Did you hear me scream?

 I got the car back this morning and went straight to Llandod to do my grocery shopping - fridge bare and family arriving tonight. Tesco had clear storage boxes on offer, so I bought one and decanted some of the old jugs in it.  There are still two big boxes from my dresser at Ynyswen, up in the attic, and I really should have a cull of the dresser top ones here. Easier to carry having smaller boxes. Then when I got back I began to load the car - I was up at 5.15 again so had plenty of time to sort out what was going, just after breakfast.  Lots of old things from Ynyswen (and released from imprisonment in the attic these past 4 yrs), stuff popular 15 years ago but now coming back into style again!  Old stock too and a couple of newer things I've bought recently.  I was a bit shocked by how much I still have to clear (and because of Covid we had 2 years where we couldn't even put it in auction).  Below: there are jugs behind the front row too.

I polished the big 1 gallon copper harvester jug - one which dressed the kitchen at Ynyswen.  I truly have no room for it here as it could only go in the kitchen and that is already crammed.  It was last checked by Weights and Measures back in the 50s as it has ER stamped to replace the previous GR.  There are two earlier ovals where the lead was melted off, so it would have started life back in Victorian times.  They first had Imperial measure stamps in 1836, just before Victoria ascended the throne, and then in 1879 it was made properly official and measures like this, which would have been used in a pub for beer or cider, had to be stamped as legal measure, and then checked again down the years and restamped.  Lord knows what I paid for it all those years ago, but it will show a profit now!

The colours are actually bolder than this and I like it.

I have decided that the Foxgloves picture is going.  When I put it up on the mantlepiece it soon began to annoy me as the Foxgloves were dotted about like Chickenpox, and not growing close together in groups, as they are wont to do.  So I have put up a nice little oil of pine trees, with a soft patchwork of fields behind it, and this is more pleasing.

So, this afternoon I have been going flat out in the kitchen.  Having had to pay £200 out of my current account for the car, things were looking threadbare as I don't like it down below a certain level although it will look healthier when my pension goes in on Monday.  My food shop was the bare minimum and at the speed prices are going up for meat, I shall soon be going veggie at this rate.  Mince has shot up in price - nearly the same price as rump steak!

So, I set to with some mince I had already defrosted (a pack to replace it was the only meat I bought this week).  I browned it off, ditto some onions, and one portion is the topping for a home-made pizza tonight, and the other portion went with onion, rice, mushrooms*, mixed peppers*, mixed vegetables* (* all from freezer) and Cajun Spice and Worcs Sauce to make Cajun Dirty Rice - plenty for all of us.  I also got a small tub of home made pasta sauce out of the freezer and that is the topping for the other pizza.

I boiled up a bag of new potatoes too.  Then went into the garden and got a picking of Rhubarb, past its best, but will cook up into a crumble nicely.  That's stewed up now.

I also made Raspberry Muffins with most of the Raspberries I hadn't frozen and they will be gorgeous.  I can take a couple as part of my lunch tomorrow.  As I still have some stewed apple I defrosted earlier in the week I am going to quickly throw together an Apple Gingerbread cake for puddings.  Good to see a little room in the freezer - there will be a lot more as I intend to eat my way through the contents before buying more.  Must save some money so I can pay off the chunk I put on my credit card paying for the heating oil.  It's a balancing act.

Then I went outside to move the car.  It wouldn't start.   I couldn't believe it - a new starter motor and it wouldn't START!  It was turning over but that was all.  In a panic I phoned the garage and the boss came out with his gofer and they checked it - would you believe it started first time?!!!  I was mortified and apologised profusely.  Don't know why it didn't start but perhaps I am having one of those days as I went to pour some water out of a bowl earlier and picked up a fork and tried to pour from that, not the bowl!

Family here later, so I had better dry all the washing up and make the cake.  Have a good weekend.