The Night Mail

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

I so used to enjoy the window shopping experience at Patisserie Valerie, and on a few memorable occasions I allowed myself to be sedated before being allowed to cross their hallowed portals, thus preventing unprovoked carnage on an international scale.

Bettys in Yorkshire have an emergency trolley to provide cake to those in need. 

[Happy Hippo]

Look the sort of thing that PB would use for a takeaway order.

[pH]

4 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Look the sort of thing that PB would use for a takeaway order.

If it was left too close to the door he could use it for a getaway order.

[Winslow Boy]

I see the trolleys made from plastic as I assume the wooden versions couldn't with stand all the 'collateral damage' they were subjected to by marauding hippos and bears.

[iL Dottore]

19 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

Look the sort of thing that PB would use for a takeaway order.

Having met PB, in person he is half the size you'd expect from a Bear whose culinary horizons are limited to cake, beanz, pizza and fries. He must have an overclocked metabolism or summat.

 

Mind you, when I was talking with him, I did think that I could hear the creak of a whalebone corset under immense duress.... 🤣

 

JUST IN

 

 

Hmmm, as I suspected....

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by iL Dottore
Added Photo

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Whatever happened to the Christmas Goose? Traditionally the bird of choice for Christmas Dinner in much of Britain and still favoured as such in a number of European countries. Goose has flavour, produces a lot of fat when properly roasted - fat which can be used to make amazing roast potatoes (and can be used as an anti-wrinkle cream by SWMBO) and generally only has enough meat on it to feed four generously - thus eliminating the obligatory turkey associated purgatory of <left over Turkey until Burns’ Night>

As it happens, I pan-fried magret de canard last night. It's not cheap, and never seen an equivalent cut in a UK supermarket, but it is rather nice once in a while. Anent the fat, I drain it off into a ramekin that sits in the fridge. It keeps me in relatively-healthy cooking fat for a while, saving on sunflower oil etc. It is great for basting a chicken, too. 

 

Today did not start quite as intended. It being an Alison day, I made tea about 6.30, but then found a txt from her timed at 4.38 saying she had been awake since 2.15 or some such improbable time. So I suggested we postpone my cleaning and she could go back to bed once she'd seen Sammy onto the school bus. This was accepted about 20 mins later, at which point I saw an opportunity to head for Le Mans to get my blood test, ahead of seeing the ENT specialist next Tuesday. So by 7.25 I was on the road, and checked into the clinique queue at 8.09. By 8.35 I was back in the car - and even got free parking. On the inbound journey, I had been aware of an accident on the other side of the road, w hazard lights and a queue. In the dark I  glimpsed a car with a very stove-in front. On the way back I lost a few mins sitting in that very queue, with two sapeurs/pompiers vehicles on site, and Jean D'Armerie, of course. As it was now daylight, I saw there was an MX5 about 20 feet inside an adjacent ploughed field! Two young-ish chaps were each giving separate accounts to two gendarmes. Home by 9.30, and indulged in a toasted bacon sandwich.

 

I note blue-fin tuna is now being caught in a controlled trial off SW England. Evidently stocks are abundant. Some of these things weight 500 lbs, and must be caught by rod and line! Tuna is a fine fish, so good news. 

[Hroth]

I"ve heard that Charles Dickens also propelled Turkey into the limelight, where the poor Cratchits, who were to consume a paltry Goose for their Christmas dinner, had a monster Turkey* foist upon them by the penitent Scrooge.  With "A Christmas Carol" being so popular, it became fashionable to have turkey rather than goose and now the turkey is the default centerpiece of the festive board.

 

* I'm surprised they were able to cook it properly and didn't go down with food poisoning!

 

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

I so used to enjoy the window shopping experience at Patisserie Valerie, and on a few memorable occasions I allowed myself to be sedated before being allowed to cross their hallowed portals, thus preventing unprovoked carnage on an international scale.

Is that why they went bust?

[Oldddudders]

I'm trying not to think about Valerie's bust.....

[newbryford]

18 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

 

As to your predicament about the blades for a Stanley knife, ( aka Box cutter for the benefit of our trans-Altantic cousins,) I buy mine from the big river in a container that holds about 100.  I also have both a large and small knifes with retractable blades, which you snap off when they get blunt, plus the statutory scalpel blades and a box full of the single edged razor blades used in a clone of a NWSL chopper type device.  Add in the various pen knifes, hunting and diving knifes and my sword, and one would imagine I have a bladed item fetish.

 

 

We know - and you have physical proof.

[newbryford]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Having met PB, in person he is half the size you'd expect from a Bear whose culinary horizons are limited to cake, beanz, pizza and fries. He must have an overclocked metabolism or summat.

