Salmon and Edamame Bean Salad

 

This recipe is based on a recipe from The Fast 800 Recipe Book.

Ingredients (serves 2):

25g brown rice

75g edamame beans

2 salmon fillets (cooked)

1 tsp sesame seeds

2 large handfuls of spinach or mixed salad leaves

handful of sugar snap peas

1 medium carrot, coarsely grated

2 spring onions, finely slices

4 radished, trimmed and sliced

1 Tsp vinegarette dressing

Method:

Place the ingredients into a bowl, and drizzle the vinegarette over the top.

Notes:

Yesterday, I cooked extra portions of Sesame Salmon with Broccoli and Tomatoes, and used the salmon in this dish. There was a little broccol and some tomatoes left over. The broccoli was chopped into bite-sized chunks. These were also added to the salad.

I was about to say this was the first time I've had edamame beans, and comment on how similar they are to soya beans. Then I paused, had a quick Google, and read they are immature soya beans. What ever you call then, they are tasty.

Sesame Salmon with Broccoli and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

2 salmon fillets

6 spring onions, each cut into 3 pieces

12 cherry tomatoes

200g tender stem broccoli

2Tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp sesame seeds

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Drizzle the olive oil on a large baking sheet, and place the salmon, spring onions and cherries onto the it. Cook for 8 minutes.

Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes. Then drain.

Add the broccoli to the baking sheet. Drizzle the soy sauce, and sesame oil over the fish. Scatter the sesame seeds. Bake for another 3 minutes.

Notes:

We didn't have sesame oil, therefore olive oil was substituted.

We had a tub of rice noodles to use up. The Beloved and the Offspring had noodles with their salmon.

Everyone said they would happily have this meal again.

This Week's Menu

 

Lunches:
S: smoked bacon salad
M: feta and melon salad
T: salmon and edamame bean salad
W: chicken salad
T: tuna salad
F: stilton and cranberry salad
S: (no idea yet!)

Dinners:
S: roast chicken with cauliflower cheese, and veggies
M: sesame salmon with broccoli and tomatoes
T: pecorino chicken
W: cheesy bacon butternut squash
T: hot chicken salad
F: stir fry cod with hoisin sauce
S: chicken breasts with lemon and garlic

And Breathe

 

My head is a great deal better today. I can think again!  There's still a little 'thickness', and a bit of pain at the head/spine area, I'm feeling good.  I've been looking at foods high in magnesium and realised I don't eat many of them. 

In addition to my horse-pills, I'll be increasing my intake of Mg-rich foods. My breakfast of  granola and natural yogurt can be enhanced by tossing in some roasted cashews and pumpkin seeds. Instead of a couple of clementines mid-afternoon, I'll have a banana.  Salmon will be  a more frequent item on the menu, as will spinach. These changes, along with supplements should hopefully start to rectify the problem.

This morning I learned one of the other symptoms of magnesium deficiency is high blood pressure. An increase in Mg may well help my BP to be A OK once more. 

Crash!

 

I forgot to take my horse-pill until I was almost asleep last night. My body would not co-operate, and would not rise from my partial slumber to trundle down the stairs to get the magnesium. This was a big, big, BIG mistake.

Today I am suffering. It's migraine time, and I can function at a superficial level. I won't be making that mistake again!

Tulips, Snowdrops and Bluebells

 

Whilst out walking Ava, I saw the most wonderful display of white tulips. I have decided to have white tulips, snowdrop and bluebells in my garden next year. It will be lovely to have a little patch of white and green, then followed by a riot of summer colour.

One place to buy white bluebells is at Farmer Gracy.

Even Happier

 

Wheeeee!  No headaches what so ever! I'm delighted!

Happy!

 

I am happy!  

The migraine has gone, but there is still a bit of low frequency throbbing from the tension headache. I'm feeling happy, and sunny, and so much better.

At work, I was speaking to a colleague who is a former nurse. I'd mentioned how much better I was feeling. I didn't think the magnesium tablet could have kicked in already, but that the placebo effect was wonderful. She explained magnesium can be processed very quickly, and she would expect the benefits to be from the Mg, and not placebo. Surprised and delighted, was I.

