To Kill A Mocking Bird
This month, the book group I belong too are reading To Kill A Mocking Bird. It's many years since I last read it and I really enjoyed reading it again. I had completely forgotten the ending, so it came as a big surprise!
The racism in it is awful and it's so sad that we haven't progressed that much from a book written in the 1950's and set in the 1930's.
'ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICAN NOVELS EVER WRITTEN'
'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'
A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man falsely charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s.
The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.
Leaks, and not of the edible variety
The hole is even bigger now than it was last month!
There was another rainstorm, and the water, again, leaked through the ceiling. We think we've worked out what it is now though. There is guttering feeding into a water butt. At one end of the extension, for a long time, there was no end on the guttering and the water poured out of there onto the patio. Mike finally got round to putting the end on, and we think that's where the problem started.
It's backing up onto the kitchen extension flat roof and getting under the flashing because it can't escape quickly enough, so Mike is going to change the guttering so that it can flow more freely and go down the drain rather than backing up on the flat roof. Fingers crossed!
He's replaced some of the plasterboard now, but we need to wait for another downpour before he does the part where the leak was coming out to check that it's been fixed.
Cookalong
One of the u3a groups I go to is Cookalong. We all make the same kind of thing, take it along and then taste everybody's. It's lovely to try other people's food and we have amassed an incredible number of recipes!
This month we are doing savoury tarts and I made these gorgeous Smoked Trout Tartlets from BBC Good Food.
I made the pastry of course, didn't buy it. It would work great with cheaper smoked mackerel too.
I'm going to price it up as a full sized tart, using mackerel as I think it would cost up alright.
Communal Painting
On the same day, the Heathfield Tavern had a Paint and Sip night. They provide everything, including an apron, and do a step by step for the painting that is being done that time. When I went, it was a rainbow tree and this fabulous creation is what I came home with. Very happy with it - although it looks better in real life than it does here.
The amazing thing is, everyone produced something unique, even tho it was step by step! Great fun. They go all over the South East so there might be something near you. Or you can do it via Zoom, or access all the tutorials on Facebook for £10 - you'd need to buy all the paints tho, which are also on their site. Christmas gift perhaps?
What I've been making in previous Septembers
Lemon Cordial
This easy recipe uses both whole lemons and lemon carcasses. Simmer the lemons with water and sugar, then blitz in a blender, and that's all you have to do.
Veggie Lasagna
This lovely lasagna uses rinsed baked beans - it's really delicious and well worth giving a go. It's from Meal Plan 10, so uses the ingredients available on the plan.
Spinach, Plum & Tomato Salad
This very tasty salad was invented one day when I was doing a 5:2 day. Then it consisted of just the spinach, plums and tomatoes.
I've made it several times since and added crumbled feta, a drizzle of good olive oil and some fresh crusty bread - yum!
An e-book or two
I published an ebook for meal plan 1 in August 2021 and am delighted that many people have thought it was worth getting. I repriced it again in June 2022 and it was still holding on, even in these scary times. Now we are in September and prices have shifted again and
I've managed to get my head around WooCommerce so I can feature it on the blog and you can find it here.
I was busy recooking, photographing and updating the recipes for Meal Plan 2 and putting them into an ebook as well. The meal plan was first written in 2013 and still prices up, which is fabulous and that is finally complete.
Do come and say hello on the Fantastically Frugal Food Facebook group, or the Sensational Slimming Sustenance group. I'd love to see you. Lots of useful tips, recipes and ideas. The over 17,000 membership are brilliant, brimming with talent.
And don't forget Thrifty Lesley, where there are 800+ recipes of fantastically frugal food and many weekly meal plans. And Cheap Family Recipes where you can find all kinds of delicious things that don't cost much, with two family monthly meal plans.
I've also got a few YouTube videos up, not many yet, but I'm planning to do more. I've done a couple more, need to edit them now. So much to do, so little time!
With all best wishes, until next time
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