Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

Good moaning, there's definitely  no deep and crisp and even snow lying around on tbe feast of Stephen, here. It's raining but the log burner is warm and doing it's stuff.  Yesterday went well but was rather different. We managed an hour of video call to each of the kids and their respective hangers on of various descriptions.  Young Emily talked to us and opened  presents while we watched.  A bottle of cheap fizz was disposed off as we talked. 

 

We didn't have to cook as a friend invited us to her house. A duck was roasted and an excellent meal consumed. The day finished with us watching Call the Midwife.

 

Today we are heading for the market then allegedly I may have some time to myself.   

 

Dave, I hope that the leg gets better, nasty things those DVT's.

 

Jamie

[grandadbob]

Good morning all.

It's been pouring with rain for a couple of hours here and looks like it will continue for a while. 

A splendid day had yesterday with much eating, drinking and merriment.  What more could you ask for at Christmas.

I did have to give The Boss, the offspring and the grandchildren a telling off for spending so much on me but very grateful for some of the presents I received which included bottles of Hennessey VSOP (which is in short supply I believe), Highland Park, Dalwhinnie, Gin, some wine and bottles of beer along with various other goods including a couple of small things with wheels.

Today we're all going back to Nicki's for lunch and transport has been arranged so it looks like there will be more drinking.  It's a hard life but someone needs to support the breweries, vineyards and distilleries in these difficult times. 

Have a good one,

Bob.

Edited December 26, 2021 by grandadbob

[TheQ]

Mooring Awl, Inner Temple Hare,

After spending a lot of yesterday  dozing on the sofa, I was surprised to get 5 hours asleep followed by another couple semi dozing.

 

On the awake periods, I was doing a lot of research on marine paint in particular the primer used below VC17M antifouling. The makers giving conflicting advice, mostly they advise VC TAR2 which is no longer a tar based paint but an expensive epoxy paint. £40 a ltr. But there is also a reference to using their Primocon, a much cheaper single tin paint.  Looking for alternatives online hits huge shipping charges..

 

Ben the good Collie, allowed me to lie in till 07:00, we've been for patrol, which Ben enjoyed charging around..

it's cold chilly and windy. It's 4C  an Easterly with a touch of South.. at 30mph that gives a feels like of -3C.. so I've decided not to go to the sailing club which today is normally part social, part sailing event. But the covid status would mean a lot of standing outside in the cold in the full wind..

 

Therefore I stopped off at the mobile home and put the A/C on, I'll work on the moving shelf door, trimming up on the shelf side and cladding the back to match the internal walls of the living room there.

 

Time for muggacoffee number 2

[TheQ]

56 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Good morning all,

I trust you all had a splendid end of year winter solstice celebration of your choice. With lots of presents, abundant food and drink and the comforting presence of your favourite relatives.

 

Of course, from Boxing Day to the end of the year there is always the vexed problem of what to do with the leftovers. There’s only so much turkey a body can take (…..I find)

 

Apart from curry, soup, rissoles, reheated in a cream sauce and served in a vol-a-vent, in a salad or served cold along with various garnishes, what else can you do with leftover turkey? (Very, very popular at Schloss iD is “give it to the dogs” - at least that’s popular with me, Schotty and Lucy).

 

So, what do you do to recycle/upcycle/dump the leftovers from your big meal on the 25th?

As with any meal where quantities are too much, once cooled remains are sliced, diced, packaged and frozen. To reappear in smaller quantities later in the year..

for a full turkey, the meat is divided into sliced meat for future meals. Bits for Currys / soup and bits for Ben. The chassis immediately goes in a big pan for soup, once the chassis is removed, some meat bits, along with veg get thrown in.. and the soup thickened up..

 A couple of portions will be eaten the rest frozen for future meals..

[Erichill16]

1 hour ago, iL Dottore said:

 

So, what do you do to recycle/upcycle/dump the leftovers from your big meal on the 25th?

We gave most of ours to mil. Sort of kills two birds with one  stone, we’ll not need to take her shopping for a few days!

Edited December 26, 2021 by Erichill16
To make more sense.

[polybear]

Bear here...

Well Bear got a fairly late invite to friends for Chrimbo day (I did know some days ago - but didn't make advance mention cos' it would leave Bear Towers open to scurrilous attack from a passing Supervillain - or his designated Local Area Minion, not to mention Marauding Hippo's ).

