Books: List of 2024's Books

1. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

2. The Very First Damned Thing by Jodi Taylor

3. Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

Dublin 'Trilogy'

A Man with One of Those Faces

The Day That Never Comes

Angels in the Moonlight

Last Orders

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
150g caster sugar
zest of 2 lemons
70g  butter
½ tsp vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2 medium eggs, room temperature
2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
240g plain gluten free flour blend (Doves Farm Free)

1 tsp baking powder

For rolling

100g granulated sugar

90g icing sugar

Method

Add the sugar to a large bowl, and zest the lemons over the sugar. Combine well the sugar and zest.

Melt the butter, and add to the lemon sugar. Also add the vanilla, and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, and continue to whisk. Next, add the lemon juice.

Mix the flour and baking powder, and add to the wet ingredients, using a spatula until a smooth consistency is achieved. The mixture will look like a batter at this stage. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours (or even overnight). This will firm up the dough to a consistency that can be rolled.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment/baking paper.

Each cookie is made by taking 1 tablespoon of dough, and forming it into a ball. Roll first in granulated sugar, then icing sugar until the dough has been cover. If the dough is sticky, coat hands in icing sugar. 

Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets, about 5cm apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, on the middle shelf. The cookies are done when the cracks no longer look wet or shiny. The cookies will be very soft and delicate immediately out of the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Arm Exercises

1. Wall angels – 10 reps

Stand with your back against a wall and put the backs of your hands against the wall by your side. Maintaining contact with the wall, slowly slide your hands up the wall towards the ceiling, return to your side and repeat 10 times.

2. Incline press ups – 10 reps

With your hands on a bench/step/sofa, concentrate on lowering your body in a straight line. 

3. Knee tucks – 10 reps each side

While still in a press-up position, lift one foot and bring your knee up towards your chest. Return to starting position and repeat on opposite side.

4. Straight arm plank with shoulder touches – 10 reps each side

Still in the press-up position, widen your foot stance and squeeze in your torso holding a strong position, lift one palm off the floor and touch the opposite shoulder, return to starting position and repeat with the opposite hand.

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I've no idea if I'll be able to do all of these exercises, but I'll give them a go. Protecting my shoulders against dislocation is a higher priority than pretty arms.

And Bingo was it's name-o

 

"Bingo Wings" - the wonderful name given to flabby upper arms. It is thought to be derived from when women wave their arms in the air when they call out in bingo. It's a rather derogatory term.

However, as a woman in her 50s, I definitely have them, and I don't want them. I feel my expectations are pretty fair; the chances of eliminating them altogether is absolutely tiny, but I should be able to do something to improve them. Therefore, I'm using my standby motto, 'Make it a bit better'.

To this end, I'm going to employ SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

S - I want to reduce my bingo wings

M - an reduction of 0.5cm

A - I hope it will be achievable in the time frame

R - There's a dress I want to fit into comfortably, and smaller wings would allow this

T - I'm initially using a date of the end of August.

I've no idea if that is realistic. But I can but try. If it isn't then the contingency is 3 months. There should be enough time in that to see some benefits.

July Declutter

 

13th - 15th of July

30 items of rubbish removed from Offspring's bedroom

July declutter

 

1 hot water bottle
4 cuddly toys
1 jacket
4 toiletry items

July Declutter

1 cookery book
1 pair of shoes
1 packet of biscuits
3 new spools of thread
4 partially used spools of thread

July Declutter

Eight items from the linen closet were decluttered, along with two items from the Offspring's bedroom.

I realised there's quite a number of rooms that have now been decluttered. Done so far are the front entrance hall, the bathroom, the shower room, the loo, and the back vestibule.  Although the back vestibule is where the charity donations and items to be disposed of at placed before they leave the house.

It's also rather lovely there's not much more to go in the bedroom. I don't think there's much to go in the kitchen either, but there's quite some organising to do in there.

The places that need most work are the dining room, the guest bedroom, and the Offspring's room.But for the moment, I'm just going to be happy five areas are decluttered, and everything has a place.

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The hexagons for the Temperature Blanket now total 62. Only another 31 to do this month. If I keep up the pace of 2 hexagons per day I'll have to cut back to one per day in December. But, I can use the extra crochet time to start edging the hexagons and joining them together.

