Hectic

I have been a bit remiss on this blog just lately, but in my defence I have had other things on the go.

I remember my Uncle Ted, years ago and about a year into his retirement, saying he wondered how he ever found the time to go to work, and I know how he feels.

Even though I only work part time, just lately I have struggled to fit in all the things that I get up to, I am hoping that after Naomi's wedding next week I can get back to some sort of order.

Hopefully they will have a great day, with a bit of warmth and no rain, and by this time next week things  will be starting to settle down. At that point, normal service may be resumed. In all likelihood however, some other stuff will happen. At least its never boring.

I've just spell-checked this post, and the only word it highlighted was "blog"?

Huge Excitement

As I have posted on "Well Bread" I am making my first commercial loaves for Oats this weekend,while I was doing that I made a batch of Ciabatta for myself,

and also a Cheese and Bacon pasta bake for tonight.


Basically, just a load of bacon offcuts (frugal) fried and mixed into a cheese sauce. Part cooked pasta is added, and this will finish off cooking whilst the dish warms in the oven. I will cook this at the same time as my white loaf tonight.

Hopefullly I can finish the bread off tomorrow without too much of a panic, and deliver it on Monday.

More Snow

Sunday Morning and I can’t believe that it’s Totnes Good Food Sunday again so soon. That's a chance to stock up on some goodies! Check it out http://totnesgoodfood.co.uk/

Not only that, but it’s been snowing overnight, and I went downstairs this morning to find that we had had a power cut sometime during the night and the digital clocks that seem to be on everything were blinking at me.

Naturally, I have just planted lots of things out in the garden, lulled by the warmish weather of the last few days, Broad Beans, Early Potatoes and some winter salad leaves. They will have to keep their heads down, fortunately nature is much better at surviving a bit of cold than we give her credit for, so I expect that most of them will be okay.

 

Walking the dogs this morning, in swirling snow and slush streaked streets; I remembered that when we moved down here three years ago, one of the neighbours said “It never snows in Brixham”. Now I grew up here and was sure that it had back then, but I assumed that she referred to the recent past. Well it HAS snowed here every year so far, Dec 2010, several times in the winter 2011/12 and at least three times in the last fortnight.

But I still wouldn’t be anywhere else.

Georgina came down with me after I worked last Sunday, to collect her car and chill for a couple of days. It snowed then, as we approached Newton Abbot on the A380, and after 40 degree heat in Australia she was not impressed.

We had a good time before she went to Nottingham to see her big sister, Salmon with shallot chutney and an old fashioned roast were the highlights.

We also had a very breezy walk with the dogs along the cliff path, watching the seas below. Definitely not a beach day.

 

We went to Fermoys Garden centre last week, there was a 2 for 1 offer on their amazing breakfast, for £5.95 we both had a mega plateful of local goodness with coffee, and filled up with compost and other bits and pieces for all the warm weather gardening that I was about to do.

There is a butchers as part of the centre, one of the Gerald David chain we have down here, although they do mail order. http://www.geralddavid.co.uk/

I was browsing, having brought some Chicken, and found whole racks of spare ribs for £3.99 each! I brought one and took it out to the car, "What have you got there" asked Yvonne, and when I showed her she suggested getting another for the freezer, Naomi and Eamon will be down later and that would go nicely.

So the housekeeping took a bit of a hit, but when it gets to BBQ time, you can never find the things, unless they are pre-coated in some muck that tastes vaguely of sugar. And certainly not that size for £3.99.

George is back in England, although it wasn’t easy for her.

She had a 17 hour bus ride from Barkley to Darwin, and lost her phone on the way. Arriving in Darwin, she couldn’t contact anyone, but went to a friend’s place. Her phone has been located and returned to Barkley.

Then (and this is the Ooops bit) she got 0250 and 1450 mixed up, and so missed her flight by 12 hours!

Anyway, she managed to re-book her flights for minimal extra costs, and arrived at 0500 (not 1700) today, meaning that Naomi had to change shifts to pick her up. It was nice to hear her voice and know that she is not so far away, at least for a few weeks. I’m going to pop in and see her at Naomi’s tomorrow, and then bring her down to sunny Devon on Sunday, so she can collect her car.

I got a couple of good photos last Sunday at work,

Sunrise over Purfleet

Dartford Bridge

 

 

but other than that, there is little to report, I have been busy setting up Well Bread! Now I’m just waiting for permission to use my kitchen as a place of business. More on the other blog.

Next week I am going to venture to a writers café in Totnes, to see if I can get any tips on developing my skills, the inspiration is sadly missing at the moment, but it seems to go like that, I had a couple of days last week where I wrote several thousand words, some of which got edited but a few were useful.

I can’t believe that it’s only a month till Naomi’s wedding, I have the speech written, and have been measured for the suit.

George’s arrival has co-incided with the first rain we have had for quite a while, and she says its 30 degrees colder here, and I was just thinking that it was warming up.

Big News.

 

 

As you may have noticed, there is a new link at the side of this blog, if you have the time to take a glance, you will find details of my new venture, or at least potential venture. I may be turning my bread baking hobby into a more commercial operation.

I have felt in a state of flux for quite a time, I don't know how to explain it but since our move to Devon, there is a definite shift in my (our) thinking.

There is something in the air round here, because both of us are becoming more creative, Yvonne with her cards and jewellery, and me with the cooking and writing.

And time seems to have sped up; it can’t be two weeks since my last post, can it?

And there is even a hint of spring in the air, apart from the daffodils there is a tinge of green in the hedgerows.

I have now planted out my First Early potatoes, and have the next lot sprouting on the windowsill;

They will go in in about three weeks. Then we should have potatoes from May to July. Last year they got washed away, the ones I salvaged were tasty, but a lot fewer than I had hoped. Maybe this year will be better. I also put some broad bean seeds in. No pictures of that, as a pot full of soil is not really exciting.

There was a Groupon offer a couple of weeks ago for a meat box from the Well Hung Meat Company. They are just up the road from us here, and to be honest, I have NEVER tasted such quality. http://www.wellhungmeat.com/

 

I cooked the Brisket joint in gravy for nearly four hours, I had to use the tagine, it was the only thing deep enough.

 

It was well worth it. And I will order again.

I brought some forced rhubarb, it was expensive, But I get a lot out of it, First I made wine,

 

and then used the pulp with apple and Blackberries from the freezer to make a crumble, which we had over three days.

 

More well hung meat, this time the mince in a cottage pie.

 

And finally, here is Yvonne, in Totnes, by a rather appropriate sign,