Head and Finger

A muscle at the base of middle finger decided it didn't like its normal position and spasmed. It took a fair bit of massage to get it back into its proper place. Then in the afternoon, a migraine started, and the finger decided to go its own way again. I'd been having tension headaches off and on last week.

Muscle spasms can be caused by a lack of magnesium. Coeliacs can have problems getting a proper about of essential minerals because of crappy gut absorption doodahs.

I started thinking, 'Perhaps I need some magnesium.' Then a stray memory waved at me from a distance - migraines and tension headaches can also have something to do with magnesium.

I've taken a huge horse-pill of magnesium. Hopefully it might make things a little better.

Covid and Luftwaffe to Blame

 

There have been delays to the new ferry terminal. As can be expected, when there are delays, there are also price increases. Covid is certainly a very understandable reason for delays. I was a little perplexed by the Luftwaffe also being to blame. After digging a little deeper, a few unexploded World War II bombs were found. Yup, a bomb or two can definitely cause delays.

Favourite Things

 

• Hugs from favourite people, especially when they haven't been hugged in a long time
• Blue skies and wispy, white, skudding clouds
• White chocolate
• Warm spring days
• Walks on the beach
• Bacon sandwiches
• Learning new things, be they words, languages, skills, recipes...
• Having people over to our home
• Crafting
• Writing
• Singing silly songs
• Getting just the right spot on the dog so she makes really derpy faces

Wild Flower Gardening

 

I've been inspired by councils and other authorities deciding to ditch grass verges and instead have wild flower meadow strips instead.

The Beloved and I have removed weeds from a flower bed. We've planted pansies, and I've sown poppies and a wild flower seed mix. The bed is looking better than it did this morning, and hopefully, it will be in bloom in a few weeks times. I'm fully expecting the pansies to be overshadowed by the taller wild flowers, but they will be pretty until they start growing.

Next year, I'm hoping to plant a cottage garden. The aim is to have riot of colour, with very little maintenance.

Fabulous Day

We've had a lovely day today. In the morning, there was Shut Up and Write. Afterwards, we sat and chatted for a while. Then the Beloved, the Offspring, Ava the dog, Magdalena and I sauntered around to the Creperie. 

The food was wonderful. Three of us had variations on goat's cheese galettes. The lovely Livia asked if Ava might like a cheese and ham galette. We assured her this would be most welcome. Livia was a little sad when Ava didn't tuck into it right away. I broke it into pieces, and saw the steam escaping. Too hot for a pooch.   When Livia returned, Ava's plate was clean, and she licked her lips at her. I explained this meant she was thanking the chef for a delicious meal.

This is most definitely somewhere we need to visit again.

Crosh Cuirn

The information here has been edited from a description of a Crosh Cuirn at the Manx Museum. I'll be including a mention of a crosh cuirn in the story of Honey Hill Farm.

A crosh cuirn is a traditional Manx protective charm, often hung above doorways to prevent evil spirits from entering homes on May eve. It is a wooden cross, made from twigs of mountain ash (rowan) bound together with sheep's wool gathered from the hedgerows. The rowan tree was seen as having magical powers which made it a powerful charm against evil spirits, but only if broken by hand and not cut with a knife.

Traditionally at May eve (the beginning of summer and end of winter), crosh cuirns would be placed over the doors of cottages and cowsheds to stop evil spirits from entering. They would also be tied to the tails of cattle, to stop the cattle being bewitched. 

Most people no longer believe in ill-spirits and witches being about on May eve, but many still put up crosh cuirns every year. It is probably fair to say that they are now seen as a symbol of Manx cultural identity, rather than anything else.

Re-starting 100 Days

 

The 100 Days challenge slipped by un-noticed. My mind was focused on re-opening the shop, getting the VAT returns in, stock taking and other end of financial year stuff. 

I don't know how many days I had managed to do, but it definitely made a difference. In the past, I might well have thrown up my hands and said "Another project on which I failed to deliver." Whilst it is true, there are no real consequences to stumbling in the 100 Days. It just delays the completion of the book. Another reaction might have been that if I couldn't do it perfectly first time, then I never would, and it would be best to give up.  But not this time. This time, I'm simply going to say the previous attempt was a practise, and now I'm ready to go.

