From SS Quarantine #2

Morning sky on Monday

From our front door

Some people who know me well have asked/commented about having the time to enjoy playing about or experimenting with food.  It is true, I do enjoy messing about with ingredients and experimenting a bit.  I don't want to experiment too much at the moment, though.  I can't pop to the shop if I need something and don't want to waste what I have got.

I have, however, been reading.  Tin can cook and Vegan(ish) both by Jack Monroe and One pot wonders  by the Hairy Bikers.  I have been re-reading some old favourites such as Love your leftovers and Three good things by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall.  I have new books that I haven't got to yet.  I've also noted that one of the people I follow on Twitter has been having an entertaining discussion with his followers on how to tart up cauliflower cheese. (I had cauliflower and broccoli, milk and cheese to hand. I hadn't thought about cauliflower cheese before reading the Twitter feed. I didn't tart it up - much).  I am reading the Aussie food magazines online.

And those months of volunteering in the Pot Luck Pantry in Sheffield will prove useful.  Look at what you've got and think of what you can do with it.  I would blitz a Masterchef Mystery Box challenge (but none of the rest of it - I won't ever be auditioning!!).

I do have to hand the ingredients to make lots of things that I enjoy eating but don't often get around to making. I may play about with those as the fortnight progresses

You won't be surprised if food figures in the blog for the next little while (crumbed lamb cutlets with mash and the cauli-broccoli cheese last night, since you ask).  But don't expect Fine Dining!

I had a fairly productive day yesterday.  I have caught up with the washing. I weeded most of the front garden. I need to water it today and then dig out some of the agapanthus which are starting to grow back. I cleaned the bathroom.  I watched the last episode of Griff Rhys Jones' journey around Australia by train.  They had the first three episodes available to watch on the flight home.  Alas, episodes 4 and 5 are no longer available on iPlayer. But episode 6 was fun.

I haven't made much progress on the learning Japanese and refreshing my French front. I possibly need to make a daily timetable to fit it in (which I will then completely ignore :-D)  I can't find my DVD player which I took to the UK.  I don't remember actually taking it out of the suitcase. Maybe it has gone into its own form of quarantine

So far Jim and I have narrowly avoided killing each other.  Imagine how much worse it must be for couples or families shut up in hotel rooms or granny flats.