Little Goals – September 2016

Posted on September 3, 2016 by nicdempsey

Having an August break was really good for me, I’m more aware of the patterns of how I live and where I need to make a concerted effort. So here we are in September and heading into autumn. Here are the tasks I want to get off the list this month.

FINANCE

No specific tasks, just staying on track and being mindful.

HOME

Chest of drawers clear out. The big clothes one in the bedroom and the little ‘junk’ drawers in the living room. They just need attending to and de-cluttering.IMG_3150

Clean the oven. I haven’t been using it much in August but it needs some attention.

BODY AND MIND

Stretching. Every day

Yoga. Reducing the limit might make this easier to do, twice a week.

ALLOTMENT

Clear the water filled tank at that top of the allotment, move it next to the other one.

Burn one of the piles of weeds and organise the compost area (yes I have an area, it’s a mess!)

Clear the peas and sweetpeas.

Put the other raised bed in. Fill. Decide what to do with them.

Get shallot sets and garlic bulbs for planting in October.

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Friday Links

Posted on September 2, 2016 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! I’m off today to spend some time in Watford, Ma and I are going up to help B out while Laura goes on a hen weekend, has fun without the children and with adult beverages and hopefully gets a much deserved lie in. We have pizza making, football, Strictly and general mayhem with the Dempsey boys who are all trouble (even or should that be especially, my brother!). It’s going to be fun.

Here are this week’s links…

Gut Reaction: the surprising power of microbes. This is fascinating…

Why the Syrian war will only get worse.

A ‘would you rather’ with some of the cast of Brotherhood. I don’t claim at all to get Noel Clarke or where he’s from ’cause Dad was from White City not me and culturally (and generationally) we are poles apart but this reminded me of being at school. Guys just talking ridiculous shit! The whole thing about nail guys for arms or hammers for legs..

While I’m thinking about Shepherds Bush, the massive fire a couple of weeks ago was caused by a tumble dryer with a known fault. Wow…120 firefighters had their life put at risk, families need to be rehoused, the advice needs to change asap

Change of tone. John Green in voting, he’s talking about US elections but most of it is applicable to the UK too

The truth about superfoods.

This, a thousand times, this. If my headphones are on, I’m not interested.

Colin Kaepernick’s True Sin. I’ve been seeing stuff about this all week and I’m still a bit confused about the negative reaction because confession time, I don’t stand when they play ‘God Save the Queen’. The negative reaction seems to be mostly because Kaepernick is black although that’s been called into question as way to delegitimize him. You can’t really put that aside, but whatever the colour of your skin, exercising the right of free speech that your country grants you to protest about something that you believe is wrong, is the opposite of being unpatriotic. It’s doing what the right to free speech is supposed to do, namely protect citizens from tyranny and question the status quo. I’m always suspicious of people who wrap themselves in a flag when questioned or challenged, to quote G.K. Chesterton

“My country, right or wrong,” is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, “My mother, drunk or sober.”

 

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Food and Budget Update: 20/08 to 26/08/2016

Posted on September 1, 2016 by nicdempsey

Instead of a ‘lessons learned’ section at the end of this post, I’m going to chat a bit about how the week went because I think that will give you a better idea of what’s going on with me than the lessons section. So this week was pretty much the week of the salad because it was too damn hot to cook. Also Cassie, started the week with 8 salad dressings to make at home, confession time, I didn’t make one of them this week because unlike Cassie, I love salad just as it is, I could and have eaten bags of it like a packet of crisps. For me, it’s not something to eat to be ‘healthy’ it’s good all by itself. That feeling has increased this summer we’re growing it and it tastes better, even Ma, is eating salad and asking to take some home!

