The usual Monday morning struggle to get a Wordle and a Spelling Bee answer. Still looking for that seven letter Spelling Bee word!
It had been a cold night last night, -6.3ºc according to our weather machine. Maybe it is time to change the 1TOG duvet for something a little thicker and warmer.
I’d half intended to go shopping in Waitrose in Stirling, but after defrosting the car and driving cautiously down a road that was sparkling with ice, we both agreed that we’d make do with Tesco in Cumbersheugh today instead. As well as that, Scamp booked a delivery for Wednesday evening, just in case.
When we got back from Tesco I decided to keep my boots on and take the big Sony out for a walk in St Mo’s to see if there was any chance of some frost photos. Bright sunshine today and yes, lots of frost on everything. I took a walk over the woods to the wee pond beside the motorway because I was sure I’d find some little frost trees and sure enough there were a few. Not as many as I’d hoped, but enough to photograph. It’s still scary putting an expensive camera on to the ice and pressing the shutter button, listening all the time for creaking noises from the ice. I needn’t have worried about it, the ice was really thick today. On the way back home to a couple of rolls ’n’ square sausage I found some more little frost trees on the verges of the big pond, and of course I took some pictures. Happy with the shots I headed for those rolls.
Back home and after lunch and a bit of post-processing I climbed the ladder into the chilly loft to retrieve the Christmas Tree, two bags of decorations and two boxes of the more fragile decorations. Inside one of the bags was the sweetie tin that holds the lights and that all important letter. When Scamp opened the envelope and read the letter, she handed it to me. I’d almost forgotten about this important epistle. So many questions, so many plans. Some came to fruition, some we’ll return to, hopefully. The tree is now up and decorated while Joni Mitchell sang about “putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace”. It’s traditional, and that’s what Christmas is all about.
Later in the afternoon I made Minestrone soup. Just loads of different veg, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of beans, salt, pepper and almost a litre of water. No stock cubes, all that veg makes is own stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour. Add a handful of smashed up pasta later and simmer for another 15 mins. It’s really more like a veg stew. Came from a book we bought just after we got married. It was published in 1978.
PoD went to one of those little frost trees and a cold heart made second place.
No real plans for tomorrow, but a parcel may come and be instantly ‘disappeared’. Schrödinger’s parcel, Hazy! ?