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Life outside Ambridge
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Life in Ambridge
THIS POST IS CLOSED "longer off topic comments" - Episode 14 Life Outside Ambridge Have a seat and let's chat.
*** FROM PREVIOUS BLOG ***
ReplyDeleteArcherphile - February 16, 2021 at 9:40 AM
Oh No, no, no, no, no!
I have just read that the new host of Countdown is going to be.......Anne Robinson.
Can’t stand the woman, so rude and combative. We will probably stop watching one of our favourite programmes which has been the accompaniment of our afternoon cup of tea since it first started with Richard Whitely over 30 years ago.
And it needs a man as the host to complement the dual experts Susie Dent and Rachel Riley.
Sorry to be controversial but I don’t think an all-woman team is going to work.
I know it’s silly to make a fuss about aTV quiz, but we are both very unhappy about this decision.
Cheshire Cheese - February 16, 2021 at 9:48 AM
I don't watch Countdown but agree with you about Ann Robinson, I'm not a fan.
I saw Anne Robinson once or twice while visiting my father and presumed her rudeness was scripted and that she was acting a part.
DeleteI didn't even know it still existed. I stopped watching it after Richard Whiteley died (which I see was in 2005!)
DeleteApropos of the Chinese to English translation that AP posted on the last blog, I found this very sweet "Keep Off The Grass" sign...
Years ago, went on holiday to Italy with a friend. We stayed in Lido de Jesolo which was a holiday resort and there was a sign on the grass reading “Forbidden to tread on the meadow. Respect please the flowers and grass”. Presumably for the benefit of the English contingent! Nowadays would have taken a picture but in those days film was precious so had to memorise instead! I wonder whether the sign is still there!
DeleteRe Countdown, have never been good at anagrams in spite of being good at spelling. Therefore the program didn’t ever appeal. Also found Carol Vorderman a bit annoying! I agree though that an all female team will be tedious. I don’t like watching breakfast news when it isn’t presented by one of each gender. Agree with Archerfile that one complements the other.
DeleteSo do I Ev - dam PC ( as the reason for this is because in all its 39yrs Countdown has not been hosted by a female 😡) Funnily enough I don’t mind an all male set up 😉
DeleteHilary, I always thought that she was playing a character too. Even on "Watchdog" I felt she was pretending to be a hard-nosed, no nonsense journalist. I don't mind her at all to be honest with you. Her autobiography, "Memoirs of an Unfit Mother" is supposed to be very good.
ReplyDeleteWhen my Epsom aunt was alive we used to watch Countdown with her on every visit and she was very good at finding long words. I feel for you Archerphile but maybe try a show or two to see if her other programmes were indeed acting a part and 🤞🏼
ReplyDeleteWhen Millionaire came back we gave it a wide berth because of J. Clarkson but one evening came across it unexpectedly and decided ok we will grit our teeth and give it a go and 98% of the time we found him to be totally different to his Top Gear etc persona. Not that we watched that either but saw trailers.
I prefer Jeremy Clarkson to Chris Tarrant who I find a bit patronising! We have enjoyed the present series.
DeleteI love four in a bed and especially when there is friction because one or the other is less than likeable! It is amazing how these characters manage to turn it around so that they see themselves as victims and can see no wrong in their own attitudes. Maybe we are all a bit like that!
That’s one of my other favourite programmes Ev. I watch one most days via my iPad dangling over the front of my exercise bike whilst I peddle away 25 minutes. There are so many old episodes on the 4Hub they should keep me exer using for a good few years!
DeleteArcherphile I don't think you're being controversial about not liking the idea of an all woman team in Countdown. What my sons have to say about the most recent Star Wars films which have been seemingly dominated by all women, cast, crew and writers which have weakened the storyline and therefore the franchise, doesn't bare repeating. This from sons who have been brought up by a single mother since primary school age!
ReplyDeleteDidn't like Ann Robinson, the first of the famous 'hard-nosed' journalists I would say.
The plastic surgery she had done was fantastic! When I remarked I'd have a go at that, my son, who at that time was working in a bank's head office and dealing with a BBC account, said 'Mum, sorry but you'd never be able to afford it!' He'd seen the cheques posted out to 'celebrities.'
Why plastic surgery? Hers to me looks like a mask. Any surgical intervention carries a risk.
DeleteHers was the best I'd seen. Certainly dislike Botox where they all, male and female, end up looking like plastic mannequins. Shane Warne springs to mind. Then there's the awful look where the skin has been tightened so much they can't close their eyes.Mostly those I think have become addicted to the surgery. Michael Jackson comes to mind there.
DeleteBut I thought that Robinson's looked natural and certainly made her skin look healthier. Maybe she has 'disintigrated' (joke!) as I haven't seen her on TV for quite some time!
I read that too Esscee. As she was promoting a particular procedure I was a bit sceptical and it certainly looked as if the lighting has something to do with the improved looks. But it was quite startling and I noticed that she has looked better in various studios as she has become a bit of a celebrity!
DeleteMind you if one or more of my sons told me I had a turkey neck they'd soon get a clip round the ear! (Metaphorically!)
But I cannot dislike Judy Marray for what she went through when her sons were in Dunblane Primary School at the time of the awful massacre.
I am also not a fan of Anne Robinson, for very many various reasons.
ReplyDeleteI have watched the occasional episodes of Countdown and the contestants are so very clever.
What I cannot understand, is to why the new presenter, is yet again a more senior person.
I would have thought, that this would have been an ideal opportunity, to have a slightly younger presenter.
Not sure whom - but there must be many equally great and suitable candidates, 10 to 20 years younger, be they male or female.
My alternative thoughts, as to an alternative Countdown presenter, are along the lines of:-
DeleteEamonn Holmes
Adrian Chiles
Victoria Derbyshire.
Clare Balding.
PS My Countdown watching is usually around 5.00am in the morning. This is on waking up, not settling down again, so get up make a cup of tea and switch TV on.
DeleteI always go back to sleep again after watching it. 😁
Ev mentioned the tv programme Four in a Bed.
ReplyDeleteThis I do watch, when there are back-to-back episodes broadcast. It is such fun, esp. when the contestants are so well chosen together, in that there is always one pair of B+B propiertors, who think they are far superior to the others. These always fall flat on their face!
It fills in some Lockdown hours, when the weather is bad.
I would not recommend it at all - but it can help pass the time.
I know what you mean Miriam 😊
DeleteI am loving listening to Victoria Wood programme on R4 (whilst getting evening meal ready) before TA.
ReplyDeleteI just love her humour.
She went too soon.
Listening to Vic Wood tonight, she included Childrens Birthday parties.
ReplyDeleteMy memories of my early ones, revolve around a pink blacmange rabbit, with green jelly as grass.
Then we went onto a chocolate cake, with marzipan around it, and a marzipan "stalk" plus piped chocolate butter cream, so it resembled a mushroom.
