Another birthday!!

 

I am terrible at remembering dates and often mix up days and dates.  When I was teaching I always made a point of double checking I'd made a note of the correct date against the correct day.  Well, true to form I mixed up Luna's birthday 🙄🙄🙄 TODAY 11th June is her 1st birthday!! 😂😂😂  She doesn't mind!!

She absolutely loves her new garden, mainly as it's all grass atm.  I have plans 😉  I'm loving all the daisies and buttercups.  Seeing all the daisies reminded me of Frugal Lizzy Bee on YouTube making daisy balm.  Check it out HERE

So I picked some from the edges of the grass where I know for sure Luna hasn't peed there!  I've previously made salves/balms from my calendula flowers so this is a new one for me.  They're currently drying out on my bedroom window.  I'll keep you posted! 🌼

EDIT:  Another of my favourite knowledgeable YouTube channels on foraging and herbal stuff is Home is Where Our Heart Is.  They also show you how HERE

Stuck in the kitchen with you!

Luna continues to make her presence felt in the house!  She's very motivated by food (like most Labradors) and can already sit on command for a scooby snack!!  The above photo is me halfway through rearranging where I'm keeping the food as having 2 different lots of bulky feed bags takes up space.  Plus I want it safely secured and away from a mischievous pup!!

Unfortunately she picked up a nasty D&V bug which meant an expensive trip to the vet.  Puppies often get an upset tummy in the first few days home but I knew this was more than that.  The vet thinks it may be giardia, a nasty parasite that can easily be passed around dogs, humans and cats.  I'm waiting for test results.  She got an anti nausea injection and oh my, she screamed the place down for 10 seconds.  She's definitely going to be a drama queen!!! 👸  She's already bounced back and is up to mischief again! 😊

Since we're stuck in the kitchen (apologies to Gerry Rafferty for the pun!) and utility areas, I've been doing some batch cooking/meal prepping.  I'm being especially noisy so she gets used to it while sleeping!  I roasted a chicken and will make soup today.  I made a meatloaf and some meat balls. Normally I would 'cheat' and just make up a Paxo type stuffing mix and mix it with the raw minced beef.  I'm trying very hard to cut out processed foods (thanks to reading the Ultra Processed People book! 😱) so fried some of my onions from the allotment with finely chopped bacon.  Mixed in some oats and added mixed herbs and garlic granules.  I filled my loaf tin and had some mixture leftover so made 10 decent sized meatballs.  Tasted rather good except maybe a bit under seasoned.  Already in the freezer 😋 

I also chopped up some unwaxed lemons and made my honey and lemon remedy for the Winter. I think it's the easiest, least faffy one I make.  Fill a big jar with lemons and pour over a jar of honey.  It's in the fridge now for a few weeks before it gets all gooey and marmaladey.  Just add some to hot water for a soothing drink.  It's really good for a raspy sore throat.  I picked up some of the Greek honey in Lidl a few weeks ago.  Greek Pine honey has good anti bacterial and anti inflammatory properties so it'll be good for those coughs and sneezes I always pick up.  Or maybe I won't this year now I'm not in school! 😉  I'll use the thyme honey in my next fire cider batch.  I'm already planning ahead!!

Today my plan is to make a big batch of pancakes for the freezer.  Scotch pancakes not the crepe style ones. I'm moving away from gluten free flours as xanthan gum is not good for the gut.  Apparently it's just like wallpaper paste, sticking everything together!  Instead I'm going to try organic wheat flour as it's the same price as GF.  It seems to make no difference if I exclusively eat GF or not.  I think moderation of any 'wheat based' product might work better for my wonky digestive system! 

Can't not post a last photo of my 2 favourite girls! 💕

My blue beds

 

I'm pleased to see that while I was away the raised beds in my front garden are thriving.  This bed is the one the tulips were in.  Once they'd died back I removed all the brown leaves and topped it up with a bag of compost from B&Q.  The bulbs are still in place for next year.  I transplanted the remaining leeks (the other half are on the plot) and sowed some mixed lettuce bowl seeds.  My blue beds are south facing so are in direct sun most of the day.  These leeks are twice the size of the ones on my plot!

I have cabbages and courgettes in this bed.  The cabbages were small plants my Lovely Mum gifted me and the courgettes I grew from seed!  I'll need to remove a couple if they get much bigger 😮

Look!  I have a flower and it's a female one so my first courgette is on it's way 🎉 I laugh when I see and hear people complaining they have too many.  I never have enough!!!

I picked my first blueberries 😋  My son and DIL netted the pots while I was away so none were lost to the birds this year! 🐦

I had picked some of my lavender to dry on a sunny window.  I took the dried buds off and the smell was amazing!