July Declutter

 

5 produce items ( moved from the fridge to the compost)
5 more toiletry items (thank you, Offspring)

And now the fridge and shower room are looking quite a bit better.

July Declutter

8 items of clothing (4 worn out, 4 donated)

2 toiletry items decluttered from the shower room (thank you Offspring for the declutterings)

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Not much of anything else has been happening. I caught what the Beloved had, and I'm now suffering with it.

July Declutter

 

A further 10 paper patterns are going out for recycling. I had not realised quite how many I had collected.

The forty items decluttered have not take up much space at all. However, it's a good start, and it tidies up the space a little more.

July Declutter

7 dressmaking paper patterns

1 reproduction of a painting 

1 children’s book in Italian

1 pair of trousers

At work, we are sometimes able to take home some dressmaking patterns. I've found myself collecting an number of them. So far, I haven't made a singe one of the patterns!  It's time for a cull.

When we were in Ireland, many years ago, I bought a reproduction of a painting from one of the museums in Dublin. At the time I was swithering, but the desire to have a tangible memory of the visit won out. The reproduction was bought, even through I was not in love with it. 

This poor print has languished in its transport tube since then. It's time to let it go, and to remember to only buy art I love, or that provokes joy. The giraffe in the entrance hall makes me smile each time I see it. That's the sort of art I need and want in my home.

July Declutter

Decluttered:

3 balls of yarn
3 bottles of juice
4 cans of fish

Why yes, I did venture into the kitchen. How did you guess?! The food and drink have been donate to the local food bank. There's no sense them sitting on my shelves when someone else could have use of them.  

It's time to start making regular donations to the food bank. 

July 2024 Goals

After a huge lull, I'm back to making goals for my life.

This month, I have a few goals:

1. to eat better

2. to declutter 10 items each day

3. to make 62 hexagons for my blanket

4. write or research every day.

Yesterday, I found a chapstick, and 9 items from my crafting space. The chapstick was put in the rubbish bin today, and the crafting items were taken to the shop this morning. This evening before dinner, I sorted out a tube of expired handcream, and 9 more crafting items. These will follow the same fate as the items I sourced yesterday.

Food-wise, lunch was leftover chicken risotto, and dinner was chicken and spinach pasta, a small jelly, and also some yogurt and granola. This is a huge improvement on yesterday.

No hexagons have been made, but writing has been perpetrated.

Entry Hall Makeover (cont.)

The other side of the entry hall has been completed. 

On the wall, there's a coat rack  to hang coats and hats. When the pegs are not required, they can be folded away. Initially, I was going to go with a far more traditional coat rack to fit in with the traditional style of the house, but when the others were consulted, they rather like this design too. 

Behind the door is the electric panel. Previously, it had been hidden by a bamboo blind. Now, there's a fabric curtain instead. 

This little room, about 1.5x1.5m, is now a light, bright, calm place. There's colour from the shoe rack (cherry wood), the key bowl (copper tones), the deep green o the plant, and the softer greens in the fabric. It all flows rather nicely, and brings a smile to my face. It's a serene entry, but rather practical too.

Entry Hall Makeover

Giraffe by Dawn Kennaugh

The entry hall has been pretty much untouched for the whole time we have lived in the house. It was desperately in need of a makeover.

As you enter the small space, there's  an enclosed shoe rack. A small umbrella plant sits atop the rack, and beside it, a bowl made from keys. Hanging above this on the wall is a limited edition print of a giraffe by Dawn Kennaugh. I smile every time I look at its beautiful, quizzical face.

The walls and ceiling have been painted a simple white. 

Carrot Cake Muffins

Ingredients

2 medium carrots (grated)

4 Tsp maple syrup

2 Tsp oil

115ml plant milk or apple juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

130g SR flour

1 tsp cinnamon

Glaze

6 Tsp icing sugar

2 tsp lemon juice

Method

Mix together all of the muffin ingredients. Divide into 6 muffin cases and bake at 175C for 15-20 minutes.

Mix the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Whilst the muffins are still warm, brush the over with the glaze.

Notes

Very lightly adapted from a recipe by Fit Green Mind.

A bit too moist. I'll reduce the apple juice a little. And a bit too cinnamon-y. I'll take it back to 1/2 a tsp. It would also be good to include some chopped walnuts into the mix too.

