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:-D :-D :-D Linds

Dea Xxx

Hi All
Just popped in to catch up. Had a nice meal out with friends last night.
Lazy day today son and D-I-L popped in with GD to see OH son who is on tour left pressie for him and son who was on stag weekend phoned to say hi is off work tomorrow and will see him then cos not fit to drive (he got dropped at his girlfriends) .

Visited in-laws and now home to enjoy our last night of "freedom" :-D

Dea shame about your chinese but better safe than sorry :-(
Yes it is nice that Fathers Day fell on the 1 year anniversary took his mind off it

Cynthia life would be boring on a "flat" road ;-) :-D

Sylvia dont you just love a bargain :-D :-D

Don't we know it Jonesy.

A constant struggle.

At the moment we are concerned about surviving through the Olympics.

First they said extra trains. Now they are saying they might ban ordinary commuters at certain times.

And they are threatening bus and tube strikes.

And they are making our service road controlled parking.

They say find an alternative route but we are slap bang in the middle of three sites and within walking distance of all of them.

Train bus or car will be impossible.

The traffic is already being affected.

Now we have been told our service road is going to be closed so Virgin can do some work of no benefit to us despite all the parade objecting.

Home visits will be impossible.

Patients will not be able to get to us.

Then we are told to take advantage of the business opportunities.

Who on earth would go to the Olympics to get their eyes tested and then wait for their glasses to be made?

That is without the pressures from large companies who have the budgets to shout louder.

It is a constant struggle to convince people that bigger is not necessarily better

Just spoke to OH who would have loved to frequent your store.

He reports that specialist wood turning tools are very hard to get. A friend of his has just opened a store and is doing on line trade too. He is doing very well so far..

The demise of the small independent shop began about 30 years ago in the UK. The speed of that demise has accelerated rapidly ever since thanks to the consumers misapprehension that bigger is better and likely to be cheaper.

My first venture into retailing was a hardware store in a small suburban retail development. Within 300yds there was a B & Q store whose prices were certainly not cheap. If they and ourselves sold the same product it was us whose price was invariably the cheapest. Whenever we saw someone carrying a B & Q bag containing something that we sold we had great sport pointing out that they had paid over the odds and suggesting that in the future they buy it from us .

Whilst we may have had some success it did not last long as our feeble efforts could not compete with the brainwashing advertising put out by the larger retailing chains. This meant that the younger generation in particular were sucked in and our market for items such as lawn mowers and power tools and the more expensive hardware items quickly disappeared. We were left only able to sell the smaller, less profitable ancillary items that the larger stores didn't sell because there was too little profit in them.

We could see back then that there was no future for the small retailer and that in time the larger chains would end up selling what they wanted to, not necessarily what their customers needed, at prices they would dictate. We preached the gospel but it fell on deaf ears.

We remained in business for almost 20 years but only by diversifying. For the last few of those years we effectively worked just to pay our landlord and the utility companies. Once they had been paid there was very little left over so eventually just as many thousands of other independent retailers have done and will continue to do, we conceded defeat and left the marketplace.

The lack of choice of product, where to purchase it and ultimately the price that will have to be paid for it is the result of the decisions consumers have made and will make.

What they sow, so will they reap.

There endeth the lesson.

Bagsy the ravioli stuffed with Spinach and Cheese


..............yum :-D

Good morning all :-)

Sylvia - wasn't it your OH who spent LOADS of money of a fancy shirt a few weeks ago which he wouldn't have needed at all if he had put all the luggage in the car ?? ;-)

You just remind him of that the next time he asks such a silly question :-D

Lots of wonderful food again today - I am just going to find my plate and make a start............... Thank you Sylvs <3

Dea Xxx

Lunch will be served at 1 pm

Cocktails, Sherry

selection of hors d'ouevres ............