I put it in a jar with olive oil and it's sitting on a sunny windowsill.  This is the solar extraction method. You could leave it in a dark cupboard for longer or warm it in a pan over a low heat.   It takes a week and hopefully I'll have a lavender scented oil to make a salve.

When I was a wee girl I loved making potions with rose petals and flowers or grass to make 'perfume' 😂  I guess this is the grown up version 😊

Home for a break

 

I'm back home for a few days.  I need a break from all the 'stuff' so I'm letting my sister step up a bit.  Mum is still in hospital although she got out very briefly.  Unfortunately she had to be blue lighted back to A&E and is still being investigated.  Thanks to all to the scans she's had we have a very clear picture of some other issues going on so she'll be in and out hospital for a wee while in the near future.  We are so lucky to have the NHS and I've seen first hand how stretched resources and staff are on a daily basis.  Although having to spend 23 hours on a trolley in corridor wasn't nice for mum.  Bed shortages are appalling!

As I had to leave the house quickly I left instructions for my DIL to deal with my drying/dried rose petals and applemint.  She did a great job.  I think I'm getting her rather hooked on growing and preserving! 😂

It was a dry sunny morning at 8am today so I was out early to pick some of my lavender.  I have a project in mind for it 😉 I discovered last week that my sister and niece can't stand the smell of it.  I love it and it has a lot of herbal properties!

The lemon basil I grew from seed is thriving.  I haven't decided how I'll use it yet but it smells delicious 😋 It likes the sunny window in the living room.

Another reason I came home was that I missed Emma!  She's well looked after by my son and DIL but she's missed me.  This was her face when I told her I've bought something very expensive for my retirement that she might like.  Although she might not... 😂😂😂

Miscellaneous few days

 

First roses of the year - Very Berry

My not very happy Old John rose in it's new pot 😔

Lemon Basil, smells delicious already

Old apple tree removal

Weeds from under old apple tree

Currently on the needles

Kitchen wall painting has begun, colour Dulux Heartwood

A new herbal remedy started

ETA:  Jan asked what is an oxymel.  Good explanation HERE if anyone is interested 😊

ETA:  Oxymel recipe for Rachael HERE 😊

A normal weekend at last!

 

For the first time in ages I've had a lovely normal pottering relaxed kind of weekend! 😁  I've done as much as I can with the flat, it's over to the estate agent now.  So I spent my weekend pottering about and doing some batch cooking.  My favourite way to relax and get organised for the week ahead.  I took my home grown tomatoes out of the freezer and made tomato sauce.  I used some rosemary and thyme from my back garden too.  It was lovely!

I used some of the sauce to make a veggie lasagne.  My DIL and I had a portion each and I put 4 more in the freezer.  I also froze the rest of the tomato sauce.

I made a huge Crockpot full of beef stew.  My son and I had a generous portion each and the rest will go in the freezer too.

I sliced up some lemons for the freezer.  I always snap up the unwaxed ones when they're reduced or on offer.   Good for making a hot honey and lemon drink when you feel poorly.  And for a G&T!! 🍸

I strained the fire cider mixture I started HERE and mixed in half a jar of raw honey to each jar of liquid.  It really packs a punch!! 

My DIL made banana bread to use up some over ripe bananas.  She used GF flour so I could have some and it was delicious! 😋

And my car key fobs needed new batteries.  So I searched good old YouTube for instructions and did it myself 💪

A very satisfying productive 'normal' weekend!  😊 Shame I've got to go to work tomorrow! 😂

I need the bones!

My car was booked in for a service yesterday.  So once I'd dropped it off at 9.30am, I walked into town to M&S before walking home.  About 2.5 miles in total.  I had my backpack on and I just took my time.  I coughed a wee bit and had to stop and blow my nose a few times 😂 Luckily it was cool and dry and I really enjoyed the walk.  My youngest son took me back to the garage later so it was just one way.

I had a £4 voucher for M&S.  I wanted to get some chicken so was delighted to see chicken legs were £1.20 for 600g.  I got 6 good sized legs for my £2.40.  I also got some reduced eggs (£1.30) and garlic/ginger/chillies (60p/47p/£1) to start a batch of fire cider.  Chicken legs were flung in the Crockpot for 4 and a half hours on High.

Fire cider is so easy to make and is full of the good stuff to help ward off colds and flu.  My version is onion, garlic, chillies, lemon, ginger, rosemary, thyme and raw organic apple cider vinegar. I kinda use THIS recipe from my friend Mel.  You can add or leave out stuff.  The rosemary and thyme were from my garden 😊  Once it's been sitting for a few weeks I'll strain it and add the raw honey. Then it's ready to use!