The first of May, the first day of summer, is the first day of my 100 Days. 

I Am Relieved

We've just heard the Government press briefing. Despite a few new cases of Covid, and one of unknown source, we are not heading back into lockdown. Ninety four percent of the most vulnerable people have been vaccinated, and seventy percent of adults have received at least one vaccination.

I'm so relieved!  

I'm also relieved money is flowing into the business account. On Saturday morning, I'll need to take a trip to the bank to deposit money.

We're reached a lovely number. Seventy percent of adults have received their first vaccination. This figure has been reached before the younger adults have been invited to book appointments. I very much hope the figure continues to grow, and as many as are able to receive, do.

100 Days of Writing

That's 7 days of writing done. The goal is a minimum of 10 minutes each day. It's not turning out that way. The least amount of time I have spent is 25 minutes. Most days, it's closer to an hour.

My pen is making marks on paper, very little, probably none of it, is finished prose. I'm doing research, fleshing out characters, plotting the timeline, adding dates, and dreaming up new ideas. 

When I was only writing on a Saturday, it felt rather disjointed, and I'd have to cudgel my brain into remembering where I had reached. It's much less effort this way, and of course, progress is being made at a much quicker rate.

Buttons!

Over the weekend, the Beloved and I have counted loads of buttons from the shop. Between us, it came in at 8 hours of work.  I've seen buttons I didn't know we had.  But I'm now a little sick of buttons.

A Trip to the Beach

It was glorious. The sun was shining, the water was so blue, and all my cares melted away. I love going for walks beside the sea. 

There might also have been an ice cream too. 

Maternity Care

I hadn't quite realised how often The Jane would feature in my story. The Jane Crookalll Maternity Unit opened in 1939, and then closed in 1992. Maternity services moved a little way along the road to Nobles Hospital. It moved again in 2003 when the new Nobles Hospital was build.

There was a statue of a stork on the roof of The Jane. The rumour was if you turned and saw the stork when you were leaving, you would be back within the year.

If a mother needed a C-section, she was moved to Nobles Hospital for the operation. In my mind this equated with loading the mother onto a trolley and pushing her along the road. Apparently, they used to use ambulances for patient transfers.

The Protagonist's Parents

The goal was to write, research, and plan the novel for at least 10 minutes for the next 100 days. This evening's '10 minutes' lasted 70!

Yesterday and today, I've been writing out character sheets for the protagonist's parents. A while back, I had realised I'd fallen into the Disney trap - kill off the parents to make it easier for the protagonist to move unencumbered. Instead, the parents are working half way around the world. They love their daughter, and are in regular contact.

The 100 Day Project

The 100 Day Project is a free, global art project. The idea is simple: choose a creative project, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process online.

Most people started on the 8th of January this year. I'm starting today.

My plan is to commit to a minimum of 10 minutes of work on my novel each day for 100 days. This should propel it along a bit further than just 1 hour on a Saturday.

-----

That's my first day done. Whilst waiting for dinner to be cook, I started working on the character of the protagonist's dad. He is Dr Richard James Quayle. Tomorrow is the turn of the protagonist' mam, Susan Quayle, nee Cowin.

Migraine

Migraines are rather weird things. One came over me yesterday. At 5pm, I was pretty much fine, by 5.45pm,  I was concerned I was going to be able to stand. Thankfully at that point I was right beside the car, and was able to hang on to it. The Beloved bundled me in, and drove me home.  

Driving into the sunshine brought pain.  The Beloved  dropped the sun visor, and that was useful. Then I had a brainwave, I could wear my face mask over my eyes. By wearing it upside down it covered eyes, nose and mouth.

A rather interesting thought came to me at one point, I was still able to think, but didn't have the ability to translate these thoughts into words. 

A couple of years ago, a migraine suddenly descended upon me whilst shopping. The supermarket has an in-store pharmacy. The Beloved took me to the pharmacy and asked for migraine medication. The pharmacist wanted me to take paracetamol as a first stage. I disagreed, and tried to explain what I needed. During this time, I was sitting slumped in a chair, eyes tight shut against the bright lights. My words were very few, and rather slurred. That's when I wondered if I might be able to bi-pass words, and use signs. This worked, and The Beloved translated my signs to the pharmacist. 

