Monday, January 4

A week for staying indoors

Tuesday saw the first of our winter snow - just too late for us to have a white Christmas. Here in England, despite many Christmas cards and Christmas films featuring snowy scenes, it's fairly rare for us to have snow at Christmas. It's far more common for snow to arrive during the middle or end of winter. 
As it was we only really had a slight covering and, other than on the fields, that didn’t hang around for very long. It was Ruby's first experience of snow but there wasn't enough for it to register on her list of interesting things.
I really feel sorry for the birds when the weather is as cold as it has been. I am really amazed that such tiny creatures manage to keep warm enough to survive.
Rather than hunkering down somewhere sheltered, this wood pigeon fluffed up it’s feathers and chose one of the high points in the garden from which to oversee the comings and goings. At least he or she didn't choose to perch on Martyn's weather vane and disrupt the readings.
Blackbirds take advantage of the suet pellets that we pop on the bird table each morning but they also forage around amongst the leaves, under the trees and shrubs, for tasty morsels. As well as unfortunate minibeasts, they also find anything that the smaller birds  drop when dining at the feeders that hang in the tree.
The feeders were very busy catering for a flock, or more accurately speaking, a charm of goldfinches. The favourite feeder food for many of our feathered visitors is sunflower hearts. Whilst the feeding perches were all taken, others waited in the tree for their turn. Squabbles broke out if an impatient individual tried to nudge its way in.

The goldfinches were joined by one or two greenfinches and various tits dashed in to grab a bite when space allowed. They were too fast to photograph as they were in and off in the blink of an eye.

I wonder whether the birds will stick around during this year's RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Usually the birds get a tip off, maybe a tweet is sent out, and make themselves scarce on the day that we choose to count them. 

Other than watching the birds and trying to take half decent photos of them through the diamond leading of our besmirched windows, what else have I done to occupy my time?

We have braved the cold to take Ruby for a walk - we walk and she runs. Whilst we stick to the paths she likes to run in the muddy grass. What she doesn't like is having her legs and feet washed when she gets in. I often end up as wet as she is.

We were concerned that she would be frightened by the barrage of fireworks on New Year’s Eve. This year they seemed to go on from early evening to late at night but she more or less ignored them.
I topped up my Kindle library - I know many people prefer to stick to paper books but for the price of paper books you can buy three or more times the number of ebooks. With our bookshelves already full to overflowing, we just wouldn't have the space to accommodate more. It's also so convenient to 'go shopping' from the house at any time during the day or night and have books appear almost instantly on your device. I also like to think that I am cutting down on my use of paper. 

My latest read was The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley. This is the fifth book in her Seven Sisters series. I've enjoyed every one so far.

I don't like reading books straight after one another so I intersperse my reading with daily puzzles from an app on my iPad and a Jigsaw puzzle app. I do have actual jigsaw puzzles but it's convenient to have puzzles that I can do whilst curled up on the sofa and I can also make puzzles from my own photos.

Of course, there is the usual cooking to be done. Martyn and I share the cooking so it's good to have days off when my meals are placed on the table for me.

I used the red cabbage that we cut before Christmas to make a batch of coleslaw.
I used some of the savoy cabbage, cut at the same time, along with potatoes and carrots in a vegetable hash. I used stock, rather than water, to give the dish more flavour. You could mix and match various other vegetables in a similar way.
I also made a Mediterranean vegetable lasagne. Some of our onion and tomato sauce from the freezer went into this but I'm afraid that I bought most of the other ingredients so I did wonder whether I should mention it on a blog that is about home grown produce. I topped my version with a sprinkling of parmesan.

On a cookery related theme; I really used to hate using my previous garlic press so I thought that I'd share with you one of my favourite little kitchen gadgets.


It's more accurately a garlic crusher rather than a press. I hope the pictures are self explanatory. The clove of garlic is popped into the bottom half of the crusher. The top half is pushed on and the two halves are twisted a few times in opposite directions. Hey presto, the teeth crush the clove ready for use with little effort and the crusher, unlike my old garlic press, cleans really easily with just a swish in soapy water.

