A week of lunches and breakfasts.

Posted on November 24, 2016 by nicdempsey

I read somewhere that the key to having a sucessful life was to reduce the amount of decisions that you needed to make in the course of a day. The theory is that you have a limited amount of brain capacity that you can devote to decisions and if you start off by making lots of them, you lose that capacity and that leads to chaos. Ok maybe not actual chaos, maybe more “I can’t decide what to cook for dinner, let’s order in” type chaos.

I don’t know if the theory is accurate or rubbish, but I notice that if I set up my day in advance (if I know what I’m wearing, where my keys are and what the plan for breakfast is) then I don’t feel that I spend the day feeling behind.img_5415Everyone knows this. There are people who can be effective, creative, happy and chaotic, but I am not one of those people, I am like a toddler, I need routine and certainty to function properly and thrive.

The only downside to this is that because I’m an adult, I have to enforce the routine and certainty upon myself because I don’t have a parent to do it for me (she retired, exhausted after years in the field with me, Ben and my Dad!). This means that I need to make time to do the things that will make my weekdays less stressful. This is the worst thing about being an adult, it’s that you have to show up and do the work. Things won’t work unless you do. Things can go wrong sure but all of adult life involves getting the hell on with it.

I’ve been open about how menu planning keeps me on track financially and stops food waste and it’s been fairly clear in the last 8 months that all the produce coming off the allotment saw my strict menu planning relax a little bit. But the allotment has stopped producing, there are things growing but very, very slowly. So I need to get back to effective menu planning because I no longer have 24 courgettes a week to turn into food!img_5295-1Which is why on Sunday night my fridge contained all my lunches and breakfast for this week and why they are all the same thing. Lunches are leftovers from Saturday night, dahl, rice and chana masala and flatbreads. Breakfast will be an egg roll. All of this can be heated up in a microwave at the office and I chopped a load of carrots and peppers to go with it. This week the only cooking I’ve had to do has been dinner. New recipes are always fun and cooking can be creative but sometimes (and for me that time is almost always in November!) feeding yourself is effort and frontloading the week is what works.

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Allotment Adventures: Wind, Rain and Raised Beds

Posted on November 23, 2016 by nicdempsey

It’s been roughly a month since I last wrote about the allotment. In that time the clocks went back and November got really serious about being a horrible month.

The lid blew off the box of tools, it has rained and rained and we’ve had a couple of frosts. So the marigolds and courgettes came up, no more courgettes until next year!img_5418We bought and put together five more raised beds, watched the garlic and onions pop up and planted broad beans. There was a delivery of woodchip at the weekend, so I decided to mulch the raspberries, I’m still not entirely convinced that we should keep them in that spot but they are going to stay there for the next year and the best raspberries on the site are from the plots that mulched this year, also if it keeps the weeds down so much the better.There are three long beds at the bottom of the plot, my plan is to grow tomatoes and cucumbers in these next year and its nice to have them in place. Other than Ma, you can also see the other onion bed.We will get around to framing the other three beds in the middle of the plot but that’s not going to happen until spring time.Between now and Christmas, any work we do will be on the edges, pulling and digging up the couch grass. At some point we will do some burning but it’s just been too wet, we will get to it though, not least because I want another compost bin there!

It’s all about doing things that will make our lives easier in the summer but it’s looking good.

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Food and Budget Update: 12/11 to 18/11/2016

Posted on November 22, 2016 by nicdempsey

Another week at the top of my spending limit, I didn’t realise now much the allotment produce was helping me with keeping within my limits! I was really craving fruit and vegetables this week and trying hard to eat better more mindfully.

I actually got around to some proper food prep this week, making a butternut, chickpea and spinach curry, (it was good but it needs some work), I also peeled the pomegranate (is it peeling – or something else!) so it was really to eat during the week. I ran out of time on Sunday for anything more elaborate so on Monday night I made feta and spinach muffins. I tend to be busy at the weekend at the moment, the allotment is still taking up quite a chunk of time and that’s not likely to change so I do need to change up food prep because my life works better when I do.

