At last a nice blue sky in the morning and the sun shining its way through the trees. It is really time, all we have had is dull days and rain last week. There is even the sign of a plane winging its way across the sky and even a bird. Life looks more promising now, and we even have rising temperatures.

I was again at home yesteday, but it did not bother me. I have a bit of a spring cleaning mood at the moment and cleaned out a small cupboard in the kitchen. I think we all have them, the cupboards full of junk what we really do not need forming an organised chaos. Actually it was not as bad as I thought, just a matter of system. Mr. Swiss decided to help, in case he found something useful. After a few minutes I told him to go and read a book. His idea was to throw away anything and everything, mine was more organisation. I am now quite pleased with my effort and cannot resist taking a quick look now and again to admire the new order. I even decided to clean out my oven yesterday evening. Baking bread on the high temperatures it needs tends to make it necessary, but now that is also done.

The birds have now gone and they no longer come to my garden. However, I am left with the natural meadow opposite my garden. It is left to grow in spring and not allowed to be mowed down until June. the idea is to let the flowers seed for next year’s meadow. It is eventually cut down and the farmers use it for hay for the animal feed during the Winter. There is such a wonderful mixture of flowers.

There is a wonderful mixture of daisies and flowers in all colours as well as various grasses. Now the sun is shining again and the rain as disappeared we can really appreciate it.

I so not think I will venture to the great outside today. It is so comfortable at home. I decided to plant some basil seeds. I got myself a small pot, but the are not doing to so well, so decided to plant it myself. Basil is a useful herb for various dishes in the kitchen. It goes well with tomatoes and also as a complement to pizza toppings.

As it is Saturday I am also busy with my orchids. I always give them a good soaking with some fertiliser for half an hour. Afterwards I put them outside and it serves them well for a week. They are all in flower as they are my new orchids. I hope to be able to keep them for a few years. I have another four from last year which have produced a couple of new shoots, so I am hoping they will also flower again this year.

And now it is time to concentrate on week-end routines, although I am free to do what I want. I have a few dishes planned. I find cooking sometimes like a music piece with a composition, interlude and grand finale when it arrives on the table. At the moment I am in the planning stage whilst taking a walk with my vacuum cleaner and visiting the shower.

Have a good week-end everyone, may it be a nice sunny one.

Yesterday was really a wet day, rain from morning to evening. Some time during the night it stopped. I had already prepared myself for the dismal day and had no reason to go anywhere. There was also a very strong wind blowing. Today should be better. I even saw some blue sky poking through, although there are still some remainders of rain hanging around. The weather forecast tells us that the week-end will be better and Sunday we will have temperatures of 20° which is almost a heat wave.

I even got a visit from two chickadees. I think they were searching for more shelter from the rain than food. They were perched on my bird house and looked quite wet and bedraggled.

The magpies are also still hovering around, but I only see them if they find something to eat. I was lucky to take this picture as they pounce quite quickly.

I am so pleased now with my fridge and freezer in the kitchen. The guy that made me an offer for a new one called to ask my opinion. I told him that I was would now wait a while as everything is now working OK and his offer did not meant my expectations. It was very expensive and not my choice of product. He said at the moment it was very difficult to find a fridge. He could not give me a good reason, but it could be something to do with the covid pandemic. In any case I have saved myself some money for the time being. I was also having a problem with my Dyson vacuum cleaner as the motor kept cutting off. However, I even managed to cure that myself. It was running on low capacity as I had probably pressed a wrong button. Now it is perfect again, so more money saved. The next problem was a clogged drain in the kitchen sink. I also cured that myself by a strong gush of water from the faucet and now everything seems to be more or less back to normal.

It was time for backing bread yesterday. This is the dough before I put it in the oven for the final baking process. It had already been rising in a warm place and I had worked on it afterwards.

This was the final product after being baked in the oven.

Yesterday was an evening of cooking programmes on the TV. First of all the “hairy bikers” were on the TV. They are two guys that are motor bike riders touring around Europe (the also did Route 66 in the States) visiting various towns and picking up food recipes in various restaurants. Yesterday they were on the Spanish coast. Afterwards Rick Stein, a British star cook and restaurant owner, had an hours programme. He was in France eating in various restaurants and showing how to cook various recipes. It seemed to me he just eat his way through the programme and Mr. Swiss and I got quite hungry just watching. Afterwards there followed another half an hour of a cooking programme “Great Biritish Menu”. I then decided it was time to read. You can have a little too much of cooking sometimes.

And I should now be on my way. I have a few things to organise and do not really want to greet the delivery man from my supermarket in my night dress, although I must say it is a respectable night dress. Have a good Friday, enjoy the day and remember, the week-end is just around the corner,,

Another dull and cold morning, no sun up to now although it might break through. Our temperatures are also not so perfect, below 10°C which is not exactly Spring weather. However whilst there is a computer you can always find something to do. At the moment I am having a gradual Spring clean, although nothing too adventurous. It began with defosting my freezer and fridge in the kitchen and deciding to throw away various food remainders in jars and bottles which had not been touched for a few years. I suppose it happens to all of us. You get used to seeing the same things in the fridge, they almost become family friends. One day you realise you do not need them, someone gave them to you or they were a free sample, so out with the old and definitely not in with the new. Life changes over the years and your requirements today have also changed. The next project is to tidy a few drawers in the kitchen. One has a mixture of string, paper rolls, tooth picks and various gadgets such as bottle and wine bottle openers, not to forget the many wooden tooth picks which like to line the bottom of the drawer.

Otherwise I escaped to town yesterday. Although our street cafés are now serving outside this café is still completely closed as it is being renovated. Since the pandemic with the hairy peas floating in the air, many businesses are closed and are taking the opportunity to renew. This particular café was usually a hive of movement during the normal days. Now it is closed although the chairs and tables have again been replaced outside, and due to the improvement of our covid cases, it might be opening soon. The café next to it is still completely closed but work is progressing also there. Our largest supermarket had a hotel next to it, but the hotel owners have now closed it. They were there many years but due to age no longer. That is a large building with many rooms which are now being converted in apartments. It is a bit of an obstruction with the renovation work, but one day that will be finished and things will be back to normal.

Mr. Swiss was low on supplies of his expensive, gold plated cigarettes.They have really become expensive through the years which was the main reason I gave up 25 years ago. He tried now and again, but eventually found that he could not manage without. I suppose at the age of 82 years and still thriving, except for back problems, you no longer bother. And so either myself or my son become cigarette messengers now and again. There is only one store selling them at a reasonable price so I took the opportunity to do some grocery shopping in my supermarket which is in the same place. Once a week I like to take advantage of the special offers and get some meat at the butchers counter instead of the ready packed selection.

I moved on passing part of our old town fortress protection on the way. I must say everything looked so fresh and clean in the sunlight with the clouds as a background. However, I was glad to be back in my scooter on the way home. It was very windy and not so warm. I had dressed warmly with my padded winter jacket and I really needed it. The sun was just an ornamentation.

I will now probably be remaining at home for the next few days, although Sunday is again warm weather so I might venture out on an excursion. Although I live in a wonderful picturesque village out in the country, there is not very much action here. My main work is gathering herbs from my raised bed in the garden for my cooking pastime.

And now to move on with some housewife hobbies like tidying up the apartment. Luckily Mr. Swiss has the chore of making the beds in the morning, so that little pastime is not on my list.

I wish everyone a good restful day. Make the most of the chores and work that confronts you during the day.

I leave you with a view towards south from our estate as I was wheeling home on the last stretch yesterday from town.