Crops and children
We had a fine home-grown supper last night: cold roast beef (not from the allotment, clearly), new potatoes, baby carrots, basil and baby courgettes (some with flowers still attached). I felt very proud. Briefly, until I remembered The Weeds. Today, I picked (and ate before anybody else spotted it) the first ripe tomato. I only have two plants this year, after last year’s blight disaster, and am wishing for more. They look nice, tumbling over the sides of the chimneypots I acquired from freecycle.
It’s been very mundane here (hence no blogging). I had my hair cut for the first time in 6 months; we tried again with flapjack; Cameron went on a course; I did some work for the first time in a month. Are there any domestic goddesses out there? It tastes nice but never fails to collapse into crumbs. There must be a trick.
Tamsin is 20 months now, and trying to drop her nap. I remember driving miles with M at this age: with two, I just can’t do it. Nor can I sit upstairs with her for over an hour. If she doesn’t go off nicely, or we are not in the car at an appropriate time, she doesn’t get one. Which doesn’t affect her nights at all (she doesn’t sleep any better if she has it or does not: we wake every couple of hours regardless), probably a sign that she doesn’t really need it. If she has one, she doesn’t go off until 8 or 8.30 in the evening; if she doesn’t, she is grumpy from around 5* but asleep by 7.30. We are being very laid-back about it (apart from my near-unbreakable no sleep after 4 rule); she either has it or she doesn’t. We are managing about 3 a week.
*Currently raging because I put away the paddling pool.
July 16th, 2008 02:07
I tend to err on the side on undercooking it, but even now, as a famous flapjack maker (!) I still get disasters- you know to cut it as soon as its out of the oven then leave it to cool (though I reckon not cold) before extracting it from pan? We once had a family flapjack competition and 3 of us used the same recipe with very different results! keep trying!
July 16th, 2008 05:49
I seem to remember my Gran using some of the dark treacle that comes in the shiny red tin (Lyons?). This led to a very “chewy” flapjack.
I’ll see if my Mum still has the recipe now that my Gran has gone.
July 16th, 2008 10:43
Afraid I can’t help with the flapjacks but would like to know why you can’t raise a few cows in your allotment?
July 16th, 2008 13:44
Yum – I like the sound of your allotment meal. Doesn’t it make you feel proud and that all that hard work was worth it?
Hope you had a super holiday!