I'm often surprised at how different the weather in Linlithgow can be from what you get in Embra; it's been mostly a rather nice day here. After a very lazy morning, I had brunch of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, then set a batch of bread to cook and the laundry to wash, and headed out for my usual Saturday Expotition to Sainz Breeze. There was quite a queue to get in when I arrived (although it was even bigger by the time I came out), but the real pain was the wait for the bus to get back. I really wish I had a £ for every minute of my life I waste standing at draughty bus stops; although it's not a particularly cold day (6° according to Accuweather) my legs are still thawing out!
However, laundry has been accomplished, the bread dough is proving* and there's a steak and a glass or two of WINE with my name on them for supper.
* I bought a new baking tray from the Big River, and this'll be the first time I've tried it.
ETA: talking of WINE, they had Cloudy Bay, but as it was £22 a bottle*, I resisted.
* The last time we bought it in the UK it was £11, but that was about twenty-mumble years ago.
Piglet, I think prices for Marlborough wines may go up even further because this year the borders were closed to pickers and some grapes remained unharvested. I thought of you when I heard the news item.
I went to live in London near Marble Arch in the year when the Profumo scandal broke, and my landlady didn't like me leaving the house "in that red coat of yours".
Who (other than your good self) wore a red coat? All the photos in the papers were in monochrome!
BTW, my late Uncle was an osteopath, and knew Stephen Ward. It is believed in the family that Uncle might also have *known* (in the Biblical sense) at least one of the ladies involved...
If you're going to have skeletons in your cupboard, they might as well be cool skeletons!
It's a rather dull day here, after what looked like quite a promising start earlier on.
I've done some (long overdue) Iron Ing, had breakfast and am contemplating the manufacture of SOUP. I bought a small ham joint yesterday, with the intention of cooking it and then freezing suitably-sized portions of it for putting in pasta and risottos, but it occurred to me that the initial cooking would result in stock, which in turn would make rather good bacon, lentil and tomato SOUP.
I'd have loved to have met your mother @Bishops Finger . My mother was politically active to well in her eighties when dementia really took hold. Her interest in politics was the last thing to go. I told her last year that Boris Johnson was PM and she thought I was joking.
A rather lazy day today, though we did go for a walk this morning. The laziness is mainly due to having a dinner with accompanying wines from one of our favourite local restaurants last night. We had to go and collect all the bits and pieces and put it together ourselves. Great fun, though our plating up wouldn't have won us any accolades on Masterchef
As a child, I remember my parents telling me that one of our next door neighbours was related to one of the folk involved in the Profumo scandal. I do wish I’d listened/taken more of an interest and could remember who it was. I do recall my mother saying that she can remember members of the press on the doorstep.
I was told our St John’s Wood house had been connected to the Profumo case but I think a lot of rumours like that were flying around at the time. It’s since been knocked down and a huge, luxury mansion has been built in its place. We had a lovely big garden where we kept chickens, but the new building has little garden space (I often wander down places I used to live on Google Maps street view - which is especially interesting with my street in South Africa where I was brought up).
Today we have sunshine at last but I have a busy Zooming morning with my German lesson followed by Doodle Zoom. 🙂
Usual monday morning, here of admin and emails, followed my the marking of a couple of stray late essays.
But this afternoon I need to write a presentation for an internal conference on my research proposal and the impact of covid (I suspect most students will be discussing how they've had to adapt their methods to lockdown whereas I have the easier task of saying my research into online student mental health is now more relevant than ever).
Something's changed in the lockdown situation - maybe more kids going back to school? (although few of them seemed to be kids) - but they mustn't have bothered to tell Scot Rail, as there were still only four coaches, and getting a properly distanced seat Wasn't Happening. When we arrived, there was a chivalrous but annoying bloke in front of me letting everyone from the other end of the carriage out first, which wasted just enough time that the bus was leaving the stop when I got to the street.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the next bus was about 15 minutes late, and - O joy! - there are roadworks and we must have wasted another ten minutes crawling along the road beside Fettes College.
