Skip to main content

Monthly Munch: January

Several blogs I follow do some kind of regular round-up, which seems like a) a good way to find a reason to post, and b) a good way to keep family updated (and remember what's happened ourselves!).  Two good things can't be too bad, huh?  So here's the first installment of Martha's Monthly Munch.

Toby


- went from two mornings to five mornings at pre-school without even seeming to notice, and barely remembers to say goodbye before he's off to the toys.

- had his first real sick days (poor baby) with some kind of cold / ear infection.  He wasn't himself for three days, and then woke up on the fourth as if he'd never been ill (and he'd only had one spoonful of the antibiotics - magic medicine!)

- enjoys "squelch squirch" mud, and pulling crazy faces for the camera.



- asks how baby brother is doing, and when he is "popping out".

- flew a kite for the first time - and let go, necessitating a rescue mission from a neighbour's garden.  Lesson learned to tie it to something other than Toby!


- loves creating glittery sparkly pictures.


- chooses his own clothes every morning.

Bump


- is still a bump!  He is officially to term now (due date 11 February)

- has been scanned a couple of times in January to confirm he's head down and not growing too fast - both tests he passed with ease.

Thankful for:
- a date night drinking smoothies on a sofa at the Book Cafe, thanks to my lovely friend Jane who offered to babysit.

- time to get the house organised before the baby turns up!

Best new recipe:

Spinach and courgette frittata (adapted from The Recipe Scrapbook )
Easy, tasty and quick.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 courgette (zucchini), sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
150-200g baby spinach
4 eggs
splash of milk
1/2 tsp dried oregano
50g mature cheddar, grated

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and courgette until golden.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the spinach and cook until wilted and some of the moisture has evaporated.

Beat together the eggs and milk.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir in the oregano and half the cheese.  Pour over the vegetables and cook over a fairly gentle heat until mostly set.  Sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and finish under a hot grill (broiler) to set the top.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

National Forest Way: The End!

The National Forest Way finishes at Beacon Hill, Leicestershire, with beautiful wide-ranging views in all directions. I'd been hoping for a sunny day, and this one certainly fit the bill. The frosty earth lay under a glorious canopy of shining blue sky. I parked at Swithland Wood, close to where we finished the previous walk. Finding the waymarker on the first gate was bittersweet - this was the last time I would be following these familiar circles.   Swithland Wood had been acquired by the Rotary Club in 1931, and later passed on to Bradgate Park Trust. The lumpy terrain was due to slate quarrying. I skirted a couple of fenced-off pits. As I left the wood, I passed a lake which I assumed was another flooded quarry, but with an odd little tower next to the water. I followed a road up a steady hill towards Woodhouse Eaves. Many of the houses were surrounded by walls of the local slate. Woodhouse Eaves was a prosperous-looking village with some nice old buildings. Crossing the wide ...

The Original Limestone Way

Back in March, I finished a blog post with the words: "If I disappear for two sunny days, I'll be walking from Matlock to Castleton." And on a hot sunny day in August, Mom and I put on our hiking shoes and did exactly that, following the original route of the Limestone Way. Day 1 First, there was a hill: a steady climb through fields and along holly-enclosed paths, with a wide view up the Derwent Valley as our reward. We dropped down again on a stone-paved track and emerged in the village square at Bonsall. The cross was decked with rainbow ribbons, and bunting fluttered above us. All very cheerful. Another ascent took us to Upper Town, and then we were out into open fields heading towards Winster. The Limestone Way seemed a little shy of villages; the official route often avoided them. Mom and I preferred to visit, though, and enjoy such delights as public conveniences, postbox toppers and the local church. Winster is a pretty little place, I'm glad we didn't mi...

The Churnet Way: a wonderful walk

The loop from Oakamoor to Froghall and back was one of the most enjoyable walks I've done in a long time. It had a bit of everything: woods, ponds, rivers and railways; steep climbs and sweeping views; an unusual church, an ex-industrial wharf, and, as a final bonus, car parks with toilets. Of course, the sunny weather helped too. I parked in Oakamoor and set off along a quiet lane called Stoney Dale. This is the route of the Churnet Way, which deviates away from the river for a couple of miles. After a while I turned right and climbed up through the woods on a gravelly path, then dropped down to the B5417. a spring in Oakamoor   Crossing the road, I entered Hawksmoor Nature Reserve. It has some fine gateposts commemorating John Richard Beech Masefield, "a great naturalist". I found a photo of the opening of the gateway in 1933; unsurprisingly, the trees have grown a lot since then! A track took me down through the woods to East Wall Farm. Lovely view! Nice duck pond as ...