When the chicken legs were cooked I stripped the meat off (just under 600g) and put the skin and bones back into the Crockpot with boiling water to make stock.  I did look longingly at the chicken breasts in the shop but my main thought was 'I'll not get any stock from them without bones!'  Everything needs to give me as much value as possible! 

Because jam is cheaper than honey

 

I normally have overnight oats for breakfast in the warmer months.  Typically I'll put in oats, soya milk or yoghurt if I have it, flaxseeds or chia seeds and a generous spoonful of honey.  Then add any fruits and nuts if I have them.  I prefer to use honey from small independent bee keepers rather than the blended factory produced stuff but it's expensive.  And rightly so!  Since I'd just finished a jar I put in a spoonful of my home made blackcurrant jam instead.  Oh my, it's delicious!! 😋

Jam is cheaper than honey plus I know exactly what's in it since I made it!  And I have loads in my storecupboard!!  Now I can use my precious local honey to make some fire cider and elderberry syrup like I did last year HERE and get ahead with my Winter preps.

Day 37: Jam, flowers and July Spending

 

I made more jam this week,  strawberry and blueberry.  I found some blueberries in the freezer from last year (I really must get a better system in place!!) and the strawberries were a Lidl bargain (at least they were local Scottish ones!)  They looked fab in the pan and smelled amazing!  

I'm definitely not an expert when it comes to jam but I have made a fair few jars in my time.  And I don't always get it right!  Look at this year's efforts as an example.  The strawberry/blueberry is in the middle (too runny), the blackcurrant is on the right (too thick) and the raspberry is on the left (perfect!) 😋 They all taste amazing despite their differing consistencies.  I could re do the ones that aren't quite right but that would be too much of a faff.  The runny one I can drizzle on pancakes/waffles and the thick blackcurrant one I could just spread on hot toast or use to make a hot soothing drink.  It's all good!

We finally tracked down an Old John rose 💖 They're difficult to buy!  My Lovely Mum bought one for me, my sister and one for herself.

It's a really vivid orangey pink colour 😊  I just need to decide where to plant it now.

I've also discovered another medicinal plant growing in my garden, a gorgeous yellow self seeded goldenrod.  It's another plant I can dry and use in a tea.  Like sage, it's also good for sore throats and colds (occupational hazard!!) so I'm thrilled at the discovery!  It's a perennial and spreads easily so I'll try to keep on top of it.  I'm loving the colour contrast with the Red Hot Poker crocosmia in front!

It's also the last day of July.  Sometimes I remember that this day was the day I got married and sometimes I don't.  It was a FB memory comment that reminded me this morning.  Really doesn't make me think anything other than 'Oh yeah I remember that day' now 😊

So, on to the end of the month totals with some of my more 'unusual' buys 😆

• I spent £25 on some kombucha equipment (large Kilner jar and water filter jug)
• I spent £60 on 3 raised beds for the allotment
• I spent £66.44 on fuel for the car, first time since April
• I spent £29.55 on jam equipment (lids, labels and jars)
• I spent just under £60 on storage boxes for my new craft room
• I also had to pay for my annual car tax £155 but that was already budgeted for back in January

Once all my usual costs and monthly bills were paid I've saved £871.88 this month.  That brings my savings up to £7335.39 😲  I'm really pleased with that, definitely still on target!

I go back to work in 2 weeks!  As always the Summer holidays fly by but I feel I've achieved a lot already. 

Day 7 and a new challenge

 

Today's job on the plot was to thoroughly weed the polytunnel!  The tomatoes are growing well with lots of flowers, the bell pepper plants are bigger and the self seeded nasturtiums and calendula are thriving.  But once the weeds were out I could see big gaps where I could easily plant some more edibles.  I'll take my seed tins tomorrow and see what I can do to fill those gaps!  Definitely lettuce and maybe beetroot.

I planted up the 2 barrel tubs beside my shed with some bargain echinacea plants I got from Sarah Raven last year and the rock daisies from my Dobbies haul.  They look a wee bit sad but hopefully they'll perk up.  I've got a few echinacea plants at home as well.  I'd love to have a go at making my own tincture as it's good for boosting the immune system when you've got a cold.

I picked some raspberries to freeze although I ate a lot more than I saved!! Ooops!  They were perfectly delicious 😋

As it's the start of a new month I thought I'd take a deeper look at some aspects of my spending in the first 6 months of the year.  I started with my supermarket shopping.  I added everything I spent in Sainsbury's, Tesco and Lidl since January and divided it by 6 to get a monthly average and then by 4 to get a weekly average.  Then I googled the average cost of food for a single household in the UK.  Interesting article HERE with some links to ways to save on food.

