Covid 19 Isolation - Days 2 - 5

Well what a roller-coaster the last few days have been.

Day 1 was ok.

Day 2 was, ok, lets crack on, get work done at home, try and get the children into some sort of homeschooling routine.

Sunsets like this make you realise that life does not stop!

Day 3 was the day I finally broke. I received a work email that completely broke me. With that came the realisation that life was not going back to normal. The realisation that we were going into a whole, new, unknown world. The first few days felt like I was on dependency leave but getting an email saying that is it until further notice, broke me. My work colleagues mean so much to me, they are the weights that keep me from drifting into insanity. They keep me sane, they keep me busy, they make me feel worthy. But more than any thing they make me laugh, and when I say laugh I mean full on belly aching giggles. The people that I work with have been a lifeline and realising that as of tomorrow there will be no more office days, no more whizzing across the office in my chair to join in with chats or to give my point of view, no more "hey...... what do you think of this?", no more butting in with my opinions. The ladies I work with really have been everything and I know that I am going to really miss being with them, in fact I already do miss them! In a short time we have become so close and until Friday I was just carrying on as normal and not really accepting the enormity of what was going on.

Isolation - Day 1

So, this is not the post that I was expecting to write as my second 'comeback' post but hey, that is life!

We have been closely following all of the Corona-virus news but honestly did not think that it would effect us. It would not get so close. Well today it did. It became a reality. T started to cough. The hubby heard him from about 4am. I am sure it is just a cold but Little I has also started coughing so that means we are all in self isolation.

Thankfully I can still carry on doing some work from home. However after this evenings press conference we now know that schools will be closing after Friday and we do not know how long for. As someone who suffers with anxiety this is not good. I cannot get away from the constant news, but still do not turn the television off, I want to keep positive but seeing so much negativity around makes it impossible. No body knows what the future holds. We are a healthy family so I hope we, us 5, will not get ill, however I do worry for other members of the family. With the possibility of the schools being closed for potentially months I need to create a new routine for us. A new way of living our lives, at home, together.

My plan (I say plan loosely, as I am literally making it as I go) is to create some kind of home timetable. I want the children to have a routine, I want them to still continue their learning, while fitting in my work but I also want us to make the most of this 'us' family time. Forget Corona-virus and enjoy some quality time together. 

Maybe this is nature, mother nature, telling us to stop.

Telling us to slow down.

Telling us to see what is really important in life.

As well as school work I would also like to schedule in some "alternative" learning for the kids. I am in the process of a new project, which I was planning to make my second post about, but I am in the middle of project "lady cave" greenhouse. I have acquired a greenhouse from my dad which is just waiting for the glass to be put in. So I am thinking about getting the kids involved. Yes the long term plan is that it is going to be my place, my sanctuary, but at the moment I am going to share. It will be a brilliant way to teach the children about gardening, growing vegetables and then using them in cooking. I have ordered a variety of vegetables that we can grow in the garden and greenhouse so that if things continue the way they are we will have fresh vegetables from the garden. This will also teach the children about self sufficiently. That is the beauty of veganism, we can grow our food!

So today is day 1 of self isolation.

Thankfully I have been able to get work so that I can work from home so I have been out. But tomorrow the cabin fever is sure to start. So we need the plan to start as soon as possible.

I am going to go and get planning and will be back tomorrow to tell you how day 2 of isolation goes!

Take care and keep well x

I'm Back!!

Hello!

How have you been?

Well it has been 20 months, yes 20 months, since I have written a post. Where has the time gone? Well I can tell you life has been manic. It has been that busy I really do not know where to start. But one thing I can say is that you can take the blog away from the girl, but you cannot take the blogger instinct out of this girl!

The last 20 months have seen me go from working part time, to working full time while running a household, bringing up the kids, being wife, project manager (yes we finally had the extension built) and a professional juggler of life. Needless to say, it all took its toll.

12 months ago I broke.
Mentally I broke.
I simply could not take it anymore.
Exhaustion kicked me right down.
I became shrouded by the dense dark cloud of anxiety and depression.

Raspberries and Cream - 1 Basic Recipe, 2 Decadent Desserts

Raspberries are such a great fruit for adding a hit of flavour to desserts. As soon as the sunny weather comes the hot, comforting puddings are swiftly replaced with fruity desserts. I have to admit, I cannot resist a creamy fruity dessert hence why today's post contains not one, but two raspberry desserts!

Both recipes use the same basic recipe but used in two different ways you have two delicious alternative desserts. This makes dessert preparation so easy, especially when entertaining and you have guests who have different preferences, or as in our case, children who like different desserts!

For adults, Manchester Gin's raspberry infused gin added to the raspberry coulis makes these desserts an exquisite treat! When you pair the sharp flavours from the raspberries with a creamy cheese sauce you are left with a truly indulgent dessert.

This is what I did...

Rich Venison Ragu

Game is such a lovely rich meat that we do not have as often as we would like. But this does make it a treat when we do have it. I will admit to buying this venison a few weeks ago when it was in the reduced section and put it straight in the freezer. Venison is a mince that I like to take my time cooking, I like to spend time perfecting the meal, it is not a meat that I like to cook when in a rush. With venison mince I find that the slower it is cooked, the tastier it becomes. So during the half term holidays I took the opportunity to put together a recipe that I had planned. During a shopping trip to our local TKMaxx to pick up some gourmet pasta I found a lovely Sicilian herb mix. These two ingredients were the finishing touches that I needed to create a rich ragu dinner.

This ragu takes just over an hour to cook but believe me it is certainly worth the extra effort. The extra time allows the flavours to marry together to create a deliciously rich sauce that you will not be able to resist!

This is what I did...

Easy Giant Couscous and Mixed Bean Salad

As soon as the good weather comes I love getting creative with my salads. Trying new ingredients and new flavour combinations is all part of the fun of recipe development. Now that I am working full time I am constantly making meals that can either be heated up as leftovers the following lunch time or bulk making salads that will give the hubby and I lunches for a couple of days.

This recipe came along after a compromise between the hubby and I. I enjoy couscous but he does not like the regular small couscous but he does like giant couscous. He finds it to be more filling and more of a satisfying addition to a salad. I find couscous of any size such a versatile ingredient that can be adapted to fit each individual meal. If I am adding chicken I cook the couscous in chicken stock, if I am using vegetables I use a vegetable stock. I find that cooking the grains in stock injects so much flavour to the dish.

This salad is not only an easy meal to make but also keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. It made a delicious salad, especially when served with some crunchy fresh bread!

This is what I did...