Early Risers.

[iL Dottore]

Re. Pesto (or to be pedantic Pesto Alla Genovese).

 

As always, you get what you pay for. An authentic Pesto Alla Genovese is comprised of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo with virgin olive oil being used to bring the paste together.

 

Pesto from large producers not only benefits from economies of scale, but more importantly – the big producers invariably cut costs to maximise profits by substituting second or third quality items for the originals: cold pressed virgin olive oil, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, aged Pecorino Sardo, pine nuts are all expensive to buy, even in bulk. And as most consumers will not have eaten an original Pesto Alla Genovese, the big producers can get away with it. As explained here: https://gopesto.co.uk/blogs/pesto/cheap#:~:text=As is the case with,%2C including pesto%2C unfathomably cheaply.&text=The process of making pesto,a small batch at home. 

The only problem is, and this has a potential to be a big problem, people with nut allergies may have an allergic reaction to the nuts in those pesto made with substitute ingredients (pine nuts are actually a seed and most people with nut allergies can usually eat pine nuts - although if you are very susceptible to nut allergens you might want to avoid pine nuts as well). 

[Compound2632]

31 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

As always, you get what you pay for. An authentic Pesto Alla Genovese is comprised of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo with virgin olive oil being used to bring the paste together.

 

Easily made at home and cheaper that way than in a jar.

[Coombe Barton]

Back from drac with pix in can.

 

And from the coffee shop bought this, for a neighbour who has rescued a mistreated dachshund pup.

Edited Monday at 11:33 by Coombe Barton
Typoman has returned!

[PupCam]

Monty investigations continue successfully.  I've actually found and seen the culprit with the aid of a dismembered LED torch panel (I knew it would come in handy one day).  Here's the engine; you can just see the torch panel wedged down between the gubbins.  The hose lives in the black hole just above the panel and in the close up you can make out the split.  It looks like a little mouth just below the part marked coolant hose.     A positive response from the supplier on injector seals and  a replacement hose (they seem to be becoming quite rare it would seem) means both have been ordered. 

 

I could wait until I get the manifold off to see the state of the inlet swirl flaps but we sort of know don't we?  They are plastic components running in plastic bearings in the inlet tract under quite severe conditions and have been doing so for 200K miles.  So I was going to buy individual replacements plus the inlet seals etc etc.   Then I found a complete new manifold with, it looks like, all the seals etc a new swirl flap actuator for a few pounds more.  Well, it would be silly not to (subject from a positive response that all those extras in the photo are actually included) wouldn't it?   The cost for all that?  The equivalent of about an hour's labour at a main dealer I believe.

 

 

 

 

A very strange rumbling noise was just heard .....

 

Looks like someone is going home after the Bedfordshire steam fayre

 

 

 

 

TTFN

 

 

 

[rockershovel]

12 hours ago, PupCam said:

 

I'm always glad when "I didn't go to Stevenage".   Made it a bit tricky BA to go to work for 30 years though .......

 

 

Readers must be getting very thin on the ground now!   I see your problem.

 

 

Excuses, excuses.

 

ION

 

I had a very good but very tiring day yesterday.   First a chug over to Woburn on the Beeza for coffee and putting the world right followed by a chug over to Old Warden to the Bedfordshire Steam & Country Fayre.   It was good but tiring dragging around the fayre which covered an extensive part of the Shuttleworth park.  My friend was keen to visit the multitude of tat tool stands for bargains.    You know, the ones selling Chinese "High Quality" tools made from Chrome Vanadium Cheese.  In my experience there are very few real bargains to be had and  I'd rather have spent more time looking at the big steamy beasts.    It was extra tiring because the  Beeza was being rather recalcitrant in the starting department at times and more than six kicks for those with a Pacemaker is pushing it (no pun intended).   Never mind I enlisted the help of "staff" to start it on a couple of occasions so it was OK in the end.  Anyway,  we had a good day and the bikes joined the VMCC display as "late entrants".

 

We (Mr & Mrs P) binge watched the repeats of Canal Boat Diaries in the evening (certainly wouldn't be watching Strictly Come Prancing!) which were particularly interesting as he was passing through Greater Puppershire on the Grand Union Canal.   He scraped through the 3 Locks north of Leighton Buzzard prior to them being closed for 4 weeks.   

 

 

We had a very nice meal on the side of those locks in the "3 Locks" pub a couple of months back.     Unfortunately I may have nodded off a few times whilst binging.    A very early for me retirement to bed at 9:45 was most welcome and a good 9 hours re-charged the batteries albeit with the usual array of brief nocturnal interruptions.

