porridge | The Little Room of Rachell

Making: my crochet bobble cowl

Cooking: fish chowder, some cream and dill at the end make it taste luxurious

Sipping: hot lemon, ginger & honey

Reading: I started another of Ann Cleeves Vera series, perfect winter reading – a country house at Christmas with a house party in full swing and … da-da-daaa! A body

Anticipating: my December gin box to be delivered at the beginning of next month

Breakfasting: porridge all the way!

Looking: at all the birds who suddenly appeared in the garden, when it became much colder

Listening: to The Green Planet TV series soundtrack on Spotify, it’s epic. I didn’t watch any of the series, but the soundtrack makes me want to!

Poppies in progress for the Remembrance Day postbox topper

Wishing: for some thermal gloves for when I walk

Enjoying: Sing 2. Purchased on Amazon, it’s a really good fun watch if you like music and silliness

A well-used and borrowed library book, I’ve made a note of the mint syrup recipe for summer cocktails

Appreciating: all the colours in the trees, it hadn’t been that windy in November, so there were lots and lots of beautiful autumn leaves still

Eating: chicken and leeks in blue cheese sauce with potatoes and green beans (leftovers with tagliatelle were delicious)

Liking: 1899 on Netflix, it’s creepy and intriguing

Loving: wearing my handmade woollies again

Buying: a few presents, trying to get ahead of the game

The Christmas cabins were in place at Blenheim Palace by 18th November when I walked in the parkland

Watching: I’m a Celebrity as usual, it was really entertaining back in Australia. Wales did not work for us

Hoping: for a lovely family Christmas, looking forward to it

Wearing: my Edenvale cowl and some purple gloves while I walked

Noticing: Christmas trees going up in homes before the end of the month. In NOVEMBER #TooEarly

Still making a loaf of sourdough every week

Following: Made by Anita on Insta, see her page here. We’ve followed each other there for years. I recommend her account if you want to see lovely colour combos, plus loads and loads of crochet

Sorting: out some yarn oddments for the next yarn bombing project for my friend (orange for a nose!)

He sang his heart out for my cousin and me

Getting: Stollen and a tin of Twiglets for my Christmas store, in recent years I’ve realised if you snooze, you lose!

Coveting: A really good flask so that I can make a hot cup of tea back at my car, after long walks

Tempted to buy a Velvetiser, I made my own real hot chocolate instead; with a bar of Lindt dark, some whole milk and a whisk, in a pan. We loved it

Feeling: a bit tingly excited about Christmas as the month drew to a close

Hearing: the heating whirring away, I’m not taking it for granted

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It was a nice month, some exciting things happened; I met new people, went to new places, generally all felt pretty good. As I write this it’s the second of December now, I hope it’s as special a month.

How are you doing? I hope all is well in your world and you’re managing to stay warm. Or, cool and dry if you’re Down Under!

Tell us three things about your November?

I can’t quite believe I blithely said that I would cast on, and take this lace pattern to a new knit group a friend and I visited last week. What was I thinking?! Especially as I’ve said here that I’ve always taken crochet or something easy to knit while I chat and drink. So, I cast on the 70 odd stitches, knitted 3 lines chanting k2tog, yo, ssk, psso etc and realised I’m just going to either knit a cobweb, or seem like an total oddball. I grabbed the rest of a ball of bamboo cotton, my little notebook and knit another waffle knit cloth. I still had to concentrate but it was far easier than doing the lace pattern chant and appearing really antisocial.

For my usual knit group later in the week I took some Not so soothing (after all) granny squares and sat darning the ends in for the whole evening, until my eyes felt like they were bleeding. So, that’s 480 – 140 = 340 to go. Never again, NeVeR. It’s a crochet wasteland at the moment here I know. But if I start something new the granny squares will be permanently in my Yarndale bag undarned.

I’m not (really) going to mention the amount of water that’s surrounding us, and which has the potential to flood the house. There’s no point getting worked up or worried at this point. We were on flood alert over Christmas and it came to nothing. Although the cumulative effect of all this rain means we have fields and fields and fields underwater all around and impassible roads…. I was awake, looking out of all the windows, in the early hours last night just checking that the neighbours weren’t canoeing along the road. We had a huge storm and I think the high wind woke me up, plus the fact I’d checked the flood status (‘on alert’) before bed meant it was on my mind. Anyway, let me share my gorgeous recipe for a warming, very filling breakfast in these rainy times. I keep making it and never ever need to eat before lunch after this bowl of yumminess.

Coconut porridge

45g porridge oats
300ml skimmed milk
2 tsp light brown sugar
1tbsp desiccated coconut

Put all in a pan and cook on low for at least 15-20 minutes. You get the creamy flavour from the porridge with added texture of the coconut, sweetness and flavour of the brown sugar. It is DELICIOUS.

I’ve had banana porridge, apple, cinnamon over the last 4 months, and also eaten it plain, but this coconut version is my current favourite. I was rooting about in the pantry one morning for something different to add to it and came across the coconut. It was leftover from when I’d baked a coconut and cherry cake last autumn. Try it and let me know what you reckon? MMmmm roll on tomorrow morning.

My current reading…

Printed book: Park Lane by Frances Osborne.

Kindle: re-reading (guilty pleasure) The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

Audio book: I’m really enjoying Red Joan by Jennie Rooney, narrated by Juliet Stevenson. I’ve listened to other books she’s read and love her style (I keep hearing a cello at certain times as I strongly associate her with Truly, Madly, Deeply but that’s not too distracting!) It’s turning out to be a cracking story with mystery, intrigue and some complex characters.

Thanks for your recommendations last week.