Being a good friend

Yesterday I was to tired to blog my house felt a bit like a cafe. Some of my friends were without power and as I had power I suggested they pop over for various bits and peices. One friend came and used my cooker for various apple products and sauces she was worried that her windfall apples would go to waste so there I was helping to sterilise jars and help make apple jelly and apple sauce this took most of the day and she went away with nearly 30 jars of apple based products as well as 4 apple pies. Another friend came to use the shower and bath whilst her two boys watched television. Some just came for a cup of tea and chat. Whilst another friend came to use the washing machine I'm surprised my electricity didn't cut out from the amount of use it had. I also helped my neighbour put her fence up which has now got posts that are concreted in so hopefully won't be going anywhere soon. 

Today I have been doing a mountain of house work and tided Little Miss and Little M rooms and tried to sort out my herb garden which was destroyed by the fence blowing over and the neighbour standing on it to put the fence back up. 

This afternoon we carved the pumpkins nothing spectacular just a simple design ready for tomorrow. I'm not a great fan of Halloween especially when you get teenagers knocking on the door dressed in a black bin bag demanding sweets or money. I will take my two out but only knock on the doors of friends and neighbours who are particating. Other than that we will be back indoors tucked up in the warm from 6.30. 

We survived

Well the storm literally blew through us and we came out with out to much damage. Not like our neighbours fence which will now need replacing. I can't help but think if it was done properly in the first place it might have survived. She's relatively new having bought the house this year and very quickly put up a very high but mismatched fence taking down a very good strong lower fence. I understand she wants her privacy but now we have to live with a fence that is damaged and looks rather unsightly until she gets round to fix it. Does that make mean seem really mean I'm sure it does and I apologies 

For the rest of today I will be doing crafts with the children to help keep them quiet as Mr M is working from home due to not being able to get into the city. This doesn't work very well as we don't have a separate office area so he has taken over most of the dining table and seems to be making lots of calls where  I am constantly left saying shhh daddy on the phone as well as doing great charade actions to the look of blank faces of the children who subsequently make even more noise. 

I hope everyone is safe from the storm and didn't suffer to much damage. 

A quiet Sunday

IToday saw us rise a little later than normal possibly due to the clocks going back or the fact that both children woke in the night they do that every so often with no Rhyme or reason. It's been a relaxing Sunday with cooking roast beef and syrup sponge followed by a walk in bright sunshine kicking the leaves that are littered everywhere.  

Having returned home Mr M settled himself in front of the football and Little Miss and Little M decided to play lego. With everyone settled I decided to have a go at finishing a quilt I'm making for little miss. I'm not crafter and am teaching myself via books and the Internet. It has many problems and still isn't finished it needs binding sewn around the outside but I have enjoyed doing it as a very first project and has helped me get used to my machine which I was petrified of using at first and sat in its box for about six months. I have been collecting bits of fabric and have a small collection I'm making a couple of presents for family for Christmas now I feel a bit more confident with my sewing.

Well everything in the garden  has been put away safe incase this storm is as strong as people are saying. Stay safe and back tomorrow.

Coastal fix

This morning we needed to go to the tip to take some old chipboard and some flat glass. As we were almost at the coast it didn't take long for me to suggest a brisk walk at Sizewell. I love the coast so much and get withdrawal symptoms if I don't visit. I love the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and today was a fantastic day to have that brisk walk. The waves were not rough the sky was stormy and getting out of the car to the children and Mr M saying whose idea was this. With in five minutes we were dodging waves and collecting pebbles and a couple of mermaids purses. Unfortunately we didn't stay to long as the rain soon blew in and not wanting to get to wet and cold we headed home where we have spent time making sure everything that can blow away has been put into the shed or at least tied down.

  It does look likely that the storm will hit as and from the comments I have been getting lots remember the great storm of 87. I hope it's not as bad as that year though I would quite like to lose the electric for a while so that we can sit by candle light and play games like I used to when I was younger. 

A Busy Week

It has been such a busy week that im really looking forward to having  a week at home with the children just relaxing, cooking, doing crafts and if the weather is not to bad going for some walks. Its been a very busy week with various clubs from football practice even a night hike with the local beaver (cubs) group and ballet lessons and commitements (commitee meetings to stop local developers building on our cricket pitch) so to have a week where we take each day at a time is lovely. I am lucky that the children are quite happy to play at home or go for walks as I have never been one to make sure I take the children out somewhere everyday, one we can not afford to do that and I am not really a fan of indoor play centres orthe prices they charge for entry and two I want my children to make up their own play without something being provided to them. I have many friends who are always doing something and the children never want to be at home and get board easily.

