Chatterbox LXXXII - Saoirse

[suffolk]

Feeling very virtuous not only have I done my best to attract some rain clouds by hanging a line of jeans out in the garden, but I've taken advantage of the day being slightly cooler and dusted and polished downstairs and waxed and buffed the floors and given the big hide rug a good shake and airing in the garden ... a beautiful green female Hawker dragonfly came in to inspect and got entangled in the blinds so I've rescued her as well ... I deserve a

[scullion]

i had a relative who was a scientific glassblower at a university somewhere.

[Ratatouille]

I was at the opening of the Sunderland Glass Centre and visited many times while I lived in the bowl which has indentations round the rim like wavesNE. It went very much down hill before we left the NE so I'm delighted to know it's still alive and thriving.
My Pyrosil was bought in the us when we lived in the Bahamas. I'd forgotten it had another name in the UK.
I have collected Sunderland glass all my life and am the proud owner of some of the tortoishell brown glass as well as an amasing apprentice bowl which has indentations around the rim like waves. Mine has 7 and 5 were considered to be very good indeed.

On a similar note. The crockery which I ordered in the sale arrived today. I love it to bits BUT one plate was damaged and there were only 5 pasta bowls instead of 6.

[TeresaFoodie]

I used to have a nest of glass Pyrex dishes with lids, I think they were a wedding present circa 1989. When me and my then husband went on holiday for a week, my sister and her boyfriend at the time lived in and looked after our flat for us. They cooked a chicken in the oven in the biggest dish of the three and it exploded everywhere. And they didn't make a good job of clearing it up. That was nice to return home to!

I'm just about to chop up 1kg each of white onions and reduced to 30p carrots and two heads of celery for mire poix for the freezer, also blitz up half a loaf of bread for the freezer. Still a gorgeous breeze here, no sign of rain though. Enjoying this while it lasts as I believe it is going to get much hotter at the weekend.....

[Zosherooney]

Semi productive day, we now have a new area for winter logs with a paving slab base down the side of the Cathcart Hotel, won't be pleased when she finds out it is just behind the fence..... but it's on our land so she has not a leg to stand on.

Veg picked, french beans to go with the steak tonight, together with half a baked potato. Watered GH growth. Divided and sealed edges of a floor mat into two I bought from Ikea at couple of weeks - they are for the Hobbit house. Sounds like we might be painting it (not the mat) later in the week

[cyprusmoira]

Smoked Chicken & Mango Salad for supper. Someone up at Vouni started smoking meats last year, pricey but worth it. The mango is actually Cypriot, we get them for a few weeks in July and August, they are much smaller than the imported Peruvian ones so very useful for salads.


Moira

[StokeySue]

Not massively productive day
Overslept
Some ironing then all afternoon playing backgammon and chatting. I did win my two league games though

My dad and I were taught glass work by the same technician, about 25 years apart, RIP dear George

Moira, jealous. We used to be able to buy whole smoked chickens, loved them. Now all we get are tiny packets of sliced and fairly tasteless stuff

[TeresaFoodie]

Went over to Pay Point to pay my dues this evening. As I went in, a woman who looked like she was very much in a rush came past me in the doorway. I thought nothing much of it until I got to the till. Slightly stricken cashiers who I know well told me, aghast, that the fleeing woman had started off running a few items through checkout, then asked for £50 worth of scratch cards, then tobacco. As the cashier turned her back briefly to get the tobacco, woosh! Woman was out the door with scratch cards. Brazen or what? Fingers crossed for good CCTV and better cashier training, like don't leave £50 worth of scratch cards on the counter then turn your back!

Nite all, sweet dreams.

[Zosherooney]

Cool and overcast today, GH watered, cucs are nearly ripe for the picking, tommys are still green.....

A trip to Trowbridge for opticians, some shopping and maybe Nunney Castle near Frome. Ebay auction for flooring is still not settled so not going via Warminster for collection. A call from BT and Plod expected later today....

