It's a Russell Hobbs - I confess I haven't unwrapped it yet, so I don't know the model number. It's quite compact, but I think it'll do up to a 3-lb loaf.
... Dinner was pasta with pesto made with fresh basil and garlic, topped with prawns in a light sauce of fresh tomatoes
All washed down with a Pinot Grigio from Berganze.
That sounds heavenly! Do you grow your own basil, and if so, does it grow outdoors in Embra? We've bought a few basil plants recently from the supermarket, but they've gone all leggy or brown before we've had a chance to use them up. Would it be feasible to plant them out in a planter box or a bigger tub outside in a sunny spot?
@shamwari - hope you're back to full health v. soon!
I have a little Basil plant in the little garden trough on the deck of the Ark, and it seems to be doing OK (I make sure Basil gets a drop of water morning and evening, of course).
Speaking of decks, the weather is fine and sunny, with a light breeze, so the Paint Ing of the rustiest bits is being done...(well, as long as I drag myself away from this Ship, that is).
I've done about half the area I planned, and have half a tin of lovely gloopy paint with which to finish it off. It should suffice.
Thanks be to God for a certain firm's Agricultural Red Oxide (it's designed for barns and such-like, but a bit of lateral thinking has been applied). It goes on without use of the Stir Ing, dries within a couple of hours, and changes to a pleasant semi-matt finish in a week or two.
BEER will be applied internally later, when the Job has been Jobbed.
I've planted basil outdoors but it hasn't so far come to anything.
Supermarket pots can be kept going for quite a while with diligent watering. But in this instance I'd planned the pesto, so simply scythed the entire potsworth into it. Basil isn't really a cut and come again herb IMO.
It may just be my bad luck, or the influence of our Evil Alien Overlords but I have found that supermarket 'growing herbs' in pots are overcrowded and already pot bound when I buy them, and can't be kept going for long in that state.
I have had some success dividing them into (usually) three clumps and planting them in pots that give the roots a bit of growing room. This has worked with basil and parsley, but as 'British parsley' is already leggy when sold, and needs to be crowded to stay upright I prefer the more compact, smaller leaved Greek basil, if it is available.
At the moment I have a small pot each of Greek and British basil indoors, and a larger pot of each outside. All bought from the supermarket - the British five weeks ago, because that's all they had, and the Greek two weeks.
My basil from seed is just about getting to a decent size. Decorating chez Dragon is on hold until next month as the Dragonlets room needs replastering in one corner where the gutter had been blocked for a while and the wall had got damp, and plaster is currently unobtainable. The gutters appear to be original but are still ok.
Just back fromm 3 days in hospital ward(s), Problem was suspected heart attack. Final solution was to do nothing except change one mediciine. You dont want to hear my opinion of all these shenanigans. At level of nurses the NHS is fantastic. At level of officialdom the less said the better.
I missed this post on the bottom of the previous page. I hope you can get some rest and make a full recovery. Take it easy.
I am definitely taking it easy this week. I am currently in an apartment of a Victorian mock-medieval castle near Ilfracombe, looking out of the window over the harbour and towards the sea. We have just had breakfast of coffee, toast and jam and almond croissants and I’m browsing through guides to plan our week’s walks. Lunch today is booked for the pub which is a mile’s walk through the woods behind the castle, followed by crazy golf in the castle grounds (the museum and rides downstairs are closed for the duration).
Have a good one, Heavenlyannie!
There's a rather threatening-looking cloud looming over the back garden, so amblage may have to be postponed. S. has gone off to the beach at North Berwick with No. 1 nephew and his kids, but I only found out she was going five minutes before she did - my fault for not getting up soon enough!
I'm OK with it - while I like the sea, actually wandering around on a beach on a slightly windy day isn't always my idea of fun - you get sand in your shoes and behind your contact-lenses, neither of which produces a pleasant sensation ...
I shall have an avocado on toast for lunch and get stuck into a couple more job applications.
Hot hot hot again here today. Omi and Opa took Anuka for a walk in the kinderwagen (pram) in the forest while her Papa and Dayda (Georgian for Mummy) had some time off.
