Early Risers.

[Jock67B]

Morning all,

Going to make an early start in the kitchen today, got to prepare and cook a couple of large lasagne bolognese to feed lunch to however many appear to see no1 son and partner tomorrow. Mum gave me a traditional Italian cook-book, and although she cooked to 'Cordon Bleu' standard (she did the course), she always loved Italian food. The bolognese sauce is made from scratch - pretty tedious, preparing carrot and celery in tiny pieces and the like, but well worth it for the flavour. One of mum's tricks was to cook it the day before and then reheat ready for the table, being careful not to dry it out too much. Don't know how this sits with an expert like Flávio, but both she (when she was alive obviously) and Joanna felt that it intensified the flavour so what chance do I have of making it any other way?

Dom, your van mention reminded me of the Ford Thames pick-up that dad bought to transport my racing motorcycles in the early sixties. It was a strange vehicle which I couldn't drive for a year (I started racing at sixteen!) but I soon found out what he meant when he said it handled like skates on ice in wet or inclement conditions! The gear change was actuated by a series of lengthy rods, as the engine and gearbox were mounted under a box between the driver and passenger seats. These rods wore out quite quickly which often resulted in it sticking in neutral, commonly when stopped at lights with a queue behind! The cure was to hop out and lie underneath to give it a bash with your fist, and clamber back in just as the lights went back to red accompanied by lots of horn noise from irate drivers behind!! Can't believe that we used to drive with a passenger atop the box, as well as my siblings in the back between the bikes, under a tarpaulin. No seat belts then either and with your knees virtually touching the front panel, an accident would have had an immediate effect!

Thanks for the kind comments about my weariness, methinks an Italian style siesta is called for, but I'm not sure Joanna will like the idea.

Good luck for the weekend all,

Kind regards,

Jock.

[Tony_S]

Yes, if one has “weird ideas” it has been my experience to keep one’s mouth shut about them....

 

Best, Pete.

I find it best not to comment when people are expressing weird ideas. It saves the embarrassment of having to admit you though they were joking.

Someone will be present at lunch today who thought "The X-files " was a documentary.

Tony

[The Stationmaster]

Morning all.

 

Bright sunshine on my back a few minutes ago and still quite pleasant out there.  Today we have Tesco first, and with double trolley working as it's a double discount day for their slaves and even the part-timers like the good Doctor get in on that act so no doubt the gannets will be swooping.  Then I understand we will be off to the garden centre to buy some plants for the gaps in the beds out front (which were recently created by the managing gardener) plus we shall no doubt have a very enjoyable time looking round their huge assembly of Christmas tat, although there are occasionally useful things on sale such as very fine diameter light conducting filament as part of some cheapo things which changes colours.  Remarkably even some of the little buildings they have this year look quite usable - if only they were the right scale.

 

Most of yesterday's promised heavy rain didn't - which was rather nice and today promises mainly sunshine occasionally peeping out from behind clouds, and bright sunshine on Monday, that hedge might yet get trimmed.

 

Have a good day one & all and take it gently Jock.

[NGT6 1315]

It was a very silly dream. In the dream we were staying in a hotel. Someone was running along the corridor banging on the doors and hiding. This annoyed me. Somehow the dream roundhouse kick, as I flung the door open, to the head of Batman really did cause me to propel myself through the air and wake up. I did say it was silly.

You haven't been watching "Inception" by any chance, have you?

[shortliner]

Good morning all,

Should be a dry, bright mainly sunny day.......all day........Blimey!

Laptop update: I just knew that things were going too well.  It's already got some sort of infection although the first thing I downloaded was AVG antivirus so now going to try Malwarebytes which I understand is supposed to be good at that sort of thing. Also 13 out of 86 Windows updates have failed. What with that and not being able to connect here for a while yesterday evening was somewhat frustrating bl##dy annoying.

I knew I should have left it to Steve. However after saying that he can't get round for a few days he is now visiting this morning! ("to check out what you've done to it")

Have a good one,

Bob.

You needn't feel silly - there were a whole series of updates issued - before my previous machine gave up the ghost - that were apparently totally incapable of being installed - or being dumped from the installer, so every time you turned it off, it would sit there trying to install them!

[NGT6 1315]

BTW, any of you into Polish railways? Then the H0 scale PKP class EU07 electric by Schlesienmodelle might be for you...

 

http://www.schlesienmodelle.de/files/EU07_303E_400_KATALOG.pdf

 

Note that the Schlesienmodelle model represents the later 303E batch built by Cegielski, while Piko are offering the earlier 4E batch which had been built by Pafawag.

 

Funny that a company specialising in Polish models should be German!

[DDolfelin]

Funny that a company specialising in Polish models should be German!

 

I used to know a Polish model.

[Pete 75C]

I used to know a Polish model.

