Our journey down to Hastings included the need to stop off for lunch somewhere and the fantastic new National Trust iPhone application told us that by 12 noon we were very close to Chartwell, so off the M25 we turned and after a brief detour due to a road being resurfaced we soon pulled into a very busy National Trust car park. Luckily there was plenty of space still in the restaurant so food could be acquired to ensure that myself and Baby C had enough energy to make the most of our visit. Chartwell was home to Winston Churchill and his family and the house is set up so fantastically that as ... read more
NTTVBG: The Illusionist – Jennifer Johnston
Before I can get on to telling you all about my travels there's a NTTVBG read to catch up with as today we are busy discussing The Illusionist by Jennifer Johnston over on Reading Matters' blog.Having initially read the back cover of this book I admit that it is the sort of thing that I may well pick up myself so I was quite looking forward to this read, especially after many of the others that had been chosen so far have taken me out of my comfort zone a bit.Stella initially meets Martyn on a train. A chance meeting that eventually leads to marriage and ... read more
A couple of days in Hastings
A few days away in Hastings to celebrate our wedding anniversary means that I've been doing lots of things that I want to blog about, but I haven't had the time to do so! Look out therefore over the next week for news of visits to Chartwell, RSPB Dungeness and Bodiam Castle. There was also time for a wander round Old Hastings, an fantastic art purchase and I also seem to have come home with more books that I left with (but don't tell Mr C that as I don't think he's realised yet!) There's also another discussion of the NTTVBG tomorrow - luckily I'm ahead ... read more
Windowsill progress
I'm delighted that my gardening efforts from last week seem to be paying off. Not only have the basil and coriander pots on the kitchen windowsill started to grow, but even the parsley is showing a few signs of life. There's also good news from my other grow your own efforts. Both of the types of tomato seeds that I started off in the propagator also seem to be starting to grow and even the first of the onion sets are showing some green shoots. It's very early days, but maybe I have some green fingers after all! Fingers ... read more
The Tenderness of Wolves – Stef Penney
It seems somewhat ironic that the post I wrote yesterday about just how tedious The Tenderness of Wolves is has vanished so that I have to spend more time today thinking back about just how bad a read it was!There are very few books that I struggle to finish, but this was one that fell into that category without any doubt. Set in Canada in 1867 the book tells of the various journeys across the Canadian wilderness that some of the residents of Dove River have to go on to try to find out who killed one of the settlement's residents.By about two thirds of the way through the book I started to ... read more
Seared Spicy Tuna with Honey Soy Glaze
Anther new recipe for dinner tonight after spotting some tuna steaks in the local supermarket.Mr C had the idea that he wanted to do something with honey and Soy Sauce and a quick google found me this recipe on Oishii's blog. Fantastically tasty and the chilli flakes in there gave it a lovely warm taste. Easy to make (or so Mr C tells me!) and went great with some couscous and asparagus. Definitely one worth trying again. ... read more
Mastercrafts: Weaving
I've been trying to catch up with the wonderful Mastercrafts that has been on BBC 2 recently and watched the latest episode on the BBC iPlayer just last night. This week's craft was weaving - something that I've often wanted to try, but not known much about. It's up on iPlayer for a week or so more and I really recommend that you go and watch it if you haven't done so already (direct link here) as it was a fab programme. Great to see the craft in more detail and to understand more the mechanics behind it. Also wonderful to see what can be created, ... read more
Further steps towards growing our own
It's a long time ago now since I wrote about Mr C and my very first steps towards self sufficiency. Since then we have indeed managed to (finally) buy a house with outdoor space to allow us to do a bit more. I'm pleased to report that the kitchen windowsill seems to be thriving so far with the basil continuing to grow well, and the coriander making a first appearance yesterday. I'm having a few problems getting the watering levels right - I swear the watering can just puts out more water than I want it to sometimes! - but it's really good to see those first green shoots.After ... read more
Kitchen windowsill herb garden
The realisation that we're already in March and that Baby C will be making his or her appearance in around three months time has made me understand that if I don't actually do some of the gardening things that I want to do now then it'll be too late this year and it'll be another year before any hopes at self sufficiency get going. I decided to start small with a herb pot set that I was given as a Christmas gift. We already have a bit of basil and curly parsley on the kitchen windowsill, but this seemed too good a set not to put to use, so that's what I did.Very ... read more
A weekend in Bath
A friend's wedding gave Mr C and I a fantastic opportunity for a weekend away before Baby C comes along. Somehow I've not been to Bath properly before. I've passed through on the train many times and even been for a job interview there, but the city's delights escaped me until now. An evening wedding meant that we had plenty of opportunity to explore on foot before we dressed up for our trip to the Assembly Rooms for the ceremony and reception. Even the weather was nice to us! The wedding itself was lovely. A beautiful bride, an opportunity to catch up ... read more