jam today

I'm ready!!

2012-01-26T20:53:00.000+01:00

here we are all packed and plenty of weight allowance left!

packing!

2012-01-24T15:33:00.000+01:00

Packing is underway and I am determined not to overpack this year. However there are still 13 days in which I can discard further. Hopefully the weather in Florida will be hot so that we can live in shorts and tea shirts. Oh how I long for some warm sun!

new washer

2012-01-19T15:49:00.000+01:00

When we went out with the wash cycle only halfway through I wondered what would happen when the washer started "dancing" and we weren't there to supervise. Graham thought that if he put wooden blocks under the front then that would prevent the washer from moving. I can't begin to describe the scene of devastation that met us on our return. Not only had the washer "Danced" but it had ripped up some of the flooring and the whole of the bottom of the washer was hanging off. So.........this is our new washer. Delivered the next day.

burnt offering revisited

2012-01-16T16:06:00.000+01:00

Here is another attempt at the 18th century tart that I ruined last week. It looks good.

incredible sunset

2012-01-12T17:48:00.001+01:00

These photo's are the best I can do with my little camera but the sunsets this week have been so beautiful that I had to try and capture them. These are taken from my lounge window.

Burnt offering!

2012-01-10T13:29:00.000+01:00

How's this for a burnt offering? I thought I would try a recipe from a book published in 1785. I was very careful to follow the instructions etc but then went away and forgot it was in the oven! Anyway it was puff pastry with marmalade, egg and almonds on top.

outback buns

2012-01-07T15:35:00.002+01:00

I saw these buns whilst in the Australian outback but couldn't remember the recipe. This is how I made them and they do taste authentic.
I creamed 2oz/50gm butter
3oz /75gm sugar
1 egg
then I threw in

100mls milk
2 Tablespoons stewed apple
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon Mixed spice
1 tablespoon Ground ginger
Before mixing in

8oz/225 gm plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix altogther into a smooth dropping consistency , put a large spoonful into bun tins at gas 8 for around 15minutes.

lemon polenta cakes

2012-01-04T17:45:00.000+01:00

I made lemon polenta cakes as I had some pastry that needed using up.

crisp pickeruperer

2012-01-03T22:06:00.000+01:00

When Andrew saw the gadget on " an idiot abroad" he just had to have one. It took a lot of tracking down on e bay and he got one for Christmas!
We are watching Man city V Liverpool on Sky and a very good game it is,but what will my brother in law do when his sky is taken away?
The weather is terrible, Blowing a gale and lashing with rain. We are better off in the house watching Sky!

The parsnip!

2012-01-01T11:49:00.000+01:00

This is the parsnip that Andrew and gina have been leaving in the ground for Christmas dinner!

Is he cold?

2011-12-20T14:23:00.000+01:00

Graham came in for a cup of coffee. He's working in the garage and it's freezing¬!! Note the fingerless gloves and thermal hat.

sisters

2011-12-19T10:40:00.002+01:00

We went to Sheffield for an "official" sisters. my niece Cherie offered to host it and we understood that we would all bring our own food etc. Well 20 people turned up and it turned into a shouty celebration. Cherie had made Stew and Yorkshire pudding, Chilli and rice, garlic bread and various other goodies and we were able to eat until we burst. Of course we missed sister Pat but Val is now as much a part of us as she was so it was lovely. I look forward to the next meeting!

This is England 88

2011-12-16T15:23:00.003+01:00

I know that I have raved about "This is England" before on this blog but I have just finished watching the latest three episodes. I think that Shane Meadows the writer is some sort of genius.We were totally engrossed for an hour over the last three nights and I can't wait for" This is England 90 " which is in the pipeline.
The long planned W.I xmas dinner at the wagon and horses went very well and several people have telephoned to thank me for arranging it. They don't know yet that I am not re-joining next year so someone else will have the job!
Tomorrow we are of to Sheffield for a Sister's meeting. the weather is threatening, they had snow in sheffield yesterday,so I hope we won't have a problem getting there.

Pheasant pluckers

2011-12-13T12:40:00.000+01:00

A brace of pheasant given to us by a neighbour who shoots on local farmers land
with permission of course,we plucked them this morning,though we are not as efficient at it now as when we used to get them from Vinnie Jones from his shooting outings when he was at Leeds Utd. so as you can see we were a pair of Pheasant Pluckers this morning.

Treacle sponge

2011-12-08T19:45:00.000+01:00

Treacle sponge and custard after stew and dumplings,food for winter.

Religious truths

2011-12-07T16:41:00.000+01:00

spice cake.

2011-12-07T12:20:00.000+01:00

As I can't stand fruit cake I decided to try this middle eastern recipe for cake that has all the usual christmas cake ingredients without the fruit. When it's cool I shall try it!

tay barn

2011-11-29T23:31:00.002+01:00

We were introduced to "the Tay Barn" at High green. Apparently we are the only ones who haven't been there. it's quite near Sonia's and it's an "as much as you can eat" place with every kind of cuisine on offer. 10 of us went and we were there so long that Norman started eating again at 3pm
"Well it's nearly teatime!" he said. What value. We actually got seniors rates so with unlimited drinks and food our bill came to £10.00. Incredible!

Gary Speed

2011-11-27T16:37:00.002+01:00

We are absolutely devastated to hear of the death of Gary Speed. So many wonderful memories of his time at Leeds united. Such a waste!

