Brrr...

Really quite cold today for May. After the lovely Spring sunshine of yesterday it is drizzly and chilly today. Delia Online members are discussing the fact that they are putting the heat on again. We have had peat fires for the last few weeks, not as hot as the smokeless fuel, but you get a nice glow and warmth with them, and, they are lovely to look at.
Voting and Election frenzy today,polls saying this or that, and each party saying they are the right ones for stability.I don't think Hightown exists on the parliamentary scene, we haven't seen sight or sound of anyone here at all.Quite a lot of leaflets, most of which have ended up in the recycling bin. I do read them, but can yu blieve what you read..No..I think not. I only know in all honestly I am not voting Conservative. I do have a liking for Gordon Brown though, vcan't be doing with the young Eton educated brigade. We shall see tomorrow.
VT went out today to the bank in Maghull, and came back with a bag of Jersey Royals from Morrisons, it takes a man to
go into a supermarket and come out with one item!!!
Jane rang up before, they were on their way to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in Manchester. She had got good tickets for £20 which she said was good. Wouldn't mind seeing that, sounds really fun.
Tonight we are having:
Cheese and Leek escalopes
Baby new Jersey Royals
Carrots and Broccoli
Mushroon sauce.

Gorgeous Day..

Beautiful day today, a really lovely Spring day with the trees in blossom and and the shrubs and hedges greening up a treat. It was a pleasure to be out actually. Since we didn't go out for our veggies yesterday with it being a Bank Holiday, we had to go somewhere today. I thought we were going to ormskirk, but VT turned off to go on the Maghull road. I thought he was avoiding the roadworks, but when we got to Maghull he turned into the Morrisons carpark. I said Oh I thought we were going to Ormskirk. he looked at me as if I had jumped off another planet, then said No problem we can go there I'll just turn round.
Anyway we ended up in Ormskirk. I wanted to go to Holland and Barratt and there isn't one in Maghull. We had a good look round and I got another jumper from Bon Marche. £16 reduced to 13 then reduced to 12 then I had a bonus card with a five pounds off too so in the end it was £7. lovely jumper too in a fetching shade of pink..dead girly!!
Got our fishless fingers and meatfree pepperoni from Holland and Barratt,and went over to Superdrug to stock up on my anti wrinkle cream (That would be a miracle).
Went to our little cafe for our coffee, and there was a couple of older ladies on the next table with two plates of full English and a plate of really really big thick toast. talk about appetising! It was just shouting at me, but we stuck with our blue riband biscuits.
Morrisons for veggies, I love Morrisons, no pretention just good value. VT picked up another of their magazines for the coupon. there is a coupon in this months for a cup of coffee or tea and a cream scone for £1, so we have two now. I feel another trip to Morrisons cafe coming on. Actually their coffee is very good and served in proper cups and saucers not like Asda in plastic cups..hate that.
Tonight we are having:
Garlic Kiev
Cauliflower Cheese..I do that with a half packet of cheese sauce,
8oz of jersey Royals with butter buds.

May Bank Holiday..

Beautiful sunny day and lovely and warm..Not. It is really cold today, but it is sunny out. VT nipped out for a short while to get a couple of things and he said the traffic was quite busy, but is was cold. Not a day for sitting on the beach then, or sitting in the farden with a barbie.
I finished the Mail on Sunday crossword this morning, and a few awkward ones, but got there in the end. VT helped me do my roots this afternoon, he is good at that, gets to the places I can't reach! I have bought a new cape thing for when you do hair dyeing etc., and it is excellent, you don't get drips on your clothes with that. While it was brewing, I started a banana cake. We had three very very manky bananas in the fruit bowl to use up so I dug out an old recipe that I had.VT took over and finished it off. he is turning into an extremely good cook. Watch out Delia!
Recipe:
4oz Marg
4ozSugar
1 Egg
3 Bananas mashed
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tablespns Milk
8oz s.r. flour
method
Cream the marg and the sugar till soft and fluffy
Add the egg and the mashed banana
Dissolve the bicarb in the milk and add that
Fold in the flour and salt.
Spread mix into a base lined 8in sandwich tin..or two smaller ones and bake in
Gas oven mark 4/5 for about 30-40 mins depending on what size tin..till golden brown.
Can be eaten plain, or cut in half and spread with a little lemony butter cream.
At the time of typing this the whole house smells deliciously of a banana sponge cake. Just been down to take it out of the oven and it looks good. Well done VT.
Tonight we are having:
Vegetable Pasty from Waitrose..delicious.
A rice pudding from there too.
Tonight is a Waitrose Fest!

