Half term Tuesday

I  know this will come as a surprise when I say I love half term! 

Many people, not in Education, think we, in Education, have too many holidays. Well I DISAGREE! These holidays are needed! I would go ( more ) insane if it wasn't for half term breaks!

The HG is still at work, so the alarm still goes off at 6am. 

Monday - got up, made the menfolks' lunches. Emptied the dishwasher etc etc, tidied round and had a go at the tapestry. 

I confess it's not great! I decided on tent stitch. However, from the top, the first row went ok, the second and third were ordinary half cross stitch. Then you can see a bit where I got muddled and pulled the wool back and forth. The last couple of lines are getting there, but I need to try to be consistent with my tension. 

Then I went out with my sister and two of her offspring. She made me laugh when she told me how her extremely clever six year old couldn't wait to be in the Juniors. When asked why, thinking it'd be to do with the teachers, or the harder work, the equipment etc. He replied, that when you are in the Juniors you get three sausages at lunch time! He thinks it most unfair that infants only get two! 

The weather was glorious. Clear, bright blue sky and unbroken sunshine. Most springlike. It was so lovely and warm on the front and in my lounge. Inspired by the weather, I thought I'd garden a bit. 

However, went I went out the back to put some slug pellets down round my delphs, they were bouncing straight back up off the rock hard soil. There was solid ice on my back grass! Blooming freezing! I quickly scuttled back inside! 

Still, the thought was there! 

It was lovely to make tea and eat it at tea time rather than late evening. 

I'd got a Gudjyrati kit from M&S  - it made the most wonderfully fragrant chicken curry. As usual I cooked enough rice for the 43 of us. I've some cold leftovers in the kitchen - I think I can feed the birds with it. I need to consult Mr Google on that. 

Later on we went to bed with a double bill of DCI Banks. The HG seems to be watching an awful lot of police/murder/crime programmes lately. Should I be worried? If you don't hear from me for a while, please contact Vera, then she can interrogate him in her awfully tinny Geordie accent as to where I am! 

Day 2 has been good so far. Got up at 6am. Made the butties. Took my 'old lady creaky joint' supplements and got back to some knitting, whilst I caught up with Stella. I love that programme. Aunty Brenda is a phenomenal character - she's my absolute favourite! Di Botcher who plays her has tweeted me!! 

I had to restart the waist band of the front of the HG's jumper. I'd done it on the wrong sized blinking needles! 

6 more rows to do. 138 stitches. Takes me ages to do a row! 

Then I decided to hoover upstairs and chose to hoover tool the ceilings where the cobwebs were like those fake ones people put up at Halloween. I wish I hadn't. There's a part of the ceiling where it rained in that needs repainting and when I Hoovertooled it, I got showered in flaky paint! FFs what a mess! Plus I got some stuck in my eye. Right on the blue bit. 

Cue red watery eye. It hurt. But the fleck of paint wouldn't budge. The home early HG tried to get it out, but Everytime he came close with the pointy corner of tissue, I'd be backing away! It got fraught! "Keep still" he'd order, "I YAM" I giggled!! In the end I had to leave it and went for my lunch date with a red blotchy face and winking right eye! 

My friend and I put the world to rights in the bistro pub she'd bought a £25 of food for £12.50 voucher for. The views across the bay to the Lake District were stunning ( sorry no photo ) and as we were sat upstairs, the lovely waitress was up n down to the kitchen like the proverbial bride's nighty, as we asked a billion questions about the menu! 

We both had a starter of garlic mushrooms. I have stinky breath now apparently! She then had chilli and I had fish n chips!

Nice small portions that were just right! 

We had such a laugh about stuff and nonsense. It was well needed.

Back home, I did a bit more stitching. 

I'm quite pleased! Though a floor stand would greatly speed me up! I fully reckon that it'll be my birthday present off the HG! Watch this space. I'm so spoilt! 

It's now 5.04pm and I'm going to put the sausages on for the menfolks's easy 'sausage, oven chips and beans' tea. I don't want anything. Still full from lunch. But I do have this on the go in the slow cooker. 

It's a recipe I nicked off Lovely Grey 

It's smelling good. 

I'll turn it off later tonight then de meat the bones - a lovely yellow ticketed £2 bargain - corn fed free range organic! And it'll do for a quick mid week roast tomorrow with leftovers to go into soup or a sandwich. I am quite frugal with chickens but it's only diddy and I dare say there's bloggers out there who could get a fortnight's meals from it for a family of 8. But I'll not be boiling the carcass as 1. It's been slow cooker end

2. My freezer is FULL and

3. I just can't be arsed! 

I'm hoping for a full night's sleep tonight. I have been waking up at 4am ish for wees of epic proportions. When I woke up this morning I'd been dreaming about Barry ( the school budgie ) swimming in his cage! I didn't know budgies can swim!!! 

Right enough boring non adventures from me. 

Lots of love from

Rachel *loves being off* Radiostar xxx