Well, the small sitting room has been destroyed and is being put back together again. And as a result we have “moved into” the room that will eventually become our dining and living room, open plan with the kitchen. We sold the big sofa which sadly was never going to fit, and bought a sofa bed for the little sitting room, which is currently residing at the end of our bed (the sofa I mean, not the sitting room). We have moved the new bucket chair into the “new” living room together with one of Badger’s camping chairs for now (see picture). But … it’s going to be AMAZING. I am loving the ambiance already … well we both are – being able to be with Mark, listen to the music, keep an eye on the TV, wander in and out of the kitchen when my timer goes to tell me that something is cooked.

Result ? Well, home made bread, cakes, and general foods – I went mad on the Seasoned Pioneers website and bought a big batch of spices as you can see in my picture.

Over the past few weeks I have been cooking up some fun stuff – and getting Mark used to the idea that fish is edible. Spiced monkfish, for example, grilled to blistering point, and served with naan bread. Baked sea bass with capers and lemon sauce. And the meat. Oh the meat. Leg of lamb baked in some of those delicious spices with home made flat breads. Wonderful beef in red wine, or perhaps Guinness. Trouble is those sort of things require reasonable quantities to be cooked if they are going to taste of anything, so I have a freezer that is bulging at the seams. Trouble is, you see, that I can’t walk past without popping in to see if there is something yummy. Then I buy it and … don’t get something else out of the freezer. Oh dear.

I am determined that this month I will start to reduce the food mountain that has accumulated. Probably.

So … to that end, what have I done today. Well I cooked a chicken last night. So that’s two lots of meat ready for a pie into the freezer. And the chicken stock. And tonight I have made basil and rocket pesto for a pasta bake. But it turned out as a double quantity, so that’s half of that into the freezer . And the trouble is with traybakes, there is too much for us to eat before it goes stale so … each time I make a new one – and making new ones is such fun – half goes into the freezer.

The picture by the way is bread for tomorrow, the almond and cherry cake (and yes, I know the cherries sank but it tastes fabulous) and the pasta with the pesto waiting for its topping of grated cheese and pine nuts before it goes into the oven for baking.

And we can’t have anyone to stay for a while to help eat it all as we have no spare room and no spare bed, so we can’t invite friends to come up and eat – yet. But believe me, once that spare room is done … once it’s done … we can’t wait !!