Catching up

Isn't it annoying when you're 'off kilter' and can't quite get back on track?  N and I have both been feeling like this for a couple of days; perhaps it's something to do with the uncertainty of putting the flat on the market, I'm not sure.  However, I thought I would try to focus on what we managed to do yesterday and today, rather than what we didn't!

Yesterday we both had a sort out of our wardrobes, and here's the first pile of clothes we will be donating to a charity shop.

 There's more waiting to be washed (I cannot hand dirty clothes over), so I'll wait until it's all ready before I take a trip into town.

I've kept a couple of t-shirts and tops that are really past their best, and they will be cut up for cloths.  I've also acquired a small pile of clothes that need altering/mending, and I shall work my way through these over the next couple of weeks.

This dress was first in line.  It originally had some gathering on one side, and I was never terribly happy with how it looked on - I have a feeling it was designed for someone about six inches taller than me, so the fullness draped in the wrong places.  I unpicked the side seam , removed the excess fabric, undid the neck edge, recut the crossover, and put it all back together again.  And I'm really pleased with the result.  This is now a dress I shall wear with confidence.

This afternoon, while N was engrossed in the 6-nations rugby matches (he's an ex-rugby player, and thoroughly enjoys watching internationals), I made a batch of Melting Moments (I think someone had made off with a few before I took a photo ;) )  These are a favourite of ours.  Here's the recipe:

4 oz margarine

3 oz castor sugar

4 oz SR flour

1 oz oats

1/2 beaten egg

cherries to decorate

Cream margarine and sugar together.  Add flour and egg and beat well.  Take about a teaspoonful of mixture and roll in oats (it's a bit messy here; I put the oats in a bowl, drop the mixture in and use a spoon to cover the dough with oats).  Place the covered dough balls on a greased baking tray, well spaced out as they will spread during cooking.  Pop half a glace cherry on each biscuit.  Bake at approx 150C until golden brown.  Cool on wire tray.

I mentioned I had bought some oxygen bleach (Astonish Oxy Bleach), and I tried it our on some tea towels.  Although the photo doesn't really show the difference, the yellow towel is brilliant white now in comparison with the pink one.  I was quite impressed and will certainly use it in future.  I'd certainly prefer this to using bleach.  BTW, I hung the tea-towels outside yesterday (it was very cold but quite windy) and when I came to get them off the line, they had frozen like cardboard!! 

Finally, some sky photos.  This was yesterday, about 5 in the afternoon.  The clouds were very dark and threatening (we'd had flurries of snow on and off), and against the blue of the sky, looked quite dramatic.