Proper Occitan summer here and very hot as well. This morning we went to the park to play on the swings and see the ducks. Much to the delight of Captain Pyjamas, we ran into some people in the park doing one of those dog training classes. Multiple dogs all in one go! Dogs you're allowed to stroke! The owners were all very charming about Captain P's enthusiasm because apparently teaching the dogs to behave around children is a useful part of their training. I sometimes think Captain P prefers dogs to people
I sometimes think Captain P prefers dogs to people
He wouldn't be the only one. Except in my case it's cats.
I am going to have to do a lot of buses this week. Tomorrow it's the dentist, then I need to take one of my hearing aids back to the audiologists, and I also need to go back to the jeweller's and suggest a new watch battery should really last more than four days.
We're home after a long weekend in Chestnut land (the Ardeche) about 2.5 hours drive from here. We had a splendid meal in a restaurant last night - when we arrived we discovered they didn't take credit cards. We didn't have enough cash, so apologised and said we'd have to cancel
Don't worry, said the waitress, you can send us a cheque when you get home...
A wonderful meal, not cheap, and they were happy to let us leave without paying!!!
We had 7 courses, of deliciousness, and left feeling replete but not stuffed.
Feeling envious now, Dormouse ...
When S. got back from the beach (which she said she thoroughly enjoyed, including light paddling), I asked her what she fancied for supper, and she confessed to a craving for a Chinese takeaway ...
My word! All but the very smallest places round here take credit/debit cards since the pandemic hit.
Contactless payment is the preferred payment option for even the smallest amount. I can't remember when I last handled cash
Three years ago we were staying at a B&B in the Highlands when we got an early morning phone call telling us that my father-in-law was very ill. The B&B was cash only and, as we weren't expecting to pay then, we couldn't pay. They let us go, on a promise to pay later.
By the time we got to the hospital, my father-in-law had rallied, but he died six days later. The kindness of the B&B couple made a difficult week easier than it might have been.
Many many years ago, must be about 58, my rather new husband and I were on a visit to Bath, where we went into a small cafe on the bridge for a coffee. We dawdled a bit, as we were tired, and then gathered up our belongings, and quite forgot to pay!
I still feel guilty about it - all of 1/9d !! (that's just under 20p for you youngsters!)
I have a vague memory of going into one of the cafes in Liberty's in London, having a bottle of Perrier and leaving without paying for it. I can't remember how long afterwards it was that I realised, but it was long enough that I couldn't go back!
I'm messing around here while awaiting a phone call from the delivery chaps to say they're on their way with my Stuff, at which point we'll head in to Edinburgh and meet my brother and sister-in-law at the lock-up. Then possibly coffee or lunch at a nearby pub with outside seats.
I hope I don't make an idiot of myself by coming over all unnecessary when I see things that have Significance because of associations with David ...
Many many years ago, must be about 58, my rather new husband and I were on a visit to Bath, where we went into a small cafe on the bridge for a coffee. We dawdled a bit, as we were tired, and then gathered up our belongings, and quite forgot to pay!
I still feel guilty about it - all of 1/9d !! (that's just under 20p for you youngsters!)
1/9d is quite a bit less than 2 shillings (10p)! Closer to just 9 of the derisive New Peas...
20p is FOUR SHILLINGS! A Yuge Sum...
But fie upon you for embarking on such a Crime Spree...!!
I have a vague memory of going into one of the cafes in Liberty's in London, having a bottle of Perrier and leaving without paying for it. I can't remember how long afterwards it was that I realised, but it was long enough that I couldn't go back!
Some years ago I attended an evening meeting in central London. Before returning home I decided to look in a bookshop in Piccadilly which, in those days, was open till 11pm. I browsed around and then went for my bus. I was about 15 minutes into the journey when I realised I was clutching a map. I thought, "What if they caught me on CCTV? I'd lose my job, reputation, everything ...". So I got off the bus, waited for another going back into town, went into the bokshop which was just about to close, handed over the map to a totally unconcerned assistant, returned to the bus stop (fewer buses running by now) and eventually got home. "You'ee late", saith my wife. I did tell her what I'd done!
