Day 10 - bit of this, bit of that and bittersweet chocolate

Houseplants are rubbish. You buy them to look nice but then you watch them slowly die, hoping that they might miraculously make a come back and flourish. But they never do. I have watched numerous houseplants die over the years and have given up on them. But today is Houseplant Appreciation Day so I have to celebrate them. We now have the sum total of three houseplants,  two of which are cacti and were given to my wife for being the best teacher in the world. The other one has been with us for years but has looked at deaths door for the vast majority of that  time.  It has hardly any leaves on it but refuses to let go. Maybe to appreciate it I should rehome it. Hmmm. I've watered it and dusted the leaves. What more does it want? Blood? I may as well call it Audrey II.

Peculiar People Day was much better to celebrate. The story goes that it is the oddballs who change the world, question everything and refuse to live by the rules.  If it weren't for the weirdos, we would all be living in the stone age still. I'm not sure that seeking out a peculiar person and telling them they are peculiar is the way forward. Instead I opted for a trip to the library. I read "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs last year and the sequel,  "Hollow City". Today I borrowed the third book in the trilogy, "Library of Souls" in celebration of all things peculiar.  Yay!

One day which was simply impossible to celebrate today was Oysters Rockefeller Day. The dish is created by a single restaurant, Antoine's, so I can't recreate it or try it without going there. Probably for the best.

Cut Your Energy Cost Day was helpful yet frustrating. I decided to think about the wood burning stove as we already switch energy providers whenever Martin Lewis tells us to. When we moved in we were told that the house was in a smoke control zone. This means that we can only burn wood whilst having an adaptor fitted to the stove. The fine for not complying is £1000! I checked today and either we were given duff information or the rules have changed. The house isn't in a smoke control zone,  which means that we don't need the kit fitted, which means that we can remove the kit and burn fuel more efficiently.  Yay! Unfortunately, it looks as though changing the kit isn't as straight forward as it sounds. Boo! May need to speak to the chimney man.

Lastly for today it was Bittersweet Chocolate Day. Not much to do here other than eat some. Thankfully we were given some last year so best get on with it. Somebody has to do it! Sorry that today's celebrations were a bit lacklustre,  tomorrow's are even worse so I'd skip a day if I were you and check back on Friday.