I'd be interested to know whether anyone else has a favourite mini gadget. I've a couple of others that I'll share in later posts.

To finish, I can't avoid mentioning the thing that is occupying so much of our collective minds at the moment. I'm guessing quite a lot of you are now in the new tier four restrictions. As I write this, here in Yorkshire we are still in tier three but I guess that could change within minutes but let's look on the positive side. The Oxford vaccine has now been approved in the UK so we now have two weapons in our arsenal with which to fight this scourge. The fact that this vaccine doesn't require storage at impossibly low temperatures means that it will be easier to distribute and the roll out is due to start immediately. I think thanks should be given to the scientists who have been working so hard on our behalf to achieve what was thought to be an impossible task. Now we all just have to wait for our phone call. On Twitter, a doctor asked if people would attend appointments at 2:30 a.m. if the vaccine was distributed 24 hours a day? Too right I would - the sooner the better!

‘Til them stay healthy, stay safe and keep smiling!


Copyright: Original post from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments http://glallotments.blogspot.co.uk/ author S Garrett

18 comments:

  1. That lasagne looks so good, as does the slaw. I agree about Kindle, it actually enables me to read more, especially now that the libraries are shut, when bookshelf space is at a premium. I am planning a book cull soon as I can.
    Two of my favourite kitchen gadgets are my potato ricer and my pastry making gadget that cuts the fat up effortlessly and without mess.

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    1. I have always rather fancied a potato ricer, Deborah but I don’t know whether we make enough mash to justify buying one. Is the pastry maker the gadget with all the wires arranged in a semi circle?
      I really don’t like parting with books. I did try to take some to the charity shop a while ago but they said they didn’t want any more as they were inundated by them

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  2. It sounds like you are keeping yourself busy. The good food just keeps coming. I like your garlic crusher. I guess I am not such a chef because I don't have any ?? small gadgets that I use. I just stumble along. Annie hates to have her feet wiped too. Sometimes she has to get into the shower to have her tummy washed, that is when I get soaked too. ha... I feel your pain. Enjoy the snow...

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    1. Rubys feet and legs were so muddy, Lisa that I had to carry her upstairs and pop her in the shower. She really doesn’t like being in the shower although she will explore it when there is no water running. It didn’t really help that my sister who was holding the showerhead for me managed to spray me over the top of my head whilst I was kneeling down washing Ruby’s legs.
      The snow wasn’t really here long enough or deep enough to actually be called real snow.

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  3. I have wondered about those garlic presses. They looked interesting. I'm still in search of the perfect juicer for my lemonade. We have had no restrictions. Our governor had said it is up to us to police ourselves. It is so frustrating. People come from everywhere and don't even try to wear masks. I hope you have a happy and healthy new year.

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    1. The garlic press is great, Bonnie I did wonder whether the prongs would break but they haven’t maybe you need to make sure that you buy one that’s quite substantial.

      Isn’t the virus as prevalent in your parts of the US.. it is frustrating when you see that people are just not taking the whole thing seriously.

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  4. As you said, things can change within minutes, and they have. Lockdown once more! I think the scientists have done marvellous getting a vaccine so soon but once again our government seem to be making a hash of things. Inconsistent advice, conflicting instructions, it's no wonder they've lost the confidence of the country. The snow last week didn't hang around long here either but the snowfall we had just after Christmas was here a while as it turned to ice, it was treacherous. I use a Kindle but I read 'proper' books too. I use the library or pick them up from the charity shop. Storage isn't a problem as it's very rare I keep a book, they all go back to the charity shop once I've read them.

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    1. It wasn’t really unexpected was it, Jo? It seemed obvious to me all along that the schools shouldn’t have gone back. I know how crowded my classroom was when I was teaching. After the holidays everyone always ended up with colds or tummy bugs. Infections spread like wildfire. I’m really glad to be out of all that.