I'm a celebrity

2011-11-21T10:41:00.002+01:00

We are into the second week of " I'm a celebrity get me out of here." and it's not as good as anticipated after Freddie Starr was taken out of the jungle when a bush tucker trial nearly poisoned him! We were looking forward to his antics. Sandra would be alright in the jungle with all those cockroaches snakes and spiders etc?
Tomorrow we are off to Gina's for a couple of days so it will make a nice change from the little house on the prairie.

children in need

2011-11-17T10:07:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, as part of a children in need event, we went to a nearby village for a Soup and Pudding dinner.We arrived to find that about five of our friends were already there so we had a very pleasant lunch and won some raffle prizes and then we both won the bingo! What is interesting about the day is that we met the mother of the motorbike accidentee, who, you may remember, was very badly injured outside our house a couple of years ago. I tended to him and rang his relatives until the Air Ambulance came and took him to hospital. It turned out that he had just bought the huge motorbike and it was his first time riding it. His mother said she had longed to come and thank me for helping him and for stopping a woman from taking his helmet off, as this was what was holding his nose in place! It was nice to meet her and to find out what had happened to her son, as so many of the accidents that happen on our stretch of road remain unreported and we never find out if they make it or not.

The sun going down

2011-11-16T16:40:00.000+01:00

The sun was a big red ball, just about to go down in the mist.

Armed Robbery!

2011-11-15T14:32:00.002+01:00

So I decided to go to the shops. to the Co-op to be precise as that's where I get my bread flour.
I didn't know that there were that many policemen in England let alone Mablethorpe! Needless to say the Co-op was closed. there had just been an armed robbery! I left the car at the co-op and visited other shops, then when I tried to leave I wasn't allowed out of the car park. apparently they had some of the gang holed up in the vicinity. Eventually I was allowed out but I still haven't got any flour!

Graham's owl

2011-11-13T15:39:00.000+01:00

The dead tree that Graham carved an owl onto has suddenly started growing again!

Autumn fruits

2011-11-12T17:12:00.000+01:00

We don't know what these are but the tree is laden like never before. For some reason the blog site keeps cancelling photo's that I publish. Anybody know why.

Early to bed.

2011-11-10T16:08:00.000+01:00

These two are going to bed earlier and earlier each day and who can blame them? It's dark and cold at 4pm.
I am interested in the new theory of shining a light into your ears, It must be a silvery light, not a golden one, and it's said to be more effacious then the traditional "sad "lamp. It comes as a pair of Earphone type things which enables you to move around whilst wearing them. I might give it a try with a small book lamp that I have.

Horrible weather!

2011-11-09T13:15:00.000+01:00

Is it just my imagination but doesn't the hen look miserable? Perhaps the weather is getting her down.

Fungi

2011-11-08T14:29:00.000+01:00

Yes but can you eat them? I am not expert enough to decide which ones are poisonous. They do say that very few of them will actually harm you but I don't want to be the one to make the point! Graham is already suspicious of everything I give him to eat. I do like a mushroom risotto though!

treacle apple tart

2011-11-07T18:20:00.000+01:00

We have ways of making you eat apples!! It's supposed to be Welsh. I simply put stewed apples into a pastry case then mixed together
1tsp. ground Ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
Zest and juice of one lemon
6 tabls. Honey
1 tabls. Golden syrup
About 4oz Bread crumbs.

Cover the pie with the mixture and bake for about 45 minutes at gas mark 4 or 180

goodbye friends

2011-11-03T13:37:00.002+01:00

Two of our friends came to say goodbye for the winter. They are off to Spain and won't be back until March. I envy them, although not the part of Spain they are going to, Benidorm! It is only 95 days and counting 'till we go to Florida. Roll on!

Continuing the theme

2011-10-28T17:22:00.000+02:00

I was going to continue the "Who is the handsome one?" But handsome isn't the word I am looking for.!

Who's this?

2011-10-26T11:03:00.000+02:00

Who's this handsome chap?

Wedding Cake

2011-10-24T15:52:00.002+02:00

I have just been to the village Hall to help put the chairs etc out for tonight's meeting which is a talk and demonstration by the woman who made the royal wedding cakes for the last three royal weddings. Apparently at the end you get to sample some of her cake. what a pity I don't like fruit cake.!
Nothing else of any note is happening.We are waiting for our holiday in Florida. Gina and Andrew are drawing up an itinerary of what they want to do whilst there. I hope they remember that they are only there for two weeks, although once we have done Busch gardens there should be time for the Segway lessons etc. we are carefully watching the dollar as it seems very erratic at the moment. as soon as we think about buying some dollars, the rate goes back down! Oh well that's capitalism for you.

Just gone.

2011-10-20T17:13:00.002+02:00

Susan and Trev have just gone. Yesterday we all went on our usual Wednesday trip to Boston and had a meal in our usual place.This morning was hilarious. No matter how we try, she always leaves something behind, so we ran a check list and checked every room. They had only been gone 5 minutes when I noticed her coat over a chair in the kitchen. I was just about to ring and tell her when she rang and said she was coming back to collect it. As she was running out the door a second time I went into the bathroom for something and found her special shampoo hidden under some towels. ran after her and off they went again.
Some two hours later, she rang me from Sheffield to say that she had left her phone charger plugged in in the bedroom! I have had to post it to her! she is the original dizzy blond!