 

This morning we went for a very nice new walk (for us) along the meandering Great Ouse east of Bedford and along the old track bed  of the Bedford to Cambridge railway.       Mapometer reports 2.5 miles, I must say it felt further!     Looking at the map we can easily extend it next time as I need to get back into far more regular exercise.  

 

 

We may have stopped for coffee on our return at the Danish Camp.

 

Night all.

 

 

Canal Boat Diaries is quite an interesting series. 

[iL Dottore]

25 minutes ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Easily made at home and cheaper that way than in a jar.

Indeed, especially if you have abundant Basil in the garden (I don't, unfortunately). I've not tried doing so, but I would imagine you could make up big batches a freeze portions

[TheQ]

Bin shopping....

Hmm.

Lidl as normal..

Tescos small supermarket, not express, just had a refit.

Black ceiling, black fronted freezers and chillers. Talk about depressing.

 

Then a short wander about town..

3 Turkish barbers, 4 other barbers, about 6 ladies hairdressers, three beauticians, 2 estate agents, 1 solicitors, 2 charity shops, and numerous cafes.... Went in two newsagents, each only had half a dozen magazines, all TV guides and women's only type mags.   All within 200 yards of each other.

The town centre has really gone down hill.

 

Going to have to take a trip to Falkirk.

[45156]

Afternoon All (well it is now, it wasn't when I set out to post this),

 

1 minute ago, TheQ said:

 

The town centre has really gone down hill.

 

And so say all of us.

 

Was rudely awakened by 30747 who had decided to go in early for the shopping.  The plan was that we'd both go in together, I'd go to the town to visit the bank and do whatever else was needed there, while 30747 went to Aldi, which is at the bottom of the hill by the station then meet up on the bus.  But 30747 went in on an early bus, and I went on the first one to allow my bus pass.  She came off the bus that  I got on - the bus terminates there which is why that it so.  Banking done, and bakery picked up.  Met my neighbours as they were going home, so got a lift with them which saved about half an hour.

 

As there is now no propect of my building a 00 layout, I have decided to sell my 00 collection and buy a small selection of TT and some track, and make a small fiddle yard to terminus layout instead (N is just too small and fiddly for my advancing years).  I have a local dealer very interested which is helpful as it means no transport.

 

Back sometime soon.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

 

 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

Re. Pesto (or to be pedantic Pesto Alla Genovese).

 

As always, you get what you pay for. An authentic Pesto Alla Genovese is comprised of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo with virgin olive oil being used to bring the paste together.

 

Pesto from large producers not only benefits from economies of scale, but more importantly – the big producers invariably cut costs to maximise profits by substituting second or third quality items for the originals: cold pressed virgin olive oil, aged Parmigiano Reggiano, aged Pecorino Sardo, pine nuts are all expensive to buy, even in bulk. And as most consumers will not have eaten an original Pesto Alla Genovese, the big producers can get away with it. As explained here: https://gopesto.co.uk/blogs/pesto/cheap#:~:text=As is the case with,%2C including pesto%2C unfathomably cheaply.&text=The process of making pesto,a small batch at home. 

The only problem is, and this has a potential to be a big problem, people with nut allergies may have an allergic reaction to the nuts in those pesto made with substitute ingredients (pine nuts are actually a seed and most people with nut allergies can usually eat pine nuts - although if you are very susceptible to nut allergens you might want to avoid pine nuts as well). 

 

Bear has been doin' a bit of Google research earlier - it seems that one method to make Pesto last longer is to store it in ice cube trays then freeze it.  Sounds like a plan.

Alternatively Bear could always have a Pizza every day.....

 

2 hours ago, The White Rabbit said:

 

I use Sacla (bought from Ocado or Waitrose) and they have a longer fridge life. If you go into the listings, for example - https://www.ocado.com/products/sacla-sun-dried-tomato-pesto-24119011 and go down to 'usage' and then storage - this says you have two weeks. In my experience you may squeeze another few days out of it. Maybe the Co-Op uses a brand which has 'better'/fresher ingredients? 

 

https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/shop/search?&searchTerm=sacla shows that there are quite a few varieties, the tomato one I used yesterday as well as the basil version mentioned in passing. 

 

As well as pizzas, I find they add taste to some toasties and pasta bakes. 

 

Bear never realised there were red ones as well as green ones.  Every day a school day....

