We had a gourmet meal of sausages, chips, baked beans ... then cherries (which were, in fact, Turkish).
I hope they were a delight!
Over here, in Continental WesShire, the rather cool last days and weeks seem to have gone, weatherwise. It was a whopping 24°C earlier today, which is definitely on the hotter end of the temperature spectrum for me (and for some fellow Shippies, as we've learnt), but at least the sun is back, and that is nice too. I am hoping for some showers later today, which would be fairly pleasant. Unfortunately, the meteorological people promise us a mega-whopping 30°C later in the week, which will be interesting to experience. Although, to be frank, I have experienced more interesting things than this, as my fascination with heatwaves has its limits.
On the up side, most of our marks have been handed in now, some only due by next Sunday, and after that there's one more week to go until the summer school break here. Luckily, my stock of DVDs in gigantic, and if I ever get bored educating, we're just going to watch a film or two. Ah, the privilege of being in charge! We've already watched Tim Burton's 'Frankenweenie', which is quite amusing and luckily not known to any of the students, probably due to its being a bit niche-y. (Though they always love 'Nightmare Before Christmas'!)
The government here have decided to end most of the virusian lockdown measures in the meantime, with the required distancing now down to 1.5 instead of 2 metres... riiiiiight. I find that a lot of people had already stopped bothering before, which I think is a) a pity - I look at it as a game! -, and b) possibly a bit unwise.
Finally, I have ordered shedloads of Walkers Crisps from one purveyor of fine British foodstuff here, and shall hand these out to the (presumably) happy studentses. Indeed, they're always amazed at the differences in taste to the local, somewhat bland, types of crisps, and so these tokens of culinary internationalism are gladly received.
Here endeth the lesson, and Wesley wisheth a very pleasant Sunday afternoon to all and sundry!
Veal chops last night, in lemon and rosemary butter, and the last-but-one Cremant de Limoux that we bought in actual Limoux.
Committed to salmon en croute tonight, even though I don't have the usual components (eg spinach, watercress or mushrooms). I will do what I can with creme fraiche, mustard and lemon zest.
The office dogs at my husband’s firm are a labradoodle and a cockapoo. He can reel off things like cavapoo, jackapoo, sproodle and golden doodle and knows what they all are but he develops dog activity monitors for a living so meets a lot of dogs.
Barbecue for lunch today and we’re having scones for supper as we can’t be bothered to cook anything more (cheese scones with smoked Brie, sweet scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream).
The salmon en croute with mustard and lemon creme fraiche was a roaring success. It helps it was good salmon from my fish van man. He goes in for brain surgery in a week or so, dear help him.
On the chance that prayer is efficacious, of your charity remember John K .
No fishmonger round here. Our fish comes with the organic veg box so is good quality but rather unimaginative and expensive. Waitrose has a good counter but I have only shopped there twice in the last 4 months - perhaps I need to pop in early one morning again.
I have my cardiology appointments this morning (echocardiogram and 24 hour ECG) so there’s something to break the monotony of my days.
Committed to salmon en croute tonight, even though I don't have the usual components (eg spinach, watercress or mushrooms). I will do what I can with creme fraiche, mustard and lemon zest.
I was so waiting for that sentence to read "even though I don't have the usual components: salmon or pastry...
Cockapoos are, indeed, lovely dogs - how
Can anyone resist a dog which looks so much like an ambulant teddy bear? But I agree with Arethosemyfeet above - when all is said and done, all these new “breeds” are basically mongrels with a high price tag. It’s the same with cats - we’ve had Abyssinians for many years, and when we had our first, usuals (dark ginger) were the only type. Now you can get various colours - we have a usual and a silver - through breeding with closely related breeds - yet they are still “pedigree”.
Sorry, rant over!
Harvey is indeed a cocker-spaniel/poodle cross, and quite adorable, in a noisy sort of way. We went to see my other niece yesterday evening, and had a lovely time being eaten by Larry the Labradoodle.
Having e-mailed the lady who interviewed me to ask for feedback, I've found out that I was the "reserve" candidate, and the only real difference was that the successful applicant was more forthcoming and detailed with answers from the start, and I came over as nervous (fair enough - I was!) before I warmed up ...
