Cooking

I have sometime off from work and I am doing the cooking.   It's not often that I cook a meal -  it's just the way our lives are arranged as Mr Milly is the househusband and cooks the meals.    So I have been taking stock of what tools and foods we have around us and how can we do things differently.  A few reasons for this,  the first is money - can we save a bit?  The second - as there is just the 2 of us to cook for now can we do things differently?  The third  - we have the Lottie now and want to use it to its full potential.  And finally we have lots of gadgets in the kitchen, I am a bit of a gadget lover - I don't think we really use them enough.

One of the bonuses of Google - there is an abundance of recipes and information at your fingers tips.  This week we have had a Steak and Mushroom pudding.  I love these types of puddings, but the hours of steaming and having to watch the pan really put me off.   But I discovered this week you can use a slow cooker to steam these puds -brilliant!  Make the pud - stick it in the slow cooker and forget it and no steam in the kitchen.   In fact there was so little steam I was sure it wasn;t going to work!!  It did and the result was lovely - the one pud was enough for 2 of us for 2 days - so very little cost.   Today there is a chicken in the slow cooker - dinner today and a pie tomorrow!

The bread machine has been out too - I'm trying some different recipes to see what comes out and some different flours and yeasts to see if cheaper ingredients make an acceptable loaf.  Mr Milly is usually the occasional bread maker in the house and he sticks strictly to the instructions and the recipes.  I'm not quite so strict and the results so far have been good and different.

The Lottie is managing itself nicely at the min,  the cauliflowers are looking a little loose which is not good for caulis - we will see how they end up.   Everything else is coming along fine and everyday something is different which is fascinating to see.    



Sunflowers are getting tall



The pumpkin is just starting to turn orange.



Teeny little butternut squashes are starting to appear



The Conversation

Hello, May I speak to Sabena please
Sabena Speaking
This is Mrs Milly for the local allotments,   I know this is probably silly, but I have received a letter from you inviting me to a prize giving evening for the allotments
Oh yes - are you from Plot 95?
Yes I am!  I'm phoning as I am sure there has been a mistake - you see mine is a new allotment plot, I've only had it since May
Do you have a little green shed and lots of painted signs on your plot?
Yes that's my plot. 
 Oh well it's right then!  The judges saw your plot when it was very overgrown when they started the judging - When they were walking round for the next judging they couldn't believe the difference and were really impressed!  And yes it is right - the award is for you!!
Oh that is brilliant - thank you very much!  I wanted to phone as I was sure there was a mistake
No there is no mistake - you won - you do sound very surprised!!

Gobsmacked would probably the better description!!   How brilliant is that - it's is confirmed - I'm the winner for our site!! 

May 2011



August 2011



Bok Boking

There has been plenty of Bok Boking to be heard in our garden recently.   Yesterday we decided it was time to sort out the chicken area and begin the preparations for the winter.    We have 2 chicken houses and runs,  one for the the Posh Girls and a smaller one for the ex battery hens.

Chicken World

Mr Milly started raking up the leaves and woodchips from the main garden area, whilst I started removing the wood chips from the house end of the Posh Girls area.  4 little faces followed me with pleading little eyes - chickens do have that effect on you, they really are the funniest things.   As we have had such a problem with foxes this year  I won't let them in the garden unless we are there to supervise,  so yesterday they were out for the day.

Gillian having a cuddle,  she sat there for such a long time I was
worried there was something wrong with her!  Gillian  likes a cuddle!

Flora on bug patrol

6 chickens raced to the pile of woodchips, weeds and leaves Mr Milly had put in lovely neat piles ready to be bagged up, 6 beady eyes and 6 pairs of legs scratching away to see what goodies they could uncover. So began the race - could we the humans bag up the piles before the chicks scattered them once again!    It was certainly entertaining!   Every spade full that was lifted had to be dodged around a chicken or two,  constant raking to bring the piles back together again and having to watch our every move as chickens were underfoot!  They were on a mission for bugs, worms and other chicken goodies!

Stella, Hettie and Nando having a rest.

Luna posing for the camera, and Flora investigating their new dust bath.

It took all day, but both houses have been emptied, scrubbed, dusted with anti bug powder and  filled with lovely new bedding.  One run moved and filled with new woodchip,  the other run emptied, refilled, cleaned and tidied.   6 happy chicks Bok Boking as they explore and re-arrange their homes.

Rainy Sunday

I know rain is good for the Lottie - but I am sure this much rain is too much!  It has rained almost solidly for 3 days - how very annoying over a bank holiday weekend.  

My Girl managed to call home yesterday and again today,  which is a relief and good to hear from her.  She is enjoying the farm animals dotted around and the views from the site are stunning.  The mobile reception is very poor where she is, so contact with her is going to be a bit hit and miss for a while.   Maybe the old fashioned way of snail mail might be rekindled - a bit of a novelty nowadays but I think it could be fun!  Her first letter from home will have some stamps in it - you never know she might get the hint and send a letter back!

I have told My Girl she can't bring one home!

