Mooching..

We decided that we would go out for a bit of fresh air somewhere. i thought we were going to go to Dobbies for our free coffee so I put a new pair of shoes on, since we wouldn't be walking far there. VT said when we were in the car it would be good to go to Ormskirk since he wanted to go to Argos to get a new card for the camers. Wasn't expecting that but didn't matter.
Got a statement from the bank and some money out, then went to Holland and barratt, VT went card hunting. I bought three of their meatfree pepperoni sausages and some of my skin hair and nails tablets which were half price. took them to the desk and the girl checked them off and put them on the counter. i asked for a small bag and she said in a big high pitched voice.."We charge 4p for a bag now"!! So came out of the shop looking like a shoplifter with three sausages and a tub of pills in my pockets!!!
Had a look in the Bon Marche shop but for once didn't see anything I fancied, and Superdrug and same there. Nothing to spend my money on!! Walked over to the Hallmark shop and saw some tempting Thorntons chocolate on sale but didn't buy that either..but did get some Yankee candles. A lovely little glass jar of Willow Breeze and two votives of the same flavour. Nice in the bathroom, since they are a gorgeous shade of light blue. They were 25% off so pleased with those.
VT took some pictures of the baskets outside the kitchen window..one is of little dwarf daffodils and the other of pretty yellow primroses that have been blooming for an age.


And the barrel outside the front door. These have been so late coming out this year, but are in full bloom now and look really attractive.


And pretty little blue flowers in the back garden..forgotten what their names are, but they are a gorgeous colour.

Tonight we are having:
Quorn fillets in a sauce..maybe watercress, and with mushroom.
Potato croquettes.
Broccoli and carrots.

Tuesday not Monday..

Why is it that when you have a bank Holiday it throws you out. I have spent today thinking that it is Monday. Seems to put you out for the whole week too.
We nipped out to Formby this morning to get our veggies for the week, went to M&S for those. VT called in at Tescaw for some petrol first..£30 and goes nowhere, I remember the days when £5 would fill the tank!!!
Got a good selection of veg from M&S and a few deals as well. they had a good deal for a jar of Italian sauce, pack of pasta and two ciabatta loaves for £3. nice wholewheat pasta too.No coffee shop though it is only a ssmall simply food store, but they have a Per Una section at the back. Too expensive for me though, i get some of the items at the outlet store in Cheshire Oaks.

Little Rusty is still having her eye treated by VT, who very carefully puts the eye cream in twice a day. It is looking better too. He is really good at giving the tablets and creams etc., I think he should have been a scientist or a pharmacist. Distinct lack of opportunities for the likes of us eleven plus failures, you just didn't have the career paths open to you.
Today Gordon brown has declared an Election..suppose that will mean that we will be innundated with politivcal propoganda,May 6th can't come quickly enough, get it all over with. Suppose tories will win, and we will get the smart couple in Number 10. Tories back in crosby..I hope not!!
Tonight we are having:
Goats cheese and cranberry escalope,
Sliced potatoes in Fry light,
Mixed veggies
Cranberry sauce
Mushrooms.

Easter Monday..

Still cold today, the weather isn't really picking up yet even if the flowers are looking better. The two baskets outside the kitchen window are lovely, one with primroses and the other with tiny miniature daffodils. Splashes of yellow everywhere, the big forsythis bush in one of the neighbours garden is totally in bloom. Pity it doesn't last though, we have one by our front gate, and it is lovely for a few days then nothing, just a green twiggy bush.
VT nipped out this morning to get a salad for our lunch to go with the leftover pizza, and he said it was quite busy but he got through quickly.
Must admit our naughty but very nice Easter hazelnut cake we had last night was lovely, looking forward to a second piece of that tonight.


I think if I was ever on a Come Dine With Me programme that would be my pudding.. the flavours are gorgeous together. Don't know what I would do for the other courses, vegetarian food never does well. Otther people always excpect meat or fish.
The family in the end house are going away for Easter, and she has asked VT if they could borrow his ladders. These must be the most well lended ladders in our village, they are presently with the neighbour the other side who was repairing his satellite dish the other day. Good ladders!
Tonight we are having:
Pasties from Waitrose for an easter treat,
Some more of the Hazelnut gateau...naughty.

Easter Sunday..