Im still finding my feet with this whole blogging lark and am very greatful to those who take the time to read my ramblings and also to leave comments which I love reading. Im not sure which direction i'm going in but at the moment I am quite happy just rambling away about my life in Suffolk with my family. To those who read my post about my challange I did it I managed to save up enough to buy this lovely food mixer but now the money is in the bank I don't want to spend it just yet I want to see how much more I can save.

There has been reports in the local newspaper that we might get a storm that is to rival the great storm of 1987. I don't really remember much as I was only 6 at the time however I do remember the fallen trees with roots  and the large holes they left in the ground and having no electricity and the greenhouse blowing down. Just incase we do I have made sure I have plenty of candles, batteries in the radio and plenty that we can eat that doesn't require cooking as everything in my house is electric except the gas central heating which also needs electric to run.

Disappointment

I found out today that I haven't been successful in obtaining an allotment next year unless a miracal happens. I'm really dissapointed as my name has been on the list for a couple of years now and I often walk down to the allotments and there must be about 3 or 4 that are not being used which is such a shame. I wouldn't mind sharing one but that doesn't seem to be an option. I live in a town whose population seems to be rising by the year and if the developers get their way it will get even bigger. So to have only 20 allotments it doesn't seem a lot for a town our size.

I love gardening and growing things and it's important that my children know where things come from and I love the fact they can step outside and picked something we have grown as a family.

I have two small veg beds in the garden which I do grow things in and I try to grow in pots sometimes successful other times not. But our garden doesn't get an awful lot of sun due to a very large hedge and tree in the neighbours garden that's another thing all together so the books are out helping me to decide what to grow in pots, and a shady garden. 

A Rainy Day At The Beach

Our Saturday morning started much the same taking the children to tennis for 8.30 then back to have breakfast, cup of tea and read the papers. Having done this we sat down to discuss what should we do today. Many ideas were put to the table from museums to farm parks then my bright idea why not a trip to Southwold it wasn't raining at this point. I thought it would be nice to have a wonder along the promenade the children can use up the 2p we have accumulated in the arcade and then a ample around the shops followed by fish and chips. Half way there it started raining when we arrived it was really raining not one to let the weather get the better of me I really am an outdoor girl we did what we planned just in a diffrent order. Arcades, fish and chips in the cafe then a walk into town. We didn't go in many shops but I did pop into a couple of charity shops I'm looking for Pyrex dishes and serving bowls nothing was found except a mug from designer Keith Braymer Jones for 50p saving myself £9.50 I have a few bits of his things that have been given to me as presents so I bought it to add to my collection.

Once we returned home it was still raining we spent the rest of the afternoon doing crafts myself I am learning to knit though I do seem to have more stitches on the needle than I started with so the scarf I'm knitting is getting a bit wider any help regarding why this is happening will be much appriciated. 

Tomorrow will be a traditional Sunday at home getting ready for school on Monday, baking for packed lunches and cooking a roast chicken as well as fitting in a walk as long as the weather holds.

Perks of the job

I own and run a website about Suffolk and one of the perks is I often get asked to do reviews. Today was one of the those days. The place I went to was nestled on the river at Ramsholt with stunning views. So armed with this view and accompanied by good food what a fantastic way to spend a Friday lunchtime.

At the moment the river is still dotted with boats but it won't be long before they are pulled out and stored for winter. Today was a bit overcast but on a beautiful sunny day this place is amazing. It was still mild and with a little bit of wind it bought out a few sailors who had sailed down to the pub just to have lunch it made me reminiscent about my childhood days on the river. 

The lunch today way really nice and I'm not just saying that the only problem myself and friend had was to decide which dessert to eat so being a bit greedy we ordered our top three which was Plum and Almond tart, Apple and caramel bavarois and a Banana and peanut cheesecake. The Plum and Apple was our favourite. Some times my job is very hard which doesn't pay very much if anything but I enjoy promoting some of the best places Suffolk has to offer. 

A lovely Plum and Almond tart 

Autumn walks

Thank you to everyone who wished my daughter a happy birthday, she had a lovely day and we are looking forward to a trip to London to the Tower at the end of the month. We don't really do parties anymore she has had plenty in the past from princess and pirates to farm park party and even a disco. But now she prefers to do something with the family which makes it a lots less stressful than arranging a party.

The last couple of days the weather has been ok and I have managed to fit a good couple of walks in around the lanes and across fields I usually go for an hour walking about 3 miles.I just made it back today before the rain came. I love walking and sometimes go with a friend and her dog other times on my own it gives me chance to exercise, think and most of all spend time outside.  I have also been cooking some spinach and feta parcels which a friend cooked for me last week and I really liked them so thought I would have a go. It is one of the river cottage recipes I don't actually have the book so by watching her this is my own interpretation 

I use shop bought filo pastry as I have never attempted to make my own and I'm not sure I ever will

cut and dice 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic and slowly soften in a frying pan with a little oil.

