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Post by paperman on Jan 20, 2023 16:12:21 GMT
Good afternoon Ladies I hope this finds you well. It was a lovely sunny but cold morning but now has reset to default grey with light rain.
Nothing to report, we had liver and bacon casserole last night which was lovely and today being Friday we are having fish & chips alv tonight.
‘A’ has requested fish pie for tomorrow night so I’ll get the fish for that out of the freezer shortly.
It’s one of those days when there is nothing to report; I am not an avid Chris Packham fan Val but probably because of the dearth of other stuff on the box we may well watch tonight unless, as I hope, we find something watchable on Prime Video.
I have been playing my guitar this afternoon which makes a change; it is surprising how quickly the calluses on my fingertips have softened from not playing much recently, I’ll have to work on that.
So that’s it, please take care xx
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Post by irist on Jan 20, 2023 16:37:38 GMT
Afternoon folks. Not a resting day here, Val! I have had a spurt of energy so have hoovered all through, washed the towels and dried them on the line, changed the bed linen ready to wash tomorrow, taken daughter's dog for a walk and made a fish pie for dinner tonight. Prior to all that I helped OH shower and then cleaned the bathroom. Tonight I shall be sitting with my feet up for a well earned rest
Yesterday was a non-descript day so nothing to report on hence my absence. I did spend some time knitting. I've finished the body and sleeves of the baby jacket and tomorrow hope to sit and pick up the stitches to knit the neck band after doing the ironing.
We have watched some of Winterwatch, Val, but Michaela does tend to irritate me at times with her excessive enthusiasm. Chris Packham makes a good foil for her though. That is a huge blanket you are making!
Well must away to the kitchen to sort out the veg for tonight's meal.
Good evening all.
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Post by brightspark on Jan 20, 2023 19:29:46 GMT
Interesting you say that, Iris, as we have found Michaela irritating too, I don't know why they don't have Megan McCubbin, as she would do the job better - in my opinion. Michaela now lives in South Africa, so she must be using lots of air miles and I'm not too sure that it is that necessary to continue with her on the show. I see what you mean that you haven't been resting - my goodness you tire me out just hearing what you can achieve. Iris, the blanket requested by the hospital was to be 5ft x 4ft, and using 6" squares, means there are 80 squares to sew up!
Chris, good luck with the guitar practice, it is a lot harder to do these things when we're older, but as I mentioned to you in Marlborough, the fact that you can read music is a bonus - I am definitely not 'fluent' in reading music - I have to write the notes on my music ... ( ) My learning was the piano - I suspect a lot easier than a guitar, though I still didn't master it !
Have a good evening, x
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Post by paperman on Jan 21, 2023 15:09:12 GMT
Good afternoon Ladies, I hope this finds you well. It is a cold but bright mostly sunny day here so far.
I hesitated to say how much Michaela irked me in my remarks about Winterwatch yesterday; goodness knows why they fly her back from SA for the program. Unnecessary from a personnel consideration, wasteful from a financial one and hardly environmentally sound either coupled with her annoying wittering on. I am afraid I passed the blame onto Chris Packham who I do find a bit hard to take but that was possibly a little unjust and tonight there is the second episode of a program that we enjoyed last week with him fronting it; Waterhole at 7:00pm on BBC2.
Tonight we are having fish pie.
This morning we went up to the farm and bought various things including a boned leg joint of local Blythborough Pork which we will have roast tomorrow. I was very tempted to try another local the Suffolk Black but there seemed to be a lot more fat so have given that a miss for now.
Apart from our foray to the farm we haven’t done anything and nothing else is planned.
Enjoy the rest of your day etc.. xxx
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Post by brightspark on Jan 22, 2023 13:47:27 GMT
Hi all,
This morning I ironed a few odds and ends, then ironed the piece of fabric which will be the background to our daughters 'bee' wall-hanging quilt.
Then I walked around the neighbours who had missed out at Christmas from our cards! I also delivered a jar of crab apple jelly to all, together with another jar - two of them received home-made lemon curd, and the other three some of my Christmas marmalade. (Chris, no pears - what wasn't ruined has now gone/finished!)
