Chatterbox LXXXI - Rodney

[WWordsworth]

Let's hope he's not a plonker.

[suffolk]

Welcome Rodney

Here you are WW ... ... put your feet up .....

[WWordsworth]

Merci
Whew

[Grasshopper]

Aww - just missed!
Ello Rodders!!!!!! *said in best Del Boy accent*
Cushty!

Grasshopper

[Zosherooney]

Where's Cassandra ?????

[TeresaFoodie]

Love it that it's a Rodney.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=63rcdLeXiU8

Welcome to WF Rodders

[TeresaFoodie]

''Why do only fools and horses work, nah nah nah nah'

[earthmaiden]

I once met a gorgeous sailor on a train whose name was Rodney.

[Zosherooney]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... re-village Durrington is only 15 mins from us!!! It's all a bit close for comfort....

[cyprusmoira]

Good Morning Wild Ones and hello Rod.
I have a dentist appointment later this morning, I shall combine this with a trip to the big supermarket. I wonder if the road works have been completed?

Moira

[suffolk]

Good morning all today looks quite spring-like
Good luck at the dentist Moira

[Cheezy_Jazzy]

Morning all

Welcome to Rodney

[Zosherooney]

New baby Rodders. I became a mother this morning when I baked my sourdough bread ! Smells wonderful. Guess what's for brekkie?

[jrc]

Hello. Had teeth done yesterday. Good job done but this morning I have a horrendous sore throat and bruised and painful neck. They also had to do a general anaesthetic rather than a sedation.

I am assuming ( but didn’t ask ) they use some sort of device to keep your mouth open.

Am going to have a gentle day but with that and the leg am going to sign off sick until the end of the week.

Glad the birth went well. I didn’t feel a thing

[TeresaFoodie]

Morning all

I was wondering if, in true Trigger style, this CB name should be changed periodically to Dave?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ylgV8OyTIFg

Have been up most of the night AGAIN giving police statements due to disturbances in this building. Argh! To brighten things up though, I woke up to photos of my friend's cats - Sonny and Darcie - sent to me by email last night. So cute!

It is very grey, drizzly and dreary out there. I won't be doing much except my usual walk and try to spend most of the day in my kitchen. Spicy parsnip soup could be on the cards.

A very sore throat is telling me that it's there. I'll be glugging hot honey and lemon soon to fight it off. Not sure what I can do about the continual sneezing though. Chooooooo!

[earthmaiden]

Morning all!

They look wonderful Zosh .. we need a Wildie breakfast with some of Herbie's marmalade and some good butter .

jrc and Tezza.

The weather looks quite nice here, the sun keeps peeping through. Just enjoying before preparing for the whirlwind to arrive (GD). Hope everyone has a good day.

[icelesley]

Good morning wild ones. Well done WW, welcome Rodney We have sunshine this morning it's still a sweet bit cool but hopefully it will warm up later.

[suffolk]

I was wondering if, in true Trigger style, this CB name should be changed periodically to Dave?

jrc ... hope you feel brighter as the day goes on

Zosh That looks fabulous ... I love sourdough and it's soooo much better for my digestion ... now the farm shop is no more my options are limited ... W'rose sell it, but I don't think it's 'real sourdough' in the true sense of the word, if you get my meaning.

[StokeySue]

hello Rodney and everyone
There's a Nelson Mandela House round the corner, but I don't think it's that one
Have a good day

jrc, a general always gives me a hangover, but like ordinary hangovers they pass quite rapidly, keep warm and keep taking in fluids

Have a good day everyone

[Zosherooney]

Thanks EM Suff, this is the real McCoy, the original starter is over 10 years old !!!!! It has a very chewy texture and a marvellous crust, and it really is quite sour - which we like. I still have some french salt crystal butter and some doux so we had good choices of butter, it did not need anything else. No disrespect to Seas. marmalade ! We will experiment now that we understand the process a bit more. I have to say it has taken over the last few days but it is something that you deal with and then let it do its own thing. We are total converts. I think Mr. Z is the next budding Paul Hollywood !!!

[scullion]

try keeping some of the starter in the freezer to check if it survives in there. there may be a time when you go on holiday, or get fed up of eating so much bread and don't feed the starter often enough to keep it in good shape.

[Zosherooney]

Scully, the baker of bread at the Red Lion said an absolute NO to freezing it, it just kills the fermentation process.

This website says you can 'rest' without feeding the starter every day in the fridge until you need it again, then get it out of the fridge and feed it for 3 days before commencing using it for a loaf - so the starter gets a holiday too !!!!
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-s ... ead-224367

[cyprusmoira]

Back from the dentist, obviously he talks to his dental nurse in Greek, it can be a bit off putting when you hear the word screwdriver I was imagining a large yellow handled tool, in fact it was a tiny tube containing an even teenier screw to implant in my tooth. Dr George upholds the tradition of having copies of National Geographic in his waiting room. His daughter has joined him in the practise, the waiting room is now done out in tasteful shades of grey.