Being with friends is good in many ways - and the scoff was very good; Bear missed out on his super-duper Pizza though (saved for today) and instead had a couple of Sossie's with all the usual spuds & veg etc.  

The downside is that every chrimbo since 2010 has been "less than easy" (an understatement) - and being externally ok when there's a big black dog bl00dy great werewolf inside is hard work.  I was asked to go back for today as well - but I need to be at home today...

 

8 hours ago, Coombe Barton said:

Many, many years ago, visited Christopher Robin Milne's bookshop in Dartmouth when Milne still owned it. It was with my parents which must have been before 1968.

 

Sadly the shop closed in 2011 - a victim of the 'net and also grasping Landlords it seems.

 

Not sure what my plan is today - make it up as I go along.

[Erichill16]

22 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

The downside is that every chrimbo since 2010 has been "less than easy" (an understatement) - and being externally ok when there's a big black dog bl00dy great werewolf inside is hard work.  I was asked to go back for today as well - but I need to be at home today...

 

Glad to know Bear made it through!

[Coombe Barton]

34 minutes ago, polybear said:

Sadly the shop closed in 2011 - a victim of the 'net and also grasping Landlords it seems.

 

Now it seems it's a community bookshop

[Barry O]

despite several mugsacoffee I still feel a bit hungover..  mixing drinks is never good!

 

Youngest Herbert gave me a bottle of The Singleton 18 year old Whisky. He has suggested I hide it away as he is sure it will be worth more selling it in a few years time.. yerwot! If it is in the house it needs drinking methinks. Hope to have a quiet day today as I am off on a train ride tomorrow followed by a meetup with @roundhouse and his good lady later in the day. Her indoors is down to take Dr Eldest Herbert back to Didsbury so I am allowed out!

 

Lots of books received this year, along with a load of Waterstones tokens so plenty of reading for me to do.

 

Time to get sorted as I have a facetime talk with my Sister later this morning.

 

TTFN

 

Baz

[tigerburnie]

Morning, we too were away yesterday, spent a lovely day with daughters family in Perth, no drinking as I was driving, but playing with the grandkids made up for that, I can start my tasting of falling down water later, although I did have a nip of 18 year old Glenfiddich before retiring last night(well technically it was this morning as we were late home). I bought a bottle of Port Ellen some years back, "keep that" they said "it'll be worth loads", they were right it would have been, but like Baz, if it's in the house it's for drinking, hard to find a bottle these days for less than a £1000, tasted nice though.......................

[Danemouth]

To make you all jealous:

 

I'm the only person in the house that drinks whisky so bought myself a bottle of my favourite - Penderyn for the festivities. I have since been given another three bottles over the festive period.

 

Measures to protect this Welsh liquid gold from marauding Hippos are in place

 

A happy Boxing Day to you all and your families,

 

Dave

[BSW01]

Good morning everyone 

 

It’s raining and has been on and off for most of the night, but there was a short spell about an hour ago when it has stopped. 

 

Like quite a few on here, I ate and drank a little bit too much yesterday, but as there was only 2 of us, I didn’t do a roast, pork sausages with orange, cranberries and chestnuts and some mashed potato, so there was no left overs. The time between dinner and tea was spent relaxing, which was nice, but something that neither of want to do on a regular basis. Although, for me, today is pretty much the same as yesterday, I did fancy a walk, but unfortunately, the rain has put paid to that idea. So I think I’ll carry on with the book I’m reading. 

 

Back later. 

 

Brian

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. A bit late this morning as I spent nearly an hour chatting to my sister on the phone. No meat left overs as I had the salmon for my Christmas dinner. Potatoes, parsnips and brussel sprouts, enough for another meal is all that remains and will be used up today, with sausages that were 'discovered' when I sorted out the freezer a week or two back.

4 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

Good morning all,

So, what do you do to recycle/upcycle/dump the leftovers from your big meal on the 25th?

As above, tomorrow I will venture down to Tess Coes to find anything left over in the clearance shelves. Thats if the gannets haven't got there first.

[jamie92208]

As we were invited out for Chrimbo dinner we have no leftovers 5o dispose of.  However it has been mrntioned that it hasn't felt like Christmas, no crackers Christmas pud or carols.  That is being partially remedied by listening to Carols from Kings whilst we have lunch.  I never realised that the TV version is an edited and shortened version. Next year I wiil record the full service off the radio.  The Crackers have been saved in Yorkshire for when we get over and the Christmas pud is to be eaten at New Year.