Yesterday was a cooking day - I have to be 'in the mood' for a cooking day! First up was some short pastry, then put in the fridge to recover. Then a wholemeal loaf, I have a glass cylinder for making a long cylindrical loaf, which this was. Then a white crusty loaf, and cooked in the Lekue wrap around - a brilliant piece of equipment, never ever sticks and cooks a great loaf. Then using the pastry, I made a dozen mince pies. I wanted to use up a half jar of mincemeat, but as there wasn't enough, so I added two grated apples and a handful of dried cranberries to it. However, the recipe I wanted to make had a topping of Viennese mixture, but I couldn't pass it through the icing bag to pipe it on to the top. So back to the pastry for a floating top on each pie. The Viennese mixture became delicious cookies/biscuits. Leftover pastry became a large-ish rustic jam tart.
We have finally sold the garden roller. Weighing 80kgs, we have sold it several times, but when the purchaser had arrived, they couldn't lift it, so we recompensed them (despite telling them of the weight beforehand). Anyway, today, the guy thought about it and brought two heavyweight wood planks, and rolled it up the planks into his Land Rover. Sorted!
This afternoon after lunch, I plan to do more sewing of the squares towards the blanket.
Then this evening I shall cook a sort of saltimbocca - turkey steaks, flash-fried, then topped with serrano ham, and finally mozzarella, and then baked. Served with potatoes (not sure how yet) and veggies.
Have a good afternoon and evening all, x
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Post by paperman on Jan 22, 2023 16:33:06 GMT
Good afternoon Ladies, I hope this finds you well.
This afternoon we went for a walk at Snape Maltings although sadly the sunny morning had by then downgraded to grey but well wrapped up it was an enjoyable airing albeit a bit muddy underfoot.
Last night after watching Waterhole on BBC 2 we watched a film I had recorded on the hard drive a few days back with Michael Caine and a host of other British stars, the film was ‘King of Thieves’ which was about the Hatton Garden heist; an enjoyable and light saga.
My pork joint has been well salted to encourage the crackling and is now in the oven. I will make some apple sauce next and am flirting with the idea of using cider as the base for the gravy (we are a gravy house not a jus place). I normally cook my chops in cider and use that then for the gravy base which is always really good……I’ll see how I feel in a bit.
Tomorrow morning I have to be at Ipswich Hospital for my 6 monthly hearing check so I will have to set the alarm and hope I hear it!!
Enjoy your evening xxx
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Post by brightspark on Jan 23, 2023 15:48:21 GMT
Hi all,
Chris, I hope the alarm woke you in time, and that everything is hunky dory with the testing at the hospital.
Beautiful sunny day here, but still some frost on our grass in the back garden (north-facing, and no sun) but I have taken the opportunity with the sunny front of the house to sit and do some sewing - amazing the difference it makes.
Last night I semi-cooked some Charlotte potatoes, then put them in the oven to roast while the turkey steaks were cooking, and had some buttered green beans to go with it. This evening it is sausages - I shall make a barbecue sauce, plus a pepper risotto - I have checked on the peppers, yet with a date of 29th December 2022 they are still fresh and crisp, so I shall stir-fry a chopped onion, plus a clove of garlic, and chopped mushrooms before adding the rice to the risotto.
I hope all's well down in the West Country, Iris, and that you both are managing to survive this cold, cold weather. Just keep warm.
Again, the little flock of long-tailed tits are hovering around the feeding station, they are such attractive little birds with a rosy chest and just chattering their way through the day. Love 'em!
Have a good afternoon and evening all, x
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Post by irist on Jan 23, 2023 20:50:39 GMT
Evening folks. Yes, everything is fine here, thanks Val.
Glad it's not just me who finds Michaela irritating!
Yes we've had some really cold weather for Cornwall but obviously not such low temperatures as other places in the country. It was 5C when I got the car out to go shopping at 10.30 this morning but we are due -5C tonight - BRR. We are just not used to the bone chilling weather in this neck of the woods!