It is amazing that a lovely radio show, can bring back, such memories about birthdays and cakes.
*** MY EARLY MEMORIES ***
ReplyDeleteArcherphile, it's your turn now. Enjoy!
Oh my goodness ! That came around quickly!
ReplyDeleteMy earliest memory is from when I was about 2 and a half.
I was sitting in my little blue velvet armchair in our dining room. It was the exact miniature of my Dads chair.
It was after lunch on a Sunday. I can remember the fire crackling in the grate. Mum & Dad were listening to a programme on the radio which was kept in that room. I think I must have been bored so I started fiddling with one of the Kirby grips that Mum used to fix the curls at the side of my head. I had long golden ringlets in those days and they were always falling down.
I had a habit of putting everything in my mouth, thumb, toys, pipe cleaners, photographs which looked quite pretty with teeth marks decorating the edges (I thought).
So the Kirby grip went in too.
Suddenly I coughed, and I can distinctly remember the sensation of the grip going down my throat.
Fortunately Mum looked up, saw a grip was missing, looked everywhere and realised I had swallowed it. Panic stations!
To cut the story short, the Kirby grip did not reappear, so after a week I was sent to the Canadian Red Cross Hospital at Cliveden. An X-Ray (which I still have) showed the hair grip was stuck fast in my intestines by it’s open end. A high temperature warned that I was on the verge of peritonitis and there had to be an emergency operation to remove it.
I was in hospital for 2 or 3 weeks (which I don’t remember) with no visits allowed in case I got upset. When Mum& Dad were eventually allowed to take me home I didn’t recognise them, but I I do remember rushing straight into the lounge and behind the sofa where my toys were kept.
I also remember, distinctly, the embarrassment of my Mum hoiking up my dress to display my scar to all and sundry for weeks afterwards. (A 4” long, 3/4 “ wide scar down my middle which I still have today!)
My other very sharp early memory also involved a fire, but this one was in the lounge, the room we used most days of the week. I often watched Dad laying and lighting the fire and having to hold a sheet of newspaper over the opening go get it to draw. Then the fire would roar and flames leapt up the chimney.
It fascinated me, how the paper could make such lovely exciting colours and patterns.
One afternoon, Mum busy in the kitchen & Dad in the garden, I decided to make flames & patterns myself. There were no newspapers in the room so I tore a page out of one of my nursery rhyme books and threw it on the fire, over the guard. Entranced by the result, I fed more and more pages on to the fire. Then another book and another. The fire was roaring. I remember the excitement of what I was doing.
Fortunately my Dad came up to the house from the garden and saw bright light flickering
in the lounge windows,
He and Mum rushed in and found what I was doing.
I shall draw a curtain on the consequences but I remember them very clearly to this day.
It was the only time I was ever well and truly smacked.
I was 3 years old.
🙁
Oh dear oh dear !
ReplyDeleteWhat a naughty little girl you were Archerphile
It's a wonder you survived childhood! 😏
ReplyDeleteAP, you have no idea how much your early memories are so similar to mine! Will tell more tomorrow - pissed as a fart right now!
ReplyDeleteUp very early this morning so time to read the blog.
ReplyDeleteA question for The Old Woman!
I would like to say that so far I have got 100 % of my answers correct in your very welcome quiz.
However .
Although I originally thought Surrey Quays was the obvious answer to one of the questions I decided to change it to Essex Road -it is a station in London .
Then when I realised that it would be unlikely that your friends crossing the Atlantic would have heard of it ,I reverted to my first choice.
Another however....
I made the mistake of telling my son (who does the quiz too ) and a nameless blogger what I had done and they say I am a cheat!
I felt I should come clean and admit what I did because I really do want to keep my 100% record!
Thank you Old Woman.
Essex Road is a good answer. However, according to google it's Great Northern, not Underground or Overground. Therefore it's disqualified from the quiz and I shall have to accept your first answer : )
DeleteWell done for your 100% so far - keep it up!
Interesting stories Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteThat one slap doesn't seem to have done you any harm at all
It was considerably more than one, LanJan! 😉
DeleteProbably done through a combination of terror that I might have suffered terrible burns and fury that I had burnt all my lovely books, and some of my Mum’s too!
But as you say, it did me no harm and was well deserved. I should probably have done the same had I been the parent !
A least you didnt disgrace yourself as my sister and I did when the vicar came to tea, we had the parafin out trying to set light to a tree !
ReplyDelete😳😂
DeleteWhat a lucky escape you had Archerphile on both counts! Cowgirl too...😱
ReplyDeleteWell remember the sheet of newspaper used to draw the fire Archerphile it terrified me when my dad did this - not adventurous like your good self 😉 I also dreaded it when on some occasions he removed shovelfuls of (the middle room) fire to the front room for an easy start 😱
DeleteLady R I also remember the sheet of newspaper to 'draw' the fire. I have done it myself on occasions. Thoroughly dangerous.
DeleteWhen I heard that the cladding on the tower blocks was about an inch or so away from the actual concrete/brick walls of the building I said to my family that of course it would go up like a candle if the fire was at the bottom because it made a sort of chimney which would draw the flames upwards. If you saw the building burning that was exactly what was happening. I wonder, did none of these architects and engineers grow up with an open fire?
My Mum and Dad also used the newspaper trick and Mum would take a shovel full of fire from the living room to the front room like Lady R’s Dad. How we did go up in flames I will never know! The fires were the only source of heat and in the winter Mum would dry the washing in front of the fire so you came in cold from school and couldn’t even get near to the heat! How did we manage in those days? Now I have a tumble dryer which is currently drying my towels and the whole house is warm. Today it is steadily raining again but at least a lot warmer than last week!
DeleteEv when possible to sit “on top” of the fire mottled legs resulted 🤣 change into nightclothes by it then run upstairs to freezing bedroom jump into bed with a hot water bottle for warmth 🤗
DeleteI forgot mottled legs!!
DeleteThank you for your memories Archerphile. I too can remember my dad holding a sheet of newspaper to create a draught to kickstart the fire. It seemed dramatic and a bit scary to me but it worked well.
ReplyDeleteGary - Tiny Grass does sound like a character.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm another who can not only remember the sheet of newspaper that both my mum and dad would use to get the fire going, but I taught, or rather instructed my husband how to do it, when we had an open fire.
ReplyDeleteArcherphile.
ReplyDeleteI love your memories, particularly, you with golden ringlets. My mind just boggles, as to the look. This so reminded me of Billy Bunter, with Violet "I will scweam + scweam".
As to the open fire - I also remember this well.
As children we would sit and make "knots", from rolled newspaper, to help get the fire going. There was also the drawing of the fire, with a sheet of newspaper, which often went on fire also.
This was our only form of heating, apart from a paraffin heater in the kitchen. How dangerous that was, now being said in hindsight.
Our hot water was from a gas geyser, over the kitchen sink, and that was the only source, apart from containers, done on top of the gas stove, in the kitchen.
