Three Days in One

Modular sown well-rooted cucumbers going into the raised bed by the shed on Saturday.

​16, 17 & 18 May 2025  (Friday, Saturday & Sunday)

I really don’t know where the last three days have gone… of course, we’ve both followed the usual routine of getting up, tea, work work for me, breakfast, work and work work for me and work for Richard, lunch, plot time, thinking about what to make for supper, more plot time, supper, TV, read, bed… not quite a merry-go-round, but also one just the same.

We were hoping to get out to the Chilterns on Friday, though that didn’t happen as we had quite a few things to do and Sophie (our niece on Richard’s side) of Sophie Stock Art coming to stay overnight, and coming a few hours earlier to spend some time with us.

I was at the plot when she arrived, though on coming through the door both Sophie and Richard were sitting on sofas with blankets over them… and I was hot from working in the sun!

A quiet evening with lots of chat, and Richard made a delicious lentil and soya pasta sauce which was truly delish!!

Saturday… our usual day for filming Sunday Chat, though as we were up VERY early at 4am as Sophie needed to get a 5.30am train into London to then get a 6.30am train from Victoria to Chichester for Goodwoof I think we were both a bit tired, which sort of comes across!

Anyway, after filming I got to the plot to do a final segment of A Week at the Plot; not initially the sowing and planting out I thought I’d be doing as I needed to do some remedial work on the greenhouse!

When I got down to the plot on Friday afternoon I noticed our greenhouse doors were out of kilter,  jammed and akimbo, so I needed to try and sort that… which I did, somewhat!  Rather Heath Robinson, must beggars can’t be choosers, and people without an engineering degree need to work it out themselves!  I was back to the plot in the afternoon and got our cucumbers planted out, which is what I’d intended to do as a job for the day, and various other jobs sorted.

Sunday was a somewhat quieter busy day, for me at least.  I’ve been feeding and, whilst he’s been eating, injecting a neighbour’s cat with insulin morning and night for the last three days.  It has to be done, and I don’t mind - the neighbour’s away and whilst I’m sharing the duty with another of our neighbour’s friends, for various reasons this weekend I’ve done morning and evening rather than just evenings.  I also did quite a bit at the plot, and am thankful that the cucumbers did well overnight, with slugs and snails CURRENTLY leaving them alone.  I potted on the spare cucumbers, courgette and squash I have, as I know they needed either planting out or potting on with the benefit of extra compost.  There is some seed sowing to do, though that will have to wait until next week.

I’d taken some smoked tofu out of the freezer this morning, intending to do something with it for supper - and it turned out to be tofu bacun wraps.  Then it was the usual TV, some episodes of As Time Goes By, then something else, then bed, and a quick read before lights out.

Recipe:  Tofu Bacun Wraps

After removing the defrosted smoked tofu from the packet I gave it a really good squeeze, gently but firmly, to extract as much liquid as I could.  I then cut it into eight long slices, and marinated in this mixture:

3 tbsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (use others aminos or soy sauce if you don’t have Braggs)
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika

I mixed all the above together in a wide flat dish, and laid each slice of tofu into it, coating both sides as I did.  I turned the tofu over several times, making sure each side of each slice was well coated.

I then fried the slices for about three minutes on each side - they did not crisp up as much as I’d hoped, though as there was to be lots of crispy and crunchy things in the wrap that was fine.

Into a wrap I put three washed and spun leaves of our own lettuce, cubed de-seeded cucumber, thinly sliced radish and some chunky slices of sweet long red pepper.  Then went two slices of the marinated and fried tofu, and then the wrap was rolled up, folding one end in to ‘seal’ the bottom.

It was all rather lovely, though next time I may coat the tofu in flour and fry that up, and add the marinade at the end, and bubble it all through.


Friday 16 May

Weather:  Warmer and sunnier than yesterday, though VERY breezy.  Around 22°.

Breakfast:  Bran Sticks, yogurt, sultanas and banana
Lunch:  Leftover Cheezy Topped Potatoes mixed with Minestrone Soup (tin) and Lidl demi-baguette
Supper:  Lentil & Soya Pasta Sauce a la Richard, with wholewheat spaghetti and grated cheese

Saturday 17 May

Weather:  Sunny, and hot, though also feeling just a degree or two cooler.

Breakfast Snack at 5am:  Chris Sourdough, Flora ProActiv Buttery, Yeast Extract
Breakfast:  Bran Sticks, yogurt, sultanas and banana
Lunch:  Leftover Lentil & Soya Pasta Sauce with a tin of Lidl Minestrone, Lidl demi-baguette with grilled cheese
Supper:  Microwave Spinach Omelette, lettuce, cucumber, radish


Sunday 18 May

Weather:  Overcast, though some sunny spells later in the afternoon.  Around 20°.

Breakfast:  Chris Sourdough, Flora ProActiv Buttery, Yeast Extract and Peanut Butter
Lunch:   Homemade Hummus (defrosted), sourdough toast, radish and cherry tomatoes
Supper:  Smoked Tofu marinated in bacon sauce and fried, wraps with lettuce, cucumber, red pepper and radish