A pocket of my life

I wanted to share this very simple and tasty recipe that is a staple in our house, we came across it accidentally came across when Olivia was newborn. We threw a piece of gammon in the slow cooker one day and planned to have dinner around 7 pm, Olivia had other plans and the gammon was left in for longer, when we got it out it fell apart and was so good and that's when I looked into actual recipes we could try. We have tried a few different things but found that this one worked the best for our family. This is a two part recipe, firstly is the slow cooker part and secondly is a bit of time in the oven.  For the slow cooker you will need: - Gammon joint, we use a 750g one - 1 onion roughly sliced - 1 bouquet garni  - Salt and pepper - Water to cover around 1/3 of gammon - Honey I usually put the gammon on around 11 am on low for about 2 hours, and then turn up to high for around 5 hours, I do turn occasionally. I put the gammon in the middle with the onion around the edge, then...

  So it has been a big week for Olivia, we have transitioned her from a cot to a bed, we have changed out the high sleeper that Lilly had to a bunk bed set for both of the girls. We were planning on making the transition a little slower but Olivia has taken to the bed amazing. We received the bed on Tuesday of last week and put it straight up, but we didn't try Olivia out in the bed until the Thursday starting with nap time, I was only going to use this at nap time for a few days but that night she woke a few times in her cot and pointed to the bed. I ended up transferring her across and we haven't looked back. Ever since then we have just done her bedtime routine as normal but using the bed, she hasn't tried to get out of bed YET and settles so well. We are well expecting midnight adventures from her just like Lilly did. We do not have a bed guard and don't intend of getting one but we are using the cot mattress on the floor for those little slips out of bed.  The bed ...

Yesterday we took a trip to Rudyard Kipling's house in Burwash for a little adventure with the kids, Batemans is part of the national trust and is a beautiful place to visit. You are able to walk around the house and see the home that the Kipling family made there home, the gardens are this property are absolutely gorgeous even when its muddy and wet, and the added bonus is Park Mill which you are able to look around and learn about creating flour the old fashioned way.  There is a small tea room which sells cakes, drinks and small lunches which include soup, jacket potatoes and sandwiches. There is also a gift shop which includes sweet treats, nature toys and other beautiful items which help keep the house open for all to see. At the bottom of the gardens there was a little surprise in the form of an old mill, named Park Mill, this property is open to the public and includes the equipment that would have been the original in the mill, a small box of story telling toys ...

The have survived almost 2 years with no covid but yesterday changed that. I tested yesterday evening as I had some of the symptoms and it came up positive within seconds. My morning started off with a sore throat  this isn't uncommon for me though as I breathe differently at night due to asthma so carried on with my day, at around 4.30 last night I felt a bit achy and developed a slight cough. Something inside just told me I needed to test so that's what I did, within 10 seconds I could see 2 lines, both Liam and Lilly followed with tests which are both negative. So I have decided to wear a mask around the kids and sleep on my own until I am negative to try and keep everyone else safe.  By 8pm last night I felt awful, I was shivering under a blanket, felt tired and lost my appetite. Today has been much the same, sore throat, hot and cold spates, runny nose, slight cough and tired.  Today has consisted of bed rest with a toddler, paracetamo...