 

Mind you, when I was talking with him, I did think that I could hear the creak of a whalebone corset under immense duress.... 🤣

 

JUST IN

 

 

Hmmm, as I suspected....

 

 

Once seen, never unseen...

Thanks for that.

[polybear]

4 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Bettys in Yorkshire have an emergency trolley to provide cake to those in need. 

 

A.K.A. "The Crash Trolley....."

 

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Having met PB, in person he is half the size you'd expect from a Bear whose culinary horizons are limited to cake, beanz, pizza and fries. He must have an overclocked metabolism or summat.

 

Mind you, when I was talking with him, I did think that I could hear the creak of a whalebone corset under immense duress.... 🤣

 

JUST IN

 

 

Hmmm, as I suspected....

 

 

@PupCam

If you so much as snigger Puppers you're for it.......

[br2975]

13 hours ago, Happy Hippo said:

Way back, when I was a newly promoted Cpl, our covert vehicle was stopped by two youngish traffic policemen who invited us to get out of the car.  We politely declined, but they insisted. So we all bailed out pdq. So did our oppos who  had pulled up behind the police car.

 

The poor young policemen suddenly realised that they were outnumbered 4 to 1 and were definitely lacking in in the firepower department.

 

After a short exchange of pertinent information, we parted company amicably. 

.

Reminds me of an incident involving a former colleague (police sniper) on uniform  foot patrol in Bute Street (Tiger Bay) seeing a car parked up with four suspicious looking white males sat therein.

.

"Beechy" didn't recognise the car, or men, who stood out like sore thumbs.

.

A conversation took place between 'Beechy' and the driver, whilst the other three occupants remained 'schtum'

.

"Beechy" swiftly reached in and grabbed the car keys from the ignition, and said to the driver "Let's have a look in the boot"

.

Calmly the driver said "You don't want to open the boot"

.

"Beechy" opened the boot, which was an arsenal of weapons !

.

"Call you control room, tell them Operation ??????? and give them this telephone number..........."

.

The strangers were on their way in a matter of minutes.

.

.

Then there was my pursuit of a Mitsubishi Gallant around the Riverside area of Cardiff - 

.

.

Then the multi-agency anti-terror operation in the late 90s which ended with a hostage situation on a train at Jersey Marine (Swansea).

.

A relative and colleague in our Tactical Firerams Unit was part of the polce team securing the train, and was holed up in some bushes; awaiting the arrival of certain military personnel who would take over from the police and storm the train.

.

As time dragged on....'Gerry' (the officer) grew bored waiting for the military to arrive and relieve him and his colleagues, and started moving from one knee to another, squirming as his body began to ache.

.

Eventually a voice from the shrubbery beneath him said tersely "For f**** sake, can't you keep still for two minutes !"

.

.

Edited December 7, 2023 by br2975

[Tony_S]

We have had a morning of waiting in for parcels. Aditi’s brother had clearly ordered a food based present before Aditi asked for no food presents please! It does look nice though and contains things that won’t take a year to consume. 
Next to arrive was my new coat. The coat I used to wear whatever the weather when walking the dog no longer kept,me warm when we went out on the chillier days recently. Not the coats fault as I had to remove the quilted lining as I had got bigger. I have tried the coat on and it won’t need to go back.

Tony

Edited December 7, 2023 by Tony_S

[Happy Hippo]

The final Trayne Klubb session of the year took place this morning.  We will be restarting in the new year.  In the meantime I have a lot of loco crews to paint.

 

Once all the freshly painted bits and pieces from today's session have dried, they will be packed away and the table cleared for the boxes of Christmas decorations and the like to be brought downstairs.

 

This afternoon's activities seem to be generally tidying up, writing Christmas cards and doing one last sweep of my 4 mm supplies so they can be boxed up for the trip down to S Wales this coming weekend.

 

 

[Tony_S]

This just appeared on my Twitter (X) feed.

Recipe on https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-salame

 

[jamie92208]

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

I'm trying not to think about Valerie's bust.....

It depends which Valerie you are thinking about. 

 

Jamie

[Happy Hippo]

41 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

It depends which Valerie you are thinking about. 

 

Jamie

 

Valerie Huber?

 

Please....

Edited December 7, 2023 by Happy Hippo

[Hroth]

3 minutes ago, Happy Hippo said:

 

Valerie Huber?

 

Please....

 

A rsther over-cropped image....

 

[Happy Hippo]

4 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

A rsther over-cropped image....

 

Better?

 

[Hroth]

Yep....

 

[woodenhead]

Though I think @Oldddudders was thinking about this Valerie

[Hroth]

There's a lot to be said for both...

 

[Porkscratching]

27 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

Though I think @Oldddudders was thinking about this Valerie

Or this one, seen here with her pussy.... 

 

[Flying Fox 34F]

Mrs Slocombe would not be amused!

 

Paul