We are both enjoying the sun, making the most of stretching out, glass in hand, reading. It’s a bit like being on a cruise. Perhaps not for Judith. She is still cooking and washing up. Making the beds, washing, ironing.
Don’t think badly of me, l am doing my share, albeit in the garden. Yet it’s not a a chore, it’s enjoyable.
Judith praying for a white wine refill, and where’s the man with the fan.
Japanese garden taking shape, even managed to make covers for the compost bins at the back.
Nights are quite sticky, yet the reflection of the moon onto the Clyde is magical. As are. Judith’s new lights, festooned around our timber cubes.just noticed one is not working.
Making my sourdough loaf on a weekly basis. Have it down to a fine art these days. But in truth it’s the warmth that is making the difference. The 20 degree room temperature increases the rapid growth of the mother (starter which you feed on a daily basis).A friend was saying that it seems so laborious and time consuming, but in reality the effort is no more than that of making bread with yeast.
I believe l have included the recipe in my blog, but just to recap.
Making your sourdough starter:
And you only have to do this once, it lasts a lifetime.
Warm 175ml of milk, l used skimmed. Stir into 75ml of live yoghurt and leave in a covered bowl overnight.
The following morning, stir in any liquids that may have separated. Then stir in 120gm of strong white flour. Cover and leave at room temperature for two days.
After two days it should be full of bubbles and smell pleasantly sour.
Stir in 175 gm of strong white flour, 100ml water and 40ml of milk.
Leave again overnight.
Day five and the starter should be quite active and full of little bubbles. If not give it another day.
Your starter is ready to use.
To make a 2 x one pound loaf
Mix the following together. I use a Kenwood style food mixer with a dough hook.
500g strong white flour
400g of the starter you have made
250ml of water
3 tsp of sea salt
1 teaspoon of refined sugar.
Run it for two or three minutes, making sure you scrape the sides. Don’t waste any of the dough. The dough should be quite spongy at this point. Mix it with the dough hook for a little longer if necessary. It should be quite sticky.
Sprinkle the top with a little flour and cover with a clean damp tea towel. I use a disposable shower cap, the ones you find in posh hotels.
Leave for about three hours. It will rise, but not as much as a yeast loaf.
Coax the loaf out of the bowl onto a flowered work surface and knock it back. You may need to keep dusting your hands with flour, as it is quite wet.
I fold the mixture in half on itself. In other words, lift the the the right hand portion and put it onto the left half. In clock terms from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock. Turn the loaf to the 12 o’clock 6 o’clock.
Then ease and stretch the dough out on this 9 - 3 o’clock plane and once again fold the loaf in half on its self again.
So it’s pull out fold, turn than stretch out. It’s not a precise action, so don’t get stressed.
Just keep doing this for at least five minutes. You will find the dough become lovely and soft with a light spring to it.
Then place into two greased loaf tins, or if you prefer into a floured bowl or proving basket. Cover and let it rise for two to three hours.
If in the bowl, empty out onto a hot baking tray, score and cook for 35 to 40 minutes at 220C.
Enjoy.
Another good outing on the Kayak, although the wind was up to 3 on the Beaufort scale and choppy when we went round the point on Loch Striven. Rather scary in parts as the waves knock you from side to side and the kayak seems to feel as if it’s going over at any minute. Instructors explain how to cope, leg down against the incoming waves, and light paddling. You have a tendency to stop paddling, but they explain you need to maintain your stroke to keep your balanced. First time in these conditions, so happy to come through it without getting a soaking.
What’s happening around the world, Armageddon is coming, or has it already arrived. As l sit and watch the natural disasters occurring across the globe, surely it’s time for us to get to grips with climate change.
The evidence has been around for ages, but now the effects are being seen in the western world, the message is hitting home. The devastation is being experienced in its own back yard, compared to the third world countries where they have lived with the effects of devastating weather conditions for ages.
On a positive note, the U.K. is one of five nations that is likely to survive the expected collapse of global civilisation according to researchers at the Global Sustainability Institute at Anglia Ruskin University.
