using less fuel

Fuel prices here, both gas and electricity, are larcenous. We already try not to use the central heating; we are lucky enough to have a woodburner, and that heats downstairs, and our bedroom above, and we put up with a cold bathroom. Having the fuel paid for in advance is nice, and I get a warm glow (pun intended) when I look at the mountains of wood in the yard; I think we have two years’ worth out there, with luck.

I recently bought a stovetop kettle, which we keep on the fire for hot drinks in the evening, and I now have three slow cookers (bit like Goldilocks – small, medium and huge), and my trusty Remoska. I already try to fill the oven when it on, but I’m now thinking ahead for other types of cooking too.

So, tonight we are having sausages. There are some cooked spuds in the fridge, so sausages and potatoes will go in the Remoska to cook  (and will probably add a quartered onion too), and we shall accompany it with homemade baked beans (I made a batch a few weeks ago, and froze them in portion sized boxes). I’m going to try the baked beans on the stove in a cast iron casserole.

Every little helps.

Mirrored from Reactive Cooking.

growing

Polly, with Huge Henry for scale

The kits are growing fast, both in size and confidence, and are now bouncing up to the big cats and saying “hello!”. As yet, the big cats are unimpressed, and yet we see some signs of – if not actual mellowing – then tolerance. Already their individual characters are coming out.

Polly is already a catten rather than kitten. She’s remarkably fast to catch flying feathers onnastick, and grumbles in a charming way if anyone goes near her food. In fact, poor old Mussum got a thwack on the nose the other day when he dared to try to eat *his own breakfast*. She reminds us in many ways of our much lamented Moo, a stripy Bengal, who used charm in a sort of thermonuclear way, but had disturbing fishwife tendencies as well.

Sybil (or Squib(ble) as we generally call her) is smaller, and likes to carry things about. She has discovered three of the glittery sponge balls that Ron used to love – deity knows where – and kills them deader at regular opportunities, and then carries them about while chirping rather sweetly. But she’s deadly too.

We had a party in the house at the weekend, and both of the kittens were out and about being admired; we could just pick one up and hand her to someone. Kittens kept purring and handees went “Aw …”. And when my grandson met them for the first time (he had no idea they were here) his face was priceless. We really should have set up a video camera.

They went to see Sarah the vet yesterday for their checkup and first jab. They were as good as gold, but Polly had a bit of a reaction; she’s off her food a bit, and was very quiet indeed last night. Seems to be recovering now, but it gave us a bit of a fright; we’ve never had any of the Tribe react to a vaccination before. So we shall put off applying the flea treatment till tomorrow I think.

Vet: £98 for flea treatment, microchip, vaccinations and checkup
Weight: 1.2kg each

Mirrored from the Tribe.

60?

birthday cake made by my clever daughter

 

How did that happen?! Still, 60 I was at the weekend, and nowt I can do about it, except to continue to refuse to act like it.

We considered all manner of parties, but in the end, I didn’t want a fuss, so my daughter and her gentleman friend, and her son, came up to Hull for a long weekend. We ate shepherds pie, and potato scones, and little sausages, and Nandos, and bananananana muffins. We watched Independence Day and one of the X Men films (no idea which). We went and played music at the session at the Sun in Beverley. We went to the Maritime Museum, and the park a couple of times.

And we had 14 in the house for Saturday night, as a sort of joint birthday celebration / goodbye Lynn and Lars party (he’s off to become Bishop of Crewe or some such, and will be missed more than we can say).

It was an utterly grand weekend, involving rather a lot of red wine (Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights – oh dear). Splendid company, lovely cards and gifts, just perfect.

Thanks all :)

Mirrored from kestrel.org.