How vexing - and possibly related to various remarks on the TICTH thread.
Chatting to one of my neighbours today, I learned that (as I had suspected), his BT Broadband was on the blink, same as mine. His wife had contacted BT, who told her that there was a fault 'In The Box At The Top Of The Hill' (there often is), and that they were working on repairing it...
I get the impression that BT are finding the current demand for, and usage of, their services somewhat overwhelming. Cold comfort for those who rely on them for business purposes - fortunately, I have a Plan B (a Vodaphone dongle), which, for the paltry sum of mumble mumble £ per month, gives me a fairly reliable substitute.
We use vodafone for mobile broadband. It may be twice the price the landline offering via Openreach but it's 10 times the speed and only about half as frustrating.
At work, we're waiting for the BT man to fix things - we can't take card payments because the phone line isn't working, and we can't phone in or out either.
At least we can still process the internet sales.
Stuff safely delivered - as S. was a bit slow off the mark, by the time we got there the delivery chaps had gone. As far as I know, everything's arrived safely, although it'll be a long while before I open everything!
We took two boxes marked "bedroom" and "clothes and bags" back to S's house; I've looked in one and it's mostly filled with a downie and a stock-pot. The other has far more important contents (including Quite Large Bear), but I'll need to take them upstairs in stages, as it's too heavy to lift up the stairs by myself, and S. has a bad back.
I'm looking forward to wearing my summer clothes though - I hope we get some suitable weather ...
Many many years ago, must be about 58, my rather new husband and I were on a visit to Bath, where we went into a small cafe on the bridge for a coffee. We dawdled a bit, as we were tired, and then gathered up our belongings, and quite forgot to pay!
I still feel guilty about it - all of 1/9d !! (that's just under 20p for you youngsters!)
Oh dear... That reminds me I was supposed to send back a room key from the George Hotel in Amesbury that I walked away with in 1974. It keeps resurfacing and is right here on my desk, so I'd better deal with it. Tomorrow.
Having rummaged a bit in the boxes we brought back yesterday, I've discovered that while one does have some summer clothes in it, my sandals are notable by their absence, and must be in one of the boxes still in the lock-up. This is something of a pain, as I'll have to ask my brother to let me in for further rummaging.
However ...
I put on a pair of cropped jeans that were in the box, and I really must have lost some weight, as they're very loose. Pity my sewing box wasn't in the boxes I've got, as I think I'm going to have to take them in ...
WK, you're probably right about the weather - even allowing for the schools having been closed because of lockdown, it took a turn for the worse when the holidays would have started.
One of my favourite things about foie gras land: Proper Ratatouille™
Proper Ratatouille is a time-consuming affair but very delicious and worth the effort. Mmmm.
Step 1: go to the foie gras land market and buy the appropriate vegetables. Said veg has been ripened on the plant in the sun and brought to the market straight from the farm. The tomatoes are as big as your head.
Step 2: chop and slice everything up. Stick the tomatoes in a big pan and smash them up a bit with a rolling pin. Leave them to cook down slowly with some basil. Now the bit that takes flipping ages: fry each vegetable separately and set aside. When they're all done, put them in the pan with the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat.
Step 3: the magic secret bit only known to excellent cooks in the South of France. Add a couple of spoonfuls of honey to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. Season to taste.
Step 4: sit out in your garden and savour for a late supper - no point eating too early when it's 35°C.
Bliss.
In other news, a successful procurement exercise this morning has secured a paddling pool for the rouge family garden.
I was never very enthusiastic about ratatouille until I saw the film Ratatouille. I was entranced at the assemblage. Thomas Keller was the food consultant on the film. I found his recipe on the internet, made it, and I was converted. It's rather more finicky than other recipes I've tried (it is Keller, after all), but truly is worth the effort. I've encountered debates as to whether his version is ratatouille or an iteration of imam bayildi, but this is of pedantic interest only.
I've been playing calls since May in the hope of attracting them to my boxes and today I'm almost sure I saw two emerging from one of the boxes - certainly they were screaming round the front garden close enough that I could hear the "Zip" as they went by.