Other food things this week, I ate and enjoyed a raw tomato although I still prefer them roasted!img_4808I also became obsessed with pickled courgette, it’s amazingly good and I made another double batch at the weekend.img_4817Finally, I discovered round cucumbers, Mo at the allotment is growing them and yes we do have plans to grow them next year!img_4805And I picked my first homegrown cucumberimg_4828

SHOPPING It was a simple shopping week, I had plans to bake as you can see from the insane amounts of sugar and flour in my shopping but it just got too hot. I spent £9.12 at the weekend and £2 on Thursday night to buy mackerel (not photographed!). There was more of the usual from the allotment. Check out the tiny baby carrots and spring onions from thinning those crops out!  In total this week, I picked 15 courgettes, 27 baby tomatoes, the last of the french beans (which Ma took home) and lots of saladimg_4818
COOKING AND EATING 

Saturday night dinner was totally made up on the spot, meatballs (mince from the freezer),  rice, garlic bread and salad. On Sunday night I ate leftover rice and meatballs.

On Monday I ate chana masala (freezer) with sauted mushrooms and salad.Tuesday was salad, this time with hard boiled eggs, feta and balsamic vinegar seeds.Wednesday was more salad, with roasted tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, feta and toasted pine nuts.Thursday was even more salad with mackerel, roasted tomatoes and fetaNo pizza on Friday night either so more salad!

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What I’ve Read – August 2016

Posted on August 31, 2016 by nicdempsey

Allegiance of Honour – Nalini Singh (library book)

Nalini Singh writes book crack, which while sometimes problematic, I just cannot quit. This book is basically a huge epilogue for the 14 books that have gone before it and I had zero problem with that. She is wrapping this up and there will be more psy-changeling books with a new focus, which was also set up in this book. This is a book for fans and while I enjoyed it, the things that annoy me through the series continue to annoy me and the thing that I love, I still love.

Secrets at Midnight – Nalini Singh (bought)

This is a novella and I told you I had a problem!

Wild Embrace – Nalini Singh (borrowed)

I refer you to my earlier comments, I liked this because I like the world and that’s about all I can say about it.

Rock Wedding – Nalini Singh (bought)

So having established that Nalini Singh writes book crack that I have to read. I read this. The Rock series has for me been the least compelling of Singh’s books. I’m slightly tired of damaged heroines and heros and I struggled with the portrayal of addiction in this, I don’t know if what research she did but referring to it as ‘demons’ made it distant from what is actually going on. Look, I get that what leads to addiction is different for every person but very rarely does the need to get totally out of your head come from no-where. I didn’t have a sense that Abe, understood why he took drugs or had a reason for stopping. I’m pretty convinced you need one or another to quit and be successful at it. I didn’t feel that there was a struggle to really overcome issues for either of the characters and I would have liked to see a bit more depth. Anyway, happy endings and babies all round.

A Right Honourable Gentleman – Courtney Milan (Free)

This is a tiny novella but I will read anything Courtney Milan writes and for the 15 minutes or so I was involved in this it was great.

 

The Unleashing (Call of Crows) – Shelly Laurenston (Kindle TBR – bought)

I tore through Laurenston’s Pride series and this has been sitting on my Kindle for a bit. I really enjoyed it. Light and fluffy but interesting world building.

The Undoing (Call of Crows) Shelly Laurenston (Library ebook)

Shelley Laurenston is also book crack and I read it in a day. I liked it better than the first one and I’m interested in where it’s going. The only problem I have with it is all the female characters calling other women names (whore, slut etc) which are unnecessary, there are other things to call people to convey that you don’t like them that aren’t insulting to all women…

Calling It – Jen Doyle (bought)

I was all set up to really enjoy this and I did, enough to get the next one!

Called Up  – Jen Doyle (bought)

Honestly, I enjoyed this more than the first one, because I liked couple more.

Twisted Up – Erin Nichols (bought)

The twins bought me an amazon gift card for my birthday so I bought this. I love American small town stories because they are so outside of my experience, there is nothing in them that sets me off and I liked Erin Nichols’ Sapphire Falls books enough to try this one. It was so nice to see a slightly closed off heroine especially one whose a fire fighter. I enjoyed it but like I said that’s mostly because it’s so outside of my experience.

