I just finished driving across two provinces in Canada on my own and wanted to say thank you for being my companion for the past two days. I've been "rewatching" (read listening only) a lot of your In The Kitchen playlist. Your videos are so comforting and I often feel like we are two friends catching up when I listen to or watch your videos. I hope you are having a great week Vivi!
All the best Vivi. You are so clever and resourceful. I separated from my husband after 30 years, a few years back. I paid him out to keep the house but I wish now he had taken the house and I had had a fresh start in a new place. Would have been good to have a new place and a new outlook. I think you will be fine. If I was in the UK, I’d offer to come and help you move your stuff. All the best from Australia.
Self-discipline is the key, and is what I'm trying to learn! 🙈 I'm getting there, but I struggle with MH issues and at times comfort eat, which is when things spiral, and my efforts are undone 😭 And I HATE kitchen paper towels. My parents feel they can't live without it, but they didn't grown up with them!
I so admire the way you have gone about finding your new home, Vivi. I will certainly take some tips from that when I come to hunt for my next one. I've lived in the same house for 27 years now, and there were some regrets I had to live with, my own dealbreakers that I overlooked in the hurry to buy a place in what was then a seller's market. For example, we ended up with a dreary North-facing patio garden and kitchen. It's a very big kitchen but it's always been cold. And it took us 25 years to fix the garden up properly!
The tiny homes, or small apartments have fold-out beds that go back into a cabinet. You could turn the bedroom into an office during the day. They make them with hydraulics so it takes minimal effort to fold it away. It could help with the space usage issues. Good luck with the flat hunting.
Unfortunately, buying, or in my case building, is always compromise. The challenge is to work around the compromise. In my case, I had go go smaller, which ended up being a blessing in the cost of living crisis that came after. Glad I don't have to heat a big home. This is not my forever home, as I'm in the middle of the woods, on 400 meters above sea level. Steap hills and narrow roads. Lots of snow and ice in the winter. I am looking, plan is to move in 5 years time when I have turned 60. But, flats are so much more expensive than houses. I just hope I find somewhere. Like you, my non-negotiables are south-west small facing garden. I would love 2 bedrooms. We will see 😘 Feel better soon! 💐
I hope you're feeling better soon Vivi. Lots of long lasting bugs about at the moment. I had a cold and a lingering horrible cough for 3 weeks but better now. Thankyou for another chat even though you're under the weather. Take care of yourself lovely lady xx
Oh I'm glad you're feeling better now....ugh, so many folk seem to have this cold at the moment.....I can't shake it either.....now going into its second week. Grr.
Lovely post Vivi - not the fact that you're under the weather but good, positive reflections. I think that because giving up the garden took a little while in the end that it was able to filter and settle into your psyche. I'm doing food cupboard/freezer inventories at the moment ready to stock up so I don't have to go out too much when it's icy (the way the weather is that doesn't seem too far off☹). My late son called it the Apocalpse Cupboard 😄but was happy to raid it when his funds were a bit low. I hope things are progressing on the sale/purchase front - although I remember it as a stop-start-stop sort of process.
Nostalgia is how I would describe how you seem to be feeling upon giving up your shed. I often make it a point to thank things and places for their service. Hope this helps.
The kitchen is the heart of the home. No question there at all! You really are tottering on the cusp of the next phase of your life, Vivi! I can see and hear your excitement in your slightly hoarse voice. Feel better soon!
Ps. Fasolada. Drool! I don’t have gigantes but may make it with some Canellini beans. Not the same! Might see if I can buy some “butter beans” as they sell bigger Lima beans in a can but prefer to use the gigantes. Adding them to my Xmas wish list lol! I have tons of navy beans, brown lentils, dried peas and plain white rice. Bought some fresh kal and had to laugh bc I used to not be able to give it away I had such excess. Crazy when you don’t have a garden what you value and miss. The dry gigantes on Amazon aren’t cheap either. I hope you feel better. Don’t forget to eat your porridge and have breakfast. I have some steel cut oats. Maybe will do an oatmeal bake? I have dried fruits here or maybe apple and pear oat bake. Wish I could drop you by some soup and some treats and a hug. Feel better and take care of yourself. Ps. Sweet potatoes. Insane prices. I use them as one of the bases for Ellie’s food also so oh my word. Keep your eyes on sales. They are often cheaper in November here I think. Maybe. We can hope. 😅
Hiya Vivi enjoyed a catch up in the kitchen ( agree100%). Glad to hear you feel better. Nice news re the shed oh what fun the wee ones will have I’m sure. Take care Luv Southern Ontario Canada 🇨🇦🐝
I put a comment on the squash vlog, Vivi, but came to check this one out, too. You have helped me immensely. Like you, I have a cold these days, but I had veggies that needed to be used up and I didn't want to waste them.
