I dug up the last of the leeks, which were really pathetic and I only got enough, when trimmed, for one batch of soup. So into the slow cooker they went with a large onion - still quite a few in store from last year - Ailsa Craig - grown from seed, a few small scrotty spuds and a couple of cloves of garlic. Then eeek! I have run out of vegetable cubes. SO rightly or wrongly ( do I care ?) I covered the veg with a couple of litres of water and will add the cubes tomorrow after I have been to the shop. Obviously not a no-shop day, but I also need butter and oil. I am determined I will not buy anything else but may pop into the library.
Made a batch of bread today with a new flour from a local mill and I'm afraid it has not come out as well as usual. it's edible enough, but not brilliant. So back to Lidl strong flour for me, at a third of the price!.
The hens are gradually coming into lay - 7 eggs today. Hurrah! When YG came for lunch she had poached eggs. She does love her eggs and especially ours.
When the sun was out today for a little while I noticed that a few bees were out and about from five of the six hives. I suspect they were on clearing flights and it was good to see them.
I have had quite a few phone calls for the Civic Society today and I guess I should get back in harness with some letters and a couple of reports for the members. I can't say as I feel ever so inspired so I will have to force myself. Some won't wait, a couple of society members died over the Christmas period and must be acknowledged and remembered properly. I will go to town early tomorrow and then set about some paperwork before the shared lives guys arrive at lunchtime.
Cold lamb and bubble and squeak for tea tonight with the last two portions of last Sunday's choc pud with custard for afters.
SimpleSuffolkSmallholder is considering getting goats again and I set about thinking of our dear goat Annie, who died just before Christmas 2012. Here she is bless her. As you can see she had cataracts which meant that she couldn't go into the paddock unsupervised towards the end. When she did, she walked over the bank and fell into the river and YD had to jump in to save her! They both nearly froze to death and Annie spent the rest of the week under a heat lamp. Poor YD had to make do with a shower and a hot coffee!
I am always pleased and surprised to see that I have gained a follower. It is not something I court and am grateful for the interest, but today I lost one and find myself hoping that I haven't upset somebody! So if I have it was not intended.
Enough for now
Back soon
Gillx
I need to make soup tomorrow too, plenty of ham stock to use in the freezer fro Christmas. Minimum shop today which will last until next week. We have used lidl bread flour and found it to be really good, hubby made bread in the breadmaker last week and used a mix of plain and self raising! It was a bit flat but tasted ok. Glad the hens are laying for you, there is nothing like a fresh egg for tea.. Love the goat picture, she looks as though she was a real cutie. I have lost a follower too, maybe its the same one and they have given up blogging thats why its been removed...or...maybe not!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the paperwork! Karen x
Thanks Karen, but I have to admit (hangs head in shame) that I did absolutely no paperwork, as when I got home the phone rang and rang and rang and then Colin arrived and then YD and that was it!
DeleteI have spent much of this afternoon sorting out the freezer to make space for the lambs next monday and ensuring I use up everything I can so that I don't spend.
I have been using Lidl flour too. I won the locally ground flour and assumed it would be better.
Gillx
I recently lost 2 followers, and had exactly the same concern.
ReplyDeleteI have on occasions posted something that might upset people, but am not aware that I have been too controversial recently.
DeletePerhaps it is someone doing some "blog cleaning" - as suggested by Joy below
Gill
I have been experimenting with different bread recipes and combinations of flours. I used FM,s recipe yesterday but substituted 100gs white flour with organic wholemeal and it was lovely. My tins are a different shape to hers so the loaves are longer but shorter, I figure that smaller slices = less filling = fewer calories = better weight loss, as long as I don't cut the bread thicker to compensate ;-) I lost 2 followers and then gained 2, there are 1 or 2 of the sewing blogs that no longer have much to interest me, I ought to find out how to "unfollow" then hunt out some new ones, lazy me!