Something Borrowed – Louisa George (bought)

I had a harder time with this one because it’s based in London. I enjoyed it but I struggled as it’s set in Notting Hill and while it’s not as weird as if it had been set in Ealing it’s pretty near me (Ma used to work in Notting Hill) and it didn’t quite ring true, what 20 something who grew up in the area could afford a mortgage for a flat so well located who didn’t have parents fund it (and the heroine’s mother couldn’t have done that as an Irish single parent who sewed a bit but was frequently depressed) and they were all more likely to have lived in Shepherds Bush than Notting Hill and then you know I’m off and it seemed like the author had seen Notting Hill the film and gone from there. I did check (because I am that annoying person) and Louisa George grew up in Yorkshire and now lives in New Zealand, so I gave it a pass but I had to make a real effort to ignore it, in a way I don’t have to with books set somewhere that isn’t London and isn’t West London in particular and I know that says a lot more about me than the book..

A Few Bloody Noses: The American War of Independence – Robert Harvey (library book)

It was inevitable that at some point I started reading about the War of Independence. This is written from a British point of view but is still pretty balanced.

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Life Happened: Hot

Posted on August 30, 2016 by nicdempsey

Last week I was mostly hot and and eating salad. Yesterday was the last bank holiday before Christmas and I was so confused I forgot to post this yesterday because I was still in weekend mode!

This week’s highlights.

I grew a cucumber:img_4828and plum tomatoes (which became amazing pasta sauce on Sunday night!)And a comedy tomato because there’s always one.
I baked a cake
Spent an afternoon with the Baxter babies and cleaned up sticky hands with a pair of (clean) pants, a sure sign that I am losing my childcare mojo as I get older because I’m normally never without baby wipes when out with small children.Finally Ma and I started work on the raised beds!

 

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2016 Goals Recap- August 2016

Posted on August 27, 2016 by nicdempsey

I had August off from setting new goals or writing about them. I didn’t have August off from sticking to them. In fact August has been a really good month, which is mostly about having a week off work and a birthday. So let’s recap the big goals and where we were.

HOME

  • Decoration. In 2016, I need to paint the bathroom, bedroom and living room again. I’d like to tackle the bathroom before June but the other rooms will have to wait until I have full use of my foot again! I haven’t done any of this, I think this is going to have to wait until after the summer because right now, the allotment is where most of my time and money will go.
  • De-clutter. I want to have another clear out of the cupboard of doom and have a serious look at what’s in the kitchen. Kitchen was done in January and the cupboard of doom is more tidy than I thought my current plan is do this when I have a week off in August, because one of things I really need to do is sort out some more suitable storage for things like the spare duvets etc
  • Deep cleaning. I will assign a weekend every three months to deep clean the flat. In this weekend I will scrub the floors, clean the oven and windows and all that stuff I’m not good at remembering to do! This is going well, the flat is tidy and at time of writing I have a clean oven, defrosted fridge, clean windows and floors!

At the end of August this is all as it was, I didn’t get to the cupboard on my week off and everything in the flat is pretty clean and organised. I did notice that because I am trying my very best not to buy new clothes and to use what I own that the chest of drawers in the bedroom is becoming more organised.  This I think will go into Sept’s Little Goals list.

DSCF5044FINANCE

  • Tracking. I’ve been using a spreadsheet, that Ma (the queen of the spreadsheets!) helped me set up. It tracks what goes in and out of my bank account and what’s left. It also helps me plan for the year. In 2016, I will be consistent about using it. I’m totally on the tracking thing. Still there, I still don’t have any money but I know how much money I don’t have!
  • Food Budget. This one is already in play, in 2016 I will set a food budget of £15 a week and I will record my spending and eating on this blog each Tuesday. Any money I don’t spend each week will go into the change jar, which is sealed and won’t be opened until 1st December 2016. I’m still doing well with this, the allotment has helped because there is loads of food (mainly courgettes) coming from it so it’ll be more of a challenge as we go into autumn.
  • Overdraft. I have one and I want it gone, so I will pay it off in 2016. My overdraft is still halfway gone and I’m ok with that. It’s been harder to get it down in the second half of the year because my rent went up. I’m going to start trying a bit harder in Sept but I’m not going to be devastated if it doesn’t happen this year.
  • Credit Cards. I won’t use them in 2016. I reserve the right to use them in an emergency but I can’t plan for those… Less success with this target, they have been used, it was sort of a family emergency and I’m not saying anymore than that!

