My little greenhouse

It doesn't cost much for a small plastic greenhouse which is great to start seeds off in the early Spring 

A small plastic greenhouse is really useful to start of seedlings and also to overwinter non tender plants. 

For about £15 you can buy one like t his, which has extra strong webbed plastic.
I shall start planting my vegetable and flower seeds in the next days as we are now seeing slightly warmer weather.  Growing indoors on window sills is not as successful as the light is not strong enough and you will get etiolated, long leggy weak seedlings. 

It's amazing what things you could throw away can be useful

I have always been a magpie, or thrifty...... or perhaps just mean?

I was brought up to respect things, as we were not that rich and therefore anything we bought I always took care of.

This philosophy has continued into my later life and now some might say that I am a "hoarder".  Maybe so, but why throw things away when supposedly their usefulness has come to an end... you can maybe find an alternative use before it is time to finally bin it.

When I bought my house, which was brand new, the builders for some reason only known to them decided to install a "granite like" sink in a pale colour which is a nightmare to keep clean.

Using cloths and cleaning materials to get into the nooks and crannies around the tap etc. has always been fiddly and we also have the hardest water in Britain, and limescale, but I have found a solution.

A couple of years ago I went to New York and bought a battery operated toothbrush which I made use of during my stay.  When I came home I used it until such time as the brush was really not hygienic enough for my teeth and I was going to bin it.

However, I soaked the brush in bleach and hot water and decided it would be just the thing to clean around the tap and the sink.  It is much less hard work and is being put to good use until such time as the battery runs out.... 

Grow your own potatoes in a bag... you don't need a huge garden

There is nothing like fresh vegetables from the garden unlike those you buy from the supermarket which are supposed to be fresh, but have been stored in chilled warehouses sometimes for weeks

You don't need a huge garden or allotment to grow some nice fresh vegetables.  You can grow them in containers, boxes, raised beds or even bags...

I grow potatoes in bags.  But first of all you have to "chit" them which allows the potatoes to sprout to assist them in growing and rooting in the containers.

Put them in old egg cartons, or egg trays one in each segment and leave on a light sunny window until they sprout and it is warm enough to plant them outside.

I buy garden waste sacks - the sturdy ones and these will be perfect to grow them in.

You will not get a huge supply but even a couple of weeks of your own freshly grown potatoes... you will surely notice the difference.

Once they are ready to sow in a few weeks' time I will update you with what to do next. 

Sunday lunch at home and a fab chocolate pudding

Sunday Roast Lunch Beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings at home today followed by a quick but fabulous chocolate pot pudding

So easy to make and tastes wonderful

6oz dark chocolate good quality
3 large eggs separated
Capful of Cointreau or other liqueur
Double or whipping cream to serve
Fresh raspberries to decorate

Melt some good quality plain chocolate I used Lindt or Green and Black's plain 70% dark chocolate, in a bowl over hot water but don't let the chocolate get overheated... just about melting point as when you add the eggs  you will scramble them and it will split.  Add 3 egg yolks and beat.

Whisk the egg whites to a soft peak stiffness and then fold into the chocolate egg mixture and then put into individual containers and chill for a couple of hours.

I then drizzled some Cointreau over the top then a little double cream and decorated with a raspberry and served with additional raspberries on the side, as it is a very rich. 

Dye to refresh.... or change colour scheme

Tumble Twist rugs dyed to refresh

I bought a couple of Tumble Twist cotton bath mats years ago and have two old Lloyd Loom ottomans.  The mats make a perfect cover for them. 

Over the years with change of colour scheme and  house moves they have been dyed different colours many a time.... I have recently just redyed them to refresh the colour. One box of Dylon dye and the washing machine and they look like new again..

Planting leaf cuttings, growing seeds and using old milk and juice cartons makes it cheap and easy.

A friend came to visit and she didn't have a garden at her old home but is now the proud owner of one at her new one.  We went out for the day and bought several things to start her on her project of growing some vegetables and fruit in containers.  This will make it easy for her to tend and is less hard work than digging up the plot.

We bought some beautiful large plastic plant pots,seed potatoes and seeds.

I have grown things in pots for years, runner beans, peas, potatoes, courgettes, carrots, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, etc. as my back is not up to digging a vegetable plot so it is easy gardening.

You can grow things in virtually any container, old sink, plant pots, wine boxes....

Also,if you are taking cuttings you can use old juice cartons with the side cut out and the top lid left on. Fill with compost and it is perfect to growing cuttings or seeds on a window sill.

I have propagated African violets for years, taking a leaf cutting and popping it into the seed tray or container and wait... it might take a few months but soon you will have new plantlets which you can repot into their individual pots - new plants for free. You can also use old Marmite jars with water.Cover with a piece of foil as a lid and poke a hole in and pop in the leaf. It will root in the water. you can put several leaves into one jar. About six say. You will see the new leaflets growing under the water after a few months and you can take them out carefully and pot them up in compost in pots.  