Bath night was just once a week, in a tin bath in front of the fire, with all 3 kids in it together.
There was no washing machine, just the kitchen sink, and then the mangle outside.
I still have a small, b+w photo of me, helping with the mangle. I think I must have been about 3 and a 1/2 then.
This would have been late '50's about 1957 or early 1958.
I will keep my thoughts about the ice on the inside of our bedroom window, for another day.
PS On sorting out my Dad's bungalow after he passed away, I found the box brownie camera, he took this photo with, along with many other photos. These were from holidays, normally in Bognor Regis, where grandparents lived, so free holidays on the beach, there are also some from a holiday in a caravan in Dorset.
DeleteA Bro-i-Law was very interested in the camera (he is a brilliant amateur photographer) and took it away for valuation. Even though it was a well known german make, dating from the late 1940's still in its original leather case. This was, however, a very popular camera at the time, so there are many still available.
He still has it, as an heirloom from Dad.
Archerphile Would you say that you spent a good deal of your youth in hospital? Have any of your own children your trait of dicing with danger? 🤒🤕😉🔥
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe that my bedding, actually dried outside, on the whirlygig, today!
ReplyDeleteI love this, as so fresh and will be much easier to iron.
Well Archerfile you said that as an adult you worked as a researcher, so I reckon your childhood escapades were just early research experiments and an indication of what you would become. 😊
ReplyDeleteOh what a lovely positive post Janice....... and now you have said it..... I agree !
DeleteThere's a new topic......
How have our childhood adventures shaped our future selves.
That made me think of Gerald Durrell and his early experiences in Corfu ( we've been watching the series on the Iplayer). Having a mentor to encourage us probably helps too.
DeleteNearly 7.00pm, meal being eaten, ready for TA - but there is also Ice Road Truckers starting with a new series at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI will be watching, yet listening, trying to do both equally, whilst also still eating evening meal - talk about doing 3 things at once. 🤣🤣
Multitasking in style Miriam - and the menu was 🤔
DeleteMultitasking is something we all have to do Miriam, and as women, are very good at.
DeleteI cook from scratch every single evening, usually with the little TV on in the kitchen so I can keep an eye in a favourite programme, whilst also popping in and out of the lounge to put logs in the woodburner or adjust the controls, laying the table, having also just unloaded the dishwasher or possibly folding the washing for the next days ironing.
All done at the same time as creating a nourishing, tasty two-course evening meal
What is MrA doing at the same time? He is upstairs, wallowing in a hot bath, listening to the radio most evenings or playing on his computer, and will only appear in the kitchen at the exact time I am just serving up!
Clearly not a new man yet then Archerphile 🤣 a result of the era you married 🤔
DeleteCorrection about Just a Minute, various presenters are going to take it in turn, like they did with the News Quiz, but Paul Merton will be the first.
ReplyDeleteThat’s good Basia it’s worked for “Have I got news for you” obviously viewers have presenters they prefer but a good solution to a show that had the iconic Nicholas Parsons presenting for an amazing amount of time.
DeleteArcherphile, your Kirby grip brought back memories: a shoe-dweller of about the same age announced she had a paperclip up her nose.
ReplyDeleteAfter a 20 minute wait at Bournemouth A&E, the triage nurse shone a torch up the nostril and saw it. By the time we saw the doctor 20 minutes later it was gone from sight. Another 20 minutes later and x-ray confirmed it was still there. So we were dispatched to Poole hospital where the doctor we saw was very annoyed we hadn't been sent straight there.
Little shoe-dweller had her anesthetic and went into surgery. About ten minutes later the surgeon came to see us. 'Very embarrassing,' he said, 'we couldn't find it. So we've done another x-ray, it's now in her stomach. It will come out on it's own.'
We assume it did, we never saw it again though.
So it all ended up being a bit of a storm in a teacup. I dread to think what the results would have been though if it had snagged on something on the way down, or if she'd sniffed it into her lungs.
Lessons learnt:
1. Don't let inquisitive 2 year olds near paper clips.
2. Don't take a child to A&E in Bournemouth - they don't do paediatrics. (Except for eye casualty, apparently.)
Or Kirby Grips - or in the case of our son, when 5 years, old a Robinson’s Golly enamel badge with the pin open, who swallowed it and went through the same procedure that I did some 33 years before!
DeleteLike mother, like son,
So I was close to the mark when I asked if any of your children had inherited your tendency to ‘dice with death’ !
DeleteThere were fires in the countryside under the cooking range, so the flames were not visible. I know it's easier to start a fire with a piece of paper, but could someone explain to me this dangerous process of drawing with a newspaper as above. I promise not to try it at home or anywhere else...
ReplyDeleteGary where do you get your pictures? I can’t believe that such a picture would exist! Brilliant.
ReplyDeleteI sit with a cup of tea and trawl the internet!
DeleteMy thoughts exactly! I hope her dress isn’t made of nylon type fabric which was very popular then as non iron. If so it would have melted into her when set alight! On pancake day we decided to have them for breakfast and in reaching across the flame I set my dressing gown sleeve alight! Katy was in the utility room dealing with Gyp who had had a toilet whoops in there! I managed to put it out but thank goodness it was cotton towelling. Typical chaos! Lesson learnt, no more pancake making in my dressing gown!😊
ReplyDeleteWow!!
DeleteThat is a really frightening experience.
I hope you are OK.
This reminds me to do something I vowed to do after my fence fire last year, but still not done.
This is to purchase a fire extinguisher + fire blanket. That experience did frighten me.
Yes, thank you, am absolutely fine. I acted quickly and put it out. Not so sure about the dressing gown but it was only surface burnt, not as bad as it could have been!😊
DeleteMy parents used newspaper too, to draw the fire, but then invested in a metal contraption that covered the open gap. it was grey metal, galvanised, with a sturdy handle in the middle of the back, much safer. They also had a gas poker-type thing to ignite the fire, it was like a gas cooker ignition wand, that we pushed into the kindling, it was attached to the gas outlet with a twisty metal cable. It was safer than matches, and put in so that us children could light the fire when we got in from school, seems alarming now.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant picture Gary... you are a wonder !
ReplyDeleteNot sure about the nylon Ev. The hairstyle is a victory roll so forties I think. I Could be wrong though.
Archerphile - error message
ReplyDeleteI've had a number of error messages and lost several posts recently.
Two days ago, instead of clearing my screen I tried going back with the arrow at top left on my screen.
Voila !
It took me back and my screen no longer had the error message, but my post was still there. So I tried posting again and it did post.
Worth trying I think.
I've just googled - drawing a fire with a sheet of newspaper -
ReplyDeleteAnd lo and behold Gary's picture above came up.
But more.
Several websites of memories of the forties and fifties - www.1900.org.uk ( I think)
And another - Sheffield memories -
Could spend hours reading, but must get dog walked and prepare for another viewing tomorrow.
