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Post by irist on Jul 15, 2023 10:53:27 GMT
Morning folks. Well what a day yesterday - OH had an appointment at the surgery and just getting in and out of the car at either end meant that we were drenched. The surgery was packed and all the disabled parking spaces had been taken so we had to wait for someone to leave before bagging their space which unfortunately was about as far away from the entrance as possible. Hey ho worse things happen at sea. An HCA took the bloods and ECG and was not happy with OH's back pain control which resulted in a call from a GP in the afternoon increasing the dosage of his medication. However, even that hasn't helped and he was awake from 2am, couldn't get comfortable in bed and dozed in his recliner chair. He's gone back to bed and is sound asleep now (11.45am). Think I may be dozing too this afternoon .
I did manage to walk to the shop for our paper this morning whilst the sun was shining but now we are having torrential downpours and very high winds - Yellow weather warning until midnight here but I think you may suffer the same, Val. I think you will escape the worst of it, Chris. I' I'm going to find some quiet jobs now to allow OH to rest. I'm finishing up the third lot of eye medication over the weekend as the conjunctivitis still hasn't fully resolved.
We're having salmon and Waldorf salad for lunch and fish, chips and peas tonight. Tomorrow I'm going to make a pork and apple casserole for lunch. I'm babysitting just one greatgrand for an hour and half in the morning while granddaughter takes the old greatgrand for her swimming lesson. It'll be much easier to look after the little one on her own, OH hopefully will feel a bit better and be absorbed in his paper and the lunch will cook itself!
Laptop battery almost on zero so must go.
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Post by paperman on Jul 17, 2023 8:34:54 GMT
Good morning Ladies I hope this finds you well on this mixed morning of mainly cloud, it is also pretty windy. Thunderstorms are forecast for this afternoon and right now it is 17 degrees.
We will be going into Tesco a bit later as there are a couple of things we need and this evening we are having chicken salad with cold chicken from last nights roast.
Apart from that we have nothing planned and what we do will be weather dependant.
Tomorrow we are going up to Lowestoft (Aldi & Morrisons) and although we don’t need fish as we were up at the fishmongers recently I am intending to go to see him too to see if he has any trout as I have a yen to do something trout like.
OK so that is about it for now, I feel the need for coffee so please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Jul 18, 2023 10:01:47 GMT
Morning all,
Reasonable day today - well, it isn't raining currently! Yesterday we had a very brief spell of rain just before lunch, and the rest of the day warm and sunny, sufficiently warm enough to dry my washing outside, including jeans.
We had salmon for dinner last night, and I made some mashed potato with finely sliced onion and cheese, topped with cheese; then placed in a buttered cast iron pan to bake, so it was a lovely golden-topped delicious way of having mashed potatoes! With green beans and carrots to finish it off. I also made some lemon curd, but interestingly all the eggs had very orange yolks, so the curd actually looks more like orange curd.
Last night, having defrosted it, I baked the bacon joint that we'd bought for Christmas (we had Covid over the Christmas period, so had to freeze lots of foods). It had a treacle sauce, so looking forward to trying it today.
I finished sewing together all the knitted squares for another blanket, now sewing in all the ends before crocheting around the edge, and of course, sewing on a label. Then I can get on with a few of my own projects before starting the next knitted blanket - I am still receiving squares and have more than enough.
Our birds are racing through the bird food - they seem to love the fat-filled coconut shell - two each week currently! The mealworms are another favourite.
Hubs has been out in the garden pruning some of our bushes/trees. We have a 6ft+ wall all around the garden, and hubs has created espalier-fruit trees along it, but some of them, the pear and the fig seem to be growing too tall, plus some of the shrubs too. We are still getting a cucumber each day, and I'm being very posh and having cucumber sandwiches for lunch !
Still no tomatoes have turned red yet ... though we have had a lovely long courgette - I mentioned earlier, which I cooked with a different recipe - www.thefrenchcookingacademy.com/recipes/baked-spiced-courgettes. This recipe included 'Moroccan spice', which I didn't have, so looked it up on t'internet and found an easy recipe, so created sufficient to keep in a jar for future use. See here: sweetpeasandsaffron.com/homemade-moroccan-spice-blend/ Hubs loved it, and recommended using the recipe again. I served the spiced courgette with a jacket potato and Chicken Veronique - again I needed to use up some green grapes.