IMG_3249BODY AND MIND

Home and finance all contribute to how I feel about myself but the focus of this category is on health, exercise, mental well being and ease of living.

  •  Walking. Walking more was a game changer for me in 2015 and I want to get back to that, obviously that will depend on how my foot recovery goes. So I need to have small, long term goals for this, a) by the end of March 2016, I would like to be walking either to work from Paddington Station OR from work to Paddington Station, that’s about 35 minutes a day. b) by the end of June 2016 I would like to be walking both ways and getting my 10,000 steps a day. I’m calling this one, it’s not happening (and I lost my fitbit at the allotment!). I will make an effort in the winter to walk to Paddington from work but at the moment, between the allotment and the pollution walking is not happening because I don’t have time and I can’t breathe.
  • Body Balance. I love doing this when I do and my work gym membership resumes in July. So I’d like to go to one class a week in July and August and then resume 2 classes a week from September. This isn’t going to happen. I don’t think my foot is at all up to it and the money for gym membership is for this year going to be used on the allotment. That’s how it goes but I’m shelving Balance and will look at it again in 2017.
  • Yoga. The evening routine is good for me so by the end of February, I want to be doing this at least twice a week. Funnily enough without the goal, I’ve achieved this in August. It might be because I put it out of my mind but I think it’s more because the increased time at the allotment has made my muscles tighten up and things hurt in a way they didn’t when I do yoga, so I started doing 10 minutes before bed, so that I could sleep and get up in the morning, without shuffling and staggering about!
  • Volunteering. I want to start attending the volunteer allotment days in June and this year use the two CSR days work gives me. I’m sure that my Mum can find a use for me either at the foodbank or the homeless project! I’ve managed to miss July & August (I don’t know what I was doing in July but it was my birthday for the August one!) days and I’ll miss Sept because I’m in Watford to nephew-sit. However, I’ll be back in October, Ma will probably need assistance at the Food Bank after Harvest Festival and I’ve also volunteered to marshal at the Ealing Half Marathon at the end of Sept.
  • Books. The 12 book target was good but restrictive last year, I’m going to give myself a bit more leeway and have 24 books this year. I’ve bought 15 books so far this year (I went a bit crazy in August!)
  • Work Uniform. This year I want to have a work uniform, but not use it as an excuse for buying more stuff. I need to wear office clothes 4 days a week so I will create 6 outfits for work make sure that 4 of them are clean and ready to go for Monday morning. This is still one of the best ideas, I’ve ever had and it works brilliantly for me, although I’ve had to be a bit more creative over the summer as clothes I love (looking at you linen shirts) have got to the great clothes bin in the sky!

Word for the year

I picked the word authentic at the beginning of the year and although I’ve been working it into how I do things, I really haven’t unpacked that here, so I thought I’d do that now!

Do I feel that 2016 so far has been about being authentic? Yes.

The reality of being single in a world of couples and families is that sometimes, even if they don’t realise it, people in couples and families don’t consider the life and dreams of single people as valid. (Like the Christmas I was told that I was brave because I bought a Christmas tree, even though I didn’t have a family of my own!). It’s not intentional and it’s not malicious but it means that I have to define what it important to me and demonstrate to others that although I want to be a friend and support them when I can, I can’t, won’t and shouldn’t prioritise them over the life that I have.

