Over the last few years my Boys have taken me out for Breakfast but this year we will be staying in!!! Have a lovely day everyone and stay safe.
Hugs, Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest & Treacle xxxxx
Today is National Quilting Day! I have been so wrapped up in all the furore of the last week, I have completely zoned out of quilting!!! However it is a great way to occupy your time as you are social distancing!!!
Anyway, Quilting! I have started to sort out my quilting things to sew back at my desk which I use for work in the week. As I have not done this for a while I have to remember where I put everything before and how I used to do it!!!! I haven’t had much time up to now to do this so it will be a great job to do in the next few weeks.
I have a couple of projects still on the go, this being the main one made from the material above!!! I just need to sew a final row onto the quilt and then I need to add the borders and the top will be done!!! Hopefully over the next few weeks I can get this done.
It is a good job we Quilters have a good stash of material to keep us going at the moment. Of course I am sure if you need anything lots of quilt shops will still mail things out to you.
Have a good day whatever you are up to, quilting or gardening or reading.
Stay Safe.
Hugs, Susie xx
As it is Saturday and in the current situation you may have more time than normal I thought you would like a new recipe to try. This is a huge favourite in my home.
I forgot to take a picture of it when I cooked it the last time, so the above picture is from BBC Good Food which is similar but slightly different to mine!!!!
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Ingredients:
Four chicken breasts, eight slices of back bacon, four portions of cheese to fit the chicken, one onion diced, 1 tbsp of Olive Oil, 1 chicken stock cube, 1 tbsp plain flour, 1/2 pint of milk.
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1. Dice the onion and put into a pan with the olive oil and fry until soft. Then put the chicken stock cube into the pan and let it disolve with the heat of the oil and onions over a low heat.
2. Next put the flour into the pan to soak up the juices and cook slowly for a couple of minutes. Then pour in the milk and stir until thickened, if it is too thick add a little more milk. Simmer the sauce for five minutes and add some salt and pepper to taste.
3. Prepare the chicken and then cut the cheese. Now DH likes Blue cheese like Stilton but the Boys prefer Red Leicester cheese or you can use any hard cheese you like. Slice a wedge off and put it on the underside of the breast. Then wrap a piece of bacon around the breast at the front lengthways and wrap another piece of bacon across the breast whilst holding the cheese in. Place the chicken in an oven proof dish next to each other.
4. Taste the sauce to see if you need to add any more seasoning and then pour it over the chicken. Cover the dish with some foil and place in a hot oven (200°C) for an hour. Take out of the oven and remove the foil and then put back in the oven for another 30 minutes (obviously you know your ovens and can adjust the timing). Ensure that the chicken is cooked through (depends upon the size of the chicken breasts). You will find that the cheese has melted into the sauce which can be spooned over the chicken when you serve.
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My lot like mashed potatoes, peas and leeks with this dinner!
If you like you could add mushrooms to the sauce (DH and I like mushrooms the Boys don’t!) and you could change the bacon for Prosciutto if you wish. This is also a good recipe for dinner parties.
Have a lovely weekend, happy eating and stay safe.
Hugs, Susie xx
The Spring Equinox is when the day and night are almost equal. For us in the Northern Hemisphere it is today and occurred at 3.49am GMT!!!!! Here it is very sunny and bright but with a very cold wind!!!!! We are due to have some frosts next week and I am hoping that will help with the current situation and kill of this dreadful virus!!! We have not had many frosts this Winter and my Grandmother always used to say some good heavy frosts will kill off all the bugs!!!!! Oh by the way the Spring Equinox information came off my day to day Snoopy calendar!!!!!!
No it’s not snowed since the start of this post!!!! I wanted to show you the front of our home. When we first moved in nineteen years ago we widened the drive to fit DH and my cars on the drive side by side, but we kept a corner of the garden (on the right of the picture) as I think it looks better. However we now have for a portion of the week five cars to try and park which means we have had to take the rest of the garden away. I really didn’t want to but needs must………..
First job was to get all the plants out and moved those to the back garden. One benefit of the current situation we find ourselves in, there is time to get on with these jobs!!!!!
It is also good when you have Eldest who is now fit and fine since his shoulder problems and has been told that he can no longer go for physio or occupational therapy because of the situation, who is just waiting for his work to get it rubber stamped for him to go back to work, and he is fed up so he is loving digging out!!!
