Chitchat thread #24

[greenishfing]

Good morning all.

Galavanting......it's a long time since I last heard that word. Something I used to be accused of.

It's raining and grey here again but not too cold....15°C at 9am....definitely unseasonal. I can remember one year freezing around a bonfire in Sheffield on Nov 5th, giving up, going to the pub and coming out at closing time to 2 inches of snow.

Off to make more coffee.

[Nicos]

5th November….balaclava and mittens and still cold standing near a bonfire - with the lingering smell of fireworks. Shivering memories!
Wow - 2” of snow gf?Thats amazing!

[nick the grief]

Grim here in the midlands today. that could be cos its shopping day good news is it was done at 7:30 this morning so were both tucked up in the house with lots of coffee's. I'm reading upstairs ( when I'm not on here) and Mrs G is downstairs crocheting something (think its another blanket or the worlds biggest hanky)

waiting for the postie to bring me my broad bean seeds I ordered for over wintering ( Grano Violletto) then after CHrimbo I'll sow some crimson flowered ... we like Broad beans ... and I've my two baskets of Douce Provence peas for overwintering

Watched a you tube fishing video earlier and it had a recipe for Pumpkin cake (like carrot cake but with pumpkin flesh instead ) it looked gorgeous ... wonder if the grand kid would like a pumpkin each

[greenishfing]

Grim here in the midlands today. that could be cos its shopping day good news is it was done at 7:30 this morning so were both tucked up in the house with lots of coffee's. I'm reading upstairs ( when I'm not on here) and Mrs G is downstairs crocheting something (think its another blanket or the worlds biggest hanky)

waiting for the postie to bring me my broad bean seeds I ordered for over wintering ( Grano Violletto) then after CHrimbo I'll sow some crimson flowered ... we like Broad beans ... and I've my two baskets of Douce Provence peas for overwintering

Watched a you tube fishing video earlier and it had a recipe for Pumpkin cake (like carrot cake but with pumpkin flesh instead ) it looked gorgeous ... wonder if the grand kid would like a pumpkin each

Kids always like pumpkins. My niece used to bring her friends to our allotments (on successful years) to pick their own pumpkins when she was younger. My sister then hosted a carving session for the girls and made a cauldron of pumpkin soup with the insides.

[lottie dolly]

Good morning all,late start again,sun here again,but still breezy,wow got notification off the £500 winter fuel,thankyou powers that be,also what i thought is not genuine,lucky my marbles are well endowed,so back to the drawing board as they say,hay ho onwards and upwards,
Nick i bet there is lots of combinations out there,if we experiment,was thinking last night,cake has been made with beet root,but wonder how a mashed one would react in a butter cream,or any veg in a cake,say parsnip,onion,i have 1 more large tromba to make into ginger jam,after all,no different to marrow,eccept less watery,so who is going to try these things,it's maybe another way of getting veg with a sweet tooth,think of it as guilt free,have a lovely afternoon all,

[nick the grief]

Good morning all,late start again,sun here again,but still breezy,wow got notification off the £500 winter fuel,thankyou powers that be,also what i thought is not genuine,lucky my marbles are well endowed,so back to the drawing board as they say,hay ho onwards and upwards,
Nick i bet there is lots of combinations out there,if we experiment,was thinking last night,cake has been made with beet root,but wonder how a mashed one would react in a butter cream,or any veg in a cake,say parsnip,onion,i have 1 more large tromba to make into ginger jam,after all,no different to marrow,eccept less watery,so who is going to try these things,it's maybe another way of getting veg with a sweet tooth,think of it as guilt free,have a lovely afternoon all,

I've had courgette cake ( like carrot only with Courgette ... that was good so I gues Trombo cake would be similar

[Bren In Pots]

Evening, rain stoped at lunchtime so some gardening then a stroll.
Lottie good for you spotting that scam there's a few of them going around.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all

Really dark this morning. Glad the clocks are changing tonight!
I’ve just realised that we’ll be changing to your present time zone

More domestics but mostly gardening for me today. Got to make the most of the warm weather (23C) as it’s set to start dropping as from tomorrow. I really am shocked by the number of weeds which have appeared since last weekend!

