Stay in Tuesday..

Not a lot happening today, we stayed in and did things. I did the top of the cooker, VT cleaned the windows, did the ironing, rang up to order some more peat and about the washing machine. All in all a reallybits and pieces day. I stepped out to do the brasses and it was really cold,very deceptive since the sun is shining and it looks nice out of the window.

This is my Buddah in the sunshine, with the little acer tree that VT rescued from a garden centre. it was on sale because it looked awful, but he has given it a lot of tlc and it is in full leaf now. My buddah I was given when I finished work ten years ago, it always looks lovely like he is smiling, whatever the weather, when you look out of the window hthere he is smiling. I keep rubbing him, hoping for a big lottery win but no luck so far.
VT is in the garden at the moment, with his sun cap on and he is trying to get the pots straight. The garden actually is looking quite good at the moment, with some of the shrubs flowering and the leaves just coming up.

The cats like it anyway. Talking about cats,what a night. VT said they were doing the cat olympics last night..up and down all over the bed Bobby was terrible, all over my head, and I was half asleep, trying to get her off. Whisker torture against my cheek, and purring in my ear, she then decides to go down to the bottom of the bed and plonks herself down on my feet so I can't move a muscle. I shall sleep well tonight.
Last night we watched a very good programme called Blitz Street. it was presented by Tony robinson who I can't stand, but it was very well done. They had built a complete sstreet of pre war terraced houses, set up to be exactly like the pre war ones. Some furnished and they even had one done like a shop. Then they rigged up bombs to be the same as the affect of the bombs in the second war. Devastating damage,windows blown out curtains hanging in shreds, everything damaged or destroyed. Funny thing was there was a pint of milk outside one of the houses, and that remained intact, even after two mega bombs. Really interesting programme, one of three I think.
VT has just made me jump, banging at the window with a glove attached to a long pole he has been cleaning the windows with. He's funny him..always makes me laugh.
Tonight we are having:
Toad in the hole with quorn sausages,
Mushroom gravy,
Squashed potatoes 8oz
carrots and beans.

Still Stranded..

The ash is still falling down and apparently there are a million Britons stranded abroad. the news is all full of people with their stories, some of the horrific. The man from our local Post office is presently in Mexico, due back on thursday, Lord knows how he will get back from there. i would imagine it would spoil the holiday if you were worrying about that all the time.
It was quite dull this morning, but it has now become quite sunny and bright. VT is in the garden tidying up. he was out this morning taking a few pictures. Bobby was sitting on a plant pot in the sunshine. She loves a bit of sun does Bobby, so he went out and caught her on camera just before she moved to come and greet him. Aaah.

She looks so sweet, and she is going to have such a surprise when the plants start growing!

This is as good as it gets with our two. They are usually together, but never on top of each other.
We went out to M&S this morning to get our veggies for the week. We had a coupon for £2.50 off if we paid on our card so that is what we did. There didn't seem to be any shortage of good in there, but the flowers were a bit bereft. We whizzed round so we could get back for our coffee. VT hates missing his coffee mid morning, I think it keeps him going.
One of the nicest pots in the garden at present has been the primroses we bought from Dobbies ages ago. When we first put them in the garden the frost got them and they looked like they were gone, but they have come back and look fantastic, really pretty. I bought them because of their colour I hadn't seen any that colour, and then got two blue pots to put them in.

Last night VT made the most FANTASTIC Pizza. Really really tasty and a masterpiece of a creation.
It had, asparagus, black olives, meatfree pepperoni, pineapple and Porobello mushrooms on it. We had the rest for lunch today. Gorgeous. Well Done VT.


Tonight we are having:
Cheese and garlic Kiev,
Sliced fried potatoes,
Mixed vegetables..carrots and broccoli,
Mushroom sauce.

Bit Late

Doing this today, so it will be short and sweet. The crosswords we do on a Sunday afternoon proved to be a bit tricky today with some very awkward clues, so we were a bit longer than usual. Been a cold day today, but cloudy, and VT reckons that there is a fine layer of the ash in the garden and on the car. Give him an excuse to wash it.
Not a lot doing anywhere today really, VT went out this morning and said it was really quiet not many people around.
Bits in the paper today about things getting short, mainly imported fruit and vegetables, we shall have to see what is on offer tomorrow when we do the veggie shop.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza..one of VT's masterpieces,
With, pineapple, sausage (meatfree) portabello mushroom, etc
Potato salad and pasta salad,
Green salad to go with.

Ash!!!

All over the place. We haven't really got any on our car, but VT said there is some in the garden. The airports all over are closed with a very few flights coming out of places like Glasgow. People stranded all over the world, and it's all a real mess. good job we aren't going on holiday anywhere, people are really stuck. Ok I suppose if you are in close Europe you could hire a car and get through the tunnel but otherwise its a mega problem.
Very nice day today too, really sunny. VT went out this morning for a bit, and said it was busy. No sporting events anywhere at the moment so people going into southport etc i suppose. The little cats are in the sunshine fast asleep, cats look gorgeous when they are sleeping. totally relaxed, curled round and the off twitch. Aaah. Rusty is on a blanket on Janes bed, and Bobby is on her little bed with her head resting on the side of it. She has fallen off this bed, sometimes she overbalances and slips off.
We had a lovely panini for lunch, and put some Brie and Mozzarella and tomato in it. not a lot, because we do watch the calories!
Tonight we are having:
Chinese..spring rolls,
Egg fried rice 1/2 a packet each,
Honey and coriander sauce
Stir fry vegetables, with a bit of pepper for VT.

The debate..and Fresh fruit and Veggies...