Olive Tapenade
Vegetarian pate
Fig and Goat Cheese Canapes
Spinach Cheese Squares
Tomato Bruschetta
Cocktail Meat Balls in Cranberry & Pinot Noir Sauce
Leek stuffed Mushrooms

Crackers and toast tips


Soup .....................
Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic Soup with Caramelized Vidalia Onions (vegetarian)
Creamy Garbanzo Soup
French Onion Soup


Salad .............
Spring salad
Golden beet salad, with goat cheese, pine nuts and herb dressing
Warm goat’s cheese salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing
Tuscan Salad (slow roasted cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, pinenuts, kalamata olives, red onions, grilled pesto rubbed croutons, baby greens) served with an herb & balsamic vinaigrette



Main ..................

Roast Venison with Red Wine and Onion Jus

Canadian Beef Pot Roast ……… beef slowly braised in its own juices, served with a vegetable medley , mashed potatoes or white and wild rice mix, and a rich home-style gravy

Duo of Berkshire Pork (crisp belly, and tenderloin), spring vegetables, massala reduction

Slow Braised Lamb Shank, with caramelized onion jus

Shepherdess Pie (vegan)

Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Lasagna (vegetarian)

Vegetarian chili

Ravioli stuffed with Spinach and Cheese

Basil Fettucine tossed with olive oil, topped with grated Parmesan (Vegan)

Mushroom Linguine with Creamy Cheese Herb Sauce


Roast potatoes,
garlic mashed potatoes,
Herbed Potato Medallions,
Potato Gratin with Caramelized Onions,
Aged Cheddar & Chive Twice Baked Potato,
Rosemary Creole Baked Sweet Potato,
Potato & Yam Gallette


lemongrass & ginger scented rice

Wild Rice


Glazed carrots,
roast parsnips,
brussels sprouts,
spinach stuffed mushrooms,
peas,
green beans,
asparagus,
Butternut Squash Gratin,
sauteed peppers,
cauliflower with cheese sauce,
fiddleheads,
pesto grilled zucchini,
Tomato & Zucchini Ragout,
Stuffed Tomatoes


Gravy


Butter Pan Buns,
Multigrain Rolls,
Sourdough Rolls,
Corn Bread,
cheddar chive rolls


Dessert ............

Chocolate Pistachio Mousse

New York Cheesecake with mixed berry compote

Apple Galette, served warm, with vanilla gelato and caramel sauce

Lemon Tart, with tarragon syrup, and berry salad

Blueberry Icecream

Pavlova a la Australia

Rhubarb Brown Betty

Crème Brulee


Custard, whipped cream


Cheese and cracker plate


Selection of wines from Western Australia, and British Columbia


Tea, Coffee, Juices





enjoy
xxx





s
xx

Its so sad to see the little local stores having to close. We will be left with no alternative but to shop and coffee at the huge chain stores

Where has consumer choice gorn :-S I'd rather put a tenner into the pocket of the local shop keeper, not Tesco/Sainsburys and the others