Oh well - if I came that close, maybe there's hope for next time.
It's a blustrous and intermittently wet day here: I may make an attempt at amblage and hope that it can be achieved in between the showers. It seems that ambling every day (even only for a few minutes) is doing me good: my niece was observing that she thought I'd lost some weight, and I think she might be right.
Well, the echo is done and I got positive sounds from the sonographer. I’m wearing my ECG machine and am doing all the usual things that trigger my postural tachycardia; walked home, hung out the washing, watered the garden, walked upstairs... . Must remember to chop vegetables later, that gives me a heart rate of up to 125, lol. I’m now sitting at my desk to prove it doesn’t happen at rest.
I used to hate it when I came second at interviews, but good to know you were in with a shout @piglet.
We're carrying on with our staycation. Just been for a five mile walk, with a picnic in the middle. Now having a slobby afternoon.
being the "reserve" is good going, well done!
My wife was once the prime candidate and was made an offer (for something which would have been a big change for us all) - she asked for an overnight to decide before turning it down and they got their "reserve" person instead, who presumably was thinking "they never called yesterday so I must have failed"
Whilst sitting on the deck of the Ark, and watching the incoming tide (it's even more fascinating - and quicker - than watching grass grow, or paint dry), I exchanged 'Ahoys!' with my neighbour T., who was pottering around the harbour in his inflatable dinghy.
T. has numerous mental health issues, and his former partner R. succumbed to alcoholism and Alzheimer's some time back (AFAIK she is still alive, in a home somewhere). Lockdown has been a very difficult time indeed for T., I'm sure, but it was lovely to see him out and about, looking tanned and cheerful!
Cloudy and pleasant here. Went for a socially distanced walk in the local park with my friends whose birthday was last week. We managed to find some steps where we could sit further apart and have a chat and had a meander past the duck pond (moorhen chicks!).An excellent and repeatable experience. She drove home and I walked, via the freezer shop. On my return there was some birthday cake hanging from the front door handle!
RE: Cockerpoos and labradoodles. My understanding is that as poodle mixes they don't shed much so can be owned by people with allergies who might pay for the privilege.
Thinking of what Larry and Harvey look like, that seems logical. I don't think either my nieces or their partners have allergies - I think they just fell in love with the dogs.
Whilst sitting on the deck of the Ark, and watching the incoming tide (it's even more fascinating - and quicker - than watching grass grow, or paint dry)
There is never a bad time to watch the tide. Well, maybe if there's a tsunami warning, but...
Well, I’ve been driven to hospital to drop my heart monitor off, then walked the two miles home (usually more like a mile and a bit but the covid rules meant I had to use the outpatient entrance which is the far side of the huge sprawling teaching hospital- I live in the on the opposite side).
Might have a lazy day reading up on research design today, as yesterday I let my pulse go unmanaged.
It’s my son Elijah’s 16th birthday and he has chosen to have a Japanese takeaway for tea.
Have booked a car park space at a National Trust place with large grounds today. Am afraid it might be too hot to stay very long ambling at 28 degrees.
As it's a delightful 18° here I think a nice little amble is in order, and a chance to test-drive the new shoes that arrived yesterday. They felt heavenly when I tried them on: they're my default Mary-Jane style, of which I now have pairs in five different colours.
I had an official e-mail confirming that I didn't get the job, but also saying that they'll keep my details on their files for six months in case it becomes available again (unlikely, I know, but sort of encouraging all the same). I've put applications in for another couple of jobs, so trotters crossed!
I've heard today that the ship carrying my Stuff should land at Southampton today, and in a few days will be wending its way northwards. I'd better get my brother to start clearing a space in his lock-up ...
28° is too hot to do anything!
As it's a delightful 18° here I think a nice little amble is in order, and a chance to test-drive the new shoes that arrived yesterday. They felt heavenly when I tried them on: they're my default Mary-Jane style, of which I now have pairs in five different colours.