Last night I introduced them to the second series of an Idiot Abroad which they can't get on their network. They laughed so much.Also a new series of Rab C Nesbitt which was very funny.
It's back to the quiet now.

Chaos !

2011-10-18T13:02:00.002+02:00

Susan and Trevor are coming today. In a moment of madness this morning, I pointed out to Graham, a crack that has appeared in the living room wall. he immediately fetched the step ladders and went up into the loft to see if anything was happening up there. His verdict is that there is too much stuff up there and it is all too heavy. The next thing I knew boxes and paintings etc appeared on the kitchen floor, which I had just cleaned in anticipation of the afore mentioned visitors. Like a fool I suggested that he designate one shed to his paintings (of which there are a great many) On entering his choosen shed he found that all the stuff already in there was full of mouse droppings so every thing must be cleared out/thrown away/re located. Now the kitchen,Garden outhouse garage etc is littered with stuff. Oh God !!

Betty turpin

2011-10-16T11:43:00.001+02:00

oh no !! Betty Turpin has died. Will Coronation Street ever be the same without her?

Pat,s ashes.

2011-10-07T11:19:00.002+02:00

We will be making yet another trip to Sheffield on Monday when we will finally say goodbye to my sister Pat as we place her ashes in the ground. It will be good to see everyone again though. We will go for a meal afterwards and hopefully the sisters will begin to feel a bit less depressed. We have all suffered in our different ways. It's a bit like losing a limb. There is always someone missing.

An idiot abroad.

2011-10-01T20:16:00.002+02:00

I forgot to say that "An Idiot Abroad " series two has started. I have watched two episodes and I am still reserving judgement. Because he now knows what is going to happen to him, they have altered the format somewhat . He is now told that he is exercising freewill by choosing things from a bucket list of things to do before you die. So far he has been marooned on a desert island ( not very good) and has gone on the "Trans Siberian railway".
Yesterday I went to the Lincolnshire ladies lunch. A prestigious occasion for all the movers and shakers ( plus a few non entities like me!) It was such a hot day and after a huge three course lunch it was terribly difficult not to fall asleep during the lecture. i had to remind my friend to give me a nudge if she saw me nodding off. I should point out that I am a mass of bruises from her costant prodding!

Safely back

2011-09-27T12:18:00.002+02:00

well here we are safely back from the wilds of Rotherham.It was quite an adventure watching Grahams paintings being hung. A woman came past and commented that they were very good apart from the fact that he had made a pit pony look like a racehorse.She said they were usually mangy looking things!
Then to lunch. We went to the pub at Ecclesfield that we were last in with all the family after Naomi's funeral. We hadn't realised that they have a pensioners meal every day. it was very good value although I wish it had been a day later as it is curry on Tuesdays. anyway we had fish and chips and Apple Pie and custard with two beers etc for £14.
Then to Josephs. Their poor little dog is totally blind now but he still attempts to play a game of tug toy with you. Joseph and Karen are both well and Karen has 5 days off so they are managing to get on with a few things.
Sheila xx

Red cabbage

2011-09-10T12:54:00.000+02:00

I bought a huge Red Cabbage but there is only so much you can eat at dinner so I decided to make some pickle. I found an old recipe dating back about 200 hundred years and it has turned out lovely with a minimum of effort.

Get the curlers!

2011-09-08T15:16:00.000+02:00

Sick of looking at the pork chops I give you myself at 16 with my hair in curlers. How embarrassing! Oh to be that thin again.

Pork chops

2011-08-29T18:23:00.000+02:00

Last week my friend killed one of their pigs and she gave me these two chops. I don't usually eat pork but I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! They weigh 2 pounds ( or 0.80 kilos) This is more meat then we would eat in a week.

Tomato glut

2011-08-14T21:31:00.000+02:00

My neighbour gave me a lot of Tomatoes so I made Pasta Sauce. That should last me a few weeks!

Pastel de nata

2011-08-09T17:16:00.000+02:00

I had a go at making the little custard pies that we had for breakfast in Portugal. Delicious!

Lunch

2011-08-08T15:19:00.001+02:00

Just been out for lunch at the Waggon and Horses pub. very nice. It means I don't have to cook this evening as I shall be out at the W.I.

Judging !

2011-08-06T19:31:00.000+02:00

How quickly the 1st Saturday in August comes around, then it's my judging day. Here are some pictures of the agricultural show. I have to taste everything on the table in the first picture. Then I am supposed to join all the judges for a big slap up lunch. Obviously I cannot eat a crumb after my judging so I miss out!
The vegetables are a treat to behold. The marrow alone would feed a small town!

Boston

2011-08-03T20:44:00.002+02:00

Graham and I went to Boston today as we were bored at home. The weather was boiling and we were lucky to get an outside table at our usual restaurant. We shared the table with another couple and had a nice chat. They are excavating some medieval buildings in the centre of Boston so the market has been moved to another part of town. Very interesting. Later we went to see a friend who is a pig farmer and were given some pork chops. I will let you know how different the meat is from that which you buy in the shops, later when we eat it. A nice day.

meringues

2011-07-30T20:25:00.000+02:00

Here's some meringues I made and some that got broken whilst being taken out of the oven. We had to have them with Mango to use them up. Is there any wonder I am fat?

New tablets.