After a lot of dithering, he agreed to give me the drugs I needed. The Beloved went to finish the grocery shopping; I remained in the seat. In the 15 minutes it took him to return my symptoms had reduced to the point I was able to speak again.  I asked for the pharmacist, and purposefully choosing multi-clausal, polysyllabic words and phrases thanked him for his care. I also let him know I was off to bed, and would sleep for about 2 hours, and would then be fine once more. The look on his face was priceless. It's not often people get to see how quickly the correct medication works.

Wildflower Verges

In Rotterdam, they started sowing wildflower seeds in the city. It was beautiful, and brought a much needed boost to insects, and especially bees.  Various areas have followed suit, and former grass verges have sprouted fantastic colours.

I've decided to join the throng, and sow wildflower seeds in my front garden. There's an oval planting area, currently with a few weeds. These will be dealt with. Pansies will be planted, Then wildflowers and poppies will be sown. 

There's a potted fuchsia in the back garden. Perhaps I'll add it into the mix.  I'm hoping for a riot of colour this summer. 

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Well! That explains a great deal.

Over the last few days I started coughing, and become a bit breathless. I look my inhaler at 3pm, and just a few minutes ago, and there was no relief, none at all. I check the inhaler, and it's all out of nice lung calming medicine. No wonder it wasn't working!

Being a vaguely sensible person, I have spare inhaler in the sitting room (and a second one at work). Two little puffs later, and I can breathe again.

Breathing is nice. I recommend it. Do it.

Death By Baptism

There are times when I have very vivid dreams. They might be contact poison slugs, or baby hedgehogs loose on the floor, but my best dream of recent years can best be described as 'Death By Baptism'.

-----

The scene is a medieval town. There are cobbled streets and crocked buildings, and strange, unexplained deaths. During the day, the streets are quiet, but at night very pale individuals can be seen.

The town has been having problems with vampires for a few years, but now, there is a new wave of vampire attacks. They aren't just killing for food, or pleasure, but instead, they are recruiting.

Whilst wandering the empty streets on a pleasant, sunny afternoon, I bump into Rupert Giles. (It turns out Rupert isn't his real name, it's Jason Giles. He changed it a while back because he thought Rupert sounded more dignified.)

We start talking about strange occurrences, and fail to realise just how the light levels have dropped. We are entering twilight, and the undead are becoming restless. Rupert steals a car, and we get in, a tactical retreat is demanded. Rupert shouts, "No seat belts today. If you are going to die, die properly."

We bounce along the cobbled streets with a growing army of vampires behind us. The car can't handle the cobbles, and a hill. It splutters and dies. The vampires are gaining, and we desperately need a safe place to spend the night. One door is open, just a crack. We duck into the house, and try to bar it behind us.

The old rule of vampires needing to be invited in to a building no longer seems to apply! There's major shuffle as are followed into the house. Later we find that this is the place where a new breed of vampires is being created and so naturally they don't need permission to re-enter their home! 

We learn various techniques in how to despatch a vampire when your stakes have been destroyed and only wooden lollypop sticks remain. I declare my longing for  chopsticks, but then puzzled over whether they would work as bamboo is a grass, not a tree. Can you get wood from a grass, or can it only come from a tree?!

But back to wooden lolly sticks... stab the vampire with a long bladed kitchen knife. This will first cause shock at being stabbed, then mirth at it being a stabbing rather than a staking. Whist there's laughter slide the wooden lolly sticks along the blade of the knife, then quickly remove the knife. This leaves only the wooden sticks in the heart and the vampire becomes dust. 

Things get a tad tricky when you are dealing with an off-world vampire from Gallifrey. Thankfully the time vampire wasn't too bright and ventured for the information 'two hearts' . That one took multiple starlings to find both hearts. 

In the calm in the eye of the storm people found their way to the house on the hill and plans were drawn up. Of one group were very gentle preachers. They did not want to engage with violence of staking. Thankfully there is a toy shop in the village, and there is a range of super-soaker water pistols, well more like assault rifles with a backpack water supply. 

