making profiteroles

Project 52 2020 Week 7 – making profiteroles

After Storm Ciara last weekend comes Storm Dennis, and it’s meant a few cancelled things this week. One tennis tournament cancelled at the weekend, a tennis lesson cancelled (although this was due to 2 coaches being away), and my second trip to the theatre in a week, at threat of cancellation (plus do I really want to drive a 40 minute round trip at night in horrendous wet windy weather – it really is a bit violent out there). There’s still a bit been going on though.

Here’s week 7 of Project 52.

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On Sunday we didn’t do much with the storm raging outside. Mostly stayed in and vegetated reading, listening to music, playing farming simulator (N obviously), and doing jigsaw puzzles. We did make profiteroles though because N had wanted to make them out of his recipe book he got for his birthday. 14 of them, and the OH and N demolished them all.

making profiteroles
Making profiteroles

On Monday back at work and we were prepping for my project’s steering group meeting the next day. We’re also in planning phase for next year, although all my major tasks this year have passed, so it’s a bit of breathing time before other publication work takes over in March.

Tuesday was just another work and school day. Although N’s class were in a small school’s football tournament. 3 usual schools they play against weren’t there (not sure why it wasn’t just all the schools in catchment given as N’s hold their own in sports against larger schools and also managed to field 2 teams). N’s team won all their matches convincingly and N was so excited to score a goal even though he was in defence.

On Wednesday N had his private tennis lesson. It was a bit lighter for longer – it won’t be to long before they won’t need to put the floodlights on to play. Afterwards he moaned his hamstrings hurt and had done since the football the day before. Not great, and days later they don’t seem to be getting much better although he does have a bit of time off sport now so hopefully that will help heal them.

On Thursday, not much happened. We had to pick up my brother before the school run and I dropped him off for work as his car was being fixed. Nice to have someone to chat to on the journey although I do like my own time in the mornings and in the car.

Friday was the last day of school before half term. They were able to go in non-uniform for £1, but only 47 kids paid up! That’s around half the school, with N’s class the worst culprits. I’m hoping that the children had money and just forgot to hand it in, but I think that’s appalling effort at fund-raising. £1 is nothing (and especially not in our area, where the demographics are probably >95% non struggling families).

N’s tennis was cancelled but his friend still came over after school. They did one bit of their homework then played. The OH even played darts with them when he came in, until N’s friend got picked up. Then a quick rush out to get scampi and chips for them from the chippy.

Saturday was a quick nip into Waitrose for a couple of bits including crusty bread as the market stalls weren’t there today due to the wind. Then N wanted to buy a beanbag he’d spotted before Christmas and had finally saved up for.

We needed to get N some new jeans as all of his are getting a bit short (even the age 8-9 ones), but we struggled in Gap because they go from age 8 to age 10 (even though they have age 13, 7 and 5!). We ended up getting a pair of slim style rather than regular in age 10 which are ok for length and round the bum. The regular fit were massive for his bum and legs. Then we tried and failed to get him some new astro trainers. He wears them for cross country and outdoor sports when it’s muddy and slippy, but his size 2s are a little tight now. Now he’s up to size 3 which means a lack of colour, and the choices are all pretty much black and white. Boring. The size 3s were all too big, so unless we can get him an insole and he agrees to start wearing proper sports socks, he’ll have to grow a bit more before he gets some more.

He also had his usual swimming lesson today. Instead of going on about breast stroke legs, this week she’d moved onto breaststroke arms. While it’s great they’re learning the technical aspect, when she moans about says Sport England would disqualify you from races for not doing the right stroke, I don’t think any of them care as by this age they’d be racing if they were going to.

After last week’s trip to see A Chorus Line, I was meant to be going to Warwick Arts Centre on Saturday to see the ballet, but the weather and wind is so awful, I’m not sure it’s sensible to drive out. It was blowy enough on the motorway last week and that was without the rain. So will have to cut my losses on the ticket and just wait until the next show.

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20 Comments

  1. Glad N managed to fit in some tennis despite the weather. The swim coach sounds like they have a lot of demands placed on them if they’re that worried about the swim stroke at such a young age. I feel your pain with the jeans, between the ages of 11 and 16 I really struggled buying any type of trousers for my boys

    1. I’m dreading once he gets to bigger sizes where there’s no adjustable waist! I guess that’s when belts need to be worn.

