Living in the UK again

It’s another post, fully focussed on food. We are sharing cooking duties between me and my lodgers family. His daughter and wife are experiencing food that maybe they have not tried before. Last night, after discussing in the gym how easy  it was to make my own Thai green curry paste and store it. I bought the bits to make my own. I did not make the resulting meal with too much of it, I would have added a bit more of it, had it been for me, but they liked it.  I made another one of the beetroot chocolate cakes, it’s all gone now. I did have a conversation with the person who supplied the recipe, who now owns up, saying theirs rose alarmingly in the centre as mine did. They suggest a lower temperature, which I will do next time. I need to try a few other recipes if I want to enter some more of my baking in the Spring Show next month. Cheese straws, Vegetable Pasties and Chocolate Brownies. I won’t be trying the Hot Cross buns I think. The other day I made a Beef Bourguignon and...

Last night, despite the weather, I walked into the village and went to one of the Indian restaurants in the centre. I had a super meal, washed down with two pints of beer. It did not matter that it was raining. I brought an onion bargee back for my lodger and his family. They liked it. I managed at last to book my first blood donation appointment, now being fully discharged from the fracture clinic. I did a lovely walk today. The two dogs I was with, I often take out on Mondays. Henley was off limits, the floods there are terrible. So we had a tour of nearby Dinton Pastures. Before then, we went to a nearby pub, one I had taken a dog that is now sadly over on the other side of the Rainbow bridge. He would have approved of the visit to the pub, and the walk. The two dogs used to play well when the spaniel was a puppy but they are a bit aloof now. I had a sausage sandwich, I had a bone for each of them to keep them busy in the pub. They both had a taste of the sandwich too. We then did o...

Back at the house, things are going to be changing soon. My lodger’s wife and daughter are here with him, and this will continue when they move into a flat mid March. My kind friend who has the skull and crossbones flag has already given them some items,  and I have suggested I put a post on the local Facebook group asking if anyone has and unwanted items. I am also keeping an eye on the Facebook free site for the local area too for items that might be useful for them. I made another lemon meringue pie, everyone liked it and I gave some to a friend who’s having a hard time of things, and her husband who is also poorly. If that wasn’t enough, there much loved dog is also not well either.  I have been spending a lot of time working on the local website. It won’t look much different on the outside, but underneath, the menu bar which is defined in every file, will be in just one file that is referenced by the others. This will make maintenance a breeze.  The clever bit, cooke...

This morning, more rain and a train ride into Reading to go hopefully, one last time to the fracture clinic. I had my usual x-ray then waited for my turn to see the consultant. It must be external fixation day, I think at one point there were three other people with them on, in the waiting room with me. One was the lady I knew who fell down her stairs. She is mending, had the ct scan, but annoyingly one part of her break is not better. So she was waiting to see what is happening next. There was a guy who had been hit by a motor bike, ( stolen) he actually had a tyre mark on his other leg. The other person had his device on for quite a long time,  but might be waiting a while yet. For all of them their journey continues, we shared stories, as I left, I wished them all well.  I saw the doctor, he asked how I was, I think he was impressed by my gym and walking regime. He said I am signed off, it is looking really good,  here is the x ray, he said the bump might not go all th...

What a difference makes! Last weeks labrador is, as she is getting older, is becoming more cuddly, and now often loves her head being rubbed, especially around her ears. It was very sad to leave her, but she has her family back now. I only managed to leave one item in her house, returned the following day. This week I am near the centre of the village, near the Cosy Nook, I have already been in there for a sneaky breakfast wrap yesterday, before taking my two charges with another French Bulldog and his male parent to the nearby Dinton Pastures for a very wet soggy walk. The house I am in is a lovely old terrace house, which is beautifully decorated and furnished. The owner, a friend of the aforementioned male parent was introduced to me when I was still in my cage. She is a very interesting person to meet, and when she showed  me her house the other day, we talked about many interesting topics including mental health.  The two Frenchies, are very sweet, and they like cuddles a...

My lodgers daughter and wife are here for a while before they move here permanently. Luckily he hasn’t  been working too much, so has been able to take them out, show them places. They bought me a lovely smart top, and a jigsaw puzzle infinitely easier than the snow scene one, he kindly bought me for Christmas!  We have had nice meals together and they are now a lovely family reunited, albeit not permanently yet. We had  Sunday dinner with them and the family opposite with their UK host family. It’s felt a bit strange going in the house with them, as I have been staying away, dog sitting. They have a dog, back home,  so loved my charge. I made them a Battenberg cake as I said I would, when they came over. They liked it a lot. My charge kept an eye on the cake making. I have been to the gym, twice this week with one more visit tomorrow. It’s not my thing, but I do it because I know I need to. I have been meeting some of the regulars. At the house I am living in, there...

