I've started this week on a big organising drive. I want the house all spic and span, the garden neat and tidy and all paperwork sorted. Well, I'm halfway there! I spent yesterday sorting out all the paperwork, filing bills and reciepts, shredding old stuff and sorting out a new finance plan. So many of our bills have increased this year that our old one was a bit out of date. Do any of you have a finance plan, with all your expenditure laid out? It's pretty shocking when you see everything in black and white!
As well as listing all our bills, I also went back through my bank account records to see if there was anywhere I could make savings. I was stunned when I saw how much I've spent already this year! Some things were unavoidable, but, for the most part, it was money that could have been saved. I've decided to be much more frugal in future and only buy things I really need, rather than things I really want. To help me, I'm keeping a daily log of spending. This won't include the bills, as they are accounted for in the finance plan, this will just be my personal spending. I know it's going to be hard for me, as I get great enjoyment from shopping, lol! I do have a VERY good reason for wanting to save though, and I'm hoping that will be motivation enough, I'll let you know how I get on each week.
So, paperwork sorted, I spent this morning on the back garden. I had to cut back one of my neighbours trees, well, not a tree really, but a giant weed thing that encroaches. If it was something pretty, I wouldn't mind it hanging all over our patio at all, but it has a nasty smell and sheds its leaves and berries! That done, I spent a little time weeding and deadheading, picked another courgette, fed the tomatoes and beetroot, and then swept the patio. I know I forgot to show you the potatoes I dug up a few weeks back too:-
I dug them up earlier than usual, because, with the amount of rain we've had, I was really worried they'd start rotting. There were enough potatoes for 6 meals here, which wasn't bad at all, and, yes, they tasted nice, but I won't be growing them again next year. I've decided that, considering the cost of the actual seed potatoes and the fertiliser and fresh soil I bought to start them off, it doesn't work out to be very economical. If I was growing them en masse in an allotment, then I'm sure it would, but in my tiny garden? Next year, I think I may just stick to tomatoes, which do taste better fresh, and hardly cost anything to raise from seed.
Tomorrow, I'll be tackling the house. Sorting out cupboards and giving everything a deep clean. Exciting, hey!
I finished another, really enjoyable book!
Delilah, the main character, wakes one day and realises that, over the years, she has had twenty partners. She is determined not to make it twenty one, so comes up with the idea of visiting her former lovers to see if one of them was "The One".
I thought it was very witty and well written, although with a predictable outcome. Saying that though, I think the moral of the story was, "Don't look back, look forward", so the ending was probably justified. If you like chicklit, you'll love it!
I've been cooking new recipes a fair bit, especially desserts, and thought I'd share this delicious trifle with you. Get ready to pile on some pounds!
RASPBERRY AND PISTACHIO TRIFLE
Ingredients
- 200g raspberries, plus extra to decorate
- 50g caster sugar
- 16 sponge finger biscuits
- 125ml amaretto liqueur
For the topping
- 60g pistachio nuts
- 4 chocolate cookies
For the cream
- 3 eggs, separated
- 50g caster sugar
- 250g mascarpone
Lightly crush the raspberries in a bowl with the sugar. Break up the sponge fingers and place them in the bottom of 4 trifle dishes. Drizzle them with the amaretto, and press them down lightly. Add the crushed raspberries to each glass.
To make the cream, beat the egg yolks and half the sugar in a bowl until thick and pale. Then beat in the mascarpone until smooth. Whisk the egg whites until at soft peak stage, then add the remaining sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold it into the mascarpone mix. Divide this among the dishes.
To make the topping, place the pistachios and cookies in a processor and whizz until they are crumbs. Sprinkle this over the dishes and top each with a few extra raspberries.
And with that, I'll leave you. Have a lovely Tuesday all!
Paulaxx





