Thursday, 13 February 2025

Another Week

Hello Everyone…is it still February…I do hope so. As I begin to rise from my germ infested pit I can definitely see the stirrings of Spring, however I believe this to be a fools Spring. Winter hasn’t finished with us quite yet I fear.

Finally this morning, after various symptoms over the last three weeks I managed to speak to a Dr. Well as my Dr. who was too busy to see me yesterday kindly signed me a sick note but thought I needed to speak to the urgent care Dr. just in case. Apparently there is a nasty ‘thing’ going around which encompasses all the symptoms I’ve had, however some concern as I may have succumbed to Costchondritis like I did a couple of years ago. I have two different inhalers but only use them if I really need to. Turns out right now I do need to, so puff puff puff!

Such fun…then it got a whole lot better…last evening hubby was sick, and again during the night. I elected to sleep on the sofa…less coughing as well as hopefully avoiding the dreaded up chuck lurgy. He has risen this morning and so far has kept down four dry cream crackers and some water. I’ve been wiping over everything he could possibly have touched last evening. 

Must keep reminding myself  of the ‘in sickness and in health’ vow as he’s now snuggled on the sofa I’d already decided to sleep on again tonight, and is resting his head on the cushions. Nuff said!  

Little Dorrit has managed to grow a few more loaves of bread, in fact I’ve just knocked back the latest which will bake this evening. I’ve also started some tea-cakes, rather hoping these will be ready to toast on the fire later on.

So the day is grey, very grey, and very cold with one of those winds that cuts right through you, earlier I spotted a wren in the flower bed outside the kitchen window. I do hope she has somewhere warm to rest at night.




The tea cake recipe said to soak the fruit in boiled water for half an hour.




Made for a very sticky dough




Far too much fruit…there are clumps of it..
It was so messy I decided to only make 8 instead of 12 tea cakes.
 They are now having their second proving.

Life is only so exciting when you’ve been shut in for whatever seems like an eternity. Thinking hubby has now dozed off. 

Anyway, stay warm and well everyone.
Blessings J. x


Thursday, 6 February 2025

A New Someone In Our Cottage


 No we haven’t acquired a new pet, or adopted a child…Meet Little Dorrit…my sourdough starter.



Here she was a mere infant…since then she has grown many loaves of delicious bread, some Chelsea buns, chocolate brownies, pizza bases and today I’m trying some dumplings from her excess.



The first offspring from Little Dorrit




Went something like this…




Nearly gone then the next thing we knew…




Nothing but crumbs left…we did have the family from next door in I hasten to add!!




Very chocolatey, very squidgy brownies…delicious.




And finally the pizza we ate last evening.

In other news, and apart from being three sizes bigger than I was we have succumbed to the nasty lurgy here. It started last week with a real whopper of a headache, then progressed to a sore throat which felt like I’d swallowed a pinch of tin-tacks, next to arrive were the aches and shivers, along with the old faithful fatigue…but oh the best was yet to come. Let’s just say I was up and down the stairs A LOT for three days. Finally what seems much like a head cold has emerged. Blooming knackered just looking at the housework that needs doing. Thankfully work have been very understanding and pretty quickly suggested I didn’t attempt to get back this week. It was the right call. I’m off on annual leave next week so hopefully will have a good amount of time to recover. Even better hubby started with a headache the night before last…oh so the joy continues!

Put it this way I took out some beef skirt earlier intending to make stew..I didn’t have the strength to cut it up like normal, so in it went…two great lumps…beef casserole anyone?!
Eldest popped in a short while ago and commented on the lovely smell so maybe things will turn out alright in the end.

Hoping to stay awake long enough this afternoon to do some blog catch up reading.

Until next time, blessings, J. x