2011-07-28T11:09:00.002+02:00

I don't remember telling you about my new medication for diabetese. I saw a new nurse who asked me if I would like to try a new drug because my blood sugar was constantly high and nothing seemed to shift it despite increasing the amount of Insulin that I was injecting. Because of the high amount of Insulin I was also getting fatter and fatter. Well the new drug worked almost instantly and my sugar levels have now become alarmingly low and I have decreased my Insulin intake by a third. Wonderful!! Except that ...................I have put on 8 pounds almost overnight. The nurse forgot to tell me that this is one of the side effects. Now I am struggling to decide what to do. On the one hand it's good that my sugar is down but on the other ............how much fatter will I get.?
Yesterday we went to meet Grahams cousin Aileen who we haven't seen for 40 years. It was lovely to see her again and to meet some of her family. They are staying in a holiday park nearby so I think we will see them again before they go home. Talk about memories!

at last a blog.

2011-07-24T18:13:00.002+02:00

It seems like ages since I wrote a blog and such a lot has been happening. Mick and Debbie were here so of course that meant much going out, eating and drinking etc. So much so that I was forced to miss going to my W.I meeting and the village hog roast.
One of the foxes was killed in front of the house (see an earlier blog).
There was another terrible accident in front of my neighbours house and I went down to help. This is the 4th bad accident in so many months, although the council says there are no problems with the road. Graham has written to our councillor who has promised to have a speed limit imposed but I think someone will have die first. Anyway a car full of young people are lucky to be alive having turned the car over at some speed, although a girl was in a bad way when she went into the ambulance. Another boy broke both his legs and another one had a gash in his head that you could have put your fist into.
On wednesday we went to Boston, as we usually do, except it was with Debbie and Mick instead of Alan and Vicky. On entering our usual restaurant we met Alan and vicky inside so we were able to kill two birds with one stone. needless to say Mick had the place in uproar within minutes of arriving and he even made the usually miserable owner have a laugh and a joke!
it is so quiet now that they are gone and I really miss them.
Oh well back to normality now !!

An aussie poem

2011-07-23T17:46:00.000+02:00

The Drovers Cook

by Thomas John Quilty

Now the drovers cook weighed 15 stone and he had one bloodshot eye,
He had no laces in his boots and no buttons on his fly.
His pants hung loosely round his hips, hitched by a piece of wire,
And they concertinaed round his boots, in a way that you'd admire.

Well he stuck the billy on the boil and then emptied out his pipe,
And with his greasy shirt sleeve, he gave his nose a wipe.
And with pipe in mouth he mixed a sod and a drip hung from his chin,
As he mixed the damper up, the drip kept dripping in.

I walked quietly over to him and I said "toss that mixture out,

And in future when you're working keep your pipe out of your mouth".
Ooh he stood erect and eyed me, with such a dirty look,

And he said in choice Australian, "Get another bloody cook".

A cook, I said, you call yourself, you greasy slob made lout,

Why you should be jailed for taking work, you cannot carry out.
He then uncorked come language, and I felt a thrill of fear,

As he swung his hairy paws about and said “Trot your frame out here"

In outback brawls there are no rules or limits to the weight,
So I had to squib or meet him, with my meek and 9 stone 8.
We both bounced into action, and fell into a clinch,

I put a headlock on him, but I couldn't make him flinch.

For hours we fought in deathly grips, swung upper cuts and crosses,

We staggered and floundered in distress like rogue and winded horses.
And then gaspingly he muttered, “why I've fought all through the north,

You're the gamest thing I've ever struck, give me your hand old sport".

Well I can't explain my feelings, with joy I nearly cried,

As we staggered to a shade close by, where he sank down and died.
Now you talk about that saltbush scrap why it was only clay,
Compared to that gruelling battle we fought that fateful day.

And now above his resting place where the grass has grown to seed,
On stone is carved his epitaph for travellers to read.
Here lies the son of Donald Gunn, none gamer ever stood,
And he died in dinkum battle, with Jimmy Underwood.

Birthday card

2011-07-21T22:29:00.001+02:00

I love this birthday card that someone sent Graham. It speaks volumes about where we live now.

Andrew

2011-07-19T10:13:00.000+02:00

I did half a dozen pies for Andrew ( aka Drew Beret ) but sadly Mick liked them hence the disapointed look on Andrew's face.

Fox!

2011-07-19T10:10:00.000+02:00

Sad but I guess it is the "biter bitten" The fox was killed this morning outside our house by a passing vehicle.

Exhausted!

2011-07-18T14:20:00.002+02:00

Well Gina and Andrew went home yesterday and Mick has gone back to London today and boy is it quiet! We have been celebrating Grahams 70th birthday and it has involved a lot of drinking and the visiting of pubs. Mick is enthralled by our pubs, especially those with thatched roofs. We have been out for dinner (yes it was in a pub) and we have visited Cleethorpes, where we had the famous BIG FISH. Mick could hardly believe what he was handed. Wow he said this is ridiculous. Nevertheless he managed to eat 14 inches of Haddock, which was only the medium fish, without too much difficulty!
Yesterday we went to the nearest town, Louth, for a continental food market and bought and ate a ridiculous amount of deli food, washed down of course by John Smiths beer in a local pub.
Mick and Debbie will probably come back to us tomorrow or the next day before they embark on their odyssey around Britain. Meanwhile I am going to have a nap to prepare for the next onslaught.