Last Saturdays viewing was cancelled.
😡
DeleteI too remember 'drawing' the fire with newspaper. I remember being terrified seeing my parents do it, then fascinated as time went on. Later we had the metal contraption that you described so well Miriam. Then the gas firighters in too rooms.
ReplyDeleteMy sister, 16 years older than me, remembers 'carrying the fire' on a shovel from one room to another when she was very young.
Two rooms
DeleteHave just looked it up; I lived in a block with central heating.
ReplyDeleteIt was Mistral who mentioned the metal contraption plus the gas poker, though this seems to give a memory, but not sure where or why.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, this was in a neighbours home, or when visiting the many great Aunties + Uncles, all living in central London at that time.
No idea, but I do recall seeing one. To me, it was like seeing a "fire dragon".
PS The gas poker!
DeleteSorry Miriam, my bad!
Delete(said deliberately due to earlier discussions 😉)
I skim read the blog before posting...
Both Archerphile (this blog) and Miriam (Archers blog ,yesterday) mentioned always cooking from scratch as if it is a particularly laudable thing to do
ReplyDeleteWhere would all the people who make these delicious meals be if people like me didn't buy their delicious vegetarian lasagnes?
I am with Maryellen on the Archers blog on the topic of cooking from scratch .
M an S and our local chip shop do meals much better than I can
On the other hand ,M and S beef stew can't hold a candle to the simple one I make .
Nothing fancy just beef,carrots ,onions and potatoes with Auntie Bessie's frozen dumplings and oxo cubes.
We are having it tonight.
Last night it was Chip shop haddock.
We are just all different as to how we eat. It is just to one's own personal tastes.
DeleteThere is no right nor wrong.
Yes, I do use jars of curry and sweet 'n sour, sauces, but only those without additives and preservatives.
My way of cooking just suits me, be if laudable or not.
Off to continue my chilli, (from scratch), using sliced frozen peppers, as is the cheap + easy option and always have in freezer 😁
PS There will be 3 portions going into the freezer (cost of each portion about £1.20). Good home and cost-effective, cooking, without any additives.
DeleteI just prefer this for me, only.
Well done Gary on finding such appropriate pictures. May I ask what type of tea you drink while doing your search?
ReplyDeletePG tips with milk and 2 sugars thanks! Sometimes teabags, sometimes loose tea. Always made by MrGG...
DeleteI am an Earl Grey person, with just a splash of milk.
DeleteGary - I drink PG Tips too but not with sugar. Like Miriam, I'm a fan of Earl Grey too.
DeleteAnd who uses cups and saucers as opposed to mugs ?
ReplyDeleteI compromise, using bone china mugs! These are just like giant tea cups, thanks to TK Max.
DeleteTea is just not the same otherwise 🤣
But, my taste only.
I agree that tea should only be drunk from bone China but for me there is only one tea and that is Yorkshire tea.
DeleteThere is nowt like it.
Does anyone like Rooibos?
I once had a sip of it in South Africa.
It is even wishes than Earl Grey in my opinion.
Worse
DeleteI don’t like fancy teas., On a holiday, we had a lovely mint tea though. It was green tea infused with a lot of fresh mint leaves. I tried it at home but it wasn’t the same! Like LanJan I favour Yorkshire tea with milk and no sugar. When first married I took two sugars and the there was a sugar shortage where the price rocketed to 30p! Money was tight so I weaned myself off sugar in tea but never quite in coffee! When I have to make tea for anyone else I find it difficult to remember the sugar if taken! Now if I had sugar in tea I would find it repulsive! Strange how tastes vary over time.
DeleteI had 'mint tea' in Pizza Express (I think). Boiling water with a few mint leaves in it! And they had the gall to charge me something like £2. Should have stuck to my usual hot water.
DeleteMarrakech Mint from Whittard's is good though.
OMiaS used to have sugar in his tea. When he stopped, he was surprised to discover he could actually taste the tea. Mind you, I once knew some teenagers who would have 4 teaspoons of sugar regardless of whether they had a mug or a cup - urgh!
I also drink Yorkshire tea. It's a good flavour. I'm also fond of Fortnum & Mason's 'Fortmason' blend.
DeleteReply to MrsP about blog errors - thanks for that tip, I’ll try it next time. I got messages suggesting I cleared my ‘cache’ and there were instructions to follow. I did that and it worked, the next time I posted it was fine but difficult to do on a tiny screen. Much easier on proper tablet or lap top I should think.
ReplyDeleteReply to Lanjan about cooking from scratch.
ReplyDeleteI can assure you I was not boasting about it or saying it was the best thing to do.
In fact, if you read my reply to Maryellen on the other blog, you will see that I said how much I would love to be able to order food to be delivered from a take away or posh restaurant . Unfortunately we are too far out from any town to get deliveries and our local pub has not started such a service.
In fact, if we want to treat ourselves to simple fish and chips or a Chinese meal it is at least a 15 - 20 mile round trip so I am forced to ‘cook from scratch’ whether I like it ir not.
(I must admit to keeping a couple of Sainsbury’s pizzas in the freezer, à la Ruth!)
Testing
ReplyDeleteFair enough ,Archerphile.
ReplyDeleteSorry I misunderstood you.
At the moment I am envious of anybody who actually has time to cook.
.
Remember, I love cooking and enjoy doing so, and often spend an hour or more in the kitchen, doing this.
ReplyDeleteJust accept it as a "hobby" of mine, similar to many others who paint, embroider, and pursue many other interstests.
I will not mention food nor meals again...except that my chilli, still cooking, will be great. As to the smell of garlic, I think I have overdone this!
Luckily, there is no-one to suffer the consequences of this tomorrow..😂😂
You better had Miriam or I will be cross, just because a couple of us are not enamoured of cooking it does not mean we wouldn’t like to be and to enjoy the cooking part as much as the eating 🤣
DeleteYou are of course right regarding cooking as a hobby,Miriam.
ReplyDeleteTo me it is a chore
I like to do puzzles like sudoku which many others would not enjoy.
There used to be a magazine called John Bull and my mother could not understand why I was happy to sit for an afternoon trying to do all the puzzles in It.
I got married so I wouldn't have to cook : )
DeleteI do bake important things though - like Christmas cake and flapjack.
Have you tried Killer Sudoku and Kakuro, Lanjan? Sandwich Sudoku is fun too. And if you want a real challenge, google 'The Miracle Sudoku'. It's really very satisfying. Or you can watch Mitchell Lee solve it on youtube. Apparently he has gained quite a following during lockdown.
I'm getting into cryptic crosswords too. Currently I'm doing better than OMiaS. (Which is nothing to do with the fact that I do them online with the help of google, wordfinders and the check function where necessary whereas he does the same puzzle in the paper.)
Mr CC does most of the cooking in our house, my contribution is meal planning and food shopping and eating it of course!
