Early Risers.

[PhilJ W]

Good news, the parcel that was due to be delivered last Monday has just arrived. 

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

It’s not quite a dull as yesterday, but it was sunnier about 30 minutes ago, but at least it isn’t raining. The bin men haven’t been yet, which is quite late for them, they usually empty ours around 7:30. There are no firm plans for the day yet, but that could change at any time. As for Christmas dinner tomorrow, everything is in the fridge and will be cooked tomorrow afternoon. This year, as is now the norm, it will be just the 2 of us, the kids want to stay at home with there families, which we quite understand. So Christmas dinner for us this year is sausage and mash, but with a twist. The sausage contain pork, cranberries, chestnuts and orange, whilst the mash will have cabbage and spring onions added, so very similar to bubble and squeak. The sausages and potatoes will be served with, stuffing, carrots, broccoli and gravy. It should take me about 45 minutes to do the lot, we’re really looking forward to it too. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[Pacific231G]

This morning's LFT was -ve so only one to go and I'll be able to enjoy Christmas with the family. Covid numbers still rising rapidly in Ealing thanks to Omicron though . I'm more or less behaving as I did during lockdown but it's probably only a matter of time before I get it- with any luck not too seriously thanks to the vaccines.

 

Not so grey in London today so my daily walk should be reasonably pleasant.

 

I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas and it's good to know that the next time I go to the supermarket I won't be subjected to the usual "Christmassy" music.

[simontaylor484]

Years ago when I was in Cubs they used to have a Carol concert. The lyrics had been written on lining paper and hung on a large easel. The First Noel chorus had been written Noel Noel etc. So my Grandad sang

Noel Noel etcetera. My mum was livid I couldn't do anything but laugh

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, BSW01 said:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, (see what I did there! I remember that one too!

The other one is

 

While Shepherds washed their socks by night

All seated round the tub,

The angel of the Lord came down

And gave them all a scrub.

 

 

 

Jamie

[grandadbob]

We used to sing  " A bar of Sunlight soap came down

                                 And they began to scrub."

 

The Boss has made sausage rolls and I've made my pastry and it's chilling in the fridge  while I have a muggtatea.

Edited December 24, 2021 by grandadbob

[grandadbob]

Two new visitors to the garden this morning.. First time they've been here.

 

[Tony_S]

56 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

to the usual "Christmassy" music.

No escape from it here and we haven’t been to a supermarket since the start of 2020! Aditi has one of the Classic Christmas music programmes on the kitchen radio and then switches to Greatest Christmas Hits Radio, and then if all else fails she can play the iPod through a speaker. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

Bob’s photo has reminded me that I need to replenish the bird feeders. I haven’t been able to get at the bird food for a couple of weeks but the birds have still been visiting eating whatever they like from various shrubs and trees. I don’t expect any parakeets though. They have been seen in Essex recently but not in Benfleet. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Tony_S

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

Bob’s photo has reminded me that I need to replenish the bird feeders. I haven’t been able to get at the bird food for a couple of weeks but the birds have still been visiting eating whatever they like from various shrubs and trees. I don’t expect any parakeets though. They have been seen in Essex recently but not in Benfleet. 

Not that far away from Benfleet. They are here only about five miles away from you. Not far behind the muntjac deer who's barking could be heard for several nights past. (Their 'bark' sounds like an asthmatic dog.)

Edited December 24, 2021 by PhilJ W

[PupCam]

Morning (Pre-munch) Awl.

 

I would have been here earlier but ......

 

At approximately 9:45am Mrs Puppers identified dampness in the cupboard under the kitchin sink.   A hasty call to the emergency plumber (aka Puppers) was made and an investigation revealed that the long disused* pipe piercing, add-on washing machine  feed tap on the the cold mains supply was leaking.  

 

* Installed by a previous owner and never used by Family Puppers.  Family Puppers have lived in the house for 20+ years.

 

I think the appropriate expression was Turdycurses but, bearing in mind that it is Christmas Eve, that was immediately escalated to:

T U R D Y C U R S E S !!!!!

 

A hasty run to the local hardware shop (can they redeem themselves after the progressive disappointments recently) to buy an assortment of straight and elbow 15mm compression couplers, a length of 15 mm copper pipe (probably easier than trying to get into the big shed, deep store to find a bit) and a 30cm long flexi-pipe with 15mm female compression fittings to provide Puppers with a few options.   

 

On my return it appeared that the offending tap along with the 90 degree bend in the 15mm pipe to which it sat adjacent could be cut out with an arc distance between the two, now separate, pipes of 30cm.   I think you can see where I'm going with this ...

 

As always, cutting the pipe out with a Junior Hacksaw (@polybear take note) was time consumming due to the awkwardness of the location  (Sid's Law*)  compounded by the fact that since his "Great Inconvenience" Puppers finds it particularly hard going when trying to work bending down or scrunched up in an under-sink cupboard.    Nevertheless, the offending section was removed and replaced by the flexi-pipe and normal water services restored before 12:00 noon.    Mrs Puppers better brace herself for the emergency plumber's charges on Christmas Eve!