Alpaca Farm

2011-07-13T19:10:00.002+02:00

I have just returned from a W.I outing to an Alpaca farm. It was very good. Alpacas are a cross between a Llama and a camel and are so beautiful. We were then given demonstrations about what can be done with their wool which is soft and fine like cashmere. The woman made felt, both wet and dry,Spinning wool and Peg weaving. I learned a lot. The coffee and home made cake was delicious too!

Dentists!!

2011-07-07T12:41:00.002+02:00

AHGHH!!
Just been to the dentist for our 6 months check up. Thank goodness he didn't find anything that needed doing. He is still mightily impressed by the filling I had done in Australia 18 months ago and feels it will last for some time yet. When it goes then I have to have that tooth extracted. Not something I am looking forward too!
sheila x

recuperated

2011-07-05T13:14:00.002+02:00

I have recovered from Sunday's classic car rally. It was an absolutely red hot day and although the morning part was in the shade, after lunch the sun came around and beat on us.I managed to sell about 30 jars of jam but by the time I had finished buying things from other stalls I was seriously out of pocket. I also ate lots of junk food as well which didn't help. It was nice to meet up with people that I haven't seen for a while and there was a lot of good natured banter. I was also invited to go pick fruit from peoples gardens which was nice but I am in no mood for jamming at the moment. I have family coming from Australia next week and I need to do some serious cleaning before they get here. ( As if they would notice.) Gina and Andrew will be coming for Graham's 70th birthday. We are trying to get a small caravan for people to sleep in.
Time for lunch now and then a lie in the garden swing I think!
Sheila x

jammin!

2011-07-01T21:19:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we picked our neighbours cherries and made jam. Today we picked our other neighbours gooseberries. I couldn't face jamming again so have frozen some, Bagged some to sell on sunday and made a gooseberry crumble and custard.
on sunday I will be having a stall at the classic car show in the village so I am thankful that the weather forecast is good.
sheila x

What?

2011-06-26T11:00:00.000+02:00

Does anyone know what these flowers are. It's a climbing plant rather like an Ivy. I won the seeds in a raffle but forgot to save the packet with the name on.
sheila x

Goodbye Pat

2011-06-24T12:30:00.002+02:00

Yesterday I said a final goodbye to my sister Pat. It was very dignified and lots of family and friends attended. I think we gave her a good send off although I can't quite believe that I am never going to see her again.
Sheila xx

the perfect rose

2011-06-15T17:22:00.000+02:00

The perfect rose for a perfect sister

A hard day.

2011-06-11T17:56:00.002+02:00

It was hard day yesterday. First we went to the burial of Naomi's ashes. Her grave is quite near to my mothers, to charlie and to various cousins. It was difficult enough but Samia's distress was harrowing. however we got through it somehow and then we went to a pub for lunch.During the meal it was hard to look at Val who wouldn't eat anything and looked so ill and frail. I don't know how he is going to get through all this.Lisa came to the pub. Everyone is worried about her. she is not in a good place mentally. She has lost so much weight that she is hardly recognisable.
After the meal we went to see Pat. She is going down fast now.I have been determined not to cry but as I was leaving I had the thought that I might not see her again. I am racked with pain at the thought of her dying when I am not there but what can I do? She hugged me and told me she loved me. I hope she will not suffer too much.
It's difficult to write this but I thought it would help me to say it to someone other then my sisters who are all just as heartbroken as I am.
sheila xx

Toffee/Coffee buns

2011-06-07T13:46:00.000+02:00

Graham says I always cook for five thousand so I just made a small batch of buns. they have bits of toffee in them and coffee iceing.
Nothing much is happening here on the prairie. We wrote new wills and had them witnessed yesterday.
I have an appointment at the diabetic clinic on Thursday where they hope to give me a new wonder drug! We shall see?
On Friday we go to Sheffield to the burial of Naomi's ashes and then of course we shall go to see Pat. I am being given daily updates on how she is but I am ready to drop everything and go up to Sheffield if needs be.
The weather is nice and all the flowers are in bloom but we really do need some rain.
Sheila X

just to make Gina jealous!

2011-06-06T15:51:00.000+02:00

Guess whats for pudding!

PATS FLOWERS

2011-06-02T17:27:00.001+02:00

These are all flowers that Pat gave us when we first moved here.

to Sheffield

2011-06-01T12:58:00.002+02:00

We went to Sheffield again yesterday, our third time in so many weeks, and always it seems we are visiting for the wrong reason. This time we went to visit my younger sister Pat who is in hospital having just been told that she is terminally ill with Ovarian Cancer. my mother died of the same thing ten years ago. Pat looked so ill and frail that I hardly recognised her. I am amazed at how calm she is and how accepting of her fate. She told me that she is ready to go now and how she longed to be with our mother..I am absolutely devastated, as are we all, but she is adamant that she wants no weeping and wailing. I don't think I can promise her that. Poor Val and Lisa are in a terrible state and I feel powerless to help them.
I am not in the mood for blogging. More later.
Sheila x

Pears

2011-05-29T18:15:00.000+02:00

I had a lot of pears that needed using up so made this sticky toffee pudding. It looks and smells good so I hope it taste good!

Unbelievable! Found!

2011-05-26T21:00:00.002+02:00

As we arrived back from Sheffield the phone was ringing. One of our neighbours said "we have one of your hens in our garden" It was last nights escapee. Safe and sound!

The funeral was very sad .Another humanist one with some of the same people who were at Naomi's funeral. It was nice to meet up with cousins that I haven't seen for years.

sheila x

Unbelievable!

