Thursday, 8 June 2023
Keep Smiling Through...
Wednesday, 7 June 2023
Jam Tomorrow, And Jam Yesterday...
- Put a dollop of chutney or pickle into your casseroles to give a bit of added oomph
- If you have a lot of jars of pickle/chutney each with just a spoonful or two in the bottom, then make a couple of River Cottage Brown Sauce. Recipe below.
- If you make your own sausage rolls, use Jamie's tip and mix a tbsp of pickle or chutney into the sausagemeat.
- Blitz mango chutney with cream cheese using a stick blender to make a dip for crudités
- Spread chutney/piccalilli/etc on toast before topping with cheese and grilling.
- Puree chutney with a little water for a ham glaze
- Cranberry Sauce is not just for turkeys! Use it in desserts too - a spoonful on top of vanilla ice cream, or as the topping on a sponge pud, or stirred into plain yogurt.
- A leftover jar of mincemeat will make a brilliant Belgian Cake
- Marmalade can glaze a ham beautifully
- Sieve out the peel and use marmalade in place of apricot jam for holding marzipan onto a fruit cake
- Marmalade adds a fresh citrus zing to simple sponge cakes [loads of ideas online]
- Top a sponge pudding with marmalade
- Use the end of a jar of jam in 'thumbprint' biscuits
- Swirl jam into homemade icecream
- Blitz jam with a banana and milk for a pink milkshake
Tuesday, 6 June 2023
MayDay To Whitsun
Over the weekend, my cross-country-collaboration package arrived from Kirsten. Having been unwell at the start of the month, she didn't get going as soon as she'd hoped. But her stitching is a great celebration of the month of May.
Monday, 5 June 2023
Voyage Of Discovery
Sunday, 4 June 2023
Forty Five Years Ago
Love is invincible facing danger and death. Passion laughs
at the terrors of hell. The fire of love stops at nothing— it sweeps everything
before it. Flood waters can’t drown love, torrents of rain can’t put it out.
Love can’t be bought, love can’t be sold— it’s not to be found in the
marketplace.
I am truly grateful to God for 45 years with this wonderful man who is more loving and patient as the years go by. Each day brings new joys, challenges and surprises - and faith, family and friends remain the cornerstones of our life together.
Saturday, 3 June 2023
Girls' Day Out
Friday, 2 June 2023
Drop Through The Letterbox
- A water mat, to place under a pot plant - supposed to keep it hydrated for a week, while you are on holiday
- 2 packets of Swell gel [plus money off coupons]
- A box of 'seed bombs' to plant wildflowers and bee friendly plants
- Various leaflets
Thursday, 1 June 2023
A New Page
Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Nuts In May
The Home Secretary tried to get out of doing a speed awareness course with other people, and that backfired rather. And four MPs [3 Tory, 1 SNP] claimed for their speeding fines on expenses!
Tuesday, 30 May 2023
Love Every Drop
I decided not to get into a discussion about sewage released into the rivers by the water companies.

- Do not pour fat down the kitchen sink [there's a free plate scraper in the kit, and a strainer for the plug-hole]
- Do not flush wipes down the loo.
- Spend less time in the shower [free timer in the kit]
Monday, 29 May 2023
House Work
For the May Cross-Country-Collaboration with Kirsten, I was not sure what to stitch. I felt that perhaps I should mark the Coronation, but I did the No Cross No Crown last month and didn't feel like another crown.
It seemed a good sentiment.
Sunday, 28 May 2023
Another Birthday
Saturday, 27 May 2023
That's My Girl!!
Friday, 26 May 2023
Not Just Four Candles!
He suggests keeping a list of freezer contents on your phone so you know what's in there when you are at the supermarket!
Thursday, 25 May 2023
The Virtuous Gardener
SAGE- wisdom is definitely something to aspire to