Early Risers.

[Gwiwer]

Afternoon all.  For such it is in the Untidy Kingdom   

 

The clocks were re-set last night before retiring.  The boiler is on manual because it is very frail and teasy and is scheduled for replacement on 16th April.  It failed just before Christmas and did not respond to two repairs so we have a new one coming.  The time lag has been down to me having to request a Friday off work to be here all day (and that in turn awaited the roster clerk's pleasure because Fridays are sought-after and not easy to get as odd days of leave) and Dr. SWMBO has to be carefully isolated from the fitters with all the supplies she might need for several hours.  It's quite a major logistical exercise given that they need access to the meter and all the radiators.

 

I woke at 5am thanks to Nature calling and the noise of Network Rail demolishing our level crossing.  I then returned to sleep and next woke at 9.25am which I attributed to the time change.  No matter as it's Sunday and notter lott is scheduled to happen today.  

 

@NGT6 1315 I can fully understand your position; everyone has to set their own priorities and work (where and when they are permitted to do so) within the differing laws and guidelines laid down by their respective authorities.  A minority of public transport drivers here wears masks except that when a train or tram driver is being accompanied for training or assessment then both they and their supervisor must be masked unless exempt and likewise with guards.  Bus drivers mostly are not wearing masks but must do so when leaving the cab to enter teh passenger saloon for any reason whilst passengers are aboard.  

 

@iL Dottore the Italians might cringe at what some folk place atop pizzas (pizzae?) but to each their own.  When in Rome ... etc ... but when at home I'll have what I choose.  I quite like the oft-derided pineapple but I dislike green leaves; some pizzas now seem to come with rocket (or is that roquette?) as part of the topping rather than the side salad.  And yes a green or mostly-green side salad can accompany the main but there's equally nothing wrong with a handful of nice fat chips when in England   

[PhilJ W]

As I said, I only have to adjust my watch when the clocks change. I don't have the central heating on a timer, just a set temperature and thats it, it shows the time and for the next six months it will be the right time. There is also the old digital clock in the spare room that is such a PITA to adjust I leave it on GMT. The damp patches are still there in the utility room, still visible but neither increasing or reducing in size. Obviously from some sort of container but what and where from I've no idea. 

[laurenceb]

It will be a good thing when rocket goes out of fashion! I hate the stuff & it appears in the most stupid places

  On security screen on buses, most of our local buses wernt fitted, Drivers dont like them, and when Arriva sold the last part of their Burton operation the first thing the new operator did was remove the screens. Fast forward to last spring & both Trent and Midland Classic had to fit them in a hurry.  Drivers whearing masks, about half n half

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, jonny777 said:

It is  grey and windy in North Somerset, but dry at the moment, but the rainfall radar shows something light drifting up the Bristol Channel, and I am not talking about shipping. 

 

I carried on with my policy of moving poppy seedlings from one part of the garden to the other, in order that they might try and seed themselves in different places. I had sat in a chair near the greenhouse and decided on a sunny patch where they might do well, but it is near the path to the greenhouse and so risked being trodden on. 

 

However, I thought I would take a chance and moved a few plants. SWMBO appeared and I told her what I had done but she said they were far enough from the path to be safe, did a bit of un-neccessary tidying up around the greenhouse and on her way back trod right on the poppy plants. 

 

Then once I pointed out what she had done, she vanished inside for a sulk. I think clodhopping 'gardeners' should be restricted to wide open spaces like municipal parks, but I haven't told her that yet as A&E are probably still rather busy. 

Now you see that's a typical snobbish response. I am doing a one man band campaign to improve the horticultural standing of our local park but so far the clod hoppers are winning. Horticulture 0, clodhoppers 1.

[petethemole]

Hot tub draining on hold; one of the stopper caps is missing.  The bag of bits in the shed had fallen upside down.  All the other contents appear to be present but that has gone walkabout.  After 15 minute searching the immediate area of the shed I decided  replacement would be preferable to wasting any more time, so duly ordered one, and a spare.  Now to find a suitable lidded box to replace the bag.  If I do the job later in the week or Good Friday it can be heated up for the Easter weekend.

[Winslow Boy]

8 minutes ago, petethemole said:

Hot tub draining on hold; one of the stopper caps is missing.  The bag of bits in the shed had fallen upside down.  All the other contents appear to be present but that has gone walkabout.  After 15 minute searching the immediate area of the shed I decided  replacement would be preferable to wasting any more time, so duly ordered one, and a spare.  Now to find a suitable lidded box to replace the bag.  If I do the job later in the week or Good Friday it can be heated up for the Easter weekend.