 

Jamie

Edited December 26, 2021 by jamie92208

[45156]

2 hours ago, Barry O said:

selling it in a few years time.. yerwot! If it is in the house it needs drinking methinks.

 

I couldn't agree more - one of my "investments" was a 70cl Golden Cask bottling of 20yo, single cask, un chillfitered Caol Isla bottled at cask strength, numbered bottle.  It was on the whisky shelf in a castle in the South Of Scotland, and somebody had just gone along the row of Golden Cask bottles with a price gun set at £24.99 - all the others were correctly priced - the woman assistant on the shop remarked that "We had loadsa them, an they never went oot o the shoap sae quick before"  I'll bet there were some real rarities being under sold - I think mine should have been £124.99.  Well I sat on it, sat on it, and sat on it again, until I REALLY wanted a decent dram - so I opened this nectar of the Islay gods, and savoured it over a good few weeks.  I had enough left for a couple of decent glasses, and one of our neighbours came round, and his son had just turned 18 - I asked if he would like to try a couple of my malts - he willingly accepted, and we started with a Pedro Ximinez finished Lagavulin, and progressed through Talisker to Ardbeg.  I then got the last of the Caol Isla out, and he drank it like he'd been drinking whisky for years, not minutes.  That was about 20 years ago, and he never forgot it, and now he sometimes gives me a good bottle from his acquisitions and reminds me of the time that we shared that last two glasses of the rare one.  He now does have a few bottles laid down for posterity - the ones upwards of £300 a bottle.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Not much left over here, though enough for a slice of the very tasty chicken crown which we had yesterday with some ham, mash and some veg - that's tomorrows dinner.  Todays is shin of beef cooked in the slow cooker for 8 hours yesterday in a rich gravy with veg.

 

Happy Boxing Day to my fellow ERs - for us, this year Boxing Dax really meant BOXing day as the packing continues apace. 

No doubt this afternoon some midwives will be called on the recorder.

Regards to All

Stewart

[Dave Hunt]

Like a fair few on this forum I received some Celtic happy water yesterday, in my case including one of my favourites - Caol Isla - so this evening I will probably have to undertake some quality assurance testing just to make sure that it is the genuine article.

 

 At the moment the mob have all gone round to a friend's house for a couple of hours so I'm left to hold the fort and make sure that the LDC and chocolate cake store is safe from marauding ursine and pachyderm raiders so there is actually a possibility that the aforementioned quality testing may be brought forward whilst I slob out on the settee. I'll have to give it some thought....

 

Dave

[Coombe Barton]

Christmas day was quiet. Had invitations from both family and friends but with COVID it's too damned risky. Christmas meal was had in the evening. The remainder will be eaten/processed over the next few days.

Today I've just cooked the sponge for a chocolate log for friends. It's just come out of the oven and had been rolled and left to cool and set. It will be filled with chocolate buttercream and coated with three types of chocolate, then cooled and taken round. 

It's precise cookery for the sponge, but then you can go as wild as hell with the chocolate. 

[big jim]

Couple of days off after working yesterday, I was looking at getting Some tickets to see the panto in town but they wanted over £100 for the 4 so managed to get 4 for ‘Book of Mormon’ in Manchester instead for less than 1/2 of that! 
 

booked the 4 then Dominic exclaimed he was in work tonight despite me asking him 4 times before I booked the tickets, didn’t realise it was Sunday, checked his roster for w/c Monday! 
 

just getting ready then will head to navigation road in the car for the tram into the city

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl,

Shelving unit, trimmed,

The back clad, to match walls.

More trimming carried out,

Skirting board at base fitted one side.

Filler applied to various holes. This is made from secondhand wood..

Back needs dado rail fitted, and skirting board.

Paints dug out from storage, 

 

Ben taken for long walk.. we got very wet.. still drizzling or raining as it has been most of the day.

 

More research on primer coats and paints.. I've been going round in circles on that..

 

Sanding tomorrow, 

But first, dinner and pot luck wine.. working my through odd bottles ...

