General Chat

Good morning all fairly bright here at the moment but who knows how long it will last. If we get another day like yesterday we will soon need to build an ark. who was it complaining that the garden needed rain a few weeks back?

Just about to go and batten down the hatches before the young generation arrives.

Its no good getting tempted if G orders treats Ann.

Had the estimate for my flat roof today and rang BIL Alan and he said that was a good price so I left a message on the roofers number that I accept the estimate. He did put on the bottom that the boards were £85 each if I needed any that would go on top of the bill. When I spoke to BIL A who is a tiler and roofer he told me he gets those boards for £32 so this man I am having is going to earn well on those if I have to have any.

OH has the strawberry zero fat ones and his date goes right to the end of the month, but I have the zero fat ones with no flavouring. I'm annoyed with myself as I could have got a refund if I'd noticed sooner. I sometimes have one of the cherry Kefir drinks, but once one of those fizzed out of the bottle as soon as I opened it, even though it was still in date. Yes you would have thought your bill was big with all those soups, but that was a nice refund to get. ;-)

I hope Mandy is continuing to have less pain with her wrists and is getting better sleep now she's back in her bed. I expect the stitches came out when the plaster came off and that would help too. It must be hard when doing the exercises makes her wrists ache too. Best wishes Mandy xx <3 <3

OH is back from his first session on the course and must have been feeling virtuous as he hasn't put any treats down for this week's order!! I hope it lasts as he won't lead me astray if so.

I used to drink those Ann and often found them out of date. No wonder I thought my bill was high before but it was not a normal order I just thought it was that anyway just had a refund for £17.44 so that is good.

Ohhhh AnnG what a lot of packet soups! It's a good job you noticed. I spotted a blunder with my last order yesterday. I have those little actimel drinks in dozen packs which last me almost a fortnight. Yesterday I suddenly noticed they were 3 days out of date after noticing a funny taste!! I must make sure I check them in future as I usually do.

I had just remembered that the shop was duee between 3 and four and went in the front room to fetch the cool bag, it was 2.45 and there he was outside. Had to move fast then. something really strange in my order that I had not noticed when checking it. Two very large packets which when I looked were lots of cup a soups in the original packi ng. when he checked the order said 21 packets I can only think that I changed from one to two and the number one didn't delete. anyway he has taken both lots off the order for me. I thought the bill was high. Most of the order was for the finger buffet for tomorrow lunch time.

Afternoon All,

It sounded much brighter where you are earlier AnnG but I see it has changed now. It is another gloomy day here and raining hard most of the day. PC says 15 degrees. :-S No walk or doing anything outside although I could turf out what's left of the toms in the greenhouse later if it stops raining.

Other people's standards will always be different Mel and I think he's a star to have taken it on and sorted a problem for you which as you say is the main thing. I expect your BIL may have to work quickly as he must have jobs at home waiting for him too. As AnnG says hopefully it won't be long till the grass stops growing now.

It sounds like tomorrow will be a noisy day with the young boys AnnG. Sister's 2 boys were just the same when they were young and competing and argueing and tormenting each other all the time. I must get my thinking cap on now you have reminded me that Christmas isn't far off. The garden centres and where we went for lunch yesterday all have their trees up and decorated now.

visiting tomorrow, I thought I had said. sorry. Eldest grandson and wife and two great grandsons age 6 and 9 who fight and squabble all the time and are very LOUD. Coming to bring the Christmas presents that have to go up north for Christmas.

Yes he is Anng I usually give him some money when he get petrol for the mowers. It raining here too I just got soaked feeding the chickens and bantam.

Whose visiting tomorrow?

Legs are all wet think I need to change my trousers.

Well after the blue sky and white fluffy clouds earlier, it was all downhill from about 0930. It has not stopped raining since and at the moment it is bucketing down and is so very dark. I had intending taking some books back to the charity lady and posting a birthday card but I am not going out in this.

I have a Tesco delivery today at 3-4pm. different this week as I needed to get stuff in for the family visiting tomorrow.

Mel, yes I suppose you are right, at least it is eventually getting cut and maybe he will soon realise that he needs to slow down. I assume he is funding the replacement parts himself. Hopefully it will stop growing soon.

Gave up on the first post as I lost most of it.

Morning Anng and all,

Very wet and windy here this morning pc says rain to stopand 16 degrees.