I hope your hospital visit was successful, Chris. I have to take OH for a neurology check soon. It's so much easier now I can drive him straight to the hospital instead of using the Park and Ride bus service. The rules have changed and we can park free now because OH has a Blue Badge. Parking charges are astronomical if you have to factor in time to walk to an outlying department (as we do) and/or your appointment time is delayed. It's scandalous that the hospital management let the parking out to a private company who are out to make a huge profit.
I haven't had a "cooking day" for ages. However, today I bought ingredients for several batch cooking sessions so I must set my mind to it. It helps when I lack inspiration or the enthusiasm/energy to cook from scratch on a particular day - just go to the freezer and take something out. I've resolved to cut back a bit on our meat consumption so I'm going to try various recipes for pulse-based meals. A curry will be one of the first experiments. OH's taste has still not recovered since his URT infection - he still hankers after sweet food - and he often leaves some of his main meal, something he has never done in the 50+ years I've know him.
We had a Zoom call with our son tonight instead of yesterday. He moved into his new office today and of all things they now have a "talking" microwave! The poor chap who works next to the little kitchen is already complaining the microwave is driving him to distraction. There is no instruction booklet and after playing with the buttons, there appears to be no means of turning off the sound. It's an RNIB approved machine but not one of the staff is blind! Inclusivity gone mad. To top it all off, the computers and printers are not working so there are many problems to iron out. Son is hoping everything is fixed before he has to go into the office again next week.
Well it's time for me to make a cuppa before Silent Witness starts. Bye for now.
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Post by paperman on Jan 24, 2023 10:15:23 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well. 4 degrees and very grey out there.
My cleaning lady texted me overnight to say she hasn’t been very well so thinks it wiser not to come today so my ears are saved a battering.
Last night we had cold pork and scrubble and there is still some of that joint left and I will probably make myself a sandwich with some of it for lunch.
Tonight I am cooking lasagne, although by mistake I have taken lamb mince out of the freezer rather than beef so it’ll be with lamb mince, there will still be some of the pork joint left as well and I am wondering about mincing that up too and adding it to the mix as well.
Last night’s SW I thought was quite good and at least part 2 is not delayed for football or some such, so we’ll be watching that tonight.
Yesterday’s hospital visit went OK and they have asked me to go back next Tuesday again to follow up. I feel rather lucky, and told the nurse just that, here we are with the NHS struggling and yet I seem to be blessed with the most amazing levels of care etc. good fortune indeed.
‘A’ goes this afternoon to Westleton for Tai Chi, I am still banned due to the cough which I think is much better, and so I have set today as a ‘washing’ day and the washing machine will be doing overtime with a second load just starting and another will follow.
So no plans beyond chez me today unless when I check my cupboard I am short of something for tonight’s supper.
Have a good day and take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Jan 24, 2023 10:34:37 GMT
Morning all,
Iris, I am amazed that a talking microwave is installed into an office! However, this may help: (although still not sure that this is the total info !) Press the dial to start cooking (press and hold the dial to reset the microwave). The dial has a V printed next to it and the words START, RESET raised on it. But, on looking up about this microwave, shop.rnib.org.uk/rnib-talking-microwave-89800 - there is a click-on to the manuals for this appliance, which may be of more help. Iris, it is interesting that your OH still prefers sweet things - our daughter was quite poorly from Covid (despite all the jabs) when she was in America last year, and she commented that normally her preference is for savoury foods, but while ill, and recovering, she wanted sweet things. It was the same for me over and after Christmas, I couldn't eat dinners, sometimes going without, but I could eat anything sweet. How bizarre is this - what is it in the virus that does this? I'd like to cut back on meat, too, Iris, but OH is a fan of meat, and on the very rare occasions I have tried a vegetarian meal, I get asked "Where's the meat?" - ! Since my sister-in-law has had the Blue Badge, it has been so much better for both brother and SiL, as my brother has had a new hip and still struggles a little, so having access to close parking has been a bonus.
Chris, good to hear that your appointment went well. I guess that as you are on your own this morning, there will be some guitar practice among other things to do! I reckon your lasagne will be extra delicious using lamb mince - mmm sounds yummy.
Very white and frosty here this morning, but it is bright and very beautiful - so I shall take the opportunity of the morning sunshine to do some sewing - when the sun is shining everything looks better.
