Tuesday 19 May 2020

Weekend


My goodness I am late in posting this weekend post but, internet problems prevail once again.  You may have noticed my intermittent reading of your blogs, I catch up when and if I can.  Gerard had his birthday on Saturday so we had a takeaway from the local Inn.  They delivered too so made for a nice treat for us both.  It was very tasty and quite large portions so certainly value for money too which is always a bonus.  One of our neighbours dropped off a very tasty victoria sponge along with candle and a very special brownie cake was delivered from one of our daughters.





Two enormous tubs of sweets were also delivered from another daughter and her little family.  A treat that will go on forever.  I have cut some of the brownie off and popped it into the freezer to have later it is such a shame to waste it.  He was certainly spoilt by us all.  We enjoyed another family quiz with the whole family using our wonderful technology before it all crashed.  I was so thankful for that.  We are certainly blessed with the love of a good family.

The weather has not been great, temperatures have dropped quite dramatically.  Gerard and I have done a little work in the outbuilding but not as much as hoped.  We are trying to divide the very large building into two.  One to make a workshop and storage area for all the tools and the other side to make an area for a table tennis table and such, a games room.  Hence the wall...


We managed to get the potatoes earthed up, which is adding more soil up around the plant into a mound to enable the growth of more tubers.  We are using potato sacks to grow them which are plastic although, I must admit do look like paper.


For some reason I had an abundance of red cabbage and pears so they were cut and made ready for the slow cooker.  Making a wonderful side for later in the year, it is a perfect accompaniment to both chicken and venison.  I seemed to have over ordered on the carrots too so I chopped some up for the freezer rather than waste them.  I have managed to get more Tesco delivery slots, one Thursday and then another for 3rd June for which I am very grateful.  I have started to preplan menus but still struggle to get the amounts right.  Although I am not complaining I feel blessed not to have to go out and in fairness the local store will deliver so we are better off than most.  It will be interesting to hear what our first minister has to say about lifting some of the restrictions, we seem to be a couple of weeks behind England which is leading to some confusion nearer to the borders.  The ferries here are still only taking authorised passengers to and from the mainland and bringing in lifeline supplies.  I am not sure the true impact of that as we haven't been to the supermarket but there does seem to be shortages in some areas particularly baking ingredients.

A little goes a long way it is amazing how far I have been able to stretch a lamb joint given to us by our dear friend and neighbour.  It was roasted about 4 weeks ago and we have had three further meals from it.  It was carved and put into gravy for the freezer and then reheated again in the oven.  As tasty as the first time it was cooked.




It went very nice with a cucumber, onion and mint sauce that I made.

All in all a very nice weekend in spite of the chaos caused by this pandemic.  Although not together with family as hoped or planned we were together in spirit.  Thinking of each other across the miles.  Hope all is well with you, take care and stay safe.

See you soon.

38 comments:

  1. Those mugs are wonderful! s is everything else but the mugs really took my eye.

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  2. What a slab of brownie! That is a real treat. Have a good week. Jo xx

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  3. All that chocolate has made me yearn for some and I am trying so hard to be good. Hopefully the weather will pick up again and you can enjoy some lovely walks again.

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  4. Congratulations to Gerard and what a wonderful birthday! You have wonderful neighbours too :) 2 cakes to enjoy and those mugs are fabulous! Take care, Best, Jane x

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  5. Belated birthday wishes to Gerard.
    All these pictures of food are making me hungry, everything looks so delicious. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy sometime with your family before your internet connection crashed. X

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  6. Certainly got some lovely presents there. Hope you get your room finished soon.

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  8. To me, you have managed exceptionally well proving your skills in cooking and planning. Glad that things may be easing for you soon. No one likes the thought of being stuck at home.

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  9. Oh, goodness! And a very Happy Belated Birthday to Gerard🎈 He is mightily loved.

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  11. Happy belated birthday to Gerard. Wow, he certainly received some delicious looking treats, a good idea to freeze some of the brownie, you wouldn't want to waste that. The weather cooled down somewhat here but it's warmed up again today and we're expecting much higher temperatures again tomorrow.

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  12. Oh my! Those brownies look absolutely heavenly! What a nice treat to be able to savor for a long time. I always try to keep at least a little bit of chocolate in the house at all times. You never know when you might need it... ;)

    I am growing my potatoes in containers this year too. I am using some old Rubbermaid containers. My red potatoes are almost ready to be mounded up with some more soil. My Yukon Golds are still pretty tiny. We've been having rain and thunderstorms here in North Idaho but the weather is supposed to get really nice after this week and I am really looking forward to that.