I'm loath to say it, but if this carries on I'm going to have to get up at even sillier o'clock and get an earlier train.
That sounds so frustrating @Piglet . Maybe the earlier train will be worth it if it reliably means you can leave early?
I'm heading out for my walk soon. I arranged for my Sainz Breeze online delivery to come at lunchtime today, instead of this evening, as Mr Nen and I had our vaccines yesterday and I thought we might be feeling rough by 8pm. I'm fine at the moment apart from an achey arm but Mr Nen isn't feeling right and although he's been out this morning he is a bit subdued and says all he feels like doing is sitting quietly and not moving, which is not like him at all.
Feeling in need of the restorative power of nature, I went into the garden this morning. However the soothing effect was rather dissipated by the top of tin of polyurethane I was using to waterproof a pot. The bugger would not unscrew and eventually I had to take a fretsaw to it.
Feeling in need of the restorative power of nature, I went into the garden this morning. However the soothing effect was rather dissipated by the top of tin of polyurethane I was using to waterproof a pot. The bugger would not unscrew and eventually I had to take a fretsaw to it.
I use a nutcracker more often for loosening screw tops than I do for cracking nuts - a very handy tool.
I made shortbread this morning; absolutely the worst bit of cooking I have done in many a long year. I don’t pretend to be a whiz at shortbread, but usually produce something acceptable. Still, if anyone fancies an overworked, underbaked heap of crumbs with their cuppa, feel free!
Macarius and I had the AstraZeneca jab. It seems to affect people differently. Macarius was fine the next day; I was fine until the evening of the next day, when I came over a bit anyhow. Was fine after an early night, though.
Macarius and I had the AstraZeneca jab. It seems to affect people differently. Macarius was fine the next day; I was fine until the evening of the next day, when I came over a bit anyhow. Was fine after an early night, though.
I was talking to a nurse friend about this and she observed that, like the virus itself, the after effects of the vaccine are not necessarily predictable. One hears different things; Mr Nen seems to think we may wake up tomorrow feeling rough. He's been popping the paracetamol today and admits to feeling "delicate." I don't want to start feeling terrible but I think a bit of a reaction would reassure me that my body's immune system is doing something useful.
I've felt in touch with my past, particularly my mum, this afternoon as I turned a collar on one of Mr Nen's favourite shirts. It was pretty 'make do and mend' when I was a child (sides-to-middle sheets, anyone?) and I remember my mum turning the collars on shirts for my dad and my two older brothers. It'll never pass for a best shirt, but it'll serve another little while.
I feel the same - my mum used to turn the collars of shirts then, next time round, take spare fabric from the 'tail' and recover the collar for one more life! Sides to middle sheets were horrible; you were always sleeping on a seam with one of those. But worn, old sheets made lovely soft pillow cases so that was a bonus. So much of my parents newly-wed life was a testament to re-cycling. The stair carpet in my childhood farmhouse was strips of WW2 army blankets hooked into sacking to make a runner for a long staircase - that must have taken them ages! We are a fairly eco-friendly household but we look positively profligate compared with that post-war generation.
Had my AZ jab today - just before France has said they're going to stop using the AZ vaccine. I hope not to have after effects, but we will see. I'm having an extra cup of tea tonight against dehydration.
My Dad's cousin knitted their stair carpet. Possibly with uncut rug wool. We kept the army blankets as blankets. Not sure where they have all gone, but one is under my mattress to protect it from the slats of the bedframe.
I decided not to sides to middle my worn sheets, a process which would be OK with doubles, with the seam between the occupants, but not for singles. Not sure what to do with them. I have too many pillow cases.
I've been testing patterns with old sheets that have already been sewn sides to middle. There's a fair bit of good fabric top and bottom. So far I have a jacket which is made from an old pale blue decent weight cotton sheet dyed navy and I have a pair of shorts that still pale blue waiting to be dyed next time I do any. They are a toile / trial for a jumpsuit. My daughter had a summer jacket from the navy dyed batch, testing out a pattern before she made it in wool. (She's since lost weight and it neither fit any more so the coats were donated to a free coat scheme in the church porch a couple of winters ago, and both went.)
