Saturday 30 May 2015

Project 365 week 22

Another week of wondering where the hell the week has gone, one minute I was linking up last week and the next I am writing this weeks.
But I have my speech written ready, not overly long but long enough, don't want every body bored before they have listened to them all.



Sunday

On Friday I oven cooked a load of vegetables and kept a pile of them for tonight's tea. Here it is heating up with the chicken ready to add to the rice.  Chicken fried rice with caramelised veg,very yummy it was too.






chicken and caramelised veg.







Monday

I watch the twins on a Monday evening and tonight when I went round they were playing in their ball pool. Took them up to my bit and granddad and I had fun with them. Dinky is improving and did not cry once she just kept telling us mama and waving goodbye.




in their ball pool







Tuesday



Had been in the town when we saw this bike in front of us. Could not read it but it is for Team Katy. They are using the bike and sidecar to do 4 corners 4 Alzheimer's.




Team Katy bike







Wednesday

Visit day today and we picked up a few caches while we were out. Hoped to get more but the weather and traffic jams were not favourable and this was the view from one of the two we found. Knew there were road works on the motorway so had hoped to go home a different way, but there had been two accidents on the route we intended to take and did not see the point in getting diverted so stuck with the traffic jams. Took over three hours to get home, usually do in in eighty minutes or less.






a nature reserve at Cambus



Thursday

This is usually the night I have Bob but he was too grumpy too want to come so I took these two out instead. Down to the fishery and this time it was Dinky that found the puddles.
Took some video footage of them if you want a look.






puddles and smiles




Friday

Looking for something too take to work to eat in my break and looked what was in the cupboard needing used up and so came up with these. Very yummy they are too.



Muffins

5 oz SR Flour
2 oz wheatgerm
2 oz oats
2 oz dairy free margarine
2 oz brown sugar
1 egg
7 oz soya cream
2 oz raisins
8 dried apricots chopped into pieces


 a healthier treat



Saturday


This rusty heap is due an mot. It is 13 years old and we need to decide whether to mot it or scrap it and buy something else. A difficult decision as it drives well but we have decided to go down the mot route. Let's just say OUCH at the price.. Not sure how we are going to afford food and petrol all month so if you see any sponsored blog posts even low paying ones give me a shout please.





at least it still goes


TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

Saturday 23 May 2015

Project 365 week 21

This week has been fun computer wise, mine keeps coming up with a blue screen and an error message. So I have cleaned the fans, bought a usb fan to sit under it, backed it up and reformatted it. So far it seems ok, here is hoping it stays that way. 


Sunday

The inside of my bathroom light that hubby took down, I think he needs to improve his cleaning skills. In my defense it was unreachable and unclean-able where it was but he seems to be blaming me for the mess. 

DIY
dropping hints






Monday

For some strange reason hubby has decided to put a switch outside the bathroom and do away with the pull switch as you walk in. Here are the holes while he tries to find a way through to the outside, You would not know the holes were there as they have been filled back in and the job is finished. Had the gruesome twosome this evening while Bob was at gymnastics but did not have my camera with me. 



DIY holes to get the cable through



Tuesday

We took an evening stroll round the fishery, it was freezing. Saw two families of geese and the families. Was a bit of argy bargy going on between one of the geese and a swan.


Canadian geese
Canadian Geese and goslings



Wednesday

The local Brownies and Guides had a fund raising coffee evening. Fifi was helping on the plant stall. I went long with hubby, daughter and her other gran to show our support.


selling plants at the coffee evening



Thursday

Bob and I had gone up here the other week for him to decide where he was going to put his four caches as part of his hobby badge for Cubs. So tonight we went up to place them, they are on the geocaching system just awaiting approval and publication so other people can go and find them.



Scottish Wildlife Trust
with his Geocaches


Friday

Was busy making chicken for tea, think the girls were looking to end up in the pot as well. All four of them wandered in for a nose.



wandering in for a nose


Saturday

Today is three weeks until the wedding. I have to do the Mother of the Bride speech. So have started scribbling some notes down as to ideas I may use. Not really sure how long it should be but hopefully can keep it to under two minutes.



My speech





TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

Saturday 16 May 2015

Project 365 week 20

Sunday

When Daughter No1 was a child she use to hate the fact that every apple that came into the house always had a bite missing. They did not come into the house this way but her little brother was not happy unless he had had a bite out of every one in the fruit bowl. Eventually he out grew this phase. But when I was in the other day I noticed she now has the same problem - Minky takes a bite out of them all, see I wasn't such a bad mother!!


