A little premature?

Last week I put the cucumber and tomato seeds into pots and came down this morning to find them popping up through the soil.  Being a newbie when it comes to starting them from seed I am now thinking I probably started this far too early.  Are they likely to be o.k. or should I get some more seeds to plant later?  Any advice appreciated :)

Chickpea xx

My turn to be trolled

I am afraid I have had a visit from  'anonymous' who is too cowardly to put their name on their sick posts.  It doesn't bother me one jot, I'm used to fighting trolls but I don't want you to have to deal with their pathetic attempts at attention seeking so have put comment moderation on until they get bored or take up one of my suggestions on my last post.

Chickpea xx

Kick me while I'm down why don't you

You know I told you my brain is all over the place at the moment, well the proof popped through the door the other morning.  A speeding ticket!!!!  The first one I have ever had :(  I do vaguely remember driving through a village, completely stressed mind on other things then realising I was going a bit fast, just my luck that a mobile speed camera was lurking there somewhere.  I am the one who always sticks to the limit, often to the annoyance of drivers behind me, and blow me I'm the one with a flipping fine.  I wasn't going very fast but I was over the limit so fair cop.  Of course I haven't changed the address on my driving license so that's a further complication I don't need.

The bearded one has also been ill for the last week with cold/cough combo which has now driven him to his bed, most unlike him.  I am up and down the stairs with food and drink for both him and my son and trying to stay positive.  I have to admit to shedding a few tears this morning.  My mum has been gone 16 years now but I really wanted to have my mum around to look after me.  I need a brake from being the adult, I just want to revert to being the child for a few hours.

Chickpea xx

The Long Road to Recovery

Our amazing, brave son has undergone major life changing surgery.  After 24 hours on the recovery ward looked after by a lovely nurse he is now back on the general ward starting the long road to recovery.  His strength and determination will get him through this and hopefully he will now have a better quality of life.  We are so very proud of him.

I will keep you updated on him and our new life in the country as much as possible.  Not much to report so far but the solar panels are now on the roof, we are waiting for the poles to the house to be upgraded and for the battery to be fitted.  It will feel so good to be generating our own electricity.  I have also ordered the log burner and am so excited, it even has a tiny oven in the top, ideal for cooking Cornish Pasties :)

I haven't managed to finish all the veg patches but have garlic growing in the one I completed and have potatoes chitting ready to go in.  I have lots of seeds here I'm sure I'm meant to be doing something with but as you can imagine other things have taken priority.  Oh well they will be potted at some stage.  The poly tunnel needs sorting before they can go in anyway, and I need to get some sort of rabbit proof fence sorted.  I'm not intending to open a cafe for rabbits!

I need to find another easy knitting project to take my mind off things, probably another shawl, mindless, repetitive stitching is what is needed at the moment.  Being surrounded by the beauty of nature in our new home also helps sooth the soul during these stressful times.  My mind is all over the place at the moment, I even tried to get out of the hospital car park without paying for the ticket, my brain couldn't comprehend why the barrier wouldn't go up.  Even worse, when I was driving my son to the Emergency Department last week in thick fog I couldn't for the life of me remember how to work the fog lights, now that is bad!

There are half painted walls and half finished projects all over, including a channel dug out of the wall for an electric cable and flaking pink paint in our sons room.  I will warn the nurses that it is a work in progress and the horrible pink walls and carpets everywhere are not our choice.  Our priority now is to keep the house warm and comfortable for him, the titivating can wait.

I hope you are all keeping well my friends, and that life is good to you,

Chickpea xx

"It's been interesting"

Boxing Day Dawn swim

Going back to work you are greeted by all your colleagues and clients with "how was your Xmas/New Year?"  Of course being British you don't  say "well actually the New Year was pretty crap"  and I'm sure most of them don't really want to know how it was, they are just being polite so I smile and say "it's been interesting" and move on to other subjects.  I will however briefly tell you  lovely readers of the blog that it started well with a good but exhausting Xmas but unfortunately our son became ill between Xmas and the New Year and was admitted to hospital again a few days before New Year and operated on yet again on New Years Day.  He is still staying with us and is still feeling very unwell but trying to stay positive.  There are an awful lot of horrible cold/flu type bugs out there and I'm really worried that he will catch something while he is so vulnerable. It really frustrates me when people insist on coming into work with bugs, they are putting people with compromised immune systems at serious risk.  Please stay home!

We did manage some lovely days over Xmas with all the family staying, long walks and Xmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day swims in an icy pool.  Spending our first Xmas in our new home was very different from previous years in some ways but the traditional shared meals and board games were all very familiar.  The first thing we have bought for our home is a lovely large table that we can fit everyone around.  It was made by a local family firm at a very reasonable price and put much needed money into the local economy.  That was our Xmas present to ourselves.  I had a couple of books to read but couldn't concentrate enough to read them, I found myself having to re-read the same lines over and over so eventually set them aside in favour of falling asleep on the sofa exhausted while catching up on box sets of The Good Wife (isn't Julianna Margulies just so beautiful)

I did manage to finish the shawl I started just before we moved.  I could't concentrate enough to do the lace edging so crocheted instead and I'm pleased with the result.  I find knitting very therapeutic during times of stress.