ReplyDeleteI love cooking AND eating! We both do - MrGG is in charge of bread and yoghurt and salads and I take control of dinner most nights. I love nothing more at the moment than spending hours in the kitchen chopping away merrily, usually whatever recipes that are in the Waitrose monthly food magazine.
DeleteGary, you are so lucky to have someone who is happy to share the cooking.
DeleteMr A has no interest at all and is more than content for me to do all the planning shopping and cooking. (To be fair, I should add that he does do all the washing up and cleaning the kitchen afterwards)
The only time he has cooked anything was for a few days after my hip operation when I couldn’t do anything much. But it entailed me sitting on a chair in the kitchen telling him where to find all the ingredients and explaining exactly what to do at each step. Not exactly restful but the results weren’t too bad.
I like baking and preserving. Don't mind cooking but after 50 years of planning, shopping preparing and serving three meals a day for up to six family members, on a limited budget, I just want a rest from it all!
ReplyDeleteI was delighted to hear that granddaughter Rosie was able to return to University yesterday.
ReplyDeleteWarwick sent all students home at the end of November and since then she has spent hours and days stuck in her bedroom, coping with online learning. She was really missing seeing friends and being able to discuss the work with them.
But yesterday my daughter was able to take her back. Apparently only 2 other students have returned so far, and there will still be no face-to-face tuition so it’s still exclusively online learning for the time being.
The thing that irritates me, and very much her parents, is that although the University closed the accommodation in November and sent all the students home, Rosie will still have to pay full accommodation fees for the time she was not allowed to be there. I can’t see how they can justify this, it is self catering accommodation, so no catering staff to be paid, very little heating/lighting required and no cleaning needed in an unoccupied block. And these fees are on top of the £9000 tuition fees for the 5 weeks of ‘proper’ University teaching so far. Poor value fir money, so far.
My daughter & S.I.l. are so disenchanted with the value their eldest son had last year (no tuition leading up to graduation, dissertation done entirely at home & marked online) and now with Rosie, that they are seriously considering not encouraging youngest son to aim for University. They think he could be better off with a good apprenticeship scheme when the time comes.
DeleteIt’s really up to youngest son what he does next but university isn’t the be all and end all and many graduates end up not being able to get a job while many who go straight into on job training after school are by then established in work and not owing tuition fees. Payback doesn’t come until earning a reasonable amount but by then the norm is to want independence meaning mortgages or paying rent. A real juggling act!
DeleteOpen university degree courses are, I think, well respected nowadays; and a young person who was happy to continue living at home would pay far less in fees doing one of these. It is a disgrace that unused accommodation and tuition fees for hardly any tuition has to be paid for.
DeleteAnd you can do them part time while working.
DeleteI have a shoe-dweller at Warwick! As he lives in a shared house rather than university accomodation he decided that was a better place to study than remaining in the shoe with us. And the wi-fi is better! So he returned weeks ago. But teaching has all been online.
DeleteAccording to the website, Warwick have waived part of this term's rent for students living in university owned on campus accomodation. Off campus accomodation is managed on behalf of private sector landlords who expect their rent. The university is negotiating with them for some form of waiver, but this depends on the landlords' agreement. I imagine other universities are in the same position. And, of course, many students rent houses through private sector letting agencies.
DeleteBTW, shoe-dweller returned to Warwick shortly after New Year - a few days before Boris told students to stay put.
My daughter took G daughter back to University on Sunday also.
ReplyDeleteNo discussions with me so far about fees or accommodation costs paid, but imagine my daughter and husband are in the same situation as yours AP.
My Grandaughter went back to Manchester weeks ago. All teaching is on line but she can use the library. She’s in her 2nd year so living off campus in a house with her friends so I think it was a choice between Mums cooking (which is delicious) and being able to socialise - the friends won.
ReplyDeleteI don't think tuition fees should be refunded, if full course work is being done on-line.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as to accomodation costs, that is a different matter.
Could it be, that this has been rented for a set time, so still liable, if not used, just like any rental agreement?
I have absolutely no idea, I admit..😐
Big Sis had her first jab on Wendesday afternoon and is reacting badly. She has spent over 24hours in bed, with 'flu like symptoms and swallowing paracetamols.
I have my first jab tomorrow morning, so it is wait + see, as to how I react. Hopefully not as bad.
She sent me a message not long ago, to say be organised, just in case.
I am!
I feel for Little Sis, who has Chrone's Disease, a serious liver condition, borderline asthma . She also had occasional episodes of severe tachycardia, and has meds to control this when needed and has been hospitalised a few times for this - yet she is not classed in a priority group for the jab!
She is 64 yrs.
DeleteMy niece has Chrones Disease too , she is on the priority list , but could be because the medicine she takes badly effects the immune system.
DeleteOWiaS v
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for that information about Warwick and a possible waiver of accommodation fees. If that is correct my daughter and Rosie will be very relieved, but they haven’t been informed about it yet. I will message them so they can find out about it. As it is Rosie’s first year she wanted on campus accommodation as it is so much easier when you have not met anyone beforehand to make friends and team up with. Her department only started taking students back this week as her course is supposed to include a lot of joint team work and face-to-face tuition and it’s just not been possible to cover a lot of the course.
OWiaS - apparently Rosie has applied for the waiver, but it’s only temporary and the fees will have to be paid back eventually, but it takes a bit of pressure off for now.
DeleteAlso heard that she and 5 friends have already found a house to rent for next year in Leamington Spa. And the Uni runs a shuttle bus for the 5 mile journey throughout the day. So that’s good news.
I've heard in the last 24 hours that a friend who had her vaccination last Saturday morning, the Astra Zennica, has been very ill indeed, far worse than normal flue, plus dreadful headache and nausea. Several of her friends / neighbours also vaccinated on same day also very ill.
ReplyDeleteI'm very glad you are prepared Miriam and you are already a very organised person.
But I also hope that you are one of the lucky ones who remain unaffected.
Whichever way, good luck and use us on here to keep in touch.
And good luck to all others if and when you get 'jabbed'
Interesting, as Sis says she has violent headaches + bad nausea, but craves sugar and is hungry!
DeleteI have also learnt as to a wonderful service. This is the city council is running a free, shuttle bus from the main bus terminal to the mass Chester racecourse vaccination hub. This must help so many.
I will be driving, as car needs a good run out and route is already planned...
I am organised. 🤣
I am in touch with my art tutor from Italian holiday in USA. Her mother has been very ill after second Pfizer jab. She is 84 so some concern but is now recovering. Nevertheless, I am happy to go forward as and when with my second jab which is more likely to have side effects than after the first one. Whatever happens it must be better than having the virus as it does make you wonder whether those affected badly by the jab would have been very seriously ill or even have died if they contracted Covid. There’s no doubt there is no other way of getting out of this other than mass vaccination.