Our evening out to see the grandchildren's performance was a great evening. Granddaughter worked really hard, as she featured, brilliantly, in every one of the senior routines, including two solos. Grandson was fantastic - he made tap dancing look so easy and fluid; both granddaughter and grandson were at the front of the tap dancing performance. So proud. Plus the organiser said she couldn't have managed the evening without him on the other side of the stage, managing alongside her. A memorable evening. (Plus we were in the very front row - )
Oh, Iris, we're still looking for that holiday rental ...
I guess it's time to get on, so have a lovely day all, x
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Post by irist on Jul 18, 2023 18:51:41 GMT
Evening folks from an alternately wet and dry SW. At least the wind has dropped and the rain is not too heavy! Yesterday amongst other things, I cut the lawn and grass around OH's raised beds, taking advantage of a drier day. Good job I covered the ride on mower with an old blanket as a new nest has appeared in the shed! I suspect it's a pair of house martins or swifts so will have to keep an eye out when out in the garden. (I can't see the shed from the house.)
The babysitting on Sunday was a doddle as the little one slept for a good part of the time!
Today I hoovered the car out before going off to the Carers' Club after lunch. We had the best entertainment yet and a very relaxing afternoon. Tomorrow I'm off to have my hair cut and do a bit of shopping for fresh veg etc. Hope I can find a parking space in Newquay I hope you eventually find some suitable accommodation for your break away, Val. I shall be using the spiced courgette recipe and may well make up the Moroccan spice mix for use in future. Thanks for the links. Talking of pruning, I need to get out and prune back some shrubs asap as I've got a chap coming to knock down the existing wall around the lawn - some of it's falling down already - and rebuild it. I'm also waiting for the boss to come with his digger to clean out the ditch in the lower field before the grass grows too long and the ground is still relatively firm.
I had a letter from our dental surgery yesterday informing us that they were no longer treating NHS patients. So we have reluctantly signed up to their practice scheme. I am really rather cross, having worked for the NHS for 12 years, paid NI all my working life, etc, etc. Wouldn't we all like an increase in our income but when will these folk (and all the other strikers) learn that putting wages up is not the way to bring inflation under control. Sorry, rant over.
Did you get your trout, Chris?
Off to make a drink so I'll wish you a good evening.
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Post by paperman on Jul 19, 2023 9:07:50 GMT
Good morning Ladies, hoping as usual this finds you well, the forecast is much less promising than the weather we actually have right now, being sunny and probably around 19 degrees it is a nice morning but it did rain overnight.
I took my hanging baskets down yesterday afternoon as they need some serious dead heading and it’s easier to do that on the garden table so that will be a job for later today, I hope in the process they will revive otherwise they’ll be replaced.
We went up to Lowestoft yesterday and did a major shop including a flying visit to our fishmonger and yes Iris, thanks for asking, I got my trout although I made a mistake in what I said because I actually wanted it cleaned and the head removed but what I got after his attention were a couple of fresh fillets, I didn’t have the heart/courage to tell him, so tonight I am cooking trout fillets. Pan-Fried Trout with Rosemary, Lemon and Capers although I will leave out the capers and use either peas or green grapes instead as ‘A’ doesn’t like capers but if anyone has any suggestions please shout. The advantage of this recipe is speed and ease plus I hope a tasty result.
It is our village coffee morning (I never drink it there, sticking to water!) so I will be popping there in a bit and also our weekly post-office comes to the village in Wednesday mornings and I need to get a stamp and post a birthday card to my daughter.
I have a little bit of shopping to do and will do that whilst ‘A’ is at Tai-Chi after lunch.
Now for my morning coffee, please take care xx
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Post by paperman on Jul 20, 2023 9:20:59 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well, here we have 18 degrees on a nice sunny morning and in a bit we are going for a walk on the beach at Sizewell, we are likely to be virtual prisoners for the next few days as it is the Latitude Festival just up the road and the traffic, judging by previous years, will be a nightmare.
Last night’s trout was a real success, I swapped the capers for green grapes and it worked really well. The fish had a lovely crisp skin. For the sauce I did what one of the reviews said and bruised the leaves on a whole stem of rosemary and put that into the sauce rather than separate needles and that worked well too for the sauce, the small clipped needles that were embedded in the fish cooked and softened so frankly whilst aware of the flavour we were unaware of the needles. I did asparagus to accompany.
