Time for Tiffin.

Hi Folks.

The weather has been so nice of late, I have been catching up on washing and getting boat jobs done, before we leave to go off cruising.

Having done a load of washing this morning, it was time to make some Chocolate Tiffin. It has been an age since I made any, but who can refuse Chocolate?

200g milk chocolate (I use Cadbury Milk Chocolate)
100g unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
125g digestive biscuits
135g bag of Maltesers
For the topping
200g milk chocolate
25g unsalted butter
1 tsp golden syrup.

Method

1.Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking parchment. Place the 200g of chocolate, butter and syrup in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Once almost melted, remove from the heat and gently stir until any tiny bits chocolate have melted. Allow to cool a little.
2.Place the biscuits and 35g of the Maltesers in a freezer bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin. You want mainly crumbs but a few small chunks of biscuit is fine.
3.Top the crushed mixture and whole Maltesers (save 1 or 2 for yourself) to the melted chocolate and stir until everything is coated. Press into the prepared tin and make the topping.
4.For the topping, melt the chocolate, butter and syrup as before and spread over the biscuit base.
5.Cover the tin with cling film or foil and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cutting into squares.

Yes I licked out the bowl, it would have been naughty not too.

This is going to last us a while, because both of us are keeping our weight down.

Time to get the paint brushes out.

Hi Folks.

With Spring just around the corner, I am so looking forward to getting the paintwork up to scratch on the outside. The weather is not helping me to get the outside paintwork done yet, so this moring I made a start on the inside instead.

I decided I wanted something different in the galley and because above the cooker it discolours easily, I have gone for a gloss paint.

You can see the staining in this photograph.

First coat all done. I should get the second coat on tomorrow all being well. It say’s to leave it 24 hours before recoating.

I am now looking into making new blinds for the galley doors. But the oly drawback is the material I like is £19 a metre arghhhhh.

Beautiful Winter’s Day.

Hi Folks.

As we all know this Winter has been very strange and not what I think of as a proper Winter. If I could order a proper Winter, it would be Frostie cold days with snow on the ground. But I am a snow lover.

With chilly mornings, there is nothing nicer than stoking up the fires and getting a few jobs done.

My jobs for the day included taking in my trousers and skirts. Why? I hear you ask. Well as some of you may know I was poorly over Christmas and the New Year and because of the illness I lost some weight. It has meant I have dropped a size in clothes, which means my trousers only stay up with the help of a belt and the same goes for my skirts. So I decided rather than buying new clothing, I would actually alter my clothing myself, which is a huge saving money wise. The sewing machine came out and the job was started. It also gave me the opportunity to take up Keith’s trousers properly, because I had had stitched the hem and he keeps catching his foot in the stitching. I was really chuffed with my efforts, this of course means I need to keep the weight off. I have got down to a size 12, which is amazing, because the last time I wore something in a size 12 was back in 1983. Over the years my size went up to a 16/18, but since living on the boats I have managed to get my weight down with losts of lock work and walking. Having the bug over Christmas and New Year which I would not wish on my enemies actually did me a favour, because now being a size 12 is fabulous. I actually celebrated by buying a skirt from a charity shop. Yes I know the last of the big spenders, because it cost me £3.00. I am all for saving money where ever possible.

Sewing all done, it was then time to go out with my camera.

In coming.

Jenny Wren was singing a merry tune.

I am watching you.

Because it was a bright, sunny day, it was a pleasure to be out enjoying it. There is nothing nicer than a Winter’s day.

Crispy Cauliflower & Cheese Bites

Just found this recipe on Facebook and thought you may like to try it.

Half a cauliflower head
125g cheddar
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 free range egg

1.Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius / 400 degrees Fahrenheit

2.Roughly chop the cauliflower and add into a food processor to chop it into a finer crumb. If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry – you can chop it by hand, it just takes a little longer.

3.Grate the cheese and add it to a large mixing bowl with the cauliflower, egg and black pepper. Mix everything well until it starts to feel a little more like a mixture.

4.Lightly grease a muffin tray with some vegetable oil and spoon in around 1 and a half tablespoons of the mixture into each hole. Add the tray into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Chilly start.

We had a heavy frost over night, with the temperature getting down to –4.5 c.

There was a thin layer of ice on the surface of the canal.

Brrrrrr.

The Cedar Room the Saltisford Arm’s new meeting room, which we hire out to organisations to hold their meeting’s in.

The Winter Moorer’s looking splendid in the morning sunshine.

Life After Money.

What an fascinating morning’s listening on BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. BBC’s Marian McNamee meets Ilona Richards. Marian spoke to Ilona, who has been described as the Queen of Mean, because of the frugal lifestyle she leads. But listening to her money saving tips and how she lives her life, I can only praise her for standing proud and being prepared to put it out there for us all to see. You can read her blog which has been running for about Eight years. Life After Money is well written and whilst some may find her methods taken to the extreme Ilona has a wonderful life with plenty of friends and lives her life within her means. On the BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Facebook page, people we very quick to comment and criticize Illona for the way she lives her life, but I am not one to assume anything. Having read some of her blog, I really think many could learn something from this fascinating woman. We live in a world, where people want it and want it now. We could all learn to cut back and to save money, rather than spending all the time.

We actually live a frugal lifestyle and we never live outside of our means. If we cannot afford it, we save for it or just go without. I am always looking for ways to save money and a way to reuse something, if it has lost its usefulness.

