Home Keepers Journal

In My Kitchen … Home made, melt-in-the-middle chocolate microwave sponge pudding; chicken rissoto with rocket; lots of honey and lemon for current cold.

With my Family … everything is a bit up in the air at the moment.

What I’m Reading … Mark 16;13-28, where Jesus asks Peter to trust him admist the storm, Peter tries and fails when he is distracted by his circumstances, but he asks for Jesus to save him. What struck me most is that Jesus' answer to Peter comes in the form of leading him to safety, he doesn't change Peter's circumstances until after he has taken him to a safe place. Also, the Spectator, and a general book on answering tough questions questions.

An area where I wish I was stronger … energy levels and endurance.

What I’ve Been Noticing … the beautiful smell of spring, both flowers and of sap rising in the trees. SO evocative.

I am looking forward to … … Easter break with my family.

On The Back Burner of My Mind … how I can a wise steward of all that God has given me, both at home and further afield.

In The Deepest Darkest Recesses … I must trust that my Lord is stirring things to grow.

Home Keepers Journal challenge

I'm joining in with Sylvia's Home Keeper Journal challenge over at Christian Home Keeper Network:

In My Kitchen This Week... I'm concentrating on making simple and delicious meals. Yesterday I made smoked mackerel, potato and onion soup; this evening, I have GF pasta with tuna, tomato and cheese.

Changes I Make To My Home In Spring … I have put away my fleece blankets, perhaps prematurely as tonight's temperature is meant to be below 0 degrees C; I'll celebrate the beginning of spring by buying some daffodils for my desk. I'll look through my clothes and see what I can send to the charity shops.

Changes In My Schedule … I look forward to British Summer Time, and the promise of brighter mornings, and not going to and coming home from work in the dark. The children at church will also be able to play outside and enjoy themselves after the 4pm service.

Changes In My Yard/Homestead … I moved into a new rented house in September, and really left the garden alone over winter, aside from planning from the warmth of the house. Today I began clearing the borders of bracken and yard after yard of brambles. I found bulbs underneath! -

What I Look Forward to This Spring … Doing more in the garden, cycling and running again (too cold for my asthma to cope with in Winter). Long walks in Home Park, Henry the VIII's hunting park, and Richmond Park.

Spring Brings with It … Insects. Not my favourite. I did manage to ignore the huge long legged spider on my wall last night and just go to bed. Perhaps I will call him George.

A Sure Sign Of Spring … Daffodils, green bulb shoots, Cadbury cream eggs in the shops.

A Favorite Spring Activity … Daffodils are so abundant just at this time. I seeing and stopping to sniff their sent as I walk about my area.

"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils"

Wordsworth

Why not head over to Sylvia's to see how others are feeling and thinking about spring?

Our garden

Alas, not my garden!
Hampton Court gardens, January 1st

Our garden is currently pretty desolate. I moved in the end of September, which wasn't really the ideal time to start on anything. It has clearly had nothing done to it for sometime. On the other hand, you can see it once had beds around the edge, it has two apple trees, one eating and one cooking (so I'm told). Most of the evidence came from the rotting mushy fruit all over the lawn. Nice.

I have only ever grown radishes and rocket. They survived being left alone whilst I went back to school for several weeks. However, I am trying to go more by way of the organic route, and the most economical and pleasurable way of doing this without a car. We have a local organic veg co-operative whilst I will begin volunteering next Saturday, but I'm not sure I can carry a box of root veg home on the bus.

No livestock sadly. Perhaps it's for the best

This year we're hoping to do something with it. Young Hyun will want salad vegetable; she loves rocket and sesame leaves, a Korean favourite that are expensive to buy even in an area with such a high population of Koreans. I'm not sure what Ellen would like, I will have to ask her.

Daffodils growing through the fence around the allotment beside church

I would love to grow root veg: carrots (which I'm told are a bit of a pain; beetroot; spring and red or brown onion; potatoes. I too would love rocket, but it would silly to duplicate it, so I will ask Young Hyun if we can just plant lots. I'm not sure everyone else will want to go organic.
I'm hoping I can keep pests of my crops using 'companion plants' that are unattractive to insects who would generally go for the plants you put them next to. Soft fruit is also appealing. And some flowers, though some companions plants have flowers.

The main challenges in the garden will be:

Digging it over and weeding it
Pigeons! -but I do love them...
My own levels of energy

We've had a few brighter days of late,
which is probably why the garden is on my mind