If this Kitchen Aid could talk...

Long day but achieved a lot. It was raining this morning so did the essential chores on the yard, then decided to tackle the house which has about as much muck as your average stable! It was quite rewarding though, I can actually see my garden through my kitchen windows now, the bathroom is immaculate, done two loads of washing, made a dent on the bedroom, didn't make it to the living room though. There will be other rainy days!

The house my partner and I live in was my Gramma's cottage. She is 94 and sadly has advanced dementia and has been in Aspley House nursing home for a number of years. She is really well cared for and still yodels and has moments of clarity.

Gramma (Pearl) grew up on a farm in Huntley Illinois, she was the last child born into a family of 10 kids, about half an hour after her twin brother Mearl. She was born in the middle of a tornado, and she and her brother were so small the nurses but them in shoe boxes instead of cribs. Gramma is as tough as they come.

She dedicated a huge amount of time and effort into making the cottage garden absolutely beautiful and productive.

Gramma was also an incredible cook, she made the best cakes and pies and cookies, jams, chutney, pickled beets and soups. Her pride and joy was her Kitchen Aid, I will have to ask my Mom exactly when she got it, but it was certainly a long time ago. It was the first thing we unpacked when Gramma moved over to live with us in Scotland.

Now that Ian & I have moved into the cottage (just before Christmas last year having done it up ourselves after it was rented out when Gramma moved into the home) I've installed the Kitchen Aid back on the counter where it used to sit. I use it a few times a week, Ian uses it to make bread. I love it.

I bet it would have some stories to tell after sitting on a kitchen counter for so many years, seeing all aspects of family life, on both sides of the Atlantic over, three generations.

After cleaning up the house I had the farrier to trim Quarters & Pandas's feet, we had a lovely long chat. Then Ian worked Quarters & learned how to lunge. I took Panda out after that and rode her for the first time in two years after doing some lunging. She was fantastic, she feels so much like her mother to ride, and after the ups and downs she's had (I'll go into that another night) it was a great moment.
Finished the yard finally about 10pm and knocked up some pasta for tea. Busy day tomorrow so am away to bed.