We have friends coming over for nibbles and drinks on Sunday so need to start planning what food I will serve. We also need to clear some space to sit at we do seem to have stacked furniture and belongings where there should be some form of semblance and calm.

Long e-mail from solicitor yesterday re Dad's estate..........HUGE bill ! At least there is a little light at the end of a very long tunnel.

[cyprusmoira]

Good Morning Wild Ones, Sue, I buy smoked chicken breasts, they are vac packed, they do not do whole chickens. It is great to find a food firm doing something new in Cyprus, they also sell other smoked meats. We wish that they would smoke trout, there are a couple of trout farms up in the mountains.


Moira

[icelesley]

Good morning wild ones. Just nice and comfortable heat wise at the moment. I have the bathroom people coming this morning to sort out the plughole in the sink, it has stopped holding the water in the sink

[scullion]

maybe if you asked them they would.

[StokeySue]

Good morning
Pleasantly overcast here
Got a dental appointment for the replacement ofmybiggest filling which fell out when I was on holiday
Will pootle around after that, have an afternnon meal, and going out to the tiny Bridewell theatre off Fleet Street to see Wolf Hall tonight

The sun is coming out, must water my pots

[cyprusmoira]

maybe if you asked them they would

We originally asked at the trout farm, they were not interested. We must try the Vouni smokery, that may be interesting, this village Souni, is a daughter village of Vouni, many residents still vote in Vouni and have lots of cousins there.


Moira

[earthmaiden]

Morning all! More sunshine today. We had black clouds yesterday which made it feel as if the end of the world was nigh .... but they went away without delivering any rain, the washing dried and I was able to pick blueberries and gooseberries with GD. She went home with fruit smears down her t shirt. Thank goodness for modern washing soap .

Back to work tomorrow, feel like going out somewhere today but haven't decided where yet.

What a clever but sad theft Tezza, as you say, shopkeepers need to know that one!

I think we complicate life far too much nowadays. What was wrong with good old rubber plugs on a chain for baths and basins? In a hotel in Australia I gave up and asked at reception how to make the plug arrangement work as I couldn't empty the basin. It appears I was the only person in the universe not to be familiar with ones you just press and they spring up.

[suffolk]

Good morning all

Our bathroom washbasin plug is operated by a little lever at the back of the mixer tap ... you can't see it unless you stand at the side of the washbasin ... which you can't do because of the bathroom layout ... took me quite some time to find as it as we were used to one of the ones you press and they spring up

Expecting DS at some stage today as the new car has to go in for some bits of work to be done ... he's been working on Production at Latitude ... not sure whether he's had time to go home for a shower yet, and there may well be some washing to be done ...

[Gruney]

I've just read on thr news that they're proposing to put a satellite station where I'm going for my October fortnight - it's to be in the Melness area, near Talmine - north of Tongue.

I'd better make sure I leave the place nice and tidy!

[StokeySue]

I don't like the plugsyou press to make them spring up, I don't think you should have to put your hands back in the dirty water to operate a plug
One of my criteria when buying my bathroom fittings was that I wanted lever operated

[cyprusmoira]

By 12 15, I had done a load of washing and ironing, Deb had been to Paphos and back to order some new glasses. We shall now spend the rest of the day inside in the cool.

All our bathroom plugs are of the lever operated variety. The thing that wozzles me is when you go to the Ladies when you out and cannot find the tap handle to wash your hands, you usually have to wave your hands under the faucet. Sometimes it takes a long time for the water to appear.

Moira

[earthmaiden]

I really struggle with all the different kinds of modern plug. Mine are quite old fashioned and simple. At work we have ones which may be of the spring variety but you don't usually need to use to rinse hands. They fill with paper towel and hair which blocks the plughole and some poor soul has to sort it out. I don't mind automatic taps. You need to look for the location of the sensor then wave your hands across it.

[Seatallan]

We had those lever plugs when our bathroom was refitted but both the one on the bath and the one on the sink broke so we reverted to the old-fashioned sort.