The preachers blessed the water,  and we head out onto the mean streets for a bit of preaching to the heathen vampires and also some baptisms. 

It was at this point I woke up. Lucid dreaming is something I can often do. It might be the right time to see if I can slip back into a world where death-by-baptism is a thing, along with lolly stick stakings. 

I'll let you know how it goes. However if you see me and I smile not at you, but your jugular, be a tad wary.

Big Boat, Big Money

Sailing Yacht A, the largest sailing boat in the world is currently in Douglas Bay. It's a wee bit big. Here's what it looks like against the Tower of Refuge, and also with a smaller yacht.This boat cost over £300 million to buy.

One of the games the Beloved and I play is 'What would you do if someone gave you X amount of money?" My first purchases are almost always the same, 3 pairs of shoes made to fit me perfectly. Then I stray into such areas as paying off the mortgage, buying houses for our children, and renovating our house.

Currently my next impulse would be to choose some Manx charities, and top up their incomes to compensate for the dip caused by Covid. Then look at local businesses that have been hit hard.

I'd also like to look at buying larger commercial premises - somewhere with good parking, on the major bus routes. It would have a much larger shop floor, a space for lessons and tutorials, a huge storage area.

There are many other things I would do with that amount of money. But, it ain't mine, and it isn't likely to ever be mine.

No Buy March

 

At the start of March, I decided not to buy anything except for consumables, and presents. I would not worry about emergencies. If one came along, it would be dealt with. 

My No Buy March was great success. Nothing bar consumables and presents were bought. This, along with lockdown, resulted in £500 less being spent in that month. To help keep track of things, I kept a record of things I wanted to buy... 'wanted' is not the right word.... things I was considering buying. The items I decided to buy are new socks, a fitted sheet, a glass jug (to replace one that broke), and a leak-proof bowl (so I can pack my breakfast and eat it at work). After chatting with the Beloved, we decided to buy a new mattress.

On my last birthday, I decided not to buy any new clothes (unless it was an emergency), apart from underwear. There was a wibble at Christmas, and I bought a dress and wrap. Two items in nine months, not bad.

Covid Update

We are starting to make tentative steps out of lockdown. At the weekend, we were able to meet with friends and family outside. Garden centres have now been allowed to open, and there has been easing on the restrictions builders face. Little by little, we are edging out way out. 

Next week, schools will re-open for students who are taking assessments for grades, and for the children of key workers. It is hoped all children will be able to return the week after that, and also that shops will be able to re-open.

Some interesting vaccination statistics have come to light. 90% of the 45,000 people in the Phase One group have had at least one vaccination, with 15,000 having had both. By the end of April, almost every adult who wants will have had their first vaccination. By the end of June, everyone (who wants) in Phase One group will have had both injections, and July for the rest of the population. Hopefully by that point the vaccines will have been deemed safe for use with children toon.

Caramelised Onion and Camembert Pastry

 

A very simple recipe. Take some home made gravy, and add it to some sliced onions. Caramelise over a low heat until the onions are beautifully brown and delicious. Set to one side and allow to cool a little. Cut the Camembert into cubes, and unroll the pastry onto a baking sheet.  Spread the onions onto the pastry and top with cheese. Bake at 200C until the cheese has melted and the pastry has been cooked.

It was good, very good. 

However, it could be better. The pastry puffed up at the corners and sent the cheese running into the middle. I'm going to make this again, but instead of putting toppings on a sheet of pastry, I'm going to first make vol-au-vent cases. The hot onions will be added to the cases, and topped with cheese.

"Leftovers" Blanket

 

Way, way back in the mists of time, I was making loads of hats from chunky yarn, I decided to crochet a blanket to use up the ends of balls. It sounded such a great idea, and an excellent way to force myself into random. But the problem is, I don't actually like random. I like pseudo-random.

I was crocheting away, using the hook I had on hand. Some questionable yarns were included in the blanket, and well, I wasn't liking it. I decided to restrict it to cream-white through to dark grey, greens and purples. This was way better. However, there was a problem with my tension, caused by using the wrong hook.

Boring story cut short, I'm frogging the blanket and re-working on a better hook, and eliminating a few yarns that crept in.  It's looking so much better!

