Left on my kitchen counter this week. people can be so kind.

it's blowing a hooley outside. Red weather warnings for the West Coast of England. stay home if you can.

Another benchmark. This on the side of St John's Church, Lancaster.

Part of the survey and census of 1840.

I may get this as a tattoo sometime.

OK, so this is an especially mundane picture, even by my poor standards. However, I discovered that a significant number of kitchen fires have been started by flare-ups from air fryers.

The handbook for mine talks about cleaning the drawer and the basket, but doesn't mention the rest of the appliance at all - and that's possibly where the problem lies.

To de-grease and clean your airfryer, fill a ramekin with white vinegar and water, place in the basket, and run at 200 deg C for 10 minutes. Unplug, and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and then remove the drawer, invert the appliance, and carefully wipe the inside with a slightly damp cloth. Hey presto, pretty clean, free of built-up fats, and significantly reduced fire risk.

The dark band on the ramekin is some of the gunk that was loosened in the cleaning process. Yuk.

Sometimes only tea will do.

Neighbour's cat is visiting

Advent provides an excuse for hanging strings of lights around the place.

Dinner later.

Seen on High Street, Lancaster.

Poorer families, if they could even afford to buy coal, would often have to take it from the front door through the house and put it in a heap or bunker in the back yard.

Middle class households had coal delivered directly to the cellar, via a coal hole in the pavement, like this one.

Coal cellars were often damp, leading to coal becoming damp and difficult to light and keep going. Thus, we see here a ventilated cover to help moisture to be vented to the outside.

I haven't had dumplings since my mother gave them me when I was little. Something has been urging me to make some, so here they are, with my apple cabbage stew.

I had not realised they were so simple to make. These do not contain suet, and I cooked them in some stock, in the microwave, and drizzled some warm Vegemite for added interest.

If I carry on like this while I am not walking everywhere, I shall become as big as a house. Something lighter tomorrow, I think =]

Alium

Looks well dodgy.

It's been a bit of a day, to be frank. But I forced myself to go out, and i found this string of mains-powered lights for a quid. So here they are, strung out temporarily to see if they work.

For some people, life passes by in a blur.

Ceiling rose. It greets you when you wake here. Or just look up to be amazed.

Not sevruga but lumpfish roe on some buckwheat blinis with crème fraiche.

A cheap but no less delightful snack for the Christmas season.

The spoon is made from horn. Metal tends to add a taste to the delicate fish eggs.

Today is a state holiday, or bank holiday as they are called in England. As I'm not working today there's time for a relaxed breakfast of bacon and eggs.

Coffee and a smoothie of mango, apple, orange, and nuts complete the meal.

There's about all the protein I need here for the day to maintain reasonable health.

The bees love these. Seen growing over a canal bridge in town.

A great collection of heritage species of fruit trees. Run by volunteers. Free to taste.

Glasgow is not stuck in the past and there are many modern buildings, clinging like limpets to the steep streets.

Processed with VSCO with kk2 preset

I went to class this morning and noticed this vertical garden in the making. A clever use or limited space.

Excellent locally-blended tea, served by friendly staff in immaculate porcelain.

A place to linger for a while.

Sometimes it needs a bit more grunt to get the lid off a jar.

I found this metal adjustable jar opener online last week for the price of a coffee. So far it has lived up to the advertisement.

In other news there's not much happening this morning 😅

I bought another slow cooker yesterday for the cost of a flat white. This one is only 1 liter and so neat.

I made a sauce/soup overnight:

Onion

Celery

Garlic

Dried herbs

Carrot

Blackeyed beans

Red capsicum

Tomato puree

Bacon

Veggie stock

Cook on low for 6 hours

A cheap set of scales and a cheap grinder. No matter. Grinder on scales and set tare. Add beans to desired weight and grind away!

It's not much faffing about and it means you get more consistent results.

And who could resist these oily Brazilian beans?!

April lockdown

Samphire is a succulent, salt-tolerant plant that grows in littoral areas. What you see here is marsh samphire; it's the stuff that some of our sheep graze on, giving the meat a distinctive sweetness. Sometimes, samphire is also called 'asparagus of the sea.'

I got this clump today and lightly boiled it, which made sure it was clean of any impurities and bacteria. The local water comapny isn't as careful about dischages into the lakes and bay as we would prefer.

Some toast, some grilled sardines, pickled cornichons, and preserved tomato, and a dash of lemon juice is all I needed for a tasty and nutritious tea today.

This is part of my 'cooking on a budget' project, designed to make healthy and tasty food available for very little money.

If you are interested in learning more about smphire, read on:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samphire

Near Weir Wood Reservoir

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These Rockdove slippers (designed in California) arrived this week. My second pair. To celebrate and comfort against the coming winter chill.

Admittedly they are devoid of any elegance, but they are warm, light, grippy, supportive, comfortable, machine washable and quick to dry.

My friend declined the offer of a pair, preferring bare feet. Probably related to hobbits.

I call it lunch. But maybe it has a name.

Sausages

Black eyed beans

Onions

Butternut squash

Tomatoes

Garlic

Herb mix

Here's my take on Pan Cubano, but baked in a tin. It makes excellent toast and tastes very nice and delicate.

It needs lard instead of butter.

The Harris is a gallery that has been closed for the last two years for 're-imagining' inside. It should have re-opened this spring but remains shut.

Nemesia

Monday Mass of thanks.

Today is Sunday, when I try to mark the afternoon with Kaffee und Kuchen. It's a gentle, even mindful pause that helps to close the previous week and prepare for the next one.

I scorched the top of my cake last week, but no harm done. However, I thought a simple frosting might improve things.

Here it is:

200g Greek yogurt - strained, or just as thick as you can manage

30g Caster or icing sugar

5ml Vanilla essence

In a large bowl, mix everything thoroughly

Chill in the fridge for 30 mins

Spread or pipe as necessary

It will store in the fridge for a few days.

Columbine was Harlequin's mistress.

The pizzaoli at Aquila make a phenomenal pizza.

So the sign says.

Seven of England's ten most deprived areas are in the Blackpool area.

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