My worry has always been that I’m not enough and that if I’m not supporting others then I have no value. That concern honestly fell away last year but some of the behaviour remained and this year has been about stripping some of that out and not being worried about it. It’s not that I don’t want to support the people in my life as I am supported by them, I do (I’m not a monster!) but I have put myself in the list of people that I need to support. So while I do still see and support my friends, I’m also honest about the capacity I have to do that, which means that if I say I’m going to do something I actually have the energy for it!

Being authentic has helped me be a better friend because I’m not flaky and resentful because I’m not doing anything I don’t have the emotional energy for. Equally, I’ve stopped stressing and trying so hard to be liked, I’m a good person (more or less) and it’s honestly not a problem if I’m not someone’s cup of tea, I like who I am, my family (mostly) like who I am and that’s enough.

So August is almost over and we’re heading into the last four months of 2016. Anything anyone wants to cross off a list between now and December?

 

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Friday Links

Posted on August 26, 2016 by nicdempsey

Happy Friday! And it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, hurrah for the three day weekend!

Be happier at work, get a hobby. This has basically been me this year. Find something outside of work to make me happy.

The tragic story of Sheffield Park Hill bridge.

The new science of single people.

Sara Benincasa explains to an internet troll why she’s fat. You should read this if you haven’t already

“Wine. Immediately.” The depressing reason so many woman drink. Could be.

The anti-tyranny case for the 2nd Amendment. It’s interesting but I’m still not convinced that British government of the colonies was actual tyranny!

The US Govt is buying $20 million worth of cheese. And all I can think is that it’s for a big block of cheese day…

I’m fascinated about the US reaction to the idea of health care and I look at their system and worry that this is what Jeremy Hunt wants here. Because it’s nuts that they don’t even have a way of controlling the cost of drugs.

Canada and The Tragically Hip. I know the name but I couldn’t name one song by them, and although this is about Canada and a moment. At some point in our lives we all have this, this sense that something is happened to the whole of the country. Lovely.

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Courgette Bread – Three Ways

Posted on August 25, 2016 by nicdempsey

Have I mentioned that I have a glut of courgettes? img_4760I never go the allotment and pick just one courgette, last week I picked 27 over the week, which is excessive. Lesson learned for next year, we’ll limit ourselves to just the two plants! However, this year I’ve been trying to find ways to cope with the excess.

When I first started sharing pictures of my abundance of courgettes, lots of American friends told me to get on making zucchini bread. So I did. All three of the recipes below freeze really well and I’m going to try freezing the grated courgette, in 2 cup measures for cake emergencies when I don’t have a glut!

I started with this recipe. Replacing walnuts with raisins and reducing the sugar to 2 cups. It’s also worth noting that American and UK cups are slightly different sizes but I just use UK cups and it’s never been a problem.

Then someone else pointed me to this recipe for Lemon Zucchini Bread. This one is the lightest of the three (and my mother’s favourite!). I used sunflower oil instead of olive oil as my olive oil is quite flavoured and I felt it would interfere with the lemon flavour. I’ve not frozen this with the glaze on but added it after I’ve defrosted, which is still good but not as good as putting it on when the cakes are still a bit warm.

And finally, I got a request for a chocolate version so I adapted the first recipe a bit and this one surprised me most. It’s light and chocolately but not overwhelmingly rich. The guys at work liked this one best!img_4790

3/4 cup cocoa

2 and 1/4 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup sunflower oil

2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated courgette

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

  1. Heat over to 165C and line two loaf tins
  2. Sift cocoa, flour, salt, bicarb, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl
  3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla extract together.
  4. Add the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and courgettes to the egg mixture and combine, then add the flour to it.
  5. Once it’s all combined, scoop into the loaf tins and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  6. Allow to cool and then eat!

 

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A Day at Kew Gardens

Posted on August 24, 2016 by nicdempsey

London in August is interesting. Unlike Paris, the city doesn’t empty of everyone who lives there the other 11 months of the year to make room for the tourists. Although, it’s a bit quieter because the schools are out, the life of the city continues on with the addition of the tourists. (If you are a tourist and in London, here are my top tips!)