SHOPPING

I forgot to take a photo of my shopping because I am an airhead! But I did a Lidl shop which came to £13.17 and then another at my Tesco metro on Sunday afternoon for flour because I managed to buy brown bread flour and self raising flour on Saturday but forgot to buy plain flour! So another £1.69 and a total of £14.86. 

Highlights of this weeks shop were a pomegranate (I love those things!), all the flours, and the rest of it was either staples I was out of (sea salt, butter, cheddar) or my usual stuff and produce depending on what offers there were (aubergine, tinned tomatoes, yoghurt, leeks, cucumber, pears, plum tomatoes, onions)

FOOD

Ma bought dinner on Saturday night, we did the M&S dine in for £10. It was pork wrapped in pancetta, with roasted vegetables (and then some extra roasted vegetables because one packet is never enough veg – I come by it honestly!)img_5373Followed by profiteroles.img_5374Sunday morning we had crumpets for breakfast and then a saute of potatoes and veg with a fried egg.img_5390

Monday’s breakfast was yoghurt, pomegranate and granolaimg_5394Lunch was a baked potato and butternut, chickpea and spinach curry. I also ate 2 pears and some grapes. I don’t eat a lot of fruit but I was clearly in the mood today, as that was four of my five portions of fruit and veg, I ate more than one portion of veg as well, so maybe my body was trying to tell me something!img_5396Dinner was roasted vegetablesimg_5398Tuesday’s breakfast was the same as Monday’s. Lunch was muffins and vegetableimg_5404Dinner was curry and rice and flatbreadimg_5405Thursday breakfast was Wednesday’s lunch, a muffin and vegetables. Lunch was last night’s dinner but in smaller portions. Dinner was pasta with leeks, peas and bacon. There was white sauce too. I always over cater where pasta is concerned, after I served this, I put half of the leftovers in a pot for Friday lunch and the rest in a baking dish for the freezer, that’ll be a dinner sorted next week or the week after!Friday breakfast was a muffin, lunch was pasta leftovers Dinner was Friday Night Pizza

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Life Happened: Tired but productive

Posted on November 21, 2016 by nicdempsey

Last week passed and it was pretty standard. I’m up to date at work and home, I’m just totally exhausted, which I think is a winter thing. I’m always really tired at this time of year, so I just need to power through it. The weather was either lovely and clear or really wet. It started off un-seasonally warm and ended with the first winter storm, Angus. img_5403The trains were annoying, so no real change there We did some work on the allotment
And there was wine.Not pictured was Sunday dinner with the Baxters, which was lovely and a Sunday arsing about at home.

This week is my last straight 5 day working week for a little bit, which should be interesting and a flu jab, if you’re not living on the edge, you’re just taking up too much room!

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Friday Links

Posted on November 18, 2016 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! After yesterday’s little diversion, today I’m just going to link to other, more intelligent, writing on the state of the world!

Rural America has just picked a President that won’t help them. Sing it.

Murder in Burundi: the man who knew too much. This is awful, it’s also a reminder of how elections and the peaceful transfer of power can go wrong.

How half of America lost it’s f**king mind. This is more about the urban vs. rural problem but worth a read.

Autocracy: Rules for Survival. Written by a Russian, something to think about.

We are doomed. Boris Johnson ridiculed by European ministers after prosecco claims.

Time for some light relief. 19 Totally Real Conversations Obama And Biden Have Had Since The Election

Our skin is covered with invisible stripes. So I’m like a tiger then!

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Rights, freedoms, duties and obligations: Why we need to stop criticising the US and learn about our Constitution

Posted on November 17, 2016 by nicdempsey

I was going to put this in tomorrow’s post but it got a bit long, so no food or allotment post today, come back next week.