I then went on to the big supermarket, they go in for logical but wrong shelf stacking. The garlic and celery salts were with the table salts not the spices, and I found palm sugar (Tesco's reduced) next to the icing sugar not in the Ethnic Food section. This is the shop where I once found a pack of tamarind beans next to Heinz baked beans

Moira

[scullion]

i know about putting it in the fridge, i made sourdough for years.
i'm just suggesting that you try it for yourself in the freezer with some of the starter that you have spare (and you will!) and see if you can revive it. many people do it with good results.
yeasts etc have the ability to encyst in unfavourable conditions so, yes, the fermentation process may be 'killed' but not necessary the organisms which produce fermentation. the guy at the red lion may just be following recipes or received info rather than having tried it for himself - and he may not have read very much if he has to follow a consistent recipe .
it's hardly going to break the bank learning if he's right or wrong. (and if you do a quick check on the internet you may find he is!). empirical information is usually better than just accepting what someone else says.
you will also find that your starter changes over time to fit with the natural yeasts in your kitchen rather than those of the pub, so having some in the freezer may help keep nearer to the pubs starter for a while.

[Zosherooney]

I to your superior knowledge Scully, I will indeed have some 'wastage' so will test try freezing some and see what happens !

A question for you Scully, can I use other flours for sourdough, I have spelt and I have a bag of Hovis 50/50 also some barley flour, will they tolerate being mixed ?

[PatsyMFagan]

Zosh .... I just did a google search .. seems you can use spelt, but it is weaker. Rye seems OK though

https://www.bing.com/search?q=can+I+use ... 53C8A545A9

Don't know if this link will work ???

[Seatallan]

Zosh, that looks seriously

I can quite understand why you stuck to butter only. Best make another batch to have with some of my (or Herbie's) marmalade.

[Ratatouille]

Afternoon everyone

I just go out for the morning to get my toenails cut and look what happens ! Welcome Rodney.

Hope everyone with poorly bits soon feel better. My feet feel lovely and fit my new sandals better! yet again I have been told something quite different about my feet. This one says I should go barefoot whenever possible. The male podiatrist I saw last year insisted I had to have well fitting shoes. I'll try the new advice as soon as it gets warm enough !!

It is a gorgeous day now though it was mighty chilly this morning. While i was having the hooves trimmed Mr R went into the Oarnge boutique to sort out the remain problems. Believe it or not they couldn't help at all, all their computers were down

[Sloe-Gin]

I always use a mix in my sourdough, including a little Rye

[Busybee]

I always use a mix in my sourdough, including a little Rye

Sourdough.jpg

My goodness that looks lush, I like the swirled effect on top.

BB

[liketocook]

Good afternoon everyone,
Welcome Rodney - will he be a "Likely Lad" do you think?

Beautiful looking bread SG & Zosh
It has, dare I say it, been almost "Spring" like here today though still pretty cold in the shade. Shame it's not to continue as it's to be wet and mild for the next few days but here's hoping that's the season's changing.

My trip to the Drs went as expected, meds have been upped again and back next week for review. I do hope this settles things as my GP surgery is dissolving on 30/03 and it will be a locum service for a while. I don't know if I can hack continually having to explain things all the time.

Nothing very exciting in the food department, no breakfast and lunch was the last of the gammon with salad and crackers. I've a portion of spinach & ricotta lasagne defrosted for later.

Spent most of this afternoon cleaning as I have visitors early evening tonight. Not really a social visit but to do with a voluntary group I support so I don't really know folk so wanted the place to be spick and span

[scullion]

can I use other flours for sourdough, I have spelt and I have a bag of Hovis 50/50 also some barley flour, will they tolerate being mixed ?

i would suggest you suck it and see. the yeasts you have in your starter may suit different flours in different ways.
if it doesn't work, you've learned what it'll do, not wasted expensive ingredients - and the ducks will love you.
if it works, you've learned what it'll do, got some edible bread - but the ducks will hate you.
your choice!

two books i have that i would recommend are dan lepard's 'the handmade loaf' and'bread' by jeffrey hamelman. both very informative - especially 'bread' on all aspects of bread making and the different types of leavening.

[Zosherooney]

Ducks indeed ! Far too good for them !!!!! It would make crumbs at the very worst.

Sloe, how do you get that lovely bread 'plumage' ? Is it the basket and floured towel method ?

[Sloe-Gin]

Yes, a banetton, Zosh, well floured. I then put semolina in the bottom of a heated le creuset and cook it in that with the lid on for part of the time.