One hesitates to ask this as it may prying to much but does one get to share in the experience of hot tub bathing with or for that without SWMBO. We will of course respect your answer and it will not be shared with any third parties in case you are worried.

[petethemole]

Yuk!

[petethemole]

For enlightenment; the hot tub concept does not appeal to me in the slightest.  Also, we are separated but still share the house as the alternative would mean three 'hoarders'* having to find homes and move, on the proceeds of selling one home.

 

* People who collect stuff

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, laurenceb said:

It will be a good thing when rocket goes out of fashion! I hate the stuff & it appears in the most stupid places

Oh my goodness me yessssss.

 

When I was very young I apparently rejected water-cress with the words "I don't like that flower".  I still use that at times.  When presented with an unnecessary amount* of rocket my comment is "I don't like that weed"

 

* a variable quantity depending upon circumstances and what else is on offer.  But in general any at all is too much for me.  It's an obnoxious weed.  

[New Haven Neil]

A'noon from a very windy and wet rock of Fraggles.

 

The morning was usurped by SWMBO tasks, then manning the car whilst she went a'shopping.  

 

Last night with Jayne was nice, she misses company more than she was letting herself think, as was evident by her reactions.  We had a lovely Thai carryout from the pub just next to her house, and a really nice chat in front of the fire (when we could get near as it is guarded by her collection of snoozing Collies) for a couple of hours.  No sooner were we home then watsapp messages were arriving saying how much she enjoyed the evening and can we do it again next weekend please.  This is  good thing.  Bless her, she can't move on after losing Gary, she is a one man woman.  A shame as she could find happiness again with someone else, she would be a good catch for a thinking man.  Mrs NHN and I are the closest friends she has here, she is like a sister for us.

 

iD, the Hodna thing is gentle British humour, I write occasional articles for a low circulation classic bike magazine 'Real Classic', content of which is mostly written by the readership.  As its primary target is British bikes, the 'other countries brands' poke fun at them and receive the same back - lighthearted, good humour.  The couple that run it are an interesting pair of disparate and entertaining folk, it is the best read in motorcycling IMHO - not just because I get published occasionally! So as I have 4 Hondas and a BMW, on the facebook page etc I'm rude (ish) about Triumphs, and they call my Hondas, Hodnas.  Fair do's.  Makes a change from train magazine articles for Garden Rail, haven't done them for some time now, didn't seem right when I became a trader.

 

 

[laurenceb]

Cant stand the taste!

[iL Dottore]

I tend to be very much the purist when it comes to food and certain things just do NOT go together. Lasagna and chips being one pairing that should be legislated against (and if I were of a certain age and a certain generation then such pairings this would have me screaming “cultural appropriation”).

 

In case ERs think my purist viewpoint extends only to “foreign food“, then they are sorely mistaken. A Haggis is simply NOT a Haggis without pluck, suitable condiments for Roast Beef are horseradish and/or mustard, not ketchup! A Veal and Ham “Gala” pie should always be oblong and contain hard boiled egs (etc. etc. etc.).

 

As for rocket and other salad leaves: well only if you must. I find salad in most of its’ guises to be incredibly boring. Ironically to make a low-fat, low carbohydrate plate of salad leaves edible one usually pours a quantity of high-fat (and if commercially made probably high sugar/carbohydrate) salad sauce on top of the vegetables. The only salad I will willingly eat in abundance is a salade tiede made with fresh spinach leaves and a hot lardons (bacon cube) dressing.

 

I have been a busy boy in the kitchen this weekend. Yesterday I made a Battenberg cake (and realised that there is an awful lot of leftover cake after you have trimmed the cake for the Battenberg. But, no worries! I will be making a bread-and-butter pudding today using stale cake instead of stale bread). If there is a good reception of the Battenberg cake today (I have a number of tame cake testers on retainer) I might buy a proper Battenberg cake tin with resulting easier prep and less leftover trimmings

Yesterday, I also dry rubbed a Gaucho or (Flanken) cut beef rib with my own dry rub mix and that has been maturing overnight. At the moment my home-made barbecue sauce is simmering away after being fed with a good splash of Jim Beam Double Oak Bourbon. The ribs will go into a medium oven for two hours after which they will be cut into serving sized pieces, brushed with home-made barbecue sauce and finished in a smoking hot grill pan. Some plain buttered green beans and some plain buttered new potatoes will complete this modest supper

 

Although I won’t be partaking - because I am back on my diet with a vengeance - Mrs ID will have a serving of my “cake pudding“ for her pudding. Basically, it is the leftover cake trimmings from yesterday‘s Battenberg cake preparation drizzled with slightly thinned down and warmed up left over jam (again from yesterday‘s bake) and then strewn with raisins, almonds and covered in an egg, cream and sugar mixture before being dusted with nutmeg and put into a hot oven to finish (and set the custard).