 

ION....

 

Bear has added a new word to those I really dislike:

"Tried"....

 

BG

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

most people with nut allergies can usually eat pine nuts

Notwithstanding which they are prohibited in my sister's house as she has a family member living with her who is extremely allergic to certain nuts and who has been known to suffer violent a psychosomatic response to even seeing nuts in the house.  

 

Dr. SWMBO is not allergic per se but avoids them other than in commercially-produced pesto.  They tend to have an extremely laxative effect upon her.  

 

I'll eat them.  They get into the broken bits where parts of teeth once were but hey.  That's a getting-older thing as much as it is a lack-of-affordable-and-local-tooth-wrangler-availability thing.  

[New Haven Neil]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

eye tests lately where drops turn your eyes yellow and everything seen  goes bright blue.  The eye is examined by use of a very bright light and a moving slit.  

 

Yeah, that's the job, plus a  bluey red liney lasery thingy, then the pressure taken by a device that actually touches the eyeball rather then the puff of air thing. ugh. Hate anything to do with eyes, really phobic.  No idea how I'm going to cope with cataract surgery when the time comes, not yet but its making a start in both eyes now, however the good news was I have no diabetes related issues with the retina etc.  I'm not aware of the cataracts as yet, but have been told what to look out for, when things worsen, which they will apparently as there's nothing you can really do to stop them.  Pah.

[New Haven Neil]

Oh, and while I'm on the rant, it's really sunny and nice out now, and I can't bear the light due to pupils being dilated so am stuck indoors watching herself work - Mrs NHN having had to drive me home of course. Double Pah!

[Coombe Barton]

... This week I would have been attending and arranging inductions for new students, I’ve just realised. I’m sitting here grinning. ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2024/09/16/postcards-from-home-2024-19/

[PupCam]

48 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

No idea how I'm going to cope with cataract surgery when the time comes, not yet but its making a start in both eyes now, however the good news was I have no diabetes related issues with the retina etc. 

 

You'll be fine Neil, just deep breaths and R E  L   A      X ........      Mother had hers don a few years ago (age ~ 92 at the time).  She was dreading it but when it came to it (I was going to say she didn't bat an eyelid) she was fine and SO pleased, no amazed with the results.   She threw away the bifocals and has got eye sight as sharp as an eagle now.   Just uses reading glasses now.    You'll be fine and the results will be great!

 

 

[Danemouth]

35 minutes ago, PupCam said:

 

You'll be fine Neil, just deep breaths and R E  L   A      X ........      Mother had hers don a few years ago (age ~ 92 at the time).  She was dreading it but when it came to it (I was going to say she didn't bat an eyelid) she was fine and SO pleased, no amazed with the results.   She threw away the bifocals and has got eye sight as sharp as an eagle now.   Just uses reading glasses now.    You'll be fine and the results will be great!

 

 

 

I agree with young Puppers. I had mine done in 2020 - one thing I didn't know was the eye being done was completely shut down - everything was grey. The other eye is covered so you can see nothing happening. Mine took about 20 minutes.

 

The lens in your eye is replaced by a plastic lens so your glasses are useless afterwards. My prescription went from -7.75 diopters  to -0.75 diopters.

 

HTH,

 

Dave

[The Lurker]

It will no consolation to NHN that I feel extremely squeamish at the thought of a cataract op = and I wear contact lenses! Sticking my  own fingers in my eyes to retrieve bits of plastic is one thing - the thought of someone else doing it is not a good one.

[PhilJ W]

There is a dedicated thread to The Nightsleeper.

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/188024-bbc-nightsleeper/

 

[rockershovel]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

Monty investigations continue successfully.  I've actually found and seen the culprit with the aid of a dismembered LED torch panel (I knew it would come in handy one day).  Here's the engine; you can just see the torch panel wedged down between the gubbins.  The hose lives in the black hole just above the panel and in the close up you can make out the split.  It looks like a little mouth just below the part marked coolant hose.     A positive response from the supplier on injector seals and  a replacement hose (they seem to be becoming quite rare it would seem) means both have been ordered. 

 

I could wait until I get the manifold off to see the state of the inlet swirl flaps but we sort of know don't we?  They are plastic components running in plastic bearings in the inlet tract under quite severe conditions and have been doing so for 200K miles.  So I was going to buy individual replacements plus the inlet seals etc etc.   Then I found a complete new manifold with, it looks like, all the seals etc a new swirl flap actuator for a few pounds more.  Well, it would be silly not to (subject from a positive response that all those extras in the photo are actually included) wouldn't it?   The cost for all that?  The equivalent of about an hour's labour at a main dealer I believe.