I feel the same - my mum used to turn the collars of shirts then, next time round, take spare fabric from the 'tail' and recover the collar for one more life! Sides to middle sheets were horrible; you were always sleeping on a seam with one of those.
Mum never took that next step with shirt collars; that's impressive! I remember that feeling of the seam down the middle of the sheet and it was horrid, with hindsight; I guess I just accepted that's how it was sometimes!
In vaccine after-effects news, Mr Nen feels fine today (despite his gloomy prediction that Today Could Be Much Worse). My arm's still very achey and this afternoon I've had aches in my hips and legs. Must be the immune system doing its thing, which is all to the good.
My diary tomorrow has five Zoom meetings in it. Not sure how that happened.
I did wonder about making scrubs with the old sheets - as you say lots of good fabric round the edges - but there didn't seem to be any means hereabouts of getting them anywhere to be used.
Haven’t had coffee and walnut for years as younger son doesn’t like either; I quite fancy it. But I’m too busy to bake this week. Perhaps I should get my husband to make his signature chestnut cake at the weekend instead.
A short training session this morning, then I need to give a telephone tutorial to a student and I’ll be marking essays all afternoon (how stereotypes and labelling affect care). I have a work meeting this evening too.
When I got up at 7 this morning, I looked out of my east-facing window to see the sun rising over the rooftops - The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning, I thought.
The I looked out of the north-facing window to see a neighbour 'encouraging' sheep (and lambs) out of his garden - We, like sheep, have gone astray!
I felt hymnodically blessed as I rushed downstairs and out to the patch of grass known as 'Beyond the Pale', by our garden wall to give them my own bit of encouragement. Not that we mind the sheep eating the grass, it's what they leave behind which is less desirable when you have small children coming to play.
'Mind the sheep poo, Grandma' was TIG#1's constant plaint when we moved here...
I wish I could see sheep from my window!
Younger son has gone to college - yippee! He had his covid test on Monday and has now returned to college (for the moment still mixed online and face to face alternate weeks).
I have memories of chivvying sheep back out of a garden, all in wellies and nightclothes. That was a live in house-keeping job.
My parents house, it's more likely that I'll be "persuading" a herd of milking cows back out, as there's a farmyard next door. And kept awake by a milker complaining her calf is off to market in the morning.
Comments
However, laundry has been accomplished, the bread dough is proving* and there's a steak and a glass or two of WINE with my name on them for supper.
* I bought a new baking tray from the Big River, and this'll be the first time I've tried it.
I guess that you were allowed to share a room with a partner without having to be married?
Piglet, I think prices for Marlborough wines may go up even further because this year the borders were closed to pickers and some grapes remained unharvested.
When I was a young lady, we were brought up to keep our knees closed and our blouses buttoned until the ring was on our finger.
And why, I would like to enquire, this interest in the views of my landlady?
Presumably if it was high enough to bring on an attack of vertigo, it must have been a Fulking great escarpment?
(saith someone who'd pay good money to have Fulking Hill as an address...)
6th decade.
BTW, my late Uncle was an osteopath, and knew Stephen Ward. It is believed in the family that Uncle might also have *known* (in the Biblical sense) at least one of the ladies involved...
PG I think that post I made yesterday might satisfy your curiosity.
No - but please forgive me if I refrain from revealing his True Name on a public board...
It's a rather dull day here, after what looked like quite a promising start earlier on.
I've done some (long overdue) Iron Ing, had breakfast and am contemplating the manufacture of SOUP. I bought a small ham joint yesterday, with the intention of cooking it and then freezing suitably-sized portions of it for putting in pasta and risottos, but it occurred to me that the initial cooking would result in stock, which in turn would make rather good bacon, lentil and tomato SOUP.
His sister (my Ma) was much respected in the family for having been sent to Jail twice.
She was active in the Greenham Common Peace Camps, and was Guilty Of Damaging Government Property With A Vicious Weapon, to wit, A Bolt-Cutter.