ReplyDeletesame here I suppose. I looked at my bloglist and there were a couple that hadn't posted in over a year. Trouble is I'm a very untidy sort of person and there is always something more interesting to do that tidy stuff!
DeleteI shall look up FM's recipe
Ditto with the followers, but I rationalise that it's someone who hasn't actually read for age and is doing some blog spring cleaning.
ReplyDeleteJ x
Just shared your idea with Cro (above)!
Deletehappy New Year Joy.
Love your butter bean burgers. grow my own butter beans so it is always good to find recipes
Gill
Oh a Tog! They were my first favourites, then I got to prefer Saanen as they are so placid. We had an Anglo Nubian for a while - Very Loud and not much milk. Then we had a Saanen x GG and she was just perfectly gorgeous. never had Alpines - too big.
ReplyDeleteWe always had at least 2 goats and one year after kidding got up to 8!
We started off with Togs, then added Anglo Nubians , then Saanens and eventually we just had Togs. At one time we had five milkers and 8 kids and I was travelling to Stockport to study Social Work. I doubt I would have that energy now! They seemed to tick every box for us. Annie, who lived until she was fourteen gave milk for years without being mated again. Like you, we didn't need as much as we used to and the regulations for selling or even giving it away were impossible to keep to. So if we needed some milk I would go out to Annie and say "Have you got a jug of milk for me there girl"? and she obliged until about 6 months before she died, when I no longer asked her.
DeleteI miss burying my head in her flank as we communed on the staunchion.
Gill
Yes .. lovely goats ... we kept them for a while. Just not got the room for them now .. shame.
ReplyDeletex
Once a goat person always a goat person! They get under your skin.
DeleteGillx
Love hearing about your goat, wonder what the neighbours would think if I got one? Are they quieter than dogs and do you have to walk them?!
ReplyDeleteSome goats are quieter than others. My experience was that Anglo Nubians were the noisiest, especially when in season. They all talk and winnie though. You also really shouldn't keep one on her own as they are very social animals. The only reason that Annie was a lone goat is that she was old and her daughters and sisters died before her. If we had bought another to keep her company, that goat would have been alone when she died. So we had to call it a day.
DeleteGoats can be walked and quite enjoy it, but the movement restrictions are such that it is no longer that easy. They are a cloven-hooved farm animal and as such could catch or spread foot and mouth. If you have a building that is big enough to house a couple of goats and maybe a small field/ large garden to exercise them in it is possible to keep goats, but it is neither easy nor cheap.
If you consider keeping goats, there will be a local goat club that will be pleased to give advise and support.
Gillx
I've just popped over from Kath's. Your name interested me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful face Annie has. We often see goats near to where we keep our caravan. They seem such lovely animals. It's always nice to see them. Saffy sounds such a lovely dog in your earlier post.
Last year I started writing a shopping list next to our meal planner. It was my husband who originally said, lets do the menu for the week. So now I've got a designated notebook for the meal planning and shopping list combined. I thought it would be useful to look back on as I sometimes find it difficult to come up with ideas for meals, especially as we are meat free.
Nice to find you.
Thanks for dropping by Lynne.
ReplyDeleteYou are right Lynne, old lists are quite a help when inspiration isn't forthcoming.
I have only bought 6 items this week as we are eating out of the freezer and cupboard for as long as we can, so my meal planning has been quite complicated while my shopping as been simple!
Nice to hear from you
Gillx
Oh, I've always wanted goats!! But I think we may be too long in the tooth now, and we are cutting back with animals. I always fancied pigs too. We still have a flock of geese as they are so little trouble, but the chickens and ducks have gone. I loved them all, but the chickens in particular took some looking after in our wind and winter weather (on edge of Snake Pass). I intended eating our livestock when we began but grew to love them too much, so only kept them for their eggs. One hen always came and sat on my lap when I sat outside in the sun with my morning coffee:)
ReplyDelete