Wednesday 6 February 2019

This and That

The ever changing weather patterns continue here on the Isle of Lewis, today we are back to rain with a great rise in temperature.  We have still lit the stove, but I must admit to been a little warm.  It may be prudent to let it go down a little.  Once again I have made a nice broth soaking a dried broth mix overnight and then adding fresh vegetables to bulk it out,  Warming and delicious, a wonderful combination with either scones or malted bread.




I used the bread making machine to make an orange cake and cooked it on the cake setting.  Obviously it came out quite deep and was rather an unusual shape to add some frosting or sweet but tasty none the less.



As the hens are laying well so...
we are having 6 eggs every day, we have an abundance of eggs despite giving friends and neighbours some.  As a treat at the weekend I made meringue to take as a desert to neighbours that had invited us to lunch.  They turned out quite well and I made an Eton mess using mandarins rather than berries.




It was indeed very tasty and didn't last very long.

The hens are having a ball at the moment having free range to the garden and have no problem with the sheep over the fence.  They have once again been put to the ram and are due to be scanned this week.  




Although not Crofters ourselves, it is a delight to watch the sheep and the calendar of events around a Crofters life.

Bertie's blanket is almost finished one more round on the border and it will be done.  I have already sorted out the nest lot of yarn ready for Honey's blanket and will share them both in a later post.  What are you working on at the moment?

From my previous post:

The building overlooking the sea sadly is not inhabited the views would be spectacular.

The lighthouse is closed to the public and so it is not possible to walk up to the top.  It is now automated so the Light keepers accommodation is also empty.

There are a lot of fisherman use the local Port and yes indeed the catch is sold locally.  We don't go fishing ourselves.

As always I thank you for your visit and for your comments.

See you soon.


29 comments:

  1. I think the January Thaw, came a bit late, this year, in a lot of places. :-) But now, we are expecting freezing rain again.

    So lovely that you can have the chickens out in the yard, without fear of hawks taking them. So lovely. I love to see chickens run free, in a fenced in area, of course.

    Soup and biscuits and bread! Prefect any time!

    💟💟💟💟

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  2. I also have a bread machine and bake the bread myself ! Honestly it's not a lot of work, but I love the smell when I get up in the morning and the whole house smells fresh bread. I have a programmer on my machine and bake during the night. Your chicken work well it seems !

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  3. I am crocheting Attic 24 Sweet Pea blanket,knitting a shawl/ scarf.The pattern is Be Simple and is free on Ravelry.Very easy but very effective.I have done a llama/alpaca from Edwards Menagerie and have just picked a crochet kit bought in Lidl for a giraffe.£4.99!!!It is going to be huge.
    Looking forward to seeing your blanket photos.Blankets are such great projects in the winter.Barbarax

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  4. Oh to have lovely fresh fish straight off the boats. I would be in heaven as I love anything seafoodie. Currently knitting yet more socks. I've never made a cake in my bread maker but will certainly give it a try.

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  5. like Cherie I have never thought to make a cake in the bread maker, I know that there are several recipes in the recipe book that came with it. I will be looking through it for the weekend. I envy you the chickens, we have a thriving fox population and they have decimated several of my neighbours hens.

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  6. How wonderful to have sheep at the end of your garden. The field opposite the front of our house sometimes has sheep in, sometimes cows, sometimes no livestock (as now). However, they're behind a hedge and we can only see them from our bedroom windows upstairs. All your food looks lovely.

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  7. It's nice to hear your hens are laying. Your desserts look wonderful. How nice to have fresh eggs for them. We're having a little warm up too, so we've been raking out the mulch beds of leaves. It's nice to be outside. ♥
    '

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  8. I always keep the dried soup mix in and pearl barley, so handy to add to a few veggies to make a thrifty soup. I must try a cake in my breadmaker. The chickens look so happy, you have given them a wonderful home. I wouldn't be without ours I love them to bits.

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  9. Hoping to find a future home with organic farmers close by and maybe the chance to raise some chickens of our own too. Your chickens seem to have a lovely life down by the sea with you!

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  10. I like the way you are responding to questions from your previous post in the current one. Such a good idea.
    I had to look up what in the world an Eton mess was and was pleasantly surprised. It sounds wonderful.

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  11. I never made cake in my breadmaker although it had a setting for it. That orange cake looks amazing.
    Hugs-x-

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  12. Such yummy food! Cozy, home cooked comfort food!

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  13. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your encouraging words!!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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  14. your food makes me hungry and would like some orange cake!!! YUM with tea for sure! I enjoy your around your home photos! Stay warm. Weather reports are saying more snow over the weekend...will see! Have a good day!

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  15. What a good idea ti use your bread maker to make an orange cake! Tasty I'm sure.

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  16. I've never used my bread maker to make a cake but your orange cake looks delicious, I may have to give it a go. How lovely having so many fresh eggs at your disposal, it's a good job that you do a lot of cooking and baking, and I bet your neighbours are thrilled at taking a few off your hands.

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  17. The orange cake looks very tasty. Your hens are looking after you with eggs a plenty, it's good to see them out in your garden:)

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  18. We love to make deviled eggs when we have a lot, or pickle them. That cake looks so good.

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  19. Orange cake sounds lovely, with a cup of tea. How great to have all those eggs! Temperatures this winter seem to be up and down with drastic shifts in short order. We've had a very mild winter until now. It's cold and there's another week or more of it to go, they tell us.

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  20. My father always had a pot of soup brewing ... Barley is one of my favorite additive to soup ..somehow it make the soup better and more wholesome for our wintry days.... Mother always made the scones . Nothing tastes better that fresh baked scones with homemade soup ...What a delight to live by the sea... You little chicky girls must be very happy with all that fresh air... and they probably lay some nice fresh eggs too... ENJOY your day !!!

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  21. we had a nice thaw and now we are gearing up for another cold snap. I wish I liked to be in the kitchen as much as you like to be :)

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  22. All the pictures are good ones. The baking looks so tasty. Thanks!

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  23. Its great to have so many eggs to use, all your baking looks delicious, and I'm sure the neighbors enjoyed your creations too! So sweet to see the sheep, must be lovely to have them next door to you! Enjoy the warmer weather, we are getting low temps in the minuses today, and a snowstorm on the way this weekend. Blessings :)

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  24. My sis has just passed over her bread maker to me but I haven't experiment with it yet. Your bread looks great. Nice to get fresh eggs from your hens.

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  25. I'm glad the weather is improving for you.. your soup and bread look so yummy! I'm happy that your chickens are not having to worry about predators.. we have to have ours behind heavy duty fencing all the time to protect them from coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons and such. I'm working on my Sweet Pea blanket! Can't wait to see what you've made for your little grand-darlings. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  26. I am enjoying looking at all your pics of biscuits or scones and orange cake. I keep thinking that I will bake myself some biscuits (New England style) and serve with butter and molasses as we did on Saturday nights when I was cooking more than I am these days. How wonderful that the hens are laying. Nothing like fresh eggs!

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  27. You live in such a beautiful place. I would just love to have chickens and live near sheep. The views you have are gorgeous.

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  28. I think your chickens are so adorable. And how nice to have plenty of fresh eggs; especially free range. So much better tasting and with those nice golden yolks.

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