I’m British, this is written from that perspective, I am not disputing the right of US citizens to elect whoever they damn well please. I can disagree with your choice, I can worry about the affect this is going to have on the world, on black and minority Americans and even on the people that voted for him and you can’t stop me. You just go ahead and do what you need to do and I’ll pray that the planet isn’t destroyed before you have another election. This is primarily about my fellow British citizens and what they have been saying about Americans in the last week.

My frustration isn’t just about people having a go at the USA (it can look after itself), it’s about increasing ignorance in this country that worries me. Last week, the right wing popular press launched an attack on the judiciary and I wrote something about that. This last week, I’ve heard so much criticism and implied superiority from people around me that are ignorant and don’t understand either our system or the American one.

I happen to know a bit about the American system because I studied it at A level but I know about mine because that is my duty as a citizen and and voter to learn about it, to know and understand what I’m participating in. It straight up frightens me that so many people don’t. My friend, Kathy became a British citizen yesterday, she had to take the Oath of Allegiance and Pledge of Loyalty. Here they are:

Oath of Allegiance: “I swear by Almighty God that, on becoming a British citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors according to law.”

Pledge: “I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.”

I’m not so keen on the one about Queenie, I’m a republican, but how many of us would be able to articulate our rights, freedoms and obligations as citizens? Certainly not the editor of the Daily Mail based on last weeks performance.

We need to stop bashing the US and Americans and pretending that the British system is better and that our electorate wouldn’t do this. I get it, it’s horrifying, Trump is a clown, he’s ignorant, duplicious and orange and look at who he’s appointing? I half joking told Ma the other day that maybe we should be reading Revelations because surely this is a sign of End Times. There are a couple of reasons, I’m trying really hard not to…

First, I know lots of Americans and not one of them voted Trump although yes, many of their family and friends did.  I know how this feels because many of my friends and family voted for Brexit (happy is the person who can say that their nearest and dearest share the same politics as them, I can’t). Many of the people I know that voted for Brexit, are asking how the hell could Trump have happened. This amuses me. There will be lots of analysis about the people who voted for Trump and why they did so but I’m going to go with what I said after the referendum vote.

I know that angry, scared people make bad decisions, this a failure of politics and it was a close vote.

Second, Hillary won the popular vote, the majority of voters in the US didn’t vote for Trump. I understand that a Trump victory will be scary and have consequences for black and minority Americans (and the rest of the world) and it’s scary. However, the majority of Americans didn’t chose this. Why are we so superior? We’re not exactly doing brilliantly over here, post Brexit. Let’s think about this and not be name calling because it makes us feel less frightened and more intelligent.

Third, the electoral college is a stupid system which doesn’t correctly express the will of the people but the US system isn’t any better or worse than any other form of democracy which has been described as ‘the worse form of Goverment, except for all the others’  (and that’s Churchill so don’t be having a go about my lefty politics on this!). In the last 37 years no British government of either persuasion has won more than 43% of the popular vote. The popular vote for Trump, for better or worse, came in higher than that and in it’s 238 year history, there have only been 4 occasions when a US President been elected without a majority of the popular vote. Our system of government is not looking quite so superior now, is it?

Could we please understand our history, government and politics and work to reform and participate in them and hush with our moaning about other electorates in other countries?

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Housework for One: Clean and Tidy

Posted on November 16, 2016 by nicdempsey

I’ve been blogging since 2008 and in that time I’ve basically used the space as a massive journal. To log the things I’ve cooked, to set goals and keep me on track, to explain how and why I see the world, to track what’s going on in my head and my life.img_5283One of the things that I’ve tracked on and off in that time, more off than on, are my attempts at housework.There was the housework spreadsheet, the weekly task lists to make sure that got everything done at the weekend. Earlier this year, I noticed that the allotment was changing how much time I had to make sure the house was tidy and tried to do an extra 30 minutes each evening during the week.

Basically, the routine changes depending on time, season and energy and over time housework has become easier to do and keep up with because I recognise how important it is to me. I’d like to be the kind of person who thrives in a messy environment but it’s just not the case. My life works better when the flat is tidy and that that only happens when I suck it up and do the work. The opposite is also true, you don’t have to do everything, I can let some things go sometimes, the need to hoover can be ignored but the washing up cannot.