ReplyDeleteI will take any side/ill effects, as at least some protection will be enabled after 3 weeks. Better this than nothing..the risk factor will be less, but
Deleteit will still be there.
At least, things are progressing fast and I can't wait to hug some-one again. It is now nearly a year, since I last did this. It was March 7th 2020, when having a family meal together, before lockdown no 1.
How I long for a hug or cuddle with some-one, apart from my cat 😻
Ev. On mentioning the 2nd vaccine - you said "as and when". Does this mean that you have no date yet?
DeleteI ask this, as I had to book both appointments at the same time.
No, I don’t. I have to wait until the GP surgery contacts me. My brother and sil in Crewe were both given a date. I did ask at the clinic and this was what
DeleteI was told. Jabs are going well here and in Hampshire so hopefully not too long to wait. As I said at the time I didn’t have even a sore arm so best wishes for your jab tomorrow, I’m sure you’ll be fine!😊
We had the Pfizer jab.
ReplyDeleteNeither of us had any after effects .
We haven't been given a date for the follow up but since Mr LJ is unlikely to be able to attend he may have a home visit so he (and possibly I ) will have the Oxford jab if that is the case.
Apparently only a small percentage of folk get any reaction as with the flu jab.
I had the Pfizer two weeks ago and was given a little card with a blank space for the second jab. The nurse told me they would get in touch with a date for the second but I'm not expecting one until the end of March to Mid April.
DeleteMy friend who is having the Astra jab next week has already been given two dates. I had a very painful arm for about 24 hours that's all.
I'm hoping that come April I'll be able to see my brother for one last time. Fingers crossed.
It seems like more than a small percentage at the moment, but that is probably because we are all sharing this information at this time.
DeleteI never have any reaction to the flu jab, but after having the Astra/ Zeneca I had a bad headache, starting the day after the injection, for 2 days and was a bit feverish, and lost my appetite for a week. I took paracetamol, and curled up in an armchair by a radiator and had a cosy restful time.
DeleteWe didn’t have appointments for our second jabs either and were told we’d be contacted around the end of March.
DeleteStrange thing is, our next door neighbours who are in the 70 -75 age group could not get an appointment at either of the Basingstoke venues and had to drive all the way to Ludgershall in Wiltshire for their first jab. They were then given appointments for the second ones at Basingstoke Fire Station.
So goodness knows where we shall go for our seconds!
My date is for 23rd April the only one out of our group to get one. The Sister I saw said they had only just started stamping the cards with an actual date. Mr R will be informed nearer his time which will be before me. The thing is Archerphile the HCH was due to reopen on the 1/3 I see the website now says 1/4 but where will be go then? Unless they retain the designated area 🤔
DeleteSnap! My second, given at the same time as the first appointment, is also on St. George's day. Hopefully we too are slaying the dragon!
DeleteI was given a card with the batch number of the vial along with the date for my second injection, sometime in March.
ReplyDeleteThis morning’s Academic Archers papers have been thought provoking if slightly depressing. Worth catching up with when they become available
ReplyDeleteDo tell, KP - anything about the future of TA, when it might go back to 5 or 6 episodes a week? Perhaps the production team will be able to plan better after Boris’s revelations on Monday
DeleteJust been looking at the prospectus and I saw that one of the speakers is going to be Prof. Carenza Lewis, late of Time Team. It would be interesting if she would comment on the story of the ancient coin that Ben found at Brookfield and the Detectorists
Delete(which seems to have been dropped, incidentally)
Jab #1 done this morning.
ReplyDeleteWhat a very slick NHS vaccine hub at Chester Racecourse. I was only there for 20 mins and found out that there were 800 bookings for today, and are open 7 days a week. The numbers are amazing.
Well done the NHS and the nurses + volunteers, for doing this so efficiantly.
I was jabbed by a lovely male, who lives close by, and who is a member of the fire service.
Sadly he wasn't in uniform 😂
It was actually quite fun, in a wierd sort of way. I am lucky as I booked my 2nd jab, at the same time as todays.
Thoughts only....and no facts.
ReplyDeleteThose who have not yet had a date for their 2nd jab - is it because the 1st one was the Pfizer?
If so, this could be a supply chain problem re the cold storage, the availability and if can mix + match vaccines.
Just an educated view.
....but no real idea.
DeleteNo, Miriam, I had the A-Z and suspect that in my case it's because the surgery haven't quite got hold of the plot.
ReplyDeleteA good idea, at the time only. As said just a guess.
DeleteIn conversation with a neighbour today, distanced of course, getting a second date at the time of the first vac, is due to whether you are a patient at the practice where you have attended for the vaccination.
ReplyDeleteOur local ' hub' is the practice that I am registered with and where I attend.
I was given a date. My neighbour and many others not registered with that practice also attended there for the vac, but were not given a second date, but her friend who is also a registered patient at that same practice as me, did get a second date.
This seems to be how it is in my locality.
Apparently Gloucestershire is doing extremely well with the vaccine rollout.
...as is Cheshire.
DeleteAccording to the local news, the supply of vaccines is to be decreased in the short term, so to send more to areas, not doing as well. This is for these areas, to catch-up, and so the UK, will be equal as to vaccination programmes. This will hopefully mean, a whole country being vaccinated equally, at the same time.
I agree, but easy to say after having 1st jab.
I had my first vaccine - the Pfizer one - on 5th January at a local hospital (group 2, NHS staff). I was given the appointment for the 2nd (16th March) when I went to the the 15 minute waiting area after the jab
ReplyDeleteI have just read on the other blog, re the cost of a Mars Bar and the change of monies, from sterling to decimalisation.
ReplyDeleteA Mars Bar, was a real family treat, cut into 5 pieces, one each for a family member, and it was a really good and tasty, chewy mouthful.
One of my gripes, as of today, is the size of a Kit-Kat, which are now so small, but still cost the same.
I have noticed that when shopping, I pay the same, but the quantity is much lower than before.
I buy 5% frozen beef mince, as it is so easy to use and just as good as fresh. It is still the same retail price, but it is now a 800g bag, not the previous 1kg one!
Still it lasts just as long, as I now bulk it up with lentils + veg, which is a more healthier option.
I had my first jab at the GP surgery where I am registered (Pfizer) and didn't get an appointment for the second one.
DeleteMiriam, we add bulk to our mince with grated carrot which again makes it a bit healthier. I guess having a date for second vac could depend on where you live. I will be chasing it up with my surgery if haven’t heard by latter part of April but I think I will as so far it has been very efficient.
DeleteAnnounced today that the Pfizer vaccine no longer needs to be kept in a deep freeze but in a regular freezer for up to two weeks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info.
DeleteIt appears my thoughts are AWOL again... 😂
Never mind, Miriam, you give us all something to think about.
