Shoshiplatypus

No further progress on the slippers this week, I’m afraid. It’s been another busy week.

On Saturday we went to the fete at the village where we used to live. We try to go every year. It’s always a fun afternoon out, and also an opportunity to meet up with old friends again. This year there were lots of people that I didn’t know, including a lot of new young families, which was lovely. So nice to see an influx of young families coming to our area! The surroundings are so beautiful, and it’s a lovely place for children to grow up.

As usual I made a beeline for the bric-a-brac table at the far end of the field. This is always the biggest table and the most popular. I always come away with some bargains – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! This year there was a Kenwood Chef stand mixer and a video camera – all in perfect working order, going for a song, but I didn’t buy these because I already have them, and others were delighted with their purchases.

Here’s my haul from the fete.

Left to right, clockwise: a selection of deep canvases with photos printed on them – I thought they would be ideal for art work once they were painted with gesso. At the back: plastic storage box. Recipe book stand – I shall probably use it for that, but it might be useful for display purposes as well. Two small zipped bags. Small glass storage jar – always useful in the pantry. Junk jewellery.

There wasn’t quite so much junk jewellery of interest this time, but I bought a couple of little necklaces to take apart and use in projects.

Shoshi can never resist a bag! I bought two this time. I was hoping the black one would be big enough to hold Kermit’s emergency kit (stoma bag changing stuff for when we are out) but unfortunately it’s a bit too small. My existing one just fits (with a squeeze!) in the frame of the back of my new Trekinetic wheelchair. The blue bag was just irresistible and no doubt I shall find something to put in it!

I bought this large plastic organiser box as well. It is filled with masses of small elastic bands and a few bracelets that have been made with them. It is obviously a kids’ kit and I have no idea how to use it – not that I really want to! I bought it for the box, which I thought would be useful for storage. If anyone can think of an alternative use for all those rather garishly coloured little rubber bands, please let me know!

A friend gave me a similar box for my birthday, with embroidery threads in it. I am not sure whether I shall keep using it to store embroidery threads because I store my threads elsewhere. For now, I shall use it as it is, but I shall keep in mind that it’s a really useful storage box for other purposes.

For the complete haul from the bric-a-brac stall, I paid the princely sum of £5.

One of the best purchases of the day was from the second hand book stall. It is a floral design book and it cost me just 50p! (Not having broken the bank at the fete this year, there was plenty left over for a most welcome ice cream on a hot day!)

Here are a couple of examples of pages from the book:

Further on in the book are the template pages. You can trace or photocopy them to use in various projects, or just use them for inspiration.

These pages are organised firstly by season (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and then by theme – leaves, seasonal (Christmas etc.), Oriental, etc. There are simply stacks of pictures throughout, and instructions on how to use some of the drawings as borders, or in combination with each other, and so forth. I think it’s going to be a most useful resource.

New Trekinetic wheelchair

I used my new Trekinetic wheelchair at the fete, and it traversed the field with ease. I got lots of positive comments about it and had some interesting conversations.

A few days ago I made my first trip in it on my own. I went down to our local shopping centre and stocked up on loads of fresh veg from Sainsbury’s, and got a couple of new towels at Marks & Spencer’s. I managed to manoeuvre around OK and didn’t drive over anybody’s toes! Coming back up the hill, I found it quite difficult to steer. I don’t know why going up hills should be more difficult than steering on the flat, but I thought I might get arrested for drunk driving.

My hubby has altered the hoist in the back of the car to enable him to lift it in without having to take it apart each time. He has inserted a piece of thick plastic tubing through existing holes in the frame on the back, and put thick black foam around the projecting ends. He can attach the hooks on the end of the straps of the hoist onto these. The plastic tubing will stay in place permanently on the wheelchair, and it just looks like part of the construction. He has replaced the original ropes of the hoist with adjustable buckle straps, so that he can adjust the length when putting my other wheelchair into the car. It’s all very satisfactory. I haven’t managed to photograph this yet.

We are going out for lunch with a friend on Thursday, and yesterday evening we made a reconnaissance trip to the pub. We wanted to make sure I could get in with the Trekinetic, and also that there was a suitable table for me to sit at. We have booked one, and everything is fine. We had a drink there and had a look at the menu. The food looks excellent, and they change their specials board daily. If I remember, I will take photos on Thursday.

Again, I got some favourable comments in the pub about the Trekinetic! It looks so radically different, and it certainly turns heads! It’s so stylish in an industrial, steampunk sort of way.