A study has suggested a combination of ecological destruction, limited resources and population growth could trigger a worldwide breakdown "within a few decades", with climate change making things worse.
Amazing aircraft has been flying past on a regular basis, it’s a plane come helicopter. Checked it out on the net, and found it’s called an Osprey, and it’s a American swift deployment craft that doesn’t need a runway, yet it can travel at 300 mph. Fascinating piece of kit. Based in Mildenhall in Suffolk. From what l can gather, the US and UK military operate these state-of-the-art aircraft. Forces.net, said the SAS, based at Credenhill near Hereford, has been training to use Ospreys in the fight against terrorism. The Ospreys would be twice as fast as the SAS's current transport and would be able to make the journey from Hereford to London in 30 minutes. So not sure if it is a U.K. or US operation up here in Scotland. But the BBC report that it’s the USAF increasing their presence over here.
This Thursday the kayaking session was based on capsizing. Something l have already experienced. So expecting to get wet and cold. Yet the weather is gorgeous at the moment, with temperatures up to 27 degrees as we enter the bay, with water temperatures up to a sizzling 15 degrees. Still cold if you aren’t in a wet suit. Fortunately as l have already been in the drink, and been rescued in water that was 10 degrees, l didn’t have to get in. Great.
Ian another new kayaker unexpectedly capsized and went in within five minutes. So getting into the water is always an option. Nevertheless l did manage to practice emptying a kayak after a capsize and rescue another kayaker. Great fun. The caveat being it was in calm waters. A different kettle of fish in rough weather.
The Waverley is busy, although with reduced numbers. Great to hear the thud, thud, thud of the oldest paddle steamer ploughing through the Clyde at a great speed.
This year we have had two sets of new born on our land. This is the mum with her two babies, which are now infants at a month old. The other mum only had one fawn, but l haven’t seen mum or baby for a while. Yet we have seen the evidence that they are enjoying snacks in our garden.
First cruise ship for a long time heading out of Greenock.
Last night we saw a Azamara ship heading out to start its repositioning.
Can’t wait to get back cruising.
Good walk from Irvine to Ardrossan. Judith believes my Dutch orange colours are little too much for the natives.
Made a slight wardrobe change in the afternoon. It was getting too warm to keep the fleece on. About ten miles, then we caught the bus back, picked up the car and headed to the hotel for dinner.
Once again, a brilliant deal on Itison. Two nights at the Riverside Lodge Hotel, b&b plus three course dinner and bubbly on the first night. All for the princely cost of £129 for the two of us. Unbelievable value.
After a stonking great breakfast we headed out to Prestwick beach. Another walk from www.GillianWalks.com website of Ayrshire rambles from a girl who loves the great outdoors.
You can the download them to your phone on the ViewRanger app, and use it in real time. So now we use various apps and websites that prove invaluable. AllTrails, Outdooractive and walkhighlands.co.uk, plus the two above.
Superb walk. A circular starting in Prestwick, over to Troon and back via the golf club. 12 miles with all the add ons.
A great circular walk, not too hot.
Sand dunes, smugglers route, open sand and Troon golf course. The course stretched from Troon to Prestwick. Packed out with budding Ryder Cup entrants.
Clouds were full at times, threatening, but just a five minute downpour at the end of the walk. Finished off with dinner in Prestwick at Wetherspoons before returning to the hotel.
Never noticed this light house stuck out in the Clyde before.
The point at Troon. Plenty of people fishing for mackerel. Others just enjoying the sun.
Troon in the distance
Rain just about to drop on us
Well deserved drink.
Another cruise ship stops off in Glasgow. This time it’s Fred Olsens , Borealis, a recent purchase from Holland and America, the old Rotterdam, sporting a new livery.
Never used Fred Olsen, although a few friends say it’s a good company. They have a superb round the world trip on offer for 2024. But realistically, l would prefer the QM2.
The Borealis is taking 105 days to circumnavigate the globe via Africa, Asia and the Americas, visiting many of the places that Filias Fogg travelled. My favourites being in the Pacific, Hawaii and Bora Bora.
