Since we’ve moved to Hadspen, we’re starting to enjoy the quiet life. Without the demands of having to be in a certain place at a certain time, we find ourselves waking at about 9 o’clock most mornings. One reason for the late awakening is that the curtains in the caravan are so effective that we don’t get the sun to remind us; another is that we are staying up later at nights so can expect to be a bit tardy in the morning. Of course, the main reason is that we are enjoying the chance to lie-in after decades of having to be up with the lark.
We had a terrible storm last night. We had gone down to Deloraine for the night as I had a few things to do today and had settled down to watch an evening’s television. We heard the heavy rain, then the thunder, and wild winds, and the power went off. Luckily, Marilyn knew where to put her hands on a little torch but there was nothing for it but to go to bed – at 9.15!! The real worry was that I had left the awning attached to the caravan and it was 40 Km away. We thought about getting in the car and driving to Hadspen but didn’t want to take the chance on the road.
This morning we rang Jamie and asked him to check whether everything was OK. When he arrived, he found the next door neighbour, Eric, tightening the fittings on the awning and making sure nothing was damaged. We were lucky this time and have learnt that it is not a good idea to leave the awning unattended especially when bad weather is predicted. Thanks to a good neighbour, we came out unscathed.
Marilyn had a day of cooking today. She decided that she would use the time while I was busy to cook up some dishes to stock the freezer. The beauty of the plan is that the cooking would be done in the kitchen at 26 Tower Hill St and there would be no cooking smells in the caravan.
She had sorted out several new recipes – today she managed to make double helpings of Chicken, Leek and Mushroom casserole, cooked in white wine, and Chicken Satay Rissoles. The main exercise, though, was to try out our Dreampot, which the Giant Steps staff gave to me when I retired.
This is a great machine. The outer pot is a very well-insulated container. You put the inner pot with all the hot ingredients into the Dreampot, close the lid and they continue to cook. Today, we had decided on an Irish stew made with lamb shanks. We put all the ingredients into the inner pot, covered it with water, cooked it for only 10 minutes and then transferred the whole thing, pot and all into the Dreampot, closed the lid and left it for 3 hours.
We carried the pot back to the caravan and, when we opened it, it was wonderful. The meat was tender, the vegetables perfect and it was at exactly the right temperature to eat. I can imagine this will become a well-used utensil in the kitchen. Marilyn has already worked out that I can prepare the meal outside on the portable gas stove, seal it and open it when we are ready to eat – and no cooking smells in the van.
Mum moved into her new nursing home last week and is enjoying the extra space, the wider corridors and the views of Mt Keira. Funnily enough, Uncle Archie has just been offered a place in the same complex. He has recently been assessed as needing a higher level of care and Diment Towers can’t provide that adequately so he needs to move. He certainly won’t be happy about it as he enjoys his little unit but the new place has a lot to offer. We’re pleased that, although he will be in the same building, he won’t be in the same area as Mum. In fact, they will have different dining rooms and sitting rooms. They will only see each other by arrangement and not too often. It will be interesting to see how things will work out.
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