iL Dottore Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) Some interesting comments about dinner table conversations... although it seems a certain amount of anti-intellectualism appears to be rearing it's ugly head. It is true that the "creative" types can get a wee bit precious, but isn't this also true of certain members of our fraternity who - dare I say it - can regard a incorrectly spoked bogie wheel (or some-such similar error) as a personal affront... Warley was, as always, enjoyable and this year managed to see quite a few more layouts than last year. I met with some of the usual suspects, as well as - to me - new faces, such as Gruffalo of this parish. But the bare concrete floors did me no favours and have been in considerable pain today, alas. However, managing to acquire an increasingly rare Gresley non gangwayed (suburban) brake 3rd in LNER teak for the princely sum of £0.00! is considerable consolation. Whilst on the subject of Christmas Dinners, ours will be the usual traditional one, but with a free range turkey that comes complete with feet and head (much to Mrs iD's dismay), however thanks to starting with an intact bird, I am able to cook the perfect Christmas Turkey: mosit breast meat with perfectly cooked legs... (pm me if you want the secret). I also like goat (grilled or roast like lamb with rosemary - very tasty). Now off to feed, in no particular order, the hairy monster and Mrs iD "Stay Frosty" Edited November 25, 2013 by iL Dottore 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 I too am very fortunate with my BiL. Not only a relation and my own personal G.P. when I needed advice but also a very good friend. Sadly though, last week he had most of his colon removed and part of the lymph system in that area. He starts chemo as soon as he regains strength. As a parting shot his consultant told him he'd taken out his appendix too 'while they were in there'. I'm about to fit an SSD to the desktop computer. Wish me luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 During my adult lifetime I have observed the massive shrinkage of the Franz Josef Glacier in Austria. Whatever is causing it I think the marmots are probably not the cause. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Prunella Scales? That's a blast from the past. Mrs Fawlty no less…:-) I'm sure there's a lesson here, so be careful what you get up to... Whilst enjoying a glass of Merlot after our golf round, I asked about a comment made at the Beaujolais Noveau party. Seems there was a bit of an incident a few years back. Before the web these things would be long forgotten, but somehow this one made the Sunday papers. What surprised me is just how long stuff stays on the web. Needless to say, I had to look it up when I got home.. http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/unfair-sack-claim-is-bunkered-4266813 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 As vegetarians it will be somewhat of a relief not to be cooking any turkey this year which we have done for years to satisfy elderly carnivore parents. The dogs will have to make do with one intended for pets this year. Mind you I do enjoy mice pies and christmas cake and usually east most of one myself which lasts me well into January. One relative is somewhat of a literary bent and so will go on about some arty film or book to an audience who really do not care. I do try not to bore them with trains. FiL did have some interest but prefered Hornby Toys (0 gauge from the thirties) to scale models. As children my sister and I suffered the stoke by stoke recounting of Dad's golf game over saturday lunch. It was a relief while he slept it off. Still Christmas will be very different this year anyway. With just the two of us (plus dogs) and the likelyhood that work on the house will not be far enough forward to move in, Christmas in a motorhome will be a novelty. Not much room for a tree though. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Prunella Scales? That's a blast from the past. Mrs Fawlty no less…:-) I'm sure there's a lesson here, so be careful what you get up to... Whilst enjoying a glass of Merlot after our golf round, I asked about a comment made at the Beaujolais Noveau party. Seems there was a bit of an incident a few years back. Before the web these things would be long forgotten, but somehow this one made the Sunday papers. What surprised me is just how long stuff stays on the web. Needless to say, I had to look it up when I got home.. http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/unfair-sack-claim-is-bunkered-4266813 Blimey - I've always wondered why golf was so popular - bet it'll read even better in 'The Sun ... tehehe!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2013 Don, as a vegetarian should you be eating mice pies? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Re the PassivHaus mentioned by ID above, I would very much like to go down that route but find suppliers in this country want to make significant profits from my small purchases (compared to a significant number of houses built on one site) so the initial costs are still too high - particularly when you add the cost of land. The planning authorities don't welcome single developments that utilise new technologies and existing neighbourhoods seem unwilling to accept anything somewhat / radically different to what they are accustomed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 One of the advantages of working at home is I'm looking out into our back garden - so any wildlife is at risk of being photographed. Today I caught this little chappess (I believe the male ones have more red in the moustache area) eating our ant collection. DAS_0037.jpg super pic, the lovely wife tells me its a green woodpecker and there aren't many about round here. It makes the woody woodpecker sound. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 (edited) Don, as a vegetarian should you be eating mice pies? Pete Unless your mince pie is home-made to a traditional Tudor, Jacobean, Georgian (and possibly Victorian) recipe, the mince won't contain minced meat (or mice for that matter, although mice were perhaps not an unknown extra ingredient in those days of less rigorous food standards...) The received wisdom is that the spices, dried fruit, etc. of mincemeat was added to mask the taste of meat past it's "best-by" date, but apparently this isn't true, as the cost of spices in those periods was such as to reserve their use for prestigious dishes of the wealthy. Meat, fruit and spices were a very English combination (brought back to England from the Mid-East by the Crusaders) and much favoured by those who could afford the spices. Edited November 25, 2013 by iL Dottore Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 During my adult lifetime I have observed the massive shrinkage of the Franz Josef Glacier in Austria. Whatever is causing it I think the marmots are probably not the cause. Tony Has Aditi given it one of her looks? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 super pic, the lovely wife tells me its a green woodpecker and there aren't many about round here. It makes the woody woodpecker sound. It makes the Yaffle sound - hence the English nickname. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Wasn't yaffle the wooden woodpecker in bagpuss or does memory fail me? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Has Aditi given it one of her looks? Whenever we are near glaciers I can see Matthew getting his "oh no, I'm just about to get a lecture from Mum on landforms" look. I'm usually looking for marmots. Wasn't yaffle the wooden woodpecker in bagpuss or does memory fail me? Yes Yaffle was the woodpecker in Bagpuss. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 As opposed to Waffle . . . . . . . . . . . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold colin penfold Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yep you wouldn't want a woodpecker with maple syrup for dessert, would you? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yep you wouldn't want a woodpecker with maple syrup for dessert, would you? We have waffles as a breakfast (occasionally) item. Though I have been told on ERs before that eating them with forest fruits and maple syrup is "wrong" and that it should be bacon and syrup. Both are quite nice though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Donw Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Having a green woodpecker in your garden is usually a sign of ants which why we had one quite a lot on the Isle of Wight. I got a short clip of him doing his headbanger routine. The pose of Beasts one is the ready to take off pose he has heard or sensed something. Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted November 25, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 25, 2013 Having a green woodpecker in your garden is usually a sign of ants which why we had one quite a lot on the Isle of Wight. I got a short clip of him doing his headbanger routine. The pose of Beasts one is the ready to take off pose he has heard or sensed something. Don Listening for ants / grubs - she spent a good 10-15 minutes in the garden foraging, she might be back if she knows there's easy food available - the camera will be ready if she returns. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium southern42 Posted November 26, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 26, 2013 With all this talk of Thanksgiving, Christmas and glacier shrinkage thought you might like these. Yesterday, when we were out, we noticed there was snow on the tops so did a U turn to take a couple of photos. Polly 14 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonBradley Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 No snow here at the moment! Partly cloudy but warm at 21C and NO rain in prospect. Happy Tuesday all! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashcombe Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Beautiful photos, Polly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Early Rising or Insomniac, Ashers? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelintrev Posted November 26, 2013 Share Posted November 26, 2013 Morning all, No woodpeckers here (though we do get the occasional blue breasted kingfisher), or snow. If that happens at sea level just north of the equator we should start to worry! Out into the bush today, so should be back latter, try and have a good day today folks, Trev. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted November 26, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 26, 2013 Good morning all, Dry & a pleasant 4oC so no frost. Will be cloudy with sunny periods according to the forecast. Waiting in for parcels today (domestic unfortunately - no railway) Been laughing to myself for the last couple of weeks because an idiot neighbour whose property adjoins the bottom of my garden has tried to stop his garage roof leaking by just laying corrugated translucent plastic sheets over the holes in the existing roof. He seemed surprised on the the couple of occasions I've handed them back to him after they've blown into my garden. I would add that when the original roof was fitted the guy who did it created a flashing using strips of green mineral felt & felt adhesive (which is all coming adrift) and a broken gutter bracket was replaced by jamming an old screwdriver into the woodwork. I did wonder why he was wearing a cowboy hat at the time! Have a good one, Bob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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