Categories
Dessert

Cheesecake

We use the BBC recipe for cheesecake. It’s really simple and absolutely delicious.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/strawberry-cheesecake-4-easy-steps?utm_source=app

We added crushed meringue and mixed berry to the basic mix to make an Eton Mess Cheesecake.

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W/B August 17th, 2020

Monday August 17th.

Up at 6.30 to get breakfast for the girls ready for their first full day back at school since March. It hasn’t gone down well! They both seem OK about going back, I must admit, though, I’m apprehensive. I can see what the school has done to mitigate any virus spread  and our region has been hit very lightly compared to many but even so. Once people start mixing in a classroom situation it will be impossible to maintain any real social distance. It’s also going to be a much flatter school experience as all of the important extras (sports, choirs, study groups, drama etc) are on hold so school is just about academic education. This is a problem if it lasts for a long time. The hidden curriculum has been shown repeatedly to have a longer term affect of future life than basic subject lessons. Here’s hoping for a quick return to normality.

When I got back from taking them to school I went for my usual bike ride. Slightly earlier today so met all of the usual characters at different stage sof their walk. Managed to get out and finished before it started raining, which was lucky. I can feel a vibration in my left pedal so I’ll need to have a look at it to see what the problem is.

Pottered with the new blogs trying to get the set up as I want them for the rest of the morning. Then, after lunch took the dog for her walk. It was very wet!

Collected the girls from school at 3.55, they seem to have had a good day.

Dinner today was spinach and peas pasta. Delicious.

Spinach & Pea Pasta

Keeping up with our Film Club watching today. We sat down after dinner to enjoy Spotlight. Excellent film, Mark Ruffalo at his best.

Tuesday August 18th.

Up at 6:30 again to prep breakfast for the girls. They’re walking to the station to get the train this morning. Aiming for the 8:05 train so they’re leaving the house at 7:30. Hopefully, there’ll be a later train that they can catch and still make it in on time. That’s part of their trial run today.

It’s a miserable wet day, doesn’t look like we’ll get any sun at all today. Podcasts over breakfast and after as usual. HistoryExtra “All you wanted to know about the Spanish Civil War”; Rhod Gilbert’s “The Froth”; HistoryExtra “The History of Seduction”; Dan Snow’s History Hit “Stealing from the Saracens”. After breakfast, “S” made this week’s pudding – we’re having Eton Mess Cheesecake.

Today was a ‘clean the kitchen’ kind of a day, so that’s what we did once the cheesecake prep was done. It’s much better now.

After lunch I took the dog for her walk. It’s overcast and very close but thankfully not raining. Some good views of the monument and the local hills.

For dinner we’re having chicken and broccoli gratin.

Film Club today we watched The Imitation Game. A rteally solid performance from Benedict Cumberbatch.

Wednesday August 19th, 2020

Up for breakfast at 6:30 again. Today “I” walked to the station while “E” rode her bike. All seemed good so we might be settling into a routine. Still not sure about the later train thogh, I think it might get them to Dunblane too late to get to school.

After breakfast I went out on my bike for my second ride of the week. I think, after about 6 weeks, I’m starting to notice the benefits! Still a long way to get fit but heading in the right direction I think.

After I’d showered and changed we took a walk to Lakeland at Dobbies. We needed a new gas canister for the SodaStream and were going to cash in our free drinks at the cafe but ther queue was too long. We set off to walk and got just the other side of the motorway when I realised I’d forgotten my mask. We walked back to get it and it had started to rain so we ended up driving. Got the gas cannister but no drinks. We had a walk round Debbie’s and this little fellow was singing away.

Lunch when we got back, to a very excited puppy, then out with the dog. It was a lovely day by now, the sky was largely blue and the sun was out. In fact, it was quite warm out of the wind.

Wallace Monument and Forth River

By the time we’d got home “I” was home from school (now she’s S6 she doesn’t do full days if she’s no classes) and “E” was on her way.

Tonight we’re having pork steak in sweet ginger sauce with sauteed potatoes and vegetables.

Film Club again tonight. Back to animation. Spiderman Into the Spiderverse. It’s outstanding.

