Out of practice

This morning I baked the sourdough I was preparing yesterday. As sometimes happens the loaves didn't rise as one always hopes they will. The rose a little but also spread a little. Instead of the spectacular ball with a crispy crust and a fine "ear" I got these rather low-key jobs. I was disappointed.
However, once they'd cooled and we cut the first one I felt a bit better. Visually they may not be what I hoped for, but taste and texture-wise they were as good as I expected. So, we'll eat the experiments and move on to bigger and better loaves!
It was a day in the kitchen today because once the bread was done I moved on to a boneless leg of lamb Jan had bought home a couple of days ago. While Jan was working on the Red House, preparing it for our visitors, I was slow roasting the lamb  and preparing the trimmings.
I even made a thick gravy/sauce from the meat juices. For almost any cook that would be standard procedure but after several disastrous sauces in a row, many years ago, I became slightly paranoid about sauces, gave up with such things and left them to Jan. Today she was still in the Red House so I bit the bullet and produced a perfectly reasonable gravy, tasting good and with no lumps. Huzzah!
It was a day for being indoors with very gusty winds delivering a substantial wind-chill factor. The walk to the centre of the village to pick up the post was enough for me today.