OH has been defrosting one of our half-price Christmas offer lamb leg joints, so today it will be slowly cooked, although not sure how I'm going to organise it yet.
Anyway, have a good day with whatever you're doing, x
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Post by brightspark on Jan 25, 2023 10:58:50 GMT
Morning all,
Another slow-ish day here - well, until this evening...
We are planning on a trip to Bath to see a Queen tribute band. (That is, we have tickets for it !) The rest of the family went to see it last night in Reading, and they said it wasn't the best evening event they've been to, as the first half was not particularly entertaining, and in fact, people in front of them left at the interval and didn't return (!), which was a shame as our family reckoned the second half was so much better. Our daughter suggested we 'hang in there' to the second half !! Perhaps we should save our sandwiches for the first half ! (Having a dog, we would rather not leave her for too long to be on her own, so we will forego having a meal out, as it just adds on the time we are away.)
A pretty dull start this morning and predicted no sunshine, just misty/foggy. Initially our paving slabs had a slight sheen of ice on them, a bit tricky if not careful.
I had a call from my niece last night to say that my bro had gone into hospital, so, as my SiL cannot cope on her own, the two nieces shared the job of sorting out everything. One took their Mum into a care home*, while the other stayed with their Dad to await an ambulance. This all started very early @ 7am, and both of them had to miss work for the day! Then, bro was allowed home later, so I still have to find out what's gone on. *SiL was in the care home last week for respite as my bro had been feeling unwell, and couldn't look after her, so she knew where she was being taken.
Our lamb was fall-apart delicious - a bit like 'pulled' lamb. A base of two onions, quartered, with garlic - then made a gravy with stock and red wine, and poured over it (meat already sealed in the pan), in my Le Creuset to cook for some hours in a very low oven. Served with creamy mash, and carrot and Brussels sprouts tossed in a little butter. We have enough meat, as you'd expect, for a meal (cold with scrubble?) plus some sandwiches.
Well, that's it, folks, so have a good day, x
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Post by paperman on Jan 25, 2023 11:49:03 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well. 2 degrees and very grey out there, it feels jolly chilly.
Last night’s lasagne was good, it is strange how in this country we like our lasagne slightly ‘sloshy’ yet in Italy it is a relatively dry dish. There is plenty left over, the addition of the remains of our roast pork added more than I expected but it all now sits in the freezer for another day.
Tonight we are having Chicken Kiev, my style.
I thought last night’s SW was OK and I also watched early evening on iPlayer Emilia Fox investigating the Jack the Ripper murders. Thank goodness there was something on the far out channels to end the evening with some laughs.
We are going down to the mega Tesco at Martlesham after lunch as ‘A’ wants to get a few things that are not in our local store.
Iris we too go through phases of cutting down on meat, we have a standing joke that once I did A vegetarian cauliflower cheese for ‘A’ & I and added bacon to it forgetting it was supposed to be vegetarian. Also there are some lovely vegetarian Moroccan recipes that I have done in the past and here is a link to my Moroccan recipes page if you are interested.
The roller blinds in Claris need replacing, 30 years of use have taken their toll, and I have been investigating buying just a roll of the material. It is a bespoke cassette system that needs cutting to special size and the original manufacturer’s prices are extortionate but I think finally yesterday I found a company that can help, fingers crossed. They have sent me a sample which looks good and I am just waiting now to get final info before placing an order.
Val, we are a Queen house here as well so hope you enjoy the evening, look forward to hearing more anon.
Now, already, it is nearly lunchtime, so please take care. Enjoy the rest of your day xx
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Post by paperman on Jan 26, 2023 13:11:27 GMT
Good afternoon Ladies, grey and wet so far today but with odd blasts of sunshine between the rather heavy clouds.
There is nothing of interest either happening or to report, it’s one of those days.
We may wrap up shortly and go out for a walk as long as the rain holds off.
Tonight we are having mince with a jacket potato and some green veg.
Hope your days are more interesting than this one here, please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Jan 26, 2023 15:13:17 GMT
Afternoon all, I don't know about 'more interesting', Chris, but we have a damp-ish day (no rain), but sunshine - always good to see!