3D Pinwheels

 

At the weekend, I was at a quilting exhibition, and saw a number of blocks and techniques I wanted to experiment with.

This is the 3D Pinwheel. 

Cauliflower, Butter Bean and Spinach Curry

Ingredients

2 Tsp oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

700g cauliflower florettes

3 cloves of garlic

1Tsp ginger, grated

1 lemon, zested

2 Tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

400g coconut milk

200ml vegetable stock

400g butter beans

300g spinach

300g cherry tomatoes

Method

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion.

Break the cauliflower into small florettes, and add to the skillet.

Grate the ginger, and zest the lemon. Add to the skillet, along with the chopped garlic, curry powder and cinnamon. Stir well, then add the coconut milk and  stock. cook for 20 minutes.

Add the butter beans, Cook for 10 minutes, then add the spinach and halved cherry tomatoes.

Serve with rice.

Notes

The original recipe used sweet potatoes, black beans and green beans. I saw a recipe using cauliflower, butter beans and spinach, and thought I'd swap them into my Sweet Potato Curry recipe as I liked the flavours in the sauce. 

Decluttering: Pantry 2024

 

Each January, I like to give the kitchen a systematic declutter, clean and tidy. Yesterday, the mood took me. As I am in the recuperation of Covid, I had to restrict myself, and only do a little bit. The bottom shelf was D, C and T. Only two cans were evicted (tomatoes and pears) - the crime, remaining in the pantry beyond their 'Best Before' date.

Today, it was the turn of the second shelf. It appears we like the idea of spaghetti, and spring rolls, but not the making of them. 

I now know everything that's in these shelves, and it is food that will be used. 

Health: Covid

 

Covid has entered the building, again. We'd all got the bug, again. 

I was first by a day, then the Offspring, and a day later, the Beloved.

Bis Später

 

Way, way back, when I was an incredibly tiny bear, I studied German for two years in school. I've decided to re-learn the language. It's time to take it to a place where I could go on holiday to a German-speaking place, and not be embarrassed.

For the last month, I've been using Duolingo. New vocabulary and phrases are being learned. One is 'Bis später.'. It means 'see you later',  as in a few hours. It's what a person might say when leaving the house. 

Whilst watching Laura Kampf on youtube, I heard someone say 'Bis später'. It brought so much joy that I understood immediately. There was no thought, no translation, It was as normal, and as natural as someone saying 'See you later'.  This feels like a very good sign.

Books: Just One Damned Thing After Another

 

This is the start of the tales of Dr Madeleine Maxwell (Max), and her adventures through time. 

Max has a difficult childhood, of which we learn a more about in subsequent books. There are a few incidents that set Max on the pathway to become a historian at St Mary's Institute of historical Research. It is located in the beautiful St Mary's priory near the charming town of Rushford, and is part of the University of Thirsk.

There are three key events. The first is when young Maddy is hiding in the wardrobe, and finds a book about Troy. Later, in secondary school, Maddy believes she is about to be expelled, but instead the head teacher, Mrs De Winter offers her the chance to make something of her life. This comes in the way of extra tuition, and teaching in how to assimilate material, analyze, condense and report. This training leads Maddy to the University of Thirsk to study history. She  graduates with the PhD in ancient civilisations ('She won't get out of bed for anything later than the Peloponnesian War .' (431–404 BC) . The third event is when Mrs De Winter writes to Maddy suggesting she applies for a job at St Mary's.

This was a interesting take on fantasy time travel. It's most definitely not science fiction time travel. Absolutely no attempt was made to explain how it is possible, it's just presented at a fact. 

The story is good. Max is a presented as an intelligent, out-spoken individual, who is also rather guarded when letting others get too close. 

It's even more interesting coming back to this story, and looking at the same events, but with more information. For example, Max's first meeting with Leon is most definitely not Leon's first meeting with Max. Just as Leon provided help for little Maddy, Max provided help for a younger, heartbroken Leon.

My one question is, "Why did Leon wait almost five years from meeting Max at St Mary's to starting a relationship with her?" Now, of course, the answer is most probably the author was only thinking about the first time Max met Leon. It wasn't until later she realised Leon might have met Max before.  To quote another time traveller, "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a nonlinear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff."