My day shoes are Red or Dead ‘Jade’, a flat wide leather Mary Jane, and I have them in 5 colours (in order of preference); lime, red, orange, dark green and black.
A productive day, I’ve written a bible study on psalm 139 for tomorrow evening’s church group (I’d forgotten about that and I have a conference all day tomorrow so can’t do it then) and then put gathered some resources for my research that people have kindly sent me. I’m now having reading time on ‘Disability as diversity in higher education’.
My husband used to go to Japan a lot on business and we often eat Japanese food at home or (until lockdown) in Cambridge restaurants. We had a dream 2 week holiday to Japan booked for a week’s time and that has been cancelled.
I remember the excitement we had when, having waited several months for the return of our Most Precious Stuff from West Africa (the rest having been sold in situ), we were told that the ship had docked and then when the lorry bearing it actually arrived!
Toasty toasty here today. They're predicting 33° this afternoon. This morning I went to the market with Captain Pyjamas and purchased a proper melon from the South of France. My kind of cooking: slice up melon, put it in a plate with some Italian ham, eat. I also took Captain Pyjamas to run in the park before it got absurdly hot. Fortunately there's one nearby with big trees where most of the playground is in the shade.
Rouge Heights stays fairly cool in very hot weather on account of being high enough that there are no other buildings reflecting the heat at us. We also get a decent breeze from being close to the Seine. My dilemma is this: I have an enormous pile of Iron Ing. Very soon more of our clothes are going to be in the laundry basket than in the cupboard. However. Iron Ing is going to make the house hot. 🥵
LVER, I tackled my ironing heap by having two baskets. I would put a smallish heap into one, the sort of heap I knew I could deal with, plus one or two other items. In that way, I reduced the ironing heap.
Then I discovered a local lady who does ironing and cleaning!
At the moment, Darllenwr is doing both, and is only putting one load of washing in per day and then ironing it as soon as it is dry.
I really ought to do some laundry, and today looks like a perfect day for it: 17°, sunny with a wee breeze.
One of S's online grocery deliveries last week contained a watermelon, which we've been working our way through: it's really one of the nicest things, just cut up into cubes and eaten with a fork - so refreshing. In fact, I think I'll go and cut myself some by way of brunch.
@la vie en rouge - I gave up on the Iron Ing many moons ago, and only wear/buy clothes that do not need it.
But...I am a Scruffy Old Git, from a family that only does Scruffy (apart from Cousin S wot is a Nactor). O what a wondrous collection of old jeans and pullovers is to be seen when we all get together for Formal Occasions, like Weldings or Frunerals!
Having said that, some of the said clothes are at present hanging out on deck, drying nicely in the hot sunshine and a nice south-easterly breeze.
I've done enough Iron Ing for my conscience to be clear. I left all the stuff like jeans that it's too hot to wear anyway.
Having to do all my own ironing is a sad side effect of being newly jobless. Up till now Captain P's nanny used to descend the pile while he was napping. In fact, having to let the nanny go is one of the upsetting things about the situation - I lose my job so she also loses hers . My employer had better end up paying for this. (The lawyer hasn't contacted them yet because on top of all the rest, they've made several procedural errors. As Napoleon famously said, never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake.)
I iron twice a year - once when I get the summer clothes ready, and once when it's cold enough to get the winter clothes out. That is, I iron garments that have inadvertently become crumpled in storage.
Like BF, I mostly wear clothes that don't need it. I remove them from the washing line/tumble dryer, shake and fold (neatly, not like Mr RoS does it) and put away tidily.
There are a few occasions when I wear something that should be ironed, and that is put in 'the ironing basket', where it remains until the next seasonal change and one of the twice yearly ironing bouts.
Comments
One of the many things that used to be called a mongrel and now has a portmanteau to justify a hefty price tag. [/cynic]
Lovely dogs.
No, it’s a real thing. Cocker spaniel x poodle = cockapoo.
I hope they were a delight!