I love ratatouille! D-I-L has pku so when Lord and Lady P come for a meal, we have to be careful as to the protein content, so we eat vegetarian. Ratatouille has become a staple, and we are going to make some tonight as they are coming over tomorrow.
(LVER, our recipe is pretty simple - basically courgettes, aubergine, onions, canned tomatoes and garlic)
Comments
You do have a way with words, dear Roseofsharon. And with plants as well, as it appears!
(With apologies to Roseofsharon, and hopes that the various plants will, indeed, thrive!)
@shamwari - hope you're back to full health v. soon!
Speaking of decks, the weather is fine and sunny, with a light breeze, so the Paint Ing of the rustiest bits is being done...(well, as long as I drag myself away from this Ship, that is).
I've done about half the area I planned, and have half a tin of lovely gloopy paint with which to finish it off. It should suffice.
Thanks be to God for a certain firm's Agricultural Red Oxide (it's designed for barns and such-like, but a bit of lateral thinking has been applied). It goes on without use of the Stir Ing, dries within a couple of hours, and changes to a pleasant semi-matt finish in a week or two.
BEER will be applied internally later, when the Job has been Jobbed.
Supermarket pots can be kept going for quite a while with diligent watering. But in this instance I'd planned the pesto, so simply scythed the entire potsworth into it. Basil isn't really a cut and come again herb IMO.
I have had some success dividing them into (usually) three clumps and planting them in pots that give the roots a bit of growing room. This has worked with basil and parsley, but as 'British parsley' is already leggy when sold, and needs to be crowded to stay upright I prefer the more compact, smaller leaved Greek basil, if it is available.
At the moment I have a small pot each of Greek and British basil indoors, and a larger pot of each outside. All bought from the supermarket - the British five weeks ago, because that's all they had, and the Greek two weeks.
I am definitely taking it easy this week. I am currently in an apartment of a Victorian mock-medieval castle near Ilfracombe, looking out of the window over the harbour and towards the sea. We have just had breakfast of coffee, toast and jam and almond croissants and I’m browsing through guides to plan our week’s walks. Lunch today is booked for the pub which is a mile’s walk through the woods behind the castle, followed by crazy golf in the castle grounds (the museum and rides downstairs are closed for the duration).
There's a rather threatening-looking cloud looming over the back garden, so amblage may have to be postponed. S. has gone off to the beach at North Berwick with No. 1 nephew and his kids, but I only found out she was going five minutes before she did - my fault for not getting up soon enough!
I'm OK with it - while I like the sea, actually wandering around on a beach on a slightly windy day isn't always my idea of fun - you get sand in your shoes and behind your contact-lenses, neither of which produces a pleasant sensation ...
I shall have an avocado on toast for lunch and get stuck into a couple more job applications.
I ended up with tuna mayo on a bed of lettuce and chicory. Desperately healthy, but not really what I wanted.
Steak, baked spud, and the last of the jar of pickled red cabbage, with a nice Claret to go with it.
O my - there's still some WINE in the bottle - that will never do...
Possible for ostriches, maybe...
🙂
He wouldn't be the only one. Except in my case it's cats.
I am going to have to do a lot of buses this week. Tomorrow it's the dentist, then I need to take one of my hearing aids back to the audiologists, and I also need to go back to the jeweller's and suggest a new watch battery should really last more than four days.
You two've never walked on a Scottish beach, have you? Half my island is geologically categorised as "wind-blown sand".
We had salad in the garden for lunch, once the lawn had had a quick hair cut. Made fairy cakes for tea, with a backdrop of Test Match Special.
Don't worry, said the waitress, you can send us a cheque when you get home...
A wonderful meal, not cheap, and they were happy to let us leave without paying!!!
We had 7 courses, of deliciousness, and left feeling replete but not stuffed.
When S. got back from the beach (which she said she thoroughly enjoyed, including light paddling), I asked her what she fancied for supper, and she confessed to a craving for a Chinese takeaway ...
Contactless payment is the preferred payment option for even the smallest amount. I can't remember when I last handled cash
By the time we got to the hospital, my father-in-law had rallied, but he died six days later. The kindness of the B&B couple made a difficult week easier than it might have been.