Walking along New Road today with the dog I am sitting for a week reminded me of a day years ago, when I was walking along the same road, with the same dog, while we both got soaking wet. Admittedly the rain then was heavier than the showers today, but we got a bit wet. My lodgers wife and daughter should have landed in the UK now, and be heading to our house. I won’t be there with two weeks of dog sitting ahead of me.  The loan car I have is very new and doesn’t have a handbrake  or needs a key inserted to start it, both are buttons now. That took a bit of getting used to. But it’s a nice little car.. When I arrived at the house with the Labrador first thing, she was very pleased to see me, and after her breakfast made it very clear, she wanted a walk please. She always used to have three bits of carrot when I started a walk with her, and she still looks at me when I start, waiting for them. We had to do a lot of pavement walking as the path we were to go on was flooded after...

It’s been a quiet day, it’s raining, our car is going to be picked up at some point today, it was hit in a car park, the third party did leave contact information which is good. There has been a few admin calls related to that and changing our energy supplier that have kept me busy. I have also had my hair cut, by a mobile hairdresser, next time I will go my usual place in the village. Tomorrow morning, I am up the road starting a dog sit. The second ginger cake has been consumed quickly, so this time I made a Pound cake, it’s got sultanas, raisins and glacé cherries in it. It was called a Pound cake, because of the quantities used. This one is half the size of the original. The Goldilocks moment is quite funny. My lodger was working a double shift, and was to get back late, so I left him a meal out. I also left out in a dish, the meat part of a Cottage pie for today. When I got up this morning, no pie mix? The dish had been put back, and eventually I found the empty container in the d...

The Ginger cake went down very quickly. So fast, I decided to make another. It turned out as good as the first, but we haven’t tasted it yet!  My physio showed me the exercises she wants me to do when I go to the gym twice a week. There is a mixture of things, all carefully prescribed. The bandages are off the leg now, I will keep it dry for another couple of days. These pin sites are all clean, the scabs will fall off soon I expect. Tonight we are off to the Italian in the village, my Sifnos friend flies back tomorrow, I will be able to go in the car to the airport to see them off.  Today I took two dogs for a walk from Mill lock outside Henley into the town, back to the Angel on the Bridge, where I saw the landlord who I know well. Both dogs were good in the car, they met when the Cocker was a puppy and got on, but that’s doesn’t always guarantee the future relationship! We parked up and woosh, they were off! I thought, oh this is a mistake, but by the time they got to the r...

It’s been a busy few days, I have spent a lot of time helping the  TRHA  folks get the Store ready for opening today. Meanwhile more walking and just trying to get the muscle wastage reversed. Our lodger cooked a meal for just myself and him, it’s a pork steak with what he called Ragu, which is just lots of vegetables, fried down in a little oil. It was very tasty.  I made what I think is my best cake. It’s a ginger  cake with lemon icing on the top. It’s incredibly moist and tasty. I also did not manage to over bake it!  I did my volunteer work at the store, when it opened on the Sunday. It’s the first opening day of 2024 and it was very busy, people picking up their seed potatoes and supplies for the new season. My other jobs, is delivering the monthly newsletter to houses around here, I also look after the website, help manage the store and take the meeting minutes.  Back to last night, we went to the  Angel on the Bridge  for dinner last night...

It was a lovely sunny day today, so I decided to go on two wheels.  I have an old bike, I call it a skip bike, because I rescued it from a skip. It works quite well, but no mudguards. I had to pump the tyres up before I went out on it, heaven knows when I last used it! I decided to cycle to the Bell pub at Waltham St Lawrence. I used to walk dogs around the pub years ago, one in particular who went over the rainbow bridge, before I left for Greece, so he never missed me. Part of the cycle route had me go along where I also walked him, so that made me a bit sad. I soon reached the pub, and sat in the back bar where a lovely old fire was going. If I have lunch here, I always have the same thing, sausage in a ciabatta roll with onions, a side of skinny chips, with home made ketchup. There was a local I knew from years ago, and his dog. The sandwich soon arrived and I tucked in! After finishing my drink, I walked a bit of the village, it’s not been spoilt over the years thank goodness....