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  13. The food photos are divine! My mouth is watering. You are staying busy. Our weather has been so wet! Last month it was dry and hot, this month it is wet and chilly. Go figure. Thank you for visiting my blog. It encourages me to keep blogging. You are so sweet and I value your words. Hugs....

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  14. It looks as if you had a lovely birthday celebration for Gerard with some tasty treats from friends and family. Glad you were able to be in touch with them which must have been special. As always you are very organised in the kitchen with the freezer being very useful for preserving all your extras. Wishing you well.

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  15. *H*A*P*P*Y* * *B*I*R*T*H*D*A*Y*!*!*!* to Gerard! It sounds like a celebration via the internet was successful and what wonderful cakes sent by your daughters! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  16. Such a happy birthday celebration for your Gerard! So many goodies. Thank goodness for visits online. We certainly look forward to them every Sunday.

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  17. Belated birthday wishes to Gerard. It's nice that, in spite of the restrictions of Covid, he was well celebrated.

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  18. A sweet celebration for Gerard. Happy belated birthday wishes sent his way. I like that cake with that generous frosting. I know it was good because it looks so delicious. It feels like winter coming again here with the wind, rain and chillier than it ought to be for spring time.
    Betsy

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  19. It looks like Gerard had a good birthday even if you were unable to spend time with your girls they still let him know he is loved. All that chocolate is wonderful.
    I'm glad you're able to get most of the provisions you need. I order groceries for pick up about every two weeks or so and feel very blessed when I get a day that works for me and the store.
    Wishing you a wonderful week my dear friend.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  20. A late Happy Birthday to Gerard. There was certainly no shortage of sweets, was there. Everything looks so good. Your meals always look delicious too. You do have a sweet family.

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  21. Happy Birthday to Gerard!! The things you have been cooking look so delicious and the cake and brownies look very very yummy!

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  22. A wonderful celebration for Gerard's birthday. Blessed with delicious cake and sweets from nice neighbours and family members. Enjoy your day.

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  23. What a great idea to have a takeaway, it sounds like Gerard had a wonderful birthday. All those tasty dinners look great and will be so useful later on. Glad to hear you're so organised up there and that everyone is looking after you.

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  24. Looks like Gerald had a lovely birthday with lots of treats arriving at the door as well as seeing family via modern technology:)

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  25. My goodness your Gerald was really spoilt, what a nice birthday ! You made me hungry !

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  26. Spoilt Gerard ! He's loved and he certainly deserved it !
    Sweet and tasty food ! Perfect for the mouth not for the hips !
    Have a shinny day !
    Anna

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  27. Happy birthday Gerard!!! that cake looks amazing :)

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  28. Oh my just look at that candy! All the food looks great. Happy Birthday!

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  29. A happy belated birthday to Gerard - and how lovely to receive so many treats. Sorry, that your computer connections are acting up - a lot of people seemed to be having glitches last week - even here in the city - I think all systems are just so overloaded that they just can't cope.
    It was my best friend's birthday yesterday and I was able to send her a box of her favourite chocolates (I think everyone needs chocolate at the moment)!
    Hope you both have a lovely week.

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  30. Happy Birthday to him!!!

    And what a delightful one, it was!!!!

    Gentle hugs,
    ✨🌼✨🌼✨🌼✨

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  32. The red cabbage looks delicious. My mom made it on special occasions with apple and dried currants. I'm glad you have good service from your local stores. Take care! Phil

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  33. Happy Birthday Gerard! I too am having a difficult time with buying the right amount of fresh foods. Either too much or too little. I make a trip to a small local grocer about once a week for fresh veggies and milk, but only once every 2-3 weeks for a larger trip for staples.

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  34. I’m getting the hang of ordering food for two weeks and coming out sort of “even”. Our main problem is, too many things missing when we get the order and then plans go out the window for any particular recipes I planned for. I’m not complaining, but it is rather challenging. Gerard had some very tasty birthday surprises! That brownie cake is amazing.

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  35. Beautiful cake and pictures!

    Sandra xXx

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  37. Belated birthday wishes to Gerard.
    A lovely cake and those mugs are brilliant.

    All the best Jan

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