 

* Other spellings are available

 

Anyway, I think the rest of the day will be MIUAYGA 

 

Alan

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by PupCam
Typos

[monkeysarefun]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

No escape from it here and we haven’t been to a supermarket since the start of 2020! Aditi has one of the Classic Christmas music programmes on the kitchen radio and then switches to Greatest Christmas Hits Radio, and then if all else fails she can play the iPod through a speaker. 
Tony

For some reason Snoopy And The Red Baron always features on high rotation in shopping centres here at Christmas, as much as Silent Night etc.

 

Oh look the clock just clicked over to Christmas  day, happy Xmas to all in the rest of the world, if you are wondering what Christmas 2021 will be like I can't say  cos its still a bit  dark to tell.

Edited December 24, 2021 by monkeysarefun

[Gwiwer]

5 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Oh look the clock just clicked over to Christmas  day, happy Xmas to all in the rest of the world, if you are wondering what Christmas 2021 will be like I can't say  cos its still a bit  dark to tell.

Darned Aussies always get to have first dibs on everything   They're among the first to see in the new year as well while the rest of us are still firmly in the old one!  

 

Afternoon all.  A dull, damp and extremely quiet day at the House of Fun concluded with an absolute void where Christmas Spirit might have been.  Just sign off and walk away.  No-one about to even shake hands with (yes, we're shaking hands again sometimes) or wish the joys of the season to.  Altogether a bit of a let-down.  

 

And now what's to do?  Dr. SWMBO is baking and making.  Cake, cheesecake, mushroom compote, smoked mackerel pate.  I was allowed in the kitchen for just long enough to prepare bacon, brie and cranberry baguettes for lunch.  I'll be summoned back to a bomb-site when she wants the place cleaned up having used every utensil we own and spread flour everywhere   

 

The annual ear-worm is playing on the Boom speaker.  "Wombling Merry Christmas" for all its tackiness is at the very least unfailingly cheerful. 

 

I'll be away for a while.  Stay well and safe.  And, as they say Downunder "Avagoodun".  Or as they say in Cornwall "Nadelik Lowen".

 

 

[monkeysarefun]

8 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Darned Aussies always get to have first dibs on everything   They're among the first to see in the new year as well while the rest of us are still firmly in the old one!

Gotta admit that it's pretty cool writing  from the future!

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Sorry I've been missing in action again - largely down to things being very busy here - though the house move, just seems to be snailing its way along.  So with a bit of skipping we're here and offering the now obligatory generic greetings, and a PROMISE of a visit tomorrow morning to proffer season's greetings.

 

Tomorrow's dinner is partly prepared (I've got the prawns out to start thawing) and as there's only two of us, and ALL the free range corn fed chickens in Lidl were almost the size of a small turkey, we instead bought a deluxe range free range chicken crown with winter fruit stuffing, which if it is as delicious as it sounds and looks will do us well. 

 

Anyway, here's another bit of Christmas cheer from Foxes and Fossils.

 

 

Back tomorrow, and that's a promise.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

Edited December 24, 2021 by 45156

[tigerburnie]

Afternoon all, quiet day before the storm, after yesterdays wander in the rain on the beach with daughters family, today is a feet up sort of day in the warm having vid calls with distant family so tomorrow will to our selves. Take care all and have a nice time tomorrow, will catch up later.

[tigerburnie]

7 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Gotta admit that it's pretty cool writing  from the future!

Have you got tonights winning lottery numbers....................................I'll split the winning lol

[monkeysarefun]

2 minutes ago, tigerburnie said:

Have you got tonights winning lottery numbers....................................I'll split the winning lol

Sorry no,  but I can tell you the boxing day test result...

[PhilJ W]

The Microsoft weather thingy can be a right PITA. It jumps up and fills the right hand side of the page as soon as the cursor goes anywhere near it. 

Edited December 24, 2021 by PhilJ W

[simontaylor484]

The Mrs has decided she is going to have a look in Morrisons to see if there is anything of use reduced so guess what taxi service again.

 

I'm currently sat in the car park watching an old woman trying to park her car I think it would be easier to shift the other cars in glad she's not near my car

[petethemole]

I once watched a woman trying to park a Roller in an on-street space that was too short for the car.  She even got out of the car, looked at the space each end, got back in and carried on.  After about ten minutes she gave up, by which time she had quite an audience.  

[Gwiwer]

Deleted to avoid duplicating the irrelevant

Edited December 24, 2021 by Gwiwer

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Nadelik Lowen".

 

We got a nice Christmas card with the Welsh version of that this morning. It had a train on it too. It didn’t have one of those “my exciting year” letters included but it did contain a handwritten list of things that had annoyed our friend in 2021 and what he would like to see happen to those who had annoyed him! PolyBear would have awarded a rant of the day sticker I think. It made Aditi laugh anyway. 
The food delivery was early. Aditi wasn’t ready to receive visitors but I was well briefed to reject a couple of substitutes. We sent back coffee and chocolate infused Wensleydale and a bottle of sweet fizzy wine. What I didn’t realise was that the 3 dozen eggs were not something we ordered, Aditi has contacted Waitrose but could only leave a message. 
Tony

[Tony_S]

2 hours ago, 45156 said:

Anyway, here's another bit of Christmas cheer from 

How about

 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Tony_S

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Now got all the utensils I need for tomorrow washed and dried and ready to go. Now all I have to do is sort out the stuff ready to be cooked.