..........sighs and goes to hang out the laundry as its actually sunny here!




~~~~~~night Sylv, sleep tight

C


I had coffee before I went shopping :-D :-D



Bad news on Friday ...... our little coffee shop/book store owner E said they are closing down at the end of the year.


Their lease comes to an end in November, the bookstore is losing money hand over fist, and they can no longer afford to keep it going. Plus, it requires both her and her husband to work the two stores ................ which means they do not have benefits, eg a health plan.

They've realised they are reaching an age (and so are their children) when they really do need one of them to get a job that includes benefits.


It did used to be 2 stores, which the building owner combined to make the bookstore and coffee shop some 15 or so years ago.


E is hoping that they might be able to persuade the building owner to re-build the interior wall .............. they would then keep the coffee shop open, and let someone else lease the other.



BUT ................ the economy is still not very good, and there are empty stores around.




sylvia

As yo know my new addiction is yogurt, so it goes without saying..


Honey yogurt (bio) and berries, with granola and walnuts


Thanks Sylv

:-D

Good morning Sylvs..... :-D


Such an early start for me today...........thank you for that breakfast .....will just get a plate and try to be really good........... :-D



Sounds like you had fun at the shops! Did you stop for a coffee too? One cannot shop properly unless one has coffee can one ? ;-)

I always cook more rice than I need ............. I add some lemon juice (usually the concentrate) to the water when I'm cooking it, it adds a nice little "tang".


Then I freeze the leftover rice, in meal-sized portions (usually 1 or 2 servings).



Daughter had a Japanese room mate in her last year at uni, and she used to cook up a big batch of rice on the weekend, then freeze 1 serving portions to use during the week.

We just put the frozen rice in a bowl and microwave it.



You can also freeze left-over spaghetti .................

...... when you want to use it, put it in a sieve in the sink, pour a kettleful of boiling water over it, then run cold water over it.




s
xx

Good morning Gins, and everyone
xxx



Breakfast is ready


Fresh fruit salad with vanilla yoghourt
broiled grapefruit with brown sugar


Honey Yoghurt and Berries, with granola and walnuts


Porridge with chopped up dates, bananas, and maple syrup (other fruit selections over there >>>> )


Selection of cold cereals


French (eggy) toast, maple syrup, Golden syrup


Toast (sourdough, rye, white, whole grain, 100% brown, Hovis, gluten free),
raisin bread,
hot cinnamon rolls,
barm cakes,
croissants


bacon & cheese quiche,
cheese and onion tarts,


Full English

Ulster Fry-up

The Transcontinental - 2 eggs any style, choice of bacon, ham or breakfast sausage, chef’s own hash browns, toast or fresh baked muffin

The Continental – choice of assorted chilled fruit juices, hot oatmeal or assorted cold cereals, toast or fresh-baked muffin

Chicken and basil sausages, 2 eggs any style, chef’s potatoes, toast

Maille Croque Monsieur (French ….. basically ham, cheese and tomato sandwich on toasted bread, with Maille Mustard),

Ham, cheese and tomato on toasted bread


cheesy potato patties
home-fried potatoes with garlic and bacon


blueberry gingered lemon muffins,
crunchy-top blueberry muffins,
pear ginger muffins,
morning glory muffins


raisin scones


jams, jellies, marmalades, Nutella (hazelnut spread)


Tea, coffee, juices


(some extra bacon, turkey sausage or sausage patties, eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, sliced baby golden beetroot, Maple baked beans, olive oil, in the hidey place to cook up for the very hungry ones!)





enjoy
xxxx





s
xxx

:-D :-D :-D :-D

'OH asked a couple of times, if I really needed what I had bought.






...........just a typical man statement, rhetorical of course ;-)

Only just come on the computer .............


I went downtown for some retail therapy


It's months since I went to my favourite store


and boy, did I choose a good day!!


They were having this sale of 25-40% off everything regardless of whether it was new stock or had already been reduced. PLUS another 25% off if one used the store's own credit card ........... which I always do.


I got a lovely very fine silk (literally see-through) paisley scarf, one of the long narrow ones .............. was $70, reduced 50%, reduced another 25%, and then reduced 25% again. Final price ... just under $20 :-D :-D


I went down to get a couple of tops (having gone through my closet a few weeks ago and thrown out a lot) .........................


I came home with a skirt, 2 tops, 2 light open-weave open-front cardigans, 2 nighties, a dressing gown, and 3 scarves :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D


OH asked a couple of times, if I really needed what I had bought.


Of course I did! :-D :-D :-D




s
xx

Hi all
xx


poured with rain today :-(



s
xx

Nite nite Cynths Xxx

Dea Xxx

That was one of my main instructions to OH - bring in clothes + cheese and tomato sandwiches as they don't need a fridge to keep them safe !! (Could you expect anything less from me ???)

He brought those + some of the clothes I asked for - As I remember it they were two pairs of pyjamas which didn't match, one pair of jeans + several tops which didn't go with them, 7 pairs of 'undies' and a bath mat which he thought was a towel !!.................bless !!! :-D

Dea Xxx

If not, you could always sneak in some cold buffet food