Life: January 2023

Almshouse in grounds of Museum of Somerset

Well, we are three weeks into January and my Dry January commitment is still good. I am sleeping much better and feel less anxious so am really hoping to continue for at least the whole month, and maybe a little further.

Inner courtyard at Museum of Somerset

This year, I am determined to go out and about more and do some different things, so I'm hoping that my Life posts will reflect these.

Harvest Mice Survey

Harvest Mouse Breeding Nest

My town has a very active Transition Town group and a spin off of that is the local wildlife group. A local nature lover, who is passionate about harvest mice, ran a session to teach us how to spot the signs of harvest mice habitation. These can then be entered onto a national Mammal database.

Tonedale Mill (bordering the the survey site)

For our session, we surveyed a field wedged between a busy railway and an abandoned mill. There was also quite a lot of localised flooding. Between us, we managed to spot 13 nests. I found one myself which was a breeding nest and still attached to the long grass. Harvest mice surveys can be done until the end of February, so I now have something else to look out for when I go out and about on my local walks.

Fashion Exhibition at Museum of Somerset

The Museum of Somerset has unearthed some fashion through the ages from their archives. Although it is only a small exhibition, some of the items are really fascinating. All of the outfits were either made in Somerset, or worn by people who lived in Somerset at the time.

This wedding dress features the tiniest waist imaginable. Although the main dress looks very well sewn, the hem edge looks a little rougher with what looks like small tacking stitches. However, on closer look, I think they may actually be French knots that haven't aged very well.

I absolutely love this red outfit which was part of the Civilian Clothing, and features the label CC41 (Clothing Control 41). There is an interesting post about Clothing Control here on fashion-era.com.

I thought that this outfit looked a little bit Tintin!

These little dolls were not part of the Fashion Exhibition but were part of the general collection. 

Deconstructed White Chocolate Cheesecake with Rhubarb Compote

For a family Sunday lunch, I made this white chocolate cheesecake with rhubarb compote. I will admit that it's not very photogenic but it was really easy to make and very tasty too. 

There is no messing about with eggs or needing it to bake or set, and the recipe allows you to cheat when it comes to the biscuit crumb, in beating some oatie biscuits instead.

Love Mrs Jones x