Bottom of the Fridge Soup, Top of the Fridge Flan

Despite having no water and in an effort to convince myself that I will be able to fix it tomorrow I decided it was time to do some cooking. Well the washing up can just join the pile waiting to be done when the well is back on stream.

A rummage in the fridge and I quickly came to the conclusion I had lots of bits that really needed using up. Waste not want not as my mother used to say – what ever it really means, to me it says use everything to it’s full potential. The best way I’ve found to use up the slightly soft vegetables that always end up lurking in the cold drawer is soup. Different every time as it depends on what I find. Usually with a base of gently sweated onions, today it is a mixture of carrot and potato. I’ve also been following one of the suggestions on MoneySavingExpert.com to use up the stuff that’s been lurking in my store cupboards. So as I didn’t have any homemade stock to hand, in went two cup-a-soups that I know I’ll never have on their own; minestrone and spicy tomato. Absolutely wonderful with a slice of home baked bread.

Having dealt with the bottom of the fridge I turned my attention to the top. Having been ill for the two weeks after Christmas there were quite a few bits lurking there. I will hasten to add that my fridge temperature is just above freezing. Too cold I know, but every time I set the fridge to a warmer setting, we have a power blip and it returns to it’s default setting which is 1-2 degrees. Along with some ready rolled pastry for the mince pies I didn’t make, there were a couple of scallop things I’d bought last week – very nouvelle cuisine looking. I love seafood but these concoctions were very definitely not to my taste. There was also a pot of dill mayonnaise and a small piece of smoked salmon that had dried out a bit where the covering had rolled back. One quick reincarnation later and I have seafood quiche.

Although I’d set aside today as a day off the weather was just too good to spend all the day inside so after clearing out the alpacas I forked the last of the bale of straw around the trees. I need another bale though to be able to finish the job and that will have to wait until I’ve finished the drainage ditch and unhitched the plough as the spike to move the straw roll fits onto the back of the tractor since I have no front lift arm.

It was nearly television time by then, I’d promised myself to watch a bit of the rugby and read the woodland book and then watch a programme on the otters of west Scotland (a BBC film as it turned out). I’m still not very good at picking out and remembering the names of all the creatures but I can usually get the gist of this type of programme. I find that I’m gradually understanding more and more of the programmes I watch and some of it without consciously translating, all of which is good practice and progress.

But before I came in I managed to remove two more full wheelbarrow loads of gravel from the driveway. Even clearing the small area I have from just in front of the front gate has dramatically reduced the amount of gravel being brought indoors and subsequently scratching the tiles. If my back holds out I might try for three loads tomorrow.