They say you can get used to anything if you persevere long enough, but you have to try hard and then a little harder if you want to succeed.
Over the years l have managed to overcome certain infantile dislikes, such as green vegetables and salad leaves, even soft cooked tomatoes with a full cooked breakfast being accompanied by a runny fried egg. Although l still prefer to keep them separate on a plate.
One phobia that lasted a good forty years was the eating of pork. I couldn’t eat a pork chop, escalope or even roasted pork. The smell would send me hurtling to the bathroom. I’m sure it was because l was brought up around the animals. I loved them.
We also had an old fashioned butchers shop just up the road from us. The front half was no more than a butchers block, and you were served through a stable door. All the meat came in through the back door, alive. They actually slaughtered the animals on site. This was the days before EU regulation and environmental health officers. Perhaps these primitive methods had been observed at some point by a very young impressionable lad. Who knows for certain.
France cured me. At a friends house we were served roast pork. As not to offend, l tasted a little. Lo and behold it was scrumptious. Melted like butter in the mouth, and not piggy at all. These days it is one of my most favourite carnivore choices on the menu, especially belly pork with loads of crackling. Although we do tend to only eat meat of any kind only once a week these days. Another regime you can get used to, like the five two diet and giving up sugar in tea and coffee. I still have a problem weaning myself off doughnuts.
When it comes to other fears and phobias l have never had an aversion to a visit to a dentist, unlike many friends.
Judith needs either Valium or hypnosis to get her through the surgery door. Perhaps my lack of fear is attributed to the fact that l only visited a dentist once in thirty years from the time l came into this world. This changed when l met Judith. Pre covid we visited the reclining chair at least twice a year. As Judith constantly reminds me that l am very fortunate not to have problems with my nashers. Yet they have recommended a specific toothpaste, it’s supposed to do my gums good, but it tastes bloody awful. It has this unusual texture, a bit like polyfilla. Not that l have intentionally tasted wall filler. With a salty and carbolic aftertaste. Twice a day l go through this torture. Why can’t l just have the usual minty Colgate, with whitener and fluoride.
Anyway l am now coming to the end of my first tube, and l am addicted. In fact I would go as far as to say l even enjoy the taste.
Just goes to show you can overcome lots of things if you keep at it long enough.which reminds me, our 32nd wedding anniversary is coming up next month. It’s a good job Judith doesn’t read my diary. Love her to bits really.
On a similar theme. I can’t say l like microwave ovens, although they are great at melting butter, cooking my porridge that’s been soaking overnight and reheating my tea that has gone cold. It’s just too brutal a cooking method. Microns bombarding your food. Yuk.
But l do love baked cheesecakes. I was about to make one for friends who were visiting, when Judith passes me a 5 minute recipe for cheese cake.
After a heated discussion l succumbed to test trying the individual recipe.
All l can say is that it’s truly amazing. Give it a whirl. It’s simplicity itself. In fact, we had some cream cheese that needed eating up, so l shared a ramekin with Judith this evening. Slight exaggeration. Judith had four teaspoons.
Ingredients
for 1 serving
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 ginger biscuits
- 4 oz cream cheese (115 g), softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 drops vanilla extract
- 5 fresh raspberries, for serving
Preparation
- Melt the butter in a small microwaveable ramekin. Tilt the ramekin to coat the sides.
- Crush the ginger biscuits into fine crumbs, then add to the ramekin with the butter and mix well. With a spoon, press the crust evenly against the bottom of the dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla, stirring until there are no lumps.
- Spread the filling on top of the crushed ginger nuts.
- Microwave for at least 4 minutes, 45 seconds at a time, at half power. Make sure the cheesecake does not bubble over the sides of the ramekin.
- Chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, until completely cool to the touch.
- With a knife, loosen the edges of the cheesecake, then invert onto a plate, or eat straight from the dish.
- Top with a few raspberries.
- Enjoy!
MSC heads out this evening through a slight sprinkling of rain. The garden could do with a little more rain. Us Brits are never happy. We complain when it’s wet, then it’s too hot.
I wonder if l can start training my trees to look like this. It’s an amazing technique.
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