Depressing

It was that kind of a day as I walked through the damp mist to claim a free coffee at M&S and chat with a neighbour who was also food shopping. At least it was dry on the way there and mild too , but when I left to walk home, it was pouring rain and looked like a day for the baffies and a cheering fire. I could do the baffies but the fire eluded me. I holed up for the duration of the miserable outlook before, lo and behold, the rain stopped about 3pm and the sun appeared. With that, the leaves of the nearest tree to the Dower House decided to call it a day, falling off like confetti for several minutes to lie like a golden carpet on the grass.

The appearance of the sun galvanised me into action and I made a vegetable and sausage stew with sausages that have languished in the freezer since July when the Merry Widows and I visited the Gosford farm shop on our way to Greywalls Hotel for afternoon tea. I suppose 3months isn’t too bad given what else has been lurking in the said freezer for even longer. I am determined to clear everything out and eaten by C time. (You know what that initial stands for but I can’t even contemplate its arrival in 2 months)

The mild weather is definitely on our side at the moment as we turn off the central heating and convince ourselves we can get through the winter with minimal energy consumption. It’s a false premise though because the minute the temperature falls to constant single digits, the blankets and hot water bottles will be put to use as we shiver.