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....though that's not what I had for dinner! I sometimes draw a blank thinking of snappy post titles and that was the best I could come up with tonight. The pheasant in question was actually a whole family that emerged this morning from the overgrown field at the back of the house. They make such a distinctive noise so their presence is always heralded by shrieks and fluttering wings.
However, today there was not just the male and female but two (or it may even be three) youngsters...rather drab like their mum and equally poor flyers. Now I know that they're there I'll try and get a photo of them and I'll have to keep an eye on Thomas who will chance his arm, or his paw, with anything he thinks he has even the slightest chance of catching.
No, dinner was a juicy Sirloin steak that my sister brought for me yesterday...a rare treat indeed, though I don't like my steak rare! My idea of relaxed cooking went awry though, as I was watching the Andy Murray v Vergasco tennis match and decided to get dinner between sets in case it went on for hours. So, onions fried in the pan before adding red wine and vegetable stock followed by mushrooms and a dot of butter. I moved everything over to make room for the steak and cooked it fast with just some black pepper on top. Then it was into the garden with my knife to cut the courgette....
....look at that whopper! (no rude comments at the back please!) I sliced it and fried it in a separate pan with just a pinch of salt and a dash of olive oil. While that was softening I took the steak out to rest and thickened the pan juices with a dash of cream and a knob of butter. A few spoonfuls of mash - yes, I cheated and used instant (I know, but it's not bad and quite low carb comparitively) and that was dinner made very quickly. It was delicious too, though I nearly gave myself indigestion through eating it whilst watching the tennis....I won't give the result in case I spoil it for anyone, but I felt quite wrung out by the end of it!
That was my recipe for today anyway - lol! I've been listing a few more items onto my Etsy shop today which you can see in the thumbnail photos on the left or by clicking my Etsy banner. However, here's a quick look at them anyway! This is a canvas called "Mischief".....
...and I checked for naughty words in the background this time as I previously managed to cover a canvas with a dictionary page with the word "excrement" all over it! Charming! After all this time I still forget to read the words sometimes!
I've also listed one of the pendants that I made a few weeks ago using Ice Resin....
Finally, another of the paintings that I did a few years ago when I specialised in detailed flora and fauna pictures. This one is simply called "Porcelain Mushrooms" and they are the white ones on the fallen tree stump.....
....you wouldn't believe how long it would take me to complete a painting like that. This one is quite a large picture so I'd have spent weeks working on it off and on. I think my eyes were a bit better then too!
Personal Impressions new Christmas stamps (including mine of course!) look to be on track to be coming into stock very soon, and I have earmarked the next few weeks for working on lots of festive samples which I'll share with you as and when of course. So, not much travelling out and about whilst I concentrate on the new projects, one of which will be a Doo Lally Christmas sweatshirt of course!
Tara has been a much happier little girl today. She can be a grumpy little minx at the best of times, but she's been very out of sorts indeed as she somehow managed to get a big clump of her fur into a real matted mess on her back. Being the snarly, spitty, scratchy little monster that she is (think Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil) it was proving very tricky to get it sorted. However, they both went out early this morning and got rather damp and because her fur was wet I was able to see the problem more easily. I had to keep her bowl topped up with munchies whilst I quickly snipped away at the offending fur. I think she finally realised that I was actually trying to help her because she didn't attack me or run off!
So, I managed to cut the matted patch off and, although she has a rather bald looking area now, she's much happier and spent much of today rubbing her face against me and purring very loudly. The fur will grow back very quickly and she'll be back to her pretty Princess Tippy Toes self! I think I may have more success with her diet now too as a conversation with my neighbour has revealed that, when I'm away, she has been feeding them twice the amount of food that they're supposed to have due to a somewhat dramatic misunderstanding in communication somewhere along the line!
I picked up two absolute bargains yesterday whilst I was out with Heather. As with most bargains, I wasn't actually looking for them.....when you are looking you never see anything do you? Anyway, one was a Laura Ashley black velvet skirt...almost full length with an assymetrical hemline....that cost the grand sum of £3.00! I spent a little more on the next item - a very smart three quarter length black jacket from Debenhams for all of £5.95! It's perfect for when I'm on church duties. The sleeves, as usual, are a little long for me, so the only downside is that I will have to alter those and have yet to decide the best way to do it as it's a very well made jacket with a lining (pink!) and I don't want to mess it up....sewing is not my forté!
I bought both items from two charity shops in the village - oh I do love a bargain! Whenever David and I went anywhere new I could always guarantee that he would make a bee line for all the charity shops before anything else - so I guess it's stuck with me.
Last night I decided to sew the canvas that Heather gave to me onto the rotating frame so I've started stitching the design now. It isn't a tapestry as I first thought, but is a cross stitch with wool on printed canvas...basically doing a tapestry twice really! I'm sure it will take me forever to complete, but I'd forgotten just how relaxing it can be and I'll enjoy the process. When it's finished I'll turn it into a cushion and T and T will be barred from sitting on it!
Well, a rather random mix of things in this post! I'll sign off now and it's time for a relax on the sofa.
3 comments:
Your dinner sounds lovely! Although I don't eat beef, you made it sound as if I would have really enjoyed it!!
Hope you manage to get some photos of the Pheasant family! Love the sound of your bargains! My eldest son, who at one time would never have set foot in a charity shop gets quite a few bargains which he is always keen to point out now!! Take care, hugs, Chrisxx
You tennis fans must be having a great time at the moment. This year's Wimbledon is full of surprises. Your dinner is making my mouth water (Sirloin is my younger brother's fave treat too). Well done on unmatting Tara's fur. Cats aren't easy to help out. I had to give my troublesome feline, eye drops last week. Most of the time was spent chasing him around the room as he'd wriggle free. I only had one hand to hold him & point his face upwards whilst the other hand held the eye drops. And try not to come away with too many claws embedded in me either lol. Your artwork & creations are gorgeous. I daren't think about how much time was spent on your paintings. Looking forward to seeing your festive samples soon. Pxx
Thanks for thhis
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