Yay, It's February !

No blogging today, Nothing to report on today, so I'll be back here tomorrow. Have a great evening everyone

Rob

x

It's all so quiet...

Hello everyone, I would like to say we have been up to so much here today at the cottage, but that would a complete lie, in fact we did nothing at all today as we are still under the weather with our back injuries, so please excuse me that I do not have much to blog about today.

This morning we were awoken by Pat our nearest neighbour, he had heard that we both were unwell and not able to get out to the shops, so he brought round a beautiful loaf of freshly baked bread made by his wife and a small fruit cake.

Donncha and I were so touched by this, especially when you consider that Pat and his wife were so seriously injured in a car crash last year and are still recovering now. This was so kind of them and really makes me realise how lucky we are to live in a community that really looks out for each other. The bread tastes lovely, already had two thick slices with our own homemade blackberry jam, and a big pot of tea.

Tonight Donncha and I are looking forward to a couple of our favorite television shows, and are just going to keep tucked up on the sofa in front of a lovely fire. I hope we are a bit better tomorrow, we have so much we should be getting on with, so fingers crossed here.

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with hopefully a little more to say for myself. Thanks for popping by, have a good evening friends.

Rob

x

The beaning of life

It certainly has got a lot colder here over the last couple of days, the wind is no longer coming in from the Atlantic, but from the north, so I'm now really worried that the first shoots of the daffodils that are popping up will be killed by the frost, it is so early for them to appear I know, but I would hate to lose them after we planted so many last autumn, in the hope we would have a good display this spring.We chose many varieties and planted most of them in the grass at the front wall of the cottage, they will look so beautiful if they do survive the frosts.

It was lovely this morning seeing the first signs of new growth in the pots and in the garden. This inspired me to finally get round to planting my bean sprout, I bought just before Christmas. One of my favorite ingredients in a Chinese meal are bean sprouts, I love their flavour and the crispness, so while in the garden center looking ant Christmas trees, I saw them in the seed rack and thought I would give a go at growing them at home, to use in cooking or just raw in salads.

There are loads of different types you can grow apparently, most people think of mung bean sprouts which I bought, which are the most commonly used bean sprouts.  But a variety of many other beans and seeds can be sprouted, including alfalfa seeds, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, white beans, peas, lentils and adzuki beans. If successful I'm going to try even more varieties.

Donncha looked them up in our big cooks bible and read that they also have great health benefits too. Bean sprouts have the richest source of amino acids (for protein), vitamins and minerals, and also contain a good amount of fiber. They contain all types of vitamins (A, B, C, D, E and K), folic acid and are an excellent source of iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and zinc. So I will let you know how I get on, they are now on the kitchen window sill and I will be watching there progress daily, I reckon it is probably the cleanest vegetable gardening you can do, and no back ache!

Donncha and I are still in a lot of pain with our backs, so we are not up to much else around the cottage, poor Donncha thinks that he is getting better, only then to cough of sit down awkwardly and the his back spasms again. It really is so horrid to see him in so much discomfort.

Dolly continues to make great progress, and is eating normally again, and seems to be very keen to get back outside, but I'm not letting her just yet, I want to be feeling fitter, so I can be around the garden when she first goes back out, just in case the little thug of a cat that attacked her is about.

We hope we are fit by Wednesday to be able to do our big weekly shop, as we are getting very low on the essentials, luckily we can always ask our friend up the hill to get us anything we need if we are still unable to drive to the supermarket. I do hope we are though as Tesco, our big store is doing an amazing deal at the moment where you can buy a top DVD movie, and get two pizzas, dessert and a 6pck of  beer, all for €15, and if you consider it now costs €8 to rent a top title from a video store, this really is a great deal, I know it's not healthy, but it would be a fun night.

It would be great to choose a good film to buy and make a big night of it, there are so many films that I have wanted to see, including Super 8, Apollo 18 to name just two sci-fi films, but I will just have to see what they have. I think I will have to make some popcorn too!.

Well I best go, I have to get our remaining chicken and cockerel safe indoors, and make sure their heat lamp is working as it's going to be a cold old night tonight..Get the fire lit Donncha!...

See you later

Rob

xx

It's been a very quiet Sunday, with Donncha and I just relaxing in front of the biggest turf fire we have made this year, reading the Sunday papers with all our lovely animals just running about the place like little idiots....But we are still in a lot of pain with our back injuries, Donncha is a lot better, but is still using a stick to help him get up out of a chair.

We feel so useless, hobbling around the cottage, but we are not letting our temporary decrepitude  get us down, in fact we are about to get very busy in the kitchen getting the Sunday dinner cooked, we would normally be having a chicken roast or a joint of beef or lamb, but as we have not been able to get out, we have decided to make meatloaf with all the usual roast accompaniments, like Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes.

I have been making this for years, its really simple to cook and it really is very tasty and can really be good if you don't have a meat joint in. You can add almost anything you want and serve it in so many ways too. I will put my recipe on the bottom of this post.

Donncha has been having a craving for jam tarts for some strange reason, so as we have the oven on this afternoon, he is going to make a few, some with our own blackberry jam, and some with bought strawberry. 
I have always loved them too, I remember my mother would often make them when she had left over pastry from making an apple tart, she would make some with marmalade, which are also lovely, but sadly today we don't have any marmalade in the house. 
Jam tarts after dinner with a lovely pot of tea, does Sunday get any better, yes I'm sure it can but it will do for me today..lol.

Well I hope we feel better this week, as our long awaited finances should finally be through to our account, then we can really get busy buying our new car, and getting the cottage outside finally how we want it, all very exciting.

I hope you have had a great weekend, and I wish you a great safe week ahead.
Rob
xx

Rob's Meatloaf Recipe

Don't get confused!.

