Home economics

 Does anyone still make their own bread? We started making sourdough bread years ago, before Covid changed so many things. It seemed to get popular during lockdown etc but I don't know if people are still carrying on. It's fun to make and very satisfying. It's nice to be ale to make up different mixes, sometimes more wholemeal, sometimes more white, sometimes more spelt and so on. One local baker makes great bread but it contains milk which we never knew, at least home made only contains what we put in.

Footnote

A morning of potting up in the greenhouse and moving some of the larger plants to their permanent big pots. I found some old fritillaria bulbs, I planted them but don't hold out much hope as I know that they are tricky in the best of circumstances.

Walking along my foot suddenly felt painful. Hmm.

Down in the mouth

 Dentist today. Now here is a place where wearing a mask is not really sensible.

Boxing Day

Quite a few things never seem to go out of fashion with children. Cardboard boxes are one. We made a den out of a large cardboard box today. A paper plate fixed with a paper clip made a good steering wheel or dial or whatever imagination let it be.

Prunes are good for you

 A sunny day. So it was good to get out in the garden and do some pruning. I used a hedge trimmer to shape some of the bushes at fence level. One of the hydrangeas had grown too large so it had a very severe cutback. The garden looks much neater already.

Does anyone else like jigsaws, they seem particularly apt at this time of the year. I have one that has sweet wrappers from years ago. Most sweets are still around today but some are no more - Weekend, Bar Six, Banjo to name a few that have disappeared.

Just another year.

 Nearly the end of the year. All the presents have been opened. There is one present that certainly lasts the time. Lego. Whilst the children have new kits to make and play with, Lego from years and years ago is still eagerly played with. What a magnificent toy for children's fun and imagination.

Localised.

 More Christmas shopping. I despise shopping on the internet so it was nice to have time to browse the local shops with their individual items and chat to the staff. Whether a chain store or an individual shop it is much better for the soul to support the local community rather than some faceless usually American owned internet organisation.