We watched The Debate on last night's television between the three leaders. It was actually quite well done, and a good watch with no clapping throughout, and well spread out questions. Personally I though Nick Clegg did very well..but would it be enough to swing my vote to Lib dem..Hmmm, not so sure. Gordon did well too and even made the odd joke Bless him. Thought David Cameron came over as being aloof and a bit disdainful, certainly didn't do as well as Clegg. We shall see what happens with the next one.
We went over to the Aintree Sainsburys this morning . We haven't been there for ages, not since my last Walton visit. It was really quiet, and the Liverpool schools are still out too. The shop seemed to have an awful lot of empty spaces on the shelves with a distinct lack of certain fruits and veggies, mainly the imported ones. I sent VT to look for a couple of bananas and he came back to say there weren't any! No bananas, only in great big bags, no loose ones. I only wanted them to ripen my avocado too. Did quite a big shop, I like that supermarket, they have a terrific range of Quorn things, and we got a few new items. VT said there was something going on in the shop with groups of managers in huddles all over the pklace. the shortage of the fruits must be due to the volcanic ash that is causing so much disruption everywhere. It's held up deliveries I suppose.
It is a gorgeous day today and a real pleasure to go out on a drive still a cool breeze though which catches you unawares. We were watching the news at lunchtime, and there are no signs that planes are going to be leaving or entering any time soon. people all over the airports stranded or waiting for news. i remember when we were stranded a Stanford Airport orlando once for fourteen hours and that was Hell. You just want to get moving, and it doesn't look like people will get anything from their insurance companies either.
VT is in the garden doing a bit more. He says he has just given little/big Bobby a brush which is good, she is moulting white hair everywhere at the minute, must be the warmer weather.

She tends to leave her white hairs all over the place, so a good brush really helps. well done VT.
Tonight we are having:
Fishless fingers, tartare sauce
mushy peas for VT and Green beans for moi.
A baked tomato
And Chips!! a real once a fortnight treat. Only 200grms between us though.

Volcanic Ash

Lovely day today, but not if you are flying anywhere. There are no flights leaving the country from anywhere today at all due to some Volcanic Ash coming from Iceland. It is way up in the atmosphere but would damage planes if the fly through it so all planes are grounded. VT said that he hasn't seem any vapour trails today at all, usually there are loads, we are on a flight path from Manchester and Liverpool. I feel sorry for people stranded in Airports, there is nothing worse than hanging around.
We went for our April coffee at The ladygreen garden centre today. It has a lovely little coffee shop/resturant and was quite quiet today, even though it was a lovely day and sunny. We got our two free coffees and a packet of biscuits..a bargain 80p! There were lots of beige anoraks and jackets there, and women with grey permed hair, and old men with baggy trousers. I felt quite smart actually, and VT always looks nice.
We had a look around after, and bought two nice deep blue frost resistant pots for the garden. VT had said that a lot of our pots had been destroyed by the bad weather this year, especially the terracotta ones so we need some replacements to tidy thing up a bit.
Tonight there is a big debate on the television between the party leaders, should be interesting. I wonder how they will get on.
Tonight we are having:
Lamb Grills Quorn
Mashed Potatoes or squashed potatoes,
beans and carrots.
Pear Crumble to follow.

20% Off..

Got a card through the post from a clothing store that I frequent. I buy quite a lot ofg things from themso an offer of 20% off is enough to get me through the door. So we journeyed into Maghull this morning for me to have a look. VT very kindly drove me and he had a bit of a mooch while I went into the shop. There were three or four men outside waiting for ladies..they should have a man creche with coffee and papers!! Had a good look, and bought a new purpkle jumper in their sale for £12, a pair of very pretty bras and some new Sloggi knicks. Then I got the 20% off so saved a bit. Excellent..I like a bargain. I think Bon Marche is a great shop, they always have something I like and at really good prices. The shop was heaving actually, wouldn't mind shares in them.
I thought we would have had time to call in at the garden centre for our free coffee, but actually we were a bit late so came home for a tiny one instead..sorry VT that was my fault. I did buy him a custard from Sayers as a treat though!
Tonight we are having:
A recipe from 101 Cookbooks. I have done this a couple of times in the past but not for a while.It is:

Almost Cheeseless Pasta Casserole Recipe
I used a 100% farro pizzichi pasta here, but whole wheat penne is much more readily available - shoot for something made from whole grain flour, and roughly that size.

zest of one large lemon
8 ounces dried whole wheat pasta (penne or something comparable in size)
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and sliced into quarter sized pieces
3 handfuls kale, chard, and/or spinach, loosely chopped
2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I use 2% here)
2 egg yolks
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and torn into pieces
scant 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
Preheat oven to 400F degrees, with a rack in the middle. Butter or oil an 8x12-inch baking dish, or two smaller gratin dishes. Sprinkle with lemon zest and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, and cook the pasta until al dente. Just 10 seconds before you are done cooking the pasta, stir in the butternut squash and kale - for the quickest possible swim. Quickly (but carefully) drain. Now run cold water over the pasta, squash, and kale (just enough to stop it from cooking). Shake off any extra water and set aside.

While you are waiting for the pasta water to boil, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, garlic, and salt in a large mixing bowl - set aside until the pasta is boiled. Then. when ready, add the pasta-squash-kale mixture to the yogurt mixture and stir in half of the almonds. Scoop everything into the prepared baking dish(es), sprinkle with olives and feta, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve sprinkled with a bit of the chopped fresh mint and remaining almonds.

Serves 6 -8 as a side.
Probably a bit of garlic bread on the side.