Over here, in Continental WesShire, the rather cool last days and weeks seem to have gone, weatherwise. It was a whopping 24°C earlier today, which is definitely on the hotter end of the temperature spectrum for me (and for some fellow Shippies, as we've learnt), but at least the sun is back, and that is nice too. I am hoping for some showers later today, which would be fairly pleasant. Unfortunately, the meteorological people promise us a mega-whopping 30°C later in the week, which will be interesting to experience. Although, to be frank, I have experienced more interesting things than this, as my fascination with heatwaves has its limits.
On the up side, most of our marks have been handed in now, some only due by next Sunday, and after that there's one more week to go until the summer school break here. Luckily, my stock of DVDs in gigantic, and if I ever get bored educating, we're just going to watch a film or two. Ah, the privilege of being in charge!
The government here have decided to end most of the virusian lockdown measures in the meantime, with the required distancing now down to 1.5 instead of 2 metres... riiiiiight. I find that a lot of people had already stopped bothering before, which I think is a) a pity - I look at it as a game! -, and b) possibly a bit unwise.
Finally, I have ordered shedloads of Walkers Crisps from one purveyor of fine British foodstuff here, and shall hand these out to the (presumably) happy studentses. Indeed, they're always amazed at the differences in taste to the local, somewhat bland, types of crisps, and so these tokens of culinary internationalism are gladly received.
Here endeth the lesson, and Wesley wisheth a very pleasant Sunday afternoon to all and sundry!
Suma do some tasty paprika twists which I'm rather partial to. By which I mean I buy them by the 5kg sack:
https://superfood-market.com/products/zx157-suma-commodities-smoked-paprika-twists-5-kg?_pos=2&_sid=4fcb56f17&_ss=r
They are, alas, currently out of stock.
It's a type of dog
Committed to salmon en croute tonight, even though I don't have the usual components (eg spinach, watercress or mushrooms). I will do what I can with creme fraiche, mustard and lemon zest.
And there I was, thinking it was something to do with a bird that had disagreeable habits. You can learn a lot aboard the Ship.
Barbecue for lunch today and we’re having scones for supper as we can’t be bothered to cook anything more (cheese scones with smoked Brie, sweet scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream).
On the chance that prayer is efficacious, of your charity remember John K .
I have my cardiology appointments this morning (echocardiogram and 24 hour ECG) so there’s something to break the monotony of my days.
I was so waiting for that sentence to read "even though I don't have the usual components: salmon or pastry...
Can anyone resist a dog which looks so much like an ambulant teddy bear? But I agree with Arethosemyfeet above - when all is said and done, all these new “breeds” are basically mongrels with a high price tag. It’s the same with cats - we’ve had Abyssinians for many years, and when we had our first, usuals (dark ginger) were the only type. Now you can get various colours - we have a usual and a silver - through breeding with closely related breeds - yet they are still “pedigree”.
Sorry, rant over!
Having e-mailed the lady who interviewed me to ask for feedback, I've found out that I was the "reserve" candidate, and the only real difference was that the successful applicant was more forthcoming and detailed with answers from the start, and I came over as nervous (fair enough - I was!) before I warmed up ...
Oh well - if I came that close, maybe there's hope for next time.
It's a blustrous and intermittently wet day here: I may make an attempt at amblage and hope that it can be achieved in between the showers. It seems that ambling every day (even only for a few minutes) is doing me good: my niece was observing that she thought I'd lost some weight, and I think she might be right.
We're carrying on with our staycation. Just been for a five mile walk, with a picnic in the middle. Now having a slobby afternoon.
being the "reserve" is good going, well done!
My wife was once the prime candidate and was made an offer (for something which would have been a big change for us all) - she asked for an overnight to decide before turning it down and they got their "reserve" person instead, who presumably was thinking "they never called yesterday so I must have failed"
Whilst sitting on the deck of the Ark, and watching the incoming tide (it's even more fascinating - and quicker - than watching grass grow, or paint dry), I exchanged 'Ahoys!' with my neighbour T., who was pottering around the harbour in his inflatable dinghy.
T. has numerous mental health issues, and his former partner R. succumbed to alcoholism and Alzheimer's some time back (AFAIK she is still alive, in a home somewhere). Lockdown has been a very difficult time indeed for T., I'm sure, but it was lovely to see him out and about, looking tanned and cheerful!