Add as much spinach as you would like I used a whole bag 

Wait till this has all softened down then add a small packet of feta cheese.

I then put a large serving spoon full on a sheet of pastry using egg to bind then added another sheet

I have cooked in the oven for about 15 mins on 180 fan. 

This has made enough for 6 large parcels which I will have for lunch and put in the freezer for another day.

Inspiration and thank you.

I have had such Inspiration since joining the blogging world especially from Frugal in Suffolk and Frugal in Norfolk. It has made such a diffrence to the way I shop and feed my family. I knew what I should be doing and what I wanted to do but it didn't quite happen due to time and generally not being organised. Since reading other peoples blogs which is a great joy to do with a cup of tea and just taking five minutes out I have completely changed the way I shop and do things in general. Much to Mr M delight.

So today I have been making chicken pies made from yesterday's leftover roast chicken which normally would have been put in the fridge and probably thrown out a few days later. These pies are very basic chicken in a white sauce which will come in handy for Mr M dinner in the evening when he doesn't like or eat what myself and the children have had. Normally I would have popped to the shop and bought a pie full of rubbish which would have cost a good couple of pounds or more. 

I have also been baking for lunch boxes which has stopped me impulse buying during the week which in turn has saved us quite a bit of money. I now make sure I plan all our meals and only shop when I need to. 

So it's really a big thank you to all the inspirational blogs that I read. 

A family ramble

After being in London yesterday surrounded by crowds it was good to get out for family walk where we are surrounded by space and open fields. The rain had stopped allowing us to put on our wellies and go for a ramble. Which was good as the children had so much energy this morning the strong winds have left lots of branches lying around which meant Little M tried to find and carry the biggest one possible. So with lots of puddles and mud what was going to be a gentle walk turned into a lovely 2 1/2 walk around feilds, castle grounds over bridges and through large mud puddles collecting leaves convers and twigs on the way. 

It's days like this I love especially being outside with Mr M and the children and the children seem so much happier having spent some time out in the fresh air.

A Long Day.

It's been a long day but lovely day. I went to the knitting and stich show in London today. I had the catch the coach at 7.00 this morning which meant an early rise of 5. This I don't mind but it certainly is dark at that time of the morning. It was rather a long coach ride due to the motorway being closed and miles of tailback we arrived at Alexander Palace two hours later than scheduled. 

I have never been to one of these before and at times I found it overwhelming with the amount of things to buy along with the crowds of people though I am pleased to say I went with a budget in cash and actually spent less and still have money in my purse. I did manage to get some good deals on fabric to finish my daughters quilt and some fabric to start little m quilt. I also managed to pick up a couple of Christmas presents. 

It's not often I go out for whole days at a time leaving Mr M to look after our two children but from the tales they have told me they seemed to have had a good day painting, building lego and general playing. 

Tomorrow the weather isn't looking to good so it will be a day in the kitchen baking for the coming weeks lunch boxes and making soup for lunch and to put in the freezer along with a traditional Sunday Roast. Hopefully we will beable to fit a walk in somewhere. 

Wet and wild

Autumn seems to have blown straight in with wind and  heavy showers in Suffolk. The trees are shedding their leaves very quickly so once the wind dies down I will be outside raking them up and putting into the compost heap. In between showers I did manage to get out for a good walk and one thing I have learnt from reading other inspiring blogs  is to always take a bag and some change. Which I'm glad I did today as there are still so many blackberries on the hedgerows and a couple of my routes I pass some amazing vegetable gardens and this time of the year they are selling any excess. However due to the winds instead of selling they were giving windfall apples away due to being bruised so I picked up a couple of bags and used to make a lovely  apple and blackberry crumble and made enough to have one in the freezer for another day. 

Today was little princesses birthday she is now nine as having been born five weeks early suffering serious jaundice and having had meningitis at four weeks there were times I didn't think she would get to one let alone nine. We were lucky that is was caught very very early and after a couple of weeks stay in hospital we were given the all clear with no side effects. However she does have a serious food allergies to dairy and eggs and also has coeliac disease so birthday cakes can be a challenge. I havea recipie   I use time and time again the cakes don't look show stopping and I certainly wouldn't win star baker but the main thing to me is my little girl doesn't miss out on a cake on her special day. 

Forward Planning

There is certainly a bit of a nip in the air today and the weather forecast is looking a lot colder these next coming days. Which is good as I love the meals that you cook in the colder months especially the ones that you can all throw into a slow cooker or casserole dish and slow cook for hours in the oven so all you have to do is plate it up when you some in. 