Tonight we are having bolognaise sauce and jacket potato.
Now to get ready for our walk. Please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Jul 20, 2023 10:41:16 GMT
Morning all,
Sunshine-y day here - at the moment - with the suggestion that it may not rain at all today, or tomorrow, but for anyone looking forward to a weekend after a week's work, they will probably be disappointed, as it looks like rain all day on Saturday. Unlike us, who are always having a weekend every day ...
Today we are meeting up with our friends for lunch - and it will definitely be fish'n'chips - the pub where we go cooks the fish in beer batter, just something I couldn't/wouldn't cook, so it is a real treat to have it. Our friends have a place in France, and have come home for a two-week break (I think with appointments/commitments) and then heading back to France till September, so we're getting together before they go back to France.
Chris, rosemary is somewhat tough in dishes, so a recent meal I cooked, I stripped the twigs of the needles, and chopped up the needles finely until they looked like shredded parsley, and that worked really well with the flavour and then not noticing they were there. We have our own rosemary bushes, so newly plucked from the shrub, they are more likely to be tender (ish)! Your trout sounds delicious. I enjoy trout, but hubs will always choose salmon over trout (?).
Iris, exciting to have the birds nesting so close, but it would be better if they were outside rather than in your shed! Disgraceful that an NHS institution can just leave you in the lurch - our age group may be able to afford that, but what about families with children, that could be a heavy outgoing for them. We're still going over the options for our week away ... none of them have everything we need, so we will have to compromise eventually with all of us in agreement - no easy task!
Have a good day all, x
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Post by paperman on Jul 21, 2023 8:52:35 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well on what here is a coolish, sunny morning at 16 degrees outside. In fact my heating came on this morning for a couple of minutes which was a bit of a shock/surprise as I thought I had turned it off but now I have remembered British Gas came in a few days back to do the annual service and probably they left it turned on.
Yes, dentistry is a conundrum, like everywhere else it is virtually impossible to find an NHS dentist over here as well, and the costs of dentistry are high when one has to pay. You are right Val about us being fortunate enough to be able to afford treatment albeit that I resent having to pay, but for families and pensioners who are not in that position it is horrendous. Years back (probably 60 years ago) when I lived in South London we were spoilt for choice with our NHS dentists, school dentists plus a school of dentistry at Kings College Hospital which was barely 30 minutes travel time by bus and you could just go and present yourself there at reception and be treated, it was a big hall with maybe 10 or 15 dentist chairs and equipment, OK one was treated by a student but it was under the close tutelage and watchful eye of a qualified tutor and one received excellent treatment………sounds like the promised land now doesn’t it. I even heard Bob Mortimer the other day saying he did his own dentistry, excluding extractions, on his kitchen table.
Last night we had Bolognese sauce with jacket potatoes and broccoli and tonight, it being Friday will be F & C (alv).
‘A’ has ordered for me to cook my Chicken & Tarragon Dauphinoise for Saturday night and as this weekend is going to be hell (due to the Latitude Festival just a few miles up the road) I’m going to pop into Tesco in a minute and get the shopping, hoping to avoid the crowds.
We had a lovely walk yesterday along an almost deserted Sizewell Beach, I know it looks somewhat wild etc. but it is very nature friendly, albeit that we have a nuclear power station just above the beach, and there were plenty of butterflies flapping around including some lovely Small Coppers, barely the size of my thumbnail they are a devil to photograph and this is one I took earlier. Iris I hope by now your eyes are better, now for a cup of coffee.
Please take care xx
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Post by irist on Jul 21, 2023 18:25:52 GMT
Evening all. It's been a lovely day here with the sun breaking through a lot of dark, threatening clouds blown along on the breeze. So instead of doing the boring housework I had planned, I spent time in the garden cutting back some shrubs to allow the chap easy access when he arrives to knock down the wall surrounding the raised lawn. OH pottered, pulling up the pea and broad bean plants after harvesting the last pods. We won't be venturing out much over the weekend due to the weather forecast (high winds and rain) and the invasion of tourists. The powers that be have decided to start roadworks with 3 way temporary traffic lights in Newquay - what they were thinking I'll never understand. With that and the dualling of the main A30 it's going to be chaos on the roads hereabouts. If you are still thinking of coming to Cornwall during the school holidays, Val I'd not come too far into the county! I shall be heading to Bodmin to shop from now until September (the supermarkets there cater for locals rather than visitors). Although it's twice as far, I can get there in less time, do my shopping more quickly, fill up with fuel more reasonably - what's not to like?
