Thursday, September 10, 2009

So where has the week gone then??

You know what.... I am SICK OF BLOGGER. I check the dashboard to see who has posted new posts and so help me, more often than not, Blogger tells me I am not following any blogs. Hello???? I have nearly 200 on the dashboard. Or I should have nearly 200. Right now, apparently I follow no-one. It is enough to send anyone off the deep end. So in case I have disappeared off your lists, please rest assured that I am here.

The week is going by so fast, and it seems just yesterday it was Monday. And now Thursday is nearly over. Apart from the patio, which is a work in progress, and a very good one indeed, there is not a lot happening around here. More doctors, time with friends, and now I have the wadding I can start pinning the big quilt. And tomatoes. I dream about tomatoes. The wretched things are taking over my kitchen and my life. There is a limit to the number of tomatoes one can look at. Especially when one has run out of freezer space, and one has no idea how to can anything, never mind no jars either.

I have spent too long standing (see the tomato saga) and David, in a moment of genius, told me I should get a high stool thingy - bar stool type of chair so I could sit and peel tomatoes. Amongst other things. He even helpfully left the Ikea website open for me to see. So when my friends offered to take me to Ikea, I deicded to see what they had and ended up with a bargain. The best of the chairs. There was only one on the shelf, and I popped that on the trolley, then meandered over to look at the bargain basement, as one does, and there in the middle of the floor was my chair. I asked if it was reduced, and the man said it was. Why? It had no packaging. So they knocked a third off the price. For packaging I would have to throw away, and for a chair I did not need to assemble????? It was in the trolley so fast, you have no idea. The one in the box went back on the shelf. Deal done. I now have a chair. However, it seems to be in the way, so I will have to re-jig the kitchen, or just learn to sit on it. I love it, even if there is a tiny scratch which you need a magnifying glass to see.
My life is filled with exciting things.

In the background, you can see some of the many thousands of tomatoes. You can also see a red tea-towel wrapped around something. That would be the most exciting part of the day. We stopped at a South African shop on the way to Ikea, and lo and behold, they had Nutty Wheat flour from South Africa! I used to make bread with it when we lived there - just 4 cups of flour, a teaspoon of bicarb and a teaspoon of salt, then add 500 mls of drinking yoghurt or buttermilk mixed with 2 tablespoons of either honey or golden syrup, and combine the lot, and bake in a loaf tin for 45 mins at 180C. be still my heart. I had a loaf in the oven within 15 minutes of getting back home. Sigh. It is every bit as delicious as I remembered.

So there you have the latest news from the Casa del la Rocking Chair. David and Duncan will finish the patio in the next day or so, and I will be able to sort the garden. (That means get the son to move everything to where I want it to go.) I am totally in awe of his strength, by the way. He picks up 2ft square concrete slabs and pops them down as if they weigh nothing. I wouldn't be able to lift one if my life depended on it. He is immensely strong. And he can now add patio laying to his CV. This has been a summer of new experiences for him! I am really thankful he is here, and wiling to help out. He is a star.

9 comments:

Diane@Diane's Place said...

I made homemade salsa today with some of my bounty of tomatoes. And they don't have to be canned in a hot water bath! If you can find some canning jars, you can have a batch (or more!) of salsa made and canned in about an hour or so. I have a great recipe on my recipe blog. Email me if you want to make the salsa and need some help or need the recipe.

That bread looks devilishly delicious! Wish I had access to that flour.

Good luck with your to-do list. I'm making hot pepper jelly this evening after Emmy goes home and supper is done.

(The word verification for this comment is "kersiz"....curses? lol)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Linda said...

Strong, intelligent sons are a blessing indeed - especially ones who are so loving to their mothers.
That loaf looks so delicious. It would have gone perfectly with my cup of tea!
The chair really is a brilliant idea. That son is a treasure.

Dawn said...

You will miss that strong fine young man when he goes back to school.

I have a feeling you never get the message when I have a new post, since you used to always comment. I don't know if it's because of this dumb thing of being private or what, but it frustrates me - there are several loyal friends that never come over any more, so I wonder if that's the problem.

Love the new stool - and I can imagine how tired of tomatoes you are.

The bread looks so wonderful! It sounds as easy as Irish soda bread to make, but the flour sounds wonderful.

someone else said...

Somehow it seems that I can actually smell that bread baking. It looks scrumptous!!

Needled Mom said...

I'm getting the same message on Blogger. What's with that????? I sign off and try again and it waill usually come back.

Ahhhh, but think how much you will miss those fresh tomatoes come winter. Enjoy that beautiful fruit while you can.

The new chair is perfect - and what a great deal you got!!!!

Please send me a slice of that yummy looking bread!!!

Diana Langdon said...

I want bread! Your bread! I want it! You can post me some :) And I LOVE your new chair, very very cool and am hoping you are sitting on it lots xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Olson Family said...

The bread looks lovely and the chair idea is great - and what a deal. I wouldn't be surprised at your son's strenth because he appears to be a giant in all your photo's - next to him, I'd look like a Hobbit (without the big feet).
I would love to see you in October - October will be a good month for me as things are slowing down quickly now. Plus, I appreciated your comment re: my recent post - Thank You. I too think that CH will have few repercussions to their desire to keep their status quo. I would love to hear your sister's take as she is more permanent, whereas I (we) are temporary. Life is interesting no matter where you live it. I don't think there's anyplace that will ever feel 100% right to me - God planned it that way!
Enjoy your day - S

Chris said...

Google Reader is the way to go, ladies! I haven't had a glitch since switching. All you have to do is enter the address of the blog you want to follow, and the new posts come up automatically.

Since I am a breadaholic I'm quite sure the bread would be gone within the day. I marvel at your restraint.

And as for the chair, the only improvement I would hope to see for you is one with a swiveling seat. Well done with the markdown!

Off to finish the powdered-sugar donuts.... :)

Dawn said...

So are you saying that, even though you are a Follower, I don't show up on your dashboard as having a new post? Discouraging, if so! I wish I dared go public again, but simply cannot trust my ex-SIL.