I should be out enjoying myself. The fine early autumn weather has meant long dog walks in the early evening, but the days have seen me busier than ever. September is planning month. For the practice, it means financial and tax planning. This year, we are considering a change to the way we work which will see a bigger office for me, to go along with the increased workload. It will also mean a more structured work week, which is good, leaving protected time for Brin, the chickens, the garden, me and Mr B (in that order)!
No plan is perfect though, and before we can implement any changes, I have to finish up a few projects which have been lurking under the desk. Well, I say finish. Perhaps I just need to get them to a stage when I can file them away for a rainy day.
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My choice for
bathroom lighting |
We have also been planning to renovate the main bathroom. Mr B is not a handy man, so I have a handy plumber. He, however, is not a designer, so I have a lady drawing pretty pictures. That is fine, but she doesn't always see the practical side of the bathroom. It has been dragging on for a while, and frankly, I am quite bored now. I'd like to dump the entire project, but it does need updating and we will enjoy it when it's done. I'm having words, though, with the plumber about the lighting. He is insisting on having six downlighters. I would prefer something like this. I'm thinking one of us might have to compromise, and it won't be me.
In the garden, I'm planning where to plant the 100 bulbs I have waiting in the summer house. I think the dahlias have finally stopped flowering, so I can mulch them over, and start getting the bulbs in. But where to start? Beds or pots first?
The veggie patch is looking quite bare. I've never been good at autumn/winter crops. Somehow I always run out of time to get things in the ground before the frost. I have bought some seed though for spinach, salad leaves and pea shoots, and also cauliflower to sow now for the spring/summer next year. The greenhouse needs a good tidy up first. The runner beans are still producing, but by the end of the month, I'll have to pull them up. The last of the beetroot and carrots will be harvested too. The sweetcorn are very late and I fear they will come to nothing now. So, by October, the veggie patch will be bare, and I can start planning next year's crop rotation. Although August wasn't very wet, it also wasn't very warm. So us veggie gardeners struggled on both counts. Better luck next year.
Mr B is marathon training. His training schedule has been going to plan (good for him). I have made all the plans for our trip to Budapest for the marathon in October (more on that closer to the time, and a look at where we are staying). He has just told me that his training run this morning used up 2,262 calories! I gave him another slice of fruit cake. I hope all his training doesn't make me put on weight in sympathy eating.
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| Tagine |
We do seem to have changed, though, from salads to soups and stews this week. A little while ago, on a complete impulse, I bought a tagine. It makes the most excellent lamb stews and curries. The secret is to add little or no liquid, and cook for 2 hours at 150C. The conical top allows the steam from the meat and veggies to condense and drip down softly onto the food, making a succulent and fragrant dish.
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| Sunshine in a pot |
I am using the last of the stewed apples in a crumble; they were stewed and put away last autumn. Dad always comes for supper on a Sunday night, and it's one of his favourites. I have a couple of kilo's each of damsons and greengages to jam, too, before the next lot of apples arrive.
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| Brin, always ready for a walk |
With all this talk of food, it's just as well that Brin likes a good, long walk.
