It must be that time again…

Autumn unfurls yet more rain on us and the garden is increasingly soaked. Streams of water run down our side roads and the ditches are filling up. Out walking or running, you can hear the water pipes that bring the water off the fields gushing into the hedges. The temperatures have yet to catch up with the season by and large; we have a rose that is stubbornly still flowering, fuchsias that are still in full bloom and a Montana that continues to sprout new shoots despite several and increasingly harsh trimming.

However, despite the relatively warmer weather, it is that time of year when there is much discussion about heating, heating systems, boilers etc. Some families boast about ‘not putting the heating on yet’ and certainly, as a young man growing up, my parents were of the ‘put on a thick jumper’ generation, despite the ice on the inside of the windows in my bedroom. We, though, have been gagging to put the Aga back on… somehow, and you may only really understand this if you have or have had one, it brings the house back to life. As someone said to us recently, radiators only heat the air in a home, an Aga warms the bones of a home. Given our issues in originally getting the Aga going, I was worried that the big ‘turn on’ would be a frustrating combination of a paltry initial flame, minimal heat followed by a deadening ‘cold’ rather than the literally (heart)warming feeling when coming in to the kitchen in the morning with the Aga on.

The big turn on was a great success….. initially. We were back to the glow emanating from the kitchen, warming the downstairs. The writer her indoors was back on her stool by the Aga. Aga ironing and Aga toast were fully back on the agenda. Beetroots were roasting in the warm oven. Electric kettle and toaster packed away into a cupboard; a general sense of wellbeing. Then, one morning, the stone cold disappointment of a cold kitchen and a cold Aga. Too good to be true that we would have an uneventful autumn/winter.

Within a week, though, after a long visit from our tame engineer – you know you are more part of a community when you have a set of connections who you can call on -the Aga is back on and firing on all cylinders. Just waiting for the cold weather to really kick in now…

Eating: For some time child #2 has been badgering me to have a go at ramen, so made this Kotteri veggie ramen, recipe taken from: Ramen by Tove Nilsson. It does take some time but is well worth it… a great way to spend a Saturday if you are happy to ‘play’ in the kitchen. I ran out of time so didn’t make the noodles this time – a future plan! The spicy chilli oil was spectacular and I was pleasantly surprised by the pickled eggs. I added a few fresh mushrooms to the topping as well.

Drinking: A hearty, robust red required to match with the above, so this Rioja, sourced from Naked wines did the trick!

Listening to: I recently made a playlist for a friend’s significant birthday that included all the #1 songs from his birth day and have been enjoying re-listening to this, due to the sheer variety. Classics such as Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison and Walkin’ back to Happiness by Helen Shapiro are balanced by Every Loser Wins, One Day at a Time and Mouldy Old Dough by Nick Berry, Lena Martell and Lieutenant Pigeon respectively. Current favourites are: Baby Come Back, Pato Banton: I bet you look good on the dance floor, Arctic Monkeys: We found love, Rihanna (ft Calvin Harris). Oct 31st since 1959 if you want to check out the rest!