[scullion]

i looked up, online, the cost of the book 'modernist bread' featured on the food programme this week cos i thought it sounded like a very good read. i think i'll wait and hope the price comes down - it's a set of five books and costs about £350.

[Sloe-Gin]

i looked up, online, the cost of the book 'modernist bread' featured on the food programme this week cos i thought it sounded like a very good read. i think i'll wait and hope the price comes down - it's a set of five books and costs about £350.

Drop a nought, and might consider it..... might!

[StokeySue]

Dan Saladini did suggest finding a library that had invested in the bread books!

I feel the urge to make injera now

[dennispc]

I've kept a starter in fridge for a month without feeding. It was fine.

[cyprusmoira]

Good Morning Wild Ones

I've kept a starter in fridge for a month without feeding. It was fine

I bet that it was hungry
Lovely morning here, Andreas next door is hammering again, I think that he is one of those people who like to hit things.

Moira

[Zosherooney]

Frosty cold but sunny here, I think we will be making tricity here by the ton today ! A load of washing will be done later and we will be swapping 'notes' with a local neighbour for their upcoming trip to Portugal which will be highly beneficial to us

I think it's time for or

[TeresaFoodie]

Morning all,

Sunny and dry here but thick frost having to be scraped off car windscreens...still! It's bitterly cold, but I'd rather have to wrap up warm to move house than do it during a heatwave in August, which I have had to do a couple of times in the past. Most unpleasant!

Have lovely days all!

[icelesley]

Good morning wild ones. We too have a very hard frost, thank goodness I brought the plants I bought yesterday into the house, they would probably have died in the greenhouse even with the heaters on.

[suffolk]

Good morning all
Bright sunshine with a frosty start here
Madama Butterfly was lovely last night ... an amazing young Korean soprano in the lead role and a very good Spanish tenor as Pinkerton. A thoroughly enjoyable evening!

[dennispc]

Following on from homes in Norfolk collapsing into the sea.

Similar in North Somerset, hotel at Blue Anchor. If it goes so does the road. There's a faint curved line in front of the hotel on seaward side, that's a slip as well.

blue anchor.jpg (14.47 KiB) Viewed 4839 times

Same thing is happening in South Devon near Sidmouth, some of the houses are large detached ones that at one point had 60' gardens - no longer.

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-ne ... ng-1181066

[earthmaiden]

Morning all!

I think we forget that other parts of the coast suffer from erosion too - it is so prevalent in the east! It's a good idea to understand the geology of a place before buying, my father was fanatical about it so I was quite lucky really, even though he could be a bit of a bore about it . I have been interested to observe that in Norfolk he has been spot on in my lifetime about what would erode first (and wonder why, if he, an educated amateur could do it, why those who are qualified to advise when house buying don't seem to).

Anyway, it's a really glorious day here, the Spring Equinox seems to have heralded spring - it's the kind of light that makes one want to get outside or even do light window cleaning . I've got a free day so had a nice lie in and will be catching up with things today. I'm due a filling at the dentist late in the afternoon followed (at a suitable interval for the tooth) by supper in the cafe at our local theatre with a friend. We're going to see a stage production of Birdsong afterwards.

[Busybee]

Must be the day for theatre. We are having a trip to Buxton later for a look around before joining friends for the production 20th Century Boy, the Marc Bolan story. Hoping for lots of fab music.

Glorious day in North Yorkshire, it hasn’t inspired me to clean windows but I did ponder when the window cleaner is next due..........next week according to our schedule.

BB

[suffolk]

I'm afraid the people buying houses at Hemsby don't seek or listen to advice ... the properties are cheap as chips and the people buying have very limited funds and see the places as somewhere to live rent-free when retired ... they think the coastline will outlast them, but in many cases they're wrong ... some only have planning permission for use as holiday chalets but people flout this rule and live there permanently and as the local authority would have to rehouse them if they insisted, they turn a blind eye.

[StokeySue]

Good old Stokey boy Marc Bolan
When I moved here in the 80s plenty of people remembered him (specially older Jewish ladies, think he was a fairly cute kid)

[patpoyntz]

I've kept a starter in fridge for a month without feeding. It was fine.

Yes I keep mine in a kilner jar in the fridge...it still works after even months in there, with 2or 3 days feeding. It also can be frozen, but haven’t found it necessary to freeze it.

[cyprusmoira]

It is pollen time here, everything including my washing is covered in a thin yellow film, it is a mixture of mimosa and pine pollen, even the water butt has a yellow slick on it.

We are OK here but they are having great problems with land slippage over at Pissouri, there was yet another meeting about it last weekend. The original village is built on limestone but some of the houses built about 20 years ago were built on Bentonite, a type of compressed clay. Geological surveys show that there was a landslide 10,000 years ago so no one will take responsibility. Some houses are uninhabitable, I have seen photos of enormous cracks in the wall.

Moira