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Post by brightspark on Feb 13, 2023 23:15:53 GMT
Evening (late),
We, and our two neighbours, all had gravel delivered today to top up our gravel drive - shared by all three of us - and all three have come to the conclusion that we will need just as much again. Fortunately, the company said they will deliver tomorrow afternoon, a bit unusual, but we're very grateful for their speedy return !
Using the leftover roast beef, we had a second version of the roast - this time with Yorkshire puddings ! Tomorrow's meal will most likely use up the rest of it, and I plan to make a stroganoff with it.
I have my chiropodist calling in the morning, and then we have to take the car back to the garage to get the dashboard electrics sorted out, and then in the afternoon, the extra gravel will arrive. All on my birthday - so won't be celebrating too much tomorrow! My friend arrived with two more bunches of flowers - our dining room now looks like a florist's shop.
It is late, so I'll stop the blathering, and say goodnight - sleep well everyone, x
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Post by paperman on Feb 14, 2023 10:13:50 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well on this bright and foggy 4 degree morning.
Don’t really know where the last couple of days have gone, I picked up the blinds on Sunday from Argos, which is inside the Sainsbury’s store and I also got a new set of keys cut for Claris as I seem to have mislaid my set, no doubt they will turn up again at some point and I also did a bit of shopping.
I found a lovely piece of matured rump steak on their reduced counter reduced from nearly £6 to just £2.00 and I grabbed it so on Sunday evening I made a tray bake and had the steak with that, it was a lovely piece of meat.
I had an old friend of mine over for lunch yesterday; it gave us a chance to have a chat. I had made a chicken casserole which we had with wild rice. He bought the beer and we just sat and sat and the afternoon pleasantly cruised by.
Today my cleaner is here and I will be moving next door soon and this afternoon I am thinking of going over to Westleton for Tai Chi as my cough now is much improved.
Tomorrow I will be going over to Reading to collect Anne from the station, that will be a long day as I want to do there and back in one day rather than staying overnight.
So, at this point I will leave you, please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Feb 14, 2023 16:40:34 GMT
Afternoon all,
I have had lots of messages and birthday cards from near and far, and, as I mentioned, our dining room looks like a florist's shop, so many beautiful flowers! I have had the chiropodist call, so for the moment, I am walking on a cloud; we then drove over to the garage to leave the car with them to sort it out; then back home and the lorry arrived with the gravel, so OH and the other neighbours have been out there spreading gravel and generally helping out each other - all good teamwork. Plus the driver was very accommodating, driving a short distance between us to ensure it was dropped in stages to make the spreading easier.
We had lunch, ham and cheese on toast with some baby plum tomatoes - just right.
This evening will be the last of the roast beef, which as I said before, will probably be beef stroganoff, or a beef curry, not sure yet.
My friend and neighbour, F, delivered a gift this morning, a lovely blue M&S mug, plus a hanging heart mosaic, very pretty in shades of blue and white shards. But hey, just a moment ago, a rat-a-tat at the door, and by the time I opened it, the van driver was driving away(!) - a gift from our daughter, who is currently in Athens ( ), a special multi-use pressure cooker. She said she always wanted one, so now I can try it out first !! Strangely, when I was young, my Mother had a pressure cooker, and it worried me that one day it would explode, , so I have never used one ... Now is my chance - a bit late in the day, but we'll see what happens! OH gave me a h u g e bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk - 850gms !
Chris, when you said you made a tray-bake, I presume that was to roast some veggies? That steak was a great buy! That will be a bit of a trek to Reading and back, but it can be done - we went to a funeral in Clacton, from Wiltshire - there and back in a day - and that was a bit of a trek, too ! Travel safely.
Well, I shall get back to my sewing of the squares, beautifully made that they are, it is still somewhat boring, sewing 80 squares together !
Have a good afternoon and evening all, x
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Post by brightspark on Feb 15, 2023 13:50:29 GMT
Just a quick hello - we have had the phone call to say the car is ready to collect. Firstly though, I have a shopping delivery due in the next hour, so I shall be busy from now.
