G&T | The Little Room of Rachell

Making : nothing, still

Cooking : sausages to eat cold with tomato and basil salad and potato salad. Yum.

Drinking : hot chocolate, I just fancied it though it’s not cold outside

Reading: The Killings at Badger’s Drift by Caroline Graham. I’ve never watched Midsomer Murders on TV, but after finding the seventh book in the library last June, I decided to look for the other books and read them in orderFalmouth

Wanting: to knit and crochet

Looking: out at the birds feeding in the garden. Mrs Blackbird is huge and fluffy. I spotted a pair of green finches last week

Playing: The Secret Diary of Hendrik Goen, 83 1/4 years old while I do my arm exercises. Derek Jacobi is a superb narrator

Deciding: to use my iPhone knitting row counter as I do 4 sets of 15Rhubarb Sour and a Negroni

Wishing: to be back in Cornwall after a brilliant long weekend away

Enjoying: my photos of old and new favourite Cornish places

Waiting: for cold sausage time, aka dinner

Liking: the leafy green lanes and wild flowers everywhere

Wondering: how much heavier I am after the cider, pasties and ice creams Thatchers Blush and Vintage cider

Loving: walking the coast path from Pendeen lighthouse again

Pondering: how long till I will again

Considering: changing moisturisers

Buying: tissues (bit of hay fever…)

Watching: the film trailer for Edie

Hoping: to see that, the Solo film and maybe the Book Club film

Marvelling: at the recent drop in ticket prices at my local cinema. They’re struggling apparently and it’s now 1990s prices. Woo hoo! Rhododendron at Trengwainton Garden

Cringing: at nothing right now, unless I hear the news

Needing: more toothpaste

Questioning: who thinks of the pasty flavours. I had Reggae Reggae Chicken for lunch the other day and Croque Monsieur the next! (The chicken was best.) Someone always sticks to the Traditional onesFoxgloves, whitebells, bluebells, cow parsley, buttercups and clover along the lanes and coast path

Smelling: rain on the way?

Wearing: shorts and a stripy tee (and slippers?!)

Following: friends’ half term holiday pics

Noticing: drinks, the sea and rock pool pics Pendeen lighthouse and the South West Coast Path

Knowing: May is my new favourite month

Thinking: I never expected to see bluebells still out and along so many verges in West Cornwall

Admiring: my white watch strap mark on my brown arm

Sorting: washing. Soooo much after just 4 days away Trevethan gin at Porthleven Nauti pizza place

Getting: busy with lists

Bookmarking: my library book

Coveting: this sea facing house or that while away

Disliking: all the mad Audi drivers

Opening: Cornish loose leaf Earl Grey tea

Giggling: at stand up comedy on Netflix

Feeling: relaxed

Snacking: no snacking! See the cider, pasties, ice creams above!

Helping: friends

Hearing: builders at work. Everyone’s at it along my road

Mixing: light mayonaise, Dijon mustard and light salad cream for potato salad (it’s delicious!)

Worrying: about nothing much

Slicing: tomatoes Fowey (pronounced Foy to rhyme with joy)

Celebrating: a big anniversary

Forgetting: there’s usually something these days!

Winning: at guessing how many steps we’ve walked …occasionally

Pretending: I’m super fit and striding up really steep hills

Sneaking: …not going to admit to anything here, I’m not stupid

Embracing: friends and family

How are you doing? Did you have a good (UK Bank Holiday) weekend?

If you’d like to fill in your own, here’s one of Pip’s Taking Stock posts. I use an older version.

I went for a walk with a friend on a spur of the moment thing on Wednesday. We ended up walking over 6 miles in a big circular loop. It was a completely spontaneous thing, just a “hey, do you fancy a walk today?” We arranged to meet in the car park of a gym and I expected a walk around the nearest village. Instead we went off the beaten track, onto a public footpath alongside the edges of fields, turning onto country lanes and meadows of grazing sheep. Through wooded areas of bare wintery trees and the sports ground of a private school. We ended up nipping into a farm shop for a drink, gazing at all the luxury foodstuffs that neither of us need post-Christmas, back up into the village, across the main road and to our cars. All the time we were out, which was nearly 2 hours, we didn’t stop talking. That’s a good afternoon! My trainers are basically two big blobs of mud now. I should scrape them off and put them in the washing machine.

I’ve made some more cardamom gin. The Mermaids gin is nice enough but I fancied flavouring it. I put a small handful of whole cardamom pods into the bottle for 3-4 days (3 would have been plenty, but I forgot about it!) Poured it into a jug, through a tea strainer and threw away the pods, then put it back into the bottle. If they were left in longer than that it would too bitter to drink, I imagine. The flavour is strong, so a single measure (25ml) is plenty with a 125ml can of tonic.

I’ve started a second strip of moss stitch (aka granite stitch, or linen stitch) crochet. This is the easiest thing to take up and add a section to, in fact the most complicated thing about it is making sure the sections are the same length. I didn’t want to stow away the leftover yarn from Winnie’s Wave Blanket, I thought I’d use it up for another little blanket. If you like the stitch see Moogly for a great little tutorial, it’s dead easy. You do need to do a sample to make sure you use the right hook. My square was too thick and unwieldy using my usual 4mm hook; so I swapped to a 4.5mm and produced a softer, more drapey fabric.

I popped in to see Mum with some Butternut & Sweet Potato soup yesterday. I’d made a huge pan-full, but as I’m the only one who eats BNS or SP I thought it would be good to share, or I’d never want to eat it again after litres of the stuff. Barty was savaging a ball he was given for Christmas. He is funny; as I’ve said I don’t think he was given balls to play with when he was a kitten, so he doesn’t play ping pong like other cats we’ve had. I’ve tried to model batting it back and forth with my paws hands, and yesterday he sort of did it! Hurray, Rachel the cat whisperer!

I just started reading Follow you Home all snuggled up warm and cosy in bed this morning. According to my Kindle I’ve already read a fifth of it. It’s a quick read but also I’m a scaredy cat; so want to get to the frightening bits fast. This is a psychological thriller which features a train, a dark forest and rather odd, staring uncommunicative strangers. Dot dot dot!