Blogtober 2023 : Day 5

Is it Thursday where you are?  Already?  I feel like I’ve skipped a few days this week and landed without warning towards the end!

I expect you won’t be at all surprised to know that it’s been raining here today, although fortunately not at the time that I was out for a walk with the dog, my friend, her dog and her daughter’s dog … three dogs between us: two Labs and a loopy spaniel … there was lots of FOMO (fear of missing out) when treats were handed out to the nearest dog and suddenly there would be three noses pushing into the treat bag, lots of sploshing in muddy water, lots of shaking of wet fur, lots of shouting as the two younger dogs kept zooming off into the bushes (my elder statesman was on his best behaviour and stayed close – I think he was just showing off) and as you’ll see from these photos, lots and LOTS of conkers on the ground!

Well, actually, when you look closely there are lots of cases but not so many of the brown conker seeds lying amongst them.  These look like they’ve been swept off to the side of the footpath by one of those little motorised footpath road sweepers that we see from time to time on this path.  It’s a cycle path now as well as footpath and is kept far more debris-free as a cycle path than it ever was as a footpath – I guess it’s to avoid accidents and nobody wants to be thrown off their bike by conkers under the wheels!

We did see lots of squirrels today (another reason why the two younger dogs kept zooming off) and more than a few of them had conkers in their paws (hands?  they look like hands, don’t they?) so I expect that the squirrels have been rummaging through the cases and made off with the nuts to store them for the winter.

I’m planning to up my own food game as the winter approaches.  Now that not so small daughter is back at college, we’ve got the daily debate about what to have for lunch.  We’re a few weeks in now but we’ve settled on the idea that we could have the same thing and make it in advance so that it doesn’t feel like a chore in the mornings.  I think that’s how it has to be for me for lunch in general – I find it far too easy to get involved in doing something and then I don’t want to stop to make food, so if it’s already prepared then I’m much more likely to make time for a lunch break.

This week, we’ve been having Greek salad with something – for me, it’s been slices of turkey or a piece of quiche and for not so small daughter it’s been marinated king prawns, and we’ve both had home made focaccia muffins which have been fab!

I spotted the idea of the muffin on Instagram and it didn’t look like it was going to be beyond me.  Basically, it’s focaccia dough that’s divided up into small balls and baked in a muffin tin – it was very easy to make and I have realised that we’ve eaten them all without me taking any photos.  Ah well, they were really good so I’ll be making them again!  You can find the recipe that I used here, and it’s definitely worth a go!

I made the version that uses instant yeast but there’s an option in the recipe for making sourdough focaccia and that’s what I would have done if my starter hadn’t been resting in the fridge for several months.  I took it out today and fed it, and it’s currently sitting next to the Aga doing it’s bubbly thing.  I might make a sourdough loaf next, and then when the starter is going again properly, see what else I can make with it.  I found a recipe for sourdough flatbreads and I think they would go very well with Greek salad!

If you fancy making sourdough for yourself and have never tried it before, it’s not as difficult as you think.  I used the starter recipe from Kitchn which is here, and I learnt to make sourdough through the online course from Gartur Stitch Farm, although there are lots of free online tutorials that you can find if you want to do that instead.

Well, it’s heading on for Friday now and I’m going to sit and knit for half an hour or so before rounding the pets up for bed.  I’m up to the toes on my Yarn Badger socks – but I can’t find my long circular needle for when the stitches get a bit tight on the decreases and I only seem to have two DPNs in my project bag … maybe it’s a sign that I need to just have an early night – or maybe cast on another sock instead!  Another cast on instead of finding needles to finish something off?  Shocking!  You’d never do that, would you? 🙂

I’ll let you know what I choose to do tomorrow!