Hope you're all well. Stay safe, x
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Post by paperman on Feb 16, 2023 10:22:15 GMT
Good morning Ladies from a ‘mildish’ Ruritania morning, it rained overnight but not, mercifully, until after we had got home from Reading.
Val I agree with you about pressure cookers, my mother had one and it was a beast, a bit like having a steam engine relieving itself in the kitchen….I was terrified as a youngster, although I came to understand what they were about when I got older and actually bought one in my 20’s although I remained very cautious and after a few uses it ended up in the cupboard under the stairs. It will be interesting to hear how you get on with it, we are all looking for more ways to save energy.
Talking using up energy let me just tell you about yesterday, which was a complete trial, I spent almost 12 hours behind the wheel leaving home at 9 o'clock thinking it would give me plenty of time to do some shopping for ‘A’ before I met her off the train in Reading at just after 2. There were multiple hold-ups and closures on A12/M25 and I actually walked onto Reading Station at 2:05 having had no time for shopping, lunch or a nap and ‘A’ had already arrived, I had also got delayed in Reading for an age as my satnav was pointing me on the same route I used last week but now that road was closed and I struggled to get to the carpark, I actually went down a buses only road in error. Going home was no better and because of a major jam on the north route M25 I decided to go by the south and that was a disaster, eventually we walked indoors at just before 10 o'clock and will go shopping this afternoon.
I poured myself a large glass of rioja, ‘A’ a large rosé and we just sat mesmerized, savouring the peace.
You sound like you have had a lovely birthday Val, please accept much belated apologies and good wishes.
I see I have now been promoted to one of the deities, not sure how that happened, I often wondered what one needed to do to become a god, I suppose it is to do with the number of postings.
‘A’ has had a good time down in Cornwall the weather, she says, has been near perfect and they have taken the grandchildren out every day. She loved it but is exhausted. One of the places they went to was Lappa Valley, which probably Iris knows as it is near Newquay, it seems ideally set up for youngsters and in ‘A’s case oldsters too.
Right, now for my morning coffee, please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Feb 16, 2023 10:52:49 GMT
Morning all, Thank you for your good wishes, Chris, and apology accepted! Though there was no need - you're not to know - and these days who wants another birthday?! Ha ha, Chris, having read your post, I had to read again, as I thought you had written Happy Valley - - we have seen so many clips/excerpts lately from that programme, I must've been re-wired! Good to hear that A had a good time with her family, and sorry that you missed out. That M25 is a nightmare, isn't it - when we listen to the half-hour updates on the traffic situation, it always includes the M25. My family live around the junctions 25 & 26, and between them is the Holmesdale tunnel, which is a little bit like a chicane, and there are so many hold-ups in that area - even as far back as Potters Bar (jct 24)- regularly seem to be reported.
Ha, none of us know quite why we became deities, either - even Aly didn't know why !!
OH has just taken our little dog to the groomers for her regular 'bath & brush up', but strangely, she seemed to know where he was planning to take her and refused to go out with him. It took some persuasion, but eventually they left! In the meantime I have washed all of her bedding - strangely though, when I wash her bedding, she refuses to sleep on it, it obviously doesn't smell right!!
I have now sewn 8 rows of 10 squares, now they need to be joined up. I must admit that my friend who knitted the 80 squares had made a super job - the knitting is perfectly neat. Though I would like to get on with my own projects.
Have a good day everyone, x
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Post by paperman on Feb 17, 2023 9:09:46 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well on what is a ‘mildish’ brightly grey 11 degree morning here in Ruritania. It may have rained overnight as it looks pretty damp on the road out there but if it did, it has stopped now.
Thinking pressure cookers and economical ways to cook; someone in the Classic Hymer group I belong to mentioned Remoska cookers being both very good and economical to run, they have one in their motorhome. I had a look into them but frankly unless I was also going to use it at home as well it would take a long time to get back the cost and as far as home is concerned I am actually flirting (only flirting at present) with the idea of taking out my gas cooker and installing electric with an induction hob. Apart from whether it is worth doing also I will need a 32 amp power lead put in as the only power at present is a 13 amp socket behind the cooker. Does anyone have any thoughts on these please? I have checked and all my saucepans are OK for induction, which is lucky.