2011-05-26T08:24:00.001+02:00

We had the new hen for 5 hours before she disapeared without trace despite being locked in a compound with 7feet high walls. Is this the end?

Another mate.

2011-05-25T19:47:00.002+02:00

We have just been and fetched yet another "mate" for the survivor and Graham has double checked all the garden to make it fox proof. Lets all keep our fingers crossed!
Tomorrow will be the acid test as we have to go to Sheffield for a funeral and we will leave them all alone.
Last night we watched Gary Nevilles Testimonial which was Man u. versus Juventus. man.u lost 2-1 but it was a nice match to watch.
It's just started spitting with rain. We haven't had any rain for about two months. At least we haven't got the tornados that are lashing the states. I do feel sorry for the victims and I hope my family keep safe.
Sheila x

hen at window

2011-05-24T08:36:00.000+02:00

Here's the "survivor" come to look at us through the window. She absolutely refuses to go up the garden now and prefers to hang around the house.

what's for dinner?

2011-05-23T20:37:00.001+02:00

hen on a swing.

2011-05-23T18:08:00.000+02:00

In her determination to be close to us the surviver has taken to the swing. Blow the picture up to see her peeking over the top.

Cake!!

2011-05-23T17:22:00.000+02:00

Whenever I am upset my thoughts always turn to something sweet so I have made this Almond Orange upside down cake which we will have with custard. To balance things out we will have this healthy vegetarian dinner!

Weird!

2011-05-23T08:53:00.002+02:00

Last night as Graham and I were in the lounge watching T.V there was an almighty bang at the window. My first thought was that a pidgeon had flown into the glass as they sometimes do. Next minute the survivor chicken flew onto the window sill and began frantically tapping on the glass. Now this is weird all by itself as she was supposed to be in the compound which is some distance from the house and supposedly escape proof. Also how did she know which room we were in?
Anyway I went out to get her, only to find that she was cowering and allowed me to pick her up without a fuss. I looked for the other chicken, in vain, she was gone. The weird thing is that there was no sign of any struggle. No feathers. Nothing. Just gone without a trace. Graham again went into the dyke at the other side of the fence. nothing! The survivor refused point blank to go into the shed. I had a least 5 goes before I managed to lock her in. If it was the bl##'y fox then I didn't want her going the same way.
It looks as though I shall have to stop having chickens as all this is too heartbreaking.
Sheila x

what a performance!

2011-05-19T11:46:00.002+02:00

Oh god i'm too old for this sort of malarky! Last night as it was going dark I went to lock the chickens away. when I opened the door to the shed there was only one hen there. I searched high
and low. I could hear the new hen clucking when I called but couldn't see where the noise was coming from. I got Graham and asked him to go into the dyke at the other side of the fence. He wasn't best pleased about having to wade through chest high stinging nettles armed only with an old clothes prop. When he got level with me there was nothing there. he couldn't hear the hen but I could and I was very puzzled as to where the clucking was coming from. Eventually I thought to look up and there she was cleverly camaflaged some 20 feet up a Hawthorn tree. I didn't have a stick long enough to reach her so it was a question of rattling and shouting until she finally came down. I managed to poke her over the fence and guided her to Graham who managed to get her back into the compound. Both graham and I were covered in scratches, nettled and covered in leaves etc. To add insult to injury Graham missed a quarter of an art programme that he had been waiting all night to watch! All part of lifes rich tapestry so they say!

A mate.

2011-05-18T15:21:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, because we were feeling sorry for the surviving chicken who seemed so lonely and sad, we decided to go get her a mate. Just the one, because I dare not let them out into the field now that the fox knows where they are. So Graham and I drove to the nearby chicken farm and intended to ask if they could let us have perhaps a rescue hen. There were several escapees in the front garden of the bungalow. The hens were allowed out for an hour to conform to regulations and had escaped through the electric fence. The woman wasn't there but her daughter was and after conferring with her mother on the phone she invited us to take a hen as they were escapees and no one would know. So we acquired a free hen and brought her home in a box. She tried to escape from the box several times on the journey home but is now at home with the surviver. There was an initial stand off but they seem o.k. now.
Sonia just rang to give me the news that Diane, a girl that used to live with my mother, has died yesterday, after a short battle with cancer. My mother thought the world of her and would have been very sad. I don't know how old she was but I would guess not yet 50.Such a waste.

Another in the who is this? series.

2011-05-16T17:45:00.001+02:00

We can't decide if the dog is called Peter or Rex. Note the miserable faces.!

Cup final

2011-05-14T23:06:00.002+02:00

There we were,having just enjoyed the cup final. I went into the kitchen to start dinner. Where I was shocked to see a fox eating one of my hens. I screamed and Graham came running. he was of course unable to do anything and when we went out into the field there were no hens left, only piles of feathers in the dyke. Graham got his gun and went after the fox but it had gone to it's lair in our neighbours wood. As my daughter Gina said " The fox doesn't know it has done anything wrong and it is being a good mother feeding her young" She is right of course. It's nature but it still upset us.
As there was nothing on T.V. I decided to go and clean out the hen hut so that we could shut it up until we decide whether or not we will have any more chickens. to my surprise there was one of the hens cowering in there. she must have escaped and been hiding. She will have to be kept as a prisoner I'm afraid in case the fox comes back.
At least I have learned one lesson. There will be no more expensive hens. it will be cheap and cheerful from now on.

Highs and lows.