 

I used to know a Polish waitress in Spain who spoke Greek as well as English. She was going out with a German guy who worked for a French firm. That's about as multi-cultural as I get.

[Coombe Barton]

I read that as German SPY

Edited October 25, 2014 by Coombe Barton

[beast66606]

Cue a soundalike :

 

Sweet dreams are made of cheese

Who am I to dis a brie ?

I Cheddar the world and the feta cheese

Everybody's looking for Stilton

 

Morning all,

 

Weather is lovely and sunny - unfortunately as I was planning a Felixstowe area trip but the sun is too low, I was hoping for a bright but overcast sort of day so it's roof gutter clearing for me at some stage.

[Killybegs]

I find it best not to comment when people are expressing weird ideas. It saves the embarrassment of having to admit you though they were joking.

Someone will be present at lunch today who thought "The X-files " was a documentary.

Tony

Wasn't it? 

 

Getting into my UFO and making a rapid exit!

 

John

[Killybegs]

Morning all,

Going to make an early start in the kitchen today, got to prepare and cook a couple of large lasagne bolognese to feed lunch to however many appear to see no1 son and partner tomorrow. Mum gave me a traditional Italian cook-book, and although she cooked to 'Cordon Bleu' standard (she did the course), she always loved Italian food. The bolognese sauce is made from scratch - pretty tedious, preparing carrot and celery in tiny pieces and the like, but well worth it for the flavour. One of mum's tricks was to cook it the day before and then reheat ready for the table, being careful not to dry it out too much. Don't know how this sits with an expert like Flávio, but both she (when she was alive obviously) and Joanna felt that it intensified the flavour so what chance do I have of making it any other way?

Dom, your van mention reminded me of the Ford Thames pick-up that dad bought to transport my racing motorcycles in the early sixties. It was a strange vehicle which I couldn't drive for a year (I started racing at sixteen!) but I soon found out what he meant when he said it handled like skates on ice in wet or inclement conditions! The gear change was actuated by a series of lengthy rods, as the engine and gearbox were mounted under a box between the driver and passenger seats. These rods wore out quite quickly which often resulted in it sticking in neutral, commonly when stopped at lights with a queue behind! The cure was to hop out and lie underneath to give it a bash with your fist, and clamber back in just as the lights went back to red accompanied by lots of horn noise from irate drivers behind!! Can't believe that we used to drive with a passenger atop the box, as well as my siblings in the back between the bikes, under a tarpaulin. No seat belts then either and with your knees virtually touching the front panel, an accident would have had an immediate effect!

Thanks for the kind comments about my weariness, methinks an Italian style siesta is called for, but I'm not sure Joanna will like the idea.

Good luck for the weekend all,

Kind regards,

Jock.

 

I used to have a Ford Thames 15cwt van that I converted into a camper (well sort of, it had a bed and a cooker). That engine cover between the seats could get pretty hot, I wouldn't want to sit on one for too long. It was a bonus in winter but it could get uncomfortably warm inside in the summer.

 

Our current motorhome is on a Transit twin wheel chassis. Has good road holding and surprising performance for something weighing over three tonnes. Shame about the fuel consumption.

 

John

Edited October 25, 2014 by Killybegs

[BoD]

Morning all

 

Was sunny earlier but now dulling over.

 

Recently I have been noticing a deterioration in the sight in my right eye. Just out of focus a bit so off I went to the opticians last Saturday expecting a change of prescription. However, whatever lens he dialed in front of my right eye wouldn't bring the chart into focus. He said he was going to refer me to the eye infirmary and I expected to receive an appointment a few weeks down the line but no, he said he wanted me to go straight to the A&E dept. They discovered that cataracts were developing on both eyes but were unsure if these were enough to cause such a marked deterioration. Nothing too serious yet I am assured but more tests and checks to follow.

 

The very thought of not being able to walk the hills, cycle or do the fiddly detailing bits any more horrifies me.

Look after your eyes folks. They are very precious.

[shortliner]

BoD - If they offer you cataract removal - go for it - the difference is absolutely amazing and completely painless - I wish I'd been able to have it done years ago

 

EDIT Should have said - done as two separate day surgeries about 6 weeks to 2 months apart - approx. 15 - 20 minutes each eye

Edited October 25, 2014 by shortliner

[45156]

Morning All

 

I'll just pop in to say hello for now, and ask if anybody can update me with anything important, as in the three days I've been away, I'd need to catch up 11 pages, and time doesn't allow this, as I'm off out again in a few minutes.

 

I'll try to get back later for another catch up.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Coombe Barton]

If there was a market in second hand dog hair we'd be rich.

[Pete 75C]

BoD, I'm glad you've got them on the case. Good luck and keep on top of it - I think I'd rather lose a limb than sight.

[Pete 75C]

If there was a market in second hand dog hair we'd be rich.

 

Teddy bear stuffing. £1 a bag at the craft fair. I'll only want 50% for the idea!