Monday

Bob is going to gymnastics and so I am watching the gruesome twosome for the hour and a half that they are away. Was a lovely evening on Monday so I decided to take them for a walk. I had strict instructions not to let them fall asleep and time we got down the fishery Minky was nearly asleep so I let him out for a walk, He managed to find puddles to paddle in, Dinky at least played with the flowers.





Tuesday

Thursday is Daughter No1's first wedding anniversary and as a Tuesday is SIL's only evening off work I volunteered to babysit so they could get out for a while. The gruesome twosome were in bed time they went out so Bob and I sat and played games.




Wednesday

Went for a walk up one of the top roads as I had decided to go and look for two caches that are up there that I have not found yet. It is one of the highest points around and you get a very clear view of where we lived for six years. We lived in the farmhouse whilst the building of the dairy was going on. We have pictures and video of the whole project from the first hole in the ground. Was amazing to watch it go up.




Thursday.

Took the gruesome twosome and Bob for a walk down to the fishery, there is really no where else to go for a walk to in the village, to give mum and dad some time on their own. Minky was tired and so was not out of the pushchair, Dinky was out and having fun. I brought them up to the house to play in the garden for a while. They had all sorts of toys outside but ended up playing with the watering can and the brush.






Friday

I keep getting a request for a pot of stovies. Daughter says they jut do not taste the same when she makes them, any excuse!! So being the nice mum that I am I made a pot for her. They don't look overly yummy but they taste good. It was one of the meals that the two boys hated but the three girls loved.





Saturday

Made a cake last night, a chocolate cake with a strip of marzipan through the middle.





TheBoyandMe's 365 Linky

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Two walks round the fishery with the twins.

Momday

I have started watching the twins on a Monday evening while Bob goes to gymnastics as there is no where they can be amused if mummy takes them along. So as it was a lovely evening I decided to take a walk down to the fishery with them, with very strict instructions NOT to let them sleep.
As we approached the fishery Minky was not far off sleeping so I decided to get him out and make him walk. I only let him out because I could not safely watch two of them and push the buggy near water as they are just too young yet to respond safely if told to stop or wait.

So Minky was let out, and spent a while looking at his feet as if he did not know who they belonged to.

those are my feet

He then decided he wanted his jacket off, and in typical little boy style found a puddle.


in goes the finger

look grandma its wet

We had not got very far, mainly chasing him to keep the buggy between him and the pond, which was a good hundred feet away but even so I was not allowing him onto the grass on the pond side. He found stones and picked blades of grass.


oopps wellies may have been better


He splashed from one puddle to another before falling over and getting even wetter. No picture of this as I grabbed him out before he got really wet trying to stand up again.

So I popped him back, the task of waking him up a bit had been accomplished and got Dinky out. Have to say with her we did actually manage to walk in a forward direction and she must have walked a good quarter of the way round the big pond.

my turn, I'm free

laughing at her brother. 


He finds puddles and she finds flowers, typical!!

how cute am I?

getting blown along by the wind



On our way round I introduced them to a field full of cows, we spotted chickens, seagulls and geese, though all birds are ducks at the moment.

some of the "ducks" we saw. 


So it was time to head home to get jammies on ready for bed. On the way back up the road Dinky kept turning round and smiling at me and taking to me, she is such a happy little chatter box.


Thursday

I took them again on Thursday afternoon, Minky was quite sleepy and did not want out so was just Dinky to run round with Bob.

picking up stones



When we came back up the road I decided to bring them up and let them play in the garden for a while. We got out a box of toys and their rocking "horse" but Dinky made a bee line for the chickens, or ducks as she calls them. She kept popping her finger through and they had a peck or two at her so she gave them a row, Minky is not at all sure about them and wont go within about six feet.


Dinky is fascinated with the chickens


Minky was quite happy to start with to pay with the toys.

on the caterpillar 
Dinky kept climbing on top of Bob and alternating between smacking him on the head with a toy and cuddling him better.

sat  on top of Bob
Soon Minky got fed up with the toys and found a new use for the toy box. 

think he is a bit big for the toy box.


Then the two of them decided the toys were boring and decided an empty watering can was more fun.

Not to mention a brush to drag about.



They have turned into two truly unique little people. He is much more adventurous that she is, much more rough and tumble. She is more of a chatter box and has a wider range of "words" than he does, though they both understand everything you say to them.

There should be many more adventure over the Summer to be had, will share some of them here with you, after all its what my blog is for.



Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Saturday 9 May 2015

Project 365 week 19

Sunday

Today is fifteen years since the first geocache was placed in America and so if we found a cache we got an online badge on my account. So we went and looked for one we failed to find last year. We found it this time. It is near an old  weir and I liked the cogs, and thought they were a bit different than another river picture.



these appealed to me


Monday

This was hubbys breakfast, he had had another litre for his tea on Sunday as well. He was to go for a colonoscopy. Nothing sinister was found, diverticulitis,  thankfully just wear and tear. 

he says it is disgusting


Tuesday

Daughter No1 had seen a recipe for egg free meringues. They are literally made by using the drained water from a tin of chick peas and using as you would egg whites. The resulting meringue has an amazing taste. They are rather fragile and tend to crumble quite easily, but the ones that crumble can always be used to top a trifle or such like. 


egg free macaroons 



Wednesday

We decided it was time to make a start on vegetable for the Summer. So we planted four rows of potatoes, two trays of tomato seeds and one of sweet peppers. I also seriously thinned out both mint pants, they were struggling for space last year and were losing some of the quality. No wonder they were they were totally totally pot bound so seriously trimmed them back and just left five or six heads in each pot, seems a bit drastic but it is a prolific grower so wont take long to come back.



the repotted mint






Thursday

Bob is working towards his hobby badge at cubs and is using geocaching as his hobby. So we have decided to get him putting some caches of his own out as part of this. I have received permission to place some on a local river walk. So tonight we went to look for suitable places to put them that is in accordance with the guidelines we were given. Think we have found good spots and will go back next week with the actually caches and place them so they can get published.

reading the sign on our walk



Friday

When I was out today I got a message to say there had been a new cache published. It is on a road end I pass to get home so seemed silly not to go and pick it up. A very rare first to find for me, that is a big thing in the geocaching world. I know I lead a boring life, three of my seven days this week are to do with caching. But then it is a good healthy outdoor pursuit.



I was being watched



Saturday

Threw some crumbs out this morning, and dozens of little birds descended. So I grabbed the camera.
They did not stay long and time I got focused they were off again.  More than one of them was off to where we know they are nesting so an early morning feed some some babies.



feeding frenzy






Tuesday 5 May 2015

An egg free meringue looks and tastes amazing

Eggs are a fabulous food, there has been much controversy over the years as to how good or bad they are for you, the thinking on them changes decade by decade.  I remember the adverts of "go to work on an egg" and I also remember Edwina Currie resigning over telling us eggs contain salmonella and we should not be eating them. The thinking on many foods changes and eggs are no different.

Eggs contain a lot of goodness including high quality protein, vitamins and minerals. I know when we were at the GP earlier in the year for DH'd annual diabetic review we were advised for him to stop eating porridge and weetabix for breakfast but to have two eggs and two slice of seeded bread toast instead. Eggs are a great food for keeping you satisfied longer.

Eggs are great for being portable, a cold boiled egg is a great item to take to school in a pack lunch box or on a picnic. One of the favourite foods my daughter uses for the twins is mini omelettes made in muffin cases. You can ring the changes and add a bit of chopped bacon or mixed peppers of even some cheese. I like to make a big one that I can slice and take to work.

Method

Slice thinly half an onion and some sweet pepper, bacon etc. Cooked in a greased tin for 10 mins at 160oC. Meanwhile mix together some eggs, milk and seasoning. Pour egg mix into the tin and top with some grated cheese. Cooked until firm. Cool and slice, again great for portability. Much healthier than grabbing a bar of chocolate and a packet of crisps.
Feel free and pop in some sweetcorn or cooked peas.






But there are many people who have an egg allergy, Bob, our friend Sam and her daughter Esther, and another friend Dan all have egg allergies. But there are ways round this and we all know that you can replace egg in a recipe with vinegar or mashed banana, but I am going to share something a bit different with you - meringues, yes meringues, pure honest to goodness egg free meringues.

I have to admit I have cheated slightly here as mine did not work, the pictures are of meringues I acquired from Bob's mum as hers were successful and mine a tad disastrous despite us both using the same ingredients and method.

So take a tin of chick peas and drain the fluid into a jug or cup. Then add the measured  liquid to a glass bowl  and whisk until forms soft peaks.



add caster sugar to the same level in a cup plus 50% ( so if your liquid measures half a cup you will add three quarters of a cup of sugar). Add a spoonful at a time whisking continuously maintaining the soft peaks. This was the point mine failed and went runny again and would not re-stiffen.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place spoonfuls on leaving room for them to expand.

The resulting meringue is quite delicate and needs to be handled with care but would be great on top of a lemon meringue pie, or served with ice cream.

Have to say I was rather excited by this recipe as it opens up other options for making desserts for Bob. Even granddad willingly eats them.




served with fruit


For these I melted some chocolate spread it on the bottom, let it set and then drizzled the top.
with added chocolate


Apparently this will work with the water from any legumes. Now you all just need to work on recipes to use the chick peas.

This post was written in conjunction with British Lion Eggs but the ideas and theme are all my own.