Recipes: BBQ Jackfruit with Coleslaw

Ingredients

BBQ Sauce

2 Tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ tsp ground cumin

1 Tsp curry powder

2 Tsp soy sauce

1 tsp liquid smoke

100ml tomato ketchup

1 Tsp soft dark brown sugar

1 Tsp maple syrup

1 Tsp balsamic vinegar

400g tin cherry tomatoes

Mustard Coleslaw

120g red cabbage, very finely sliced

2 carrots, grated

4 spring onions, finely sliced 

100ml vegan mayonnaise

2 Tsp apple cider vinegar

4Tsp Dijon mustard

Other ingredients

2 Tsp rapeseed or olive oil

2 x 410g tins green jackfruit, drained, washed, and squeezed to release some moisture,

12 small burger buns, halved and toasted

mayonnaise

Method

To make the BBQ sauce, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, then fry the onion for a few minutes until it begins to turn translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a minute more. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients and stir to combine. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 7-10 minutes or until all the tomatoes have burst and the sauce has reduced. Remove from the heat and allow to cool fully before blending in a food processor to a smooth, glossy sauce.

Mix all the ingredients for the coleslaw a pinch of salt and good grind of black pepper in a large bowl.

Heat the oil and fry the prepared jackfruit for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat, and pull apart the jackfruit. Add in half of the BBQ sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

To assemble, spread a little mayonnaise on the halved burger bun Add a spoonful of the pulled jackfruit, top with BBQ and some coleslaw.

Review

The BBQ sauce was good. It was tasty and not too sweet. Sadly the jackfruit was rather meh. It's not something we would choose to eat again. The coleslaw had far too much mustard in it, and I'd already reduce it by half from the quantities listed above.

In all, I'll use the sauce again, but won't bother with the rest.

Books: The Very First Damned Thing

 

"The Very First Damned Thing" by Jodi Taylor

It centres around Dr Bairstow. He has arrived from the future, just two years after the end of civil war, and he brings with him the secret of time travel. However, for some reason, he despises this term, and insists his unit will not be engaging in time travel. Rather, his team of historians  "will investigate major historical events in contemporary time". 

In Jodi-world, the main novels are sequentially numbered, and the short stories/novellas are slotted in between. This origin story is listed as "0.5", and was published after the first novel, "Just One Damned Thing After Another."

The story is read by Jodi Taylor, and not by Zara Ramm who read the first novel. Zara is a better narrator, and thankfully, Zara narrates almost all of the subsequent novels, novellas and short stories. A good narrator adds so much to the over all performance, bring the book to life.

Books: Legends & Lattes

 

"Legends and Lattes" by Travis Baldree

Viv is an orc adventurer who wants to change the 'is' to a 'was'. Her desire is to escape her current situation, running towards a simpler life, a life filled with stability, and coffee. She's had enough of running, fighting, stab wounds. Instead, she wants lattes and cinnamon rolls.

The story is one of warmth, friendship, stability, and finding things that bring joy and meaning. There's also a very low key budding romance between Viv, and her  assistant, Tandri.

'Feel good fantasy' and 'cosy high fantasy' have been used to describe it. 

At the end, I was satisfied. Girl gets girl, business is restored, the importance of friendship is underlined, and the bad guy meets a sticky end. I wasn't left desperately wanting more, but it was an elegant sufficiency. At some point, I'll probably get the second book.  Actually, I'll add the second book to my wishlist ready and waiting.

Another Rotation Around the Sun

A while back, I decided to write every day for 100 days. This worked, but it was such a bind I very quickly fell out of love with blogging and writing.

This year, I'd like to do more blogging, but I shan't be putting pressure on myself to write every day, nor about any particular subject. If it happens, it happens. When it happens, it happens.

As for New Year Resolutions, I have none. However, there are a few goals:

• Duolingo -  I'd like to continue, and learn more
• Crafting - the last 6 items made were for other people. I plan to make more items for myself
• Food - in 2021, I started learning to cook vegan food. A number of those recipes have made it into our meal rotations. This year, I want to learn to cook more vegan dishes
• Street Walkers - the Beloved and I are going to walk all of the streets of our home town. It might not all be accomplished this year, but we're making a good start.
• Cycling - my back loves it when I cycle regularly. It keeps it nice and loose, free of grumbles and pain. This year, I shall cycle on a more regular basis