      I’m so pleased that we can still bubble as prior to it’s introduction that was the hardest part of the first lockdown for me.

      Have the libraries continued during he virus as I would have thought passing paper around was not advisable. When I started teaching we weren’t allowed to send books home fo pupils who were ill. I guess I was brainwashed by this as I still don’t like secondhand books if I don’t know where the have come from.

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    2. My mum was like that, she'd never let me pick up a book or magazine in a doctor's surgery when I was little. The library closed during the first lockdown and didn't reopen until August, though that's my local one, other's did open sooner. When you return a book you place it in a box and it's left for 72 hours before the staff return it to your account for you. I've been ordering the books online so I just have to collect them but the library has been open for browsing with an excellent one way system. Again, I'm only talking about my local one here, I don't know what systems are in place in other libraries. It was closed again during the second lockdown so I expect it will be closed again now.

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  5. Can't get by without my potato ricer, big mash fans in my house! I also made a coleslaw recently using up a red cabbage, my dad grew it on his plot from seedlings I gave him. It's great that Ruby paid little attention to the fireworks, my dog isn't a fan. Karen

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    1. Another fan of the potato ricer, Karen.
      Ruby barked at the fireworks a couple of times but that was it. It must be awful if your dog is frightened by them as they seem to go on and on. I don’t understand why they have to be so loud. I always found the appeal to be visual

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  6. Thank goodness Ruby was ok re the fireworks. Mine hate them and stress and bark throughout. You had a little snow, I'm jealous, we haven't had a flake. I would like to see a covering this year. Love all the birds, they sure will be grateful. Who knew there was a puzzle app? Still enjoying your delicious meals, and what a fab garlic crusher, looking forward to seeing more of your gadgets! All I have is a blender. I'd have a vaccine at any time too, it's the way to go.xxx

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    1. Yes relief that Ruby took the fireworks in her stride as there was some really horrific bangs. It must be really difficult and upsetting if you have animals that hate the fireworks.
      There seems to be an app for just about anything, Dina.
      We enjoy watching the birds from the comfort of our own home but it’s full time job keeping them supplied.
      We have a blender too and the food processor which comes into its own when I am making coleslaw.
      The vaccine seems oh so near but again oh so very far away at the moment. Let’s hope things speed up! I must admit that this lockdown doesn’t look very much like the early lockdown from what I’ve seen so far. More retail outlets seem to be open and it’s quite busy still on the roads.

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    2. That was my reply, Dina. For some reason my iPad has started to default to Martyn’s account,

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  7. The snow here which arrived on the Monday Sue lingered and in fact there may still be the odd bit lurking in corners. I don't know how I would cope without my Kindle. It always has been great to take on holidays and since last March a lifesaver as I have not been able to get to the library and buying hardbacks/paperbacks can be expensive. Have relied a lot on Kindle deals which have also kept my reading group functioning online. A great fan of jigsaws too and Lucinda Riley books. My sleeve is ready and rolled up for the vaccine but think I still have a good wait ahead of me, although himself is included in the mid-February target 😀

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    1. It’s Martyn’s birthday tomorrow, Anna and he will just sneak into the February group, I’m just a few months younger and will miss it. I buy my Kindle books in batches of 10 which I wouldn’t do with books as the bookshop never had ten books that I wanted to buy. Buying Kindles online offers such a huge choice and you can spend just as much time as you like making your choices. I also like the way it makes suggestions on what you may like. The Dun Sister will be in my next batch,

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  8. I have been reading a lot in the last year too and my shelves are overflowing with paperbacks. I like Lucinda Riley too. We have snow here which is taking too long to clear. I don't like walking in these conditions as a few years ago I had a bad fall after slipping on compacted snow and ended up in hospital and metalwork in my wrist. I seem to have lost my confidence now when I walk out in snow

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    1. I don’t like walking on icy paths either, Margaret. I especially don’t like when on slopes and I haven’t broken anything so I can understand you losing confidence

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