RE: Cockerpoos and labradoodles. My understanding is that as poodle mixes they don't shed much so can be owned by people with allergies who might pay for the privilege.
There is never a bad time to watch the tide. Well, maybe if there's a tsunami warning, but...
Might have a lazy day reading up on research design today, as yesterday I let my pulse go unmanaged.
It’s my son Elijah’s 16th birthday and he has chosen to have a Japanese takeaway for tea.
As it's a delightful 18° here I think a nice little amble is in order, and a chance to test-drive the new shoes that arrived yesterday. They felt heavenly when I tried them on: they're my default Mary-Jane style, of which I now have pairs in five different colours.
I had an official e-mail confirming that I didn't get the job, but also saying that they'll keep my details on their files for six months in case it becomes available again (unlikely, I know, but sort of encouraging all the same). I've put applications in for another couple of jobs, so trotters crossed!
I've heard today that the ship carrying my Stuff should land at Southampton today, and in a few days will be wending its way northwards. I'd better get my brother to start clearing a space in his lock-up ...
A productive day, I’ve written a bible study on psalm 139 for tomorrow evening’s church group (I’d forgotten about that and I have a conference all day tomorrow so can’t do it then) and then put gathered some resources for my research that people have kindly sent me. I’m now having reading time on ‘Disability as diversity in higher education’.
Yes, I wondered that...
I first had visions of it trying to squeeze up the Grand Union Canal ...
Young Elijah displays rather cosmopolitan tastes for someone 16! A happy birthday to him.
Or will it reach Leith, and be dismissed by the Leith Police?
But perhaps it's 'take it or Leith it'? - In any case, we wish the best of luck to Piglet for safe reunification with her Stuff.
Rouge Heights stays fairly cool in very hot weather on account of being high enough that there are no other buildings reflecting the heat at us. We also get a decent breeze from being close to the Seine. My dilemma is this: I have an enormous pile of Iron Ing. Very soon more of our clothes are going to be in the laundry basket than in the cupboard. However. Iron Ing is going to make the house hot. 🥵
Then I discovered a local lady who does ironing and cleaning!
At the moment, Darllenwr is doing both, and is only putting one load of washing in per day and then ironing it as soon as it is dry.
I don't think so: my understanding was that it would go by road from Southampton to Coatbridge (where the HQ of the carrier seems to be) and hence to Edinburgh. I think formalities like customs and whatnot will take a few days before it leaves the Sad Southlands (© BF).
La Vie - is there anywhere in the flat where you can have windows open on more than one side to draw out the heat from the Iron Ing? Or take the board out on to the balcony and do it out there (or would that be too hot in itself)?
I really ought to do some laundry, and today looks like a perfect day for it: 17°, sunny with a wee breeze.
One of S's online grocery deliveries last week contained a watermelon, which we've been working our way through: it's really one of the nicest things, just cut up into cubes and eaten with a fork - so refreshing. In fact, I think I'll go and cut myself some by way of brunch.
But...I am a Scruffy Old Git, from a family that only does Scruffy (apart from Cousin S wot is a Nactor). O what a wondrous collection of old jeans and pullovers is to be seen when we all get together for Formal Occasions, like Weldings or Frunerals!
Having said that, some of the said clothes are at present hanging out on deck, drying nicely in the hot sunshine and a nice south-easterly breeze.
Having to do all my own ironing is a sad side effect of being newly jobless. Up till now Captain P's nanny used to descend the pile while he was napping. In fact, having to let the nanny go is one of the upsetting things about the situation - I lose my job so she also loses hers
I iron twice a year - once when I get the summer clothes ready, and once when it's cold enough to get the winter clothes out. That is, I iron garments that have inadvertently become crumpled in storage.
Like BF, I mostly wear clothes that don't need it. I remove them from the washing line/tumble dryer, shake and fold (neatly, not like Mr RoS does it) and put away tidily.
There are a few occasions when I wear something that should be ironed, and that is put in 'the ironing basket', where it remains until the next seasonal change and one of the twice yearly ironing bouts.