Surprising things when the whole family are away

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

DH and DD are visiting the in-laws, DS is visiting a friend and I have been eating the same packet of chocolate chip biscuits since Friday evening. I'd forgotten they could last that long, usually I have a couple of biscuits and the next time I go back they have been finished or someone has left the pack open and they are soft.

I have also washed, nicely rolled and stacked the master bathroom towels and nobody has pinched one and left it in a soggy heap on their bedroom floor because they forgot to bring a towel with them to the shower.

When my DC are with their dad I buy 1 (one!) pint of milk at a time and it goes off before I get to the end of it. That always amazes me for some reason.

Also, houses are surprisingly noisy. There are lots of noises that I would have assumed is someone moving around upstairs, except there isn't anyone upstairs.

I'm lactose intolerant AtomicBlondeRose so I don't use milk. Despite that I put the milk (and the juice) back into the fridge at least three or four times a day. But that's a good reminder, I must buy fresh milk before DS comes home as he lovely a late-night bowl of cereal.

My nest is empty, fancy chocolate biscuits bought last thursday remained unopened until today. And the milk went off! It's just incredible.

Its so weird! Usually i go to tesco several times a week. When my family are away i go to m&s and buy a ready meal for each night and thats all thats in the fridge. Its glorious 😂

i actually like cooking, i just enjoy the opportunity to not!

i just seemed to have so much time as well. I remember getting home from work at 5.30 one day and thinking, wow i have six hours free!

I've been cooking, sort of, but making the stuff that usually at least one of then will whinge about. This evening I had matchstick courgette fried in olive oil with cubed leftover black pudding, stirred into spaghetti.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar that sounds gorgeous! Do you have a recipe?

Have you found that the lights in the house have stopped spontaneously turning themselves on and the mugs and plates have stopped wandering around the house? Enjoy the peace.

Umm, that pretty much is the recipe. Make spaghetti. Cut one courgette into matchsticks and fry in olive oil until it softens and starts to brown, you can also add either garlic or finely chopped red chilli at this stage. Cube some leftover black pudding (it has to have been cooked and cooled because otherwise it just goes mushy) and add to the frying pan. Cook until the black pudding is warm and tip the whole thing over the spaghetti.

I have one child who loves black pudding but won't eat spaghetti (only penne) and the other child who hates black pudding and penne, and neither of them would voluntarily eat courgette. Which is a shame as I love this dish and it's really quick.

I’m alone from tomorrow. I’m so excited.

I’ve got potted shrimps for one meal, some brown crab meat to have with pasta for another. And when I get up in a morning the kitchen will be as I left it.

Go me.

Yes! It's surprisingly much quicker to load the dishwasher when everything is already in the kitchen and plates have been scraped into the food waste caddy. It's a bit weird going upstairs at night though, because it's dark instead of the usual blaze of lights.

My DH has been away for four days. It was lovely coming downstairs in the morning and not having to put stuff away. Stupid stuff like putting cushions back, opening blinds (we don't need to close them, nobody can see in), putting jars away, mugs and plates on coffee table. It gave me back at least an hour a day 😮

Its been absolute bliss.