I still feel guilty about it - all of 1/9d !! (that's just under 20p for you youngsters!)
I'm messing around here while awaiting a phone call from the delivery chaps to say they're on their way with my Stuff, at which point we'll head in to Edinburgh and meet my brother and sister-in-law at the lock-up. Then possibly coffee or lunch at a nearby pub with outside seats.
I hope I don't make an idiot of myself by coming over all unnecessary when I see things that have Significance because of associations with David ...
Anuka was a Good Girl. 💕
1/9d is quite a bit less than 2 shillings (10p)! Closer to just 9 of the derisive New Peas...
20p is FOUR SHILLINGS! A Yuge Sum...
But fie upon you for embarking on such a Crime Spree...!!
How vexing - and possibly related to various remarks on the TICTH thread.
Chatting to one of my neighbours today, I learned that (as I had suspected), his BT Broadband was on the blink, same as mine. His wife had contacted BT, who told her that there was a fault 'In The Box At The Top Of The Hill' (there often is), and that they were working on repairing it...
I get the impression that BT are finding the current demand for, and usage of, their services somewhat overwhelming. Cold comfort for those who rely on them for business purposes - fortunately, I have a Plan B (a Vodaphone dongle), which, for the paltry sum of mumble mumble £ per month, gives me a fairly reliable substitute.
At least we can still process the internet sales.
We took two boxes marked "bedroom" and "clothes and bags" back to S's house; I've looked in one and it's mostly filled with a downie and a stock-pot. The other has far more important contents (including Quite Large Bear), but I'll need to take them upstairs in stages, as it's too heavy to lift up the stairs by myself, and S. has a bad back.
I'm looking forward to wearing my summer clothes though - I hope we get some suitable weather ...
Oh dear... That reminds me I was supposed to send back a room key from the George Hotel in Amesbury that I walked away with in 1974. It keeps resurfacing and is right here on my desk, so I'd better deal with it. Tomorrow.
probably in August, after the kids have (supposedly) gone back to school. Always seems to happen
What a lovely three weeks it has been with our little family.
Many memories.
Having rummaged a bit in the boxes we brought back yesterday, I've discovered that while one does have some summer clothes in it, my sandals are notable by their absence, and must be in one of the boxes still in the lock-up. This is something of a pain, as I'll have to ask my brother to let me in for further rummaging.
However ...
I put on a pair of cropped jeans that were in the box, and I really must have lost some weight, as they're very loose. Pity my sewing box wasn't in the boxes I've got, as I think I'm going to have to take them in ...
WK, you're probably right about the weather - even allowing for the schools having been closed because of lockdown, it took a turn for the worse when the holidays would have started.
Proper Ratatouille is a time-consuming affair but very delicious and worth the effort. Mmmm.
Step 1: go to the foie gras land market and buy the appropriate vegetables. Said veg has been ripened on the plant in the sun and brought to the market straight from the farm. The tomatoes are as big as your head.
Step 2: chop and slice everything up. Stick the tomatoes in a big pan and smash them up a bit with a rolling pin. Leave them to cook down slowly with some basil. Now the bit that takes flipping ages: fry each vegetable separately and set aside. When they're all done, put them in the pan with the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat.
Step 3: the magic secret bit only known to excellent cooks in the South of France. Add a couple of spoonfuls of honey to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes. Season to taste.
Step 4: sit out in your garden and savour for a late supper - no point eating too early when it's 35°C.
Bliss.
In other news, a successful procurement exercise this morning has secured a paddling pool for the rouge family garden.
Great about the jeans, @Piglet . I hope your boxes of stuff yield more joy!
Safe travels, @Boogie . We stayed overnight on Saturday with Nenlet1 and son in law making some happy memories too.
I've been playing calls since May in the hope of attracting them to my boxes and today I'm almost sure I saw two emerging from one of the boxes - certainly they were screaming round the front garden close enough that I could hear the "Zip" as they went by.
I am very over excited this morning.
AG
Well done, you! They're magificent flyers!
(LVER, our recipe is pretty simple - basically courgettes, aubergine, onions, canned tomatoes and garlic)