Thursday August 20th

Up at 6.30 again to get everything sorted to get the girls out the door by 7.30.

Pottered with some bits and pieces this morning. Too wet to hang washing out so it had to go in the dryer.

After lunch, I took the dog for a walk. Quite sticky but dry, thankfully.

We collected the girls at Stirling Station because we need to buy them month tickets for the train. When we came home we applied for Scotrail smartcards which will make buying the next tickets easier and stop them having to carry a physical ticket. For now, though, they have old fashioned paper tickets.

Dinner was Moroccan Chicken Tagine with mixed veg and couscous.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

After dinner it was a film club evening again. Today we watched Valerian and the city of a thousand planets. A thouruoghly entertainingly bonkers space romp. We enjoyed it.

Friday August 21st, 2020

Came to a decision today, I am supposed to be flying out on Monday to start as Digital Learning Lead at a school in Madrid. COVID-19 is currently on the rise in Spain and the 14 day quarantine on travellers frmo Spain entering the Uk would mean that if I go, I wouldn’t be able to see the family until the pandemic was over and quarantine was lifted. I wouldn’t be able to come home for weekends as my presence would force them into a 14 day quarantine, they couldn’t come out for half term or me go home for the same reason. Also, just now, I have no confidence things will be back to normal by Christmas. The thought of having to commit to being completely away indefinately makes the whole enterprise not worth it. I’ve messaged the school and we’ll have to see what comes next. I’m not turning my back on it completely as it looks a really interesting job and I need something significant but can’t contemplate it at the moment.

My morning cycle helped me to finalise my decision, had a good ride this morning although my bike has developed a fault with my left crank arm. I hope a simple tightening will fix it and I don’t end up needing to replace it.

Friday is Tesco shopping day so we got that sorted this morning and timed it so that “I” could join us on her way home frm school. Now she’s in S6 she has a couple of days where she gets to come home early. Because of the pandemic they are being discouraged fom waiting in school to study.

After we got back it was lunch then dog walking time. We managed to get round in the dry.

I collected “E” from the station instead of her riding her bike home as the weather was horrible.

The dog was tired by her walk.

A new pie for dinner oday (Friday is Pieday). managed to get some lambs kidney in Tesco so we’re having Steak & Kidney pie.

Tonight is Film Series night and we’re watching the 3rd of the Starship Troopers films.

Saturday August 22nd.

Saturday morning is Independent Quiz morning. This weeks was a bit of a challenge.

After breakfast we also did the Richard Osman Weekly quiz. We did well this week scoring 47 out of 50.

A bit of a slow day for us. The girls both got on with their homework and “S” and I just pottered around. During lunch we watched the last of the Richard Osman’s House of Games for this week – Ed Gamble won, I was rooting for Ade Edmondson!

It was a nice walk this afternoon. We saw a kingfisher on the river. We’ve heard them before but never seen one, it was too far away to take a photograph, unfortunately, but it looked beautiful.

This afternoon we had some avian visitors in our garden too. We think they’re young starlings.

This was while we were playing games. This afternoon we played Dixit and then cards. It’s the first ‘Game Time’ this week, of course, because the girls are back at school. For cards we played Cheat, Chase the Ace, Stealing Bundles, Linger Longer, Rolling STone, King’s Corners, Classic Rummy and finished off with Spoons. Spoons is starting to get very silly!

Saturday is soup day, today we’re having Mushroom soup.

Saturday Film club we watched a 70s classic disaster movie – The Towering Inferno.

Sunday August 23rd.

A later breakfast today as it’s Sunday. We had Breakfast Gratin with poached eggs. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photograph but it was delicious. The girls then shopped on Forbidden Planet with some vouchers they got for their birthdays which they haven’t spent yet. They have bought Graphic Novels/Manga and Pop Vinyls.

It’s a wet day again today which is a pain as the grass desperately needs cutting but I can’t cut it until we’ve 2 or 3 dry days as it is too long and cutting it wet will just rip it out.

In order to try and keep me going with the increased exercise I’m trying to do I’ve registered with Myvirtualmission.com.

This is my progress from Land’s End to John O’Groats so far. 1 week in.