[iL Dottore]

.... The bolognese sauce is made from scratch - pretty tedious, preparing carrot and celery in tiny pieces and the like, but well worth it for the flavour. One of mum's tricks was to cook it the day before and then reheat ready for the table, being careful not to dry it out too much. Don't know how this sits with an expert like Flávio, but both she (when she was alive obviously) and Joanna felt that it intensified the flavour so what chance do I have of making it any other way?Kind regards,

Jock.

First off, Jock, I hesitate to call myself an expert... However, there are many Italian sauces that taste better the next day (especially slow cooked ones). Finely dicing (or to be lazy, as I am, finely chopping the carrot, celery and onion in the food processor) the soffrito before softening it in butter/olive oil is a step many overlook. If you follow the traditional recipe for ragù alla Bolognese, you can refresh the sauce if it is a little too dry with milk or cream. Of course, there are as many recipes for ragù alla Bolognese as there are Nonne (Grandmas) in Bologna. But none of them involve mixing minced meat with a tin of tomatoes.

 

I confess to being very much a purist when it comes to food. I want local, I want authentic... Just take a simple "Cheese on Toast": with Cheddar, beer, mustard and bread and you have a Welsh Rabbit (or rarebit), with Gruyère, Jura-Bergkäse, white wine and bread you have a Käseschnitte. You can't make an authentic Welsh Rabbit with Gruyère or a Käseschnitte with Cheddar.

 

A lot of comfort food takes quite some preparation, but Spaghetti all Puttanesca is one that is very quick to do and is most satisfying. There are many recipes of greater or lesser authenticity, but as long as you have anchovies, capers, black olives, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and dried chilli peppers you can't go far wrong.

 

To conclude on a railway note, I have just completed the structural sketches for the 7mm building and once I have tidied up the workshop (a "to-do" for tomorrow), I'll build the mock up in foamboard.

 

Have a pleasant Saturday

 

iD

Edited October 25, 2014 by iL Dottore

[trisonic]

Of course in the south of Italy no carrots, no celery, or onion go into the “sauce".

 

 

Good to see the plural Nonne being used, Flavio. Freaking Apple spell check is currently driving me crazy...

 

 

On that note see y’all later...

 

Best, Pete.

[Coombe Barton]

Tidying up and labelling the containers.

 

What's wrong with me?

[NGT6 1315]

Ever since finding a suitable recipe for ragù alla bolognese, I have never gone back to "lesser" recipes! Though as I'm allergic to celery, I replace this with fennel stalks. The bonus to this is that the rabbits get to eat the bulb!

 

Dinner tomorrow will be goulash with Bohemian dumplings - all home made.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Back after my next trip out, and see that nobody has highlighted anything too significant, so I'll take it that we are all present and accounted for, and as healthy as our ages allow - though BoD - I do hope that the eye problem is nothing too serious.   From many others whom I know, cataracts are not the problem that they once were - and I know somebody who had them done as a day case - one eye at a time, though. 

 

As for me, I had a few days Lily free and visiting Edinburgh and York which was very pleasant indeed.  Edinburgh was explored using public transport, thanks to a very good bus service and a bargain day rover ticket at £3.50 which gave unlimited travel on any Lothian transport bus - and with free parking at the Park and Ride as well, it was a pretty good bargain and the buses were generally punctual, clean, and fairly modern (a real eye opener when compared to what I'm used to here) - and York was a bonus as we had planned it for a couple of weeks hence, but with my surgery due, we decided to go for the day and I was quite surprised when 30747 suggested that a couple of hours at Leeman Road would be OK.  We got to "the workshop" and she was amazed at the pile of metal which had once been 60103/4472 - as was I, even though I know what state the loco was in. 

 

Other than that, I do hope that everybody is well, and those who are ailing are not too bad - in particular, Jock, I did pick up about your fatigue, and I think that you do need to speak to your specialist, though I suspect that his advice will be to slow down a little, as the body does take time to recover from invasive processes.

 

Looks as if I'm on dinner duty, so

Regards to All

Stewart

[grandadbob]

Laptop update the next.

Malwarebytes worked and cleared infection.

Steve visited and inspected my progress. "You've done quite well so far" he said "I was expecting a major problem" He then spent about 30 minutes sorting out all the not so major problems! Seeing the speed he works on these things makes me feel very old but he does do it for a living.

I'm now going to load some other stuff and see if I can bu##er that up make it work.

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

It was a very silly dream. In the dream we were staying in a hotel. Someone was running along the corridor banging on the doors and hiding. This annoyed me. Somehow the dream roundhouse kick, as I flung the door open, to the head of Batman really did cause me to propel myself through the air and wake up. I did say it was silly.

That's not silly, perfectly rational explanation for the way you kicked yourself out of bed. Who hasn't wanted to take direct action against inconsiderate hotel guests? Bonus points for it being the batwinged blunder.