 

I am basically an antisocial bu99er and quite happy with my own company, but one thing I really do miss – thanks to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic – is cooking for friends.  When Mrs ID is away in the holiday hovel and I am alone, I rarely bother to cook (living on cold meats and cheeses) but for other people I am happy as a clam rustling up a three or four course meal -  preferably one that “stretches my culinary legs“.

And on that kitchen oriented note I bid you a an enjoyable Sunday afternoon (and I’m off to stick the beef into the oven)
 

[NGT6 1315]

3 hours ago, NGT6 1315 said:

And a pop quiz for you all. You’ll be able to see a loudspeaker (highlighted in yellow) next to the OHLE pole and the tree. There’s a story to these speakers. Any of you happen to know what this might be?

So, here goes:

 

Mirroring a practice also known in other East Bloc countries, several cities in the former GDR had wired public broadcasting networks. Speaker arrays as in this example were installed in highly frequented areas, at major public transport stops and on public buildings and other similar places. These systems were, of course, used at least in part for political agitation, but also for certain types of less overtly politicised news. These could include availability of consumer goods during shortages.
 

In Leipzig, this system, which also covered the neighbouring towns of Taucha and Markkleeberg, was, in fact, kept in service until 1998, operated by a local radio broadcaster after unification.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Some of the things supermarket chains put in salads ought to be banned from salads. My pet hate is grated carrot. The only place for carrots is in stews and casseroles, and only then in small amounts. My ideal salad would consist of tomatoes, sweet peppers, black olives, lettuce (Iceberg), cucumber and onions. Eaten with cheese or cold meat of choice accompanied by fresh baked bread. 

[tigerburnie]

I love foraging, whether fishing or hill walking, I can usually find something to add to a sandwich , yesterday we collected Ransomes (wild garlic), the flowers are nice added to a sandwich or a salad, this time of year Wood Sorrel will be on the menu soon. Stinging Nettles are coming on soon, added to scrambled egg, or can be used to make a Dock Pudding.

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Another section of shelving installed, but having problems, Ben the bull in a China shop Collie was charging around knocking things over, stuff that wasn't in its normal position, because I needed access to install shelves. I joined him in knocking things over, boxes of screws, muggacoffee,  bits of shelf not yet installed..

It's not been a good day..

 

So I went back to the workshop and mass produced bits for next week's construction.

When all laid out and given a first coat of paint , I decided to taken Ben for an early long walk.

Just the short version, as my back was playing up.

 

On return,  a piece of metal was selected from the might be useful pile, for reinforcement of the trailer. That was trimmed to size, derusted and given a coat of zinc. The shelf pieces were given their second coat of paint, Back was really complaining by now. I retired to lie on the bed to rest back, with a glass of red. Only one sip was taken before eyelid inspection took place..

 

2 hours later..

 

It was time for the long bath... I needed that too, Back is much happier now.

 

Dinner is about to arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

For those who don’t like rocket I have seen the American term arugula used occasionally. 

[Erichill16]

9 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 

Pizza AND chips?

Why?

I was thinking of having BBQ chicken pizza, chips and baked beans for tea.

But decided, so as not to cause offense, to have an all day breakfast instead. (No baked beans)

[polybear]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I tend to be very much the purist when it comes to food and certain things just do NOT go together. Lasagna and chips being one pairing that should be legislated against (and if I were of a certain age and a certain generation then such pairings this would have me screaming “cultural appropriation”).
 

 

Lasagna & Chips?  Pizza & Chips?  Absolutely - Bear would feel cheated otherwise.  As for Rocket on a Pizza (Rucola IIRC) - the first thing to do is dump it.  Salad is a merely a cheap way for Restaurants to pad out a meal to make it look more than it is, or for those who'd must rather have chips but "mustn't"....