Well, we went to Bath last night to see the "Queen Extravaganza" which was very good - and, just like our son and daughter, reckoned it was not the best event (think "Rumours of Fleetwood Mac", which is brilliant). They had a display of very, very bright flashing lights that faced the audience, so we actually saw very little of the performers, but of course heard them! I have to admit that I spent most of the time staring at my lap, it was just too bright. OH said that he closed his eyes most of the time - heaven help anyone who may suffer from epilepsy! Something we noticed when trying to find your way around Bath is their limited use of signs - directions and street names. We had a sat nav, but perhaps out of date, as the voice over kept telling us that it was "re-calculating". and we happened on the multi-storey car park by accident rather than directed. On the website map, it said the car park was directly opposite the entrance to the theatre, but we didn't come out opposite, but in the mall. We asked four people if they could direct us - the first three said they didn't know. Eventually finding it just minutes before it started - just long enough to find our seats. Honestly? I don't think we would go to see them again - unlike "Rumours", which we have seen twice so far.
Anyway, enough of that.
Iris, I subscribe to a blog by Jenn Segal (I think Chris does too) and this week she has some lovely vegetarian meals - might try them. This one sounded very tasty: www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/chinese-vegetable-stir-fry.html?utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Mongolian+Beef%2C+Kung+Pao+Chicken+%2B+More+Takeout+Faves%20-%209926414 I meant the Chinese vegetable stir fry on the page.
Oh, and Chris, I found that Tesco have now stocked the giant couscous, so I have bought a pack. Cooking them in stock sounds ideal for flavour.
Yesterday, I accidentally melted our butter (it was hard and I thought a few seconds in the microwave ... ) - so I searched for a recipe using melted butter, and came up with: www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/gingerbread-cake.html#tabrecipe We shall be trying this later for afternoon tea. Stupidly, I did it again today (you'd think I would learn, wouldn't you?), so I think today it will be a carrot cake - I shall be going to our quilting group tomorrow, so I thought that would be a good cake to take with me, using a recipe from a very old recipe book, and I love the carrot cake from this book. It has dates and sultanas, and honey.
Meanwhile I am continuing sewing up the knitted squares for the hospital blanket. Sewing 80 squares and also the long ends too, is taking quite a while.
Oh, and I am also making another batch of marmalade !!
Have a good afternoon and evening everyone, x
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Post by irist on Jan 26, 2023 16:21:15 GMT
Hello at last folks. I have been up to my eyes in trying to get advice, quotes, etc from 3 different professions - have you heard the phrase "plaiting yoghurt" which about sums it up? I think everyone is still blaming delays in responses and busy diaries to Covid. I need to get info from one professional, before I can get help from the second and then approach the third. If I hadn't already been grey then I would be by now! In amongst all this mayhem, yesterday granddaughter rang to say she was stuck in traffic and couldn't get back in time to collect Keira from nursery. I had to don my raincoat, collect Keira's pushchair and "run" to the other end of the village to collect her. In addition yesterday lunchtime OH broke a tooth from his denture, despite only eating soup and a soft roll. I was amazed to be offered an appointment with his dentist for him this morning so of course I accepted. Last night we had Garden Club and finally the Chairman has accepted that I won't be continuing as secretary after the AGM next month. Alleluja! One stressor removed from my life
Thank you both for the links to the recipes. I'll have a look at them when I have a moment. I must admit I fell asleep while SW was on Enjoy all the cakes, Val Are you sure you didn't intend to melt the butter so you could make them?
This was a "Queen" house too when our son was a teenager - we often had to shout up the stairs to ask him to turn his music down. But we do like them. I also like Fleetwood Mac. Hope your family illness troubles soon resolve themselves, Val. Worrying time for you. Shame your satnav let you down and you had to rush to the theatre and also a shame that the lights were so overpowering at the show. Keep at it with the large blanket and enjoy quilting tomorrow.
Good luck with Claris' blinds, Chris. Hope all goes well with your next check up.
We are having fish pie and a mix of veg tonight. OH has to eat soft foods until we can collect his denture on Monday or Tuesday Tomorrow I'm planning on cooking spaghetti bolognese and then I'll have to come up with more easy-to-eat meals!
Bye for now.
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