Beautiful Welsh Countryside

As we knew we were going to be away for most of the weekend, we hadn't made any plans for the Lottie this weekend,  we popped there this morning and came home with;-

A harvest perfect for two!

A Cabbage - probably a bit early to be picked but it was a perfect size for 2 of us
Green Beans
Runner Beans
Apples

We bought a couple of  Pork chops  and some potatoes and the rest of this evening's meal came from the Lottie!  

The chicks don't seem to be put off by the rain and lots of lovely eggs are still being laid.  Some were put to good use today for an apple cake.  The recipe can be found  here Apple Cake and on my recipe page here Favourite Recipes

Yummy Apple Cake!

I am really hoping for a dry day tomorrow as the chicken run needs   re-arranging with new bark to be laid - I can hear my Welly boots calling!!  With a bit of luck I will be able to squeeze in a little time at the Lottie - its time to tackle the weeds again!

A letter

We have just arrived home from North Wales...  I feel like I have spent 2 days driving!

On the door mat was a letter for me...............................................


Dear Allotment Holder,

2011 Allotment Prize Presentation Evening

Wednesday 28th September

Council Chambers

Drinks and Nibbles from 6.30

Award Presentations 7.00-8.00pm

Congratulations - your hard work and patience have been recognised and have been included in this year's award presentation.

The Council would like to cordially invite you and one guest to a small buffet and drinks to the above event in the Council Chambers.

Please contact on the above address or email and confirm your attendance.

Yours sincerely
Parks Strategy Officer

I think a phone call to the Parks Strategy Officer on Tuesday is in order - someone surely must have made a mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Preparations



Nearly finished packing

 The last 2 days I have been in the east of the country arriving home last night in the middle of what looked like a bomb had been dropped in the house - My Girl was finishing her packing!  She is supposed to have packed lightly - those 2 massive bags don't look light to me!

Tomorrow we are taking her to the north east of the country where she will be starting her new adventure.   She may stay in the north east for the next year or she may move to the south,  we won't know for a week where she is going to end up.   So a 200 mile drive tomorrow - me and Mr Milly will be staying in a hotel for the night before visiting family on Saturday and then travelling home.   My Boy will be house and animal sitting for us.

How do I feel about My Girl leaving home? - I am trying very very hard not to think about it and my usual method to not think is to keep busy.

I finished work and popped to the Lottie,  picked some apples, loads of french beans and a couple of courgettes,  came home and collected My Girl and Mr Milly and went food shopping,  changed some PJs bought this week for My Girl,  had tea,  stewed some apples and blanched the green beans which are now all sitting in the freezer.  Now we are planning our route for tomorrow to the place of work, the hotel and then onto family.  One more hat to be finished tonight and My Girl now tells me that a trip to the Portuguese Housekeeper is needed tonight as she must pick something up - that will be me to drive then!!  I think that will be it  for today as an early start is needed in the morning.

So I'm trying to be brave and send My Girl on her way to her new adventure........ but knowing we probably won't see her until the end of November is a little tough.  And that is enough said today!

Flowering Cushion

The cushion is finished and it was fun to do!  Lots of rounds and lots of different colours,  I like crocheting bigger things with different colours,  it keeps me interested seeing the colours work together (or not as can sometimes happen).   I found a lovely button in my local wool shop and it matched the shape of the rounds perfectly - so this now happily sits in the middle of the cushion.   The back has been crocheted with matching rows of colour to mirror the front.

A slight dilemma yesterday - there isn't anywhere local to me stocking round cushion pads.  Fortunately I found some calico in my fabric stash so out with the sewing machine and a bag of stuffing and custom made cushion pad created.

Unfortunately the cushion can't live here - its a bit too pink and girlie for Mr Milly!

Me and Mr Milly spent sometime at the Lottie yesterday and again today.   The Sunflowers have been staked,  more strawberry runners planted,  lettuced thinned out and the latest waterbutt (from Freecyle) installed.  They were the fun bits!   The front quarter (ish) section of the Lottie is still to be sorted - had you noticed my tactical photos recently??  LOL!   This bit is now quite overgrown,  so this weekend I made a start on it.   A section about 8 foot by 3 foot marked out,  roots and grass removed and then dug over.   It was hard work,  but very satisfying when finished.  This section has now been covered to stop the weeds and will probably stay that way until next year.

Hedgerow harvest around the Lottie today - Greengages and apples which are growing wild behind the plot.  So tonight there are 4 lovely jars of greengage jam,  2 yummy jars of apple sauce and 2 bags of  not particularly interesting, but probably tasty stewed apples waiting to be frozen.

Waiting for the jars to cool down before labelling.

Greengage jam recipe was from here Greengage Jam   I made it without the vanilla pods and with a little less sugar than the recipe states as I like to taste the fruit and not the sugar!  Jam making is a joint effort in our house as Mr Milly is the setter tester - when I think the jam is ready Mr Milly checks the jam on a frozen saucer for wrinkling - he then decides if it is ready or not.   What he doesn't know is that it will be his fault if there is batch which doesn't set as he is the setter tester  :)