A STORMY DAY

After yesterdays sparkling sunshine the sky this morning was once again grey and grim , the wind whipped through the trees scattering twigs and at times larger branches and the deep eaves of the cottage groaned and creaked like the old timbers on a sailing ship.

We all felt rather sleepy this morning but as the grocery delivery was expected we decided to make a start of the day with hot buttered toast, porridge and a pot of strong tea. By the time the groceries arrived we had finished breakfast and cleared away. This weeks delivery was, thankfully much smaller than usual and very much smaller than the two deliveries before Christmas and once these were stored away I set about the preparations for our duck dinner.

There were roast potatoes of course although I prefer mashed with duck, carrots, jewelled sprouts, not as grand as it sounds ,just sprouts microwaved for about six minutes with a tablespoon of dried cranberries and once drained they are sprinkled with toasted pine nuts.
There was a dish of leeks baked in cream, a firm favourite with the boys, gravy and apple sauce.

Twiggy took up her station in the kitchen as soon as the good smells began to emanate from the oven. I had been boiling the giblets and once they were finished I gave her a little of this delicacy cooled and minced, Honour satisfied she then repaired to my bedroom and curled up on the fur throw for the remainder of what turned out to be a disgustingly wet and stormy afternoon. While peeling the vegetables the sky went black ans almost at one a curtain of hail so thick that I could not see through it hissed and rattled against the windows .

With in less that a minute it seemed that the path was flooded as it was by now raining and the grids were choked with huge hail stones. Fortunately this situation did not last and the water disappeared from the path almost as soon as it had arrived.

Throughout the long afternoon it rained continuously and it made getting the rubbish and recycle items out to the road both difficult and unpleasant but with the promise of hot chocolate when the job was done the everyone was soon enjoying a hot drink in the warm kitchen.

We were all hungry by the time the meal was on the table and our good appetites did justice to the fine duck and Twiggy daintily ate her share from a paper plate beside Pa's chair.
We were all far to full to want any pudding even the though of iced cream made us all groan.
The boys helped with the dishes and we were soon finished.

I have to admit that today has been rather a struggle for me as I have felt totally exhausted all day, achy and sore and very very sleepy. Cooking a meal such as we had today is difficult enough even when I am not half asleep . Both Pa and my son have the same problem ans we have concluded that the dark days are responsible for our malady. I am sure that in my case it is true, I always feel like hibernating while the weather is rainy and the winter sky is dark.

As you see today has been just an ordinary day, nothing new to tell, nothing startling or exciting to report and Oh boy am I glad of it. There were times last year when life got a bit too exciting for me, a few days of tranquillity will do no harm before the return of Spring takes me backto the garden and the battles begin again.

In the mean time be careful of yourselves and keep warm and safe where ever you happen to be.