I haven't totally stuck with Veganuary but I would say 99.9% of what I am eating has been vegan.  Where I have come unstuck is the odd ingredients in some of my GF food, usually egg.  I haven't eaten any cheese, (I tried the soya cheese which was very weird), nor milk which I don't miss at all.  I think the only thing I miss are eggs which are an easy snack option.   I haven't had much time to experiment with new recipes, but managed Jack Monroes beetburgers which were easy and tasty.  Considering work has been hectic and I have been caring for our son, cooking omni meals for the bearded one, vegetarian for son and gf/vegan for myself and don't think I have done too bad.  

The kiwi fruit in the polytunnel have at last ripened.  I really didn't think they would and if I had the time was going to cut it all back.  Thankfully I didn't and have harvested a few pounds, they are very small but taste delicious.  I have peeled and frozen them for when I have time to make jam.  Has anyone a good kiwi jam recipe?

Sorry it's been such a long time between posts, I hope you are all well, I have missed you all and will hopefully find time to get back into bogland soon.

Chickpea xx

I have a safety warning!

Cooking Xmas Dinner should be interesting this year!  I have had my gas disconnected as there was a leak in one of the gas taps on the hob, and a notice is now taped on it warning that it is not to be used.  It is an old model Aga and that part is discontinued, the engineer also turned the electric off and left me with nothing basically, and no solution.  Well thanks for that.  I am now in talks with Aga about the useless lump of metal in my kitchen that they need to sort out one way or another as I cannot afford to buy another.   We turned the electric back on so I can use the ovens, that had a fault as well but it has probably been like that for years, along with the gas leak as the previous owner neglected everything in the house.  My son lent me a single portable induction hob, and I have a microwave so with a lot of planning and prep before hand I will manage.

As if life isn't challenging enough at the moment, I have decided to set myself a challenge and join in with Veganuary  I have been vegan in the past but went back to being vegetarian while trying to get my head around the whole gluten intolerance thing.  I'm looking forward to it......and dreading it in equal measures.  I love vegan food and most of my main meals are vegan, but will miss cooking up a quick omelette when I get home tired and hungry, and cheese and rice cakes are my go-to quick snack.  Eating out is going to be a nightmare, being vegetarian and gluten free is hard enough, I can hear chefs groaning from the kitchen when I explain my dietary needs.   Oh well I won't have any money to eat out in January anyway.  There are some who think I'm completely mad for doing this, but each to their own.  Have any of you taken part in any of the month long challenges,  Stoptober, giving up alcohol, giving up television/social media, buy nothing, daily drawing, doing something nice for a stranger?  There's lots of challenges out there.

My son is still staying with us (along with his dogs) while he recovers.  We are hoping he can get through Xmas without further dramas but his surgeon has said she is on call between Xmas and New Year so just to go into the hospital and see her if he has any concerns.  I don't seem to be able to get into the Xmas spirit at all, but I am like this most years.  There is far too much pressure on people to spend lots of money, have ridiculous amounts of food and have the 'perfect' family Xmas.  Just sharing a meal with our family is enough for me, all the rest is just optional.  What I am really looking forward to is the winter solstice, I am so fed up with dark evenings and can't wait to be able to get out into the garden after work.  I will be celebrating the return of the light by filling the house with candles, all very hygge.

Have a good week everyone,

Chickpea xx

Shameful

First I would like to thank you for all your supportive comments on my last post and apologise for not replying.  It has been a rollercoaster of a week for the family as my son has been back into the hospital again for further surgery.  He is now staying with us again while he recovers, but he really has been through the mill and it is going to take a while before he is fit enough to do much.  The treatment he received was excellent, his surgeon came in first thing Saturday morning to operate on him, the nurses and doctors were very professional but the food and cleanliness of the hospital left much to be desired.  It has been privatised and the firm now responsible for catering and cleaning should be ashamed of themselves.  It has made me even more determined to fight privatisation of the NHS if this is what we can expect.  Overflowing clinical waste bins and out of date food.  Awful.  Thankfully he is here with us now and getting some home cooked food.

When people ask 'if you had one wish what would it be' I would wish for a cure for Crohns Disease, it is such an awful illness. He has been in and out of hospitals since he was 14, and I have to say we are both sick of the sight of the bloody place, but are very grateful for the NHS.  Anyway I'm rambling, and tired so I'm off to make a cuppa before sorting out the next lot of tablets to take up to him.

I hope you are all keeping well, health really is the most precious gift any of us could have.

Chickpea xx