A Day Off

Sorry for the delay, didn't manage to get to the free wifi cafe this week!

On Saturday, having had a week of fighting with boxes, stuff and the architectural oddities of our new house, I decided that I would quite like a break from unpacking.

Nothing a bit of packing box can't fix.

As I had finished sorting the drawing and dining rooms and the kitchen on Friday, it felt like the perfect opportunity to have a rest, recharge my energy and rekindle some motivation before starting on upstairs!  I had such a lovely day and didn't touch a single box.

One tidy room!  Hurrah!  I also discovered that our drawing room gets the sun almost all day and so I sat for a while enjoying it with a cup of tea and some extremely delicious brownies sent to me in a care package from one of my lovely chums.

I starting by making some bread as I have been craving toast for several days.  This I set out on with some trepidation, it being the first time I'd used the oven which is gas instead of the electric fan we had in the last house.  Luckily it was fine and I was able to stuff several slices hot from the oven and smothered in butter.

Then I cycled down to the supermarket to get milk and some sugar for the jam and when I got back I had a cup of tea with the chickens.

I love crab apples, isn't that beautiful?!

I had a fabulously sticky afternoon making crab apple jelly and bramble jelly and made myself feel slightly sick by scraping out the pan, which was delicious but probably not particularly sensible.

I made a little expedition into town with my trolley and discovered the covered market, where I bought a pile of fresh, British, not-wrapped-in-plastic fruit and vegetables and some delicious smokey streaky bacon.

Then I realised it was lunchtime and I was ridiculously hungry and had to force down a hot Cornish pasty...shucks.

The kale even came with a friend...

Every evening this week I have managed to get completely carried away with the unpacking and  gone on until bed time, so I was looking forward to an evening of relaxation in a tidy room.  For supper I made an apple, celeriac and smoked bacon salad with all the things I bought from the market.

It is a deliciously autumny meal, ideal as a light lunch or supper, or as a starter.  You could finely slice the celeriac with a mandolin or coarsely grate it, add a finely sliced sharp apple and sprinkle with fried smokey bacon and a dressing of mustard, cider, vinegar and oil.  It goes particularly well with a glass of cider and you can make it more substantial by serving with a warm crusty roll and lots of butter.  Salad in hand and with a glass if ginger wine, I lit the fire and cosied up in a chair with a film, with the satisfying "plunk" of the jam jar lids from the kitchen.

Perfect except for the lack of a certain Lieutenant...