Monday 11th April 2016

Well, this might be a bit off blog for me but then again maybe it isn't.

I have been busy over the past few days researching straw bale planting, companion planting and gardening in general.  I text messaged a company yesterday that does bales of straw from £1.  I asked if how much 20 bales plus delivery would be and I'm feeling stimulated to do this.

With straw bale planting you have to 'condition' the bales to start them decomposing and turning into lovely compost in the middle.h  You do this by daily watering and fertilising every other day with a nitrogen rich fertiliser.  I have been looking into this aswell and my old teabags are nitrogen rich and so are coffee grounds (so is human urine, but lets not go there).  So today I plan going into town and asking at Costa and Starbucks if I can have their used coffee grounds ... we will see if this happens and I will try to update later.

I hope they reply about the bales before I spend too much money!

NJ is at school today, but the other 2 are off for a teacher training day so they go back tomorrow. I was so excited that this morning I was up before 5am, we were both washed and dressed by 6am and then we had to wait for school.  We got there 15 minutes early, do you notice a pattern? I even did a bit of tidying up and collected a few cups from the kids bedrooms!

I know I will pay for this later and probably be snoozing on the sofa by lunchtime.

BIG hole in my food stores

When i say a big hole, i mean a BIG hole!  I had no bread flour left! And no bread in the cupboard and no bread in the freezer - where did it all disappear to?

I swear we have bread theives in the area! I'm gonna have to put the padlock back ob the food store and see who complains!  

So what did i do i ( can't) hear you cry.  I had to go out on this drizzly British afternoon and walk the 3/4 mile to the nearest Aldi! Pushing NJ as she has become clingy over the last few days and won't leave my side.

All i had to getwas bread flour, wholemeal if theyhad it, what did i actually buy?

2 packets bread flour ( yay me for actually getting what i went for, for once) and:

Yeast, icing sugar, crisps, bread rolls

i was forced to buy cupcake cases AND mince pies!

To honestly i was forced, NJ twisted my arm behind my back and threatened to scream if i didn't!!  Ok so she didn't, but she has her ways!! And effective ways they are too.

Upon my return?  Nothing had changed, i go out for an hour and comeback to 3 kids! 2 watching youtube and the 3rd? The OH playing on facebook games.

So i just set to work like a good little homesteading wife, bread loaf and 10 bread rolls proving and lunch on the table in under 30 mins! Thats what i call a good days work!  Whats that ? You want proof that the bread is proving?  Well i live (it seems) to serve 

Cool huh?

Now to see how the finished article tastes.

I got the recipe from delia online, i will try to post a link when i get my laptop back from LJ, ipad blogger app it just a simple writing and publishing one, so no fancy links or picture resizing, or even changing fonts! 

Or am i doing something wrong? Also have you discovered anything in you pantry lacking? Or do you have a favourite recipe for wholemeal bread?

Let me know in the comments!