Today I share my domestic New Year resolutions – perhaps in 2025 the courtyard will stop looking like a builder’s yard? – along with the first market haul and a recipe for roasted Jerusalem artichokes
Welcome back - your post made me smile in January which is a great achievement ! I’ve been reading the magnificent Mirror and the Glass - Hilary Mantel but now switched to Holy Island a crime thriller by L Ross for something closer to home .
Lovely to see you back posting and sharing your beautiful home with us. My best wishes too that this year brings more joy and fewer tears.
I was taught my freezer lesson the first Christmas we moved into this house when I made the gravy for the turkey with what I was sure was the chicken stock I had frozen for this very purpose about a month before the move. The looks on my family’s faces immediately showed me that I had erred and it turned out that I had used some old fish stock instead.
Still it has made for a good story over the years.
My answer to the freezer problem is a roll of bright green painters’ tape Frog Tape and a Sharpie. It stays stuck while in the freezer and is easily removable from boxes and plastic bags when you’ve used the contents.
Happy New Year to you too, Debora. I have not made any NY Resolutions as I was sick to death of failing on them every damn year. Thought it was better not to build in disappointment from day one!
Let's hope for a year of success for both of us - even if I am Not Making Any Resolutions!
Happy New Year, Debora. Do keep us posted on your home improvements. I’ve always wanted a pantry; I think it must be rooted in childhood when my parents watched Upstairs, Downstairs, and I harboured aspirations to be posh! I tried converting the porch off the kitchen into a pantry, but it doesn’t quite work when you’re fighting with coats and muddy boots for space. (I suppose if desperate/tragic, I could call it a boot room). Yours sounds much more appealing, as does the little terrace off the kitchen. Wishing you all the very best for 2025.
If you are up for historical fiction, I can recommend the 'Fortunes of France' series by Robert Merle, the first four of which have been translated into English. They are set in Perigord during the religious wars of the 16th century; the first book 'The Brethren' is a terrific read and might be worth a try even if you don't like historical fiction.
Many years ago I read and enjoyed a Jonathan Sumption book, ' The Albigensian Crusade', but enjoyment of that might depend on how keen you are on medieval warfare.
On the question of labels ... I had to buy myself a label maker. My problem is not just the freezer, but also the spice drawer where I persistently decent spices, and worse, spice mixes, into jars and then spend huge amounts of time staring, sniffing and using the wrong thing. Strangely, I seem quite happy to use a gadget to print a label, using a pen to write a label remains beyond my capabilities.
I am hopeless about resolutions but this year I have created a deadline; I have offered to host our annual big family reunion (cousins, spouses and next generations - there are a lot of us) so this is the year I HAVE to get the garden spruced up and redecorate the sitting room and paint the downstairs loo and get the gate fixed and oh god oh god oh god..... I originally had a year to do all this and have just realised it is now down to 7 months.
I like the idea of more sparkle. Just yesterday I was thinking I miss the Christmas tree which is something that has never happened before. I must find another way to sparkle up the sitting room (see list above).
Happy New Year Debora, I can only imagine how disciplined and 'always on' you need to be to publish regularly and be endlessly entertaining and upbeat. It's quite an ask! I don't blame you at all for occasional skips in the schedule.
Like others, I'd noticed that sometimes the newsletter didn't arrive, but your content and glimpses into your life are a constant source of inspiration. Thank YOU. Congratulations to Sean on winning second place.... that's a huge achievement 💖
Wishing you a 2025 that's full of wonderful things including the shower cabinet.... I think the idea of challenging your builder to replicate it at a more reasonable price is definitely worth doing!! Bon chance 🙏
Oh, you bought persimmons, lucky you. I ordered some from our shop in the village just before Christmas, was told they would be here for the Saturday if the ferry turned up,(prone to bad weather disruptions, I’m in Westray, Orkney), forgot to go on the Saturday, remembered Monday and they had sold out. That’s it for the year. Sigh.
I, too, have had the freezer mixup, coincidentally involving just the same things. A sharpie is indeed your friend!
Resolutions…hmm, I’m not going to set myself up to fail so have resolved to be positive and realistic as last year was a bit of a challenge:
I’ll try to paint or draw more, walk every day, at least round to the allotment, grow salads and veg successionally to try and avoid the gluts and not get too frantic about the upcoming family weddings that I’m ‘doing’ the flowers for.
I only have two things I want to achieve this year, one is to read more books, so far I’m down two, and I want to get back into my art room, one painting on the go, next month it will be on Substack. We inherited chandeliers when we bought our present home, there was a small one in the room we made an office so I moved it into the laundry (my favourite room), and thankfully there was a butlers pantry, but of course I still run out of space, goodness knows what I will do if we ever move. Now to the freezer, 99% of what I freeze I label, and like you the one that wasn’t labelled was NOT what I thought it was. I buy labels from Officeworks that are especially for the freezer so they stay stuck on. Thank you for another great read and for the recipe. 🤗
Lovely to see you land in my inbox. Happy new year. Your newsletter made me smile (as always ) and I need to label my freezer stuff too. We are currently playing fast and loose with “freezer roulette “ 🤣 and also had an apple sauce situation. But with cauliflower. I was so sure it was cheese sauce , thankfully I realised as it was defrosting (made your lovely roasted cauliflower date salad from your book instead ! Nice to have you back. I hope 2025 is filled with sparkle for you. Xxx
I buy removable sticky labels for the freezer because I’m so tired of defrosting the wrong thing! I try not to use bags - I freeze in Tupperware style stuff or glass jars so labels work better
Happy new Year Debora
Welcome back - your post made me smile in January which is a great achievement ! I’ve been reading the magnificent Mirror and the Glass - Hilary Mantel but now switched to Holy Island a crime thriller by L Ross for something closer to home .