ReplyDeleteOn the other blog a discussion about prices 50 years ago. I always thought when unions kept demanding more money it would inevitably put prices up and therefore would be rather pointless. I do recognise that today many are poorly paid and that should be put right. If you are turning to and working all hours you should be able to live comfortably. However, in the past many well paid workers were always demanding more and in the end their industry hit the wall. Crazy that now you have to pay over £1 for a loaf of bread! As for chocolates, agree you get less for more money. It is very cunning to cut the amount as In Miriam’s mince and still charge the same price but that is what is happening.
ReplyDeleteToo right Esscee! 😄
DeleteWondering how you are today Miriam have my 🤞🏼for you. Even if unlucky 😣 as I was re some nausea and high temp and a bit woozy it was without doubt worth the effects for the eventual outcome for us all.
ReplyDeleteI was fine to begin with, on waking up.
DeleteThings started, when coming up to the 24hr mark.
Just nausea, lethargy (but that's not unusual..) and feeling so cold, which comes in waves, only.
Apart from that, I am really fine so far. I am feeling very tired, but then I had a restless night...
I can cope with this, as worth it, and far better than anything else.
Thanks. 😁
Lethargy Miriam ?
DeleteI can't equate lethargy with all you seem to achieve on a daily basis.
You certainly put me to shame !
and me 🤣
DeleteBut I'm also pleased your not feeling too bad.
ReplyDeleteApparently my son in law had the nausea and headache as side effects.
On talking to others, it
Deleteseems the cold feeling, headache and feeling washed out, are just normal.
Thanks for input 😁
My arm is still sore + swollen, but that is normal for me, be it the many travel vaccines I have had, or a 'flu one.
DeleteInteresting that some people get the “chills” while others such as myself and my (lady) neighbour had the raised temperature reaction 🙄
DeleteHow lovely to see, that the days are now getting longer.
ReplyDeleteThe hours of daylight are starting much earler in the morning, but what I notice most, is how and when, the sun now disappears.
This is so different, as to a short while ago.
I am sure others are experiencing the same.
It is just nice to not have to close the curtains and put the lights on, as early as before.
I agree with you about the longer days Miriam. On our walk today I noticed that the bluebells in our local wood are popping up and there are leaf buds on some of the trees, with the warmer temperatures today it really felt like spring is on its way.
DeleteYes. It is looking much better.
DeleteMy snowdrops are now just wonderful, and some daffs are so starting to flower.
It is 🤞if they will be in full bloom, by March 1st, - St. Davids Day.
I can but hope.
Crocuses, snowdrops, camellias and the early daffodils are out here. So nice to see the world coming to life again.
DeleteAdd to that Cyclamen and hellebores which have been out for ages. I’m now suffering from gardeners stiff back. We’ve spent the day pruning roses and honeysuckle on the cottage wall.
ReplyDeleteI never prune hard enough but am determined to do better this year. I’ve only 9 more shrub roses to tackle! I do hope you will have time to get outside Lanjan to do your pruning, I remember you mentioned it some time ago.
Daffodils are blooming in the garden and snowdrops in full flower. We managed to get troughs full of compost ready for the strawberry plants. It now gets dark round about 5.30. Spring is on the way!
ReplyDeleteMore chaos yesterday! Dudley had a bath and when being shampooed had a little panic and leapt out of the bath into the toilet! I managed to grab him before he got in too deep but after that he resigned himself to the further indignity of rinse and second shampoo! Two of us were present as we had anticipated trouble but nothing like that! They should have gone to the groomers last week but of course not possible under lockdown so they need a home cut hence the shampooing. Buddy had his cut last week along with Gyp but we left Dudley until last as he can be a problem! Katy has all the gear and did an online course and does a good job if not quite as good as the professionals. It does keep them comfortable though. They don’t shed hair but it certainly grows and they need a cut every 6 weeks or so. 🐾🐾🐾🐶🐶🐶
A day of warm sunshine in Glasgow and I have managed to get everything that needed doing in the front garden done. I am a very happy, very tired man!
ReplyDeleteCup of tea awaits no doubt...
DeleteOh yes. And a pizza. Mmmmm.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMind the Gap ...
13. Toolmaker = Hammersmith
14. Get off the train and take the car = Vauxhall
15. ‘Elementary, my dear Watson’ = Baker Street
The next stations approaching this platform:
16. Former Mayor appears quite sick
17. A crossing for Sir Lancelot
18. Keeping the low-tech classroom supplied
How did everyone get on last week? Lanjan, are you still on 100%?
This week brings us to half-way, I hope you're all still enjoying it.
BTW News this week of the latest Talisker Atlantic rowers - and the youngest woman ever to complete the crossing solo, Jasmine Harrison. Shame I didn't know earlier or i could have sent her the quiz too : )
Yes, keep them coming, thank you. 13/15 for me, got all three last week.
DeleteThe next lot looks daunting...
Ok with last weeks but still 2 down - 13/15. It does brighten up Mondays OWiaS. Thank you.
DeleteWell as a Cornish maid I got no 17 right straightaway! Now for the other two.
DeleteI enjoy the challenge even though I only got the 'easy'' one right last week.
ReplyDeleteAnneveggie, ditto.
DeleteGot all last weeks right. At first glance can’t get any of this weeks yet.
ReplyDeleteGood news for MIRIAM
ReplyDeleteYour trip to the ZOO will be soon Miriam.
This could cheer you up, and you will be able to meet up with your sister before then too.
I got 13 and 15 - yes I should have got 14 but failed.
ReplyDeleteOver two hours out on the common with a friend and dogs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful ' spring' day, full of sunshine even though it's still February.
Saw a tiny patch of celandines.
Joy !
And Lady did some socialisation and was good when parallel walking between two other just met and reacted to by her. But she did very well on the lead between the other two for about 500 yards.
Last night she was perfect with three, yes three lovely Irish Setters.
I'm pretty sure we had met them a couple of weeks ago, but last night she played and walked with them beautifully. Then was joined by a JR who was submissive to her and deliberately let her have his ball throw. She joined in the game and played with him and the youngest of the setters.
Spring day! Lucky you Mrs P.. Glad you made the most of it as did some other bloggers 🤗
DeleteOld Woman,since you kindly said I could have my original answer,yes I am on 100% .
ReplyDeleteHaven't really thought about this week's though.
They do look harder!
Thanks
Loving them.
Ev...just loved your post re you + Katy, washing, grooming and maintining your dogs coats. You are doing so well.As to Katy's groomimg skills, does this help with a hair-cut for you? ✂️
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying the show Pooch Perfect, which is all about dog grooming etc.
It is amazing in this Lockdown, the programmes I now record, watch + then enjoy, including Pottery Throw Down.
Just light-hearted relief and these help take my mind away from, the real ongoing situation, we are all in.
Ooh I have got one!
ReplyDeleteOWIAS
ReplyDeleteSurely Mornington Crescent must be an accurate answer each time. Am I getting towards 100%, or am I am still on 0%?