Morning all! More sunshine today. We had black clouds yesterday which made it feel as if the end of the world was nigh .... but they went away without delivering any rain,

Ditto.... I know we shouldn't complain but there's a limit to how much watering I can do (don't use a hose on principal). Garden looks like it usually does in October when everything has died back and I've cleared it all. Saves me an autumn job I suppose.

[liketocook]

Good morning,
Lever plugs here but I find they tend to leak slightly, I much prefer the old fashioned type!
I had a bit of a moment earlier when I opened one of my compost bins to empty the kitchen caddy- a large mouse was scurrying about. Thankfully not a rat but while I'm sure this is not the first time they've been in there, ignorance until now has been bliss. I'll give the "dalek" a good flooding when I water later.
As it's cooler & a bit overcast I took the opportunity of the kitchen not being too warm to clean out the fridge and a pot of broccoli & potato soup is simmering to use some past their best bits up. A mug of soup, mini pork pie and fruit will make a fine lunch today

[suffolk]

There's some falafel in the fridge ... they'll do for lunch ...

OH has gone into the city ... he needs a new belt.

DS is asleep upstairs ... don't think he's had much sleep since Friday ... working flat out at Latitude and he has a funeral to go to this afternoon .......

[Meganthemog]

I think we complicate life far too much nowadays. What was wrong with good old rubber plugs on a chain for baths and basins? In a hotel in Australia I gave up and asked at reception how to make the plug arrangement work as I couldn't empty the basin. It appears I was the only person in the universe not to be familiar with ones you just press and they spring up.

This happened to me too! I had to ask the chambermaid to help me - she laughed and said it happened all the time

[Ratatouille]

Afternoon Everyone

Busy and rather hot morning in town. We would go earlier but the supermarket doesn't open until 8.30 and if you turn up then the shelves are empty. However we did get more of what was on the list this week. I also got a whole tray of peaches from one of the local producers who has a stall outside the wine co-op.They worked out at 90cents a kilo!

I've had to do a bit of rearranging to fit my new crockery in because the plates are rather bigger than my old ones. We've had them for 25years and they cost less than 50p each in French francs when I bought them. M&S have been swift to refund and arrange replacements for the missing and damaged items and they will be here tomorrow or the day after.

[suffolk]

He's obviously heard it's a popular destination of discerning foodies http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/chef-james- ... -1-5612424

[Ratatouille]

You should have asked him round Suffs!

[suffolk]

I suspect Chinch may have already nabbed him ... she's much nearer ... he may be being held captive as we speak

[TeresaFoodie]

I can't remember the last time I had a sink plug that fitted the hole properly until I moved here. Good old fashioned chain and rubber plugs. Eureka!

I'm back with my fortnightly shopping haul. I have to try and limit what I buy as there's only so much I can fit in my trolley. Today it was fit to bursting, mainly a big box of cereal, a big bottle of Greek olive oil and toilet rolls, so bulky but not heavy. I just told my dad at this rate I'll have arms like Popeye! A load of washing is done and my trotters are well and truly up for the rest of the day. I think dinner will be a very simple cheese and pickle baguette and crisps for lazy purposes!

[dennispc]

Catching up with a few earlier posts.

icelesley, I baked that loaf for the friend hosting Tuesday's coffee morning, which is why I wanted a loaf out of the oven early in the morning. Also there were friends with bee hives, their thick honey with butter is better! I thought sourdough was better for us, however some Israeli scientists say it isn’t. I’ll ignore them.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/arc ... ad/529260/

14,000 year old bread. Interesting story especially as it’s roughly 3,000 years before agriculture.

We think the casserole dishes we sold were made by Apilco - all white, no decoration though the flutes on the side weren’t straight, but curved like a flat S. The round dishes had detachable handles.

[Chinchilla_lady]

I suspect Chinch may have already nabbed him

Not guilty, I was cleaning out kittens at the time, and anyway Mr C keeps me fully occupied.

[earthmaiden]

Humph ... he could have visited before I left!

