Wednesday 26 October 2011

Seven Days - going 'Barefoot'

I really liked a post called Seven Days by The Barefoot Crofter, who's over in the Western Isles. Pop over and have a look at Jacqui's various adventures with crofting, pigs and all things island like! 

Anyway I thought I'd do the same, I'm still a bit poorly and my poor brains more addled than normal - so here you go - the last week here in photos. I'm starting with a jimmied together apple tart to use up apples from a 'dooking' for apples game we had yesterday at the local kids day at the recycling site. Made the tart at 8am today, by 2pm when I got home, nothing left - my boy-man-child and 2 companions which were over for the day scoffed the lot - which I guess is what it was intended for! The child does like home cooking and sharing it rather quickly with his chums. To be fair he cooks alot too!
And speaking of recycling - we played, um I mean we made a few snakes from old ties which are great fun as door draught excluders, or for scaring your dog..........
 I got a bit carried away making 'just one last one' and then another........
 Did a bit of a garden crossword, 60 MPH winds and sideways rain means even I don 't go out side unless I have to. Two left to do - couldn't get them............
 After a bit of a rest and a crossword, made more things from old holey socks - cat toys which sort of look like fish - stuffed with recycled wool - really easy and fun to make.
 The children and I re-arranged the downstairs dining room to let the little couch go back by the fire and now lets me look out the window to cows walking right past.
The poor leeks got lacerated and I picked and cleaned them all - only 27 left now, we've scoffed one....well thats one of the real benefits of growing your own, you get to eat it too!
And almost the last of the tomatoes.....which got turned into home made pasta/pizza sauce and frozen in portions......
And more courgettes from the gardens growing food under cover at work......
And more basil from the indoor windowsill allotment......still growing, 6 months after planting it, I'm finally letting it flower, I think it deserves it!
 Did a few messages (*shopping*) with my daughter and the dog, in my new hat, very fine that is too :) we needed more local cheese, which is rather fine!
Cooked at a lot of food, which I do like and its why I'm so chubby!
 Tartiflette - local potatoes, local ham (optional) and home grown onions in a wonderful rich creamy sauce (or in this case low Orkney fat milk, creme freche and home made cream cheese, not too rich). Brownies.....(recipe here) of which there are now NONE left (not me I hasten to add)
Walked a bit of that love home cooked food off, each day we had a walk.....at the headland, to the beach or to my favourite tree on the hill
We met a few new folk........
 And some of us refused to go home! Peedie lurking, right by the gate, not wanting to leave!
And, finally each day this week we've tried to ask Einstien (not the smartest cockeral in the world) why he's refusing to sleep in a lovely dry byre and prefers to sleep in a half naked Elder tree which has lost most of its leaves. He's adorable and very pretty, but I'm afraid he's as thick as mince.
Rather sadly, it was time for the hard working Calendula to go - the final flower picked and taken indoors, I rather sadly gave the chickens, who are too daft to sleep indoors, the stems for them to have a rake through. I collected  their seeds and scattered them elsewhere in the garden. Hopefully they'll pop up next year.
 With a bit of 'proper' paid garden work also chucked in, a bit of a garden talk locally and a bit of an inspection today at work (which turned into a rather lovely chat with a chap who also got trained at the Botanics in Edinburgh). Not a bad week.

Grub, a lot of home cooked grub, gardening, gossiping about life and walking. Perfect.
Have a look over the blog fence at The Barefoot Crofter and see what she's been up to over her seven days......thank you Jacqui for the inspiration for this post. I hope you enjoy her blog like I do!

13 comments:

  1. I love your photos! Where ever you are, it's beautiful! Are you really going Barefoot for 7 days? That's awesome! Barefoot Mama

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  2. Sounds like you had a very productive week - perhaps bad weather to keep you indoors doing stuff is no bad thing sometimes.

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  3. A wonderful week, lots of walking, crafting and baking.

    Thanks for sharing

    Sft x

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  4. Thank you becky!

    Sft a lovely week indeed the weathers been bad and so lots of indoor stuff. I love cooking, it's how I got into gardening!

    Elaine very true, sometimes it's good. :) we bake most days, or at least a few days each week if we are busy.

    Barefoot mama, orkneys a beautiful place. I'm always barefoot when I can be, these days only indoors! Wiggled a barefoot at you!

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  5. Fun Post! The chilly, rainy weather is settling here, so will be joining you on baking and other indoor activities!

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  6. I loved that post. So different from my week!

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  7. Jenni, look forward to seeing some of your rainy day stuff!

    Kininivie - that's cos you've been galavanting up and down the a9! Nice we've all different things going on!

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  8. Loving your week - thank you for doing this with me. So nice to go Island Hopping xxx

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  9. Wow you've got bear feet?
    What have you done with my beautiful ties?
    Glad today went well.

    Lots of love

    Mr f

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  10. Grrrrrr - Bear feet, no way!

    (Don't you love a family joke)

    We got our approval - yay!

    xx

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  11. Greta post, lovely photos, but you don't know the meaning of the word "chubby"!!

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  12. Nigella Lawson, eat your heart out... apple pie made at 8am !!!

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  13. Loving all that food. Nothing better on cold, wet days than to make tasty food. I really admire you and all the produce you manage to grow in such extreme conditions. I'll think of you next year when I'm whingeing about a bit of wind.

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