Waste not, want not.
August 19, 2020If you thought I was bad about fabric being wasted you should see how I now apply that to food. I used to be much more relaxed about it but lockdown really focused me. I now try to use up all manner of things, including the less than great loaf I made last week. I can’t complain. It is the first dud I have had and it was still perfectly edible, it just wasn’t great and wasn’t going to get used up as bread. I had been wondering what I could do with it when our monthly meat delivery arrived. Including pork escalopes. They had been on special offer and honestly I had forgotten they were arriving. They inspired me to convert my rapidly deteriorating bread into a storable useful product. Bread crumbs. I discovered that the large lazy lumps dried out fine in the oven that was hot from cooking dinner but they do not blend nicely. Next time I will have to be less lazy and chop more. I did eventually get it all blended but it was a lot more fiddle than just cutting it better to start with would have been. It is absurdly satisfying to have a jar of dry breadcrumbs ready to use.
The quilting is progressing faster as I get the rhythm of the pattern. I think the border will be a bit annoying as it will involve a lot of rolling the quilt but I think it will be worth the lack of starts and stops. I was hoping I could do all the center in one go, but I found I did still need to tack the edge of the quilt as I went so that didn’t work. Of course at this rate I will also have this quilt finished just as the weather turns cold, it has a thin bamboo wadding. On the other hand it is quite good having quilts that can be layered in the winter so it may still get an outing.
…..Tip of the day…..
If you want people to see your blog post you need to publish it.
So that was Tuesday’s blog post. At a guess I hit the wrong button because I was getting ready for class, which was as always quite interesting. No matter how many ideas I come up with my student both bring more ideas and prompt me to find more. I am starting to love teaching online, I can grab so much more information while we are talking and show students more things. Yes I used to walk around a class showing them things on my screen but now they can have it on their device and save the links. It is so cool. I would like it to be easier for me to see more from students, but we are getting better at that and at meeting etiquette. I think September classes will have to be online. I can’t afford the cost of rent when classes don’t run, and with the reduced number of students I can’t make the costs work either. Apart from that the very responsible hall I hire can’t see a way for my class to run safely. So for now I need to find ways to make this work, and possibly look at online retreats and day classes. It will be differnt and some things will not be as good, but I think there will also be bonuses. Distance travel and parking are all easier. There is no scope to leave the critical item at home, or worse on your front doorstep.
I think a lot of our experience of this future will be in how we approach it. I hate all the stuff about positive mental attitudes, they usually really grate, but I guess it is what I am now saying. I feel I have to look for what I can do. The things I can’t do aren’t what defines the future. The Monday mystery solo robin has really brought this home to me. People found the no piecing instruction really hard. Yet the folded, or applique was fine. Both of those would work for the no piecing but some how when you are told not something that becomes what you focus on. So, I don’t not go out to exercise, I exercise at home saving time and money. I eat more home cooked food rather than not going out to eat. I thought that would be something I really missed, but it’s become normal and we do eat a lot of interesting things. I am still loving playing with new recipes, and tomorrow I am trying the next of the Apple cake recipes from my Nordic baking book. I think I have several years of recipes to keep us busy. I will get some duds, but hey I have had disappointing meals in restauraurants too. I am planning on having as much fun as possible with the future we didn’t plan for. I want to keep supporting smaller businesses especially those who deliver. Maybe it is very old fashioned of me but I love the deliveries, especially things like fresh produce. I am also loving seeing my customers and their quilts, and being able to take them in safely.
That’s probably as much as you want to read for now, but I will try for some little blogs with photos tomorrow while I am baking. No promises but I will try.