Cooking

On days when I’ve felt better, I’ve been busy in the kitchen. I’ve been collecting recipes for my new Ninja Foodi multi-cooker, and I did a chicken at the weekend – pressure cooked and then air fried for a nice brown crispy skin. The whole thing was cooked in about 20 minutes! Some of the results have been more successful than others. Last night we had half a pepper each, with an egg broken into it, with melted cheese and some air-fried crispy bacon on top, and served with an air fried tomato on the side. That was delicious!

I made quite a bit of chicken stock from the chicken carcase, and I also made some delicious vegetable stock. Each time I prepare vegetables, I do not throw away the trimmings and tough tops of leeks etc., but blanch and freeze them. When I have enough, I boil them up and cook them slowly, with some added vegetables such as onion and a bit of celeriac, and some herbs. Then I either blend the whole thing in my high speed blender, or what I did this time, which was to reduce the stock to concentrate the flavour, and puree the cooked veges. I’ve found a recipe online for making your own vegetable bouillon, which is basically pureed vegetables with some added herbs and flavourings, frozen in ice cube trays. I didn’t have all the ingredients and have ordered some tomato powder from Ebay which apparently is sensational! This time I made the chicken stock in the Ninja Foodi on the pressure cooker setting. Awesome! Really quick too. I love the pressure cooker. You just set it and leave it.

I am following Chef AJ on Youtube, and have got quite a few ideas and recipes. She is an ultra-strict vegan who also eats no salt, oil or sugar, and is skinny as a lath and simply bursting with energy! I am not vegan, or even vegetarian, but these days we are eating considerably less meat than we used to, and I am enjoying exploring new ways of making vegetables interesting and appetising.

Here is what I cooked yesterday.

Left to right: Chef AJ’s breakfast recipe, made from banana milk (a ripe banana blitzed with some water), chia seeds to thicken, oatmeal and blueberries, with some added spice. I’ve never made this before and am trying it out for breakfast this morning. A new supply of sugar-free marmalade, thickened with chia seeds. Behind that: a jug of chicken stock from the roast carcase. Corner of hob: milk waiting to be boiled for yoghurt. In front: raspberry vinegar in the making. Right: silicone moulds with chicken stock portions ready for the freezer.

Years ago I used to buy raspberry vinegar which makes a sensational salad dressing. Recently I remembered about it and couldn’t find it anywhere, so I looked it up and found a recipe. My stainless steel bowl has equal quantities of mashed up frozen raspberries and wine vinegar. This has to steep for at least a week before being cooked, strained and bottled. I’ll let you know how I get on with this.

A few days ago I made one of Chef AJ’s mixed vegetable dishes, shredding loads of cabbage and carrot and other stuff in my Veggie Bullet which you can just see lurking behind the microwave in the photo. I tried her oil-free sautéing technique in my new non-stick sauté pan and it was a huge success. The cooked veggies were seasoned with some balsamic vinegar and a little Teriyaki sauce. I departed from the strict vegan recipe by adding some slices of cold chicken on top just before serving!! This recipe also contains tinned pineapple which adds to the sweetness and texture. Great stuff.

Health update

I had a letter this week asking me to make an appointment to see my surgeon at Torbay Hospital, and this is now fixed for August. I am not sure what to expect from this, because I am STILL waiting for a CT scan appointment at Exeter! I phoned their appointments department and they told me I couldn’t expect the scan before the end of July/beginning of August. Until I have had that scan, the surgeon there, to whom I was referred by my Torbay surgeon, will not know how to proceed.

In between my various activities this week I have been extremely exhausted. The heat doesn’t help. I know I tend to overdo things and there’s always a lot to do! I enjoy being busy, but going out always has consequences in the form of payback the next day. On Monday I was completely laid out with the worst migraine I’ve had for ages. I used to take an over-the-counter med for this, but it has not been available for months. I have tried alternative pain relief and nothing touches my headaches. I seem to be going through another season of headaches at the moment. I am so fed up with this, that I am now considering phoning the doctor and asking if they can prescribe something. All I could do yesterday was ride it out, but the pain was severe. It was a great relief the next day to wake with a residual headache of only about 10 percent, and this diminished during the morning.

My poor finger is still encased in a dressing. It is going to take weeks for that nail to regrow. I am getting used to having a single rubber glove on hand (literally!) if I am going to get my hands wet. I am continuing to treat my lethal kitchen knives with the greatest respect!

Kitties

With the lovely weather we have been having, Lily and Ruby are always desperate to get out in the garden. After all the trouble we had with Ruby getting out, they are only allowed out when my hubby is around to supervise them. They are generally pretty good these days, and since the defences have been reinforced, Ruby seems to have abandoned the idea of trying to escape. The only way we can get them in is at supper time when they are hungry! Yesterday they were so hungry that they actually asked to be let in!

Like two little milk bottles sitting outside the back door. Two pints, please.