Sorry Miriam, I think you need to re-read the Mornington Crescent rules ; )
DeleteBTW we're using the Parsons Green Diversionary Variation. This does not affect anyone's score so far.
No Archerphile yet today 🤔
ReplyDeleteVegetarians don’t read on. I’ve been given 2 rabbits, skinned but whole. I’ve never cooked rabbit before. I would welcome any tried and tested recipes.
ReplyDeleteRabbit pie, with onions, veg etc or a slow cooked casserole. Just cook as to a pork or chicken.
DeleteRabbit is lovely -
Sorry to those who don't eat meat.
Rabbit is a lovely alternative.
Yes indeed rabbit is lovely.
DeleteA slightly different pie:
1 rabbit should do 2 or 3 people. Depends on size of the rabbit
2 hard boiled eggs.
3 slices bacon.
An onion if you like them.
Parsley
Sprinkle of nutmeg.
Salt and pepper.
Flaky pastry.
Soak the rabbit in warm water for about an hour, then rinse it.
Bring to the boil with the chopped onion, salt and pepper and simmer for half an hour.
Separate the meat from the bones and put the bones back into the cooking liquid which you can boil to use for stock.
Slice the hardboiled eggs, and cut the bacon into thin strips.
Then put a layer of the rabbit meat on the bottom of the pie-dish, then a layer of the bacon and egg. Add chopped parsley,seasoning plus a little nutmeg.
Then add more layers .
Pour some of the stock on top, and then cover with pastry ( I just use shortcrust as it's easier than flaky) and cook for 3/4 hour at about 200 c.
Another thing that can be done is to use a suet crust and steam it in a pudding basin, but the steaming takes a long time.
My gran always used to make rabbit pie on a Saturday for guests staying at the farmhouse. My grandad had to go out and shoot a rabbit the night before and if for any reason he didn't get one then my dad had to get up really early the next morning and shoot one.
Probably easiest to joint and casserole your rabbits slowly as Miriam said.
I used to buy rabbits from our butchers before it closed, and I knew jolly well I was buying back rabbits shot in our own fields at night! You could hear the guns going off and see the nightsights. My daughter used to like, and still does, to wander the fields at night watching badgers and foxes , and her favourites, hedgehogs, and I used to worry in case she ended up shot.
DeleteI met up with 2 neighbours today, all socially distanced and on different spaces.It was a nice meet up + chat, after many months. I was in my front garden, one was standing in the road and the 3rd was on a neighbouring property. I so hope we met the Lockdown restrictions. It was nice in the lovely sunshine.
ReplyDeletePS My vaccine side effects have now gone. Last night was awful, as had total physical fatigue/exhaustion. It was like cutting the strings of a puppet, so just went completly limp, hardly able to walk upstairs. I was in bed by 7.00pm and slept for 12 hours!
Today, I am back to normal.
Which Vaccination did you have Miriam? You probably told us but if so I have forgotten 🙄
DeleteSoz, if you don't find a recipe, would you like me to send Lady up on the train to help you demolish your rabbits ? I'm sure she can help you.
ReplyDeleteOne of my early memories, not my earliest at all, was being made to eat rabbit stew that my auntie Alice had cooked. I cannot remember the taste itself, but I have vivid memories of the vile feeling that I felt and can still feel. Of course I was made to eat it because after the war we were lucky to have meat at all and rabbit was considered a treat in those years.
Listening to just a minute ....
Our new chairman seems to be doing rather well I think.
I enjoy rabbit and find it tasty. But then we all have different views + ideas, about food + cooking, as talked about many a time.
DeleteI love veal + venison, when I can buy these, but my choice only.
I buy venison, when I can, from nearby NT sites which have a deer herd, which needs to be culled on a yearly basis This sounds very cruel, but it is necessary.
DeleteI also love crocodile meat, but my source of this sadly, has not survived the Covid pandemic, as did my favourite tea room.
When I was at Northwood,I was invited to a lunch party. The husband who hosted proudly said he had made rabbit curry. At that time I was not experienced in such spicy fare and wasn’t keen on the thought of rabbit which I had never tasted. However, I steeled myself and found to my surprise I enjoyed it! I then went on to love curry but nowadays it does not love me!
DeleteOne early evening one of Mike’s division called round with a rabbit he had shot complete with fur. I refused to have anything to do with it being squeamish and went and had a bath while Mike did the necessary. I did enjoy eating it though!
When my Mum left school at 14, she went to work in a grocery where they sold rabbits and she had to skin them for the customers. Can you imagine 14 year old girls doing that now?🤔
In case any-one is interested:-
ReplyDeletethe new series of Unforgotten, starts on ITV at 9.00pm tpnight.
I have it on series record, already, as loved the last one.
It will appeal to those who enjoy police/crime dramas, yet there is so much else to appeal.
Thank you Miriam. I think I’m going to joint it first then use the loins separately. I’ve been told rabbit is full of bones. I like venison too. I usually cook that in red wine.
ReplyDeleteMrs P I don’t think it will make it to Lady. I have many cats who are very interested!
Recipe above Soz, but you might prefer to do something that takes less time.🥧
DeleteI realise I am not logical
ReplyDeleteThere is no way I could eat Bambi's mother,Peter Rabbit or veal.
I find the thought of eating veal particularly cruel
However I will eat chicken and beef.
If push came to shove though I would give up meat altogether.
From what I can gather male calves are killed right away as with artificial insemination or one bull to a herd they are not needed. You may remember Vicky in TA trying to save them. Because we in Uk don’t like to eat veal presumably they are just disposed of. If we did they might at least have a few months as lambs do. A lot of publicity was given to cruelty in keeping calves confined to make the meat white but this practice goes on abroad and never was here as we accept pink meat. The main thing is that the animals are treated properly. I will not buy bacon, pork or ham other than bred in UK for instance as I don’t think other countries have our welfare standards. We do fall short in a lot of ways but generally treat them well.
DeleteYoungest shoe-dweller has a simple classification - you can only eat it if it isn't cute.
DeleteHence no to 3 week-old piglets cuddled at the farm. Yes to big, fat, muddy pigs.
Mind you, the latest choice for room decoration is skulls and skeletons so the classification may have changed by now.
My brother who is 6 years older than me used to shoot rabbits, my Grandmother used to take them to town to sell them for him on the bus.
ReplyDeleteOne day my sister and I went in the woods with him,we were probably about 8 or 9 at the time, I think he had his gun with him, he told us that if we met the game keeper, he would shoot us, gullible as I was, I believed him, I have never been so frightened in my life, of course we never met the gamekeeper, though we did go past his house, needless to say I never went with him again.
13/15...
ReplyDeleteRabbit delicious, had thighs in mushroom sauce yesterday.
Veal "sous la mère" is v common here, brought up with the mother cow, "rose" veal I suppose you would call it.
Traceability of meat is no difficulty.
ReplyDeleteAny decent butcher has his list of local suppliers up on his wall.