Anyone fancy a brew?

[greenishfing]

Good morning. 10°C, wet and murky here. I awoke at about 6.30 and I was waiting for it to start getting light. The days really seem to be getting shorter really quickly. Tomorrow will be far worse when, with the hour changing, it will be dark in the afternoon. Mr GF has just got up and to his amazement the "breakfast fairy" had got his breakfast ready for him.

On the subject of cakes with vegetables in. I have a recipe somewhere for an ultra gooey carrot cake😋, but I once made chocolate beetroot cake and it was depressingly disgusting🤮☹.

Mr GF and I have just been reminiscing about the coal fires of our childhoods and I was remembering curling up in prime position on the hearthrug with our alsatian. It was a lovely nostalgic moment until I remembered who got the job of cleaning out the grates and laying the fires as soon as I was big enough to lift a shovel.

[Snoop Puss]

Morning all.

In defiance of the weather folk, it's sunny at the moment. The forecast is for wall to wall cloud. Last night was a cool one - about 5 ºC in the veg patch. Day time temperature yesterday a high of 28 ºC. Warm enough to keep the butterflies hard at work laying eggs, unfortunately.

I've got a bit of work I want to finish off today, but it's a public holiday here on Tuesday and lots of people will take the Monday off. So a very long weekend ahead. Friends arriving on Monday for a flying visit to make the most of it. Fantastic.

The smiles were doing victory rolls round the kitchen earlier. The loaf I made yesterday was as recalcitrant as a sourdough loaf can be. But it doesn't half taste good toasted and spread with salted butter this morning. Anyway, the smiles left in a good mood, so doubtless they'll be extra smiley when they see you.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

Rains just stopped here so maybe we'll be seeing a bit of Snoops sun soon.

Of to the library this morning I called yesterday afternoon, but they were closed so popped into the charity shop and came out with a Club Dutch oven, i've had a Club frying pan for years so was pleased to spot this.

Looking forward to lighter mornings.

[lottie dolly]

good afternoon all,gloomy looking skies here,was in the poly yesterday afternoon,intending to strip it out,but are very supprised by what growth is still going on,cue and melons are gone,the tromba is still going with babies,same with some toms,so a tidy was done,so different this year,i will leave things to see what occures,i have a stray tom plant outside,it is a bit sheltered,and not far from a high wall,it is still going strong no dead leaves at all,and fruits look good,but green,found a last butternut hiding in another patch,looks like the swede is good for nothing,plenty of growth,but not filling out,so thats them done with,the things i am most pleased with are the different squash,i hope to be better prepared for next year,them smiles have evolved into supper hero's Snoop,Bren it was so beleivable,then money was asked for so it was instantly blocked,i now recognise how to identify possible ones,and will take note,i have a feeling it was not the first,but now are well aware,have a good afternoon all ,ooooh the sun is trying hard,

[Nicos]

Well spotted Bren…and Lottie.
What is the first thing you are going to cook in it Bren?

[rary]

Good afternoon, raining now but very mild, walked up the town earlier, and it was rely surprising how warm it felt, intended to clear out some of the flower beds but it's too wet to use clearing up as an excuse, so OH has had me cleaning out a drawer I use for keeping a lot of useful stuff that might come in handy I am now willing to bet some time in the next 2 weeks she will be asking me if I have anything that can sort something LD I like the idea of using trombo's for making jam as I intend growing them in the greenhouse next year I must give that a try.
Like you GF I loved the open coal fire, remember sitting with bread stuck on the end of a fork so you could toast it and when it was wood being burnt tossing potatoes into it, to bake them, and ofcourse burning fingers when holding the potatoes while trying to eat them, chard skins, the lot believe it or not I would happily clean out the fire, if I had one. Well enjoy your day folks and pass on some smiles

[Bren In Pots]

Afternoon

Rary we all have a drawer like that, shame you had to clear it out. Like you say something's bound to be needed.
Nicos it's a good sized pot so it's first use will be this evenings tagliatelle.
The suns finally come out.