Christmas is over. Sob!
Jan. 7th, 2008 11:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blackberry444It all looks so sad downstairs now that the tree and the decorations have gone. Well, when I say "gone", the decorations are packed away in their nice plastic storage boxes, but they're still in the hall waiting for someone to take them up to the second floor. Doubtless it will be done gradually and maybe even before next Christmas!
One good thing, though is that I made John clear all the DIY stuff out of the dining room so that we could use it properly over Christmas and it was so nice being able to eat in there at the dining table instead of squashed round the kitchen table. Now that I don't have to keep the cats out of there, we can leave the door open and it helps distribute the heating around the house, as well as giving us more light in our very dark hall. I shall also be able to use it for some of my craft work again, although that may well mean that the cats have to be excluded again.
I shall also be able to ask David and Alison over for a meal again now that both the bathroom and the dining room are presentable.
After we moved the tree and everything we discovered that something has destroyed my lovely yucca plant. I have seen the cats playing with it, but I think Charles may have overwatered it.
Poor Charles is soo anxious about going to see my dentist tomorrow. I've promised to take him there, wait in the waiting room and even go into the surgery with him if he wants me to. I've also explained that this is just an initial appointment for the dentist to decide what needs doing and in what order, that in all probability he won't do anything tomorrow and that it will be the first of several visits, because I really don't think they'll be able to clean his teeth up properly in one session.
I do hope he manages to get some sleep tonight!
Poor John! His TV has had to be taken in to an independent shop for repair, but it seems that the on/off switch is actually broken and the man can't get a replacement. This is very annoying as he's only had the set for 14 months, just 2 months out of warranty. I've suggested that he complain to Comet anyway, because I think it's outrageous that something like the on/off switch can't be replaced. You expect something which may be used several times a day to be a bit more robust than that. The repairman is going to get it going and then John will have to turn it off at the wall. It's a shame because John loves his TV more than either of the rest of us.
Last night we had our last festive meal for Epiphany. I baked a side of farmed Alaskan salmon Provencal, ie, coated with herbs and stuff, bought in Aldi, which we had with boiled potatoes and griddled peppers and vine tomatoes. It was very good; I shall definitely buy it again, given the opportunity. For dessert we had a huge bowl of brandied bananas. As usual there wasn't enough to satisfy everyone!
Tonight I made piperade with rather more ham than is usual and I still have some left for sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch.
I have a small dried up piece of beef which I shall try to turn into stock, a large bowl of goose fat and a pan of goose stock for soup. We still have quite a lot of cheese left too, but it won't take John long to eat that up. The only thing I've had to throw out has been sprouts left over from Christmas dinner, because they got lost in the fridge and a tiny amount of pickled red cabbage which also got lost in the fridge. I feel quite pleased, because I feel that we've had a much less wasteful Christmas than we might have had if we hadn't been more careful.
Yesterday I bought organic carrots and celery for me to eat as part of my lunches. I feel a tremendous need for fresh uncooked vegetables at the moment. Tonight I cooked a large pan of chick peas which I put in to soak last night. I'm going to make us a nice chick pea stew with baby spinach leaves wilted into it for tomorrow and freeze the rest of them for next time we want hummus.
Oh heavens! Look at the time again. I simply must start getting to bed earlier. I didn't wake up until almost 11.30 this morning when John thought he'd better wake me or I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
One good thing, though is that I made John clear all the DIY stuff out of the dining room so that we could use it properly over Christmas and it was so nice being able to eat in there at the dining table instead of squashed round the kitchen table. Now that I don't have to keep the cats out of there, we can leave the door open and it helps distribute the heating around the house, as well as giving us more light in our very dark hall. I shall also be able to use it for some of my craft work again, although that may well mean that the cats have to be excluded again.
I shall also be able to ask David and Alison over for a meal again now that both the bathroom and the dining room are presentable.
After we moved the tree and everything we discovered that something has destroyed my lovely yucca plant. I have seen the cats playing with it, but I think Charles may have overwatered it.
Poor Charles is soo anxious about going to see my dentist tomorrow. I've promised to take him there, wait in the waiting room and even go into the surgery with him if he wants me to. I've also explained that this is just an initial appointment for the dentist to decide what needs doing and in what order, that in all probability he won't do anything tomorrow and that it will be the first of several visits, because I really don't think they'll be able to clean his teeth up properly in one session.
I do hope he manages to get some sleep tonight!
Poor John! His TV has had to be taken in to an independent shop for repair, but it seems that the on/off switch is actually broken and the man can't get a replacement. This is very annoying as he's only had the set for 14 months, just 2 months out of warranty. I've suggested that he complain to Comet anyway, because I think it's outrageous that something like the on/off switch can't be replaced. You expect something which may be used several times a day to be a bit more robust than that. The repairman is going to get it going and then John will have to turn it off at the wall. It's a shame because John loves his TV more than either of the rest of us.
Last night we had our last festive meal for Epiphany. I baked a side of farmed Alaskan salmon Provencal, ie, coated with herbs and stuff, bought in Aldi, which we had with boiled potatoes and griddled peppers and vine tomatoes. It was very good; I shall definitely buy it again, given the opportunity. For dessert we had a huge bowl of brandied bananas. As usual there wasn't enough to satisfy everyone!
Tonight I made piperade with rather more ham than is usual and I still have some left for sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch.
I have a small dried up piece of beef which I shall try to turn into stock, a large bowl of goose fat and a pan of goose stock for soup. We still have quite a lot of cheese left too, but it won't take John long to eat that up. The only thing I've had to throw out has been sprouts left over from Christmas dinner, because they got lost in the fridge and a tiny amount of pickled red cabbage which also got lost in the fridge. I feel quite pleased, because I feel that we've had a much less wasteful Christmas than we might have had if we hadn't been more careful.
Yesterday I bought organic carrots and celery for me to eat as part of my lunches. I feel a tremendous need for fresh uncooked vegetables at the moment. Tonight I cooked a large pan of chick peas which I put in to soak last night. I'm going to make us a nice chick pea stew with baby spinach leaves wilted into it for tomorrow and freeze the rest of them for next time we want hummus.
Oh heavens! Look at the time again. I simply must start getting to bed earlier. I didn't wake up until almost 11.30 this morning when John thought he'd better wake me or I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
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Date: 2008-01-08 09:06 am (UTC)Oh, I know what you mean there. I'm off to the farm shop later for some fruit. I feel as if I've been eating far too much processed stuff over Christmas, at least partly because we've both been poorly and not up to cooking anything that requires more than minimal effort.