Definitely going to follow Ilona and see what else I can learn.

Pine box and Earrings.

For all the romantics out there, yes it is Valentine’s Day. Keith and I do not really bother anymore with special events, because we both feel they are so commercialised, so I was so surprized this morning to find an envelope on my pillow.

Inside was a lovely card and these beautiful Silver Earrings. I first saw them in one of the two Antique Centre’s in Warwick. I really  loved them, but never thought I would own them. My darling man decided to buy them for me. It was such a wonderful surprize.

I am a capable woman and I will turn my hand to pretty much anything. Today’s challenge was to resize an old pine box which has been sitting in our hold for about three years. I wanted to cut it down in size by half, so I can have it in the saloon for all my nick nacks.

There is nothing nicer than being in charge of the saw, hammer, screwdriver and screws. I am so chuffed with what I acheived. After lunch I then got to play with the electric sander. Now I need to paint the the base and stain wax the lid. But because the box has gotten damp, I am going to air it in the saloon for a few days.

What a difference a week makes.

This time last week Keith was in hospital after another back problem, but this weekend he was down in the back cabin refitting our gearbox.

It is always nice to watch a man at work.

Our gearbox was returned today, with all new seals and gaskets fitted. Rob of Kate Boats fitted it to it's mounting bracket, and Keith reconnected the 2 propshafts, the control linkage and the 2 oil cooling pipes. Hopefully we should have a oil leak free cruise this year. What a difference a week makes though. This time last week Keith was in hospital in agony and unable to move without being caused pain.

 

Whilst Keith and Rob sorted the gearbox out, I was out helping a friend to move a table from her boat to her house. I arrived back to make Keith a coffee, as Rob had done his bit.

Having done the gearbox he is looking a little uncomfortable, but he can now put his feet up and watch the 6 nations...... Come on Ireland.

Daffodils and Hospital.

Hi Folks.

We have had a difficult few days yet again.

Last Friday (12th February) morning, I took Paddy out for his morning stroll, only to come back to Keith wedged in the galley against the worktop. Keith’s back had decided to go into a major spasm, which meant he could not move and if he did he was in excrutiating pain. I gave him his Diazepam which did not touch the pain he was going through. Having tried everything, I had to call 999 and ask for an ambulance. Whilst I was on the phone to them, Keith went down in the galley and was screaming in pain. The ambulance people were fantastic with Keith, after quite sometime they managed to move him off the floor by using Entonox and to his chair, but because he still could not move without being in extreme pain, the decision was taken to take him into hospital.

We arrived at the hospital at 10.10 am and were seen within an hour. The A&E doctor examined Keith and deicded he needed to see the orthopedic registrar who eventually arrived. He reckoned Keith could go home on crutches, but the nursing staff and charge nurse were not convinced and so got the registrar back, who then said he would give Keith some Oral Morphine and get the Physios to get him mobile, so he could go home. Half an hour after having the Oral Morphine, the Physios arrived, but they were unable to even sit him on the edge of the bed without causing him extreme pain, so they said he would have to be admitted. He was found a bed at 6.30 pm in a brand new ward, which was very swish. He had a reasonable night on Oral Morphine, but he was still in pain. I arrived at the hospital for midday and he was feeling much more comfortable and waiting for the Physios to come and assess him. I stayed with him until 3 pm, but then had to leave because we needed some shopping and the animals needed feeding. I had been and got the groceries and was just unlocking the boat, when I got a text from Keith saying he was being allowed home. So I dumped the shopping and set off back to the hospital, where I found him dressed and waiting for a letter. The Physios had managed to get him walking and doing stairs and so they were happy for him to come home.

We got a taxi back to the boat, were Paddy and Marmite were only to pleased to see their Dad.

We are now almost a week on and it has been a struggle for Keith. His back is very unpredictable at the moment, so he is walking a bit and then having bed rest. Today he spent most of the day in bed, only getting up for a while during the afternoon. Hopefully his back will settle down, as we are hoping to go out boating soon.

In the meantime Marmite has been enjoying the Daffodils given to us by a dear friend. Marmite loves sitting and lying down by them. Spring is just around the corner.

Tiffin Time.

There is nothing nicer than a piece of Tiffin with a coffee on a cold Sunday. Feet up and a good old movie on the TV. Perfect.

200g milk chocolate (I use Cadbury Milk Chocolate)
100g unsalted butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
125g digestive biscuits
135g bag of Maltesers
For the topping
200g milk chocolate
25g unsalted butter
1 tsp golden syrup.

Method

1.Line a 20cm square baking tin with baking parchment. Place the 200g of chocolate, butter and syrup in a heat-proof bowl and melt over a pan of barely simmering water or in the microwave. Once almost melted, remove from the heat and gently stir until any tiny bits chocolate have melted. Allow to cool a little.
2.Place the biscuits and 35g of the Maltesers in a freezer bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin. You want mainly crumbs but a few small chunks of biscuit is fine.
3.Top the crushed mixture and whole Maltesers (save 1 or 2 for yourself) to the melted chocolate and stir until everything is coated. Press into the prepared tin and make the topping.
4.For the topping, melt the chocolate, butter and syrup as before and spread over the biscuit base.
5.Cover the tin with cling film or foil and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before cutting into squares.

Then sit back and enjoy.