 

 

 

 

A very strange rumbling noise was just heard .....

 

Looks like someone is going home after the Bedfordshire steam fayre

 

 

 

 

TTFN

 

 

 

We were returning from London yesterday and saw several steam engines on low loaders on the A1

[DaveF]

I actually spent much of the morning sorting out modelling tools,  For the last 19 years I have slowly been bringing ones I inherited from Dad into use as my old ones wore out so today I had another sort out.  I also had a good look at Mum's tools, as well as lace and needlework she used to make jewellery so she had all sorts of useful bits and pieces, the ones I will use most have been added to my tool box replacing more very old things.  While doing that I found some unbuilt kits I didn't know I'd got along with a few more books on a shelf behind the tools.

 

I am very slowly getting organised.  I did do a bit more sorting in the garage but was rather hampered by a big spider which has built a very large web in front of some shelves.

 

After lunch I picked up my prescription, I actually have over a months tablets in stock but always like to order them as early as the online system allows.  As always parking was easy a couple of hundred yards from the pharmacy though I could have parked outside the shop if I had gone a different way.  After that I visited three (not) posh shops - Lidl, B&M and Farmfoods where I picked up a number of things I needed/wanted at good prices.  Again it was easy, Lidl has its own car park, B&M and Farmfoods have a car park outside them as they are in another group of shops.

 

There aren't too many shops in the  town centre  but there are several small centres in the town as well and they all have their own car parks.  Some only allow 2 hours parking unlike the 72 hour town centre ones.  I suppose I am very lucky to live somewhere where usually you just drive to where you want to be, get out the car, lock it and walk away without worrying about tickets and times.  I've never had any particular problems finding a space, it is more often a case of deciding how many empty spaces you want between your car and the next car.  Usually I can park right outside places like the dentist and opticians.  The only difficult place is the surgery as it is at the little hospital.

 

It is still sunny but with a nip in the air.

 

David

 

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 16:10 by DaveF

[Danemouth]

1 hour ago, The Lurker said:

It will no consolation to NHN that I feel extremely squeamish at the thought of a cataract op = and I wear contact lenses! Sticking my  own fingers in my eyes to retrieve bits of plastic is one thing - the thought of someone else doing it is not a good one.

 

The replacement plastic lens is inside your eye and is not removable other than by surgery.

 

One other thing - after surgery colours will seem brighter, in my case it was like having a tobacco coloured filter removed.

 

Dave

[polybear]

15 minutes ago, DaveF said:

I've never had any particular problems finding a space, it is more often a case of deciding how many empty spaces you want between your car and the next car. 

 

Ever noticed you can go to a Supermarket at 7am when the car park is nigh-on empty, choose a space away from others (and the store entrance) but when you come out (a) some tw@t has parked right next to you (on the driver's side), and (b) they've parked so close you need a fuggin' can opener to get in your own car....

[Andy Hayter]

4 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Yeah, that's the job, plus a  bluey red liney lasery thingy, then the pressure taken by a device that actually touches the eyeball rather then the puff of air thing. ugh. Hate anything to do with eyes, really phobic.  No idea how I'm going to cope with cataract surgery when the time comes, not yet but its making a start in both eyes now, however the good news was I have no diabetes related issues with the retina etc.  I'm not aware of the cataracts as yet, but have been told what to look out for, when things worsen, which they will apparently as there's nothing you can really do to stop them.  Pah.

When I had the first one done, as the surgeon moved in with the knife, I felt it and reacted.  The next thing I was aware of was waking up in recovery.  The second one and they just put me right out from the start.   

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. A busy afternoon doing the washing, but at least it's nearly all dry now. Time to get dinner on, bangers and mash with onion gravy.

[PupCam]

2 hours ago, DaveF said:

After lunch I picked up my prescription, I actually have over a months tablets in stock but always like to order them as early as the online system allows.

 

Me too but it appears my surgery has changed the period from 21 days to 28 days which isn't helpful when all of my tablets come in multiples of 28.   It leaves no room to make any headroom!    Next there'll be a little label on the bag to say order early to avoid the Christmas closure.   How the blazes will that work?  Oh, it won't .....       Half wits, brains, spring to mind.

 

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. Dinner has been eaten  and now to settle down with a crossword until Nightsleeper comes on.