I have key chores that have to be done every week which make the biggest difference to my quality of life and ability to live it.

Laundry

I do at least four washes a week from Thursday to Sunday. Thursday night is work clothes, Friday is towels and cleaning clothes (that’s a 90 degree wash), Saturday/Sunday is for a white wash which is usually sheets and underwear and the final wash is all of the weekend clothes on Sunday night. The aim is to have an empty laundry basket on Sunday night.img_5392I also have it all dried, ironed if required and put away by Tuesday because I don’t appreciate it cluttering up my bedroom. img_5288I don’t like washing, it seems never ending but not having to scramble about for clean clothes at dark o’clock on a Wednesday morning is the movitation here!

Washing up and wiping down.

Every night after dinner, I wash the dishes and wipe down the counters. If I’m not well I might not dry up and I’ll put it away in the morning but again life works better if I dry up and put everything away.

In the bathroom, I always wipe down the shower screen and tiles after a shower, it takes about a minute and keeps everything clean. I have a microfibre cloth and wiper in the bathroom next to the bath for this reason.img_5303Making a cup of tea or brushing your teeth is a calmer experience if I’m not looking at the washing up that isn’t done or the grimy shower screen.

Making the bed

I’ve written about this before, it makes the room look tidier and calmer if its made and less than five minutes.img_5307

Changing the bed and towels

This happens weekly because clean sheets and towels feel nice and make you feel better about everything.

That’s pretty much it for housework that I do without fail.

I do mostly get to the other stuff, watering the plants, mopping the floors, the recycling, emptying bins and taking rubbish out, cleaning the bathroom etc by following the rules below.

If you see it, sort it.  – See something that needs doing and know that it’ll take five minutes, do it. If it’ll take longer, put it on the top of your to do list for when you’re home next. This is the only way I ever manage to hoover (I loathe hoovering), I walk up the stairs realise it needs doing and go and get the hoover before I’ve taken my coat off, then I just do it. I have a small carpeted area in my flat and it takes 10 minutes. Same goes for recycling, it takes less than five minutes to run down the stairs and put it in the bin, so do it when you think of it!

If you’re not using it, put it away – as soon as I’ve finished with the hairdryer, scissors, paper, book, knitting etc I put it back where it lives. That way, it’s not a mess to tidy up later. This applies to clothes as well, put laundry away as soon as it’s dry, hang up coats and clothes (or put them in the laundry basket) as soon as you get in the door.

Have a space for things like keys and handbags – I have a place in the kitchen that my handbag lives, when I come into the house I put my keys in the lock in the door. That way I always know where they are.

Tidy as you go – this is the similar to rule 2, but for me is more applicable to the kitchen especially if I’m doing the weekend food prep. Make one thing, wash up, start the next thing don’t create a kitchen bomb, it’s harder to work out what you need if all your equipment is in the sink (or dishwasher).

And there you have it, what’s working for me right now. There’s no magic system to keeping my house tidy because there’s no system that will work unless I do.img_5305

 

 

 

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Food and Budget Update: 05/11 to 11/11/2016

Posted on November 15, 2016 by nicdempsey

Despite the higher budget spend, it didn’t feel like I did a good job this week. I think that’s because I’m in that migrainy phase of the month so I’m tired and food is an effort. I started the food week off strong and then sort of forgot to eat well. Of course my version of well is subjective but here’s the breakdown.

SHOPPING

All done at Lidl and it was at the extreme edge of my budget £14.74

FOOD

I wasn’t home on Saturday, as I was staying with Christelle as she waited for new of Mike, there was a burger, a milkshake, a walk around the V&A and some waiting at the hospital. Later there was some wine with bread and cheese.

I was home on Sunday, Ma came over and we had lunch/dinner of sausage pasta and garlic bread.Monday morning, I caved and had a ham and cheese croissant from EAT.Lunch was hummus and vegetablesI didn’t get around to dinner because I was at the hospital seeing Ryan, and although I ate a triangle of Toblerone, that doesn’t count!