Dawned fairly sunny, but VT said it is cold out, a bit of a breeze I think.
We did a bit of baking this morning. Since we were both ill over Christmas i didn't make our usual hazelnut gateau, so decided to make it for Easter instead. i had the hazelnuts and the raspberries so thought it would make an easter treat for us.

These are all the bits before it is assembled.

Finished piece with the eleven circles to represent the twelve apostles without judas, and one little mini egg on each. The good thing about this one is that it is even nicer tomorrow than today. The raspberries were lovely, got them from waitrose frozen ones, and they defrost beautifully.
We spent the afternoon doing the crosswords, and making the pizza dough for tonight.Jane rang up and said that she was looking for a shop. we said she would be lucky since it is the one day when they are all closed, but maybe she will find a convenience store somewhere. She said rachel's Granny had sent the each a chocolate egg from hotel chocolate £30 each..hope its a good egg.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce,
portobello mushrooms, Meatfree pepperoni, pineapple, pepper for VT
Mozarella cheese,
Salad, and potato salad and wild rice salad for VT
And..Da Da A Pudding,
our famous Hazelnut cake.

Good friday..

Easter preparations..not many in our house really, just a matter of stocking up so we have enough ordinary things to last till tuesday.
We don't have any plans for a special easter lunch or meal, we tend to have the same weekend things as usual. i am planning to do our Christmas Hazelnut cake for Easter instead of at Christmas. I have the hazelnuts already bought, and the raspberries in the freezer from Christmas. Unfortunately we were both very under the weather over Christmas, so I will make it this weekend. I am going to decorate the top with little mini eggs instead of raspberries, and make it a bit different for the season.
We went to Waitrose in formby this morning to do our shopping,I thought it would be quite quiet, but the car park was heaving actually, and the shop busy. We were lucky and found a parking space just as someone was pulling out. The shop was busy, but you can still get round well enough, it is a pleasant shop. We got all of the things on our list and when I said to the lady at the checkout how busy it was, she said you should have been here yesterday, it was like Christmas! We decided to have a coffee in the cafe since it was latish, and we wouldn't have time to go home for one..£7 10p for two coffees, and a pack of two shortbread biscuits!!!! No wonder there were only 17 people in the cafe! Wouldn't like to have a meal in there! It's actually cheaper to go to costa which is our favourite one of all. I think they are pushing it for what is after all a supermarket.
last night I made a pear crisp.


I made the crisp in a different way from usual which is the rubbing in method. this time I used wholemeal flour, a handful of oats a tiny bit of sugar, and I melted the margarine and then mixed it in. Very quick and very successful, it made a lovely crisp almost flapjack topping. the reason I made these, was that I had a pack of very nice pears that were beginning to go overripe so wanted to use them up. Well worth it. I wanted to put ginger in, but couldn't find any in the cupboard, but did have a pack of pumpkin spice mix I had bought in the states. perfect..that had cinnamon ginger, nutmeg and other spices and was absolutely perferct.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers,
Chips,
Mushy peas for VT and a pack of steamed green veg for moi.

Hares and rabbits..

Ist April and no practical jokes this year, that I could spot anyway. April dawned nice and sunny but still breezy, and it is Maundy Thursday today. The Queen is giving out her 84 pennies today to 84 men and 84 women.
The vet rang fairly early this morning to say that little Rusty's results were very good. her Thyroid level is 5 and a normal cats is 7 so that is ok, and her other results were fine too. VT is doing sterling work giving her the tablets twice a day so he deserves a pat on the back for that. Added to that he has had to put eye drops in now, and the lovely little thing just stands there and lets him. She really is his cat, and absolutely adores him follows him everywhere except when she is asleep.
So well done VT. He is making one little cat better. The only thing the vet said was to give her some senior cat food, and a variety which she gets anyway, and watch the salt in her food. Otherwise carry on and another blood test in six months. Overnight results eh! and a personal call from the vet..I have to wait two weeks for mine, and what's a personal call?
Did the kitchen floor today so that is sparkling, was going to do it yesterday but the weather was horrible so did it today. Post came at 2.30 theres progress modern postal service for you. Remember the days when the post was on the mat when you came down in the morning?
Tonight we are having:
A simple pasta bake with asparagus and a few mushrooms,
A bit of garlic bread,
Pear crumble and a bit of creme fraiche.