Colours of the season

 Today is officially the last day of autumn, and the lovely settled weather has continued. I have grown rather used to it. A forecast for the winter which we saw on TV this week suggested it would be drier than usual. I guess that may mean there will be less cloud and therefore more sunshine. However, I am aware that the weather never looks at the forecast and just does its own thing, especially here in Whanganui with its own micro-climate. Taranaki shelters us taking the brunt of poor weather.

Frances and Laurie came for dinner on Thursday, and we had a very enjoyable evening. I started making my version of the Hairy Biker’s Superb Steak and Ale pie on Tuesday. It is primarily beef casseroled with dark beer and stock, which is what I prepared, as it has to cool throughly, before being made into a pie. In the Hairy Bikers recipe they just add a puff pastry top, which I feel is wholly inadequate for such a substantial filling. I usually make a good shortcrust pasty and make a conventional double crust pie, but with having some suet left over I wanted to give suet pastry a try. Paul Hollywood provided the recipe and the commented that suet pastry would usually be steamed, but it can also be baked. Suet pastry was made, pie assembled and cooked, and it turned out okay. 

I used another Paul Hollywood recipe for dessert, cherry croissant pudding, except without the cherries because I don’t care for them. It’s an upmarket bread and butter pudding. The croissants were filled with plum jam, and frozen raspberries and custard added. It was delicious. Nicky also provided a dessert, having made another batch of Mary Berry’s Key Lime Tranche, which is similar to a cheesecake, as she still had some limes available from Maria. She has one left and the possibility of being given more, as one of her Home Group have a lime tree.

I took advantage of our new bus service on Wednesday to try a new walking/ambling route. I caught a bus down to Halswell Street, and then walked up the hill on the path by Peat Park. I used an entrance on Virginia Road to access the paths around Virginia Lake (also known as Lake Rotokawa). The trees and the lake were looking lovely in the autumn sun:

Walking down the very busy Great North Road took me back into town, and I caught a bus home from Glasgow Street. It was a route I will repeat. In the evening we quizzed, coming 4th again with 89 points. However, we won $20 as the team that came first, had also won for the previous two weeks, so were no longer eligible for any prize money. Our quiz master, Pete, is egalitarian in outlook, much to the joy of many taking part.

The rest of the week has been quite routine. Nicky has attended her usual  weekly commitments and done loads of laundry and ironing. I have weeded in the garden and done my regular cleaning jobs in the house. Nicky has tidied the fernery, allowing much more light to reach the ground cover, alstroemeria, naked lady lilies and maiden hair fern.

Yesterday we called into the Jigsaw Exchange, returning two jigsaws and picking up four. Afterwards Nicky popped into the supermarket, and I had an amble into town and a coffee at Jolt.

Nicky didn’t go to church today as she wasn’t feeling quite right when she got up, so watched on the streaming service instead. She has spent much of the day preparing a beef casserole for dinner, and making date scones. Some of these we enjoyed with a pot of tea in the back garden this afternoon. 

Tomorrow is a public holiday to celebrate the King Charles III’s official birthday. We are expecting some rain. The clouds are already gathering. We’ve had 21 degrees today with a warm northerly wind which is gathering speed as our evening progresses.

Take care, Rick and Nicky.