So here we are at the start of another week, and I hope that this post finds you all well, after what must have been, for many, a very emotional weekend.
This year in the garden we have had an absolute glut of both apples and blackberries. The freezer in the garage is full of blackberries, along with apples that hubby will make into fresh apple juice in a week or two. He freezes the apples first because it locks in the juice and, also, it's much easier when it comes to the pressing process.
Whilst I was over in Paris, my husband found a home made apple & blackberry pie at the back of the freezer, with a label dated 2002!! He had it with custard and said that it was absolutely delicious. Well, I suppose it had matured for nine years!!! Hubby and I have a completely different outlook regarding 'sell by' and 'use by' dates. I religiously get rid of anything as soon as it reaches its 'use by' date, but hubby will insist that it is perfectly okay to eat for quite a while after that date. He said that when he was a boy growing up, his dad wouldn't eat cheese until it started to crawl along by itself!! (Ugh!). It's difficult for people to believe now, but we were children when rationing was still in force after the Second World War. (Notice I mentioned which war it was - I don't want you thinking that I was talking about the First World War. I'm not quite that old!!).
Amazing to think that I had never seen a banana until I was six or seven, and fruit was only available when it was in season. Chicken was a real luxury, only really eaten at Christmas, along with duck or goose. When you think that we can eat all these exotic fruits all year round now. It's easy to be very blase` about just what is available for us to eat now, whereas at that time certain foods were a real luxury, which made us look forward to having them so much more, because they were such a treat.
We had to go out at the weekend to buy a new Hoover - gosh, we know how to live! Now I never thought that I could get excited about a Hoover, but I love this new little machine of mine. (Actually it's a Dyson, not a Hoover, but all models are called Hoovers over here).
I should point out perhaps that I have real problems with my back after having two operations a few years ago, and my old hoover was just so heavy, especially when carrying it up and down the stairs, whereas this one is so light that I can carry it about easily with just one hand. Gosh, I can just imagine you all reading this and thinking "waow, this is such an interesting and scintillating post from 'thisisme' today". Hee Hee. Sorry about that - I'll try to have something a little more entertaining for you next time you come to visit.
Little Eli started his pre-school sessions last week and he goes four days a week (to start off with), either for a morning only session or an afternoon only session. Anyway, on Friday he said to his mummy "pre-school AGAIN!!!". Luckily he's settled right into it and seems to be enjoying the sessions. He came home the first day with a little book bag, and he was allowed to choose a book to take home with him.
Fortunately I still get to spend Tuesdays with my daughter and Eli & Ruby, and I will be looking after Ruby on Fridays from now on, so all is not lost!!