I love cook books and I'm always telling Mr M that I can never have enough cookbooks I use them for inspiration and mainly so we don't always eat the same thing day in day out. The latest book I have found useful is Save With Jamie. It certainly has helped in making sure our roast dinner goes further. At first Mr M was a bit sceptical especially when buying a bigger bit of meat than I would normally but being one for numbers Mr M actually worked out it was cheaper to do it this way the book does tell you this. 

I never really one to plan a meals in advance but having read some really good blogs lately I thought I would give it a try especially as I spend the majority of time taking Little miss and little M to various after school activities I'm hoping it will make me more organised so armed with a small selection of my favourite books. I'm planning right up till next Monday.

A productive weekend

Its that time of year when everything in my small vegetable plot has come to an end. I have had a good year having grown broad beans, peas,potatoes,dwarf and runner beans along with courgettes. I wish I had a bigger plot to grow much more and I'm still hoping that soon I will get an allotment having been on the waiting list for two years. Mr M would also like me to get an allotment because he would like the space to install a man shed complete with electricity and a small games table for him and little m to enjoy. 

We can't have both as our garden is not big enough and most of it doesn't get enough sun throughout the day due to some very large trees in the neighbours garden.  However that hasn't stopped me planning on what to grow next year if I'm successful with an allotment or not as I will try growing in pots around the patio and possible amongst the flower beds. 

This weekend hasn't all been about sorting the garden we enjoyed a lovely walk along the river ending up at the castle. This past week seems to have flown buy so I'm hoping next week goes at a slower pace. 

The sniffles

It was bound to happen the cold that's been going around our house has now caught up with me. Though unlike Mr M or little miss or little m who all came down with it at the weekend. I can't just curl up on the sofa watch copius amounts of movies and wait till I get better with someone bringing me food and water whenever it's needed. No being a mum you just have to get on with it.  So armed with tissues and good ole honey, ginger and lemon I carry on albeit at a slightly slower pace. 

The one thing that really helps when this happens is homemade chicken soup. There is nothing quite like it. 

Thankfully yesterday we had roast chicken so last night I boiled up the carcass as I'm really trying not to waste anything especially food  with a couple of onions, carrots, celery and a handful of herbs from the garden.  Turning the heat down to simmer for a couple of hours. Before heading to bed I drained the clear stock and left to cool. Once cool you are left with a clear jelly that soon melts when heated. Though I always take the white fat layer off first.

To make the soup I chop and dice 1 white onion, 2 carrots 2 sticks of celery and slowly soften in the pan with a little olive oil. I then add 3 ladle fulls of the chicken stock and gently heat. Adding a little thyme from the garden and 1/2 a chilli just for a kick. 

You can eat it like this but today I blended it to create a smooth flavoursome  soup.  I have made enough for lunch today, tomorrow and some to put in the freezer.  So hopefully I will be back up to speed in no time.

Blackberrying

I love autumn so much especially going blackberry picking. It seems this year everyone has had the same idea and most hedges now seem bare. However on Sunday we found a spot along a field that nobody has found. There were hedgerows full of blackberries, elderberries, rosehips and sloes. Armed with a basket and walking stick as the best ones always seem to be high up we went to fill up with big juicy blackberries.  This is something I always did as little girl and love my children to experience the same things I did.

We were out side for a good 45 minutes getting pricked by thorns our hands were dyed purple with little Ms lips and top showing signs of one in the basket two in the mouthhigh ones. We picked plenty of berries enough for ourselves and in-laws along with some for our elderly neighbours.  I then froze my share ready to use for another day and in due course.

As I have some cooking apples to use up, tonight we will have apple and blackberry crumble. As little miss is allergic to diary and also has coeliac disease here is my take which all the family can enjoy as we all try to eat the same wherever possible otherwise I find I'm cooking lots of different meals which can be expensive.

Gluten and Dairy Free Apple Crumble

Peel and core and chop 5 Bramley cooking Apples and cook with 2tbsp of water and a little brown sugar.

To make the crumble I use
 8oz of Gluten free plain flour you can use rice flour also along with
 3oz dairy free spread (I use pure sunflower spread I have tried them all and this one has the nicest taste).
4oz soft brown sugar
2tsp cinnamon

Mix together until you have something that looks like fine bread crumbs

I tend to use the blackberries straight from the freezer as they tend to hold their shape better.
Place the fruit in a oven proof dish and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top and cook in the oven at 180c for about 30 minutes. This crumble will look a lot paler than the normal version but still tastes just as good.

We eat ours with custard,ice cream or cream