 

Bear's "Pi55ed Off" Reason Of The Day:

 

Bear has a digital clock that supposedly talks to the satellites in order to receive accurate time - it's always a bitch as it often fails to update at clock-changing time (it's close to an "Alexa" and that doesn't help the signal).  Bear discovered that the batteries were showing signs of corrosion earlier so new ones were fitted; Bear then discovers that one of the new batteries had a faulty seal - the battery has now leaked "gunge" out of the clock and onto the wooden painted window sill.....resulting in a very nice rectangular area of stripped paint right back to the bare timber.

It'll mean a strip and repaint - fortunately the sill is screwed down so I can easily (famous last words...) remove it for sanding & repainting.  That job is very low on the priority list though.

 

As for other progress - zilch.  Tigger Bounce still broken after AZ vaccination; a snooze for several hours this afternoon *may* have been carried out too - the cr@p night being the most likely cause.  Hopefully normal service will resume tomorrow.

[pH]

3 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Lasagna and chips being one pairing that should be legislated against (and if I were of a certain age and a certain generation then such pairings this would have me screaming “cultural appropriation”).

I thought the correct term was ‘fusion’ ?

[iL Dottore]

52 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

....But decided, so as not to cause offense, to have an all day breakfast instead. (No baked beans)

A man (or is it Punk?) of taste and discernment. A good British Breakfast, no matter when taken, is balm for the soul.

Having said that, I have learnt that modern breakfasts are but a poor shadow of their former (Edwardian) glory. Who, nowadays, has kedgeree as part of their breakfast? Or a slice of cold Roast Beef? Let alone Devilled Kidneys or even “Sauerkraut Juice”? (the latter being of the breakfast juices available in First Class on the Titanic [the menu, apparently, was found in the pocket of one of the survivors]) I have a book, written by an Edwardian Colonel, that describes over 60 different Breakfasts - I might post a menu or two.

44 minutes ago, polybear said:

...Lasagna & Chips?  Pizza & Chips?  Absolutely - Bear would feel cheated otherwise.  As for Rocket on a Pizza (Rucola IIRC) - the first thing to do is dump it.  Salad is a merely a cheap way for Restaurants to pad out a meal...

1) Either Bear is “having a larf” or sadly uninformed as to the metabolic consequences of carbohydrate overload. A dish of baked carbohydrates with a side order of fried carbohydrates and possibly carbohydrate rich legumes followed by sweet carbohydrates is gonna - one day - have his pancreas run screaming for the hills (say a big Hello to Mr Type II Diabetes!).

2) Bear obviously hasn’t shopped at the greengrocer for a while. Many salad ingredients are quite costly - micro herbs for example. One of the criticisms made by food campaigners is that the cost of fresh vegetables is often beyond the reach of the poorest in society...

 

Personal preferences and all joshing apart, it is sobering to consider that those countries that have diets heavy in sugars, fried foods and carbohydrates (with concomitant levels of Type II Diabetes and obesity) have done very poorly in terms of CoVID-19 mortality in the under 60s. 
 

Maybe pairing pizza and salad might be a good idea after all...

[Tony_S]

31 minutes ago, pH said:

I thought the correct term was ‘fusion’ ?

When we have some unusual leftover combinations we refer to it as “fusion food”. 

[Tony_S]

43 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Sauerkraut Juice”? (the latter being of the breakfast juices available in First Class on the Titanic [

Even nowadays ocean liners (we were advised not to call the last sea vessel we travelled on “a cruise ship”) the breakfast selection is varied and international. Even if we were unable to eat in our normal restaurant due to being early or late the breakfast selection in the cafeteria option was just as as good.

[J. S. Bach]

12 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

 ...snip... (and the Germans do plumb the depth of pizza ignominy with the Pizza Hawaii - don’t ask)  ...snip...

I do not have to ask, I actually had a slice or two somewhere in southwest Georgia (US); Albany, I think it was. Ham and pineapple for the toppings. It was not terrible, in fact we thought it was decent; especially since we had been eating in the mess hall for most of a week.

[J. S. Bach]

8 hours ago, NGT6 1315 said:

And a pop quiz for you all. You’ll be able to see a loudspeaker (highlighted in yellow) next to the OHLE pole and the tree. There’s a story to these speakers. Any of you happen to know what this might be?

 

Blasting out the Grateful Dead at 0300?

Edited March 28, 2021 by J. S. Bach