Yesterday I dropped OH off at his group meeting and spent almost 2 hours just mooching around the nearby shops. I bought some yarn to knit the great grandson expected in October a cute hooded jacket. The pattern includes instructions for a hat, roll collar jacket, a blanket and a waistcoat which I may make later.
I wish I could experiment more with different recipes like you both do but OH's tastes have changed dramatically lately. He even refused to eat a ham sandwich at lunchtime. It's a bit frustrating. I'll have to wait until the family are here again when I can branch out a bit!
Whilst at the shops yesterday I called into Boots opticians for advice about my eyes which are still a bit itchy and irritated although the infection has gone completely. The young assistant (whom I've dealt with in the past) was extremely helpful and recommended some new drops for dry and irritated eyes. She explained that because I had had three lots of antibiotics both the bad and good bacteria had been killed off and also the lubricating film on my eyes. The drops are already helping which is really positive. Thanks for asking, Chris. I've noticed a few more butterflies about this week but only the more common ones, including the dreaded cabbage white!
Well I'm off to make a drink and keep my feet up for a while. I've had a flare up of arthritis and my right toe joint is very swollen, hot and sore good excuse to do a bit of TV watching. Take care.
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Post by brightspark on Jul 22, 2023 18:46:10 GMT
Evening all,
Well, we have finally booked somewhere to stay - in North Devon. I have spent several days sitting at the pc trying to find somewhere that fits the bill, and although this one is almost everything we need, there are still some things we would like, but I'm looking forward to this very old property. It is was built in the 1400's, and is very 'grand'. Plus it is something different to what we have had before.
Tonight's meal is a need to use some sausages! I have chopped up our home-grown courgette, plus potato, carrot and onion into similar-sized pieces, and a quick pre-boil to heat them, then into a sort of stir-fry, plus some broccoli and cauliflower.
Hubs is lighting the wood-burner as I type, it really is quite chilly this evening, so I shall start the crocheting around the newly-sewn knitted blanket while round the fire - I should be warm then, having a blanket draped over my knees.
Rightio, a bit late, but we'll have our dinner now, so have a good evening all, x
Edited near midnight on Sunday - Errata - I said North Devon, it is actually Somerset. I've looked at so many properties ...
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Post by brightspark on Jul 23, 2023 14:18:40 GMT
Afternoon all,
Chris your photo of the small copper butterfly is so clear, are they bramble flowers that I can see in the photo? That Sizewell Beach does look deserted, I am surprised there aren't more folks about the area, walking on the beach. Chris, the weather hasn't been kind to the Latitude festival this year, has it ... maybe not as many people will come?
Okay, so two leftover sausages sliced up formed a lovely lunchtime sandwich - hubs with the ketchup, and me with the rhubarb sauce. Yum. Tonight will be salmon. Our son is growing some round cucumbers, and when he sliced them, he sent a photo to me - they are called lemon cucumbers for a good reason - they look just like sliced lemons, with a fair amount of them are soft pips, and looking just like a lemon segment!
After all that rain yesterday, the river is flowing very fast, oh, and hubs saw the kingfisher this week - a flash of blue, and a whistle-like sound as he flies through, just above the water.
I started on the crochet edge last night - the first row is always a little tricky, but once that's done, I shall add another two; and finally the label on the back, and that will be a project finished.
Oh Iris, I hope your toe isn't too painful - good on you for taking a bit of 'me' time and resting your foot. Also your eyes, it has taken a while, hasn't it, but good to know the infections have cleared.
Have a good afternoon and evening all, x
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Post by paperman on Jul 24, 2023 15:51:41 GMT
Good afternoon Ladies, I hope this finds you well. It has been a bit of a scrappy day of mixed weather. Yesterday whilst they had almost continuous rain at Old Trafford we had a dry day with sunshine up till around 4:00pm and we went, again, for a walk on Sizewell beach but in the other direction from the car park this time. There were a few guys beach fishing although I didn’t see anyone catch anything. Personally I am happier about sea fishing because generally at least they keep what they catch and eat it where as fresh water fishermen having caused the poor fish some distress and possibly injry then put them back. I am not sure whether or not it is cruel but it does seem it and needlessly so, apart from pleasing the chap with the rod. However it is, I think, the highest level participatory sport in the country so anyone thinking of banning it would have their work cut out.