Had a bit of a lie in this morning and arose at 9.24am. Just been out and fished all the leaves out of the pond and am sitting here thinking I must get dressed.

Anng BIL has all good intensions but drives the mowers too fast to get the whole job done in one day. Oh never did it all in one day and took time to get the lawns outside the bungalow looking beautiful as you will have seen in past pictures I sent. He also goes too near to the bushes and over the fallen branches off the trees which I think is a lot of the trouble. Anyway he comes and does it and thats the main thing. I do feed him well when he comes to keep him going.

good morning all. blue sky and white clouds here and 13 degrees. Looks quite pleasant.

Mel BiL doesn't seem to be having much success with the mower? Is it because he is doing something wrong? Or is the mower just old? Maybe you could do with a couple of sheep! :-) :-)

Well so much for my good day. He did the mower that pulls the trailer and used the newer one to cut the grass and half way through the west lawn he managed to lose the belt that drives the brushes which then pick up the cuttings. He found the belt (broken) and then found that the bearing on the end of the brushes had sheared off so now the younger mower dos'nt work. It drives and cuts but dos'nt pick up so now he has to get a new bit for that and a new belt.

I brought about 6 or 7 big cooking apples down to the house, just windfalls and cooked them in the micro with some demerara suger and a few sultanas and I shall have those with some nice custard and put some in the freezer for another day.

I cook a big pan of mince carrot and onion, two beef oxo cubes some black pepper and a teaspoon of bovril and put that in boxes in the freezer then in other boxes I put mash and green so it makes three or four dinner and I don't waste the veg on the chickens.

With BIL coming today I keep thinking its Saturday.

Last on of All Creatures tonight, I have been enjoying them with these new characters. I wonder if we will get a Christmas special?

Thank you for the extra info on the auto setting and it does sound useful Vera so I will check if the model I fancy has it. It is a good idea to cook your casserole in bulk like that. I want to get into the habit of doing some things too as it saves so much work and thinking what to eat on future occasions and is much more economical. I hot up portions of frozen cooked mince with veg in the microwave and you can have a meal ready in no time. OH will peel any root veg which helps too.

That's good there is a helping of your soup for tomorrow as well AnnG. OH would be dunking some bread in his! :-D

Yes Liz Truss was totally unsuitable wasn't she. You need a thick skin for a start and she always looked scared to me. OH said Boris couldn't do worse too. We are in a mess and if it came to an election soon for the first time in my life I wouldn't want any of them. :-S

Not sure, he is off making money but if he did I don't think it would make things any worse.He might just be strong enough to get us out of this mess. I can't think anyone else will manage they just go round in circles and if they don't get their own way they throw their toys out of the pram and leave.

Do you think Boris will throw his hat back in the ring?

Yes no surprise as you say Ann. What a mess it all is.

Still very grey and very, very wet. It’s just falling out of the sky at the moment.

:-D :-D :-D Well done Mel :-D :-D :-D

I have spent half the morning chopping stuff for a red cabbage casserole. I use a Delia recipe that suits our taste and I use my huge casserole and make about 12 good helpings and freeze them in portions of 2 helpings. We probably only have it once a month so that’ll keep us going for 6 months. It only needs a couple of minutes reheating in the microwave. I did think of doing it in the slow cooker but it does need a stir from time to time and you shouldn’t keep lifting the lid on the slow cooker.

Ann, the auto setting is for cooking rather than just heating up. The book says:

The slow cooker will automatically begin cooking in high temperature mode until the cooker reaches a temperature of 96-97 degrees C. At this point the cooker will switch to low setting. Temperature will be maintained and if necessary high temperature will be reselected depending on changes in ambient temperature etc.

It’s supposed to be more economical than having it on high all the time.

Inevitable wasn't it? Just really not up to the part of the job that meant taking on all the bitchiness. How can anyone do their job in the face of all that I wonder?
the soup is very nice, enough for tomorrow as well and the veg would have been thrown out otherwise, basic taste was carrot as there was more of that but the leeks are in the background as well, it was very smooth and nice and thick.

I love fish fingers in buns/sandwiches.

Suns been out here which I did'nt expect. Popped down the post van with a parcel.

15 degrees here and still sunny at the mo.

BIL has the mower going hooray now I can use the big trailer when I cut stuff down. I hav'nt asked him about the pond yet..... but he's not the BIL that knows about ponds.


I wrote this this morning beforeI went to the post van and did'nt post it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!