Isn't it Odd

How someone can just annoy you. I have retreated upstairs away from listening to Tony Robinson who does Time Team. VT likes this programme and finds it interesting. To me it is like watching paint dry, but then I suppose there are many programmes that I watch that he can't stand either. It is the voice of Tony Robinson that gets me..it is horrible and sets my teeth on edge.
Bank holiday weekend this weekend but not doing anything in particular. Did the usual yesterday and VT went off to get a few things from Maghull.Stuff about the Election on everything, but I must say we haven't had any home visits or phone calls just a few leaflets, not really any more than we usually get in a council election.
This is the last weekend before the election, so all the leaders are out in full force.
Last night we had:
Chinese spring rolls
Half a pack of rice
Stir fry vegetables and hoisin and plum sauce.
Sunday, VT went for the papers and we had a leisurely read of those in bed this morning. Very nice too. Then he went into Crosby and back for coffee. Crosswords this afternoon, but he says he is getting tired of doing them and has decided to leave the Big Mail Crossword tomorrow. Give us somethi g to do on bank holiday monday.
Tonight we are having:
Pizza with our tomato sauce
Sausage,pepper for Vt
portobello mushrooms
Mozzarella
potato salad and pasta and pest salad.
Egg and potato salad.

The Other Way..

Most of our friday shopping trips tend to be fairly local, but today we went to Asda in Southport for a change. It was a nice morning actually with the trees in full blossom now, and made for a very pleasant drive.
When we arrived at the store we went over to The Range shop because VT wanted to get a few items. I had a look for small mats, but the only ones they had were far to big for what we wanted. On the way out, we passed the lighting department, and had a look at bedroom light shades. We have presently got deep wine coloured ones, that are now too dark with the low energy bulbs. We have been looking for some cream coloured ones for an age, but they have been too dear or the wrong size. Lo and behold they had some in the range. Absolutely perfect.. and an unbelievable £1.09 each!!!!!! Couldn't believe it. They look super and make such a difference to the room. I hope that I will be able to see better to read my book tonight. These low energy bulbs are ok, but the light isn't as good.
Then went to Asda for our weekend shop. Had a look at the clothing which is dire, and at the books. Got a new James Patterson one I like. Excellent array of fruits and vegetables, and got a lot of impulse buys,, also items that are good for the store cupboard and the freezer.
Sat in the car park afterwards with our coffee. VT had remembered to take a flask and the mugs so we had a decent coffee before heading off home.The Asda coffee shop is terrible, really terrible and we just wouldn't go there. Awful little tables and plastic cups!!! definitely the worst of all of the supermarkets.
Tonight we are having:
Quorn beef and Ale pies,
Chips..200grms
Gravy,
A little pack of mixed vegetables.

Dull Day

We had intended to go to The Cheshire Oaks today but in the end decided that we just didn't feel like it so we stopped in. VT nipped out to get a few things he wanted and I did bits and pieces in the house. Maybe we will go next week after the bank holiday weekend.
It is actually raining as I type this with little Rusty on my knee. We haven't had any rain for ages really, and we did say that it looked like rain this morning. At least it will do all the plants and flowers some good, they are looking quite dry.
Poor Gordon brown, the papers are full of his gaffe yesterday about the "Bigot" woman, all over the television and the local news because it is Rochdale. I am on a forum which is to do with Delia Smith, and there is a contributor from Australia, and it was all over their news last night too. Oh dear, he will never live that one down I suspect, and it will be one of the defining moments of the Election. We shall see how they do tonight on the Live debate.
Tonight we are having:
No idea at all.. absolutely none whatsoever. We shall have to see what is in the freezer.

In Which VT gardens...

Since it is green bin day tomorrow, VT has been gardening back and front. He has trimmed the hedge, and is presently attacking the front hedge, which is a mixture of shrubs, and tends to get overgrown little suckers appearing each year. It is only a small front garden with a few pots and a barrel which at the moment is full of dwarf daffodils which are getting past their best. The spring flowers are getting past it now, and are at the stage where they are ready for pulling out. Too early to plant any of the summer things though.
Poor Gordon, in trouble again. he was overheard calling a woman a bigot because she was remarking about immigration, and he has had to apologise and be penitent. he can't do anything right poor man. VT keeps saying..Bye Bye Gordon...
We actually got some post today, I got a book delivered, and a pair of earrings that I had ordered..purple Diamonique and very pretty, and a book..The Cat Who..dropped a bombshell. I have read nearly all of the series, and enjoy the characters and the things the cats get up to.

Jane rang up this morning to say that she had done her Maths test and got 96%..Well done Jane, she was just about to go and do her English test, and rang again later to say she got 84% on that. we had a lovely long chat about what she wants to do. She has found a nice college where she can do a science access course, and is aiming to do a radiography course. Nice that she has something concrete to aim for. She had to pass these exams to be accepted on the course, so she seems to be fine here. pity she hadn't done more sciences at sixth form, but she will get there in the end. She is a trier.
Tonight we are having:
Not altogether sure actually,
maybe a pasta dish with asparagus and mushroom
Or
A Thai green curry with rice and veggies.
Will see later today I think.