Ingredients

    750g/1lb 10oz lean minced beef
    3 smoked bacon rashers
    1 egg, beaten
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic, crushed
    1 tablespoon sage leaves, chopped
    1 tablespoon of oregano
    1 tablespoon mustard
    1 teaspoon horseradish sauce 
    1 heaped tablespoon tomato puree 
    1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
    110g/4oz fresh breadcrumbs
    ½ tsp paprika
    salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4. Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly  it s best to use your hands.      
Transfer the mix to a 900g/2lb loaf tin and pat down until level, lay on the bacon rashers over the loaf to cover. Cover the top of the mixture with an oiled piece of greaseproof paper. 
Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes or until the meatloaf is cooked through.
(Remove the paper 15 minutes before the end of cooking).

It's the weekend finally

So I'm very happy that it is the weekend and that horrid week is behind us, Dolly being ill was a great worry, but I'm happy to say she really is coming on very well, and is returning to her old self, she is desperate to go out, but I'm not letting her for a good while yet, much to her frustration.

Donncha and I are like to old men today as we are both unwell, when Donncha went to get the Chinese take away last night he was wiping condensation from the van's windscreen, when his old war wound kicked in again. Donncha did serious damage to his back while working on a stage tour back in the 90's, and it comes back to haunt him from time to time, He can hardly move or walk and is in terrible pain, so much so he had to sleep on the hard living room floor last night as he could not get into bed.

While helping him out of the car, I pulled muscles in my lower back, and now I'm also in great pain and finding it difficult to walk too. If it wasn't so painful it would be hilarious that we both have bad backs at the same time, we have always loved to share things together..lol.

I rang our neighbour and he came over and went and got some painkillers and grocery's for us, and walked Brin for us which was fantastic of him. Thank god he was around as there is no way Donncha could ever get in the van today. 

So we are tucked up, and tonight we are going to eat the take away which we could not eat last night, the painkillers are helping Donncha and I big time, so hopefully by the end of the weekend we both should be back on our feet again. We are in good spirits though, and have just been laughing at how pathetic we must both look, we really feel like a couple of old fogies..lol

Have a great weekend everyone, and I will be back again at some point during the next couple of days.

Keep safe

Rob

xx

The day after the night before

So I awoke quite late today with a mouth like the bottom of a hamster cage and probably looking as good as the man in the picture above, as last night Donncha and I really got in the spirit of Burns Night, Literally!.

We really enjoyed a good few whisky's last night, it was great at the time and Donncha and I had such a laugh, but today it's not so funny. I think I'm definitely getting old as I can no longer drink like I used to. I guess that's a good thing really.

Today was put on hold, as Donncha and I just moped around the house trying to do things, but the hangover was not letting us get much done, in fact we could not even face cooking, so we are letting Mrs Yang up in the village cook us a Chinese take away tonight, naughty I know, but hey. sometimes you just can't be bothered.

Dolly is making great improvements in her health, the antibiotics must of really kicked in over night as she seems a lot more like her old self, which is fantastic, in fact she woke me this morning by nibbling my nose, this is her way asking can she come between my two quilts on my bed, something she has not done since she was attacked last week. Dolly loves to curl up there with just her head out on the pillow, I wish I could get a picture of this, it must look very silly.

Getting her to take the drops though is hard work, and I end up being covered in horrid pink medicine, luckily we have plenty and she finishes her course of antibiotics this Saturday...Phew.

I hope she continues in this vain, it's great seeing her more alert, and best of all her being able to keep her food done without being ill shortly after eating.

So tonight it's chill out on the sofa time in front of a lovely big fire, while eating hot n sour soup, followed by beef szechuan....while drinking lots of water, Whisky is lovely, but this old fella can't take it anymore...lol.

Finally, I would love to wish my friends, followers from Australia a fantastic Australia Day. I know the video is obvious, and the singer is in fact Scottish, which links back to yesterday. but I seriously post this with love and respect to everyone today in Australia.

Have a great evening everyone, see you later

Rob 

xx

Happy Burns Night

Welcome to Burns night, I am so happy you came! I love having guests. I want you to feel comfortable and at home.....


Tonight I have donned my kilt, and and I'm enjoying my Scottish roots from a dinner with Neeps and Tatties, through to a couple of glasses of Whisky to celebrate Burns Night.

The Ayrshire ploughman, who rose from humble beginnings to become one of the world’s best known poets, Robert Burns has become an international icon. His national pride, his mastery of words, and quick wit have become synonymous with the Scottish character itself, so tonight Donncha and I want to wish all our Friends, and my Scottish family a wonderful evening.

 O ONCE I lov'd a bonnie lass,
An’ aye, I love her still,
An’ whilst that virtue warms my breast
I'll love my handsome Nell.

As bonnie lasses I hae seen,
And mony full as braw;
But  for a modest gracefu' mein
The like I never saw.

A bonny lass I will confess,
Is pleasant to the e'e;
But without some better qualities
She's no a lass for me.

But Nelly's looks are blythe and sweet,
And what is best of a',
Her reputation is compleat,
And fair without a flaw;

She dresses ay sae clean and neat,
Both decent and genteel;
And then there's something in her gait
Gars ony dress look weel.

A gaudy dress and gentle air
May slightly touch the heart,
But it's innocence and modesty
That polishes the dart.

'Tis this in Nelly pleases me,
'Tis this enchants my soul;
For absolutely in my breast

Now, Dolly is still not very well, but we are sure she is on the mend, but she is sadly feeling very poorly, so we are keeping her comfortable and keeping an eye on her. I think she should be better once the antibiotics kick in. She really is a lovely brave little moggy. 

Have a great evening everybody....

Rob

xxx