Tuesday morning breakfast was an egg roll and carrotsimg_5354Lunch was salad and falefelimg_5351I was out in the evening, so dinner was half a bottle of wine before the film and some pick and mix during.

Wednesday breakfast was an egg roll, lunch was a baked potato and chilli because it was time for comfort. Wednesday night was sausages, dahl and flatbread.

I spent Thursday in a 5 hour meeting. I ate some pastries for breakfast, lunch was provided and I came home drained, so dinner was the easy option of hummus, vegetables and flatbread.Friday breakfast was crumpets, lunch didn’t happen, dinner was also pretty low key, chilli, flatbread, cut up vegetables…

 

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Life Happened: A Bad Week

Posted on November 14, 2016 by nicdempsey

It’s been a busy week. Work was busy but it was a standard sort of busy. On Monday night when I spent a couple of hours at the hospital with Ryan. Who was not a happy or well bunny…On Tuesday night, Ma and I went to the cinema (Dr Strange). Then Wednesday happened and gloom descended. I heard Trump’s acceptance speech before I went to work and the heavens reflected my mood. It was drear and wet I worked from home on Friday and had a migraine Friday night, it was a couple of hours and I was ok on Saturday but it wasn’t fun.

On Saturday it was also raining, a bad day to have a haircut but it was good to see Jane and finally have tidy-ish hair (damp weather sends it wild – if would have been fine if not for the rain.We also went to the Pathways consultation about the new plans for building on the allotment site. I have lots to say but will maybe save that for another, more calm time.

On Sunday, my mood (and my hangover – Mother leading me astray!) was much improved by a couple of hours of hard labour on the plot. We have three of our five raised beds up and there was some tidying of the tool box to sort out as well. The onions and garlic are coming along nicely but we need to get a move on with the broad beans! Next week… I also achieved laundry nirvana….empty laundry basket. Right now the little things are the things that are going to get me through!

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Friday Links

Posted on November 11, 2016 by nicdempsey

I would like this week’s links to be happy and upbeat, but I’m beyond that now because America has fucked it up big time and this is no time for being smug because have you seen the mess the UK is in?

This is the rise of authoritarianism. This is what we choose to be. I’m despairing at the world.

So links are short because I ran out of enthusiam for everything sometime around Wednesday morning…

The US has elected its most dangerous leader. We all have plenty to fear

White won. I also heard Trump’s win described as a ‘whitelash’ and God knows we’ve got our own problems here but I fear for minorities in the US now.

Nick Harkaway on Brexit and democracry in light of last week’s High Court judgement. I have lots to say about this but currently I just can’t articulate it well but my tweet last week pretty much sums up where I am.

The High Court judgement was not that Brexit could not happen but that the govt doesn’t have the power to trigger Article 50 without a vote in Parliament. The High Court was actually upholding democracy. Parlimentary sovereignty is the basis of our system of government.

You can make the argument that Parliament represents a narrow interest group and not the people, especially in the case of Brexit, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with you. Parliment has approved a lot of things that I don’t agree with (war in Iraq, cuts on benefits, renewing Trident just as a start). However, Parliament’s major role in our constitution is to scrutinise and approve the work of the Govt, there was a civil war to establish this.

Our constitutional framework (such as it is) is clear about this point and an independent judiciary and separation of powers is key to this. However, because of that pesky unwritten constitution, all of this depends on the everyone involved understanding how the system works and more importantly, why it should work like that. To threaten and attack the judiciary because you don’t like the judgements they make is the beginning of tyranny and dictatorship. This is how it starts people. With a public that is uneducated about our system of govt and our history and a press that wants to rip up the laws that protect that system and by extension our civil rights. Yes, I’m aware how overwrought and mad that sounds but I’m frankly shocked and horrified that this is happening in Britain in 2016 and they’re getting away with it because people are so uneducated about the law and governance of the country they live in.

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