2011-05-10T13:16:00.002+02:00

Yesterday was a day of intense emotions, both good and bad, It was of course my great niece, Naomi's funeral.
We travelled up to Sheffield, where we haven't been for a couple of years, and went to my sister Jean's for lunch. It was a great delight to see her as I have been so worried about the illness she has acquired. she didn't look as ill as I had thought she would although she has lost a lot of weight. Also my daughter Gina and son in law Andrew came for lunch which was lovely. I do miss having a gang of people eating and ribbing each other.
When we got to the crematorium at Grenoside it was back to sadness again. My brother in law Val walked down a path and we didn't recognise him. He looked so old and careworn. We were all in tears by the time we had all finished hugging him. His wife, my sister Pat is still in hospital having had major surgery.
Then there was joy in seeing all my family again. All my sisters, their husbands and their children and grandchildren. Some of the kids are so grown that they are like giants. Liam came, bless him. He is about six feet tall and still a daft lad.
The crematorium was full and Naomi was carried in to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"
There were wonderful eulogies from naomi's grandad,friends and Naomi's old headteacher, who mentioned Liam in passing!
It was hard to realise that we will never see Naomi again. She was such a vibrant, intelligent and focussed girl. I hope she rests in peace.
Afterwards it was good to sit and talk to all the friends and family. Naturally the best conversation was outside with the smokers!
Naomi's dentist made us laugh when he congratulated Graham on his " dentists being down in the mouth joke" He said he hadn't heard it for years.!
Soon it was time to come home. I am so glad that we no longer live in Sheffield. You only realise what you have got when you contrast it with what my sisters have got. i.e crowded housing, too much traffic and noise etc.
It is sad that I don't see my family very often now but it's a trade off between living here and there.
All in all it was a sad day but that's life!

bug screen

2011-05-08T13:07:00.000+02:00

I am absolutely thrilled at the bug screen Graham has made. That should stop the little b..........s

Plan B

2011-05-07T13:32:00.000+02:00

Here is the sweetcorn that the chickens won't eat. I have made a sweet vinegar syrup so they should be nicely pickled!

lemons

2011-05-06T17:23:00.002+02:00

Never one to resist a bargain I bought a sack of lemons for 75 p. I also bought a sack of baby sweetcorns for the chickens but they have refused to eat it, (thats another story) Anyway. the Lemons. There is only so much lemon you can put in your Gin or martini, so last night I decided that I would make some marmalade. Cutting up 6lbs lemons (half the sack) is no easy task. I then left them cooking all night in the slow cooker and this morning I made 13 jars of Caribbean marmalade. It's the addition of a bit of rum that makes it Caribbean! Now all I have to do is find something to do with the baby corn. A pickle perhaps?
We have just been to the garden centre and bought some bedding plants for the new planters I have bought. As we were coming out, there was a stall of books. I asked the girl on the checkout how much they were. Oh they are free, she said. Take as many as you like. so I did and have brought home an armful. I told you I couldn't resist a bargain.

Boston

2011-04-28T17:09:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we went to Boston to meet our friends Alan and Vicky. As is customary on market day in Boston, we had a little walk around, bought some stuff that we didn't really need and then went for a big slap up meal which always ends with treacle sponge and custard.
On arriving home we realised that something was wrong on the computer. a new search engine had somehow installed itself. probably one of us had downloaded something we shouldn't have. Graham wanted me to call our I.T expert but I wanted to wait until after the Real Madrid /Barcelona game. which wasn't a classic game but there was a good fight in the tunnel that was worth watching. Anyway I finally rang Andrew and he was able to fix it, athough the rogue programme had infiltrated everywhere. I am reluctant even to name it as it took such a lot of getting rid of. Suffice it to say that it's the name of a toy and Paddington was one.
The weather has brightened a little but it is still blowing a gale and is freezing cold.

Weather.

2011-04-26T15:57:00.002+02:00

I just knew it was too good to last. The temperature has plummeted and it's freezing! There is a gale blowing and all the plants are looking sorry for themselves. It's said that it might rain for the royal wedding. Oh dear how sad!
We keep looking at cheap flights to anywhere so that we can get away from the insidious torrent of news about the royal couple. All the news readers have what Graham calls a daft smile on their faces when they read anything about the wedding. What hypocrites! They are the very people who hounded Diana to death.
If we can't get away from it then we will have to watch a box set of Seinfeld or some rubbish on Sky. Oh well!
Sheila x

Naomi.

2011-04-23T14:34:00.002+02:00

Naomi.

Bless her, she never wanted to be on my blog. But.............
I cannot let her passing go un noticed. We have not been as close recently as once we were and our lives have diverged but she was never far from my thoughts.
she died as she lived, with quiet dignity and immence bravery. we shall not forget her.
rest in peace now.
Love sheila xxx

strawberries

2011-04-22T15:17:00.000+02:00

The weather is so lovely that the plants are flowering at least six weeks too early. I feel it will all end in tears when or if we get a frost.
Meanwhile talk about making hay while the sun shines. the wind is in a certain direction and we can hear the funfair on the seafront. It's lovely for a change that people are able to enjoy their bank holiday.

Not Ed.