Lovely to see you back posting and sharing your beautiful home with us. My best wishes too that this year brings more joy and fewer tears.
I was taught my freezer lesson the first Christmas we moved into this house when I made the gravy for the turkey with what I was sure was the chicken stock I had frozen for this very purpose about a month before the move. The looks on my family’s faces immediately showed me that I had erred and it turned out that I had used some old fish stock instead.
Still it has made for a good story over the years.
My answer to the freezer problem is a roll of bright green painters’ tape Frog Tape and a Sharpie. It stays stuck while in the freezer and is easily removable from boxes and plastic bags when you’ve used the contents.
Happy New Year to you too, Debora. I have not made any NY Resolutions as I was sick to death of failing on them every damn year. Thought it was better not to build in disappointment from day one!
Let's hope for a year of success for both of us - even if I am Not Making Any Resolutions!
PS Fab shower
Happy new year. Great to have you back and lovely to imagine life in January in Marseillain.
After watching conclave I’ve just finished the book.
Happy New Year, Debora. Do keep us posted on your home improvements. I’ve always wanted a pantry; I think it must be rooted in childhood when my parents watched Upstairs, Downstairs, and I harboured aspirations to be posh! I tried converting the porch off the kitchen into a pantry, but it doesn’t quite work when you’re fighting with coats and muddy boots for space. (I suppose if desperate/tragic, I could call it a boot room). Yours sounds much more appealing, as does the little terrace off the kitchen. Wishing you all the very best for 2025.
Happy New Year Debora.
If you are up for historical fiction, I can recommend the 'Fortunes of France' series by Robert Merle, the first four of which have been translated into English. They are set in Perigord during the religious wars of the 16th century; the first book 'The Brethren' is a terrific read and might be worth a try even if you don't like historical fiction.
Many years ago I read and enjoyed a Jonathan Sumption book, ' The Albigensian Crusade', but enjoyment of that might depend on how keen you are on medieval warfare.
On the question of labels ... I had to buy myself a label maker. My problem is not just the freezer, but also the spice drawer where I persistently decent spices, and worse, spice mixes, into jars and then spend huge amounts of time staring, sniffing and using the wrong thing. Strangely, I seem quite happy to use a gadget to print a label, using a pen to write a label remains beyond my capabilities.
I am hopeless about resolutions but this year I have created a deadline; I have offered to host our annual big family reunion (cousins, spouses and next generations - there are a lot of us) so this is the year I HAVE to get the garden spruced up and redecorate the sitting room and paint the downstairs loo and get the gate fixed and oh god oh god oh god..... I originally had a year to do all this and have just realised it is now down to 7 months.
I like the idea of more sparkle. Just yesterday I was thinking I miss the Christmas tree which is something that has never happened before. I must find another way to sparkle up the sitting room (see list above).
Happy New Year Debora, I can only imagine how disciplined and 'always on' you need to be to publish regularly and be endlessly entertaining and upbeat. It's quite an ask! I don't blame you at all for occasional skips in the schedule.
Like others, I'd noticed that sometimes the newsletter didn't arrive, but your content and glimpses into your life are a constant source of inspiration. Thank YOU. Congratulations to Sean on winning second place.... that's a huge achievement 💖
Wishing you a 2025 that's full of wonderful things including the shower cabinet.... I think the idea of challenging your builder to replicate it at a more reasonable price is definitely worth doing!! Bon chance 🙏
Oh, you bought persimmons, lucky you. I ordered some from our shop in the village just before Christmas, was told they would be here for the Saturday if the ferry turned up,(prone to bad weather disruptions, I’m in Westray, Orkney), forgot to go on the Saturday, remembered Monday and they had sold out. That’s it for the year. Sigh.
Happy New Year Debora.
Lovely to have you back.
I, too, have had the freezer mixup, coincidentally involving just the same things. A sharpie is indeed your friend!
Resolutions…hmm, I’m not going to set myself up to fail so have resolved to be positive and realistic as last year was a bit of a challenge:
I’ll try to paint or draw more, walk every day, at least round to the allotment, grow salads and veg successionally to try and avoid the gluts and not get too frantic about the upcoming family weddings that I’m ‘doing’ the flowers for.
We’ll see…
The history of the world in 100plants by Simon Barnes.
Resolution to read all the books recommended by the Queen's Reading Room this year. The first one Anne Frank's diary.
Second to stick to gardening plan
I only have two things I want to achieve this year, one is to read more books, so far I’m down two, and I want to get back into my art room, one painting on the go, next month it will be on Substack. We inherited chandeliers when we bought our present home, there was a small one in the room we made an office so I moved it into the laundry (my favourite room), and thankfully there was a butlers pantry, but of course I still run out of space, goodness knows what I will do if we ever move. Now to the freezer, 99% of what I freeze I label, and like you the one that wasn’t labelled was NOT what I thought it was. I buy labels from Officeworks that are especially for the freezer so they stay stuck on. Thank you for another great read and for the recipe. 🤗
Don't give up on your Drummonds Dream. We'll crowdfund it. Will send a crate of wetwipes to tide you over.
Lovely to see you land in my inbox. Happy new year. Your newsletter made me smile (as always ) and I need to label my freezer stuff too. We are currently playing fast and loose with “freezer roulette “ 🤣 and also had an apple sauce situation. But with cauliflower. I was so sure it was cheese sauce , thankfully I realised as it was defrosting (made your lovely roasted cauliflower date salad from your book instead ! Nice to have you back. I hope 2025 is filled with sparkle for you. Xxx
I buy removable sticky labels for the freezer because I’m so tired of defrosting the wrong thing! I try not to use bags - I freeze in Tupperware style stuff or glass jars so labels work better