      It’s just our swim instructor. She’s really big on technique and they’re at the stage where she’s tweaking to make it perfect. A bit unnecessary, but it means they’re so far ahead of the level the other instructors’ groups at the same stage are swimming. This week she just took it a bit far imo. If they were going to swim in races, they’d have started already for most of them.

  2. The weather has been wreaking havoc! Hoping it all calms own soon as so much ends up being cancelled!

    Thats a shame that only half of the school kids contributed to the fundraising.

    Never tried making profiteroles…might have to give it a go

    1. Ooh yes do. I always think they’re not that unhealthy – use a dark chocolate for the sauce, and they don’t need much sugar. Well, they feel ‘light’ anyway!

  3. Having approx 100 kids in the school is great for everybody knowing everybody else. My girls started in a school that did P1 to P5 and they loved it. Sadly they did away with the three tier system when my eldest got to P6 so they were the eldest for 3 years, and high school came as a bit of a shock to them. It really worked and was done with Grangemouth as an experiment under what had been Stirling council but they could not afford to make all the rest of its schools into 3 tier so they changed us back.
    The weather has been awful and I think you made the right decision to stay home.
    Great that his friend still came even though tennis was cancelled
    Profiteroles are not easy to make so well done to him.

    1. Shame they ended up being the guinea pigs, but interesting to see how they got on with it. 2 tier is the norm here – there’s only a few places that do infant/junior and secondary – but none in Oxfordshire I don’t think. Certainly none of my friends around the county anyway. Much simpler and they get more responsibility with the younger children this way too.

  4. Sunday was a good day to stay indoors with the stormy weather. It was a shame that you didn’t get to go on your theatre trip at the end of the week but understandable with another weekend of stormy weather. Making profiteroles sounds like fun. Well done to N on his team winning their football matches and hope that having a week’s rest over half-term has helped his hamstrings recover. #project366

    1. Thanks Louise. They’re a lot better although he did mention them today. I’m not sure if it coincided with a bit of growth too – might have exacerbated it.

  5. Sounds like you had a fun week despite a lot being cancelled. The weather has been rubbish. I’m not a profiteroles fan, but they look good xx

  6. I love profiteroles, but usually buy ready-made. I don’t remember making them ever.
    With the school fundraising, I can see both sides. Our school has these events almost every week, for this cause or another. Last Friday it was a Break the rule day, and kids could choose several of rules to break from the list. Eddie picked 3 – wear a non-school top and shoes and bring a soft toy.

    1. Yes, I often buy them too – so much quicker and more reliable. But N is keen to bake and cook at the moment so I want to encourage that.
      There are a lot of school events but ours are quite spread out, and their school trips are really cheap compared with where some schools seem to travel to. I like the idea of a break the rule day – better than some themes N’s school council have come up with in the past.

  7. I hope N’s hamstrings are better now. My husband and son are always moaning about their hamstrings – and they both play a lot of football! What a shame you had to miss the ballet. That is annoying that the swimming teacher talks about Sport England to young kids like that. I can’t think that any of my son’s coaches in any of his sports have ever talked like that.

    1. Frustrating about the hamstrings, but it seems to be a lot better. Although after a lot of walking today he did mention them again. Hopefully it’s just a bit of growing too.
      The coach is so good, I was surprised she said it, but she’s so into the technical side and wants them to get it just right. If they want to get to the next level in theory, she wants their stroke perfect. But I know he has friends who are 1-3 levels higher than him, but who can’t swim as well, although they can thrash out longer distances. I think he’s pleased he has a good stroke, and his breaststroke is probably his strongest. I don’t think he even took in properly what she was saying anyway – probably just me sitting on the edge listening.

  8. Ohh! I have never made profiteroles before. It sounds like they turned out well if they were all demolished.
    That is a shame about the kids not paying up for the non-uniform day. x

    1. They’re great. I’ve only made them twice, and choux pastry is a bit strange to do, but it’s not too complicated. Once you can do the pastry you can do profiteroles and eclairs.

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