Afternoon Tea in the Garden

 

The Covid restrictions have been eased slightly, and up to ten people are able to gather outside, provided  people from different households remain at a distance. This afternoon, Cat came round, and we had tea in the garden. 

It was blissful, utterly blissful. We haven't had anyone round for three months, and it's been wonderful to sit and chat.  We were wrapped in blankets as it was a little chilly. But, I'm looking forward to Tea in the Garden many other times this year. 

Bye Bye DVDs

 

More DVDs have been decluttered. One of the cupboard in the sideboard is now free of DVDs. This is going to be used for jigsaws instead.

As I was choosing which DVDs to keep, I started thinking about the last time I played them.  I know we haven't used the television and DVD player this year. Part of me is thinking that if we don't use them in the next year, then perhaps we don't need the television, DVD player, or the DVDs. But that's a bit too advanced thinking for the rest of the family.

There's one section of DVDs we haven't yet looked at, the box sets. Many of the films and television program DVD we have said goodbye to are readily available online. I wonder about the box set ones, are these available. If they are, do we need to keep the physical copies if we can use download them as needed.

A Spring Declutter

 

The Spring Declutter has begun!  And I'm feeling great.

Today, I'm in the sitting room. Half of the DVDs stored in the coffee table have been checked, and the ones we no longer want to keep have been boxed up ready for donation once the charity shops re-open. One (of four) drawers in the sideboard have been decluttered. 

A Holiday!

 

I am so looking forward to my Easter holidays!  Some of us as still working during lockdown, and having time off is incredibly important.

There's grand, high, wonderful plans. There's decluttering to be done, cleaning and tidying.  There's craft stuff, and baking.  It's going to be great.

An Unsatisfactory Day

It feels like I have spent time flitting from one thing to another, and haven't settled on anything. Consequently, very little has been achieved today.

There have been to little 'wins'. I made a couple of face masks, and received two deliveries for the shop. I 'finished' at 3pm, and it feels like I have an afternoon off!

Tomorrow, I shall make a list, and choose the top three items that must be done, and make a start on some of the rest. (It's so weird being in the shop by myself!)

The Day Before Lockdown 2.0

 

It has been a crazy 24 hours! The Isle of Man is returning to lockdown at midnight. We had so many people coming to the shop to buy supplies for masks, and just to keep themselves busy over the next 3 weeks. 

We haven't been asked to engage in social distancing prior to the lockdown, but many business have already started doing so. I was in the shop at 8am, putting up signs moving some things around so could make it as safe as possible for the staff and customers.  We were only allowing 2-3 customers in the shop at any one time, and using a one-way system. The first customers arrived at 8.45. I rang the Beloved for help at 9.45 (to deal with the telephone), and it wasn't until almost midday I was able to stop to draw breath. The Beloved and the staff are all most fantastically wonderful!

Due to the very robust border policies put in place by our government, we have enjoyed unparalled levels of freedom over the last 6 months. The island had been Covid-free for months. When the border were softened a little, and Manx residents were allowed to leave and return, people required to self-isolate for 14 days. This has worked so well for quite some time. People were returning to the island with Covid, but they were keeping it to themselves. Only a couple of people needed hospital treatment, the rest were able to remain at home.

At the end of December, it was found that 14 days wasn't enough, and on the 23rd of December, new measures were put in place. Testing was required on the 1st, and 13th day, or people could isolate for 21 days. Since then testing on the 6th day has been introduced too.

But despite these measures, this nasty virus has escaped into the community. The borders have been closed, apart form dire need, and from midnight we enter lockdown.

The former owner was not able to offer a collection/delivery service during the pervious lockdown, but I hope to be able to provide on, just to keep things ticking over.

Dog Biscuits

One of Sue's friends makes rather fantastic dog biscuits. Ava loves them. I've asked a few times for the recipe, but as yet nothing has been forthcoming. The label had a list of ingredients, and I've searched for a suitable recipe. This is one that seemed to be almost there, and I've tweaked it a bit.

Ava has declared the spiced treats are very acceptable.