African violet leaf cuttings

Another great use for milk cartons (plastic) is to cut the top off and use the base as a container for cuttings and seeds and also cutting up the remaining plastic piece into plant labels.

Plastic milk carton cut in  half makes a great container

and plant labels

WINTER WARMER: BAKED CARAMELISED PEAR

It's a cold and frosty day and the time of year when you have fruit left over from the summer, or can pick up cheaply at the supermarket. 

Looking for a quick pud to make!  

Very often making a pudding for one doesn't seem worthwhile but if you are cooking something for dinner this is a quick pudding you can pop into the oven at the same time.

WINTER WARMER: BAKED CARAMELISED PEAR

FOR ONE SERVING

Just one pear,  Conference or similar,  cut in half length ways and remove any core or pips.

Place skin side down in an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of liqueur such as Cointreau or brandy.

Then sprinkle with castor sugar, I have used lavender sugar.

Bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or until brown and the sugar has caramelised. 

Pour on hot ready made custard and stir, the caramel will melt in the custard giving it a lovely flavour.

Cold winter's day and shopping... with plans for the summer garden and recipe for salad with strawberries

Buy seeds now for summer flowers and vegetables and a recipe for a nice winter salad with strawberries.

It is just about freezing today and grim so it is not a day for doing much.  Off to the supermarket and found fabulous offer at Lidl 29p each for some packets of seeds.

You don't even need a garden to grow vegetables they grow very well in pots and containers.  Potatoes in dustbins, salad in an old sink, runner beans in planter tubs with some tall canes, courgettes, carrots, peas, the possibilities are endless with a bit of imagination. You can grow in small quantities for yourself and they taste so much better than from a supermarket.

Today I bought some flowers seeds also to plant up soon in my mini greenhouse - which cost me £19 and is perfect for planting seeds up a little earlier and for overwintering non-tender plants... even to grow some lettuce in during the winter. 

At the moment I have lambs lettuce = corn salad, growing in planters, and it weathers the frost... so much nicer than those bagged salads full of chlorine ten times strong than a swimming pool and you can pull a few leaves at time.

An eminent TV chef once criticised an entrant in a cooking show for using fruit with lettuce....mmmm he is wrong... 

A few sprigs of the wonderful nutty leaf salad mixed with a dressing of red or white wine vinegar and some  Walnut or corn oil,and chopped up strawberries, mix in.... yes strawberries is fabulous. Am enjoying with some York ham and some oven cooked chips for my dinner this evening. 

I bought some beautiful cornflower seeds which will be fabulous growing in a large container as well as the garden and will make a wonderful display as a cut flower in the summer in a pretty jug.

The Sea Lavender seeds will make plants in the garden which can be subsequently dried and then used in the autumn or winter when fresh flowers are scarce and pricey.   

Just for a treat, well they were on offer I bought two boxes of delicious chocolate truffles. So whilst  I sit and do my planning for the summer garden a cup of tea and chocolate.... treat... 

The beginning of how to use your time: with ideas and tips on home, garden, travel and hobbies - New beginnings.... and a recipe for scones

New beginnings.... and a recipe for scones

At this time of year the weather is not good, the days are short and dark....  but it is the time to start thinking about the things you want to do in the coming year.  Now you no longer  have to get up to go to work or work to a routine, you are free to do so many things, but it is easy to let time slip by.  So why not plan your garden or days out or holidays, or projects you want to achieve, perhaps learning a new skill, or enjoying the hobbies you never had time for before. 

Time to have a clear out and tidy up and make way for new... whether it is fixing a piece of furniture and repainting, or clearing out your wardrobe, mending things, sewing on buttons, or just decluttering..

It's time to achieve even small things.

So even though the weather doesn't inspire you sit down with a cup of tea or coffee or even a glass of wine and start making to do lists.... you don't have to stick to them but just jot down projects and start researching.... for when the time is right to get outside. 

So let's start: 

How about making a nice batch of scones to have with some cream and jam and a cup of tea whilst you start your planning...

Easy Scones:

8 oz. self-raising flour sieved in a mixing bowl, 

2-4 oz. butter chopped into small pieces and then rubbed in

a pinch of salt

Couple of tablespoons of castor sugar - lavender sugar is even nicer 

Couple of tablespoons of mixed dried fruit if you want them a bit more spicy

Then add  

5 fluid ounces of milk, to bind together. 

Knead lightly but not for too long until bound together smoothly.  

Roll out to about 1/2-3/4 inch thin and cutout rounds with a glass or cutter.

Brush each with milk and then place on lightly buttered baking tray. Bake at bout 200 degrees Centigrade for about 10 minutes until lightly brown.  Leave to cool slightly.  Serve with nice homemade jam if possible and butter or whipped double cream.

Won't cost a fortune for a "cream tea" and will be pleasurable whilst you take about that notebook read to get started on your future projects.

ENJOY

💚