At your grocery store do they have an area where old and dented produce is significantly marked down? We often have it and some is not usable but sometimes it’s stuff like dented apples or a whole bag of citrus fruit with one bad in the bunch. I get a lot of apples and make apple sauce in water bath canner or you can freeze apple pieces for later baking yummy desserts or just tossing with a little brown sugar and cinnamon or in a savory dish like braised red cabbage. I found myself with two red cabbages so made a slow cooker pot of braised cabbage and added an extra apple bc I had some not as edible as cooking ones. It was super yummy and almost borderline a dessert bc it has a little sugar in it to balance the acid or vinegar. Not sure if that’s your cuppa tea but apples are good cooked with savory dishes and cheaper this time of year and sometimes free. Have you visited your apple tree that you planted in the park or was that a pear tree. I can’t remember. I have to do some apple Sauce soon but have just been having sliced apples and a little cheddar when I need a fast lunch or tired dinner or big snack. It’s a semi healthy tv snack but more like a meal really. Are you entirely done at the allotment now so you can’t get apples there either? Also wanted to say I get semi elderly but still crunchy carrots sometimes at my food bank and I wash them well and keep them in a plastic produce bag from the store twisted shut in the crisper drawer and they seem to last for a long long time that way. I always keep them at the bottom of the drawer and grab out one or two for cooking recipes as needed. I used to her tons of them but not so much now so interesting to hear how you extend the produce Pennie’s since it’s one of the most expensive things. I have been cooking with sales as well and seasonal vs offers is tricky bc you can go in intending for one menu and come out with some frozen veg that are super duper cheap or some on offer item you didn’t expect. I wanted some chocolate and grabbed some choc instant pudding. It was on offer so I came out with three. I was in a hurry and realized I bought three of the kind you need to stand around and stir to make. Lol. Oops. A luxury item but like you and the occasional brew, I need my chocolate for sanity. I’ve learned some super cheap recipes for that indulgence. But the brassicas are defo the option for now and I have some cauliflower I need ideas for. I usually make aloo Gobi if I have it and potatoes which I do so maybe that will be happening. I might make it into riced cauli or just roast it with some olive oil and zaatar seasoning. I learned to make my own zaatar and it’s so much cheaper also. Your savoy cabbage is gorgeous. I remember you making the cabbage pie with puff pastry but don’t know if the pastry is in the budget this week and if you have time to mess around that much in your kitchen or feel like it when sick. Hopefully you made some soup to help your cold. I have an ear and sinus infection I’ve had for weeks now and the only thing that will improve it is rest now. I’ve had all the medicines and even a round of antibiotics but now I’m taking some homeopathic one called Sinemet. If you have a few extra pounds you should try it. My ent doc suggested it and it’s supposed to be better than most of the more synthetic sinus treatments. It’s not cheap but if it works it’s worth it saving you time to further care for yourself in other ways like cooking and such. I would send you some but very right on $ these days too even with help from food bank and such.
I lived 4 years in an apartment in sunny southern California that had a huge courtyard surrounded by the apartment accesses (think 1950's) that a few of us filled with beautiful plants. All commented on how much they enjoyed the greenery and flowers and hummingbirds. Out of the blue, 3 years in, management announced "All plants are to be removed at once" No reason given. Just do it. Deflated everyone and totally changed the vibes of the place.
We live in a rented sheltered housing ground floor one bed flat,we managed to get two wardrobes into our bedroom and king size bed the bedroom is smaller ,we also have two chest of drawers in there and two side table,a small kitchen and small living room and wet floor shower room ,small hallway with two cupboards and our own bit of garden to grow pots and sit,in our bedroom there is two fitted cupboards already there,good video.
I'm not a vegan, but I do organic, clean as I can find. I always have broth made up and frozen for use in meals. My crockpot is a lifesaver to keep food cooking when I'm sick.
I'm so delighted to be able to search your channel for the recipes I'm interested in. I'm going to do a combo of the squash and cauliflower curry recipe.
I am just soo looking forward to whenever you move and all the great videos to come seeing how you arrange and organise things. It’s a way off I know but so exciting!