Ingredients
310g flour (I used gluten-free) (plus 3 rounded tablespoons)
60g porridge oats (plus 4 rounded tablespoons)
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

good pinch of black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
175g treacle
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water (if needed)

Method
Preheat oven to 170C. Lightly grease baking trays.

Place all the dry ingredients in to a large mixing bowl and stir. Add the eggs, treacle and oil to the dry ingredients, mix until well blended. Add the water if needed. Mix until smooth.

Either roll the dough to 5mm thickness, and cut into shapes, or form into balls, and squish them flat (about 5mm). If rolling, used a very well-floured board, if making squished balls, dampen your hands with water to help the balls not to stick.

Bake for 30 minutes. Thurn off the oven, but leave the biscuits in to crisp up for a further 30 minutes.

Notes

The dough created was far, far, far too wet! I added 4 rounded tablespoons of oats and 3 of flour.  I couldn't give the weight in grams as my kitchen scales were wet.

Good Habits - A Small Beginning

One of my tendencies is to leap in with both feet, both hands, well.. everything. This is not the way to create good, long-lasting habits. 

There's a couple of ways to make new habits, and to get them to stick. 

1. Make small changes.

2. Tie the new habit into something you already do.

3. Don't make it a matter of will power.

On Christmas Day, I decided the small table beside my chair was far too cluttered. I cleared it off, apart from  some herbal tea, a coaster, and my laptop. I've been doing it now for 9 days. This prevents the table becoming too great a mess during the day, and it reverts to its 'base state' each evening. 

I've also been laying out my clothes for the morning too. It's felt good waking and not having to think about clothes. It will make work mornings especially easy.  To help with creating easy mornings, I've added in a new habit: remove soup/lunch from freezer the night before. This will give the food a decent time to defrost, ready either for heating, or to be packed in our lunch boxes. 

Decluttering - Hot Drinks

 

In a previous round of decluttering and re-organising, we decluttered, and transferred the remaining items from the kitchen junk drawers (yes, there were two) into the top drawer of the set of drawers where I keep my candle and soap making supplies. This left two empty drawers in the kitchen. These were then turned into storage for teas, coffees and hot chocolate. It's right beside the kettle, the teapot, mugs, and an arm's reach from the fridge. These two drawers have now been decluttered, cleaned and tidied.

The baking cupboard, and the herbs & spices have also been done.

It's great walking into the kitchen and seeing the difference. It is so much tidier! I love it.

Decluttering - Old Kitchen Cupboard

 

An old, heavy, wooden wall cupboard has been removed, and it has been replaced by a set of metal wire shelves. There is more usable space, AND I can reach everything!

Another decluttering task have been ridding the fridge of unmentionables. Decluttering, cleaning and tidying has happened in the sink area, the pantry, the cutlery drawer, and the wooden implements drawer. The kitchen is looking a great deal tidier, cleaner, and also a bit bigger. I'm delighted by how little food had to be thrown out.

New Year Goals and Aims

Goals

1. Lose 50lbs this year

2. Declutter

3. Adopt good habits

Aims

1. Find a good work/life balance

I'm not too sure what a good work/life balance is, but I'm sure it has something to do with being able to spend more time crafting, and having a tidier house.

What's New?

 

Life suddenly became a little more exciting and complicated. My boss asked me if I might be interested in buying the business! The answer was 'Yes!' The second answer was 'Let me try to get the funds sorted'.

There was (and is) so much to learn! I've gone from working 20 hours each week to 45-50. It's not surprising the blog has suffered. But there are plans.

Happy Hop Tu Naa!

I saw this last year, and wanted to save it.

A friend told me, "It is important to eat locals." When I asked "Is it?" She answered, "Yes, it cuts down on the food miles. … Unless you chomp on a tourist by accident."

So there you go. Eat locals. Be wary of tourists masquerading as locals as it will bump up your food miles.

Project Clean Up

My role is changing at work, and my hours are slowly getting longer. With this in mind, we (as a family) have chatted about changed needed at home. 

We're trialing a system where we all do one hour of cleaning and tidying at the weekend, and 15 minutes each days. The people who don't make dinner are responsible for washing up, drying the dishes and tidying the kitchen. Thankfully none of us are terribly messy cooks. 

