Good News from the Gas Man...

As has been well publicised, this Winter has been one of the coldest for a LONG time. I've been using the Rayburn to try to keep the temperature up a bit...downstairs it's open plan (-ish) so the warmth spreads through, and it powers the one radiator upstairs in the bathroom. Keeping it on minimum means that the thermometer dips to 16 or 17 degrees rather than 13 (which if it's outside and the sun is shining we'd all be saying what a glorious day it was...but in your living room it's pretty bloody parky!) I've also been lighting the woodburner but on days when I'm out of the house it can get really cold and the woodburner takes a while to bring the temperature back up...I'm all for putting a hoody on but I don't want to sit shivering. Anyhoo, that's just background info...suffice it to say that niggling in the back of my mind was the thought I was probably building up quite a bill for myself (the previous one had been more than I expected and I knew I'd used way more than that), so I opened the letter from E-on this morning with a bit of trepidation. It said....."Please read your gas meter..we've been given a reading and it looks like you're using more gas than we expected. We're ready to pop your statement in the post and we just want to make sure that it's right" Ahhhh, sounds about right..this was what I'd been waiting for. I popped outside  in the drizzle and duly took a reading and phoned them up. I gave them the reading and said could they please leave my direct debits as they are and that I would give them a separate payment for the difference to square up. Actually, said Brian the Gas man, the reason we were checking was that the recent reading was LOWER than the one we had last time so in fact it looks as if we've overcharged you. You haven't yet reached the reading given on the LAST bill.
Well I thanked Brian for the good news:-)
What a load off of my mind :-)

Although thinking about it...if they hadn't overcharged me last time I wouldn't have thought that the gas was really expensive and been worrying about this one...oh well -never mind - all worked out OK in the end.

Have you had any nice surprises with any bills?

Sometimes the little things say the most...

 

I think that sometimes it's the little things that say most about you. Parking in a disabled space when you are not entitled speaks volumes I think....even if you are not the driver, the fact that you condone it proclaims the same. Sadly this sort of attitude seems to be rife across all levels of society.
There are just some things that your parents taught you, and you taught your kids, that you just don't do...dropping litter, taking something that doesn't belong to you, bullying, the list goes on but they are real basics.....peoples behaviour dissappoints me so often nowadays...is it getting worse or am I just looking back through rose-coloured specs?
Whinge over...I'm off to cuddle a cat or two...

Quick menagerie update...

Ratty still runs free....clearly he/she has heard about the impending deportation order and is steering clear of the lovely present I left in the garden.
 

 

Yolko has decided that the lengthening daylight hours require her to sit on the eggs all day...not that she has laid one of her own...she's appropriated a Fernanda egg to nurse!  She was unceremoniously lifted and the egg removed...maybe I should get her a couple of hatching eggs.

 

 

It's been flippin' freezing today with even more snow (though thankfully it didn't settle) I've loaded nearly 2 baskets of logs into the woodburner today....brrrrrrr

  Baldrick had the right idea!

Stay snuggly!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An unwanted visitor...

As I was doing this, this morning

 

 

I looked out of the window, and said

 



there in the garden was a

 



who had clearly been helping itself to

 

 

The lil hobbit house residents that one would reasonably expect to deal with the issue were busy

 

 

so on my way to my meeting, I stopped off and bought

 

This evening I have baited it with

 

and hope to be rewarded with

 



 

in the not too distant future!

 

 

 

Birthday Sushi!

 

We don't eat out often, but that just makes it all the more special when we do. Ethan treated me to sushi for my birthday ( I think this is the 3rd year on the trot...it's becoming a bit of a tradition)

Thankyou, thankyou my beloved 2nd born...great food and great company! :o)

What's your favourite "gadget"?

Mine is these little clippy things that hold the corners of the duvet when you're changing the bed..heehee...it's the little things that make me happy :-)

Quornish Pasties

It's been a cold and grey day today (no snow, but for sure, not a gardening day) so I thought I'd stay snug and warm and do a bit of baking. Today I made "Quornish Pasties"and managed to stretch one small bag of quorn and a few veg out to make 14 meals! I kid you not!

 

 

Peeled, chopped and into the bowl went: 3 small / medium spuds, 1/2 a fist sized swede, a couple of red onions ('cos red is what I had) , a couple of teeny carrots ( yes I know carrots don't go in a traditional Cornish pasty - but let's face it, the "good ship traditional" sailed right about the time I swapped the meat for quorn in the recipe so hey ho)

Then, swap it to a bigger bowl as a) the quorn was never going to fit in the first one and b) if there is one thing my life needs it's more washing up (NOT).

Chuck in a small bag of quorn (leave it frozen...makes no odds)

Add a bit of seasoning -  I used a bit of salt, a load of white pepper, a couple of these little maggi cubes, and then a load more white pepper (I like pepper!)

Throw in a gratuitous photo of my worktop saver for no other reason but it makes me smile every day ( and I like

 the idea of not asking about the broccoli!)

 

Take pastry I made earlier out of the fridge, roll it out and cut to shape...I used a side plate as a template but a saucer would give little empanada sized ones.

 

Put a spoonful of the quorn and veggie mix in the middle, eggy wash the edge ...

 

Fold over and stick....

 

Crimp it so nothing escapes...

 

I've made 6 big pasties ...

 

and still got this left.....

 

So I made a pie, and whipped up some smart price packet mash to make 7 cottage pie type thingies.

 

Then I eggy washed them and shoved them all in a warmish oven for 50 minutes / an hour- ish

 

Tadah! 6 pasties...1 eaten immediately straight from the oven with tomato sauce on the side, and 5 to cool and pop in the freezer .

I didn't let these get too brown as they are for the freezer and will be baked a second time.

I don't know exactly how much a portion it would work out at but I think 25p a pop wouldn't be far off...bargain!! There you go Ethan...gut-busting, grant-stretching pasties :-)