom of the list. So the two nasty carpet tiles in the kitchen have been replaced at last. Andy has mended the grater disc in my food processor and some rubbish has gone off to the tip.
I have been computer pottering....changing my browser over to Google Chrome as I have been having a lot of issues with Firefox these last few weeks. Everything is good so far so fingers crossed it will continue.

We wanted to get caught up with some things as we want to go out tomorrow. He has offered a trip to Ikea with spending money and lunch out so I am really looking forward to that.

Had a call from The Doodles this morning who sound like they are having a wonderful time in Cornwall. They are staying in a gorgeous cottage with it's own hot tub. I could do with half a pound of that meself....lol.
Ruby has been sea fishing for mackerel. Marlowe loves the beach and the sea so it sounds like all is good.

Bad news from the plumber who now says delivery of the boards will be in a fortnight as due to their popularity the manufacturer can't keep up with production. I'm sure there must be four boards somewhere in the ruddy country but he sticks to his own supplier so I guess we wait for the two weeks which is very frustrating.

Thank you Marlene for your request to post a photo of the birdhouse. Unfortunately I couldn't live with the shame. It is the shonkiest birdhouse you ever did see and you will all just have to take my word on that...lol.

Just waiting for a huge cauliflower to cook so that I can use the cheese sauce I have just made to make a big batch of Cauliflower Cheese. We'll be having it for tea with some local butchers sausages which is one of Andy and DD's favourite meals. I'll eat it but it's not one of my favourites.
Any leftover will be frozen to have with cottage pie next week.

Apart from a few short and sharp showers it has been quite a nice day today.
I hope weekend stays nice enough for DD to make a start on the front garden.

Hope you are having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-

A No Show Plumber And A Wander!!!

No plumber this morning.
He phoned to say that our wall boards had not arrived at his suppliers. He thinks they will arrive on Friday so the job won't be done until next week.
Forgive me if I am a tad cynical.

Never mind it gave Andy and I the chance to go out for a wander to the farm shop where we bought oxtail for soup making and a tray of beef for stew making. We also bought some fabulous Mature Cheddar rolled in Italian herbs which will go nicely with salad and the rest of the ham for tonight's tea.

Called into the little town on the way back for a coffee and a quick look in a couple of charity shops where I picked up a couple of things for Ruby, a top for myself and three lovely scarves for the princely sum of £5 the lot. Looking at the skirt I got for Ruby now though I am not sure it will fit her but it's a lovely houndstooth so I might make it into a bag.

Arrived home to yet another accident from Smudge so the beast of a carpet cleaner has been out again. I swear I am going to get that dog some Tena Pants...lol.

Andy is out in his man shed making a birdhouse which no self respecting bird would ever want to live in. From the sound of the hammering out there I reckon he has used about five pounds of nails already...😄

Well that is us for today. I'll just put the beast back in it's cage and then I'll get on with prepping tea.

Hope you are all having a great day.
Sheila-x-

 

Listening To......!!!

.....the gentle humming of the fridge freezer and that is the only sound here at the moment. 
After the hustle and bustle and busyness of yesterday it is a very welcome quiet day. Andy has gone to put flowers on his Mums grave and he will be out a good while as it is a fair distance away across the border in Derbyshire.
While he is out I will be cobweb busting......funny because I rarely see a spider but there are always cobwebs......and I'll have a tootle round with dusters and the hoover.
Tea is simmering away on the stove.....a piece of gammon ham which we will have with some salad and crusty rolls. The stock will be frozen and used for pea soup later on when it gets to soup weather. 

The shelves in the kitchen cupboard are finished and some decluttering has gone on. I have managed to fit all but two saucepans in there and got rid of the pan stand I had in a corner on the worktop. The breadmaker also has gone in there to free up another bit of worktop and all plastic containers are now all in one place with room for more if needed.
Now I just need to find a spare drawer for all of my dishcloths and dusters which were in hanging bags on the back of the cupboard door......the door won't shut if I put them back there.

I cleared everything out of the bathroom this morning ready for the plumber in case he came today but no show so he must be coming tomorrow.

It's a lovely sunny and breezy day and there is bedding to wash so it can go on the line today. I will enjoy the sight of my red and white spotty duvet cover dancing in the breeze......simple things and all that...lol.

Hope you are all having a lovely day.
Sheila-x-