My family is, I admit, a bit Odd.
Alas, she died back in 2005, or she would be mightily involved in protests today (she'd be 90, but hey...).
A rather lazy day today, though we did go for a walk this morning. The laziness is mainly due to having a dinner with accompanying wines from one of our favourite local restaurants last night. We had to go and collect all the bits and pieces and put it together ourselves. Great fun, though our plating up wouldn't have won us any accolades on Masterchef
Today we have sunshine at last but I have a busy Zooming morning with my German lesson followed by Doodle Zoom. 🙂
But this afternoon I need to write a presentation for an internal conference on my research proposal and the impact of covid (I suspect most students will be discussing how they've had to adapt their methods to lockdown whereas I have the easier task of saying my research into online student mental health is now more relevant than ever).
Something's changed in the lockdown situation - maybe more kids going back to school? (although few of them seemed to be kids) - but they mustn't have bothered to tell Scot Rail, as there were still only four coaches, and getting a properly distanced seat Wasn't Happening. When we arrived, there was a chivalrous but annoying bloke in front of me letting everyone from the other end of the carriage out first, which wasted just enough time that the bus was leaving the stop when I got to the street.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the next bus was about 15 minutes late, and - O joy! - there are roadworks and we must have wasted another ten minutes crawling along the road beside Fettes College.
I'm loath to say it, but if this carries on I'm going to have to get up at even sillier o'clock and get an earlier train.
very disgruntled piglet
I'm heading out for my walk soon. I arranged for my Sainz Breeze online delivery to come at lunchtime today, instead of this evening, as Mr Nen and I had our vaccines yesterday and I thought we might be feeling rough by 8pm. I'm fine at the moment apart from an achey arm but Mr Nen isn't feeling right and although he's been out this morning he is a bit subdued and says all he feels like doing is sitting quietly and not moving, which is not like him at all.
I use a nutcracker more often for loosening screw tops than I do for cracking nuts - a very handy tool.
Macarius and I had the AstraZeneca jab. It seems to affect people differently. Macarius was fine the next day; I was fine until the evening of the next day, when I came over a bit anyhow. Was fine after an early night, though.
MMM
I've felt in touch with my past, particularly my mum, this afternoon as I turned a collar on one of Mr Nen's favourite shirts. It was pretty 'make do and mend' when I was a child (sides-to-middle sheets, anyone?) and I remember my mum turning the collars on shirts for my dad and my two older brothers. It'll never pass for a best shirt, but it'll serve another little while.
I decided not to sides to middle my worn sheets, a process which would be OK with doubles, with the seam between the occupants, but not for singles. Not sure what to do with them. I have too many pillow cases.
In vaccine after-effects news, Mr Nen feels fine today (despite his gloomy prediction that Today Could Be Much Worse). My arm's still very achey and this afternoon I've had aches in my hips and legs. Must be the immune system doing its thing, which is all to the good.
My diary tomorrow has five Zoom meetings in it. Not sure how that happened.
Obviously this calls for CAKE. What kind to make though?
A short training session this morning, then I need to give a telephone tutorial to a student and I’ll be marking essays all afternoon (how stereotypes and labelling affect care). I have a work meeting this evening too.
The I looked out of the north-facing window to see a neighbour 'encouraging' sheep (and lambs) out of his garden - We, like sheep, have gone astray!
I felt hymnodically blessed as I rushed downstairs and out to the patch of grass known as 'Beyond the Pale', by our garden wall to give them my own bit of encouragement. Not that we mind the sheep eating the grass, it's what they leave behind which is less desirable when you have small children coming to play.
'Mind the sheep poo, Grandma' was TIG#1's constant plaint when we moved here...
Younger son has gone to college - yippee! He had his covid test on Monday and has now returned to college (for the moment still mixed online and face to face alternate weeks).
My parents house, it's more likely that I'll be "persuading" a herd of milking cows back out, as there's a farmyard next door. And kept awake by a milker complaining her calf is off to market in the morning.