Chitchat thread #24

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Last bit of ironing in a sec ( just need to finish my brew) then out into the garden for me - no matter what!

I’m just working out about supper-/ having had a quick nosy around the fridges.
I froze most of the wet Nellie but the bread and butter pudding was waving frantically at me from the fridge. I best get most of that in the freezer too

I do need to make some strawberry jam soon too, so if the weather changes I’ve got that as a back up plan.
Anyone else made any ham yet?

gf…the heavy rains the other night thinned out a lot of our apples - they just need mowing up now.

Enjoy your day peeps. If anyone else struggles getting onto the Vine, can you please let us know? Hopefully it’s just a glitch.

[lottie dolly]

morning all,looks like another warm one,but i got to do cake,as i have a build of eggs,the family will be pleased,as will the freezer,having a selection of cake to go at,also going to do a cherry tiramisu,hope it tastes good,see if i can spare a bit for the freezer,as an experiment,if yes,that would be nice indiviidul deserts,right going to going,and crack make a start,before it gets to hot,have a good day all

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

All good so far here today. Mr Snoop watered and weeded the fruit trees. I watered the veg patches. So all good on that front. I've started counting melons... Might be my best year yet for melons so long as the hail holds off. Thunderstorms forecast for this afternoon.

Busy day workwise again. Pizza for supper, which is always nice. Except I made dough for three and now there will be four of us, one of them an Italian friend who is as skinny as a rake but can eat two pizzas, easy. Might have to come up with a pudding, I suppose.

The smiles enjoyed all the watering. One or two got left behind this morning as I'm filling barrels using the solar pump and that always gets them intrigued. Mind you, I've just told them you're on a cake-baking mission, LD, so they've scarpered off to come and see you.

No probs logging in for me so far, Nicos.

Have a great day, everyone.

[nick the grief]

afternoon all well what a weekend ... as some of you may know I'm a bit of a rugby fan and my favourite team were in the final and


we wonnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!

I'm still buzzing ... I guess its back to gardening now

[lottie dolly]

Afternoon,thank you snoop for the smiles,they sure worked,grandaughter and the buys just been,they happy with what i done,but i will not put fruit in a tiramisu again,unless it asked for,is better without,so i got 3 ordinary choc sponges to go in the freezer,will cut one into nice slices for when needs must hahaha,i did not start until after lunch,as i fell asleep at the laptop,i have changed to a different fat for cakes,and it so much better,and cheaper,at just under half the price,i used to have stork,butnot now,by the way,my nearest shop is sainsbugs,still warm,but not over baring

[Snoop Puss]

Good stuff, nick the grief.

What kind of fat have you started using, lottie dolly? You never know, I might be able to find it here...

[lottie dolly]

hi Snoop,is sainsburys own,it feels and looks softer,not so stiff as stork,i spoke to another lady who bakes,and she also said, aldi are good,and she also makes nice cake,i have yet to see about that,butthe saninbgss near by,it also £1 per 500 tub,less than half of stork,i only got to try as they did not have the other,and now only go for that,also use it for the butter cream,with either choc or vanilla paste flavour,

[mothhawk]

Evening all, and a lovely one it is.

...I do need to make some strawberry jam soon too, so if the weather changes I’ve got that as a back up plan.
Anyone else made any ham yet?

Is that a typo Nicos? Did you mean jam? If so, yes, I made rhubarb at the weekend as I had a bit of a glut of stalks. Next will be cherry, I noticed the cherries on the trees on the local hill are nearly ripe. Just a question of whether I get to pick some before the flock of jackdaws that live in the quarry scoff them.

Hmm... "flock" didn't sound right, so I've goggled, and the collective noun for jackdaws is.....a clattering.

[Nicos]

Evenin n’alln’all

A clattering of jackdaws?…thats a new one for me. Good to know….I’ll just have to find the right moment to bring that word into a conversation! We have them nesting in next doors chimney again so they often appear in our garden. They walk straight up to Hibou and she ignores them or runs off . Interesting that she chases dogs but gives respect to jackdaws!

Yes - jam …fat fingers eh?

Didn’t have time to make any today. Hopefully tomorrow! I like to pour a small amount of elderflower cordial in with the strawberries. It goes really well.

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

I have moles. In among the leeks and onions. No idea what one does about moles. Suppose I'd better find out. Nothing would be good...

The smiles set off in a right hurry this morning, no idea why. You still baking, LD? Or maybe it's the promise of the smell of strawberry jam being made.

Good to have found something you like, LD, especially if it's cheaper. No Sainsbury's or Aldi near here, so I'll stick to my old faithfuls, butter and, for some recipes, sunflower oil, which makes absolutely delicious sponges.

Done the once around of the veg patches. And now I'm up for a day of hard labour at the computer. Tedious.

The weather was interesting yesterday. Absolutely howling wind rushed through here in the afternoon and our nearest decent-sized town had a tornado and horrendous flooding. We had a bit of rain in the evening. So we got off lightly. Weather forecast today is for much cooler weather than lately and distinctly cold at night.

Have a great day, everyone. More of the big hugs to Rary and Flo.

[greenishfing]

Good morning all. A sunny one here .... definitely not cold, 17°C already.

Mr GF didn't sleep well and then had a weird nightmare and woke up panicking and asking me for a new battery in case his ran out???? Evidently he'd been dreaming about his "weird" physio class where his class was full of useless robots. I think I may have a problem getting him to go next week. He is sleeping peacefully now...after having a laugh about it.

I hope to get a few hours at the allotment and also maybe do a grory hop. I must also get a birthday present for a great nephew in the next few days.

I'm going to go make my own coffee now.

[nick the grief]

Morning all.

I have moles....

Are they gangsters moles

[Snoop Puss]

Are they gangsters moles

Good question. They've gone underground and are undercover. They're definitely engaged in covert operations.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Cloudy and breezy here but still warm.

We sat out yesterday evening whilst it got dark, waiting for the sun to set. Fire pit, candles, solar lights and a hot cocoa!
That was our contribution to the summer solstice celebrations.
I missed the sunrise yesterday for the first time in years so decided to watch it set instead.
Just think….the nights will start drawing in from now on.

I use butter in my baking recipes. I know it’s expensive but it does mean that it helps me decide to take a smaller portion so it goes further. ( preferably hidden away in the freezer when I’m dieting!!!!)

Last night we had quite a bit of thunder, but no rain - I hope it holds off long enough to get the lawns cut in time for weekend.

Just a quick grory hop for me today and I’ll nip into a discount shop nearby to buy more solar lights. I bought a string of 10 coloured lightbulbs but it looks too short in the tree so it needs a few more. Hopefully they still have them in stock - here’s hoping!

Late breakfast for me - cantaloupe melon - yummy yum!

Enjoy your day peeps

[bramble]

Good morning all.
Dull and light misty rain but it's not cold.
Snoop, we all have pests to contend with, I dont know if I ever even saw a mole.
My persecutors are squirrels.
They chew and destroy anything that is not protected.
My worst problem is making sure they dont come in the windows.

No jam making here just yet as it's too warm in the kitchen.

GF, my hubby has nightmares frequently and wakes me up shouting.
Next morning he doesn't even remember.

Have a good day and enjoy the sun for those that have it.