The sitting room is looking so much better. The windows have been cleaned, the floor vacuumed/swept, everything dusted, my crafting stuff sorted, chairs cleaned of dog hairs, and the bin emptied. 

In the kitchen all appliances, apart from the kettle, microwave and coffee maker have been put away. The cooker cleaned, and also the work surfaces.  Dishes have been wash, dried and put away.

No area is perfect, but there is a significant improvement.

50 Character Building Questions

My poor little blog has been neglected very badly. I've been focusing my attention on writing "Jenny and The Bobs", and also on work. 

Yesterday, I came across this fabulous list from Ginny Di on youtube. I've been using it to flesh out various characters. It feels like the novel has taken a huge leap forward, and the characters feel real! Several new scenes popped into being as I was answering the questions.

1. Are you a morning person or more of a night owl?
2. What’s the first thing you notice about a person when you meet them?
3. You see a huge spider in your room. What do you do?
4. If you could go back and change one decision you made in the past, what would you change?
5. Tell me about your first kiss.
6. Do you give people second chances?
7. Are you a cat person or a dog person?
8. Do you think you’re attractive?
9. What’s your worst habit?
10. When was the last time you cried?
11. Are you a good liar?
12. What’s your biggest pet peeve?
13. Have you ever had your heart broken?
14. Are you more likely to use your fists or your words in an argument?
15. What’s something you’re naturally good at?
16. What’s something you had to work hard to be good at?
17. Can you tell when someone is flirting with you?
18. Do you think money can buy happiness?
19. Do you believe in destiny?
20. Are you a good cook?
21. What do you think happens after you die?
22. Did you have to grow up fast?
23. Who do you look up to?
24. When you go to a tavern, what do you order?
25. What do you like most about yourself?
26. What do you like least about yourself?
27. Do you want kids someday?
28. Are you a planner, or more spontaneous?
29. Can you keep a secret?
30. Do you like being the center of attention?
31. If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?
32. Do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?
33. Where do you feel safe?
34. Do you love or hate being alone?
35. What’s the last nightmare you remember having?
36. Do you admit to mistakes when you make them?
37. Do you want to grow up to be like your parents?
38. How do you deal with being sick? Are you stoic, or super whiny?
39. What did your parents expect from you when you were born?
40. Do you have a strong sense of style?
41. Would you rather camp outdoors or stay the night in an inn?
42. Is there a food that most people like that you absolutely hate?
43. Are you more of a hoarder or a minimalist?
44. Are you superstitious?
45. Are you the kind of person who remembers people’s birthdays and pets’ names and stuff?
46. What do you do to feel better when you’re sad?
47. Is it hard for you to trust someone?
48. Are you susceptible to peer pressure?
49. If you decided to stop adventuring and settle down, what kind of job would you take?
50. As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Some Say...

Some say he sleeps upside down. Some say his boots are made from tyres left in the TT pit lane. Some say he knows 17 words for rain. All we know is he's called the RPU Stig.

In researching this story I've been asking many questions of many people. This evening, after crafting group, a police officer came into the cafe. I asked if I might ask some questions. There are times each year when applications are invited from UK police officers who would like to transfer across to the Island. These officers are first sent out on patrol to become acquainted with the Island. If the officers have specialist training, like Stig from the Road Policing Unit, they will be slotted into jobs as openings arise. There is no standard time period. It all depends on the individual and the roles that need to be filled. This is all useful for my story.

Sophie, one of the crafters, had told me a bit about casinos. This week she mentioned some casinos give new members a £10. If this £10 token was placed on a roulette table, and won, and then left again, and won again, this would mean the person had won almost £13,000 in two spins of the wheel.

I'm loving that people are now advancing ideas and additional pieces of information.

Honey Hill Farm

This morning, we took a jaunt up to Honey Hill Farm. It was rather glorious. 

Ava had a fabulous time finding all the sniffs, plants she could nibble on, and she stop numerous time to sample the water flowing down the lane. 

I now have a far better idea of where Jenny Quayle is going to be living, and an idea of where Uncle Bob lives too.

August 2020 Goals

My three goals for August are:

o use my bullet journal each day

o exercise at least 20 days

o finish making my cardigan