Ducks and the passing of years
“Are you really 56?” Danny looked up from the article in Woman and Home (who are doing a feature on homemade treats in the August 2010 issue). “Of course I am. You are 3 years younger. I bet that I’m the oldest woman in that feature.” He scanned the page. “Yes you are.” It’s strange but as the youngest child in my family I always feel young. I was quite surprised when the boy in SpecSavers asked me if I was over 60 – as they had a special promotion for that age group. He looked horrified when I replied. “That’s a shame as...
read moreGarden Peas: fresh and frozen
Three years ago we discovered that frozen “Garden Peas” are much tastier than frozen “Petit Pois”. They are cheaper too. The shops are now full of fresh peas in the pods. They look so tempting but I’ve always found them tough and disappointing. I reckon that they need to be really fresh or frozen fresh to shine in the taste stakes. This year I have grown two types of peas – both biodynamic from the Demeter range at Lunar Organics. A sugar snap pea (Sugar Dwarf Sweet Green) and a more traditional pea (Hurst Green Shaft). A week...
read moreAmaryllis (indoor and hardy)
Now that’s a name to conjure with. I’ve never met anyone or even a pet called Amaryllis. I did know a girl called Primrose T. She had big bones and would galumph across the lacrosse field and score goal after goal. Not being a sporty type I was always relegated to the edge of the field where I could observe the hub of the game and rarely be tasked to join in. Oh the bliss of growing up and not having to endure school sports. I used to only grow white amaryllis but gradually I have begun to appreciate the huge range of colourful blooms...
read moreVeal Schnitzel (Wiener Schnitzel) Recipe
“How about Wiener Schnitzel for supper tonight?” Danny looked unimpressed. Picking through the freezer I had found some small veal escalopes that I’d picked up from the Tesco *CFC a few weeks ago. One was a little smaller than my hand and the other barely reached across my palm. Wiener Schnitzel seemed the sensible option. I had never made schnitzels and was keen to have a go. Danny perked up when I mentioned that I was going to marinade the meat. “Great idea. Veal can be so tasteless.” Between you and me I like the subtle flavour of...
read moreNew garden borders and rip-off press adverts
This is Danny writing this evening to give Fiona a break after her hard three days of work on renewing the arid borders in our driveway. Not a single earthworm to be found. Much digging over and adding of compost and manure. This afternoon she was finally able to plant lavender hedging along the edges and perennials within the border. I can’t wait to see the effect next year. It will transform the view from the road. Getting back to my theme today: We do not like these rip-offs Perhaps we should know better but sometimes newspaper ads are so...
read moreThe Italian Cockerels must go
Yesterday evening I noticed a brown envelope on the front door mat. I assumed that it was a circular and turned it over just in case. It had our address hand written on the front so I pulled out the typewritten letter and as I read the first few lines, my heart sunk. “Danny, it’s a letter from our neighbours. The cockerels are waking them up at 4.30 am – they can’t cope.” We have four cockerels. Beatyl, the diminutive cockerel hatched by Mrs Boss, Baby the tiny undersized Leghorn and the two Italian cockerels. Danny is not over keen...
read moreCrocs: a review
Inca and I are still regularly attending the Animal Health Trust. She is undergoing a course of Chemotherapy which seems to be working well. Inca is very lucky she is been treated by Lara Matiasek who is one of the Senior clinicians in neurology. Inca likes Lara although there is often a bit of a struggle when she is carried away! Generally all the vets wear loose blue tops and slacks and very strange brightly coloured shoes. These shoes intrigued me and eventually I just had to ask about them. “I do hope that you don’t mind me asking...
read moreClimbing courgettes: basic care
This year I’ve had a series of disasters on the courgette/zucchini growing front. Seeds haven’t germinated, pots have been knocked over snapping the contents and when I finally planted the remaining three out in big pots in the kitchen garden they were guzzled by slugs. “I can’t face the thought of a summer without home grown courgette salads. “ Danny exclaimed. “We’ll have to buy a plant.” As home grown courgettes taste so much better than shop bought ones I was hoping for a courgette glut too. Apart from raw courgette...
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