Drink Has Been Taken

Bless - your lovely comment about the candle ended up in my spam folder. Thank you. It's all very relaxed here.

Eileen - it's been incredibly relaxing.

I didn't watch the funeral. I wasn't sure about it. I was glued to the screen about the sad news and the announcements at the Privy Council. Today, I thought I would look away. 

Drink has been taken so I'm not sure how much sense I'll make.

Bear has tomorrow off school. At this time of year, the school closes for at least a day for entrance examinations. They should have been today, but they closed for the funeral. I can still remember bear's exam day. His exams were on a Saturday so DH and I were there. The queues were huge and ran down both sides of the street. I know that the year that bear applied, 800 kids sat the exams. Most of them queued with a lot more family members. It was very chaotic. A few years ago it was 1000 applicants, and I have no idea how many now. Bear was very calm about the whole thing and far less stressed about it than us. We took him to get a lego set, so that he had something to take his mind off things, but he didn't see what all the fuss was about. I hope that calm carries on to his GCSEs. 

I was, and am, very grateful that bear was able to not only sit but also pass the exams. He didn't get much prep, and I tried to make it safe for him. He was fine. We have been so blessed with him. 

It's been so quiet today. We have, as usual, spent a lot of the day in the study. Bear has been playing computer games while listening to YouTube channels. I've been pottering around and reading. DH has been listening to podcasts. As the days get a little colder, it will make more and more sense for us to settle down in one room and stay warm together to save energy. It also feels emotionally warm. We're not intruding on each other, but still in each other's company. 

Speaking of saving energy, dinner was relatively low energy. We had veggie sausages cooked for fifteen in a halogen oven, which is relatively energy efficient. I also boiled potatoes for mash with a steamer full of frozen peas on top. We also had gravy, which was the granule stuff and so only cost the energy to boil a kettle. 

I got a sack of potatoes in the Morrisons delivery. I was wondering what sort of quality I'd get. It was £2.99 for 7.5kg so I wasn't sure, but they look pretty good.

They were lovely, fresh and firm and made delicious mash. There is going to be a lot of potatoes eaten over the next week or so.

I think it's going to be interesting to see how cooking changes over the the next year or so as energy prices stablise. I bunged a steamer on top of the potatoes because that's what I've been doing for most of my married life. It's only a few pennies, but it all adds up. I suspect that we are going to see a lot more about how to use an airfryer, or a slow cooker, or even a haybox. I look forward to seeing the new ideas.

Hugs and good health to all.