Last night’s roast pork was OK., I had brined the joint in the morning so we would have good crackling but probably didn’t keep it in the oven long enough, the meat was cooked just right as was the crackling but usually I manage in the cooking process to render out a lot of the fat and I didn’t quite achieve as much of that as usual. Tonight we are having rissoles from that pork.
Yes Val that was a bramble flower, well done finding a property for your trip. As you probably know Dunster is a lovely place, when I used to go hang-gliding I sometimes used to stop over in my camper-van at a farm there or otherwise at Porlock Weir.
Time is rolling on so for now will leave you, Iris I hope that toe of yours has started behaving itself, take care each xx
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Post by brightspark on Jul 24, 2023 22:50:44 GMT
Afternoon peeps,
How's everyone today? We have a brisk temperature outside - just feels like we should be having a fire this evening !
23.50 As you can see, I started this earlier - oh well, chat tomorrow ! Sleep well, everyone, x
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Post by paperman on Jul 25, 2023 9:13:03 GMT
Good morning Ladies, I hope this finds you well.
Your ‘brisk’ temperature Val went down overnight here to 9 degrees!! It is now 17 with a mixed day of sunshine & cloud forecast but it is going to max out at just 18 degrees, so we’re cool too here in the east.
We are going out for lunch to Loddon which is just over the border in Norfolk, we have often been there in Claris in the past as our shake-down trip and last trip of the season. It is a pretty place just on the edge of the Norfolk Broads.
Actually we are waiting to hear from the hospital with a date for my operation, expected to be mid-August, as we would like to sneak away for 2 or 3 nights beforehand for a break, but at the moment we are stymied regarding making any arrangement.
Last night’s rissoles were a howling success; together with some local asparagus we had a lovely meal. We are not sure what we’ll have this evening, much will depend on whether what we have for lunch, snack or meal.
Now to have a coffee, please take care xx
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Post by brightspark on Jul 25, 2023 10:22:27 GMT
Good morning all, Looks like a rain-free day today, so maybe get some washing on ... maybe !! Yesterday I cooked a few new things. Firstly, in the morning with no cake in the tin, another cake was obviously needed! www.taste.com.au/recipes/sticky-melt-mix-fig-date-cake/Ltw46cLTI know not many people enjoy figs, but in this household we love 'em. So together with dates, they were chopped and put in a saucepan with some water and some bicarb, brought to the boil and then taken off the heat. I added butter to melt and brown sugar to this, then left to cool, while I prepped the rest. Three eggs and some SR flour, all mixed together and then poured into the silicone mould and cooked for 50 minutes. (The mould I have is a multi-leafed 'rose' silicone mould, a n d it came out perfect!) The result was an incredibly light cake, but I didn't want to use cream for the sauce, so I decided to melt some toffees in a little milk, this made a deliciously sweet sauce, though to be used in moderation - it is very sweet. I made it as a sauce not as a set dessert. fussfreeflavours.com/recipe-toffee-pots/In the evening, and with another courgette from the garden, I again cooked this: www.thefrenchcookingacademy.com/recipes/baked-spiced-courgettesHubs loves it, and throughout our meal he told me so !! The meat part of the meal was inner chicken breasts: onedishkitchen.com/lemon-garlic-chicken-for-one/#recipeI made the recipe, and although it says for one, the marinading sauce was sufficient for us both. Unfortunately the recipe didn't state what to do with the marinade, but once the chicken was cooked (I dry fried mine, not baked) I poured in the marinade to the pan and it made a lovely tasty (and easy) sauce over the chicken. Chris, reading about your rissoles, I looked up a recipe by Nagi @ Recipetineats, and have printed it off. I thought I would try them this evening. Enough of cooking ! Chris, have a great lunch today in Loddon. Our weather forecast today is expecting it to be rain-free, so hope your day is good too. How long is your operation likely to be, do you know? Or perhaps you'd rather not! Iris, hope you and yours are well. Hubs has just brought in some produce from the garden - an armload of rhubarb; a bunch of spinach; some small courgettes that seem to have gone wrong in their shape, with pointy ends! I think I need to refill the bird food - it is quite busy out there! Have a good day all, x
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