The skip almost full!
We are leaving the plants at the top but will be taking the soil out down the side of our neighbours wall and will have a wall put around the plants and against our home to support the side.
Eldest busy digging down and we will move the stones into the back as well.
DH will be home later this afternoon to help out!!!!
When this is done we will get the drive tarmacked and it will mean that we will be able to store our three bins at the side and get three cars side by side and then DH and Eldest’s car at the front and we will then not have to worry about DH parking elsewhere on our road!!!! Of course by the time we have done this no doubt Eldest will then be moving out into his own home!!!! However it will be better when we get visitors as well. When it is all done I will aim to get some more plants in there somehow!!!!
We are going to go to the garden centre tomorrow to get some compost for my veg planter and my pots and some other bits and bobs so that we can get on with the garden!!!!
Gardener’s World on BBC2 is back tonight. Monty Don who is the host and his dogs Nigel and Nelly tell us each week what we should be doing in the garden and shows you how to do various projects. So even if it is raining you get to see some gardens. They are hoping to keep going as long as possible with the program as it is filmed weekly but it all depends upon how the situation progresses!!!
The Chelsea Flower Show, which we went to for the first time last year, is cancelled at the beginning of May and our Carnival which is at the beginning of July has been cancelled too! DH and I are due to got to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show in July this year and at the moment they have not cancelled it but again it will all depend upon how things go in the next few weeks/months!
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This week has been quite surreal. We are seeing things which at least two if not three Generations have never seen or experienced and I think everyone is feeling a little at sea to say the least. I also think that we are all keen to make sure that we do as the Government are telling us to try and stop this thing in its tracks but what we must do is still do the same two weeks, two months or more down the line and not get complacent. We must not think “well it is not affecting me so I will go out to the pub or the local restaurant” We must try and stop it as soon as possible and if that means we are not able to do what we want, when we want then that is the price we pay for staying safe!!!!
I have seen a news report of where young people are ignoring the advice and going out to the pub as normal every evening! I am sure as with most youngsters they think they are invincible but it will not stop the spread!!!!
As we go into the first weekend of this new norm stay safe and stay busy, Idle Hands and all that!!!
We hope you have a good weekend and keep smiling.
Hugs & Love Susie xx
Seventy one year’s ago my parents got married! Here they are outside of the Parish Church after the wedding. Dad was 24 and Mom was 19. Eldest is the same age as my Dad now and yet my Dad looks so much older, a result of being in the RAF during the Second World War I think. Looking at this picture now of 1949 and our current situation it seems so much like a link between the years. My Grandmother, who taught me to cook, bake and sew, saved up their ration coupons so she was able to make their two tier wedding cake. My mother’s wedding dress was also made by my Grandmother and again they had to save their coupons for the material for that.
DH and I cleared out our attic last year and we had some old family photographs which were still in their frames, although damaged. One was of this picture and as we took the picture out my Grandmother had placed it on top of another picture of my Mom as a Bridesmaid for her best friend!!! We would have never seen it had we not taken the frame apart!!!!
Great #TBT picture!!!!!
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I went grocery shopping this morning and despite the claims of the supermarket chief executive that supply lines are not a problem and there is plenty to go around, the shelves were empty!!! No fresh meat, no cereal, no orange juice, no crisps and no tinned goods of anything!!!!! Do you remember in the Harry Potter Film “The Order of the Phoenix” Umbridge’s special pen? “I shall not tell lies” Mr Chief Executive!!!!!!!!
Our schools in the UK are closing tomorrow two weeks before the normal Easter break to try and protect the children. They have, in the newspaper I do read, been asking for tips on how to work from home and look after your children at the same time. Now I am an expert on that having worked in our business from home since both our Boys were born!!!!!! In fact I don’t think we would have been able to have children had we not worked from home as we have no family whatsoever to help out with child care!!!!
When the Boys were tiny and primary school age, I used to find I would get up really early and work before they were up. Once they were up I would deal with them food wise and then we would play and do things and then, when they still had sleeps in the afternoon, do more work, then when they woke up let them play on their own for a bit whilst I kept one eye on them and one eye on my work. I would then also work in the evening when they went to bed.