After the trials of Wednesday, yesterday was a crash-out and relax day although we did go shopping in the afternoon.
This morning I am going over to Claris to take the blinds and to check that the keys I had cut fit and work and this afternoon we are going to Tai Chi. The classes that were held on Monday mornings here in the village have moved to Saxmundham 2.00pm on Fridays and today is the first day. They were moved because our village hall has a rubbish system for heating and the hall was always freezing cold and numbers dropped off because of this. I was one of the chief complainers! So Marcus has switched the Monday mornings here in the village to Sax on Fridays. I am not sure I will continue twice a week, these days at £10.00 a time it’s a cost I can probably do without so I’ll make a decision at some point as to which one I’ll go to, Saxmundham on Fridays or Westleton on Tuesdays.
Last night we had Lasagne, it was a dish I had made a couple of weeks ago which I took from the freezer for us to have on Wednesday evening but didn’t, so we had it last night. Tonight we are having Fish & Chips (ALV) as it is Friday.
Val let's have a pic of your blanket when you finish it.
Now for my morning coffee, please take care and enjoy your day xx
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Post by brightspark on Feb 17, 2023 18:09:21 GMT
Evening all,
Chris, according to all the comments in Lakeland, that Remoska is certainly very popular. I have wanted to get one of these in the past, ha, when it was a whole lot cheaper, but I suppose that's all relative. In fact, I think the Remoska was probably the forerunner to the air fryers. I have no experience of induction hobs - I have only ever had a gas hob, so I'm not much help in that area.
Regarding your Tai Chi, I thought you lived in Saxmundham, so when reading your earlier post, I was thinking how convenient that was for the change in venue!
We haven't yet decided for dinner this evening - it is either salmon with Charlotte potatoes; or, if OH wants his mussels, then it will be chips (alv).
Our friends and neighbours have now gone down with the dreaded Covid. I have just made two little 6" carrot cakes - one for us (natch!) and one for them, as a little treat when they're are not feeling well. I stood at the end of their path!!
How are you, Iris, hope all's well.
Once this blanket is finished, I'll let you have pictures of both of them. The first one I actually crocheted a butterfly (requested by the organisation as it is their logo), but for the other one, I have a little butterfly to the label.
Have a good evening, x
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Post by irist on Feb 17, 2023 21:14:42 GMT
Evening folks. Apologies for my absence but things have been hectic here. I've been dealing with our solicitor (2 disciplines), accountant and surveyor. All have been really helpful but have taken up most of my days. We never envisaged that what we are planning would be SO complicated and my brain has been exhausted just checking documents and approving amendments. Hopefully we are on the home straight now and I can relax a bit. In between all this I have minuted my penultimate Garden Club Committee meeting (the AGM is on this coming Wednesday so that's me finished after writing up the minutes). Enough of that!
Apologies for not acknowledging your birthday, Val. Hope you had a good day. How is the pressure cooker going? I have had one for 50 years (not the same one) and use it a lot for making soup, stews, cooking gammon etc. I grew up with my mother using one and can still hear it hissing on the gas stove. She made a mean lamb stew in it and I've never been able to recreate the same flavour - perhaps it's just my tastebuds have changed over the years? I do have a Remoska which belonged to my sister in law and was given to me when she passed away. She and her busband used it in their caravan. I still use it and find it useful cooking for just the two of us. The coating is flaking off the inside of the lid but I mostly wrap the food in foil so don't find this a problem.
I could do with finding a Tai Chi class nearby. I do miss attending and it was certainly an hour of stress relief whilst gently exercising. The problem would be finding someone to sit with OH whilst I attended the class.
Keep going with joining the squares, Val! I'm sure the blankets will be well received. As a distraction I've completed another little baby jacket, hat and will start on bootees and mittens over the weekend to use up the rest of the ball of wool. These are for our great grandchild due in May.
Going off now to watch Death in Paradise just for a bit of escapism! Bye for now.
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