The average spend is between £27 and £40 per week depending on your income.  My average spend is £36.  Definitely on the higher end but that includes all my non food items too (toilet roll, dishwasher tablets, shampoo etc)  The article doesn't say if their numbers are just food alone.  

So I'm setting myself a new challenge to lower that amount to £30 per week maximum or £120 per month for all food and household items.  I've ordered a Sainsbury's delivery for tomorrow (Sat) using their saver slot (£2) to start off the month and hopefully can score a few Lidl veg boxes to keep me going the rest of the July.

I'm also going to allow myself a £10 treat allowance (stealing Vivi's idea!!) so if I fancy some crisps or a magazine then it's already in the budget!!

Perennials

 

One of my goals is to plant as many perennials as I can and take as many cuttings as I can.  These are 3 blackcurrant prunings from last Autumn that I stuck in a pot.  I literally pruned my mature bush, just stuck a few of the 'sticks' in a pot and left them out to overwinter.  They're about 10 to 20cm already and the tallest one even has a few currants!  I now have 5 bushes in varying stages of maturity.  Blackcurrants are a bit tart so are best used in something but they're packed with vitamin C.  I'll be making a syrup with them to boost my immune system during the Winter months.  All from free plants!

One of my patio apple trees has 5 teeny apples on it.  Last year they all dropped off in July so fingers crossed they hang on to maturity.  This is my James Grieve tree.  The other is a Charles Ross, both self fertile and suited for my colder climate.  The one on the plot also had a few teeny apples so it's earned a reprieve for another year.  I'll keep on pruning it hard and feeding it.

I've got a few more fruit bushes to plant on the plot this weekend that include a redcurrant and a red gooseberry.  All bargains from B&Q during the initial pandemic lockdown where you could order a mixed bag of fruit bushes for £10 and it was just luck what you got when you went to collect.

It's my lovely mum's 75th birthday today.  We're keeping it low key as she doesn't like a fuss plus I'm not feeling great, again 🙄 We have 2 teachers who tested positive this week, one of whom is a very close friend and has now had it THREE times!!  I'm testing daily and so far I'm negative but it's still out there.  Take care this Bank Holiday weekend everyone!

The day after

 

After a deliberately quiet weekend pottering around my garden in brilliant sunshine, I returned to work yesterday morning.  After just 3 hours with my wee kiddos I came home and collapsed!!!  Then slept 11 hours last night 😴 It's going to take the full phased return to get back up to full speed.  I'm trying to be patient as it will be worth it in the long term but oh it's hard!!!!

At the weekend I had to put up the old Omlet fencing round my raised beds as Tuppence has trashed them.  The small one has my 5 asparagus crowns.  I noticed the first spears popping up so weeded it and topped it up with fresh compost.  I noticed this morning that I have 3 spears that are now a few inches high.  This is year 3 for them so I can harvest lightly 😋  I read that asparagus and strawberry plants grow well together so my lovely mum has planted up some of her runners for me to put in there this Summer.

This longer bed still had a few red kale plants that were nearly finished so I pulled them out and gave them to Tuppence.  I had put cardboard and compost on it for the Winter but she has completely scratched up the decomposing cardboard and it's a mess.  I'll need to work on this bed over the Easter break as this is usually my Summer salad veg bed.

Look at that innocent face!!!

I had planned to potter in the garden today but yesterday has really wiped me out.  So it's a quiet day here, doing a few work things for tomorrow.  I did wander round and do a mental stocktake of what has survived.

Black pots are echinacea (bargain from Sarah Raven last year). It's starting to re grow already.  It'll probably be another year or two before I can harvest it and use it to make tinctures. I do have 2 larger plants in pots in my front garden.  Brown pots have the 3 blackcurrant prunings I literally just stuck in pots and they've rooted!  So that's 3 more bushes to plant at the allotment for my fruit forest bed, for free.  Blackcurrants are high in vitamin C so they're another source of healthy goodness I can preserve for Winter remedies.

This is last year's rescued rosemary plant from B&Q.  It's really doing well!

This is a mature gooseberry bush from my lovely mum's garden as she was clearing out some of her plants.  It's very prickly so will need extra careful handling when I take it to the plot!  More free plants for the fruit forest!

And finally my blueberry bushes.  All 4 have survived the Winter and are in bud.  I gave them a light prune and topped the pots up with ericaceous compost so here's hoping for an even bigger crop this year!  The fig tree has also survived and is doing well in the paler coloured pot on the right.

It's slowly coming together.  It'll take a few more years to get my perennial fruit and veg production levels up but I'm working hard on it.  I doubt I'll ever be on the same level as someone like Vivi but I really want to grow as much as I can.  We're living in scary times so the more self sufficient we can be the better!