Obviously as they got older it changed and as they needed less input from me, it was just keeping an eye on them. At least we are going into the better weather months hopefully and if people are lucky enough to have gardens the children can be out there. Someone did comment that we will all have immaculate gardens this year as we have all this time on our own and being outside of course lifts the spirits and is good for your health!!!!!
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My other thought on the current situation was; has anyone seen a big blue giant of a man with a metal glove and five shiny stones in it recently??????? I mean we have had all the fires in Australia, the floods here in the UK, the locusts in Africa and now this virus! Either a big blue giant or the Four Horsemen!!!!!
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I have had a few new Followers join me on this blogging journey and I just wanted to say Welcome and Thank You for Following and I do hope that you find some fun, some facts, some quilting (eventually!) and some Friendship here at my Blog.
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I am off now to get home jobs done!!!! Wish me luck!!!!
Hugs, Susie xx
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Finally wanted to say that in the midst of this situation things happen which we all have to face at various times and we need to spare a thought for all those going through a terrible time as well as trying to cope with this difficult situation.
A very good friend of mine her father has just passed, not because of the virus and is having to deal with that as well as the restrictions to do with Covid-19.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her and all that are having to cope with the same situation amidst this terrible time.
Take care and stay safe all. xx
We have had one of those days and I am really confused as Daddy and Eldest are at home as well as Mom!!! Only Youngest has gone out to work!!! What is happening? I hear a lot of things about some sort of thing which might be caught and that people are staying at home but that is okay as I love it when everyone is in!!!!
Also Daddy and Eldest have been doing a lot of work at the front of our home pulling out all of Mom’s plants!!! I don’t know what is going off.
Mom has ensured I have enough food just in case deliveries can’t happen and I have seen an extra box of Bonios in my cupboard so we should be alright if we are all at home. I am very willing to share my bonios with my Hoomans!!!!
I am quite happy at the moment especially with everyone at home. I hope all you doggies are keeping you and your hoomans safe and healthy.
Woof, Treacle xx
Hugs, Susie xx
I am definitely not going to be listening to or reading the news!! It just seems so terrible but then again I feel I aught to just in case I miss something I need to know!!! It really is a Catch 22 situation. I have been out and about today doing some business things and the virus is all that anyone can talk about!
My Grandparents lived through two Wars and my parents through WWII and they experienced the sort of things which are happening over here in the UK but for several generations we have not seen this sort of thing. Empty shelves in the supermarkets, restriction on movement, possible isolation (although they never experienced that in both Wars!) Which is why I think there is a little bit of panic around.
Certainly with the food situation people are behaving like they do at Christmas. Buying as if the stores will never open again!!! Although I will say that it is partly the Government’s fault. We have been told that we must isolate for two weeks if we have or possibly may have the virus so people are stocking up just in case. However we are then accused of panic buying!!! We don’t have any family so if we had to self isolate then it would be difficult for us to get food in.
Which brings me to another issue which I am really cross about! I have the bulk of my grocery shopping delivered each week which saves me a lot of time (I just go out and buy the fresh food) and I have done this since my supermarket started doing deliveries. Now I am unable to get any slots in the next three weeks because people have jumped onto the band wagon and taken all the slots available, grr!!! However I will go to the store to get everything but will be there at 7.00am when they open as I hate crowds!!!
We have checked on family and friends to make sure they are all okay and have everything they need and at the moment everyone is okay.
DH and I are due to go away over the Easter break to Scotland, the Boys and Treacle are staying at home. At the moment we are still okay to go as it is a holiday cottage but if we do go we will probably be staying close to home and just going out for long walks around where we stay. I am worried about the Boys and Treacle though and if we do go will be in touch with them every day!!!!
There was an article in The Telegraph yesterday by one of their Columnists who raised a very valid point. We, in the UK, have not heard from the head of the Church of England, The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby over the current crisis! He took over in 2013 and has managed to stick his nose in to anything political and criticise whichever Government is in power at the time and also the Church pension fund had invested some of its money in one of the worst Pay Day Lenders!!!! Yet he has not said one word or offered any form of comfort at all during this current issue!! I believe he should be out there doing something! Pehaps he is too busy buying toilet rolls!!!!