I too read the article about ancient bread. Very interesting. I thought it was an accepted fact that early crop cultivation was thought to be the planting of a few various favourite grains together which then grew to small time farming and a decline in nomadic life. I had always imagined that the grains were used for something cooked like bread rather than a porridge but it seems this was unproven until now.

Had a nice little trip out earlier to some nice gardens for which I have a season ticket. I resisted the very good tea and cake on offer there. Followed that with a trip to Lidl (inspired by Pat). Our super duper flagship store does not sell Pastel da Nata and did not have any of the fabulous ice cream (a coffee and an almond) they had last time. I think it was part of an Italian week.Thus I came away with quite a sensible shop. I must say that their vegetable crackers are rather nice. I had some with some of the blue cheese I got from the rtc area in Sainsbury's last week. I have just made kind of gooseberry fool from this year's garden harvest.

[suffolk]

he could have visited before I left!

think he heard you were there EM ... you just didn't wait for him

[earthmaiden]

[suffolk]

Can't keeps eyes open ... night night all

[TeresaFoodie]

Did anyone watch BBC1's factual programme at 9pm tonight? Very difficult viewing but something that needed airing and viewing. I got a call from a friend this evening, the friend who recently was very distressed at receiving a parking fine when in a disabled space. Her job centre visit this week was made difficult when her NI number was not recognised on their system. Her JSA claim had been closed for no reason. It was resolved eventually, but caused unnecessary stress for her and her retired father who has to take her there in her wheelchair. The system, or is it this country, appears to be more and more unbelievably broken each day.

Aaaaaaanyway, I strolled to the Co-op quickly this evening for one item. Noticed items being reduced. I was like a whippet being held back on a leash. I got six massive leeks, a triple pack of different flavoured hummus'es / hummi / hummus' (???) and a carton of tomato and mascarpone pasta sauce for under a quid! So I've made a huge pot of leek and potato soup, about five portions, so that's a few lunches sorted, and blanched a load of leeks for the freezer. A top shop!

Off to bed so......sweet dreams all.

[cyprusmoira]

Good Morning Wild Ones, I would say that it is quiet here except that a large builders truck has just rattled past, it was the truck that was large, not the builder. Building is slowing down because of the heat, there is officially no building in August.

Tezza, I too have stood there whilst food was reduced, in my case it was cheese.

Moira

[icelesley]

Good morning wild ones. The sink is fixed Unfortunately the sink style dictates the type of plug. We did ask if we could change to a traditional plug, but no it has to be the push and spring up type. Anyway it is working now. We have sunshine and it is warming up already. OH took the beasts out at six before it gets too hot.

[TeresaFoodie]

Morning all!

Up at a reasonable time today! I really need to make a decision if I spend the day doing a clean job or a dirty job. Clean being get all my CD's out, stick them on my laptop and document them as I go (love lists!) ready to synch them with my i-pod or, scrub a set of copper pipes in my living room ready for painting. Both need doing. Hot weather is no longer an excuse to avoid the latter. Ooooooooh! Someone give me a kick up the backside please before I reach for my CD's!

Have fun whatever you be doing today!

[suffolk]

Good morning all

It's another beautiful morning, but we really do need some rain

A noisy morning too as it's bin day (two collections ... waste and food waste) and they've made an early start (presumably 'cos of the weather forecast) so they're coinciding with the school traffic

I want to get the car out and investigate a recently opened Aldi in the adjoining area, but I think I'll have to wait until the school traffic finishes .........

[Ratatouille]

Morning everyone

It is going to be very very hot so we have been trying to get all the hot jobs finished well before lunch. This afternoon we will watch assorted men on bikes tackling the most difficult stage in Le Tour. Alpe d'Huez. If you are even vaguely interested, today is the day. Try eother Eurosport or ITV4.

It was a bit noisy here first thing too as Jean Pierre at the guest house decided to trim his trees and bushes with a power trimmer at first light.

