Melting from the heat, yet still Counting down to Christmas 2025 (thread 2)

[NoWordForFluffy]

OK, so you all went on a bloody posting frenzy!

Can someone add the countdown from today to make it easier tomorrow? Thanking you!

I might make some butter it squash soup
I made a bundt cake last night ☺️

Ahh hope LO is feeling better today Meeces

When I went back to work after my ML with DS , DH took some leave so they had some time together . Neither missed me !
If DH covered any sick days with either DC they had a nice duvet day with the telly and didn't miss me !

What do you put in your soup ?
I like butternut squash , I might buy one tomorrow ..............

I've just downloaded a starlink app thing that you can check when it is next visible in your area. It does look bonkers and i love seeing stuff like that.

Hope LO feeling better @NoCheesesForUsMeeces . They seem to pick up a lot of stuff at this time of year.

You lot are making me panic saying you've nearly finished xmas shopping!! I'm only just starting.

Made my green tomato chutney this evening and it smells lovely. I also needed that reminder to do the mince pies for the freezer so thanks @GrannyWeatherwaxsBroomstick

@70isaLimitNotaTarget
1 x butternut squash, pulled and diced
1 litre veg stock (I use low salt one)
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, diced
1 tsp turmeric
Sweat off onion and garlic
Add turmeric
Add squash
Saute for 5 mins
Add stock
Simmer for 30 mins
Blitz into smooth soup
Voila!

My mince pies aren't going to make it the freezer @Magnoliasunrise DS has already eaten several and DH has been in the kitchen quite a few times this evening.

Mum guilt is awful but Fluffy I agree it was good for him to see me go to work and to have DH home taking care of him.
Plus LO was still ill today and I had to take the hit. I ended up taking the afternoon off but am doing some work now instead 🙄

Will say DH was more productive than me when it was his turn. Yesterday when I got home the house was tidy, he had switched the robot Hoover on, washed some clothes and done some work. I on the other hand did none of that. DH came home to me a bit frazzled, LO happy as Larry and the house a mess.

70 Swamps soup recipe is pretty much how I make most soups - main ingredients, onion, garlic, veg stock, blender 😂

Next week is half term and I'm booking LO in to nursery for a couple of days. Continuity for him and my big plans for me are 1 day relaxing with cross stitch, feet up and maybe a CCF and 1 day going in to town and doing some actual in-person Christmas shopping. Hoping to make a really big dent in it all and feel like I've had an actual breather.

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I might give the Squash Soup a try , I have a soup maker to do the hard work but I;ll roast the vegetable first .

It is <hurrah> not tipping down with rain today , it has done all week .

Lucky you, 70, it's shitting down here. Very soggy walk with the hound earlier (he loved it!). 🐕 🌧️

Quite sunny here

Gorgeous autumnal day here too. I finished for half term yesterday yipppeee so I've spent all morning taking out the tomato plants, sweeping up leaves and cutting back roses ready to plant some bulbs and do one of those bulb lasagnes. I'm a bit late with everything this year but I reckon I've still got a couple of weeks to plant some bulbs although maybe not daffs or hyacinth.

This afternoon housework and making mince pies using the mincemeat I made last year.

Taken dd1 for her flu jab.
The tumble dryer has died (heat compressor gone) so £400 for a new one.
I'd never have a heat pump one again! 😡
I'll get dh to cut the roses back next week. We have a new toy - a leaf hoover! 😊
I'm not sure about bulbs...what do you suggest for a nice colourful display?

swamp is it dead as in not fixable dead ? Never had a heat pump one , we had to replace ours earlier in the year as it had coughed its last . (over heated so not safe )

I have a selection of rustic vegetables roasting in the oven right now :
Butternut squash ( thought about peeling it but I decided to roast in skin then I;ll scoop out the flesh )
Carrots
Onion
Sweet potato
Regular potato

Once they're charred nicely , I have onion salt /garlic salt /Marigold Bouillon for stock.then in the soup maker to cook and blend to perfection. ( hopefully)
Nice bread
None of that blue cheese and buttermilk malarky that Nigella ladles on.