2011-04-21T17:40:00.000+02:00

I thought this might be Ed the Duck come back to see us but it wasn't. Make the picture bigger to get a good look at him.
All my hens have laid today, although the new layers are only producing "new seasons eggs" as they are called here. Tiny in other words! I am assured that they will get bigger!
The weather is glorious and is said to be set for at least a week. People have got four bank holidays coming up so if you take three days leave from work you can end up with eleven days holiday. The business owners don't like it!
We have just been to Louth to buy some beer at Morrisons. Three cases for £18. A real bargain. We may have to stock up for when Crocodile Mick comes from Australia although we don't know what kind he would like.
I am fed up for some reason, and thinking about it I think it's because I miss my family. here it is , Easter and I haven't got anyone to cook for( or an easter egg).
more later,
sheila x

another guess who cherub!

2011-04-20T09:52:00.000+02:00

These photo's are so old they were hand coloured by the photographer.

And who is this?

2011-04-18T13:52:00.000+02:00

I love this photo. most of our childhood photos show us looking miserable.

and so to bed.

2011-04-16T23:34:00.002+02:00

Every night this week I have stayed up until midnight to watch " The booth at the end". Well last night was the last one, so I can go to bed at a reasonable hour!
It was very good though!

gone !

2011-04-16T16:12:00.002+02:00

The fifteen baby ducks have gone and never called me mother!
When I went out this morning at 7am they were gone, leaving behind a few bits of egg shell. Why is it that we never get to see them leave?
One of my bluebelles and the black rock have started to lay so thats four out of five that are laying now. I am getting over run with eggs. I shall have to start selling them again.

Problems

2011-04-13T22:05:00.002+02:00

we do seem to be experiencing problems with Blogger. It refuses to put our pictures on, or if it does put them on it removes them again. Our technical expert has been on the case. He says that Blogger have had lots of similar complaints so we have to just wait until they fix it. meanwhile I hope you will bear with us.
Sheila x

New front door.

2011-04-13T20:48:00.000+02:00

This is what we look like without the conservatory,

guess who?

2011-04-13T09:48:00.002+02:00

A clue is that this photo is 64 years old !

conservatory gone!

2011-04-12T13:39:00.002+02:00

The front of our house looks wonderful now that the old rotting structure has gone. Graham worked hard all day yesterday and really struggled with some parts of the dismantling. now however he's got an even bigger problem. What to do with the rubble and wood etc?
Some of the wood will go next door to our neighbour Anne. She does love a good bonfire!
I suspect that we will finish up like the characters in the film "The great escape" where we walk about dropping bits of rubble down our trouser legs.
Last night I was at W.I. The speaker was a freelance journalist and he spilt the beans about some of the "famous" people he had interviewed. He was very funny but when I found out how much he was charging us, I thought, I could do that!
There are signs that the black rock may be going to start laying any time soon. Goodho.
Sheila x

Last night!

2011-04-10T17:18:00.003+02:00

Last night was Fish and Chip Supper and Quiz at the village hall. The quiz was very hard and our team only scored 62 out of a possible hundred! It was a good laugh and I managed to polish off a goodly amount of cider.The more I drank the harder it became to read my answers. Perhaps that was why they were marked so low.
Today the weather is again glorious and I have got my swinging bed out. It will probably rain for months now.
Other lovely news is that my great niece has had a baby girl, Layla Eve, I guess that makes me a great,great aunt.? ( but then I have always known that!) congratulations to all concerned!!!
Last night before going out I got all the hens into the compound, knowing that I wouldn't be around to lock them up until late. As we were setting off I just happened to glance at the field and there they all were back out. We can only presume that they have flown over the fence. Anyway we had to leave them . when we came home they were all safely ensconced on the perch. Any more of that behaviour and wings will have to be clipped.
Graham is dismantling the conservatory. There is a lot of head scratching, banging and the occasional swear word. We shall see?

sheila xx

In the loft.

2011-04-08T16:26:00.002+02:00

Graham has been up into the loft to dismantle the electrics from the conservatory that we are knocking down now that we have our new front door in situ. Whilst up there he asked what I wanted to do with all the boxes of stuff that we put up there when we moved in six years ago. I figured that if we hadn't needed the stuff in six years then we really didn't want it. It took hours and several bouts of cursing to bring it all down. Needless to say, out of ten boxes, at least six have gone back up as they contain things that I "want". There is a large box of glassware that I shall attempt to sell tomorrow at the village coffee morning
The chickens seem to be co existing a little better although scraggy neck is still being picked on and is still naked around the neck.It hasn't stopped her laying though which is good.
I have just finished reading a book called "Mr wroe's virgins" by Jane Rogers. It's about a religious cult that existed in Lancashire in the 1800s. It was very interesting historically.A bit like the idiots in Kansas!
the weather is glorious today , very hot and sunny. It fools you into thinking that the summer starts here?!
Sheila x

Geese!

2011-04-06T11:16:00.002+02:00

Whilst Gina and Andrew were here I took them to see our old chickens and of course Ed the duck.
I have told before about the menagerie that these people have but it was so funny yesterday. The pig, Elsie by name, came to see us and the four geese became mad for some reason and started to peck her. She tried to run to escape them. (Have you ever seen a 10stone pig whose girth nearly touches the floor, trying to run?) they actually nipped and butted her all the way into her house before she could escape them! I have never seen anything like it. Graham was jumped on by a bloodhound and an alsation ( you know how he hates dogs) and slavered all over as well as scraped by a paw nail. We laughed so much when we got home as his face was a picture as he threw his clothes onto the floor to be washed!
The house is quiet now that Gina and Andrew have gone. Only Graham to moan to.
sheila x