[cyprusmoira]

I want to get the car out and investigate a recently opened Aldi in the adjoining area

Definitely an essential task
A bit cooler today, it was 30 C at 1100 am, on Tuesday it was 31 C at 9 30 am plus there is a nice breeze. I bought a mini watermelon for Watermelon & Feta salad, I had to buy a bunch of mint. our mint has given up for the summer, it will come to in September.
We have to check the parsley for caterpillars before cutting, the Swallowtail butterflies laid their eggs on the parsley last year. As much as I love to see the Swallowtails flopping around the garden I wish that would lay their eggs elsewhere.

I came back from the supermarket via Kurion Beach, I have not managed to check the beach recently as I usually have frozen food in the car, mostly frozen peas. The beach was not as busy as I thought that it would but it may have been a little early.


Moira

[Seatallan]

Definitely indeed!

An Aldi has rather fortuitously opened close to us and on my direct route back from the gym. I pop in most gym days and have become a total convert.

[liketocook]

Good morning everyone,
I was rudely woken around 5 by two squabbling magpies and couldn't get back over to sleep. It's a lovely sunny morning so thought I'd just get up and on with the day. I've been fairly productive so time for a and a sit down for a bit I'm going to head into the garden with my snips before it gets too warm.
My Dad popped by bearing a small tub of gooseberries there's not that many so will probably just lightly cook them and have with some cream

[suffolk]

Back from Aldi ... pleased with what I found ... this one is a lot better than the one that's up near where I used to work ... I went to that one once and never again Today the staff were pleasant and efficient and the place was tidy and didn't look like the aftermath of a rummage sale ...

However I seem to have come back without tea and coffee .......... just as well we've still got enough to last a few days

[TeresaFoodie]

Aldi is marvelously cheap! Avoid like the plague on a Saturday if you can! Also be wary of the tannoy that says 'We are about to open till number X. Please start to unload your shopping there' as I have found that 'we are about to' should be replaced with 'in ten minutes time we will be' and it's often quicker to stay queuing where you are!

Right, I'm going out for tomatoes. I forgot to get those yesterday.

[StokeySue]

Good morning
Aldi has changed a lot Suffolk, I have always been to the same one (by Bruce Grovevstation) and it has changed completely in the last couple of years - it's had a refit (I think they all have) and the product lines have changed.
I find it very good for some things but I am slightly disappointed that both Aldi and Lidl sell less and less of the German products I used to go there for, sausages for example.

I went to the dentist yesterday for 45 minutes in the chair and was going to spend the afternoon doing bits and bobs but fell asleep on the sofa. Then went out in the evening, then watched Lee Mack's WDYTYA with all the windows open as it was too hot to sleep until the place had cooled down despite careful management of blinds etc. Then of course I slept late this morning ......

[mum-at-the-oven]

I love Aldi for their fresh fruit and veg. I buy a lot of their cold meats and cheeses - all a lot cheaper than the big supermarkets.

However I would buy a lot more groceries etc. if it weren't for that awful policy of throwing your shopping at you at the checkout. I know you have to re-pack at the shelves but I find that the staff pile the shopping up at the tiny end of the conveyor by which time the potatoes have squashed the salad ...

[Ratatouille]

Well done M&S. The replacement plate and the missing bowl arrived this morning.

Our Aldi is still in the dark age and the parking s impossible. The Lidl would be good if they didn't change things round every other week and never ever get in all , or sometimes any, of the week's specials.

[Zosherooney]

I was in Lidl Trowbridge yesterday, Perlenbacher for Mr. Z, their gin, cheap sweets for him Still loving their Greek yoghurt, very thick. Our one in Devizes was refitted last year, location of pricing is much better and easier now. Their sports glasses (3 different sets of lens) are recommended by Mr. Z. (he is now on his 2nd lot, lost the 1st pair )

I have been to Codford today to collect enough (just, I hope) of white oak flooring for the Hobbit house. Original purchaser had a very 'bowed' bedroom floor so had to abandon laying it. Nuther nice bargain! Swapped a courgette for 2 green hand towels with a mate in the village - they match the bedding.

I can feel a snooze coming on as I was awake at 4.30 this morning....