 

 

 

 

 

[45156]

3 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Like a fair few on this forum I received some Celtic happy water yesterday, in my case including one of my favourites - Caol Isla

 

Still one of my favourite Islay malts - so much less phenol and peary fire, and a lot more subtlety - though I am slowly going onto the uppeated one - Bunnahabhain

[PupCam]

Afternoon All!

 

Belated Christmas Greetings for yesterday.  Sorry, I was too busy enjoying the company of my son and daughter, their respective partners and, of course, my grandson to partake in much RMWebbery.    

 

Many presents were distributed and opened,  too much a fair degree of glugging and associated scoffing was undertaken and a very pleasant  time was had.    Presents received may have included another set of Whitworth spanners (you can never have enough I've found), small boxes containing an assortment of plastic mouldings and appropriate accessories to construct replicas of small sheds that have wheels that may (or may not) be coupled to other similar sheds for the purpose of the conveyance of goods and chattels along parallel strips of metal ...    

 

The major gift from SWIMBO was the tube for reflecting moon and starlight to form an image in the eye of the beholder.    As this arrived a few weeks ago and had to be checked for completeness and lack of damage at the time it remained unwrapped.    This morning saw the first "upgrade" completed and tested.    A simple turning job on the Myford to produce a camera adapter for the camera module I originally bought for my Telecine machine.     It seems to work, holding the camera in the eyepiece tube quite nicely.    I think the viewed object might have been testing the focus range to the limit, being a neighbours TV aerial approximately 100' away rather than a large shiny object 250,000 miles away but it was all that could be seen at any distance on this drab and dreary day!

 

 

 

I caught up with the launch of the James Webb telescope this morning and also watched an interesting video describing its purpose and design.    You've got to love and admire such feats of engineering brilliance, well I do anyway.

 

 

 

Enjoy the rest of Boxing Day and the following lull before the storm although I fancy that for a second year running the celebration of the arrival of a New Year will be much reduced for obvious reasons.

 

Alan

 

 

Edited December 26, 2021 by PupCam
Bill Clinton inserted himself in the link!

[simontaylor484]

Evening all 

 

Today has not turned out as planned.

First job unblock the washer tick

2nd job get some picture hooks for youngests whiteboard tick.

 

Then it starts to go wrong 

 

Came back home water all over kitchen floor oh poo checked filter its on tight not that water dripping underneath machine  turdeycurses 

Start looking for new machine on line decide to pull machine out to mop underneath. Turn machine on side to see where water could have been coming from there's a small access panel corresponding to roughly where drips were seen coming from.

Look at screws on access panel Torx head result take panel off.

The sump pump hose had come adrift from the bottom of the drum kick panel had to come off to replace the bits put back together put machine back no leaks now result 

Half an hour later machine won't drain now going to have to do the same tomorrow.

 

Had some leftover beef and ham in sandwiches 

[Coombe Barton]

The Twelve days of Turkey

 

On the first day of Christmas my true love said to me I'm glad we've bought a turkey and a proper Christmas tree.
  
On the second day of Christmas much laughter could be heard, as we tucked into our turkey - a most delicious bird.
  
On the third day of Christmas we had friends in from next door. The turkey tasted just as good as on the day before.
  
On the fourth day of Christmas Gran came, she's rather old. We finished up the Christmas pud and ate the turkey cold.
  
On the fifth day of Christmas outside the snowflakes flurried. But we nice and warm inside - we ate the turkey curried.
  
On the sixth day of Christmas the turkey spirit died. The children fought and bickered and we ate the turkey fried.
  
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave a wince. When we sat down to dinner and was given turkey mince.
  
On the eight day of Christmas the dog ran off for shelter. I served up turkey pancakes and a glass of Alka Seltzer.
  
On the ninth day of Christmas poor Dad began to cry. He said he couldn't stand the strain of eating turkey pie.
  
On the tenth day of Christmas the air was rather blue. And everybody grumbled at eating turkey stew.
  
On the eleventh day of Christmas the Christmas tree was moulting. Mince pies as hard as rock and the turkey quite revolting.
  
On the twelfth day of Christmas at last Dad smacked his lip. The guests had gone, the turkey too - we dined on fish and chips.
 

[Gwiwer]

Hmmm. Welcome to the Feast of St. Stephen. Or the Annual Humiliation of the Guests at the MCG. 

 

Many new bottles were acquired yesterday following a safe trip to sister’s in Sussex.  
 

This was a surprise.