I haven’t liked the man since he was appointed and I am not happy with the vicar at our village church either which does create a bit of a problem!!!! However we are all being encouraged not to go to Church at the moment so that solves one problem!
The whole thing is making me feel very jaded and almost like I want to stick my head in the sand and hope that it will all go away! We have had even more business things cancelled and now DH is getting cancellations of events he was supposed to be commentating at. Little does he know that that means we can get lots of jobs done at home!!!!!! They say every cloud has a silver lining!!!!!
Stay safe All and don’t forget to keep washing those hands.
Hugs & Love Susie xx
Okay we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room!!! If you are unfortunate and get the Coronavirus, hopefully you will not feel dreadful and it is in fact a mild case but you still have to self-isolate, possibly with the rest of the family, for two weeks, what do you do? As we know some are climbing the walls after just a few days of being all together at Christmas, so how do you avoid this?
I also think you need a routine rather than just getting up and wondering what on earth you are going to do for the next twelve hours!!!!
As we are into the Spring months now so you, or however many you have at home, can get down to Spring Cleaning all the rooms in your home. Also a good way of ensuring all your things are clean.
Have you got a room, attic or somewhere that needs sorting out, throwing things out etc? Have a go at getting that organised.
Do you need to do any decorating? Perhaps you could ensure you have some paint in so you could tackle that job.
If the weather is okay and you have a garden then that is always a good thing to do and gets you out in the fresh air.
How about starting a new hobby? If you haven’t got the things in you need to start you can always research it on the web and make a list of things you will need.
Books, reading! I would be okay as I have lots of books but you could always get a few books in just in case.
Photographs! How many of you have piles of photographs somewhere, you could organise them into years. A great tip, if you haven’t got any albums, write on the back of the picture who it is or where it is and roughly the year, because that knowlege can disappear. I have a box full of pictures from my Grandmother’s home and I know they are all relatives but I have no clue as to their names and ages and where the pictures were taken!!!
If you are all together then spending a few hours apart in different parts of your home if you can is a good idea.
If you are able to you could try new recipes for dinner especially if they are more complicated as you have time to do them instead of cooking at the end of a busy day.
Finally there are the streaming networks, Netflix et al, where there are box sets of different shows which you can spend many hours watching especially if the weather is dreadful.
If you have children with you in isolation then obvously keeping them occupied can be more difficult depending upon their ages. Our Boys loved it when they couldn’t go outside when we built forts in our sitting room out of the clothes airer and blankets!!! They are also fans of board games, how about a marathon Monopoly game? Teach them or learn to play chess. Just spending more time together than you are noramlly able to because of work is a good thing.
Obviously we hope that you are able to get supplies in the two weeks and we all need to make sure that if we know someone in this situation we help where we can.
Anyway those are a few ideas of what to do if you have to self-isolate. I think that if we have to do this then a positive attitude goes a long way to helping. Just think of it as fourteen Snow Days!!!!!
Stay safe.
Hugs & Love
Susie, DH, Eldest, Youngest & Treacle xxxxx
This is the first book I have read of Steve Cavanagh. This book is the fourth Eddie Flynn novel. Eddie was a con man but a chance encounter with a Judge who steered him towards a career in the Law, has given him a respectable career. He now represents clients getting them off charges which he was once accused of.
“Thirteen” sees Eddie being asked to be second chair in a high profile case of a film star accused of killing his wife. Eddie is in trouble with some bad cops and his new employer wants him to go up against the cops to prove they lied about the evidence. They are about to go into Court when the top lawyers pull out, which leaves Eddie to try and win the case on his own. However the real killer is on the jury and ready to sway the rest in favour of the death penulty!!!! Can Eddie get his client off and avoid death himself?
I really enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it. It moves very well through the chapters, there isn’t too much legal jargon but the suspense is kept high. I will be reading more of Mr Cavanagh’s books especially in this series.
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Sorry this is a day late!!! I spent Thursday working and then doing home jobs and yesterday I was out early at the grocery store, 7.00am, as I hate crowds and after unloading and putting the shopping away I then spent the rest of the day ironing!!! It’s lovely to go out but the washing does not stop piling up!!! I do sometimes think I am running a laundry service!!!!!!
Have a great weekend, don’t panic and stay safe.
Hugs, Susie xx