Sounds delicious @70isaLimitNotaTarget
It"s the heat compressor that's gone,which is very costly to replace, plus call out charge...cheaper to get a new one ☹️
Not getting another heat pump one, though.

Very cold and sunny where I am but it was due to rain at 1:30 and the shower came right on time. My dad (who is doing the work on my house) just managed to make it watertight by the time it started.

Magnolia I did a random bulb lasagne around this time last year with daffs, tulips and something else (can’t remember what) and it worked really well.
I think I did mine too early this year and the bloody magpies pulled up some of the bulbs and I had to re-do them and hide them away 🙄

Sorry about your dryer swamp. I have no advice as I’ve never had a dryer but it’s crap that it’s broken.

70 I think I may have some veg that is on the turn and you’ve inspired me to turn it in to soup - thank you!

Not sure if it would help anyone here but my mum called earlier to make sure I’m aware the Sainsbury’s toy sale is on. Great deals available apparently.

Soup bubbling away ☺️
I love tulips, I might try those and daffs

I've not done my bulb lasagnes yet. Need more compost and some grit / sand to assist with drainage.

A job for my 3 days off next week!

Soup was very nice but the Tiger bread (Asda) was very underwhelming -doughy and no flavour .. Usually buy from Sainsburys .
I have some ivy growing in water that I'm planning to put in a tall pot outside , put a solar light in and make a simple decoration. I could put some bulbs in then they'll grow through later .

Tomorrow is Rudolph Day
DD wants her winter bedding washed as she's complaining she's cold . I have DS bedding upstairs too but he hasn't asked yet .

I very nearly bought "The Thing" today . A jug -milkjug - in TKMaxx with a hare on it . I love hares , not a rabbit fan but hares are something apart . The jug was pink , not a Christmas colour for me .
But I might have to go back and see if it;s still there .........

I have English ivy in my bathroom...
It naturally prevents mold developing and can clear fecal matter from the air (apparently..)

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I hadn't heard that swamp . I do remember (from Biology , years ago) plants indoors take in CO2 and release O2 by day but do the opposite at night , so they are trying to kill you in your sleep
I dont like indoor plants ( I know -weirdo )

I sent DH up in the attic to find DD Winter bedding , she reckons we recycled it . Probably did . So have ordered her new set ,
I need to recycle DS old set ( it was the set DH and I had , DS didn't mind inheriting it )

Happy Rudolph Day - thanks for the reminder 70. And I'm making my Christmas cake today so damn fine timing.

Sorry to hear about your tumble dryer Swamp. Very annoying when the machines give up.

Got an absolutely corker of an autumn day today. Shortly off to Sainsbos as I think they had some good deals on bulbs, failing that I'll pop to the local garden centre. I'm going with tulips and allium as I think too late for daffs now.

Actually scrap that I just googled it and still fine to plant daffodil bulbs, so yey.

We can't have daffodils as they're toxic for dogs. Controversial, but I'm also not their biggest fan!

We pay for insurance for most of our appliances. If they die, we get a new one (we had a new washer the other year because of a failed repair). We also get discounted appliances as you get credit towards new ones as well (so we got my parents' dryer this way, as well as a tall freezer).

It chucked it down this morning. It's meant to be dry and windy now until about 5 though. I need to shower and be productive somehow!

@NoWordForFluffy
We don't bother with appliance insurance anymore...have had some really bad experiences, sadly (house fire and flooding caused by useless fitters installing new appliances!)
And it's SO hard to actually get the repairs done/organised.
I looked at the cost of a new HC unit and call out charge and it's more than a new machine.
I think we have just been really unlucky, tbh
Dealing with the companies insurance departments was horrendously stressful 😡
I am convinced that white goods are noe designed to fail in <5 years bitter

Do you guys get your bulbs from a specific place?