All that to say that I am very rarely a tourist in my own city, which is a waste because London is full of good things.

One of those things is Kew Gardens. It’s one of the largest botanical gardens in the world and it’s only a bus ride away from my house. So in my birthday week, Ma and I went for a visit.

This is The Hive, which I was fascinated by, I’d like to go back another time when there are less small children. I like small children and I loved the little girl running around shouting “I’m a bee, buzz” but it was hard to absorb the lights and noise and get into it when you are trying not to step on the small people running around!

 Although I loved how excited they were about it.

We also wondered around Kew Palace and the Royal Kitchens. The Palace is run by the Historic Royal Palaces, which also run Kensington Palace, The Tower of London, Hampton Court, the Banqueting House and Hillsborough Castle (I remember when the Tower was run by English Heritage, which dates me!). Kew is mostly associated with George III, so was quite nice for Ma and I to wonder around.It was just the sort of day I needed. I love that Kew never seems crowded and always seems peaceful.

It was just lovely to wander about, looking at flowers and landscapeThey have vegetables gardens too…

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Food and Budget Update: 13/08 to 19/08/2016

Posted on August 23, 2016 by nicdempsey

SHOPPING 

I did manage shopping this week but not until Sunday, split between Lidl and Sainsburys it came to £10.98. I did not manage to remember to photograph it, I can more or less remember what was in it though. Milk, eggs, flour, cheese (feta and cream cheese), sugar, butter, onions, carrots, baby tomatoes, an aubergine, tortillas, mushrooms.

Not a lot of surprises, the allotment haul was courgettes, peas, french beans, plums and salad leaves. The usual!img_4760

WHAT I ATE

We came back from the allotment on Saturday, tired and hungry. We ate cheese and then after showers and champagne (birthdays are a week long celebration this was the end of it!). We had lamb burgers and grilled courgettes.On Sunday, Ma left before breakfast and I wasn’t really in a food mood, which translates as ‘it was hot and I was tired and it was easier not to eat than have to cook’. I did eventually make some soup for work lunches this week so I had some of that. It was awesome soup. Courgette, pea, green beans and mint. The only things in it not grown by me were the butter and the onions, but that’s not only why it tasted so good!

I had planned vegetables, hummus and an egg for breakfasts this week, but I didn’t get to making the hummus and on Monday morning I didn’t get to eating breakfast. I know it’s important but I wasn’t hungry and if you’re not hungry why eat? I had some grapes mid-morning and soup for lunch.

I was determined to make a dent in the courgette surplus this week so on Monday night, I had grilled courgettes with salad and feta. I also made a courgette cake to take into work and a couple of back up ones for the freezer!Tuesday night dinner was a roasted veg and salad tortilla.img_4788Then it all went a bit wrong. I caught some kind of tummy bug and it wasn’t pleasant, I left work early on Wednesday and the only thing I ate was plain tortillas.

Thursday I ate soup for lunch and plain pasta for dinner (oh and some Jelly Babies!)

Friday was more or less back to normal but with no appetite during the day, pizza for dinner.

LESSONS LEARNED

There is still too much food in the house but I’m running through flour, eggs and sugar like there is no tomorrow! This is largely due to my courgette cake baking habit. I’ve made 6 courgette cakes (I’ll talk more about later) but I’ve given away 4 and have two in the freezer. I’ve noticed that, tummy bug aside, it feels like I have lots of food options at the moment and although that’s great, I’m not being as structured about planning my food for the week. This is no bad thing there’s always something I can eat but I am aware that sometimes my food choices aren’t as good as they could be. I’m doing a lot of preserving food though, pickled courgettes, plum jam, all the courgette cakes, frozen green beans and soup in the freezer. With any luck the tomatoes will probably start to come in and I’ll be working on those too. I need to be a little more focused in the kitchen but overall things are good.

 

 

 

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