Friday morning

Last day of the last week of the summer holidays today and the last day of the month as well.  On Monday it'll all be back on the road again (apart from the children - they come back on Tuesday).  I'm getting there with the classroom.  Displays are up, books are out, various rotas are done, order is returning.
My cupboards are dreadfully untidy, too bad to tackle all at once so I have another resolution - to sort one thing out each week.  It could be more than one thing, of course, but not less.  A big thing or a little thing, no matter, as long as it gets sorted.
So today it is things like (checking list) labels on books, sorting out the hymn rota for this half term, tidying and sorting the constructional and other equipment, sorting out a stack of videos someone gave me and tackling my shelves.  Better take some dusters with me!
So I'm nearly there.  With any luck I won't need to go in tomorrow and will be able to come home fairly early on Monday!

I am very pleased to report that the cassoulet I made yesterday was fantabulous.  Absolutely delicious and I could have happily eaten a lot more but was full up.  It's very substantial, containing as it does sausage, chicken, gammon, butter beans and cannelloni beans.  I also added a bit of chorizo (because I had some and love the flavour) and some courgette to the other vegetables and next time I will also add some red pepper to the mix.  It wouldn't all fit into my slow cooker which, admittedly, is small-ish so I took off some of the liquid and added it in the final stage.  There's three stages, the last of which is a simmer up back on the hob after adding the pulses, so it worked fine.
It was definitely rather heavy on the pots and pans, but I would do it all in the same pan if I was going to be at home, which would make a big difference to the resulting detritus.  And really, to be fair, I only noticed the impact because I don't put my non stick pans in the dishwasher!

Now I have to decide about today.  I've dug out an old recipe (from Slimming World, I think) which I remember as extremely delicious and dead easy, called 'Best Ever Chicken Balti' and am thinking about it.  Or I could ring the changes with some salmon baked in a foil parcel - I have broccoli to use up and could roast up some onion, pepper and mushroom or could have a salad with it.  Or I could have another portion of cassoulet - there are five more portions waiting to be frozen this morning.  Oh, I dunno!  Decisions, decisions!!

And I see that a few more recipes from the book have been posted up on the internet.  It'll help pass the time until the book arrives.

Better go and make brekkie and lunch or the day will have gone before I realise it!  Have a good 'un!

A nice, peaceful view from the gardens at Hyde Hall, taken last September.