Here are some more bits of home life, as the (much!) earlier darkness and colder nights mean I am more at home than during the warmer months.
Lucky, my downstairs neighbours' cat, came visiting several weeks ago. He's become awfully thin during the past months, and I've said so a few times to my neighbour. She waited very long before she finally took him to the vet's, and my initial suspicion of him having thyroid problems was confirmed. He now has to take tablets every day and is slowly getting better. But he is an elderly cat, and realistically won't be around for many more years.
Fog on the morning of the 16th of October:
A very different picture the next morning! These were taken within 20 minutes of each other:
Cold weather means soup and stew time! I made myself a very thick soup (almost a mash) of sweet potato and parsley root. It practically made itself - all I had to do was peel the spuds, cut them and the parsley roots into pieces and have them simmer in salted water until they were mashable while I was doing other things.
The best use for slightly stale bread is to cut it into small bits and roast it in a bit of oil in a pan, and then use it on top of soups or salads.
This was nice and just the right kind of spicy (with some ginger and a pinch of nutmeg), perfect to warm oneself up on a chilly October evening.
I'm leaving a comment because, in light of what you say, I feel I should :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mike :-)
DeleteWhat wonderfully different photos of the same place. Change makes life interesting. I'm so glad you were able to nudge your neighbor into taking her elderly cat to the vets, and, of course, I always like to read about soup...Ginger and nutmeg are not the spices I usually use, but I think I will try a soup with these for a change. We're in the second day of very warm but tomorrow we return to soup weather.
ReplyDeleteOne should think I get bored by the same view every morning, but it really never looks exactly the same. And now that we have reached the time of year when I am not getting up too late for sunrises, the view is even more interesting and changes within minutes.
DeleteI love soups, especially those made with sweet potato or butternut squash- (usually both combined). I find I can make quite a good batch and if I heat it up every day it stays fresh for a good 5 days. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't really eat bread much but love the idea of the toasted croutons. :)
It's sad when pets get old, but your neighbours' cat looks like a well loved cat, and that's all we can hope for is that he's had a happy life until the end. :)
Butternut squash is great for soups, too. I love bread and eat some nearly every day, although I try to rather have a salad at dinner (without bread or croutons) when I've had bread or another high-carb meal for lunch.
DeleteLucky is much loved by his folks, they just didn't think anything was wrong with him as long as he was eating with a huge appetite. I knew the signs from my old cat.
Mmmm....soup sounds good. It needs to cool down a bit more where I live, though, before I start making it. Toasted croutons sound delicious, too!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll make another potful of soup for the weekend. Not exactly the same - that's impossible, as the ingredients always vary.
DeleteLove the photos from your window, you have such a pretty view of the world, don't you?
ReplyDeleteThe cat does look very thin. I remember feeding my cat tuna water (the water from a tin of canned tuna). Minnie liked the tuna water better than the tuna!
Poor Lucky has become very bony, really had me worried and I am glad my neighbour has finally taken him to the vet's.
DeleteMy last cat, Pukky, was crazy about ham! She would always look at Steve when we were having breakfast, never at me - knowing full well I would not give her anything from the table :-)
I love soup and make a lot. I made a huge pan of kumara (sweet potato) and butternut squash at the start of the week (I then blitz that particular soup to make it a smooth one). I love croutons but never think to make them so that's an idea you've given me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Graham! Had it not been for the bread gone a little stale, I wouldn't have made croutons out of it; it seems a waste of fresh bread. A good chunk of crisp baguette goes well with soup, too.
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