21 February 2026

Briefly Last Week............

Thanks for all the weather comments yesterday - I always love it when a comment turns into a post and makes lots more comments!

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Briefly last  Saturday I thought about a week of meal photos, but then the leek and kale fritters served with bacon and tinned tomatoes on Sunday weren't very photogenic (although it was a very filling and tasty meal for a day with snow).
Which started off looking like this, got heavier with huge flakes which somehow settled on the very wet ground for an hour before everything turned to rain - quelle surprise!


I eat my main meal about 1 o'clock-ish nowadays, preferring to eat a much smaller meal later in the day...............sign of old age I reckon!

The famous nutritional advice to "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper" is most commonly attributed to Adelle Davis (1904–1974), a prominent American nutritionist and author. She popularized this phrase in the mid-20th century to promote eating a heavy breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a light dinner for better health.

Breakfast each morning at the moment, until I fancy a change. Chopped apple/pear and prunes, warmed for a minute in the microwave, toast  (home made bread  50/50 wholemeal/white) and cheats home made marmalade and a large coffee.


 This was one day.............

Main meal - Stir fry carrots, onion and chopped kale with noodles and soy sauce and two each cook-from-frozen party food ....... mini spring rolls and tempura prawns. Small meal - Celery, Hovis biscuits and Blue Stilton cheese.



That was the end of that brief foray into a food blog week!


Last weeks good news was the letter from NHS telling me all was well with my mammogram. Last weeks  bad news was a letter from HMRC telling me I'd earned too much money from my savings so they'd have to tell Suffolk County Council to tax me more on the spouses pension. 

Oh well, I downsized to have some savings - Ha!

I know lots of people aren't watching the Winter Olympics but if you can cope with it have a look today at the GB team in the Men's Curling at 6pm this evening. They did so well to get through to the final. It's a fascinating sport, tactical and more difficult than it looks of course. I'll be cheering them on from Mid Suffolk

Back Monday


20 February 2026

Why?

This was a comment last Saturday.  


So many posts on UK blogs about depressed-sounding pensioners sitting around looking out at the rain. Don’t you ever long for a bit of adventure in foreign lands? With the internet it’s so easy now to organise affordable accommodation for a couple of months. Have you never considered escaping the winter? Helen.



I know why I don't long for adventure or fancy two months somewhere warmer - it would be no fun on my own and I'd be bored stiff!

And anyway, I'm English, moaning about the weather is what we do and always have........

On 26th February 1768, MP  Horace Walpole said in his journal "We are drowning again for the second winter, and hear of nothing but floods and desolation"

And weather folklore says..... 
                                                         "If in Februeer there be no rain,
                                                           The hay won't be good, nor the grain.
                                                          All other months of the year
                                                            Most heartily curse a fine Februeer"


Apparently rainfall records have been broken this winter in many places, so we aren't imagining it!

19 February 2026

Chocolate Brownies for Grandchildren

 It's good to have something in the freezer that all grandchildren like for a dessert. Adults don't refuse them either.

This is a recipe from the WI Chocolate recipe book and always turns out well. I've added it to the separate recipe page.


CHOCOLATE BROWNIES 

These are good served warm with ice cream.

4 oz butter diced
4oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
1 Tablespoon Golden Syrup
5oz dark muscovado sugar
5oz castor sugar
4 eggs, beaten
8oz SR Flour
1½oz cocoa powder
2oz white chocolate drops or chopped (optional)
2oz walnut pieces(optional)

Line base and sides of a 30cm x 22cm tin (12 inches x 8½ inches)
Preheat oven to 180℃/ 160℃ -fan
Place butter, chocolate and syrup in a large saucepan and melt gently over low heat.
Add all other ingredients and mix really well.
Spoon into tin, spread evenly into corners
Bake for approx 30 minutes until it has risen and is firm to the touch and coming away from the sides
Allow to cool in tin.

 Cut into 32 or 24 pieces.


The photo below is from when I made brownies and cheese straws back in early January.